b. October 1869, d. 6 June 1960
Birth | Oct 1869 | Nettie Gardner was born in Oct 1869 in Princess Ann, Somerset County, Maryland.2,3 |
Childhood | | Nettie's parents divorced when she was young. Her mother then married Carlos Sheldon, a successful real estate investor and US Congressman. The family lived in Houghton County, Michigan. |
Education | | Nettie studied piano and voice at the Boston Conservatory of Music.3 |
Marriage | 18 Nov 1896 | She married John Dennis Ryan on 18 Nov 1896 in Houghton County, Michigan.4 |
| | He was the son of John C. Ryan and Johanna O'Donnell.4 |
| | John's father was credited with discovering a famous copper mine in the Lake Superior district of Michigan. John's parents encouraged him to attend college, but instead he went to work in a store near the mines. In his mid 20s John moved to Denver from which base he worked as a drummer (salesman) for an oil company. Eventually he met Marcus Daly of Butte, Montana, head of the powerful Anaconda Mine Company and owner of various banking interests.5 |
| | Following their marriage John and Nettie lived in Denver for a short time. Their only child was born there in 1898. |
Cens-1900 | 5 Jun 1900 | However by the summer of 1900 they had settled in Chicago where they lived on 51st Street in the Hyde Park area of the city. The 1900 census noted that John was employed as an oil company manager.2 |
| | Marcus Daly died in Nov. 1900. John had maintained his friendship with the older man and continued to advise Daly's widow after his death. John went on to acquire a significant interest in the Daly Bank & Trust Co. and eventually became the company's president. Having developed a keen business sense he also went on to head Anaconda Mining.5,6,7 |
| | The family made their permanent home in Butte, Montana where they lived in an ornate residence at 105 North Excelsior. John's interests soon extended beyond banking and copper mining; in order to provide cheap electrical power for his copper mines, he consolidated several local electrical companies to form Montana Power Co. in 1912. John Ryan came to exert great political power within the state.6 |
Cens-1920 | 28 Jan 1920 | In need of a New York base John purchased #3 East 78th St. in Manhattan in 1913. The beautiful gothic style mansion stood 5 1/2 stores tall and was built in the late 1890s. John paid $400,000 for the home which stood on one of the most prestigious streets in the city. There he and Nettie were enumerated in 1920 with their 21 year old son and 9 servants, including an English butler. Their neighbor at #9 E. 78th was Pierre Cartier, whose occupation was listed simply as "jeweler."8 |
| | The couple also purchased a country estate named Cassleigh in Roslyn, Long Island. They renamed it Derrymore.7 |
Widowed | 11 Feb 1933 | John died on 11 Feb. 1933 at the couple's home in New York City. |
| | Nettie remained in the home for another 27 years. She supported numerous charities and served as honorary president of the Ladies of Charity of the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York.3 |
Death | 6 Jun 1960 | She died on 6 Jun 1960 at her home at 3 East 78th Street.3 |