RUTH ATKINSON
Social Security and California Death Indexes at Ancestry.com
Ruth M[ildred Atkinson] Ford was born on June 2, 1918.
New York, Naturalization Records at Ancestry.com
Ruth’s mother, Yilda Estelle Atkinson (formerly Yetta Gottesfeld) submitted a Petition for Naturalization in June 1942. The petition said the Atkinson family emigrated from Canada to the United States, by train through Niagara Falls, New York, in July 1920.
1924 Elmira, New York, City Directory
Address: 751 Spaulding
1925 New York State Census
Address: 209 Mechanic Street, Elmira, New York
Name / Age
Fredrick Atkinson, 45, father born in England and employed in brass department
Yilda Atkinson, 31, mother born in Austria and worked in real estate
Warren F Atkinson, 11, brother born in Canada
Agnes B Atkinson, 10, sister born in Canada
Theodore F Atkinson, 8, brother born in Canada
Ruth M Atkinson, 7, born in Canada
Marshall Atkinson, 5, brother born in Canada
Rita Atkinson, 2, sister born in New York
Emma L Atkinson, 1, sister born in New York
1926 Elmira, New York, City Directory
Address: 246 E Miller
1927 Elmira, New York, City Directory
Address: 217 Franklin
1930 United States Census
Address: 331 East Third Street, Corning, New York
Immigration Year: 1920
Household Members:
Name / Age
Frederick Atkinson, 49, glass works inspector
Yilda E Atkinson, 37, unemployed
Warren T Atkinson, 16, hotel employee
Agnes B Atkinson, 15
Theodore F Atkinson, 13
Ruth M Atkinson, 11, student
Marshal Atkinson, 10
Rita C Atkinson, 7
Emma L Atkinson, 5
Bertha M Atkinson, 1
The Stator
Corning Free Academy
Corning, New York
page 29: 1930 yearbook, junior high school girls class photograph
The Stator
Corning Free Academy
Corning, New York
page 29: 1934 yearbook, sophomore class photograph
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
(New York)
January 29, 1937
page 8, column 7: lists of high school graduates
Girls’ Commercial [High School]
Ruth M. Atkinson (Art)
1940 United States Census
Address: 85-02 20th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York
Name / Age
Yilda Atkinson, 47, divorced and store keeper at corset shop
Thomas Atkinson, 28, restaurant dish washer
Ruth Atkinson, 21, music publisher canvasser; in 1939 she worked 20 weeks and earned 160 dollars; her comic book career began in the 1940s; it’s not known when she became a U.S. citizen
Marshall Atkinson, 20, plumber’s helper
Rita Atkinson, 16, artist, hand-painted jewelry
Emilton Atkinson, 15
Bertha M Atkinson, 11
Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999
Catalog of Copyright Entries
1963
page 1400, column 2: Colona, Maxine.
Jireh College; stirred embers of the past. In collaboration with Ruth Ford Atkinson. 134 p. © Maxine Colonna & Ruth Ford Atkinson; 29Aug63; A6 48023.
A Century of Women Cartoonists
Trina Robbins
Kitchen Sink Press, 1993
pages 83 (comic book art, above), 101 (comic book art), 102 (comic book art), 104, 109, 111 (comic book art), 121
Pretty in Ink: North American Women Cartoonists 1896-2013
Trina Robbins
Fantagraphics, 2013
pages 80, 82 (comic book art), 83, 90 (photograph), 99 (comic book art, above), 100, 108, 115
California Death Index at Ancestry.com
Ruth M. Ford died on June 1, 1997.Address: 85-02 20th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York
Name / Age
Yilda Atkinson, 47, divorced and store keeper at corset shop
Thomas Atkinson, 28, restaurant dish washer
Ruth Atkinson, 21, music publisher canvasser; in 1939 she worked 20 weeks and earned 160 dollars; her comic book career began in the 1940s; it’s not known when she became a U.S. citizen
Marshall Atkinson, 20, plumber’s helper
Rita Atkinson, 16, artist, hand-painted jewelry
Emilton Atkinson, 15
Bertha M Atkinson, 11
Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999
Catalog of Copyright Entries
1963
page 1400, column 2: Colona, Maxine.
Jireh College; stirred embers of the past. In collaboration with Ruth Ford Atkinson. 134 p. © Maxine Colonna & Ruth Ford Atkinson; 29Aug63; A6 48023.
A Century of Women Cartoonists
Trina Robbins
Kitchen Sink Press, 1993
pages 83 (comic book art, above), 101 (comic book art), 102 (comic book art), 104, 109, 111 (comic book art), 121
Trina Robbins
Fantagraphics, 2013
pages 80, 82 (comic book art), 83, 90 (photograph), 99 (comic book art, above), 100, 108, 115
California Death Index at Ancestry.com
Comics Buyer’s Guide
July 4, 1997
pages 6 and 8: “Ruth Atkinson Ford Dies June 1”
Trina Robbins
Penstuff
July 1997
page 10: “Cancer Takes Ruth Atkinson Ford”
Trina Robbins
The Comics Journal
#198, August 1997
page 31: “Atkinson Ford Dead at 79”
Comics artist Ruth Atkinson Ford, died May 31, 1997.
RAE HERMANN
Updated profile is here.
Social Security Death Index
Ruth Herman was born on June 9, 1920, in Brooklyn, New York.
1925 New York State CensusAddress: 1474 Park Place, Brooklyn, New York
Name / Age
Aaron Herman, 50, father born in Russia and works as a tailor
Fannie Herman, 38, mother born in Russia
Abe Herman, 18, brother born New York and works as a bookkeeper
Beckie Herman, 17, sister born New York and works as a bookkeeper
Bennie Herman, 15, brother born New York
Sam Herman, 10, brother born New York
Ruth Herman, 5, born New York
George Herman, 5, brother born New York
Address: 1474 Park Place, Brooklyn, New York
Name / Age
Harry Herman, 55, father born in Poland and works as a tailor
Fannie Herman, 41, mother born in Poland
Abe Herman, 22, clerk in law office
Benjamin Herman, 20, clerk in office
Bettie Herman, 20, stenographer
Samuel Herman, 15
Ruth Herman, 9
George Herman, 9
Ruth Rae Herman aka “Rae Hermann” and “Ray R. Hermann”
1920–1996
Profile by Dave Saunders
Love on the Racks: A History of American Romance Comics
Michelle Nolan
McFarland, 2008
page 81: ...Our Publishing Company, often known as Orbit, was headed by a woman, Ray R. Hermann (sometimes known as Rae)....
Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999
Career overview
Grand Comics Database
Credits
Social Security Death Index
Ruth Herman died December 26, 1996, in Brooklyn, New York.
Updated profile is here.
Ruth Ann Roche was born on February 18, 1917, in Massachusetts.
1920 United States Federal Census
Address: 194 Brown Avenue, Holyoke, Massachusetts
Name / Age
John Roche, 31, father was a gas and electric repairman
Anna Roche, 26, mother born in Russia
Walter J Roche, 11, brother
George Roche, 8, brother
Ruth Roche, 3, born in Massachusetts
Hannah T Roche, 50, father’s aunt
1930 United States Census
Address: 28 Elmwood Avenue, Holyoke, Massachusetts
Name / Age
John Roche, 41, father was widower and gas meter inspector
Ruth A Roche, 13
Anna M Roche, 5, sister also worked in comics
Bridget T Roche, 62, father’s mother
Ethel M Roche, 27, father’s sister
1940 United States Census
Address: 31 Franklin Street, Holyoke, Massachusetts
Name / Age
John H Roche, 51, father was city meter inspector
Ruth Gahan, 23, completed 4 years of high school; first name and whereabouts of husband is not known; her career in comics began in the 1940s
John Gahan, 1, son
Eileen Bunyan, 28, lodger
1944
Jerry Iger forms a publishing company called Action Play Books.
Bobby’s Diary
Ruth A. Roche
Illustrated by David B. Icove
Action Play Books, 1944
Indian Legends
Ruth A. Roche
Illustrated by David B. Icove
Action Play Books, 1944
Pee Wee and the Sneezing Elephant
Ruth A. Roche
Illustrated by David B. Icove
Action Play Books, 1944
Adventures of Peter Pupp
Ruth A. Roche
Illustrated by David B. Icove
Action Play Books, 1944
The A. B. C’s in Rhyme
Ruth A. Roche
Illustrated by David B. Icove
Action Play Books, 1945
Chimpsey at Play
Ruth A. Roche
Illustrated by Dic Loscalzo
Domesday Press, 1945
Classic Comics
No. 26, December 1945
Frankenstein
Ruth A. Roche
Illustrated by Robert Hayward Webb and Ann Brewster
Cinderella
Ruth A. Roche
Tiny Tales Publishers, 1946
Puss in Boots
Ruth A. Roche
Illustrated by Alex Blum
Tiny Tales Publishers, 1946
Florida, Divorce Index at Ancestry.com
Ruth Roche and Frank Manning, 1949
A Century of Women Cartoonists
Trina Robbins
Kitchen Sink Press, 1993
page 83: …In the case of Fiction House, the stories were often written by a woman, too. From 1940, when she was only twenty years old, until 1961, Ruth Roche, sometimes using the male pseudonym “Rod Roche,” was first the company’s major writer, and later editor. Although women writers worked for both Fiction House and other comic book companies, Roche probably wrote more comics during the ’40s than any other woman who was not also drawing her own strip….
Comics Through Time: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas
M. Keith Booker
ABC-CLIO, 2014
page 141: …while Ruth Roche, another studio writer, became Iger’s full partner in 1945…
Will Eisner: A Spirited Life
Bob Andelman
M Press, 2005
Greg Sadowski, John Benson
Fantagraphics Books, 2010
Photograph of Jerry Iger and Ruth Roche
The Complete Voodoo, Volume 1
IDW Publishing, 2015
Photograph of Jerry Iger and Ruth Roche (same as above but larger and colored)
American Newspaper Comics
Allan Holtz
University of Michigan Press, 2012
page 152: Flamingo
(Ruth Roche was the writer of the comic strip, Flamingo, which was drawn by Matt Baker and John Thornton. The strip ran from February 11, 1952 to March 21, 1953.)
Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999
Career overview
Comic Book Database
Credits
Grand Comics Database
Credits
Social Security Death Index
(New York)
May 12, 1983
page 2, columns 2 and 3
“Ruth Schaefer”
Ruth R. Schaefer, 66, of South Delrey Road, Montauk, died on May 4 at Southampton Hospital after a brief illness.
Born in Massachusetts, Mrs. Schaefer lived in Flushing before she moved to Montauk 25 years ago.
While living in Flushing, Mrs. Schaefer worked as an executive editor with Rochris [sic] and Iger, a New York firm that produced creative writing and artwork. She was with the firm for 18 years. During her career as a writer and illustrator, she also worked as a business manager for Phoenix Features Syndicate, where she created the comic strip “Flamingo,” which appeared in the New York World-Telegram for many years.
She also worked as an editor of Classics Comic Books for five years; edited six romance-confession magazines under the pen names of Miss Martin, Miss Bennett, Miss Adams, Miss Thorpe, Agnes Wilson, and the Marriage Clinic; illustrated Mickey Spillane’s “Mike Hammer” series, which appeared in the New York Mirror and other newspapers around the world; wrote scripts for such properties as “Ellery Queen,” “Brenda Starr,” “Aggie Mack,” and “Sheena, Queen of the Jungle,” and edited the cartoons “Felix the Cat” and “Huckleberry Hound.”
Mrs. Schaefer, who was divorced, is survived by her companion of many years, Peter Panteles of Montauk. Her body was cremated. Memorial donations have been suggested to the Montauk ambulance squad.
1920 United States Federal Census
Address: 194 Brown Avenue, Holyoke, Massachusetts
Name / Age
John Roche, 31, father was a gas and electric repairman
Anna Roche, 26, mother born in Russia
Walter J Roche, 11, brother
George Roche, 8, brother
Ruth Roche, 3, born in Massachusetts
Hannah T Roche, 50, father’s aunt
1930 United States Census
Address: 28 Elmwood Avenue, Holyoke, Massachusetts
Name / Age
John Roche, 41, father was widower and gas meter inspector
Ruth A Roche, 13
Anna M Roche, 5, sister also worked in comics
Bridget T Roche, 62, father’s mother
Ethel M Roche, 27, father’s sister
1940 United States Census
Address: 31 Franklin Street, Holyoke, Massachusetts
Name / Age
John H Roche, 51, father was city meter inspector
Ruth Gahan, 23, completed 4 years of high school; first name and whereabouts of husband is not known; her career in comics began in the 1940s
John Gahan, 1, son
Eileen Bunyan, 28, lodger
1944
Jerry Iger forms a publishing company called Action Play Books.
Bobby’s Diary
Ruth A. Roche
Illustrated by David B. Icove
Action Play Books, 1944
Indian Legends
Ruth A. Roche
Illustrated by David B. Icove
Action Play Books, 1944
Pee Wee and the Sneezing Elephant
Ruth A. Roche
Illustrated by David B. Icove
Action Play Books, 1944
Adventures of Peter Pupp
Ruth A. Roche
Illustrated by David B. Icove
Action Play Books, 1944
The A. B. C’s in Rhyme
Ruth A. Roche
Illustrated by David B. Icove
Action Play Books, 1945
Chimpsey at Play
Ruth A. Roche
Illustrated by Dic Loscalzo
Domesday Press, 1945
Classic Comics
No. 26, December 1945
Frankenstein
Ruth A. Roche
Illustrated by Robert Hayward Webb and Ann Brewster
Cinderella
Ruth A. Roche
Tiny Tales Publishers, 1946
Puss in Boots
Ruth A. Roche
Illustrated by Alex Blum
Tiny Tales Publishers, 1946
Ruth Roche and Frank Manning, 1949
A Century of Women Cartoonists
Trina Robbins
Kitchen Sink Press, 1993
page 83: …In the case of Fiction House, the stories were often written by a woman, too. From 1940, when she was only twenty years old, until 1961, Ruth Roche, sometimes using the male pseudonym “Rod Roche,” was first the company’s major writer, and later editor. Although women writers worked for both Fiction House and other comic book companies, Roche probably wrote more comics during the ’40s than any other woman who was not also drawing her own strip….
Comics Through Time: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas
M. Keith Booker
ABC-CLIO, 2014
page 141: …while Ruth Roche, another studio writer, became Iger’s full partner in 1945…
Will Eisner: A Spirited Life
Bob Andelman
M Press, 2005
Arthur Iger is Jerry Iger’s nephew.
Page 353: ...Arthur recalled that Jerry’s longest-lasting personal relationship was the one he had with his assistant, an attractive redhead named Ruth Roche. She had a son from a marriage that ended before she met Jerry, according to Arthur. “She loved Jerry,” he said. “But he never married her.”
Four Color Fear: Forgotten Horror Comics of the 1950sPage 353: ...Arthur recalled that Jerry’s longest-lasting personal relationship was the one he had with his assistant, an attractive redhead named Ruth Roche. She had a son from a marriage that ended before she met Jerry, according to Arthur. “She loved Jerry,” he said. “But he never married her.”
Greg Sadowski, John Benson
Fantagraphics Books, 2010
Photograph of Jerry Iger and Ruth Roche
The Complete Voodoo, Volume 1
IDW Publishing, 2015
Photograph of Jerry Iger and Ruth Roche (same as above but larger and colored)
American Newspaper Comics
Allan Holtz
University of Michigan Press, 2012
page 152: Flamingo
(Ruth Roche was the writer of the comic strip, Flamingo, which was drawn by Matt Baker and John Thornton. The strip ran from February 11, 1952 to March 21, 1953.)
Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999
Career overview
Comic Book Database
Credits
Grand Comics Database
Credits
Social Security Death Index
Ruth Ann Roche died May 1983, in Montauk, New York.
The East Hampton Star(New York)
May 12, 1983
page 2, columns 2 and 3
“Ruth Schaefer”
Ruth R. Schaefer, 66, of South Delrey Road, Montauk, died on May 4 at Southampton Hospital after a brief illness.
Born in Massachusetts, Mrs. Schaefer lived in Flushing before she moved to Montauk 25 years ago.
While living in Flushing, Mrs. Schaefer worked as an executive editor with Rochris [sic] and Iger, a New York firm that produced creative writing and artwork. She was with the firm for 18 years. During her career as a writer and illustrator, she also worked as a business manager for Phoenix Features Syndicate, where she created the comic strip “Flamingo,” which appeared in the New York World-Telegram for many years.
She also worked as an editor of Classics Comic Books for five years; edited six romance-confession magazines under the pen names of Miss Martin, Miss Bennett, Miss Adams, Miss Thorpe, Agnes Wilson, and the Marriage Clinic; illustrated Mickey Spillane’s “Mike Hammer” series, which appeared in the New York Mirror and other newspapers around the world; wrote scripts for such properties as “Ellery Queen,” “Brenda Starr,” “Aggie Mack,” and “Sheena, Queen of the Jungle,” and edited the cartoons “Felix the Cat” and “Huckleberry Hound.”
Mrs. Schaefer, who was divorced, is survived by her companion of many years, Peter Panteles of Montauk. Her body was cremated. Memorial donations have been suggested to the Montauk ambulance squad.
Women in Comics Posts
Ruth Atkinson, Olive Bailey, Valerie Barclay, Vivian Berg, Helen Chu aka Duffy Mohler, Ellen Cole, Anahid Dinkjian,
Barbara Clark Fogel, Evelyn Gaines aka Lynn Lovelace, Gerda Gattel, Selma Meyers Gleit, Jane Krom Grammer,
Georgette Sauterel, Marie Severin, Marcia Snyder, Lora Sprang aka Pat Gordon, Daisy Swayze, Terry Szenics, Claire Szep,
Little it's known about Ruth Roche will be interesting to find relatives and write a story. Wonder if relatives of Peter Pateles still own the liquor store?
ReplyDeleteRuth Roche's first husband was Henry J. Gahan, you can find them together in the 1940 dated Holyoke city directory. Their son, John Michael Gahan was born on 10 August 1938 and died on 24th April 1967. Apparently his name was changed to John Michael Manning, per the SSDI.
ReplyDeleteGreat Article.
ReplyDelete