Ida De Ryee
1825-1909
Mrs. Ida De Ryee
Sleeping
Photo Credit: Rosa G. Gonzales
Seating to the left: Ida De Ryee
Provenance: Corpus Christi Public Libraries
2. Biography
Ida was born Ida Dorothea Mylins in Themar, Saxony. She married William De Ryee on June 22, 1849 at Kingston, Tennessee; and to this union was born five children. William De Ryee built a cottonseed mill and with Ida’s brother, Henry Mylins, he developed and constructed a cottonseed huller. In 1856 William came to New Braunfels, Texas and while there in 1857 he developed a photographic system called homeography. Ida eventually joined her husband in Texas where he was famous for his photography and his knowledge of chemistry. In 1865 William traveled to New York to purchase necessary stock and chemicals to open a drug store in Corpus Christi in January of 1866. Ida and William lost a son Emil during the yellow fever epidemic of 1867 when De Ryee was called upon to treat victims because all the physicians had died during the epidemic. William and Ida’s son Charles De Ryee first documented the presence of the boll weevil in Texas. Ida’s husband died on May 23, 1903; and Ida died 6 years later in 1909 (see Handbook of Texas article on William De Ryee by Frank Wagner). Local descendents included Ida Florence De Ryee who married Geo. William Westervelt in 1875 and among their children was Victor Otis Westervelt (born in1886). Another better know descendent was Dy Ree Ashton Crossley (photographer) who was born in 1906 and died January 17, 2002. Known as “Dac†Crossley, he was the son of Charles A. Crossley and Ida May De Ryee. Dac’s sons include D. A. Crossley, Jr. and Walter Crossley (cf. obit of D. A. Crossley in Brownsville, Texas).
Research and transcription: Michael A. Howell
3. News item
Dr. and Mrs. William De Ryee celebrated their golden wedding-fifty years- of married life – on Wednesday, June 21. The Caller wishes them many more long years of happiness.
Source:
Corpus Christi Caller, June 23, 1899, p. 7, col. 2.
Research by: Msgr. Michael A. Howell
Transcription by: Geraldine McGloin, Nueces County Historical Commission