Jimmy Rizzardi: The Illegitimate Grandfather - Pt. 2

Continued from part 1...

Florence Polly Melvin decided to accompany her older sisters to the bar in Louisville that evening. She was different from her sisters; I think she probably always was...she had an innocence about her. Due to hardship, and a mostly absent and alcoholic father, Florence and her siblings had spent much of their childhood within the walls of the Louisville Industrial School, a house for orphans and delinquent children. Florence and her youngest sister had finally been released to family in 1919 while the older siblings had been released to live with their mother and seek employment seven years earlier. 

Jimmy Rizzardi was at the bar that night and I don't know any of the details, or even if Florence had ever seen Jimmy prior to that evening, but I can imagine that 22 year old Jimmy was probably a handsome lad and very adept at courting the ladies. He would marry at least five different women during his lifetime and one of those women he would legally marry three times!  Did he love women? Probably!

The way Florence told it: "Jimmy put something in my drink". But we all look at each other and nod our heads knowingly. Florence was never a drinker and she was just naive enough to suspect her drink had been spiked. I'm pretty sure she knew she was being served an adult beverage, but I'm also fairly certain she had no idea how alcohol might affect her; therefore, she believed there had to have been some extra "something" slipped into her drink to cause her such a mortifying loss of judgment.

A romantic encounter ensued. The alcohol allowed Florence to be sweet-talked by the charming young Jimmy; she didn't stand a chance, I'm sure. A few short weeks later, there she was: young, unmarried, and slowly waking up to the fact that she was pregnant. 

Florence's father had passed away while she was in the orphanage, and her mother, Eddy, had recently married a Louisville city policeman, T. J. "Jess" Price. Florence's only brother Bud, the oldest of her siblings, wrote to her mother and had this to say:

"As for Florence, I don't care what you do. She can have a dozen for all I care, as I haven't time to worry about her, and I'm not a good hand to worry. If she would not take ones advice once, I can't see how you could beat it in her to do right afterwards. That's just the way I feel about it, so tell Jess what he does for her will be appreciated regardless of how I feel."

It is uncertain exactly when Jimmy's wife packed up and left, taking their daughter with her. Jimmy was probably still legally married to Lassie during his brief affair with Florence...and I suspect he had many of these brief affairs during and in between his many marriages.

In September of 1922 Florence gave birth to a daughter, Florence Edna Melvin, Jr., and on the birth certificate Jimmy Rizzardi is clearly listed as the father.

Harvey J. & Florence Polly (Melvin)
Moore and her daughter
Florence Edna
Kentucky circa 1923

Less than a month after her daughter was born, Florence's childhood sweetheart, Harvey Moore, asked her to marry him, allowing him to give the baby his name. Florence agreed and she and Harvey were married on October 10, 1922. The name Florence Edna Melvin Jr. was eventually crossed out on the birth certificate, and Florence Edna Moore was penned in.

Harvey Moore died a little over seven years later in January of 1930 and in March that year Florence's sister Ruth wrote to her:

"I told him that Harvey stopped court trial over that baby and claimed it and knew you had it and promised to give her his name and protect and care for her and begged you to marry him so F.E. [Florence Edna] can rightfully claim anything that was his." 

(Ruth was married to Harvey Moore's brother William and this excerpt from the letter concerned a dispute with their father, Cornelius C. Moore, over property rights.)

This is where things got skewed. Florence and Harvey had been sweethearts long before her encounter with Jimmy. Some speculated that the baby must be Harvey's after all.  It appears Florence didn't insist on the truth being known at that time so the rumors persisted and after a while I think even those who once thought they knew the truth, were now confused.

A little over a year after Harvey's death, Florence married Elza Scott, the man that all her grandchildren would know as their grandfather.

Concluded in part 3...

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Jimmy Rizzardi: The Illegitimate Grandfather - Pt. 1

My attention was divided between the two adults in my kitchen and my children, a baby and a toddler, who were making just enough noise that I couldn't hear everything that was being said. I clearly remember the expression on her face though, just like it was yesterday. Florence wasn't even five feet tall but the spark in her eye was commanding. As she gazed up into the face of her grandson her expression left no doubt; what she was about to reveal was important and she wanted to make sure he was listening with both ears. Perhaps she feared it was too late to tell the truth and that we were going to think she was senile. But no, this woman was sharp as a tack up to the day she died, and we all knew it. 

Florence P. Melvin Scott

My husband respectfully leaned down closer to his grandmother and gave her his full attention. Like her grandson, Florence was soft spoken, so all I heard of the conversation was the name "Rizzardi" and "He put something in my drink" and "I told Jimmie (another grandson) too"...and finally: "I want all you kids to know the truth".

Well...we had all suspected the truth for years but it had been covered up more often than not, stubbornly painted over and brushed aside by those who knew. But the rumor had been around so long that we knew there was something to it. Now, in her late 70s, Florence was determined to put an end to the rumor and make sure that cat would never crawl back into the bag.

So now here it was 1980 and the rumor was finally fact. Out-of-wedlock births were no longer the big scandal they were thirty years ago; however, this event took place a full sixty years earlier so I can only imagine how difficult life must have been for my husband's grandmother, who was only a teenager at the time.

Florence died in 1989 and a few years later I started researching the genealogy of our families, but it was still several years after that before I even considered doing any research on my husband's illegitimate grandfather, Jimmy Rizzardi. The first search turned up just enough information to get me hooked on the hunt, and over the years I have put together quite a timeline on Jimmy's life and that of his parents, his siblings, his many wives, and his one known legitimate daughter. When merged with the timeline I created for Florence, and with two telling excerpts from family letters, there is no room left for doubt about her story; not like there ever was any doubt really, but just in case!

A brief history of the Rizzardi family 1866 through 1921

Jimmy's father was James Joseph Rizzardi, Jr. (some records, and his tombstone, list him as "Giacomo" - which is the Italian version of James). He was born in Italy on October 17, 1866. His death certificate gives his father's name as James J. Rizzardi and states that both his parents were born in Italy.

James married Marie Louise Hallet between 1886 and 1889. The Flemish speaking Louise was born in Liege, Belgium on St. Valentine's Day in 1870. According to passport applications, James immigrated to the U. S. from Havre, France around 1887, and Louise immigrated still later, between 1888 and 1890. The different sources of data are only slightly conflicting so these dates are approximate, but fairly close. I don't yet know if James and Louise were married over seas or in the U. S., but it is likely they were married both places. They would marry each other twice more before they finally divorced.

Between 1890 and 1895 Louise had given birth to two daughters, Angelina and Annie, and one son, Gustav or Gastin, all born in Pennsylvania.

James Rizzardi received his U. S. citizenship in Greensburg, Westmoreland Co., Pennsylvania on the 31st day of July 1897.

From information obtained from passport applications and other documents, it would appear that James and his pregnant wife left Pennsylvania early in January of 1900. On January 30, 1900, James and Louise's fourth child, James Joseph "Jimmy" Rizzardi III was born in Joliet, Will Co., Illinois and in April that same year, in the same county, James and Louise married again.

By early June of 1900, the Rizzardi family had landed in LaFollette, Campbell Co., Tennessee, an area that had been known as Big Gap Creek just a few years earlier. There, they lived in a rented house and James found employment as a coal miner with the newly established LaFollette Coal, Iron and Railway Co. It is very likely that James had been a coal miner during the years he lived in Pennsylvania. Many immigrants of all cultures would come to LaFollette for employment opportunities offered by the town's founders. In 1900, the town of LaFollette had a population of 300. By 1920 there had been a significant increase to a population of 3000.

In 1902, Louis, the fifth and last of James and Louise's children, was born. In late 1905 or early 1906, James made a trip back over seas and returned in late May 1906 on the ship "La Provence". In April of 1908, he and Louise were married once again in Campbell Co., Tennessee, and by 1910 James owned his own farm in La Follette. (All records appear to indicate that there were no divorces between marriages up to this point.)

In March 1913 Louise and son Jimmy sailed to Liege to visit her parents and returned about 4 months later aboard the ship "Kroonland".

In October of 1917, young Jimmy Rizzardi married his first wife, Lois Gladys "Lassie" Seivers, daughter of Samuel Smith and Mary Elizabeth Norman Seivers. In September of 1918 Jimmy filled out a WWI draft registration card. On it, his occupation was listed as receiving clerk for the American Express Co. In October that year Jimmy and Lassie's daughter, Marguerite Madalon Rizzardi was born. The young family lived with Jimmy's parents in LaFollette.

In May of 1921 Louise made arrangements for another visit to see her parents in Liege. She left in June from the port of New York on the Red Star Line, this time alone.

In late December of 1921, at a bar in Louisville, Jimmy Rizzardi seduced the impressionable and inexperienced 18 year old, Florence Melvin.

To be continued in part 2...

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Treasure Chest Thursday: A Homemade Heirloom

This dagger (or dirk) was hand fashioned from a metal file, by Elza Chandler Scott, maternal grandfather (non-biological) of my husband Mike. It was given to Mike's father, Joseph Harvey Logsdon, and Harvey wore it when he entered the Navy during WWII. There are some rather hazy war stories passed down along with it, and I believe I'll just leave those to the imagination!

As shown below, Mike likes to wear this knife as a "dirk", an accessory to his Irish kilt. He doesn't use the old leather sheath for fear of damage, so he wears the new leather replica that was hand crafted by our friend Larry.

Mike Logsdon 2011

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Tombstone Tuesday: Elza C. and Florence P. Scott

Elza Chandler Scott (birth name CHANDLER) 1895-1969
Adopted son of Ottway Norville and Mary Cordelia (Arnold) Scott
Florence Polly (Melvin) Scott 1903-1989
daughter of Michael and Edna A. (Metcalf) Melvin
buried Evergreen Cemetery, Louisville, Jefferson Co., Kentucky

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Amanuensis Monday: A Convenient Marriage-Part 2

After the widow Florence Polly (Melvin) Moore received the letter from suitor Elza Chandler Scott (whom she'd never met in person), she quickly shot off a reply to him which she tucked into another letter to her friend Mrs. Reed because it was the time of the Great Depression and she had only one stamp. This is her reply to Mr. Scott:

                         March 29, 1931

          Mr. E. C. Scott.

                 Dear Friend:

                          Will answere

your letter with pleasure, I

am certainly sorry if I gave you

a bawling out because I

did'nt intend to do so, I was

glad to get the photo of you, and

to tell the truth about it, I

dont think you would spoil

my appitte, but I may spoil

yours. I am sorry but I cant

find a photo of my self. I

have some that were made

about 3 years ago. but I

look quiet differant now.

if every thing is OK, I think

I will see you in a few days.

lets hope so anyway.

I am 27 years old, a widow of one

year & 2 months, 5 feet 1 1/2 in tall

weigh 102 pound. Blue eyes light

complected & auburn hair. and

I have a daughter nearly 9 years

old. I love children and it is

a pleasure to be with them

especially with nicely raised

children  Mrs Reed spoke real

well of you and the Boys, Jack &

Mrs Reed are real nice people

I think as much of them

as I do my own people. they

have certainly treated me

nice, I have the head ache so

bad to day I cant hardly write.

so please excuese this short

letter, may be we can arrange

every thing when I get

their, so please answere this

as soon as possible, Mr & Mrs

Reed are moving to Latonia

will you go with them or

will you stay where you are,

so you have just bought a car

it doesent matter if it

isnt a swell one, times are

to bad to put so much money

in a car are any thing. I all

way try to save for a rainy

day, but havent had any

thing to save for over a year.

but after the rain the sun

all ways shines, so I hope it

will soon shine for me.

I am sorry I havent a picture

of my self at present, but

may be you wont be

disappointed when you

see me. I think I will

be there Sunday the 5th if

everything works out allright.

I will be looking for an

Answere in a few days. please

write, good bye good luck.

             your lonesome Buddie

                    Florence Moore

                       2206 - Standard Ave

                            Lou

                               Ky.

the reason why I am putting

this in Mrs Reeds letter

because this is the only

stamp I have and I

can't get any till tomorrow

Apparently Florence arrived in Cincinnati on Sunday, April 5th as planned and she and Elza must have gotten along famously just as Jack and Mrs. Reed predicted because on the following Saturday, April 11th.....

Marriage License of Elza C. Scott and Florence P. Moore
dated April 11, 1931

And 29 years later....they were still happily married....

Florence Polly and Elza Chandler Scott - May 1960

....til death they did part in June of 1969 with the passing of Elza, age 72. (No children from this union.)

Click here to read Part 1

Thanks go to my sister-in-law Rose, who has allowed me to keep and preserve these historical family artifacts!

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Amanuensis Monday: A Convenient Marriage-Part 1

In March of 1931 my husband's maternal grandmother, Florence Polly (Melvin) Moore, had been a widow for just a little over a year and she had an 8 1/2 year old daughter. Her friend, Mrs. Reed, knew of a widower with children of his own who was looking for a mother for them as well as a companion for himself, so Mrs. Reed decided to try and play match maker. This is the first of two letters in my possession that followed after Mrs. Reed set things in motion.

                   March 27, 1931

                  3029 Woodburn Ave.

                  Cincinnati, O.

Miss Florence Moore:

        My Dear Miss Moore:

                     I suppose I really

deserve the slight bawling out

in the letter you sent Mrs Reed

Well my dear lady I have been

figureing and making plans and

wanted to be sure of my step

before I had a definite understanding

with you. If I can find

a Photo of my Self I will enclose

it in this missle. I want

to be perfectly frank and plain

with you so am going to

look forward to meeting you

with great pleasure. I have

not been a widower but

4 months but life with out a

companion is one continual hell

for me. I have 3 boys Florence

who need other care besides

that which I can give them

Of course the two older ones

can take care of themselves

mostly but the youngest needs

a mothers care and teaching.

Now if I can arrange it and

I think I can will you be

willing to come up and

look the situation over and

then we will see what can

be done. understand I dont

want to make a slave of you

or any one. More a companion

and "buddy" than any thing

else. To tell you a little more

about my self. I am 37 years

old and I think I know what

life is all about. I am not "tall

dark & handsome" but I dont think

I would spoil your appetite by

having to look across the table at

me every morning as the saying

goes. I have just purchased

an auto not a swell one of

course (because I cant afford it)

but one that we can have lots

of pleasure out of this summer.

Jack & Mrs Reed say they think

we would get along famously

so my interest in you is

growing daily. Now if you

care to answer this I will

be looking for an answer also

looking forward to the day I

see you in person.

    will close for this time

                (over)

Hoping to hear from you

soon   I remain yours in the field of lonesome men

                      E. C. Scott

                        3029 Woodburn Ave

                           Cincinnati

                               Ohio.

P.S.

Please send Photo of yourself.

                       E. C.

 Part 2 will be posted next week and will be Florence's reply to Elza Chandler Scott and the outcome of this correspondence.

Click here to read Part 2

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