Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1905-03-28
MRS. RYAN's MUN1FIcENcE.


One example Of the "women's sys-
tenn" of up to odate charitable and church
work, and the application of business
methods to work often left to others, is
the charitable bureau established, main
tanned and operated by Mrs. Thomas F.
Ryan, at her home, No. 60 Fifth avenue,
New York. Mrs. Ryan during the last
few years has given more than 81, 6OO,-
600 toward the advancement Of the var
ious charities maintained and controlled
BY the Roman Catholic Church in the
United States, besides contributions to
non sectarian institutions. The exact
amount of her benefactions will probably
never be known outside Of the immediate
members of her family. Her gifts, how
ever, extend to eight or ten States in the
union, from North Dakota TO Texas and
from New York to Virginia.
No gift is made until she has satisfied
herself personally of its necessity, and
once she determines TO build church, a
school or hospital immediate steps are
taken TO establish an endowment fund suf-
ficient to insure its support for all time
to come. In carrying out this work Mrs.
Ran has set aside several rooms in her
Fifth avenue mansion as her office and
equipped them accordingly. Here she
spends from three to four hours each day
when in New York with her secretary
and clerks in examining reports, looking
into requests for additional assistance apd
taking steps to strengthen the financial
support of institutions already establish
cd.
Mrs. Ryan's muni6cence covers the
building of least one hundred new
chapels, schools, churches, hospitals, homes
for Sisters of Charity and homes for aged
and infrm. In addition to these there
are hundreds of others which have been
increased 10 size, repaired or endowed
so that they could not be abandoned alto
geher through lack ofsupport. From
8 O'Clock every morning until luncheon,
at one O'Clock, Mrs. Ryan gives her en-
tire attention to this work by answering
correspondence, regulating the manage
ment of institutions already established,
sugcesting new poices for them, examln-
ing the reports which she requires at
regular intervals from all institutions
which receive assistance from her. and
directing that the expenses at this insii-
tuition be curtaiIed or that another be in
creased, according to the figures submit
ted in the reports.
Mrs. Ryan has had coBstructeda a large
chapel at Hot Springs, Va, seating $50
persons; a $40, 600 church in Msnches-
ter. Va, seating 400 persons; the Sacred
Heart School, in Richmond, Va, with
accommodations for 400 boys and girls;
Sisters residence in Richmond; a
school in Newport News, Va, accommo-
dating 200 children; beautiful chapel
at Covington, Ky a church at Falls
Church, Va, accommodating 400 per-
sons, AMI hospital at Lynchburg, Va,
with seventy beds for white and negro
residents of the city, have all been built
and endowed by Mrs. Ryan. These,
however, are only few Of the buildings
she has built.
Since both Mr.. and Mrs. Ryan are
natives of Virginia, it is natural thatthe
larger percentage of their gifts should be
given to the State Of their birth. Mrs.
RYAN comes from one of the Oldest and
best known Virginia families. Her
great grtat-great- grandmother was Miss
Sarah Ball, first cousin of Mary Ball,
the mother of George Washington.
Mrs. Ryan was Miss Ida Mary Barry,
the daughter of John Smith Barry, a
prominent merchant of Baltimore, and
he was the son of Robert Barry, who
married Miss Amelia Ramsay, daughter
of Colonel Dennis Ramsay, of Alexan-
dria. Va, colonel in the revolutionary
army. Robert Barry was a direct de-
scendant of the famous Barry family Of
Buttevant, county Cork, Ireland, who
claim descent from the Normans.
The Ramsays are of Scotch descent
from the Earl of Dalhousie. Colonel
Dennis Ramsay was the son of Captain
William Ramsay, the founder of Alex
andria, Va, and Justice of the peace
under King George ILL.,, and his mother
was Miss Ann Mccarthy, daughter OF
Sarah Ball, first cousin to Mary Ball
the mother of George Washington. Col
one Ramsay married Miss Jane Aller
Taylor, whose father, Jesse Taylor, wa
one of the great colonists of Virginia
coming to this country 10 his Own ship
with his plate, servants and settlers
Colonel Dennis Ramsay's brother, DIR
William Ramsay, was surgeon in tn
revolutionary army and attached t
General Washington's staff, and durinl
the war of 1912 Colonel Bsmsay's thre
J sons held commissions in thesmall arm
of the United States.
Are You Engaged?
-l ,.aoria should remember thai