This eBay acquisition proved to be a fun genealogical puzzle to solve. Here is a matted photograph of a gentleman standing behind a bar.

You can see at the bottom, in red ink, it says “Dawson House Bar 1914 JM Ridilla Bartender”. Here is the cropped version of the photograph.

After some false leads, errors, and obvious missed clues, I believe I have determined that the man in this photo is Joseph Michael Ridilla (1877-1961) and that Dawson House Bar was in Dawson, Fayette County, Pennsylvania.

Joseph is listed as being born in modern day Czechoslovakia or Austria on different documents. He appears to have emigrated to the United States in 1897 and married soon after arrival. I have seen his name spelled Ridilla as well as Ridella. In 1898 he married Mary Yoskolo (also, “Skolo” and “Sokol”).

Joseph’s 1910 U.S. Census entry lists him as being a “bartender”. By the 1920 and 1930 censuses, however, he was working as a “state laborer” and “janitor”. I’ve pieced together that he likely had 7 children: Joseph Jr. (1902), John (1906), Anthony (1908), Margaret (1912), Thomas J. (1916), Helen (1920), and Paul (1925).

The key piece of evidence that increased my confidence of a positive identification was the 1918 World War I Draft Registration Card. Again, Joseph is listed as a Bar Tender employed by “Otto Haas”.

There are several newspaper articles connecting Otto Haas to the Dawson House which was a hotel, restaurant, and bar.

And then there is this odd detail. Apparently in 1916 Otto Haas has “on exhibition at his hotel somewhat of a curiosity, a two-headed calf.”

It seems as if Joseph’s wife, Mary, died in or before 1945 according to this newspaper article detailing her estate. The North Braddock address matches census records.

Joseph died in 1961. His is buried with his son, Paul Ridella (1924-1944), at New Saint Josephs Cemetery in North Versailles, Pennsylvania. According to Paul’s grave marker he was “Killed In Action. Anzio Beach Head January 28, 1944”.

There are so many more genealogy details to explore here; and so many more stories to tell. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning just a little bit about Joseph and his family.

Related Posts: 1910-1919