Eric Miller's Family Tree

Ralph "Rowdy" Bourn

Person ID: L125-C96

Person Chart

Parents

Father	Date of Birth	Mother	Date of Birth
John Selby Bourne	7/8/1839	Laura L. Hill	5/3/1861

Partners

Partner	Date of Birth	Children
Hazel Odell Ellis		Willagene Bourn Ellis Bourn Grace Bourn Sandy Lee Bourn Donald Richard Bourn Jack Bourn Gene Bourn Ralph Lemual Bourn

Person Events

Event Type	Date	Place	Description
Birth	2/13/1898	Calhoun County, West Virginia, United States
Death		Akron, Summit County, Ohio, United States

Notes


Here is what I know about Ralph Bourn (Bourne) He was born around Arnoldsburg West Virginia. His Son's Ellis Bourn, Jack and Gene have visited Coots and Maude's old farm and the Bourne family grave yard. It is located on the farm that Maude Bourne(Altizer) grand children own. Johns wife Lautty Hill Bourne died in child birth of (Ralph). Ralph was raised by his older brother Warren Van Bourne (Coot) and his wife Lindi. No one on my side of the family seems to know anything about John Bourne. I do know he was a school teacher and a farmer and that is about it. At 14, Ralph worked cutting timber. He had a team of mules that he hauled out timber. When he was 16, he happened to be in town when a bus from Goodyear stopped at the court house. The bus had men recruiting workers to work in the rubber factories in Akron. He boarded the bus and came to Akron. He lived in a boarding house across from the factory. The workers worked an 8 hr shift, three shifts a day. His living accommodations were interesting. After 8 hours the next person would use the bed. That is how they lived until a person could move to something better. These were farm boys from West Virginia. A warm area and a bed seemed pretty good to them. What about bed bugs and lice? Name change Ralph Bourne to Brown to Bourn All Bourne's had tempers. Ralph, Duff and Don all were known to been in more than one fight. Ralph worked in the tire cure area at Plant 1 at Goodyear. The men in the cure area took a mold from the steam cure. The tire in the mold would be pried open with pry bars to free the hot tire. It was a hot, dirty job and not many people wanted to that job. Ralph liked it because no one wanted to work in that heat and the supervisors never bothered you because they had such a hard replacing those men on that job. One day Ralph got into an argument with a man who pulled a knife. Ralph hit the man with a pry bar and sent him to the hospital. At that time, Goodyear had a policy that if you get into a fight, you get fired. So, Ralph got fired from Goodyear. At that time, many jobs were available in Akron. Ralph went down the road to General Tire and was hired the next day. It was there that Hazel Ellis saw Ralph taking his break in the court yard below her office. She was from Parkersburg West Virginia. They dated and got married. About a year after leaving Goodyear, Ralph ran into his old supervisor. The supervisor asked him what he was doing. Ralph told him and the supervisor asked him if he wanted to come back to Goodyear? Ralph knew the rule about fighting at Goodyear and told the supervisor. The supervisor said "just show up at the gatehouse and look for the time card for Ralph Brown". So that is how Ralph got the nick name at Goodyear of "Brownie". In 1936 Social Security became law. The supervisor approached Ralph and asked him if he wanted his old name back they needed to get it changed before he signed up for SS. He took his name back but dropped the "E" . So that is how we lost the "E" in Bourne. Ralph was very active in the Rubber Union. He was so active that he always kept a loaded shotgun behind the sofa in the living room. Years later Ralph twin boys Jack and Gene were playing in the house when Gene who was 8 decided he was going to shoot a bird outside the window. Once they got his hearing back, Ralph delivered a real beating and the gun was put away. Ralph took his family often to West Virginia. They would stay on the farm with Maude. She would get up early and go down to the barn and milk the cows and make breakfast for everyone. Jack and Gene said she was always singing. She would even sing her hymn to the cows while she milked. The boys would wake up to her singing in the barn. Warren (Coot) and Lindi lived just over the hill from Maude's farm and everyone seemed to love to hang out at their place. They had a stream so the kids were always happy. ~ email from Gary Bourn 12/22/2010
There are three stores about the name of Bourne/Bourn. One that I remember Dad telling is that Ralph and Warren had a disagreement, Ralph left the area and changed his name. I never heard of any of the other brothers - only the sisters who remained in WVA and lived near Warren. Therefore I assumed they sided with Grandpa. The other side which I think I heard from Ralph's son, was that Ralph had debts and was trying to run from them and that is why he changed their name. No one ever mentioned anyone else in the family dropping the 'e'. The third is that Warren, Grandpa, added the 'e' after the fight. Your Aunt Cathy I think, told that one. She said that she heard that from Dad. The info I found before gave Warren's birthplace and listed his parents. I did not find the siblings in my list. However, there material had Warren's father as John Bourne -with an e. ~ email from Connie Bourne (Oct. 7, 2009)

Here is what I know about Ralph Bourn (Bourne) He was born around Arnoldsburg West Virginia. His Son's Ellis Bourn, Jack and Gene
have visited Coots and Maude's old farm and the Bourne family grave yard. It is located on the farm that Maude Bourne(Altizer) grand children own.

Johns wife Lautty Hill Bourne died in child birth of (Ralph). Ralph was raised by his older brother Warren Van Bourne (Coot) and his wife Lindi. No one
on my side of the family seems to know anything about John Bourne. I do know he was a school teacher and a farmer and that is about it.

At 14, Ralph worked cutting timber. He had a team of mules that he hauled out timber. When he was 16, he happened to be in town when a bus from Goodyear stopped at the court house. The bus had men recruiting workers to work in the rubber factories in Akron. He boarded the bus and came to Akron.

He lived in a boarding house across from the factory. The workers worked an 8 hr shift, three shifts a day. His living accommodations were interesting.
After 8 hours the next person would use the bed. That is how they lived until a person could move to something better.

These were farm boys from West Virginia. A warm area and a bed seemed pretty good to them. What about bed bugs and lice?

Name change Ralph Bourne to Brown to Bourn
All Bourne's had tempers. Ralph, Duff and Don all were known to been in more than one fight.

Ralph worked in the tire cure area at Plant 1 at Goodyear. The men in the cure area took a mold from the steam cure. The tire in the mold would be
pried open with pry bars to free the hot tire. It was a hot, dirty job and not many people wanted to that job. Ralph liked it because no one wanted to
work in that heat and the supervisors never bothered you because they had such a hard replacing those men on that job.

One day Ralph got into an argument with a man who pulled a knife. Ralph hit the man with a pry bar and sent him to the hospital. At that time,
Goodyear had a policy that if you get into a fight, you get fired. So, Ralph got fired from Goodyear. At that time, many jobs were available in Akron.

Ralph went down the road to General Tire and was hired the next day. It was there that Hazel Ellis saw Ralph taking his break in the court yard below her
office. She was from Parkersburg West Virginia. They dated and got married.

About a year after leaving Goodyear, Ralph ran into his old supervisor. The supervisor asked him what he was doing. Ralph told him and the supervisor asked him
if he wanted to come back to Goodyear? Ralph knew the rule about fighting at Goodyear and told the supervisor. The supervisor said "just show up at the gatehouse
and look for the time card for Ralph Brown". So that is how Ralph got the nick name at Goodyear of "Brownie".

In 1936 Social Security became law. The supervisor approached Ralph and asked him if he wanted his old name back they needed to get it changed
before he signed up for SS. He took his name back but dropped the "E" . So that is how we lost the "E" in Bourne.

Ralph was very active in the Rubber Union. He was so active that he always kept a loaded shotgun behind the sofa in the living room. Years later Ralph
twin boys Jack and Gene were playing in the house when Gene who was 8 decided he was going to shoot a bird outside the window.
Once they got his hearing back, Ralph delivered a real beating and the gun was put away.

Ralph took his family often to West Virginia. They would stay on the farm with Maude. She would get up early and go down to the barn and milk
the cows and make breakfast for everyone. Jack and Gene said she was always singing. She would even sing her hymn to the cows while
she milked. The boys would wake up to her singing in the barn.

Warren (Coot) and Lindi lived just over the hill from Maude's farm and everyone seemed to love to hang out at their place. They had a stream so the kids were
always happy.

~ email from Gary Bourn 12/22/2010

There are three stores about the name of Bourne/Bourn. One that I remember Dad telling is that Ralph and Warren had a disagreement, Ralph left the area and changed his name. I never heard of any of the other brothers - only the sisters who remained in WVA and lived near Warren. Therefore I assumed they sided with Grandpa. The other side which I think I heard from Ralph's son, was that Ralph had debts and was trying to run from them and that is why he changed their name. No one ever mentioned anyone else in the family dropping the 'e'. The third is that Warren, Grandpa, added the 'e' after the fight. Your Aunt Cathy I think, told that one. She said that she heard that from Dad. The info I found before gave Warren's birthplace and listed his parents. I did not find the siblings in my list. However, there material had Warren's father as John Bourne -with an e.
~ email from Connie Bourne (Oct. 7, 2009)

Sources

Description
1900 US Census, John Brookover and John Bourned Family, Lee, Calhoun County, West Virginia
1910 US census, Bourn Family, Lee, Calhoun, West Virginia, sheet 15

Media

Pictures

1900 US Census West Virginia Calhoun Lee District

Webpage created with MacFamilyTree 8 for OS X