Home of F. A. Rittenhouse
Home of F. A. Rittenhouse
The above home in the 400 block on West Twenty-first street was sold this week by the G. A. Nichols company, Inc., to F. A. Rittenhouse, attorney, who is moving here from Chandler to join his brother, George B. Rittenhouse in a law partnership. The house is built of brick, faces the north, and was erected by the Nichols company. Purchase price was given as $16,500.
This was the second and last home of Alma Elizabeth Rittenhouse Lamb, daughter of F. A. Rittenhouse, before she married. Later the address became 416 Northwest 21st Street, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Elizabeth was age 2-1/2 when they moved in and age 20 years and 3 months when she moved out at marriage.
Some 1921 prices to get a comparison:
5-bdrm, 2-story home $16,500
Postage stamp 2 cents
Loaf of bread 5 cents
Elizabeth Rittenhouse dancing in the back yard.
Elizabeth loved to dance. The picture above shows the back of the house when it was newer and had not much vegetation yet. The home had five bedrooms and two baths. Elizabeth’s bedroom is on the left rear upstairs. The room of her brother Austin J., better known as Buddy, is in the center upstairs. Their parents’ bedroom was on the right upstairs connecting with a sitting room which was over the carport.
View of backyard years later.
Those Who Lived Here Over the Years
1921 - 1953
Original Family
From left in the back, Frank Austin Rittenhouse and his wife “Alma”
Elizabeth Rittenhouse with children Austin James “Buddy” Rittenhouse II,
and Alma “Elizabeth” Rittenhouse.
Four generations are represented in the above picture of Mrs. F. Austin Rittenhouse, right standing, her daughter left, Mrs. J. Weldon Lamb, her mother, Mrs. Sarah Hocking, 841 Northwest Thirty-third street, and small Judith Lamb. Mrs. Lamb, the former Miss Elizabeth Rittenhouse, is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rittenhouse, 416 Northwest Twenty-first street. Doctor and Mrs. Lamb make their home in Paragould, Ark. Mrs. Lamb and her daughter recently made a several weeks’ visit with the Rittenhouses.
Our father, Dr. Jones Weldon Lamb, served in the USA Air Force, World War II - 348th Bomb Sq., 98th Bomb Group, in the U. S. and in Italy. In 1942 he was stationed in the U.S. as 1st Lt., Station Hospital, Biggs Field, El Paso, TX. Then in 1943 he served as Flight Surgeon U.S. Army Air Corps School of Aviation Medicine,
Randolph Field, San Antonio, Texas. Our mother, Elizabeth Rittenhouse Lamb, returned to her parents’ home
in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to have her second child, Jones Weldon Lamb, Jr., who was born on January 3,
1943. Elizabeth, Judith, and Jon lived with our mother and her parents in their home for a while since our father left for Italy in February 1943. We later moved into our own apartment. On August 8, 1943, Jon was christened in St. Anthony's Hospital, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, by James Mills Dean of St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Grandfather Rittenhouse was quite ill and the baptism was held in his hospital room.
Many family activities and parties happened in this home over the years. One article of particular note was in the Fairly Personal column of one of the Oklahoma City newspapers. Erroneous statements were corrected in pen by Elizabeth and a corrected copy is typed below.
“The F. A. Rittenhouse Household was about the newsiest spot in town during the weekend. Mr. and Mrs. Rittenhouse’s son, Austin J. Rittenhouse, received his appointment as attaché to the American embassy in Madrid, Spain.
Austin left immediately for Washington, D.C., where he will be in a diplomatic service school for a short time as a prelude to sailing.
Austin is particularly adept with the Spanish language. When he toured in South America for several months a few years ago he was popular with the Spanish people and the people and their customs had special appeal for young barrister, Austin.
Before he left for the national capital, Austin took the time out to see his nephew,
J. Weldon Lamb, Jr., son of Capt. and Mrs. J. Weldon Lamb, El Paso, christened an Episcopalian by the Very Rev. James Mills.
The robe in which the infant was christened was the one worn by his uncle Austin and godfather when vows were made for them at their christening ceremonies.
Mrs. Sarah Hocking, maternal great-grandmother of infant J. Weldon, Jr., made the robe which has served two generations.
Mrs. Lamb, with children, Judith and J. Weldon, Jr., is guest of her parents,
the F. A. Rittenhouses, while Captain Lamb is in flight surgeons’ school, Randolph Field, Texas.
It was only Saturday night that Captain Lamb long-distanced his wife that he had been promoted from first lieutenant.”
Guests in City. Spending a month in the city are Mrs. J. Weldon Lamb, Vicksburg, Miss., and her children, Jon, 9-1/2, Susan, 4-1/2, and Judith Lamb, 12. They are guests of Mrs. Lamb’s mother, Mrs. F. Austin Rittenhouse, 416 NW 21. Mrs. Lamb is the former Miss Elizabeth Rittenhouse. A graduate of Classen high school, she attended Newcomb college, New Orleans, where she became affiliated with Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. Among the events being given to honor Mrs. Lamb was a luncheon on Friday when Mrs. Drew W. Whitehurst, 2625 NW 32, and her daughter, Mrs. John A. Cunningham, 3309 Classen, entertained in the Whitehurst home.
Sarah Bunting Hocking, 1864 - 1950
Better known as “Gramma Hotchie”
When her husband died in 1923 in Chandler, Oklahoma, Sarah Bunting Hocking moved to Oklahoma City to be closer to her daughter Alma. During her last years, while Judith and Jon were still young children, she lived with her daughter Alma until her death on March 22, 1950. See the article about English Lace for her lace making. Jon and Judy loved to visit with her in her rooms upstairs and hear her stories.
Judith Lamb LaForge (later Rittenhouse) with her children April
Tucker and Thomas Weldon Tucker, in front of the former
F. A. Rittenhouse Home in the 1970’s.
Photographs from saved family pictures and newspaper articles of Elizabeth Rittenhouse Lamb. Scrapbooking and compilation by Judith Lamb Rittenhouse.