Ruth Miriam Siems (1931-2005) Inventor of Stove Top Stuffing

The Women of Evansville & Newburgh, IN

Ruth Miriam Siems (1931-2005)
Inventor of Stove Top Stuffing
____________________ 

by Carolyn Ann Howard

Ruth Miriam Siems was born at Deaconess Hospital (Midtown), Evansville, Indiana, 20 Feb 1931 to Werner Siems and Ruth Matilda Louise Kroeger. Both Werner and Ruth's lineage can be easily traced to Germany. Werner's father was born in Altenebstorf and Ruth's grandfather was born in Hannover. Both Werner and Ruth were staunch Missouri Synod Lutherans who became members Sof The Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer in Evansville, Indiana after it was first opened 01 Dec 1928.

Ruth Siems
Courtesy Find-A-Grave

Werner Siems, an Iowa native, graduated from Concordia Teacher's College in River Forest, Illinois.  He then received a bachelor's degree from what was then called Evansville College, now The University of Evansville. His master's degree was from Indiana University. His life's work was as the principal of what was then called Redeemer Lutheran School, now Evansville Lutheran School. He also taught Sunday School at Redeemer Church on Sunday mornings and, for many years, was also the organist and choir director. [1] Ruth's mother was a kindergarten teacher at Harper Elementary in Evansville, IN. [2] (Click on photos to enlarge.) 

Redeemer Lutheran Church and School, 1929
816 Jefferson Street, Evansville
Courtesy: Historic Evansville

Werner and Ruth's eldest daughter, Ruth Miriam Siems, was a creative child. She loved to sew and craft, and, like her mother, according to Ruth's long-time friend, June Schwengel, Ruth was a talented cook. She made handwoven dresses and handbags. She took piano lessons from Marian Armstrong Vining at Evansville College. June thinks that Ruth, from her girlhood, knew that she wanted to be a home economist. Indeed, Ruth graduated from Purdue University in 1953 with a degree in Home Economics. While at Purdue, she also worked on the student magazine, The Scientist, and was pledged for the Gold Peppers Honor Society. She was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha, a women's fraternity founded to "intensify friendship and promote happiness." [3]

After her graduation from Purdue, she came back to Evansville to work for what had been the old Igleheart Mill, which had been bought out by General Foods in 1926. [4]  She worked in Product Research and Development, testing, among other things, Swans Down flour and cake mixes as part of Quality Control. June Schwengel mused that her cousin, Jane Wibbeler, who, according to her obit, was a secretary at Igleheart, "got sick of eating cake everyday!" After about four years of employment, Ruth, along with Jane, were tapped to work for a new General Foods Research Laboratory in White Plains, New York. The women settled in nearby Tarrytown, becoming roommates.

In the meantime, The Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer, in 1955, moved from their first location on Jefferson Avenue to a brand new building on Lincoln Avenue, across from what was then Evansville College. In my opinion, this church is one of the most beautiful churches in the world. I might be a bit biased, as I am a member there. The new build was of a modified Gothic design, designed by architect Jack Kinkle with general construction by Thorp Construction. [8] After the congregation moved to its new location, the growing Redeemer Lutheran School would take over the previous building on Jefferson Avenue until 1971. (Click on photos to enlarge)

Redeemer Lutheran Chancel
Taken from the balcony
Carolyn Ann Howard Collection

Present day
Courtesy: Google Maps
Proper Attribution Given

According to newspaper clippings, there was $40,000 budgeted for an organ "eventually to be installed." [9] But what was installed in 1955 was not a $40,000 pipe organ but a Hammond electronic organ, which the new Google AI feature says most likely cost less than $3,000. The Harding & Miller Music Company, located in downtown Evansville, was the proud seller of the organ to the church. Nor was Harding & Miller ignorant of this fabulous sale, taking out ads in the newspaper to let everyone know that Redeemer had installed one of their Hammond organs in their sanctuary. In a 1956 advertisement in the Sunday Courier & Press, Alfred Winter, the pastor of Redeemer at that time, allegedly had this to say of the organ: 

Certainly the glorious music of the Hammond gave added beauty to our Christmas services. In fact, its rich range of hundreds of beautiful church tones enhances all the music of the church. [10]

Color me skeptical that this quote came from any pastor's mouth, but anything can happen. At any rate, the Hammond organ would last less than 15 years. In 1968, the church installed its 53-rank Werner A. Siems Memorial Schlicker pipe organ, in honor of Ruth's father. It was dedicated March 31, 1968 with a concert by its consultant, Oswald G. Ragatz, Professor of Organ at Indiana University. [11] Specs for the organ can be found on our local American Guild of Organist's web site here. (Opens in a new window.) 

Redeemer's 1968 53-rank Schlicker organ
Courtesy Evansville Chapter
American Guild of Organists

In New York, Ruth was involved at Trinity Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Scarsdale, New York, which was near Tarrytown. She was active there, teaching Sunday school and being involved in the music program. Her roommate, Jane, however, had been a member at Methodist Temple here in Evansville, so she became active in the local Methodist Church. Unlike Ruth, Jane eventually returned to Evansville and married Norman Schmitt. "Ruth never seemed interested in being married," June continued. 

In a 1968 article in The Evansville Courier, Ann Hamman stated that Ruth was "at the moment involved in work on Minute Rice and Minute Rice mixes." [5] Indeed, General Foods owned many number one brands, including Jell-O, Maxwell House, and Post cereals, and all were in big demand with the new post-war class of working woman. Additionally, the company invested $100 million per year on the research and development of more and more convenience products. [6]

Ruth's biggest accomplishment came in 1971. Food companies across the board had been experimenting with boxed stuffing, but she is the one who came up with the idea of using yeast-based bread for texture and flavor, and also found the exactly correct size that each piece of stuffing would have to be in order to stand up to the addition of water when reconstituted. And so, Stove Top Stuffing was born. In the test market that was to follow, Ruth and her team would travel to see if home cooks were following the box directions and if the stuffing could hold up with either 10 percent below or above the correct amount of water. [7]

In 1985, Philip Morris bought General Foods for an astounding $5.8 billion in cash and laid off all workers over the age of 50, which included Ruth. [12] I don't know for sure, but I imagine that she was devastated, as it seems she very much enjoyed her work. She didn't seem to be lacking financially, however, and in 1987, she moved back to southwestern Indiana. Once here, she bought the now historic Cutteridge-Curtis home in Newburgh, Indiana. There, according to her obit, she collected and restored antique spinning wheels and looms. She continued to craft and to sew. She was also involved with the Newburgh Women's Club and admitted in an interview to eating Stove Top Stuffing "regularly." [13]

In her retirement, she became active once again in the church of her girlhood, The Lutheran Church of Our Redeemer. She helped to count the money and played in the handbell choir. She funded two different student's college careers at The University of Evansville and, according to Pastor Tom Wenig, "She was faithful in trying to keep [someone else's] head above water." [14] 

Cutteridge-Curtis Home
Google Maps
Proper Attribution Given

Ruth died suddenly in her Newburgh home in 2005 of a heart attack. Her obituary was featured in newspapers all across the nation and tributes poured in from everywhere. She was 74.

In nearby Santa Claus, Indiana, is a theme park called Holiday World. The Thanksgiving section features a coaster ride named "Good Gravy." A giant box of Stove Top Stuffing is featured in the ride as a tribute to "Ruth's stuffing." [15]

© 2024 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

__________

1. “Noted School Leader Werner A. Siems Dies.” The Evansville Courier, 17 Nov. 1966, p. 20.

2. “Local Deaths.” The Evansville Press, 4 Oct. 1971, p. 11.

3. “About Zeta Tau Alpha.” Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity, zetataualpha.org/about. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

4. Engler, Joe. “Historic Evansville.” Historic Evansville - Igleheart Bros,                                         historicevansville.com/site.php?id=igleheart2. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

5. “Lutherans to Lay Cornerstone Sunday.” The Evansville Press, 28 Sept. 1954, p. 21.

6. “Redeemer Church Gets Final Touches.” The Sunday Courier and Press, 31 July 1955, p. 6.

7. “Pictorial Highlights of the Week (Advertisement).” The Sunday Courier & Press, 8 Jan 1956, p. 12.

8. Surheinrich, Jeanne. “Front Row and Center.” Evansville Courier and Press, 26 Mar. 1968, p. 5.

9. Hamman, Ann. “Food Editors Continue Tasting and Testing.” Evansville Courier, 5 Nov. 1968, p. 8.

10. Hoover, Gary. “Forgotten Giant: General Foods.” Business History - The American Business History Center, 2 Dec. 2020, americanbusinesshistory.org/forgotten-giant-general-foods/.

11. Schleper, Anne. “Stove Top Pioneer.” The Evansville Courier, 29 May 1991, p. 11.

12. “Siems, Stove Top Inventor Dies.” Daily Hampshire Gazette, 25 Nov. 2005, p. 2.

13. Schleper.

14. “Ruth Miriam Siems (1931-2005) - Find a Grave...” Find a Grave, www.findagrave.com/memorial/12497008/ruth-miriam-siems. Accessed 5 Dec. 2024.

15. “Good Gravy! Family Coaster.” Holiday World Theme Park & Splashin’ Safari Water Park, 15 Oct. 2024, holidayworld.com/rides/good-gravy/.

Arthur "Edward" Pfingston (1882-1967)

 John Heinrich Pfingston Family Line

Arthur "Edward" Pfingston (1882-1967)

____________________

by Carolyn Ann Howard

Arthur "Edward" Pfingston was born, he stated on his World War II draft registration, on "Green River Island" in Kentucky in 1882. That already is interesting. Located on the banks of the Ohio River, it may have been, at one time, an actual island. Present day, however, it is home to Ellis Park Racing and is the area just before you cross the south bridge taking you over the Ohio River into Henderson, Kentucky.  The area before you get to the Twin Bridges feels like Indiana, but it is definitely Kentucky. In fact, in 1890, Indiana sued Kentucky for the land, resulting in a Supreme Court hearing. The Supreme Court sided with Kentucky, stating that the river's ebb and flow throughout the years had caused boundaries to be changed physically. [1] Click on photos to enlarge.

Looking North from The Twin Bridges
Ellis Park is in the background
The Ohio River is on the left
Photo Courtesy Google Maps
Proper Attribution Given

Pop, as he was affectionately known, was the son of John Lewis Pfingston and Emma Beach. Two years prior to his birth, in the 1880 census, John Lewis and Emma lived with quite a conglomeration of people. On the 1880 census, we have as head of the family William Beach, Pop's grandfather, listed as a farmer, along with his wife and 6 children. After that are 2 borders, whose occupation was "works on farm." Then we have Pop's father, John Lewis Pfingston, along with his wife and daughter. He was also listed as a farmer. Then Mary Reece, who was listed as a daughter, but she wasn't. She might have been a cousin. Then we have another boarder who "works on farm." The next family to be listed on the census is Lewis Beach, also listed as a farmer, along with his wife and children. That is why I think that the Pfingstons and the Beaches were working a huge farming operation. On a side-note, all of the adults are listed as being illiterate. Illiteracy was a huge problem at this time with the rural farmers, and they were embarrassed that they were unable to read or write. District schools would soon fix this problem for the younger ones.

The first document we have for Pop is the 1900 census record. The family was living in "Upper Henderson County." Pop's father, John Lewis, had done really well for himself, working his own big farm. They had 3 farmhands living with them. The two younger ones could read and write; the older one could not. However, each child has had 3 months of school, and everyone in the household, except for the younglings and the older farmhand, can read and write. Yay! Pop's dad rented the farm, but even so, he looks to be pretty successful.

On 02 Aug 1903, 21-year-old Pop married his second cousin, Flora Alice Vogt, who was 15. Their common ancestor was Pop's paternal great-grandfather, Johann Heinrich Pfingston. This man, according to other Ancestry family trees, came to Evansville, Indiana from Hannover, Germany. For my readers unfamiliar with my neck of the woods, Evansville and Newburgh, Indiana, and Henderson and the ghost town Scuffletown, Kentucky are all so close together, that today they are adjacent to each other. The only thing that separates the Indiana and Kentucky cities is the Ohio River. And so, the Evansville, Newburgh, Henderson and Scuffletown Pfingstons all are descended from Johann Heinrich Pfingston, as far as I have been able to tell. Flora, who was lovingly called Mom, and Pop's marriage announcement was posted in the Evansville Journal. It is quite likely that they lived with Flora's mom, as was the custom at that time. She lived, funnily enough, on Lover's Lane, close to Green River Road, very near to the Ohio River.

By the time of the 1910 census, Pop and Mom were in Scuffletown, KY with the rest of the rabble. It is funny how Pop's brother, John Louis Pfingston, spoke so fondly of the place where he grew up and how not so fondly my mother remembered it.

I've written about Scuffletown before on this blog, the main post being here. (Link opens in a new window.) It was a drinking town, a rowdy, rambunctious, drinking town full of riverboat men. My grandmother bragged about how much alcohol was sold in their store - well, it wasn't their store. They ran it, but it belonged, as did most everything in Scuffletown, to one man: Will Dempewolf. The Pfingstons ran the ferry that went back and forth from Scuffletown to Indiana at a place called Cyprus Beach, where the impressive Newburgh Locks and Dam now stand. And with that, many of my relatives on my mother's side were at Scuffletown, making their livings, laughing, learning at the new school, and, for my mother, somehow being traumatized. She took her refuge with Mom and Pop.

From L to R
Mom, my grandmother Anna Bell, my mom, Pop
On the front porch of my grandmother's house
In or around 1957
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

Pop did what all young men were required to do in 1917, he registered for the draft. On his draft registration, he stated he lived in Reed, Kentucky, which is very close to Scuffletown. Since he was a farmer, this makes sense that he didn't live "in town." For his next-of-kin, he didn't list his wife but his mother, Emma. Interesting. His height was 5' 6" with brown hair and dark eyes.

Pop lost two sisters after this, Sally in November, 1918, and Hattie in February, 1919. I don't have any information on Sally, but Hattie died from peritonitis from a ruptured gall bladder, according to her death certificate. My mind immediately goes to the Spanish Flu anytime an ancestor has died between the years 1918-1920.

In the 1920 census, Pop and Mom were still at Scuffletown. The census record says "Point." That was another name for the town at that time. They are there with their children: Ellwood, my grandmother Anna Bell, Harry, and Owen. A daughter, Hazel, had already died in infancy. Poor Mom. Pop was still farming.

Pop's father, John Lewis, died 07 Jan 1924 at the age of 65 of stomach cancer. This was so common at the time. Canned goods, lack of refrigeration, and lack of government regulation over foods were just part of the problem. After his father's death, Pop's mom, Emma, moved permanently into the home of her daughter, Percie, who lived in Evansville.

In the 1930 census, we learn from that "E" in the column "work class," that Pop ran his own farm. The "E" stands for "employer." He's there on the census with Mom and just Owen. Anna Bell and Harry are married by now, but where is Ellwood? Here's the census record problem with Ellwood. In the 1910 census, it shows him as being born in the 1906-1907 time frame. But then in 1920, it shows him as being born in the 1916-1917 time frame. My only guess is that the census enumerator misunderstood Ellwood's age, that he was 15 and not 5 in 1920, and that his birth date of 22 Nov 1906 is absolutely correct. Ellwood wasn't there in 1930, because he was married and out on his own. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

L to R: Pop, Mom, Mom's Sister, Daughter Anna Bell
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

Mom and Her Sister
1961
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

Big changes were in store for the residents of Scuffletown, for it had been decided in 1932 to build a bridge between Evansville, IN and Henderson, KY. Most everyone was excited about the bridges, the Evansville Courier and Journal touting that, because of the bridges, "[Evansville] Now Nerve Center of Great Economic Empire." [2] According to Bob Schaub, quoted by Brad Awe in the University of Southern Indiana's Archives, Evansville's county of Vanderburgh contributed one-fourth of the cost needed to construct the bridges. Indiana put up another fourth. The bridge, in it's entirety, is located in Kentucky. The total cost of the bridge: $2,142,876. [3] 

I'm guessing the Twin Bridges might be what drove Pop Pfingston and his three sons to Evansville, for by 1933, they were all in a house together at 505 N. Weinbach Avenue. And it could be that they needed his farmland for the bridges. I'm just speculating here. I don't know what goes into building bridges and how much land is required. But I do know that Pop and his boys came to Evansville. The sons got jobs at the refrigerator factory called Servel. Pop had various jobs listed in the city directories that we have of that decade between the 1930s and 40s: laborer, carpenter, farmer. My feeling is that he was helping to take care of his mother, who lived with his sister, Percie, just a mile away at 1121 E. Virginia Street. She lived so close that he could've walked. I don't know which one of them owned the house on Weinbach, whether it was Pop or one of his sons.

Early in the year of 1937, the Ohio River overflowed, flooding our four sister cities, Evansville, Newburgh, Henderson, and Scuffletown. It has been said that this flood was the death of Scuffletown. Pop's brother, John Louis, worked tirelessly through the night transporting people and animals on his ferry from Scuffletown to Newburgh. His transcribed interview is here. (Link opens in new window.) According to a Wikipedia article on that great flood, the water at Evansville rose to 54 feet. I know that Pop had a boat, because he was an avid fisherman. I don't know if he kept it at his house, but I hope he did so that he could get around. What a heartbreak that must have been, especially the harrowing rescue his brother did at Scuffletown. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Franklin Street Evansville After the Flood
Courtesy Historic Evansville via USI Special Collections

Pop in Boat
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

Pop's mother, Emma, died 02 Oct 1937 at the age of 76 of myocardial degeneration or heart disease, another turning point for Pop, a substantial one really. In the 1938 directory, he was listed as a carpenter, but in the 1939, he was listed once again as a farmer. I believe his thoughts were turning back to Scuffletown. There seemed to be somewhat of a revival after the 1937 flood. Perhaps it was just nostalgia for all involved, but Pop did move back to Scuffletown. He was there in the 1940 census with Mom and also with his Uncle John Beach. Pop was listed as a "merchant" in the "grocery." John was listed as a "boatman" of "ferry." The Cypress Beach Ferry of John Louis Pfingston (also owned by Dempewolf) had been bought out by the Owensboro (Kentucky) Bridge Commission after the installation of it's own bridge across the Ohio River to Indiana. They wanted to reduce competition. The Bridge Commission protested the opening of the Scuffletown Ferry Company of Henderson, but they were shot down. Pop's son, Harry, was living with his wife - just them, no brothers - at the home on Weinbach Avenue. Ellwood had moved to Mt. Vernon, Indiana, to a farm. Owen was with his wife at their home 3318 E. Chandler in Evansville.

On Pop's 1942 draft registration for World War II, he stated that he lived in Reed, Kentucky. His emergency contact - and maybe it had to be someone outside of your own household - was his son, Harry, whom he stated lived at 505 N. Winebauch [sic, but I thought it was really cute]. He stated that he was a self-employed merchant at Scuffletown, Kentucky. He was 5' 5-1/2" tall, weighed 165 pounds with gray hair, gray eyes, and sallow complexion. He also wrote that his right arm was crooked. I wonder why. Maybe he broke it at an earlier age?

And this is where we run out of records, for the last is the 1950 U.S. Federal Census. I decided to comb the newspapers once more to see if I could find anything else. The only thing I did find was that Scuffletown again flooded in 1945. That may of been the end of Scuffletown for Pop and Mom and everyone else. In the 1950 census record, Pop and Mom are listed with their son, Harry, along with his wife and two children. They are located at Green River Road in Evansville close to Pollack Avenue, near the river. Pop was once more listed as a farmer and Harry was working at Servel Refrigeration. Both Pop and Harry were marked with "P" codes, which meant they worked for someone else. Harry was a foreman working 40 hours/week. Pop worked 30 hours.

And that's it for the documentation on Ancestry. But these are my great-grandparents, and I was born before they died, so I know a few things. Mom had rheumatoid arthritis, and her fingers were crooked and deformed, according to my mother. She died in 1967 of a rare condition called subarachnoid hemorrhage, a bleeding of the brain. It presents as a severe headache and help must be gotten right away. It was probably over quickly. Rheumatoid arthritis was given as a secondary cause of death.

Pop and Mom standing outside their cottage
Carolyn Ann Howard Family Collection

Back to the 1950s. I don't know the timeline or how it was maneuvered exactly, but my maternal grandfather - if I understand correctly - did something astounding. He purchased a tract of land across from where the new Newburgh Locks and Dam now stand and divided it. A parcel for a church. A parcel for Pop and Mom, two for Harry, and then another to the Mortimers. He moved a small cottage to the land for Pop and Mom to live in. Harry pulled a trailer in and built an addition on the back. I'm not sure if any money exchanged hands, but I'm guessing it did. My grandfather built his permanent home in or around 1953. Harry lost his job at Servel when they went out of business in 1957. Owen, who also worked for Servel, moved to California and Ellwood stayed in Mt. Vernon.

I don't have any memories of my great-grandmother Mom, but I have one of Pop. That was after he went to the nursing home. He wanted me to sit on his lap, and I absolutely refused. I was terrified of him, and as a probable 5-year-old at the time, it is totally understandable. Pop died 13 Nov 1967 at Baker Nursing Home in Boonville, IN from heart failure. He was 85.

© 2022 by December Moonlight Publishing, LLC

_____

[1] Twelve Mile Circle. “Green River Island.” Twelve Mile Circle - An Appreciation of Unusual Places, 07 Jan. 2022, www.howderfamily.com/blog/green-river-island/. Accessed 23 Dec 2022.

[2] Foster, Fred. “Bridges Enable Evansville to Fulfill Destiny.” Evansville Courier & Journal, 03 July 1932, pg. 6.

[3] Awe, Brad. “Twin Bridges over the Ohio River in Evansville, Indiana.” University Archives and Special Collections, University of Southern Indiana, https://digitalarchives.usi.edu/digital/collection/RLIC/id/25567/.