DeRidder's namesake
Elisabeth “Ella” de Ridder was born in Höchst, Germany, on Jan. 25, 1877. She passed away in The Netherlands on June 21, 1951.
Ella’s father, August de Ridder, was a businessman from Antwerp, Belgium. He was born in 1864 and died in 1918. Her mother was Louise de Ridder from Frankfurt A.M., Germany.
The de Ridders had five children — three sons and two daughters. Ella’s oldest sister was her mother’s favorite. Ella was always more fond of her father for this reason.
Ella married August Janssen. He was one of seven children born to Peter Wilhelm Janssen, a well-known Dutch trader and philanthropist. His mother was Folmina Peters.
One of Ella’s sisters was Folmina Margareta (1866-1958). Her nickname was “Mena.”
Mena married Jan de Goeijen in 1892. Jan de Goeijen was an investor in the Kansas City Southern Railway Company who named DeRidder after Ella.
Ella and August had three children. The youngest was Amelie Eschauzier-Janssen, who passed away on June 21, 1995.