Ruben becomes Ralph

From his book we learn that Pop left home with a 6th grade education. He was about 13 and left with a group of horse traders. He drove a chuck wagon and did the cooking. This was when his passion for cooking developed. The 1910 Census finds him working as a cook at a hotel in Salina, Kansas. He gave his name as Ralph Stone, 25 years old and single. I do not know exactly when or why he changed his name. I would speculate that people may have called him Rube which meant hick or hayseed in those days. On October 11, 1911 Pop married Theresa Boyle in Liberal, Kansas. They had two sons, Stanley Ralph born December 28, 1912 somewhere in Iowa and Burton Harvey born November 1, 1914 in Illinois. The 1920 Census shows they were living at 135 17th Avenue in East Moline, Illinois. I was surprised to see that Pop’s occupation was listed as East Moline city policeman. Theresa was a waitress. I have always heard that in his youth, Pop was footloose and a heavy drinker. In any event by 1930 they were divorced. During their years apart, Pop was married to a woman named Bessie. The 1930 Census lists Pop living at 314 Jackson street in Jefferson City, Missouri with wife Bessie and step daughter Catherine F. Ranke age 14. Pop was working as a hotel chef. He and Theresa remarried December 29, 1937 in Davenport, Iowa with their sons as witnesses.