Ryder, Simeon

Born: 1795-07-24 Massachusetts

Died: 1877-08-28 Alton, Illinois

A sea captain and fisherman, Ryder moved to Alton in 1834 and opened a wholesale grocery, dry goods, and hardware business, which he operated until 1846. He invested in land and was involved with the development of the Terre Haute & Alton Railroad, at one point serving as the company's president. He was active in Federalist, then Whig, and finally Republican politics. In 1850, Ryder was an Alton merchant with $25,000 in real property.

W. T. Norton, ed., Centennial History of Madison County, Illinois and Its People 1812 to 1912 (Chicago: Lewis, 1912), 1:680-81; U.S. Census Office, Seventh Census of the United States (1850), Madison County, IL, 358.