Cleo Ridgely

Thanks to Sally Sanders Thomas as she recently donated several photos, and a number of links to her ancestors and relatives which has helped to branch out the family tree.  Sally’s Aunt Gert had mapped out her section of the family tree and made note of an interesting young lady who in 1912 rode on horseback with her new husband from New York to California as a publicity stunt for Motion Picture Story Magazine.  Freda Cleo Helwig had married Richard (Peckover) Ridgely and took on the name “Cleo Ridgely” before she reached Hollywood to become a silent film star for Paramount Pictures.  She starred in several films directed by Cecil B. DeMille opposite leading man Wallace Reid.   Click here for more information, photos and to see where Cleo Ridgely fits into the family tree.  If you subscribe to Netflix you can check out Cleo in The Golden Chance which is part of a double feature disk still available.