George Ryan

George Ryan (–6 December 1861) was an Irish-born Danish merchant, ship owner, banker and planter. He continued running a trading house and shipping firm founded by his brother Phillip Ryan. He owned the property at Sankt Annæ Plads 7 in Copenhagen and the sugar plantation Mary's Fancy on Saint Croix in the Danish West Indies. Early life and background Ryan was born in 1783 or 1785 at Ballinakill in Kilcock, Kildare, Ireland, as the son of squire Edward Ryan ( 1735–1790) and Catherine (Kitty) née O’Reilly (–1828). His maternal grandfather was Philip O'Reilly, Esq., of Coolamber and Ballymorris, County Longford. Philip Ryan (1766–1809) Ryan had ten brothers and two sisters. One of the brothers, Phillip Ryan (1766–1809), moved to Copenhagen in 1680 to work for Duntzfelt, Meyer & Co. In 1784, he is mentioned as suparcargo on the ship Helsingør. Back in Copenhagen, in 1795, Ryan passed the captain's exam. Two years later, he captained the frigate Christianshavn on several expeditions to the Danish West Indies. After being licensed as a merchant he started his own trading firm and operated his own fleet of merchant ships. His ships included Elisabeth, which he sold to Duntzfelt in 1802. Philip Ryan was married to Bolette Fix (1780–1809), daughter of governor of Serampore Johan Leonhard Fix (1736–1807), After her death, he married Eliza Ferrall, Upon his death, she married John Christmas.