The founding theories

At that time Ann Baker borrowed from her neighbors, the Pennels, one of Josephine's oldest sons for her black Persian breeding program; she called him Blackie. One day, when she went to fetch him for mating, she noticed his brother. This is how she tells it:

"I first started breeding black/chocolate Persians for a year. They were truly magnificent and extraordinary. One day, when I went to borrow the male I used for my breeding from the lady who owned him, I noticed a real beauty on her doorstep. This beauty had the same large build and the same conformation, but he had the coloring of a Sacred Birman. He was the brother of the one I was borrowing. I became crazy about him and immediately decided to change the appearance of my cats. The owners said there was no question of lending, giving or selling me this cat.

I had their black/chocolate cat 90% of the time because every time I took him home I was alone. Even though I had another of their cats and kittens from their black cat, I could not console myself, while taking him home, for not being able to have the other one. Then one day, when I went to fetch him, she told me she had discussed it with her husband and that if I wanted to borrow "the Beauty," I could.

They had decided this because I took very good care of their other male. So I took Beauty (whom she kept hidden so that he would not be stolen) and mated him to my other female. When the mother, Josephine, had new kittens, she gave me Fugianna. I wanted all the kittens in that litter, but I did not want to be too greedy, so I decided to wait a few days before asking for the others. That was not a good decision.

The next day the husband was alone at home and, as usual when Josephine had kittens, she was extremely protective and attacked the dog when it tried to sniff her kittens. That day there was a fight when the dog came to try to sniff the kittens, and the husband put Josephine and the kittens in his truck and took them to the pond, where he killed them immediately. We have spoken about it since, and he said, "I killed the goose that laid the golden eggs."

Needless to say what his wife and I put him through."

So, let us summarize:

In the beginning there was... Josephine...

By a long-haired hidalgo, the beautiful white Angora gave birth to Blackie, who looked like a black Persian.

Mated to a dark stranger, she gave birth to Raggedy Ann Daddy Warbucks, a seal point mitted.

From the union of Blackie and Josephine came Raggedy Ann Buckwheat, with a black coat, rather Burmese in type.

From Daddy Warbucks and Josephine came Raggedy Ann Fugianna, a seal bicolor.

Neither Daddy Warbucks nor Buckweats nor Fugianna were Ragdolls yet, but it was from these three cats that the Ragdoll appeared.