FIRST GENERATION

1. William W. Ritchey Sr. ⁽¹⁾ was born before 1810 in New York.⁽²⁾ (Assuming he was at least 18 when his oldest son, John, was born.) According to Ohio Land Company records, William purchased 40.12 acres of land in Newport Township on December 24, 1833. The records indicate that his property was located in Range 7, Township 2, Section 27, the southwest and northwest quarter. I found record where William Ritchey Sr. mortgaged his property in Newport Township in 1835, but apparently he (based on his children's POBs) did not move his family from Pennsylvania till around 1840. His property was adjacent to John Baldwin's, and since his wife's maiden name was Baldwin, I assume John was his Father-in-law. (Also John Baldwin is listed as William Ritchey Jr.'s guardian in a marriage application.) Neither of the two are listed in the 1840 Washington County Census but both are listed in the county tax records. They may have arrived after the census was taken.

He died about 1845 in probably Newport Twp., Washington Co., Ohio. ⁽³⁾ (William is no longer listed in the county tax records thereafter; Matilda is. She is also listed as head of household in the 1850 census.)

He was married to Matilda Baldwin. Matilda Baldwin⁽¹⁾ was born about Apr 21 1812 in Pennsylvania.⁽³⁾ According to her son's (St. Clair) death certificate, she was born in Oil City, Pa. This doesn't seem right because Oil City was founded in 1860, one year after the drilling of the Drake Well at Titusville, 16 miles away. Oil City was incorporated as a borough in 1863 and as a city in 1871. Perhaps she was born in the area of what is now Oil City in Venango County. She died on Jan 17 1898 in Yankeeburg, Washington Co., Ohio.⁽⁴⁾ She is listed as head of household (a widow) in the 1850 Census. Her children are listed as: John, Ellen, Isaac, Sinclair (St. Clair) and William. A Thomas Miller, age 19, is also listed. Her son John and Thomas Miller are listed as being coopers. On September 15, 1853 she married George B. Downs, a shoemaker. They had one daughter listed in the 1860 Census, Mary A. Downs - age 7. Evidently George died because Matilda married John D. Dick on May 29, 1867. According to her death record she was 85 years, 8 months and 26 days old when she died on January 17, 1898 in Yankeeburg. Her birthday calculates to be April 21, 1812. The following appeared in the Wednesday January 26, 1898 Marietta Times; "Mrs. John Dick of near Yankeeburg died Thursday night, aged over 80 years, and was buried Saturday." If the newspaper is correct, she died on January 20 and was buried January 22. William W. Ritchey Sr. and Matilda Baldwin had the following children:

+2 i. John Calhoun Ritchey.
+3 ii. Ellen J. Ritchey.
+4 iii. Isaac H. Ritchey.
+5 iv. St. Clair (Sinclair) Ritchie.
+6 v. William W. Ritchey Jr..

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