Some Early Ritchies, Richeys, Ritcheys, of Bedford County
Pioneer Library of Bedford County, Pennsylvania

Between 1784 and 1794, three separate families named Ritchie (correct
Scottish spelling) migrated to Bedford County from Loudoun County,
Virginia.  Of the three family groups, two were closely related; all the
families knew each other.  The progenitors of two of the families,
William and John, were brothers and had been born into a family of Scots
who had settled in Lancaster County, Pa. and then migrated in 1743-4 to
the south side of the James River in Amelia County, Virginia.  Both
William and John eventually married women of German background.  The
third family group had its American origins in Bucks County, Pa. where a
Francis Ritchie had married into the German Community there before 1746.

In Virginia, in the 18th century, education most often was the mother’s
responsibility, so all these Ritchies were taught to read and write in
German, and when they reached Bedford, their main language was German
although all spoke English, undoubtedly with accents.

In spelling, the German ch becomes sch and the name Ritchie became
Ritsche.  The signature of Adam on his will of 1830 and son Michael
and Jacob on wills of 1830 and 1850, and of Francis on deed for sale of
land in 1793 in Loudoun County as well as records of German church
registers show the name to be spelled so. It always it was ended with an
e.  It was the hurrying clerks of the courthouse who spelled names as
they sounded to them and thus determined that in Bedford, the name
Ritchie should become first Richey and then Ritchey.

Just as Bedford youth in the 19th and early 20th centuries who spurned
farming went toward Pittsburgh seeking employment, so younger sons of
18th century settlers in the Virginia Piedmont were drawn to Richmond,
for here were bustle and commerce.  The wharves were crowded with ships,
the taverns filled with sailors.  Here heavy Indian trade was carried on
and wares from the back territory; furs, hides, beeswax, butter,
ginseng, and dried rattlesnake for making broth for the consumptive
patient were wagoned in.

William Ritchie’s family was the first to arrive in Bedford from
Loudoun.  The History of Bedford states that The Ritcheys were of
German descent.  Adam and William came to the county shortly after the
Revolution.  William must have been living with his son Adam, for
although Adam’s name appears on the tax list of 1785, William’s does
not.  Sometime before 1782, William had passed his land in King William
County on to his son James.

Adam’s brothers were Daniel, Jacob, and James who appeared on the
Bedford taxables at various times after 1787, but neither died or pushed
on into The West before 1800.  On the 1790 census, Adam was married with
children, and had a mile adult living with him.  This was probably his
father William.  Adam was about 28 years old in 1790.

A phenomenon of the 18th century was the knowledge of and the rapidity
with which news spread between the various German communities in
Pennsylvania and the southern colonies.  The German settlements quite
often had news of happenings in the Virginia backcountry before the
capital of Williamsburg had the information.  William’s sons knew of the
German group in Loudoun for their father’s brother had traveled up from
the Richmond area and was working in Leesburg in 1780.  Adam had left
King William County before 1782 for in that year he was living and
working on the land of Adam Counse in Loudoun. (It is most probable that
his wife was Catherine Koontz)

William died before 1800.  Adam moved to Hopewell Township and before
1811 was living in Providence and remained there until his death in
1830.

II

William’s younger brother, John Ritchie had traveled north, married a
woman from one of the Reformed German communities in northern Va. And by
1776, was in Fauquier County managing the estate of Captain Thomas
Marshall while Marshall was with Washington in Pennsylvania.  By 1780,
John had migrated to Leesburg and was working in the courthouse.  He and
his wife Elizabeth had three sons, Michael, Jacob, and Philip.  All
three sons eventually settled in Bedford Co.

Loudoun remained John’s home for the remainder of his life, but his
oldest son Michael followed his Uncle William and his cousin Adam to
Bedford before 1790. On the census of that year he is listed as married
(to and English or Scotch Irish woman, Elizabeth Deal) and was the
father of 2 girls.  Also, on his census reading were listed, an adult
male who must have been his wife’s father.  Michael was 22 years old in
1790.

Michael lived in Colerain Twp. Until 1794 when he bought 100 acres of
land in Snake Spring Valley and along with farming, served at various
times as constable and appraiser.  He died in 1830 and is buried beside
his mother in Hershberger’s Cemetery.  His wife lived on until 1847.

Jacob, the second son, began paying taxes in 1799 and married Barbara
Strickenbacker about 1800.  He also bought land in Snake Spring Valley.
In 1850 he was 76 years old and living with his son Michael and his
family.  He died later that year and is buried in Hershberger’s
Cemetery.

John Ritchie died about 1803 and Philip, his 3rd son, accompanied by his
wife, daughter, and widowed mother, followed his brothers to Bedford and
began paying taxes in Providence in 1804.  On the 1810 census is listed:

 Widow Ritchey 1 male 26-45 1 female 10-16 1 female 45+
Sometime between 1804 and 1810, Philip’s wife died.  He himself had
bought no property but on the taxables is listed among those living in
Snake Spring Valley.  He must have been living on the property of
brother Michael or Jacob.

Philip is not listed on the 1820 census but does appear on the 1830
census living in Greenfield Twp. (now Blair Co.).  Between 1810 and 1820
his daughter probably married (she was born about 1796) and the
grandmother, Elizabeth Richey must have been living with her.  (The
writer would appreciate knowing whom she married.  It was someone living
in Snake Spring Valley as the Grandmother was buried in Hershberger’s
Cemetery.)

In 1830, Philip had bought land and was paying property taxes in
Greenfield Twp.  He remarried and remained in Greenfield until his death
in 1857 and is buried at Blue Knob.

III


Francis Ritchie, an Ulsterman, married a woman of German background and
of the Reformed Faith in Bucks county, Pa. before 1746.  He and his
family migrated into Loudoun Co. where a number of Pennsylvania Germans
of the Lutheran Faith had settled earlier.  A Francis Richay is on the
Loudoun tithe list in 1765.  This Francis had a son, also Francis, who
married about 1763, and the son is the Francis Richie who eventually
migrated to Beford Co.

It is probable that sometime prior to 1778, Francis became a widower and
then married Catharine Smouse.  Presumably they lived on land leased of
and owned by Catharine’s father for before 1783 no Ritchie is recorded
as owning property in Loudoun.

When John Smouse (Johannes Schmaus) migrated to Bedford in 1783-4,
Francis began buying land in Loudoun.  He became an inspector of roads
and in 1789, helped form and became Deacon of the Reformed Church of
Lovettsville.

In 1794, John Smouse died and Francis and most of his sons moved to the
Bedford area where he bought 444 ½ acres of land in Snake Spring
Valley.  Of this, he sold 25 acres to Peter Carns and 100 acres to
Michael Ritchey without benefit of survey.

Francis does not appear on the 1800 census although he is paying
property taxes.  There is some evidence that in that year the old stone
house in Snake Spring Valley was being built for him, and he and his
family must have been scattered among relatives.

Francis became ill in 1805 and took steps to transfer his property to
his two youngest sons, who, by the terms of his will were to reimburse
Francis’ other 7 children over a period of years.  He died a short time
later.

These three branches of the Ritchies produced many offspring.  Some
remained in the Bedford area; some went to other parts of Pa. and many
migrated west into Pittsburgh, Ohio and beyond.

The roots of these early Beford Ritcheys were nourished well in Snake
Spring Valley.  Their trees have branched into many directions and in
the Pittsburgh area alone, have produced outstanding medical men,
successful businessmen and an internationally known architect.