John Evans Ritchey and Jessie Myrtle Smith

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Husband John Evans Ritchey ^{1 2 3}

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           Born: 24 Apr 1875 - Oil City, Venango Co, PA 1 2 3
     Christened: 
           Died: 11 Nov 1940 3
         Buried:  - Franklin Cemetery, Franklin, Venango Co, PA

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         Father: Albert F. Ritchey (      -      ) 1 2
         Mother: Angeline Blakeley (Abt 1854-      ) 4

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       Marriage: 11 Jul 1899 3

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Wife Jessie Myrtle Smith ^{1 3 4}

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           Born: 27 Jul 1872 3
     Christened: 
           Died: 23 Dec 1960 3
         Buried:  - Franklin Cemetery, Franklin, Venango Co, PA

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         Father: William Fletcher Smith (1845-1915) 5
         Mother: Erena Mays (1849-1929) 1 5 6

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Children

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• They had no children.

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General Notes: Husband - John Evans Ritchey

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He grew up at Bradford, Pennsylvania, where he received a good education, attending the high school. He learned the trade of bricklayer, and after following it for a few years as a journeyman came to Franklin, where he became associated with Samuel Burgard and began to take contracts for brick work. They did business together thereafter under the firm name of Ritchey & Burgard, and the construction of many of the most important buildings in the area were intrusted to them. Their contracts included the Franklin Trust Company's building, an addition to the high school, a new jail, the I. O. O. F. temple, the Evening News office, several garages, and a number of fine residences. For a number of years Mr. Ritchey was also engaged in the production of oil, having leases in both Venango and Clarion counties.
His business operations qualified him thoroughly for effective public service, and much of it was in the field of his specialty, though not confined to that line. He filled several public offices with distinct ability as well as fidelity to their responsibilities, taking his duties seriously and performing them with disinterested zeal. He was elected to the city council for a three-year term, and at its close was elected a member of the school board, upon which body he served two years. He was then re-elected to the council, for a term of four years. For some time he was superintendent of streets and public property, and he later was acting as superintendent of parks and public property. It was through his exertions that Franklin obtained a new water supply.
In spite of his many business and public interests, Mr. Ritchey found time for social recreation, being a member in good standing of the Odd Fellows, F. O. E., Loyal Order of Moose and Woodmen of the World, and his religious connection was with the Baptist Church. He served his country during the Spanish-American war, being one of the first members of Company F, 16th Pennsylvania Volunteers, and saw service in Porto Rico. His military experience covered eight months. [HVC 1919, 661]

He attended the schools at Bradford and Franklin, Pennsylvania, and afterwards engaged in business as a bricklayer contractor. Among the pieces of work done by Mr. Ritchey was a piece of road building supervised by him in the borough of Emlenton.
During the Spanish-American War, Mr. Ritchey was quartermaster-sergeant of Company F, 16th Regiment, and he also served for twelve years in the National Guard Police, having been on duty at the Homestead Strike and the Walston Coal Strike. During the First World War he was a lieutenant of the Home Defense Police. He was commander of the Franklin Post of the United Spanish War Veterans. His religious faith was that of the Baptist Church, and he was chairman of the board of trustees of the church in Franklin, Pennsylvania.

Year of birth 1878. Date of death Jan 25, 1926. [R]

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General Notes: Wife - Jessie Myrtle Smith

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She was very active in the work of the Baptist Church, served four or more terms as president of the Ladies' Aid Society, and was assistant superintendent of the Intermediate Department of the Sunday School.

1 Charles A. Babcock, Venango County, Pennsylvania, Her Pioneers and People (Chicago, IL: J. H. Beers & Co., 1919), Pg 661.

2 George P. Donehoo, Pennsylvania - A History (NW) (New York, NY; Chicago, IL: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1926), Pg 349.

3 Mrs. Harold V. Linn, Daniel Smith - Pioneer Settler of Rockland Township, Venango County, Pennsylvania (Venango County, PA: Privately published, 1961), Pg 16.

4 George P. Donehoo, Pennsylvania - A History (NW) (New York, NY; Chicago, IL: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1926), Pg 350.

5 Mrs. Harold V. Linn, Daniel Smith - Pioneer Settler of Rockland Township, Venango County, Pennsylvania (Venango County, PA: Privately published, 1961), Pg 14.

6 Editor, History of Venango County, Pennsylvania (Chicago, IL: Brown, Runk, & Co., Publishers, 1890), Pg 1028.