Ritchie was born in Horning Mills, Ontario, in 1887. He
came to Alberta in 1910 and took up a homestead in the
Foremost area where he farmed for several years. On
March 20, 1917, he married Alice Snowden.
Four sons, Raymond, Douglas, Melvin, and Donald, and
a daughter Muriel, were born to this union. (Their
daughter died in infancy, Melvin died in 1958, Donald
in 1994, and Douglas in 1995.)

In 1922 the family moved to a farm (later known as
the Virtue place), in the White District (SE 114- 19-20-4)
where they remained until 1928 when they moved to
Retlaw for a year before settling on a farm in the
Eight Mile District. Ritchie farmed there until 1958
when he and Alice moved into Lethbridge.

Raymond, Doug, and Melvin all started school at the
old White School.

Alice died in 1971, Ritchie in 1986.

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