Greene County IN Archives Biographies.....Ritter, W. D. 1827 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com May 11, 2006, 4:12 am

Author: Goodspeed (1884)

   W. D. RITTER, son of Moses and grandson of James Ritter, was born at
Newberry, in Cass Township, Greene County, Ind., April 7, 1827. Moses Ritter was
a native of North Carolina, and through his antipathy of slavery migrated to
Indiana in 1817, and for five years lived in Washington County. For the same
reason, the family of John O'Neal left South Carolina, and coming to Indiana
settled in Washington County, where first Moses Ritter met Achsah O'Neal, who
became his wife in 1819. In about 1822, these two families came to the vicinity
of where Newberry now is, Mr. O'Neal entering the land on which the village now
stands, and which he laid out and named in honor of Newberry District, from
whence he came in South Carolina. Mr. Ritter located in Daviess County, some
four miles south of the Greene County line, afterward moving to Newberry, and
from there to Bloomfield. Violet Ritter, the widowed mother of Moses, together
with the remainder of the Ritter family, came to Greene County in 1822, and made
this her home the remainder of her days. These two families became intimately
connected with the early history of Greene County, which could not properly be
written without saying much concerning them. John O'Neal was an old-fashioned
Quaker preacher, and Baber's history of the county says this concerning him:
"His house was the home for all the Indians and preachers, and was made the
stopping place for the olden time Judges, lawyers, preachers, prophets,
disciples, Jews and Gentiles." Baber also says this of Moses Ritter: "He lived
in Greene County many years, and filled numerous offices of trust. It is said
that 'an honest man is the noblest work of God;' he entirely filled that
measure." W. D. Ritter has never known any home other than in Greene County. His
early life and advantages were similar to that of the average boy of that early
period. Since the organization of the Republican party, he has been identified
with it, but previous to 1856 was a Whig, as was also his father. He has served
Richland Township eleven years as Trustee, and is universally acknowledged as
one of the best read men in the county. In 1859, he married Mrs. Caroline
(Sanford) Tebbutt, who was born in Middlesex, England, December 26, 1831. They
own 200 acres of land near Bloomfield, and are the parents of this family: Levi,
Grant, Helen, Emma, Anna and William.

Additional Comments:
Richland Township Biographies

Extracted from:

HISTORY OF GREENE AND SULLIVAN COUNTIES,
STATE OF INDIANA,
FROM THE EARLIEST TIME TO THE PRESENT; TOGETHER WITH INTERESTING BIOGRAPHICAL
SKETCHES, REMINISCENCES, NOTES, ETC.

ILLUSTRATED.

CHICAGO: GOODSPEED BROS. & CO., PUBLISHERS.
1884.

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