Notes |
- - 1856 May 10, married Tuesday evening, 5th inst., at residence of Admiral OWEN in (St. John) city, by Rev. G.M. Armstrong, Rector of St. Mark's, Hon. William Johnston RITCHIE, one of H.M. Justices of the Supreme Court .
Grace Vernon Nicholson d/o late Thomas L. Nicholson, Esq. of this city.
Ref: New Brunswick Courier, Saint John.
Lady Ritchie had shared in her husband's rise to prominence in Ottawa, & continued to play an active role in the capital's society. She was a founder & first president of the Ottawa chapter of the National Council of Women of Canada & served as an original board member & a governor of the Victorian Order of Nurses.
- Dame GRACE VERNON RITCHIE. Widow, commonly known as Ladv Ritchie, daughter of Thomas Nicholson.' Married, as his second wife. Sir William Johnston
Ritchie, Knight Bachelor, late Chief-Justice of Canada, who died 1892. Postal address Ottawa.
Ref: A complete Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage. Edinburgh, 1895.
Note1: Wm. Pollok Ritchie & Mrs. Martha Robinston were the children by first wife, Martha Strang who died 1847. - PJA
In 1854 Mr. Ritchie married Miss Grace Vernon Nicholson, a daughter of the late Thomas L. Nicholson, of St. John, & a step-daughter of the late Admiral Wm. Fitz-William Owen, of Campobello.
(i) As is pointed out by the Hon. Judge Savary, editor of Calnek's History of Annapolis, the number of descendants of Judge Thomas Ritchie who have chosen the legal profession, many of whom have attained to eminence, is very remarkable. The list for the first & second generations is as follows:
SONS:
I. Hon. J. W. Ritchie, Judge in Equity of the N. S. Supreme Court
3. Sir Wm. J. Ritchie, Chief Justice of Canada.
3. Rev. James J. Ritchie, Barrister for fourteen years before entering the ministry.
4. Geo. W. Ritchie, Barrister, who lived at Fredericton.
5. Hon. J. Norman Ritchie, Judge of N. S. Supreme Court.
GRANDSONS:
1. Thomas Ritchie, son of Hon. J. W. Ritchie, Halifax.
2. George Ritchie, do. do. do.
3. Robert R. Ritchie, High Sheriff of St John, son of Sir Wm. J. Ritchie
4. John Ames Ritchie, son of Sir Wm. J. Ritchie.
5. Owen Ritchie, son of Sir Wm. J. Ritchie.
6. Wm. Pollok Ritchie, son of Sir Wm. J. Ritchie.
7. J. J. Ritchie, K. C, of Annapolis, son of Rev. J. J. Ritchie, a W. B. Ahnon Ritchie, do. do.
9. Geo. W. Ritchie, of Halifax, son of Gea W. Ritchie.
10. Charles T. C. MacColla, son of Judge Thos. Ritchie's daughter, Laleah.
In addition to the above, several Ritchies of the next generation have made the profession of law their choice. It is also worthy of note that two of the brothers of Sir Wm. J. Ritchie's mother, John & the Hon. J. W. Johnstone, attained notable positions in the legal profession.
- By his second marriage Sir Wm. J. Ritchie had 7 sons & 5 daughters, who are briefly mentioned below:
Eleanor Jaffray Ritchie, married Lieut-Col. Hodgins, D. O. C, & lives at Ottawa.
Robert R. Ritchie, barrister, is High Sheriff of the City & County of St. John.
Rev. Frank W. Ritchie, ordained to the ministry of the Church of England in 1885, was for a short time curate in Herefordshire, afterwards missionary in Mashonaland & British Guiana; finally came to Canada & died at Ottawa in January, 1907, leaving a wife & 3 children. His death is the first break in a family of twelve.
John Almon Ritchie of Ottawa, is County Crown Attorney & a partner in the well-known firm of Belcourt & Ritchie.
Owen Ritchie, barrister, of Ottawa, is a law partner of Hon. Sir Adolphe Caron.
Hazen Ritchie is an electrical engineer, & manager of the electrical works in Peterboro, Ontario.
Beatrice Ritchie married, July 6, 1905, Hon. Francis MacNaghten, second son of Lord MacNaghten, of Runkerry, County Antrim, Ireland, & now lives in Calgary.
Amy Maud Vernon Ritchie married James Smellie, barrister, of the well-known firm of Lewis & Smellie, Ottawa.
Wm. Johnstone Ritchie lives in Vancouver.
Vernon Ritchie, the youngest of the family, is engaged in the Dominion Geological & Boundary Survey in Alaska.
Miss Grace Ritchie & Miss Elsie Ritchie reside with their mother. Lady Ritchie, at Ottawa.
Ref: Judges of NB & Their Times, Jos. Wilson Lawrence, St. John, N.B., Pub. 1907.
Note2: Although the publication date is given as 1907, it also includes the death of Grace's death as 7 May 1911. - PJA
Chief Justice, Sir William J Ritchie, Lady Ritchie & daughter, are at Montreal.
Ref: Ottawa Free Press, dated Sat. 8 Oct. 1881.
Research & transcriptions by PJ Ahlberg. Thank you. - - -
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