Hines, H. K. "An Illustrated History of the State of Oregon." Chicago: Lewis
Pub. Co. 1893.  p.  662.
 
JACOB D. RITTER

     of Clackamas county, Oregon, was born in the State of Illinois May 20,
1852, and when three years of age crossed the plains to Oregon with his father,
John Ritter.
     John Ritter was a native of Austria, born in the mountains of Tyrol in
April, 1819, of Austrian parents, who came to America in 1825 and settled in the
State of Pennsylvania, where they lived honest and industrious lives and where
they died, the father in his sixty-first year, and the mother a year later, aged
fifty-two.
     Mr. Ritter was the third born and is now the only survivor of the family of
five children. In 1843, after the death of his parents, he went to Illinois, and
resided there and in Iowa and Missouri until 1855, when he came to Oregon with
the Aurora Colony Company. He was not, however, a member of the company. He had
married on the 7th of October, 1850, Miss Lydia Nygh, who was born in Juniata
county, Pennsylvania, April 27, 1827. They had two children: Jacob D. and
Louisa. The latter is now the wife of Mr. West Dobbins and resides in Oregon
City. Upon arriving in Oregon they came from Walla Walla to the Dalles during
the Indian war, and remained at the Dalles two
years. They then came to Oregon City and purchased a farm of 320 acres in
Clackamas county, sixteen miles southeast of Oregon City.  Here they spent
twenty-three years of their lives, and by honest industry and economy improved
the place and prospered. In 1889 Mr. Ritter sold out and came to Aurora, and
built the little home in which he is now spending the evening of a useful and
honorable life. His wife died September 11, 1892. They had seven children: Their
daughter, Mary W., married a
Mr. Brant and resides in Oregon City; Caroline E. married a Mr. Strickland and
resides in Idaho; Amelia M. is now Mrs. W. Herst, of Aurora; and A. M.; Annie
married Mr. Frank M. Berry and resides in Alaska Mr. Ritter is a man of
intelligence and has pronounced views of his own. He takes the Bible alone for
the rule of his faith and practice, and is very independent in his line of
thought. His parents left Austria because it was under Catholic rule and came to
America to enjoy liberty.
     When Mr. Ritter, his wife and little children escaped from the murderous
Indians at Walla Walla they came away with what they had on their backs and $3
in money, and before they were out of sight of their humble dwelling they saw
its smoke, it having been fired by the Indians. So they began life in Oregon
with nothing but willing hands and strong hearts. He cut wood and she washed,
and thus they began to make their way in the new territory. They worked hard and
richly deserve the property
they so honestly earned.
     Their son, James D., remained at home with his father until his
twenty-second year, when he went to Portland and worked at the carpenters'
trade, later at painting, and was also for a time engaged in farming. In 1876 he
engaged in the butchering business, disposing of his meat in Portland, running
wagons in the country and doing a remunerative business. He has where he resides
twenty-nine acres of land, on which he has built a good residence.
     In 1880 he married Miss Catherine M. Zimmerman, a native of Missouri, born
February 2, 1862, daughter of David Zimmerman. Mr. and Mrs. Ritter have six
children, three sons and three daughters: Chester D., Alice E., Percy J.,
Rudolph William, Bayada and Grace.
     Mr. Ritter is in politics a Republican, and is a well-known, capable and
enterprising business man and a good citizen, and was for a time engaged in the
merchandise business at Neely, Oregon, and was also Postmaster at that place,
and he is also at present Notary Public.


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Submitted to the Oregon Bios. Project in February 2007 by Diana Smith.
Submitter has no additional information about the person(s) or family mentioned
above.