When I first started researching my roots, I fully expected to discover that my maternal grandfather wasn't the biological child of David Scott Ritchie Sr, the footman from Mayfair. I had grown up with the family myth that Grandad's strong resemblance to Henry Duke of Gloucester suggested some sort of misattributed paternity. Perhaps his mother Maude had been seduced by her employer or had a liaison with another man. Yet a solid DNA link to a cousin in Canada confirm the documentary records, eliminating all doubt on that score.
In spite of this, I did not pay much attention to the Canadian link. Since my grandparents left England and came directly to South Africa, it seemed more useful to focus on connections in England itself. Months have gone by with little progress however, and so, in an effort to get things moving again, I am revisiting the story. My hope is that someone in Saskatchewan or thereabouts may come across this post, recognise some of the names and places in it, and get in touch.
The story begins with my great-grandfather's brother, William Ritchie. He was born in Stratford, Essex, England on 6 September 1871, the eldest son of William and Emma Eliza Ritchie. His father died of ptomaine poisoning when he was 11, leaving his mother to raise her four children, including an infant, on her own.
William, it appears, left home as soon as he finished school. He became a furniture dealer and married Ada Sarah Ann Burfoot in Blackfriars, London. The couple settled in Brixton and had three sons; William, born in 1902, David Scott,,, born in 1903, and Thomas Scott, born in 1904. Then, In 1913, they emigrated to Saskatchewan, Canada and became Canadian citizens.
I should say at this point that David Scott of Brixton is not the same David Scott who was my grandfather, even though they have the same name and were born just one year apart. David Scott of Brixton was Grandad's first cousin — not that Grandad ever spoke about him, or any other cousins for that matter. The two boys could have grown up as close friends had the Brixton Ritchies not left England. It isn't clear why they moved, unless William and Ada simply felt like a fresh start. Perhaps they wanted to escape having to look after William's sister-in-law, given that his brother — my great-grandfather — had been sent away to an asylum. Whatever the case, William must have been relieved to have gotten his wife and sons out of Europe by the time war broke out a year later.
I haven't researched all three of William's sons but I do know that David Scott of Brixton married Lula Belle Samuels in Winnipeg, Canada in 1927. Lula Belle was the daughter of Edgar F Samuels and Sarah Jane Warren. She was born on 23 March 1902 in the United States, emigrated to Manitoba in 1912, and moved to Saskatchewan in 1916. David and Lula Belle lived in Melville all their lives. David died on 9 December 1972 and Lula Belle died in 1982.
David and Lula Belle had one daughter named Dorothy Elizabeth Ritchie. Dorothy Elizabeth was born on 9 July 1928 in Melville, Saskatchewan and married Charles Edward Stewart in Melville in about 1950. The couple had several children, many of whom are still living in Canada today. Dorothy Elizabeth Stewart died on 19 July 2005 in Toronto.
As I said, it's my hope that this blog post will attract the attention of readers with shared connections to William and Ada Ritchie. If that happens, we will be able to exchange information on the parents of William Sr and my great-grandfather. I am especially interested in hearing about how my distant cousins in Canada feel about the so-called "old country", since I too am descended from immigrants. Please contact me if this post rings any bells, or share it with others whom you think may benefit from it. Thank you.
Photo credit: "White-tailed Deer, provincial animal of Saskatchewan" by Daryl Mitchell.
