Albert Raoul Ritter was born Raoul Albert Ritter in Mulhouse, Alsace, France. He is the son of Joseph Antoine Alexandre Ritter (1822-1989) and Caroline Reinkorn (1834-1884). He is one of four children: Eugenie, Alphonse Charles Frederic and Caroline, and Raoul aka Albert.
He married Grace Gill of England (1854-1895) betweek 1880-1883). They had three children: Izet, Selena, and Thomas.
An excerpt from his grand daughter's autobiography:
RITTER
In the 1980's, my husband George, began a genealogy adventure that gave fuel to my own yearning for my family's roots. He contacted a fellow radio buff in France, who looked up several vital documents about the Ritter family. I learned about my French and German background and was fascinated by so much information. During my childhood, my parents did not talk about their respective families. And I didn't ask. So it is in my 80th year that my family story needs telling. And now I begin.
Alsace –Lorraine
The Alsace region of France wherein Mulhouse is located was annexed by Germany at end of Franco-Prussian War in 1871. France lost Battle of Sedan September 1870. Alsace returned to France at end of World War I in 1918. Again annexed by Germany before World War II, annexed approximately 1939, and again returned to France at end of World War II in 1945.
Haut-Rhin
Alexandre Ritter
Alexandre Ritter is my great, great grandfather. He was born approximately 1790 in Lapoutroux (Haut-Rhin), France and died after 1824 in France. Alexandre Ritter was the Police court Magistrate of "Canton De Lapoutroux" France and was married to Marie Madeleine Meagly. There was possibly a second child born to Alexandre and Marie named, Gustave Ritter. He was born in 1824 and lived in Mulhouse, France. It is not known if other brothers or sisters existed. This prized information was found on the back of the marriage certificate for Alexandre and Marie's son, Joseph Antoine Alexandre Ritter to Caroline Reinkorn on May 5, 1854 in Mulhouse, Alsace, France. Gustave Ritter is mentioned in the birth certificate of their daughter, Caroline Hortense Isabelle Ritter.
Other than the disclosed information, nothing else is known about Alexandre or about when he died. His wife Marie died on March 28, 1848 in Mulhouse, Alsace, France.
Joseph Antoine Alexandre Ritter
Joseph was of the Roman Catholic faith. His occupation was that of head clerk in the Town Hall located in Mulhouse, France. On December 17, 1853, five months prior to Joseph's marriage to Caroline Reinkorn, she gave birth to a child. She was named Eugenie Alexandrine Reinkorn. It is not known if Eugenie's last name was changed to Ritter. There is special significance in this name because at this particular time in history, there was Empress Eugenie. Empress Eugénie was the wife of Napoleon III. The real name of that women was Eugéne Marie de Monteijo de Guzman., (1826-1920). Born in Grenada (espagne), she married Napoleon III (1808-1873) in 1851. She was the Empress of France from 1853 to 1870. At that time, the Empire of France fall and a new government was declared. This explains what my cousin Marilyn said in a letter before she died that the Ritter family migrated to America because one of the women was in waiting at the court of the Empress Eugenie and there was some sort of danger.
Joseph married Caroline on May 05, 1854 in Mulhouse France. The records I obtained indicated Joseph and Caroline and two other children. A daughter, Caroline Hortense Isabelle Ritter, was born December 06, 1855 in Mulhouse. A son, Raoul Albert Ritter, was born January 10, 1858 in Mulhouse.
Nothing is known about Caroline other than she died May 01, 1927 in Mulhouse and gave a small inheritance to her brother's living relatives in America. These were my father, Thomas Raoul Ritter, living children of Izet Ritter McPherson (died in 1918), and Selena Eugenie Ritter Dunn. My father received a note to go to the Western Union office and pick up the money. The amount is not known.
Raoul Albert Ritter
My grandfather was known as Albert Raoul Ritter. It is not known why he changed his preference to Albert. Perhaps his given name sounded too foreign when he came to America or was too difficult to pronounce. With the‘t' sounding soft, Albert sounded like ‘Al-bere' and was easier to pronounce. All of his American records show him as Albert.
Raoul Albert Ritter born in Mulhouse on January 10, 1858, at 7:15 am, Rue Dumoulin. Lawful son of Joseph Antoine Alexandre Ritter, aged 36 years old, head clerk of the Town hall, born in Saint Louis (Haut-Rhin), lived in Mulhouse. His mother was Caroline Reinkorn, 23 years old, lived in Mulhouse
The first known date of Albert being in America was determined from United States military records. He signed up as a blacksmith for the United States Army on January 4, 1879 in St. Louis, Missouri. Every attempt was made to search records that would help find the exact date of his arrival into the United States. Given the historical events that transpired in 1870 and the possibility that Albert could have escaped France in order to avoid joining the military, it is conceivable that he left France sometime after 1870 when he was between the ages of 15 and 21.
The next date where Albert is mentioned is on June 19, 1879 at the Columbus Barracks in Ohio when he joined the 18th Infantry Regiment, Co "K" and was assigned to Montana. He was stationed at Fort Assinniboine in Montana Territory and was counted in the 1880 Federal Census. The census showed he was born in France and was single.
1880 Coal Banks Montana, in the County of Choctaw, Territory of Montana (Ft. Assinniboine)
Enumeration District No. 5, Page 11, Sheet 72, Line 26
Albert Raoul RITTER
1. Ritter, A. - Pvt
White, male, age 25, single
Born in France
Father born in France
Mother born in France
[Error on the part of the census taker. Albert's mother born England]
From 1880-1884, Albert was a private in Montana Territory during the Indian Wars. He was stationed in Fort Assinniboine, Montana Territory with Co. "K" was sent down the Milk River to intercept hostile Sioux under Sitting Bull. They returned having failed to meet hostiles on February 1881, who escaped into Canada. They suffered from intense cold. That same year they were sent into the field to drive British Indians and half breeds across boundary lines and prevent their intrusion upon reservations of our friendly Indians.
FORT ASSINIBOINE
1879 - 1911. Construction began 1878. Located on the Milk river and North of the Bear Paw Mountains, 6 miles south west of Havre. It was built to keep the Sioux in Canada and prevent raids in the U.S. Largest military installation in Montana. At the time there were 104 buildings. It is now a U.S. experiment station. Some remains are standing.
Information for the Fort Assinniboine website http://www.havremt.com/attractions/fort_assinniboine.htm
The military fort was one of the largest built in the US with over 100 buildings. Formally established in May 1879, it housed over 500 men at any given time. Many of the officers were accompanied by their wives and children. Fort Assinniboine was a center for such cultural events as theatricals and dances, in addition to daily military duties.
The fort was designed to house ten companies of infantry and cavalry. The troops were charged with monitoring the activities of the region's many Indian groups, patrolling Montana's border with Canada, stopping bootleggers and gunrunners and protecting the state's settlers. In its heyday, nearly 750 officers, enlisted men, and civilians called Assinniboine home.
Montana's grandest military post. The fort was the pioneer outpost of north central Montana, the frontier home of regiments of American infantry and cavalry, and the site of 1st Lt. John J. Pershing's (later General) early field assignment. Its surviving buildings stand today as a monument to our state's exciting past -- to the opening of the frontier.
From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Assinniboine
Fort Assinniboine, a fort in Montana and within the military Department of Dakota, was built in 1879, in the aftermath of the Great Sioux War of 1876-77 and the disastrous defeat of U.S. Army forces led by General Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn on June 25, 1876. The fort is located in Hill County six miles southwest of Havre (the county seat) on Highway 87. The fort gets its name from the Assinniboine people.
Fort Assinniboine was established primarily to ward off possible attacks by the Sioux, led by Chief Sitting Bull, from the Cypress Hills and by the Nez Perce, some of whom were also in Canada following the defeat and capture of Chief Joseph by the U.S. Army in the Battle of Bear Paw in 1877. However, no such attack or raid ever occurred.
The fort was located on a massive reserve and, at its peak, housed over 750 officers, enlisted men, and their families. With 104 buildings, the fort remains one of the largest ever built in the United States. Among the military officers stationed at the fort in the 1890s was John Pershing, who later achieved fame as the leader of the American Expeditionary Force in World War I.
In 1916, a portion of Fort Assinniboine was ceded to the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation (home of the Chippewa Cree tribe).
Another portion of the reserve was ceded to Hill County to create Beaver Creek Park, the largest county park in the United States. Most of the buildings at the Fort were razed; a handful of surviving structures are now an agricultural extension station associated with Montana State University.
Another website shows research http://mymontana.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=372
Military records state he was 5 ft 9-3.4 in, brown hair, hazel eyes, fair complexion. There was also mention of burn scars on his face and hands. That explains why he had a beard to cover the scars.
1880 Coal Banks Montana, in the County of Choctaw, Territory of Montana (Ft. Assinniboine)
Enumeration District No. 5, Page 11, Sheet 72, Line 26
Albert Raoul RITTER
Ritter, A. - Private, white, male, age 25, single, born in France, father born in France, Mother born in France [error on the part of the census taker. Albert's mother born England]
Sometime between 1880 and 1880, Albert met and married my grandmother, Grace Gill. On September 14, 1883, Grace gave birth to a daughter, Izet Edith Ritter, in Cedar, St. Paul, Anoka County, Minnesota. This is another mysterious account that does not have further information. Marriage records were searched in New Orleans, Minnesota, Ohio, Missouri and Montana with no mention of a marriage. My cousin Marilyn indicated she thought Albert settled in New Orleans because of his French nationality. She remembers her mother, Lillian, baking a French recipe containing oysters. This particular recipe was popular in New Orleans.
There was one railroad lines that Grace could have taken on her trip from Minnesota to Montana. This was the Great Northern railroad that went across North Dakota and Montana from Minnesota. The Northern Pacific railroad went from Assiniboine to Helena, Montana.
Albert was not a well man. Military records divulge that he suffered from several bowel ailments and bronchitis.
The medical records for Albert Ritter show him treated as follows:
1. July 26-27, 1879 - sprain of left foot, return to duty
2. December 19 & 20, 1879 - Colic, return to duty
3. January 6-13, 1880 - Diarrhea, return to duty
4. January 24-27, 1880 - Diarrhea, return to duty
5. March 8 - April 2, 1880 - Bronchitis, return to duty
6. January 18 & 22 to 24, 1881- Bronchitis
7. February 7 to 10, 1881 - Bronchitis
8. November 30 - December 3, 1883 - Sprain right thumb, return to duty
9. Fall L.O.D., return to duty
In 1884 Albert was discharged honorably from Ft. Assinniboine, Montana Territory on January 3, 1884 by expiration of service as Private.
The Pay Department of the U.S. Army in Helena, Montana, January 9, 1884 paid Albert Ritter the following pay upon his discharge:
Pay 2 mos, 3 days $27.30
Retain pay 72.00
Travel pay 39.47
Subsistence pay 25.20
Deposits 500.00
Interest 31.25 (equates to 6.25%)
Clothing 50.84
Subtotal $746.06
Pednct Asylum .26
Due $745.80
Paid in full
John E. Blaine
Major & Paymaster, USA
A second child was born to Albert and Grace on Selena Eugenie Ritter August 11, 1885 in Helena, Lewis & Clark, MT. Her name is Selena Eugenie Ritter.
From Montana, Albert and his family moved to San Bernardino, California, where my father was born on September 12, 1889. An old 1889 San Bernardino city directory shows Albert R. Ritter owning a saloon & lunch counter.
On March 5, 1891, Albert became a naturalized citizen of the United States. The document was of poor quality and unclear words are noted with an underscore line.
San Bernardino County Archives
777 E. Rialto Avenue
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0795
Superior Court Minutes, Book 12, Page 165
In the matter of the Application of
Albert Ritter
An Alien,
To become a citizen of the United States of America In Open Court,
On the 5th day of March 1891
It appearing to the satisfaction of this Court, by the oaths of J. H. Boob and N. H. Barton citizens of the United States of America, witnesses for that purpose, first duly sworn and examined, that Albert Ritter a native of France did enlist in the Army of the United States, and that he was honorably discharged from the said service, and has resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States of America one year at least, last past; and within the State of California for one year at least, last past; and ____ ________of said time he has behaved as a man of good moral character, attached to the principles ______ _______ _______ the United States, and well disposed to the good ___________________ and having now here, before this Court ________________________________ of the United States of America, ant that he doth absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to every foreign Prince, Potentate, State or Sovereignty whatever and particularly to the Republic Of France.
It is therefore, Ordered, Adjudged and Decreed, that the said
Albert Ritter be, and is hereby admitted and declared to be a Citizen of the United States of America.
In October 1891, Albert purchased property in San Bernardino Mts. - 160 acres for $75
NAME MERIDIAN TWP RANGE SECTION ACREAGE TYPE CASETYPE DOCID DATE
RITTER ALBERT 05 160 N 058 W 005 80 251101 PA 1820 05/02/1890
RITTER ALBERT 05 160 N 058 W 005 47.58 251101 PA 1820 05/02/1890
RITTER ALBERT 05 160 N 058 W 005 47.64 251101 PA 1820 05/02/1890
RITTER ALBERT 05 160 N 058 W 005 80 251105 PA 709 06/10/1896
"A SUICIDE AT RANDSBURG"
Albert Raul Ritter died Thursday evening at Randsburg. It is presumed that he committed suicide. Ritter was a married man had leaves a widow and three children. He had been waiting on two sick men and took morphine. The doctors say he died from morphine poisoning. He was born in France and has been here nearly three years. He had not been successful in business and was despondent. He came here from San Bernardino and was a member of the Foresters. An inquest [will] be held by a justice of the peace.---[Los Angeles Times]
Randsburg
Took Morphine and Died
RANDSBURG, May 17 (Regular Correspondence) Albert Raul Ritter died this evening at 6 o'clock. It is presumed that he committed suicide. Ritter was a married man and leaves a widow and three children. He had been waiting on two sick men and took morphine. The doctors say he died from morphine poisoning. He was born in France and had been here nearly three years. He had not been successful in business and was despondent. He came here from San Bernardino and was a member of the Foresters. An inquest will be held.
Los Angeles Times (1886-Current File); May 18, 1900; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Los Angeles Times (1881 - 1986), pg. I15
=========================
Daily Californian, May 19, 1900, pg 2 col 1 & 2; Bakersfield, Kern Co, the Los Angeles Times
Typed from the original text by Nancy Posey on April 7, 2000 Great-grand daughter, To be used for the Ritter Family History
Randsburg Miner, Saturday, May 19, 1900, pg. 2
ALBERT RAUL RITTER
Died in Randsburg on Thursday evening from the effects of Morphine poisoning. This was the verdict rendered by the Coroner's Jury of 12 men who heard all the evidence in the case before Justice Doty on Friday afternoon. Mr. Ritter had been nursing the two sick men who are in the cottage back of Rand Street. He had been on duty in daytime and one of them had been very violent in the delirium of fever. Mr. Ritter had had a rather bad day of it on Monday and on quitting to start home that evening complained of his hard lot and said that ever since he had been on the desert he had done nothing but nurse sick men and take care of crazy ones and he was getting tired of it.
On leaving, he shook hands with Mr. Ellis who took his place and said he would just fool them tomorrow. Nothing was thought of this however until he failed to show up next morning and it was learned he was sick in bed. He took sick Monday night and Dr. Nichols was sent for about 2 o'clock and again at 5 o'clock in the morning. The doctor testified that at his first and second visits he found no symptoms of morphine poisoning, but did discover that he was suffering from ptomaine poisoning and treated him accordingly.
In the medications prescribed by Dr. Nichols there was not more than 1 3/4 grains of morphine all told and both he and Dr. Swayne testified that if he had taken it all in an hour it would not kill him. Both doctors also testified that he must have had 5 to 6 grains to keep him in the comatose condition he was in for so long a time before death. During his first days sickness he also took a small bottle of Chamberlain's diarrhea medicine, but it was not prescribed by a physician.
Dr. Swayne was called to attend him at 1 o'clock Thursday, and Mr. Ritter died a little after 5 the same evening. He was unconscious during all of that time and had been for many hours before. Dr. Nichols and the night nurse at the cottage testified that some 5 or 6 grains of morphine left at the house disappeared and they did not know what became of it. Mr. Ritter was aware it was there and knew its effects. Someone took it away and it might have been Ritter and if so it would account for his condition.
The coroner's Jury returned the following verdict: That to the best of my knowledge and the evidence, Albert R. Ritter came to his death by morphine poisoning - intentionally or unintentionally not known - F. O. Moore, John O'Brien, L. V. Lonsway, Frank Griffith, Julius Goldsmith, J. E. Harris, B.B. Summer, D. V. Barton, B. C. Arthur, Wm. H. Pierce, J. Kinyon, F. W. Snell.
Mr. Albert Raul Ritter was born in Alsace, France and was 43 years old at the time of his death. He leaves a wife and 3 children, 2 girls, aged 14 and 16 years and Tommy aged 10. The family came here from San Bernardino and have lived in Randsburg about 2 1/2 years.
He married Grace Gill of England (1854-1895) betweek 1880-1883). They had three children: Izet, Selena, and Thomas.
An excerpt from his grand daughter's autobiography:
RITTER
In the 1980's, my husband George, began a genealogy adventure that gave fuel to my own yearning for my family's roots. He contacted a fellow radio buff in France, who looked up several vital documents about the Ritter family. I learned about my French and German background and was fascinated by so much information. During my childhood, my parents did not talk about their respective families. And I didn't ask. So it is in my 80th year that my family story needs telling. And now I begin.
Alsace –Lorraine
The Alsace region of France wherein Mulhouse is located was annexed by Germany at end of Franco-Prussian War in 1871. France lost Battle of Sedan September 1870. Alsace returned to France at end of World War I in 1918. Again annexed by Germany before World War II, annexed approximately 1939, and again returned to France at end of World War II in 1945.
Haut-Rhin
Alexandre Ritter
Alexandre Ritter is my great, great grandfather. He was born approximately 1790 in Lapoutroux (Haut-Rhin), France and died after 1824 in France. Alexandre Ritter was the Police court Magistrate of "Canton De Lapoutroux" France and was married to Marie Madeleine Meagly. There was possibly a second child born to Alexandre and Marie named, Gustave Ritter. He was born in 1824 and lived in Mulhouse, France. It is not known if other brothers or sisters existed. This prized information was found on the back of the marriage certificate for Alexandre and Marie's son, Joseph Antoine Alexandre Ritter to Caroline Reinkorn on May 5, 1854 in Mulhouse, Alsace, France. Gustave Ritter is mentioned in the birth certificate of their daughter, Caroline Hortense Isabelle Ritter.
Other than the disclosed information, nothing else is known about Alexandre or about when he died. His wife Marie died on March 28, 1848 in Mulhouse, Alsace, France.
Joseph Antoine Alexandre Ritter
Joseph was of the Roman Catholic faith. His occupation was that of head clerk in the Town Hall located in Mulhouse, France. On December 17, 1853, five months prior to Joseph's marriage to Caroline Reinkorn, she gave birth to a child. She was named Eugenie Alexandrine Reinkorn. It is not known if Eugenie's last name was changed to Ritter. There is special significance in this name because at this particular time in history, there was Empress Eugenie. Empress Eugénie was the wife of Napoleon III. The real name of that women was Eugéne Marie de Monteijo de Guzman., (1826-1920). Born in Grenada (espagne), she married Napoleon III (1808-1873) in 1851. She was the Empress of France from 1853 to 1870. At that time, the Empire of France fall and a new government was declared. This explains what my cousin Marilyn said in a letter before she died that the Ritter family migrated to America because one of the women was in waiting at the court of the Empress Eugenie and there was some sort of danger.
Joseph married Caroline on May 05, 1854 in Mulhouse France. The records I obtained indicated Joseph and Caroline and two other children. A daughter, Caroline Hortense Isabelle Ritter, was born December 06, 1855 in Mulhouse. A son, Raoul Albert Ritter, was born January 10, 1858 in Mulhouse.
Nothing is known about Caroline other than she died May 01, 1927 in Mulhouse and gave a small inheritance to her brother's living relatives in America. These were my father, Thomas Raoul Ritter, living children of Izet Ritter McPherson (died in 1918), and Selena Eugenie Ritter Dunn. My father received a note to go to the Western Union office and pick up the money. The amount is not known.
Raoul Albert Ritter
My grandfather was known as Albert Raoul Ritter. It is not known why he changed his preference to Albert. Perhaps his given name sounded too foreign when he came to America or was too difficult to pronounce. With the‘t' sounding soft, Albert sounded like ‘Al-bere' and was easier to pronounce. All of his American records show him as Albert.
Raoul Albert Ritter born in Mulhouse on January 10, 1858, at 7:15 am, Rue Dumoulin. Lawful son of Joseph Antoine Alexandre Ritter, aged 36 years old, head clerk of the Town hall, born in Saint Louis (Haut-Rhin), lived in Mulhouse. His mother was Caroline Reinkorn, 23 years old, lived in Mulhouse
The first known date of Albert being in America was determined from United States military records. He signed up as a blacksmith for the United States Army on January 4, 1879 in St. Louis, Missouri. Every attempt was made to search records that would help find the exact date of his arrival into the United States. Given the historical events that transpired in 1870 and the possibility that Albert could have escaped France in order to avoid joining the military, it is conceivable that he left France sometime after 1870 when he was between the ages of 15 and 21.
The next date where Albert is mentioned is on June 19, 1879 at the Columbus Barracks in Ohio when he joined the 18th Infantry Regiment, Co "K" and was assigned to Montana. He was stationed at Fort Assinniboine in Montana Territory and was counted in the 1880 Federal Census. The census showed he was born in France and was single.
1880 Coal Banks Montana, in the County of Choctaw, Territory of Montana (Ft. Assinniboine)
Enumeration District No. 5, Page 11, Sheet 72, Line 26
Albert Raoul RITTER
1. Ritter, A. - Pvt
White, male, age 25, single
Born in France
Father born in France
Mother born in France
[Error on the part of the census taker. Albert's mother born England]
From 1880-1884, Albert was a private in Montana Territory during the Indian Wars. He was stationed in Fort Assinniboine, Montana Territory with Co. "K" was sent down the Milk River to intercept hostile Sioux under Sitting Bull. They returned having failed to meet hostiles on February 1881, who escaped into Canada. They suffered from intense cold. That same year they were sent into the field to drive British Indians and half breeds across boundary lines and prevent their intrusion upon reservations of our friendly Indians.
FORT ASSINIBOINE
1879 - 1911. Construction began 1878. Located on the Milk river and North of the Bear Paw Mountains, 6 miles south west of Havre. It was built to keep the Sioux in Canada and prevent raids in the U.S. Largest military installation in Montana. At the time there were 104 buildings. It is now a U.S. experiment station. Some remains are standing.
Information for the Fort Assinniboine website http://www.havremt.com/attractions/fort_assinniboine.htm
The military fort was one of the largest built in the US with over 100 buildings. Formally established in May 1879, it housed over 500 men at any given time. Many of the officers were accompanied by their wives and children. Fort Assinniboine was a center for such cultural events as theatricals and dances, in addition to daily military duties.
The fort was designed to house ten companies of infantry and cavalry. The troops were charged with monitoring the activities of the region's many Indian groups, patrolling Montana's border with Canada, stopping bootleggers and gunrunners and protecting the state's settlers. In its heyday, nearly 750 officers, enlisted men, and civilians called Assinniboine home.
Montana's grandest military post. The fort was the pioneer outpost of north central Montana, the frontier home of regiments of American infantry and cavalry, and the site of 1st Lt. John J. Pershing's (later General) early field assignment. Its surviving buildings stand today as a monument to our state's exciting past -- to the opening of the frontier.
From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Assinniboine
Fort Assinniboine, a fort in Montana and within the military Department of Dakota, was built in 1879, in the aftermath of the Great Sioux War of 1876-77 and the disastrous defeat of U.S. Army forces led by General Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn on June 25, 1876. The fort is located in Hill County six miles southwest of Havre (the county seat) on Highway 87. The fort gets its name from the Assinniboine people.
Fort Assinniboine was established primarily to ward off possible attacks by the Sioux, led by Chief Sitting Bull, from the Cypress Hills and by the Nez Perce, some of whom were also in Canada following the defeat and capture of Chief Joseph by the U.S. Army in the Battle of Bear Paw in 1877. However, no such attack or raid ever occurred.
The fort was located on a massive reserve and, at its peak, housed over 750 officers, enlisted men, and their families. With 104 buildings, the fort remains one of the largest ever built in the United States. Among the military officers stationed at the fort in the 1890s was John Pershing, who later achieved fame as the leader of the American Expeditionary Force in World War I.
In 1916, a portion of Fort Assinniboine was ceded to the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation (home of the Chippewa Cree tribe).
Another portion of the reserve was ceded to Hill County to create Beaver Creek Park, the largest county park in the United States. Most of the buildings at the Fort were razed; a handful of surviving structures are now an agricultural extension station associated with Montana State University.
Another website shows research http://mymontana.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=372
Military records state he was 5 ft 9-3.4 in, brown hair, hazel eyes, fair complexion. There was also mention of burn scars on his face and hands. That explains why he had a beard to cover the scars.
1880 Coal Banks Montana, in the County of Choctaw, Territory of Montana (Ft. Assinniboine)
Enumeration District No. 5, Page 11, Sheet 72, Line 26
Albert Raoul RITTER
Ritter, A. - Private, white, male, age 25, single, born in France, father born in France, Mother born in France [error on the part of the census taker. Albert's mother born England]
Sometime between 1880 and 1880, Albert met and married my grandmother, Grace Gill. On September 14, 1883, Grace gave birth to a daughter, Izet Edith Ritter, in Cedar, St. Paul, Anoka County, Minnesota. This is another mysterious account that does not have further information. Marriage records were searched in New Orleans, Minnesota, Ohio, Missouri and Montana with no mention of a marriage. My cousin Marilyn indicated she thought Albert settled in New Orleans because of his French nationality. She remembers her mother, Lillian, baking a French recipe containing oysters. This particular recipe was popular in New Orleans.
There was one railroad lines that Grace could have taken on her trip from Minnesota to Montana. This was the Great Northern railroad that went across North Dakota and Montana from Minnesota. The Northern Pacific railroad went from Assiniboine to Helena, Montana.
Albert was not a well man. Military records divulge that he suffered from several bowel ailments and bronchitis.
The medical records for Albert Ritter show him treated as follows:
1. July 26-27, 1879 - sprain of left foot, return to duty
2. December 19 & 20, 1879 - Colic, return to duty
3. January 6-13, 1880 - Diarrhea, return to duty
4. January 24-27, 1880 - Diarrhea, return to duty
5. March 8 - April 2, 1880 - Bronchitis, return to duty
6. January 18 & 22 to 24, 1881- Bronchitis
7. February 7 to 10, 1881 - Bronchitis
8. November 30 - December 3, 1883 - Sprain right thumb, return to duty
9. Fall L.O.D., return to duty
In 1884 Albert was discharged honorably from Ft. Assinniboine, Montana Territory on January 3, 1884 by expiration of service as Private.
The Pay Department of the U.S. Army in Helena, Montana, January 9, 1884 paid Albert Ritter the following pay upon his discharge:
Pay 2 mos, 3 days $27.30
Retain pay 72.00
Travel pay 39.47
Subsistence pay 25.20
Deposits 500.00
Interest 31.25 (equates to 6.25%)
Clothing 50.84
Subtotal $746.06
Pednct Asylum .26
Due $745.80
Paid in full
John E. Blaine
Major & Paymaster, USA
A second child was born to Albert and Grace on Selena Eugenie Ritter August 11, 1885 in Helena, Lewis & Clark, MT. Her name is Selena Eugenie Ritter.
From Montana, Albert and his family moved to San Bernardino, California, where my father was born on September 12, 1889. An old 1889 San Bernardino city directory shows Albert R. Ritter owning a saloon & lunch counter.
On March 5, 1891, Albert became a naturalized citizen of the United States. The document was of poor quality and unclear words are noted with an underscore line.
San Bernardino County Archives
777 E. Rialto Avenue
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0795
Superior Court Minutes, Book 12, Page 165
In the matter of the Application of
Albert Ritter
An Alien,
To become a citizen of the United States of America In Open Court,
On the 5th day of March 1891
It appearing to the satisfaction of this Court, by the oaths of J. H. Boob and N. H. Barton citizens of the United States of America, witnesses for that purpose, first duly sworn and examined, that Albert Ritter a native of France did enlist in the Army of the United States, and that he was honorably discharged from the said service, and has resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States of America one year at least, last past; and within the State of California for one year at least, last past; and ____ ________of said time he has behaved as a man of good moral character, attached to the principles ______ _______ _______ the United States, and well disposed to the good ___________________ and having now here, before this Court ________________________________ of the United States of America, ant that he doth absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to every foreign Prince, Potentate, State or Sovereignty whatever and particularly to the Republic Of France.
It is therefore, Ordered, Adjudged and Decreed, that the said
Albert Ritter be, and is hereby admitted and declared to be a Citizen of the United States of America.
In October 1891, Albert purchased property in San Bernardino Mts. - 160 acres for $75
NAME MERIDIAN TWP RANGE SECTION ACREAGE TYPE CASETYPE DOCID DATE
RITTER ALBERT 05 160 N 058 W 005 80 251101 PA 1820 05/02/1890
RITTER ALBERT 05 160 N 058 W 005 47.58 251101 PA 1820 05/02/1890
RITTER ALBERT 05 160 N 058 W 005 47.64 251101 PA 1820 05/02/1890
RITTER ALBERT 05 160 N 058 W 005 80 251105 PA 709 06/10/1896
"A SUICIDE AT RANDSBURG"
Albert Raul Ritter died Thursday evening at Randsburg. It is presumed that he committed suicide. Ritter was a married man had leaves a widow and three children. He had been waiting on two sick men and took morphine. The doctors say he died from morphine poisoning. He was born in France and has been here nearly three years. He had not been successful in business and was despondent. He came here from San Bernardino and was a member of the Foresters. An inquest [will] be held by a justice of the peace.---[Los Angeles Times]
Randsburg
Took Morphine and Died
RANDSBURG, May 17 (Regular Correspondence) Albert Raul Ritter died this evening at 6 o'clock. It is presumed that he committed suicide. Ritter was a married man and leaves a widow and three children. He had been waiting on two sick men and took morphine. The doctors say he died from morphine poisoning. He was born in France and had been here nearly three years. He had not been successful in business and was despondent. He came here from San Bernardino and was a member of the Foresters. An inquest will be held.
Los Angeles Times (1886-Current File); May 18, 1900; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Los Angeles Times (1881 - 1986), pg. I15
=========================
Daily Californian, May 19, 1900, pg 2 col 1 & 2; Bakersfield, Kern Co, the Los Angeles Times
Typed from the original text by Nancy Posey on April 7, 2000 Great-grand daughter, To be used for the Ritter Family History
Randsburg Miner, Saturday, May 19, 1900, pg. 2
ALBERT RAUL RITTER
Died in Randsburg on Thursday evening from the effects of Morphine poisoning. This was the verdict rendered by the Coroner's Jury of 12 men who heard all the evidence in the case before Justice Doty on Friday afternoon. Mr. Ritter had been nursing the two sick men who are in the cottage back of Rand Street. He had been on duty in daytime and one of them had been very violent in the delirium of fever. Mr. Ritter had had a rather bad day of it on Monday and on quitting to start home that evening complained of his hard lot and said that ever since he had been on the desert he had done nothing but nurse sick men and take care of crazy ones and he was getting tired of it.
On leaving, he shook hands with Mr. Ellis who took his place and said he would just fool them tomorrow. Nothing was thought of this however until he failed to show up next morning and it was learned he was sick in bed. He took sick Monday night and Dr. Nichols was sent for about 2 o'clock and again at 5 o'clock in the morning. The doctor testified that at his first and second visits he found no symptoms of morphine poisoning, but did discover that he was suffering from ptomaine poisoning and treated him accordingly.
In the medications prescribed by Dr. Nichols there was not more than 1 3/4 grains of morphine all told and both he and Dr. Swayne testified that if he had taken it all in an hour it would not kill him. Both doctors also testified that he must have had 5 to 6 grains to keep him in the comatose condition he was in for so long a time before death. During his first days sickness he also took a small bottle of Chamberlain's diarrhea medicine, but it was not prescribed by a physician.
Dr. Swayne was called to attend him at 1 o'clock Thursday, and Mr. Ritter died a little after 5 the same evening. He was unconscious during all of that time and had been for many hours before. Dr. Nichols and the night nurse at the cottage testified that some 5 or 6 grains of morphine left at the house disappeared and they did not know what became of it. Mr. Ritter was aware it was there and knew its effects. Someone took it away and it might have been Ritter and if so it would account for his condition.
The coroner's Jury returned the following verdict: That to the best of my knowledge and the evidence, Albert R. Ritter came to his death by morphine poisoning - intentionally or unintentionally not known - F. O. Moore, John O'Brien, L. V. Lonsway, Frank Griffith, Julius Goldsmith, J. E. Harris, B.B. Summer, D. V. Barton, B. C. Arthur, Wm. H. Pierce, J. Kinyon, F. W. Snell.
Mr. Albert Raul Ritter was born in Alsace, France and was 43 years old at the time of his death. He leaves a wife and 3 children, 2 girls, aged 14 and 16 years and Tommy aged 10. The family came here from San Bernardino and have lived in Randsburg about 2 1/2 years.
Albert Raoul Ritter was born Raoul Albert Ritter in Mulhouse, Alsace, France. He is the son of Joseph Antoine Alexandre Ritter (1822-1989) and Caroline Reinkorn (1834-1884). He is one of four children: Eugenie, Alphonse Charles Frederic and Caroline, and Raoul aka Albert.
He married Grace Gill of England (1854-1895) betweek 1880-1883). They had three children: Izet, Selena, and Thomas.
An excerpt from his grand daughter's autobiography:
RITTER
In the 1980's, my husband George, began a genealogy adventure that gave fuel to my own yearning for my family's roots. He contacted a fellow radio buff in France, who looked up several vital documents about the Ritter family. I learned about my French and German background and was fascinated by so much information. During my childhood, my parents did not talk about their respective families. And I didn't ask. So it is in my 80th year that my family story needs telling. And now I begin.
Alsace –Lorraine
The Alsace region of France wherein Mulhouse is located was annexed by Germany at end of Franco-Prussian War in 1871. France lost Battle of Sedan September 1870. Alsace returned to France at end of World War I in 1918. Again annexed by Germany before World War II, annexed approximately 1939, and again returned to France at end of World War II in 1945.
Haut-Rhin
Alexandre Ritter
Alexandre Ritter is my great, great grandfather. He was born approximately 1790 in Lapoutroux (Haut-Rhin), France and died after 1824 in France. Alexandre Ritter was the Police court Magistrate of "Canton De Lapoutroux" France and was married to Marie Madeleine Meagly. There was possibly a second child born to Alexandre and Marie named, Gustave Ritter. He was born in 1824 and lived in Mulhouse, France. It is not known if other brothers or sisters existed. This prized information was found on the back of the marriage certificate for Alexandre and Marie's son, Joseph Antoine Alexandre Ritter to Caroline Reinkorn on May 5, 1854 in Mulhouse, Alsace, France. Gustave Ritter is mentioned in the birth certificate of their daughter, Caroline Hortense Isabelle Ritter.
Other than the disclosed information, nothing else is known about Alexandre or about when he died. His wife Marie died on March 28, 1848 in Mulhouse, Alsace, France.
Joseph Antoine Alexandre Ritter
Joseph was of the Roman Catholic faith. His occupation was that of head clerk in the Town Hall located in Mulhouse, France. On December 17, 1853, five months prior to Joseph's marriage to Caroline Reinkorn, she gave birth to a child. She was named Eugenie Alexandrine Reinkorn. It is not known if Eugenie's last name was changed to Ritter. There is special significance in this name because at this particular time in history, there was Empress Eugenie. Empress Eugénie was the wife of Napoleon III. The real name of that women was Eugéne Marie de Monteijo de Guzman., (1826-1920). Born in Grenada (espagne), she married Napoleon III (1808-1873) in 1851. She was the Empress of France from 1853 to 1870. At that time, the Empire of France fall and a new government was declared. This explains what my cousin Marilyn said in a letter before she died that the Ritter family migrated to America because one of the women was in waiting at the court of the Empress Eugenie and there was some sort of danger.
Joseph married Caroline on May 05, 1854 in Mulhouse France. The records I obtained indicated Joseph and Caroline and two other children. A daughter, Caroline Hortense Isabelle Ritter, was born December 06, 1855 in Mulhouse. A son, Raoul Albert Ritter, was born January 10, 1858 in Mulhouse.
Nothing is known about Caroline other than she died May 01, 1927 in Mulhouse and gave a small inheritance to her brother's living relatives in America. These were my father, Thomas Raoul Ritter, living children of Izet Ritter McPherson (died in 1918), and Selena Eugenie Ritter Dunn. My father received a note to go to the Western Union office and pick up the money. The amount is not known.
Raoul Albert Ritter
My grandfather was known as Albert Raoul Ritter. It is not known why he changed his preference to Albert. Perhaps his given name sounded too foreign when he came to America or was too difficult to pronounce. With the‘t' sounding soft, Albert sounded like ‘Al-bere' and was easier to pronounce. All of his American records show him as Albert.
Raoul Albert Ritter born in Mulhouse on January 10, 1858, at 7:15 am, Rue Dumoulin. Lawful son of Joseph Antoine Alexandre Ritter, aged 36 years old, head clerk of the Town hall, born in Saint Louis (Haut-Rhin), lived in Mulhouse. His mother was Caroline Reinkorn, 23 years old, lived in Mulhouse
The first known date of Albert being in America was determined from United States military records. He signed up as a blacksmith for the United States Army on January 4, 1879 in St. Louis, Missouri. Every attempt was made to search records that would help find the exact date of his arrival into the United States. Given the historical events that transpired in 1870 and the possibility that Albert could have escaped France in order to avoid joining the military, it is conceivable that he left France sometime after 1870 when he was between the ages of 15 and 21.
The next date where Albert is mentioned is on June 19, 1879 at the Columbus Barracks in Ohio when he joined the 18th Infantry Regiment, Co "K" and was assigned to Montana. He was stationed at Fort Assinniboine in Montana Territory and was counted in the 1880 Federal Census. The census showed he was born in France and was single.
1880 Coal Banks Montana, in the County of Choctaw, Territory of Montana (Ft. Assinniboine)
Enumeration District No. 5, Page 11, Sheet 72, Line 26
Albert Raoul RITTER
1. Ritter, A. - Pvt
White, male, age 25, single
Born in France
Father born in France
Mother born in France
[Error on the part of the census taker. Albert's mother born England]
From 1880-1884, Albert was a private in Montana Territory during the Indian Wars. He was stationed in Fort Assinniboine, Montana Territory with Co. "K" was sent down the Milk River to intercept hostile Sioux under Sitting Bull. They returned having failed to meet hostiles on February 1881, who escaped into Canada. They suffered from intense cold. That same year they were sent into the field to drive British Indians and half breeds across boundary lines and prevent their intrusion upon reservations of our friendly Indians.
FORT ASSINIBOINE
1879 - 1911. Construction began 1878. Located on the Milk river and North of the Bear Paw Mountains, 6 miles south west of Havre. It was built to keep the Sioux in Canada and prevent raids in the U.S. Largest military installation in Montana. At the time there were 104 buildings. It is now a U.S. experiment station. Some remains are standing.
Information for the Fort Assinniboine website http://www.havremt.com/attractions/fort_assinniboine.htm
The military fort was one of the largest built in the US with over 100 buildings. Formally established in May 1879, it housed over 500 men at any given time. Many of the officers were accompanied by their wives and children. Fort Assinniboine was a center for such cultural events as theatricals and dances, in addition to daily military duties.
The fort was designed to house ten companies of infantry and cavalry. The troops were charged with monitoring the activities of the region's many Indian groups, patrolling Montana's border with Canada, stopping bootleggers and gunrunners and protecting the state's settlers. In its heyday, nearly 750 officers, enlisted men, and civilians called Assinniboine home.
Montana's grandest military post. The fort was the pioneer outpost of north central Montana, the frontier home of regiments of American infantry and cavalry, and the site of 1st Lt. John J. Pershing's (later General) early field assignment. Its surviving buildings stand today as a monument to our state's exciting past -- to the opening of the frontier.
From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Assinniboine
Fort Assinniboine, a fort in Montana and within the military Department of Dakota, was built in 1879, in the aftermath of the Great Sioux War of 1876-77 and the disastrous defeat of U.S. Army forces led by General Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn on June 25, 1876. The fort is located in Hill County six miles southwest of Havre (the county seat) on Highway 87. The fort gets its name from the Assinniboine people.
Fort Assinniboine was established primarily to ward off possible attacks by the Sioux, led by Chief Sitting Bull, from the Cypress Hills and by the Nez Perce, some of whom were also in Canada following the defeat and capture of Chief Joseph by the U.S. Army in the Battle of Bear Paw in 1877. However, no such attack or raid ever occurred.
The fort was located on a massive reserve and, at its peak, housed over 750 officers, enlisted men, and their families. With 104 buildings, the fort remains one of the largest ever built in the United States. Among the military officers stationed at the fort in the 1890s was John Pershing, who later achieved fame as the leader of the American Expeditionary Force in World War I.
In 1916, a portion of Fort Assinniboine was ceded to the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation (home of the Chippewa Cree tribe).
Another portion of the reserve was ceded to Hill County to create Beaver Creek Park, the largest county park in the United States. Most of the buildings at the Fort were razed; a handful of surviving structures are now an agricultural extension station associated with Montana State University.
Another website shows research http://mymontana.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=372
Military records state he was 5 ft 9-3.4 in, brown hair, hazel eyes, fair complexion. There was also mention of burn scars on his face and hands. That explains why he had a beard to cover the scars.
1880 Coal Banks Montana, in the County of Choctaw, Territory of Montana (Ft. Assinniboine)
Enumeration District No. 5, Page 11, Sheet 72, Line 26
Albert Raoul RITTER
Ritter, A. - Private, white, male, age 25, single, born in France, father born in France, Mother born in France [error on the part of the census taker. Albert's mother born England]
Sometime between 1880 and 1880, Albert met and married my grandmother, Grace Gill. On September 14, 1883, Grace gave birth to a daughter, Izet Edith Ritter, in Cedar, St. Paul, Anoka County, Minnesota. This is another mysterious account that does not have further information. Marriage records were searched in New Orleans, Minnesota, Ohio, Missouri and Montana with no mention of a marriage. My cousin Marilyn indicated she thought Albert settled in New Orleans because of his French nationality. She remembers her mother, Lillian, baking a French recipe containing oysters. This particular recipe was popular in New Orleans.
There was one railroad lines that Grace could have taken on her trip from Minnesota to Montana. This was the Great Northern railroad that went across North Dakota and Montana from Minnesota. The Northern Pacific railroad went from Assiniboine to Helena, Montana.
Albert was not a well man. Military records divulge that he suffered from several bowel ailments and bronchitis.
The medical records for Albert Ritter show him treated as follows:
1. July 26-27, 1879 - sprain of left foot, return to duty
2. December 19 & 20, 1879 - Colic, return to duty
3. January 6-13, 1880 - Diarrhea, return to duty
4. January 24-27, 1880 - Diarrhea, return to duty
5. March 8 - April 2, 1880 - Bronchitis, return to duty
6. January 18 & 22 to 24, 1881- Bronchitis
7. February 7 to 10, 1881 - Bronchitis
8. November 30 - December 3, 1883 - Sprain right thumb, return to duty
9. Fall L.O.D., return to duty
In 1884 Albert was discharged honorably from Ft. Assinniboine, Montana Territory on January 3, 1884 by expiration of service as Private.
The Pay Department of the U.S. Army in Helena, Montana, January 9, 1884 paid Albert Ritter the following pay upon his discharge:
Pay 2 mos, 3 days $27.30
Retain pay 72.00
Travel pay 39.47
Subsistence pay 25.20
Deposits 500.00
Interest 31.25 (equates to 6.25%)
Clothing 50.84
Subtotal $746.06
Pednct Asylum .26
Due $745.80
Paid in full
John E. Blaine
Major & Paymaster, USA
A second child was born to Albert and Grace on Selena Eugenie Ritter August 11, 1885 in Helena, Lewis & Clark, MT. Her name is Selena Eugenie Ritter.
From Montana, Albert and his family moved to San Bernardino, California, where my father was born on September 12, 1889. An old 1889 San Bernardino city directory shows Albert R. Ritter owning a saloon & lunch counter.
On March 5, 1891, Albert became a naturalized citizen of the United States. The document was of poor quality and unclear words are noted with an underscore line.
San Bernardino County Archives
777 E. Rialto Avenue
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0795
Superior Court Minutes, Book 12, Page 165
In the matter of the Application of
Albert Ritter
An Alien,
To become a citizen of the United States of America In Open Court,
On the 5th day of March 1891
It appearing to the satisfaction of this Court, by the oaths of J. H. Boob and N. H. Barton citizens of the United States of America, witnesses for that purpose, first duly sworn and examined, that Albert Ritter a native of France did enlist in the Army of the United States, and that he was honorably discharged from the said service, and has resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States of America one year at least, last past; and within the State of California for one year at least, last past; and ____ ________of said time he has behaved as a man of good moral character, attached to the principles ______ _______ _______ the United States, and well disposed to the good ___________________ and having now here, before this Court ________________________________ of the United States of America, ant that he doth absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to every foreign Prince, Potentate, State or Sovereignty whatever and particularly to the Republic Of France.
It is therefore, Ordered, Adjudged and Decreed, that the said
Albert Ritter be, and is hereby admitted and declared to be a Citizen of the United States of America.
In October 1891, Albert purchased property in San Bernardino Mts. - 160 acres for $75
NAME MERIDIAN TWP RANGE SECTION ACREAGE TYPE CASETYPE DOCID DATE
RITTER ALBERT 05 160 N 058 W 005 80 251101 PA 1820 05/02/1890
RITTER ALBERT 05 160 N 058 W 005 47.58 251101 PA 1820 05/02/1890
RITTER ALBERT 05 160 N 058 W 005 47.64 251101 PA 1820 05/02/1890
RITTER ALBERT 05 160 N 058 W 005 80 251105 PA 709 06/10/1896
"A SUICIDE AT RANDSBURG"
Albert Raul Ritter died Thursday evening at Randsburg. It is presumed that he committed suicide. Ritter was a married man had leaves a widow and three children. He had been waiting on two sick men and took morphine. The doctors say he died from morphine poisoning. He was born in France and has been here nearly three years. He had not been successful in business and was despondent. He came here from San Bernardino and was a member of the Foresters. An inquest [will] be held by a justice of the peace.---[Los Angeles Times]
Randsburg
Took Morphine and Died
RANDSBURG, May 17 (Regular Correspondence) Albert Raul Ritter died this evening at 6 o'clock. It is presumed that he committed suicide. Ritter was a married man and leaves a widow and three children. He had been waiting on two sick men and took morphine. The doctors say he died from morphine poisoning. He was born in France and had been here nearly three years. He had not been successful in business and was despondent. He came here from San Bernardino and was a member of the Foresters. An inquest will be held.
Los Angeles Times (1886-Current File); May 18, 1900; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Los Angeles Times (1881 - 1986), pg. I15
=========================
Daily Californian, May 19, 1900, pg 2 col 1 & 2; Bakersfield, Kern Co, the Los Angeles Times
Typed from the original text by Nancy Posey on April 7, 2000 Great-grand daughter, To be used for the Ritter Family History
Randsburg Miner, Saturday, May 19, 1900, pg. 2
ALBERT RAUL RITTER
Died in Randsburg on Thursday evening from the effects of Morphine poisoning. This was the verdict rendered by the Coroner's Jury of 12 men who heard all the evidence in the case before Justice Doty on Friday afternoon. Mr. Ritter had been nursing the two sick men who are in the cottage back of Rand Street. He had been on duty in daytime and one of them had been very violent in the delirium of fever. Mr. Ritter had had a rather bad day of it on Monday and on quitting to start home that evening complained of his hard lot and said that ever since he had been on the desert he had done nothing but nurse sick men and take care of crazy ones and he was getting tired of it.
On leaving, he shook hands with Mr. Ellis who took his place and said he would just fool them tomorrow. Nothing was thought of this however until he failed to show up next morning and it was learned he was sick in bed. He took sick Monday night and Dr. Nichols was sent for about 2 o'clock and again at 5 o'clock in the morning. The doctor testified that at his first and second visits he found no symptoms of morphine poisoning, but did discover that he was suffering from ptomaine poisoning and treated him accordingly.
In the medications prescribed by Dr. Nichols there was not more than 1 3/4 grains of morphine all told and both he and Dr. Swayne testified that if he had taken it all in an hour it would not kill him. Both doctors also testified that he must have had 5 to 6 grains to keep him in the comatose condition he was in for so long a time before death. During his first days sickness he also took a small bottle of Chamberlain's diarrhea medicine, but it was not prescribed by a physician.
Dr. Swayne was called to attend him at 1 o'clock Thursday, and Mr. Ritter died a little after 5 the same evening. He was unconscious during all of that time and had been for many hours before. Dr. Nichols and the night nurse at the cottage testified that some 5 or 6 grains of morphine left at the house disappeared and they did not know what became of it. Mr. Ritter was aware it was there and knew its effects. Someone took it away and it might have been Ritter and if so it would account for his condition.
The coroner's Jury returned the following verdict: That to the best of my knowledge and the evidence, Albert R. Ritter came to his death by morphine poisoning - intentionally or unintentionally not known - F. O. Moore, John O'Brien, L. V. Lonsway, Frank Griffith, Julius Goldsmith, J. E. Harris, B.B. Summer, D. V. Barton, B. C. Arthur, Wm. H. Pierce, J. Kinyon, F. W. Snell.
Mr. Albert Raul Ritter was born in Alsace, France and was 43 years old at the time of his death. He leaves a wife and 3 children, 2 girls, aged 14 and 16 years and Tommy aged 10. The family came here from San Bernardino and have lived in Randsburg about 2 1/2 years.
He married Grace Gill of England (1854-1895) betweek 1880-1883). They had three children: Izet, Selena, and Thomas.
An excerpt from his grand daughter's autobiography:
RITTER
In the 1980's, my husband George, began a genealogy adventure that gave fuel to my own yearning for my family's roots. He contacted a fellow radio buff in France, who looked up several vital documents about the Ritter family. I learned about my French and German background and was fascinated by so much information. During my childhood, my parents did not talk about their respective families. And I didn't ask. So it is in my 80th year that my family story needs telling. And now I begin.
Alsace –Lorraine
The Alsace region of France wherein Mulhouse is located was annexed by Germany at end of Franco-Prussian War in 1871. France lost Battle of Sedan September 1870. Alsace returned to France at end of World War I in 1918. Again annexed by Germany before World War II, annexed approximately 1939, and again returned to France at end of World War II in 1945.
Haut-Rhin
Alexandre Ritter
Alexandre Ritter is my great, great grandfather. He was born approximately 1790 in Lapoutroux (Haut-Rhin), France and died after 1824 in France. Alexandre Ritter was the Police court Magistrate of "Canton De Lapoutroux" France and was married to Marie Madeleine Meagly. There was possibly a second child born to Alexandre and Marie named, Gustave Ritter. He was born in 1824 and lived in Mulhouse, France. It is not known if other brothers or sisters existed. This prized information was found on the back of the marriage certificate for Alexandre and Marie's son, Joseph Antoine Alexandre Ritter to Caroline Reinkorn on May 5, 1854 in Mulhouse, Alsace, France. Gustave Ritter is mentioned in the birth certificate of their daughter, Caroline Hortense Isabelle Ritter.
Other than the disclosed information, nothing else is known about Alexandre or about when he died. His wife Marie died on March 28, 1848 in Mulhouse, Alsace, France.
Joseph Antoine Alexandre Ritter
Joseph was of the Roman Catholic faith. His occupation was that of head clerk in the Town Hall located in Mulhouse, France. On December 17, 1853, five months prior to Joseph's marriage to Caroline Reinkorn, she gave birth to a child. She was named Eugenie Alexandrine Reinkorn. It is not known if Eugenie's last name was changed to Ritter. There is special significance in this name because at this particular time in history, there was Empress Eugenie. Empress Eugénie was the wife of Napoleon III. The real name of that women was Eugéne Marie de Monteijo de Guzman., (1826-1920). Born in Grenada (espagne), she married Napoleon III (1808-1873) in 1851. She was the Empress of France from 1853 to 1870. At that time, the Empire of France fall and a new government was declared. This explains what my cousin Marilyn said in a letter before she died that the Ritter family migrated to America because one of the women was in waiting at the court of the Empress Eugenie and there was some sort of danger.
Joseph married Caroline on May 05, 1854 in Mulhouse France. The records I obtained indicated Joseph and Caroline and two other children. A daughter, Caroline Hortense Isabelle Ritter, was born December 06, 1855 in Mulhouse. A son, Raoul Albert Ritter, was born January 10, 1858 in Mulhouse.
Nothing is known about Caroline other than she died May 01, 1927 in Mulhouse and gave a small inheritance to her brother's living relatives in America. These were my father, Thomas Raoul Ritter, living children of Izet Ritter McPherson (died in 1918), and Selena Eugenie Ritter Dunn. My father received a note to go to the Western Union office and pick up the money. The amount is not known.
Raoul Albert Ritter
My grandfather was known as Albert Raoul Ritter. It is not known why he changed his preference to Albert. Perhaps his given name sounded too foreign when he came to America or was too difficult to pronounce. With the‘t' sounding soft, Albert sounded like ‘Al-bere' and was easier to pronounce. All of his American records show him as Albert.
Raoul Albert Ritter born in Mulhouse on January 10, 1858, at 7:15 am, Rue Dumoulin. Lawful son of Joseph Antoine Alexandre Ritter, aged 36 years old, head clerk of the Town hall, born in Saint Louis (Haut-Rhin), lived in Mulhouse. His mother was Caroline Reinkorn, 23 years old, lived in Mulhouse
The first known date of Albert being in America was determined from United States military records. He signed up as a blacksmith for the United States Army on January 4, 1879 in St. Louis, Missouri. Every attempt was made to search records that would help find the exact date of his arrival into the United States. Given the historical events that transpired in 1870 and the possibility that Albert could have escaped France in order to avoid joining the military, it is conceivable that he left France sometime after 1870 when he was between the ages of 15 and 21.
The next date where Albert is mentioned is on June 19, 1879 at the Columbus Barracks in Ohio when he joined the 18th Infantry Regiment, Co "K" and was assigned to Montana. He was stationed at Fort Assinniboine in Montana Territory and was counted in the 1880 Federal Census. The census showed he was born in France and was single.
1880 Coal Banks Montana, in the County of Choctaw, Territory of Montana (Ft. Assinniboine)
Enumeration District No. 5, Page 11, Sheet 72, Line 26
Albert Raoul RITTER
1. Ritter, A. - Pvt
White, male, age 25, single
Born in France
Father born in France
Mother born in France
[Error on the part of the census taker. Albert's mother born England]
From 1880-1884, Albert was a private in Montana Territory during the Indian Wars. He was stationed in Fort Assinniboine, Montana Territory with Co. "K" was sent down the Milk River to intercept hostile Sioux under Sitting Bull. They returned having failed to meet hostiles on February 1881, who escaped into Canada. They suffered from intense cold. That same year they were sent into the field to drive British Indians and half breeds across boundary lines and prevent their intrusion upon reservations of our friendly Indians.
FORT ASSINIBOINE
1879 - 1911. Construction began 1878. Located on the Milk river and North of the Bear Paw Mountains, 6 miles south west of Havre. It was built to keep the Sioux in Canada and prevent raids in the U.S. Largest military installation in Montana. At the time there were 104 buildings. It is now a U.S. experiment station. Some remains are standing.
Information for the Fort Assinniboine website http://www.havremt.com/attractions/fort_assinniboine.htm
The military fort was one of the largest built in the US with over 100 buildings. Formally established in May 1879, it housed over 500 men at any given time. Many of the officers were accompanied by their wives and children. Fort Assinniboine was a center for such cultural events as theatricals and dances, in addition to daily military duties.
The fort was designed to house ten companies of infantry and cavalry. The troops were charged with monitoring the activities of the region's many Indian groups, patrolling Montana's border with Canada, stopping bootleggers and gunrunners and protecting the state's settlers. In its heyday, nearly 750 officers, enlisted men, and civilians called Assinniboine home.
Montana's grandest military post. The fort was the pioneer outpost of north central Montana, the frontier home of regiments of American infantry and cavalry, and the site of 1st Lt. John J. Pershing's (later General) early field assignment. Its surviving buildings stand today as a monument to our state's exciting past -- to the opening of the frontier.
From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Assinniboine
Fort Assinniboine, a fort in Montana and within the military Department of Dakota, was built in 1879, in the aftermath of the Great Sioux War of 1876-77 and the disastrous defeat of U.S. Army forces led by General Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn on June 25, 1876. The fort is located in Hill County six miles southwest of Havre (the county seat) on Highway 87. The fort gets its name from the Assinniboine people.
Fort Assinniboine was established primarily to ward off possible attacks by the Sioux, led by Chief Sitting Bull, from the Cypress Hills and by the Nez Perce, some of whom were also in Canada following the defeat and capture of Chief Joseph by the U.S. Army in the Battle of Bear Paw in 1877. However, no such attack or raid ever occurred.
The fort was located on a massive reserve and, at its peak, housed over 750 officers, enlisted men, and their families. With 104 buildings, the fort remains one of the largest ever built in the United States. Among the military officers stationed at the fort in the 1890s was John Pershing, who later achieved fame as the leader of the American Expeditionary Force in World War I.
In 1916, a portion of Fort Assinniboine was ceded to the Rocky Boy Indian Reservation (home of the Chippewa Cree tribe).
Another portion of the reserve was ceded to Hill County to create Beaver Creek Park, the largest county park in the United States. Most of the buildings at the Fort were razed; a handful of surviving structures are now an agricultural extension station associated with Montana State University.
Another website shows research http://mymontana.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=372
Military records state he was 5 ft 9-3.4 in, brown hair, hazel eyes, fair complexion. There was also mention of burn scars on his face and hands. That explains why he had a beard to cover the scars.
1880 Coal Banks Montana, in the County of Choctaw, Territory of Montana (Ft. Assinniboine)
Enumeration District No. 5, Page 11, Sheet 72, Line 26
Albert Raoul RITTER
Ritter, A. - Private, white, male, age 25, single, born in France, father born in France, Mother born in France [error on the part of the census taker. Albert's mother born England]
Sometime between 1880 and 1880, Albert met and married my grandmother, Grace Gill. On September 14, 1883, Grace gave birth to a daughter, Izet Edith Ritter, in Cedar, St. Paul, Anoka County, Minnesota. This is another mysterious account that does not have further information. Marriage records were searched in New Orleans, Minnesota, Ohio, Missouri and Montana with no mention of a marriage. My cousin Marilyn indicated she thought Albert settled in New Orleans because of his French nationality. She remembers her mother, Lillian, baking a French recipe containing oysters. This particular recipe was popular in New Orleans.
There was one railroad lines that Grace could have taken on her trip from Minnesota to Montana. This was the Great Northern railroad that went across North Dakota and Montana from Minnesota. The Northern Pacific railroad went from Assiniboine to Helena, Montana.
Albert was not a well man. Military records divulge that he suffered from several bowel ailments and bronchitis.
The medical records for Albert Ritter show him treated as follows:
1. July 26-27, 1879 - sprain of left foot, return to duty
2. December 19 & 20, 1879 - Colic, return to duty
3. January 6-13, 1880 - Diarrhea, return to duty
4. January 24-27, 1880 - Diarrhea, return to duty
5. March 8 - April 2, 1880 - Bronchitis, return to duty
6. January 18 & 22 to 24, 1881- Bronchitis
7. February 7 to 10, 1881 - Bronchitis
8. November 30 - December 3, 1883 - Sprain right thumb, return to duty
9. Fall L.O.D., return to duty
In 1884 Albert was discharged honorably from Ft. Assinniboine, Montana Territory on January 3, 1884 by expiration of service as Private.
The Pay Department of the U.S. Army in Helena, Montana, January 9, 1884 paid Albert Ritter the following pay upon his discharge:
Pay 2 mos, 3 days $27.30
Retain pay 72.00
Travel pay 39.47
Subsistence pay 25.20
Deposits 500.00
Interest 31.25 (equates to 6.25%)
Clothing 50.84
Subtotal $746.06
Pednct Asylum .26
Due $745.80
Paid in full
John E. Blaine
Major & Paymaster, USA
A second child was born to Albert and Grace on Selena Eugenie Ritter August 11, 1885 in Helena, Lewis & Clark, MT. Her name is Selena Eugenie Ritter.
From Montana, Albert and his family moved to San Bernardino, California, where my father was born on September 12, 1889. An old 1889 San Bernardino city directory shows Albert R. Ritter owning a saloon & lunch counter.
On March 5, 1891, Albert became a naturalized citizen of the United States. The document was of poor quality and unclear words are noted with an underscore line.
San Bernardino County Archives
777 E. Rialto Avenue
San Bernardino, CA 92415-0795
Superior Court Minutes, Book 12, Page 165
In the matter of the Application of
Albert Ritter
An Alien,
To become a citizen of the United States of America In Open Court,
On the 5th day of March 1891
It appearing to the satisfaction of this Court, by the oaths of J. H. Boob and N. H. Barton citizens of the United States of America, witnesses for that purpose, first duly sworn and examined, that Albert Ritter a native of France did enlist in the Army of the United States, and that he was honorably discharged from the said service, and has resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States of America one year at least, last past; and within the State of California for one year at least, last past; and ____ ________of said time he has behaved as a man of good moral character, attached to the principles ______ _______ _______ the United States, and well disposed to the good ___________________ and having now here, before this Court ________________________________ of the United States of America, ant that he doth absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to every foreign Prince, Potentate, State or Sovereignty whatever and particularly to the Republic Of France.
It is therefore, Ordered, Adjudged and Decreed, that the said
Albert Ritter be, and is hereby admitted and declared to be a Citizen of the United States of America.
In October 1891, Albert purchased property in San Bernardino Mts. - 160 acres for $75
NAME MERIDIAN TWP RANGE SECTION ACREAGE TYPE CASETYPE DOCID DATE
RITTER ALBERT 05 160 N 058 W 005 80 251101 PA 1820 05/02/1890
RITTER ALBERT 05 160 N 058 W 005 47.58 251101 PA 1820 05/02/1890
RITTER ALBERT 05 160 N 058 W 005 47.64 251101 PA 1820 05/02/1890
RITTER ALBERT 05 160 N 058 W 005 80 251105 PA 709 06/10/1896
"A SUICIDE AT RANDSBURG"
Albert Raul Ritter died Thursday evening at Randsburg. It is presumed that he committed suicide. Ritter was a married man had leaves a widow and three children. He had been waiting on two sick men and took morphine. The doctors say he died from morphine poisoning. He was born in France and has been here nearly three years. He had not been successful in business and was despondent. He came here from San Bernardino and was a member of the Foresters. An inquest [will] be held by a justice of the peace.---[Los Angeles Times]
Randsburg
Took Morphine and Died
RANDSBURG, May 17 (Regular Correspondence) Albert Raul Ritter died this evening at 6 o'clock. It is presumed that he committed suicide. Ritter was a married man and leaves a widow and three children. He had been waiting on two sick men and took morphine. The doctors say he died from morphine poisoning. He was born in France and had been here nearly three years. He had not been successful in business and was despondent. He came here from San Bernardino and was a member of the Foresters. An inquest will be held.
Los Angeles Times (1886-Current File); May 18, 1900; ProQuest Historical Newspapers Los Angeles Times (1881 - 1986), pg. I15
=========================
Daily Californian, May 19, 1900, pg 2 col 1 & 2; Bakersfield, Kern Co, the Los Angeles Times
Typed from the original text by Nancy Posey on April 7, 2000 Great-grand daughter, To be used for the Ritter Family History
Randsburg Miner, Saturday, May 19, 1900, pg. 2
ALBERT RAUL RITTER
Died in Randsburg on Thursday evening from the effects of Morphine poisoning. This was the verdict rendered by the Coroner's Jury of 12 men who heard all the evidence in the case before Justice Doty on Friday afternoon. Mr. Ritter had been nursing the two sick men who are in the cottage back of Rand Street. He had been on duty in daytime and one of them had been very violent in the delirium of fever. Mr. Ritter had had a rather bad day of it on Monday and on quitting to start home that evening complained of his hard lot and said that ever since he had been on the desert he had done nothing but nurse sick men and take care of crazy ones and he was getting tired of it.
On leaving, he shook hands with Mr. Ellis who took his place and said he would just fool them tomorrow. Nothing was thought of this however until he failed to show up next morning and it was learned he was sick in bed. He took sick Monday night and Dr. Nichols was sent for about 2 o'clock and again at 5 o'clock in the morning. The doctor testified that at his first and second visits he found no symptoms of morphine poisoning, but did discover that he was suffering from ptomaine poisoning and treated him accordingly.
In the medications prescribed by Dr. Nichols there was not more than 1 3/4 grains of morphine all told and both he and Dr. Swayne testified that if he had taken it all in an hour it would not kill him. Both doctors also testified that he must have had 5 to 6 grains to keep him in the comatose condition he was in for so long a time before death. During his first days sickness he also took a small bottle of Chamberlain's diarrhea medicine, but it was not prescribed by a physician.
Dr. Swayne was called to attend him at 1 o'clock Thursday, and Mr. Ritter died a little after 5 the same evening. He was unconscious during all of that time and had been for many hours before. Dr. Nichols and the night nurse at the cottage testified that some 5 or 6 grains of morphine left at the house disappeared and they did not know what became of it. Mr. Ritter was aware it was there and knew its effects. Someone took it away and it might have been Ritter and if so it would account for his condition.
The coroner's Jury returned the following verdict: That to the best of my knowledge and the evidence, Albert R. Ritter came to his death by morphine poisoning - intentionally or unintentionally not known - F. O. Moore, John O'Brien, L. V. Lonsway, Frank Griffith, Julius Goldsmith, J. E. Harris, B.B. Summer, D. V. Barton, B. C. Arthur, Wm. H. Pierce, J. Kinyon, F. W. Snell.
Mr. Albert Raul Ritter was born in Alsace, France and was 43 years old at the time of his death. He leaves a wife and 3 children, 2 girls, aged 14 and 16 years and Tommy aged 10. The family came here from San Bernardino and have lived in Randsburg about 2 1/2 years.
Inscription
Private, Company K, 18th Regiment, U.S. Infantry, Indian War.
