Peter Kelly RITCHIE

1854 - 1942  (87 years)

• Name	Peter Kelly RITCHIE  [1]
  Born	27 Jun 1854	Mara Township, Ontario County, Canada West
  Gender	Male
  Buried	1942	St. Andrew's, St. James' Cemetery, Orillia, Ontario
  Died	19 Jan 1942	Orillia, Simcoe County, Ontario,   [2]
  Person ID	I1198	Muir, Ritchie, Waddell
  Last Modified	19 Dec 2012

  
  

  Father	William Wellington RITCHIE,   b. 10 Jul 1821, Glasglow, Scotland ,   d. 29 Apr 1901, Orillia, Simcoe County, Ontario,  (Age 79 years)
  Mother	Margaret MUIR,   b. 28 Dec 1828, , , , Scotland ,   d. 26 Jun 1904, Orillia, Simcoe County, Ontario,  (Age 75 years)
  Married	13 Dec 1848	Ontario
  Family ID	F451	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Flora MCINTOSH,   b. 25 Feb 1855, Thorah Township, Ontario County, Canada West ,   d. 06 Jan 1933, Orillia, Simcoe County, Ontario  (Age 77 years)
  Married	12 Feb 1879	Thorah Township, Ontario County   [3]
  Children	1. Florence Christina RITCHIE,   b. 11 Jun 1880, Mara Township, Ontario County ,   d. 08 Sep 1959  (Age 79 years)   2. William John RITCHIE,   b. 14 Aug 1882, Mara Township, Ontario County ,   d. 1955  (Age 72 years)   3. Margarite RITCHIE,   b. 25 Feb 1883, Mara Township, Ontario County ,   d. 1959  (Age 75 years)   4. John RITCHIE,   b. 06 Dec 1884, Mara Township, Ontario County ,   d. 27 Jun 1913, Stl Louis, MO.  (Age 28 years)   5. Harvey D. RITCHIE,   b. 16 Oct 1886, Mara Township, Ontario County ,   d. 21 May 1907, Orillia, Simcoe County, Ontario,  (Age 20 years)   6. Sarah 'Sadie' Agnes RITCHIE,   b. 02 Sep 1889, Orillia, Simcoe County, Ontario, ,   d. 03 Jul 1958, Toronto, York Co., Ontario  (Age 68 years)   7. Annie RITCHIE,   b. 23 Apr 1891, Orillia, Simcoe County, Ontario, ,   d. 19 Dec 1948  (Age 57 years)   8. Neil Muir RITCHIE,   b. 28 Sep 1893, Orillia, Simcoe County, Ontario, ,   d. 25 Sep 1966  (Age 72 years)
  Family ID	F430	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  1901 census, Orillia, Peter, Electrician, 46, Flora 46, Florence 30, William J. 19, Margarite 18, John 16, Harvey D. 14, Sarah A. 14, Annie 9, Neil M. 7 from the book: Severn River- An Illustrated History-- Author James T. Angus, 2003-- Chapter 15, page 137- BIG CHUTE- " The first permanent residents of Big Chute were Peter Ritchie, his wife Florence, and their daughter Sayde, (sic). Born in Orillia (sic) in 1854, Ritchie had been involved with the town's electrical power system since 1887, until the Simcoe Railway and Power Co. of Midland lured him away with higher pay and better working conditions. In 1910 he was appointed superintendent of the developing Big Chute electrical plant with a salary of $135 per month. When the Hydro Electric Power Commission (HEPC) took over the Big Chute plant in 1914, Ritchie was kept on as superintendent at the same salary. He retired in 1923 at the age of 69, after 40 years in electric energy production. Though he had only an elementary school education, he had become a competent and knowledgeable engineer, one of the pioneers in hydroelectric power generation in Ontario. In addition to his duties as superintendent, Ritchie and his wife operated a boarding-house for single employees. Indeed, until 1919, when a separate dwelling was built for the superintendent, the boarding-house was the only dwelling at Big Chute. both Simcoe Railway and Power and the HEPC preferring to hire single men. ..." After his retirement he returned to Orillia, and was a member of the Orillia Water, Light and Power Commission, until he suffered a stroke in 1931, which left him a semi-invalid for over 10 ten years.

  
  

• Sources

  [S16] Ancestry Family Trees, (Name: Name: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.;;;), Ancestry Family Trees. [S12] Gravemarker- St. Andrew's, St. James, Orillia, Ontario. [S4] Archives of Ontario- Marriages, MS932, reel 31, # 008072.