PHILIP RITTER'S RITTER FAMILIES

 

My father is descended from two different RITTER families. His paternal grandfather was a descendant of John Ritter who had come from Pennsylvania to Tuscarawas County, Ohio about 1815. His paternal grandmother was the daughter of Catherine Ritter who had come from Pennsylvania to Stark County, Ohio as a young woman in the 1820's. I've been able to learn a lot about these families after they came to Ohio, but have little information from when they lived in Pennsylvania. Catherine Ritter was almost certainly the daughter of Elias Ritter, who lived in Somerset Co., PA at the time of the 1820 census. John Ritter may be the John Ritter jr. who was living in Bedford Co., PA at the time of the 1800 census, although this remains speculative. It appears that our two RITTER ancestral families are not closely related. A comparison of the y-chromosomes of myself and a direct patrilineal descendant of Elias Ritter suggests that it is unlikely the two Ritter lines could have shared a common patrilineal ancestor within the Christian era.  Thus I have two separate Ritter ancestral lines to explore.  Using y-chromosome testing, we have discovered that my y-chromosome (from the Tuscarawas John Ritter) matches descendants of a Hans Georg Ritter who settled in Berks County, Pennsylvania at a very early date. We are still trying to make definite connections between Elias Ritter descendants and one of the Pennsylvania RITTER families that have been better documented.

BACK TO PHIL'S FAMILY HISTORY PAGE (INDEX)

Last Updated: Mar. 2007; Copyright 2004-2006, Philip Ritter