The Ritchie Family (Jean)- (KY) from 1757 to Balis
Article on Jason and Balis: An Appalachian symposium: essays written in honor of Cratis D. Williams
https://books.google.com/books?id=4E88AAAAIAAJ
He [Balis] could also carry the tunes better, but no one ever made this observation in front of Jason. It was Balis who remembered "I Was Born in Old Virginny," "Shady Grove," "Soldier's Joy (Love Somebody, Yes I Do)," and "Little Lonesome Dove," to
"Living is collecting"
Three more years of correspondence and visiting followed. As he was about to leave for his home after one of the earlier stays at our house, Jason paused at the door. "Well, this'n mayn't be worth anything, but it's an old one. Do you know that one, where this girl--they'uz sweethearts and he went on a ramble. ..and finally she tuck the baby and went for a sail on the ocean to hunt 'im up. I think his name was Grigoree, of something like that. Boys used to pick it on
In later taped interviews, Jason named other singers he had known: Will and Harrison Wooton, a Mrs. Green, and a Williams family. He mentions this family in connection with his splendid version of "The Oxfordshire Lass."
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One of the most remarkable results of Jason's visits was their effect on Balis. Whether it was that Jason's singing and reminiscing stirred Balis's memory, or just that he didn't like to be outshone in his own house by his cousin, whenever Jason was there Balis would overcome his shyness and match him song for song,
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In the early days, as Jason would begin it, everyone sang from the same large common body of inherited song in that part of Kentucky, and the Ritchie Family was no more and no less a singing family than any other family around it. In 1917 when Cecil Sharp and Maud Karpeles came into Knott County on their first song-collecting journey in this country and stopped for a week at the Hindman (Kentucky) Settlement School two Ritchie girls sang for them, along with
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in his own way he was very much involved with music and song. He played his instruments more for himself than for the public, but he was an avid collector of tunes and songs in his quiet way.
The Ritchie clan was by this time so large and spread out through the isolated hollows that I, being the youngest of fourteen and a Perry Countian born, had never met Jason Ritchie or "Uncle Jason" as he had come to be called throughout the region.
Then, as he had the press anyway, he (Balis) decided to publish a song book, and he gathered the most popular songs in Hindman at that time (the book is undated, but it must have been 1910 or 1911): Lover's Melodies, A Choice Collection of Old Sentimental Songs Our Grandmothers sang and Other popular Airs. The price was ten cents (words only) were "Jackaro," "Blue Bell of Scotland," "Kitty Wells," "Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender," "Brown Eyes," "My Irish Rose," "My Own True Love (Little Turtledove)," "The Lightning Express," "The Printer's Bride," "My Pretty
From the contents of this book, it would seem that Balis, being an instrument player, was hearing and learning the new music of the day (e.g., "Bill Bailey" and the new railroad ballads like "Jim Blake") and was sprinkling them in among the old
There followed, in the next few days, "False Sir John and May Colvin," "The Oxfordshire Lass," "Will the Weaver," "Young Edward in the Lowland Low," "The Lyttle Musgrave," and later ones such as "Joe Bowers" and "The Rowin County Crew
I was at the Ritchie Reunion on Clear Creek and your dad and mother was there... the crowd was small, you see it was
[This in no way is a detailed account of the Ritchie family, from which Jean Ritchie and some of her sisters (in part through shared family ballads) became The Ritchie Family Singers. Jean Richie, who I knew briefly and had some correspondence with, was an extremely talented ballad singer, performer, scholar, and collector. She learned ballad through her family and local Knott County Kentucky connections and also from print sources, which are arrangements or ballad recreations. She frequently changed versions of ballads and added to them.
Balis and Jason were both descendants of John Ritchie, their grandfather. Elic Ritchie, son of John, was Jason's father. Aught Ritchie was Balis's father. They were cousins, Jason was not Jean's uncle, although the family called him that.
This critical but rarely considered information about the family sources of ballads should be considered- not in a negative way- but in keeping with the facts and what I believe is how the family acquired its repertoire of ballads and folk-songs. Uncle Jason, was a part-time lawyer and, for that area, highly educated. Balis, her father, was also educated and both men were men of books and not itinerant miners. Uncle Jason was mention in Folk-songs of the Kentucky Mountains by Josephine McGill published in 1917. The book was completed by 1916 at the latest (when the introduction was written). McGill says in her Preface, "To Jason Ritchie, Rob Morgan, and Senator Hillard Smith, who were frequently consulted, special thanks are due." From this I can gather that Uncle Jason was a local authority of sorts on ballads and, he knew that book, the contents and some local informants. We know from Sharp's Diary that in September 1917 when Sharp was in Kentucky he set up a meeting with Uncle Jason (Jason Ritchie) but he was not found and missed the meeting. We may never know the extent of his balladry but I have a feeling he was more of a collector and a knowledgeable resource than an informant (I'll find the Diary entry at some point).
Also Wyman and Brockway were collecting ballads at the same time in that area- so there was growing local and national publicity about the fertile folk song area. Combs and Shearin had already published their book (Syllabus, 1911) listing the various ballads folk songs in the area, which was probably the initial catalyst along with the Pettit and the Hindeman Settlement School. Both men wrote articles in JAF and Combs, whose family also was known as a local source for folk songs, published a book in 1925 after attending the University of West Virginia.
In 1917 Jean's older sisters Una, May and their cousin Sabrina (Uncle Jason’s daughter) had sung ballads for Cecil Sharp during his summer of 1917 visit to the Pine Mountain Settlement School, also founded by Pettit around 1915. It was no wonder that one of the songs they sang for Sharp was "Little Devils," a ballad they Sabrina had learned from her father, Jason. Jean was not born until late in 1922. If the family knew ballads at that time (mother Abigail, father Balis or Uncle Jason) McGill would have collected them in 1914 and 1915 and Sharp may have collected additional songs and ballads from them in 1917 (although he was moving quickly through the area and Uncle Jason missed an appointment with Sharp). I'm not sure if Wyman, was in contact with Uncle Jason and Ritchie family but since Uncle Jason was consulting for McGill, it seem impossible to think the family ballads would be overlooked. There may be some reason why this may not be the case, but I believe that the family itself was not not a large repository of ballads at that time. The ballads were well known and sung at the Pine Mountain School and throughout that region (Knott County, Viper, KY). Surely with the active interest of Uncle Jason, Abigail (Jean's mom) and Balis Ritchie the local ballads were passed around the family. I'm sure Uncle Jason had already begun assembling a collection local songs and ballads. In1917 when Sharp's English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians came out and I'm sure Uncle Jason and Balis obtained copies, even though the Richie girls weren't included until the 1932 edition. By the time Jean was born in 1922, the family had recently acquired many ballads and songs.
My point is: that the Ritchie family's acquisition of Folk-songs and ballads was second-hand and not through direct family lines. They learned by absorbing the local repository from neighbors, relatives, friends, school mates and --books. It's my opinion that all these factors contributed to Jean's repertoire and new ballads were added for the Richie Family singers from various sources along the way. Some of these were print sources and arrangements from print sources. I believe the books (Child's ESPB; Sharp's EFSSA, 1917 and 1932) were used to identify the ballads and supplement local partial versions by Uncle Jason and others in the family. Clearly some of Jean's ballads were taken from print and arranged-- while being attributed to Uncle Jason, they are not traditional even if he gave them to her from print. Since Jean was a scholar as well as an excellent traditional singer, she must have known some of her ballads were from print yet she may have felt it was not "acceptable" to record ballads that were not traditional.
R. Matteson 2015]
James RITCHIE[1] was born in 1757 in Scotland. He came to America came over on the ship named "The Marrigold" from Liverpool, England along with several brothers and settled in Virginia. James married MARY POLLY KEITH about 1775 in VA. Mary was born 1755/7 in Buncombe County, NC the daughter of Samuel Keith & Catherine Ring. James died 1818 at Carrs Creek, Kentucky.
James Ritchie served in the 2nd Virginia Regiment in the Rev war, after the Revolutionary war he moved to Buncombe Co, NC where he lived for sometime, he was there in Buncombe Co, NC on the 1790 Census with wife Mary Polly (Keith) Ritchie and several children, later the family moved to Kentucky.
Mary Polly KEITH had three brothers, two of those brothers are also on the 1790 census of Buncombe Co, NC, they were Gabriel Keith, his wife and children, also Reuben Keith, his wife Elizabeth Runnion and children. Both brothers owned land there in Buncombe Co, NC. Gabriel Keith was a spy for sometime in Buncombe Co, he was sent to watch the Cherokee Indians movements.
James Ritchie settled in Carrs Creek in Perry Co, Kentucky. He drown in 1818 while crossing the river at Carrs Creek a tributary of Troublesome River, he was buried along the river there, but no one knows exactly just where. After his death, his wife Mary Polly (Keith) Ritchie and one of her sons, John RITCHIE moved back to Virginia. She also had a daughter there, so she probably went to live with John and her daughter. Their children:
Alexander Crockett RITCHIE
Henry RITCHIE born bet 1784 - 1790 in Buncombe Co, NC.
Mary Polly RITCHIE born bef 1784 -1790 in Scott Co, VA.
James RITCHIE born bet 1790 - 1800 in Buncombe Co, NC, married Sally CARTER on June 18, 1825 in Scott Co, VA.
Elizabeth RITCHIE born abt 1805 in Buncombe Co, NC, died in Lawrence Co, Arkansas, married Charles BUSTER, June 22, 1824 in Scott Co, VA.
John RITCHIE born bet 1774 - 1784 in Buncombe Co, NC married Nancy HUTCHINSON in 1804.
[1] JAMES RITCHIE
Birth 8 May 1757 in Prince Edward Co, VA
Death 1813 in Carr S Fork, Perry Co, KY
[2] Alexander Crockett Ritchie
Birth 1778 in Russell, Virginia,
Death 1880 in Carrs Fork, Perry, Kentucky.
[3] John Ritchie (m. Sylvania Sizemore 1815 – 1900)
Birth 1812 in Carrs Fork, Perry, Kentucky.
Death 1875 in Fisty, Knott, Kentucky.
[4] Justice Austin "Aught" Ritchie (m. Rachel Everidge 1844 – 1940) Birth 3 Dec 1833 in Knott, Kentucky,
Death 1910 in Kentucky.
[5] Balis Wilmer Ritchie (m. Abigail Hall June, 1895) Birth 20 Feb 1869 in Clear Creek, Perry, Kentucky.
Death 6 Feb 1958 in Viper, Perry, Kentucky.
1. May Ritchie, born about 1904 in Clear Creek, daughter of Balis W. Ritchie (see also Va) and Abigail (Abbie) Hall.
Married before 1922 in Viper to Leon Deschamps.
From this marriage: Carol, born about 1921. Alfred, born 1923.
2. Ollie Ritchie, born about 1906 in Clear Creek, daughter of Balis W. Ritchie (see also Va) and Abigail (Abbie) Hall.Married to Roy Estepp.
3. Mallie, born about 1907 in Clear Creek.
4. Una, born about 1908 in Clear Creek.
Married to Tom N.N. Born in India.
5. Raymond, railroad operator, born about 1909 in Clear Creek.
Married to Alma.
6. Kitty, born about 1910 in Clear Creek.
7. Truman, born about 1911 in Clear Creek.
8. Patty Ritchie, born about 1912 in Clear Creek, daughter of Balis W. Ritchie (see also Va) and Abigail (Abbie) Hall. Married to Bill Reynolds.
9. Edna, teacher, singer, born about 1914 in Hindsman.
10. Jewel, born about 1915 in Hindsman.
11. Opal, born about 1916 in Hindsman.
12. Pauline, born about 1917 in Hindsman.
Married to Paul N.N. Born in Czechoslovakia.
13. Wilmer, born about 1918 in Viper.
14. Jean (see also VId).
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24. JASON[5] RITCHIE (ALEXANDER "ELIC" CROCKETT4, ALEXANDER "CROCKETT"3, JAMES2, ALEXANDER1) was born December 17, 1860, and died September 1959 in Talcum, Knott County, Kentucky.He married MARY FUGATE.
Notes for JASON RITCHIE:
[dmjohnson.FTW]
Jason was a lawyer, he studied Law the same as Abe Lincoln did and won many of his caseswith the same wit and wisdom that Lincoln used. He owned a farm in Knott Co, at Talcum, Ky, which was worked by his wife Mary and daughters while he was practising law. For this reason most of the local farmers said he never worked, but that is not so.
His son said that Jason was an expert with the scythe and his son in
law, Gabriel "Blue Gabe" Fugate said that Jason was the best hand to mow
hay that he had seen Jason seemed to be well liked, twice he was elected to serve the people of Knott Co as their County Attorney, before he retired, he had
sucessfully served the people of Kentucky as a civil attorney, a defense
attorney and as a prosecuting attorney.
Jason Ritchie simply died from old age, I do not know what the death
certificate said because no autopsy was performed. He told his son James
L Ritchie that he was born December 17, 1860 and could remember the
Civil War, he died in September, 1959, he as buried beside his wife Mary
in the Jason Ritchie cemetery at the mouth of Big Branch of Ball Creek,
Talcum, Knott Co, KY.