BORN 12-17-1834
IN VERMILLION, ILL.
DIED 1-7-1916 IN PRESCOTT
ARIZONA TERRITORY
MARRIED IN 1858 IN TEXAS TO
MARY JANE CHOWNING
BORN 1845 IN ILL.
DIED 2-9-11 ON RITTER RANCH
IN ARIZONA TERRITORY
BOTH ARE BURIED IN RITTER FAMILY PLOT
SIMMONS CEMETERY, PRESCOTT,AZ.
THE RITTERS SETTELED NEAR WHAT IS NOW
KIRKLAND,AZ.
THEY WERE SOME OF THE FIRST
SETTLERS IN THE AREA
FROM THE ARIZONA JOURNAL MINER JAN. 9, 1916
JACOB RITTER WAS ONE OF THE BEST KNOWN OF THE EARLY DAY PIONEERS, WHO FOLLOWED CATTLE RAISING AS FAR BACK AS 1870. HIS REMARKABLE PHYSICAL ABILITY ENDURED TO WITHIN A FEW YEARS AGO,AND HIS DEATH WAS DUE TO AN INTERNAL AFFLICTION AFTER MEETING WITH AN ACIDENT WHILE RIDING THE RANGE WHEN NEARING HIS 80TH.YEAR. MR. RITTER WAS A TYPE OF THE RUGGED PIONEER WHO HAD A GOOD WORD AND CHEERFUL GREETING FOR ALL. HE WAS CLEAN AND HONORABLE IN ALL BUSINESS DEALINGS, AND THE HOSPITALITY OF HIS OLD HOME ON DATE CREEK, KNOWN FAMILIARY AS THE STONE HOUSE, ALWAYS HAD A DOOR OPEN TO FRIENDS AND STRANGERS, IT'S HOSPITILATY BEING EXTENDED TO MANY IN THAT DANGEROUS REGION DURING INDIAN DAYS. HE WAS BORN IN VERMILLION CO. ILLINOIS, 82 YEARS AGO AND CAME TO ARIZONA FROM TEXAS IN 1870. HE SERVED DURING THE CIVIL WAR WITH THE CONFEDERACY, BUT IN LATER YEARS WAS MAGNAIMOUS IN EXPRESSING HIMSELF OVER THE CAUSES WHICH LED TO THIS UNFORTUNATE CONFLICT.
