Andrew Ritzman Jr., farmer,. was born on the homestead in Upper Paxton Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, 18 February 1829, a son of Adam Ritzman and Mary [Hawk] Ritzman.
Andrew Ritzman Sr., grandfather of Andrew Ritzman Jr. and his wife Margaret Ritzman, had two children:
Adam Ritzman; and
Daniel Ritzman.
Adam Ritzman, father of Andrew Ritzman Jr., died in September 1873, aged seventy-four. His wife was a daughter of Matthias Hawk. They had eleven children, of whom four are deceased:
David Ritzman,deceased;
Annie Ritzman, deceased;
Jonas Ritzman, deceased;
Martha Ritzman, deceased;
Catherine Ritzman, wife of Daniel Collier;
Susanna Ritzman, wife of Christopher Yeager;
Lavinia Ritzman, wife of Jonathan Roedel;
Andrew Ritzman;
Elizabeth Ritzman, wife of Moses Koppenheffer;
Hannah Ritzman, wife of William Moyer; and
Mary Ritzman, wife of John Mattis.
Andrew Ritzman Jr. received the amount of school education which falls to the lot of the farmer’s boy when his services are early needed on the farm. It was ended by the time he was eighteen, after which he devoted all his time to farm work. After he became of age his father employed him regularly as a hand, paying him at first, five, and afterwards eight dollars a month. He continued to work for his father on these terms until he was twenty-seven years old. A new contract was then entered into, under which he was to cultivate the home farm on shares. This arrangement was continued for eight years. in 1865, Mr. Andrew Ritzman Jr. entered the employ of the Northern Central Railway Company as assistant section foreman and removed his family to the neighborhood of Millersburg. After serving as foreman for six years he was put on the gravel or repair train and was for five years in that position, making eleven years of service with the company. His father having died during that time, Mr. Andrew Ritzman Jr. bought the farm of the estate and resumed farming in 1878. The farm comprised one hundred and seventy-one acres, on which he has made valuable improvements, erecting his residence in 1890 and adding other improvements which have greatly enhanced the value of the property. By energy, enterprise and judicious management Mr. Ritzman has made his farm one of the best in the Lykens Valley, and is justly ranked among the most intelligent farmers of the township.
Andrew Ritzman Jr. was married 20 November 1856, to Susanna Seiler, daughter of Joseph Seiler and Elizabeth [Schaeffer] Seiler. They have one child:
Mellie Virgie Ritzman, born 20 January 1873.
Mr. Andrew Ritzman Jr. and his family attend the Lutheran church. In politics he is an ardent Democrat.
Joseph Seiler, father of Mrs. Susanna [Seiler] Ritzman, died at the age of about seventy-one years. His wife died aged fifty-six. Two of their twelve children are deceased:
Elizabeth Seiler, deceased;
Sarah Seiler, deceased;
John Seiler;
Moses Seiler;
Susanna Seiler, Mrs. Ritzman;
Michael Seiler;
Rebecca Seiler, wife of Isaac Osmond;
Phoebe Seiler, wife of Reuben Reubenthal;
Lydia Seiler, wife of Charles Snively;
Kate Seiler, wife of Louis Epply;
Abby Seiler, wife of Eli Charles; and
Joseph Albert Seiler.
The maternal grandparents of Mrs. Susanna [Seiler] Ritzman were Michael Schaeffer and Susan Schaeffer.
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The above information was modified/edited from Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, published in 1896 by J. M. Runk and Company of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. A free download is available from the Internet Archive.
Andrew Ritzman died in Killinger, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, in 1905.
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