Thomas Nicoll Ritchie was born in Grinchfield, Scotland; as a young man, emigrated to Canada where, in 1876, he married Eliza Barnett, daughter of Peter and Mary Barnett, who was born in Canada in 1857.

About 1881 Thomas and Eliza Ritchie, with their two children, Mary Dean and David St. Clair, came to Valley City. Here Mr. Ritchie established his bakery shop and later a small cafe just north of the ! Northern Pacific Railway tracks (later known as Hank Sampson's Cafe). In 1882 a third child, Lorne Stanley Barnett, was born and two years later, 1884, Eliza Ritchie passed away, leaving the care of I their three small children to Thomas and his sister, Jean, who came over from Dundee, Scotland, to help her brother.

Mr. Ritchie was active in the civic affairs of the village, serving as a member of its school board and of the committee which was successful in obtaining funds from the Carnegie Foundation to establish the town's public library as well as a member of the first library board. He was also very interested in the Masonic Lodge and was a member until his death in 1907.

Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 207