Wood and Laura Rittenhouse
WOOD RITTENHOUSE
Sources: History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois. Edited by William Henry Perrin, ©1883 Chicago: O. L. Baskin and Company, Historical Publisher, Cairo Precinct; pictures contributed by Robin Rittenhouse, great-grandson.
Wood Rittenhouse, merchant, Cairo,
is a native of Hamilton County, Ohio and was born June 21, 1835.
His father, Joseph Rittenhouse, was born in the same county in
1808 and in 1828 married Miss Sarah J. Ewing, who was born in
1812 in Hamilton County, Ohio. To these parents were born five
sons--William E., John H., Wood, James A. and Joseph H. Their
father died in 1842 and the mother was subsequently married to
Thomas Lind. She is now living on the old Rittenhouse homestead
in Ohio, though enfeebled by age. Wood Rittenhouse received a
common school education in his native state to which he added a
course in the Evansville Commercial College of Indiana. In 1858
he came to Cairo and for four or five years was employed in the
capacity of salesman for B. S. Harrell and William White. At the
death of Mr. White, Mr. Rittenhouse and C. Hanny, another clerk,
became his successors and continued their business for a term of
eight years, the last five of which time they occupied the
building now used for the Alexander County Bank, which they
erected in 1865. At the termination of this partnership, Mr.
Rittenhouse, in 1870, began his present line of trade, that of
flour and commission business, locating on the Ohio levee. In
1872 he associated with him in business his brother, Joseph H.
Rittenhouse, which partnership still exists and is one of the
standard firms of Cairo. Mr. Rittenhouse has been and now is
President of the Chamber of Commerce. He has served the city for
several years as a member of its Council and also of the Board of
Education. He is a member of the Masonic order and a Republican
in politics and morally and socially he exerts an extensive
influence for good. He was married in Pulaski County December 31,
1863 to Miss Laura J. Arter, daughter of Dr. Daniel Arter. She
was born in Pulaski County April 30, 1841. Their family consists
of Isabella Maud, Wood Arter, Harry H., Fred M. and Robin C. (See
Maud's biography elsewhere on this page under Maud Rittenhouse
Mayne)
(Note: Robin Rittenhouse, a great-grandson
of Wood contributed the following information: Wood Rittenhouse
was actually born Stephen Wood Rittenhouse, but dropped his first
name at a fairly early age. It may have been omitted because an
uncle had the same name. Even his will omitted it. Wood
Rittenhouse died on May 26, 1896, a victim of a tragic ferry boat
accident. He and ten others lost their lives when the ferryboat,
KATHERINE, heading to Wickliffe, KY, was capsized as a result of
a sudden and severe windstorm. It is believed that his body was
never recovered. Laura Arter Rittenhouse died in Chicago on July
11, 1911. (See obituary) For more information about the sinking of the
KATHERINE, click
here.)
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