Mary Ann Rithcie (nee Lutge) (abt 1869 to 1911) - The third child of Peter Benson and Mary Lutge

The mystery of the missing birth registrations for eight of the ten children of Peter Benson and Mary Lutge continues! I spent an afternoon last week at the Mitchell Library going through microfilms of early Sydney baptism transcripts for St Mary's Cathedral, St Phillips Church of England and Scots Church.  I left without locating one baptism registration under the name of Lutge!

Again, I'm basing the information on Mary Ann, the third child of Peter Benson and Mary Lutge, on the information in her parents death registration.  Mary Ann was born in about 1869 - two years after her brother, Paddy.

In 1889, she married William George Edward Ritchie in Sydney.  William was the son of James and Ann Ritchie who had settled in Mosman after they arrived in Australia.  William was born in 1865 and his birth was registered at St Leonards.

Mary Ann and William went on to have 6 children with, Mary R, the second dying as an infant:-
  • William John (John) - 1890 to 1964,
  • Mary R - 1892 to 1892,
  • Alma Marguerite - 1893 to 1956,
  • Robert - 1895 to 1931,
  • Helen Angela - 1897 to 1955 and
  • James Noel - 1907 to 1977.

The family of Mary and William Ritchie

While the name of Ritchie is very familiar to me, I haven't been able to locate any details of Mary Ann's life.  

On 25 July 1911, Mary Jane died at her home at 35 Bond Street Mosman.  She was 42 years of age - the same age as her mother - and the first of the ten children of Peter Benson and Mary Lutge to die.  Mary was survived by five of her six children - the youngest child, James Noel, was only 5 years old.  

Mary was buried at Gore Hill Catholic Cemetery, St Leonards on 27 July 1911.  

William lived for another 20 years after Mary's death at the family home in Bond Street.  The 1930 Electoral Roll shows William living with his oldest son, John, his wife, Elizabeth, and his youngest son, James. Robert, Mary and William's other son, was unmarried and lived at Palm Beach. He died on 19 March 1931 and is buried at the Gore Hill Catholic Cemetery.

About five months after Robert's death, in August 1931, William George Edward Ritchie died and was buried with his wife.  He was survived by four children - William (John), Alma, Helen and James.

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