My previous Picasa album stopped working, so here are the Rittel family photos I have.
These were scanned from originals provided by Jerry Rittel in 2003. Jerry has now passed away but his kindness in sharing these photos means they won’t be lost.
The entire Rittel family, except for the oldest daughter Lydia Rittel Grentz, who lived with her husband in Canada. This photograph was probably taken in front of the family home on South Freeborn Street in Marion, Kansas. From left, back row: Edward, Louie, Art, Adolph, Jake, Gus, Sam. Front row: Bertha, Katherina, Ludwig, Julia.
Sons and daughters of Ludwig and Katherina Rittel. From left: Ed, Louie, Art, Julia, Adolph, Jake, Bertha, Gus, and Sam. Bertha and Julia were the two youngest daughters; the oldest child in the family, Lydia, is not pictured here.The seven sons of Ludwig and Katherina Rittel. From left: Edward (Ed), Ludwig, Jun. (Louie), Arthur (Art), Adolph, Jacob (Jake), August (Gus), and Samuel (Sam). Probably taken about 1925. One son, David (born 1896), died in infancy.Ludwig Rittel and Katherina Graf wedding picture. Taken in a studio in Streeter, North Dakota, ca 1888.Ludwig Rittel and Katherina Graf Rittel. This photograph has hung for many years on the wall of my mother’s home. It was taken in Herington, Kansas, in 1926.Katherina Graf Rittel at the age of 59 (around 1927). This is my favorite photograph of Great Great Grandmother, a woman of strong character and beauty. The back of the photograph bears her inscription in ink: “Wan 59 gahr [jahr] alt”–“At age 59 years”.Katherina Graf Rittel. Probably taken in the early 1940s.Ludwig RittelLudwig RittelKatherina Graf Rittel with her sisters in 1952. On the left, Margaret Graf Wentz; on the right, Christine Graf Buck. Both sisters, and probably most of Katherina’s extended family, lived in North Dakota.Left: Arthur Rittel; right: Louie Rittel. The boy sitting in front is unidentified.Jerry Rittel with grandparentsJerry Rittel, son of Ludwig, Junior (“Louis”). He was the last Rittel remaining who grew up in the Marion-Herington Kansas area. He owned and operated Rittel’s Western Wear in Abilene, Kansas.Rittel’s Western Wear in Abilene, KansasGravestone of Ludwig and Katharina Graf Rittel in Marion, KansasThe young man sitting in the left chair is Louis Rittel, son of Ludwig and Katherina. The entire family, including Father Ludwig, seem to have learned the trade of barber.Ezra H. Riffel and wife Bertha Rittel Riffel. If that isn’t confusing for a family historian! Ezra and Bertha lived near San Diego, California.From left: Doraine Riffel Kroskey, Bertha Rittel Riffel, Ezra H. Riffel, Katharina Graf Rittel.Edward and Nettie Irene Rempel Rittel, about 1940. Ed and Nettie lived their entire lives in Marion, where Ed worked in a chicken packing firm. Nettie and her oldest son Richard both passed away in the spring of 2002, the last of their generation to call Marion home.From left: Katharina Graf Rittel, ???, Mary Hilderman Rittel (wife of Louis), Gus Rittel, ???.Posterity of Jacob and Lydia Schmerer Rittel. Back row: Maurice M. Huls, husband of Ruby Rittel Huls; Ruby Rittel Huls, Lydia Schmerer Rittel, Jacob Rittel. Front row: Maurice Huls, Jun., Glenna Lue Huls, and Maurine Huls. Ruby was the only child of Jacob and Lydia Rittel.Jacob and Lydia Schmerer Rittel. Jake was the fourth oldest child in the family. He and Lydia bore one daughter, Ruby Rittel. They lived in Cordell, Oklahoma.Jacob and Lydia Schmerer Rittel later in life.Julia Anna Rittel (LaRue), 1920s photograph.Julia Anna Rittel, about 1925. Julia was the youngest daughter in the family.Ludwig Rittel, Jun. (“Louie”).(LEFT) Lawrence Rittel, son of Adolph and Heinericka “Tessie” Kuebler Rittel. Lawrence was the youngest of four siblings; his oldest brother, Edwing, died in action during World War II.Ruby Rittel Huls, daughter of Jacob and Lydia Schmerer Rittel. This photo was probably taken in the early 1940s.
