Paulding History Museum & Library

10/16/2026

The Block Party is THIS Saturday!!! Hope you can make it!! We lots of activities for the day including free giveaways, resources, Zumba, Yoga, music and of course some of the best Food Trucks!!!

09/22/2026

09/22/2026

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09/12/2026

Thank you to Gloria, Askari, and Denise for a wonderful presentation. We thoroughly enjoyed it! And thank you to members of the Flemister and Baulding families that were there today, and everyone else. Photo is of the family members; click on the photo to be sure to see everyone.

09/12/2026

This is a reminder that our "Second Saturday at the Museum" event is today, September 12th, from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM.

Gloria Burr will present "The Flemister and Baulding Family of Paulding County," sharing family stories of tradition and love.

09/11/2026

09/06/2026

The Jacob Robert Ritch Family

Jacob Robert Ritch was the son of Harvey Carlton and Sarah Clonts Ritch who had married and settled in the Brownsville community in 1859.

Robert (Bob) was born August 15, 1862, and reared on his father’s farm. At age 19, followed his father before him, and taught school. Family records contain a license dated July 1, 1881, signed by the Paulding School Commissioner to teach third grade for three years. In 1884, he contracted to teach a literary school at Winston for three months beginning July 1. The contract names the subjects he would teach and how much he would charge per day to teach each one.

He then decided to become a doctor and graduated from the Medical College of Atlanta. Dr. Bob, as he became known, returned to Brownsville and lived with his parents. He also began to engage in farming activities with his father. In 1890, he purchased a forty-acre tract of land along what is now Bethel Church Road and Highway 92, adjoining his father’s holdings. He was active with his father in the Hiram Farmers’ Alliance Business Association. In 1895, they and four others filed a petition to incorporate under the name of Hiram Cooperative Co. Bob was the secretary.

He became active in other community and county affairs. He deeded ½ acre of land to Paulding County in 1890 to build a courthouse for the Weddington District which also served as a polling place well into the 1960’s. He was Road Commissioner for District 942 for two years and served on the County Jury Commission. He was one of nine applicants for a charter to organize the Bank of Hiram which operated until 1926.

Bob was a member of Bethel Methodist Church and was serving as a trustee in 1923 when he gave the land for relocating the church to its present site on Bethel Church Road. He was also a member of Bartlett Masonic Lodge.

He married Francis Lillian McLarty, a teacher, on October 30, 1898. She was born January 12, 1872, to John and Francis McLarty. Bob and Lillian lived at his parents’ home place. Through the years, they had six children. They were John Harvey, who died at age 9; Sallie Frank, Robert McKinley, Paul Brown, Hugh Carlton, and Horace Marvin.

After the death of his parents, Bob’s family continued to live in the home. Lillian died at the age of 40, on July 21, 1912, leaving Bob, now 50, with five children, age five to thirteen. Mary Wilson, age 68, came to live with them. The house burned and was rebuilt in 1914.
Bob died on December 5, 1930. Mary died twelve days later. The children were grown b except for Sallie, and were still living in his home. Paul later moved to Hiram. Mack, Hugh, and Horace made it their permanent home.

From the Heritage of Paulding County, Ga, 1832-1999, Published & Sold by the Paulding County Historical Society

Written by Horace Ritch. Sources: Family Bible, family papers, oral stories and personal knowledge.

08/21/2026

Our next Second Saturday at the Museum will September 12th, 1:00 - 2:00 PM, 295 North Johnston Street, Dallas. The presentation will be about the Flemister and Baulding Family of Paulding County given by Gloria Burr. Everyone is invited to attend. Hope to see you there!
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While we initially thought a healthy discussion could be good, some comments on this post have strayed too far from its original purpose.

Please keep your comments light. The upcoming presentation will focus on family stories, childhood memories, visits with grandparents, and working on the farm. There will not be a debate regarding slavery or race. For clarity, the flag featured in the flyer is the post-Civil War U.S. flag, which is intended to represent unity.

08/08/2026