Marvel Ritchie was born on September 10, 1845, near Richfield, North Carolina. Ritchie served in the Confederate army (28th Regiment North Carolina State Troops) during the Civil War, from July 1861 to the surrender in April 1865. He was a farmer and postmaster and was active in veteran's affairs late in life. Ritchie died in Badin, North Carolina on August 31, 1924.