Hi Jeanene. Well what a turn up! I'll tell you what I know and how I think we are distantly connected. Originally Colin Ritchie senior came from Inch, in Wigtownshire, Scotland- the next area to Stranraer. He married Jenny Irvin on October 21 1813, in Inch, and some time after moved away from the area to settle on the Isle of Man. He must have been well known as the marriage of David Ritchie his eldest son was reported in the Wigtownshire press even though the family were in Surrey by 1850, via the Isle of Man. Another family originating in Inch at the same time were the Staffords. They too moved to the Isle of Man between 1837 and 1841. One of the Stafford daughters had a child by Colin Ritchie, son of Colin of the 10th West India Regiment. I don't know which daughter. There was one called Mary who never turned up on the Island and she may have died giving birth. Certainly the child, another Mary, was brought up by her grandparents James and Jane Stafford. She may however, have been the daughter of Janet, Susan or Jane and named after their beloved sister Mary who had died. That's still a mystery, but her father was definitely Colin Ritchie who was baptised in Ramsey 19th Jan 1820. I presume he had gone back to Scotland to visit relativeswhen he had a fling with a Stafford girl. On Mary Ritchie's marriage certificate his occupation is "solicitor". Mary Ritchie was my g.g.grandmother and my mum remembers Mary's daughter, Florence very well.
Colin Ritchie senior seems to have had a number of children. I know of a Mary Ritchie who was his eldest daughter who died at 26 in 1842. There was also Colin (1820), David(1818)Jane(1816),Agnes(1821) James(1827) Margaret(1829)and Jennet(1824). I haven't found Thomas but I wasn't really looking. There may have been a Jessie who died in 1847. Colin Ritchie senior died on 19th March 1837 aged 57 years. There is a memorial insciption in Marown cemetery to him and his granduaghter Jane Ritchie McCall who died in 1847 aged 5 months. I imagine he died on the Isle of Man. His son Colin was living with his family in Kensington in 1861 and was a solicitor's clerk and his brother David was in West Derby, a part of Liverpool again with a family and working as a silk merchant. By 1881, Colin was an Accountant in Camberwell, Surrey and David a retired Silk Merchant.
I don't know to what extent this may support (or confuse!) your research but I'd love to hear what you have found out. I can give you a website for Wigtownshire which is really good and I'd love to knoe if you have found out anything about a Ritchie/Stafford liaison!
It's all very exciting. Regards Vickie.