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William (?-1797); John (1764-1814); and Ed-
ward (1771-?). SISTERS: Deborah (1749-1817),
who married John Sterett (1750/51-1787); Rachel;
Eleanor; Mary (?-1804), who married Benjamin
Nicholson (?-1792); and Achsah (?-by 1771).
FIRST COUSINS. Rachel Goodwin (?-1819), who
married second, Jesse Hollingsworth (1732/33-
1810); Prudence Carnan (1755-1822), who mar-
ried Harry Dorsey Gough (ca. 1745-1808); Thomas
Dorsey (?-1790); Eleanor Dorsey, who married
Upton Sheredine (1740-1800); Harry Dorsey Gough
(ca. 1745-1808); Achsah Dorsey, who married
Ephraim Howard (1745-1788); Rebecca Dorsey
(1739-1812), who married Charles Ridgley (1733-
1790); Eleanor Dorsey, who married John Hall
(1729-1797); Mary Dorsey, who married John
Weems (1727-1794); Elizabeth Dorsey (?-ca.
1811), who married Richard Ridgely (1755-1824);
Henry Woodward (1733-1761); Frances Todd, who
married George Risteau (?-1792); and Deborah
Lynch (?-1810), who married Samuel Owings, Jr.
(1733-1803). MARRIED by April 1775 Rebecca
(1752-1801), daughter of Alexander Lawson (?-
1760) of Baltimore, a merchant, and wife Dor-
othy Smith (1719-?). Her grandfather was Wal-
ter Smith (ca. 1692-1734) of Hall's Craft, Calvert
County. Her brother was Alexander (?-1798),
who married in 1763 Elizabeth Brown. Her sisters
were Susanna (1743-1798), who married Andrew
Buchanan (ca. 1733-1786); Isabella (?-1822), who
married Robert Alexander (1740-1805); Mary
(Polly), who married Robert Christie, Jr.; Rachel
(?-by 1760), who married Lloyd Buchanan (1729-
ca. 1762); Dorothy (?-1752); Elizabeth (?-1752);
and Margaret (?-1752). The last three sisters
drowned when ice-skating on the pond at their
father's ironworks in Baltimore County. CHIL-
DREN. SON: Charles. DAUGHTERS: Rachel; Eliza-
beth, who married in 1794 Joseph Young; Re-
becca, who married in 1799 William Barney; and
Dorothy (?-by 1801). DAUGHTER OR STEPDAUGH-
TER: Mary, who married in 1799 John S. Home.
ADDITIONAL COMMENT: Mary Ridgely Home was
not named as a child of Charles in the probate of
his estate. Rebecca, however, does name Mary
Home as her daughter in her will. PRIVATE CAR-
REER. EDUCATION, literate. RELIGIOUS AFFILIA-
TION: Anglican, St. Paul's Parish, Baltimore
County. SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES: Gent.,
by 1773; Esq., at death; third generation legis-
lator. Indicted for murder in 1785, Ridgely was
defended by Thomas Stone (1743-1787) and ac-
quitted. OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: merchant, land
developer, farmer. Ridgely was a partner in his
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father's mercantile firm in Baltimore Town until
the latter's death in 1771. For at least the next
year or so he remained a merchant in partnership
with Benjamin Nicholson (?-1792). In the early
1770s, Ridgely subdivided his land adjoining Bal-
timore Town and sold or leased it in small lots.
He continued to develop this area until his death.
While residing in Anne Arundel County, he fre-
quently styled himself "farmer" and maintained
a large plantation at Elkridge. PUBLIC CAREER.
LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: Lower House, Baltimore
County, 1774 (elected to the 3rd session of the
1773-1774 Assembly); Conventions, Baltimore
County, 1st, 1774 (appointed, but did not attend),
4th, 1775, 5th, 1775. LOCAL OFFICES: Committee
of Correspondence, Baltimore County, in office
May 1774; churchwarden, St. Paul's Parish, Bal-
timore County, 1775-1776. WEALTH DURING LIFE-
TIME. PERSONAL PROPERTY: assessed Value
£1,898.0.0, including 37 slaves, 170 oz. plate, 1783.
Heavily in debt by 1784, Ridgely had to sell slaves
in 1785 to pay for his defense by Thomas Stone
(1743-1787) on the charge of murder. ANNUAL
INCOME: at least £282.0.0 sterling per annum from
ground rents on land adjoining Baltimore Town.
LAND AT FIRST ELECTION, ca. 1,821 acres in Anne
Arundel and Baltimore counties (ca. 1,761 acres
in both counties inherited from his father; 50 acres
in Baltimore County by purchase; 10 acres in Bal-
timore County as a gift from his cousin Rachel
Goodwin), plus a one-half interest in 136 acres
in Anne Arundel County. SIGNIFICANT CHANGES
IN LAND BETWEEN FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH:
sold his one-half interest in the 136 acres in Anne
Arundel County in 1779; bought or leased 1 lot
in Elkridge Landing, ca. 97,000 sq. ft. in Hano-
ver, and 36 acres, all in Anne Arundel County,
1780; bought perhaps 580 acres in Anne Arundel
County and 676 acres in Baltimore County, 1782;
gave an unspecified amount of land in Baltimore
County to his cousin Rachel, 1783; in the early
1780s developed land west and south of Baltimore
Town as "Ridgely's New Addition to Baltimore
Town" and leased lots there for a yearly ground
rent; leased out 69 lots near Baltimore Town for
ground rents, 1785. WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED: in
December 1786, estate probated in Baltimore
County. PERSONAL PROPERTY: TEV, Baltimore
County only, £1,856.3.0 current money (includ-
ing 1 slave, 110 oz. plate); FB, £51.9.6. In a Chan-
cery Court case ca. 1787-1807, creditors of the
estates of Charles Ridgely, of John, and his father
claimed additional debts of at least £7,000.0.0
current money and £4,300.0.0 sterling plus inter-
685
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