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Charles Ridgely (by 1705-1772). UNCLE: Henry
Ridgely (1728-1791). AUNTS: Elizabeth Ridgely,
who married Thomas Dorsey (?-1790); Anne
Ridgely, who married Brice T. B. Worthington
(1727-1794); and Sarah Ridgely, who married
Charles Greenbury Griffith (1744-1792). BROTH-
ERS: Henry (1753-died young); Frederick (1757-
?); Henry (1763-?); Greenbury (1764-?); and
Nicholas Greenbury. SISTERS: Anne (1759-?);
Lydia (1762-?); Elizabeth (1766-?); and Sarah.
FIRST COUSINS: Anne Dorsey, who married John
Dorsey (1734-1779). MARRIED on October 3, 1778,
Elizabeth (?-ca. 1811), daughter of Ely Dorsey
(?-1794) and his second wife Deborah Dorsey
(1722-1807). Elizabeth was the granddaughter of
John Dorsey (?-1761) and Caleb Dorsey (1685-
1742). She was the niece of Edward Dorsey (1718-
1760); Mary Dorsey (1725-ca. 1786), who mar-
ried John Ridgely (by 1724-1771). Her brothers
were Caleb, who married Dinah Warfield; Ely,
Jr. (?-1821), who married first, Sarah Worthing-
ton (?-1798), and second, Araminta Gumming
(?-1824); and Amos, who married Mary Dorsey.
Her half brother was John Crockett Dorsey (?-
1785), who married Elizabeth. Her sister was
Eleanor, who married Daniel Dorsey. Her half
sister was Mary Dorsey. Her first cousins were
Eleanor Dorsey, who married Upton Sheredine
(1740-1800); Thomas Dorsey (?-1790); Harry
Dorsey Gough (ca. 1745-1808); Achsah Dorsey,
who married Ephraim Howard (1745-1788); Re-
becca Dorsey (1739-1812), who married Charles
Ridgely (1733-1790); Eleanor Dorsey, who mar-
ried John Hall (1729-1797); Mary Dorsey (?-
1816), who married John Weems (1727-1794);
Charles Ridgely, of John (ca. 1749-1786); Deb-
orah Ridgely (1749-1817), who married John
Sterett (1750/51-1787); Mary Ridgely (?-1804),
who married Benjamin Nicholson (?-1792);
Ephraim Howard (1745-1788); Henry Woodward
(1733-1761); Frances Todd, who married George
Risteau (?-1792); and Deborah Lynch (?-1810),
who married Samuel Owings, Jr. (1733-1803).
CHILDREN. SONS: Edward D. (?-1832); Richard,
Jr. (?-by 1824); and Daniel (?-by 1824), who
married Mary. DAUGHTERS: Deborah, who mar-
ried Robert Neilson; Sophia, who married Rich-
ard H. Battee; Ann, who married Alfred H.
Dashiell; Elizabeth, who married Nathaniel Dare;
and Mathilda, who married Michael Baer. PRI-
VATE CAREER. EDUCATION literate. RELIGIOUS
AFFILIATION: Anglican, St. Paul's Parish, Balti-
more County, and Queen Caroline Parish, Anne
Arundel County. SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES:
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Esq., by 1780; Hon., by death. OCCUPATIONAL
PROFILE: lawyer, admitted to the bar by 1779,
practiced in Baltimore and Anne Arundel coun-
ties, Baltimore City, and Annapolis; land devel-
oper and speculator, Baltimore Town, 1782-1792;
co-owner of Guilford Mills, Anne Arundel County;
judge. PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE:
Senate, Western Shore, Term of 1776-1781: 1780
(elected on December 19, 1780, to fill vacancy in
1780-1781 Assembly; declined to serve on De-
cember 23, 1780), Term of 1786-1791: 1786-1787,
1787-1788, 1788, 1789, 1790; Term of 1801-1806:
1806 (elected on November 19, 1806, to fill va-
cancy, declined to serve November 22, 1806);
Lower House, Annapolis, 1801, 1802. OTHER
STATE OFFICES: assistant clerk, Council of Safety,
1776; clerk, Council of Safety, 1776-March 20,
1777; clerk, Executive Council, March 20- June
20, 1777; clerk, Maryland Senate, appointed Feb-
ruary 1777, resigned April 1777, appointed March
1778, resigned March 1779; Maryland Senate
elector, Baltimore Town, 1786. LOCAL OFFICES:
St. Paul's Parish Vestry, Baltimore County, 1779-
1783, 1784-1785; commissioner, Baltimore Town,
at least 1781-1788; warden, Port of Baltimore,
appointed 1783; common councilman, Annapo-
lis, qualified 1796; associate judge, 3rd District
of Maryland, 1811 to death. MILITARY SERVICE:
captain, Baltimore Town Battalion, Baltimore
County Militia, commissioned April 18, 1781. OUT
OF STATE SERVICE: delegate, Continental Con-
gress, 1784 (elected in December 1784, but de-
clined to serve), 1785 (elected in November 1785,
but did not attend). STANDS ON PUBLIC/PRIVATE
ISSUES: served on Baltimore committee to pro-
mote and ''encourage and improve agriculture
and other branches of rural economy," 1786;
member of committee to receive plans for build-
ing St. John's College, Annapolis, appointed 1786.
WEALTH DURING LIFETIME. PERSONAL PROPERTY:
devisee of one-third of the real and personal es-
tate of Thomas Harrison (?-1782), whose total
estate was estimated to be worth over £150,000;
owned 31 slaves on Anne Arundel County land,
1798. In January 1792 Ridgely petitioned for re-
lief as an insolvent debtor. As security for his
brother Frederick and Jacob Aldridge, he was
liable for their debts of more than £12,700, as
well as his share of the debts of Guilford Mills,
which totaled £2,100.0.0, and his own debts. His
assets included £12 ,800 owed him, a one-half share
in the Susquehanna Canal valued at £500.0.0, and
land, most of which had already been mortgaged
or assigned. Ridgely assigned all of his property,
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