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Charles Ridgely (by 1705-1772); Charles Ridgely
(by 1705-1772). Her nephews were Thomas Dor-
sey (?-1790); Harry Dorsey Gough (ca. 1745-1808);
and Henry Woodward (1733-1761). Her nieces
were Mary Dorsey (?-1816), who married John
Weems (1729-1794); Eleanor Dorsey, who mar-
ried John Hall (1729-1797); Rebecca Dorsey
(1739-1812), who married Charles Ridgely (1733-
1790); Achsah Dorsey, who married Ephraim
Howard (1745-1788); Eleanor Dorsey, who mar-
ried Upton Sheredine (1740-1800); Elizabeth
Dorsey (?-ca. 1811), who married Richard Ridgely
(1755-1824); Frances Todd, who married George
Risteau (?-1792); and Deborah Lynch (?-1810),
who married Samuel Owings, Jr. (1733-1803).
CHILDREN. SONS: eldest, (first name unknown) (ca.
1746-1748); Charles Ridgely, of John (ca. 1749-
1786); William (?-1797), who married Anne
Worthington; John (1764-1814), who married in
1791 Mary Emmitt (1769-1833); and Edward
(1771-?). DAUGHTERS: Deborah (1749-1817),
who married John Sterett (1750/51-1787); Rachel,
who married in 1774 Thomas Nicholson (?-1783)
of Kent County; Eleanor, who married first, Ben-
jamin Laming (?-by 1794), and second, James
Dall; Mary (?-1804), who married Benjamin Ni-
cholson (?-1792); and Achsah (?-by 1771), who
married William Goodwin. PRIVATE CAREER. ED-
UCATION: literate. RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: prob-
ably Anglican, St. Paul's Parish, Baltimore County.
SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIVITIES: Gent., by 1745.
OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: merchant, at least 1745-
1771. By 1771 Ridgely owned a store and ware-
houses in Baltimore Town and had taken as his
partner his son, Charles Ridgely, of John (ca. 1749-
1786). In 1761 John joined his father and brother
Charles Ridgely (1733-1790) in forming the
Northampton Ironworks. Ridgely was also a
planter and maintained at least four plantations
by the time he died. PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE
SERVICE: Lower House, Baltimore County, 1768-
1769 (election of county delegation voided on
June 14, 1768, on complaints of treating; re-
elected on July 5, 1768, to the 2nd session of the
1768-1770 Assembly; election again voided on
November 30, 1769, because of alleged miscon-
duct of the sheriff; Grievances 1). LOCAL OFFICES:
churchwarden, St. Paul's Parish, Baltimore
County, 1747-1748; St. Paul's Parish Vestry,
Baltimore County, 1752-1754, 1758-1761; jus-
tice, Baltimore County, 1750-1754 (quorum,
1752-1754); justice, Especial Court of Oyer, Ter-
miner, and Gaol Delivery, 1753 (quorum); com-
missioner, Baltimore Town, in office, 1768.
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WEALTH DURING LIFETIME. ANNUAL INCOME: Held
mortgages on property in Baltimore County and
Baltimore Town, 1751 to death (at least 13 re-
corded mortgages, plus 3 mortgages held with
other men). LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: ca. 2,647
acres in Baltimore County and 2 lots in Baltimore
Town (260 acres in Baltimore County as a gift
from his father, 1748; 495 acres in Baltimore
County and 2 lots in Baltimore Town by purchase
or foreclosure; ca. 1,892 acres in Baltimore County
by patent), plus one-third interest in the lands of
the Northampton Ironworks and ca. 1,100 acres
in Baltimore County and 3 lots in Baltimore Town
held alone or in partnership to secure mortgages.
SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN LAND BETWEEN FIRST
ELECTION AND DEATH: purchased 950 acres in 1769
and 550 acres in 1770, all in Baltimore County;
received ca. 2,000 acres in Baltimore and Anne
Arundel counties from his father, 1770; sold one
lot in Baltimore Town and probably 135 acres in
Baltimore County by 1770; shortly before his death,
resurveyed over 900 acres in Baltimore County.
WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED: between March 19 and
May 1, 1771, in Baltimore County. PERSONAL
PROPERTY: TEV, £10,791.3.6 current money ad-
justed to 1787 (including 31 slaves, 16 servants,
books, 30 oz. plate, 3,709 gallons of rum, and a
brig of 150 tons with two boats); FB, £ 1,164.14.5
before payment of legacies; estate overpaid
£381.5.7 according to the records. LAND: proba-
bly 6,658 acres in Baltimore and Anne Arundel
counties, plus one and one-half lots in Baltimore
Town. ADDITIONAL COMMENT: Ridgely's one-third
share of the Northampton Irownworks was sold
at auction to his brother for £3,600.0.0 sterling,
1772.
RIDGELY (RIDGELEY), RICHARD (1755-
1824). BORN: on August 3, 1755, in Queen Car-
oline Parish, Anne Arundel County; second son.
NATIVE: fifth generation. RESIDED: in Anne
Arundel County until at least 1779; Baltimore
County, at least 1782 (probably from 1780) until
1790; Anne Arundel County, 1791-1794 (stated
that he intended to move to Georgia in 1792, but
did not stay there long if he went at all); Annap-
olis, 1795 until at least 1803; Baltimore City, at
least 1805 until 1807; Elkridge, Anne Arundel
County, 1808 until death. FAMILY BACKGROUND.
FATHER: Grecnbury Ridgely (1726-1783) of Anne
Arundel County, son of Henry Ridgely (?-1750)
and wife Elizabeth Warfield. MOTHER: Lucy (?-
1815), daughter of Dr. Samuel Stringer (?-1747)
and wife Lydia Warfield, who married second,
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