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except "wearing apparel for self and family, a
scanty supply," to Gabriel Duvall (1752-1844),
his trustee, in September 1792. LAND AT FIRST
ELECTION: 514 acres in Baltimore and Anne
Arundel counties (250 acres in Anne Arundel
County by purchase; one-half interest in 528 acres
in Baltimore County given by Ely Dorsey to his
daughters Elizabeth and Eleanor and their hus-
bands, 1780). SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN LAND BE-
TWEEN FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH: Ridgely,
Daniel Bowley (1745- 1807), and William West (ca.
1737-1791) were named executors and devisees
of the estate of Thomas Harrison (?-1782). In
order to avoid the state's confiscation of Harri-
son's property, which had been left to relatives
in England, Ridgely, Bowley, and West laid claim
to Harrison's land (amounting to ca. 8,000 acres
in Baltimore, Anne Arundel, and Harford coun-
ties, plus 18 acres and ca. 35 lots in Baltimore
Town) and jointly sold it or leased it out over the
next eight years. Between 1782 and 1791 Ridgely
also speculated in Baltimore Town lots on his own
and in partnership with Bowley and Jeremiah
Townly Chase (1748-1828). Ridgely inherited at
least one-half of 1 19 acres in Anne Arundel County
from his father in 1783, and purchased 500 acres
in Anne Arundel County between 1783 and 1785;
part of the latter acreage adjoined 7 acres on the
Patuxent River that Ridgely purchased in 1785
with Richard Stringer to build Guilford Mill.
Ridgley began selling off his Baltimore Town and
Baltimore County property in 1788, and mort-
gaged a number of Baltimore Town lots to Rich-
ard Caton in 1789. The following year Ridgely
and Bowley mortgaged their shares of Harrison's
land to West to secure payment of West's share
of the estate. Ridgely continued to sell or mort-
gage land held with Chase, with Bowley, and in
his own right, 1790-1792. In 1792 he listed his
remaining land in his insolvency petition as in-
cluding ca. 2,000 acres in Anne Arundel, Balti-
more, and Frederick counties (although title to
ca. 1,565 acres of this had not yet been conveyed
to him), plus 800 acres in Georgia, warrants for
21,869 acres in Kentucky, and a bond for land
"on Tioga" in New York. All of this land, he
stated, was already mortgaged as security for his
debts and all of it was assigned to his trustee for
sale. Three years after his insolvency, Ridgely
began purchasing land on Elkridge in Anne
Arundel County. He acquired ca. 1,264 acres there
in 1795 and 17%, 664 acres of which was part of
Ely Dorsey's estate and was purchased with a
mortgage to Daniel Dorsey, which was released
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in 1814. Between 17% and 1798, Ridgely pat-
ented 1,077 acres in Anne Arundel and Allegany
counties and 4 lots in Baltimore City (two of which
he sold immediately), and purchased 234 acres in
Anne Arundel County. He was charged with 1,729
acres in Anne Arundel County in 1798, at least
412 acres of which was land which he had owned
prior to 1792 and to which he conveyed title in
1799. He purchased 1,600 acres in Anne Arundel
County in 1799, and patented ca. 350 acres in
Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties between
1801 and 1803. Over the next twenty years, Ridgely
sold most of this land in smaller parcels. In 1815
Ridgely patented 285 acres in Anne Arundel
County and in 1820 he purchased a house and lot
in Annapolis. Shortly before his death, he gave
234 acres in Anne Arundel County to his daugh-
ter Ann and her husband. WEALTH AT DEATH. DIED:
on February 26, 1824, at his plantation at Elk-
ridge, Anne Arundel County. PERSONAL PROP-
ERTY: TEV, $42,320.29 as calculated (without the
addition of estate profits and sales); FB, $18,418.19
as calculated (before payment of legacies and dis-
tributions). Inventory included 22 slaves, 316 oz.
plate, and a library of 144 volumes valued at
$709.61. The estate was not settled until 1836.
LAND: probably ca. 1,870 acres in Anne Arundel
and Allegany counties, plus possibly 2 lots in Bal-
timore City and 1 lot in Annapolis.
RIDOUT, JOHN (1732-1797). BORN: in 1732 in
Sherbourne, Dorsetshire, England; second son.
IMMIGRATED: on August 10, 1753, as secretary to
Horatio Sharpe (1718-1790). RESIDED, in Annap-
olis, Anne Arundel County, until ca. 1775;
"Whitehall," Anne Arundel County, by 1775;
probably spent much of the Revolutionary War
period on his land near Tonoloway Creek in
Washington County. FAMILY BACKGROUND.
FATHER: George Ridout (1702-1779) of Sher-
bourne, Dorsetshire, England. MOTHER: Mary,
daughter of Nichodemus Hallett of Milbourne,
Dorsetshire, England. STEPMOTHER: Mary Gibbs
(?-1777). BROTHERS: George; Nicodemus, of
Bristol, England; and probably Samuel. HALF
BROTHERS. Thomas (1754-1829), surveyor gen-
eral of Upper Canada, 1810; John Gibbs (1757-
?), a physician of London. SISTERS: Mary, who
married J. Hoddenot of Sherbourne, England;
Edith, who married (first name unknown) Finch
of London; Elizabeth (1740-1826), who married
George Ward of Bruton, England. MARRIED in
1764 Mary (1746-1808), daughter of Samuel Ogle
(ca. 1694-1752) and wife Anne Tasker (1723-
691
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