Beeks line: Jacob Aldridge of Maryland

 Jacob Aldridge seems to have not received a lot of attention in the genealogy world, mostly because it's more interesting (to some) to talk about his son, John Simpson Aldridge, and John's role in the Revolutionary War.  However, there obviously would have been no John if there had been no Jacob, and for that reason alone, he deserves some attention.  He also provides us with some interesting tidbits of history, which means that I am all ears and eyes.  

The general consensus, although I can't find documentation for this yet, is that Jacob was born in September of 1732, the son of John and Eleanor Aldridge.  Various surnames have been suggested for Jacob's mother, with Watkins being the most common.  Again, I've not found documents for that.  Jacob was most likely born in Prince George's County, Maryland, and he lived there his whole life.   He inherited part of his father's property when John died in 1751, and it may have been just a few years later that he married.  Again, the name of his wife isn't known, but her first name was Elizabeth and her last name may have been Soper, or possibly Simpson.  

Jacob and Elizabeth had at least 6 children, with the earliest known birth year of about 1759.  This was a large family to raise and care for, and as many of their neighbors did, Jacob bought or possibly inherited, or both, slaves to produce crops, which likely included tobacco.  In the 1776 state census, he reported eight slaves, and in the 1790 federal census he reported 20 slaves, in 1800 19, and in 1810 18.  It's possible that he was selling a few each year, because there would likely have been babies born each year to one or more of the slaves.  This is not easy to accept but it is part of family history and it needs to be acknowledged.  I found a reference to 12 black Aldridge slaves who escaped from Prince George's County in the 1850s but there wasn't enough information to figure out if these may have come from our Aldridge family.  

I found Jacob's name in just a few state records, so far.  He is listed in a 1776 state census, as a grand jury member in 1780, and as being drafted in 1781.  I'm not positive that the 1781 draft Jacob was ours, as he would have been almost 50 years old.  It may have been another Jacob Aldridge (although Jacob's son Jacob would have been only about 13 years old, so it was not him) or Jacob may have then hired a substitute, as was sometimes done.  We do know that the family would have been anxious for son John, whether or not Jacob was also involved in the fighting. 

Jacob died in 1815 and Elizabeth probably preceded him.  So far I haven't found his will or inventory, which would certainly help give us a better glimpse into his life.  That will, and his military records, if any, would be two of the top items on my wish list, in order to have a better idea of his life.  On the bright side, we do have these few tidbits to help fill in the "dash" in his life story. 

The line of descent is:

Jacob Aldridge-Elizabeth

John Simpson Aldridge-Mary Lakin

John Simpson Aldridge Jr.-Lucinda Wheeler

Darlington Aldridge-Leah Folsom

Harvey Aldridge-Margaret Catherine Dunham

Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks

Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger

Their descendants