The family of John Aldridge 1712-1750, maybe

 And here is yet another Aldridge in this line, with disputed dates and wife (or wives) and children.  I sure hope someone in Maryland can do some research with original documents and figure this out.  

The one thing I'm fairly sure about is John Aldridge's will.  (Note: I have seen this man referred to as John Simpson Aldridge, but I think this is two generations too early to have the name Simpson.  There may be something, somewhere, to show I am wrong, and I'd be happy to hear about it.)  In his will, John names his wife Elinor, and sons John, Jacob, Thomas, and Susannah.  These are the only children known for certain, but there may have been others, presumably dead or perhaps already given their inheritance, at the time of John's 1750 will.  

John's birthday is variously given as 1702 and 1712.  There were at least two John Aldridges in the Anne Arundel and Prince Georges County areas in Maryland.  One went south, to North Carolina, and one, this John, had land in Prince Georges County in 1733.  He would have been a young man, when he acquired his land, and still relatively young when he died, whether he was 38 or 48 when he died.  

If the birth dates given most often for his children are correct, then it's possible he had two wives.  Two children are shown with birthdates in 1730 and 1732, and two in 1740 and 1744.  It's also possible that there were births between the two sets of children, and there was just one wife.  

 The known wife's name is also not entirely certain.  She seems to have been Elinor Watkins, the daughter of John Watkins, with her mother's name variously seen as Mary Warman and Anne Gassaway.  Here is the sparse information I have been able to glean about their children:

Susannah was born about 1730.  Her inheritance was just five shillings, so she must have received a gift, perhaps at the time of her marriage to Samuel Prather, son of William Nathan and Martha Prather.  Prather.  (The two were first cousins).  Their children were William, John, Anne, Eleanor and  Thomas. Susannah died in 1790.

Jacob was born about 1732.  He married Elizabeth, possibly Soper.  Their known children are James, John Simpson, Andrew, Jacob, Elinor, and Betsey.  I'll write more of this family in my next post.  

John was born about 1740.  He appears to have been married twice.  His first wife was Sarah, possibly Crow, and his second wife was Dolly Hoskins.  Most if not all of his children would have been through his first wife, as the marriage to Dolly was in 1786 and John died in 1799, in Montgomery County, Maryland.  Again, the children's names are taken from his will.  They are Mary, Eleanor, James, Sarah, Nancy, John, Elizabeth, Joshua, Isaac, Rebekah, and Ann.  

The final son was Thomas, born about 1744.  He married Elizabeth Crow, the daughter of James and Mary Farmer Crow.  They had a son, James Thomas, and perhaps another son, Thomas Jackson.  Thomas himself is said to have died in 1840 in Henry County, Kentucky, or perhaps much earlier in Montgomery County, Maryland.  1840 would have given Thomas quite a long life, and it is possible that this information is for another of the many men by the name of Thomas Aldridge.

So here it is, the last of the very nebulous and mostly undocumented information about the John (not Simpson) Aldridge in the line I am following.  It's been fascinating because some of the names I've come across are surnames that are brick walls for me in my own family-Dunn, Mackall, and one in another of husband's lines, Farmer.  Are there clues here?  Time will tell.  Hopefully time will also allow us to document and either confirm or deny the possible information presented here.  The next family I write of will be on firmer ground than these posts have been.

 

The family of Thomas Aldridge 1680-1726

 Once again, these Aldridge families confound me.  Records seem to be available for the children's births, but not much else.  We don't know when some of them died, or even whether they lived past adulthood.  They are sometimes confused with other people of the same name.  Since I am unable to go physically to Anne Arundel County, Maryland, to research this family, and since on line records appear to be scarce, I am at the mercy of those who have gone before me.  I'm happy to report what they've reported, but can make no comments as to sources or documentation.  

Thomas Aldridge was the son of Nicholas and Martha Besson Aldridge.  He was born in 1680 and died in 1726.  His wife was Elizabeth Purdy, the daughter of John and Mary (maiden name unknown) Purdy.  Within ten years of their 1703 marriage, both of their fathers were deceased.  Thomas, as the oldest Aldridge son, would have inherited land from his father, and Elizabeth may have inherited money, personal property, or/and slaves from her father, although I have not been able to locate a will or estate record for him.  The Aldridge family were slaveholders, although I am not sure which generation was the first to hold them.  

Thomas and Elizabeth are believed to have had seven children, although only two have much documentation.  There are wildly varying death dates for some, as noted here.  

The first born was Edmond, sometimes referred to as Edward.  He was born in 1702 and died in 1703, or possibly 1784.  If he survived to adulthood, his wife's name was Rebecca, but I think this is likely a different Edmond.

Rebecca was born in 1705 and that is all that I have been able to learn of her.

Thomas was born in 1709 and died in 1751.  His wife may have been Mary Hook.  His children are Joseph, William, Thomas, Solomon (may be Thomas Solomon, and Mary.  

John was born in 1712 and died in 1751 in Prince Georges County.  His wife was Elinor, possibly Watkins.  Their children are John, Jacob, Thomas, and Susannah.  I will follow this family in my next post.  

Then two daughters named Martha were born.  The first lived from 1717 to 1719.  The second was born and died in 1723.

The final child was Elizabeth, also born in 1723 and reported to have lived a good long life, dying in 1814.  I have not been able to document her further, so possibly she married and stayed out of court records, or possibly she did not marry and was simply invisible to the world.  

Thomas and Elizabeth likely had just three children who lived to adulthood.  My heart goes out to Elizabeth, who certainly would have faced great sorrows in her days.  She is reported to have died in 1723, about the time that Martha and Elizabeth, who may have been twins, were born.  It was a hard life for her.  Thomas survived until 1726, when he would have left three young orphans, the oldest about 15.  So far, I've not been able to determine where the children lived as they grew into adulthood, but their grandparents were already gone.  Perhaps there are court records that would give us that information, apparently available only locally.

The family of Nicholas Aldridge 1653-1708

 Reader, beware!  I am not 100% sure of some of the "information" in this post because I can't find documentation, or/and there is conflicting information.  Apparently the Aldridge family used some of the same names over and over, and that is at least part of the reason for the confusion.  I will try to point out when I think the "information" needs further research and evaluation, but I am posting it because maybe someone else working on the family, now or in the future, will be able to find records proving or disproving what I am writing here.  

Nicholas Aldridge may or may not be the immigrant ancestor for this family.  It is possible that a potential great grandfather, Robert Aldridge, made it to Virginia in time to be killed in a native American uprising in about 1624.  If Robert does belong in this family, he left no descendants in North America, so I'm starting with Nicholas, who was born probably in 1653 (christened December 28, 1653) in Hampshire, England.  Or at least, he was christened there.  He married Martha Besson, the daughter of Thomas and Hester Talbot Besson about 1680 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, and he stayed there for the rest of his life, dying on or just before November 21, 1708.  

Nicholas and Martha had 12 children together, although sadly, several died young.  All but the last two seem to have stayed in Anne Arundel County their whole lives, although there are one or two for whom a death date and location are not clear.  

Thomas was their first child, born in 1680.  He married Elizabeth Purdy, the daughter of John and Mary (Lane or Reed, not sure which was her maiden name) Purdy.  Their children are Edmond, Rebecca, Thomas, John, two Marthas, and Elizabeth.  Follow these names and you will understand how there could be confusion about which Aldridge belonged in which family.  Thomas died in 1726.  I will write more of this family in a future post. 

Anne was born in 1684 (notice there is a time gap here in which another child could have been born, or at least another pregnancy begun) and married Richard Richardson, the son of Mary and Mary Stockett Richardson.  There seems to be agreement that their children were Mary, Dinah, and Thomas, with the possibility of Anne and Lydia also being their daughters.  

Martha was probably named for her mother.  She was born in 1686 and died the following year. Life was hard for infants and children and she would not be the last of the Aldridge children to die before reaching adulthood.

John was born in 1688 and married Elinor, sometimes seen as Susanna Elinor, Jones, the daughter of Thomas and Martha Davis Jones.  He was a ship builder, but I don't know whether this was a full time occupation or not.  Their children included Thomas, John, Susannah, William, and possibly Jacob.   He died in or before 1750.

Joan or Joane was born in 1689.  She is confusing because some sites say she died in 1696, and some have her living long enough to marry not one, but two, husbands.  The possible husbands are John Watts and Thomas Disney.  One daughter, Mary, is attributed to the Disney marriage, if in fact there was one, and Joan probably died shortly after.  I do not consider this paragraph to be reliable information, so read it with a grain of salt.

Sydney was born in 1693.  He died in either 1702 or 1750, take your pick.  I have not been able to find any records for him as an adult so I suspect the 1702 date is closer to correct, but the search for records is continuing.

Next was Jane, born and died in 1696.  I think there may be some confusion with Joane, above, which is why Joane would be shown with a 1696 death date even though she apparently married about 1717.  

Nicholas was born in 1698 and died in 1758.  He married Ursula Grimes, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Foster Grimes.  Their children are Frances, William, Nicholas, Zachariah, Ann, Sarah, Susannah, Mary, and John.

Then there were three sons named William.  William 1 was born in 1700 and died sometime before July, 1702, when another son William was born.  He also died in 1702.  

Finally, there was a son William who was born in 1703 and died in North Carolina in 1786.  His wife's name is unknown.  Elizabeth Symons in frequently given as his wife, but that is now in dispute.  His children were William, Samuel, Joseph, Nicholas, Nathaniel, Sylvania, Nathan, and James.  It is thought that he went to Sandy Creek off the Deep River in North Carolina about 1755, where he was able to purchase land.

The last known child was James, who was born in 1706 and died about 1775 in North Carolina, although I have not found anything to document the death date.  He married Mary Gassaway, the daughter of Nicholas and Elizabeth Hawkins Gassaway.  I find many of the same names listed for the children of James as I did for William, so I'm not sure whether the families simply shared names, or whether the parents are perhaps misidentified.  James and Mary's children are listed as William, Joseph, Elinor, Sylvania, Nicholas, Samuel, Nathaniel, James, and John or Jones.

Nicholas and Martha had a large family, but they also had many sorrows as so many of their children died young.  I haven't researched the grandchildren, but it is likely, given the times, that some of them also died young.  We know that some of the grandchildren served in the Revolutionary War.  Nicholas and Martha are important to the Aldridge family and to the country. 

The family of Joseph Brown Eddy 1803-1876

 This is the last of my posts about the Eddy family.  I've learned a lot from this brief study, and there is surely much more to be learned.  Joseph is the last of our ancestors named Eddy, but his family left its mark on our country and his descendants all have interesting stories of their own.  

I've written about Joseph Eddy earlier.  He married Susan Lamphire, the daughter of James and Hannah Eames Lamphire, in Richfield, Otsego County, New York.  He and Susan had at least ten children and the children lived in New York, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, and California.  There are stories of bravery and sadness hidden within the family, and I'm happy to have the chance to introduce you to some of these people, who would be our great great grand uncles and aunts.  If you want to trace the children further, please be aware that most of the names I am using are their given names, but they frequently used their middle names or a nickname rather than the given name, so they should be lots of "fun" to research.

If we can believe the dates (sometimes they are off by a year), Permelia was their first born child, and was born in 1826, before her parents married on July 1, 1827.  This leaves open the possibility that Joseph had an earlier wife, or at least an earlier child, but for our purposes now, Permelia was their child.  She died, unmarried as far as I can learn, in 1847, at Ellington, Chautauqua County, New York.  

George was the next child born, in 1829.  He married Hannah, sometimes seen as Fanny, Hart, whose parents are unknown to me.  Their children are Permelia, Frank, Ellen, George, another George, Etta, Isabella, Sarah, John Adelbert (known as Delbert), Jesse or Jessie, and John.  George died in 1905 in Holland, Ottawa County, Michigan.

Sarah was born in 1832.  She married William S Nichols, the son of Henry and (unknown) Nichols, and the couple stayed in Ellington, New York.  Their children are Mary Jane, Eveline, Adele, Ida, Ada, Eugenie, William, and John. Sarah died in 1913.

Susan was the next born, in 1835.  She married Hiram Stanard, son of Libbeus and Luceba Fay Stanard.  Their children are Susie, Seba, Louis, and Esther, and I will write more of this family in the future.  

Mary Ann was born in 1838.  She married Sheldon P Eddy, the son of George W and Betsy Wheeler Eddy, and yes, they were first cousins, both being grandchildren of Enos and Deborah Paine Eddy.  Their children are Bertha, Cora, Perry, Wallace, Willard, Herbert, Nina, and Ralph.  She died in 1898 in Sublette, Lee County, Illinois.

Joseph Eddy was born in 1841. He married Elizabeth "Betsey" Eddy, the daughter of George and Betsey Wheeler Eddy.  Yes, they were not only first cousins, but the siblings Mary Ann (above) and Joseph married siblings Sheldon and Betsey.  Their children must have done a lot of head scratching before they figured out all their relationships!  Joseph's children are George, Joseph, Clarence, Fred, and Richard.  Joseph served in the Civil War and was discharged due to disability in 1862 at Corinth, Mississippi. I don't know whether he was injured in the battle there which had taken place just a few days earlier, or whether he was one of the many who were discharged due to camp illnesses such as dysentery.  He lived in Lee County, Illinois, and then in South Dakota before moving to Los Angeles, California.  There he married Hannah Ellen Daulton in 1918, and died in 1921.  

Washington was born in 1845 and married Mary Cannon, the daughter of Timothy and Phoebe Skinner Cannon.  Their children are Leon, Aleda, Sarah, and Nellie.  Washington also served in the Civil War, and was captured by the Confederates.  Two different prison camps are listed as having held him, and I have been unable to determine whether he was held at one and then transferred to the other, or whether one of those named was incorrect.  However, there is a possibility, at least, that he was held at Andersonville, and at another camp in Alabama.  Washington died in 1925 in South Dakota.

Thomas was born in 1847 or 1848 and married Minnie Lodama Clark, the daughter of Andrew and Harriet Long Clark.  Their children are Hattie, Laroy, Susie, Nellie, and Florence.  He died in 1930 in Atlantic, Cass County, Iowa.  

Amelia may have been born in New York or she may have been born in Illinois, or she may have been born en route.  She was born in 1850, and died in 1862.

The last known child was Garrett, born in 1853 in Lee County, Illinois.  He married Elizabeth Cummings, the daughter of Jessee and Ormazinda McCall Cummings.  Their children are Jesse, James, Louis Elwin, Delbert, Mable, Harry, and Grace.  Garrett died in 1914 in Lee County, Illinois.

Joseph and Susan had reason to be proud of the family they raised.  From New York to California, they raised families, served their country, and were solid citizens of their communities.  There is a long Eddy heritage to remember, for those of us who are their descendants.