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.