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.