The family of John Simpson Aldridge 1761-1842

At last, we are coming to an Aldridge with fewer mysteries to solve.  No, we don't have all the answers, but at least we have some, and I've solved, to my satisfaction at least, a confusing statement I've seen written about three Aldridges marrying three native American women.  It wasn't quite that way, so read on.

John Simpson Aldridge is the son of Jacob and Elizabeth (Soper?) Aldridge.  He served in the Revolutionary War for six months in 1776-1777, and enlisted again for three years in  1777, serving until 1780.  During his first enlistment, he was at the Battle of White Plains and possibly other battles.  At least one source (but not the on line muster rolls) says he was at Brandywine and at Valley Forge, and that he spent the last part of the war in Ohio at forts there, protecting against the British but mostly against the native American allies of the British.  He would certainly have some stories to tell!  

John's wife was Mary Lakin, the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Fee Lakin.  They married in Frederick County, Maryland in 1783 and were in Clermont County, Ohio by 1802.  The 1820 census shows them still there, with 7 children.  At least two of the older ones had already left home, and there is a female under the age of 10 that I can't currently account for. John and Mary, and most of their children, moved on to Rush County, Indiana about 1825, and that is where they spent their remaining days. John and Mary's children are:

Joseph, born in 1784, and died in 1816 in Clermont County. He married Rachel Stiers, the daughter of Jacob and Ruhama Stiers.  Ruhama is said to have been a member of the Delaware tribe, but little more is known of her than that.  Joseph and Rachel had as many as seven children: Ruhama, John, Mahala, Henry, Mary, William, and John.  

Rachel, their first daughter, was born in 1786 and died in 1826 in Rush County, Indiana.  She married Samuel Stiers, who was the son of Jacob and Ruhama Stiers mentioned above.  They probably had more children than I have located, as the 1820 census shows them with 6 children under the age of 16.  (Or possibly one or both of them brought children to the marriage.  The children I have more or less located are John, Alva, Cyrus, and an unnamed daughter who was born in 1820.  

The next born was Erasmus, known as Raizy or Raisy, born in 1789 and died in 1844 in Rush County, Indiana. He married Sarah, possibly Sarah Holmes, but I could locate no further information about her.  Thier children are William, Mickley, Nackey, Joseph, John, Lucinda, Leroy, and Samuel, with a question in my mind about Leroy "Swampstead" Aldridge.  I will discuss this further when I write about Sarah.

Elizabeth was the next born, in 1791.  She married Ralph (Rafe) Stiers, who was also the son of Jacob and Ruhama Stiers.  They stayed in Clermont County, where Elizabeth died in 1868.  Their children are Malinda, Sarah, Mary, Joseph, Euseba, Martha, and John.  

Mary was born in 1793 and married William Smith in Clermont County in 1817.  She is one who has left more questions than answers.  I find just two children attributed to her, Anna and Mahala.  She apparently died in 1842, or 1844, in Rush County or elsewhere.  There is so far not much documentation about her life.

Sarah is another person with poor documentation.  She was born in 1795 and was living, apparently not married, in 1823, when she and a son "Leroy Swampstead" were listed as dependents in her father's pension application.  "Leroy Swampstead" is not a common name, and Erasmus had a son by the same name.  Were the two Leroy's one and the same, with Erasmus raising Leroy as his own?  Or were there two young men, each named for a possible friend/lover/husband of Sarah?  I've not found anything to prove or disprove any of this, nor have I found marriage or death records for Sarah.  She is a mystery.  

John Simpson Aldridge Jr is their next child.  He was born in 1798, and died in Rush County, Indiana in 1842, just a few months before his father's death.  He married Lucinda Wheeler, the daughter of Jason and Patience or Palina (maiden name unknown; Tracy and Hamblin have been suggested but neither is proven) Wheeler.  Their children are Ruhamah, Mary, Eliza, John Simpson III, Isam, Barr, Jason, Marcellus, Darlington, and Joseph. I will write more of this family in my next blog post.

Delila or Delilah was born in 1799.  She married Arthur Layton, not further identified.  He died in 1834.  Their children are Joseph, Arthur, Louisanna, and Missouri.  There are marriage records for Delila Layton in 1835 and again, later, but if she married again, it was a short marriage and she retained the name of Layton, for she is found in 1860 in Rush County, Indiana, living with her son, A. Layton.  It's possibly that there is a Delila Layton who was a daughter to this Delila, but if so, it is news to family historians.

The last known child was Nathan, born in 1803, probably in Clermont County, Ohio, and died in 1884 in Rush County, Indiana.  He married Nancy Kitchen, not further identified yet, and had at least two children with her, Mahala and Dulcina known as Sina.  Martha died in 1831 and Nathan then married-wait for it-Rachel Stiers.  This Rachel was not the daughter of Jacob and Ruhama, but was the daughter of Andrew and Elizabeth Creviston Stiers.  This Stiers family was from New Jersey and I have not found a connection to the Jacob Stiers family but that doesn't mean there isn't a connection.  The children of Nathan and Rachel are William, Leroy (there's that name again!) John, Nathan, and Charles.

This brings us back to the kernel of truth in the story that three Aldridge children married three native Americans.  The truth is that three Aldridge children married three children of one native American, woman, Ruhama, who had married Jacob Stiers.  Perhaps DNA testing could show whether she was truly a native American, or whether she may have been one of those who was captured and then adopted by members of the Delaware, or other, tribe.  Such things happened.  

John and Mary, by my count, had at least 50 grandchildren, and only one of the families is known to have stayed in Ohio.  They surely enjoyed their life as grandparents, and great grandparents, and we can appreciate the sacrifices made by John in serving his country, and by both John and Mary in raising a large family.