Basil Ridgway (III)

ca.1760-ca.1840

Basil was the youngest son of Jonathan and Elizabeth Ridgway, born about 1760 near Broad Creek in Prince George's County, Maryland. On January 18, 1779(1) he married Elizabeth Brashears, whose parents are unidentified. The Brashears were a prolific French Heugonot family who settled in Calvert County in the 1600's, and spread throughout Southern Maryland in the subsequent years. Family lore has it that Elizabeth's father was an Irish preacher, although there is no corroborating evidence to support this claim.

A letter dated September 8, 1903,(2) and written by Otho G. Ridgway of Sentinel, Virginia, a great grandson of Basil, to a Mr. J. A. Ridgway of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, describes family history in some detail, much of which has also been passed down by oral tradition. Among other things, the letter states that Otha was told his great grandfather, Basil Ridgway, had 10 brothers, several of whom went to South Carolina as overseers and some of which went to "West Virginia" (probably western Virginia). He also describes how Basil moved from Prince George's County, near Upper Marlboro, to Fairfax County, Virginia, with "his whole family". Basil "and all his family" was said to have then moved to Warren (then Shenandoah) County, Virginia "about 78 years ago" (i.e., about 1824). Otha's father, Otho W. Ridgway, was 9 years old at the time of the move. Much of the information in Otho's letter has been subsequently confirmed by documentary evidence from both Maryland and Virginia sources.

Basil is not listed in the 1790 Federal census for Maryland, at which time he was probably still living in his parent's household, but he does show up in the census of 1800 for Prince George's County. The Personal Property Tax Lists for Piscataway & Hynson Hundreds in Maryland place Basil in that same county as late as 1807. The Federal census of 1810 places him in nearby Fairfax County, Virginia, indicating that he had moved to Virginia some time between 1807 and 1810. It may not be a coincidence that his move followed shortly after his father's death in 1807. Although Basil is not listed in the 1820 census, his sons Joseph and Richard, along with sons in-law Hesikiah Kidwell and Luke Lovelace, are listed as heads of household in Fairfax County at this time. By 1820 Basil may have already left for Shenandoah County to scout that area for a new, and more permanent, homestead. It is not known precisely what motivated Basil to move across the Potomac to Virginia, and eventually west to the Shenandoah Valley, but most likely he was driven by the need for land. By the late 18th century, available land was scarce in eastern parts of Maryland and Virginia, and much of it exhausted through poor agricultural practices and nutrient-depleting tobacco crops. Farm land was more plentiful and less expensive in the western portions of the state, where population densities were significantly lower.

The earliest record found thus far in which the Ridgways are mentioned in Shenandoah County refers to the marriage of Basil's son William to Harriet Leary on December 12, 1825.(3) The earliest Shenandoah County deed to mention Ridgways is a Deed of Trust dated December 16, 1826, which mentions Basil, his son William who signs for Basil, and son in-law Hesikiah Kidwell, who is indebted to Basil for $58.49.(4) Hesikiah's house is mentioned in this document, indicating an earlier deed may possibly exist, although it is likely he rented property. The first land transactions found in Shenandoah County are two deeds, both dated May 5, 1827, in which Basil and son Judson acquire adjacent properties.(5) These two deeds describe the conveyance of land from William Elzy in consideration of a fee due from the grantees on December 31st of each subsequent year. The two tracts were conveyed by Elzy "for and during the natural lives" of the grantees, their wives, and in the case of Basil, his son William as well. In fulfillment of this contract, Basil agreed to "plant out" 100 apple trees and 70 pear trees, and build a "good dwelling house" at least 20 x 17 feet in size. These early records place Basil and his family in Shenandoah County between 1820 and 1825, confirming the information given in Otha Ridgway's letter. From the records, it is also apparent that when Basil migrated from Maryland to Virginia he brought with him a large extended family, including most, if not all, of his married children, their spouses and offspring, and possibly other families who held close ties with the Ridgways in Maryland. Some of the surnames which have been closely associated with the Ridgways from the colonial times in Maryland up to modern times in Virginia, include Lovelace, Kidwell, Vermillion and Hunt.

The geographic area in which the Ridgways settled is known as the Fork District, lying between the north and south forks of the Shenandoah River a few miles west of Front Royal, and surrounded on the west and south by the Blue Ridge Mountains. The early tracts on which the Ridgways lived were located along Cabin Run, a small tributary of the South Fork. Warren County was created from the northeastern portion of Shenandoah County, including the Fork District, and the southern portion of Frederick County in 1836.

The 1840 census for Warren County lists Hezekiah Kidwell, Joseph Ridgway, William Leary, Henry Leary, Richard Loveless and Judson Ridgway, all related, all on the same page . Richard Ridgway is on the previous page and Otho W. Ridgway is listed two pages earlier. This clearly indicates that all of the early homesteads belonging to the extended Ridgway family were in close proximity, probably near Cabin Run. Also, the 1840 census for Richard Ridgway lists a male age 80 and less than 90, and a female age 90 and less than 100. These are undoubtedly Richard's parents Basil and Elizabeth, who apparently lived quite long lives, particularly for this time period. They must have both died before 1850, as they no longer appear in the census record. Their burial location is not known, but presumably it some where near Cabin Run, south west of Front Royal. Basil and Elizabeth had ten children, all of which were born in Prince George's County, Maryland.

Children of Basil & Elizabeth Ridgway

  1. John Ridgway (b.ca.1780) John Ridgway is listed in Maryland probate records as having married Mary Bennett in Prince George's County on November 27, 1811, although Otho G. Ridgway, in his letter of 1903, stated that John married a Lovelace from Maryland. John does not show up in any of the Virginia records, and may therefor have remained behind in Prince George's County.
  2. Nancy Ridgway (b.AFT 1779) In excerpts from the bible records belonging to Otho G. and James R. Ridgway, copied by Alice Plotner in 1932, "Nancy" is listed as a daughter of Basil, and her husband is given as Lemuel Vermillion. Otha's 1903 letter also states that Nancy married Lem Vermillion of Maryland. Maryland probate records list an Ann Ridgway as having married Leonard Vermillion in Prince George's County on August 12, 1803. It is possible Ann and Nancy are the same person, and that the name Leonard was confused with Lemuel in the records, although this is just speculation. They had at least one son, Jordan, who married Mary Ridgway on July 15, 1835 in Shenandoah County.
  3. Millie Ridgway (b.AFT 1779) Married Fred Kidwell according to bible records. Probably moved to Virginia with the family.
  4. Mary "Polly" Ridgway (b. ca.1780) On December 18, 1800, Polly married Luke Harriss Lovelace, son of Luke and Mary Lovelace, in Prince George's County, Maryland. They moved to Virginia with the extended family, and had at least five children.
  5. Richard Ridgway (ca.1783-1851) Richard married Mary Ann Lovelace on December 15, 1803 in Prince George's County, Maryland. They moved with the family to Virginia, where they eventually settled and farmed in Warren County. In the 1840 Warren County census there are two females living in the household (ages 15<20 and 20<30), presumably daughters but possibly not. This census also mentions an elderly man and woman, most likely his parents. In the 1850 census, only Richard and wife Mary are listed in the household. In Richard's Last Will & Testament, made on September 2, 1851, he bequeathed his entire estate to his wife, Mary; He does not mention any children. He stipulated that after the death of his wife, all his slaves should be set free unless they choose to remain in slavery, in which case they will be sold to a master of their own choosing. In the appraisement of his estate are listed 13 slaves with a total value of $3975.00.
  6. Joseph Ridgway (IV) (ca.1787-ca.1870) Joseph married Rebecca Lovelace about 1815, probably in Fairfax County, Virginia. They moved to Warren County with his family, where they farmed. They had at least five children, Ellenor, Otho W., Richard, William and Joseph Jr.
  7. Elizabeth Ridgway (ca.1790-1866) Elizabeth married Hezikiah Kidwell, probably about 1815 in Virginia. Hezikiah shows up in the 1820 census for Fairfax County. They eventually moved to Warren County with her parents. They had at least one daughter, Mary Eleanor.
  8. Judson Ridgway (ca.1796-AFT 1840) Judson married Amelia "Millie" Frances of Fairfax County, Virginia around 1815. In the 1837 Land Book for Warren County, Virginia, Judson is listed with 104 acres described as "Cabin Run". His father, brother Richard and brother in-law Henry Leary all own substantial land at this location. In 1838 he was appointed surveyor on the road from James Gardner's Hill to the residence of James Stewart.(6) Judson and Millie had six children according to bible records, but only five are known to have survived childhood, Desiah Westwood, Amelia "Millie" Ann, Elizabeth, Eleanor F. and Caroline. Daughter Millie Ann married her first cousin, William, son of Joseph Ridgway.
  9. Basil Ridgway, Jr (1797-AFT 1860) Basil Jr. was born on June 11, 1797 according to the register of King George's Parish in Prince George's County, Maryland. He married Catherine Hahn on September 13, 1831 in Shenandoah County, Virginia, and later moved to Franklin County, Ohio, where he presumably died some time after 1860 when he is mentioned in the Federal census. His wife is mentioned in the 1850 census, but not the 1860 census. Basil and Catherine had six children, Lourina, John, Mary, Joseph, George W. and Rachel.
  10. William Ridgway (1800-AFT 1836) William's birth was recorded on March 17, 1800 in the register of King George's Parish in Prince George's County, Maryland. On December 12, 1825, William married Harriet Leary in Shenandoah County, Virginia. He is mentioned once again in the 1836 Warren County Personal Property Tax List, but is absent from the 1840 census record for Virginia. His whereabouts after 1836 are not known.


Footnotes

1. Prince George's County Probate Records, Index No. 6, Page 8, Maryland State Archives, Annapolis, MD.

2. Copy obtained from Alma Hunt of Front Royal, Virginia.

3. Shenandoah County Marriage Register, 1772-1853, Page 303, County Court House, Woodstock, VA.

4. Shenandoah County Land Records, Book FF, Page 152, County Court House, Woodstock, VA.

5. ibid, Book, FF, Page 472.

6. Warren County Court Minute Books, Book A, Page 121, County Court House, Front Royal, VA.