Nicholas Ridgely (February 2, 1694 – February 18, 1755) was colonial justice of the Supreme Court of the Lower Counties of Delaware from 1746 until his death in 1755.

Biography

Born in Maryland, Ridgely was the grandson of Colonel Henry Ridgley, and settled in Delaware in 1732,[1] and in Dover, Delaware, specifically in 1736.[2]

Ridgely "served first as a magistrate of the court before he became one of the provincial justices of the Delaware Supreme Court in 1740".[2] In 1745, the colonial supreme court consisted of three members: Ryves Holt, Jehu Curtis, and Ridgely.[3] In 1746, when Caesar Rodney was orphaned at the age of 17, the Delaware Orphan's Court named Ridgley as Rodney's guardian.[4][5]

Personal life and death

In 1749, Ridgely built a mansion called Eden Hill, which generations later was acquired by the Delaware Department of Transportation, and later still renovated for use by the courts, and occupied by Ridgely's descendent, Delaware Supreme Court justice Henry du Pont Ridgely.[5] Other descendents of Ridgely's who also served on the Delaware Supreme Court included Henry Ridgely Horsey and Maurice Hartnett.[6]

Ridgely was married three times, first to Sarah Worthington in 1711, then to Ann French (Gordon) in 1723, and lastly to Mary Middleton (Vining) in 1736. Between his three wives, Ridgely fathered ten children, and had numerous prominent descendents.[2] Ridgely died in Delaware at the age of 61.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Biographical and Genealogical History of the State of Delaware, Vol. 1 (1899), p. 85-86.
  2. 1 2 3 4 University of Delaware, Ridgely Family Papers: Selected Family History, accessed January 28, 2023.
  3. ↑ "In Memory Of Hon. Ryves Holt". Every Evening. December 15, 1913 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ↑ Jackson, Thomas Clark (November 30, 2011). "Caesar Rodney". 2016 The Society of the Descendants of the Signers of the Declaration of Independence. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  5. 1 2 Denison, Doug (August 31, 2010). "Justice Ridgely to reclaim ancestral Eden Hill mansion". Dover Post.
  6. ↑ Murray, Molly (March 4, 2016). "Henry Horsey, friend of environment and history, dies". The News Journal.
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