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[Identification of item], in the Ridgely family papers, 1790-1892, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
Purchase, 2010
Processed by: Alice Poffinberger, November 2010
Encoded by: Alice Poffinberger, July 2011
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This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
The Ridgely family resided in Towson (Baltimore Co.), Md. Captain Charles Ridgely began construction of Hampton Mansion there in 1783. At his death in 1790, his wife Rebecca, and nephew Charles Ridgely Carnan (who later changed his name to Charles Carnan Ridgely) desputed the will, especially in regard to the mansion and other property.
Collection comprises family documents. Includes a deed (29 July 1790) related to the dispute between Rebecca Ridgely and Charles Ridgely Carnan; a letter to Charles Carnan regarding a payment and receipts from a linen draper (1791); warrants issued during Charles Carnan Ridgeley's term as governor; and a "Ridgely notebook" (1892) that contains copied Ridgely family letters, genealogical information, and notes on family history and land holdings. Also contains Mrs. Ridgely's letters (1858 and undated) to her daughter, Eliza White, who was traveling in France with her children. The letters chiefly discuss family matters such as illness, births, weddings, child rearing, and household management. Mrs. Ridgely also writes about social life in Baltimore, her daughter's itinerary, and many requests for purchases from French and English merchants.
There are documents with unclear connections to the Ridgely family, including an indenture (1838) between Charles Carroll III and Reuben Musgrove for rent of land on Doughoregan Manor (Ellicott City, in Howard County, Md.) and a copy of a Murray family tree (1850s).
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