John (Northumberland VA NOT Bath Co NC or New Kent Co VA) Aldridge

Notes from Pam Wilson, Arledge Family History Project (wilsonpam@mindspring.com):

Many researchers have confused and merged the identities of at least THREE distinct John Aldridges. This one is clearly the first, below--NOT the John who died in Bath County (wife Dorothy) in 1702 *nor* the John who died in New Kent Co, Virginia in 1720.

(1) This Northumberland County record likely refers to John ALDRIDGE son of Clement who was deceased by the date of the following document (4/15/1730). From "Apprentices of Virginia, 1623-1800":

ALDRIDGE, John

Master: Owens, William

Beginning date: 04/15/1730

Sex: male

Father: ALDRIDGE, John (deceased)

Source: Northumberland Co. Orders 1729-1737, 27

Northumberland Co.

Occupation: carpenter/joiner

Ending date: unspecified

Race: white

(2) Also, the church records of St. Peter's Parish, New Kent Co, VA, as posted on FTM's Genealogy Library, mention a John Aldridge dying in the parish on 16 April 1720. This is apparently a different John Aldridge.

(3) A John Aldridge left a will in Bath Co, NC in 1702. Wife Dorothy. Mentions "my dear children." [Source: Russ Henderson <Latchua@aol.com> query in Teri Allred newsletter, Summer 1993]. Says daughter Elizabeth Aldridge m. Edward Ward, Sr. and lived in Onslow Co, NC. Teri says both children married Wards.

Teri Allred wrote in Jan 1998:

              This John Aldrige's will is found in Deed Book 1, page 49, Beaufort [actually Bath] County, NC, proved the first Tuesday, April 1702, house of Capt. Barrow.  Wife:               Dorothy Aldrige.  My children, not named.  Executor: Wife.  Signed by mark.

Witnesses: Samuel Slocumb, Richard Smith, John Walnor, Jr.

To further confuse things:

(County not given) Aldridge, December 25, 1706. April 2, 1706. Wife and Executrix: Dorothy. Witnesses: Samuel Slocumb, Richard Smith, John Wilson. Clerk of Court, Levi Truewhitt.

Could the son of Clement and Elizabeth be the same John Aldridge as the one who married Dorothy Smith and lived in Beaufort Co, NC? Dates are similar, but some discrepancies. However, Teri Allred continued:

I do not think a case can be made that this #3 John Aldridge was the son of Clement of Northumberland. Check this out!

Price, William S., Jr., Editor, Assisted by Ruth Clow Langston and Donna Holmes Goswick, The Colonial Records of North Carolina (Second Series), Volume IV, North Carolina Higher Court Records 1702-1708, Department of Cultural Resources, Division of Archives and History, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1974.

• 1686: Jno. Aldridge versus Jno. Tarkington. In an action of the case the plantif not Appearing Ordered that he be nonsuited and pay cost of suite.
• 1708: General Court, July 1708. Wm. Read against Jno. Aldridge. Detuine. "... Action ... delivered but noe Returne made upon [it]"
• As you can see, there was a John Aldridge in NC in 1686. He may be the one that died in 1702-1706. Looks like the will was read in Capt. Barrow's house in 1702 and then filed with the court in 1706.

Some of the information about the descendants of John Aldridge was provided by

Allen Dowdee Aldridge of Durham, North Carolina on the Arledge/Aldridge web page at http://www.tx3.com/~arledge on April 9, 1997.

From: "Frances Henderson" <mothrhen@onslowonline.net>

Subject: Aldridge/Ward - Onslow Co. N. C.

You may certainly forward this to anyone within your family research group who might be interested. I have a John Aldridge b. about 1671 in what is now Carteret Co., North Carolina (formerly Beaufort Precinct, Bath County). Died 1706, same place. His wife was Dorothy Somebody b. about 1675 in the same place. They were married about 1702. They had a daughter Elizabeth Aldridge b. July 23, 1703. Elizabeth married Edward Ward about 1718. Edward was b. March 22, 1693/94 and d. Sept 18, 1766. His parents were Edward Ward (1666 - 1713) and Elizabeth Elam (1670 - 1713). Miss Elam's parents were Gilbert, Sr. (1629 - 1696) and Ann Somebody (1629 - 1693). Her husband's parents were Richard Ward (1615 - 1682) and Elizabeth Somebody (1635 - 1682). Richard was the son of Seth Ward and Katherine Smith. He was b. 1590 and d. about 1677. Katherine was b. 1595. Elizabeth Aldridge Ward's grave marker reads, in part,

Ward, Elizabeth 07-23-1703 11-24-1767

Here lyes ye Body of Mrs. Elizabeth Ward, Relict of Col. Edward Ward by whom she had 15 children, 90 grandchildren & 14 great grandchildren…..in ye 65th year of her age

Her husband's marker reads, in part:

Ward, Edward 03-22-1694 09-18-1766

Here lyeth the Body of Colonel Edward Ward, Esq. Aged 72 years 5 months 15 days. He was one of ye First settlers and was wonded in ye first of ye Indian Wars yet he lived to have by his only wife Elizabeth 15 children which 15 has already produced for him 86 grandchildren and 14 great grandchildren, in all 155 souls

There is a deed dated 15 Dec 1731 that shows Elizabeth as the wife of Edward and daughter of John Aldridge. I have a copy of it along with the wills of both Elizabeth and Edward. These wills are posted on the Onslow County GenWeb page at http://www.rootsweb.com/~nconslow/wlcoleward.html for his. Hers is at http://www.rootsweb.com/~nconslow/wleaward.html

Of the fifteen children mentioned I have 14 names : Edward , Jr. (b. c. 1719), Joseph (b. c. 1720), Benjamin (b. c. 1722), Enoch (b. c. 1723), Seth (b. 1725), Martha (b. c. 1726), Richard (b. c. 1728), Dorothy (b. c. 1729), Mary (b. c. 1731), Anne (b. c. 1732), another son (b. c. 1734), Elizabeth (b. c. 1735), Ruth (b. c. 1737), and Obedience (b. c. 1740). Don't know where # 15 fits in.

Edward had a brother Enoch who also had a ton of children. One of Ed's boys married one of Enoch's girls and one of Enoch's boys married one of Ed's girls. Kept the money and land in the family and these guys had a

lot of it. One of the many Edward's in this family got run out of Henrico Co. Virginia we presume he never returned. Haven't researched out the reason for his troubles, but he wasted no time gathering land and spending money when he reached Eastern North Carolina, most of which he and his family owned within a relatively short period of time!

I have a bunch of other stuff, but this is enough for you to figure out if this will be helpful to your Aldridge study.

Fran Henderson

Swansboro North Carolina