David’s family

John Riddle - Col

Col

15 Sep 1699 - 1773 · 6th Great Grandfather

John Riddle, also recorded as John Riddell, was born 15 September 1699 and died in 1773. He is identified in this family line as a sixth great-grandfather. A published family history states that he lived in New Jersey, married Molly Anderson, and farmed near the Raritan River. That account also reports that he died after being thrown from a carriage when his horses ran away.

At a glance

Name: John Riddle
Alternate name: John Riddell
Subtitle supplied: Col
Birth date: 15 Sep 1699
Birth place: New Jersey, uncertain; the cited family history says about 1698 and includes a question mark.
Death date: 1773
Death circumstance: Reportedly thrown from his carriage when his horses ran away while he was traveling home.
Relationship: 6th great-grandfather
Sibling: William Riddell, as stated in the cited family history.
Spouse: Molly Anderson, according to the cited family history.
Father-in-law: William Anderson, according to the cited family history.
Residence: Near the Raritan River, near New Brunswick, New Jersey, according to the cited family history.
Occupation: Farmer, according to the cited family history.
Possible later marriage: A 1741 marriage license names John Riddell of Princeton, Somerset County, merchant, and Rachel Stockton, widow; identification with this John is uncertain.
Possible occupation: Merchant, if the 1741 marriage-license entry refers to him.

John Riddle, also spelled John Riddell, was born on 15 September 1699. He is identified as a brother of William Riddell in the History of the ancient Ryedales, although that work gives his birth only as about 1698 in New Jersey, with a question mark indicating uncertainty.

According to that family history, John married Molly, a daughter of William Anderson. The account says that they settled as farmers on the Raritan River near New Brunswick, in the northwestern section of New Jersey.

A marriage-license entry dated 11 May 1741 may refer to him. It names John Riddell of Princeton, Somerset County, described as a merchant, and Rachel Stockton, widow, of the same county. The family-history author believed John may have married twice but stated that the record could not be applied with certainty to any other member of the New Jersey family.

John Riddle died in 1773. The History of the ancient Ryedales reports that he was killed after being thrown from his carriage when his horses ran away while he was traveling home.

Historical context

The available material places John Riddle in colonial-era New Jersey, associated with the Raritan River area near New Brunswick and, in a 1741 marriage-license entry, with Princeton in Somerset County. The records and family-history account use the spelling “Riddell,” while the supplied name uses “Riddle.”

Sources & research

History of the ancient Ryedales. Cited in the original family-tree notes; states that John Riddell was a brother of William, was born in New Jersey about 1698, married Molly Anderson, settled near the Raritan River near New Brunswick, and died in 1773 after being thrown from a carriage.

Marriage-license record, 11 May 1741. Quoted in the History of the ancient Ryedales: license granted by Governor Lewis Morris to John Riddell of Princeton, Somerset County, merchant, and Rachel Stockton, widow, of the same county.