This William Riddle is not to be confused with the family of WilliamRi ddle, son of Moses, whose family was marked "mulatto" on taxrecords af ter to NC.
It seems from William's will that he and Joyce raised granddaughter,Jo yce Riddle, illegitimate child of daughter Sarah who later marriedWill iam Powell.
Cemetery records for daughter Jennette Shepard say:
Revolutionary War Patriot--Supplied cattle born 1720 died afterDecembe r 22, 1776 in Orange Co., VA;
Residences & events:
King & Queen Co, VA
1744 Orange Co, VA.
From Orange Co, Deed book:
7/25/1744 Indenture between Daniell Stodghill [Daniel Stodgill] ofEss ex County and Jane his wife to William Riddle of King & QueenCounty.. 1 6 pounds, 16 shillings, Stodghill deeds of lease andrelease for 100 ac res, part of grant to George Penn for 1,000 acres..by Patent dated 8 S ep 1741 and sold to David Williams.. and byWilliams sold to THOMAS CAL LAWAY.. land in County of Orange neargreat Mountains adjoining the lan ds of the Revd. Hancock Dunbarr,Honorias Powell and James Stodghill. / s/ Daniell Stodghill, Jane (x)Stodghill. Wit: Robert Green, Gabriel Jo nes, Honorias Powell, JamesPorteus.
From Orange Co. VA Order Book:
4/26/1749 William Riddle was among those sworn in to serve on a GrandJ ury for the inquest of a body of the county.
7/26/1750 On the petition of John Blakey to be discharged from beingo verseer of the Blue Ridge Road to the Red Oak Leavell and that thesaid r oad be divided and cleared by two gangs. Honorius Powell isappointed o verseer of the upper part of the said road from the top ofthe ledge do wn to the Boxing Camp and that he with the male laboringtithables of W illiam Riddle, James Stodghill, William Watkins,Zachary Adams, James B erry, Thomas Morris, Thomas Fogg, JamesGoodall, John Goodall, Thomas W ood, JOhn Wood, James Beasley and thesaid Powell do clear and keep the s ame in repair.
From Orange Co Deed Bk:
4/25/1754, Taverner Beale, Gent., and Frances, his wife, of orangeCoun ty, VA, deeded 150 acres to Daniel Stoghill, taylor, of EssexCo., VA, p art of a patent for 1000 acres granted to Henry Madison andby him ackn owledged to the said Frances as Frances Madison, daughterof Ambrose Ma dison, deceased, it being at the Great Mountains inOrange County, on b oth sides of Swift Run.
A note says: Daniel Stodgell immediately thereafter sold the land toWi lliam Riddle of Orange Co., VA.
Again from the Order Book:
7/24/1755 Ordered that the road from Bennet Beasley is overseer offro m the Blue Ridge down to Boxing Camp be devided by the Blue Runand tha t the said Beasley be overseer of the upper part of the saidBlue Run t o the county line and that he have his gang all the malelaboring titha bles of John White, James Beasley at Caves Quarter,William Riddle, the s aid Stodghill and Watson and the said Beasleyown tithables. Ordered th at Honorous Powell be overseer of the roadfrom Blue Run down to Boxing C amp and that he with his own malelabouring tithables and those of John G oodall, James McKenny's, JamesBerry, William Pearce, Thomas Stanton an d John Blakey's clear andkeep the said road.
The last will and testiment of Bennet Beasley. Executrex: AnneBeasley. W it: James Beasley, John While. Witness and security:Honorios Powell. H eir: Jeremiah Beasley. Appraisers: John Goodall,Wm. Riddle, James Grif fin, Wm. Scott.
8/22/1771 Orange Co. deed books list a deed of gift from WilliamRiddl e, Orange Co., VA to his dau. Jeannette Riddel, wife of JamesSheppard - a s lave girl Phillis and her issue etc., Jeannette beingof Newberry Co., S C. Copy in Newberry Co., SC Equity Court.
Orange County Deed Book
7/7/1775 I WILLIAM RIDDLE for the love and affection I have and beart o my Son, LEWIS RIDDLE....
At the time he wrote his will, he owned the folloing slaves:
Sampson, Callamy (girl), Joshua, Fillis, Dafney (woman), Catherior(wom an), Peter, George, Dol (man), and Ben
William's will, dated 12/22/1776, stated:
"To my son James Riddel one third part of 250 acres where I nowli ve at my wife's decease.
To my son Lewis Riddel one third part of 250 acres of said tracta t my wife's decease.
To my son William Riddel the other third part of my said landafte r my wife's decease, if he is living, otherwise his part toreturn to m y other sons James and Lewis Riddle.
To my son James Riddel one Negro Sampson which he has now inposse ssion not to be appraised in my estate with his paying 15 poundsto the e state at the first sale of the said estate.
To my son Lewis Riddel one Negro girl Callamy which he has now inp ossession, not to be appraised, with his paying 15 pounds at thetime a bovementioned.
To my daughter Joyce Powell one Negro boy Joshua with her paying1 5 pounds to the estate, not to be appraised.
To my daughter Jannet Shepherd one Negro girl Fillis which shehas i n her possession, not to be appraised, with her paying 5 pounds.
To my daughter Winnyfrit Coursey one Negro wench Dafney which shem ust pay 65 pounds to the estate.
To my daughter Saley Powell one Negro Wench Catherior which sheha s now in possession with her paying 65 pounds to the estate.
To my beloved wife Joyce Riddel three Negroes Peter, George andDo l during her natural life or widowhood.
To my granddaughter Joyce Riddel daughter of Saley Powell oneNegr o boy Ben at the age of eighteen years old or marriage and if heshould d ie before, I give her 70 pounds to be raised out of my estatein lieu o f the boy, also one feather bed and furniture worth 9 poundsand to liv e with her grandmother and at her decease under the care ofLewis Riddl e while of age or marries.
All the rest of my estate to be sold to the highest bidder andthe m oney equally divided betwixt my seven children Winnifret, Janet,Parker , Joyce, William, Saly, and Lewis Riddel.
My beloved wife Joyce Riddel and my son James Riddel and my sonLe wis Riddle executors.
William Riddell"
Witnesses were: James Beazley, Edm Shackleford, John Pemberton,Philli p Stallord.
2/25/1777 "Presented in Court by James Riddell and Lewis Riddell.prov ed by James Beazly, John Pemberton and Edmond Shackleford.Executors wi th James Walker, Benjamin Head and Thomas Jones enteredinto bond in th e sum of 2000 pounds current money."
At a Court held for Orange County on thursday 25th Feby 1777 This Lastw ill and testament of William Riddell Decd Being presented in toCourt b y James Riddlell & Lewis Riddell Two of the Executors thereinnamed and p roved by the oaths James Beazly John Pemberton and EdmondShackleford t hree of The Witnesses thereto and ordered to be recordedand on the Mot ion of said Exor. Administration is granted the saidExor Whereupon the y with James Walker, Benjamin Head & Thomas F--esEntered into a Bond f or the same on the sum of Two Thousand poundsCurrent money. Teste Jame s Taylor C.O.C.
However, it seems the estate was not distributed properly after motherd ied:
Augusta Co., VA, Deed Book #24, p. 72:
6/17/1783 - "I James Shepherd of the state of South Carolina forsundr y good causes & considerations appoint my well beloved friendJacob Pec k of Augusta Co. my true & lawful attorney .... and whereasI have comm enced a suit in the Court of Chancery now defendingagainst James Riddl e and Lewis Riddle of Orange Co., VA, bothexecutors of the last will a nd testament of William Riddle, deceased,for the several legacies left t o my wife Janet as specified in saidlast will of the said William Ridd le. I do allow my said attorney toprosecute the suits aforesaid or to s ettle & compromise the saidseveral suits in any manner that he may thi nk most expedient as if Iwas personally present myself ratifying confi rming and allowingwhatsoever my said attorney shall do in my name or c ause to be donein the premises by virtue of these presents in witness w hereof I havehereunto set my hand & seal this 29th day of March 1783 s igned sealed& delivered in the presence of us. Alexander Gibson Harmon L ovingoodJames Coursey } At a court held for Augusta County June the 17 th 1783this power of Attorney from James Shepherd to Jacob Peck was pr ovedby the oaths of the witnesses thereto and ordered to be recorded."
6/22/1784. "William Powell Riddle to Jacob Peck, power of attorney top rosecute a suit in General Court against James and Lewis Riddle, ofOra nge County, executor of William Riddle, deceased. for his part ofsaid e state; also a negro that I left with my father, and
all estate left by me or my father to me in Orange County."
