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John Riddle 1775-1855
The first record we have of our Riddle
ancestry begins with John Riddle who was born in 1775. This
birthdate is based on the 1850 census in which he was listed
as being 75 years old. He was married to Mary
Higgins' born approximatley 1780' according to census
data. We do not know for certatiin where John came from'
but he settled in Laurens county' South Carolina.
There is record of an older John Riddle' also
married to a Mary' in what is now Kewshaw county'
S.C. In his will of 9/27/1780' he leaves; to my loving wife
Mary' one third of all my estate real and
personal...........until my children come to full age of
21 years..........my four children James' John' Patrick
and George..........friends John Fields' Patrick
MaFadden and William Twaddle' exrs.'' James made a will in
Kershaw [Camden] in 1826. We find George in York
District in 1810. We do not know what happened to
Patrick and can only speculate that possibly this same John is
our John who came to Laurens county. Word has been handed down
through family' namely William Alexander Riddle' grandson of
John' that the Riddles' migrated from pennsylvania through
Virginia to South Carolina. They were of Scotch-Irish descent.
It is from this point that we trace our Riddle
ancestry. In 1790' the first Federal census was taken. At that
time' there were no Riddles listed in Laurens county. The 1800
census' however' list John Riddle as the head -of household
with a wife and two small sons living in Laurens county. There
were only seven other Riddle households listed in the 1800
census in the entire state of South Carolina. In 1804' John
purchased 130 acres of land from William Higgins at a cost of
twenty-five pounds sterling. The land was on the
Beaverdam Creek of the Enoree River. Within the deed' it
states that John was living on this land already. Since
John's wife maiden name was Higgins' it may be
that he and Mary were living on her family's land'
but this is only an assumption. In 1806' John purchased 100
acres of land for 1. 80 from Joseph Allison. This land was on
a branch of Warrior Creek and was a part of an original land
grant to Lewis Devall in 1793. Bordering land was owned
by William Higgins. This gave John a total of 230 acres.
There are other records of land deeds concerning John' so this
might be the same 230 acres that was later appraised in
his Estate settlement for 2305 or 10 dollars per acre. His
land had increased in value from 1.80 per acre in
1806 purchase to 10 dollars per acre at his death in
1855.
John and Mary had 12 children.
William [BILL]' James [Jim]' Felden' Elizabeth [Betsy]' John'
Melmouth' Harrison' Mary [Polly]' Katherine' Newton' Berry'
Matilda. The will and estate papers of John Riddle are
on microfim with the South Carolina Department of Archives and
history in Columbia' S.C. tHE original will be in the files of
Laurens county. In the will John left all his belongings
to his wife' Mary for the remainder of her life. After her
death' everything was to go to their children'
specifically named in the will. We do not know why John
excluded his sons William' James' and John from the will. Son
John is not listed in the census data during his adult life'
and may have died or moved away. But sons William and James
are the oldest children' lived in Laurens County. The actual
home place and one acre of land is not accounted for in the
will. Possibly' this was given to William and/or James. An
appraisal of John's belongings was made in 1855 at his death.
Some items were sold' probably in order to pay funeral
expenses.
In 1863' when wife Mary died' ANOTHER
appraisal was made to include the 230 acres of land.
Everything was sold' except for the home place and one acre of
land of which there is no record of its disposition. In the
final settlement of the estate' the nine children named in the
will each received 285.57. Mary Higgins was born 1780 and died
1863.
Berry Riddle
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Lillie Belle
Riddle | Berry Riddle was my
great-grandaddy. He was born in Laurens county in 1822 and he
died 1864. Berry Riddle was married to Eleanor Wilson. She was
born 1828' Eleanor Wilson died in 1897. Parens of Berry Riddle
were John Riddle who was born in 1775 and died in 1855 and
Mary Higgins who was born in 1780 and died 1863. Now John and
Mary were my great-great-grandparents. They had twelve
children back then they had large familes. I will name
all these children. William [Bill] Riddle' James Riddle'
Felden Riddle' Elizabeth Riddle' John Riddle' Melmouth Riddle'
Harrison Riddle' Mary [Polly] Riddle' Katherine Riddle' Newton
Riddle' Berry Riddle' and Matilda Riddle' This is the list of
all their children. I'am very glad to be able to write this
down. Berry Riddle [son of John and Mary Riddle] married
Eleanor Wilson. Eleanor is buried at Friendship Baptist Church
Cemetery near Gray Court' S.C. Berry Riddle was killed
in Petersburg in the Battle of the Grater.
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Lillie Belle & Ala Mae
Riddle |
According to the Encyclopedia Britannica
the battle lasted from June 1864 to April 1865. Berry is
buried in Virginia' we think probably in the confederate
cemetery adjoining Bristol Parish Church. Mr. Oliver [OL]
Thompson' who upon his return from the war was elected probate
Judge of Laurens county' once told Mr. Marvin Adolphus Riddle
that was with Berry Riddle just a while before he was killed.
Berry was Adolphus' grandfather. |
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Calvin M. Riddle Calvin
M. Riddle was born in Laurens county in the year 1859. Mr.
Riddle was married to Carrie Rampley she was born in
1864 in Laurens county. This was my grandmother and my
grandaddy on my mothers side Calvin M. Riddle
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Carrie Rampley Riddle &
Calvin M. Riddle | and
Carrie Rampley got married in Friendship Baptist
Church. They were a beautiful couple. Such love
that they had for one another. Now Carrie Rampley was almost
full Cherokee Indian. We thank God for this. Yes there was
lot's of love in their hearts.
Mr. Calvin M.
Riddle when he was just a young man he would ride to church in
a buggy. This was told to me by my mother. She said that his
hair was very black and he was a very nice looking young
man. He had his eye on Carrie Rampley. She must have been
watching him also. I'am sure that you have heared about love
at first site. Both of them went to Friendship Baptist
Church in Laurence (Laurens) County' S.C. which they
loved the church. Carrie Rampley Riddle wife of Calvin Riddle
and my grandmother as for as I can remember grandmother lived
God. Even when grandmother was young she got very sick. She
goes into a coma. As they would go into her room to check on
her they could hear her say yes Jesus. This went on for
several days' and then she came out of the coma.
Others
wondered why that she kept saying yes. This is what she told
them; she said Jesus told me not now you are going to get
better Mrs. Riddle went on to say that she was
going to live several more years yet. This is why that
grandmother said yes Jesus. Grandmother said that the Lord
spoke to her and said that the next time that you get real
sick that will be it. Said that she just looked up and said
yes Jesus. My grandmother was very close to the Lord. She
would talk to God a lot' yes she loved to talk to God
because this what kept her going.
Grandaddy died Nov
23' 1943 he was 84 years of age. And grandmother died 1958 she
lived to be 94 years of age. They were married for 64 years.
God really give them a long life toghter thank you
Lord.
Carrie Riddle This is
about my grandmother during her last years on earth. We
moved to 1007 Pendlenton St. Where grandmother lived as
she was getting older and someone to help take care of her. We
are now looking at the year 1958' grandmother got very sick.
About two weeks before grandmother got sick she was on the
front porch looking up at the sky not saying anything at all.
My daddy said ' Mrs. Riddle why do you keep looking up to the
sky? She said' Denny I'am looking up to Heaven' I'am
looking forward to going to Heaven. She also said' It
won't be long. My daddy said' Mrs. Riddle you will be here a
long time yet. She looked at my daddy and never said
anything' just looked at him. Grandmother gets up and
goes to her room. When she would come to the table to eat' she
would take her hands and fill for her food'. She never had
done this before. They said' Mrs. Riddle' can you see?
Oh yes' I can see. But when she got up from the table they
noticed for the first time that grandmother would put
her hands in front of her like she was trying to find her way.
They knew then that she could not see.
Everyone loved
grandmother and everyone wanted to help her get
around in the house. She thanked each and everyone.
Grandmother gets very sick. She gets worse and worse. I will
never forget this. I was a 18 year old grandson standing next
to her room. With tears in my eyes I knew that
grandmother was leaving us. The doctor was called to the house
and upon arrival' went to her room. He didn't stay long. The
doctor came out of her room and shook his head. She passed
away but she will never be forgotten.
Mrs.
Carrie Riddle was 94 years of age at the time. I praise
the Lord for you grandmother and I truly do love you.
And I hope to see you someday. I know that you can't see this
now or can you? Anyway' I wanted to put this down for
I'am thankful for just knowing you. The first pictere on
the far left is the picture of Carrie and Calvin Riddle' Next
in the white dress is my mother' Also in thr brown
dreses My mother on the left Lillie Belle Riddle
next Alma Riddle. |
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Ellis Cheek, husband of Dorothy Ann Putman
Riddle
Let's look at Ellis Cheek. He was in the
Civil War and was injured in Richmond' Va. He was allowed to
return to his home where he died on April 27' 1863. He
left his wife and three small children; Alice',
Emma', Willis five years old. Ellis Cheek's wife's name
was Dorothy Ann Putman Riddle. It has been told by Maude
Cheek Davenport that after Ellis' death that the older brother
Austin Cheek furnished a small house for Dorothy and the
children to live in and that he saw to it their needs
were supplied. Ellis Cheek is buried in Cheek cemetery
along side his wife. The home of Willis Cheek and
Jemima Sanders was on Highway 101 just beyond I
385 North. [Towards Woodruff] On the right is a two story
brick house that was built by Allen Bobo and Nette Cheek Bobo.
Now the wood frame house in which Willis lived was
rolled back and is now used as a barn. Yes' the two story wood
frame house on top of the hill North was the home of Ellis
Cheek and Hannah Abercrombie. This house is no longer in the
Cheek family but across the road from the house is Cheek
Cemetery. Several miles North still on Highway 101 is Austin
Cheek and Nancy Mima Garrett home. This house is now occupied
by a retired Baptist Missionary Mrs. Sara Lou Bobo Patterson.
She is the widow of I.N. Patterson also a Baptist Missionary.
Friendship Baptist Church can be seen to the west and in front
of the the house. Also' there is fastened to the wall of the
front porch the original corner stone. Willis Cheek that
was born in 1741 and was married Jamima Sanders they were the
parents of Ellis Cheek Sr.
James Andrew Riddle
James Andrew Riddle was born
4/22/1828-3/16/1905 married 1/22/1848 Rosana Caldwell
4/25/1824-2/15/1889. James Andrew Riddle was the son of
William and Levy Cheek Riddle, He was the 4 th. of 10
children.
James Riddle married Rosana Caldwell'
daughter of Andrew Caldwell and Rosana Hughes. James and
Rosana had five children all of whom were born before
the Civil War. They were born between 1850 and 1860. The
children are as follows. [1]John James]' [2]'Margaret]'
[3] Andrew Samuel]' [4] Mary Jane]' [5] Emma [Tack]'
On April 21' 1861 the first shots of the Civil War
were fired when Fort Sumter located in the middle of
Charleston Harbor was fired upon by South Carolina. One
state had already seceded from the union in
December of 1860. On January 2' 1862 James Andrew' Riddle at
the age of 31' joined the confederate Army. He was enlisted at
Camp Hampton' Columbia' by Colonel J.S. Preston for a period
of twelve months. He was attached to Co E 3rd. SC
Battalion. Like most people in the North and South' he must
have thought that the war would be short lived. However his
twelve month enlistment stretched to May 2' 1865' two weeks
after General Lee surrendered.
James had entered the
war as a private and over the course of three years and four
months that he spent fighting for the confederate cause' he
progressed in rank to Corporal' 2nd. Lieutenant and last to
1st. Lieutenant. To our knowledge' James was not
injured during the war' but records show that he was
hospitalized for illness in Richmond' Virginia on
several occasions. James military pay was 80 dollars a month.
Records indicate that he was paid on a monthly basis
occasionally' while at other times he was paid every four
months which amounted to 320.
After the war
ended in 1865' James returned home to his wife and their
five children who were now between the
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Andrew Samuel
Riddle | ages of 5 and 15.
James and Rosana had been married for 40 years when she died
in 1889. She was two months shy of her 65th. birthday A few
years later James married again. He married Francis Tallulah
Caldwell' she was born 1857 and died 1915. She was the
daughter of William K.P. Caldwell. Athe age of 66, James
became a father of his 6th. child' a daughter named Leah Belle
born 1894. By this time all his other children were
married.
In 1905 James died at the age 77 years old.
His two wives and himself are all buried at Durbin Creek
Baptist Church. James grave is between his two wives.
1986' after furnishing proof of his Civil war
service' the veterans administration provided a permannet
plaque for the grave. We had it mounted on a granite stone and
placed it on his grave in 1987. Wrote by Kathlern
riddle Garrett and put down by Charles O'Shields . This
is a picture of Andrew Samuel Riddle, a son of James Andrew
Riddle. I don't have a picture of James Andrew Riddle. I
sure wish that I did. |
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Riddle's Old Field School
On highway 92' where Martin's Lake Road
joins 92' was a schoolhouse known as Riddle's Old Field
School. It was a typical country school. The surrounding land
is where John Riddle settled. A large flat field to the front
and right of the school building known as Riddle's Old Field
was used as a mustering ground during the Civil War. After the
war' the old soldiers reunion was held at the schoolhouse. The
benches in the school were long and straight and crudely made.
This is where Kathleen Riddle Garrett started to school
in 1921. The teacher was Mrs. Edna Riddle Foy' who is the
great grandaughter of John Riddle. This building was destroyed
by a tornado in 1926. On a knoll behind Riddle's Old Field
School is a burying ground. Many of the head and foot stones
of graves are field rocks with no names or dates. One
small white marble rock with an R. on it and one field
rock with M. R. carved into it have been found. We are sure
that John Riddle and his wife Mary and their children are
buried here. My mother ' Maude Garrett Riddle has told
me that her great grandparents Elizabeth Riddle Garrett
daughter of John and Elihu Garrett were buried here. The
burying ground is fenced in. Outside the fence were some
graves which were said to have been slaves. These have been
plowed over. This what I have put down was wrote by Kathleen
Riddle Garrett. I have put this down in hopes to help others
in their research. |
This page updated June 26, 2010
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