John Baldridge (1715 - 1766)

Born 11 Nov 1715 in Coleraine, County Londonderry, Ireland

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 15 Jul 1766 at age 50 in Martic Township, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, British North America

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Biography

John is believed to have been born in Ireland about 1716, the son of William and Janet Baldridge who also emigrated from Ireland to Pennsylvania. There is a land warrant to William from William Clarke in Little Britain Township, PA in 1738. ^[1] William's will mentions son John. William Clarke's will from 1763 names son-in-law John Baldridge. Very little is proven about him and his wives, but it is likely that he was married and fathered children in Ireland and emigrated to Pennsylvania with the children 1735 -1740. It is unclear whether he married Rebecca Clark in Ireland or Pennsylvania, but as many as nine more children were born here. Land warrants record the purchase of land in 1750 and 1754 in Martic Township, Lancaster County. ^[2] John Baldridge also bought land in North Carolina, but died in Martic before moving his family. He passed away in 1766 and is probably buried at Chestnut Level Presbyterian Church Cemetery.^{[3] [4]} John's will only mentions son Willam by name. His will was recorded in 1766. ^[5][6]

John Baldridge died in Martic Township, Lancaster P.A. Buried: at Chestnut Level: Presbyterian Church. Married at St. Ann's Cathedral in Ulster Ireland. John did not emigrate with his parents and siblings in 1730. He stayed behind, possibly to settle his Father's estate, and married Rebekah. Another source says he stayed in Ireland with his grandfather, Sir James Holmes, at Sir James' insistance, and that he came to America only after Sir James' death. Whatever the case, John and Rebekah finally joined John's family in America in 1737, arriving in Philadelphia aboard "The Village Belle". The couple already had their first 2 children at this time, and their 3rd child was born the same year they emigrated. They colonized land in Martic Township in southern Lancaster County just a few miles northwest of John's parents. At some point, Rebekah's name was changed to the more common spelling of 'Rebecca'. Most documents pertaining to her list the new spelling. In about 1765, John, along with some of his sons and his younger brother, Alexander, traveled to North Carolina and bought acreage in Old Mecklenburg County (northwest of the present-day City of Charlotte). An abstract, dated 13 May 1765, attesting to the purchase by John Baldrige of land along Indian Camp Creek and the Catawba River, can be found in Tryon-Lincoln County Deeds, Volume 1, Pages 670-671. Three other deeds involving similar purchases or rentals of land in that area by John Baldrige appear on pages 155-159 of Volume 4, Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Deed Abstracts. John returned to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, only to die there in late July 1766 before he could relocate his family to North Carolina. John Baldrige's Last Will and Testament, dated 15 July 1766 and filed for probate on 31 July 1766, was recorded in Will Book "B", Volume 1, Page 448, Official Records of Lancaster County. It is generally considered that John Baldrige was buried in the cemetery of Chestnut Level Presbyterian Church, although there is no known tombstone there bearing his name.

TWO SEPARATE BALDRIDGE FAMILIES COMBINED AS IF THEY WERE ONE by Richard D. Sears 27 August 2020 <https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Baldridge_Genealogical_Problem>

Sources

1. ↑ Ellis and Evans. History of Lancaster County, PA. Everts and Peck, Philadelphia, 1883
2. ↑ Warrant Applications, 1732-1952, Land Warrants. Pennsylvania State Archives, Harrisburg, PA.
3. ↑ [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=22270877.
4. ↑ Find-a-Grave
5. ↑ Lancaster County, Will Book B, Vol. 1, p. 448.
6. ↑ Index to the Will Books of Lancaster County 1729-1850

• http://www.larrygen.com/TNG%20Genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I994&tree=larry
• Cushing, Thomas. History of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (A. Warner & Co., Chicago, 1889, Part 2, p. 455-456)
• See also: https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LRZV-71W/john-baldridge-1715-1766