William Ridgeway and Margaret ("Peggy") Hilton were married 9 August 1767 by Reverend Charles Woodmason. Records in the South Carolina State Archives show that William received a land grant for 300 acres in Craven County on 1 December 1772. The land that William settled is in what has become Clarendon County, South Carolina. The Clarendon County Courthouse is located on a tract of land once owned by William Ridgeway.
Verified by family Bible records used by Lydia Ridgeway David to obtain a Revolutionary War Pension based on her father's service record, William Ridgeway was born 21 June 1746 and he died 9 February 1816. His wife, Margaret Hilton, known as Peggy, was born 24 May 1751 and she died at the ripe old age of 93 on 6 August 1844. Granny Ridgeway lived near what would become the town of Manning, and the county seat of Clarendon County. According to local, Clarendon County legend, the climate is so healthful in the area, that Granny Ridgeway had to move away in order to die.
Peggy Ridgeway bore eleven children: 1) James Friendly Ridgeway was born 23 August 1768 and died around 1849. He married and had children, but his wife's name is unknown. 2) Richard Ridgeway was born 25 December 1769 and died sometime between 1847 and 1854. He married Sarah Hilton, daughter of William Hilton, and had a number of children. 3) Hope Ridgeway was born 27 January 1772 and died 23 June 1847. His tombstone in Oak Grove Methodist Church Cemetery near Manning, S.C. verifies his death date. He was married to Martha and they had one son. He may have been married a second time to a Deborah. 4) Moses Charles Ridgeway was born 9 January 1774 and died 29 November 1827. He married Elizabeth Clark and they had a number of children. 5) Mary Ridgeway, known as Polley, was born 24 January 1776. She died before her mother's will was probated. Her first husband was Peter Haley and they had three children. Her second husband was James Aycock. 6) Timothy Ridgeway was born 31 January 1788 and he died in 1841 never having married, leaving no issue. 7) Amy Anna was born 14 May 1780 and she died before her mother's will was probated. She was married to Jesse Rhame and and had moved to Alabama. 8) Margaret Ridgeway was born 26 January 1784 and she died before her mother's will was probated. She married Deveraux Baxter and moved to Alabama. 9) William B. Ridgeway was born 26 November 1786 and died in April 1853. He was married to Harriet H. They had children. 10)Elizabeth Ridgeway was born 6 April 1788 and died before her mother's will was probated. Her married name was DuBose and she lived in Alabama. 11) Lydia Ridgeway was born 15 March 1790 and died after 1854 and before 1860. She was married to Peter David.
I can trace my Clarendon County Ridgeway ancestry back to five of the children of William and Peggy Ridgeway. I descend from James F., Richard, Moses, Mary, and William. So far, I have been able to find twelve ways to trace my Ridgeway roots back to those five siblings. Clarendon County was sparsely populated during the 18th and 19th centuries, so cousins married cousins quite often.
The data included on these pages may be freely used by descendants to further their knowledge and understanding of their Ridgeway family origins. The information included on these pages is from my personal research and may not be published in any form or for any commercial purposes.
