696
RIDLEYS OF WAYNE, MAINE.
imus and Harriet (Gould) Edgecomb, of Lisbon, Me. (she was born
April 5, 1832), and lives a quiet, contented, and peaceful life. His early
years were full of adventure, and an interesting volume could be written
on his travels and engagements with the Indians. Mr. Ridley is tall and
slender, and has the features of face and movements of his ancestors.
He is honest, frugal, and very kind of heart. A neat, systematic, pru-
dent, and successful farmer.
Sophronia Ridley (1), fourth daughter of Matthias (5), was born in
Wayne, Me., July 1, 1833; was married July 12, 1854, to Jeremiah Tuck,
of Lowell, Mass. Kept hotel at Mattawaumkeag, Me. Resided a while
at Frederickton, N. B.; now (1880) in San Francisco, Cal. Her husband
is a photographer.
Delaney Ridley (1), fifth daughter of Matthias (5), was born in
Wayne, Me., Nov. 15, 1834; was married to Charles Hull, and resides at
Sacramento, Cal., on a stock-farm. She is a woman of literary tastes and
refined, well-stored mind.
Abiah Ridley (1), sixth daughter of Matthias (5), was born in
Wayne, Me., April 11, 1838; was married Feb. 6, 1862, to Reuben Weld,
of Livermore, a carpenter, and is now (1879) living at Strickland's Ferry,
Kennebec County, Me. Has a daughter.
Abington Ridley(1), youngest son of Matthias (5), was born in
Wayne, Me., July 5, 1842; married Harriet-Elizabeth, daughter of Didi-
mus and Harriet (Gould) Edgecomb, of Lisbon, Me., and lived some time
on the homestead farm. He served in the Eighth Regiment, Maine
Volunteer Infantry, during the Rebellion, for four years. He went West
in 1871, and lived a while at Santa Cruz; thence to Barnard's Inlet, Brit-
ish Columbia. He has five children, of whom hereafter. He resembles
his brothers in features and habits, reserved, reticent, eccentric.
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Lieut. Billings-Hood Ridley (1), eldest son of Jonathan (4), was
born in Wayne, Me., May 9, 1826; married Mary S. Dickey, of Manches-
ter, N. H., and has six children, of whom hereafter. In 1852 he went on
board the steamship "Ohio," bound for California, and when crossing the
gulf-stream they encountered a terrible tempest, and the vessel was so
badly disabled that for hours they despaired of being saved; but through
the remarkable efficiency of the commander, and the untiring exertions of
the crew, they outrode the storm. After spending four years in the gold
State, he started on his return home; had a pleasant voyage on the Paci-
fic, and at Aspinwall embarked on the ill-fated "Central America." When
they were in nearly the same waters where they were wrecked on the out-
ward-bound voyage, they were overtaken by a severe gale, and the vessel
became unmanageable. The six. hundred passengers took turns at bail-
ing, for two days and a night, when the vessel went down with nearly all
on board. A vessel picked up forty-nine, at midnight, and three days
later, three others were taken from a piece of the wreck, upon which they
had floated in the gulf-stream about six hundred miles. Mr. Ridley was
twice injured by falling buckets, which cut his head, and has never fully
recovered from his injuries. He was an officer in the Twenty-eighth
Regiment of Maine Volunteer Infantry, during the Rebellion, and proved
himself a good soldier. He now lives on a farm with his aged father, in
the town of Jay, surrounded by his pleasant family and all the temporal
comforts of life. He has an inventive cast of mind, and has spent con-
siderable time and study on a new motor, which was not a success.
He
