RIDLONS OF SACO, MAINE.
627
eyes, long, outstanding brows, and coarse features. He had issue nine
children, of whom hereafter. I do not know the year of his death.
Jonathan-Fields Ridlon' (2), third son of Matthias (2), was born
in Saco, Me., Sept. 15, 1776. He engaged in the privateering service
during the war of 1812, and became fully acquainted with the New Eng-
land coast. He subsequently entered the merchant service, and went to
sea on a vessel owned by Col. Thomas Cutts, of Saco, and made voyages
to foreign lands; while on one of his trips the vessel was run down by a
British gun-ship and captured. The American craft was relieved of all
her stores and placed under the command of Aaron Eldridge, of Buxton,
who was the mate, and orders given him to "bear off and on through the
night"; this order was obeyed in one direction, for, as Mr. Eldridge sub-
sequently said, "I bore off once too many times for them," and escaped,
coming back and delivering the vessel to its owner. Mr. Ridlon was car-
ried to England, and confined in prison there for nearly a year; he escaped,
however, by digging under the walls, and made his way to Edinburgh,
where he was afterwards seen and conversed with by an American sea-
man; since then nothing has been known concerning him. For a time
during the author's investigations it seemed probable that the Ridlands
of Shetland, in the north of Scotland, were descended from Jonathan
Ridlon, but subsequent information has proved that this family was estab-
lished there before his birth. It is possible that he married and has left
representatives in some part of Europe, who are known by names unlike
that borne by their ancestors, but I can find no clue to such and must
leave their history in obscurity.
Dorcas Ridlon' (1), eldest daughter of Matthias (2), was born in
Saco, Me., Nov. 2, 1777; was married by Rev. Paul Coffin, of Buxton,
Feb. 11, 1811, to Samuel Leavett, of that town. I am inclined to believe
there may be a mistake in foregoing dates, but they are correctly copied.
She lived in Limington, and reached a good old age.
John Ridlon (6), fourth son of Matthias³ (2), was born in Saco, Me.,
Sept. 12, 1779 (so say the records, but I do not think them correct), and
went to live with his grandparents in Hollis. He was a reckless, adven-
turesome fellow when a boy, and a source of constant anxiety to those
who had the care of him. When about eight years of age he came to
the house with his cap-viser torn off, and asked his aunt Hannah-wife
subsequently of Magnus Ridlon, the blacksmith who was then living at
home, to sew it on. He put on his old hat, took his fishing-pole, and
started for the river, near the house. When night came on he did not
return, but no fears were excited until the neighborhood had been searched
the next day and he could not be found. On going to the river's bank,
his tracks were found, and there were indications of his having rolled a
log into the water with his pole. It was thought that he ventured upon
this log, lost his footing, and was drowned. The neighbors were imme-
diately called, boats and rafts procured, and days spent in dragging the
river-bottom for the lad's body; it could not be found, and his relatives
returned to their homes in sorrow. About a week passed, when a Mr.
Berry of Limington, who had heard that a boy was drowned, came down
and informed the family that a lad of that appearance stopped at his
house on the same night that John was missing. Thomas Ridlon mounted
a horse and started in search of the run-away; traced him from town to
town through Maine and New Hampshire, into Vermont, where he was
found at the home of his uncle John, who had moved to that state a few
