Archival and Manuscript Materials

Captain Charles Ridgely was the original owner of Hampton. His wife was Rebecca Dorsey. The Ridgelys and the Dorseys were two of the most prominent families in Maryland, dating from the colonial era, and reminders to that fact show up in place names throughout the state. When researching land holdings for these families, it is necessary to examine each document carefully. Many times, what seems like a promising lead will be nothing but a false start. Represented here are various land-related manuscripts in the University of Maryland holdings that mention members of the Ridgely and Dorsey families. Some are related to Hampton, and some are not. The largest collection of Ridgely family papers relating to Hampton is located at the Maryland Historical Society in Baltimore: http://www.mdhs.org/explore/library/collections/findaid.html

This is an entry recording Charles Ridgely's stock subscribtion in the University of Maryland. (Records of the Comptroller's Office, Series I: Financial Records of the University of Maryland, Stock Subscription Ledger, December 1856-December 1883, page 4). (Please click on the image to enlarge it).

This is a page from the University of Maryland's Student Enrollment ledger recording the admission of Charles H. Ridgely to the University. Since Ridgely is a fairly common name in the state of Maryland it can't be said for certain that this is related to the Hampton Ridgelys. (Please click on the image to enlarge it).

MDMS 1213 - Family records of the Dorsey family. 1824 - 1910. This a map shows Dorsey land bordering "Judge Ridgely's Land". The document is not dated. Is this related to Hampton in some way? This map most likely refers to Dorsey landholdings in Anne Arundel or Howard County. (Please click on the image to enlarge it).

MDMS 2637 - Surveyor's plat of Promise, partly conveyed to Captain Ridgely. Col. Henry Darnall was a prominent citizen of Prince George’s County, Maryland but the land involved in this transaction is located in Baltimore County. (Please click on the image to enlarge it).

MDMS 2646 - In this document, we learn that Prudence Howard (Charles Ridgely’s daughter) paid $1.00 to him in 1813 for the Land of Promise and Risteau's Fancy. “Promise” was the land purchased by Captain Charles Ridgely from Henry B. Darnall in MDMS 2637. The Risteau family occupied Risteau’s Fancy but according to this document, John Talbot Risteau sold the land to Charles Ridgely in 1799. This document of indenture does not relate to the Hampton Mansion itself, but it serves as an example of an extremely useful type of manuscript for researching land holdings. (Please click on the image to enlarge it).

MDMS 427-429 - Ridgely farm plots, 1914 -1916. Could these be associated with Hampton? In fact, these plots relate to a farm in Caroline County, Maryland and are not connected to the Ridgelys of Hampton. (Please click on the image to enlarge it).