Kissing Cousins?
Robert Salter Ripley and Hannah Elizabeth Ripley were both born Ripleys. Hannah was a descendant of Robert Ripley and Isabella Beane through their son William. However, the ancestry of Robert Salter Ripley's father Andrew C. Ripley is unknown as I have discussed at length on the page entitled Andrew's Unknown Parentage.
Gord Ripley and I have been trying to solve this mystery for a couple of years now as we're in the same boat. His ancestor, Andrew C. Ripley's daughter Sarah Ripley married Rufus Webb Ripley, another descendant of Robert Ripley and Isabella Beane through their son William. Gord has offered me a $5 prize for discovering what Andrew C. Ripley's middle initial stood for. I'll give you $10 if you tell me first.
Researcher Lawson Smith's mother, Lidia Amelia Ripley (1872-1951), once remarked that Andrew C. Ripley (1812-1892) was not "from around here". Lidia would have been about 20 years old when Andrew died. Lidia was a great granddaughter of the original Robert and Isabella's son William through William's son Thomas Ripley and Lidia's father William T. Ripley. It's entirely possible that Andrew was from a different Ripley family altogether in which case Robert Salter/Hannah and Sarah/Rufus Webb are not cousins at all or at least are more distantly related.
In the Ernest Coates papers at the Cumberland County Genealogical Society I discovered several letters from Robert S. Ripley's grandson Robert Douglas Ripley to Ernest Coates. Apparently Ernest had written to him asking whether Robert Salter Ripley and Hannah Elizabeth Ripley were related other than by marriage. In one of the letters dated 6 Jan 1974 (05-050-04-R04#1188) Robert D. (Bob) Ripley of Truro says his aunt Stella had told him that her husband always said Robert S. Ripley and Hannah Elizabeth Ripley were not related other than husband and wife. This would be Stella Johnson (1886-?) who married William Rowland Ripley (1884-1947) the son of Robert Salter Ripley. Andrew was William's grandfather.
However, Robert D. Ripley sent another letter on January 26 1974 (05-050-04R04#1036) saying that he had been speaking to Trueman Langille of Springhill. Trueman had told him that "Aunt Esther", Hannah Elizabeth's sister, had said they were cousins. In the early days, said the politically incorrect Esther, settlers had a choice of marrying cousins or Indians and they chose cousins. Truman Langille (1903-1967) was the son of Robert Salter Ripley's daughter Emma Rebecca Ripley (1874-1948) who married Solomon Burton Langille. Esther (1862-1928) was Emma's aunt and Trueman's grand aunt. As Hannah's sister, Esther likely had more information on the subject than William Rowland Ripley who was from the same generation as Emma.
Gord Ripley and I have been trying to solve this mystery for a couple of years now as we're in the same boat. His ancestor, Andrew C. Ripley's daughter Sarah Ripley married Rufus Webb Ripley, another descendant of Robert Ripley and Isabella Beane through their son William. Gord has offered me a $5 prize for discovering what Andrew C. Ripley's middle initial stood for. I'll give you $10 if you tell me first.
Researcher Lawson Smith's mother, Lidia Amelia Ripley (1872-1951), once remarked that Andrew C. Ripley (1812-1892) was not "from around here". Lidia would have been about 20 years old when Andrew died. Lidia was a great granddaughter of the original Robert and Isabella's son William through William's son Thomas Ripley and Lidia's father William T. Ripley. It's entirely possible that Andrew was from a different Ripley family altogether in which case Robert Salter/Hannah and Sarah/Rufus Webb are not cousins at all or at least are more distantly related.
In the Ernest Coates papers at the Cumberland County Genealogical Society I discovered several letters from Robert S. Ripley's grandson Robert Douglas Ripley to Ernest Coates. Apparently Ernest had written to him asking whether Robert Salter Ripley and Hannah Elizabeth Ripley were related other than by marriage. In one of the letters dated 6 Jan 1974 (05-050-04-R04#1188) Robert D. (Bob) Ripley of Truro says his aunt Stella had told him that her husband always said Robert S. Ripley and Hannah Elizabeth Ripley were not related other than husband and wife. This would be Stella Johnson (1886-?) who married William Rowland Ripley (1884-1947) the son of Robert Salter Ripley. Andrew was William's grandfather.
However, Robert D. Ripley sent another letter on January 26 1974 (05-050-04R04#1036) saying that he had been speaking to Trueman Langille of Springhill. Trueman had told him that "Aunt Esther", Hannah Elizabeth's sister, had said they were cousins. In the early days, said the politically incorrect Esther, settlers had a choice of marrying cousins or Indians and they chose cousins. Truman Langille (1903-1967) was the son of Robert Salter Ripley's daughter Emma Rebecca Ripley (1874-1948) who married Solomon Burton Langille. Esther (1862-1928) was Emma's aunt and Trueman's grand aunt. As Hannah's sister, Esther likely had more information on the subject than William Rowland Ripley who was from the same generation as Emma.