Will of Robert Ripley Jr. (1766-1843)
The estate papers including the will of Robert Ripley of Maccan can be viewed online.
(See Ripley Wills 1st & 2nd Generation on this website).
Robert must have died sometime between 13 Jun 184o when he made the will and 20 May 1843 when Thomas Ripley and Charles Storey filed a petition to be appointed executors. Robert left 50 pounds and a pair of two year old steers to his son William. He instructed that the farm on which he then lived should be divided between his son Thomas Ripley and a Charles Storey. Even the house was divided down the middle, probably indicating they were all living together at the time. He also made provisions for three granddaughters under his guardianship: Margaret Ann Ripley, Jane Ripley, and Sarah Storey. Robert's wife Jane Rushton and his son Henry (1805-) were not mentioned in the will and had likely passed away. Son William died in 1844 during the settlement of the will. Half of his bequest was paid to him and the other half to his widow Mary. There was very little listed in his estate inventory and no funeral expenses indicated in the dispersals.
According to other wills I have viewed, children under 14 are called infants and children of 14 but not yet 21 are considered minors. Minors are allowed some say in choosing their guardians. In 1847 Jane Ripley and Sarah Storey, then both at least 14 years of age, requested that Charles Storey be appointed their guardian. This means they were both born between 1826 and 1833. Charles was appointed guardian to Margaret Ann Ripley as well. On the account of dispersals 1847, Jane Ripley and Sarah Storey are described as minors and Margaret Ann Ripley is described as an "infant". This would give Margaret Ann Ripley a birth year between 1833 and 1840 when Robert's will was first made.
On his 1818 land grant application, Robert Ripley said that he had a wife and 4 children. (See Luke Harrison's Farm on this website.) On the 1827 census, Robert's household included 4 males and 3 females, one of the females born that year. In addition, a female servant was listed. The four males were likely Robert and his three sons Henry (1805-), William (1809-1844), and Thomas (1811-). One option is that Jane Rushton was still alive and that either she or the very young daughter had a baby girl in 1827. Another option is that Jane Rushton had passed away and Robert had hired a housekeeper. In that case, the three females might have been the previously unknown daughter, son Henry's wife, and their new-born daughter.
Sarah Storey (born about 1832 or 1833 according to census documents)
How did Robert Ripley come to have a granddaughter named Sarah Storey? I believe Sarah Storey was the child of Robert Ripley and Jane Rushton's daughter, previously unknown to us, who had a child with Charles Storey. Perhaps they were never legally married, because Robert appears to be the guardian of Sarah Storey before his death. Preliminary investigation indicates that a Sarah Storey (1833-) went on to marry Jamison Brown (1815-). As explained on the Robert Ripley and Jane Rushton: Luke Harrison's Farm page on this website, Thomas Ripley sold his half (250 acres) of Lot 7 to a Jamison Brown a few years after he inherited it. Jamison Brown and his wife Sarah then sold 125 acres to Charles Storey and the other 125 acres back to Thomas Ripley. Jamison, Sarah and the children were all living together on the 1881 census. Their children included Matthew Fenwick Brown (1851-1919), Brenton or Britton Brown (1861-1914), James Tweedy Brown (1863-possibly 1922) , Sarah Jane Brown (1867-), Agnes Brown (1869-1959), Elizabeth Brown and Joseph Robert Brown (1875-1956). The death record of Fenwick Matthieu Brown lists parents as Jamison Brown and Sarah Ripley. The other children's various birth, marriage and death records list parents as Jamison Brown and Sarah Storey.
According to family research by descendant Doug Storey, Charles Storey was born in 1807, the child of John Storey (1760-) and his first wife Easter. Charles Storey (1807-12 May 1867) married Elizabeth Herret (1824-) in 1844. On the 1861 census, Charles Story reports 3 males and 4 females in his household. On the 1871 census widow Elizabeth Story has two children, Charles William Storey (1848-) and Easter Storey (1855-). Further research and communication with Doug Storey has provided the names of 3 more children for Charles Story and Elizabeth Herret. Mary Jane Story born 1842 who married John William Smith, Hannah Amelia Story (1846-1870) who married Lemuel McNutt, and a Joseph Story born 1861. Daughter Ester married Silas Foster. Charles William Storey married Celia Brown.
In 1871, Elizabeth (Herret) Storey and 2 of her children were living next door to a Joseph R. Brown (1816-) and wife Sara (1812-) and a large number of children. These are actually the children of Jamison Brown and Sarah Storey listed above. The household included two Jamison Browns, age 14 and 30, neither of whom is the correct age to be the father of all the children, so this census record is a bit of a puzzle. These children would also be Elizabeth Storey's step-grandchildren.
Jane Ripley (abt 1831-1869)
Here is the death record 17 Nov 1869 for a Jane Phinney, born about 1831 in Maccan, daughter of Henry and Margaret Ripley, wife of Elkanah Phinney. Jane and Elkanah had 7 children between 1851 and 1867. Birth and death records for several of the children list Jane Ripley as mother. Elkanah provided 1849 as the date of his marriage to Jane on son Elkanah's birth record and 1840 on daughter Augusta's birth record which is unlikely if Jane died in 1869 at age 38.
Which Henry Ripley was the father of the Jane Ripley who married Elkanah Phinney? Virtually all of the Cumberland County Ripleys are descended from Robert Ripley and Isabella Bean. Their son John lived in Oxford and had no sons named Henry. Robert and Isabella's son Henry lived in Nappan. His son Henry married Matilda (not Margaret) Riley and they lived in Nappan. Henry and Matilda had a daughter Mary born 1843 who married Robert Symnes Lowther and died in Leicester in 1866 whereas Jane Phinney died in 1869 in Black Rock. Robert Lowther (1833-1877) then married Mary Jane Morris (1840-) which has apparently led to some confusion. I have seen at least one family tree in which Henry and Matilda have two daughters named Mary in order that one Mary Jane can marry Elkanah Phinney and the other Mary can wed Robert Lowther, but I think it very suspicious, especially since Robert Lowther's second wife's name was Mary Jane. I have seen no documents on which Jane Ripley (1831-1869) is listed as Mary Jane Ripley. Robert and Isabella's son William lived in Maccan and had no sons named Henry. I didn't find any Henry's in the 3rd generation. That leaves Robert Ripley's (1766-1843) son Henry Ripley (1805-) as the mostly likely candidate as the father for a Jane Ripley born in Maccan about 1831 with parents Henry and Margaret. Robert's homestead was in the Southampton area of Maccan. This Henry's mother was named Jane Rushton so it makes sense that Henry would have a daughter Jane. It's also interesting that the 3rd granddaughter under Robert's guardianship was named Margaret Ann if Henry's wife was named Margaret.
Perhaps we will never know for certain, but this lead does look promising. I would love to know if there is a connection between Charles Storey's family and the Phinney family that might help explain how Elkanah Phinney met Jane Ripley.
Other family members
In 1939, Robert's son William and his wife Mary Scott Brown sold a property in Springhill to a Jamison Brown (there were several). I do not know whether Mary Scott Brown and any of the Jamison Browns are related. There is also a Joseph Ripley (1834-1888) who married Phebe Herret (1841-1882) and Amy Elizabeth Holt (1853-1923). Henry and Phebe are buried in the Rodney Cemetery near Springhill. I do not know whether Phebe Herret is related to the Elizabeth Herret who married Charles Storey.
Joseph Ripley (1834-1888) is hard to place. On the 1871 census, a woman named Hannah Ripley (1805-) was living with Joseph and his wife Phebe, so perhaps this was his mother. But on his second marriage to Amy Holt his parents are identified as Thomas and Hannah. However, Thomas and Hannah did not start having their other children until after 1841. Henry (1805-) and William (1809-) are the correct age to have a child born 1834. However, Joseph was not identified as an orphan in Robert's will. Why would Hannah keep only Joseph and not Margaret Ann and Jane if she was their mother? And why would Joseph in 1884 identify his parents as Thomas and Hannah? Joseph could also be the son of William and Mary Scott Brown. William died in 1844 and perhaps Joseph, then 10, went to live with Thomas Ripley and Hannah Rushton.
(See Ripley Wills 1st & 2nd Generation on this website).
Robert must have died sometime between 13 Jun 184o when he made the will and 20 May 1843 when Thomas Ripley and Charles Storey filed a petition to be appointed executors. Robert left 50 pounds and a pair of two year old steers to his son William. He instructed that the farm on which he then lived should be divided between his son Thomas Ripley and a Charles Storey. Even the house was divided down the middle, probably indicating they were all living together at the time. He also made provisions for three granddaughters under his guardianship: Margaret Ann Ripley, Jane Ripley, and Sarah Storey. Robert's wife Jane Rushton and his son Henry (1805-) were not mentioned in the will and had likely passed away. Son William died in 1844 during the settlement of the will. Half of his bequest was paid to him and the other half to his widow Mary. There was very little listed in his estate inventory and no funeral expenses indicated in the dispersals.
According to other wills I have viewed, children under 14 are called infants and children of 14 but not yet 21 are considered minors. Minors are allowed some say in choosing their guardians. In 1847 Jane Ripley and Sarah Storey, then both at least 14 years of age, requested that Charles Storey be appointed their guardian. This means they were both born between 1826 and 1833. Charles was appointed guardian to Margaret Ann Ripley as well. On the account of dispersals 1847, Jane Ripley and Sarah Storey are described as minors and Margaret Ann Ripley is described as an "infant". This would give Margaret Ann Ripley a birth year between 1833 and 1840 when Robert's will was first made.
On his 1818 land grant application, Robert Ripley said that he had a wife and 4 children. (See Luke Harrison's Farm on this website.) On the 1827 census, Robert's household included 4 males and 3 females, one of the females born that year. In addition, a female servant was listed. The four males were likely Robert and his three sons Henry (1805-), William (1809-1844), and Thomas (1811-). One option is that Jane Rushton was still alive and that either she or the very young daughter had a baby girl in 1827. Another option is that Jane Rushton had passed away and Robert had hired a housekeeper. In that case, the three females might have been the previously unknown daughter, son Henry's wife, and their new-born daughter.
Sarah Storey (born about 1832 or 1833 according to census documents)
How did Robert Ripley come to have a granddaughter named Sarah Storey? I believe Sarah Storey was the child of Robert Ripley and Jane Rushton's daughter, previously unknown to us, who had a child with Charles Storey. Perhaps they were never legally married, because Robert appears to be the guardian of Sarah Storey before his death. Preliminary investigation indicates that a Sarah Storey (1833-) went on to marry Jamison Brown (1815-). As explained on the Robert Ripley and Jane Rushton: Luke Harrison's Farm page on this website, Thomas Ripley sold his half (250 acres) of Lot 7 to a Jamison Brown a few years after he inherited it. Jamison Brown and his wife Sarah then sold 125 acres to Charles Storey and the other 125 acres back to Thomas Ripley. Jamison, Sarah and the children were all living together on the 1881 census. Their children included Matthew Fenwick Brown (1851-1919), Brenton or Britton Brown (1861-1914), James Tweedy Brown (1863-possibly 1922) , Sarah Jane Brown (1867-), Agnes Brown (1869-1959), Elizabeth Brown and Joseph Robert Brown (1875-1956). The death record of Fenwick Matthieu Brown lists parents as Jamison Brown and Sarah Ripley. The other children's various birth, marriage and death records list parents as Jamison Brown and Sarah Storey.
According to family research by descendant Doug Storey, Charles Storey was born in 1807, the child of John Storey (1760-) and his first wife Easter. Charles Storey (1807-12 May 1867) married Elizabeth Herret (1824-) in 1844. On the 1861 census, Charles Story reports 3 males and 4 females in his household. On the 1871 census widow Elizabeth Story has two children, Charles William Storey (1848-) and Easter Storey (1855-). Further research and communication with Doug Storey has provided the names of 3 more children for Charles Story and Elizabeth Herret. Mary Jane Story born 1842 who married John William Smith, Hannah Amelia Story (1846-1870) who married Lemuel McNutt, and a Joseph Story born 1861. Daughter Ester married Silas Foster. Charles William Storey married Celia Brown.
In 1871, Elizabeth (Herret) Storey and 2 of her children were living next door to a Joseph R. Brown (1816-) and wife Sara (1812-) and a large number of children. These are actually the children of Jamison Brown and Sarah Storey listed above. The household included two Jamison Browns, age 14 and 30, neither of whom is the correct age to be the father of all the children, so this census record is a bit of a puzzle. These children would also be Elizabeth Storey's step-grandchildren.
Jane Ripley (abt 1831-1869)
Here is the death record 17 Nov 1869 for a Jane Phinney, born about 1831 in Maccan, daughter of Henry and Margaret Ripley, wife of Elkanah Phinney. Jane and Elkanah had 7 children between 1851 and 1867. Birth and death records for several of the children list Jane Ripley as mother. Elkanah provided 1849 as the date of his marriage to Jane on son Elkanah's birth record and 1840 on daughter Augusta's birth record which is unlikely if Jane died in 1869 at age 38.
Which Henry Ripley was the father of the Jane Ripley who married Elkanah Phinney? Virtually all of the Cumberland County Ripleys are descended from Robert Ripley and Isabella Bean. Their son John lived in Oxford and had no sons named Henry. Robert and Isabella's son Henry lived in Nappan. His son Henry married Matilda (not Margaret) Riley and they lived in Nappan. Henry and Matilda had a daughter Mary born 1843 who married Robert Symnes Lowther and died in Leicester in 1866 whereas Jane Phinney died in 1869 in Black Rock. Robert Lowther (1833-1877) then married Mary Jane Morris (1840-) which has apparently led to some confusion. I have seen at least one family tree in which Henry and Matilda have two daughters named Mary in order that one Mary Jane can marry Elkanah Phinney and the other Mary can wed Robert Lowther, but I think it very suspicious, especially since Robert Lowther's second wife's name was Mary Jane. I have seen no documents on which Jane Ripley (1831-1869) is listed as Mary Jane Ripley. Robert and Isabella's son William lived in Maccan and had no sons named Henry. I didn't find any Henry's in the 3rd generation. That leaves Robert Ripley's (1766-1843) son Henry Ripley (1805-) as the mostly likely candidate as the father for a Jane Ripley born in Maccan about 1831 with parents Henry and Margaret. Robert's homestead was in the Southampton area of Maccan. This Henry's mother was named Jane Rushton so it makes sense that Henry would have a daughter Jane. It's also interesting that the 3rd granddaughter under Robert's guardianship was named Margaret Ann if Henry's wife was named Margaret.
Perhaps we will never know for certain, but this lead does look promising. I would love to know if there is a connection between Charles Storey's family and the Phinney family that might help explain how Elkanah Phinney met Jane Ripley.
Other family members
In 1939, Robert's son William and his wife Mary Scott Brown sold a property in Springhill to a Jamison Brown (there were several). I do not know whether Mary Scott Brown and any of the Jamison Browns are related. There is also a Joseph Ripley (1834-1888) who married Phebe Herret (1841-1882) and Amy Elizabeth Holt (1853-1923). Henry and Phebe are buried in the Rodney Cemetery near Springhill. I do not know whether Phebe Herret is related to the Elizabeth Herret who married Charles Storey.
Joseph Ripley (1834-1888) is hard to place. On the 1871 census, a woman named Hannah Ripley (1805-) was living with Joseph and his wife Phebe, so perhaps this was his mother. But on his second marriage to Amy Holt his parents are identified as Thomas and Hannah. However, Thomas and Hannah did not start having their other children until after 1841. Henry (1805-) and William (1809-) are the correct age to have a child born 1834. However, Joseph was not identified as an orphan in Robert's will. Why would Hannah keep only Joseph and not Margaret Ann and Jane if she was their mother? And why would Joseph in 1884 identify his parents as Thomas and Hannah? Joseph could also be the son of William and Mary Scott Brown. William died in 1844 and perhaps Joseph, then 10, went to live with Thomas Ripley and Hannah Rushton.