The Mysterious Margaret Horton
It's long been assumed that Margaret Horton was the daughter of Robert Ripley and Isabella Beane. But was she? Here's what we know:
We have no birth, marriage, or death records for Margaret. Some Early Settlers of Cumberland County provides a birthdate of 1776 but no reference is given.
We only know about Margaret from Robert's 1797 Will. In this will, Robert's other children are designated as either "son" or "daughter" but Margaret is just plain Margaret Horton. She is listed last in the list and given the same 5 pound bequest as most of Robert's daughters, the exception being the unmarried daughter Esther who was given 60 pounds. This has led to the assumption that she was also one of Robert's daughters. Whereas the other daughters' bequests were paid to their husbands, Margaret's was paid to Margaret Horton. This has led to the assumption that her name was first Margaret Ripley and that she had been widowed.
Margaret is not mentioned as a daughter in Isabella's 1830 Will. However, she might have passed away by that time.
An Abraham Horton is listed next to Robert Ripley on Amherst Poll Tax and Census records for 1791, 1972, and 1793. Abraham Horton witnessed the deed for Robert Ripley's sale of his Lot 17 in River Philip. (Deed Book D, P. 232, registered 1794, Document number 503706963.) Abraham Horton's Will of 30th [sic] Feb 1808 left his estate to his wife Charlotte and his land to his 3 sons, Samuel, John, and Abraham when they reached the age of 21. Thomas Roach and Martin Bent were appointed guardians of these children.
It will be interesting to see whether any more can be learned about Margaret if we entertain the possibility that she is either a Horton by birth or by marriage but not originally a Ripley.
We have no birth, marriage, or death records for Margaret. Some Early Settlers of Cumberland County provides a birthdate of 1776 but no reference is given.
We only know about Margaret from Robert's 1797 Will. In this will, Robert's other children are designated as either "son" or "daughter" but Margaret is just plain Margaret Horton. She is listed last in the list and given the same 5 pound bequest as most of Robert's daughters, the exception being the unmarried daughter Esther who was given 60 pounds. This has led to the assumption that she was also one of Robert's daughters. Whereas the other daughters' bequests were paid to their husbands, Margaret's was paid to Margaret Horton. This has led to the assumption that her name was first Margaret Ripley and that she had been widowed.
Margaret is not mentioned as a daughter in Isabella's 1830 Will. However, she might have passed away by that time.
An Abraham Horton is listed next to Robert Ripley on Amherst Poll Tax and Census records for 1791, 1972, and 1793. Abraham Horton witnessed the deed for Robert Ripley's sale of his Lot 17 in River Philip. (Deed Book D, P. 232, registered 1794, Document number 503706963.) Abraham Horton's Will of 30th [sic] Feb 1808 left his estate to his wife Charlotte and his land to his 3 sons, Samuel, John, and Abraham when they reached the age of 21. Thomas Roach and Martin Bent were appointed guardians of these children.
It will be interesting to see whether any more can be learned about Margaret if we entertain the possibility that she is either a Horton by birth or by marriage but not originally a Ripley.