Samuel Ryder/Rider (1688 to 1718) and His Wife Ann Eldredge of Plymouth, Massachusetts

Samuel Ryder (commonly spelled Rider but I use Ryder for consistency) was born 26 July 1688 at Plymouth, Massachusetts, one of the twelve children of Samuel Ryder by his second wife Lydia Tilden. [Plymouth VR 1:210] I wrote about his parents here. He is often called Junior in records. Samuel is my 9th great-grandfather on my grandfather Arthur Washburn Ellis Davis’ side of the family.

On 17 February 1713/14 “Samuell Rider Jr” married “Ann Eldreg” at Yarmouth. [Yarmouth VR 1:139 & Plymouth VR 1:90] Ann Eldredge was born in April 1691 at Yarmouth on Cape Cod, the daughter of Samuel and Keziah (Taylor) Eldredge. In records sometimes Ann is spelled Anne or Anna and her last name is seen as Eldreden and more commonly Eldredge or Eldred. 

Ann and Samuel had three children born Plymouth, births recorded Plymouth VR 1:11:

1. Keziah Ryder born 1 March 1713/14; marriage intentions to William Swift of Sandwich published Plymouth 30 March 1733 [Plymouth VR 1:161]; died Sandwich on Cape Cod 23 March 1735/6 at age 22 [Sandwich VRs in Mayflower Descendant 29:27]
2. Ezekiel Ryder born 22 May 1715; married Margaret Churchill 20 February 1736/7 [Plymouth VR 1:100]
3. Samuel Ryder born 29 Jan 1716/17

I descend from Keziah whom I wrote about here.

Samuel’s inventory indicates that he was literate as he owned a Bible, he served in the militia as he owned a gun and sword, he farmed his land as he owned livestock, and he perhaps traded goods as feathers listed were a valuable commodity. 

On 7 April 1714 Samuel and his brother Benjamin were deeded all but one parcel of their father Samuel Ryder’s land, which they were to divide equally. It included the Manomet Ponds homestead where Samuel Jr. was to live. [Plymouth Co. Deeds, 11:51]

Samuel was just 29 when he died before, and likely close to, 17 July 1718, when his widow Anne was appointed administratrix of his estate, a document she signed. Samuel died intestate, so it would seem his death was fairly sudden if there was not time to write a will. His probate file is Plymouth County Probate case no. 17392. It is possible he is buried at White Horse Cemetery in Manomet, which was established in 1717 and where his mother Lydia is buried, but without a surviving headstone. Oddly the cemetery is town-owned, but there is no public access to it, so I have not visited to see if there are indications of many unmarked graves. 

An inventory of the estate Samuel Rider was taken 5 August 1718 by Thomas Clarke Jr and Josiah Morton. It totaled £89 9 shillings and included: 

• Wearing clothes
• Bible, province bills 
• Gun and sword
• Bed & bedding, table linen 
• Pewter, brass skillet, warming pan, plate, pot, kettle, fireslice, tongs, trammel, wood dishes, earthenware, glass bottles
• Tables, chairs, chests 
• Cart, wheels, plow chain, yoke, scythe, sickle, hoe, small tools, tubs, pails, barrel, feathers, meal bags, baskets 
• Cord of wood in the woods
• One mare, one colt, one yoke of oxen, one heifer, one steer, three yearling cattle

It wasn’t until 6 March 1718[/19] that Anne Rider, administratrix of the Estate of Samuel Rider late of Plymouth decd, made oath to the inventory. 

On that same date Anne presented an account of the estate. Debts due from the estate included a least four family members:

To Mr Watson 2 10 8

to Mr. Thomas 1 19 8

to Mrs. Barns 0 9 0

Ebenezer Donham 0 8 0

Joseph Rider 2 15 6 [brother]

Kenelm Winslow 3 0 0

John Foster 2 12 0

to his mother Rider 3 0 0 [Lydia Tilden Ryder]

Wm Swift 0 10 0 

Eliezer Morton 0 5 0

Josiah Rider 2 0 0 [brother]

Benja Rider 12 10  [brother]

Due to the Estate:

Hannah Bartlett 0 3 10

Thoms. Harlow - 3 -

Benja Bartlett 0 8 0

John Gibbs 0 4 10

Joseph Silvester 0 13 6

Josiah Morton 0 8 3

At the Plymouth Court of Common Pleas in June 1720, there was a case involving Samuel and Ann’s children. Benjamin Rider vs. “Keziah Rider, Ezekiel Rider, Samuel Rider, minor children of Samuel Rider Jr deceased, and grandchildren of Samuel Rider Sr deceased,” regarding partition…lands granted to plaintiff and his brother Samuel Rider Jr lying in Common between the Plaintiff and the defendants. [Lainhart]

On 13 April 1744 Samuel Rider’s real estate was settled on son Ezekiel, that latter paying certain amounts to his brother Samuel and to Ann and Keziah, minor children of William Swift of Sandwich, the heirs of his sister Keziah, deceased. [Plymouth County Deeds 9:309] 

On 19 April 1744 Ezekiel sold to Benjamin Rider [Ezekiel’s uncle] land at Manomet Ponds “Said granted Premises is the Same that was laid out to ye heirs of my hon’d father Saml Rider deceasd as their Part of the Homestead wheron my Grandfather in his Life time dwelt.” [Plymouth Colony Deeds 36:179] 

“Anna Rider” married, second, James Clark. Their intentions were published in Plymouth on 21 April 1722 [Plymouth VR p 143] and they married 8 June 1722 [Plymouth VR 140].  John was the son of James and Abigail (Lothrop) Clark. 

Ann and James had three children, recorded Plymouth VR 1:77, as “children of James Clark son of James Clark & Ann his wife:”

1. James born 9 April 1723; died 6 February 1815 
2. Ann born 4 August 1724 
3. Abigail born 15 December 1727

Ann died after 23 June 1748 when her husband James Clark mentions her in his will. His will was proved 2 April 1750. He also mentions children James, Anna and Abigail. [Probate Records 1749-1752, vol 12-12C, State Archives, Boston]

Sources: 

George Ernest Bowman, The Mayflower Descendant, “Samuel 2 Rider of Plymouth Had Two Wives, Sarah Bartlett and Lydia Tilden,” 11:182 (1909)

Ann Smith Lainhart, The Mayflower Descendant, “Genealogical Gleanings from Plymouth County Court Records,” 51:1:14

Amos Otis, Library of Cape Cod History & Genealogy, No. 47, "The Yarmouth Families of Eldredge," 1914