John H. Ruddick

!Family legend has it that George Washington supposedly mentioned John Reddick in his diary. This is mentioned in the Neal family history, but the location of this reference remains unknown. Timeline: 1775: He had 180 acres surveyed at the head of Gordon's Creek, later known as Ruddick's mill creek, possibly part of the original land claimed by his father in 1772. He never obtained legal ownership of his property, but rather signed it over to his brother Solomon who later obtained a grant in 1796. 1777: Found swearing an oath of allegiance to the new commonwealth (something his family refused to do) c1780: Married a cousin, Catherine Cox. 1780: Taxed in Montgomery Co., Va: Himself, two horses, six cattle. 30 Dec 1780: He was disowned by the New Garden MM for hiring a man to go to war, and driving away his neighbor's cattle for use of the army [Hanneman, 1993, p.16]. 1781: In Capt. Flower Swift's "Company of Quakers". (After this date, he is never again involved with the Quakers) c1783: John & Catherine move to Hawkins Co., [Tennessee] on teh south side of the Holsten river, where a John Reddick obtained a land grant for 150 acres. Catherine's parents made the move as well. 1789: Moved to Lincoln Co., Kentucky (along with his in-laws). John Ruddick claims 95 acres of second-rate land on Bull Run, which would later become part of Knox Co. 23 Jun 1800: Serves on the first board of commissioners for Knox Co. 12 July 1800: Knox Co., KY tax list: John Ruddick (the only Ruddick found) 1800: Moves family to 200 acres of first-rate land on the banks of the Cumberland River, Knox Co., Ky. Unfortunately, he was unaware that a James Hicks had previously made an out-of-state claim to the land. 19 Mar 1801: Knox Co., KY tax list: John Reddick (the only Ruddick found) 13 May 1802: Knox Co., KY tax list: John Reddick (the only Ruddick found) c1802: The town of Barbourville formed, John Ruddick and three other men became trustees in charge of selling lots. 7 Jun 1803: Knox Co., KY tax list: John, Solomon and Elisha Reddick. 24 May 1804: Knox Co., KY tax list: John Reddic. (Also in 1804: Wm Reddic, Sollomon & Elijah Riddic) 1804: John Ruddick, (fourth) sheriff of Knox county, Ky. [Decker's History of Knox Co., p. 186]. 26 Apr 1805 [in Becker's History of Knox Co., Kentucky, http://www.tcnet.net/ky/knox/decker.html], records show he served as a gentleman justice (judge) for Knox Co., Ky. 2 Jul 1805: Knox Co., KY tax list: John, Solomon, William, & Elisha Redduk 5 May 1806: Knox Co. KY tax list: John Reddick (Wm & Solomon Reddick on July 18) 8 Jun 1807: Knox Co., KY tax list: John & Elisha Ruddick (Solomon Ruddick on Jul 24) 24 Sep 1807: John purchases 102 acres from James Love for $255, adjoining his own land. About this same time, heirs of James Hicks, dec'd, showed up and attempted to claim their inheritance. 6 Mar 1808: The other commmissioners of Barbourville rule in John Ruddick's favor, that he had settled and therefore had full rights to the 200 acre claim. However, John paid $200 to secure the deed. 21 Jul 1808 Knox Co., KY tax list: Elisha, John & William Ruddick (Sollomon & William Ruddick on Apr 6) July 20, 1809 Knox Co. KY tax list: John and William Ruddick (Sollomon, Wm, & Elisha Ruddick on Jun 12) circa Summer 1810: Moves to Harrison Co., Indiana. 1812. Harrison Co., Indiana [territory]. Decker's History of Knox Co., Ky, lists a record as follows: "John Ruddick and Catherine, his wife, of Harrison County, Indiana Territory, 1812". Shortly thereafter they settled, along with a few Ruddick and Cox cousins, in what would become Jackson Co., Indiana. Their cabin stood in section 11 within the present town of Browstown. 8 Sep 1812: John & Catherine sold 1/2 of their Kentucky land to Randolph Adams for $300. They apparently neglected to pay taxes on the remainder of the land and several years later it was resold by the county. John's property was locate about 100 yards south of the old Brownstown Cemetery. He soon built a horse-powered grain mill on this land, with a capacity of 50 bushels a day. Jan 1816: Jackson Co., IN formed. John Ruddick, his son William, and Jesse Durham appointed overseers of the poor in the newly formed county government. The county seat was located on 150 acres of land along the south border of Mr Ruddick's land, purchased from John Ketcham. [Hanneman, 1993, p. 17] 1816: John purchased land in Jackson Twp., 8 miles to the east and where his brother Solomon resided, but never moved there. 16 Sep 1816: Appointed commisioner of roads for brownstown Twp. 10 Feb 1817: He was elected county commissioner with Abraham Huff and Thomas Carr. 20 Dec 1817: John & wife Catherine deeded their land in Jackson Twp. o John Stanfield. c.end of 1818: They sell their mill in Browntown to the Rev. Walter Benton. 9 Feb 1819: John resigns as county commissioner. c1819: Theymove north to Delaware Co., IN., settling on Section 19 near the banks of teh White River, north of present-day Waynesville. 20 May 1820: Governor Jonathan Jennings and General John Tipton visited the home of John and Catherine Ruddick, along with General Joseph Bartholomew, General Carr, Colonel Jesse Durham, and Captin Dueson. These men were touring the area in search of a new state capitol. They ate breakfast at the Ruddick home, for which they paid 62 1/2 cents. The governor's party returned again on June 9th, stayed several hours and paid 37 1/2 cents for dinner. !Census (1820): Delaware Co., Indiana (later Bartolomew Co., IN), p.31. John Riddick, 1M(>45), 1F(10-15), 1F(26-44),1 person in agriculture. Note that he is in close proximity to William Riddick [1M(<10), 1M(26-44), 3F(<10), 1F(10-15), 1F(26-44), 1 person in agriculture], a possible son; as well as Jaob Cox, Peter Cox, William Raines, Thomas Raines, John Cox, 2 Joseph Coxs, Christopher Cox, and John Parker. 9 Jan 1821: Bartholomew Co., IN formed. 13 Feb 1821: The first Bartholomew county commissioners were elected: William Ruddick (son of John), his cousin Jesse, and Solomon Stout. 15 May 1821: John Ruddick appointed overseer of the poor for the southern district (south of Columbus). 1821: Tax list of Bartholomew Co., IN lists a Jesse, William and John Ruddick. 16 Apr 1825: John Ruddick purchases 368 acres from John McCormick Jr. back in Jackson Co., IN, part of the estate of John McCormick Sr. who had died in 1820. They had been a neighbor to John Ruddick many years earlier, but it is not known why John purchased that land. It is assumed he probably sold it soonafter. Winter 1825: Catherine dies. Summer 1826: John and his son's family moves to Vermillian Co., Illinois. 15 Jun 1829: John dies there. In Bartholomew Co., IN, there are land grants for a John Reddick and a Jesse Reddick. In the will book B p. 227, there is a will for Jesse Ruddick of Bartholomew Co., IN, "advanced in years" dated 1 Oct 1867 that names only his wife Melinda Ruddick. Perhaps this is a son? The indiana state marriage index for Bartholomew Co. lists these marriages: * Jesse Reddick & Eliza Jane Swisher, 11-29-1832 * Lydia Reddick & Nathan Newsom 5-8-1827 He might be the John Reddick who m. Elizabeth Rice on 2 Jan 1764 in Tyrrell Co., North Carolina. Also in Knox Co., Ky, I saw several mentions of an Elisha Ruddick. For example, on 8 Aug 1808, Elisha Ruddick served on the Jury for Commonwealth vs. James Daniels (for Larceny - found guilty). On 5 Nov 1805, Elisha Ruddick is on the county claims list, owned 1 pound 4 shillings "for killing two grown woolfs'. His death is often given as 1829 in Vermillion Co., Illinois, but also often seen as 30 Dec 1851 Musingam Co., Ohio. (The Ruddick Family in America by John W. Hammeman, 1993, Oakland gives both dates in two different places without acknowledging the contradiction). The 1829 Vermillion Co. claim appears more plausible and consistent with the rest of the family's migration patterns.