Charles Greenberry Ridgely (263)

Election date: 1768? (Elected to the American Society before December 20, 1768.)

Charles Greenberry Ridgely (26 January 1738–25 November 1785) was a physician, public officeholder, and justice, and a member of the American Philosophical Society, elected in 1768. Born in Salem, New Jersey, his father (Judge Nicholas Ridgely) and mother (Mary Middleton Vining) married after losing their former spouses.  Ridgely grew up in comfort with his brother APS Member John Vining in Dover, DE where both boys received a formal education. In 1751 Ridgely attended the newly established Academy of Philadelphia, which he quickly followed by studying medicine. His father’s wealth and influence secured him an apprenticeship under APS Member and physician Phineas Bond to complete his training. Once completed, Ridgely returned to Delaware and established himself by opening a medical practice in 1758, marrying Mary Wynkoop (sister of his brother’s wife, Phoebe Wynkoop) in 1761, and settling into his mother’s home, Eden Hill farm, after her death the same year. By 1767, Ridgely expanded his practice and public life by purchasing an additional home in Dover Green. Like his father, Greenberry held a series of appointed offices, including judge of the Court of Common Pleas and county treasurer. His time as an elected representative began in the Assembly in 1765, and continued even after he faced down charges of Loyalist sympathies in 1775. He went on to serve in the Assembly throughout the late 1770s and early 1780s. Ridgely remained dedicated to teaching and learning throughout his life, mentoring apprentices such as APS Member James Tilton, while also seeking out the latest publications to read and study on topics that included medicine, history, and law. He was active in the Anglican Church, as his father and brother before him, and served as a vestryman in Dover’s Christ Church; and it was there that he was buried after succumbing to pneumonia in 1785. He was survived by his second wife, Ann Moore, and his ten children. (PI)




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