BIOGRAPHY OF GEN. WILLIAM P. RIDDLE of Manchester NH ------------------------------------ Information located at http://www.nh.searchroots.com/Manchester On a web site about GENEALOGY AND HISTORY OF MANCHESTER NEW HAMPSHIRE TRANSCRIBED BY JANICE BROWN Please see the web site for my email contact. ---------------------------------- The original source of this information is in the public domain, however use of this text file, other than for personal use, is restricted without written permission from the transcriber (who has edited, compiled and added new copyrighted text to same). ======================================================== SOURCE: Manchester, A Brief Record of its Past and A Picture of Its Present, including an account of is settlement and its growth as town and city; a history of its schools, churches, societies, banks, post-offices, newspapers and manufactures; a description of its government, police and fire department, public buildings, library, water-works, cemeteries, streets, streams, railways and bridges; a complete list of the selectmen, moderators and clerks of the town and members of the councils, marshals and engineers of the city, with the state of the cote for mayor at each election; the story of its part in the war of the rebellion with a complete list of its soldiers who went ot the war; and sketches of its representative citizens; Manchester N.H.; John B. Clark; 1875 ------------------- page 426 **** GEN. WILLIAM P. RIDDLE **** William Pickle Riddle was born in Bedford NH, April 6, 1789, being named for a well-known clergyman of that town, and died in Piscataquog Village in Manchester of neuralgia May 18, 1875, being then over eighty-six years of age. He was the eldest of the five sons of Isaac and Ann (Aiken) Riddle, of whom, Isaac, of this city, is now living. There were three children by a subsequent marriage, of whom one, Margaret Ann, wife of Gen. Joseph C. Stevens of Lancaster, Mass., survives. Mr. Riddle was the grandson of Gawn Riddle, who came over with his brothers from the north of Ireland, being of Scotch extraction, and settled in Londonderry about 1737, whence they removed to Bedford about 1758. Mr. Riddle was educated in the academy in Atkinson NH, and when twenty-two years old, engaged in trade in Piscataquog village. With his father and two brothers he formed the firm of Isaac Ruddle & Sons, which was largely engaged in mercantile and manufacturing businesses and as one of the firm he took an active part in the construction of the Union Locks and Canals by which the Merrimack was made navigable from Concord to Lowell and in the establishment of a line of daily cana-boats from Concord and Boston. Upon the death of his father, in 1830, the firm was dissolved and he carried on the business both at Bedford and Merrimack, in his own name, managing saw-mills, grist-mills, and stores, operating in woodlands and continuing the boating and rafting business until the Concord railway was built in 1842. The old yellow store in Piscataquog Village was the scene of most of his operations and his business was very extensive. He furnished building lumber for Lowell, Boston, and Newburyport, spars and ship-timber for the United States navy yard at Charlestown, Mass., and materials for the railways then being built in Massachusetts. He dealt largely in hops, buying them all over this state, Vermont and Canada, marketing them in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, and sometimes exporting them. In 1846, having been for a number of years deputy-inspector of hops, he was made inspector-general for the state and held the office as long as it was in existence. The Piscataquog steam mills were built by him in 1848. About 1860 he retired from active business. He was always much engaged in agriculture, owning several farms, and was a patron of the state and county fairs. He had from his youth a taste for military affairs. When but twenty-two years of age he organized a military company known as the "Bedford Grenadiers" and was its first captain. Five years later he was promoted to be major of the old Ninth regiment of state militia and rose through the ranks of lieutenant-colonel, colonel, and brigadier-general to that of major-general, which position he held until his resignation in 1835. He also assisted in the formation of the Amoskeag Veterans in 1854 and was their first commander. Gen. Riddle was a prominent man in civil affairs, frequently moderator of the town-meetings, representative to the legislature, county road-commissioner, etc. He was a member of the association which built the old Piscataquog meeting-house in 1820 and was one of the building committee. He superintended the construction of many of the bridges across the Piscataquog River and was the president of the Granite Bridge Company which built the toll-bridge across the Merrimack at Merrill's Falls where Granite Bridge now is. Gen. Riddle became a Mason in 1823, and in the succeeding year was active in the formation of the Lafayette Lodge, which was started in Bedford but removed to this city. He was one of its charter members, allowed it the use of his hall for twenty-five years without compensation, and was the last survivor but one, if not the last, of its projectors. He was also a member of Mt. Horeb Royal Arch Chapter and of Trinity Commandry of Knights Templar. In politics Gen. Riddle was first a Whig and afterwards a Republican and an ardent supporter of the government during the late War of the Rebellion [Civil War]. In religion he was a Unitarian and was one of the founders of the First Unitarian Church in this city. He married in 1824 Miss Sarah, daughter of Capt. John Ferguson of Dunbarton NH, by whom he had seven children. of whom three survive-- George W., of this city, William Q. of New York City, and Daniel W. of Waterloo, NY. This sketch of his life shows him to have been one of the most prominent men of his day in this section of the state of New Hampshire. His mind was of a very practical turn, keen and active, and executive ability was one of his most conspicuous characteristics. He belonged to the school of gentlemen, liberal, genial, and hospitable, and filled with credit the various places of responsibility to which he was called. (end)