History:

Lt. John Riddle

Lt. John  Riddle was a mill wright, carpenter and farmer who lived and built his house in the late 18th century.  The exact date in which this house was built is unknown but is estimated to be between 1770 and 1780.  John Riddle was born in 1754 in Bedford, NH to Gawn Riddle and Mary Bell.  He married Mary McAfee in 1775.  He was a millwright by trade, and built nearly all the mills in operation in this section of New Hampshire.  In 1780s he served on multiple committees that were dedicated to surveying the bridges and highways in New Hampshire.  He served as a Private in the New Hampshire State Troops during the American Revolutionary War and signed the "Association Test," pledging his life, fortune, and arms to oppose the British Fleet.  Later in life, he remarried to Sarah Hartshorn.  Between his two wives, he had 11 children; Gawn Riddle, Molly Riddle, Nancy (Riddle) French, Susanna (Riddle), Moor, James Riddle, Anna (Riddle) Staples, John Riddle, Mathew Riddle, and William Riddle.  Lt. John Riddle died in 1814 in Bedford, NH.

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