Priscilla Dorsey Ridgely
Born on July 12, 1762, Priscilla Dorsey was the youngest of Priscilla Hill and Caleb Dorsey Jr.'s nine children. In 1760, Priscilla and Caleb's daughter Rebecca married Captain Charles Ridgely and moved into his estate, Hampton, in Baltimore County. It is most likely through this connection that Captain Ridgely's nephew, Charles Ridgely Carnan, met Rebecca's youngest sister Priscilla. Since his birth on December 6, 1829, Rebecca and Charles Ridgely acted as a second set of parents to their nephew Charles Carnan, son of Achsah Ridgely and John Carnan. It is possible that they introduced Priscilla and Charles or that the couple met at a family gathering. Regardless of how the met, Priscilla and Charles Carnan were married on October 17, 1782 at Old Saint Paul's Church in Baltimore. Although they owned homes in Baltimore and Annapolis, the newlyweds moved into Hampton with Charles and Rebecca.

Captain Ridgely died in 1790 and named Charles Carnan one of his principal heirs. The only stipulation of the will was that Charles had to legally change his surname from Carnan to Ridgely. Although, Captain Ridgely bequeathed Hampton to his wife Rebecca, she gave the estate to Charles and Priscilla and chose instead to live at a smaller property, known as Dimite's Delight. In compliance with the terms of the inheritance, Charles officially became Charles Carnan Ridgely by act of the Maryland Legislature in 1790. In that same year, Charles was elected to the Maryland General Assembly and he remained a Delegate until he was chosen for the State Senate in 1796. While Ridgely pursued a career in politics, Priscilla kept busy as the sole mistress of Hampton and as a mother to the couple's thirteen children including Henry, Priscilla Hill, Eliza, David Latimer, Sophia Gough, Mary Pue, Charles Carnan Jr., Rebecca Dorsey, Priscilla Gough, John Carnan, Prudence, Achsah and Harriet.

Sadly, just as her husband was embarking on his greatest political triumph, his tenure as Governor of Maryland, Priscilla Dorsey Ridgely died on April 30, 1814. She was interned in the Ridgely family vault at Hampton. Charles, who served as governor from 1816 to 1819, never remarried. Although Priscilla did not live to serve as First Lady of Maryland, she left a legacy that eventually reached the position - that legacy was her daughter, Prudence Gough Ridgely Howard.
Source: Maryland State Archives, Biographical Series.