Morgan County birth records on LDS microfilm #0216835 record birth of John W. Riddle on 3 Jun 1855 to John Riddle and what looks like Mary Abott.4 This is due to a binding error; the right hand page that should be bound in that location says “Myers” on that line.

His death certificate (Vol. 21, #10103) records John Riddle, age 87 years 9 months, born June 1856 in Rowan, died 27 Mar 1942 in Crix, Rowan Co., Ky, residence same, married, husband of Claria Riddle, age about 50, occupation farming, father John Riddle, born in Ky, mother’s maiden name unknown, cause of death lobar pneumonia due to influenza, informant J. M. Purkins, Clearfield, Ky, burial in Cox Gyard, Crix, Ky.

The informant would be Jesse Meeks Perkins, second husband of John’s daughter Amanda from his first marriage.

In the 1920 census, John is listed as age 61, father, with the family of his son Ora.

Her death certificate records Sophia Riddle, age 57 years 4 months, born Apr 1861 in Ky, died 6 Aug 1918 in Rowan Co., Ky, married, parents don’t know, cause of death hemorrhage of brain or apoplexy, informant Jas Riddle, Crix, Ky, burial in Cox Cemetery.

Her gravestone inscription in Crix Cemetery says Sophie E. Riddle 5 May 1863 - 6 Aug 1918. Since she was listed as age 2 months in the 1860 census and age 10 in the 1870 census, her correct date of birth must have been 1860.

Rowan Co. Ky marriage report for 1876 records the marriage on 1 June 1876 of John W. Ridle, age 21, born in Rowan Co., both parents born in Bourbon Co., to Saphira Thomas, age 17, born in Rowan Co., both parents born in Fleming Co.

See Notes for John Wm Sr. for 1880 census reading of this family.

1900 census of Rowan Co., KY, lists this family as:
John Riddle, 46, Apr 1854; Sophia, 40, May 1860; Minnie, 25, Mar 1875; Manda, 23, Apr 1877; Zania, 20, May 1880; Willie, 18, Apr 1882; Robert, 16, Feb 1884; Edward, 14, May 1886. All born in Kentucky. Married 26 years, 6 children, all living.

The dates for the first three children (at least) are inconsistent with the 1880 census, when Minnie was listed as 2, Amanda as 8/12, and Zania was not born yet. But the 1900 census of Pearce and Hoggtown precincts is extremely unreliable on birthdates.3

The family group in this census is also incomplete. From marriage records and later censuses, John and Sophia had at least four children born after Edward but before 1900 who should have been listed with the family in 1900.

I cannot find this family in the 1910 census, nor the families of most of their children who had married by then. (I found Ollie in West Virginia.) There are, strangely, no Riddle families listed in the 1910 census of Rowan Co., even though there were Riddle marriages taking place in the county during that decade, many Riddle men registered for the draft in Rowan Co. in 1917-1918, and many of John and Sophia’s sons who married during the 1900-1910 period were listed in Rowan Co. in 1920. It doesn’t seem likely that the entire clan moved away, and then moved back. So I suspect that there may be part of the census lost for the area where they lived.