See also
| Husband: | William Ralston SHEDDEN (1747-1798) | |
| Wife: | ? KENNEDY ( - ) | |
| Name: | William Ralston SHEDDEN | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Father: | John SHEDDEN (c. 1702-1770) | |
| Mother: | Jean RALSTON ( - ) | |
| Birth | 23 Apr 1747 | Beith |
| Residence | Virginia & New York | |
| Death | 1798 (age 50-51) | New York, USA |
| Name: | ? KENNEDY | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Father: | - | |
| Mother: | - | |
Information from the History of the County of Ayrshire dated Sep 1847.
William Ralston Shedden, born 23d April, 1747. He went to Virginia, in the employment. of a mercantile house, along with his cousin, Robert Shedden, before mentioned. On attaining majority, he returned home; and having induced his father to make an advance of money, he left this country for Virginia early in 1770, and commenced business as a merchant there. His father died in the end of 1770, on which he succeeded to Roughwood and Millburn, under considerable debt, and was served heir to him in these estates in 1771. He took the Royalist side, and, like his cousin, Robert Shedden, escaped from Virginia, leaving his property behind, which was taken possession of by the Americans. He settled at Bermuda; and being connected in business with his cousin, Robert Shedden, he had realised a considerable fortune at the peace of 1783; but in place of returning to Scotland, he went and settled in New York, and never returned; so that he did not see his property from the time of his father’s death in 1770. He was highly respected as a merchant in New York; but in the latter part of his life, having got into bad health and indolent habits, his business was neglected, and his books not made up. He granted bonds and obligations to be charged on the Roughwood estate, to an amount equal to its value. He executed a settlement, in which he appointed executors to wind up his American affairs. But the settlement had no application to, and could not carry, the Scotch heritable property. The executors declined to interfere, or send any powers to Scotland, as they considered the estate to be burdened to a greater amount than its value. The creditors were about to proceed to a judicial sale, when it was thought expedient to avoid this. Accordingly, Robert Patrick, then a surgeon in the army - eldest son of Marion Shedden and John Patrick - was, in 1799, served heir to his uncle, with the benefit of inventory. He afterwards settled with the creditors by paying the value of the estate, and thus avoided the expense of a judicial sale. On the occasion of the purchase of the estate of Hessilhead, adjoining to Trearne, he sold Roughwood and Millburn to William Patrick, now of Roughwood, W.S., his younger brother, who has thus acquired, by purchase, the family estate of his mother; and, from the pedigree of the Ralstons, it will appear that he has since acquired, by purchase, Wcodside-Ralston, the family estate of his grandmother.