Timothy Tibbets Ridlen, second child of Abraham and Patience (Tibbetts) Ridlen, was born in Pepperelborough, Massachusetts, (now Saco, York County, Maine) on November 27, 1786 (Bible Record); August 2, 1786 (Ridlen Book); or November 27, 1775 (Tombstone).

He was taken by his parents to Ohio around 1800, settling in Clermont County, Ohio, where they carried on farming for many years. When crossing the Allegheny Mountains while on the way from New England to Ohio, he was thrown from a young horse he was riding and sustained a bad fracture of the arm. No physician was available and the men and women reduced the arm to as near natural position as they could, bound splints to it and proceeded on their way. It was not properly united, and the movements of the horse gave him so much pain he was placed in a carriage but suffered extremely the balance of the journey.

On January 31, 1811, he was united in marriage to Sarah Wright, in Clermont County, Ohio, with whom he is buried beside.

Timothy, along with several of his brothers, served in the War of 1812 from here.

Somewhere before 1820, they had moved to Dearborn County, Indiana. It was also while on this trip West that Timothy and his brother changed their names to Ridlen. There he is listed in the 1820 census as Timothy T. Ridlen and wife and five small children. These children would have been Ebenezer Warren Ridlen, Mary Ann Ridlen, Sarah Jane Ridlen, and William Thomas Ridlen. They are shown in the 1830 census of Decatur County, Indiana, with nine children, the above listed and Joseph Wright Ridlen, Samuel Ridlen, Harriet Ridlen, John Ridlen, and Elsie Ridlen. The 1840 census shows them still in Decatur County, with most of the children gone. The 1850 census gives his name as Timothy Ridalle(sic), age 64, male, farmer, and Sarah, 60, daughter Ruth Ridlen, 10, with a Sarah A. Rogers, 12, living with them. He and Sarah had a total of 12 known children including an Unknown Male.

When land began opening up in the west, they moved on to Marion County, Iowa in about 1849. It is here he died on November 21, 1853.

He was of medium height, well built, very strong, brown hair and ruddy complexion. He was a Christian, a good father, a great farmer and something of a mechanic.