Richardsn Memorial
The Richardson Memorial
POSTERITY OF THOMAS RICHARDSON.
5152.
 Benjamin Richardson4 (Benjamin,3 Isaac,2 Thomas1), son of Benjamin3 and Lydia (Draper) Richardson; born in Stoneham, then a suburb of Charlestown, and known as “Charlestown End,” April 8, 1703; married Patience Earle, about 1724, in Leicester, after a removal to that place.
Patience Earle was a daughter of Ralph Earle, the ancestor of the families of that name in Leicester. He came from Rhode Island to Leicester in 1717, and was one of the thirty-seven men to whom a deed of the easterly half of the territory of Leicester was given by a committee of the proprietors, dated Jan. 11, 1724-5. Nathaniel Richardson [5136] was another.
Benjamin Richardson removed with his father’s family to Leicester about 1717, with many funilies from Stoneham, Malden, and the vicinity. He and his mother Lydia were made administrators of his father’s estate, Jan. 6, 1728-9, by the probate court of Middlesex County, to which Leicester then belonged. [Midd. Prob. Rec., xviii. 414.]
He was by occupation a housewright. The time of his death is not known. He certainly lived in Leicester till April 4, 1760, when a bond given by him as administrator on the estate of his brother Isaac Richardson was put in suit to compel him to render an account of his administration, which, it seems, he had neglected to do.
Jan. 11, 1737. The town allowed him eleven shillings for killing twenty-eight rattlesnakes. [Draper’s Hist. of Spencer, p. 32.]

His children, born in Leicester, were:
  1. Abigail,5 b. 1725; m. first,______ Moore; second, Zachariah Eager.
  2. Asa,5 b. about 1726; lived in Lancaster, and joined in a petition, dated Dec. 31, 1746, with sixty others of Lancaster, eighty-three of Luneuberg, forty of Groton, and twenty-four of Leominster, to the governor and council, to be protected by garrisons against French and Indian hostility.
  3. Benjamin,5 b. Feb. 22, 1732; m. first, Eunice Swan; second, Abigail Holman; third, Olive ______; fourth, Candace Allen.
  4. Elizabeth,5 b. 1734; m. Nathan Earle, b. in Leicester, May 12, 1728, son of Ralph Earle, her uncle, already mentioned.
  5. Nathaniel,5 b. 1737; m. Ruth Gilkey.
    6. The birth of Asa is rendered extremely probable by circumstances, in the absence of a written record. He died early in life.
5153.
 Isaac Richardson4 (Benjamin,3 Isaac,2 Thomas1), brother of the preceding, and son of Benjamin3 and Lydia Richardson; born in what is now Stoneham, then called “Charlestown End,” but on the border of Woburn, April 2, 1705; married July 2, 1728, Elizabeth Richardson4 [1614], born Feb. 18, 1702-3, second daughter of Jacob3 and Hannah (Conyers) Richardson, of Woburn. Her mother was a daughter of Major James Conyers, distinguished for his vigorous and successful defense of Storer’s garrison, in Wells, June 11, 1692, with but thirty men against five hundred. [Sewall’s Hist. of Woburn, pp. 179-182].
Isaac Richardson graduated at Harvard College in 1728. It does not appear that he studied or exercised any profession, save that of a teacher of youth, in which employment he was eminently successful. In those times the schools were kept only part of the year, usually only three months, sometimes only half of that time in a year. Competent instructors were scarce, and such as they had were very poorly paid; sometimes in pork, Indian corn, rye, etc. The country was burdened with taxes, the people were poor and could not pay a proper sum to a good teacher. They often paid their taxes in the produce of the soil. For a school teacher, in 1709, thirty pounds a year, and that in depreciated currency, was reckoned a fair compensation. In 1747, Mr. Isaac Richardson, who was highly considered as a teacher, received only £47, 10., old tenor, for keeping school that year; and of this currency, forty shillings were worth only one specie dollar! The schools were nearly all kept in private houses.
Mr. Richardson taught in Woburn three months in the winter of 1727-8; he taught in Reading, 1729, 1730, 1731; nine months and one week in Woburn, 1735; eight months in 1746; three months in 1747. He also taught in other places. In the last three years, his pay was at the rate £100, old tenor, per annum, or less than three hundred dollars.
Mr. Richardson preached occasionally, but was never ordained. In a receipt still in existence, dated Woburn, Jan. 4, 1740-1, he acknowledges being paid forty shillings in part for preaching at North Town, incorporated, 1732, as Townsend, three Sabbaths. Doubtless paid in old tenor Province bills. He also preached in Worcester, and other places. He was greatly respected. On Woburn records, he is constantly spoken of as “Mr. Isaac Richardson.” In most other cases the “Mr.” was omitted.
It appears that he dealt somewhat in Eastern lands, then attractive to men who had money to invest.
March 20, 1738-9. Isaac Richardson, of ’Woburn, gentleman, bought of Joseph Roberts, of Boston, calker, two parcels of land at Sheepscot, in the County of York, Me., containing 471 acres, “on the west side of Sheepscot River, in the upper township, as it is called.” This was not far from Wiscasset and Alna. [York Deeds, xix. 259.]
He sold this land to Isaac and Israel Kenney of Middleton, Mass., March 23, 1738-9.
Oct. 6, 1736. Isaac Richardson, of Woburn, gentleman, in company with Benjamin Richardson [5195], also of Woburn, and Samuel Richardson [1572] and Thomas Richardson [1580], bought land on Sheepscot River, and elsewhere in Maine. [York Deeds, xx. 131, etc.]
He also owned a share in Narraganset township, No. 2, afterwards incorporated as Westminster, in Worcester ounty, Mass. It had been granted to the heirs of those who served in the war of 1675.
He died intestate, in 1748, aged 43. his wife Elizabeth died previous to 1750, the date of her father’s will. She is mentioned in said will as deceased.
His brother, Benjamin Richardson, and Jacob Richardson, his wife’s father, were appointed administrators of his estate, Jan. 9, 1748-9. But Benjamin Richardson, living in Leicester, neglected the trust, and was sued for this, April 4, 1760. The estate was not finally settled till February, 1770.
The inventory of Isaac Richardson’s estate is dated Oct 11, 1756, eight years after his death. The amount, including real and personal estate, was £1089. 19. 6. One of the items was £200 obtained for the sale of Narraganset Township, No. 2.

The children of Isaac and Elizabeth Richardson were:
  1. Elizabeth,5 b. Jan. 29, 1728-9; m. Samuel Baker, jr., of Woburn, 1749.
  2. Hannah,5 b. Oct. 21, 1731; d. in infancy.
  3. Hannah,5 b. December, 1732; m. first, Phineas Richardson [5257]; second, Silas Richardson [1853].
  4. Lydia,5 b. Jan-2, 1734-5.
  5. Isaac,5 b. Sept. 20, 1730; living in 1766, at settlement of estate in part.
  6. Addison,5 b. July 3. 1739; m. first. Mary Greenleaf; second, Anstiss Blanchard; third, Lucy Holden.
  7. Nathaniel,5 b. May 21, 1741.
  8. Josiah,5 b. Nov. 17, 1743; m. Mary Richardson, April 20, 1769. He was a blacksmith, and lived in Woburn.
  9. Olive,5 b. Oct. 15, 1740; m. Benjamin Flint.


5154.
 Lydia Richardson4 (Benjamin,3 Issac,2 Thomas1), sister of the preceding; born Nov. 28, 1710; married Isaac Kenney, of Middleton, Aug. 20, 1734.
He was a man of note in Middleton, a town in Essex County, incorporated June 20, 1728. He was by occupation a “Bloomer.”* He was repeatedly chosen moderator at town meetings, selectman, representative, etc. He was interested, with his brother-in-law, Isaac Richardson, and others, in Maine lands.

Their children were:
  1. Jonathan (Kenney), b. March 18, 1735.
  2. Jesse (Kenney), b. Feb. 22, 1737.
  3. Asa (Kenney), b. March 20, 1738.
  4. Lydia (Kenney), b. Dec. 16, 1740; m. her cousin Joel Richardson, March 13, 1706.
  5. Simeon (Kenney), b. Sept. 6, 1743.
  6. Lucy (Kenney), b. March 21, 1747.
  7. Ruth (Kenney), b. Oct. 28, 1752.
*Transcriber Note: I found a definition of a “Bloomer” that might be what is meant here, “Iron Worker.” Supposedly from the old English word blōma for an iron ingot or lump of metal.


5155.
 Solomon Richardson4 (David,3 Isaac,2 Thomas1), son of David3 and Rebecca Richardson; born in “Salem Village,” afterwards incorporated as a part of the town of Middleton, the date of his birth not known, but must have been about 1700; married, first, Elizabeth Goodale, of Salem, i. e., “Salem Village,” Feb. 26, 1728; second, Abigail Buxton, of Salem, May 7, 1741. She died May 15, 1805, at the age of Ninety-Four.
They lived in Middleton, Mass. He was a yeoman. His will is dated May 2, 1761; proved July 6,1761; recorded Essex Prob. Records, xxxviii. 129. This will gives to wife Abigail, “Dinah her maid,” in the inventory valued at £40; “also all my household furniture, and other things which she brought with her.” It gives to son David the testator’s house and barn, and about forty acres of land and meadow by Cromwell’s brook and Hntchinson’s meadow; also to be executor of the will, and “to sell my negro man Frank,“ in the inventory appraised at £60, to pay debts, etc. To sons John Richardson and Jonathan Richardson, daughter Elizabeth Sawyer, and daughter Sarah Richardson, legacies are to be paid by son David. Sons Amos, Stephen, and Solomon, are to have the other land after the decease of the widow. The testator’s grandchildren to have their legacy “in five years after their grandmother Richardson’s decease.”
The real estate, as shown by the inventory, presented Sept. 14, 1761, consisted of the homestead, containing about three hundred acres of land, with the buildings thereon; salt marsh at Lynn, about three acres; about twelve acres of meadow in Middleton, and about seven acres of woodland in Andover.

The children of Solomon Richardson were,
By first wife, Elizabeth:
  1. Elizabeth,5 b. Aug. 20, 1730; m. Francis Sawyer.
  2. Hannah,5 b. Dec. 20, 1732; m. Archelaus Fuller.
  3. David,5 b. April 9, 1735; m. Lucy ______.

    4. By second wife, Abigail:

  4. Sarah,5 b. Jan. 19, 1744; m. Ebenezer Hibbard, of Methuen, Oct. 11, 1763.
  5. Amos,5 b. March 18, 1749.
  6. Stephen,5 b. Oct. 21, 1750; m. Hannah Upton.
  7. John,5 b. Sept. 28, 1752; m. Rebecca Kenney,
  8. Solomon,5 b. June 7, 1755.
  9. Jonathan,5 b. March 12, 1759; m. Mary Peters.


5159.
 Thomas Richardson4 (Thomas,3 Thomas,2 Thomas1), son of Thomas3 and Abigail Richardson, of Billerica; born there about 1702; married Sarah Ditson. In neither case does the town record furnish the date.
They passed their lives in Billerica. Administration on his estate was granted, Dec. 25, 1738, to John Abbott, his brother-in-law. The will of Mrs. Sarah (Ditson) Richardson is dated Nov. 29, 1752.

Their children, born in Billerica, were:
  1. Thomas,5 b. Sept. 30, 1724; m. first, Abigail Reed; second Polly ______.
  2. James,5 b. Oct. 19, 1728.
  3. Amity,5 b. Oct. 8, 1729; m. Ezekiel Walker. Living, 1756.


5160.
 John Richardson4 (Thomas,3 Thomas,2 Thomas1), brother of the preceding; born in Billerica about 1704.
He was living at the date of his father’s will, March 18, 171718, for he is mentioned in it. So much is certain.
I suppose he is identical with John Richardson who married Catharine Taylor, of Charlestown, Nov. 29, 1739.

Their children were:
  1. Catharine.5
  2. John,5 b. May, 1747.
    3. Further information is wanting.


5171.
 Josiah Richardson4 (Andrew,3 Thomas,2 Thomas1), second son of Andrew3 and Hannah (Jeffts) Richardson, of Billerica; born there, Sept 9, 1714; married Judith ______.
They lived in Billerica. He died there, Jan. 20, 1753.

Their children were:
  1. Hannah,5 b. Nov. 12, 1749; m. Josiah Bowers, jr., of Billerica, Jan. 6, 1774.
5303.  Josiah,5
5304.  Judith,5		 twins, born
June 19, 1751.		 m. Lydia Walker.
d. Jan. 13, 1783.
  1. Abigail,5 b. Sept. 5, 1753; d. July 27, 1772.


5177.
 Nathaniel Richardson4 (Nathaniel,3 Thomas,2 Thomas1), eldest son of Nathaniel3 and Mary (Peacock) Richardson, of Billerica; born there, Jan. 8, 1706-7; married, first, Dorothy Farmer, November 14, 1733; second, Elizabeth Stevens, Sept. 15, 1738.
He lived in Townsend, Middlesex County, Mass. He died there near the close of 1756, or early in 1757. Administration on his estate was decreed, Feb. 7, 1757.
From the proceedings in court, we learn that his children were, and all by second wife, Elizabeth, who survived him:
  1. Elizabeth,5 b. 1739; m. Capt. Gershom Drury, of Temple, N. H.
  2. Nathaniel,5 b. 1740.
  3. Richard,5 b. 1741.
  4. Thomas,5 b. 1742.
  5. Sarah,5 b. 1744.
  6. Joseph,5 b. 1746; m. Hannah Drury.
  7. Hannah,5 b. 1749.
    8. All living in February, 1757. Thomas soon after deceased.


5178.
 Samuel Richarson4 (Nathaniel,3 Thomas,2 Thomas1), brother of the preceding; born in Billerica, Dec. 23, 1708; married Hannah Walker, Feb. 1, 1736-7. They were married by Rev. Samuel Ruggles, minister of Billerica from 1708 to 1749.
They lived in Billerica. He died there, Aug. 22, 1796, aged 88.

His children were:
  1. Samuel,5 b. Sept. 24, 1737; m. Martha ______.
  2. Hannah,5 b. Sept. 9, 1739.
  3. Sarah,5 b. Jan. 30, 1741.
  4. Patty,5 b. Nov. 16, 1743; m. Samuel Jaquith, of Wilmington, Dec. 3, 1767; afterwards of Greenfield, N. H.
  5. Molly,5 b. April 11, 1746; m. Jacob Marshall, of Billerica, Nov. 21, 1771.
  6. Dolly,5 b. Aug. 11, 1749; m. James Jaquith, of Wilmington, Feb. 2, 1769.
  7. Joseph,5 b. Oct. 21, 1752; m. Martha Chapman.
  8. Phebe,5 b. Feb. 5, 1757.


5180.
 William Richardson4 (Nathaniel,3 Thomas,2 Thomas1), brother of the preceding; born in Billerica, May 5, 1713; married Mary Hobart, of Groton, Dec. 9, 1742.
He lived in Townsend, Mass. His will is dated April 19, 1773. He died there, April 30, 1773. His wife Mary died Sept. 2, 1763, twelve days after the birth of her last child.

Their children were:
  1. Mary,5 b. July 5, 1743; d. Feb. 26, 1804.
  2. William,5 b. May 10, 1745; m. Hannah (Stevens) Crosby.
  3. Martha,5 b. April 17, 1747; unm.; d. in Ashby, Mass.
  4. Israel,5 b. May 14, 174.0; a Revolutionary soldier; “died in the army at New York, Aug. 29, 1776,” is the record furnished to me, but the cause of death is not stated. The battle of Long Island, between the troops of Washington and the enemy, took place Aug. 27th, and the consequent retreat from Long Island took place in the night following the 29th. Israel Richardson may have died of wounds received in the battle. A bleak northeasterly wind began on the evening of the 27th, and continued three days, and a heavy fall of rain on the 29th caused great suffering among the soldiers. Israel may have died from exposure to the storm, especially if wounded.
  5. Abel,5 b. April 22, 1751; m. Tabitha Bennet.
  6. Josiah,5 b. Aug. 10, 1753; m. first, Abigail Dix; second, Susanna Wallis.
  7. Emma,5 b. Jan. 12, 1758; m. ______ Brooks; lived in Brookline, N. H.
  8. Andrew,5 b. Aug. 25, 1760; m. Hannah Grant.
  9. Ruth,5 b. Aug. 21, 1763; unm.; d. in Brookline, N. H.


5181.
 Hezekiah Richardson4 (Nathaniel,3 Thomas,2 Thomas1), brother of the preceding, and fourth son of Nathaniel3 and Mary (Peacock) Richardson; born in Billerica, May 8, 1715; married, Sept. 30, 1740, Elizabeth Walker, born Feb. 28, 1717, daughter of Jacob Walker, of Billerica. They were married by Rev. Samuel Ruggles, minister of Billerica from 1708 to 1749.
They lived in Townsend, Mass., in the north part of the town, near Barker’s Hill. The house, built one hundred and thirty years ago, is still standing. Hezekiah Richardson died June 17, 1795, aged 80. His wife Elizabeth died July 12, 1792, aged 75.

Their children, all born in Townsend, were:
  1. Hezekiah,5 b. July 20, 1741; m. Elizabeth Howe.
  2. Jacob,5 b. Dec. 13, 1742; m. Sarah Brown.
  3. Simeon,5 b. May 19, 1744; d. May 27, 1760.
  4. Phebe,5 b. Feb. 14, 1746; unm.; d. May 13, 1810.
  5. Zaccheus,5 b. April 19, 1748; m. Rachel Conant, of Pepperell, 1767. He died-Oct. 17, 1769.
  6. Abijah,5 b. Feb. 22, 1749; m. first, ______ Livingston; second, Eunice Thompson.
  7. Ebenezer,5 b. Nov. 25, 1751; m. first, Catharine (Tufts) Wyman; second, Jerusha Dodge.
  8. Joel,5 b. June 22, 1758; was a Revolutionary soldier three years.
  9. Joshua,5 b. Dec. 20, 1759; m. ______ ______; a Revolutionary soldier.
  10. Simeon,5 b. May 4, 1763; m. ______ ______; a Revolutionary soldier.
Of the above, Ebenezer, Joel, and Joshua, served their country three years as soldiers in the war of the Revolution. Ebenezer was at the surrender of Cornwallis in October, 1781.


5185.
 Ebenezer Richardson4 (Nathaniel,3 Thomas,2 Thomas1), brother of the preceding, and youngest son of Nathaniel3 and Mary (Peacock) Richardson, of Billerica; born there, Oct. 2, 1724; married, first, Elizabeth Shed, of Billerica, Dec. 30, 1746. They were married by Rev. Samuel Ruggles. She died May 10, 1763. Second, Mary Crosby, of Billerica, Oct. 4, 1764, by Rev. Henry Cummings. Third, Lydia Danforth, of Billerica, Dec. 6, 1770. Fourth, Catherine Wyman, of Woburn; published Dec. 4, 1776. She died Jan. 19, 1783. Fifth, Elizabeth Bacon, of Bedford, May 21, 1783.

Children, all but two by first wife, and all born in Billerica:
  1. Elizabeth,5 b. Dec. 27, 1747; d. July 23, 1749.
  2. Rebecca,5 b. Sept. 29, 1749.
  3. Betty,5 b. Feb. 12, 1750-1; m. William Currier, of Billerica, April 25, 1775. So the record; we presume her name was Elizabeth.
  4. Ebenezer,5 b. Dec. 20, 1752; d. young.
  5. Ebenezer,5 b. Dec. 25, 1754; m. first, Rebecca Walker; second, Susanna Tufts.
  6. Rhoda,5 b. Dec. 31, 1755; m. John Edes, of Billerica, April 2, 1776.
  7. Nathaniel,5 b. May 19, 1757.
  8. Lucy,5 b. Jan. 12, 1758; d. young.
  9. Asa,5 b. Feb. 14, 1760; m. Sarah Tufts.
  10. Isaac,5 b. Oct. 30, 1761.
  11. John,5 b. March 16, 1763.

    12. By third wife, Lydia:

  12. Lucy,5 b. Aug. 3, 1771.
  13. Abigail,5 b. Dec. 8, 1772.


5187.
 Jonathan Richardson4 (Jonathan,3 Thomas,2 Thomas1), son of Jonathan3 and Hannah (French) Richardson, of Billerica; born there, Feb. 7, 1715-16; married, Feb. 14, 1739-40, Abigail Farmer, born Jan. 14, 1718-19, daughter of Oliver and Abigail (Johnson) Farmer. Married by Rev. Samuel Ruggles.
They passed their lives in Billerica. The husband died March 14, 1791, aged 75. The wife Abigail died Jan. 30, 1790, aged 71.

Their children were:
  1. Abigail,5 b. April 14, 1741.
  2. Jonathan,5 b. June 3, 1743; d. July 2, 1743.
  3. Jonathan,5 b. Nov. 25, 1744; d. at Chelmsford, 1813, aged 68.
  4. Thomas,5 b. Sept. 3, 1747; m. Judith Kendall.
  5. Oliver,5 b. Feb. 15, 1749-50; m. Elizabeth Shed, of Billerica, April 8, 1778. He died Sept. 23, 1836, aged 86 years, 7 months.
  6. Benjamin,5 b. March 3, 1753; d. Feb. 23, 1773.


5188.
 Thomas Richardson4 (Jonathan,3 Thomas,2 Thomas1), brother of the preceding; born in Billerica, June 5, 1718; married, 1739, Abigail Merrow,4 born in Woburn, 1713, daughter of Henry3 and Abigail (Parker) Merrow, of Woburn. Her father was son of John2 and grandson of Henry Merrow1 who came from Scotland. Her parents, Henry3 and Abigail Merrow, lived in Reading, on what is now Lowell Street, near the village. Our Thomas Richardson and wife Abigail occupied that place after them.

Their children were the following:
  1. Abigail,5 b. May 10, 1740; d. young.
  2. Mary,5 b. Feb. 3, 1743; unm. She lived in Salem. Her will, dated Aug. 11, 1789, proved April 19, 1791, makes bequests to her brother, Ebenezer Richardson, and to her three sisters, Abigail, Hephzibah, and Beulah, and her brother’s children, Sarah, Lucy, Jonathan, and Ebenezer, likewise to William Safford, of Salem, and his daughter Elizabeth.
  3. Hephzibah,5 b. May 2, 1745.
  4. Abigail,5 b. 1746; living 1789.
  5. Beulah,5 b. July 14, 1751; unm.; living 1789.
  6. Ebenezer,5 b. April 14, 1754; m. Sarah Parker, 1777.


5189.
 Abiel Richarsdson4 (Jonathan,3 Thomas,2 Thomas1), brother of the preceding, and youngest son of Jonathan3 and Hannah (French) Richardson, of Billerica; born there, Nov. 12, 1720; married, Jan. 14, 1742, Sarah Smith, born in Lexington, July 28, 1723, daughter of Daniel Smith, of Lexington.
The Woburn records call her Sarah Smith, and she was published in Woburn, April 5, 1741, as Sarah Smith, of Lexington; but she was married at Westford, July 9, 1741, according to the Westford records, as Sarah Boynton. Her first child, Sarah, was born in Westford, according to Westford records, Jan. 19, 1741, which of course means 1741-2, which was only five days after marriage, as the date is given in the Woburn records. Again, the Middlesex County records not only call her Sarah Boynton, but say that she and her husband belonged to Westford. The Pepperell records locate them in Pepperell, and say that he died there, July 19, 1753, “killed by a fall.” The probate records decide that he was of Pepperell at the time of his death, July, 1753.
The inventory is dated Jan. 26, 1754; amount, £193. 15. 3. He left no will; his widow Sarah was administratrix. She was married, Jan. 9, 1755, to William Parker, of Groton, having been duly published in Pepperell, Nov. 29, 1754.

The children of Abiel and Sarah Richardson were, Born in Westford:
  1. Sarah,5 b. Jan. 19, 1741-2.
  2. Hannah,5 b. Oct. 28, 1743.
  3. Edith,5 b. Feb. 9, 1745; m. Amaziah Fasset, of Westford, May 17, 1768. Ede on the record.
  4. Abiel,5 b. 174-; m.
  5. Thomas,5 b. Jan. S, 1751; m. Abigail ______.

    6. Born in Pepperell:

  6. Abigail,5 b. Sept. 7, 1753; posthumous.
It is astonishing to observe how carelessly the town records were kept in “"ye olden time’ in respect to both names and dates.


5192.
 Rebecca Richardson4 (Nathaniel,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), daughter of Nathaniel3 and Abigail (Reed) Richardson; born in Woburn, Aug. 14, 1699; married, Nov. 15, 1720, John Whittemore.
He removed from Rumney Marsh, since known as Chelsea, near Boston, to Leicester, about 1719, and was thus one of the founders of that town. This was before his marriage. He is called “deacon” in 1735. His posterity were in Leicester several generations.

Children:
  1. John (Whittemore), b. 1721; m. 1749, Elizabeth Earle, daughter of Robert Earle, of Leicester.
  2. Nathan (Whittemore), b. 1723; m. 1763, Lois Earle, daughter of William Earle.
  3. Rebecca (Whittemore), b. 1725; m. Oliver Witt, 1745.
  4. Phebe (Whittemore), b. 1727; m. Ralph Earle, of Shrewsbury, 1749. He commanded a company in the Revolutionary war. They were the parents of Ralph Earle, b. May 11, 1751, a distinguished artist and historical painter.
  5. Nathaniel (Whittemore), b. 1732.
  6. James (Whittemore), b. 1734; m. Dorothy Green, 1761.


5193.
 Nathaniel Richardson4 (Nathaniel,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), brother of the preceding, and eldest son of Nathaniel3 and Abigail (Reed) Richardson, of Woburn; born there, March 20, 1702; married, 1727, Martha Locke; published Nov. 1, 1727. Her name does not occur in the elaborate “Book of the Lockes,” nor in the Woburn records.
He was a victualer in Boston, that is, he kept provisions for sale. He died April 26, 1730, aged 28. His widow Martha married, in Boston, July 25, 1734, Thomas Flagg, born in Woburn, Nov. 19, 1710, son of Ebenezer and Elizabeth (Carter) Flagg, and had Thomas, baptized Sept. 16, 1738.

Nathaniel4 and Martha Richardson had only:
  1. Nathaniel,5 b. June 11, 1729; m. Abigail ______. They lived in Boston and had:
  2. Josiah,6 bap. at Brattle Square Church, July 13, 1755.
  3. Betsey,6 (probably) m. Nov. 26, 1801, Samuel Allen.


5195.
 Benjamin Richardson4 (Nathaniel,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), brother of the preceding; born in Woburn, Feb. 29, 1703-4; married, first, Judith Wyman, born June 16, 1702, daughter of Timothy and Hannah Wyman, of Woburn. Second, Rebecca Richardson [5183], born in Billerica, May 17, 1720, daughter of Nathaniel3 and Mary (Peacock) Richardson.
He lived in Woburn, but owned land in Stoneham, which is the reason why he is mentioned in several conveyances of land in Stoneham, his land bordering on the parcels of land sold by John Vinton [1592], just previous to the removal of the latter to Dudley in 1738. His land also bordered on that of James Allen, 1761, and of Jonathan Green, 1768. His land was near “Bear Hill,” in the south-west part of Stoneham.
Dec. 31, 1755. Benjamin Richardson, yeoman, and William Belknap, both of Woburn, bought of Major John Fowle [1643], also of Woburn, one one hundred and twenty-third (1/123) part of Narragansett Township, No. 1, on the east side of Saco River, granted to Joseph Rose; also a similar part (1/123) in the same township, granted to Jonathan Moses. [York Deeds, xxx. 306].
June 14, 1765. Benjamin Richardson and William Belknap sell to Joshua Wyman, jr., of Woburn, the two rights conveyed to them in the deed just quoted. [York Deeds, xxxviii. 122].
Benjamin Richardson died in Woburn, intestate, Sept. 25, 1782. His widow Rebecca was appointed administratrix.

His children were, by first wife:
  1. Joanna,5 b. 1728; m. Samuel Swan, of Charlestown, 1746.
  2. Benjamin,5 b. May 10, 1730; m. Rebecca (Richardson) Wyman.
  3. Isaac,5 b. April 18, 1733; no record of marriage. Under date of April 8, 1784, it is recorded that he was at his death insolvent, and the administration of his affairs was assigned by the probate court to his brother Benjamin. As Benjamin died in 1782, Isaac must have died previous to that time.
  4. Joel,5 b. July 3, 1740; m. first, Lydia Kenney [5284], b. Dec. 16, 1740, daughter of Isaac and Lydia (Richardson) Kenney, of Middleton. Second, Susanna Richardson, Oct. 20, 1768. They lived in Woburn. He died June 8, 1798. Children, by second wife:
  5. Isaac,6 b. March 19, 1772.
  6. James,6 b. July 26, 1780.
    7. Doubtless there were others.


5196.
 Dorcas Richardson4 (Nathaniel,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1) sister of the preceding; born in Woburn, about 1706; married, first, James Smith, of Leicester, in 1727. Second, Samuel Lynde, of Leicester, about 1747. He was a son of John Lynde, who came from Malden, and settled in Leicester before 1721.
Both husbands lived in the west part of Leicester, adjoining Spencer. James Smith was a soldier in the expedition to Louisburg in 1745; whether he ever returned we know not. Samuel Lynde, the second husband, appears to have died in 1750.

Children, by first husband:
  1. James (Smith), b. 1728; removed to Spencer, an adjoining town; was a soldier in the war of 1756, and died in the service.
  2. Dorcas (Smith), b. 1730 or 1731.
  3. Abigail (Smith), b. 1733; m. John Lamb.
  4. Israel (Smith), b. 1735; d. before 1750.
  5. Nathaniel (Smith), b. 1738.
  6. Deborah (Smith), b. 1741. m. Elijah Howe, 1750.
  7. Beulah (Smith), b. 1743; m. Ebenezer Collins, 1770.

    8. By second husband:

  8. Samuel (Lynde).
  9. Lucy (Lynde).
  10. Mary (Lynde).


5197.
 Deborah Richardson4 (Nathaniel,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), sister of the preceding; born in Woburn, about 1708; accompanied her father to Leicester, about 1718; married, 1726, Jonathan Sargent, born in Malden, 1701, and removed to Leicester between 1721 and 1726.
He was an innkeeper on the great Post Road, passing through the centre of Leicester, running east and west, east of the meeting-house. He kept an m. there till his death.

Their children were:
  1. Jonathan (Sargent), b. 1728; m. Mary Earle. 1750, daughter of Robert Earle, of Leicester. He lived in Leicester, west of the meeting-house. He was a soldier of the Revolution, and died in the army.
  2. Nathaniel (Sargent), b. 1730; m. Anne Garfield.
  3. Lucretia (Sargent), b. 1734; m. first, Dr. Pliny Lawton; second, Rev. Benjamin Conklin, b. in Southold, N. Y., 1733; graduated, New Jersey College, 1755; was pastor in Leicester from 1763 to 1794; d. Jan. 30, 1798.
  4. Deborah (Sargent), b. 1739; m. Capt. Thomas Newhall, b. 1732, a man of note in Leicester, a leading, public-spirited man. He commanded the military company which marched from Leicester to Cambridge on the Lexington alarm, April, 1775.
  5. Ruth (Sargent), b. 1744; m. Col. Wm. Henshaw, 1762. She died 1709.
  6. Phinehas (Sargent), b. 1746; m. first, Mary Edson; second, Abigail Dunbar.


5198.
 Israel Richardson4 (Nathaniel,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), brother of the preceding, and third son of Nathaniel3 and Abigail (Reed) Richardson; born in Woburn, Aug. 16, 1710; he ’was married, but his wife’s name is not known.
His father removed to Rumney Marsh, now Chelsea, not long after his birth, and to Leicester about 1718. The father, as we have seen, was an influential and leading man in Leicester till his death, in 1728.
Israel Richardson must have died in 1740, the inventory of his estate being dated June 24, 1740. So far as now appears, he had but one son, named for himself, and the tradition in the family is, that this son was born in Brookfield, in the County of Worcester, Mass. This is probably correct, as the probate records make it certain that the father died there. Leicester and Brookfield were conterminous towns till 1753, when the west precinct of Leicester was made a town by the name of Spencer. It is probable that he lived and died in the western precinct of Brookfield, now the town of Spencer.

The son of Israel Richardson, then, was:
  1. Israel,5 b. in Brookfield, Jan. 24, 1736; m. Susanna Forbush.


5200.
 Eleanor Richardson4 (Nathaniel,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), sister of the preceding; born in Woburn, about 1714; married, 1732, in Leicester, Josiah Conyers, son of John Conyers, of Woburn. She was his second wife.
Josiah Conyers was, about 1733, a leading man in Leicester, being in March of that year chosen moderator, first selectman, town clerk, town treasurer, and first assessor. In May he was chosen representative to the General Court or Province Legislature. In the unhappy controversy of the town with their first minister, the Rev. David Parsons, he warmly espoused the side of Mr. Parsons. [Washburn’s Hist. of Leicester.]

The children of John and Eleanor Conyers were:
  1. Mary (Conyers), b. July 17, 1733.
  2. Eleanor (Conyers), b. March 21, 1734-5.
It is proper to observe that many of the facts concerning Leicester are derived from that excellent volume, Emory Washburn’s History of Leicester.


5203.
 William Richardson4 (James,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), son of Capt. James Richardson,3 and the only son by the first wife, Rebecca Eaton; born in Woburn, 1699; married, in Lancaster, Dec. 27, 1721, Mary Wilder, of Lancaster.
Though married in Lancaster, he and his wife spent several years in Woburn, and had children there. In 1733, he was in Lancaster; was representative of Lancaster in 1746, and continued to live in Lancaster till his death in 1770.
William Richardson, of Lancaster, in the County of Worcester, yeoman, sold, June 8, 1733, to James Dolbear, of Boston, brazier, one right in land originally granted to a soldier who served in the Narraganset war [1675], which right the grantor purchased of Shubael Gorham, Esq., of Barnstable. Recorded 1760. [York Deeds, xxxiv. 92.]
He and wife Mary sold to said Dolbear another similar right, Dec. 12, 1733, acknowledged 1735. [York Deeds, xxxiv. 93.]
An inventory of his estate is dated Nov. 19, 1770, presented by his son, William Richardson, the administrator, and the administrator’s account was presented Dec. 11, 1772, the estate insolvent. [Worcester Prob. Rec., xii. 213.]

The children of William and Mary Richardson, born in Woburn, were:
  1. William,5 b. Feb. 21, 1723-4. He was living in December, 1772, being then administrator of his father’s estate. Further information is lacking.
  2. Mary,5 b. Aug. 14, 1727; she was non compos mentis. After the death of her father, James Kendall was appointed her guardian, Sept. 10, 1771. An inventory of her estate is dated July 7, 1772.
    3. Probably there were others.


5205.
 James Richardson4 (James,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), half-brother of the preceding, and son of Capt. James Richardson3 by his second wife, Elizabeth Arnold; born in Woburn, March 14, 1703-4; married, Sept. 24, 1728, Sarah Fowle4 [1647], born in Woburn, July 29, 1703, daughter of Capt. James and Mary (Richardson) Fowle. See p. 194, for further information respecting her parents.
They lived in Woburn some years, and three of their children were born there. They removed to Leominster about 1735; it was the north-west part of Lancaster till its incorporation in 1740. They lived in the north part of Leominster, at the intersection of the Harvard and Lunenburg roads, a little beyond where the old Methodist Church has since stood. It has been known as the Polley Place.
James Richardson, then of Woburn, yeoman, and wife Sarah sold to James Dolbear, brazier, of Boston, one original right of a soldier who served in the Narraganset war [1675], which the grantor bought of Shubael Gorham, Esq., of Barnstable. This deed was acknowledged by James and Sarah Richardson, Oct. 29, 1735. [York Deeds, xxxiv. 93.]
In Leominster he commenced a farm on a piece of new land, and cleared it up himself. He was surveyor of highways, 1745.
According to the best information, he died in 1748. According to another account, he fell backwards down some cellar stairs, 1761, and broke his neck.

His children were, Born in Woburn:
  1. James,5 b. Dec. 25, 1729; m. Hannah Reed.
  2. William,5 b. May 6, 1731; m. Esther Joslin.
  3. Sarah,5 b. Dec. 12, 1732; m. Philip Sweetser.

    4. Born in Leominster:

  4. Luke,5 b. Aug. 15, 1734; m. Damaris Carter.
  5. Esther,5 b. about 1736; m. Dr. Thomas Gowing.
  6. John,5 b. July 18, 1741; m. Eunice Green.
  7. Josiah,5 b. 1742 or 1743; m. first, Rebecca Beaman; second, Abigail (Bellows) Hunt.
  8. Joseph,5 b. 1744; d. young.


5206.
 Josiah Richardson4 (James,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), brother of the preceding and son of Capt. James3 and Elizabeth (Arnold) Richardson; born in Woburn, May 16, 1706; married Dorothy ______.* They lived in Lancaster.
He died near the close of 1752, if we may judge from the inventory, which is dated Jan. 29, 1753. He died intestate, and the widow Dorothy was appointed administratrix. His brothers William and Nathaniel are mentioned in the inventory; and Nathaniel in the account of administration, Nov. 6, 1755, appears as a creditor of the estate.

The children, as appears from the division of property, were as follows:
  1. Tilley,5 he was the eldest son; was a soldier of the Revolution and died at Watertown, Jefferson Co., N. Y., Jan. 14, 1852; in the notice of his death is styled “captain.”
  2. Ephraim,5 was of Lancaster; the inventory of his estate is dated Dec. 14, 1775.
  3. Elizabeth.5
  4. Susanna,5 m. _______ Sawyer.
  5. Mary.5
  6. Dorothy.5
  7. Eunice.5
  8. Lucy.5
  9. Catharine.5
*Transcribers Note: Someone penciled in Walden, or possibly Walker. Hard to read.


5208.
 Rebecca Richardson4 (James,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), sister of the preceding, and daughter of Capt. James3 and Elizabeth (Arnold) Richardson; born in Woburn, July 14, 1710; married, March 2, 1730, Samuel Locke,3 born Aug. 24, 1702, son of Lieut. Ebenezer2 and Susanna (Walker) Locke, of Woburn. Ebenezer2 was a son of Deacon William Locke,1 who came to New England in 1634, when only six years old, in the care of his uncle Nicholas Davies, and came to live in Woburn about 1650, then aged 22.
Ebenezer Locke2 inherited and lived on the homestead of his father, as did his son Samuel,3 husband of Rebecca Richardson, after him. It was in Woburn, on the road to Lexington, a mile and a half west of Woburn Centre. Samuel Locke sold this farm in December, 1741, to Samuel Wyman, and the following year removed to Lancaster, where, and in Westminster, also in Shutesbury, he was a large landholder. He kept a tavern in Woburn and in Lancaster many years; was a man of eminent business talents, and was highly respected. He died April 13, 1775, in his seventy-third year.
His widow Rebecca married Col. Joseph Wilder, Dec. 27,1775. The parties were careful, before marriage, in a paper still extant, to dispose of the estates of each. She died September 10, 1789, aged 79.

The children of Samuel and Rebecca Locke were, Born in Woburn:
  1. Samuel (Locke), b. Nov, 23, 1731; m. Jan. 2, 1760, Mary Porter, daughter of Rev. Samuel Porter, pastor at Sherborn, Mass. Mr. Locke graduated Harvard College, 1755; succeeded his father-in-law as pastor at Sherborn, 1759; was inaugurated president of Harvard College, March 21, 1770; untoward circumstances induced his resignation of the presidency, Dec. 1, 1773. He returned to Sherborn, and died there, Jan. 15, 1788, aged 47. The degree of S. T. D. was conferred by Harvard College, 1773.
  2. Lucretia (Locke), b. Nov. 5, 1733: m. April 3, 1755, Capt. Ephraim Wilder, b. July S, 1733. He was of that famous Wilder family in Lancaster; lived in Sterling, formerly the second Precinct in Lancaster, and represented Sterling in Massachusetts Legislature several years. He died Jan. 29, 1805, aged 72; the widow Lucretia died Dec. 29. 1816, aged 83.
  3. Josiah (Locke), b. Sept. 28, 1736; m. Esther Kittredge, Feb. 29, 1764. He resided in Lancaster; was deputy sheriff, 1767 and 1768, and died May 16, 1709, aged 33.
  4. James (Locke), b. Sept. 13, 1739; m. first, Feb. 2, 1762, Rebecca Wilder, b. March 18, 1741, daughter of Col. Joseph Wilder, who has been mentioned as the second husband of Rebecca Richardson. She died March 9, 1769. Second, Martha Wright. He died early in 1772.
  5. John (Locke), b. April 19, 1742; m. first, March 8, 1765, Lucy Wilder, b. April 24, 1747-8, a daughter of Col. Joseph Wilder, already twice mentioned. She died Jan. 20, 1771. Second, Henrietta Harrington, Dec. 23, 1772, daughter of Rev. Timothy Harrington, of Lancaster. She died Oct. 4, 1777. Third, Abigail Jones, of Templeton. He was an extensive trader in Lancaster and Templeton, and died in Templeton, June 17, 1781, aged 39.
  6. William (Locke), b. Aug. 23, 1748; m. first, June 18, 1772, Mary Fowle. She died Nov. 17, 1796, aged 50. Second, widow Hannah Woolson, April 13, 1813. He succeeded his father as an innholder in Lancaster; removed to Rindge, N. H., about 179S, and to New Ipswich, N. H., about 1808. He died Jan. 16, 1827, aged 78. By wife Mary, he was the father of Josiah Locke, b. in Lancaster, Oct. 1, 1780; m. Susanna Patterson, Oct. 12, 1806; removed to Bloomfield, now Skowhegan, Me., and there became the father of:
  7. Mary S. W. (Locke), b. Aug. 8, 1807; m. Rev. George W. Hathaway, March 20, 1835; b. at Freetown, now Fall River, Mass., Dec. 11, 1807; graduated Williams College, 1827; ordained, March 20, 1833. She died March 14, 1849.
  8. Ann L. (Locke), b. Jan. 10, 1811; m. Rev. Geo. W. Hathaway, 1850 or 1851.
  9. Samuel W. (Locke), b. Jan. 17, 1813; drowned at Bloom, field, Jau. 28, 1820.
  10. James P. (Locke), b. July 25, 1818; d. Oct. 6, 1818. [Book of the Lockes.]


5216.
 Mary Richardson4 (Joshua,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), daughter of Joshua3 and Hannah Richardson, of Woburn; born there, March 13, 1710; married Andrew Evans, Dec. 4, 1730.
They lived in Woburn. He died Dec. 18, 1778. She died Aug. 31, 1780, aged 70.

Children, born in Woburn:
  1. Mary (Evans), b. June 25,. 1731.
  2. Elizabeth (Evans), b. Jan. 6, 1732-3.
  3. Nathaniel (Evans), b. Feb. 19, 1734-5; m. Mary Tidd, April 18, 1758.
  4. Andrew (Evans), b. Nov. 20, 1736; m. Sarah Centre, of Woburn, Nov. 25, 1760.
  5. Samuel (Evans), b. Oct. 13, 1742.
  6. Hannah (Evans), b. Aug. 4, 1744; m. Bill Centre, of Woburn, March 22, 1703.


5218.
 Joshua Richardson4 (Joshua,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), only son of Joshua and Hannah Richardson; born in Woburn, Oct. 18, 1716; married, first, July 11, 1739, Eunice Jennison,4 born 1719, daughter of Peter3 and Jane Jennison, of Sudbury. Peter3 was son of Samuel2 and grandson of Robert Jennison,1 who was a citizen of Watertown as early as 1636, and is the ancestor of the Jennisons of New England. She was born in Sudbury, but in the record of her marriage she is said to be of Weston, because at that time her mother was the wife of Joseph Brooks, of Weston. The date of her birth and her parentage are erroneously given in Bond’s Watertown Genealogies, p:308, No. 37, and in the Vinton Memorial, p. 393, and again in the Giles Memorial, p. 241, by the compiler of this volume. She died two weeks after the birth of her last child, April 13, 1748, aged 29.
Joshua Richardson married, secondly, Abigail Carter, who outlived him and died in Salem, about 1795.
He lived in Woburn, and died March 13, 1774, in his fifty-eighth year.

His children were,
By first wife, Eunice:
  1. Lucy,5 b. July 21, 1740; d. Dec. 2, 1741.
  2. Nathaniel,5 b. March 20, 1742; m. Eunice Putnam.
  3. Lucy,5 b. Nov. 13, 1743.
  4. Joshua,5 b. Feb. 14, 1745-6; m. Anstice Chipman.
  5. Israel,5 b. March 29, 1748; d. April 20, 1748.

    6. By second wife, Abigail:

  6. Josiah,5 b. April 8, 1749; m. Ruth Brooks.
  7. Abigail,5 b. April 19, 1751; m. 1771. John Brooks, brother of Ruth Brooks, just mentioned. They had a daughter, who was wife of saac P. Foster, of Salem. These were the parents of Major Samuel B. Foster, of Salem. whose wife was a daughter of the eminent Rev. Samuel Worcester, D. D., of Salem. Major Samuel B. Foster died in Boston, March 13, 1872, aged 52. His sister Harriet married, Aug. 12, 1856, Rev. Luther Goodyear Bingham, graduated Middlebury College, 1821; home missionary, teacher, and agent in Ohio, and since 1851 residing in Brooklyn, N. Y. Mr. and Mrs. Brooks lived in Salem. She died May 1, 1831, aged 80.
  8. Israel,5 b. March 11, 1754; m. Abigail ______. He died 1780; his widow Abigail was appointed administratrix, April 5, 1780.
  9. Asa,5 b. July 19, 1757; m. Jane Wyman.
  10. Alford,5 b. Dec. 14, 1760.
  11. Eunice,5 b. Sept. 6. 1763; m. Joshua Leavitt.
  12. Mary,5 b. July 21, 1765; m. Thomas Brooks, who was born in Woburn, 1767, and died in Salem, March 20, 1827, aged 60. She died in Salem, Aug. 31, 1830, aged 65. Thomas Brooks’ sister Ruth married Josiah Richardson; his brother, John Brooks, married Abigail, her sister.


5219.
 Caleb Richardson4 (John,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), eldest son of John Richardson,3 Esq., and his wife Abigail; born in Woburn, Feb. 23, 1712-13; married, about 1734, Elizabeth Watts, daughter of John Watts, resident at Georgetown, on Arrowsick Island, in Kennebec River, a short distance above the mingling of its waters with the Atlantic Ocean.
He was a distiller in Boston as early as 1734, as appears from a deed of which the following is an abstract:
April 6, 1734. Caleb Richardson, of Boston, distiller, and wife Elizabeth, with Belcher Noyes, Oliver Noyes, and several others of Boston, sold to William Vaughan, resident at Damariscotty River, in the eastern part of New England, gentleman, their right in a place called Oyster River, in Damariscotty River, five hundred acres, minutely described. [York Deeds, xvi. 114.]
July 16, 1737. The same parties make Benjamin Larrabee, Esquire, of Brunswick, their attorney, to sell their lands in Brunswick and Topsham to settlers. [York Deeds, xviii. 237.]
The whole territory of Maine, so far as settled, was considered as belonging to the County of York until 1760.
The title of Caleb Richardson to the lands mentioned in these two deeds was derived from his wife. William Vaughan was a son of George Vaughan, formerly lieutenant governor of New Hampshire. He was born at Portsmouth, in 1703, and graduated at Harvard College in 1722. He lived at Damariscotta Mills, in the present town of Damariscotta, Me.; was largely engaged in the fishing business; owned several schooners; had saw-mills at Damariscotta Falls, where lumber was in large quantities prepared for the Boston market; owned large tracts of land; is said to have planned the expedition to Louisburg in 1745, and as lieutenant colonel contributed largely to the success of the expedition. He was a man of great energy and influence. Another deed is worthy of notice:
Feb. 3, 1736. Caleb Richardson, of Roxbury, in the County of Suffolk, Mass., distiller, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of John Watts, late of Georgetown, on Arrowsick Island, in the County of York, Esquire, deceased, bought of Edward Hutchinson and Mary Wolcott one-ninth part of Arrowsick Island; also, all their right in two other tracts of land, particularly described, between the Sagadahock and Sheepscot Rivers. [York Deeds, xx. 54.]
Sagadahock is the lower part of Kennebec River, after its confluence with the Androscoggin.
Caleb Richardson and wife Elizabeth did not wish to keep the lands between the two rivers just mentioned. He was in more profitable business in Boston. They therefore sold those lands to several persons in 1737, as appears by nine or ten deeds on record.
In 1734, after his marriage, be was living in Boston; in 1736, in Roxbury; in 1738, he lived in Boston, on Back Street, which is now the southern part of Salem Street, and not far from where Blackstone Street now is. [Suff. Deeds, lvii. 51.]
He was in possession of what for those clays was a handsome property.
Caleb Richardson “owned the covenant” in Roxbury Church, Feb. 5, 1737.* [Roxbury Church Records.]
It was preparatory on his part to having his children baptized. About 1740 he removed to Bolton, a town adjacent to Lancaster, and till 1738 a part of it. He died there, April 2, 1785, aged 72. His wife Elizabeth died Dec. 21, 1783. He made no will; his son John was appointed administrator of his estate, April, 1785.

Their children were, Born in Roxbury:
  1. John,5 b. Feb. 11, 1737; m. first, Ruth Sawtell; second, Rebecca Moore.

    2. Born in Bolton:

  2. Abigail,5 b. Sept. 4, 1 741; m. Josiah Moore.
  3. Mary,5 b. Sept. 21, 1744; m. Rev. Nehemiah Parker.
  4. Achsah,5 b. Feb. 26, 1749; unm.; d. Sept. 26, 1783.
  5. Elizabeth,5 b. March 23, 1753; m. William Burgess.
* This was in conformity with a usage sanctioned, if not originated, by a synod assembled at Boston, in September, 1662, whereby persons who had been baptized in infancy, “understanding the doctrine of faith, and publickly Professing their assent thereto, not scandalous in life, and solemnly owning the covenant before the church,” might have their children baptized without becoming themselves members in full of any church This has since been known as the “half-way covenant.” [Felt’s Eccl. Hist. of New England, vol. ii. p. 294.]


5220.
 Joshua Richardson4 (John,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), brother of the preceding, and second son of John3 and Abigail Richardson, of Boston; born in Medford, Sept. 22, 1714; was never married.
He lived in Boston, after his father’s removal to that place, about 1733. Like his father and brothers, Caleb and James, he was a distiller. His father conveyed to him, March 9, 1737, for the nominal sum of £1550, in a depreciated currency, a distill-house, with land, etc. [Suff. Deeds, lvi. 163.] The son was then only in his twenty-third year. How long he pursued the business of distilling does not appear.
His will is dated May 6, 1776, at which time he was still living in Boston. His will was proved Aug. 6, 1793, at which date he was living in Bolton. His residence in Bolton appears also from his tombstone, which makes him 81 at his death. In the will he leaves property to his brother James, to his sister Susanna Gore, and to the three children of his brother Caleb. His brother James is named as executor. He had property in Bolton, as appears from the inventory, dated Aug. 8, 1800, Worcester probate records.


5227.
 Susanna Richardson4 (John,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), sister of the preceding, and second daughter of John Richardson,3 Esq., of Boston; born in Medford, May 2, 1718; married Ebenezer Gore, of Roxbury.
She was living 1801, in which year she received a share in each of the estates of her brothers Joshua and James Richardson. She is mentioned in the will of her mother, dated Aug. 5, 1770.

Her children, as far as is known, were:
  1. Ebenezer (Gore).
  2. John (Gore).
  3. Joseph (Gore).
  4. Joshua (Gore), lived in Weston.
  5. Mary (Gore).


5228.
 John Richardson4 (John,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), brother of the preceding, and third son of John3 and Abigail Richardson, of Boston; born in Medford, May 29, 1721; married Susanna Perrin, April 25, 1745.
He was an innholder in Roxbury. His will is dated Aug. 17, 1768; proved April 7, 1769; he must have died in the interval. In the will he mentions wife Susanna, and children John, Joseph, and Susanna. These children are also mentioned in the will of their grandmother, Mrs. Abigail Richardson, widow of John, dated Aug. 5, 1770.
Susanna, widow of John Richardson, of Roxbury, died Jan. 24, 1802, aged 79.

Their children were:
  1. John,5 b. Feb. 18, 1746.
  2. Joseph,5 b. Dec. 12, 174S; probably m. Abigail Felton, Jan. 27 1774. He did not arrive at old age, but left sons:
  3. John.6
  4. Nathaniel.6
  5. Abigail,5 b. Jan. 22, 1751; d. early.
  6. Susanna,5 b. May, 1755; m. James Howe, of Roxbury, Dec. 28, 1773. She was living April 1, 1800, when she signed a receipt for a legacy from her uncle James.


5229.
 James Richardson4 (John,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), brother of the preceding, and fourth son of John and Abigail Richardson, of Boston; born in Medford, June 15, 1725; married Lydia Kneeland, of Cambridge, sister, according to the will of James Richardson, of William Kneeland, Esq., of Cambridge.
Like his father and his brothers Caleb and Joshua, he was a distiller in Boston, certainly from and after 1749; but how long he continued in that business is not known.
February, 1749. His father, then of Roxbury, for three thousand pounds, old tenor, worth about forty-five shillings for a silver dollar, and redeemed that year at that rate, conveyed to James Richardson, distiller, land in Boston, bounded west on Orange Street, east by the sea or salt water, with a distill-house thereon, and a wharf adjacent. [Suffolk Deeds, lxxviii. 60.]
The latter part of his life was passed in Bolton, adjacent to Lancaster, of which till 1738 it formed a part. He was of Boston in 1755, as appears by a deed. He died in Bolton, where he possessed property, Nov. 21, 1799, aged 74. His will is dated Bolton, Jan. 3, 1797; proved Dec. 3, 1799. It is very long, disposing of property to nephews and nieces, especially to his nephew, Capt. John Richardson, of Templeton, who is appointed executor. [Worcester Prob. Records, xx. 265.]
His wife Lydia died Dec. 17, 1796, aged 69. They had no children.


5235.
 James Richardson4 (Thomas,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), son of Thomas3 and Elizabeth (Green) Richardson; born in Leicester, 1723; married, June 19, 1764, Lavinah Johnson, born Dec. 11, 1743, daughter of Daniel Johnson, of Shrewsbury. Notwithstanding the disparity of age, the fact just stated is established by a discharge on record in the registry of probate in Worcester County, signed by James Richardson and Lavinah, his wife, dated Sept. 3, 1764, a few weeks after their marriage, in which she is represented as the daughter of Daniel Johnson, of Shrewsbury.
Though born in Leicester, it was doubtless in the west or second precinct, which was incorporated April 3, 1753, as the town of Spencer, so named in honor of Spencer Phips, lieutenant governor, and at that time acting governor of Massachusetts in place of Governor Shirley, then absent in England. At the first organization of the town of Spencer, May 14, 1753, he was chosen surveyor of highways. He removed from Spencer to Leicester in 1768.
He was a private in a company stationed at Fort Massachusetts, in the present town of Adams, or rather between that town and Williamstown, in 1747-8. He was one of the “eight months men,” called out after the affair of Lexington, serving from the first of May to the end of the year, 1775. He was also in Col. Wade’s regiment of State troops, stationed on Rhode Island, one year from January, 1778.
We have no further dates, nor account of any children.


5236.
 Philip Richardson4 (Thomas,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), brother of the preceding, and son of Thomas3 and Elizabeth (Green) Richardson; born in the west precinct of Leicester, incorporated, 1753, as the town of Spencer, in 1725; married, first, Catharine Briggs, daughter of Turfrey Briggs. She died before May 21, 1766. Second, Esther Webster, born March 19, 1726, daughter of Capt. John Webster, master of a ship in the London trade from Boston.
In August, 1756, he commanded a company of soldiers in the regiment of Colonel Timothy Ruggles, of Hardwick, raised in the interior of Massachusetts, and stationed at Fort William Henry on Lake George. Through the timidity and incapacity of the British general, Webb, that important place was taken by Montcalm in August, 1757, but the regiment of Ruggles was not there, and shared not in the disgrace, nor in the havoc made after the surrender. The regiment was on the march to relieve the place, but was stopped by Webb.
Ruggles was afterwards a brigadier general in the British service, and was remarkable, even among the tories of the Revolution, for his attachment to the royal cause.
We next hear of Philip Richardson as living in Boston, and the owner of a rope-walk on Atkinson Street, which, it would appear, he sold to Jeffrey Richardson in 1766.*
I have before me an abstract of a deed on record in the York County Registry, vol. xxxviii. 234, which fully establishes the fact of his being a rope-maker, and also his connection by marriage with the Briggs family.
Oct. 6, 1763. Philip Richardson, of Boston, rope-maker, and Katharine, his wife, sell to Michael Dalton! Esquire, Tristram Dalton, merchant, John Sewall, merchant, Sarah Sewall, an infant, and Ann Sewall, an infant, all of Newbury . . . . all of the said Philip and Katharine’s right, the said Katharine being one of the daughters of Turfrey Briggs, deceased, in one-eighth of a parcel of land lying on Saco River, the whole tract being about four miles square, which eighth part John Briggs, by deed bearing date June 25, 1729, conveyed, etc. [York Deeds, xiii. 109.] This deed was acknowledged by Philip Richardson, May 21, 1766, but Katharine had deceased before this last date.
Turfrey Briggs is sometimes called Trefry Briggs.
Catharine was the mother of Philip’s children. Afterwards he married Esther Webster, but the connection was terminated by his death in 1767.
Philip Richardson, from his connection with the .noted tory, Ruggles, is likely to have favored the royal cause, but as he died before the outbreak of the Revolution, had little or no opportunity to exhibit this attachment, supposing it to have existed; but his widow Esther, whose father had long been engaged in the London trade, had no scruple in making known her views.
When the British forces, eight thousand in number, were compelled, in March, 1776, to leave Boston, Esther went with them.
More than eleven hundred refugees, many of them persons of wealth and great respectability, who had trusted in the power of England to coerce “the rebels,” but now to their unspeakable grief and mortification were forced to witness her utter failure to protect her own friends, left Boston in the British fleet, crowded for want of room, and leaving their property and their hopes for life behind them, and went to Halifax, wholly uncertain of the future. Of this unhappy company, so suddenly overtaken with horror and despair, and foregoing for the remainder of life all joy and all hope, Mrs. Esther Richardson was one. As was the fact in many other cases, she was compelled to leave her three boys behind, and before long found herself reduced from a state of comfort, and perhaps affluence, to want and penury.
After the war, her step-son Joseph, hearing of her destitute condition, sent for her, took her to his home in Durham, N. H., and kindly supported and nourished her till her death, which took place March 17, 1810, at the age of 84.

The children of Philip and Catharine Richardson were:
  1. Joseph,5 b. 1756; m. Sarah Hanson.
  2. Benjamin.5
  3. Henry.5
*Jeffrey Richardson was of a different family from that with which this volume is chiefly concerned. He was born in Yorkshire, England, in the year 1693. The first mention of him in Boston is in 1730. He lived on Pond Lane, now Bedford Street, and died Sept. 29, 1775. Jeffrey Richardson, in the text, was his son, born Feb. 22, 1743-1. it is on record that he “commenced business for himself in 1760, as a rope-maker, near Mr. John Gray’s rope-walk, on Atkinson Street.” Jeffrey Richardson had been an apprentice to Mr. John Gray, since 1758; and there is no room to doubt that he had there become acquainted with Philip Richardson, and bought his rope-walk in 1760. Such, at least, is the compiler’s belief.
Since writing the foregoing, it has become a matter of doubt in the compiler’s mind whether the owner of this ropewalk was John Gray or Edward Gray. It was here that the fight occurred that issued in the “Boston Massacre,” March 5, 1770. Bancroft refers to the quarrel as occurring at “Gray’s Ropewalk.” Mr. Samuel G. Drake, in his elaborate “History of Boston,” p. 778, says it was at Mr. John Gray’s ropewalk. Mr. James Spear Loring, the editor of “The Hundred Boston Orators,” who wrote sketches of the twelve orators who addressed the people of Boston in the twelve years from 1771 to 1783, on the successive anniversaries of the “Massacre,” has assured me and the public that the owner of the ropewalk was Edward Gray. I think he would be likely to know. See N. E. Hist. Geneal. Reg., vol. vii. p. 163. As a matter involved in the history of the country, it is of some importance.
Philip Richardson must have died in 1767, since administration on his estate was granted that year.
The whole number of rope-walks was six; at least, there were six owners of rope-walks to be partially indemnified by the town for the destruction of their rope-walks by fire, July 30, 1794. Jeffrey Richardson’s rope-walk was one of those burned.


5251.
 Thomas Richardson4 (Phinehas,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), son of Lieut. Phinehas3 and Mary (Arnold) Richardson; born in Woburn, Oct. 30, 1721; married Mary Gould, of Ipswich, March 18, 1745.
He was a soldier in the old French war. He settled in Reading. He was living in Marchand April, 1783, when a final settlement was made of the estate of his brother Phinehas, a portion of which came to him.

His children, all born in Reading, were:
  1. Mary,5 b. April 29, 1747; m. Samuel Felch, May 7, 1772.
  2. Thomas,5 b. June 28, 1749; m. Phebe Emerson, 1773.
  3. Sarah,5 b. Dec. 25, 1751; m. Dea. Thomas Parker, Feb. 4, 1773. He was born 1751, son of Thomas and Sarah Parker. They had no children.
  4. Herbert,5 b. Oct. 15, 1757; m. first, ______ ______; second, Lydia Parker; third, Mary Upham.
  5. Edmund,5 b. Oct. 23, 1759.


5257.
 Phinehas Richardson4 (PhinehaS,3 Nathaniel,2 Thomas1), half-brother of the preceding, and son of Phinehas3 and Rebecca (Fowle) Richardson; born in Woburn, Jan. 9, 1735-6; married, Feb. 27, 1759, Hannah Richardson [5274], born December, 1732, daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth Richardson.
He was a soldier in the old French war, 1759. They lived, for a time at least, in Woburn. He died perhaps at the age of forty, the time is not known, but some time previously to July 10, 1777, when she took for a second husband her cousin, Silas Richardson6 [1853], son of Jacob 4 and Elizabeth (Wyman) Richardson. She was made a widow Richardson a second time in 1778.
Hannah, the widow, used to say pleasantly that she had married two husbands, yet had never changed her original name. She is still remembered by many in Salem as “Aunt Hannah.” She died in Woburn, her native town, Aug. 29, 1821, at the age of 89. See a further notice of her on p. 250.

The children of Phinehas and Hannah Richardson were:
  1. Hannah,5 b. Feb. 8, 1760; m. Nathaniel Weston.
  2. Phinehas,5 b. April 23, 1762; unm. He was taxed for a poll in Exeter, 1782 and 1783. He died before March 12, 1783, when his father’s estate was distributed.
Third Generationn
Index.
Fifth Generation
Richardson Memorial
Contents