Contents

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Introduction

Welcome to the Richardson family page of my family history website.  This page covers the ancestors and descendants of Dr. Lloyd Thomas Richardson, PhD and his wife Winnifred Pauline Thornton.  If you are just arriving here for the first time then you may wish to start here.

Please Note: This page is intended only as a narrative historical overview of this family.  There is additional detailed information available for almost ever person presented on this page.  To avoid the unnecessary work of double-entering some data, the additional information can be found in the accompanying GEDCOM database.  Please make sure you click on the INDEX button at the bottom of the page so you don't miss out on potentially valuable additional information.

The four ancestral branches of this family are:

1. The Richardson Family in Brant County, Ontario, Canada.  This is the family of Lloyd Thomas Richardson's father, Frederick Thomas Richardson.  The history of the Richardson family is one of the most interesting I have had the privilege of researching. The paternal line was a well-educated family from Yorkshire, and education has continued to be a high priority in their descendants. Many of them were and are teachers and this family branch holds the record for more university degrees and academic doctorates than any other branch I have researched. Their ancestry can be traced back to the early 1800s. More information on this family can be found below on this page.
2. The Bridgman Family in Grimsby, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada.  This is the family of Lloyd Thomas Richardson's mother, Elizabeth Mabel Bridgman.  The Bridgman family were pioneer farmers first in what is now New York State, then in New Brunswick, and finally in Ontario. Originally they came from Devonshire, England where their ancestry can be traced back to the mid-1700s. One ancestral line, the Belyea Family (or Bulyea) Family in New Brunswick  can be traced back to a Huguenot immigrant from France.  Another ancestral maternal branch is descended from the Bradt Family in New York.  The Bradts were United Empire Loyalists who were in North America from the early 1600s. Prior to that they have a mixed ancestry primarily from Holland, but also Norway, France, and Germany, including one ancestor who sailed with the famous French explorer Samuel de Champlain. Members of this family are also cousins to Hollywood actors Henry, Peter, Jane, and Bridget Fonda.  More information on this family can be found by clicking on the family name.
3. The Thornton Family in Vineland Station, Lincoln County, Ontario, Canada.  This is the family of Winifred Pauline Thornton's father John Thornton.  The Thornton paternal lineage comes from somewhere in England having emigrated in the mid-19th century.  The early origins of this family are unknown.  The Thornton family is one of the most tragic families I have yet researched. Their earliest North American ancestor was allegedly expelled from his family estate in England by a heartless family and sent to Canada as a lone teenager where he lived as a near-pauper. As an adult he tragically lost his wife just shortly after they were married and was forced to give up his infant daughter for adoption. He couldn't even afford a funeral for his wife and she is buried in an unmarked pauper's grave.  More information on this family can be found by clicking on the family name.
4. The Furler Family in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada.  This is the family of Winifred Pauline Thornton's mother, Elvira Furler.  The Furler maternal lineage of the Thorntons were Loyalist pioneer farmers in the Niagara area of Ontario from the late 1700s, having come from Ulster County, New York with two brothers who served in Butler's Rangers and settled in southern Ontario after the American Revolution. The earliest Furler surname is an Anglicization of the Germanic name V�ller.  The earliest immigrants likely came from Switzerland in the early 1700s. The Furler ancestors were primarily of Germanic background, with a smattering of Quebecois, Loyalist, and ex-American Patriot thrown in.  This family, along with the Bridgmans (above) represent the earliest ancestors to have come from Europe.  Some of the maternal ancestors of the Furlers were in North America as early as the early 1600s.  More information on this family can be found by clicking on the family name.

The Origin Of The Name Richardson

Richardson is an English patronymic surname originating from an early ancestor whose name was Richard. This eponymous Richard's sons would have become known as Richardson. The identity of this early Richard is not known.  The surname Richardson certainly has multiple origins from multiple sons of multiple Richards.  It would be a mistake to assume that all Richardsons are related.  However, recent DNA research may have begun to shed light on the specific origins of our Richardson family.

Click here to learn more about surnames.

Richardson-alias-Henshaw?

Recent DNA research on this family implies that our Richardson family may descend from a family surnamed Henshaw who originated at Henshaw Hall near Siddington in Cheshire, England, just south of Manchester.  It would appear possible that an eponymous Richard Henshaw may have had sons who took the patronymic surname Richardson, perhaps to differentiate themselves from the other Henshaw branches.  However this DNA research is still in its primitive stages and the Henshaw origins should be considered merely hypothetical at this point.  See below under DNA Evidence for more information.

The Richardson Family in Brant County, Ontario

Onondaga Township, Brant County, Ontario

Brant County was officially established in 1853. It is named for the Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant who settled the area in the late 1700's. Brantford is the largest city, and the following townships make up the County: Brantford Twp, Burford Twp, Oakland Twp, South Dumfries Twp, Onondaga Twp, and Tuscarora Twp. Tuscarora Twp.is home to the Six Nations Reserve. - Brant County Resources

William Richardson and Ellen Haddlesey

Sheffield in South Yorkshire and Skirpenbeck (red circle) in Yorkshire.
www.multimap.com

William Richardson was born 1805 in Yorkshire, England (according to his gravestone).  His exact birth is uncertain, but family tradition recalls that he came from Sheffield where his family were silversmiths and where one of them was a sheriff.  However these family traditions have not been verified by any documentary evidence.

William immigrated before 1828 to Brant County in the Upper Canada province of British North America into a land that was mostly unsettled wilderness.  He settled on a farm in Brant County that was adjacent to the Chapel Of The Mohawks, where William's proximity made him a convenient and frequent witness for weddings.  His name appears often in the register -- the earliest of these entries being in 1828, thus helping to establish his date of immigration.

William returned to England and married on 8 MAR 1831 in Skirpenbeck, Yorkshire, England to Ellen HADDLESEY; Skirpenbeck being her home town.  Ellen already had at least one sister living in Canada at the time.  It is not known if William met Ellen in Canada and then returned to England to marry her, or if he already knew her from England and he simply came ahead to Canada to get their homestead established and then returned to England to marry her.

Ellen Haddlesey was born 18 JUL 1807 in Skirpenbeck, Yorkshire, England as the daughter of George Haddlesay and Mary Beal.  Her birth family information can be found on the Haddlesey Family Page.

William and Ellen raised seven children on their farm in Onondaga Township, Brant County before Ellen died prematurely in 1846. William remained a widower until sometime after 1851.  He later married Ellen's widowed sister Elizabeth, but the date of their marriage is unknown.  No children came from the second marriage.  William Richardson and Ellen Haddlesey had the following children -- all sons; they had no daughters:

1. William J. RICHARDSON b: ABT 1827 in Onondaga Township, Brant County, Upper Canada Colony, British North America.  William grew up on the family farm in Onondaga.  As a young man, sometime before 1850 he moved to Clinton County, Michigan, USA and settled in DeWitt Township.  He married on 9 OCT 1850 in Clinton, Michigan, USA to Sarah M. SMITH b: 1827 in Probably Michigan, USA (or she may have been from Ontario).  Sarah died before 1880 and William is shown in the 1880 census as widower.  They had the following children:
   1. Mary RICHARDSON b: 1854 in Clinton County, Michigan, USA
   2. Nellie J. RICHARDSON b: 1857 in Clinton County, Michigan, USA
   3. Hattie RICHARDSON b: 1859 in Clinton County, Michigan, USA
   4. Mattie RICHARDSON b: 1863 in Clinton County, Michigan, USA
2. George R. RICHARDSON b: ABT 1834 in Onondaga Township, Brant County, Upper Canada Colony, British North America.  George grew up on the family farm in Onondaga.  As a young man, sometime before 1869 he followed or accompanied his older brother to Clinton County, Michigan, USA and settled in St. Johns Township.  He married on 25 APR 1869 in Clinton, Michigan, USA to Valencia A. WALTON b: 1844 in New York, USA.  They had the following known children and possibly more:
   1. Henry W. RICHARDSON b: 1875 in St. Johns, Clinton, Michigan, USA
   2. Georgania RICHARDSON b: 1879 in St. Johns, Clinton, Michigan, USA
3. James RICHARDSON b: ABT 1836 in Onondaga Township, Brant County, Upper Canada Colony, British North America.  James grew up on the family farm in Onondaga.  As a young man, sometime before 1868 he followed or accompanied his older brother to Clinton County, Michigan, USA and settled in St. Johns Township.  He married on 1 NOV 1868 in Clinton, Michigan, USA to Mary WENTWORTH b: 1842 in New York, USA.  They had the following children:
   1. Myrtle May RICHARDSON b: 15 FEB 1873 in St. Johns, Clinton, Michigan, USA who married a man surnamed ACTON.  She inherited a needlepoint made by her grandmother Ellen Haddlesey and on her death it was donated to the Brant County Museum in Brantford.  It is believed she had a son (or son-in-law or nephew):
      1. George C. CLARKE who married and lived in California.  He was executor to her estate and brought Ellen Haddlesey's needlepoint back to Brantford.
   2. Edith RICHARDSON b: 23 AUG 1879 in Lincoln Township, Berrien, Michigan, USA
4. John RICHARDSON b: ABT 1838 in Onondaga Township, Brant County, Upper Canada Colony, British North America.  John grew up on the family farm in Onondaga.  As a young man he accompanied his older brothers to Clinton County, Michigan, USA and then continued a little further south to Akron, Summit County, Ohio.  John Richardson married a woman named Elisabeth whose surname is believed to be DANFORTH.  Elizabeth was born in 1844 in Massachusetts, USA.  They had the following known child and possibly more:
   1. John RICHARDSON b: 1877 in Akron, Summit County, Ohio (this would be the John Richardson in the 3rd row of the photo below).
5. Thomas RICHARDSON b: 21 JUN 1840 in Onondaga Township, Brant County, Upper Canada Colony, British North America.  Thomas is the only one of his siblings who remained (living) in Canada.  He continued on the family farm in Onondaga where he raised a family with his wife Elizabeth Harold.  Their story continued below.
6. David RICHARDSON b: 1843 in Onondaga Township, Brant County, Upper Canada Colony, British North America.  He died young without marrying.
7. Alfred RICHARDSON b: 1845 in Onondaga Township, Brant County, Upper Canada Colony, British North America.  He died young without marrying.

Thomas Richardson and Elizabeth Harold

Thomas RICHARDSON was born 21 JUN 1840 in Onondaga Township, Brant County, Upper Canada Colony, British North America.  All of his living brothers moved to the USA, while Thomas continued on the family farm in Onondaga, Brant County. Thomas Richardson married on 25 APR 1867 in Brant County, Ontario to Elizabeth HAROLD, b: 22 MAR 1843 in Hardingstone, Northampton, Northamptonshire, England.  The story of Elizabeth's family and ancestors can be found on the Harrold Family Page.  Thomas and Elizabeth had eight children on their farm.

1. Mary Ellen RICHARDSON b: 29 JUL 1867 in Onondaga Township, Brant County, Ontario.  She married ABT 1890 in Ontario to Thomas M. HARGREAVES b: 31 MAR 1852 in Ontario.  They had the following children:
   1. Margaret HARGREAVES b: 15 FEB 1891 in Brantford, Brant County, Ontario
   2. Mildred Alice HARGREAVES b: 18 JUL 1901 in Brantford, Brant County, Ontario
   3. Eugene HARGREAVES b: AFT 1901 in Brantford, Brant County, Ontario
   4. Eugenie HARGREAVES b: AFT 1901 in Brantford, Brant County, Ontario.  She married Sam MCCARTNEY b: Private and had the following children:
      1. Duane Hargreaves MCCARTNEY b: Private.  He married Judith TANSLEY b: Private.  Their descendants are private.
      2. David Emerson MCCARTNEY b: Private
   5. Mabel Elizabeth HARGREAVES b: AFT 1901 in Brantford, Brant County, Ontario
2. George Alfred RICHARDSON b: 21 MAY 1869 in Onondaga Township, Brant County, Ontario.  George became a blacksmith and resided in Brantford.  He married in 1892 in Brant County, Ontario to Penelope TOMLINSON b: 17 NOV 1857 in Ontario.  They had the following child:
   1. Frederick Cecil RICHARDSON b: 9 DEC 1894 in Brantford, Brant County, Ontario
3. Agnes Anne RICHARDSON b: 15 OCT 1870 in Onondaga Township, Brant County, Ontario.  She married AFT 1901 in Ontario to Archibald HAMILTON b: 15 APR 1877 in Onondaga Township, Brant County, Ontario.  They had the following children:
   1. Gordon HAMILTON b: AFT 1901.  He married Ann BLACK b: Private.  They had the following children:
      1. William Gordon HAMILTON b: Private
      2. Betty Lou HAMILTON b: Private.  She married Ken AINSWOTH b: Private.  Their descendants are private.
   2. Reginald HAMILTON b: 24 NOV 1904.  He married Florence KEFFER b: 19 SEP 1902.  They had the following children:
      1. Reginald HAMILTON b: 14 MAR 1935 who died tragically in a drowning accident.
      2. Living HAMILTON
   3. Betty Janette HAMILTON b: 23 FEB 1923 who died as a young teen.

4. Frederick Thomas RICHARDSON b: 28 AUG 1872 in Onondaga Township, Brant County, Ontario married Elizabeth Mabel BRIDGMAN.  This is the author's family and their story continues below.
5. John RICHARDSON b: 10 MAY 1874 in Onondaga Township, Brant County, Ontario married BET 1901 AND 1903 in Ontario to Emma ADAMS b: 11 JUN 1877 in Ontario.  They had the following children:
   1. Evelyn Ruth RICHARDSON b: 21 JUN 1903 in Onondaga, Brant County, Ontario.  She married on 23 JUN 1935 to Joseph DOUGHTY b: ABT 1900.  Their descendants are private.
   2. John Lyle RICHARDSON b: 11 APR 1914 in Mount Pleasant, Brant County, Ontario.  He married Helen Kathleen PERSALL b: Private.  Their descendants are private.
6. Albert Edward RICHARDSON b: 11 NOV 1876 in Onondaga Township, Brant County, Ontario.  He married AFT 1901 Marion May HAMILTON b: 1880 in Ontario.  They had no children.
7. Eugenia RICHARDSON b: 19 MAR 1880 in Onondaga Township, Brant County, Ontario,  She married AFT 1901 to Leslie HAWLEY b: ABT 1880.  They had no children.
8. Clara Bell RICHARDSON b: 26 MAY 1882 in Onondaga Township, Brant County, Ontario.  She married in 1906 in Ontario to James C. BLACK b: 22 SEP 1879.  They had the following children:
   1. Margaret BLACK b: 1909
   2. Clifford BLACK b: 5 JUL 1913
   3. Dorothy Jane BLACK b: Private.  She married Bruce D. CAMPBELL b: Private.  Their descendants are private.
   4. Mary Adella BLACK b: Private.  She married Norman L. BAULCOMB b: Private.  Their descendants are private.
   5. James Arnold BLACK b: Private.  He married Phyllis PEARSON b: Private.  Their descendants are private.
   6. John Kenneth BLACK b: Private.  He married Reva CAMPBELL b: Private.  Their descendants are private.

The Richardson Family in Hamilton, Wentworth County, Ontario

Frederick Richardson and Elizabeth Mabel Bridgman

Frederick Thomas Richardson was born 28 AUG 1872 in Onondaga Township, Brant County, Ontario.  He married on 3 JUL 1901 in Nelson Township, Halton County, Ontario to Elizabeth Mabel BRIDGMAN b: 26 MAR 1873 in Sodorus, Illinois, USA.  She was raised in Nelson Township.  Frederick became schoolteacher and moved into the nearby city of Hamilton in Wentworth County where he was the principal of Gibson School for over 25 years, and Clerk of Session for First United Church.  He and his wife Elizabeth Mabel Bridgman, also a schoolteacher, raised five children.  Lizzie Bridgman's United Empire Loyalist ancestry is recounted on the Bridgman Family Page. Frederick and Lizzie lived on Wilson Street in Hamilton not far from the author's ancestors, the Duncans.

Fredrick Thomas Richardson and Elizabeth Mabel Bridgman had the following children:

1. Hazel Carol RICHARDSON b: 25 DEC 1902 in Burlington, Halton, Ontario.  She married Floyd ARMSTRONG and they had three children.  They had the following children:
   1. Carolyn Ruth ARMSTRONG b: Private.  She married Ross H. J. WALTON b: Private.  Their descendants are private.
   2. Robert Gordon ARMSTRONG b: Private.  His spouse and descendants are private.
   3. Mary Adele ARMSTRONG b: Private.  She married Ian B. FRASER b: Private.  Their descendants are private.
2. Harold Watson RICHARDSON b: 12 MAR 1906 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  He married Roberta Mary SPARKS and had three children.
   1. Robert Thomas RICHARDSON b: 1938
   2. Living RICHARDSON whose descendant information is private.
   3. Living RICHARDSON
3. Frederick Morley RICHARDSON b: 17 FEB 1909 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  He married Joanna Margaret ALLISON and they had two children.  Their descendant information is private.  Their living descendant, Dr. David Richardson is also researching this family.  His contact information can be found at the bottom of this page.
   1. Living RICHARDSON
   2. Living RICHARDSON
4. Ronald Bridgman RICHARDSON b: 22 AUG 1910 in Hamilton, Wentworth, Ontario.  He married in 1940 to Evelyn MARTIN b: 23 AUG 1911.  They had the following children:
   1. Living RICHARDSON
   2. Living RICHARDSON
5. Dr. Lloyd Thomas RICHARDSON , Ph.D. b: 19 NOV 1913 in Hamilton, Wentworth County, Ontario.  He married on 20 JUN 1942 in Vineland Station, Lincoln County, Ontario to Winnifred Pauline THORNTON b: 17 JUN 1915 in Vineland Station, Lincoln County, Ontario.  Her ancestry is discussed on the Thornton Family Page. 

   Lloyd Richardson was a leader in fungicide research for Agriculture Canada, author of 43 scientific papers and special lecturer in the field of botany. He was known to family and friends as "the Plant Doctor". He received his B.Sc. in biology from McMaster University in Hamilton, and his Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from the University of Toronto in 1941.

   Lloyd was active in his home church of Robinson Memorial United Church in London, Ontario where he even taught Sunday School for a brief time. He was a charter member of the Thames Valley Trail Association. He loved writing, both serious and humourous as illustrated in his collection of original limericks. He enjoyed reading and playing the board game, Scrabble, as well as Cribbage and Bridge. In his later years he loved to travel with the University of Western Ontario Senior Alumni group to many countries.

   Winnifred and Lloyd lived on Cowley Avenue in Ottawa where they had a set of twins, then in 1948 they moved to Brookings, South Dakota where they had another daughter. In 1951 they moved back to Canada, to London, Middlesex, Ontario.

   Teaching - It's in the blood

   Lloyd Richardson's penchant for academia must have been contagious. He and Winn had three children, all of whom went on to post-graduate studies.  The twin daughter went into nursing and eventually, like her father, into research. The twin son and the second daughter, like their grandfather, pursued teaching. The second daughter, like her grandfather, is now a school principal. The twin son works in outdoor education.  Several of their grandchildren also pursued either teaching or academia in other ways.

   Lloyd Richardson and Winn Thornton had the following children:

   1. Brenda RICHARDSON, the twin daughter of Lloyd Richardson, married David Sharpe whose story is presented on the Sharpe Family Page. For privacy reasons no further descendant information is available on this webpage.  If you are a member of this family and would like information on living relatives then please contact me.
   2. Living RICHARDSON
   3. Living RICHARDSON

DNA Evidence

A close DNA connection (-2 on a 37 marker, or a 90% chance of a common ancestor within 10 generations and a 95% chance of a common ancestor within 14 generations) has been found between a male-line descendant of Frederick Thomas Richardson (above) and a male-line descendant of Newton Hinshaw/Henshaw b 1833 in Alabama, USA (http://www.rawbw.com/~hinshaw/cgi-bin/id?1034).  

It is likely, but not proven, that Newton Hinshaw descends from a Jacob Hinshaw (shown at the link above) who immigrated from Ulster, Ireland in the late 1700s.  Jacob Hinshaw's ancestors have not been confirmed, but the link above suggests they likely descend from the family of Henshaw of Henshaw Hall, Siddington, Cheshire, England, located south of Manchester, Lancashire, England. (See maps below.)

The Henshaw family are particularly numerous in North East Cheshire. Based on the hamlet of Henshaw in Siddington, the landed family have existed here since Saxon times and saw later migrations to Ireland and America. Henshaw is noted in the Domesday book as "Hofinchel". Other variant spellings found in English records are Henshawe, Henshall, Hanshaw and Hinshaw. Henshaw Hall Farm in the village of Siddington occupies a place formerly known as Henneschae ('hens' copse'). This family existed in the area from about 1250 according to some books on Cheshire history. One member was slain at the Battle of Blackwater, during the O'Neil rebellion around 1596. (http://www.manchester2002-uk.com/history/old-families3a.html)

So, what do we make of the fact that we have two men with different surnames but matching DNA?  One hypothesis might be that the Richardsons migrated from Northumberland to Yorkshire sometime prior to 1800.  As Richardson is a patronymic surname then we can be confident that the Richardsons descend from an earlier "son of Richard".  But did this eponymous Richard exist in a time prior to surnames, or did he have a surname of his own?  This new DNA connection suggests the possibility that he could have been a Henshaw.  Thus, our earliest ancestor above, William Richardson, may descend from a much earlier Richard Henshaw.

It is important to state clearly that this is merely a theory and is far from proven.

Hinshaw Family Association: http://www.rawbw.com/~hinshaw/england.htm

Fellow Researchers

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Research Links

Index & Personal Information Pages (GEDCOM)

For more information on any individual person featured on this page, please:
1. click on the INDEX button below,
2. then select the first letter of the surname you are looking for.

The index button will take you to my searchable GEDCOM database hosted by RootsWeb's World Connect Project. This allows you to download my GEDCOM in 10-generation chunks.  Then you can import my data directly into your own genealogy program without having to retype it.

Legend

= This person has known descendants.

ABT = "about" and is used in three ways:

1. Where it precedes a precise date of birth, such as "ABT 3 DEC 1855", then it means that the person was baptized on 3 DEC 1795, but his/her exact date of birth is unknown.

2. Where it precedes a semi-precise date of birth with the month only given, such as "ABT DEC 1855", then that means that the birth is recorded in the civil birth registrations for the quarter ending with that month.  Thus the person's birth was registered sometime between the beginning of October 1855 and the end of December 1855, but no baptism record has been found nor any more precise birth record.

3. Where it precedes a year only, such as "ABT 1855", then it means that there is no information on the person's birth date at all and an educated guess has been made that he/she was probably born sometime around 1855.

Contact

Please post your questions, comments, corrections, or additional information to:

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This page was last updated on September 01, 2009