Richardson Research Question 1: Jonathan Richardson (I) in Livonia, NY

Occasionally, my mom will ask me if I am sure there were three Jonathan Richardson's in Dad's family. Every time, I assure her that yes, there were three men named Jonathan Richardson (father, son, grandson).

However, little evidence exists in Livonia, Ontario County (now Livingston County), New York where the family settled between 1800 and 1810 (probably around 1804/5). The sources consist of two census records and three deeds.

Deed 1:
On 29 November 1814 Jonathan Richardson of Livonia, Ontario Co, New York bought a parcel of land from Robert Bowne of New York City for $329.31.  This land was described as being in the town[1] of Livonia containing 73.018 acres "...lying in the northwest corner of lot number sevente [sic]...."[2]  The witnesses were Wm H Bowne and Edmund P Gallagher.

Deed 2:
On 2 February 1821 Jonathan Richardson Sr sold 73.018 acres of land in the northwest corner of lot 70 of Livonia to Jonathan Richardson Jr for $1.[3] The witnesses were Jonathan 3rd Richardson, Asa Davis, and Warren Wheeler.

• Analysis:
• The wife of Jonathan Richardson Sr did not sign away her right to her dower portion of the land, a further indication that she was probably deceased by 1821 (also she was not in the 1820 census).
• Note that on this deed there are three men named Jonathan Richardson acting on this deed: the original Jonathan; Jonathan Jr, his son; and Jonathan III, his grandson, son of Jonathan Jr.
• Asa Davis is almost certainly the same Asa Davis that married Jonathan Richardson Sr’s first daughter, Sarah.
• Warren Wheeler administered the estate of Daniel Richardson (believed brother of Jonathan Jr and Joseph Sr) when he died in 1820.

Deed 3:
On 14 October 1829, Jonathan Richardson and Rhoda his wife of Livonia, New York sold to Jonathan Richardson Junior of Richmond, Ontario Co, New York a parcel of land containing 73.018 acres in lot 70 of Livonia for $1,500.[4]

• Witnesses to the deed were George Smith and Daniel Richardson
• This Daniel Richardson cannot be the brother of the Jonathan2 and Joseph Sr as he died 10 November 1820 and his widow, Philena Richardson, had remarried by 1830 to John Backus.
• Could be Daniel Richardson (b.1809) son of Jonathan and Rhoda Richardson, as he would be 20 years old. [This is most likely, given that Jonathan and Rhoda are the ones selling the land.]
• Could also be Daniel Richardson (b.1805), son of Joseph and Abigail Richardson; he would be 24 years old in 1829. However, there is no record of this Daniel after the 1820 census.
• Third potential is Daniel J Richardson (b.1806), son of Daniel and Philena Richardson, as he would be 23 years old. By 1827, he was living in Mt. Morris, Livingston Co, NY, with his wife, Thankful G. (Camp) Richardson.

• Analysis:
•  Rhoda signed her right to her dower portion of the land.
• Based on this deed and the previous deed selling this parcel of land, Jonathan I Richardson had died, and Jonathan II Richardson, known as Jonathan Richardson Jr has now become a Jonathan Richardson without a modifier. The Jonathan Jr in this deed is the Jonathan III in the 1821 deed.
• Portions of Richmond, Ontario Co, New York became part of the town of Canadice (in the same county) in 1829.

The 1810 US Federal census has the family of Jonathan (I) Richardson and Jonathan (II) Richardson in the same household:[5]

• Jona Richardson's household consists of:
• 3 males aged under 10 years [b. 1800-1810]
• 1 male aged 10 to 15 years [b. 1795-1800]
• 2 males aged over 45 years [b. bef 1765]
• 2 females aged under 10 years [b. 1800-1810]
• 2 females aged 10-15 years [b. 1795-1800]
• 1 female aged 16-25 years [b. 1785-1794]
• 1 female aged 26-44 years [b. 1766-1784]
• 1 female aged over 45 years [b. bef 1765]
• Unknown if the head of household is Jonathan (I) or Jonathan (II).

The family makeup is probably as follows:

• Daniel, b. 9 Feb 1809, aged 1 year
• Uriah, b. 31 Jan 1807, 3 years, probably Anna’s twin
• Anna,  b. Feb 1807, 3 years, probably Uriah’s twin
• Unknown boy, b. probably circa 1804/1805
• Laura, b. 5 Nov 1802, 8 years
• Jonathan III, b. 31 Aug 1799, 10 years
• Unknown girl, b. circa 1797
• Clarissa, b. 11 Sep 1795, 14 years
• Rhoda, b. 1793-1794, 16-17 years
• Rhoda (Thompson), wife of Jonathan II, b. 24 July 1773, 37 years
• Jonathan II, b. 26 Nov 1762 or Dec. 3, 1762, aged 47 years
• Jonathan I, b. supposedly abt 1743, if correct, aged about 67 years
• Unknown female, possible wife of Jonathan I, aged 45 years or older at census

The 1820 US Federal census also has a combined household:[6]

• Jonathan Richardson's household consists of:

• 2 males aged under 10 years [b. 1810-1820]
• 2 males aged 10-16 years [b. 1804-1810]
• 2 males aged 16-26 years [b. 1794-1804]
• 2 males aged over 45 years [b. bef 1775]
• 5 females aged under 10 years [b. 1810-1820]
• 2 females aged 16-26 years [b. 1794-1804]
• 1 female aged over 45 years [b. bef 1775]

The 1820 census household:

• Unknown boy, possibly b. c.1819-1820
• Marinda, b. 26 June 1818 or February 1819, 1-2 years
• Unknown girl, possibly b. c. 1816-1817
• Louisa, b. abt 1815, 4-5 years
• Harriet, b. abt 1813, 6-7 years
• Philander, b. 1810-1811, 9 years, probably twin to Philandra
• Philandra, b. 1810-1811, 9 years, probably twin to Philander
• Daniel, b. 9 Feb 1809, 11 years
• Uriah (b. 31 Jan 1807, aged 13 years) 
• Unknown male, b. circa 1804 (based on this census and 1810) 
• Possibly Laura, b. 5 Nov 1802, aged 18 years
• Probably Maranda/Miranda/Mianda/Marinda (Moore), wife of Jonathan III, b. 30 April 1800, 20 years
• Jonathan III, b. 31 Aug 1799, 20 years 
• Rhoda (Thompson), wife of Jonathan II, b. 24 July 1773, 47 years 
• Jonathan II, b. 1762, 57 years
• Jonathan I, b. supposedly abt 1743, 77 years if correct.   

There is no probate for Jonathan I or Jonathan II in Ontario or Livingston counties.

Based on other sources, I believe the family came from Leyden, Massachusetts. However, what these five sources show is that there were three men named Jonathan Richardson in Livonia, NY, between 1810 and 1829.

Jonathan I - b. supposedly c. 1743; died between 1821 and 1829; spouse unknown.
Jonathan II - b.1762; d. 1850; son of Jonathan I; spouse Rhoda Thompson
Jonathan III - b. 1799; d.1880; son of Jonathan II and Rhoda Thompson; spouse Marinda Moore.

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[1] For town, read “township”; “In New York, a town is the major division of each county (excluding the five counties that comprise New York City), very similar to townships in other states such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_divisions_of_New_York#Town)

[2] Bowne, Robert H to Jonathan Richardson, 29 November 1814, Ontario County, New York, Deed Book 22: 468-469, Ontario Co, New York County Clerk, Deed records v. 22-23 1814-1815, Family History Library microfilm 0494835.

[3] Richardson, Jonathan Sr to Jonathan Richardson Jr, 2 February 1821, Ontario County, New York, Deed Book 37: 359-360, Ontario Co, New York County Clerk, Deed records v. 36-37, 1820-1821, Family History Library microfilm 0494842.

[4] Richardson, Jonathan and Rhoda to Jonathan Richardson Jr, 14 October 1829, Livingston County, New York, Deed Book 8:44-45, Livingston Co, New York County Clerk, Deed Records v. 8-9, 1829-1831, Family History Library microfilm 0510038.

[5] 1810 US Census, Ontario County, New York, 6 August 1810, Livonia, page 191 (page 741 crossed out), line 10 (15 from bottom), household of Jona Richardson, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 June 2010, citing NARA microfilm publication M252, roll 74. Missing is Jonathan and Rhoda (Thompson) Richardson’s eldest child, daughter Sarah (b. 13 Oct 1792), who married Asa Davis c.1806.

[6] 1820 US Census, Ontario County, New York, 7 August 1820, Livonia, page 38 (60), line 15, household of Jonathan Richardson, 7 August 1820, Livonia, Ontario Co, New York, page 38 (60), line 15, digital image, Ancestry.com, http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 June 2009, citing NARA microfilm publication M33, roll 62.

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Richardson Family - General Overview

I'm working on identifying all the descendants of a particular Richardson family that ended up in the Ontario Co, New York area between 1803 and 1810.

Sarah Elizabeth Richardson c.1850? (b. 1832, m. 1866 Elston Hunt)

I'm related to the Richardson family twice over via Sarah Elizabeth (Richardson) Hunt (seen above, before she married), my great-great-great grandmother: her parents were first cousins.

I want to correspond with as many Richardson relatives as possible to try and break down some walls (perhaps not brick, but fairly sturdy). A general outline of the first few generations follows.

1. [--?--] Richardson, who supposedly was killed by Indians during the Revolutionary War, and lived in Vermont.

2. His son, Jonathan (I) Richardson, b. abt 1742 (?), d. bef 1829 in Livonia, Livingston Co, NY. Unknown wife. He moved to Livonia when it was still part of Ontario Co, NY (probably by 1805) and was enumerated there on the census in 1810. He had at least four children:

3a. Jonathan (II) Richardson, b. 26 Nov 1762, m. Rhoda Thompson 24 Apr 1792 in Swanzy, New Hampshire, d. 5 April 1850, Independence, Allegany Co, NY. They had at least 11 children (11 have been positively identified):

    3a1. Sarah Richardson (1793-1857) m. Asa Davis (1787-1872). They became Mormon and moved west. Sarah died in Ohio, Asa in Iowa. (15 children identified!)
    3a2. Rhoda Richardson (1793/4-1869) m. Rowland Powell (abt 1790-1865). They lived and died in Livonia, NY. (Supposedly had 8 children, 5 of whom are identified)
   3a3. Clarissa Richardson (1795-1866) m. Calvin Powell (bro. to Rowland) (1792-1871). They moved from New York to Ohio to Illinois and then to Oregon. (13 children, 12 of whom are identified)
   3a4. Unknown female (b.1795-1800)
   3a5. Jonathan (III) Richardson (1799-1880) m. Miranda/Mianda Moore (1800-1886). They moved to Allegany Co, New York. (Supposedly had 12 children, 10 of whom are identified)
   3a6. Unknown female (b. 1801), possibly named Laura
   3a7. Unknown male (b. 1800-1805), possibly named Alpheus
   3a8. Anna Richardson (1807-1876) [TWIN], m1. Russell Bartholomew (1799-1801) (1 child), m2. Otis Harrington (1802/1804-bet 1880 and 1900) (4 children). Moved from New York to Ohio and then to Michigan with Otis Harrington.
   3a9. Uriah Richardson (1807-1883) [TWIN], m. Orra Burnman (1809-1884). Moved to Ohio and then to Michigan. (10 children identified)
   3a10. Daniel Richardson (1809-1891), m. Cynthia Backus (1812/3-1890). Moved to Michigan. (Four children, three of whom are identified)
   3a11. Philander Richardson (1810/1-1875) [TWIN] m1. Elizabeth [possibly Sanger] (1815-bef 1855), m2. Elizabeth [Unknown] (1800-bef 1865), m3. Achsah Amsden (1837-1912) [as her 1st husband; they were 1st cousins, once removed; she m.2 Seth Rider, bro to her brothers-in-law William Rider and Stephen Rider (see below)]. Lived and died in Livonia. (One child, by Achsah.)
   3a12. Philandra Richardson (1811-?) [TWIN] m1. William Rider (1804/5-bef Jul 1860), m2. Seth Ashley. Moved to Ohio and then to Michigan with 2nd husband. (Six children identified)
   3a13. Unknown female (1813-1872), possibly named Harriet.
   3a14. Unknown female (b.1810-1820, unknown death)
   3a15. Unknown male (b.1810-1820, unknown death)
   3a16. Louisa Richardson (1815-?), m1. Stephen Rider (1812/3-?), m2. Reuben Barnea. Moved to Ohio and then to Michigan. (Five children identified)
   3a17. Marinda Richardson (1818-1897) m. Benjamin Dann (1807-1898). Moved to Michigan with her husband. (Three children identified.)


3b. Joseph Richardson (bet. 1765 and 1784, d. 1813) m. Abigail Fisk (1775-1851). He died in the War of 1812, she died in Mendon, Monroe Co, NY. (8 children, one born after the death of his father.)

   3b1. Joseph Richardson (1796-1868) m. Aurilla Rowley (1796-1878). [Abigail Fisk may not be his mother, it is still under investigation.] They moved to Michigan. (11 children, 8 of whom are identified.)
   3b2. Chester Richardson (1800-1884) m. Clarissa Hincher (1811-1871). They lived in Genesee and Monroe Counties, NY. (9 children, 8 of whom are identified)
   3b3. Rufus Richardson (1801-1873) m. Elizabeth Richardson (1807-1860). [Parents of Sarah Elizabeth, above, they were first cousins. See John Richardson (3c) below]. They lived in Livonia and Mendon, New York. (Four children identified.)
   3b4. Lydia Richardson (1803-1892) m. Eleazer Brooks Amsden (1797-1876). They lived in Mendon, Monroe Co, NY. (10 children, 9 of whom are identified. Parents of Achsah Amsden (see 3a11.))
   3b5. Daniel Richardson (1805-Unknown). Living as of the 1820 census, no record after that.
   3b6. Philinda Richardson (1807-1876) m. Noah Nash (1805/6-1852). Moved to Michigan. (7 children, 5 of whom are identified.)
   3b7. Elsie Richardson (1810-1886) m1. Asa Burton (1802/4-1871), m2. Marvin Burton (1804/5-Unknown). Lived in Mendon, Monroe Co, NY. (9 children identified, all from first marriage.)
   3b8. William Harrison Richardson (William Henry Harrison Richardson) (1814-Unknown). According to family history, moved to Wisconsin. Perhaps is the William Henry Harrison Richardson that married Emily Boynton and lived in Juneau Co, Wisconsin.


3c. John Richardson (bet. 1776 and 1794 - after 1830) m. Betsy Phillips (between 1776 and 1794 - ?). Lived in Canadice, Ontario Co, New York. 4 children, 3 of whom are identified.

    3c1. Unknown male (bet. 1794 and 1804 - ?)
    3c2. William Richardson (1805/7-1877) m. Eunice Winch (1805-1892). Lived in Canadice, Ontario Co, NY.  (11 children, 9 identified.)
    3c3. Elizabeth Richardson (see 3b3.)
    3c4. John Richardson (bet. 1805 and 1810, died as a young man). According to family history, "In school boy play he was pushed against the ever present stump and died from injuries received."


3d. Daniel Richardson (1781-1820) m. Philena Stebbins (1782/3-1850). [She m2. John Backus, father of Cynthia Backus (see 3a10).] They lived in Cornwall, Addison Co, Vermont before moving to Livonia, New York. (7 children identified.)

    3d1. Philinda Richardson (1805-1851) m. Horace Stone (1800-1873). [He m2. Lucetta Ebenriter (1824/5-1870).] They lived in Livonia and Mount Morris, both in Livingston Co, NY. (8 children identified.)
    3d2. Daniel J Richardson (1806-1857) m. Thankful G Camp (1810-1850). They lived in Mount Morris, Livingston Co, NY and in Ontario, Canada [then Canada West]. (2 children, 1 identified).
    3d3. Lydia Richardson (1808-?), appears to have never married.
    3d4. Washington E Richardson (1811-1884), m. Harriet Parker (1815-1885). They lived in Wyoming Co, New York. (2 children identified.)
    3d5. Diadama/Diadamia Richardson (1814/5-bef 1855) m1. Lewis Payne (bet. 1800 and 1810 - bef 1848), m2. Adonijah Fellows (1804-1864) [as his 2nd wife, first wife Polly Fitzgerald (bef 1810-bef 1848)]. Both families lived in Livonia, NY. She had at least three children with Payne and one with Fellows.
    3d6. Joseph B Richardson (1818-1877) m. Jennette Phelps (1819-bef 1900). They lived in Mount Morris, Livingston Co, NY. (At least 6 children.)
    3d7. William Waring Richardson (1820/1-1898) [possibly born after the death of his father] m1. Julia P [--?--] (1830-1860), m2. Sarah A (Walker) Osborne (1833-?) as her 2nd husband. He and his families lived in Livonia (first wife), Canada West (first and second wives), Illinois (no wife), and Indiana (no wife). (3 children identified.)


So in 4 incomplete generations I have lots of descendants already. I haven't quite given up on finding where Jonathan (I) came from, but he is proving somewhat elusive. I hope if i keep putting items out about these Richardsons, someone will find me via Google (or Bing, whatever takes your fancy)! (Not that I don't appreciate those that have already contacted me. I am so excited that I have recently been contacted by descendants of each of these four brothers.)

More Martins - Livingston Co, NY

 

The obituary of Thomas Martin of Lima, NY, seen at left, states that his brother was "Malachi Martin, late of this town [Livonia]."

I've been tracing Malachi Martin's family because his daughter Mary married into my Powell family, and as the mother of John Powell (see last week's post "Finding John Powell - 1 possibility down").

The Martin families are Irish Catholics. Thomas Martin, according to his obituary, came to the United States in 1834. I can narrow down Malachi's immigration date to abt 1848, based on church histories in the local county history.

This is a completely different group for me to research. The Irish immigrants on my mother's side are from Northern Ireland and are Presbyterian. Probably they will end up going back to Scotland, if I can figure out their townlands in Ireland. (That's a whole other kettle of fish.)

It has been super interesting to follow these families of Thomases, Williams, Marys, Anns, and Margarets. The Martin family appears to have come from the far northwest of County Tipperary in Ireland. I've been able to find some records for them in Tipperary before coming to America via the irish Family History Foundation website (http://www.rootsireland.ie), though the records there are all extracts, unfortunately.

The town the family is from is at the extreme northwest of County Tipperary. However, when most people think of Tipperary they think of Cashel (well, at least I do.) I love these photos that I took when I was in Ireland. One is of the Rock of Cashel and one is the view from the Rock of Cashel.

I'm having a bit more luck once the family moved to America as there are Roman Catholic church records for the family in Livingston Co, New York. This is my first time working with Roman Catholic records; I can't think of one family that have been RC in my direct line except one, and that one has not been confirmed by records.

Here is an example: the burial record for Mary (Martin) Powell Tone, daughter of Malachi Martin:

19 August 1908: "Mrs Michael Tone was buried in Livonia this morning. She died on the 15th aged about 84 years."

There are a large number of related families in these church records - I've already noticed the ones I know are related to the Malachi Martin family. The Thomas Martin family lived in Lima, and that town's church records are, of course, on another roll of film....

[Citations available upon request.]

Finding John Powell - 1 possibility down

One of my current projects is identifying all the descendants of Jonathan Richardson, the man I call "the progenitor" of my Richardson family in western New York. He came to Ontario Co, NY between 1803 and 1810 with (probably) four sons.

One of those sons, Jonathan (II) Richardson, had a daughter named Rhoda. Rhoda Richardson married Rowland Powell and had at least five children. The second-to-last known child and last son was named William Ryder Powell, and he seems to have a bit of a bad guy. (More on him as a person to come later.)

William Ryder Powell married (or at least had a somewhat long term relationship with) a woman named Mary Martin. Mary Martin was born in Ireland about May 1826, probably in the small parish of Youghalarra in County Tipperary where her known brothers and sisters were baptized. Her parents were Malachi/Malachy Martin and Margaret O'Brien (Brien). I have not been able to find when Mary Martin emigrated to the United States.

Their first child, Mary Adelia Powell, was born in Livonia, Livingston Co, New York, probably around May of 1848 (though her obituary gives her birth date as 22 May 1846, all of the previous records give year of birth around 1848 rather than 1846). This also gives the latest emigration date for Mary Martin as approximately nine months before May 1848 (or 1846) - around July of 1847 or 1845.

The only census that has William Ryder and Mary (Martin) Powell enumerated together is the one from 1850; Mary appears alone with three children in the 1855 New York State census: Mary A, aged 6; William I, aged 4; and Luceria A, aged 2, as well as a cousin, Margaret Hogan. The 1855 census also states that Mary (Martin) Powell had lived in Livonia, New York, for 12 years and that she was an alien. (William Ryder Powell was a natural-born American.) That gives a latest emigration date for Mary Martin as 1842-1843.

In 1860 Mary (Martin) Powell has two children with her in her household: 7-year-old Lucera and 2-year-old John. William appears to have died and Mary Adelia is living in another household working as a domestic. I have not been able to find John in the 1865 New York State census. In 1870 he is living with his mother, Mary, in Livonia, and by 1875 Mary (Martin) Powell has married a man named Michael Tone and John is living in their household, listed as a step-son to Michael Tone. John is enumerated as working on the Erie railroad.

And where is John after that? In the 1900 census, Mary (Martin) Powell Tone's enumeration states that she has had four children and that three are still living. That appears to imply that John Powell is still living.

The web becomes further tangled as the history of William Ryder Powell is examined. According to his obituary, William Ryder Powell was not the nicest of people. He was shot to death (supposedly in self-defence) in 1904 in California. The obituary also states, "He was arrested, tried and convicted [for horse stealing], and our informant is quite sure that his sentence to Auburn prison was for a term of five years. After he got out of prison, which was something like thirty-five or forty years ago, he drifted to California...."  This gives some dates for William Ryder's incarceration at Auburn: released between 1864 and 1869, with a five year sentence, gives his incarceration beginning dates of between 1859 and 1864. However, records for this period at Auburn do not survive. It is, of course, possible, that these dates are off, and maybe as many of five years on either side.

The probate completed in 1904 and 1905 by his daughter, Mary Adelia (Powell) Sheldon, states that her father purchased land in California and was unmarried when he did so, and gives his only surviving heirs as two daughters: Mary Adelia (Powell) Sheldon and Lucera (Powell) Crane (I'll come back to this one, too).

So what happened to John Powell? Was he really William Ryder Powell's son? Where is he in subsequent censuses after 1875?

I thought I had found a candidate - a John H Powell married a woman named Kitty Dempsey in Rochester, NY in 1886. He worked on the railroad, was approximately the right age, and his mother was born in Ireland. I was lucky in that I had already ordered a roll of microfilm from the FHL of Rochester and vicinity church records for another purpose!

On 26 April 1886 John H Powell married Catherine "Kitty" Dempsey at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Rochester, New York. John H Powell was the son of Samuel Powell and Elizabeth Kennedy. Catherine was the daughter of Bernard Dempsey and Catherine Costello.

And there went that hypothesis popped.

So what happened to John Powell? I'm still looking.

I'm also still looking for Lucera (Powell) Crane/Ware too: she signs her name as Lucera Crane in the probate documents, her death certificate gives her name as Lucera Ware, and I can't find anything on her under either name. Supposedly, according to online family trees, she married a man named John Ware and they had two children (before 1904 when she signs her name as Lucera Crane), but I am still trying to follow that up.


[If sources are desired, please comment or send an email. I would be happy to oblige.]

Disappointing Results from a NY County Historian's Office

So the Livingston County, New York, Historian has a database showing the records available through their office.  In my quest trying to find all the data on the Richardson family that moved to Livonia, Livingston Co, New York (originally in Ontario County), the database notes a file for Jonathan Richardson Sr, veteran of the Revolutionary War.


This is my Jonathan (I) Richardson, father of my ancestors Joseph and John Richardson and collateral relatives Daniel and Jonathan (II) Richardson. Joseph, Daniel, and Jonathan (II) Richardson all fought in the War of 1812 in Captain Gould Tyler's Company of Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Blakeslee's militia at the Battle of Black Rock.


I am currently working with the hypothesis (based on family stories and other records) that the Richardson family migrated to New York around 1803-1805, and possibly came from Leyden, Massachusetts (now in Franklin Co, originally in Hampden Co).


All I *really* know about Jonathan (I) Richardson is that he bought 73 acres of land in Livonia (Lot 70) in 1814 from Robert Bowne of New York City,[1] and that in 1821 he sold this land to Jonathan (II) Richardson.  The 1821 deed names Jonathan (I) Richardson as Sr, Jonathan (II) Richardson as Jr, and Jonathan III, Jonathan (II) Richardson's son, a witness to the deed, as Jonathan 3rd.[2] By 1829, the man known as Jonathan Jr in the 1821 deed is called Jonathan Sr and sells the land to his son, Jonathan (III), called Jr.[3]  With this deed, it appears that Jonathan (I) Richardson probably died between 1821 and 1829.


The file from Livingston County includes four documents:


A) A "Livingston County War Service Record" card (with a note that there is no card in marked graves).  It gives his name "Jonathan Richardson I", that he was born about 1742 (with a note to see back, given on a second page to me), that he died "between 1821 and 1829 - Gravesite unknown (Per L. Webster, Liv. Amer. Leg. Post)".


The back of the card gives the vital records for a Jonathan Richardson:
Jonathan Richardson, b. 25 Nov 1744, Billerica, Mass.
married: 6 Aug 1761 @ Attleboro, Mass.
To: Hannah Franklin, b. 6 Jul 1747, Attleboro, Mass.
Ref: Judy K. Cwiklinski [address withheld]


[Note, this is NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT my Jonathan Richardson. The Jonathan Richardson that was born in Billerica died in Chelsea, Mass, in 1813, and actually appears to have been the man that married Lydia Foster in Chelmsford, Mass in 1772.  The Jonathan Richardson that married Hannah Franklin appears to have died in Attleboro, Mass., in 1817, so is also not a candidate for being "my" Jonathan.]


B) A "Livingston County War Service Record" card for Jonathan (II) Richardson.  There is no date of birth given, but includes a date of death of 4/5/1850, age 87 (with a note to see back, given on a second page to me).  Under the "Nature of Duties Performed in Service" it states "transported men by team to scene of action after the burning of Buffalo." A second section states "Taken to Montreal, as prisoner of British, then taken to Halifax, released after 6 months."


References given include - "The History of Conesus" by W. P. Boyd; Smith - History of Liv. County - p. 329; and "Livonia: Mil. (envelope)" [unknown what this refers to]


It also notes that he was a Private in Captain Gould Tyler's Company, Col. Blakeslee's Regiment, New York Militia (per L. Webster Liv. Amer. Leg. Post)


The back of the card states:
"He died in Independence Twp, Allegany Co, NY. Ref: Mortality schedule 1850 Independence, Allegany Co, NY. His son Jonathan & wife Mianda are buried in the Whitesville [unclear] Cemetery, Allegany Co, NY." Ref: Judy K. Cwiiklinski


C) Typescript of a Memorial Day talk given by Michael West, May 29, 1972, and notes that West was "age 13 years."


This notes three Livonia men that served in the militia - Joseph Richardson, Jonathan Richardson, and Erastus Lewis.


D) A second typescript is an analysis of the gravestone of Jonathan Richardson, Sen (Jonathan (II) Richardson in the Annis-Powell Cemetery in Livonia, New York.  An image of this gravestone can be found on Find-a-Grave.  This analysis is by Lawrence J. Webster, the Historian of Harrison-Lee Post #283, American Legion, from September, 1989.  At this point, the analysis was for the research of the DAR application that I mentioned in an earlier post.


It states at the end: "At this writing, [eventual DAR applicant] has these problems.
     1) No definite gravesite has been found for Jonathan b. ca 1742
     2) The DAR will not accept the land deeds as proof of grandfather, son, and grandson relationship of the three Jonathan Richardsons.
     3) She has no proof that a Jonathan Richardson listed in Revolutionary War military units of the New Hampshire area came to Livonia, New York"




Based on the items I have seen cited in the DAR application, I am in agreement with the American Legion historian! So I am wondering what changed between 1989 and 1992, when the DAR app. was approved.


There was nothing new in this file for me.  There is still no proof (in my mind) that the Jonathan Richardson mentioned as serving in the Revolutionary from New Hampshire is the same man that moved to Livonia, New York, with his family between 1803 and 1805.




[1] Bowne, Robert H to Jonathan Richardson, 29 November 1814, Ontario County, New York, Deed Book 22: 468-469, Ontario Co, New York County Clerk, Deed records v. 22-23 1814-1815, Family History Library microfilm 0494835.


[2] Richardson, Jonathan Sr to Jonathan Richardson Jr, 2 February 1821, Ontario County, New York, Deed Book 37: 359-360, Ontario Co, New York County Clerk, Deed records v. 36-37, 1820-1821, Family History Library microfilm 0494842.


[3] Richardson, Jonathan and Rhoda to Jonathan Richardson Jr, 14 October 1829, Livingston County, New York, Deed Book 8:44-45, Livingston Co, New York County Clerk, Deed Records v. 8-9, 1829-1831, Family History Library microfilm 0510038.

Richardson conundrum

So I ordered (via fax) copies of the documentation for Jonathan Richardson Sr (the progenitor in Livonia, New York) from the DAR last week and they came on Monday.

I was excited to see that they had included documentation of later generations that I didn't expect.  Also, copies of four deeds from Franklin Co, Massachusetts (at the time of their creation, the land was in Hampshire County).  These four deeds appear to fit with the fact that a Jonathan Richardson (occasionally identified as a "Jr") sold land in Leyden, Massachusetts, around the time that the Jonathan Richardson family appears to move from Massachusetts/New Hampshire/Vermont/eastern New York, and appear in Livonia.

However, it also brought up more issues.  The documentation include a circa birth date (c.1742) and a place (Brattleboro, Windham Co, Vermont, which I *guess* could be correct, considering that Brattleboro was the first Vermont settlement [1]), as well as a wife's name: "Hannah Warren."

WHERE DID THIS NAME COME FROM?

I have not seen "Hannah Warren" on any document; I have not seen the name Hannah; I have not even seen a name for a wife of Jonathan Richardson Sr.  I know he had one - men obviously can't give birth - but her identity is a mystery to me.

Of the aforementioned Hampshire County deeds (now Franklin), there are two where Jonathan buys land, one in 1794 and one in 1796, and two where he sells the land - both in 1804.  (I plan to fully transcribe and post these later.)  The two where he sells land do not include a wife renouncing her right to dower (for a great post on dower, see The Legal Genealogist for an example in Michigan; the comments discuss Massachusetts not having repealed the right of dower until 2008, to take effect in 2011[2]).  So now I am really at a conundrum.  Is this "my" Jonathan?  Is it his son, Jonathan Jr?  Where is the wife that should be there, if, as I hypothesize, this is "my" Jonathan Sr?  Jonathan Jr was already married in 1804 so if it was him, his wife Rhoda should have signed away her right to dower.  I was under the impression via the 1810 census that she had moved to Livonia with the family, but maybe I am operating under a false assumption.  That could be a sister or sister-in-law rather than a wife.

The other choice is that the researcher did not think those pages important, and so did not copy them and include them in the DAR application!  But now at least I know that there is something there.

But I am still at an impasse as to connecting these two men as one person, and if either of them are really the man that supposedly served in the Revolutionary War.

*spin, spin, spin* These guys give me hurt-y brain.  On the plus side, at least I know that I am not the only one - I just got an email from a distant cousin that explained that she stopped work on this line because they made her crazy.

(I am tempted to put a LOLcat here, but I will deny myself the pleasure of silly cat photos.)


[1] Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.com), "Brattleboro, Vermont," rev. 17 June 2012.

[2] Judy Russell (The Legal Genealogist, legalgenealogist.com), "Reversion of Dower," 17 April 2012.

Richardson - problem ancestors (DAR Application)

Sigh. I don't know what to do with these guys. They aren't rascals, like The Legal Genealogist's George Washington Cottrell. They are a simple, post-American Revolutionary family that lived in western New York and didn't leave a lot of records but left A TON of descendants. And give me a headache.

I have been working on gathering the descendants of man known as Jonathan Richardson. According to a DAR application (and a second one recently accepted under the same documentation), this Jonathan Richardson (b. abt 1743 (possibly Massachusetts), d. bef 1829 (probably Livingston Co, New York)) married a woman named Hannah Warren.  He and his family moved to Livonia, Ontario Co, New York (now Livingston County) around 1804-1806, probably from Leyden, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts (now Franklin County).  It appears that they had at least three sons (Jonathan, Joseph, and Daniel); I posit a 4th (John) based on family histories stating that my 4th great-grandparents were first cousins, but there were almost certainly other children.

This Jonathan Richardson supposedly served in the Revolutionary War.  The DAR application gives his service in the following detail:

• In Quebec, 1776, and at Ticonderoga with New Hampshire Forces (typed)
• Served with the Green Mountain Boys - Maj. Brown's Detachment (handwritten)
• Served with General Arnold - Col. Ethan Allen - Seth Warner @ 4 July 1775 [sic] (handwritten)
• Pay roll on Captain John Parker's Comp [sic] (handwritten)

Sources cited for this military service:

1. Pension Records
2. History of the Revolutionary War, New Hampshire Sate Papers, Vol. I, Vol. IV, pp. 172, 176, 177.
3. Misc. Revolutionary Documents of New Hampshire, Vol. 30
4. NH State Papers by Batchellor, pp. 435 439 [sic]
5. New York in the Revolution by Roberts pages 61 and 62

I won't argue this point currently - but I am unclear as to how the same name/different person scenario is resolved here.  Jonathan Richardson is not the most uncommon of names, and I have been unable to find a pension record for him specifically that may answer some of these questions.

Thanks to a wonderful online cousin, I now have all of the documentation used for the last two generations of the DAR application (i.e. Jonathan Richardson and one of his sons, in this case, Jonathan Jr).  A section of the application is for a list of the "Children of the Revolutionary Ancestor" besides the one through which the applicant descends.

This application gives the names of six children: Jonathan, Lemuel, Daniel, Francis, Joseph, and Elijah, and states that they are proven through the "Co Hist."

Looking through all the sources given on the application for those generations, including the three county histories - I find nothing on the wife or the children of Jonathan Richardson. *SIGH*

I am not trying to fault anyone's research or take anything away from my wonderful cousin that just got her DAR application approved, but I am somewhat irked.  Where did this information come from, and why can't I find it anywhere?  Who are these three other sons Lemuel, Francis, and Elijah?  They don't appear to be in any records in Ontario or Livingston counties with their Richardson relatives.  There are no Richardson families in Leyden, Massachusetts in 1810, approximately five years after I posit that the entire family moved.

A forthcoming post will establish all the evidence that I currently have on the Jonathan Richardson that lived in Livonia, New York in the last years of his life.  As for the DAR application, my next step is to make a request from the DAR for the supporting documentation for Jonathan Richardson.  Hopefully they will have something in their files to help me.

(c) 2012, Sara Gredler