USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Milford > History of Milford, Massachusetts, part 2 > Part 60
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ANNA, b. Sept. 22, 1756; untraced.
NANCY, b. 1757; d. Jan. 1, 1848.
ARTHUR, b. Nov. 17, 1758; physician; set. Hardwick.
MEPHIBOSIIETH, b. Aug. 7, 1763; d. Aug. 9, 1763.
Edward, Esq., dwelt long in Mendon, and was an influential Revolutionary patriot. He came into Mil., with his wf. and dr. Anna, as also a servant-boy named John Waters, May 10, 1780. Whether he ever owned any homestead here, I am unable to say. He was, at his first coming from Mendon, a tenant
985
RAWSON FAMILIES.
of Josiah Wheelock. He was our first justice of the peace, commissioned by Gov. John Hancock, March 1, 1781. He had been a member of the convention that formed our first State Constitution. I think he could not have res. in town more than 3 or 4 yrs. He was already an elderly man, and is said to have lost his eyesight, at perhaps fourscore. He d. in Leicester, Feb. 11, 1807. Death- date of his wf. not found.
RAWSON, THOMAS4 (William,3 William,2 Edward1), b. May 2, 1733; m., 1st,
Anna Walden, about 1737; set. in Mendon. Their chn .:-
WILLIAM, b. Nov. 11, 1738; m. Mary Aldrich, and had 4 chn.
PRISCILLA, b. May 22, 1740; m. Ephraim Walker, Providence, R.I. STEPIIEN, b. March 2, 1743; m. Silence Ward, and set. Townshend, Vt. NATHANIEL, b. July 9, 1745; m. Elizabeth Nelson, March 24, 1768.
RACHEL, b. March 6, 1747; in. Stephen Chapin, Jan. 22, 1768; res. Mil. ANNA, b. May 8, 1749; m. Col. Benjamin Hoppin, Providence, R.I.,
PERSIS, b. May 6, 1751; m. Joseph Carpenter.
MARGARET, b. April 7, 1753; m. Benjamin Walker.
THOMAS J., b. May, 1755; d. young.
CATHERINE, b. May 20, 1757; d. Oct., 1761.
PERNEL, b. July 12, 1760; d. Oct., 1761.
FRANCIS, b. Jan. 8, 1763; d. April 3, 1811.
Mrs. Anna d. 1783. The hus. m., 2d, Hannah (Sheffield) Nelson, wid. of Nehemiah Nelson, and dr. of William and Mary Sheffield; cer. March 29, 1785. No chn.
Whereabouts in Mendon Thomas Rawson first dwelt, I have not learned. But, after his 2d inge., he became seized of the Nehemiah Nelson place, where David and Newell N. Nelson now dwell. He lived there with his wf. Hannah till 1794, when they sold out to Col. Samuel Nelson, fr. of the late Newell Nel- son, Esq., to whom his fr. deeded it in 1814. Thomas and Hannah were both members of the Cong. ch. here. He d. July 10, 1802; she in 1803.
RAWSON, Dea. NATHANIEL 5 (Thomas,+ William,3 William,2 Edward 1), b. in
Mendon, July 9, 1745; m. Elizabeth Nelson, dr. of Nehemiah and Hannah
(Sheffield) Nelson, b. March 30, 1746; cer. March 24, 1768. Issue :-
SOPHRONISBA, b. Dec. 14, 1768; m. Elijah Stone, Dec. 5, 1794.
RUTH, b. Oct. 25, 1770; m. Nathan Parkhurst, June, 1797.
CATHERINE, b. Jan. 7, 1773; m. Ithiel Parkhurst, March 6, 1794.
ELIZABETH, b. Feb. 9, 1775; m. Rev. Gordon Johnson, Killingly, Ct., Dec. 31, 1803.
HANNAH, b. April 22, 1777; d. July 7, 1846.
SILENCE, b. March 16, 1779; d. March 7, 1797.
NATHANIEL, Rev., b. Feb. 26, 1780; Cong. clergyman; twice m. See below. JARED, b. Jan. 2, 1782; m. Nancy T. Waldron, Nov. 5, 1820; set. Mil.
ANNA, b. March 21, 1785; m. Luther Claflin, June 8, 1809; set. Mil.
RoxA, b. June 30, 1788; m. Dea. Peter Rockwood, Nov. 6, 1845.
Nathaniel Rawson was deacon of the ancient ch. in Mendon while res. there. I have not ascertained just where he lived in old Mendon, but have been told that it was on the northerly slope of Misco Hill. From all I can learn, he prob. took possession of his farm here about the yr. 1790. Some fix the date 2 or 3 yrs. later, but I think 1790 the true one. I have not carefully examined the registry of deeds to learn of whom he purchased his Mil. homestead. It is situated in our "City " district, so called, on the old road to Upton, being the same on which his son Jared lived and d. In former times it was the estate of Eld.
986
BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
Abraham Jones, partly or wholly given to him by his fr., Elder John, who prob. took it up out of common lands. Dea. Nathaniel and all his family were devoted Orthodox Congregationalists. He d. Aug. 11, 1825, a. 80 yrs. Mrs. Elizabeth, his wid., d. Aug. 24, 1826, a. 80 yrs.
RAWSON, Rev. NATHANIEL 6 (Dea. Nathaniel,5 Thomas,4 William,3 William,2
Edward1), b. Feb. 26, 1780; m., 1st, Betsey Fitch, dr. of Rev. Elijah Fitch of Hop .; cer. July 15, 1811, in Hop., by bride's fr. Their chn. : -
ELIJAH, b. Jan. 22, 1813; printer; m. Jane Hart, Salem, N.Y., 1836.
OBED, b. March 31, 1815; killed in Canton, Ct., by explosion of powder-mill, 1835.
CYRUS, b. Feb. 5, 1818; drowned Sacramento River, Cal., 1850.
DENNIS COOK, b. Jan. 23, 1821; untraced.
Mrs. Betsey d. 1825; and the hus. m., 2d, Sarah Piper of Peru, March 26, 1827. Issue :-
ELIZABETH FITCH, b. May 7, 1828; m. Henry E. Rice of Barre, March 28, 1848.
MARY JANE, b. April 26, 1830; m. Ephraim A. Moore of Weston, Vt., 1854.
Rev. Nathaniel had a fair academic education; stud. theology with Rev. Dr. Crane of Northbridge; was set. as pastor of 1st Cong. ch., Hardwick, Vt., 1811, where he remained 6 yrs .; preached afterwards at Waterbury, Bristol, and Starksboro', in the same State; on account of ill-health resorted a while to farming near New Haven, Ct .; resumed preaching in 1824 at Middlebury; was bereaved of his 1st wf. there in 1825; afterwards preached at Peru and Winhall, half the time at each place; m. his 2d wf. at Peru in 1827; and finally set. down on a farm in Hampton, Ct., preaching only occasionally as opportunity offered. He did considerable missionary work, first and last, in various parts of the country. I once heard him preach in Killingly, Ct. He was not brilliant, but a sound, old-fashioned Hopkinsian preacher. He was a large, stout, farmer- looking man, and said to have been a quiet, kind, accommodating neighbor. He was an early temperance man, and, while in Peru, at a barn-raising, in 1827, gave an impromptu lecture against the use of intoxicating beverages, with so much effect, that a majority of the gathering went home declining to taste of the drinks generously provided for the occasion. He had his innocent singulari- ties. Among these was the often-expressed wish that he might die suddenly without warning. His prayer seemed to be answered. He went out, in kind- ness, to help one of his Hampton neighbors get his hay together, and, while raking, was instantly killed by a thunderbolt, July 14, 1845. His wf. and 5 chn. survived him.
RAWSON, JARED 6 (Dea. Nathaniel,5 Thomas, 4 William,8 William,2 Edward 1),
b. Jan. 2, 1782; farmer; m. Nancy T. Waldron, at Woodstock, Vt .; cer. Nov. 5, 1820, by Rev. Jasper Hazen. Their chn. : -
SAMUEL STILLMAN, b. Oct. 30, 1821; d. April 4, 1854.
EMMONS, b. May 2, 1828; d. March 2, 1833.
MALCOM, b. April 15, 1830; d. July 9, 1834.
WILLIS CLAFLIN, b. Dec. 2, 1832; d. May 6, 1856.
RANSOM, b. March 17, 1835; d. March 26, 1861.
ALBERT, b. June 29, 1837; d. Feb. 26, 1840.
ELIZA ANNA, b. Dec. 28, 1838; m. Austin Fisher Putnam, April 20, 1864.
Jared inherited his fr.'s homestead. He was an industrious, frugal, orderly citizen, a lover of fruit and shade trees, in which he dealt somewhat exten- sively. Those who travel to and fro on West St., the Upton road, ought to bless
987
RAWSON AND READ.
his memory for the goodly shade-trees which line his side of the way a full hundred rods or more. In consideration of these public-spirited works, the town, on motion of Ethan C. Claflin, in 1869, voted him fifty dollars. He and his wf. were members of our Cong. ch., steadfastly adhering to the faith and order of their ancestors. He d. Feb. 1, 1875, a. 92 yrs. and 8 mos. His wf. had preceded him. She d. Feb. 15, 1861. It is a remarkable case. He outlived all his family but Mrs. Putnam. She had 2 chn .; and they, too, have passed away. RAWSON, ROXA, youngest dr. of Dea. Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Nelson) Raw- son, b. June 30, 1788; m., in her elderly maidenhood, Dea. Peter Rock- wood. See Rockwood. In the admirable "Rawson Family Genealogy," by E. B. Crane, by which I have been much assisted in this section of my present work, I find a testimony to the worth of Roxa Rawson Rockwood which I take the liberty to copy nearly entire.
"Her life, though quiet and unobtrusive, was controlled by one motive, - that of doing good to all around her. In early life she was a teacher; and very many of the generation who called her such have held responsible stations in society, and still testify that their youth owed much to her moulding hand. It was at this period that the idea of forming sabbath schools was being tried in this country. She determined to make a beginning among the scholars of her school. So she invited them to come to her fr.'s house every Sunday evening to receive instruction from the Bible. And they gathered around her, such a loving company of children, until general interest was attracted, and the increasing throng made it necessary to remove the sabbath school to the church. Her interest in its welfare continued unabated. To her dying day the sabbath school was her foster-child. After caring for her invalid mother and sister until those duties were ended, she took up the occupation of a nurse, and by the sick and dying bed her presence was ever welcome. Near the close of 1866 she ended her honored and useful life. A stone to commemorate her life was erected by the sabbath school she loved so well, inscribed 'Founder of the Sabbath School at Milford.' "
RAWSON, MAYNARD, son of Lovina Wedge, single woman; ancestry and relationship no further traced; b. Mil., May 28, 1801; m. Sarah Albee, dr. of Seth and Betsey (Lambert) Albee, b. Mil., Nov. 30, 1801; cer. Dec. 28, 1828, by Rev. D. Long. Issue : -
WARREN, b. April 6, 1830; m. Rhoda Howard; 2 chn. He d. Feb. 3, 1857. SARAH ELIZABETH, b. Jan. 4, 1838; m. John A. Phillips, July 6, 1857. See Phillips.
WILLIAM HENRY, b. Feb. 10, 1847; m. Alice C. Clark, 1869; 2 chn .; res. W. Medway.
The names of Warren's chn. not taken. William Henry m. Alice, as above, dr. of John C. and Betsey (Daniels) Clark, Medway; cer. Woonsocket, R.I., 1869, by Rev. Mr. Hatfield. Issue: -
EMMA E., b. Feb. 10, 1871; and WILLIE C., b. Oct. 13, 1872.
Mr. Rawson dwelt on a small homestead on So. Main St., a section of the ancient Wedge estate, which, being a descendant of the Wedges on his mr.'s side, I think he inherited from them. He was a member of our Cong. ch., but not his wf. Mrs. Sarah d. Sept. 18, 1863. Mr. R. afterwards became partially demented, and spent several of his last yrs. in the insane asylum at Worcester. He was found dead in his bed there on the morning of Aug. 31, 1880; and his remains rest in the So. Mil. Cemetery.
READ. John Read, an immigrant from Eng., set. first in Dorchester,
988
BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
whence he removed to Weymouth or Braintree, where he was made freeman in 1640. Thence his son Samuel joined the colonists that set. Mendon. He in. Hopestill Holbrook in 1668, and among their chn. were Samuel, jun., Ebenezer, etc. Most of the Reads, at one time numerous in Mendon, Uxbridge, and Mil., were of this lineage.
READ, Dea. EBENEZER, of Mil., who for many yrs. dwelt on what we now
know as the Ira Cleveland place, was of this lineage. But in spite of anxious efforts to ascertain the links of generation between him and his immigrant ancestor, John of Dorchester, I have failed. I procured all the Mendon records relating to the descendants of Samuel, but they do not tell me who was the fr., or who the gd. fr. of our Dea. Ebenezer. I suspect he must have been a gt. gd. son of Samuel, but I will not build on guess- work. He m. Mary Chapin, prob. a dr. of Ebenezer; cer. Feb. 23, 1764, by Rev. A. Frost. Just when he came into our territory, or how he acquired possession of his fine homestead on the apex of old Magomiscock Hill, I am not certain, though I rather think by purchase. I find that he was chosen dea. of Mil. Cong. ch. in 1786; but that he became a member in 1767, as also his wf. I presume, therefore, that they took up their abode in the Easterly Precinct perhaps in 1766. They were dismissed to the ch. in Worcester, Feb., 1796. Meantime they raised up a large family, whose names stand on our records thus : -
HANNAH, b. May 1, 1764; m. Nathaniel Cheney of Orange, 1791.
ICHABOD, b. Jan. 27, 1766; d. Feb. 22 same yr.
ABIGAIL, b. June 1, 1767; untraced.
MARY, b. July 30, 1769; d. May 20, 1770.
SYLVIA, b. July 18, 1771; untraced.
MARTHA ! b. March 4, 1773; untraced.
SARAII (twins), b. March 4, 1773; untraced.
SAMUEL TORREY, b. Oct. 17, 1774; untraced.
MARY, again, b. Dec. 16, 1776; untraced.
EBENEZER, b. May 1, 1779; untraced.
BENJAMIN, b. May 1, 1781; untraced.
RUTHI, b. Feb. 14, 1784; untraced.
ALEXANDER, b. July 10, 1786; untraced.
I have at my command no means for tracing the subsequent history of this family. Dea. Read sold his farm to Dea. Enoch Adams about the yr. 1796, and, as above told, removed to Worcester. Whoever will trace the family further must take up the thread of record in that city.
READ, JOSEPH, ancestry not traced; manufacturer of thread and cotton yarn
in Medway; moved into this town in 1837, and res. mostly in the Bear- hill district. He was b. in Whitehall, N. Y., Sept. 9, 1799, and m. Susan- nah ยท Stanton, b. in Douglas, Aug. 19, 1801; cer. May 16, 1821; other par- ticulars not given. Their chn. :-
WILLIAM FRANCIS, b. Franklin, Oct. 24, 1821; untraced.
JASON NEWELL, b. Medway, June 19, 1823; m. Catherine Childs, April 29, 1846.
JOSEPHI, Jun., b. Medway, April 6, 1827; untraced.
ERASTUS M., b. Poughkeepsie, N. Y., March 12, 1832; untraced.
JAMES, b. Medway, Aug. 8, 1833; untraced.
SILAS O., b. Medway, July 6, 1836; untraced.
SARAH ELIZABETH, b. Mil., Oct. 12, 1840; untraced.
989
READ, READING, REYNOLDS.
EMMA JANE, b. Mil., Dec. 11, 1846; untraced.
The hus. and fr. d. in Mil., Oct. 30, 1875. Mrs. Susannah, his wid., d. March 10, 1877.
READ, GEORGE LAFAYETTE 3 (Jason Newell,2 Joseph 1), b. in Medway, Sept. 13, 1847; mr.'s maiden name Catherine Childs; hat-blocker; m. Mary Ann Watkins, dr. of Moses and Mary Ann (Smith) Watkins, b. in Mil., March 6, 1848; cer. in (Waterford) Blackstone, Oct. 31, 1864, by Rev. E. W. Porter. Issue : -
MAUD ESTELLE, b. Mil., July 28, 1874.
Mr. Read is an industrious mechanic, and well-disposed citizen. He res. in So. Mil., in what was formerly the schoolhouse, near Plain St.
READ, CLEMENT ORVILLE, and wf., Lydia (Buffum) Read, from Attleboro',
became dwellers with the Community at Hopedale in 1844, and res. there several yrs. They were intelligent and worthy members. Mr. R. had chn. by a former mge., several of whom res. more or less at Hopedale. He had also chn. by Lydia (Buffum). Of the chn. tlrat res., older and younger, at Hopedale, were, -
HERBERT GODDARD, b. March 5, 1836; his grave is in our cemetery.
MIRANDA A., b. not given; m. and res. in the Western country. LUCY, b. not given; d. in infancy here.
The parents removed to Eaglewood, N.J., and had 1 or more chn. b. after- wards. The fr. d. at Eaglewood, 1879. Mrs. Lydia, with the remnant of a death-thinned family, still survives.
READ, ESTHER, maiden sister of Clement O., b. in Attleboro', Sept. 4, 1804, was for some time matron of the Hopedale Home School, then bought her bro. Clement's place, and dwelt there till she d., Nov. 11, 187S, a. 74 yrs. Her mr., Mrs. Nancy Read, wid. of Dea. Levi of Attleboro', who received the filial care of Esther for some yrs., d. in her house, Jan. 16, 1864, in her 87th yr. All these Reads were justly respected for their moral worth.
READING, SCHUYLER, pedigree, place of nativity, etc., untraced; m. Betsey Thayer, dr. of Seth and Sarah (Holbrook) Thayer, b. Mil., Jan. 8, 1799; cer. March 31, 1822, by Rev. D. Long. I have not found on the town records any chu. credited to them. Their connubial life was brief. Mrs. Betsey d. Jan. 21, 1823. Her hus. followed her Aug. 22, 1825.
REYNOLDS, SAMUEL EDWIN 3 (Arnold,2 Henry 1), b. in Wickford, R.I., June 27, 1814; mr.'s maiden name Mary Whitford; m. Lydia Ann Sholes, dr of George and Ruby (Knight) Sholes, b. E. Haddam, Ct., Nov. 14, 1816; cer. in Warwick, R.I., Oct. 4, 1835, by Rev. Moses Fifield. Their chn. :-
WILLIAM FRANCIS, b. Smithfield, R.I., May 31, 1837; m. Mary E. (Gardner) Billings, Oct. 21, 1864.
HENRY ARNOLD, b. Cumberland, R.I., Oct. 4, 1839; twice m .; to whom not given. Res. Concord, N.H.
LYDIA ANN, b. Cumberland, R.I., July 16, 1841; d. April 23, 1848.
SAMUEL EDWIN, Jun., b. Smithfield, R.I., Feb. 27, 1843; m. Addie Tinkliam, N. Scituate, R.I., 1863.
ORVILLE MANN, b. Smithfield, R.I., Dec. 12, 1845; m. Bethiah Poulson, Burrillville, R.I.
ADELAIDE, b. Smithfield, R.I., Jan. 16, 1846; d. Nov. 10, 1846.
JOHN QUINCY, b. Smithfield, R.I., Aug. 23, 1849; m. Laura Ann Leland, June 30, 1870.
WALTER LINDSEY, b. Smithfield, R.I., Sept. 14, 1850; m. Ella F. Wallace, Oct. 4, 1871.
990
BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
CHARLES AUGUSTUS, b. Smithfield, R.I., June 20, 1851; d. Mil., May 15, 1856.
ISABELLA, b. Mil., Aug. 22, 1853; d. Oct. 16, 1854.
SUSAN, b. Mil., Sept. 13, 1855; d. a. 4 days.
JENNIE, b. Mil., March 7, 1858; d. a. 2 days.
Five of the above-named sons served their country, for longer or shorter terms, in the war of the Rebellion; to wit, William F., 19 mos. in the 3d Rhode Island Battery; Henry A., during the war in the 3d New Hampshire Regt. ; Samuel E., jun., during the war in the 2d New Hampshire Regt .; Orville M., during the war, 1st in the Reg. Army, 2d in the 2d Mass. Heavy Artillery; and John Q., 8 mos. in an unattached co. at Fort Warren. Henry A. is a railroad engineer; res. Concord, N.H., and, though twice m., has no living chn. Samuel E., jun., is a jeweller; res. Pawtucket, R.I., and has 5 living chn. Orville M. is a woollen-factory operative; res. in Pascoag, R.I., and has 6 living chn. John Q. is a machinist ; res. in Whitinsville, and has 1 child. Walter L. is a boot-finisher; res. in Mil., and is yet without chn. See William F. below.
Mr. Reynolds, the hus. and fr., d. in Mil., May 15, 1872; Mrs. Lydia Ann, the wid., has survived her many afflictions, is a very energetic, useful, and worthy woman as a nurse and straw-worker, and has earned herself a little home on Walnut St., where she is making the best of her declining life.
REYNOLDS, WILLIAM FRANCIS 4 (Samuel Edwin,3 Arnold,2 Henry 1), b. in Smithfield, R.I., near the adjacent village of Mannville, on Blackstone River, May 31, 1837; carpenter, picture-frame maker, and ornamental joinery worker; m. Mary E. (Gardner) Billings, wid. of George Billings, and dr. of Joshua and Dr. Susan (Boynton) Gardner, b. in Newton Upper Falls,
June 10, 1832; cer. at Hopedale, Oct. 21, 1864, by the writer. Issue : - IDA, b. Mil., Aug. 6, 1870.
By her 1st hus., Mrs. Mary E. (Gardner) Billings, now Mrs. Reynolds, had 2 chn. : viz., Susie M. Billings, b. West Newton, Sept. 29, 1852; and Lottie M., b. Newton Upper Falls, Feb. 26, 1858. These survive. Their fr. d. at St. Catharine, Mo., June 26, 1861.
The enterprise, ingenuity, and social standing of Mr. Reynolds and wf. are too well understood in town to require special characterization.
RICE. We have had few of this name within our municipal limits.
PRICE, PARLEY, fron Brookfield, m. Lydia Parkhurst, dr. of Ebenezer and Mercy (Hill) Parkhurst, b. Mil., April 6, 1787; cer. Aug. 9, 1812, by Rev. D. Long. Issue recorded here : -
ALONZO P. VARNUM, b. Aug. 19, 1813; m. Mary Ann Bates at Boston, Jan. 25, 1843. No further traced.
RICE, DEXTER B., pedigree untraced, whose wf. was a Curtis, came into town from Mendon, many years ago, and res. in what, for a time, was called Danielsville, on the plain. He was a stone workman and a hard toiler. He d., by his own hands, Jan. 6, 1862, a. 60 years. His only son, Byron Rice, d. in Mil., suddenly, Nov. 22, 1878, a. 42 yrs. The widowed mr. had, I think, preceded him, but not long.
RICE, J. ALLEN, apothecary, 116 Main St., appeared first in our Directory for 1872, and has remained here continuously ever since. He ought to have furnished me his family record.
RICE, MELVIN EUGENE7 (Alphonzo,6 Stephen,5 Zebulon,4 Elisha,3 Thomas,2 Edmond 1), b. Brookfield, Vt., May 22, 1847; merchant; mr.'s maiden name Mary Cardell; m. Adell M. Jackson, dr. of Isaac S. and Caroline E. (Neff)
991
RICH AND RICHARDS.
Jackson, b. in Scott, Cortland Co., N.Y., Dec. 8, 1849; cer. Skaneateles, N.Y., Sept. 3, 1872, by Rev. William C. Bowen. Reports no issue. He is one of the gentlemanly proprietors of the dry-goods firm M. E. Rice & Co., 154 Main Street., which was established 6 or 8 yrs. ago. Business and social standing eminently good. He has recently removed his family res. from town to the vicinity of Boston. His immigrant ancestor, Edmond Rice, came from Buckhamstead, Eng., where he was b. 1594. He set. in Sudbury, Mass., about 1638.
RICH, SAMUEL, ancestry, birth-date, and place of nativity untraced; one of our oldest settlers, though continuing such not more than about 12 yrs. I am unable to locate his home-site, but have an impression that it was some- where in the No. Purchase. His wf's. name was Hannah, and the following named chn. are credited to them on Mendon records :-
HANNAH, b. July 17, 1708.
SARAH, b. April 3, 1710.
SAMUEL, b. July 10, 1712.
EUNICE, b. March 22, 1716.
ELISHA, b. Feb. 23, 1718.
Whence Samuel Rich came or went I find no intimation. Mrs. Hannah d., according to record, March 30, 1716. This must be an error, or the date of Elisha's birth is; or else, possibly, the hus. m. a 2d wife, who was the mother of Elisha. I cannot stop to ascertain.
RICH, WILLIAM, ancestry, etc., unknown, came from Lynn to Hopedale in 1844, under peculiar circumstances; m. a worthy member of the Community, of whom he was unworthy, and who had, at length, to be released from him by divorce; went finally to California, and there died. He had with him here, for a time, two sons, Richard and James. Richard m. a dr. of Nathan Harris, left town for the seaboard, soon lost his wife by death, and is no further traced. Nor is his bro. James.
RICH, THOMAS G., THOMAS W., and REUBEN B., the former two bootmakers, and the latter an engineer, ought to have been asked for their family records, but have been passed over, along with many others whom I have been obliged to leave unconsulted. Their names appeared in our directories from 1869 downward; though perhaps Thomas G's. only in that of 1869. Their pedigree is, of course, unknown to me.
RICHARDS. An uncommon name among us. One family only on our records.
RICHARDS, JOSEPH8 (Joseph,7 William,6 Joseph,5 Crispus, 4 John, 3 Edward,2 Richard1 of Lynn, the ancestral immigrant, 1633), b. Sept. 29, 1782; mr.'s maiden name Rhoda Howe of Hop .; m. Nancy Cody of Dudley; cer. Nov. 27, 1806. Issue :-
ISAAC, b. Dec. 2, 1807; d. in infancy, Jan. 20, 1808.
LEANDER, b. July 23, 1809; m. Elizabeth Newton, May 5, 1830.
ELIZABETH, b. Oct. 23, 1812; m. Samuel Kinsman, March 28, 1837.
EBENEZER D., b. Nov. 9, 1814; m. Laura A. Wright.
NANCY C., b. Nov. 29, 1817; m. William C. Daniels, Nov., 1839.
MARY, b. July 22, 1820; in. Watson L. Wood, Dec. 9, 1839.
RHODA H., b. Nov. 3, 1821; m. Samuel G. Howe, July 4, 1847.
MIRIAM D., b. Feb. 26, 1823; d. Sept. 19, 1825.
WILLARD E., b. Sept. 10, 1824; m. Catherine Laforrest.
JOSEPH L., b. June 20, 1829; m. Ann Jane Nye, Dec. 31, 1851.
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BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
After transcribing all these names, I find, by Rev. Abner Morse's genealogy of the Richards families, that none of them were b. here. He does not say where the eldest was b. The 2d is credited to Holl., and all the rest to Hop. Yet all but the youngest stand on our records as if b. here. He does not appear on our tax-lists till 1842, and before 1856 had removed to Westboro', where I understand he d. I have not ascertained just how long he res. here, nor in what part of the town. He is said to have been a farmer; but whether this was his vocation here, I am not informed. In 1860 his wid. res. in Dublin, N.H. I confess myself much mystified concerning this family.
RICHARDS, Miss E. A., is named in our Directory for 1880 as engaged in millinery at Blunt's Block; untraced.
RICHARDSON, Rev. MERRILL, D.D., ninth pastor of Mil. Congregational Church; b. Holden, Oct. 4, 1811; grad. Middlebury Col., 1835; stud. theology at Yale; m., 1st, Emily Allen, Middlebury, Vt., Aug. 21, 1838; cer. by Rev. Dr. Merrill. She d. June 12, 1844. He m., 2d, Eunice Terry of Terryville, Ct., Jan. 1, 1845; cer. by Rev. Dr. Ketchell. He was installed at Mil., June 12, 1872, and d. here Dec. 12, 1876. One dr. by his 1st wf., and three sons by the 2d, with their mother, survive him. His respected widow has furnished me the following biographical memorial, from the pen of Rev. A. P. Marvin, an intimate and appreciative friend of the deceased, which I have concluded to insert verbatim, without abridgment :-
REV. MERRILL RICHARDSON, D.D.
"Though the residence of Mr. Richardson in Milford was confined to the few closing years of his life, yet his eminence as a clergyman, and his devotion to his work while here, demand that a succinct outline of his labors and charac- ter should find a place in these pages. He was born in Holden, Oct. 4, 1811, and was the son of Heman and Mary (Parker) Richardson. His father was of the ancient stock of Richardsons who settled in Woburn in the early days of the colony. As a farmer and tanner he occupied a respectable position in liis adopted town, where he took up his abode about the close of the Revolution. Young Merrill was brought up on his father's farm, and enjoyed the usual privileges afforded by the schools of that time. He felt the influence of a faith- ful pastor in his childhood, in the life and preaching of Rev. Dr. Bardwell, and was inspired by him to study for the ministry. His preparation for college was made at Leicester Academy and at Addison Co. [Vt.] Grammar School. He entered Middlebury College in 1831, and graduated in due course in 1835. When in the maturity of his powers he worthily received the degree of D.D. from his Alma Mater.
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