Richardson
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Richardson Genealogy
Richard (meaning powerful and brave) was a favorite amongst the Normans and from this source came Richards and Richardson. However, these names do seem to have developed separately in different parts of the country. The Richards name was and is mainly to be found in the west and southwest; Richardson, by contrast, in the northeast and in Scotland.
England. A number of records suggest that the name Richardson originated in the county of Cheshire. A younger son of a Norman family there, John, was said to have taken the paternal name of Richardson when he moved across the Pennines to Durham sometime around 1400. Richardsons can be traced there from Elizabethan times. They also settled, in the late fifteenth century, at Bierley in the heart of Yorkshire’s wool trade. These Richardsons were active in the wool business for several centuries and later, in Barnsley, in linen production. Another Richardson branch was to be found in Scottish border country, in and around Dumfries.
The Quaker movement begun by George Fox seems to have struck a chord with these Richardsons, first in north Yorkshire and then in Newcastle (where they formed was a close-knit Quaker community in the nineteenth century). There were also Quaker Richardsons in Pennsylvania in the early eighteenth century. A number seem to have been personal friends of William Penn and prospered accordingly. Later on, there were Quaker Richardsons in Northern Ireland where they became one of its leading families in linen manufacture.
America. Many Richardsons in America headed south. There was a sizeable Richardson presence in North and South Carolina during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and in Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. In fact, by the end of the ninetenth century, the state of Texas had the largest number of Richardsons in the United States. Many plantation owners had fled there to escape Unionist retribution after the Civil War. They were and are mainly to be found in East Texas (in and around Henderson County) and in Galveston.
Canada. The earliest Richardson settlers in Canada were Scots active in the fur trade. A Scots/Canadian Richardson connection has continued since that time.
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Richard Richardson, who grew up in a wool family in Yorkshire in the 1660’s, was one of the first Englishmen to take an informed interest in botany.
Samuel Richardson can be considered the first writer of the English novel, with his books Pamela in 1740 and Clarissa in 1748.
Samuel Richardson, a Quaker, helped build the city of Philadelphia in the early 1700's.
Sir John Richardson, trained as a doctor in Dumfries Scotland in the 1830’s, had a long career as a physician, an Arctic explorer, and a naturalist.
Select Richardsons Today
Richard (meaning powerful and brave) was a favorite amongst the Normans and from this source came Richards and Richardson. However, these names do seem to have developed separately in different parts of the country. The Richards name was and is mainly to be found in the west and southwest; Richardson, by contrast, in the northeast and in Scotland.
Select Richardson Resources on
The
Internet
- The Richardson Name Website. Genealogy of the Richardson name.
- Richardson Ancestry. Richardson history and ancestry (Hertfordshire/US).
- Bozeman Familes.
Family history - Richardson families in Bladen County, North Carolina.
- Richardsons in Oregon and Utah. Family history and Richardson heritage.
England. A number of records suggest that the name Richardson originated in the county of Cheshire. A younger son of a Norman family there, John, was said to have taken the paternal name of Richardson when he moved across the Pennines to Durham sometime around 1400. Richardsons can be traced there from Elizabethan times. They also settled, in the late fifteenth century, at Bierley in the heart of Yorkshire’s wool trade. These Richardsons were active in the wool business for several centuries and later, in Barnsley, in linen production. Another Richardson branch was to be found in Scottish border country, in and around Dumfries.
The Quaker movement begun by George Fox seems to have struck a chord with these Richardsons, first in north Yorkshire and then in Newcastle (where they formed was a close-knit Quaker community in the nineteenth century). There were also Quaker Richardsons in Pennsylvania in the early eighteenth century. A number seem to have been personal friends of William Penn and prospered accordingly. Later on, there were Quaker Richardsons in Northern Ireland where they became one of its leading families in linen manufacture.
America. Many Richardsons in America headed south. There was a sizeable Richardson presence in North and South Carolina during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and in Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. In fact, by the end of the ninetenth century, the state of Texas had the largest number of Richardsons in the United States. Many plantation owners had fled there to escape Unionist retribution after the Civil War. They were and are mainly to be found in East Texas (in and around Henderson County) and in Galveston.
Canada. The earliest Richardson settlers in Canada were Scots active in the fur trade. A Scots/Canadian Richardson connection has continued since that time.
Select Richardson Names
Richard Richardson, who grew up in a wool family in Yorkshire in the 1660’s, was one of the first Englishmen to take an informed interest in botany.
Samuel Richardson can be considered the first writer of the English novel, with his books Pamela in 1740 and Clarissa in 1748.
Samuel Richardson, a Quaker, helped build the city of Philadelphia in the early 1700's.
Sir John Richardson, trained as a doctor in Dumfries Scotland in the 1830’s, had a long career as a physician, an Arctic explorer, and a naturalist.
James
Richardson founded
his grain business in Kingston, Ontario in
1857. It remains privately owned and
family controlled. Now based in
Winnipeg, the company office dominates the city skyline.
Sir
Ralph Richardson, who made
his professional debut
in 1921, was one of the leading stage actors of his generation.
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