RICHARDSON, Samuel, Jr.

RICHARDSON, ELLSBURY, ROSE

Posted By: Kermit Kittleson
Date: 2/13/2011 at 23:07:40

RICHARDSON FAMILY

The Richardson clan in America is traceable as far back as 1792 when Samuel was born in New Hampshire. Samuel Jr., the first to reach Mitchell County, Iowa, was not born in the U.S., but near Montreal, Canada in 1824. About 1840 the Richardson family moved back to the U.S. In St. Lawrence County, New York, Sam Jr. met his bride, Elsie Fuller. The couple, like four generations to follow, took up farming. In June of 1864 they pulled up stakes and headed westward for new promises the opening territory held.

They put their belongings on a boat and headed down the St. Lawrence, arriving at McGregor by way of the Mississippi. The Richardson's then plodded across the prairie by covered wagon until they arrived in Mitchell County at the time when the population was less than 100.

Filled with pioneer spirit and the rugged individualism of the day, Sam and Elsie lived with the hardships of pioneer life. During their lifetime, their house burned down three times.

Characteristic of the times, the Richardson's had a large family of fourteen. The five girls were: Victoria, who stayed in new York, Amy (m. Caleb Maxham), Matilda (m. Byron Judd), Jane (m. Joseph Squires, and Julie (m. Louis Donner). The nine boys were: Albert "Ab" (m. Mary McElroy Earl), Rich, Edgar (m. Julia Maxham), Homer, William, Allen (m. Edith Butterfield), Charles (m. Myrtle Rose), John (m. Anne Matson), and Daniel, who drowned in an old cistern at the age of seven.

Several of the brothers took up farming south of
Brownsville. Rich, a confirmed bachelor, lived with Charles on the home place. They ran one of the area threshing rigs. The brothers were notorious for their loud voices and are said to have carried on a conversation while one was on the threshing machine and the other on the steam engine.

Charles's wife, Myrtle Rose, also had roots in New York, where her father, Edward H. Rose was born to Warren and Miranda Rose of Otsego county. Ed married Hulda Burdick, whose parents, Darius and Eleanor, are traced back to Germany. Ed was another of those pioneer explorers with a penchant for adventure. According to the 1883 HISTORY OF MITCHELL COUNTY, he left New York for California in 1853 where he was engaged in gold mining and the manufacture of lumber. He was one of many who apparently failed to find the riches that lured so many folks westward. He returned to Pennsylvania by way of the Isthmus. In 1855 Ed and Hulda left for Iowa. He along with his partner, G. Weinrube, opened the first blacksmith shop in Osage.

After selling out to his partner, he moved to Mitchell and opened another blacksmith shop which kept him occupied until 1867 when he began farming.

The couple's son, William, married Alice Ellsbury who was born in Iowa Territory in 1861, to John Ellsbury and wife.

Will and Alice Rose were parents to Myrtle Artesmisia Rose who was born in Motley, Minnesota on December 26, 1882.

In 1901, Myrtle married Charles Richardson. This couple had two daughters: Alice, who married Ed Engebretson, one of the mechanics who would often visit the farm to work on the threshing equipment; and Ethel, who became the bride of John McClellen Bower.

by Brenda Bower.

[From: MITCHELL COUNTY HISTORY, 1989 ]