Tag: Richardson

So many people in my tree named Thomas Richardson. This particular one we are speaking about now was born in 1523 in Westmill, England and he died in 1570.

Although I should note there is a Millennium file document that says he died in March of 1630. But that could be his son.

What I can say for sure is when he was born and married.

• Born: May 14, 1523, in Westmill, Hertfordshire, England
• Married on June 15, 1567, in St. Albans, in Hertfordshire, England

It was originally thought that Thomas Richardson I of Westmill’s father was Ralph Richardson of the Jersey Channel Islands. That turns out however not to be true.

Thomas Richardson I of Westmill had a son known as Thomas Richardson of Westmill. We call him Thomas Richardson II of Westmill, just to avoid confusion.

This Thomas is not the person known as Sir Thomas Richardson. He is also not the Thomas Richardson from Alphamstone. This is also not the Thomas Richardson who married Margaret that has a son named Thomas who was born in Kirkham, Lancashire, England. We can say this for sure because that child was born on July 20, 1823. Our guy was dead hundreds of years before that.

Many have wrongly associated this Thomas Richardson with Sir Thomas Richardson of the Scottish Peerage. That would be impossible because ancient records tell us that he married on December 14, 1626, at St. Giles-in-the-Fields, London without issue. That means he had no children so he can’t be your ancestor because his line ended with him.

So who is our Thomas Richardson? This gets confusing for a few generations so to clarify …

• Thomas Richardson I of Westmill married Margaret Silverside (1523-1570)
• Thomas Richardson II of Westmill married Mary Margaret Champney (1543-1630)
• Thomas Richarson of Standon married Katherine Duxford (1590 – 1633)

Thomas Richardson I of Westmill married Margaret Silverside on June 15, 1567. How do we know when our Thomas was born? Thanks to the “Heritage Consulting. Millennium File”.  This record tells us that he was born in 1523.

Heritage Consulting. Millennium File. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2003. Original data: Heritage Consulting. The Millennium File. Salt Lake City, UT, USA: Heritage Consulting.

The problem is, the death date is wrong. It lists the death date of his son Thomas II. This is why it’s so hard to find accurate information when even “official” records are flawed.

Thomas Richardson married Margaret Silverside in 1567 at St. Albans Abbey.

Below is a copy of their marriage register which clearly shows they were married in 1567 on June 15th.

The problem with the name “Thomas Richardson” is that in this time in history there were more than a few of them in the area. This makes it very hard to figure out which one is which. That’s why when you find any sort of absolute proof of information, you have to hold onto it tightly to make sure you don’t confuse or mix up people because it’s so easy to do.

This record comes from the Hertfordshire online archives. Why it is important is because it further proves we have the right Thomas with the right wife.

So now the question is, who is Thomas Richardson I of Westmill’s father?

Thomas Richardson was born on March 15, 1543, in Westmill, Hertfordshire, England.  He died on March 4, 1630, also in Westmill, Hertfordshire, England.

He is not the person known as “Sir Thomas Richardson”.

He is also not the person who was buried on  December 13, 1630 at St Mary, Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex, England.  Although they have the same name and died in the same year, our Thomas Richardson, Thomas Richardson of Westmill II died in March, not in December. Our Thomas died in Westmill, not in Middlesex.

To avoid any confusion with other people named Thomas Richardson in my family tree, I will now refer to him as Thomas Richardson II of Westmill.

There is a record out there stating that Thomas Richardson was buried on December 13, 1630, at St Mary, Whitechapel, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex, England. This is an official Parish register.

This is from “London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1538-1812 – Tower Hamlets – St Mary, Whitechapel – 1558 – 1643”.

Middlesex is in modern day London. That’s about an hour’s drive from Westmill. St. Mary’s was a church in the 1600’s that was located in Whitechapel. This is a district that is now in the East End of London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

The document in question is referring to the St Mary Matfelon church, which was an England parish church on Whitechapel Road, in Whitechapel, London.

Horse and carriages were said to go about 3 to 4 miles per hour. This means it would have taken them 4 or 5 hours to go from Westmill to London. That’s not likely that a person who was born, got married and lived in Westmill their entire life would have gone all the way to London, 4 or 5 hours away to be buried in a church there. Therefore we can reasonably assume that the record for Thomas Richardson who was buried on  December 13, 1630, is not our Thomas Richardson II of Westmill.

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Thomas Richardson II of Westmill was born in St. Albans Abbey in Westmill.  His wife was Mary Margaret Champney and together they had at least one child.

• Thomas Richardson of Standon

They could have had more children, and likely did but so far I’ve haven’t been able to find any information other than about their son Thomas Richardson of Standon.

His date of death on March 4, 1630, in Westmill comes from the Find a Grave listing. This, however, lists his wife as Mary Margaret Silverside which in fact is his mother.

We have a record called the Millennium File that tells us Thomas Richardson was born in 1523 in Westmill. He died in March of 1630 in Westmill and that his wife was Margaret Silverside. Thier child was Thomas Richardson.

Because this can get confusing I named  …

• Thomas Richardson born in 1523 – Thomas Richardson I of Westmill
• I then named his son Thomas Richardson II of Westmill.
• I then named his son Thomas Richardson of Standon.

We next have the England, Select Births and Christenings file that tells us Thomas Richardson of Standon is the father of Samuel Richardson.

Next, we have a document telling us that Thomas Richardson married someone named Mary. Well, guess what?  That document is totally useless to us because both Thomas Richardson I and Thomas Richardson II of Westmill, both married someone named Mary.

• Thomas Richarson I of Westmill married Mary Margaret Silverside.
• Thomas Richarson II of Westmill married Mary Margaret Champney.

See the problem? So we have to keep going to try and figure out more family connections.

Today we are going to talk about Thomas Richardson of Standon or Thoms Richardson. He is the son of Thomas Richardson II of Westmill and the grandson of Thomas Richardson I of Westmill.

Thomas Richardson of Standon is my 12th great-grandfather.

This is a person that I was struggling to verify information about. Luckily the UK is big on record keeping and thanks to the fact that Hertfordshire in England has their very own records database I was able to confirm the identity of Thomas Richardson who from now we will refer to as Thomas Richardson of Standon.

• Birth: Aug 24, 1560 (1565??) – Standon, Hertfordshire, England
• Death: Jan 7, 1633 – Westmill, Hertfordshire, England

The International Genealogical Index says that he was born on August 24, 1560, and died on January 8, 1633. It also states that he was married on  August 24, 1590.

Here is an image, although not a clear one — proving his marriage in 1590 – August 24, 1590, to be exact.

Notice the typos in the name. It’s not really as much a typo as a variation of the spelling.  Look at this clearer image of his grandmother’s marriage registry (Thomas Richardson I of Westmill)

We spell May as May and they spell it, Maye. We spell July they spell it, Julie. February to them was Februarie. Obviously, in context, we know what they meant, but it’s just a perfect example of why it’s so hard sometimes to find certain information.

So while we know they are talking about Thomas Richardson of Standon, it can complicate things when we are trying to find out the details Thoms Richardson of Stondon’s life.

We know he married Katherine Duxford of Westmill, but they call her Kathren Duxforde of West.

Thomas Richardson married Kathern Duxford (Katherine Duxford) on August 24, 1590, in Westmill, Hertfordshire, England. Their marriage took place at the St. Mary the Virgin Parish Church in Westmill. This is also where he would later be buried.

We know for a fact this is his wife because a copy of his will still exists in the Hertfordshire, England archives to this day.

For clarification purposes, this Thomas Richardson’s mother is not Agnes. So if you find a record that says something else, then it is not a record that belongs to this Thomas Richardson who we are now referring to as Thomas Richardson of Standon. Thomas Richardson of Standon’s mother was Mary “Margaret” Champney and his father, who married his father, almost named Thomas Richardson.

This Thomas Richardson is not Sir Thomas Richardson. Sir Thomas has some association with Alphamstone, while our Thomas does not. If you come across a Thomas Richardson record that references Alphamstone, then that isn’t Thomas Richardson of Standon.

Westmill is a very tiny village in England. Today less than 300 people live there. It’s just north of London.

Together he and his wife had 7 children.

• Elizabeth (1593)
• John (1596)
• James (1600)
• Samuel (1602)
• Ezekiel (1604 ???)
• Margaret (1607)
• Thomas (1608)

We know the names of his children from his will. His will lists the name of each child as well as the exact date of their baptism.

Elizabeth y^ daughter to Thomas Richardson baptized 13 Jan. 1593.
John son to Thomas Richardson baptized 7 Nov. 1596.
James, y” sonne of Thomas Richardson baptized 6 Apr. 1600.
Samuel y® sonne of Thomas Richardson baptized 22 Dec. 1602 [or 1604],
Margaret ye daughter of Thomas Richardson baptized 19 April 1607.
Thomas ye sonne of Thomas Richardson baptized 3 July 1608. 

Notice that their son Ezekiel who had gone off to America in 1630, wasn’t event acknowledged in the will.

Thomas’ will indicates he was a farmer of moderate means. He was a Husbandman when his will was created on March 4 in 1630 (31?).

A husbandman in England at that time period was a free tenant farmer or small landowner. The social status of a husbandman was below that of a yeoman. The meaning of “husband” in this term is “master of the house” rather than “married man” like we know it today.

Back then yeomen were farmers who owned land. Their wealth and the size of their landholding varied. Sir Anthony Richard Wagner, Garter Principal King of Arms, wrote that “a Yeoman would not normally have less than 100 acres and in social status is one step down from the Landed Gentry, but above, say, a husbandman.”

Often it was hard to distinguish minor landed gentry from the wealthier yeomen, and wealthier husbandmen from the poorer yeomen.

Landed gentry basically meant the lesser nobility in England. They basically consisted of Baronets, Knights, Esquires, and Gentlemen.

So it went Landed gentry, then yeoman and then husbandmen — which is what Thomas Richardson of Standon was.

When he passed he left Katherine “my littell close of pasture called little hunnymease, containing half an acre”.

*** half an acre in Westmill today will cost you upwards of a million bucks.

After her death, he wishes it all to go to his son Samuel and his heirs.

John is to be paid 40 shillings for 3 years, after both his mother and father die.

James is to be paid 12 pence and his son Thomas will get 3 pounds, to be paid within 5 years of his and Katherine’s death.

In other words, after Thomas and Katherine are both dead, he wants Thomas to be paid 3 pounds within 5 years.

To his beloved with Katherine, he gives her all his movable goods for her life and thereafter they should go to his son Samuel who was named his executor. The will was witnessed by Richard Baker and Philip Baker.

You’ll also notice that in his will he leaves everything to Samuel and not John. Back then in England, they left everything to their eldest son. That means that John and James would have probably died prior to the creation of the will, sometime prior to March 4, 1630.

Thomas Richardson of Standon and Katherine Duxford of West mill were married 24 Aug. 1590. 

Elizabeth y^ daughter to Thomas Richardson baptized 13 Jan. 1593. 
John son to Thomas Richardson baptized 7 Nov. 1596. 
James, y'' sonne of Thomas Richardson baptized 6 Apr. 1600. 
Samuel y® sonne of Thomas Richardson baptized 22 Dec. 1602 [or 1604], 
Margaret ye daughter of Thomas Richardson baptized 19 April 1607. 
Thomas ye sonne of Thomas Richardson baptized 3 July 1608. 

Catherine the wife of Thomas Richardson buryed the x*** of March 1631. 
Thomas Richardson was bui*yed the viii daye of January 1633. 

It would naturally be supposed that the will of Thomas Richardson would 
be found in the Commissary Court of Essex and Hertfordshire, but the 
Archdeaconry Court of Huntingdon, or that portion in the Hitchin Reg- 
istry, had jurisdiction over part of Hertfordshire, and included 77 parishes. 

The original will of Thomas Richardson of West Mill, Herts, found at 
Hitchin, reads : . 

March the 4'^'^ Ano domini 1630. In the name of God Amen I Thomas ) 

Richardson of Westmill in the County of Herts, husbandman, being sick / 

in bodye but of good an perfect memory thanks be to God doe make and 
ordeyne this my laste will in manner and forme following, firste. I bequeath 
my soull unto the hands of God my maker and Redeemer by whose merits 
I only truste to be saved, and my body to be buryed in the i^lace of Chris- 
tian buryall and Touchinge my temporall goods I doe dispose of them as 
followeth. 

First. I gyve unto Katherine my wife duringe the tearme of her natu- 
rall life my littell close of pastm-e called little hunnymeade cont half an 
acre and after her decease I give the same to my sonn Samuell and his 
heyers for ever. 

Item. I give to my sonn John forty^ shillings to be payed to him within 
the space of three yeares next ensueing the decease of me and Katherine 
my now wife by my executor. 

Item. I give to my sonn James Twelve pence. 

Item. I give to my sonn Thomas three pounds to be payed to him with- 
in the space of fyve yeares next ensueing the decease of me and Kathy- 
rine my now wife. 

Item. I gyve unto Katherine my wife all my movable goods to use for 
and during the terme of her life and after her decease I gyve the same 
unto my sonn Samuel whom I doe ordeyne and make my sole executor. 
In Witness whereof I have sett my hand and Seal the daye and yeare 
above sayd. 

Sealed and declared vSig™ Thomas 

in the presence of us [mark] Richardson 

Richard Baker. 

Philip Baker, 
proved 31 July 1634 at Hitchin presented by son Samuel Richardson." 

The three brothers, Ezekiel, Samuel and Thomas Richardson, are known 
as such by the will of Ezekiel, who names the other two as his brothers. 

Ezekiel, evidently the oldest, was the first to come to New England, and 
was a planter in Charlestown in 1630. His departure previous to the 
making of the will, perhaps against his father's wishes, or possibly having 
received his share of his father's small estate, maj' account for the name of 



Ezekiel not appearing in the will. His baptism is not found at "West 
Mill, as are the baptisms of Samuel and Thomas. 

Ezekiel probably came with Winthrop, he and his wife becoming mem- 
bers of the Charlestown church, 27 Aug., 1630. 

Thomas Richardson, baptized at West mill, 3 July, 1608, had wife Mary, 
who joined the Charlestown church, 21 Feb., 1635-6, and he joined, 18 
Feb., 1637-8. 

Samuel presented the will of his father for probate ^t Ilitchin, England, 
31 July, 1634. He had previously married ; and had baptized, at West 
Mill, a son Samuel, 3 July, 1633, and a daughter Elizabeth, 22 May, 1635. 

Samuel Richardson's name does not appear in the Tithe Book of West 
Mill after 1635. Against Over Green, where he (and also his father, 
Thomas) lived, is written " none." It was, therefore, after that date he 
and his brother Thomas sailed for New England, with their families ; and 
we find, on 1 July, 1636, the brothers were on a committee to lay out lots 
of land in Charlestown, for hay. There is no record of the birth or bap- 
tism of a daughter Elizabeth to Samuel in Woburn, but the will of his 
wife Joanna, in 1666, mentions a daughter Elizabeth, who was probably 
the one baptized at West Mill, 22 May, 1635. 

Doubtless the register of the parish of Standon, which is but a few 
miles south of West Mill, would, if it existed, give further particulars of 
the Richardsons, or at least of Thomas who married in 1590 ; but the ear- 
liest entry to be found is 1671. Braughing, just east of West Mill, has 
a register which begins in 1563, but it gives no items of the Richardson 
name. Great and Little Hormead, north-east of West Mill, was the 
home of some of the Wymans in the past, but there are no traces of 
the Richardsons there. Just east of this locality is the border of Essex, 
and there are many of the name in that county, though the name is com- 
mon in aU the counties of England. From Nazing, Essex, about ten miles 
from West Mill, came John Eliot, the apostle, and many of the settlers of 
Roxbury, Mass. 

St. Mary the Virgin Parish Church in Westmill, where Thomas was married and buried has been around for a thousand years. The church still stands to this day.

It has the oldest bell in Hertfordshire, it’s 600 years old and still rings. Below you’ll find a video about the effort to rebuild the roof. Searching for roofing companies near me. Call Overson Roofing in Arizona.

He made a will on 4 Mar 1630/31 at Westmill, Hertfordshire, England.1

Thomas RICHARDSON357, 9G Grandfather. Born abt 1565-70. Buried on 7 Jan
1633/4 in Westmill, Hertfordshire, England. Will dated on 4 Mar 1630/1 at Westmill,
Hertfordshire, England. Will proved on 31 Jul 1634.

According to Threlfall’s GMC50358, “THOMAS RICHARDSON was born about 1565-70. On
24 August 1590 [Threlfall gives this date as 25 August on p. 536] at West Mill, Hertfordshire,
he married Katherine Duxford of that parish. The marriage record states that he was of Standon,
which is the next parish to the south. She was the daughter of Richard and Joan Duxford, and
was born about 1565-70. They settled down in West Mill.

“Katherine was buried 10 March 1630/31 [Threlfall gives this date as 1631/32 on p. 536] at
West Mill. Thomas was buried there 7 January 1633/4. An abstract of his will follows.”

Thomas Richardson’s son Ezekiel had been comprehensively documented in Anderson’s
GMB359 where it is noted that “Samuel Richardson and Thomas Richardson, brothers of
Ezekiel, arrived in New England by 1635; Francis Wyman and John Wyman, sons of Ezekiel
Richardson’s sister Elizabeth, also came to New England [Sarah Hildreth Anc 25-27].”

Thomas Richardson and Katherine Duxford are ancestors to U.S. Presidents Bush, Coolidge,
Hoover (probably), and Pierce,360 and to suffragist Susan B. Anthony.281

Gary Boyd Roberts, Ancestors of American Presidents: First Authoritative Edition, Santa
Clarita, CA: Carl Boyer, 1995 (published in cooperation with the New England Historic
Genealogical Society).

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It would naturally be supposed that the will of Thomas Richardson would be found in the Commissary Court of Essex and
Ilertfordshire, but the Archdeaconry Court of lluntingdon. or that portion in the Hitchin Registry, had jurisdiction over part of
Tlertfordshire, and included 77 parishes.
The original will of Thomas Richardson of West Mill, Herts, found at Hitchin, reads:
March the 4th Ano domini 1630. In the name of God Amen I Thomas Richardson of Westmill in the County of Herts,
husbandman, being sick in hodye but of good an perfect memory thanks be to God doe make and ordeyne this my laste will in
manner and forme following, llrste. I bequeath my soul1 auto the hands of God my maker and Redeemer by whose merits I
only truste to be saved. and my body to be buryed in t.he place of Christian buryall and Touchinge my teniporall goods I doe
dispose of them as followeth.
First. I gyve unto Katherine my wife (luringe the tearme of her naturall life my littelI close of pasture called little
hunnymeade cont half an acre and after her decease I give the same to my sonn Samuel] aud his heyers for ever.
Item. I give to my sonn John forty shillings to be payed to him within
the space of three yeares next ensueing the decease of me and Katherine
my now wife by my executor.
Item. I give to my sonn James Twelve pence.
Item. I give to my sonn Thomas three pounds to be payed to him within the space of fyve yeares next ensueing the decease of
me and Kathy-
rifle my now wife.
Item. I gyve unto Katherine my wife all my movable goods to use for and during the terme of her life and after her decease I
gyve the same unto my sonu Samuel whom I doe ordeyne and make my sole executor. In Witness whereof I have sett my hand
and Seal the daye and yeare above sayd.
Sealed and declared Sigm THOMAS
in the presence of us [mark] . RICHARDSON
Richard Baker.
Philip Baker.
proved 81 July 1634 at I-Iitchin presented by son Samuel Richardson.” He was married to Katherine DUXFORD on 13 Jan
1593 in , West Mill, Herts, England. (1288)

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Bluffs/2806/d1841.htm

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