| Notes |
- John Richmond, the emigrant, came to America from Ashton Keynes,Whilshire England. He probably left England about 1635 and cameover on atrading-vessel. He owned six shares in the original purchaseof Taunton,Mass in 1637. He was known to have spend some time inNewport, RI andbuilt a mansion on Mill Brook.
Nothing seems to be known of him from 1643 to 1655, and traditionleadsus to believe that he returned to England and engaged in thecivil wars. The family was large land-owners in the easterly part of Tauton, andgaveto a village in that section the name of Richmondtown. (Source:"TheRichmond Family 1594-1896 and Pre-American Ancestors 1040-1594" byJouhuaBailey Richmond)
The traditions recorded in the manuscript of Rev. Legh Richmond, iftrue,would explain the mystery which shrouded the life of JohnRichmond. Soonafter the death of his brother Henry, mentioned in thismanuscript, itseems probable that he joined a colony of cadets ofnoble Englishfamilies on the western coast of Ireland, who had chosenthis remote spotwhere they could engage in commercial anmd otherpursuits withoutshocking their aristocratic relatives. Here GeorgeRichmond, possibly acousin of John Richmond, was established andlargely interested innavigation. It is well known that he carried onan extensive andflourishing trade with Saco, Me., in 1635. It is theopinion of thewriter that John Richmond came to America on one ofthese trading vesselsabout 1635, and engaged in business Saco. Recordsof Courts held at Sacoin the Province of Maine, under Capt. WilliamGorges, mention sundrysuits by and against John Richmond---- amongothers, a suit by JohnRichmond "to collect from Thomas Lewis 6 lbs.and 10 shillings for 2babeife;' showing that a john Richmond wasengaged in trade in that place7, 1636. It is positively known that John Richmond was one of the purchasersofTaunton in 1637. The birth of his daugther Sarah, in 1638, andofMary, in 1639, probably occurred in Taunton, Mass., but his namedoes notappear in the list of men able to bear arms in 1643. Nothingseems to beknown of him from 1643 to 1655 and tradition leads us tobelieve that hereturned to England and engaged in the civil warsbetween the datesmentioned. The compiler, in his childhood, always heard John Richmond referredtoas Col. John, and that he was engaged in the English civil wars,which,if true, would account for the absence of his name from allrecords inthis country between 1643 and 1655, and the sad tradedymentioned inthe letter of Oliffe Richmond might have occurred duringthis time. In his Will is the following bequest: I give and bequest unto myeldestsson John all my writings* in my chest which is in my son-in-lawEdwardRew's house. This treasure, now lost to us, would undoubtedlyremovethe mystery which surrounds his life, and furnish us with factswherewe have only traditions. Although somewhat vague and unsatisfactory, the compiler believesthatthe results of his researches relating to our English ancestorswillprove of sufficient interest to the family to warrant theirbeingincluded in this volume; but it is with undisguised satisfactionhe turnsfrom the region of "Quien sabe?" with its mysteries, romanceanduncertain traditions, to the well established dates and factsconcerningJohn Richmmond of Taunton. It will give the compiler great pleasure if anyone can givehiminformation of this chest of "writings" of John Richmond: Also ofthesilver-mounted sword and silver tankard of Sylvester Richmond(page17)--- and "Father Richmond's desk,"--- the latter was left bythe willof Thomas Burgess, to his son Edward (page 16). John and Edward, his sons, are known to have had excellenteducations.That their father signed his will by his mark wasundoubtedly theresult of feebleness, as he refers to his writings in thedocument,which was made but a short time before his death. It has been extremely interesting to trace the movements and studythecharacteristics and condition of the different generations ofourfamily. John Richmond of Taunton, our ancestor, was a largelandholder,and quite wealthy for that time. His sons, John and Edwardwere educatedand refined gentlemen. They were interested in purchasesof extensivetracts of land from the Indians, both in Massachusetts andRhode Island. John 2 settled on the land of his father in Taunton, and wasprominentin every important transaction connected with the town, hisnameappearing constantly in the records. Edward 2 lived in Newport,wherehe was Crown Solicitor and Attorney-General, and one of the leadingmenin the town. Later in life he settled and died in LittleCompton,R.I., where he was a large landholder. John and Edwward divided their land among their children, and theyinturn continued the division, and this generation was largelyinterestedin real estate and agriculture. The subdivision of the landreducedthe size of the farms, and the next generation was forced to seeknewfields. many followed trades and professions, while othersoccupiedland in other sections of the country. The descendants ofJohn firstscattered over Massachusetts and Connecticut, then throughthe MiddleWestern States, and a few in the Northern and northeasternStates: whilethe offspring of Edward spread over Rhode Island, alarge number settledin New York and the Western Lake States, and quitea large colony in thesouthwestern section of the country. Several ofthe descendants of bothJohn and Edward removed to Canada on account ofattachments for themother country and religious scruples, beingQuakers and non-combatants. These early pioneers were a hardy race, of powerful frame andlargestature. They were noted for great strength, and were proud oftheirskill with the axe. On "town-meeting day" they followed the oldEnglishcustom of engaging in wrestling and other games to show theirprowess,and a man was great according to his deftness in these manlysports.Family traditions state that the "Richmonds carried away theirfull shareof the trophies in these rustic tournaments.
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1594 - 1663 (69 years)
