The Richardson family has very strong ties to South Carolina.
Richardsons (and the allied families of Manning, Cantey, McWillie and
others) have been very much involved with the history and politics of the state -- many in my line served as governor
of the State.
In fact, one
of my ancestors, Elizabeth Peyre Manning woman was featured in
1930 Ripley's - Believe it or Not" article because of her extensive relationships with
governors of the state. According to the article (and the
record) Elizabeth was a niece, a wife, a sister, a mother, and aunt
and a grandmother of a Governor!
According to "About.com" the Richardson name is a patronymic name meaning "son of Richard." The given name Richard is Germanic in origin, composed of the elements ric = power and hard = hardy, brave, and means "powerful and brave." Example: Richard the Lion Hearted.
Richardson is the 74th most popular surname in the United States.
Our earliest proven Richardson ancestor,
General
Richard Richardson (my fifth great grandfather) was
born in Virginia. Before that, we're not entirely sure where our
Richardson ancestry originates -- most likely England.
Like so many of my Richardson ancestors, James and Mary were
much more than simply "man and wife." They were related to
each other as second cousins (as depicted on the chart to
the right). This fact makes it a bit tricky to trace
back through two generations to get to my fifth great
grandfather, General Richard Richardson.
In addition to being second cousins, my great grandparents
also shared several other (often confusing) family connections.
From James' perspective, his wife was...
Sister-in-law to his first cousin,
John Peter Richardson, III (1829-1899)
John married his second
cousin, Eleanora Norvelle Richardson (1840-1874)
Niece of the wife of his uncle, James
Burchell Richardson (1806-1860)
James married his first
cousin, Julia Anna Richardson (1818-1849)
Sister-in-law to two of his first
cousins, once-removed
John Cantey Manning
Mary Hampton Manning
Mother-in-law to his first cousin,
once-removed, Camilla Cantey (1869-1941)
Camilla married Richard
Charles Richardson, Sr. (1871-1924)
Mother-in-law to his first
cousin, twice-removed, Elizabeth Allen Richardson
(1883-1975)
Elizabeth married Henry
Burchill Richardson, Sr.(1879-1943)
Their Children:
Anne Sinkler 1870-1934 (m. Edward Percy Briggs, Sr.)
Richard Charles 1871-1924 (m. Camilla Cantey)
James Manning, Jr. 1873-1924 (m. Victoria Joseph)
Thomas Charles 1875-1924
Elenora Norvelle 1877-1962 (m. Lucien E. Brailsford)
Henry Burchell Richardson, Sr. 1879-1943 (m. Elizabeth A.
Richardson)
Newspaper clipping discussing James M.
Richardson's funeral
Tracing between my great
grandparents and my 5th great grandparents gets a bit tricky! I
have more than one Richardson 4th, 3rd, and 2nd great
grandfathers/parents. The Richardsons tended to intermarry
amongst themselves -- probably to protect their wealth -- and that leads to some
interesting genealogy. It certainly does in my case:
From my great grandmother, Anne Sinkler
Richardson's paternal lineage
Recollections of the "Sand Hills" in the Olden Days - by
Elizabeth Sinkler Manning Richardson, wife of Richard Charles
Richardson, Jr. Includes information about life in pre- and
post-Civil War South Carolina. Also includes much
genealogical information.
This newspaper clipping confirms children and
that they were all living in Panola (located about five miles northwest
of Summerton, in Clarendon County). On the same newspaper
page—page title: County Correspondence, subsection "Pinewood
happenings"—there is reference to fact that "Hon. and Mrs. R. I.
Manning, of Sumter, was down to attend Hon. JM Richardson's funeral."
This is almost certainly James' first cousin, once removed—and former
South Carolina Gov.—Richard Irving Richardson, III (1859-1931).
See Google Maps listing
above for the relative location
of the towns mentioned above.