Cathcart Main Page Ireland Page... find County Antrim from here Main Logo

Richardson Family
Main Page

General Background

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.

Richardsons in my line

RichardsonJamesManning.jpg (43102 bytes)

 RichardsonMarySpann.jpg (39856 bytes)

James Manning Richardson, Sr.
(1848-1906)

Parents:
 Thomas Charles Richardson & Mary Cunningham McWillie

 

Mary Spann Richardson
(1842-1904)

Parents:
 Richard Charles Richardson, Sr. & Elenora Norvelle Spann

relationship

 

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)

Other data/photos about this family

 

Richardson Governors

James Burchill Richardson
1770-1836
41st Governor -- 1802-1804
John Peter Richardson II
1801-1864
59th Governor -- 1840-1842
John Peter Richardson III
1831-1899
83rd Governor -- 1886-1890


Miscellaneous

Google Maps Listing of Richardson locations

 


View Richardson in a larger map

Footnotes

  1. 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).
    1. See Google Maps listing above for the relative location of the towns mentioned above.
    2. click here for a chart outlining this relationship