William Richardson

     William Richardson was born circa 1765 Virginia. He was the son of John Richardson.¹ William and Jane (Bobbitt) Laws, daughter of Captain William Bobbitt and Nancy Ann McKenzie, were married say 1787 Virginia. William Richardson died before 15 August 1816, Pulaski County, Kentucky, His will was settled in probate on that date. Some have 1811 for the date.
     The Parks and Richardson families of Oregon and Washington trace their Richardson side to the marriage of Caleb Richardson and Celia Humphries. This family history will detail some of that family, focusing on the two Richardson siblings who moved to Washington, Cynthia (who married George B W Parks) and Caleb (who married Ruth Dick).

The parents of Caleb Richardson have been said by some to be Barnett Richardson and Betsey Martin of Bedford County, Virginia. Indeed, Barnett Richardson married Betsey Martin 25 Mar 1790 in Bedford County, however, the evidence of Caleb's parentage points to William Richardson and Jane Bobbitt, also from the Pittsylvania County area. Pittsylvania and Bedford counties are very close, and the boundaries have changed over the years. It is likely that the Barnett Richardson family is related.

Caleb married Celia Humphries (various spellings, of course) in Pulaski County, Kentucky. The Richardson-Bobbitt families were there, but the Bedford County Richardsons were not. The Bedford County family appears to have moved to Tennessee. Further work needs to be done to clarify who this family is.

Caleb and Celia moved to Indiana, as did Jane (Bobbitt) Laws Richardson, and at least one of the Humphries brothers, as well as most of the male Richardsons and their families. This family shows up in two county histories.

One version of the children, which I have used as a start, comes from Janice Shives, who sent an e-mail about the family to another researcher. She said:

"My great-great grandmother was Mary (Polly) Richardson. She was born in Pulaski County in 1803 the daughter of Jane Bobbitt Laws and William Richardson. Jane Bobbitt had been married before to a John Laws, he had died, and she married William Richardson while living in Virginia. They came to Pulaski County about 1800 along with her brothers James Bobbitt and Caleb Bobbitt, both of whom are buried at the Old Bobbitt Cemetery. William Richardson died around 1810 of small pox and I am not sure where he is buried but thought it might be in the Old Bobbitt Cemetery, since he was a brother-in-law to the Bobbitt brothers James and Caleb who are buried there.

Jane Bobbitt Laws Richardson left Pulaski County around 1820 and moved with most of her children to Rush County Indiana. I think her oldest daughters stayed in Pulaski. One was named Elizabeth Laws and she married a James Doolin. Her oldest son William Laws also married a Katherine Doolin. (I noticed the middle name of Maurice Bobbitt as being Doolin). She also had a daughter named Lettice Richardson who married Matthew Barnes. I believe she stayed in Pulaski County also. And another daughter named Nancy married a Charles Rusk and later a Mr. Leech stayed in Pulaski County.

The rest of the children went with her to Indiana. Her oldest son, William Laws, went to Indiana as did her sons, Caleb, James, Joel and Jonathan Richardson and her daughters Mary and Rebecca Richardson. The five brothers later founded a small community in Boone County Indiana called Big Springs. That little town is still in existence today and some of them are buried in the Richardson cemetery there." Janice Shives jshives@fuse.net .

From this, we begin our look at the Richardson family, from Virginia to Indiana, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and points beyond.