As the population of the new country increased and the vast western lands
were opened, descendants of the emigrant Robert Richardson (c. 1637) followed
in his pioneering footsteps and moved west, lured, we are sure by the promise
of new land. Some also moved west, seeking greater religious freedom.
In 1795, Robert Richardson (1753), son of John (1725), and great, great
grandson of Robert (c1637) and Susanna (Smith) Richardson, who founded Mount
Ephraim, left Worcester Co, MD, and migrated to Hardin Co, KY down the Ohio
River. His wife, Mary Broughton (Bratten) and 6 children emigrated with him;
the children were:
Sallie (1780);
Eunice (1782) m. Steven Rollins;
Ebenezer (21 June 1785) m. Hannah Van Meter;
William (1787) migrates to TX
Nancy (c1777/81) m. Issac Linder
John (21 Oct. 1791) m. Elizabeth "Betsy" Linder.
John (1791) and Betsy Linder Richardson are the ancestors of many of the
authors of this web site, specifically those descended from their son, Daniel
Linder Richardson.
Daniel Linder Richardson 's brothers John Richardson and Robert S. Richardson
were some of the earliest people to go to the California Gold Discovery in
1848 from Hardin Co., KY. To read about one of Daniel Linder Richardson's
son's travels, click here Westward moves
of Jacob Franklin Richardson and his children.
Also migrating with this family was Robert's sister, Ann Richardson Sawyer
(26 Feb. 1756) m. Charles W Sawyer, d. 1832 in KY. Members of the South family
joined the Robert (1753) Richardson and Charles Sawyer families and also
migrated from Worcester Co., MD to Hardin Co., KY.
The Richardson, Linder and Sawyer families were also some of the earliest
emigrants to Illinois. To read an account written by a descendant of Charles
Wesley Sawyer, Jr. about the Sawyer family's influence in the development
of Cole County, IL, click here Story of the
Sawyers from England to Maryland, then to Kentucky and Illinois.
This
page last updated on December 11, 2002