Page prepared by Donald Richardson (1937-2015)
from "NOTES ON MOUNT EPHRAIM" By William R. Bishop, Jr. (October
1966)
[retyped by Donald Richardson from hard to read photocopy]
Dec. 20, 1675 granted by the Lord Proprietor to Robert Richardson for
2000 a.
On the seaboard of a place called "Boquetenorton"
"Mount Ephraim" is also sometimes (or part of it) called
"Watermelon Point".
"Mount Ephraim" is next to and north of "Middle".
"Patrick Hills" or "St. Patrick Hills" was next
to "Mount Ephraim", "Simpleton", and "Middle".
"Simpleton" (also called "Bishop Purchase" (1677),
and a part called "Hammond’s Choice") was next to Selby’s Bay,
next to "Patrick Hills" and to "Durham House" and north
of Henry Bishop’s land.
Watermellon(sic) Point on late nineteenth century and current maps
is about three miles south of Public Landing and one mile + north of
Selby’s
Bay (Rattlesnake Island lies between Selby’s Bay on the east and
Boquetenorton
Bay on the west) and due east of Boxiron.
Robert Richardson’s will 1680/82 left 1000 a. of "Mount Ephraim"
(on the north side of neck) to his son William; 350 a. to daughter
Elizabeth;
and 500 a. to son Charles. Elizabeth and her husband, Robert Cade, sold
her part to her brother William. William died without heirs and his lands
were divided between his sister Tabitha (who married Parker Selby). These
lands 650 a. passed to their sons Daniel and Parker Selby, Jr., and his
brother Charles (who according the rent rolls had 1250 a. of "Mount
Ephraim" in c. 1707). Robert Richardson (c. 1682) also left 650 a.
"Watermellon" to Captain John Osborne on "Tanne house Creek"
to son William (under 15 in 1689).
Charles Richardson (d. 1727 s/o Robert) left nothing in his will to
his son Robert, but he did name him as an executor of his will and had
probably given him land already (as eldest son?). Charles left son William
164 a. of "Mount Ephraim" (which William and his wife Anna sold
in 1743 to her brother Robert); left farm house (unnamed) to son Charles
(under 21 in 1720); and farm next to home farm and near Huckleberry Branch
to son James (under 18 in 1720).
Robert Richardson (d. 1787/8, s/o Charles) left 30 a. to grandson Robert
Richardson (s/o John); left dwelling plantation to son Robert; rest of
his property to be divided equally between his sons John, Levi and Robert
and daughters Mary Schoolfield and Esher Pettit, except land bought from
Robert Cade ("Mount Ephraim" 250 a.) and from James Richardson
(brother) which went to granddaughter Ann (d/o Levi). Earlier in 1740 he
had given his grandson Benjamin Bishop, Jr. (s/o Anne and Benjamin Bishop)
part of "Mount Ephraim" on the seaboard at a place called "Boquetenorton".
John Richardson (s/o Robert who died 1787/8) do not have his will.
Robert Richardson (d. 1793, s/o John) left only son Benjamin (under
age in 1794) 2 a. of land called Creek House (is this the house on Tan
House Creek??); everything else to wife Sarah and daughters Zipporah and
Sarah.
From hereon, I have only fragmentary notes on "Mount Ephraim".
They go as follows:
John Bishop in 1811 bought part of "Mount Ephraim" and other
lands from George Holston and Rhodah his wife (late Rhodah Bratten) who
got it from James Bratten deceased. John Bishop sold part of this in 1811
to James B. Robins, and another part in1814 to Thomas Mitchell.
Molly (Mary) Bishop sold part of "Mount Ephraim" 1821 and
especially her dower rights from marriage with Thomas Richardson to (her
son) Benjamin T. Richardson. (Mary Sturgis Richardson Smith married 1796
Samuel Bishop).
Ara Spence sold 245.5 a. "Mount Ephraim" 8/31/1864 to Edward
A. Richardson. When Edward A. Richardson (1832-1906) died the trustee,
Oliver D. Collins, sold this as 233 a. to son George E. Richardson, who
was living there. (On my map this farm is about ½ mile inland from
the present residence of Paul Jones - thereon marked as residence of J.
Richardson - and just south of Pawpaw or Richardson Creek. Further west
lay the farm of J. H. Richardson, and north of that the residence of B.
T. Richardson - just south of Spence). This part of "Mount Ephraim"
lay northwest of another farm belonging to Edward A. Richardson’s estate
which was sold at the same time to John M. Richardson, Henry L.
Richardson,
Sallie E. Rowley and William F. Richardson (children of Edward A.) (This
latter is probably the farm Cousin Mollie Davis mentions in her letter
that her mother did not want to sell. On my map of c. 1880 it is marked
as owned and occupied by Z. Truitt and lies just north of the Tan House
Creek. It includes, I believe, the house "incorrectly" called
"Fairfield Farms" and the grave of Thomas Purnell lie three miles
to the north - which I think is probably one of the original Richardson
homes!)
George E. Richardson, Sr. And his wife, Prealy Fay, sold their part
of "Mount Ephraim" c. 233 a. on 4/20/1934 to Paul M. Jones.
James B. Robins bought 5/14/1824 "Runnemeade" 890 a. (made
up of parts of "Mount Ephraim", "Middle" , and Simpleton"
lying next to each other on the seaside) from the estate of Robert M.
Richardson
(c. 8/10/1803).
W. D. Barnes lived in the "Mansion House" about 1880 according
to map.