Anna Marie (Ayers) Richardson (1840 - 1945)

Born 28 May 1840 in Wilkinsburg, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, United States

Wife of Thomas Birkett Richardson — married 2 Dec 1865 in Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, USA

Descendants

Died 19 Aug 1945 at age 105 in Inglewood, Los Angeles, California, United States

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Biography

Anna (Ayers) Richardson was a centenarian, living to age 105.

Anna May Hare was born in 1840. She showed up on the U.S. 1850 Federal Population Census in her parent's household with Phebe Hare, James Hare, Jane Hare, and William Hare in Wilkins, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, USA.^[1]

Anna May Ayers, as she now was known, married James Donaldson before he went to serve in the military for the North in the U.S. Civil War. He died from pneumonia when he fell asleep under his cannon and woke in a large puddle from the rain in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. He died on 17 Jul 1864.^[2]

On 2 Dec 1865, Anna May married Thomas Birkett Richardson who also served in the Civil War and received injuries and later a pension.^[3] They had three children before the 1870 U.S. Federal Population Census in which they appeared in Wilkinsburg, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, USA.^[4] They then had four more children before they appeared on the 1880 U.S. Federal Population Census in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA.^[5] After the 1880 Census until 1890 she may have had another three children of the five she raised during that time. It is not known which of the five were hers and which were fosterlings she took in. Her granddaughter, Anna Van Ryn didn't distinguish between them on her Family Group Sheets. To the best of her knowledge, only the youngest married and had children.

By this time her husband had moved into a Veteran's home, where he died in 1905.^[3] She became quite angry with the Defense Secretary when he would only allow her one pension, not one for each husband, which she thought she deserved. During World War I, she packed up as many of her children as were left and willing to go and moved to southern California where she lived until she passed away in 1945 in her sleep. Her granddaughter Estelle reported that she played a mean game of Rummy the evening before she died.

Sources

1. ↑ Bureau of Census. U.S. Federal Population Census, 1850. Washington DC: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.. Wilkins, Allegheny, PA, pg 106
2. ↑ U.S. Civil War Pension for James Donaldson. Washington DC: National Archives.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} U.S. Civil War Pension for Thomas Birkett Richardson. Washington DC: National Archives.
4. ↑ Bureau of Census, U.S. Federal Population Census, 1870, Washington DC: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.. Wilkinsburg, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, USA; pg 620; National Archives Microfilm M953.
5. ↑ U.S. Federal Population Schedule, 1880. Washington DC: U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, n.d., McKeesport, Allegheny, Pennsylvania.

See Also:

• Herrald, Karen. Descendants of Anna Marie Hare Ayers. 25985 Modoc Road; Chiloquin, OR 97624
• Van Ryn, Anna. Family Group Sheet of Thomas Richardson. Wilkinsburg, PA: ca 1980.