Stephen Richardson (abt. 1792 - abt. 1826)

Born about 1792 in Bulloch County, Georgia, USA

Ancestors

Descendants

Died about 1826 at about age 34 in Washington Parish, Louisiana, USA

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Biography

Stephen was born in 1792. He was the son of Hardy Richardson and Fanny Mizell, from Georgia. ^[1] Online records sometimes refer to him as having a middle name of Decatur but that has not been proved yet (and could result from a confusion with his son).

He married Betsey Morris in 1819. Reportedly they operated a water mill on the banks of Lee's Creek.

The following is the legend that has been handed down on the cause of the death of Stephen Richardson: Stephen died before his mother Fanny Richardson, who passed away in 1837. It is doubtful that he had reached his 40th birthday before his untimely death. It seems that Steve was following in the footsteps of his Richardson forebears in keeping with political ambitions. His brother Benjamin Richardson was state representative in the 1830's, so Steve was away from home a great deal assisting his brother with his legislative duties. He was a man of overpowering strength and ambition, so he was called upon by his brother to assist him and serve his fellow neighbors. He was very much over-weight, but this did not hinder his working capacity.

He returned home from an early spring session and found that the negroes had let his crop go to ruin with grass and weeds. He set to work himself hoeing and plowing as well as prodding his slaves to put forth more effort. In the excitement as well as extreme heat, Steve's "fat melted." (In modern terms he suffered a heat stroke.) ^[1]

1820 US Census: Himself, Wife, Daughter. ^{[2] [3]}Note: The ages of wife and daughter are consistent with this census, but his age is not. Possibly we have his birthdate wrong?

He passed away in 1826.

TODO - find this article - was he really elected? E. Russ Williams doesn't say so. Wednesday, Nov 22, 1826 edition of the Louisiana State Gazette (New Orleans, La.) from page 1 Article from the Governor of the State of Louisiana Henry Johnson that Stephen Richardson a member elect to the House of Representatives for Washington Pr., Louisiana has passed away.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Kinsmen All: Descendants of Wettenhall Warner and Related Families by E. Russ Williams, Jr.
2. ↑ 1820 U S Census; Census Place: Washington, Louisiana; Page: 30; NARA Roll: M33_31; Image: 187 Ancestry.com. 1820 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Fourth Census of the United States, 1820. (NARA microfilm publication M33, 142 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1820," database and images, FamilySearch, 2015, accessed 9 Mar 2017, https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHLW-PR9