Vermont AHGP
Part of the American History and
Genealogy Project
Samuel Richardson, Roxbury, Vermont
Was the first to settle in the west part of the town. He was
born in Stafford, Conn., June 13, 1750, and was a veteran of the
Revolutionary War, having "been out'' nearly half the war^ His
wife, Susanna Pinney, was born July, 1749. After their marriage,
they came to Randolph and settled. When the Indians burned
Royalton, they passed through Randolph and burned the house next
to theirs, but it being somewhat retired, they probably did not
discern it. Mr. R. came to this town in 1790, and built a small
log-house near where the watch factory now stands, and returned
home to come back again in the early spring with his son, Uriah,
whom tradition has it, brought a five-pail iron kettle on his
back through the deep snow, with marked trees for roads. A niece
of his has injured the story, by declaring her ancestor to have
been a brave lad and a willing one, but that he was not a
Hercules, and it was really a seven-pail brass kettle. Well,
even that seems almost incredible, considering the distance, and
roads.
After the sugar-making was well begun, Mr. Richardson returned
to Randolph, leaving his son alone in the wilderness for 6
weeks. No one to speak to, no daily or weekly paper ; but the
solemn hoot of the owl, the lonesome winds through the trees,
the howling of the hungry wolves about his cabin, as he said,
made weird music, not exactly conducive to sleep.
But his father came with the rest of the family as soon as snow
was gone. There are said to have been several reasons why Mr.
Richardson moved into this wilderness. One, he was greatly
averse to his children marrying, and his sons were becoming
sturdy young men, and his daughters tall and handsome.
That the "females" of this unmated half of the Richardson family were able to care for themselves, and give a helping hand to the weak of the stronger sex, the following proveth: "Tim" Emmerson had a large amount of grain to be harvested, and no help to be had at any price; it was already over-ripe; Susan and Mary Richardson, who were noted for thrift, and disliked to see anything go to waste, offered, if their brother would accompany them, to give the poor man a lift. The men folk smiled as the resolute damsels came into the field, but as the golden grain fell before their gleaming sickles, and was dexterously bound and placed in stocks by their deft hands, the men hung their diminished heads, and the perspiration coursed down their brown cheeks as they vainly strove to keep pace with their fair reapers. Before night tradition saith each masculine had fallen meekly to the rear.
Mary and Susan sheared their own sheep, and if occasion required, could chop off a 2 foot log as soon as most men.
Mr. Richardson built a saw and gristmill above where Mr. Kent now lives, and a larger house leading to the S. E. Spaulding place. A grand-daughter of theirs, who is now 79 years of age, and who spent much of her childhood with them, tells me Mr. Pinney, the father of her grandmother Richardson, was high in the esteem of King George, and was commissioned by him to attend to a great deal of business for His Majesty in New England.
Source: History of Washington County Vermont, Collated and Published by Abby Maria Hemenway, 1882.
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