Note that prior to 1792, Scott Co., KY was part of Virgnia because KY did not become a state until 1792. Scott County was formed from Woodford County in 1792.  See maps for more info.

See discussion regarding these possible ancestors below at 1850 census.

On June 19th 2004, I decided to search for the identity of Violet, the wife of William B. Richardson, my great grandfather.
As usual I had no luck.  But I decided to look at the neighbors of William B. and Violet in their various censuses. When
I examined their census record for 1860 as shown below, I found that a 25 yr old Elizabeth Richardson lived with the
Million family next door to William B and Violet in Owen Co. KY.



Hmmmm...  William's third daughter was named Elizabeth.... Hmmmmm....
Was this 25 yr old Elizabeth living with the neighbors because there is no room at William's house? 
Was Elizabeth working for the Millions?
Was Mrs. Million related to the Richardsons? 
(answer is:  Mrs. Million was Mary Jane Richardson, sister of William B. Richardson:  see 1851)

Anyway... that then suggested that in 1850, I could search for a 14-15 yr old Elizabeth Richardson
who would probably be living with her parents, and maybe even her brother, William, (age 18-19)
before he married Violet??????????

BINGO!

1850:

I present you with the Wyatt Richardson family including Elizabeth (age 14) and William (age 19).

In addition, this shows that Wyatt and his family including eldest daughter Mary (age 21) and
youngest daughter Nancy (age 12) lived in Scott Co, Kentucky on the 18 Sep 1850. 
Below is a map that shows where Scott Co. is located.  (See slaves below!!)

Another useful Kentucky Co. MAP... KYGenWeb

Based on all the other family information,
I contend that this 19 year old William is our William B. Richardson.

In the 1900 census for William B, it states he was born in January 1832 in Indiana. 
On Sep 18 1850, he would be 18 years and 8 months so they may have rounded up to age 19 for the census. 
In the 1860 census for William B, a 25 yr old Elizabeth is living next door with the Million family. 
She would have been 14-15 in 1850.  Note also that in the 1860 census for William B.,
they were living in nearby Owen Co., KY which can be seen to the northwest of Scott Co. in the map above.

If this is true, then Wyatt Richardson was born Abt 1808 in Kentucky. 
Forty nine year old Mary Richardson was born Abt 1801 in South Carolina.
The four children shown were born in Indiana beginning in 1829.

In a search for Wyatt in 1860, I had no success using the Richeson, Richerson, Richarson, Richardson last names. 
I did not try Mary because it is too common.

In a search for Wyatt in 1840, I found a 20-30 year old Wyatt Richardson living in Lawrence Arkansas,
with 2 daughters less than 5, along with a wife in the same age bracket... but no one else using Richeson,
Richerson, Richarson, Richardson last names. 
Another Wyatt living in Massachusetts all through the 1800s can be found, but he can not be our Wyatt.
I was not able to find this Wyatt again in the 1840, 1860 or 1870 censuses.

However, assuming that Wyatt could be using an unknown middle name or just W. in other censuses,
I tried the Ancestry.com search engine to see if I could find any Wyatt Richardsons
mentioned in other family genealogies.

I did find a Wyatt H. Richardson served in the Union army and was enlisted in 1864. 
He lived in Iowa.  However, his age was 44. 

Our Wyatt would have been 54 in 1864.

However this fellow may be more important than I thought. 
Using the Ancestry.com search engine for Wyatt Richardsons....
I found our Wyatt Richardson in three family geneaologies:
Also via Rootsweb.com Officer, Rath and Brabham genealogies. 
Why was he OUR Wyatt?  Because these genealogies listed the same children,
plus MUCH more information.

Wyatt Hawkins Richardson was born 4 May 1807 in Scott Co, KY. 
They also mention his enlistment in the Union army, so the first reference
I found listing him as 44 in 1864 was in error.  1864-1807 = 57.  Bonanza Time!.....

He married Mary Meyers in 1827 in Decatur Co., IN. (from Indiana Marriages Through 1850).

I guess it always pays to look around in the neighborhood!

These genealogies have the same children as I found in the census because of
daughter Elizabeth may be living next door to William B. in 1860.


Slave ownership???

In ancestry.com, a Wyatt Richardson, living in District 2, Scott Co, KY in 1850 owned a family of slaves:

I guess he freed them or sold them, as this is the only slave related activity of his. 
He moved to Iowa in 1855 with his second wife Elizabeth, and then fought for the Union army
during the Civil War in 1864.  I hope that reflects his decision that slavery was abhorrent.

I found W. H. Richardson in Grant Co, KY on 7-8 Jun 1851 when he acted as the bondsman for his daughter,
Mary Jane's marriage to William A. Million. (REF).  The Million family lived next door to W. B. Richardson in 1860. 
Their 1870 and 1880 census records can be found below as well at:  1870 or 1880.

He married Elizabeth M. ? on 2 May 1855 in Cincinatti, OH
They moved to Iowa very soon afterward.

On 10 Jul 1860, a Hawkins Richardson (age 43) is found living with Elizabeth (age 26) with children Charles (age 10),
Inis? (age ?)  a male?, [actually this was Inez, a daughter],and Louisa Connor (age 12). 
They lived in Van Buren Township in Lee Co., IA near the town of Farmington.  One can assume that this
Elizabeth is NOT his daughter who would be 24 in 1860, since this Elizabeth was born in Ohio.

The confusion here is that both Hawkins and Elizabeth seem to be 10 years younger than they should be.
Since all the family members are here, (and the Connor girl is exactly 10 years younger than she is in 1870 below)
and other genealogies seem to accept them as Wyatt Hawkins, I will too.
Maybe at that time, he was lying to everyone for some reason, because W. H. Richardson is listed as
44 in the Union army during the Civil War.

Actually, Elizabeth is Wyatt's second wife.  They were married in 1855. 
It is not clear what happened to his first wife Mary. Did she die or were they divorced?
From Elizabeth's Widows Pension application, dated 13 March 1890, Hyatt enlisted 11 May 1864
and was discharged 16 Sept 1864 as a private. He left the service because of illness... namely something
that caused constant diarrhea.... perhaps malaria or other infectious agent.

Where is Nancy Richardson in 1860?

Daughter Nancy is not present.  She would be 22-23 in 1860. 

Nancy Jane Richardson?

Using Ancestry.com search engine, I found a Nancy Jane Richardson married Wiley D. Griggs
on 23 Oct 1853 in Jessamine Co, KY.  I found them living together near Elliston, in the 1860 census
in Madison Co, KY.  She was 23, and had one son named William.  I do not know if this is OUR
Nancy, but the data fit except that this Nancy J was born in KY and the 1850 census for OUR
Nancy states IN as her birthplace.  Jessamine Co, KY is 2 counties to the south of Scott Co, KY
where Nancy was living with her parents 3 years earlier in 1850. 

Nancy J. Griggs?

I found Nancy J. Griggs, age 36, in the 1870 census with two children,
Roland, age 16 and Robert, age 12, living with Mary A. Southerland, age 59. 
They lived near Smith Mills, Henderson Co, KY.

I found Nancy Griggs, age 46, in the 1880 census, living with her son Roland, age 26. 

Nancy's parents were both born in NC, so I do not think this Nancy is our Nancy Richardson. 

Nancy Ann O'Hara?

A Nancy Ann Richardson married William OHara on 12 Dec 1861 in Grant Co. KY with Hiram G. Richarson as bondsman.
I could not find any more information about them.

Nancy C Stamper?

May 2007 Discovery:

A 62 yr old Mary Richardson was living with a Nancy C Stamper and her husband William B Stamper
on 19 Jul 1860 in New Columbus, in district 1, Owen Co, KY.  Could this woman who was born in
South Carolina, be Wyatt's first wife, living with their daughter Nancy.?  In this record, Nancy C Stamper
was 20 so she was born about 1840 in IN which fits with what we know about Nancy.... except for
her middle initial and if this Nancy is our Nancy and if this Mary is our Mary.


If this Mary Richardson is Nancy's mother, and first wife of Wyatt, then Mary and Wyatt were probably divorced.

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1870:

On 15 Jun 1870, 62 year old Wyatt lived with his second wife, Elizabeth (age 45) in
Van Buren township, in Lee Co., IA near the town of Warren.
They have aged 20 years in 10 years, so this is why I am assuming the age error in the 1860 census above.
They had two daughters Inez (age 12) and Jane (age 5/12). 
Someone named with last name of Connor (age 22) was living with them. 
(Her name was Louisa Connor in 1860 above).

Also, the Million family was still living in Owen Co., Kentucky, near New Columbus on 2 Sep 1870.

Wyatt Richardson's oldest daughter, Mary Jane Richardson is 40, and is living with her husband William Million,
with three daughters: Mary E. (age 16), Idelle (age 12) and Laura V. (age 7).  Everyone was born in KY.

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1880:

In 5 Jun 1880 W. H. Richardson (age 72) was still alive in Farmington Township in Van Buren Co.,
IA living with wife Elizabeth (age 56)
and adopted daughter Eunice (age 8).

One interesting item is that it states that W. H. was born in Tennessee with both parents from
Virginia. The reference to TN rather than KY is odd.
Elizabeth was born in Ohio with both parents from New Jersey (or New York?).

Wyatt died later that year in December.

And the Million family...

They are living in Grant Co, KY on 16 Jun 1880.  The quality is very bad,
but William is no longer living with his wife Mary Jane Richardson,
but is still living with daughters Mollie E (age 27),  Idelle (age 22),  Laurie V. (age16) and
son James N. (age 9).  The 1 in the third column
after William's name indicates that he is widowed so Mary Jane Richardson died before 1880.

Going Back to before 1840....

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1810: