Digging a Home Into a River Bank — Josiah Richardson

B. 7 Nov 1635 in Charlestown, Massachusetts¹
M. 6 Jun 1659 in Concord, Massachusetts²
Wife: Remembrance Underwood
D. 22 Jun 1695 in Chelmsford, Massachusetts³

Josiah Richardson was one of the early settlers of Chelmsford, Massachusetts. He was born in Charlestown on November 7, 1635 to Ezekiel and Susannah Richardson,¹ the third of their six children. When Josiah was 5-years-old, the family moved to Woburn as some of the founding members of that town.⁴ His father died when he was 12.⁴

Sometime during the 1650s, Josiah arrived in Chelmsford with his younger brother James.⁴ He was a young man and had to rely on his skills to make a start. It was said that his first home in Chelmsford was a crude structure “partly formed by digging in the bank” of the river;⁵ during the first few years, almost all of the homes in the town were made of logs. Chelmsford had close proximity to Native American villages, and on May 17, 1658, Josiah signed a petition to the General Court asking that the settlers be given permission to trade with the Indians. The petition was said to be signed by every adult male in town.⁶

A dugout home in early New England. (AI-generated image)

On June 6, 1659, Josiah married Remembrance Underwood,² a woman whose family also lived in Chelmsford, but they traveled to Concord for the wedding. Over the next 16 or so years, they had eight children. As the years passed, Chelmsford became more established, and Josiah played a part in its development. In 1663, he and another man were chosen to help lay out the main road going from town to town and into Boston.⁴ Then in 1669, he built a saw mill with William Fletcher and Thomas Henchman.⁶ It was the second sawmill in Chelmsford and was badly needed to produce wood for building new houses.

Josiah eventually settled at a place described as on “the road leading from Westford to Lowell.”⁶ His property was handed down in the Richardson family to an Edward F. Richardson who lived into the 20th century. Josiah was said to have been a militia captain at one time,⁴ but sources aren’t clear as to when this was. He was also town clerk from 1690 to 1694.⁷

On June 22, 1695, Josiah died in Chelmsford.³ He likely passed away suddenly because he didn’t leave a will. He was only 60-years-old. His estate was valued at £697, a large amount of money at the time.⁴ Josiah’s descendants include Franklin Pierce.⁸

Children:
1. Sarah Richardson — B. 25 Mar 1660, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;⁹ D. 30 Jan 1748, Tyngsboro, Massachusetts;¹⁰ M. William Fletcher (1657-1712), 10 Sep 1677, Chelmsford, Massachusetts¹¹

2. Mary Richardson — B. 14 Apr 1662, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;¹² M. Thomas Colburn (~1648-1728), 17 Sep 1681, Chelmsford, Massachusetts¹³

3. Josiah Richardson — B. 18 May 1665, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;¹⁴ D. 17 Oct 1711, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;¹⁵ M. Mary Parish (1668-1743), 14 Dec 1687, Dunstable, Massachusetts¹⁶

4. Jonathan Richardson — B. 8 Oct 1667, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;¹⁷ D. 21 Feb 1753, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;¹⁸ M. (1) Elizabeth Bates (1671-1722), 8 Nov 1692, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;¹⁹ (2) Elizabeth Bunker (~1673-1752), 18 May 1724, Charlestown, Massachusetts²⁰

5. John Richardson — B. 14 Feb 1670, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;²¹ D. 13 Sep 1746, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;²² M. Elizabeth Farwell (1672-1729), 31 Jan 1694, Chelmsford, Massachusetts²³

6. Samuel Richardson — B. 21 Feb 1673, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;²⁴ D. 28 Apr 1754, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;²⁵ M. Rachel Howard (1682-1727), 27 Jan 1703, Chelmsford, Massachusetts²⁶

7. Susanna Richardson — B. 3 Sep 1677, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;²⁷ M. Henry Farwell (1674-1738), 23 Jan 1696, Chelmsford, Massachusetts²⁸

8. Remembrance Richardson — B. 20 Apr 1684, Chelmsford, Massachusetts²⁹

Sources:


1    Birth record of Josiah Richardson, Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915, FamilySearch.org
2    Marriage record of Josiah Richardson and Remembrance Underwood, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
3    Find-a-Grave listing of Capt. Josiah Richardson
4    Find-a-Grave listing of Ezekiel Richardson
5    Newsweekly Tercentenary Edition, Houses Section, 1955
6    History of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, Wilson Waters, 1917
7    The Richardson Memorial, John Adams Vinton, 1876, pp. 40-42
8    FamousKin.com listing of Josiah Richardson
9    Birth record of Sarah Richardson, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
10  Find-a-Greve listing of Sarah (Richardson) Fletcher
11  Marriage record of William Fletcher and Sarah Richardson, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
12  Birth record of Mary Richardson, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
13  Marriage record of Thomas Colburn and Mary Richardson, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
14  Birth record of Josiah Richardson (younger), M., T. C., V. & T. R.
15  Death record of Josiah Richardson (younger), M., T. C., V. & T. R.
16  Marriage record of Josiah Richardson and Mary Parish, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
17  Birth record of Jonathan Richardson, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
18  Find-a-Grave listing of Capt. Jonathan Richardson
19  Marriage record of Jonathan Richardson and Elizabeth Bates, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
20  Marriage record of Jonathan Richardson and Elizabeth Howard, Massachusetts, State Vital Records, 1638-1927, FamilySearch.org
21  Birth record of John Richardson, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
22  Death record of John Richardson, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
23  Find-a-Grave listing of John Richardson
24  Birth record of Samuel Richardson, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
25  Death record of Samuel Richardson, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
26  Marriage record of Samuel Richardson and Rachel Howard, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
27  Birth record of Susanna Richardson, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
28  Marriage record of Henry Farwell and Susanna Richardson, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
29  Birth record of Remembrance Richardson, M., T. C., V. & T. R.