A number of members of the Richardson family, and their relatives through marriage, are represented in this collection. Following are brief biographical sketches of the people whose papers are found herein.

The story of the Richardson family in America began with the immigration of Francis (I) and Rebecca Richardson; they settled in New York City in 1681. Francis was the son of Thomas Richardson, from South Shields, Durham County, England. Francis was a mariner, living in Ratcliffe, Middlesex County, England, when he married Rebecca Hayward (also spelled Haward) on January 20, 1680, at Devonshire House, London. Rebecca was the daughter of John Hayward, a shoemaker from Uxbridge in Middlesex County. In New York, Francis was a merchant and became a freeman of the city in 1683.

Together the couple had four children: Francis (II), John, and two daughters named Rebecca (the older one died shortly after birth and the next daughter was given the same name). Francis I died on July 15, 1688 and was buried in the Friends' Burying Place in Flushing, Long Island, New York. His widow, Rebecca, subsequently married Edward Shippen (1639-1712) on September 4, 1689, at the house of Walter Newberry in Newport, Rhode Island. Not much is known of the background of Edward Shippen and his life in England, but by 1688 he had migrated to Boston and had established himself as a merchant. After his marriage to Rebecca Richardson, they moved to Philadelphia, where the Richardsons had property although they had not previously lived there.

Francis Richardson II was born November 25, 1684, in New York City, and then moved to Philadelphia with his mother and stepfather. It is not known where he served his apprenticeship as a gold and silversmith; possibly, he was sent to London, although he may have worked under a Philadelphia silversmith. On April 18, 1705, Francis II married Elizabeth Growden, the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Growden, of Philadelphia. The Richardsons had six children: Francis, Jr. (called Frank), John, Thomas (both died young), Joseph (Sr.), Rebecca (died young), and Benjamin. The last baby and his mother died within a week of each other, in 1714. Francis remarried in 1726, to Letitia Swift. He died on August 17, 1729.

The elder son, Francis, Jr. (Frank), was born in 1705. He had apprenticed as a silversmith under his father, but was also a merchant, specializing in importing and selling fabrics. He even traveled to London to make his own purchases, sending the goods back to his brother Joseph for the latter to sell in his shop. He also made and mended clocks. In 1742, Frank married Mary Fitzwater. They had two sons (another Francis and John) and four daughters and lived in Chester. By this time, he was concentrating on his merchant career and did little silversmithing. Frank died on February 1, 1782.

Joseph Richardson, Sr., brother of Frank, has been called the greatest in a family of great silversmiths. He was born in Philadelphia, September 17, 1711, and died in Philadelphia, October 1784. He was an apprentice under his father and inherited his father's tools and shop. He married Hannah Worrell (also spelled Worrill), daughter of Richard Worrell, on August 13, 1741. They had two daughters: Elizabeth (1742-1804) and Grace (1743-1744). Hannah died in early 1747. A year later, Joseph married Mary Allen, daughter of Nathaniel and Hannah Webb Allen; Mary died in 1787. Joseph and Mary had two sons and three daughters: Joseph, Jr. and Nathaniel, both of whom also became silversmiths, and Hannah (who married Samuel Clark, see Box 3, folder 12), Mary (who married Samuel Taylor), and Rebecca (who never married). In addition to silversmithing, Joseph dealt in real estate and merchandising.

Nathaniel Richardson, son of Joseph Sr., was born in Philadelphia on February 2, 1754; he died on September 2, 1827. Nathaniel apprenticed as a silversmith under his father and was associated with his older brother, Joseph, Jr., in the silversmithing firm of Joseph and Nathaniel Richardson, 1785-1791. However, he decided to give up silversmithing and became an ironmonger. He never married and was known as the "bachelor uncle" in the family.

Joseph Richardson, Jr., was born in Philadelphia on December 4, 1752; he died in Philadelphia on March 11, 1831. Joseph was married on June 15, 1780, to Ruth Hoskins, daughter of John and Mary Raper Hoskins, in Burlington, New Jersey. They had eight children, four sons (of whom two died young) and four daughters. Joseph Richardson worked in both gold and silver and was in partnership with his brother, Nathaniel Richardson, from 1785 to 1791 in the firm of Joseph and Nathaniel Richardson. Later, he was in partnership with James Howell under the name of Richardson & Co. On December 12, 1795, George Washington appointed Joseph Richardson Assayer of the Mint, a position he held until his death in 1831. Neither of Joseph, Jr.'s sons followed him in the silversmithing business.

John Richardson, the older surviving son of Joseph Richardson, Jr., and Ruth Hoskins, was born on May 13, 1790 and died on October 1, 1866; he married Martha Gibbons on March 4, 1835. John Richardson succeeded his father as Assayer of the Mint, being appointed by Andrew Jackson on March 21, 1831; finding the job not to his taste, however, he resigned thirteen months later. He was a book dealer in Philadelphia and had three sons.

Dr. Joseph Gibbons Richardson, son of John and Martha Gibbons Richardson, was born in Philadelphia on January 10, 1836, and died there on November 13, 1886. He married Mary Randolph Parry on January 6, 1864. Mary was born on August 26, 1841 and died on February 22, 1916; she was the daughter of Oliver and Rachel Randolph Parry. Joseph Gibbons Richardson was an eminent physician in Philadelphia, specializing in microscopic research, blood analysis and hygiene.

There are a few other Richardsons mentioned in this collection who are not listed above.

Nathaniel Allen I was born in Great Britain and lived on Redcliffe Street, Bristol, England. In 1681 he came to America with his wife, Eliner, and three children, Nehemiah (d.1736), Eliner and Lydia. He sailed on the ship "John and Sarah" commanded by the master Henry Smith. In 1692, he died. Allen was not only one of the "First Landers" in Pennsylvania, but he also served as one of the three commissioners appointed by William Penn to settle the new colony of Pennsylvania, to lay out the territory, and to treat with the Indians. Additionally, he was active as constable.

His son, Nehemiah, was born in Redcliffe Parish, Bristol, England, and died in Philadelphia, May 20, 1736. He was married first to Mary Earlishman, on August 29, 1685, at Middletown meeting in Pennsylvania. Mary had come from London in the ship "John and Sarah"; she died in 1699. In 1700, Nehemiah was married a second time, to Hester Tyson, and after her death, married a third time, to Rebecca Blackfan. Nehemiah and his first wife, Mary, had six children: Nathaniel, Elizabeth, Nehemiah, Richard, Mary, and John.

Nathaniel Allen II, the son of Nehemiah and Mary, was born June 1686 and died in 1757. A cooper, he was married in Philadelphia on January 27, 1713, to Hannah Webb, daughter of Joseph Webb of Gloucester City, England. Nathaniel Allen was a Member of the Common Council in 1739. Nathaniel II and Hannah had eight children of which six survived: Nathaniel III (who married Sarah Hughes; for a list of their children see .296 in Box 3, folder 11), Nehemiah, Joseph (who married Jane Casdorp), John, Mary, and Hannah Allen. Hannah was engaged to William Pickering, son of John Pickering, Governor of the Island of Barbados, but he died before they were married; she died in 1765, shortly after the death of her fiancé. Mary Allen (1716-1787) married Joseph Richardson, Sr., in 1748.

Nothing is known about the Samuel Clark who married Hannah Richardson, the daughter of Joseph and Mary Allen Richardson. Hannah died in 1817. She left two daughters, Mary and Jane, both unmarried at the time their mother died.

John Gibbons and his wife Margery came to America in 1683 and settled near Chester, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. Both died in 1721. They had two sons, James and John, Jr. One of their descendants was Joseph Gibbons. Born October 16, 1762, he was the second son of John and Martha Griffith Gibbons. He was married on April 23, 1789, to Sarah Milhous[e] (January 1771-November 29, 1835). They had ten children, including daughters named Martha and Mary P., and sons Joseph, Jr., and William. The elder Joseph died May 1, 1837.

Martha Gibbons, (September 21, 1799-January 31, 1879) was married on March 4, 1835, to John Richardson (May 13, 1790-October 1, 1866), son of Joseph and Ruth Hoskins Richardson. They had three sons, Joseph, Frank, and another (name unknown).

Joseph Growden was born in Trevose, Cornwall, England, and died in Pennsylvania on September 10, 1730 or 1731. He and his wife, Elizabeth, had six children, including daughters named Elizabeth and Hannah and sons named Joseph and Lawrence. The elder Joseph was one of the First Purchasers of Pennsylvania; he and his father, Lawrence, were granted a tract of 10,000 acres by William Penn. The Growdens established a residence in Bensalem Township on the Neshaminy Creek. Daughter Elizabeth married Francis Richardson II on April 18, 1705. Elizabeth died in 1714, shortly after giving birth to a child who also died. Hannah Growden, who died unmarried on October 10, 1783, left one-half of her estate to nieces and nephews, children of Joseph Richardson, Sr., silversmith in Philadelphia, and one-half to the children of John Gill of Philadelphia. The younger Lawrence Growden (brother of Elizabeth and Hannah) was a jurist and a merchant and served in the Pennsylvania Assembly during the 1730s. He boarded with his nephew Joseph Richardson, Sr., while doing business in Philadelphia.

John Hoskins and his wife, Mary, came from Cheshire, England, and were among the pioneer settlers of Chester, Pennsylvania. He was one of the original purchasers from William Penn, and obtained a warrant dated July 21, 1683, for 250 acres in Middletown Township. They had two children, John Hoskins, Jr. (1677-1716), who married in 1698 Ruth Atkinson (d. 1739), and Hannah Hoskins who married Charles Whitaker in 1698. John Jr. and Ruth had five children.

A later John Hoskins married Mary Raper. They had twelve children, including Ruth Hoskins (1756-1829), who married Joseph Richardson, Jr., on June 15, 1780, in Burlington, New Jersey. One of Ruth's brothers was Raper who was born April 1754 and died in 1798. He was married on May 2, 1781, to Eleanor Graham, daughter of Henry Hale Graham; they had five children.

John Howell, progenitor of the Howell family in America, was born in Wales, came to this country in 1692, and died in Philadelphia, January 26, 1721. His son, Jacob Howell (d.1786), married Sarah Vernon, August 17, 1709. Their son, Joseph Howell (February 6, 1718-November 6, 1790) was married in 1741 to Hannah Hudson, daughter of William and Mary Richardson Hudson. Joseph Howell was Overseer of the Poor in 1753. [The two copies of his will found in this collection do not corroborate the source material published in: Thomas Richardson of South Shields, Durham County, England, New York, 1929, p. 129.]

Arthur Howell, son of Joseph and Hannah Howell, was born October 20, 1748, and died January 26, 1816. He was married in 1778 to Mary Mott, daughter of Asker and Deborah Tallman Mott. Arthur Howell was a member of the Yellow Fever Relief Committee and a noted Quaker cleric.

James Howell was partner with Joseph Richardson, Jr. Presumably, he was also related to the Howells above. In a later generation, Elizabeth R. Richardson married a Howell, but it is not known if her husband was related to these earlier Howells. Whether or not there were earlier marriage ties between the families of Richardson and Howell, there were ties of friendship and business.

Edward Shippen (1639-1712) married the widow Rebeccaa Richardson in 1689. They then moved to Philadelphia and there Shippen and Rebecca raised her children from her first marriage. (Their only child, a daughter, died young.) It is said that he distinguished himself for three things: being the biggest man, owning the biggest house and having the biggest carriage in Philadelphia. Edward Shippen (1703-1781), grandson of Edward Shippen and son of Joseph Shippen, became a mayor of Philadelphia, and as a merchant he worked with Samuel Storke of London in the 1740s.

Samuel Taylor, brushmaker and son of John and Abigail Taylor, married Mary Richardson (1749-1835), the daughter of Joseph and Mary Allen Richardson, in 1781. Taylor died in September 1793. Samuel and Mary had two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. In his will, Samuel also named his brother, Thomas, as an heir.

Hannah Webb was the daughter of Joseph and Hannah Webb, of Gloucester, England; she came to this country in 1700. She married Nathaniel Allen on January 27, 1713, in Philadelphia. They had eight children, of whom six survived. One of the daughters, Mary Allen, became the second wife of Joseph Richardson, Sr.

Evidently, other members of the Webb family came to Pennsylvania as well. After the death of Joseph Webb, his widow, Hannah, married a John Lee. In 1714, the Lees were living in Concord, Chester County. (Perhaps the Lees brought the Webb children to Pennsylvania?)

Joseph Richardson, Sr., was asked to be executor of several estates belonging to people outside the immediate family, and records for those estates are preserved in this collection. Among those whose estates he administered were David Harper (d. 1761), Alexander Robertson (d. 1751), and Philip Hulbeart (d.ca. 1763). He also served as executor for family members, including in-laws.

The collection contains personal and business letters, recipe books, account books, leases and deeds, wills and estate inventories, some genealogical material, silhouettes (mostly hollow-cuts from the Peale Museum), stencils, printed books, and newspapers. Some of the material is from the Richardsons' silversmithing business, including an account book of Francis II, Joseph Sr.'s commonplace book, a few receipts, business letters and letter books, and inventories of goods. Other records were generated by the Richardsons' real estate interests. There are a number of accounts, copies of wills, and some inventories relating to the settlement of the estates of various people, both friends and members of the extended Richardson family.

Many of the receipts in the collection show the payment of taxes. Others record the purchase of clothing and shoes, coffins, medical services, building supplies, food items, school tuition, and other goods and services. Some of the items and medical services were noted as being for Negro servants.

In volume, the bulk of the collection relates not to the Richardsons themselves, but to the people who married into their family, particularly members of the Allen, Gibbons, and Webb families, but also Clark, Growden, Hoskins, Howell, Shippen, and Taylor. As well, there are papers from others, chiefly resulting from the settlement of estates for which Joseph Richardson, Sr., served as executor. There are also some stray individuals represented in the collection, perhaps more distant relations or perhaps family friends.

Box 1 houses manuscript volumes which, because of their size, could not be interfiled with the letters and other documents. Boxes 2-5 contain the bulk of the collection, arranged by family: first the Richardsons and then their related families, arranged in alphabetical order. At the end of Box 5 are several folders of miscellaneous materials which are not associated with the Richardsons or their allied families. Printed books are to found in Box 6. Boxes 7-9 house oversized materials. The items in Boxes 7 and 8 are arranged by family name, but those in Box 9 (chiefly deeds) are listed in chronological order.

None

Purchased from Philadelphia Antique Shop; transferred to the Downs Collection from the museum collection.

Joseph Richardson, Jr. account book, 1796-1801, microfilm reel 89, Downs Collection (original at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania).

Martha Gandy Fales' Richardson Family Research Papers, Col. 573, Downs Collection; also her book Joseph Richardson and Family: Philadelphia Silversmiths.

OVERVIEW OF THE COLLECTION Extent: 3 cu. ft. Date range: 1675-ca.1910 Related materials Joseph Richardson, Jr. account book, 1796-1801, microfilm reel 89, Downs Collection (original at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania). Martha Gandy Fales' Richardson Family Research Papers, Col. 573, Downs Collection; also her book Joseph Richardson and Family: Philadelphia Silversmiths. Creator: Richardson Family Title: Papers Dates: 1675-ca.1910 Call No.: Col. 602 Acc. No.: 53.165, 58×31 Quantity: 9 boxes, 3 volumes Location: 36 A 3-5

The Winterthur Library

The Joseph Downs Collection of Manuscripts and Printed Ephemera