History

Below are excerpts from a book entitled, "The Descendants of Reverend William Richards"

I can no longer seem to get a hold of the author of the book, nor can I find mine after the 2006 Richards Reunion. It disappeared.

The Reverend William Richards was born between 1776/1786 in North Carolina or Maryland. The 1850 and 1860 Cherokee County , Georgia census records indicate his place of birth as North Carolina . However, in the 1880 Federal Census, two sons, Elijah in Missouri and Stephen in Georgia , gave their father's birthplace as Maryland .

It has been speculated that William might have been the son of the John Richards who was in Lincoln County , North Carolina in 1790 and Pendleton District , South Carolina in the 1810 Federal Census. The years following the American Revolution were prosperous for the Lincoln County area of North Carolina and attracted many pioneers. We know that William was in Lincoln County in 1805 when he married Dysey Cobb. He was in Oconee County , South Carolina in 1810. He joined the Conocross Baptist Church in the Pendleton District in 1811 (where Dysey's uncle, John S. Cobb was pastor), but had returned to Lincoln County by 1815.

Hebron Baptist Church in Lincoln County was organized at Abernathy Ferry on the Catawba River about 1792. William was licensed to preach by Hebron Baptist Church in 1815 and was ordained in 1818.

First Amendment to the Constitution.

Article I.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Those were exciting years for Baptists who had for centuries advocated complete separation of Church and State. Baptists believed there should be no combination of spiritual religion with a secular power. Now the First Amendment of the Constitution guaranteed religious liberty for all and opened the door for the missionary fervor that followed.

William Richards and many of his descendants were Missionary Baptist Ministers. As part of their missionary imperative, they helped found several churches in the southern states area. Their influence extended from North and South Carolina , into Alabama and Mississippi , and as far north as Virginia , West Virginia , and Kentucky .

William and his family were in Mecklenburg County , North Carolina in 1820 and in Iredell County in 1830. They were in Surry County in 1840. (The 1840 Surry County census lists 2 males 5-9, 2 males 10-14, 1 male 50-59, 2 females 15-19, 1 female 20-29, 1 female 50-59.)

William purchased land in Cherokee County , GA , December 31, 1844, saying he was 'of Surry County , North Carolina .' The land was located in the corner of present-day Cherokee County . When Pickens County was formed, the county line went down the northern edge of William's property, and there was only a half lot between him and Dawson County on the eastern side. Thus, although several of William's sons bought property adjoining his, they were in different counties.

The dates of birth and death of William's children are from the Roper Bible. It is uncertain whether this was originally the family Bible of William Richards or of his son, Stephen. The Bible passed from Stephen to Stephen's daughter, Martha Nancy Jane, who married Samuel Roper and then to Rev. Samuel Clyde Roper, their youngest son, born 1901. In 1980 while Clyde was in possession of the Bible, a genealogy class at Cherokee High School transcribed it. The transcription can be seen at the R.T. Jones Library in Canton , Georgia . Noted on the transcription, "Bible was very dim and hard to read." Clyde died in 1988 and passed the Bible to his son, Rev. Buddy Roper.

William was pastor of Four Mile Creek Baptist Church in Pickens County 1850-1855 and 1857-1858. His Will was recorded in Cherokee County Probate Court , Canton , Georgia , in June of 1858. He was serving as minister of Yellow Creek Baptist Church , when he died on 10 September 1866. He and Dysey are buried on the crest of a hill in Four Mile Baptist Church Cemetery . Their tombstones are of a weathered crystalline marble with striations that indicate it was from some of the first marble to be extracted from the Pickens County marble deposits. His epitaph is the last stanza of a hymn entitled "When I Am Gone," composed in 1850 by M.H. Turner.

1. Cynthia Richards, born 23 Oct 1805 in North Carolina . She died 23 January 1875 in Georgia . (Cynthia never married. In the 1870 Cherokee County census, she was in the home of Jacob Groover, listed as housekeeper.)

3. Rev. John R. Richards, born 4 March 1809 in North Carolina . He died 15 June 1864 in Cherokee County , Georgia .

4. Joab A. Richards, born 23 March 1811 in South Carolina . He died 29 September 1843 in Iredell County , North Carolina .

5. William M. Richards, M.D., born 13 October 1812 in South Carolina . He died between 1855 and 1860 in Roanoke County , Virginia .

6. Nellie C. Richards, born 8 March 1815 in North Carolina . She died after 1874.

7. Starling Richards, born 24 March 1817 in North Carolina . He died 2 February 1853 in Bollinger County , Missouri .

8. Rev. Jeptha Joseph Richards, born in 14 September 1819 in North Carolina . He died March 1880 in Lee County, Mississippi.

9. Stephen Richards, born 5 December 1821 in North Carolina . He died 14 June 1892 in Georgia .

10. Mary Ann Richards, born 5 March 1824 in North Carolina . She died 23 January 1886 in Alcom County , Mississippi .

11. Rev. Alexander W. Richards, born 29 December 1925 in Mecklenburg County , North Carolina . He died 29 January 1913 in Pickens County , Georgia .

12. Rev. James Anderson Richards, born June 1828 in North Carolina . He died 5 August 1899 in Gwinnett County , Georgia .

Dysey Cobb was born April 6, 1788 in Lincoln County , North Carolina . She was the daughter of William Cobb and Mary 'Polly' Abernathy. Her marriage to William Richards was recorded June 15, 1805 in Lincoln County .

Dysey's father, William Cobb, was the son of Ambrose Cobb and his wife Sarah. Ambrose Cobb was born in 1729, Bruton Parish, York County , Virginia and died in Lincoln County , North Carolina about 1797. William Cobb married Mary 'Polly' Abernathy August 7, 1787 in Lincoln County . The Abernathys to be found in Lincoln County were from an English/Scottish ancestor who had been indentured in the mid- 1600's to the Virginia colonies. His descendants remained in the Virginias until the summer of 1768 when a large part of the family relocated to Mecklenburg County , North Carolina . From Mecklenburg, they migrated to Lincoln County .

Dysey's parents and most of her sisters and brothers moved to Cape Girardeau , Missouri between 1820 and 1830. William Cobb is listed in the 1830 Cape Girardeau , Missouri census, Pg. 466: William Cobb, 1M 50-60, 1F 15-20, 1F 20-30, 1F 60-70. In the next household is their son, Walter Cobb, who has 1M 5-10, 1M 30-40, 1F under 5, 2F 5-10, 1F 20.

In 1833, a cholera epidemic swept Missouri. Dysey's father, her brother Starling, and sisters Nancy and Jane, all died within a few weeks of each other.

An examination of the estate papers of William Cobb reveals: William Cobb was born 1765 in Virginia and died in July 1833 in Cape Girardeau , Missouri. He married Mary 'Polly' Abernathy August 7, 1787 in Lincoln County , North Carolina . Polly died in Missouri sometime after July1833. Their children were: (1) Dysey who married William Richards and moved to Georgia, (2) Walter who married Isabella Cox and moved to Missouri, (3) Starling who married Nancy Penny (died in Missouri in July 1833), (4) Ambrose born 1833 (no further record), (5) Sally who married James Cox and moved to Missouri, (6) Stephen who married Lovey Steeley and moved to Missouri, (7) Phillip B. married Eliza 'Louisa' Penny and moved to Missouri, (8) Polly who married Unk. Quick and moved to Missouri , (9) Copa moved to Missouri (no further record), (10) Nancy died in Missouri in July 1833, (11) Jane married Unk. Hancil, (died in Missouri in 1833), (12) William, Jr. was living in Illinois in July 1833 (no further record).

The spelling of Dysey's name is from her tombstone. It is spelled 'Dizey' in the Roper Bible. In the estate administration papers of her father, she was referred to as Doza Cobb Richards, of North Carolina .

Elijah Richards, 'Eli,' was born June 10, 1807, in North Carolina , the son of Reverend William Richards and Dysey Cobb Richards. He died in September 1881 in Bollinger County , Missouri and is buried in Pulliam Cemetery , Scopus, Bollinger County , Missouri .

In the early 1800's, many Lincoln County families left North Carolina and went to Cape Girardeau County , Missouri . In 1797, George Frederick Bollinger received a 640-acre land grant from Don Louis Lorimier, the Spanish commandant at Cape Girardeau . Bollinger agreed to develop the land and to bring more settlers from the east. In 1800, about twenty families from North Carolina relocated to Southeast Missouri, settling along the banks of the Whitewater River . Several other families from Lincoln County followed over the next thirty years, among them Dysey's parents and most of their children.

Elijah and his brother Starling followed their grandparents to Missouri (probably after the death of their grandfather). He is enumerated in the 1840 Cape Girardeau census as one male, age 20 to 29. Elijah married Susanna Bollinger "Suzan", daughter of William Bollinger Sr. and Mary Magdalean Hahn, in 1841 in Cape Girardeau , Missouri . Suzan was born on 29 January 1823 in Missouri . She died in April 1911 in Bollinger County , Missouri and was buried in Pulliam Cemetery , Scopus, Bollinger County , Missouri .

Elijah and his family are listed in the 1850 Cape Girardeau census. In 1851, Bollinger County , Missouri was formed from parts of Cape Girardeau , Madison , Stoddard, and Wayne Counties . In the 1880 federal census, German Twp, Bollinger, Missouri, Page 454A: Eli Richards, 73, born NC, Fa: MD, Mo: NC (Occupation: Farmer); Susan Richards (wife), age 57, born MO, Fa: NC, Mo: NC; James Richards (son), age 19, born MO; Bell Richards (dau), age 15, born MO; Fredrich Richards (grandson), age 12, born MO; Sarah Thomas (dau), age 27, born MO; John Thomas (grandson), age 4, born MO.

1. William Richards was born on 29 Oct 1842 in Missouri . William married Mary N. Whybark "Polly", daughter of Joshua Whybark and Mary Limbaugh, on 2 Sep 1866. Polly was born about 1837 in Missouri . William and Polly were in Bollinger County in 1870 ( Bollinger County , German Township , Roll 759, Book 1, Pg. 368). In 1880, their son Frederick was living with his grandparents, Eli and Susanna Richards. William and Polly had the following children:

11 M i. Frederick Eli Richards was born in 1867 in Lutesville , Missouri and died in 1915. Frederick married Mary Caroline Johnson, daughter of William Johnson and Mary Cozier. Mary was born in 1871 in Missouri .

2. Daniel Frederick Richards was born on 20 Nov 1844 in Missouri . Daniel married Martha Alice Tyler on 27 Oct 1875 in Jefferson County , Missouri . Martha was born in 25 Sep 1853 in Jefferson County , Missouri , the daughter of Benjamin Franklin Tyler and Mary Alice Bryan. She died in Nov 1929. Daniel and Martha had the following children:

3. Mary Elizabeth Richards was born on 20 Nov 1844 in Missouri . Mary married Daniel Killian, son of Jacob Killian and Priscilla Hahn, on 9 Feb 1868. Daniel was born in 1849 in Lincoln County , North Carolina . They had the following children:

5. Anna Catherine Richards was born on 28 Jul 1852 in Missouri . Anna married Jacob James on 23 May 1872. Jacob was born in 1850 in Cape Girardeau , Missouri . He was the son of Ransom L. James and Francis Shrum. Anna Catherine and Jacob had the following children:

20 M ii. Moses A. James was born in 1878 in Missouri . Moses married Margania Limbaugh 14 Aug 1904 in Bollinger County , Missouri .

6. Sarah Magdalene Richards was born on 28 Jul 1852 in Missouri . Sarah married John Thomas on 4 Oct 1874. John died before 1880 in Missouri . They had the following child:

7. Susan Pernice Richards was born on 14 Sep 1856 in Missouri . Susan married Lafayette W. Holt on 9 Sep 1875. Lafayette was born i4 Jun 1853 in Calloway County , Kentucky . He was the son of Nicholas Holt and Lucy Frances Donaldson. They had the following children:

8. Amzie Clingman Richards was born on 19 Mar 1860 in Missouri . He died 15 Feb 1928 in Zalma, Bollinger County , Missouri . He was buried in Balch Cemetery , Bollinger County . Amzie married Myra Susan Hanners on 10 Jan 1882 in Bollinger County , Missouri . Myra was born on 21 Oct 1863 in Scopus, Bollinger County , Missouri . She died on 11 Nov 1933 in Missouri and was buried in Balch Cemetery , Bollinger County , Missouri . They had the following children:

Collins Cemetery , Bollinger County , Missouri . Hattie married John Newell.

26 F ii. Mary Catherine Richards was born on 12 Dec 1885 in Missouri . She was buried in Kankakee , Illinois . Mary Catherine married Albert Perkins.

27 M iii. John Eli Richards was born on 13 Sep 1886 in Missouri and died on 22 Feb 1973. John married Emma Myrtle Borders, daughter of William Borders and Mary Alsie Long. Emma was born 5 May 1891 in Sturdivant , Missouri .

28 M iv. William Franklin Richards was born on 15 May 1891 in Missouri and was buried in Pulliam Cemetery , Scopus, Bollinger County , Missouri .

29 M v. Ruben Lee Richards was born on 15 Feb 1895 in Missouri . He was buried in Cane Creek Cemetery . Ruben married Alice Eaker.

30 F vi. Mandy Francis Richards was born on 7 Dec 1898 in Missouri . He was buried in St. Louis . Mandy married Clarence Blair.

31 M vii. James Jacob Richards was born on 9 Sep 1899 in Bollinger County , Missouri .

32 F viii. Susan Elizabeth Richards was born on 9 Sep 1899 in Bollinger County , Missouri . Susan married Rev. William Roberts.

33 F ix. Alma Mae Richards was born on 21 Apr 1908 in Bollinger County , Missouri . She died 16 Dec 1983 in Texas . In 1922, Alma married Charles Herbert Whitehead born 1898 in Missouri .

9. James Anderson Richards was born on 19 Mar 1860 in Missouri . He died 25 Jan 1917. James married Martha Jane Richards, daughter of Clayborn Richards and Jane F. Martha was born on 7 Mar 1867. She died on 31 Aug 1918. They had the following children:

10. Isabella Richards was born on 14 Sep 1864 in Missouri . She died on 30 Oct 1943 in Missouri . Isabella married Columbus J. Drum, son of Calvin Drum and Hannah Fulbright, on 22 Sep 1886 in Cape Girardeau County , Missouri . Columbus was born on 10 Sep 1861 in Cape Girardeau County , Missouri . He died on 31 Jan 1934 in Missouri . They had the following children:

41 F i. Willie Drum was born on 8 Jul 1887 in Cape Girardeau County , Missouri . She died on 27 Nov 1966 in Missouri . Willie married James Albert Shell on 25 Dec 1904 in Bollinger County , Missouri . James was born on 11 Jun 1887.

42 M ii. Oscar Calvin Drum was born in Dec 1888 in Bollinger County , Missouri . He died on 6 May 1955. Oscar married (1) Grace Ford. Grace was born in 1891. She died on 3 Mar 1926. Oscar also married (2) Grace Day Browning in 1918. Grace was born on 1 Jan 1893 in Cape Girardeau County , Missouri . She died on 1 Oct 1968 in Cape Girardeau County , Missouri .