Richardson Family Collection, 1867-2004

Vault A45, Richardson, Unit 1

 EXTENT: 5 containers; portrait [stored unboxed]

ORGANIZATION AND ARRANGEMENT: Three series: I: Richardson family papers and ephemera, 1867-1986 and undated; II: Richardson and related families and Concord-related photographs, [ca. 1860s]-1970 and undated; III: Books, artifacts, portraits, 1841-[ca. 1900] and undated.

BIOGRAPHIES:

C.O. Richardson was co-proprietor with Lewis McIntosh of H. Richardson & Co., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (established 1840).

Henry P. Richardson was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 28 September 1820; died [1866-1867]. He was married to Caroline O. Eaton.

Henry Preston Richardson, was born 15 January 1866 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and died 30 March 1939, Concord, Massachusetts. In 1883 he married Maria Rebecca Smith and is listed in Concord vital records as a farmer and a grocer. Henry and Maria’s children were Joseph Smith Richardson (b.1884), Jeanie Noyes Richardson (b.1886), Wilbur Preston Richardson (b.1888) and Laurence Eaton Richardson (b.1893)

Joseph Smith Richardson was born in Concord, Massachusetts on 5 January 1884, the son of Henry Preston and Maria (Smith) Richardson and brother of Laurence Eaton Richardson. Married to Gladys Spencer, they had two sons and a daughter. (Their son, Frederick Richardson, was the donor of this collection). Joseph Richardson’s military service includes five years as Sergeant, Battery A, Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, prior to World War I. When the war began, he went to France as a civilian to serve with the French Ambulance Corps. When the United States entered the war in 1917, he was inducted as a 1st Lieutenant, Battery B, 5^th Regiment Field Artillery, France. Mr. Richardson was a member of the Social Circle in Concord (elected 1932).  He died in 1955.

Laurence Eaton Richardson was born in Concord, Massachusetts on 10 December 1893, the son of Henry Preston and Maria (Smith) Richardson. He attended Concord Public Schools and graduated from Harvard College in 1916. Mr. Richardson served as a U.S. Army Captain with the military police during World War I and in France during World War II as a 2nd Lieutenant with the 101^st Field Artillery. A lifelong Concord resident, he was active in town government and community organizations. He wrote several volumes on Concord history, including Concord River (1964) and The Concord Independent Battery (1973). Laurence Richardson was married to Anne (Weed) Richardson and together they had three daughters. Both Laurence and Anne Richardson died in 1985.

SCOPE & CONTENT: An eclectic collection of materials generated and collected by the Richardson family and related families (Smith and Eaton). Series I consists of materials relating to four generations of the Richardson family, including a photocopy of H. Richardson & Co. catalogue; resolutions upon the death of Henry Richardson from various Masonic lodges (1867); photographs and documents relating to Joseph S. Richardson’s military service, particularly his service during World War I, as well his death in 1955. Also included are Miss Emma Smith’s invitation to the Sesquicentennial of the Social Circle of Concord and associated materials (1932), materials relating to a production of Arsenic and Old Lace in 1949, materials relating to Civil Defense in Concord (1951), an obituary and article on the death of Anne (Weed) Richardson (1985) and a variety of Richardson family ephemera. The photographs in Series II include both Richardson family and Concord-related photographs. Books in Series III include a bible owned by Lorenzo Eaton (1841) that contains selected Eaton family vital records dated 1815 to 1901; artifacts include an Addison Grant Fay pencil and two portraits of Henry P. Richardson, 1820-[1866-67].

SOURCE OF ACQUISITION: Donated by Mr. and Mrs. Frederick S. Richardson, January 2006.

PROCESSED BY: C. Manoli-Skocay, April 2006; finding aid created May 2006; rev. Dec. 2006; rev. Apr. 2013; rev. March 2014.

 

Container List

Series I: Richardson Family Papers and Ephemera, 1867-1986 and undated

  Box 1, Folder 1: Catalogue, undated

H. Richardson & Co., Pittsburg, PA, established 1840, undated (photocopy).

Box 1, Folder 2: Henry Richardson, 1867

Resolutions upon the death of Henry Richardson from various Masonic Lodges, Pittsburgh, PA., 1867.

Box 1, Folder 3: Materials relating to Joseph S. Richardson’s military service, 1914-1919 and undated
Discharge statement, Joseph S. Richardson from the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, May 1914; photograph: Ben Ticknor, Sam Hoar, Clement Royal Ford, Joe Murray, Joseph S. Richardson (in uniform), undated, [ca. 1917-1919]; letter from Richard R. McCormick to Joseph S. Richardson, 30 May 1919; narrative of incident involving Joseph S. Richardson by Gordon McKenzie, undated (manuscript and typescript).

Box 1, Folder 4: Materials relating to the Social Circle Sesquicentennial, 1932-1933
Program, “The One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Social Circle in Concord, Massachusetts,” 10 May 1932, (Miss Emma F. Smith); Charles W. Hutchinson, M.D., “The Concord of 1932,” 13 May 1932 (mimeographed copy); Social Circle meeting announcement, 14 April 1933 (mimeographed copy).

Box 1, Folder 5: Ephemera relating to Joseph S. Richardson, 1941-1955 and undated
Official Police Pass for War Emergencies, ca.1941-1945, belonging to Joseph S. Richardson; play script, After the Fog Lifts, 1949; Massachusetts driver’s license belonging to Joseph S. Richardson, 1955; calling cards belonging to Joseph Smith Richardson, undated;  invitation to exhibit of paintings by Elizabeth Wentworth Roberts, undated; unidentified notes, undated.

Box 1 Folder 6: Materials relating to a production of Arsenic and Old Lace, Concord, Mass., 1949
Photographs; photocopy of program (related to Frederick Richardson); notes, 1949.

Box 1, Folder 7: Materials relating to Civil Defense in Concord, 1951 and undated
Department of the Air Force, Ground Observer’s Guide, 1951; armband, “Warden, Civil Defense, Concord, Mass.”

Box 1, Folder 8: Materials relating to the death of Joseph S. Richardson, 1955
Obituary: Joseph Richardson, 28 September 1955; eulogy for Joseph Smith Richardson, First Parish Church, 27 September 1955; obituary: Joseph Richardson, undated; letters: to Gladys Richardson from Philip J. Philbin, 30 September 1955; to Gladys Richardson from John W. Teele, 6 October 1955; to Gladys Richardson from Egbert S. Newbery, undated; to Frederick S. Richardson from Edward P. Daniels, 2 October 1955.

Box 1, Folder 9: Anne (Weed) Richardson, 1985
Article and obituary, Concord Journal, “Concord woman dies in nursing home fire” 31 January 1985; letter from Roddy Snelling to Fred Richardson on death of Anne Richardson, 5 February 1985.

Box 1, Folder 10: Ephemera, 1877-1916 and undated
Receipt: Robert Richardson, for rental of Town Hall, 26 April 1877; roster: Concord Artillery, Company 1, Sixth Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry, 1898; Tickets (two) for Middlesex & Boston Street Railway, undated; National Geographic Magazine, September 1916.

Box 1, Folder 11: Ephemera, 1936-1939 and undated
Booklets relating to home heating, 1936; advertising cards and calendars, 1937-1939 and undated.

Box 1, Folder 12: Ephemera, 1947
Anthracite Institute Merchandising School, 1947.

Box 1, Folder 13: Ephemera, 1950-1986 and undated
Packet of materials relating to the purchase of a Raleigh bicycle by Fred Richardson, 1950; brochure: A New Bridge for Lowell Road, Concord, Massachusetts, March 1964; greeting card, undated; envelope: Concord National Bank, Concord, Massachusetts (includes Concord advertising), undated.

Newspapers: Concord Journal, 12 May 1977 (please request microfilm); Concord Journal, 11 April 1985 (please request microfilm); Concord Journal, 6 February 1986; newspaper article: “Box Bomb Defused at Concord,” undated (unknown newspaper).

Box 2: Joseph S. Richardson documents, 1906-1932 (oversize)
Certificate of Admittance to the Third Degree of Masonry, Corinthians Lodge, Concord, Massachusetts, 7 May 1906; Certificate of Admittance as Royal Arch Mason, Royal Arch Chapter, Concord, Massachusetts, 4 February 1907; Certificate of Promotion to Corporal, Battery A, First Battalion Field Artillery of the Militia of Massachusetts, 20 April 1912; Certificate of Promotion to Sergeant of Battery A, First Battalion Field Artillery of the Militia of Massachusetts, 28 February 1913; Certificate of Qualification in Theoretical Work as 2nd Lieutenant of Field Artillery, The Service Schools, Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, 30 June 1914; Certificate of Commission, President of the United States, Officers Reserve Corps of the Army of the United States, 22 August 1917 (and envelope); Certificate of Life Membership, Corinthian Lodge, Concord, Massachusetts, 14 March 1932.

Series II: Richardson and related families and Concord-related photographs [ca. 1860s]-1970 and undated

Box 3, Folder 1: Smith Family Portrait
Photographed copy of Smith family portrait, undated [ca. 1860s].

Box 3, Folder 2: Richardson Family Photographs, 1886-1939 and undated
Robert E. Richardson (in military attire, with horse), undated; Joseph Smith Richardson (at Aunt Mary Eaton’s on Monument St.), ca. 1886; Joseph S. Richardson, [ca. 1891]; Joseph S. Richardson, high school graduation picture, 1900; Joseph S. Richardson, ca. 1912(?); Joseph S. Richardson, Jeanie N. Richardson, Wilbur P. Richardson, June 1893; H.P. Richardson, 1939; Henry P. Richardson at 95 Main St., undated; Henry P. Richardson at Lime Quarry, Estabrook Woods, Concord, undated; Henry P. Richardson, Hill Burying Ground, Concord, undated; Sudbury River at Martha’s Point: Harry Eaton, Jack Eaton, Robert Gage, Robert Goodwin, Joseph S. Richardson, D. Ripley Gage, Richard Eaton(?), DeHart Houston, undated; Henry P. Richardson, Jaffrey, NH, undated.

Box 3, Folder 3: Joseph S. Richardson, 1913/14-1918 and undated
Various images of Joseph S. Richardson in military uniform: on maneuvers, Wareham, Mass., ca. 1913-14; serving in France, 21 November 1917 (postcard); outside 95 Main St. house, 1918; Joseph S. Richardson, undated.

Box 3, Folder 4: 95 Main Street House, undated
Richardson House, 95 Main Street: Concord, undated; northeast room, undated;

northwest room, undated; Gertrude Todd, Sue Dyer, Maria Richardson at 95 Main Street house, undated (three images).

Box 3, Folder 5: Richardson & Smith Family Farms, undated
Smith Farm, Strawberry Hill Rd., Concord (landscape), undated; Smith Farm, Strawberry Hill Rd., Concord (J.A. Smith haying), undated; Smith Farm, family on steps of house: Martha Smith, Maria Rebecca Smith (Richardson), Louise Smith Scott, Sue Dyer, Aunt Kitty Tolman Smith, Rebecca Smith, Lawrence Eaton Richardson, Paul Smith, undated (two images); H.P. Richardson Farm, Lowell Rd., Concord, Mass., undated; Brooks Farm, built by Seth Brooks, (Acton, Mass.?), undated; unidentified barn, undated.

Box 3, Folder 6: Miscellaneous People (mostly Concord), undated
Camp on river, opposite Martha’s Point, Concord, Mass., Constance Binney, Benjamin Ticknor, Clement R. Ford, Peggy Bourquin? (Pittsburg), Augusta Cobb, Joseph S. Richardson, unknown, Betty Dumaine, Laurence E. Richardson, undated; Isabella Eaton, Alfred Carter, Nelly Carter, Jack Eaton, undated; Ben Ticknor, undated; unidentified location, undated.

Box 3, Folder 7: Fenn School photographs, 1929 & 1942
Photograph of Fenn School Class of 1929, students include Peter H. Richardson (in The Fenn Bulletin, Fall 2004); photograph of Fenn School Class of 1942, students include Frederick Richardson.

Box 3, Folder 8: Concord Centennial Celebration, 1875
President Grant and cabinet members, 1875; Cattle Show building, 1875.

Box 3, Folder 9: Concord, Spanish-American War and WWI-related images, [ca. 1898] and 1917
Volunteers (majority female), Veteran’s Building, Thoreau St., [ca. 1898] (A.W. Hosmer photograph); volunteers (male, in uniform), Veteran’s Building, Thoreau St.,[ca. 1898]  (A.W. Hosmer photograph); volunteers for Spanish-American War, Veteran’s Building, Thoreau St., undated (A.W. Hosmer photograph); Concord Company off to war, 24 August 1917 (Sarah E. Wheeler photograph).

Box 3, Folder 10: Concord Streetscapes and Landscapes, undated
Dam of Spencer Brook, Angier’s Mill Dam, off Barrett’s Mill Road, (A.W. Hosmer photograph), undated; Angier’s Mill Dam (Alfred Munroe photograph), undated; Wright Tavern, Unitarian Church, undated; from Main St., back of house on River St., undated; Main St., (vicinity of Anderson Market building), undated; Main St., (with dog), undated; Main St., undated; Monument St. (?), undated; Monument Square (photo and negative), undated.

Box 3, Folder 11: Concord Structures, undated
Shepherd Tavern (Wheeler House at Concord Academy), Main St., undated; Block House, Main St., undated; Block House, now (1970) on Lowell Road (Allen French), undated (two copies); 62 Main St., undated; corner Nashawtuc Rd. and Main St., undated; Thomas Todd House, 97 Main St., undated; Ripley School, old High School (moved from Sudbury Rd. to Hubbard St)., undated; Emerson School, Stow St., undated; High School, Stow St., undated; Monument Street, (across from Aunt Mary Eaton’s), undated; Stone Cottage, Monument St., undated; Monument at Old North Bridge, undated; Tolman House, Lexington Rd., undated; The Wayside, Lexington Rd., undated; Hubbard House (Ebenezer Hubbard), Hubbard St., undated; Gage’s House, Elm St., undated; Mortuary Chapel (tool house), Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, undated; Masonic Lodge (old Fire House), Monument Square, undated; Town House, Monument Square, undated; Wright Tavern, undated (two images); First Parish Church (and negative), undated.

Box 3, Folder 12: Outside Concord, 1872, [ca. 1898] and undated
Boston Fire, 1872; Gunboat Concord (Spanish-American War), undated; Parade, Battery A, Massachusetts Avenue at Commonwealth Ave., Boston, Mass., undated (two images).

Box 3, Folder 13: Various unidentified photographs, undated

Series III: Books, Artifacts and Portraits, 1841-[ca. 1900] and undated

Box 4: Books
Holy Bible, 1841 (owned by Lorenzo Eaton, with selected Eaton family vital records dated 1815 to 1901); The Emerson Birthday Book, 1881 (owned by Gladys Spencer Richardson); Alfred W. Hosmer, On Concord River, Concord, Mass., undated.

Box 4: Artifacts
Pencil, A.G. Fay, Concord, Mass., [ca. 1846-1854]; Beaver hat, [ca. 1900] (Made by Roddy Snellings’s father from a beaver trapped on the Concord River); thermometer, Whitney Coal & Oil Co., Inc., undated; “Concord” button, undated.

Box 5: Portrait of Henry Richardson (1820- [ca. 1866-67]), undated.

Vault (unboxed): Portrait of Henry P. Richardson (1820- [ca. 1866-67]), undated.

 

©2006-©2014 Concord Free Public Library, Concord, Mass.; rev. Dec. 2006; rev. 13 Apr. 2013; rev. 7 April 2014.
Not to be reproduced in any form without permission of the Curator of Special Collections, Concord Free Public Library.

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Mounted 10th May 2006. rcwh.