Judge Samuel Richardson

Samuel Richardson came to Philadelphia from Jamaica, 1687, with his wife Eleanor and their children, bringing a certificate from the Monthly Meeting at Spanish Town, Island of Jamaica, which he produced at Philadelphia Monthly Meeting, "ye 10th. of ye 3d. Mo. 1687."

It is probable that Samuel Richardson had resided but a short time on the island and since he was living in London in 1673, he is believed to have been the Samuel Richardson mentioned in Besse's "Sufferings of the Quakers," as having been arrested at the Peel Meeting, in London, 1670, and fined for attending nonconformist meetings. He was a man of strong personality and more than ordinary executive ability, and became at once prominent in the affairs of Penn's infant colony. He was appointed a Judge of the Courts of Philadelphia, January 12, 1688, and filled that position for sixteen years. He was elected to the Governor's Council, 1688, and being an ardent champion of the people, as opposed to the dictatorial attitude of Dep. Gov. Blackwell, expressed himself rather warmly in criticism of some of the acts of the Governor, by reason of which an effort was made to prevent him from taking his seat in the Council, and a writ was issued for the election of a successor. This resulted, however, in his return by a vote of the people, February 8, 1688-9, and though some opposition was offered to his taking the oath, he and his friends overcame the opposition and he took his seat in the Council. He was again returned to Council, 1695, and was one of the active and influential members of that body. He served as one of the committee of twelve to whom was referred the demand of Col. Fletcher, Governor of New York,

that Pennsylvania furnish her quota of men and means to defend the common frontier against the Indians of the northwest, and made the report of that committee to Council. He was a member of Colonial Assembly from Philadelphia for the years 1691-94-97-1703-06-07-09.

He has the distinction of being "The first alderman of Philadelphia," having been appointed to that office by Penn at the head of a list of six when the city was first chartered in 1691.

Samuel Richardson lived until about 1705 on a tract of 500 acres of land lying along the line of Germantown, in what was then known as Bristol township, Philadelphia county, which he later conveyed in trust, for the use of his grandson, John Richardson.

It has been said that, at one time, Samuel owned 5880 acres in Pennsylvania. This included land in Providence by the Perkiomen. A dau., Elizabeth married Abraham Bickley and was conveyed 1000 acres on the Perkiomen.

Eleanor, wife of Samuel Richardson, died April 19, 1703, and on July 20, 1704, he married Elizabeth Webb, and removed to the city of Philadelphia. He was elected an Alderman in 1705, and served until his death, June 10, 1719.

(no children by second wife)

SEE: The autobiography of a Pennsylvanian by Samuel Whitaker Pennypacker
Chapter I

https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_autobiography_of_a_Pennsylvanian...

"My grandmother, through her mother, Mary Lane, had her part in a great pedigree. The name of Lane occurs in Battle Abbey. Edward Lane, to whom William Penn frequently refers in terms of friendship and to whom he entrusted some correspondence to be brought across the Atlantic, son of William Lane of Bristol, England, lived on the Perkiomen, where he owned seven thousand five hundred acres of land and where he founded St. James' Episcopal Church He married Ann, daughter of Samuel Richardson' member of assembly, provincial councillor, judge of the Philadelphia court of common pleas and the first alderman of that city. Next to Samuel Carpenter, he (SAMUEL RICHARDSON) was the richest man there and owned all of the land on the north side of Market Street from Second Street to the river. George Keith said he was lascivious, but Keith was a very bitter partisan with a long tongue. He had only one son, Joseph, who also went to the Perkiomen where he bought one thousand acres at the junction of that creek and the Schuylkill, in a region bearing the Indian name of Olethgo. There was another intermarriage. Sarah Richardson, the granddaughter of Joseph, married Edward Lane, who had fought under Braddock, the grandson of Edward. The Friends' Meeting records of Gwynedd say that he had another wife, a statement hinting at a long forgotten scandal which cannot now be probed. Mary Lane was their daughter. When Joseph Richardson married Elizabeth, the daughter of John Bevan, in 1696, there was an elaborate settlement recorded in Philadelphia in which lands and £200 in money were given them by their fathers. '

Source:

1. Pioneer and Patriot Families of Bradford County PA, Pg 284
2. https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Historical_and_biographical_sketches...

_________________ http://www.usgwarchives.org/pa/montgomery/stjamesperkiomen/richards...

• Updated from WikiTree by SmartCopy: Oct 20 2014, 20:46:43 UTC

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https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/167951480/samuel-richardson

Came to Philadelphia from Jamica in 1687 with Elinor and children. They were Quakers and members of the Spanish Town Island MM and brought certificate with them for transfer. Produced certificate on 03mon/May 10/1687. Besse's "Book of Suffering" mentions a Samuel Richardson arrested at Peel's MM in London. Appointed Judge of Courts of Philadelphia on Jan 12, 1688(OS/NS?) and held this position for 16 years. Please look at records posted here for more concerning him.

dates for him are OS.