Robert Richardson

As printed in 1890

Robert Richardson, farmer and stock-raiser, Elwell, Iowa. Story County is acknowledged by all to be one of the best agricultural portions of the State, and as such its citizens are men of advanced ideas and considerable prominence. A worthy man among this class is found in the person of Mr. Richardson, who was born in Vermont on July 31, 1827, and is the second of twelve children, only four of whom are now living: John (is engaged in farming in Custer County, Neb., and was married to Miss Eliza Duudas), Harvey, is an agriculturist of Cambridge, Iowa, and was married to Miss Margaret Eggleson), Levi (is a farmer and stock-raiser of Nebraska, and was married to Miss Emma Armstrong). Four of those deceased were between the ages of twenty-four and thirty-eight years. The father and mother were natives of Vermont, and both are now deceased. Robert Richardson obtained his early education in the old subscription schools of Ohio, and commenced life for himself at the age of twenty-two years. He was married on November 11, 1854, to Miss Mary E. Armstrong, a native of Illinois, born in 1836, and to this union were born ten

Tv* children — five sons and five daughters: Alice (died at the age of twenty-two years, was the wife of Charles Tillotson ), Ella ( married Smith Payne, a merchant, and resides in Elwell, Iowa), Frank B. (resides in Story County, and is the husband of Miss Jane Gamble), Hattie (married Ned Perry, a merchant of Indianola, Iowa, where she now resides), William (single and is a merchant of Elwell, Iowa), Edgar G. (who died at the age of twenty-one years, three months and twenty-one days, while on his way to college; he was a very bright and intelligent young man, and would have taken a finished course of education had he been spared), Charles R. (is a farmer and stock-raiser and resides on the homestead), Bessie (resides at home, and is fitting herself for a school teacher), Erne (is attending the home school), and Vevie (is the baby of the house). Mr. Richardson has always been a stalwart Republican, and his first presidential vote was cast for John P. Hale, of the old Abolition party. He has been justice of the peace of this township about six years, and has held the position of school director for a number of years. He and wife are members of the Evangelical Church, and he has been active in Sunday-school work for thirty-five years, a record of which Mr. Richardson may well be proud. He and wife emigrated direct from Rock Island County, Ill., to Story County in 1861, and settled on their present homestead, where they have witnessed the rapid development of the country. Mr. Richardson is the owner of 1,170 acres of well-improved land, and is the largest real estate owner in the township, if not in the county. He and wife have enough of this world's goods to make them comfortable and happy the remainder of their days, and can reflect with satisfaction that it is their own hard work and labor which have placed them in their comfortable position.

As printed in Biographical and historical memoirs of Story County, Iowa (1890). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.