Alice (Graves) Richmond and J. Richmond. Alice Graves is most likely John Richmond‘s first wife. I believe they married around 1870 and Alice must have died shortly thereafter because John Richmond married Anna Seelay on 27 Dec 1871.
John Richmond, by the way, was the youngest son of Dr. John Plaster Richmond, an early doctor, Methodist pastor, state assemblyman and state senator from Schuyler County. Dr. Richmond represented the state of Illinois in the Electoral College in the presidential election of 1856. Dr. Richmond first settled in the Schuyler County area in the mid-1830’s and later moved from Rushville to Pea Ridge TWP in Brown County and then to Dakota Territory about 1872.
I don’t know what became of John Richmond Jr. after he married Anna Seelay. It seems he was married four times in all and died in North Dakota about 1912.
Between 1840 and 1842 Dr. Richmond was an early missionary in the Oregon country. In fact, he and his family were the first American family to reside in what later became western Washington. Dr. Richmond and Lt. Charles Wilkes of the US Navy conducted the first official public Independence Day celebration on the west coast of what later became the United States. This was in 1841, five years before Great Britain gave up its claim to the land and six years before the Whitman massacre. The celebration was held on the grounds of Dr. Richmond‘s mission. In 1842 Dr. Richmond and his family returned to Illinois.
Dr. Richmond‘s first wife, America, died in Schuyler County in 1858 and is presumably buried there, probably with her two daughters from a previous marriage – Harriet and Martha Talley. Then about 1860 Dr. Richmond married Kitty Gristy who was undoubtedly related to the Brown County Gristy families.
My interest in Dr. Richmond and his family is two-fold. I am a member of the preservation committee for the old Nisqually Mission where Dr. Richmond served 1840-42. Right now the mission site lies under several tons of toxic waste dumped there by the Weyerhaeuser company. The waste sort of gets in the way of any further archeological investigation! The preservation committee has its work cut out for itself.
The other interest stems from my gr gr grandfather who was Dr. Richmond‘s brother.
Howe Cemetery, p99, Cemeteries of Brown County, Illinois
Alice, wife of J. Richmond, Dau of J. W. & F. Graves (13 Jul 1871, age 19 yrs, 8 mos, 3 days)
p 101
John W. Graves (1878, age 60 years) and Wife Fanny (1874, age 59 yrs) with 2 children. John (1863, age 19 yrs) and Alice, wife of J. Tichmond (1871, age 20 yrs) are buried here.
1870 Census, Pea Ridge TWP, Brown County, IL page 121
| Richmond, John P. | 58 | M | W | Farmer | born Maryland |
| Richmond, Kitta | 46 | F | W | Keeping House | born Kentucky |
| Richmond, America | 8 | F | W | born Illinois | |
| Richmond, Cora | 7 | F | W | born Illinois | |
| Richmond, Corona | 6 | F | W | born Illinois |
next door
| Richmond, John P. | 21 | M | W | born Illinois |
| Richmond, Allice | 18 | F | W | born Illinois |
| Grista, Joseph | * | M | W | born Illinois |
* Age 54, 57, or 51. Difficult to read.
Joseph’s last name was spelled Grista, but I assume it was Gristy. Alice was spelled Allice.
I should add that I have much additional data regarding the Richmond family unrelated to the time they lived in Brown County. I would be pleased to exchange data with others who are researching this Richmond line. This branch of the Richmond family migrated from Frederick County, MD. Dr. John Plaster Richmond came from a large family of seventeen children. Many of his siblings settled in and near Hannibal, MO. His uncle, Joseph Richmond, had a good sized family in Hittle TWP, Tazewell County, IL.
You may list my name, address, e-mail, and telephone number if you wish.
Sincerely,
Dave Axe
P.O. Box 858
Index, WA 98256
360) 793-2526
[email protected]