The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-10-25
THE RICHARDSON FAMILY.

HE RlCHAKDSON FAMILY.
Jas. Richardson came to Oxford about
1890, purchased large tract of mead
ow below Oxford street and there erect
ed large, square, old fashioned house,
that is still standing. He married Sarah
eldest daughter of Phineas Bailey of
Fairlee, who died in 1859 at Oxford, at
the advanced age of eighty-seven. Mr..
Richardson was a large stock raiser
even for those times and used to drive
his own cattle to market. The chill
dren of these parents were Joel, James
who moved to Arkansas and returning
died at Oxford, and Rhoda who mar
ried Russell Hoyt and lived at Crafts
bury, VT. Joel Richardson succeeded
to the paternal acres and also owned
and operated a saw and grist mill. He
married Sarah Bailey of Fairlce, VT,
and three children were born to them,
viz James B., the late Francis Rich
ardson who, died at St. Johnsbury, VT,
in 1894, and Kate Richardson. James
N. Richardson one of the two children
of Francis is student at Dart
mouth, having graduated at St. Johns
bury as valedictorian Of the class of'o5.
1t will be noticed that James is fam
lily name represented in four success
sive generations.
lanes B. Richardson was born at
the old homestead in Oxford in 1882;
and has vivid recollection of his first
visit to Boston at the age of eleven
he helped hired man drive drove of
his fathers cattle to Brighton market,
going about twenty miles per day, and
turning out the cattle in fall feed at
night. That was the era of the stage
coach and the frequent hotel, with
liquid refreshments. James enjoyed for
time the inspiring instruction of Hi
ram circuit at Thetford Academy, com
: pleted his academic studies at Oxford
: Academy and entered Yale in 1858,
but soon left on account of Illness and
graduated from Dartmouth in 1857;
read law with Hon. H. A. Bellows in
1858, went to Boston in 1860, began
the practice of law and continued until
he was appointed judge of the supreme
: court of Massachusetts, in 1892. he
made specially of mercantile law.
He married Lucy, daughter of Augustus
A. Gould of Boston, in 1865. The next
! year he was elected member of the
! legislature from his ward; he was
member of the city council in 1878.
y He with two others were appointed IN
1884 as commissioners to revise the
charter of the city or Boston; and he
was corporation counsel of Boston in
e $4,000; he was appointed as re-
II publican by Gov. VIM. E. Russell, a
Justice of the superior court of the com
monwealth in 1892, position which
n he still holds. In 1892 when the change
was made allowing the alumni of Dart
Il mouth college to elect one of the trus-
:, tees, Judge Richardson was nominated
" to the position and still occupies it. In
1904, in remembrance of his alma
0 mater, Judge Richardson gave fund
> of $4,000, the same to be used as a
S special scholarship fund for the aid Of
l. deserving and needy students at Dart
6 mouth from Oxford, or if not so used,
II from elsewhere in New Hampshire.
Judge Richardson has shown in this
!, and in other ways, his appreciation OF
q the needs and duties of higher educa-
!, ton, and his abiding interest in the
1t welfare of the college. He says that he
Is believes that a collegiate education Is
as necessary at the present time as what
ii was called common school education
i was in the past and that it as much the
II duty of the state to provide for such
+ higher education, as for the elementary
> branches that right solution OF the
- - great questions which as individuals anc
e citizens we are called upon to decide
l. will depend upon an educated citizen
- =. ship.