Page:Historical and Biographical Annals of Columbia and Montour Counties, Pennsylvania, Containing a Concise History of the Two Counties and a Genealogical and Biographical Record of Representative Families.pdf/565

 COLUMBIA AND MONTOUR COUNTIES day when the im]>ortant mission o f public schools was little understood or appreciated* and M r. Richardson had to perform his duties in the face o f much opposition and distrust. But in spite o f unfa%'orablc circumstances his conscientious and enlightened attention to those duties did much to improve the effi* ciency of the system and popularize it. He retired voluntarily after five years’ service. T he Richardsons are a race o f teachers* T hey are found scattered throughout the country, in colleges* seminaries* pubhc schools, and in every department o f scholastic labor* O f the brothers and sisters o f M r. Richard­ son, Betsy* Nathan and Martin L. taught in Verm ont; M rs. Kdward Converse taught tn Lackawanna county. Pa., almost seventy years a g o; Mrs. J. C. K. T ru a ir had chai^c of the young ladies’ department in the Oilberlsville Academy and C o il^ a t c Institute; M rs. Kmily Hillhousc taught an academical school in Columbus, O hio; and Simeon L. taught in Minnesota. Thus out o f a fam ily o f ten chil­ dren. who grew to maturity, eight were teach­ ers. It is a fact worthy o f note that during a county superintendent o f Luzerne county, Rev. W illard Richardson was county superin­ tendent o f .Susquehanna county* and Judson Richardson was county superintendent o f S u l­ livan county. It seems but natural that a man o f such high character and .strong sense o f justice should have been active in the A 1 >olittoii cause* and later in the lietierment o f conditions among the form er slaves. M r. Richanlson w as fo r six years an agent of the N ew Y o rk American Mi.ssionar>* Association, and a$ such addressed thousands o f his countrymen in favo r of the newly-created citizens of A frica n descent. H is first year’s residence during this work was in St. touis* Mo., where he devote<l his time to the oiganization of schools and employing teachers fo r them. H e visited the States o f New York* Pennsylvania and Vermont, and raised thousands o f dollars f o r his work among the freedmen. He was a pioneer antislavery man. and cast his vote fo r Jam es G. B im ey, John P. H ale anaigns he w as cmployetl by the State committees of the temperance organization to canvass for votes* and do all in his power to build up the cause.
 * x>nion of the time that J . L, Ktchardsoii was

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H e was also agent and solicitor fo r the Tunkhcnncck Hcpubliccn, a temperance paper* and fo r the Scranton C ity Jou rn al. In 1879 he retired to a farm in Cooper township, near Danville* Montour Co.* I'a. H is death oc­ curred suddenly* in March, 1885* at Mount Carmel* Pennsylvania. On Ju n e 19, 1846* M r. Richardson married Catherine Heermans* at that time living in Hyde Park (now toran ton ), Pa.* sister of Kdmond and John Heermans and niece of Joscph Fellows. She survived him* a fte r his death making her home at Bloomsbuig. They had nine children, o f whom Catherine was the first to d ie : Mar>* married Isaac P. Haud and lives in W ilkes-Barre* P a .; L au ra married .Angus Morri.son; GalUtzin T. went out to Idah o; Florence D. married W illis Emmons and moved to Pomona* C a l.; Em ily E. m ar­ ried W alter T. H all and moved to Idaho; William P. moved to Jordan Valley, O regon; John I.,, went to N ew Y o rk C ity; H arriet H. lives in N orwalk, California. John Lym an Richardson w as bom March 2 ,’ 1863, at W averty, Pa., and received his prim ary education in the public schools of W ilkes-Barre* Pa.* later taking a course in the State Norm al School at Bloomsburg, where he prepared fo r Lafayette College* entering the class o f 1885. H e then taught school for a short time, and in 1886 became shipping clerk and buyer fo r the Manhattan Brass Company, o f N ew Y o rk City* remaining in the ^ s itio n fo r three and a h alf y e a rs: he then accepted a position with Randolpti & Clowes, o Waterbury* Conn. In 1891 he re­ moved to Btooni.sburg and in company with F. J. Rich*ard built the tube plant, serving as treasurer of the company until 1894. V ^ e n the Richard M anufacturing Company o f Bloomsburg was fonncd* in 1900, he b^am e treasurer* and he has been one of the most influential directors o f that prosperous con­ cern since. Mr. Richardson married. Nov. 28* 1894* Minnie Bittenbender. daughter o f Evan E, Bittenlicnder, o f Grand Rapids* Mich., and they have had three children: Catherine R ., to m Ju n e 5, 1896. who graduated with the class o f 19 13 from the Bloom sbuig State N or­ mal S c h o o lJo h n L-* bom Ju ly 4. a mem­ ber of the class o f 1 9 1 5 : and Em ily E.» bom Feb. 2 r* 1899* a m cm tor of the class o f 19 16 of the Bloomsburg State N onnal School. The fam ily arc Presbyterians in religious connec­ tion. In 1898 Mr. Richardson built his hand­ some home on F^st Main Street* Bloomsburg. H e is a Republican in politics.