The Richardson Brothers of Woburn, Mass

Ezekiel, Thomas, and Samuel
Researchers: Barbara, Joyce, Kathy, Norris, Terry

Early Puritan Immigrants to
the Massachusetts Bay Colony - 1630

An Overview Where is Westmill, Hertfordshire, England? Related Links

An Overview

1630.. Ezekiel and Susannah (Bradford) Richardson arrive in the first substantial immigration of the Puritans in Winthrop's Fleet. See their names on the passenger list of the Fleet. Click on the link to details of the fleet.

His brothers, Samuel and Thomas, follow shortly. They are in the Colony by the middle to late 1630's.

1632.. Phebe Richardson, Ezekiel and Susannah's first born child is born. She is the tenth child born in the Massachusetts Bay Colony! Actually, the June, 1632 date is the date of her baptism. Some genealogies list her place of birth as "possibly England". I think it more likely she was born on American soil sometime after the Winthrop Fleet arrived and then baptized in 1632.

1640.. The three Richardson brothers, with others, are commissioned by Governor John Winthrop to establish a colony at Woburn, Massachusetts. See the Woburn Library Chronological History of Woburn for mention of their efforts in establishing Woburn. (Use Alt-Edit | Find in your browser, if you like)

1640.. The Richardson brothers build homes close together so that the road passing by becomes known as Richardson's Row. The Richardson brothers are large landholders in the Woburn area. The area of Richardson's Row is in what is now Winchester, Massachusetts.

1647.. Ezekiel Richardson dies in Woburn. He must have been a relatively young man, probably under 45, per estimate of Vinton. His oldest child, Phebe, had been baptized only 15 years earlier. His widow, left with seven children, remarried Henry Brooks four years later, in 1651.

A quote from one of the many biographies of the Richardson brothers says, "Ezekiel, Samuel, and Thomas Richardson, brothers, were the emigrant ancestors of a family remarkable for their numbers, their widely scattered homes, their virtue, and their intelligence. At least nine of their descendants bearing their name have been deacons in the church they assisted to organize... (and) a large number have been officers of churches elsewhere - in Winchester, and, far and wide, in the United States..... In the secular professions, also, many of this familiar old Woburn name have been found, and some of them have achieved a high and most honorable position. Old Woburn has, from the beginning, been largely indebted to the successive generations of this excellent family." The Three Richardsons, The Winchester Record, Vol II, No. 2, March, 1886, Pg 199.

Where is Westmill, Hertfordshire, England?

Westmill is a small village in Hertfordshire, and is just north of London. Look for St Albans in current maps and you'll be close. See The Origins section.

Related Links:

A Passenger List of Winthrop's Fleet showing Ezekiel Richarson

See a detailed accounting of Ezekiel Richardson and his life in the colonies

Some particulars on Ezekiel on the Winthrop Fleet Society Page.

Ezekiel is also listed among the freemen of the colony, here. The list is alphabetical. You can scroll down to the R's, or use Alt | Edit > Find in your browser.

Ezekiel is among the men who: Applied for Freeman Status, October 19th, 1630 at this site.

Pre-1633 Planters of the Massachusetts Bay Colony

The Winthrop Society I

The Winthrop Society II, The Richardson surnname in the list is our ancestor, Ezekiel.

The Woburn Chronological History Web Page describes the Richardson brothers involvement in the founding of the town.

See the Richardson Links page for more links, including other Richardson pages and links to English sites.

The Frank Shaw Page has a biography of Samuel Richardson, which encompasses activities of all three brothers.

Return to the Richardson Index

The Richardson Brothers of Woburn, Mass

Early Puritan Immigrants to the Massachusetts Bay Colony - 1630

Early Puritan Immigrants to
the Massachusetts Bay Colony - 1630