BORN IN THE USA, BUT…

 

 

My RICHARDSON family tree, going back about eleven generations, includes more than 2900 individuals in the following known families (in alphabetical order): Agin, Alexander (Scotland), Appleman, Babb, Bankes (Germany), Barber, Barr, Bachiler/Batchelder, Bishop, Bopard, Bosman, Bowen, Bradley, Bridwell, Bruge, Burson, Carder, Carman, Cool/Kool, Cox, Crawford (Scotland), Davis, Devol, Embry, Fairfax, Foulk, Good, Grey, Groff/Graf (Switzerland), Guth, Habermann, Harrison, Hickerson, Hughes, Humphrey (England), Hussey, Jackson, Jaggle, James, Johnson, Kaufmann, Kempf (Germany), Keller (Switzerland), Kiesel (Germany), Kinney, Kolb, Kuhlwein, Landes, Lewis, Maris, Marshall, Masterson, Mautz, Mayer, Maxwell, Mercer, Pettit, Peugh, Pletcher, Plucker, Rhinebarger, Richardson, Rickey, Rielin, Roberts (England), Ross, Schnellinger, Sevall, Shelton, Smith, Sporri (Switzerland), Standiford, Starrett, Stauffer, Stellwagen (Germany), Stewart, Still, Stoneburner, Stouffer, Strickler, Swartout, Swingle, Tatman, Taylor, Thompson, Tutt, Updike, Wallace (Ireland), Weaver/Weber (2 MB), Wilson, and Wohlschlager/ Wollenschlager (Germany).

 

My K2a Haplogroup maternal line (meaning, my mother's mother's mother's mother's etc.) is Smith-Bankes-Hickerson-Carman-Rickey-Cole-Swartout-Decker, to the best of my knowledge at the moment which would mean origins of about 16,000 years ago in West Eurasia.  Yes, Ötzi is a distant “cousin.”

 

Otherwise, recent family roots seem to point to English, Scotch, Irish, and Germanic origins; genetically speaking, the R1b1a2 (R-M269) subclade would have originated in Central Asia/South Central Siberia; and yes, I am related to King Tutankhamen. While the mtDNA Haplogroup K (CRS: 16224C, 16311C, 16362C, and 16519C and 73G, 146C, 152C, 263G, and 315.1C) would suggest the Alps, Ireland, or the United Kingdom.  Perhaps my very distant cousin, Alexander McCall Smith said it best: I am “of very obscure origins from some dim and undistinguished town in a potato-growing area somewhere.”

 

My Richardson Family Tree and some local church history (i.e., the Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Morgan County, Ohio).

 

Before 1200, most folks answered to a single given name; many surnames emerged from occupational activities. So, Richardson, literally, is a patronymic, "son of Richard." Probably part of the wave of European immigration after the Norman Conquest of William the Conqueror, which overran Saxon England in 1066. I have my paternal line documented back to a Lawrence Richardson (Abt 1606-1666) in Taunton, Somerset County, England, although most Richardsons can be found in Yorkshire.  Further back, the name comes from an Old German name 'Ricard' meaning powerful or brave ruler or chief; Latin filius Ricardi.  In Scotland, the Richardson "sept" belongs to the Buchanan (ancient, hunting, and modern) or the Ogilvie (ancient or hunting-for the fall season) clan (or family, dating from the 13th century).  So, I should wear a kilt, I suppose; you know, originally, the more colors in the tartan meant the higher the rank of the person (i.e., one for a servant to seven for a chief).  For the moment, I am serving as the Richardson Surname Administrator for FamilyTreeDNA.com.  Consider getting tested; let’s see how closely we are related…

 

Some sources suggest that the family motto is: "Pretio Prudentia Praestat", which is translated by Nathaniel Holmes Morrison in an expressive form "Longheadedness is above price." Personally, I prefer "In adversity, faith; in triumph, humility"--in triumphus, humilitas; in adversum, fides....My latest research, however, says that "The arms of the Richardsons [in Maryland] are those of the Richardsons of 'Rich Hill.' Crest a dexter arm, erect, coupled below the elbow, holding a dagger in the hand. Motto: 'Pro Deo et Rege [For God and King]'."  See also Encyclopaedia Heraldica.

           

1st Gen

2nd Gen

3rd Gen

4th Gen

5th Gen

6th Gen

7th Gen

8th Gen

9th Gen

10th Gen

11th Gen

12th Gen

13th Gen

You

Your Parents

Grand Parents

Great GP

2nd Great

3rd Great

4th Great

5th Great

6th Great

7th     Great GP

8th       Great GP

9th       Great GP

10th Great GP

1

2

4

8

16

32

64

128

256

512

1024

2048

4096

Totals

3

6

12

24

48

96

192

384

768

1536

3072

6144

Percentage

50%

25%

12.5%

6.25%

3.125%

1.5625%

.78125%

.3906%

.1953%

.0976%

.0488%

.0244%

 

 

Revised: 8 May 2012.