Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1915
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 552
GEORGE RICHARDSON

One of the pioneer settlers of Harrison county, Iowa, is George RICHARDSON, who is now living a retired life in Missouri Valley. When he came to this county in 1856 the present site of Missouri Valley was a wilderness, and even Council Bluffs was only a small trading place. He has lived to see this county emerge from truly pioneer conditions to its present state of prosperity, and in this transformation he has borne no inconsiderable part. In fact, he has been one of the prominent men in his county, as is shown by the fact that he represented the county several years ago in the state Legislature and made an excellent record in that law-making body. It is a noteworthy fact that he and his good wife have reared a family of thirteen children, all of whom are still living. Mr. RICHARDSON and his wife are one of the oldest married couples in the county and celebrated their golden wedding anniversary several years ago. It seems eminently fitting that the career of this interesting old pioneer be preserved in the annals of his county's history.

George RICHARDSON, the son of Francis and Margaret RICHARDSON, was born in Dumfriesshire, Scotland, June 13, 1830. His parents lived all of their days in Scotland and George came to America in 1854, locating first in Canada, where he lived two years, at the end of which time, in 1856, he came to Iowa, locating in Harrison county, where he has lived ever since. For fifty-one years he toiled with his good wife and his sturdy sons and daughters as a farmer in this county, and it was not until 1907 that he finally retired from active life and moved to Missouri Valley, where he has since resided. He has given each of his sons one hundred and sixty acres of excellent Harrison county land and still has a fine farm left. He and his estimable wife are now spending their declining years in a fine home in Missouri Valley on North Eighth street.

Mr. RICHARDSON was married in 1856, to Anna COULTHARD, who was born in Canada, January 29, 1841. To this union thirteen children were born, all of whom are still living, as follows: Mrs. Margaret BECKER, of Missouri Valley; Mrs. Mary Ann SHARPNECK, of Los Angeles, California; Mrs. Jeannette FARQUHAR, of Missouri Valley; Mrs. Hattie GRAHAM, whose husband is a farmer of this county; Agnes, who is living with her parents; Robert, of St. Louis, Missouri; William, who is still at home; Mrs. Carrie FITZGERALD, of Missouri Valley; George, a farmer living four miles west of Missouri Valley; Zella, who is still with her parents; Mrs. Nellie SKINNER, of Council Bluffs, Iowa; David, a farmer living six miles from this city, and Nina, who is at home.

Mr. and Mrs. RICHARDSON celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary in 1907. At that time they did not have any great-grandchildren, but at the present time they have twenty grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. It must be a great satisfaction to Mr. RICHARDSON and his wife to have reared such a large family of children, all of whom have become useful members of society. They can look back over a period of nearly sixty years which they have spent in the county and feel that they have not lived in vain.

During the active years of his life Mr. RICHARDSON took a great interest in the civic life of the county. He came to America in the year the Republican party was formed and has always cast his ballot in behalf of the Republican candidates. His party, recognizing his worth as a citizen, nominated and elected him to the state Legislature of Iowa several years ago, and in the Legislature he made a creditable record. He is a man of kindly disposition and charitably inclined towards the faults of others. He has always been willing to help those less fortunate than himself, and many are the acts of kindness which he has done. The family are loyal members of the Presbyterian church, to whose support they have been generous contributors for many years.

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