Husband Hon. Hiram Lawton Richmond 1 2 3
Born: 10 May 1810 - Chautauqua, Chautauqua Co, NY 4
Christened:
Died: 19 Feb 1885 5
Buried:
Father: Dr. Lawton Richmond (1784-1842/1843) 4 6
Mother: Sarah Townsend (1791- ) 3 4
Marriage: Dec 1838 7
• Additional Image: Hiram L. Richmond.
• Residence: : Meadville, Crawford Co, PA.
Wife Maria Power Shryock 5 7
Born: 11 Jun 1819 5
Christened:
Died: 10 Jun 1902 5
Buried:
Father: Gen. Daniel Shryock ( - ) 5 7
Mother: Elizabeth McNarma ( - ) 5
Children
1 M Hiram Lawton Richmond 5 8 9
Born: 14 Oct 1839 - Meadville, Crawford Co, PA 5
Christened:
Died: 13 Mar 1896 5
Buried:
Spouse: Virginia L. Vance ( - ) 8 10
Marr: Jun 1881 10
2 M Daniel Shryock Richmond 5 11 12
Born: 11 Dec 1843 5
Christened:
Died: 9 Aug 1906 5
Buried:
3 F Maria E. Richmond 5 8
Born: 11 Mar 1846 5
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Spouse: Col. Charles H. Hawkins ( - ) 8
4 M Almon George Richmond 13
AKA: Almond George Richmond 5
Born: 14 Aug 1848 - Meadville, Crawford Co, PA 5
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Spouse: Mary W. Grayson ( - ) 13 14
Marr: 19 Oct 1882 - Meadville, Crawford Co, PA 15
5 F Elizabeth Richmond 5 13
Born: 20 Apr 1851 5
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Spouse: Thomas Albert Delamater (1850- ) 16
6 M James Edward Richmond 5 13
Born: 11 Apr 1854 5
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
7 M Charles Fremont Richmond 5 13
Born: 2 Apr 1856 5
Christened:
Died: 14 Feb 1901 5
Buried:
8 F Harriet L. "Hattie" Richmond 5 13
Born: 16 Sep 1859 5
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
General Notes: Husband - Hon. Hiram Lawton Richmond
He was born May 17. [GPHWP, 367]
The educational opportunities of this individual had been very few previous to the return of the family north\emdash such only as were furnished in the log schoolhouse of the frontier, and one winter's private instruction under the direction of a worthy young man of the name of Pratt, who was studying medicine with the Doctor. He loved mathematics, and in one winter, without an instructor, he "ciphered" his way nearly through "Old Pike's Arithmetic." He thus spent, and in reading such books as fell in his way, his winter evenings and leisure day hours, when there was no school within his reach. On their return to New York, he then being nineteen years old, he entered a private academy, and by close application to study, not wasting an hour, he soon acquired a good English education. He then commenced the study of medicine with his father, and pursued it for two years. But his aspirations were for the legal profession, upon preparation for which he would have entered in the first instance, but for a popular prejudice indulged by his parents, that a man could not be both a lawyer and a Christian; a strange notion indeed, and yet, even in that "enlightened age", indulged in by many good people. On their moving to Meadville, he entered Allegheny College as a student, and remained two years. In the winter of 1836 he was registered by the Hon. David Derickson, as a student of law, and in February, 1838, was admitted to the bar.
Popular in his address, he had a smile, a handshake and a how-do-you-do for every one worthy the recognition whom he met. His first two efforts as an advocate were of a character that gave him position as a young lawyer of much promise, and he soon entered upon a lucrative practice. As an advocate, he was soon ranked among the first in the state. As a stump and platform speaker he had but few superiors. In politics he was a Whig. Crawford County was then largely Democratic, and continued so for some ten years. In 1847 she for the first time sent Whigs to the Legislature, and in 1848 gave a large majority for Gen. Taylor for President, as against Gen. Cass. Mr. Richmond, from his entry into public life, always took great interest in the political issues that sprang up from time to time, demanding consideration. He was no trimmer, was a man of positive ideas, was outspoken in his convictions, and ready to defend them on all suitable occasions. Perhaps no man contributed more than he to change the political character of Crawford County. After the election of 1848 she continued Whig so long as that party had an existence, and subsequently became still more strongly Republican, and has continued so ever since. In 1872 Mr. Richmond was elected a member of the Forty-third Congress, from the Twenty-fifth District, by the largest majority the district ever gave. The district consisted of the counties of Crawford, Mercer, Venango and Clarion, was the most populous and wealthy in the State\emdash rich in iron, coal and other minerals\emdash and embracing within its limits the great oil-producing territory of the state. Upon taking his seat he was appointed on two important Committees\emdash the Committee on Indian Affairs and the Committee on Public Expenditures. The Indian Committee consisted of twelve members, all of whom, except three, were experienced and able lawyers. He took great interest in Indian affairs, reported several bills on questions committed to him in Committee, each one of which passed the Committee, and both Houses of Congress, without objection or amendment. When the question of appropriations in aid of the Indian came up he made an able speech, which attracted much attention among the friends of the red-man, and was published entire in the Cherokee Advocate, a paper published by the Indians, in the Indian Territory. His idea as to our duty to the Indian is thus expressed in the concluding paragraph of that speech: "Bring him (the Indian) within the embrace of our civilization, elevate him to the proud position of American manhood and citizenship, confer upon him all the prerogatives of a man, equal in rights and privileges to every other man, then will we have made some atonement for the great wrongs we have done him through the ages that are past."
Mr. Richmond was a life-long Methodist, as were his father and mother before him, and for many years a Leader and Steward in the church, and did much to advance its spiritual and temporal interests. He was a delegate to and Temporary Chairman of the Methodist State Convention of Pennsylvania, which met in Philadelphia October, 1870. By appointment he prepared and presented to the convention an essay on "The Duty of the Christian Citizen to the State as a Political Organization," which was well received and very highly commended. He was a friend to and promoter of education. For many years he was a Trustee of Allegheny College. In the celebrated Chamberlain will case, which passed through the courts of the State of New York, the property and domicile of the testator being in that State, Mr. Richmond was the only Pennsylvania lawyer who appeared in the case, and had the merit of having raised the point upon which the case turned, and was ultimately decided in favor of the college by the Court of Appeals. His argument prepared in that case with great labor and research, was a masterpiece of logic and learning. He had one of the largest and best selected libraries in northwestern Pennsylvania.
Mr. Richmond, when seventy-four years old, yet retained his physical and mental vigor to a remarkable degree. He was still in the active practice of his profession. A leading daily of Meadville thus spoke of one of his forensic efforts: When court convened yesterday morning the case of false pretenses against O. U. Bunting was called, and the Hon. H. L. Richmond, Sr., opened to the jury. Mr. Richmond made a very powerful address to the court. Although one of the oldest practitioners at the bar, and with the weight of years upon him, he conducted the case alone with the keenness and vigor of youth; and in summing up his line of defense, and forging his chain of evidence, with the perfection of every link, which would add laurels to the brow of any of the lawyers who sat around in the pride and prime of life, there was not one sign of weakness in constructive power in argument, not one lack of grace and force of rhetoric and language. The plea was, indeed, one of rare ability, and that in face of the fact that he had a very bad case (in legal parlance), and the effect upon the jury was apparent from the beginning, while the whole crowded court listened in absolute silence, charmed by the splendid scene, its central figure the majestic and snowy-haired orator himself." [HCC 1885, 762]