| Notes |
- Richard was referred to in Chapman records as 'John'
- Richard enjoyed reading and played the accordion
- OCCUPATION
1) The 1870 US Census records record Richard as a 'farmer'
2) The oral testimony of grandson Charles Abraham Read indicates Richard earned a living as a 'shoemaker'
3) The 1900 US Census records record Richard as a 'shoemaker' [2, 5]
- FINAL YEARS
1) Oral testimony of Grandson Charles Abraham Read indicates Richard relocated to Opelousas , Louisiana in 1887.
2) The 1900 US Census indicates that Richard was residing as a 'widower' with son Richard (together with wife 'Emma' and son 'Chas') in Lamard, Wayne County, Illinois.
Note that with regards to the 1900 US Census Richard is recorded as a 'widower', and which as best can be assessed/understood is only partially accurate :
- Richard's first wife Margaret Fisk died in 1857 in the US
- HOWEVER Richard's second wife Ellen Fisk was alive and living in South Africa. Ellen only passed away in 1917 in Durban, Natal , South Africa. No records of a divorce have been found; and if so would the Census not have recorded Richard as being 'divorced' ?
[2, 6]
- RICHARD 'REED' (not 'Read') - 1870 US Census
The 1870 Census record for Richard and family records/or has been interpreted as recording Richard and family as being 'REED' as opposed to 'READ'.
The Census record/interpretation of 'REED' is incorrect, as the family information for Richard Reed and family are the same as those recorded in various records and family oral history. In both the members of Richard's family are recorded as follows
- Richard (50 years)
- Ellen (40 years)
- Thomas (5 years)
- Elizabeth (4 years)
- John [great grandfather 'Dampy'] (2 years)
The 1900 Census has been recorded/interpreted accurately as all Read's are reflected as such and not REED.
- RESIDENCE IN THE UNITED STATES
Oral family records from Jane Leclerc/Charles Abraham Read indicate that upon migration to the USA, the Read's (including both Margaret Fisk & Ellen Fisk) resided in 'Illinois', BUT with no specific town or location.
Lamard Township; Wayne County, Illinois
The 1870 US Census then records Richard, Ellen and family as residing in
- Lamard Township
- Wayne County
- Illinois
- USA
The 1900 US Census with Richard residing with son Richard and his wife Emma records the family residing in the same township.
Wayne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Illinois . According to the 2010 census , it had a population of 16,760. [1] Its county seat is Fairfield . [2] It is located in the southern portion of Illinois known locally as " Little Egypt ".
History
Southern Illinois , also known as Little Egypt , is the southern third of Illinois , principally along and south of Interstate 64 . Although part of a Midwestern state, this region is aligned in culture more with that of the Upland South than the Midwest. [1] Part of downstate Illinois , it is bordered by the two most voluminous rivers in the United States : the Mississippi below its connecting Missouri River to the west and the Ohio River to the east and south with the Wabash as tributary.
The area has a population who live mostly in rural towns and cities separated by extensive farmland and the Shawnee National Forest . The thigher density areas of population are Metro East (pop. 700,000+), which is the partly industrialized Illinois portion of the St. Louis Metropolitan Area ,
The first European settlers were French colonists in the part of their North American empire called Illinois Country . Later settlers migrated from the Upland South of the United States, traveling by the Ohio River. The region was affiliated with the southern agricultural economy, based on enslaved African Americans as workers on major plantations, and rural culture. Some settlers owned slaves before the territory was organized and slavery was prohibited. Many areas developed an economy based on coal mining . Much of Southern Illinois is still culturally affiliated with the Mid-South : Western Kentucky , Southwestern Indiana , West Tennessee , and the Missouri Bootheel . The people speak with similar accents throughout this area. Southern Illinois, the earliest settled and once the wealthiest part of Illinois, is known for its rich history and the abundance of antebellum architecture remaining in its small towns and cities
Opelosous ; Lousiana
Oral family records from Jane Leclerc/Charles Abraham Read indicate that from 1887 Richard has relocated to Opelosus, Lousiana. However no records have been identified to support this information , and it is evident from the 1900 Census that Richard was residing again in Wayne County with son Richard.
- 1890 US CENSUS RECORDS DESTOYED
A Census was held in 1890 in the United States (the eleventh Census) however the vast majority of the records have been destoyed.
- Initially by fire in the building housing these records, and those records not destoyed were severely water damaged by the Firemen trying to put out the fire.
- Subsequently in the mid 1930's those records remaining were ordered destroyed in error.
- MISSING FAMILY MEMBER ? eX us 1870 Census
The 1870 US Census for the Reed (Read) family records a preciously unknown/indescipherable child (could it be 'William' and who was born in 1870, and passed away in Brixton, London, England in 1872 ?) .
This is the fourth and last child of one year old listed at the bottom of the Census return. Find- my-past' has identified the name as 'Horeb B'.
There is no record of any such child in the Jane Leclerc/Charles Abraham Read oral record; and which only refers to a 'William' and who died in England on the family's return in 1872 at the age of one year and eleven months old.
The probable likelihood is that the 'Horeb B' Census record is also that of the 'William' referred to the oral record (who according to the 1870 Census was one year old) and who may have had a nickname. [2, 5]
- THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
The Read family appear to have been resident in the United States through the duration of the American Civil War. There is no indication or knowledge that either Richard or Ellen were involved in the war.
The American Civil War (1861–1865) was a civil war in the United States of America . It was fought when 11 Southern states left the United States and formed the Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy). The US government and the states that remained loyal to it were called the Union .
The Southern United States (also known as the Southern States or The South among Americans) is a term for the Southeastern part of the United States . All Confederate states were in the South, but not all Southern states joined the Confederacy; those that did not join were called border states . The States farthest to the south are called the " Deep South ". Even though Arizona , New Mexico and southern California are geographically southern parts of United States, they are usually classified as the Southwestern United States and not the South (the climate , culture and ethnic makeup of the Southwest are also different from the South).
Most of the South is a land of long, hot summers. Winters are mostly short and cool. There is much rainfall. This combination gives the South a long growing season. Important crops include cotton, tobacco, peanuts, and peaches.
The cuisine of the Southern United States is distinct from other regions.
As defined by the United States Census Bureau , the states that make up "The South" are:
• Alabama
• Arkansas
• Delaware
• Florida
• Georgia
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Maryland
• Mississippi
• North Carolina
• Oklahoma
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Virginia
• Washington, D.C. (although not a state)
• West Virginia
The border state Missouri is also sometimes considered Southern, although the Census classifies it as a Midwestern state.
The main cause of the war was slavery , which was allowed in the South, including all 11 Confederate States. Slavery was illegal in most of the North. The Confederate States tried to leave the Union after Abraham Lincoln , who disliked slavery, was elected US president.
The Union believed that it was illegal for the states to break away. There were five states that allowed slavery which stayed in the Union.
The war began on April 12, 1861, when Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter , a fort in South Carolina that was held by Union soldiers. [2] The war lasted four years and caused much damage in the South. Most battles were in northern states until 1862 and in southern states after 1862.
After four years of fighting, the Union won the war, and soon, slavery was made illegal everywhere in the United States of America.
- MARRIAGE RICHARD READ & ELLEN FISK
No records have been identified to date/prove the marriage between Richard & Ellen (although there is a record of Richard's marriage to Ellen's deceased older sister Mary Ann Maragret Fisk in 1841) .
Given Margaret died in the USA in 1857, and daughter Margaret was born in Illinois, USA circa 1863, it appears likely that
- Richard & Ellen were married between 1859 and 1861.
- Ellen migrated with Richard sometime after 1860 and before 1863.
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AIGS/FHC Member's - Family Trees
1820 - 1907 (86 years)
[2]