Josiah Richardson, Mariner

Captain Richardson by this command, became over night one of the most eminent shipmasters in the country, a man in whose hands lay the making of maritime history ~ Henry C. Kittredge

Josiah's early life

Our cousin Josiah Richardson (5C5X) was born in Centerville, on the peninsula of Cape Cod, MA, in 1808. With the ocean lying all around him, it's no wonder that Josiah was drawn to the sea. He began his seafaring career at age 11, shipping out as a cabin boy on short voyages during summers when he was out of school. By age 22, he was made captain of the small brigantine Obit. In his first voyage as captain, Josiah sailed from Boston to Europe carrying general cargo. In ten years time, he had graduated to the big leagues, commanding the ship Chatham which carried cotton from southern ports to Liverpool and Le Havre, France.

In October of 1831, when he was 23, Josiah married Abigail Scudder. They had one son, William, born 10 Feb 1834. Sadly, the child died at birth and Abigail died five days later. Three years after Abigail's death, Josiah married Sophia Howe. The couple had two daughters, Abby (6C4X) and Sophia (6C4X). A little less than two years after the second birth, Josiah's wife Sophia passed away.

This time, Josiah only waited a year to take another plunge. In 1843, he married Harriet Goodnow and made a move from Centerville to the inland town of Shrewsbury, MA.

(1) Centreville, MA (2) Shrewsbury, MA

Josiah and Harriet had a ready made family with Abby, 5 and Sophia, 2, and in December of 1844 Harriet gave birth to twins, Edward (6C4X) and Josiah (6C4X). Edward lived only 4 months, dying of a "lung complaint." Augusta (6C4X) was born in October of 1845 but, with the continuing bad luck of the family, died at 7 months of a "bowel complaint." Then at just under 4 years, little Josiah sucummbed from the "croup." Two more sons were born, George in 1850, and another Josiah in 1854, four months after his father's death.

Though Josiah owned a home with orchards, had started a family and was a Deacon of the Shrewsbury Congregational Church, he never gave up his first love, the seafaring life. By the time he was 40, he had commanded "no less than seven different ships and having made voyages ranging everywhere from Marseilles to Rio de Janiero, from Liverpool to Manila, and from Cuba to St. Petersburg."

Josiah's career takes off

Our cousin Henry C. Kittredege (5C4X) wrote an article, "Deep-Water Shipmasters," which appeared in the book Barnstable. Three centuries of a Cape Cod town by Donald Trayser. In his article, Henry wrote about Josiah:

The half century or so that followed the War of 1812 saw the development of four pretty distinct branches of maritime activity: general trade with European ports; trans-Atlantic passenger-carrying between New York and Boston and Liverpool; leisurely voyages to China and the East Indies; and the splendid era of the clipper ships. One man who tried his hand at all four of these kinds of voyages was Josiah Richardson of Centerville.

Captain Richardson [who] learned his seafaring on voyages between our southern ports and Europe. . .rose to unrivaled distinction on the quarter-deck of the first extreme clipper ship. . for nine years he sailed for his cousin, George Richardson (6C4X), of Boston in the brigs Owhyee and Leander. . .

the cousins

Cousins Josiah and George had another cousin, William Richardson (5C5X). Their fathers were brothers, all sons of Colonel William Richardson (3C7X). The cousins lived in Boston and all three went into the shipping business in one way or another. George was born in Boston in 1794. He later went into business with William who was born in Princeton in 1794.

We learn more about George and William from the Richardson Memorial by John Adams Vinton.

George:

unmarried ; his sister Susan (5C5X), also unmarried, kept his house. He was in early life a supercago (overseer) in the employment of Ebenezer Francis, an eminent merchant, of Boston, trading to the East Indies. Later in life, and during many years, he was a merchant in partnership with his cousin, William Richardson, son of Samuel (4C6X), in the shipping and trading business. They occupied Rowe's Wharf in Boston, and owned three brigs; one of which, the Red Rover, went out, and was never heard from. . .They carried on a profitable business many years, dealing in coffee, hides, etc., from St. Domingo and Russia. Nicholas Richardson (5C5X), brother of George, was their factor in that island.

George Richardson retired from active business in 1837, with a handsome property, and purchased the Everett homestead in Dorchester, where he passed the rest of his life in elegant leisure, being a man of liberal culture, and having a taste for the fine arts, especially painting. His home was the welcome resort of all his relatives, and a joy to all who passed the threshold. His maiden sister Susan was at the head of his housekeeping till she died. He died in 1861, aged 67. His brother John (5C6X) also lived with him, and succeeded him in his homestead, as well as in intelligence, culture, and benevolence.

William

He was for many years a merchant in Boston, but a citizen of Dorchester, the birth-place of his wife. His partner in business was his cousin, George Richardson, a son of William Richardson (4C6X); their place of business was Rowe's Wharf; they owned three brigs, and traded with the West India Islands and with Russia for coffee, hides, etc.; were worthy and respected merchants and men of the highest integrity.

He was found dead in his chamber, locked in, Nov. 7, 1874. On the eleventh of that month the following paragraph appeared in the Boston Daily Advertiser :

"Mr. William Richardson, who died at his residence on Savin Hill, on Saturday, in the eightieth year of his age, was for many years of the firm of George & William Richardson, on Rowe's Wharf, engaged in commerce with the West Indies and in the Russian trade. Retiring from active business in 1837, he passed the remainder of his days in the congenial pursuits of horticulture, beloved and respected by his kindred and friends as a man of sterling integrity and life-long benevolence."

He had no children.

Josiah's career ramps up

Henry Kittredge wrote that Josiah grew bored with his back and forth voyages that were "dull and profits small. It was with great enthusiam therefore, that he accepted an invitation in 1949 to take command of a new Liverpool packet ship, the Townsend, and began his career among the aristocracy of the sea, the masters of Atlantic packets."

Josiah's packet career ended when the era of clipper ships was ushered in:

. . .Donald McKay, the great shipbuilder of East Boston. . .launched the first extreme clipper in 1850 and showed the world what a ship could be. . .Her name was the Staghound. . .Not only was she the sharpest clipper that had ever been launched, but she was the biggest American merchantman afloat. The question on every tongue was, who was to be her captain. No higher tribut to the character of Josiah Richardson could have been paid than her owners' invitation to him to comman her. After twenty years of quiet, steady work in schooners, brigs and ships, Captain Richardson by this command, became over night one of the most eminent shipmasters in the country, a man in whose hands lay the making of maritime history.

When asked by the "celebrated underwriter" Walter Jones if he was somewhat nervous, Josiah replied, "No, Mr. Jones, I would not go in the ship at all if I though for a moment she would be my coffin."

Josiah and his crew left Boston on the 16,000 mile voyage to San Francisco aboard the Staghound on 1 Feb 1851. Three months later, he wrote a letter to to owners from Valparaiso, Chili stating that "the ship has yet to be built that will beat the Stag Hound. . .I am perfectly in love with her."

After arriving in San Francisco, Josiah set sail for Manilla and Hong Kong where "his ship became the show of the waterfront." After arriving back in America at the end of 1851, Josiah went home to Shrewsbury where he had a well deserved three month rest.

He spent the next year on another McKay clipper, the Staffordshire. After a stellar voyage to the west coast, Henry Kittredge wrote that "Captain Richardson was cock of the walk along the San Francisco waterfront. . ." After San Francisco the Staffordshire sailed to Singapore and Calcutta.

In 1853, the owner of the Staffordshire decided to put the ship on 14 day Liverpool runs.

Henry wrote that "[t]his suited Captain Richardson's book nicely. He was determined to give up long voyages and see more of his family." Just before Josiah's last voyage in December of 1853, Abby was 15, Sophia, 12 and George, 3.

disaster strikes

Josiah set off on his journey to Liverpool in mid-December. On the way home, trouble was brewing on the seas. From Henry Kittredge's article:

No one could have guessed, when looking at her powerful hull, which showed strength and speed in every line, that she was doomed the same year to go down in one of the great shipwrecks of history.

According to one of the mates who survived the wreck, the steering gear was damaged in a gale. Five days later, another gale hit that took the "bowsprit, foremast, foreyard and all the rigging that was attached to them. When Josiah "went aloft" to see what could be done, he lost his footing and fell to the deck, "injuring himself so seriously that he had to be carried to his cabin and stay there."

When a hurricane hit a few days later, the mate lost his bearing and Josiah was still "flat on his back in his berth." Henry Kittredge described what happened next:

In the midst of the confusion the ship struck on some rocks off Sable island, then slid off into deep water and began to settle. A good many of the passengers got off in boats. Others were drowned. The captain refused to be taken from the cabin and saying "If I am to be lost, God's will be done," went down with his ship, a great captain and courageous gentleman.

The Staffordshire went down in the frigid waters off the coast of Nova Scotia:

death notice in Boston

From the Boston Times on 4 Jan 1854:

We have received from Halifax intelligence of a most painful character. The fine packet ship Staffordshire, Captain Richardson, has been lost with nearly all on board. One first and second mates and seventeen seamen reached Cape Sable. The third mate, boatswain, and twelve others, were picked up and landed at Shelburne, N.S.

The passengers lost were immigrants. There were no cabin passengers on board. The whole number of passengers on board the Staffordshire was 143, all steerage and all Irish. By a private telegraphic despatch from the United Staes Consul at Halifax. . .we are led to believe that Capt. Josiah Richardson, the commander of the Staffordshire, is lost. He was a man about 48 years old, and leaves a wife and four children (one not yet born), residing in the town of Shrewsbury, in this state.

Capt. Richardson, having accumulated a large fortune, decided the last time he was at home to remain, and not make another voyage, but being urged, he consented, remarking that no man except Mr. Train could induce him to go to sea again. "A better man never walked a deck," is the universal remark of all his peronal acquaintances whom we have heard conversing on the subject of his probable loss, and the number is many. . .

The Staffordshire was valued at $120,000 when she went down. 169 lives, including Josiah's were lost. Below is a lithograph titled "The Wreck of the packet ship 'Staffordshire" by artist C. Drew and lithographer J.H. Bufford which today is housed in the Bancroft Library at UC Berkeley:

Josiah's will

Possibly fearing some sort of catastophe on the ocean, Josiah had made his will in April of 1852, a year and a half before his death. He wanted all his property to go to his wife Harriet "in Trust, as long as she remains my widow. . ." He also wanted Harriet to pay his mother $40 a year "to cease with her (the mother's) death" and to give both of his sisters $2,000 "as a present from me to them. . ."

He left his gold watch to his son George (6C4X), the only child named in the will. If Harriet remarried she would receive the funiture she had at the marriage and $2,000 "in lieu of all claims on my Estate." On the death or marriage of Harriet, the estate was to be divided equally among his children.

The home that Josiah bought in Shrewsbury the year of his marriage to Harriet was built by the Reverend George Allen who was a minister of the church there. Below is a photograph of that home today: