WOBURN

There was a Town and Church erected, called Wooburn, the present year, 1642...the grant is to seven men of good and honest report. ~ Captain Edward Johnson

Wedge Pond near Samuel Richardson's (10U) property

the founding of Woburn

1640 seemed like a good year for expansion. That year, emboldened by the success of Concord and Dedham, the town of Charlestown applied for an inland land grant of their own. They had their eyes on a woody area seven miles from Charlestown proper. By November, grant in hand, the town sent a committee of men to determine the boundary lines of their new settlement. Among the seven chosen to undertake the founding of Charlestown Village were our grandfather Thomas Richardson (9GGF) and his brothers, Samuel (10U) and Ezekiel (10U).

The committee's first order of business was to lay boundaries for the new settlement. They chose a lovely area filled with abundant rivers and lakes. But according to Samuel Sewell, author of The History of Woburn, it was also a "wild, unsettled...unbroken dreary forest...a wide uncultivated waste." This "unbroken dreary forest" caused major problems for the second order of business. Every God-fearing Puritan town needs a minister.

It took the founders of Woburn a full two years to find someone willing to come and preach in that "uncultivated waste." Finally, a Mr. Thomas Carter agreed to do them the honor. On 24 August 1642 the First Congregational Church in Woburn "was gathered with much solemnity." On that day, Grandpa Thomas, along with his two brothers, "stood forth and made declarations, one by one, of their religious faith...confessing 'what the Lord has done for their poor souls by the work of his Spirit..."

The founders of the new settlement could be proud of their efforts. On 7 Oct 1642, with their new minister accounted for, the town of Woburn was incorporated. The act of incorporation reads: "Charlestowne Village is called Wooborne’. It was the 20th town established in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Blue = Concord Orange = Woburn Red = Charlestown

brotherhood

Three sets of brothers made Woburn their homes in the fledgling community of Woburn.

The Richardson brothers, Ezekiel (10U), Samuel (10U) and Thomas (9GGF) came to America from Westmill, Hertfordshire, England.

The Wyman brothers, Thomas (1C10x) and Francis (1C10x), were nephews of the Richardsons, also arriving in the New World from Westmill.

It seems likely that the Baldwin brothers, John (8GGF) and Henry (9U), also from Hertfordshire, were known to the Richardsons and Wymans before their voyage across the ocean. Both John and Henry married daughters of the Richardson family.

Woburn would prove to be a long lasting home for only three of these seven men. By 1658, all three Richardson brothers had died untimely deaths and our grandfather John Baldwin had moved on to the greener pastures of Billerica. Nevertheless, the progeny of these three families were closely related for many years to come as their children intermarried and raised their own children in the ever spreading towns and villages of Massachusetts.

land of lakes

While the Wymans and Baldwins settled in the northern end of town, The Richardson brothers built their homes in a section of Woburn which lay in the Mystic Valley. It would first be known as Watertown because of bountiful bodies of water. When the area split from Woburn in 1850 it was incorporated into the town of Winchester as it is known today.

Below is a map showing early land plot divisions. Our grandfather, Thomas Richardson (9GGF), had property in the circle farthest left near Horn Pond. Ezekiel (10U) had a large plot to the right of him. Furthest right was Samuel's (10U) property.

Back in the day, the road running north-easterly between Samuel and Ezekiel's properties on the map went from "the three Richisons to the town meeting-hows one way, and Mr. Thomas Graves the other." According to The History of Woburn by Samuel Sewell, this was the "commencement of the road known from time immemorial as Richardson's Row." That road now is Washington Street in Winchester, shown with the orange marker on the map below.

Only one street in Winchester commemorates the Richardsons brothers today. Tiny Richardson Street (purple) starts at Horn Pond and ends where Grandpa Thomas Richardson's property was in the 1640's.

Green = Thomas Red = Ezekiel Blue = Samuel

the Richardson Brothers

Ezekiel Richardson (10U), the oldest brother, was first of the three to sail for the the New World. He came to New England as part of the Winthrop Fleet at about the same time as our Howlett and French families in 1630. The Howlett's and Frenches settled in far flung Ipswich while Ezekiel chose Charlestown, a part of the greater Boston area. His younger brothers, Samuel (10U) and Thomas (9GGF), did not did not make it to Massachusetts until at least five years afterwards but, in 1637, all three Richardson's were happily ensconced in Charlestown. In 1640 they made the move to Woburn

All three brothers lived their lives out in Woburn, becoming prominent and influential members of the community there. In 1654, Samuel (10U) paid the highest tax of any man in town. Alas, none of them lived long enough to truly reap the benefits of their success. Ezekiel (10U) died in 1647 at the age of 43. Thomas (9GGF) died in 1651, also age 43. Samuel (10U), who died in 1658, lived to the ripe old age of 55.

These three brothers were the patriarchs of a prolific and widespread family as thousands of Richardson descendants dispersed themselves throughout Massachusetts. From the roster of Revolutionary War participants in Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution, there are no less than 450 Richardsons listed as having served. Most of these descend from the Richardson brothers of Woburn. To put this in perspective, there were 160 Wymans, 107 Baldwins, and exactly 19 Sherwins listed in that volume.

two renderings of Richardson Street in Woburn

Above is an artist rendering of Richardson Street in Woburn. Below is the actual street that still exists in Woburn today. Thomas Richardson's (9GGF) property would have been approximately where Richardson Street ends at Main St.

Aunt or Grandmother?

Before we leave the Richardson family, we should talk about our aunt Elizabeth Richardson (10A). Elizabeth was a sister of the Richardson brothers. She married Francis Wyman, Sr. and her two sons settled in Woburn with their uncles.

As our family tree now sits, Elizabeth Richardson is our aunt 10 times removed and her children, the Wyman brothers, are our cousins. However, Helen Mohney West's grandfather, Isaac Mohney married a Cora Blanch Wyman who, I have ample reason to believe, is related to the Wyman family that came to Woburn in the 1640's. I haven't yet been able to find the link that ties these two families together. However, my belief, after the many hours of research I've done, is that Elizabeth Richardson is not only our aunt, but also our grandmother. And Francis Wyman, Sr., born in 1592, is our grandfather.

Cora Blanch Wyman Mohney (GGM) is Helen Mohney West's grandmother. On the tree below, we trace the family to our known grandfather William B. Wyman, (4GGF) born in 1771. William B. Wyman's father most probably belongs to the Wyman family that came to America in the 1600's. There are many possibilities for Missing Link Wyman (5GGF). The search continues.