{"id":2235,"date":"2022-10-22T21:33:54","date_gmt":"2022-10-23T01:33:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/friendsofgeercemetery.org\/?p=2235"},"modified":"2022-10-24T13:06:31","modified_gmt":"2022-10-24T17:06:31","slug":"susan-richardson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/friendsofgeercemetery.org\/index.php\/2022\/10\/22\/susan-richardson\/","title":{"rendered":"RICHARDSON, SUSAN"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

8 Dec 1867\u201326 Mar 1919<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Last updated: 20 Oct 2022<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Susan (a.k.a. Susana) Richardson was born on 8 December 1867 in what was then Orange County, North Carolina.1<\/a><\/sup>Birthdate: Geer Cemetery (800 Colonial St, Durham, NC), Susan Richardson headstone, photographed by Nicholas Levy, 12 Mar 2021.

\n\n\n\nBirthplace: Susan Richardson death certificate: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Death Certificates, 1909-1976 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/imageviewer\/collections\/1121\/images\/S123_95-2479<\/a> : accessed 4 Jul 2022. Original data: North Carolina State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics. North Carolina Death Certificates. Microfilm S.123. Rolls 19-242, 280, 313-682, 1040-1297. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina.<\/span> There is some evidence that her maiden name was Turner.2<\/a><\/sup>Bert Richardson marriage registry: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/1277269:60548<\/a> : accessed 5 Jul 2022. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.<\/span> On her death certificate, her father is listed as \u201cunknown.”3<\/a><\/sup>Susan Richardson death certificate.<\/span> Her mother, Lizzie Meeks, left only scant traces behind, though she may be related to Edna Meeks<\/a>, also buried in Geer Cemetery. Considering that Susan was born just after the end of the Civil War, it is likely that at least one of her parents was enslaved. The Meeks and Turner surnames are both connected to the Stagville plantation, making it at least a strong possibility that both were enslaved there.4<\/a><\/sup>\u201cGenealogy,\u201d North Carolina Historic Sites: Historic Stagville. https:\/\/historicsites.nc.gov\/all-sites\/historic-stagville\/genealogy<\/a> : accessed 23 Sep 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Little is known about Susan\u2019s early life. On 18 April 1889, she married Albert \u201cBert\u201d Richardson. She was 22 at the time, and Bert was eight years her senior.5<\/a><\/sup>\u201cAlbert\u201d: Durham, N.C. Directory 1905-1906 (Durham, N.C.: Hill Directory Company, 1905-1906) p. 213, Richardson surname; digital image, “North Carolina City Directories,” DigitalNC (https:\/\/lib.digitalnc.org\/record\/25118<\/a> : accessed 12 Jul 2022).

\n\n\n\nMarriage: Bert Richardson marriage registry.<\/span> Bert had been married once before, to Mariah Spence on 20 April 1877.6<\/a><\/sup>Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/3812054:60548<\/a> : accessed 5 Jul 2022. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.<\/span> They lived in Middle Creek, Wake County, where Bert worked as a farmer. Because there is no record of Bert and Mariah owning land during this time, it is most likely that the Richardsons were tenant farmers. Within three years, Bert and Mariah had two children, Lula and Sam.7<\/a><\/sup>Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. 1880 U.S. Census Index provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints \u00a9 Copyright 1999 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. All use is subject to the limited use license and other terms and conditions applicable to this site. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/19901066:6742<\/a> : accessed 5 Jul 2022. Original data: Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. (NARA microfilm publication T9, 1,454 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.<\/span> It is unclear what happened to Mariah; her death certificate could not be located, and there is no evidence of her burial in the records. However, based on the fact that Mariah was alive in the 1880 census and Bert was remarried in 1889, it seems most likely that Mariah died sometime during this period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1889, when Susan and Bert married, Bert brought his daughter Lula to the marriage. He surely brought his son Sam as well, though we haven\u2019t been able to confirm that.8<\/a><\/sup>1900 US Census: Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/68133874:7602<\/a> : accessed 4 Jul 2022. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900. T623, 1854 rolls.<\/span> On the 1910 census, Susan is listed as having nine children, of whom six survived: Alice (1892), Willard (1893), Ervin (1894), Suebert (1897), Rosa (1901), and Gladys (1904).9<\/a><\/sup>1910 US Census Durham 0192: Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/152559274:7884?_phsrc=yFf21&_phstart=successSource<\/a> : accessed 4 Jul 2022. Original data: Thirteenth Census of the United States, 1910 (NARA microfilm publication T624, 1,178 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. For details on the contents of the film numbers, visit the following NARA web page: https:\/\/www.archives.gov\/research\/census<\/a>.<\/span> The family lived in a section of the Hayti community, in a home they owned at 109 Coleman Alley, for the duration of Susan\u2019s life.10<\/a><\/sup>109 Coleman: 1910 US Census Durham 0192.

\n\n\n\nIn 1917, the city added 400 to all the addresses on Coleman Alley, so the family address changed from 109 to 509. See Durham, N.C. Directory 1917<\/em> (Durham, N.C.: Hill Directory Company, 1917) p. 358, Richardson surname; digital image, “North Carolina City Directories,” DigitalNC (https:\/\/lib.digitalnc.org\/record\/25155<\/a> : accessed 14 Jul 2022).

\n\n\n\nThe city may have renumbered the houses when Coleman Alley was extended from Pettigrew Street through to Glenn. See \u201cColeman Alley,\u201d History Beneath Our Feet (Durham History Museum: Durham NC). http:\/\/museumofdurhamhistory.org\/beneathourfeet\/streets\/ColemanAlley<\/a>: accessed 15 Jul 2022.<\/span> Today, Coleman Alley no longer exists; it was removed to make way for the Durham Freeway in the 1960s. However, we know from historical maps that the Richardson family lived not far from the campus of North Carolina Central University, built in 1910, as well as Lincoln Hospital, which was the first hospital in Durham where African Americans could receive medical care.11<\/a><\/sup>Coleman Alley: \u201cColeman Alley.\u201d

\n\n\n\nNC Central: \u201cNorth Carolina Central University,\u201d Open Durham (Preservation Durham: Durham NC). https:\/\/opendurham.org\/tours\/north-carolina-central-university<\/a>: accessed 14 Jul 2022).

\n\n\n\nLincoln Hospital: \u201cLincoln Hospital (1901\u20131924),\u201d Open Durham (Preservation Durham: Durham NC). https:\/\/opendurham.org\/buildings\/lincoln-hospital-1901-1924<\/a>: accessed 14 Jul 2022).<\/span> Throughout their marriage, Susan worked as a cook, a laundress, and a domestic, and Bert held various jobs\u2014as a general laborer, janitor, and driver.12<\/a><\/sup>Susan: 1900 US Census, 1910 US Census Durham 0192, 1892 Durham City Directory, Susan Richardson death certificate.

\n\n\n\nBert: Various Durham NC city directories from 1903 to 1918.<\/span> On 26 March 1919, when Susan was just 51, she died suddenly of a rare form of cancer. She was treated at Lincoln Hospital and buried at the \u201ccity colored cemetery,\u201d Geer.13<\/a><\/sup>Susan Richardson death certificate.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Six months after Susan\u2019s death, Bert married for a third time, to Sarah Jones. Sarah was a 45-year-old widow from Raleigh (b. 29 Mar 1874) who worked as a laundress (as Susan had). Reinforcing the Meeks connection, a woman named Ida Meeks was a witness at the wedding.14<\/a><\/sup>Marriage: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/6763917:60548<\/a> : accessed 5 Jul 2022. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.

\n\n\n\nSarah\u2019s exact birthdate: Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/9972233:60901<\/a> : accessed 15 Jul 2022. Original data: Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007.

\n\n\n\nLaundress: 1920 US Census: Ancestry.com. 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/27189840:6061:<\/a> accessed 4 Jul 2022. Original data:Fourteenth Census of the United States, 1920. (NARA microfilm publication T625, 2076 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C. For details on the contents of the film numbers, visit the following NARA web page: NARA. Note: Enumeration Districts 819-839 are on roll 323 (Chicago City).<\/span> Bert and Sarah remained together until Bert\u2019s death in 1932.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of Susan\u2019s children moved north during the Great Migration of the 1920s. They lived, and were buried, in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. For those of her children that stayed in Durham, Beechwood was probably their final burial place. Susan was left all alone at Geer Cemetery, which was in turn abandoned by the City of Durham in the 1940s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alice Richardson McKinney<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Alice, Susan\u2019s eldest child, became a teacher at East End School.15<\/a><\/sup>Durham, N.C. Directory 1913-1914<\/em> (Durham, N.C.: Hill Directory Company, 1913-1914) p. 269, Richardson surname; digital image, “North Carolina City Directories,” DigitalNC (https:\/\/lib.digitalnc.org\/record\/25165<\/a> : accessed dd Mon yyyy). PDF p. 277.<\/span> In 1915, she married Harrison Lyons.16<\/a><\/sup>Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/9794626:60548:<\/a> accessed 15 Jul 2022. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.<\/span> The marriage was short-lived, and both parties remarried in 1922. Harrison married Lena Johnson on 31 February, and Alice married a Durham man named James McKinney on 8 November.17<\/a><\/sup>Harrison: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/1796408:60548<\/a> : accessed 24 Sep 2022. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.

\n\n\n\nAlice: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/9292501:60548:<\/a> accessed 16 Jul 2022. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.<\/span> Alice died four years after her second marriage, on 9 October 1926, at the age of just 34. Her cause of death was \u201cchronic Bright\u2019s Disease,\u201d now called nephritis, or kidney failure.18<\/a><\/sup>Alice McKinney death certificate: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Deaths, 1906-1930 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/613249:60090<\/a> : accessed 4 Jul 2022. Original data: North Carolina, Deaths, 1906-1930. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.<\/span> We can\u2019t find any indication that Alice had children in either of her marriages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Willard Richardson<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Willard, Susan\u2019s eldest son, lived in Durham until his early 20s, working as a driver with his brother Ervin.19<\/a><\/sup>Durham City Directory 1913\u20131914.

\n\n\n\nDurham, N.C. Directory 1915-1916 (Durham, N.C.: Hill Directory Company, 1915-1916) p. 332, Richardson surname; digital image, “North Carolina City Directories,” DigitalNC (https:\/\/lib.digitalnc.org\/record\/25122<\/a> : accessed 16 Jul 2022).<\/span> He then moved to Philadelphia, where he was inducted into the Army on 30 Apr 1918. He served overseas through 11 February 1919, and was honorably discharged, with no disabilities, on 27 March\u2014the day after his mother\u2019s death, which he may not have known about at the time.20<\/a><\/sup>Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, U.S., World War I Veterans Service and Compensation Files, 1917-1919, 1934-1948 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/947931:60884:<\/a> accessed 17 Jul 2022. Original data: World War I Veterans Service and Compensation File, 1934\u20131948. RG 19, Series 19.91. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg Pennsylvania.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In March of 1920, Willard married Cartha Marrow of Oxford NC.21<\/a><\/sup>Marriage: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/1292765:60548:<\/a> accessed 18 Jul 2022. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.

\n\n\n\nOxford: Dorothy Richardson marriage certificate: Ancestry.com. Delaware, U.S., Marriage Records, 1750-1954 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/1350059381:61368:<\/a> accessed 18 Jul 2022. Original data: Marriage Records. Delaware Marriages. Bureau of Vital Statistics, Hall of Records, Dover, Delaware.<\/span> Their two daughters, Dorothy E. (b. 1920) and Candace Cornelia (b. 1922), were both born in North Carolina, but by 1925, Willard was back in Philadelphia, working as a stevedore and living at 2354 Wilder.22<\/a><\/sup>Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/1193453187:2469:<\/a> Accessed 19 Jul 2023.<\/span> The family of four is on the 1930 census, Cartha keeping house at 4908 Paschall Avenue.23<\/a><\/sup>Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002 https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/54560155:6224:<\/a> Accessed 18 Jul 2022. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls.<\/span> Cartha died in 1935, of cancer, at the age of 41.24<\/a><\/sup>Cartha Richardson death certificate: Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1968 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014 https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/imageviewer\/collections\/5164\/images\/5164_302022005604_0326-00820:<\/a> accessed 19 Jul 2022. Original data: Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906\u20131968. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1940 Census shows a Willard Richardson living on South 15th<\/sup> Street, with wife Martha and 10-year-old daughter Ruth.25<\/a><\/sup>Year: 1940; Census Place: Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: m-t0627-03716; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 51-917. Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/24258515:2442<\/a> : accessed 20 Sep 2022. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls.<\/span> Two years later, Willard\u2019s draft card shows him at 4668 Linmore, with Suebert as his next of kin.26<\/a><\/sup>The National Archives At St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; World War Ii Draft Cards (Fourth Registration) For the State of Pennsylvania; Record Group Title: Records of the Selective Service System; Record Group Number: 147; Series Number: M1951. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/1051305:1002<\/a> : accessed 20 Sep 2022. Original data: United States, Selective Service System. Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Fourth Registration. Records of the Selective Service System, Record Group Number 147. National Archives and Records Administration. Full Source Citation.<\/span> It\u2019s possible that Willard moved away from the rest of his family after Cartha died, married Martha, but then that marriage ended and Willard moved back with his family by 1942. If so, what happened to Ruth? We have no answer at this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We don\u2019t know exactly when the family bought the house at 4668 Linmore, but the 1950 Federal Census shows Willard living there with his daughter Candace, her husband John A. Wallace, and their son John Jr. Also living with them were Willard\u2019s daughter Dorothy Carson and her son Stewart.27<\/a><\/sup>1950 US Census Philadelphia: United States of America, Bureau of the Census; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790-2007; Record Group Number: 29; Residence Date: 1950; Home in 1950: Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: 3894; Sheet Number: 6; Enumeration District: 51-2963. Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2022. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/239342147:62308<\/a> : accessed 19 Sep 2022. Original data: Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census. 1913-1\/1\/1972. Population Schedules for the 1950 Census, 1950 – 1950. Washington, DC: National Archives at Washington, DC. Population Schedules for the 1950 Census, 1950 – 1950. NAID: 43290879. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 – 2007, Record Group 29. National Archives at Washington, DC., Washington, DC.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Willard lived until May 1970.28<\/a><\/sup>Ancestry.com. U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2014. https:\/\/search.ancestry.com\/cgi-bin\/sse.dll?dbid=3693&h=51940589&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=61368:<\/a> accessed 18 Jul 2022. Original data: Social Security Administration. Social Security Death Index, Master File. Social Security Administration.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Willard and Cartha\u2019s older daughter, Dorothy, married Stewart Carson on Christmas Eve, 1943, in Wilmington DE, where Stewart worked as a storekeeper for the Navy.29<\/a><\/sup>Dorothy Richardson marriage certificate.<\/span> Dorothy and Stewart had a son, Stewart Jr., born around 1944.30<\/a><\/sup>1950 US Census Philadelphia.<\/span> By 1950, she and Stewart were no longer living together.31<\/a><\/sup>1950 US Census Philadelphia.<\/span> Dorothy died in Philadelphia on 26 Aug 1968, where she\u2019d been residing at 4736 Reinhard Street.32<\/a><\/sup>Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1968 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/imageviewer\/collections\/5164\/images\/5164_302022005604_0326-00820:<\/a> accessed 18 Jul 2022. Original data: Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906\u20131968. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.<\/span> The informant on her death certificate was her sister Candace, then living at 1331 South May in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Candace married John Austin Wallace in 194433<\/a><\/sup>Ancestry.com. Delaware, U.S., Marriage Records, 1750-1954 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/900061990:61368<\/a> : accessed 22 Sep 2022. Original data: Marriage Records. Delaware Marriages. Bureau of Vital Statistics, Hall of Records, Dover, Delaware.<\/span> She died in Somerville NJ on 16 Aug 2003, and her obituary read, \u201cMother of John Wallace Jr., grandmother of 6: Toy Lynn, Dana, Darren, Chadwick, Jordan and Joshua; great grandmother of one, Samantha.”34<\/a><\/sup>“Candace Wallace Obituary,” Philadelphia Inquirer<\/em> (Philadelphia, PA) 22 Aug 2003. https:\/\/www.legacy.com\/us\/obituaries\/inquirer\/name\/candace-wallace-obituary?n=candace-wallace&pid=1336287:<\/a> accessed 18 Jul 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ervin Richardson<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As a young man in Durham, Ervin, the second Richardson son, worked as a bootblack, a laborer, and a chauffeur.35<\/a><\/sup>Bootblack: 1910 US Census Durham 0192.

\n\n\n\nLaborer (as Irvin): Durham, NC Directory 1913-1914 (Durham, NC: Hill Directory Company, 1913-1914) p. 259, Richardson surname; digital image, “North Carolina City Directories,” DigitalNC (https:\/\/lib.digitalnc.org\/record\/25165<\/a> : accessed 24 Sep 2022).

\n\n\n\nChauffeur (as Irvin): Durham, NC Directory 1915-1916 (Durham, NC: Hill Directory Company, 1915-1916) p. 332, Richardson surname; digital image, “North Carolina City Directories,” DigitalNC (https:\/\/lib.digitalnc.org\/record\/25122<\/a> : accessed 24 Sep 2022).<\/span> By 1918 he was living in Philadelphia.36<\/a><\/sup>Registration State: Pennsylvania; Registration County: Philadelphia. Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/25330067:6482<\/a> : accessed 24 Sep 2022. Original data: United States, Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls. Imaged from Family History Library microfilm.<\/span> After that, we have no information about him until he registered for the WWII draft in 1942. At that time he was unmarried, working as a stevedore, and listed Suebert as his emergency contact.37<\/a><\/sup>Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/1050969:1002:<\/a> accessed 15 Jul 2022. Original data: United States, Selective Service System. Selective Service Registration Cards, World War II: Fourth Registration. Records of the Selective Service System, Record Group Number 147. National Archives and Records Administration. Full Source Citation.<\/span> In 1946, Ervin married Lillian Cousins in Philadelphia.38<\/a><\/sup>Ancestry.com. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., Marriage Index, 1885-1951 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/544888:2536<\/a> : accessed 20 Sep 2022. Original data: “Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Marriage Index, 1885\u20131951.” Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah, 2009. Philadelphia County Pennsylvania Clerk of the Orphans’ Court. “Pennsylvania, Philadelphia marriage license index, 1885-1951.” Clerk of the Orphans\u2019 Court, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.<\/span> This is the last record we can find for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suebert Dawkins<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The first record we have of Suebert as an adult is her 1922 marriage to a Durham man named Fentress Lorenzo Dawkins.39<\/a><\/sup>Series: Marriage Licenses – Colored (1809 – 1975). Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/5045669:60548<\/a> : accessed 20 Sep 2022. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.<\/span> The 1930 Philadelphia City Directory shows them at 230 North 59th<\/sup> Street, Fentress working as a teacher.40<\/a><\/sup>Title: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, City Directory, 1930 p. 409, PDF p. 172. Ancestry.com. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. [No URL available] Original data: Original sources vary according to directory. The title of the specific directory being viewed is listed at the top of the image viewer page. Check the directory title page image for full title and publication information.<\/span> The 1940 Federal Census shows Suebert\u2019s nieces Dorothy and Candace living with them.41<\/a><\/sup>Year: 1940; Census Place: Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: m-t0627-03756; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 51-2245. Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/25764405:2442<\/a> : accessed 19 Sep 2022. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls.<\/span> According to the records, the couple did not have children. Suebert died of cancer in 1959 at age sixty-two and was buried in Rolling Green Cemetery in Philadelphia.42<\/a><\/sup>Suebert Dawkins death certificate. Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission; Harrisburg, PA; Pennsylvania (State). Death Certificates, 1906-1968; Certificate Number Range: 086251-088950. Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1968 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. https:\/\/search.ancestry.com\/cgi-bin\/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=5164&h=6197130<\/a> : accessed 24 Sep 2022. Original data: Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906\u20131968. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.<\/span> Fentress remarried twice after Suebert\u2019s death, first to Parthenia Byrd, who died in 1962, then to a woman named Eleanor.43<\/a><\/sup>Parthenia Dawkins death certificate: Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1968 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/imageviewer\/collections\/5164\/images\/42410_647350_0656-00571<\/a> : 24 Sep 2022. Original data: Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906\u20131968. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

\n\n\n\nEleanor: Fentress Dawkins death certificate: Ancestry.com. Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1968 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/imageviewer\/collections\/5164\/images\/48221_1421012671_0037-02474<\/a> : accessed 20 Sep 2022. Original data: Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906\u20131968. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.<\/span> He died in 1966 after a fall, \u201ccircumstances uncertain.”44<\/a><\/sup>Fentress Dawkins death certificate.<\/span> Fentress\u2019s father, Pinckney Dawkins<\/a>, is buried at Geer Cemetery not far from Susan, and may be the closest relative buried with her at Geer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rosa Fortune<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Rosa (often called Rose) stayed in Durham, and in 1927, she married James William Fortune (b. 13 December 1901 in South Carolina).45<\/a><\/sup>Series: Marriage Licenses – Colored (1809 – 1975). Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/imageviewer\/collections\/60548\/images\/42091_331611-01079<\/a> : accessed 23 Sep 2022. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.

\n\n\n\nJames William Fortune death certificate: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Death Certificates, 1909-1976 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2007. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/imageviewer\/collections\/1121\/images\/S123_585-2065<\/a> : accessed 24 Sep 2022. Original data: North Carolina State Board of Health, Bureau of Vital Statistics. North Carolina Death Certificates. Microfilm S.123. Rolls 19-242, 280, 313-682, 1040-1297. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, North Carolina.<\/span> Rosa worked for NC Mutual Life Insurance from at least 1929 to 1932.46<\/a><\/sup>Durham City Directories, 1929\u20131932.<\/span> William worked his way up from porter to pantryman to cook to chef, presiding over a number of kitchens, including the one at Durham\u2019s historic Hotel Malbourne.47<\/a><\/sup>Durham City Directories 1926\u20131960.<\/span> In November of 1927 they bought a home at 608 Booker; after renumbering and renaming, their address became 706 Linwood Avenue.48<\/a><\/sup>Deed: Durham County Deed Book 88: 68 (https:\/\/rodweb.dconc.gov\/RealEstate\/SearchEntry.aspx<\/a>).

\n\n\n\nAddress change: Durham City Directories 1928, 1929, and 1934.<\/span> Today, in spite of the large-scale destruction of Black communities wrought by the \u201curban renewal\u201d policies of the 1960s and 70s, the Fortune home on Linwood remains standing as of 2022. Rosa and William had three children: Suebert Jameise (b. 1933), James William Jr. (b. 1935), and Gladys (b. 1937), named for Rosa\u2019s younger sister.49<\/a><\/sup>1940 US Census Durham 32-25: Year: 1940; Census Place: Durham, Durham, North Carolina; Roll: m-t0627-02902; Page: 61A; Enumeration District: 32-25. Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/154837949:2442<\/a> : accessed 25 Sep 2022. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls.

\n\n\n\n1950 US Census Durham 103-47: Enumeration District: 103-47. Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2022. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/imageviewer\/collections\/62308\/images\/43290879-North_Carolina-205890-0013<\/a> : accessed 24 Sep 2022. Original data: Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census. 1913-1\/1\/1972. Population Schedules for the 1950 Census, 1950 – 1950. Washington, DC: National Archives at Washington, DC. Population Schedules for the 1950 Census, 1950 – 1950. NAID: 43290879. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 – 2007, Record Group 29. National Archives at Washington, DC., Washington, DC.<\/span> Rosa died on 26 October 1963 and William died on 23 October 1968.50<\/a><\/sup>Rosa: \u201cJ. William Fortune,\u201d The Herald Sun (Durham, NC) 25 Oct 1968: 2A. https:\/\/www.newspapers.com\/image\/786898132<\/a> : accessed 24 Sep 2022.

\n\n\n\nJames William Fortune death certificate.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Suebert was a student when she married James Roston of New York NY on 31 December 1955.51<\/a><\/sup>Student: Durham City Directories: 1952\u20131955.

\n\n\n\nRoston: \u201cMarriage Licenses,\u201d The Durham Sun (Durham NC), 4 Jan 1956: 3A. https:\/\/www.newspapers.com\/image\/790475829<\/a> : 24 Sep 2022.

\n\n\n\nMarriage: Ancestry.com. North Carolina, U.S., Marriage Records, 1741-2011 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. https:\/\/www.ancestry.com\/discoveryui-content\/view\/9782088:60548<\/a> : accessed 24 Sep2022. Original data: North Carolina County Registers of Deeds. Microfilm. Record Group 048. North Carolina State Archives, Raleigh, NC.<\/span> She and James had one child, Lydia Rose Roston Taggart (1965\u20132013) who was born on Long Island, NY, and died in Atlanta, GA. Lydia had one daughter, Elizabeth Fortune Taggart.52<\/a><\/sup>\u201cTaggart, Lydia,\u201d The Atlanta Constitution (Atlanta GA), 28 June 2013: B9 (https:\/\/www.newspapers.com\/image\/423271732\/?article=9f3aeb4a-5ae0-4eba-9cbe-42f11904e206<\/a> : accessed 24 Sep 2022).<\/span> Suebert inherited the house on Linwood, and in 1989 legally transferred the house to her younger sister, Gladys.53<\/a><\/sup>Durham County Deed Book 1516: 940 (https:\/\/rodweb.dconc.gov\/RealEstate\/SearchEntry.aspx<\/a>).<\/span> Suebert died on 21 Jun 2002 in Stone Mountain GA, 20 miles northwest of Atlanta.54<\/a><\/sup>Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014. https:\/\/search.ancestry.com\/cgi-bin\/sse.dll?dbid=3693&h=53510589&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=60548<\/a> : accessed 24 Sep 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Little is known about the middle Fortune child. James served in the Army from 1958 to 1960 while keeping his Linwood Avenue address.55<\/a><\/sup>Durham City Directories: 1958\u20131960.<\/span> He\u2019s mentioned as a survivor in his mother\u2019s obituary in 1963.56<\/a><\/sup>\u201cMrs. Rose Fortune,\u201d The Durham Sun (Durham NC), 29 Oct 1963: 15 (https:\/\/www.newspapers.com\/image\/791330688<\/a> : accessed 25 Sep 2022).<\/span> After that, he disappears from the records, and it is unknown if he married, if he had children, or where he died. However, the life of the youngest Fortune child, Gladys, is exceptionally well-documented. Gladys was a 1954 honor graduate of Hillside High School who became the first of the Richardson line that we know to have earned a four-year college degree.57<\/a><\/sup>Hillside: “Gladys Fortune Clarke,” The Herald Sun (Durham NC), 8 Dec 2017: A7 (https:\/\/www.newspapers.com\/image\/714832631<\/a> : accessed 25 Sep 2022).<\/span> She received a B.S. in chemistry and mathematics at Bennett Women\u2019s College and went on to earn Masters degrees in both geology and education at the University of Wisconsin. She also studied at Cornell, Rutgers, William and Mary, Long Island University, Old Dominion, the University of Virginia, Hampton University, and Lehigh University. She did most of her teaching in Newport News, though she also taught in Victoria, Australia, where she was the first African American to receive an International Teaching Fellowship. She married Australian Peter W. Clarke in Hawaii in 1974. She was a member of White Rock Baptist Church and served numerous other civic organizations until her death on 29 November 2017. She and Peter had no children, but her obituary lists her survivors as nieces Rachel R. Ziegler, Tracy Fox, and Katie Alsop, and nephew William L. Roston.58<\/a><\/sup>“Gladys Marilyn (Fortune) Clarke,” Fisher Memorial Funeral Parlor (Durham NC). https:\/\/www.fishermemorialfuneralparlor.com\/obituary\/Gladys-Clarke<\/a> : accessed 25 Sep 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gladys Richardson<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We can find only a few references to Gladys. She was awarded a certificate of distinction from the Whitted School in 1917.59<\/a><\/sup>\u201cCommencement at Whitted School,\u201d The Herald Sun (Durham NC), 31 May 1917: 7. https:\/\/www.newspapers.com\/image\/787323086\/<\/a>.<\/span> She doesn\u2019t appear on the 1920 census, but does show up in the Durham City Directories from 1921 to 1924, first as a student, then as a laundress, living at 509 Coleman Alley with her sister Rosa and her mother.60<\/a><\/sup>Durham City Directories, 1921\u20131924.<\/span> After that, we can find nothing further about her.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
Susan Richardson headstone.61<\/a><\/sup>Geer Cemetery (800 Colonial St, Durham, NC), photographed by Nicholas Levy, 12 Mar 2021. Used by permission.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

BORN<\/strong>: 8 December 1867.62<\/a><\/sup>Susan Richardson headstone.<\/span>

DIED<\/strong>: 26 Mar 1919.63<\/a><\/sup>Susan Richardson headstone.<\/span>

BIRTH PLACE<\/strong>: Orange County, North Carolina.64<\/a><\/sup>Susan Richardson death certificate.<\/span>

DEATH PLACE<\/strong>: Durham NC.65<\/a><\/sup>Susan Richardson death certificate.<\/span>

SPOUSE<\/strong>: Bert Richardson.66<\/a><\/sup>Bert Richardson marriage registry.<\/span>

PARENTS<\/strong>: Mother Lizzie Meeks.67<\/a><\/sup>Susan Richardson death certificate.<\/span>

CHILDREN<\/strong>: Alice (1892), Willard (1893), Ervin (1894), Suebert (1897), Rosa (1901), and Gladys (1904).68<\/a><\/sup>1910 US Census Durham 0192.<\/span>

OTHER FAMILY<\/strong>: N\/A

FAMILY BURIED IN GEER CEMETERY<\/strong>: N\/A

OCCUPATION<\/strong>: Cook, laundress, domestic.69<\/a><\/sup>1900 US Census, 1910 US Census Durham 0192, 1892 Durham City Directory, Susan Richardson death certificate.<\/span>

CHURCH<\/strong>: N\/A

AFFILIATIONS<\/strong>: N\/A

ADDRESS<\/strong>: 509 Coleman Alley.70<\/a><\/sup>Durham City Directories.<\/span>

MILITARY SERVICE<\/strong>: N\/A<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n

Notes<\/h3>