Individual Details
Richard Rivers
(1800 - 1873)
"Some Notes on Richard Rivers (1800-1873): William Walter Rivers, who in 1935 wrote the Rivers family history that we all have copies of, referred to this Richard as Richard III and asserted that he was the son of a certain William Rivers, who had lived in Johnston County, North Carolina; no evidence other than family tradition and similarity of family names was offered for the relationship. I have not attempted to trace a family connection, but probably, in all the years since 1935, many people have investigated William Rivers, and it should be possible to find out more.
"I have gone to the Georgia Archives in Atlanta several times, and I did look up what there was about Richard III. There is a folder there on the Rivers family, compiled in 1968 by a Mrs. Walton Smith, that contains much of William Walter Rivers's text word for word. I must wonder who actually wrote it, since William Walter Rivers didn't accredit anyone for the text he circulated, and the text in the Archives doesn't have any author's name on it. Appended to this text is an undated note by Virginia P. Livingston of Chester, PA, calling attention to some errors (for example, the text says Robert Rivers (1703-1782) lived in Nottaway County, VA, but there was no such county before 1789) and claiming "all is suspect---this family is not Huguenot."
"William Walter Rivers says Richard III Rivers had a sister Elizabeth, who married Louis Jenkins and moved about 1834 with her brother to Pontotoc, MS, where she had many descendants. Her descendants may prove to be a source of information about the family. William Walter Rivers also says Richard Rivers moved with his brother Joel to Georgia about 1815. Richard would have been only 13 (if born in 1802) or 15 (if born in 1800), but Joel was 19, so it is possible.
"There are a number of records of Richard Rivers in Georgia. I didn't find either his name or Joel's in the 1820 Census or in the marriage records, but in The Military Records of Georgia, 1808-1829, page 59, he is listed as an ensign in Wilkes County, GA, from September 11, 1820 until July 4, 1822. The 1830 Census for Muscogee County, GA, page 286, lists the Richard Rivers family as one male 20-30, one female 20-30 and one male under five, . There was one female slave aged 10-24. (The names and ages of all family members were first recorded in the 1850 Census.) Next to Richard in the Census record are Elisha Folsame (age 20-30) and his wife (also 20-30). According to William Walter Rivers, who cites family tradition---I have no other evidence---Richard Rivers married Susanna Folsom, who was the daughter of an Elisha Folsom. The Elisha who was his neighbor in Georgia in 1830, though too young to be that man, was probably a relative. (Richard also named one of his sons Elisha Folsom Rivers.)
"The 1840 Census for the northern division of Marshall County, MS, page 32, has the following listing: Richard Rivers aged 30-40; two males under 5 (probably Elisha and Lewis); one male 10-15 (probably Linson); one female 30-40 (probably) Susan; two females under 5 (probably Susan and Tabitha); two females 5-10 (probably Jane and Nancy). There were one male and one female slave, both 24-36. Five people were shown as employed in agriculture.
"The only other record I found of Richard Rivers in Marshall County was for March 10, 1846, when his land (NE 1/4, Section 3, Township 5, Range 3W) was sold for taxes. I didn't find any record of his purchasing that land in Marshall County.
"There are two records in the Government Land Office of Richard Rivers's purchasing land in Union County, MS, from lands subject to sale at Pontotoc, MS. Richard is shown as being "of Marshall County, Mississippi." Certificate no. 8014, 6 May, 1839: NE � of Sec. 7, Tn. 6, R 1E, 159 84/100 acres. Certificate no. 11009, 9 April, 1842: NW � of Sec. 4, Tn. 8, R 1E, 160 20/100 acres.
"I have not established whether that the Rivers family later lived in Union County or perhaps earlier. At any rate, Richard Rivers's family was later in Pontotoc County.
"1850 Census, Pontotoc County, Mississippi, Family/Dwelling #1650/1650: Richard Rivers, 50, farmer, SC; Susan Rivers, 45, GA; Jane Rivers, 20, GA; Nancy Rivers, 18, GA; Lewis Rivers, 16, farmer, GA; Elisha Rivers, 15, GA; Susan Rivers, 13, MS; Tabitha Rivers, 11, MS; Richard Rivers, 9, MS; John Rivers, 3, MS; Jacob Wolfe, 57, none, SC.
"It will immediately be apparent that some of this information is different from what Walter Rivers reported. Richard is shown here to have been born in South Carolina, not North Carolina, and his age corresponds to a birthdate of 1800. (Walter Rivers had estimated 1802.) Birthplaces vary in the records, probably reflecting the ignorance of whoever happened to be at home when the censustaker came around. Walter Rivers apparently erred in the sequence and ages of the children; the continuous series makes the ages in the Census reasonable. I failed to check whether the Riverses had any slaves in 1950.
"Two children of Richard's are missing from the list. Benjamin was not born until after the Census was taken, and Linson, the oldest, had married on August 21, 1849. (The published records show a "Simon" Rivers marrying an "Afry" Roundtree on that date. Walter Rivers calls her "Pink" Roundtree, and I suspect the unusual name Linson was misread as Simon.)
"The surprise, though, is the listing of Jane and Nancy. Walter Rivers didn't mention them at all. I was unable to find any record of their marrying. The Census doesn't show relationships, and orphans are often in the records of their relatives, but again the sequence of the children's ages and the presence of two otherwise unidentified girls in the 1840 Census record indicate that they belong here.
"Many families had workers living with them, but Jacob Wolfe says he has no employment. If he was a relative, we don't know about him. There is, however, a Wolfe family only two listings away in the Census record.
"The fact that the last child born in Georgia was 15 in 1850 confirms that Richard moved to Mississippi about 1835, about when Walter Rivers says. At that time many people were receiving land from the Indian cession, and the records of those land transfers may explain how he originally got that land in Marshall County. He may have been given part of the land for military service, but veterans didn't receive as much as 160 acres until 1855.
"Since Richard Rivers lived on in Pontotoc County till 1873, there should be Census Records for him and Susan for 1860 and 1870. I have never been to Pontotoc County to examine land and other records.
"Much of the information about the Rivers family came from William Walter Rivers in his Rivers book." (Walter V. Turner, 1999.)
"I have gone to the Georgia Archives in Atlanta several times, and I did look up what there was about Richard III. There is a folder there on the Rivers family, compiled in 1968 by a Mrs. Walton Smith, that contains much of William Walter Rivers's text word for word. I must wonder who actually wrote it, since William Walter Rivers didn't accredit anyone for the text he circulated, and the text in the Archives doesn't have any author's name on it. Appended to this text is an undated note by Virginia P. Livingston of Chester, PA, calling attention to some errors (for example, the text says Robert Rivers (1703-1782) lived in Nottaway County, VA, but there was no such county before 1789) and claiming "all is suspect---this family is not Huguenot."
"William Walter Rivers says Richard III Rivers had a sister Elizabeth, who married Louis Jenkins and moved about 1834 with her brother to Pontotoc, MS, where she had many descendants. Her descendants may prove to be a source of information about the family. William Walter Rivers also says Richard Rivers moved with his brother Joel to Georgia about 1815. Richard would have been only 13 (if born in 1802) or 15 (if born in 1800), but Joel was 19, so it is possible.
"There are a number of records of Richard Rivers in Georgia. I didn't find either his name or Joel's in the 1820 Census or in the marriage records, but in The Military Records of Georgia, 1808-1829, page 59, he is listed as an ensign in Wilkes County, GA, from September 11, 1820 until July 4, 1822. The 1830 Census for Muscogee County, GA, page 286, lists the Richard Rivers family as one male 20-30, one female 20-30 and one male under five, . There was one female slave aged 10-24. (The names and ages of all family members were first recorded in the 1850 Census.) Next to Richard in the Census record are Elisha Folsame (age 20-30) and his wife (also 20-30). According to William Walter Rivers, who cites family tradition---I have no other evidence---Richard Rivers married Susanna Folsom, who was the daughter of an Elisha Folsom. The Elisha who was his neighbor in Georgia in 1830, though too young to be that man, was probably a relative. (Richard also named one of his sons Elisha Folsom Rivers.)
"The 1840 Census for the northern division of Marshall County, MS, page 32, has the following listing: Richard Rivers aged 30-40; two males under 5 (probably Elisha and Lewis); one male 10-15 (probably Linson); one female 30-40 (probably) Susan; two females under 5 (probably Susan and Tabitha); two females 5-10 (probably Jane and Nancy). There were one male and one female slave, both 24-36. Five people were shown as employed in agriculture.
"The only other record I found of Richard Rivers in Marshall County was for March 10, 1846, when his land (NE 1/4, Section 3, Township 5, Range 3W) was sold for taxes. I didn't find any record of his purchasing that land in Marshall County.
"There are two records in the Government Land Office of Richard Rivers's purchasing land in Union County, MS, from lands subject to sale at Pontotoc, MS. Richard is shown as being "of Marshall County, Mississippi." Certificate no. 8014, 6 May, 1839: NE � of Sec. 7, Tn. 6, R 1E, 159 84/100 acres. Certificate no. 11009, 9 April, 1842: NW � of Sec. 4, Tn. 8, R 1E, 160 20/100 acres.
"I have not established whether that the Rivers family later lived in Union County or perhaps earlier. At any rate, Richard Rivers's family was later in Pontotoc County.
"1850 Census, Pontotoc County, Mississippi, Family/Dwelling #1650/1650: Richard Rivers, 50, farmer, SC; Susan Rivers, 45, GA; Jane Rivers, 20, GA; Nancy Rivers, 18, GA; Lewis Rivers, 16, farmer, GA; Elisha Rivers, 15, GA; Susan Rivers, 13, MS; Tabitha Rivers, 11, MS; Richard Rivers, 9, MS; John Rivers, 3, MS; Jacob Wolfe, 57, none, SC.
"It will immediately be apparent that some of this information is different from what Walter Rivers reported. Richard is shown here to have been born in South Carolina, not North Carolina, and his age corresponds to a birthdate of 1800. (Walter Rivers had estimated 1802.) Birthplaces vary in the records, probably reflecting the ignorance of whoever happened to be at home when the censustaker came around. Walter Rivers apparently erred in the sequence and ages of the children; the continuous series makes the ages in the Census reasonable. I failed to check whether the Riverses had any slaves in 1950.
"Two children of Richard's are missing from the list. Benjamin was not born until after the Census was taken, and Linson, the oldest, had married on August 21, 1849. (The published records show a "Simon" Rivers marrying an "Afry" Roundtree on that date. Walter Rivers calls her "Pink" Roundtree, and I suspect the unusual name Linson was misread as Simon.)
"The surprise, though, is the listing of Jane and Nancy. Walter Rivers didn't mention them at all. I was unable to find any record of their marrying. The Census doesn't show relationships, and orphans are often in the records of their relatives, but again the sequence of the children's ages and the presence of two otherwise unidentified girls in the 1840 Census record indicate that they belong here.
"Many families had workers living with them, but Jacob Wolfe says he has no employment. If he was a relative, we don't know about him. There is, however, a Wolfe family only two listings away in the Census record.
"The fact that the last child born in Georgia was 15 in 1850 confirms that Richard moved to Mississippi about 1835, about when Walter Rivers says. At that time many people were receiving land from the Indian cession, and the records of those land transfers may explain how he originally got that land in Marshall County. He may have been given part of the land for military service, but veterans didn't receive as much as 160 acres until 1855.
"Since Richard Rivers lived on in Pontotoc County till 1873, there should be Census Records for him and Susan for 1860 and 1870. I have never been to Pontotoc County to examine land and other records.
"Much of the information about the Rivers family came from William Walter Rivers in his Rivers book." (Walter V. Turner, 1999.)
Events
| Birth | 1800 | South Carolina | |||
| Marriage | Abt, 1825 | probably Georgia - Susannah Folsom | |||
| Death | 1873 | Pontotoc County, Mississippi |
Families
| Spouse | Susannah Folsom (1805 - 1873) |
| Child | Linson Rivers (1826 - 1863) |
| Child | Jane Rivers (1830 - ) |
| Child | Nancy Rivers (1832 - ) |
| Child | Joel Lewis Rivers (1834 - 1870) |
| Child | Elisha Folsam Rivers (1835 - 1880) |
| Child | Susan Rivers (1837 - ) |
| Child | Tabitha Rivers (1839 - ) |
| Child | Richard Columbus Rivers (1841 - 1918) |
| Child | John Robert Rivers (1847 - 1877) |
| Child | Benjamin Rivers (1850 - 1880) |