Richey Family History & Genealogy

Pappy Richey was a man of many talents. In the early years of his life
He was a farmer, stage coach driver,and a country veterinarian.
He drove a stagecoach to and from Glasgow and Scottsville Ky.
I remember he told of mud roads and the Barren River would flood and he would have to swim the horses across the river.The stage was pulled by six horses. Pappy was also a story teller. He like to tell about the first time he saw someone talking on a phone. He said he went outside to see who the person was talking to through the wall.
Another story he liked to tell was about the same stagecoach stop.
One day he saw a man open a box take out a little bottle and take the cap off it and drank it. He said the man called it kokie kola. I wish Pappy had the forsite to have bought some of the Coca Cola stock.
In 1903 he moved to Barren co. Ky. and bought a farm in the Lyons school area of that Co. in 1906. There He and Nellie raised the children of his first wife and the seven of their children.
He made sorgurm molases from sugar cane he raised and did custom
work for others. I was a child during the last of Pappy's working years and I would enjoy eating the foam from the newly cooked mollases.
He also raised dark tobacco and cured it and twisted it to sell to neighbors. He was in his 80s and still plowed the tobacco patches and made molasses. He raised me after my mother died when I was seven years old. As I grew older I would drive the team while he plowed his tobacco fields. After he would twist his tobacco he would send me out on the old horse named Bob to deliver it. I was about nine or ten years old at the time.
Pappy was a success at raising all his children except Little Charlie who died at age five. He had two sons that were teachers, two that were Baptist preachers and the others were successful in their endeavors.
Pappy was very well respected by all who knew him and was liked by all.
I was one of his biggest fans , as I guess you can tell.
He was active until his late 80s and died at near 90 in 1955.
Pappy, It has been almost 50 years since you left for heaven and I still miss you.

My dad Millard Richey was a man who always tried to be a Christain.
I never heard him say a bad word and he treated people like he wanted to be treated.
He had a hard time in the younger days of his life . He married my mom
Alta Davis in 1933. It was during the great depression and he and my
Mom had a hard time making a living. I was born in 1935 and my Sister Virginia Ann was born in 1937. Later in the 1930s when times seemed
to becoming better , my mom was taken ill with T.B. She died 11-10-1942.
My dad was teaching school in 1942 when my mom died. The pay was very low. He continued to struggle to make a living and go to college and finally got his degree in elementry education.
During all these hard times he never lost faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
I remember he taught sunday school and led the song service at the Freedom Baptist church.
He lived with his Dad and Mom until they died and then he lived alone until his death in 1980.
I could go on and on, but Daddy left a legacy that anyone would be proud of. I just hope when I leave this world , My 2 son's thinks the same of me.

William ( Ritchey) Richey and his wife Delila Tinsley came to Ky.
from the Carolinas in about 1800 and settled on the Barren River
in Barren Co. There they raised their family Thomas, Salley Caldwell,
William C., James H. and K.A. Kitty Ritchey. My line is through Thomas.
My cousin Joyce Christopher came through the line of James H.
Joyce and her husband Jack and their son Joel came to ky.
from their home in IN. to help restore the old Richey cemetery in
southern Barren co. in the fall of 2001.
After cleaning the area of dead trees and other items , we fenced the area.
Jack bought a new gate for the cemetery lot and they came down this spring to install the gate.
There were markers for James H. and his family and only old field stones for the rest of the graves.
We tried to make out the crude carving on the old field stones, but had a hard time in doing so. As we were working around the old field stones,
the sun's rays hit this one stone just right, and we could read 1784.
We knew William was born in that year, so I dug up the stone and brought it home and cleaned it. Lo and behold, I uncovered the initials W R
Borned May 1784. I knew we had discovered the grave of our old ancester. There was an unusual line scribed under the info.
I am thinking Old William made his own marker and scribed the line under the info. as to say I've done my part. After I am gone you do the rest.
Well, finally after 128 years William has a new marker.
Joyce bought the new marker and I installed it in front of the old marker.
William was living with James H. in 1870 according to the 1870 census.
The cemetery is on the James H. Richey farm ,about 200 yards from the old homestead which is still being occupied by Eugene Green family who
now owns the farm. Eugene's wife Becky is also a decendant of William.
I would like to clarify the different spelling of the family name.
Originally it was spelled Ritchey. In 1859, according to the Hopewell church records the "T" was dropped from the name.
The above information simply shows , never give up.
If you have the will and work hard you will find what you are looking for.
James Richey

Ish Richey Started teaching school in 1923 and taught until 1973.
He taught most of his years in the Monroe and Barren countie schools.
He was loved by his students and their families as well.
Ish was not only a school teacher, but was a Baptist preacher.
He was ordained in 1930 at the age of 25 . He was a Bible scholar
and taught sunday and preached regularly . He studied the Bible the most of his life and was concidered a brilliant person. You hardly ever saw him without a book in his hand. Uncle Ish performed the marriage cermony
for Olene and I in 1952, which has been 49 years. He authored a book in the 1970s about Ky. literature and was honored for that work.
He married Lillian Wyatt in 1940 and together they had 4 children,
Hilra Daris, Bonneta, Bruce, and Nancy (Richey) Marshall.
Nancy is a librarian at WKU and would like to hear from former students.
You can contact her by email at [contact link]
Uncle Ish is missed by family and friends.
He was a Teacher, preacher, author,scholar,Dad, and granddad.
This is quiet a legacy for anyone to leave.Thanks Uncle Ish

Thomas Richey was my gggrand father and was the son of William Richey and Delilah Tinsley and the father of Preston Richey who are all listed in this web pge.
We know he was married to Jane Stamps the second time after Betsy Spencer died and He and Jane moved to Union Co. Ky. in 1870.
They bought a farm in the community of Bordley Ky. in Union Co.
He also had two sons to move there with him. Robert W. and Thomas L.
from his first marriage settled there close by.
We found the grave site of Robert W. in the Bordley cemetery, but we cannot find out where Thomas Richey is burried.
We know Thomas and Jane had a daughter Fanny that married a Henry Mansfield who settled near Central City or Greenville Ky.
Jane Richey eventually moved in with Henry and Fanny Mansfield apparently after Thomas died.
What I am looking for is info. as to where Thomas Richey is burried
and pictures of the Thomas & Jane Richey families.
If anyone has this info. or knows where I could find it please let me know.
Thanks very much,
James Richey [contact link]

Preston Richey was the son of Thomas Richey and Elezabeth Betsy
(Spencer) Richey born in Allen Co. Ky. in 1833.
He married Sarah E. Hammett in 1854, the daughter of James Hammett
and her mother was Nancy Foster.
Preston was a farmer, and later a stage coach driver , carrying the mail from Glasgow Ky. to and from Tompkinsville Ky. He was the father of Elezabeth J.E. ,America C.A.E., Walter D.G., Nancy, James Harden,
Thomas B. (Tom), Samuel (Sam), Elivari, Gearge Ann, and Mary L .(Polly). He died in Barren Co. Ky in 1912 and is buried in the Lyon Cemetery in Barren Co. Ky.
This Bio. was compiled by James Henry Richey who is the Grandson
of James Harden Richey who raised me after my mother died in 1942.
8-19-2001

Thomas Richey married Jane Stamps in in 1865 after his first wife Betsy Spencer died. They sold their farm in in 1871 moved from Allen Co. Ky. to Union Co. in 1871. Thomas was 30 years senior to Jane Stamps.
They moved to a community called Bordley and bought a 100 acre farm.
Two of Thomas's & Betsy Richey's sons Robert W. and Thomas L. moved along with their dad to the same community.
Robert W. Richey is buried in the Bordley cemetery and has a monument.
Thomas L. is buried close by in Uniontown cemetery, also has a marker.
After Thoms Richey died , Jane Richey moved in with her daughter Fanny and Henry Mansfield who lived in Muhlenberg Co.
Jane died in 1911 and is buried in Pleasant Hill cemetery near Greenville Ky. in Muhlenberg Co.
Henry Mansfield died around 1900 and we don't know where he is buried. Finally Fanny died in 1940 and we don't know exactly where she buried. I am working very hard to find out when Thomas died and where he is buried. I do not have a picture of Thomas who was born is 1803.
If you have any info. concerning this man please let me know.
Thanks, James Richey [contact link].
I have a story about Thomas Richey asking for more info.because we don't know when he died and where he is buried.
The last account we have of My gggrand dad Thomas was in 1880
where he signed for Fanny to marry Henry Mansfield.
Fanny was 14 and Henry was 23 years old at the time of their wedding.