Mary Doggett Richards (1821-1898)

Mary Doggett Richards

Iowa Pioneer

Vital Stats

 * Father: Augustus Richards (1780-1850) - b. Virginia, d. Henderson IA
 * Mother: Francis Lee Doggett (1789-1860) - b. Virginia, d. Henderson IA
 * 1821-Apr-17 : Birth in Highland, Ohio
 * 1845-Mar-20 : Married (1) to Samuel Badham (1815-1868) -
 * 1846-1847 : husband serves in Mormon Battalion
 * 1858-Nov-18 : Visit by William Wood Hall family
 * 1898-Apr-02 : Dies in Henderson, Mills Co,Iowa / almost 29 years and 10.5 months after husband

Nauvoo Period
Samuel married a second time to Mary Daggett Richards in 1845, either in Iowa or Illinois. They had at least 4 children, Francis A., Arnason (Amazon), Violet, and Mary M. BADHAM.

Mormon Battalion: Pvt Samuel Badham
Samuel Badham joined the Mormon Battalion in Iowa in 1846. Company D, Private. On 10-Nov-1846, joined the 2nd Sick Detachment of 55 men led by Lt. Willis that departed from southwest New Mexico stay at Pueblo with the Mississippi Saints. He was later part of 2nd group to arrive in Salt Lake City on 27-Jul-1847.

He is recorded as being part of the sick detachment that left the Battalion and to winter in Pueblo Colorado. Page 347 of the William Clayton Diaries records that he was part of this group as it entered the Salt Lake Valley right behind Brigham Young's group on July 29, 1847. A month later some members of the Battalion traveled back to Winter Quarters to re-unite with their families.

During this time period he became dissatisfied with the Mormon Church and switches affiliation to one or more of its offshoots.

Farm Creek Settlement in Iowa
Early in 1846 removal was made into the wilds of Iowa because of fierce anti-Mormon mobs in Illinois. The home selected being at Trader's Point, on a stream of water. The only neighbor in the section was a man by the name of Watson, who had located in Pottawattamie county. Privations were expected and bravely endured; Later when Mr. Samuel Badham died, May 20, 1868, his wild prairie farm had become a valuable piece of property, worth twenty-five dollars an acre, and he also possessed a thousand dollars' worth of other property. All this had been accumulated by the time he was fifty three years old, giving one a sure basis upon which to estimate his character. He was energetic, persevering and laborious; was a man of judgment, having been long in the offices of school and township, and a veteran of the Mexican war, his wife receiving a pension for the same, he having served fifteen (sic 12) months. His sister-in-law recorded family encounters with Samuel and his son J.R. in Iowa circa 1858. J.R. is a very religious young men. He would later go on to be a preacher in the RLDS church and wrote several articles for them in the 1880s.

Family Visit on 18-Nov-1858. Almira, William and Almira's father stay at home of Samuel Badham on the W. Nishnabotany River in Iowa. Samuel and his family had joined with the Cutlerites, a breakoff religious group led by Alphus Cutler. Pg 53 mentions members of Williams' Fathers' family and Samuels family, including son James. This is near Henderson (Farm Creek) in Mills Co -southwest corner of Iowa near Council Bluffs.

Alpheus Cutler and followers at Farm Creek are seperated from main body of LDS Church. It became later became the Henderson branch of the RLDS Church in 1859. History of Farm Creek - one of three main settlements of the Cutlerite Movement and was in constant conflict with Utah LDS and RLDS churches - primarily disagreements over Plural Marriage and Temple Worship. Farm Creek was also the burial place (1852) of Augustus Richards - Samuel Badham's father-in-law.

In 1868, Samuel Badham and he was buried at the Farm Creek Cemetery, located in Henderson, Mills Co, Iowa.

Mr. Badham voted the Republican ticket and took a vital interest in the affairs of the nation. In religious life he was a member The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Before leaving Illinois his wife died and about 1845 he married Mary Richards, a native of Highland county, Ohio, and they had a number of children, viz: Milvern, an infant; Frances, who became the wife of William Gaylord and died at Shenandoah, Iowa, leaving two children; Amazon Harrison; Violet, who became the wife of William James and died at Pleasant Hill, Missouri, January, 1877, leaving three children: Juan, who died at the age of two years; and Mary, who married Charles Wilson and died in western Nebraska, leaving two children. The mother of these children died April 2, 1898, at the age of seventy-six, lamented by all with whom she had been associated.

Today Anderson is part of Fremont Co (formerly Mills Co) and is about 30 miles south of Henderson (Farm Creek) along the W. Nishnabatony River.

Children of Samuel Badham and Mary Richards

 * 1) Milvern Badham (1846-1846) - died young
 * 2) Francis Ann Badham (1849-1879) - m. William Gaylord
 * 3) Amazon Badham (1853-1909) - m. Alvina Peck, Farmer in Iowa.
 * 4) Violet Badham (1854-1875) - m. William James
 * 5) Juan Badham (1855-1859) - died young
 * 6) Mary Martha Badham (1859-1886) - m. Charles Wilson
 * 7) Clara Alice Badham (1861-1877) - died age 16

Research Notes

 * Myron Verne Badham (1889-1935) is incorrectly listed in NFS as a child of this family. Samuel was already dead long before time of birth.

1860 US Census
Taken at Mud Creek Township, Mills Co, Iowa

1870 US Census

 * Mary Badham (F-49) (mother)
 * Amazon Badham (M-17)
 * Violet Badham (F-15)
 * Mary Badham (F-10)
 * Clarah Badham (F-7)

1880 US Census
Mary, Widow of Samuel with daughter Mary. The two grandkids are of daughter Violet who died in 1875. Violet's husband, William James appears to have moved east and marries Martha Abbott in Massachusetts.

Another census listing shows son Amazon and family living near his mother in Anderson, IA. First Son of Samuel and Mary Richards, keeping farm with wife Melvina and two young daughters. in same village as his mother. Daughter M.M. is Mabel Mercy.