Son of John Richards, 'Gentleman,' born c 1817 2,5 (Probably
John Fleming Richards)
Brother to Sam Richards
Married Mary Keogh on the 19th of June 1856 at the Lady Chapel, Marylebone, London from 13 George Street 2
Children
Catherine Mary, born on the 17th August 1857 in Kensington, London3
Clara, born 1860/61 in Bahia, Brazil
Henrietta M., born 1864/65 in Spain
Harry Henry G, 1867/8 in Spain
Death - before 1901.
Mary was brought up in England but met her husband when she went with the rest of the family to stay with their father at the Morro Velhos gold mine in Brazil. Henry Richards was probably a mining engineer (assistant engineer) at the mine but the couple married in London in 1856. There was apparently a plan to join Mary's sister and her husband out in the Crimea but this was abandoned due to the Danube freezing. Henry called himself a merchant on his eldest daughter's birth certificate in 1857 but probably returned to mining first in Brazil and then in Spain, accompanied by his wife and family. However Mary had returned to England by 1871, living at 8 St Mark's Crescent, just by Regent's Park in London. At the time of Catherine's wedding in 1878 they were living close by at 7, Northumberland Terrace and Henry is described as an Engineer. In 1879 Henry is working for the St John d'el Rey company. 11 and in 1881 Mary and her daughters Clara and Harriet (Henrietta) were in Rio de Janeiro where Clara married Arthur Manico Gull.
1 According to family stories, an engineer who met Mary when the whole Keogh family joined George Keogh in Brazil where he was a mine manager - see Keogh family stories. In 1840 a Richards was Superintendent of the Cuiaba mine8 close to the Morro Velho mine where George Keogh became Superintendent in 1846. The Cuiaba mine belonged to the Cocaes company (a.k.a. National Brazilian Mining Association) which closed in 1846 so Richards might well have been taken on at the Morro Velho mine which was expanding. However it should be noted that William Henry Richards would have been only 23 in 1840 - young for a Superintendent.
2 Marriage Certificate
3 On Catherine Mary's birth certificate William Richards describes himself as 'merchant'.
4 FreeBMD 1858 Q4 Hitchin 3a 220
5 A William Henry Richards was born 05 Nov 1816, christened 4th April 1817, Wesleyan. Falmouth Cornwall, son of John and Mary Richards.
6 Mary was recorded as living at 20 Randolph Road at the time of her marriage. This was the address of the birth of her first born daughter and of William Richards at the time.
7 'Little turquoise ring from Sam and Bessie Richard - Evelyn's Grandmother's brother-in-law'
8 Travels in the Interior of Brazil - George Gardner 1849 p381
9 Not found the family in 1851 or 1861 UK census records looking for Mary, born 1830 Somerset, Catherine born 1857 Middlesex or William Henry born 1817. In Brazil in 1851 and 1861 and 1881
10 Mary and the family were living in St Mark's Crescent, London (by Regent's Park) in 1871. William Henry Richards was presumably working abroad.
11 According to information from David Asprey there is a passing 1879 reference in consular correspondence (Foreign Office) to W H Richards being an employee of the St John d'el Rey company and to him being married to Miss Keogh, her father being "dead some years".
12 Mary is a widow in London in the 1901 census.