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“THE MOTHER OF PORT WILLIAM” - - It Is a mighty rare person who does not have the ill-will of somebody, or who is not talked about in an uncomplimentary manner occasionally, even though their faults are few, and strive hard as they may to retain the good opinion of those with whom they come in contact. The writer of this has known a venerable colored lady in Walnut township for more than 30 years, and in all of that time, he does not recall having heard a single person utter an unkind opinion of her. This very unusual woman is Mrs. Sarah A. Richardson, familiarly known as "Aunt Sarah,” or “Aunt Sarah Ann,” widow of the late “Uncle Bob” Richardson. “Aunt Sarah” came to Atchison County shortly after the war and is one of the pioneers of the famous Port William colored settlement. She is now the oldest inhabitant of the community, and Is generally looked upon as the “Mother of Port William.” Sarah Ann Franklin was born in slavery in Clark County, Kentucky, on the 4th of July, 1838. She recalls having seen, many times, in Kentucky a cabin in which Daniel Boone is said to have lived at one time. She also remembers the terrible cholera scourge that dealt death and distress throughout that region at an early day. When Sarah Ann was 14 years of age her “master and misses, " John Petticord and wife died, and their slaves were divided among their heirs. Sarah Ann fell to a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Petticord, living near Liberty, in Clay County, Missouri. Her name was Elenor Morton, and she was a widow. When Sarah Ann came to live with Mrs. Morton, she was separated from her parents in Kentucky, and never saw them again. One of her brothers visited her at Mount Pleasant in Atchison County, after the war, but she has not seen him or heard from him since. After about a year’s residence In Clay County, Mrs. Morton moved to Camden Point, in Platte County, in order to give her children the advantage of an education then offered by the academy which had been established there. Sarah Ann. the slave-child. however, was not allowed this advantage, and she never attended school a day in her life. While living at Camden Point, she was married to Robert Richardson, a slave belonging to Achilles Perrin, a well-known pioneer of Platte County. “Uncle Bob,” as he was familiarly called, died at Port William a few years ago. On August 22, 1861, their only child was born, and, out of deference to the wishes of her mistress. Mrs. Richardson allowed the child to be named Jefferson Davis Richardson, for the great Southern leader of that time. This son now lives at Port William and is one of the brightest and best men of the settlement. He has served as a member of the school board in district No. 20. Mrs. Richardson was intimately acquainted with, and often stayed with, the families of Dr. J. F. Morton and Dr. E. McDowell Coffey, who were among the noted men of Platte County. Dr. Morton, a son of Mrs. Richardson's mistress, was a surgeon in General Doniphan's regiment in the Mexican war. Dr. Coffey was chief surgeon of General Bowen’s division of the Confederate army. Later, he was sheriff, and treasurer of Platte County, and state commissioner for the World’s Fair. He married Helen Barnes, a granddaughter of Mrs. Richardson's mistress. Mrs. Richardson thought that Mrs. Coffey was dead long ago. but the writer recently learned, through Judge Paxton, of Platte City, that she is living with her son R. J. Coffey, the druggist, at Weston. Mrs. Richardson wrote to her and Immediately received a long and affectionate reply. Mrs. Coffey also thought that “Sarah Ann," as she calls her, was dead, and was agreeably surprised to hear from her old colored friend. Both now look eagerly forward to a meeting for the first time in over 40 years, and this anticipation will be gratified this summer, when Mrs. Richardson will comply with the pressing invitation of her old friend of slavery days, and visit her at her home in Weston. Mrs. Richardson’s husband was allowed by his master (Achilles Perrin) to come to Kansas before the slaves were finally declared free, but her folks refused to let her go, so, it was planned for her to run away. Accordingly, "Uncle Bob” went over to Camden (Point) from Leavenworth, and, after hanging around all day, secured a horse from a friend and placing Mrs. Richardson and her son Jeff (Richardson) on the animal's back, struck out in the dead hours of the night on their journey of escape. “Uncle Bob" walked and led the way. Arriving at the Leavenworth ferry, the ferryman asked them if they were fugitives, and, upon being answered in the affirmative refused to let them cross. "Uncle Bob,” himself, happened to have a pass from his employer in Leavenworth, so he was allowed to cross, but was compelled to leave his wife and child on the Missouri side. It was a chilly night and adding to their discomfort, was the momentary expectation of their "white folks” from Camden (Point) appearing on the scene and frustrating their designs. “Uncle Bob" hurried across, secured a canoe, and braving the treacherous current of the Missouri, soon had his little family landed safely in the Kansas harbor. The horse was released and it went back riderless to its master. The war was not yet over, and “Aunt Sarah” remembers that Vicksburg had just surrendered on her 25th birthday - on July 4, 1863. “Uncle Bob” and "Aunt Sarah” remained in Leavenworth a year or more. During this time “Uncle Bob" cleared the timber from the site of the present Soldiers’ Home. “Aunt Sarah" was employed at Robert B. Craig’s soap factory. This was the first Institution of its kind established in the territory. "Aunt Sarah" had an uncle, Sam Morton, who was a famous cook in the early days. He belonged to the same people in slavery that "Aunt Sarah" did and took his name from them. He followed cooking during slavery, and, when he came to Leavenworth was a cook at the celebrated old Planter's Hotel and also on the Missouri river steamboat ‘Thomas Morgan’ which sank below Leavenworth in 1866. When Sam Morton died he was buried In the old cemetery at Fort Leavenworth which is now obliterated. “Uncle Bob" Richardson made a trip across the plains, driving a team to Denver and upon his return, he settled with his family near Mount Pleasant in Atchison County. For a time they lived in the old house erected by Paschal Pensineau (Pensineau), the first white settler of Atchison county. “Aunt Sarah" says she never before saw, nor has she since seen, so many snakes as they had to contend with during their residence in this historic old house. Every crevice in the logs seemed to be a snake-den and the reptiles could be seen darting here and there almost anywhere around the place. Snakes were not very congenial company, so the family moved to the Masterson farm, east of the present site of Potter. Next, they moved to the old Reisinger house in Mount Pleasant. “Aunt Sarah” at one time worked for Dr. Jacob Larry, one of the pioneer physicians of Atchison County, who lived at Mount Pleasant. Dr. Larry afterwards committed suicide at Iatan, Missouri, by taking strychnine, and then blowing his brains out with a pistol. "Aunt Sarah” knew Col. M. R. Benton and family when they lived on the present farm of P. C. Greiner, 9 miles south of Atchison, on the “old military road." She once caught the stage coach as it was passing Colonel Benton’s and rode to Leavenworth. The trip cost her $2. “'Uncle Bob" and "Aunt Sarah" also lived on the farms of D. H. Sprong and Dandridge Holliday in Walnut township in the early days. The Holliday place was on the "old military road." and was known as Plum Grove, the name by which it was designated when a post-office was established there in the early days. “Aunt Sarah” is one of the original members of the "old colored Baptist church" at Port William. This congregation was established at the old log schoolhouse at No. 20 more than forty years ago. "Aunt Sarah” now owns a farm of 60 acres on which she has lived for about 35 years, and during this time, she has been a woman of real worth in the community. Kind-hearted, generous, strictly honest, never meddling with the affairs of ethers, few people in Walnut township have led more blameless lives than "Aunt Sarah” Richardson. In many cases of sickness, she has acted the Good Samaritan. Being a woman of scrupulous cleanliness, and an excellent cook and housekeeper, her services have always been in great demand. For a long time, she was a domestic in the families of Major Charles Page, an army surgeon then stationed at Omaha Barracks, but later at Fort Leavenworth, and Lieutenant Frederick Dodge, of the 13th Infantry. “Aunt Sarah” is intelligent and good-looking, and possesses an energy and enterprise of spirit that is commendable. G. J. R.Date(s) of Creation
6/10/1909