Richard Austin (1598–1645) was an early

puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Catholic Church, Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become m ...

colonist who landed in

Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeastern United States. History Since ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

on 16 May 1638 on board a ship called the ''Bevis''. He was the immigrant paternal English ancestor and great-great-great-grandfather of

Stephen F. Austin Stephen Fuller Austin (November 3, 1793 – December 27, 1836) was an American-born empresario. Known as the "Father of Texas" and the founder of Anglo Texas,Hatch (1999), p. 43. he led the second and, ultimately, the successful colonization ...

empresario An empresario () was a person who had been granted the right to settle on land in exchange for recruiting and taking responsibility for settling the eastern areas of Coahuila y Tejas in the early nineteenth century. The word in Spanish for entre ...

, considered the "Father of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

" and founder of Texas.

Early life

Richard (Jr.) was born in 1598 to Richard Austin (Sr.) and his wife Annis (of unknown maiden surname) in Bishopstoke, Hampshire, England, and died in 1645 in Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts. Richard (Jr.) was buried in

Watertown, Massachusetts Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, and is part of Greater Boston. The population was 35,329 in the 2020 census. Its neighborhoods include Bemis, Coolidge Square, East Watertown, Watertown Square, and the West End. Watertown ...

Settlement in the colonies

Richard Austin is the immigrant ancestor of a family named "Austin" that prospered, ultimately settling parts of

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

and

; noteworthy descendants include

Moses Austin Moses Austin (October 4, 1761 – June 10, 1821) was an American businessman and pioneer who played a large part in the development of the lead industry in the early United States. He was the father of Stephen F. Austin, one of the earliest ...

Emily Austin Perry Emily Austin Bryan Perry (June 22, 1795 – 1851) was the sister of Stephen F. Austin and an early settler of Texas. She was an heir to Austin's estate when he died in 1836. She achieved significant political, economic and social status as a woma ...

, Guy Morrison Bryan, Moses Austin Bryan and Stephen Samuel Perry. Richard settled in Charlestown, Massachusetts.Literary papers of William Austin, with a biographical sketch by his son By William Austin, James Walker Austin There are few references to Richard Austin, but in 1651, Richard Austin or a descendant by the same name held some public offices in Charlestown. Puritan religious conviction resulted in Richard Austin's decision to leave England for New England. Shortly after arrival, Richard's brother-in-law, Edmund Littlefield (who married Agnes Austin), "broke from his congregation" to then settle in

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. The ship manifest for the ''Bevis'' listed Richard Austin as a tailor from "Bishopstocke" (also known as Bishop Stoke), traveling with his wife and two children. Most information about Richard is derived from genealogical research. Austin records go back to

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, England in 1522. The Richard Austin who arrived on the ''Bevis'' is the son of another Richard Austin—who is the son of (Stephen or William ?) Austin, born November 17, 1557, in Tenterden, Kent, England, and his wife Margaret Wrigley, born in the same town on May 1, 1550.

Personal life

He married Elizabeth "Betsy" Littlefield in 1630 at

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, England. and they had 2 sons, whose name on the passenger list were not stated. They are believed to be Richard and Anthony, although there is no real documentation to show that the Anthony listed below was their son, that is, outside of having the surname of Austin: * Richard Austin, III born November 15, 1632 in

Bishopstoke Bishopstoke, a village recorded in the Domesday Book, is a civil parish in the borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England. Bishopstoke was also mentioned when King Alfred the Great's grandson King Eadred, granted land at "Stohes" to Thegn Aelfric ...

, Hampshire, England, and died August 15, 1703 in Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts. * Anthony Austin was born 1636 in Bishopstoke, Hampshire, England, and died August 22, 1708 in Suffield, Hampshire, Massachusetts.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Austin, Richard People of colonial Massachusetts 1598 births 1638 deaths People from Titchfield People from Bishopstoke