Thanks for that. I'm really amazed to find so many Rickards and variations in VA prior to 1796. I've been looking for my Mason ancestors in PA, but it seems there is no shortage of possibilities in VA. In case anybody might be interested, following are my research notes on Adam Richart/Rickard: There is an earlier genealogy proposed by some sources, beginning in Hesse, Germany to Middleburg, NY, but the connection prior to Adam is suspect. There is no specific record of the proposed father, George, ever having a son named Adam or moving to PA from New York. However, many Palatines who first settled in New York migrated down the Susquehanna River to Northampton/Berks area. And a generation later, many Palatines living in Southeast PA migrated to and through Shenandoah. At any rate, there is no shortage of Rikerts, Richarts, Riegarts and Rickards in the East to choose from. One group in particular that is interesting appears near Salisbury, Northampton/Lehigh County, where some accounts suggest Adam's son Jacob was born. I believe the first we really see Adam is when he purchased 60 acres near New Market, Shenandoah in 1796. However - In the 1793 personal property tax list for the big valley of Shenandoah County, there was a listing for Adam R***art. On the same day as Adam R***art (April 18) were Jacob Roof, John Roush Senr, George Ruddell, Walter Newman, Mounce Bird, Daniel Brannerman (Jr and Sr), Rudolph Kagey, Daniel Kingary, Solomon Kingary, and many others. These are all names familiar within maybe five miles of New Market. It's said Adam's first wife, Elizabeth, died about 1797, in New Market, Shenandoah County, Virginia. If true, that verifies a possible point of residence prior to arriving in Mason County. This is significant because allied families Roush and Zirkle, who later settled in Mason, were also from that part of the Shenandoah Valley and followed a similar migration pattern out of PA. 1790 Census Salisbury, Northampton Co, PA, Adam (Rickert or Richart), 1 male, 3 females Windsor Township, Berks Co, Adam Reichard plus two males under 16 and 4 females Lancaster Borough, Lancaster Co, Adam Reighart, 3 males, 3 females, 1 slave Lancaster, Borough, Lancaster Co, Adam Reighart Jr., 3 males Weisenbergh, Northampton Co, George Ryegirt, 2 males over 16, 2 males under 16, 4 females Allen Twp, Northampton, George Richart, 3 males over 16, 1 male under 16, 6 females Lancaster, George Rachart, 1 male, 3 females Lower Saucon, George Reghert, 1 male over 16, 3 malews under 16, 3 females and Widow Reghert, 1 male over 16, 2 males under 16, 2 females Also in 1790 Census, Abraham Richard, Easton Twp; George Richart, Allen Twp; Leonard Righart, Upper Saucon; Frederick Rigert, Weisenberg Twp 1796 Tax List for Elk Lick, near Salisbury - Abraham Richart 1800 Census, Northampton - various Reicherd, George PA NORTHAMPTON CO. Reicherd, Jacob PA NORTHAMPTON CO. Reicherd, John PA NORTHAMPTON CO. Reichert, Frederick PA NORTHAMPTON CO. Reichert, George PA NORTHAMPTON CO. Reichert, Henry PA NORTHAMPTON CO. Reichert, Michael PA NORTHAMPTON CO. Reichert, Michael PA NORTHAMPTON CO. 1810 Census, Mason County, VA, Adam Richart - 3 sons under 10, 1 son 16 to 18, self under 45 - 4 daughters under 10, 1 daughter under 16, 2 daughters 16 to 26, wife 26 to 45 1820 Census, Mason, Adam Rickard - 1 son under 10, 2 sons 10 to 16, 1 son 16 to 18, 1 son under 26, self over 45 - 1 daughter 10 to 16, 1 daughter 16 to 26, wife over 45. Also in 1820 Census, Jacob Rickard, over 26, wife, 1 son, 2 daughters Michael Rickard, over 18, wife, 2 daughters 1830 Census, Mason, Adam Rickard, age 60 to 70, wife 60 to 70, 2 males, 15 to 20 also Michael and Jacob separately There was a homegrown Virginia Richart/Rickard family in the original Germana settlement near Shenandoah. There is a Jacob Rickard in the Shenandoah census of 1820, but not our Jacob/1793. Following is an excerpt from Germana History by John Blankenbaker: On two occasions, in April and in June of 1724, about thirty members of the First Colony went to the Spotsylvania County Court and gave testimony that they were immigrants to the colony of Virginia. The object in doing this was to obtain headrights, a certificate that could be traded for fifty acres of land (per person). So low was the priority of obtaining the certificate that they did not claim the certificates until May of 1729. All of them, one per person, were issued then. Probably one person went to the county clerk to claim them. ....... A few of the headrights were sold. William Moore used the headrights of John Camper, Alice Catherine Camper, John Huffman, Katherine Huffman, Jacob Richart, {{Elizabeth Richart, John Richart}}, and Katherine Cunk. This was used in the patent of a tract on branches of Mine Run in the fall of 1729. T - Note the similarity of the Richart names, Jacob, John and Elizabeth to Adam's children. Following is a piece of documentation that picks up Adam in Mason County. However, I think it's flawed in the absolute assumption that Adam was from Pennsylvania, let alone New York. "The History of Mason County WV 1987" - Adam Rickard's grandfather was Lodwick Rickard, who was born in Albany County, New York, in 1712. Lodwick married Catherine Conrad and settled in Schoharie, New York, where they were burned out of their home by the Indians in their attack on Schoharie. Lodwick's father came to New York from Germany. On March 12, 1753, Lodwick received a land grant of 25 acres in Northampton County, Pennsylvania. By 1800, the Rickard name was numerous in eastern Pennsylvania and was spelled many different ways. Lodwick and Catherine Rickard's son, George, was born in 1729 in Middleburgh, New York, and in 1750 he married Eve Starin. They came with his father and settled in Pennsylvania. The children of George and Eve were George Jr., Michael, William, Andrew, Henry and Adam, the Mason County settler. George Sr. raised his family in Northampton and Bucks County, Penn. In 1779 George Sr. was taxed on two head of cattle. George Rickard Sr. died in 1788. The earliest record of Adam Rickard was at sale in 1788, where he purchased at the sale of the estate of John Geisinger a flax breaker, a chest and four screws. Adam Rickard was born in the 1760's. Adam Rickard served in the Revolutionary War as a Private Third Class. Adam entered the army November, 1781 to January, 1782 in Captain Daniel Good's Third Company, First Battalion of the Northampton County Militia. Also from June 13, 1782 to June 24, 1782. Adam served as a substitute soldier for Peter Deis. All of Adam's brothers also served in the Northampton Militia during the war. Adam was on the first census taken in 1790 as living in Salisbury Township, Northampton County, Penn. This area is now part of Berks County. In 1794, Adam and his wife Elizabeth, with two sons and six daughters moved south to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, and in 1796 they purchased sixty acres of land around New Market, Va. He sold the land two years later in 1798 to George Bruce. It is believed that his wife Elizabeth died within this two-year period, because she is not mentioned on any other records. By this time in his life, the migration to the Ohio Valley was in full swing, and Adam possibly seeing this as an opportunity to start a new life with his children, crossed the mountains along with some of his neighbors, and settled in what is now Mason County, West Virginia. At this time the area was part of Kanawha County, Virginia. Adam married his second wife Catherine around 1800. He was on the first tax record of Mason County in 1804, as was the Roush brothers. Daniel Roush, his neighbor, is on record as having killed the last wolf in Mason County for bounty. In 1805, Adam was summoned for grand jury duty. This was the first grand jury in Mason County. Among the jurors were Luman Gibbs, the frontier scout, Peter Yeager, Henry VanMeter, Peter Hogg, Dr. Jesse Bennett, who was the first doctor in the world to deliver a baby by caesarean operation, Isaac Lewis, Isaac Robinson, and Henry Rayburn. Among the cases tried were James Miller, accused of profane swearing; Thomas Craig and Adam Falks of fighting; Francis Watkins and John McCullough for Sabbath Day breaking. Dr. Bennett was later fined eighty five cents for swearing. Adam and four of his children were baptized in 1806 by the Rev. Paul Hinkle, who was the first Lutheran minister in Mason County. In the Paul Hinkle Journal, he states that Adam Reichart was his neighbor, when they lived at New Market, Virginia, and that Adam gave him one dollar for his service. The known children of Adam Rickard, Rickert, Regart were Mary, Susan, Margaret, Elizabeth, Jacob, Michael Sr., John, Adam Jr., Joseph and George. Adam Rickard died in 1837 and is buried in the family cemetery in Upper Flats of Mason County. His sons Jacob and Michael served in Captain Anthony VanSickle's Company during the War of 1812. I believe it is our duty as descendants of these early pioneers to keep alive the memory of our ancestors. I could not do justice to the life of Adam Rickard because there was nothing to go by but the public records. (Submitted by Robert Vickers Jr., Ada Rickard Vickers.) I think the preceding is partly a product of wishful thinking. All the data I've seen show the New York Rickards are buried in New York. There is no Rickard or variant among the recorded Schoharie-to-PA migrants. The best we can draw from the pastor's journal regarding early Adam is that he lived in Shenandoah from at least 1795. Mr Vickers has also said on occasion that Adam had a brother named Henry, who accompanied him from PA to Shenandoah, and who subsequently changed his name to Henry Richard.