Richard Realf was born at Framfield on the 14th June 1832 and in 1852 he published his first book of poems entitled "Guesses at the Beautiful" before emigrating to the United States where he became very involved in the anti-slavery movement in Kansas. He started a newspaper and so came into contact with John Brown who was subsequently hanged for treason for his attack on Federal forces at Harper's Ferry on 16th October 1859. Julia Ward Howe composed the famous song in Brown's memory - "John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave, …" After Brown's execution, Realf was arrested but subsequently released and when the War of Secession broke out he joined the Federal army, served with the 88th Illinois Regiment and became commandant of a regiment of negroes. After the war he established a school for freed slaves and resumed his old life as journalist and lecturer. Domestic troubles drove him to suicide at Oakland California on 28th October 1878.
| Bristo | not married | Ann Relf | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: c 1730 | b: 1728 Framfield, Sussex ch: 25th May 1728 St. Thomas à Becket's Church, daughter of Richard Relf and Ann Relf | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| John | Elizabeth | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: 1753 Framfield, Sussex ch: 3rd Oct 1753 St. Thomas à Becket's Church, bastard son of … Bristo and Ann Relf | b: 1760 Framfield, Sussex ch: 14th Nov 1760 St. Thomas à Becket's Church, daughter of Ann Relf | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| John Relf | m: 9th Apr 1776 St. Thomas à Becket's Church, Framfield, Sussex | Anne Woodgate | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: 1753 Framfield, Sussex ch: 3rd Oct 1753 St. Thomas à Becket's Church, bastard son of … Bristo and Ann Relf | b: 1751 d: February 1830 Buxted, Sussex, aged 79 years bur: 9th Feb 1830 St. Margaret's Church, Buxted, Sussex | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mary | John | Thomas | Henry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: September 1776 Buxted, Sussex ch: 1st Sep 1776 St. Margaret's Church, daughter of John Relfe and Anne Relfe | b: 1778 Buxted, Sussex ch: 12th Oct 1778 St. Margaret's Church, son of John Relfe and Anne Relfe | b: 1783 Framfield, Sussex ch: 27th Mar 1783 St. Thomas à Becket's Church, son of John Relf and Dinah[sic] Relf d: October 1858 Uckfield, Sussex, aged 77 years bur: 1st Oct 1858 Holy Cross Church, Uckfield, Sussex | b: 1786 Buxted, Sussex ch: 11th Nov 1786 St. Margaret's Church, son of John Relfe and Anne Relfe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Thomas Realf yeoman | m: 5th Jul 1804 St. Thomas à Becket's Church, Framfield, Sussex | Hannah Morris | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: 1783 Framfield, Sussex ch: 27th Mar 1783 St. Thomas à Becket's Church, son of John Relf and Dinah[sic] Relf d: October 1858 Uckfield, Sussex, aged 77 years bur: 1st Oct 1858 Holy Cross Church, Uckfield, Sussex | b: 1785 Framfield, Sussex ch: 4th Sep 1785 St. Thomas à Becket's Church, daughter of Joseph & Hannah Morris | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Richard | Thomas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: 1805 Framfield, Sussex ch: 10th Feb 1805 St. Thomas à Becket's Church, son of Thomas Relf and Hannah Relf d: 6th May 1881 Buxted, Sussex, aged 76 years bur: 10th May 1881 St. Margaret's Church, Buxted, Sussex | b: 1807 Framfield, Sussex ch: 22nd Nov 1807 St. Thomas à Becket's Church, son of Thomas Relfe and Hannah Relfe d: July 1808 Framfield, Sussex, aged 9 months bur: 13th Jul 1808 St. Thomas à Becket's Church, Framfield, Sussex | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Richard Realf police constable | m: 3rd Sep 1826 St. Thomas à Becket's Church, Framfield, Sussex | Martha Highlands | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: 1805 Framfield, Sussex ch: 10th Feb 1805 St. Thomas à Becket's Church, son of Thomas Relf and Hannah Relf d: 6th May 1881 Buxted, Sussex, aged 76 years bur: 10th May 1881 St. Margaret's Church, Buxted, Sussex | b: 27th Jan 1805 Framfield, Sussex d: 19th Jan 1887 Buxted, Sussex bur: 25th Jan 1887 St. Margaret's Church, Buxted, Sussex | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unnamed | Edward | Mary Ann | Richard | Joseph | Martha | Harriet | Sarah | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: 1826 to 1842 | b: January 1827 Framfield, Sussex ch: 7th Feb 1827 St. Thomas à Becket's Church, son of Richard Relfe (labourer) and Martha Relfe d: March 1895 Uckfield, Sussex bur: 2nd Apr 1895 St. Michael & All Angels Church, Little Horsted, Sussex | b: 1830 Framfield, Sussex ch: 4th Apr 1830 St. Thomas à Becket's Church, daughter of Richard Ralfe (labourer) and Mary[sic] Ralfe | b: 14th Jun 1832 Framfield, Sussex d: 28th Oct 1878 Windsor Hotel, Oakland, California, USA bur: November 1878 Lone Mountain Cemetery, San Francisco, California, USA | b: August 1834 Framfield, Sussex | b: June 1838 | b: June 1839 | b: October 1841 Uckfield, Sussex d: c 1914 Ohio, USA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unnamed | Ellen | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: 1826 to 1842 | b: 1828 Framfield, Sussex ch: 4th Sep 1828 St. Thomas à Becket's Church, daughter of Richard Relfe (labourer) and Martha Relfe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Richard Realf | m: 10th Jun 1865 Furnisville, Porter County, Indiana, USA | Sophia Emily Graves | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: 14th Jun 1832 Framfield, Sussex d: 28th Oct 1878 Windsor Hotel, Oakland, California, USA bur: November 1878 Lone Mountain Cemetery, San Francisco, California, USA | b: 25th Nov 1829 St. Georges, Knox, Nr Bangor, Maine, USA d: October 1882 Merrivale, Indiana, USA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bigamous marriage | Richard Realf | m: 26th Oct 1867 Rochester, New Jersey, USA | Catherine Cassidy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: 14th Jun 1832 Framfield, Sussex d: 28th Oct 1878 Windsor Hotel, Oakland, California, USA bur: November 1878 Lone Mountain Cemetery, San Francisco, California, USA | b: c 1835 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Richard Realf | not married | Eliza Ann Whapham | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: 14th Jun 1832 Framfield, Sussex d: 28th Oct 1878 Windsor Hotel, Oakland, California, USA bur: November 1878 Lone Mountain Cemetery, San Francisco, California, USA | b: 1847 Uckfield, Sussex d: 1926 USA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Richard | Mabel | Minnie | Alice | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| b: 24th Apr 1875 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA d: 26th Aug 1950 Summit, New Jersey, USA | b: 1878 New York, USA | b: 1878 New York, USA d: 25th Aug 1971 Atlantic Highland, Middletown, Monmouth, New Jersey, USA bur: 27th Aug 1971 Presbyterian Cemetery, New Providence, New Jersey, USA | b: 1878 New York, USA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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