I need not tell the people of "Old Cayuga" who Col. John Richardson is.
Every body knows who he is, or if every body does not, every body knows
who "Col. Jack" is, and when I tell them that they are one and the same
person they will be at no loss to know who Col. John Richardson is.
-An Old Soldier
Auburn Journal and Advertiser, October 6, 1841.


If only knowing John Richardson's name could tell us who Col. Jack was! So many romantic, sensational and often inaccurate accounts of his life have been written over the one hundred and seventy years since he died, that the true story of this amazing man has become obscured. Laurel Clayson delves into the historical record to discover, correct and enlarge upon the handed-down history of this craftsman, soldier, public servant, political activist, husband, and father.

Clayson then follows the work of his three sons and grandson to sustain and expand the Auburn, New York cabinetmaking business John Richardson founded in 1810, until its demise almost one hundred and forty-five years later.

What was the true extent of Richardson's involvement in the War of 1812? Was he recruited by Aaron Burr for his treasonous expedition? Did Brigham Young seek an apprenticeship in his cabinet shop? Did he help elect the first Whig president of the United States? These are but a few of the tantalizing questions asked and answered by the author in this abundantly illustrated work.

Of special interest to War-of-1812 buffs, historians of mid-nineteenth-century New York State politics, and those interested in early New York prison labor, Laurel Clayson's work will also appeal to anyone who loves a good hunt through historical records to find an astonishing, authentic American story.