Thursday’s Spotlight – Life of Richard Malachi Rivers

In his own words Richard Malachi Rivers talks about his life and his parents.

I was born in Jefferson County near Warrior, Alabama, February 15, 1866. My father and mother came from South Carolina in 1852.

My father taken up 820 acres of land near Birmingham, old Hawkins field where the fairground is now and swapped it for land (near) Robins Cross Road in 1856 and exchanged it for land near Warrior in 1858 and exchanged that land for land near Houston in 1872.

I grew up a rural boy on a farm one-mile south of Houston to the age of 18 as I was the younger of 12 children, 8 boys and 4 girls.

My father willed me the estate, 320 acres of land and some personal property. When I got 19 at this age I promptly gave it all back to my father and mother and went away for about six months.

My sisters wrote me to come home which I did, and stayed with my parents. I bought an improvement for $80.00 and Homesteaded 160 acres of land, which cost me less than $100, and proceeded to hire a small yoke of steers for $5 and make a crop. The parents got me to teach a literary school at Pleasant Hill two months for $12.50 per month and board. Before this school was out they ask me to teach three next public school which I agreed to do, and I taught school at that place for six years.
 
In 1892 I moved to Houston, bought M. C. Curtis stock of goods, taken over Post Office at Houston and served 12 years as Postmaster. During that time I taught school at Houston four years and made the race for Legislative on the Republican ticket and was elected.

I served in 1898, during that and after time I served two terms as a member of the Education Board of Winston County. In 1904 I resigned as Postmaster and went back to farming and mail contracting.

In 1926 I made another race for the Legislature and was elected and served from that date till 1930.

My father was born May 14, 1817. Died January 7, 1890. [Frederick W. Rivers]

My mother was born October 3, 1824. Died September 27, 1902. [Synthia Matilda Knight]

I have 10 children, 5 boys and 5 girls, and this date 37 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.
                                                                                                R. M. Rivers

Editor's note: The Alabamian thanks the Owen Alford family of Houston Star Route for the accompanying photo and story about the life of R. M. Rivers, once a Representative from Winston County.

This newspaper article came from an unknown Alabama newspaper. Richard Malachi Rivers and his parents lived in Winston County, Alabama. If you, my readers, can provide a source for this article it  would be greatly appreciated. Toward the end of the article Richard states that he served in the Legislature until 1930. He died 30 March 1944.

This article was published between 1930 and March 1944.

Richard Malachi Rivers was born 15 February 1866; a son of Frederick W. Rivers and Synthia Matilda Knight. His parents migrated from Chesterfield County, South Carolina about 1852.  
He married Sarah Lou Wilson, 16 January 1889 and they had 10 children.

Richard Malachi Rivers died 30 March 1944 at the age of 78 years. 
Lou Rivers, wife of R. M. Rivers, born April 28, 1874. Died September 10, 1950.





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[1] Richard Malachi Rivers, The Alabamian, date unknown, Winston County,  Alabama, 1930-1944