c. 1700s — Wales#

Howell Family Emigrates from Wales The Howell family emigrates from Wales to the American colonies, settling in the Delaware Valley region. Reynold Howell, Richard’s grandfather, is among the early settlers.

c. 1724 — Newark, Delaware#

Reynold Howell Establishes the Family in America Reynold Howell (Richard’s grandfather) purchases a plantation near Newark, New Castle County, Delaware. The family takes root in the mid-Atlantic colonial community.

c. 1750 — Newark, Delaware#

Ebenezer Howell Ebenezer Howell, Richard’s father, is established in Newark, Delaware. He will later move the family to New Jersey and build the homestead that becomes a center of revolutionary activity.

October 25, 1754 — Newark, Delaware#

Richard Howell Born Richard Bond Howell is born in Newark, New Castle County, Delaware. His twin brother, Lewis B. Howell, is born the same day. The twins will serve together in the Revolutionary War — Richard as a Major, Lewis as Regimental Surgeon — until Lewis’s death in 1778.

1769 — New Jersey#

Ebenezer Howell Moves the Family to New Jersey Ebenezer Howell relocates from Newark, Delaware to Cumberland County, New Jersey, joining the Quaker community there. The Howells become part of the social and political fabric of southern New Jersey.

1773 — Roadstown, Cumberland County, NJ#

The Howell Homestead Built Ebenezer Howell builds the family homestead in Roadstown, Cumberland County, New Jersey. The initials “RH 1773” and “LH” — for Richard and Lewis — are carved by the rear doorway. The homestead will serve as a gathering point in the years ahead. See: Howell Homestead.

December 22, 1774 — Greenwich, Cumberland County, NJ#

The Greenwich Tea Burning Richard Howell and his twin brother Lewis, then 19 years old, participate in the Greenwich Tea Burning — New Jersey’s counterpart to the Boston Tea Party. A group of local patriots raid a cellar where tea has been stored by a merchant and burn it in the town square. The Howell Homestead serves as a staging area for the conspirators. See: Greenwich Tea Burning.

1774–1776 — Cumberland County, NJ#

Richard Howell Reads Law In the years before the war, Richard Howell studies law in Cumberland County. He becomes active in local committees of correspondence — the colonial political organizations that coordinated resistance to British rule. His legal training and political engagement position him well for his later career as Governor.

1776 — New Jersey#

Richard Howell Enlists As war breaks out, Richard Howell enlists in the Continental Army. He is commissioned as an officer in the 2nd New Jersey Regiment under General William Maxwell. His Revolutionary War service begins.

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