Risbridger Family Tree -

Risbridgers Abroad

Although most Risbridgers continue to cling to the A25 running through Surrey, more adventurous Risbridger clans emigrated to Australia, Canada and the USA.

Early Australians

The first Risbridgers in Australia were reluctant settlers. On at least three occasions Risbridgers were sentenced to deportation by the Surrey courts - Thomas Risbridger in 1821,
Robert Risbridger, sentenced to life imprisonment for horse stealing in 1823, and George Risbridger in 1830.

Michigan, USA

Isaac Risbridger of Charlwood (1792-) had five sons. The eldest, who by tradition inherited his name, would also inherit the farm, so the other four sons had to fend for themselves. William Risbridger left to become a farmer in Johnstown, Michigan, and his younger brother George Risbridger followed on a few years later.

A pitstop in Pittsford

At around the same time as his distant relatives in Charlwood embarked for Michigan, William Humphrey Risbridger took his family to Pittsford, New York State, a farming community which grew rapidly after the opening of the Erie canal in 1825.
However he must have suffered ill health as he returned to Surrey with his family after only a few years and died in his early 30's.

Later Australians

In 1908 Ernest Risbridger left his wife and two infants in England and started a new life and family in Australia.

Leo William 'Bill' Risbridger worked on the P+O liners carrying Australian troops to the European theatre during WW2. His daughter Gail later emigrated to Australia and she has since become a world authority in the field of Prostate Cancer research.