Early Life of Linda Richards
Malinda Ann Judson Richards was born in 1841, the third of three children. Her father was a preacher who named her after a missionary with the hope that she would also go into the mission field. Although Richards was born in West Potsdam, New York, she moved with her family to Wisconsin in 1845. Just weeks after the move, her father died from tuberculosis forcing the family to move to Vermont to live with her grandparents. Shortly after that, her mother also contracted tuberculosis. Richards cared for her until her death in 1854 and became an orphan at the age of 13.
Caring for her mother gave Richards an interest in nursing, but she did not initially pursue it as a career. Instead, she studied to be a teacher and taught for several years. In 1860, she became engaged to George Poole. Shortly after their engagement, he left to fight in the Civil War. During his service, he was severely wounded, and when he returned home, Richards took care of him until he died in 1869.