The author is a native of the Northern Neck of Virginia and resides in Northumberland County.  He is involved in historical and genealogical work in the region as a member of the Northumberland County Historical Society.  Richard has had numerous articles published in the Bulletin of the Northumberland County Historical Society and was awarded the Jefferson Davis Historical Gold Medal in 2017 for a series of articles about the Civil War era in Northumberland County.

Richard is currently drafting a book that will be released soon about local fishing boats that were commissioned by the Navy during WWI and converted to minesweepers for use in France.

Richard is also working on a book about the Civil War era in the Northern Neck to be released before the end of 2022.