Richard Copeland Todd

Richard Copeland Todd (1792–1852), was a pioneer from Chester, South Carolina. In 1822 Todd and his wife Martha settled in what is now Virginia Highland neighborhood of Atlanta, buying their farm from William Zachary who had bought it in 1812. Their descendants resided on the original Todd homestead site at 816 Greenwood Avenue until the 1960s. Mr. and Mrs. Todd were buried nearby and their graves still remain there today. The tiny parcel of land (1/14th of an acre) was donated by the Todd Family to the City of Atlanta in the 1930s as a 'city park'. The 'park' is located in the backyard of a suburban infill house built around 1990, between Ponce de Leon Place and Drewry Street. Their graves bear one monument - a large stone 'log' approximately 6 feet (1.8 m) long and bearing the inscriptions: Martha Todd 1802–1896 and Richard Todd 1792–1850.

Todd's older sister Sarah (d. 1865) was married to Hardy Ivy the first European-American settler within the original Atlanta city limits. The road between their two farms was known as Todd Road, a portion of which still exists in Virginia Highland.

References

• History of Virginia Highland, Virginia Highland Civic Association
• Linda Merrill, "History of Virginia Highland, Part I", published in the Virginia-Highland Voice, Winter 2009