[1] Richard was born in Hardin County, Kentucky in 1811 to Josiah Hart.
He relocated to Texas in c1833, making a stop in Arkansas where he married Mary Riley in 1831.
On July 20, 1836, Hart was mustered into the Texas Militia, serving in a cavalry company that was commanded by his brother John.
He would become a cattleman later in life, with operations in Hunt, Navarro, Erath, Comanche and Johnson counties.
In 1855 he bought land on Mustang Creek in Johnson County, roughly a mile from what is now the town of Rio Vista.