Richard Edwards was born ca 1784/90 per census analysis, or possibly earlier based on census analysis. I'm not sure at all of a more accurate approximate birth date. His 1810 census entry shows him as age 16-25, or born ca 1784/94. If he is the same Richard I've found on the 1820 census, that one shows him 26-44, or born ca 1775/94, which doesn't help, however the 1830 census shows him 40-49, or born ca 1780/90. Using the 1830 and 1810 census, I can narrow his birth down to ca 1784/90.

Richard Edwards a proven child of John Edwards, and was named in his father's Will of 1810, and is also proven by an 1805 deed.

Richard was apparently home with his parents for the 1790 census, listed in the "under 16" age group (born ca 1774/90).

Richard seems to have been home with John Edwards for the 1800 census, aged 16-25 (born ca 1774/84) or aged 10-15 (born ca 1784/90). This later group would fit better with his 1810 entry, but his brother Ambrose Edwards was also born 1784/94 per his 1810 entry, and John only had one son that age in 1800, so one of them may be off slightly.

On 20 Feb 1804, Richard Edwards and William Bennett witnessed a deed from John Edwards (his father) to James Edwards (his brother). (Wayne Co, NC Deed Book 8 page 189).

On 9 Feb 1805, John Edwards Sr deeded property to "my son" Richard Edwards. I don't have the details of this deed. It was witnessed by Isham Edwards (Richard's brother) and Arthur Fulghum (keep this name in mind when you read my 1850 census analysis below). (Wayne Co, NC Deed Book 8 page 167).

On 4 Oct 1806 Richard Edwards deeded land to his father John Edwards Sr, described as "tract I now live on". Witnessed by David Edwards (his brother) and P. Jernigan. (Wayne Co, NC Deed Book 9 page 130).

Richard Edwards married someone in the 1800-1810 period. If he is the same Richard who later went to Muhlenberg Co, KY, then his wife is named Fereby ---. Nathan W. Murphy believes she is the same person as Fereby Hynes (or Hines), daughter of Hardy Hynes and Sarah ---, who also went from Wayne Co, NC to Muhlenberg Co, KY. His case for this seems strong, for Hardy did have a proven daughter named "Ferribe Hynes" born in 1788, and Hardy did do several pieces of business with Richard Edwards in Muhlenberg Co, KY and Posey Co, IN.

The 1806 deed above was the last primary record I found for Richard in Wayne County. It would appear he moved away about that same time.

I found a Richard Edwards in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky beginning in 1807, and I feel reasonably sure it is the same Richard, but I have no direct evidence yet that they are one and the same. The main thing that makes me think so is that Richard's half brothers Britton Miles Edwards and Samuel Miles Edwards moved to that same county just a few years later. Nathan Murphy shared data that shows other Wayne Co, NC families moved to Muhlenberg, so it would seem there is no doubt that this is the same Richard Edwards.

Richard Edwards was listed on the 1807 tax list for Muhlenberg Co, KY. (Thanks to Dave Edwards for sharing the Muhlenberg Tax list information with me).

Richard Edwards was listed on the 1808 tax list for Muhlenberg Co, KY. (Thanks to Dave Edwards for sharing the Muhlenberg Tax list information with me).

Richard was listed on the 1810 census in Muhlenberg, in fact he was the only Edwards there that year. He was listed between Ely Smith and Martin Barrett (or Beard, it is hard to make out).

1810 census analysis (based on available evidence): (Explanation of this census)

1810 Muhlenberg Co, KY pg 386 Richard Edwards 20100-20010-0-0
Analysis:
1 Male(s) 16-25       (1784-1794)	Richard EDWARDS (1784/90) s/o John
2 Male(s) 0-9         (1800-1810)	Son? (1804/10)
					Son? (1804/10)
1 Female(s) 26-44     (1765-1784)	Fereby HYNES Edwards (1780/84) wife
2 Female(s) 0-9       (1800-1810)	Daughter? (1800/04)
					Daughter? (1804/10)

On 1 Aug 1810, Richard's father John Edwards made his Will in Wayne Co, NC and named "my Sun Richard Edwards" and left him One Hundred dollars.

Richard Edwards was listed on the 1811 tax list in Muhlenberg County, and taxed for 380 acres on Cypress Creek. This tax list also shows a John Edwards and David Edwards, probably brothers to each other, but no known relation to Richard. (Thanks to Dave Edwards for sharing the Muhlenberg Tax list information with me).

Richard Edwards was listed on the 1812 tax list in Muhlenberg County, and taxed for 381 acres on Cypress Creek. (John Edwards also listed). (Thanks to Dave Edwards for sharing the Muhlenberg Tax list information with me).

Richard Edwards was listed on the 1813 tax list in Muhlenberg County, and taxed for 381 acres on Cypress Creek. Joshua Edwards and David Edwards also listed. (Thanks to Dave Edwards for sharing the Muhlenberg Tax list information with me).

Richard Edwards was listed on the 1814 tax list in Muhlenberg County, and taxed for 100 acres. This tax list shows the arrival of Richard's half brother Britton Miles Edwards listed here as "Brittain Edwards". (Thanks to Dave Edwards for sharing the Muhlenberg Tax list information with me).

Richard Edwards was listed on the 1816 tax list in Muhlenberg County. (Thanks to Dave Edwards for sharing the Muhlenberg Tax list information with me).

Richard Edwards was listed on the 1819 tax list in Muhlenberg County. (Thanks to Dave Edwards for sharing the Muhlenberg Tax list information with me).

The 1819 tax listing is the last record I have for Richard in Muhlenberg. Richard did not appear in Muhlenberg for the 1820 census, though several other Edwards were listed that year including Richard's half-brothers Briton M. Edwards and Samuel M. Edwards.

An 1828 deed proves that Richard Edwards moved to Posey Co, IN. That deed was from Hardy Hynes of Muhlenberg, to Richard Edwards of Posey Co, IN.

I had found a Richard Edwards in 1830, 1840, 1850 Wayne Co, IN that I thought was a decent match to be our Richard, but though there are several things that make him look like a match, he isn't the same one. Strangely (or coincidentally), that Richard (of Wayne Co, IN) was born in NC (ca 1790), and his neighbors in 1850 were Fulghums from Wayne Co, NC. This Richard may somehow be connected, but he is not the same Richard, son of John Edwards of Wayne Co, NC. (Thanks to Nathan W. Murphy for helping me clear this up).

I found Richard Edwards on the 1820 census in Posey Co, IN, in fact, he was the only Edwards in that county that year. He was in Black Township, between the households of Barnabas Amblin (couldn't read this surname very clearly) and David Thomas.

1820 census analysis (based on available evidence): (Explanation of this census)

1820 Posey Co, IN pg 305 Richard Edwards 320110-21110
Analysis:
1 Male(s) 26-44       (1775-1794)	Richard EDWARDS (1784/90) s/o John
1 Male(s) 16-25       (1794-1804)	Son? Brother? Nephew? (1794/1804) * Not in 1810 --> gone by 1830
2 Male(s) 10-15       (1804-1810)	Son? (1804/10) --> gone by 1830
					Son? (1804/10) --> gone by 1830
3 Male(s) 0-9         (1810-1820)	Son? (1810/15)
					Son? (1815/20)
					Son? (1815/20)
1 Female(s) 26-44     (1775-1794)	Fereby HYNES Edwards (1780/84) wife
1 Female(s) 16-25     (1794-1804)	Daughter? (1800/04) --> gone by 1830
1 Female(s) 10-15     (1804-1810)	Daughter? (1804/10) --> gone by 1830
2 Female(s) 0-9       (1810-1820)	Daughter? (1810/15)
					Daughter? (1810/15)

Richard Edwards is listed on the 1830 census in Posey Co, IN in Robinson Township. He is next door to Moses Grant (1770/80) (could this be his brother-in-law, the unidentified Mr. Grant married to Lucy Edwards?). He is also next door to Jane Downen. There was also an Emanuel Edwards and Wiley Edwards in Posey County that year, though not listed nearby (They were in Lynn Township). (Thanks to Nathan Murphy for pointing out to me that Richard was in Posey County in 1830).

1830 census analysis (based on available evidence): (Explanation of this census)

1830 Posey Co, IN pg 194 Richard Edwards 1121001000000-1102001000000
Analysis:
1 Male(s) 40-49        (1780-1790)	Richard EDWARDS (1784/90) s/o John
1 Male(s) 15-19        (1810-1815)	Son? (1810/15) --> gone by 1840
2 Male(s) 10-14        (1815-1820)	Son? (1815/20) --> gone by 1840
					Son? (1815/20) --> gone by 1840
1 Male(s) 5-9          (1820-1825)	Son? (1820/25)
1 Male(s) 0-4          (1825-1830)	Son? (1825/30)
1 Female(s) 40-49      (1780-1790)	Fereby HYNES Edwards (1780/84) wife
2 Female(s) 15-19      (1810-1815)	Daughter? (1810/15) --> gone by 1840
					Daughter? (1810/15) --> gone by 1840
1 Female(s) 5-9        (1820-1825)	Daughter? (1820/25) --> gone by 1840
1 Female(s) 0-4        (1825-1830)	Daughter? (1825/30) --> gone by 1840

Richard Edwards was still in Posey County in Robinson Township for the 1840 census. He was joined by 11 other Edwards listed in Posey County that year, though most were in other Townships. However, Isaac, John, Lawford and Wiley Edwards were also in Robinson Township. Richard's wife (Fereby) was listed in a younger age group in 1840, so it is possible that is a mistake, or that Fereby had died, and Richard had remarried in the 1830's.

1840 census analysis (based on available evidence): (Explanation of this census)

1840 Posey Co, IN pg 326 Richard Edwards 0211000100000-0000001000000
Analysis:
1 Male(s) 50-59        (1780-1790)	Richard EDWARDS (1784/90) s/o John
1 Male(s) 15-19        (1820-1825)	Son? (1820/25)
1 Male(s) 10-14        (1825-1830)	Son? (1825/30)
2 Male(s) 5-9          (1830-1835)	Son? (1830/35)
					Son? (1830/35)
1 Female(s) 40-49      (1790-1800)	Fereby HYNES Edwards (1780/84) wife 

I did not find Richard nor Fereby on the 1850 census in Posey County. There were a few Edwards in Robinson Township that year, and at a glance it would appear they were Richard's children, though that would still need to be proven: John Edwards (c1815 KY), Isam Edwards (c1817 IN), and Bennett Edwards (c1824 IN). These three apparent brothers were all very near each other on this census.

Nathan W. Murphy has shared some data with me pertaining to Richard Edwards and his half-brothers Britton Miles Edwards and Samuel Miles Edwards. He has given me permission to post those records here.

Samuel Miles Edwards and Britton Miles Edwards were neighbors along Pond
Creek in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky near what is today the town of Central
City.  They lived next to the same neighbors that had been the neighbors of
Richard Edwards, their probable half brother, a decade earlier (Hardy Hynes,
etc).

Richard Edwards married a woman named Fereby.  The couple moved to Posey
Co., Indiana in the late 1810s.  Fereby was probably the daughter of Hardy
Hynes, who was from Wayne Co., North Carolina, settled in the same area of
Muhlenberg Co., KY as the Edwards family, and then moved to Posey Co.,
Indiana.  Hardy had a daughter named Fereby of the right age, whose husband
has not been identified, and I believe that she probably married Richard
Edwards, prior to arriving in Muhlenberg Co., Kentucky, in Wayne Co., NC. 
Hardy Hynes sold land to Richard Edwards in the late 1820s, and was probably
his father-in-law, they both arrive to Muhlenberg Co., KY at about the same
time.  This would have been Hardy's oldest son-in-law.

Muhlenberg Co., KY Deed Book 3, 219-220:
12 August 1811.  Richard Edwards & Fereby his wife sold to Frederick Miller
all of Muhlenberg County KY for $126, 120 acres on waters of Cany.  Corner
to Spencer Oneals, Watkins line, Russell corner, McLean Military line,
Wooton corner.  Signed: Richard Edwards & Fereby Edwards.
12 August 1811.  Fereby wife of Richard Edwards relinquished her Right of
Dower.  Signed: Chas. F. Wing, C.M.C.
Source: Brenda Doss, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky Deed Books 1-5 Abstracts
1798-1823 (A.B. Willhite: Russellville, KY, 1994), 46.
Muhlenberg Co., KY Deed Book 7, 106:
31 December 1828. Hardy Hynes of Muhlenberg County KY sold to Richard
Edwards of Posey County IN for $100, on waters of Pond Creek in Muhlenberg
County KY.  Tinsley line, Irvin corner, William Ward line, Neal line. 
Signed: Hardy Hynes.
Source: Brenda Doss, Muhlenberg County, Kentucky Deed Books 6-10 Abstracts
1823-1842 (A.B. Willhite: Russellville, KY, 1988), 74.
Abstracts of Revolutionary War Pensions
"Hardy Hynes, Sarah, NC Line, sol enl in Wayne Co., NC, he appl 8 Dec 1818
Muhlenberg Co., KY aged 57, sol m. Sarah (--) 17 Aug 1787 on the banks of
the Neuse River in Wayne Co., NC, sol d. 22 Mar 1832 in Posey Co., IN & wid
appl there 26 Feb 1853 aged about 86, sol & wife had 12 children; but only
the following were named; Ferribe, b 25/26 May 1788; Sarah b 12 Sep 1796 &
she md. Jesse Combs; Susan Stephens, b. abt 1800; William Hardy Hynes, Jr.,
b abt 1802 (the last 3 were of Posey Co., IN in 1854), John who srv in the
War of 1812 & d. a few yrs after the War of 1812 & Chilly, b. 10 Mar 1807,
it appeared that Wm. H. Jr.'s wife was Lydia Ann daughter of Izanat
[Azariah] Doss."
History of Posey County, Indiana:
ROBINSON TOWNSHIP, Settlers:
"Richard Edwards and the Grant family were early settlers and farmers who
lived south of Blairsville, all of whom are now gone." [Blairsville is the
same area where that the Doss and Hynes families, previously of Muhlenberg
Co., KY, settled].
Source: History of Posey County, Indiana. (The Goodspeed Publishing Co.:
Chicago, 1886), 320-321.

1830 Census of Robinson Township, Posey Co., Indiana:
Richd. Edwards 1121001-1102001. [p 194] [living next to the Murphy and
Downen families, who originally came from Muhlenberg Co., Kentucky]

1840 Census of Robinson Township, Posey Co., Indiana:
Richard Edwards 02110001-0000001 [p 326].
1850 Census: gone, I remember in a book I saw on the Downen family it talked
about the children of Richard Edwards, one son was named Isom Edwards
[probably named after his brother Isham Edwards].  I read this in a book
from Willard Library, in Evansville, IN.