Windham County CT

Windham County occupies the northeastern corner of the state of Connecticut, bordering Worcester county, Massachusetts, lying on the north, and Providence and Kent counties in Rhode Island on the east. New London county bounds it on the south and Tolland on the west. Its greatest length, from north to south, is twenty-seven miles, and its greatest width, from east to west, is twenty-three miles. Its north, east and south sides are nearly straight lines, while on the west side its territory interchanges offsets with Tolland. The greatest. variation in the line made by these offsets, however, does not exceed six miles. This occurs on the northwest corner, where the town of Union makes an advance of about the distance mentioned. We may explain that the longest north and south line would be drawn from the northwest corner of Thompson to the southwest corner of Plainfield, and the longest east and west line would be drawn from the northwest corner of Windham to the Rhode Island line, about the middle of Sterling. The county as now constituted contains the towns of Ashford, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Chaplin, Eastford, Hampton, Killingly, Plainfield, Pomfret, Putnam, Scotland, Sterling, Thompson, Windham and Woodstock, fifteen in all; and included in these towns are the incorporated boroughs of Danielsonville and Willimantic.

Biography of Marcus F. Towne

David Towne, the grandfather of Marcus F. Towne, married Lucy Upham. Their children were two sons and two daughters, of whom George, born in Thompson, February 18th, 1794, married Sally, daughter of Rufus Tyler. The children of this marriage were: Lucy, who died in youth; Rufus T., Marcus F., Noadiah W. and Lucy U., wife of Joseph S. Perry. Marcus F. Towne was born June 21st, 1824, on the farm in Thompson, where his whole life, with the exception of a single year, has been spent. He attended the common school, and for a short period the high school, after … Read more

Biographical Sketch of George Thurston Murdock

The only son of George Taft and Abbie A. Murdock, who was born July 4th, 1846, in Uxbridge, Mass., at the age of twelve years removed with his parents to Millbury, and later to Worcester in the same state. His education was received at the Worcester and Wilbraham Academies, after which he entered the finishing room of the mills in the former place, and thus became familiar with the first principles of manufacturing. Coming later to New Boston, he filled the position of accountant until 1866, and then assumed the superintendence of the mills. Two years later he succeeded to … Read more

Genealogy of Nicholas Baker of Scituate Massachusetts

K155 NICHOLAS BAKER: b. in England, 1610; d. in Scituate, Mass., 1678; St. John’s College, Cambridge, Eng., 1632; M.A. 1635; ordained as a minister in Scituate, and served the Puritan Church there until death; may have married his first wife in Eng.; m. (2), 1663. Samuel: 1628-1714; m. Fear Robinson; m. (2), Abigail (Lathrop) Huntington; lived in Hull, Barnstable, Norwich, Conn., Windham and Windsor, Conn. John: 1672-1763; m. Anna Annable; purchased lands in Windham County, Conn., 1643. Samuel: 1706-1791; m. Prudence Jenkins. Samuel: 1740-1812; m. Lydia Smith; m. (2), Chloe Silsby; m. (3), Sarah Farnham; established a separatist church called the “Brunswick … Read more

Biography of Abel Child

Benjamin Child emigrated from Great Britain to America in 1630, and became the head of most of the families of that name. A type of character patriarchal in the best sense, earnest in purpose, and in the promotion of that Puritanic stamp of piety for which the Massachusetts settlers were distinguished, he was one of the thirty who contributed toward the erection of the first church in Roxbury. Bearing the name of the youngest son of the head of the Israelites, like that patriarch, ” in the land wherein he was a stranger,” he became the father of twelve children, … Read more

Biographical Sketch of William Ross

The subject of this biography was the son of Elnathan Ross, who was born June 15th, 1772, and married Olive Storrs, whose birth occurred December 7th, 1774. The children of this marriage were eleven in number, as follows Roxana, born in 1796; Harriet, in 1797; Ebenezer Storrs, in 1798. Olive, in 1800; Schuyler, in 1801; Earl, in 1808; Lydia Storrs, in 1805; Almyra, in 1S06; William, November 24th, 1807: Caroline, in 1810; and Austin, in 1812. William, the fourth son in order of birth, was a native of Chaplin, where the chief part of his life was passed. He received … Read more

Biography of Colonel Alexander Warner

Asahel Warner, the grandfather of Colonel Warner, was a native of the state of Rhode Island, and later in life removed to New York, from which point he migrated to Connecticut and engaged in agricultural pursuits. His children were seven sons and one daughter, Mary, who became Mrs. Ross. The sons were: Asahel, Stephen, Thomas, John, Sabin, Benjamin and Daniel. Thomas of this number, also a native of Rhode Island, established himself as a manufacturer in Woodstock, where his death occurred in June, 1877. By his marriage to Amy Collins, of Rhode Island, were born children: Sarah A., wife of … Read more

Biography of Edwin H. Bugbee

The subject of this sketch was born in Thompson, April 26th, 1820. His father was James Bugbee, who was born at Woodstock April 11th, 1788, a descendant, through Hezekiah, James, Samuel and Joseph, from Edward Bugby, who came over in the ” Francis ” from Ipswich, England, in 1634, and settled in Roxbury, Mass. His mother was Elizabeth Dorrance, a descendant of George Dorrance, who came from the North of Ireland with that large Scotch emigration about the year 1715. He received his education in the public schools of his native town, and was early a clerk in his father’s … Read more

Genealogy of Joseph Baker of Marshfield Massachusetts

Z173. NICHOLAS BAKER: probable father of Z174 SAMUEL BAKER: made Freeman in 1657; m. Eleanor Winslow. Z175 KENELIN BAKER: b. 1657; m. Sarah Bradford. Z176. KENELIN BAKER: b. 1695; m. Patience Dolen. Z177 WILLIAM BAKER: b. Oct. 16, 1734; m. Hannah Lincoln. Z178 WILLIAM BAKER: b. Sept. 10, 1759; m. Abigail Low. Z179 JOSEPH BAKER: b. Marshfield, Mass., Sept. 24, 1794; m. Olive Cushing. Z180 JOSEPH BAKER: b. Marshfield, Mass., Feb. 27, 1827; m. Martha Jane Perrin. Sarah James: b. Thompson, Conn. a181 JAMES BAKER: b. Nov. 28, 1824; m. Lydia Ann Mentzer, b. Jan. 8, 1826; had John, James, … Read more

Biography of Hon. James S. T. Stranahan

The Stranahan family had its origin in the Parish of Strachan, Kincardin county, Scotland, whence the name, which has also been spelled Strahan. Subsequently some of the members of this Strachan (now Stranahan) family, yielding to the inducements of King James I. to repeople that section, settled with other Scotchmen in the North of Ireland. Here their thrift, enterprise and success as farmers and manufacturers attracted wide attention, while their rigid adherence to their religious belief was equally conspicuous. They became, as it were, a new and heroic race, whose numbers were greatly augmented by the persecutions of the Stuart … Read more

Biography of Rufus Thompson Haskins

Born at Rochester, Mass., December 29th, 1839. He is a son of Charles H. and Almira Haskins, the former born at Middleborough, Mass., January 28th, 1816, and the latter at Rochester, Mass., April 16th, 1818. R. T. Haskins lived on a farm until he was 15 years of age, then went on a whaling voyage in the bark ” Newton, Captain George Sherman, sailing from New Bedford. After a cruise of thirtyfour months the vessel was stove in the ice in the Okhotsk sea, and the crew reached home on various vessels about ten months later. Not discouraged by his … Read more

Biography of Charles D. Thayer

John and Dacy Thayer were the grandparents of the subject of this biography. Their son John married Ruth Mowery and settled in East Douglas. The children of this marriage were: Mowery, born April 27th, 1811; Charles D., December 26th, 1813; Arrilla, August 9th, 1815. Charles D., the second son, is a native of Douglas, Massachusetts, where he enjoyed the advantages of the public schools, and afterward continued his studies at the Oxford and Uxbridge high schools. He then taught for several terms, and afterward began his business career as a clerk, first at Oxford and then at New Boston. This … Read more

Windham County Connecticut Biographies

Windham County occupies the northeastern corner of the state of Connecticut, bordering Worcester county, Massachusetts, tying on the north, and Providence and Kent counties in Rhode Island on the east. New London county bounds it on the south and Tolland on the west. Its greatest length, from north to south, is twenty-seven miles, and its greatest width, from east to west, is twenty-three miles. Its north, east and south sides are nearly straight lines, while on the west side its territory interchanges offsets with Tolland. The greatest variation in the line made by these offsets, however, does not exceed six … Read more

Biography of Ambrose H. Bates

William Bates, who resided in Coventry, Rhode Island, married Mary Hopkins. To this union were born twelve children, of whom Ambrose H. is the subject of this sketch. His birth occurred February 21st, 1832, in Coventry, where he resided until his eighteenth year. He enjoyed but limited opportunities for acquiring an education, but in later years by careful and intelligent reading of the best literature, in a measure made amends for the want of early advantages, and thus possessed a well-stored and disciplined mind. At the age of eighteen he entered the whaling service and for twenty years followed a … Read more

Biography of Guilford Smith

Joshua Smith, the grandfather of Guilford Smith, and a native of Lebanon, New London county, subsequently moved to Windham county, Connecticut, where he was both a weaver and a farmer, and in connection with his trade wove cloth for the soldiers during the war of 1812. His children were three sons, Chandler, Charles and Marvin, and five daughters, Myra, Lydia, Laura, Emily and Mary. Charles, of this number, was born in Windham, and early learned the trade of a millwright. In 1828 he began the manufacture of machinery at Stafford Hollow, in Tolland county, and two years later, having built … Read more

Biography of Henry N. Clemons

Henry N. Clemons, cashier of the First National Bank of Killingly, was born in Granby, Conn., son of Allen and Catharine Clemons. He was educated in the district school, the Granby Academy, the Suffield Literary Institution and the Williston Seminary, East Hampton, Mass. He began teaching at sixteen years of age, and taught in Hartland, Granby and Hartford. Conn., and Woonsocket and Central Falls, R. I. He was for a while in the office of the commissioner of the school fund in Hartford, Conn. In 1844 he commenced railroading on the New Haven & Northampton road, with the engineer corps. … Read more

Biography of John McClellan

General Samuel McClellan, the father of the subject of this biography, was born in the town of Worcester, Massachusetts, January 4th, 1730, his parents having emigrated from Kircudbright, on the Firth of Solway, in Scotland. In the French war he served as an ensign and lieutenant of a company, during which service he was wounded. On his return from the provincial campaign he purchased a farm in Woodstock, and there married and settled. At a later date he engaged in mercantile business and established an extensive trade, not only importing his own goods but supplying other merchants as well. The … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Ebenezer Bishop

The grandfather of the subject of this biography was Ebenezer Bishop, a native of Lisbon, Conn., who removed in later life to North Woodstock, where he engaged in the practice of medicine until his death in October, 1834. He married Sarah Lyon, whose six children were: Amasa, Hezekiah, Elisha, Ebenezer, Tabitha and Delia. Hezekiah, of this number, was born December 2d, 1804, in North Woodstock, where he engaged in farming and participated actively in the affairs of the town until his death, which occurred in 1863. He married Martha D., daughter of Captain Judah Lyon, a citizen of much prominence … Read more

Biography of Waldo Tillinghast

Pardon Tillinghast, the grandfather of Waldo Tillinghast, was an early resident of West Greenwich, Rhode Island, and for forty years a deacon of the Baptist church. He married Mary Sweet, of East Greenwich, to whom were born twelve children. Thomas of this number was a farmer in his native town of West Greenwich, and an ordained minister of the Six Principle Baptist church. He was three times married, his first wife being Mary Howard, of Woodstock, whose children are: Harriet S., Waldo, Henry S., Jared and Caleb E. Waldo Tillinghast was born June 10th, 1833, in Killingly, and when a … Read more

Biography of William H. Putnam

Mr. Putnam is a lineal descendant of that brave general and distinguished patriot, Israel Putnam, whose son, Daniel Putnam, was the grandfather of the subject of this biography. William, one of his sons, married Mary Spalding, whose children were: Caroline M., Harriet W., William H., Elizabeth, Asa S., Jane, Anne, and three who died in early life. William H. Putnam was born February 2d, 1812, in Holland, Massachusetts, and in childhood removed to Brooklyn, where the residue of his life was passed. The best schools obtainable at that early day afforded him a knowledge of the elementary branches, and the … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Timothy Earle Hopkins

The grandparents of Mr. Hopkins were Timothy Hopkins, born in 1751, and Sarah Carver, daughter of Captain Joseph Carver. His father was Carver Hopkins, born October 26th, 1799, who married Abby K. Manchester. Their children, seven in number, were: Israel M., Florinda A., Sarah C., Abby E., Ann E., Timothy E. and Lillian P., of whom all but the eldest son are still living. Timothy Earle Hopkins was born in Burrillville, R. I., December 5th, 1835, of which place he continued a resident until 1682. His education was received in the public schools and at New Hampton, N. H., where … Read more