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 Avery A. Stanton

The subject of this sketch was born in Preston, Conn., in 1837, is a son of Lodowick Stanton, and the great-great-grandson of General Thomas Stanton, who came from England and settled in Stonington, Conn. His great-grandfather, John Stanton (known as Warrior Stanton), served in the French and Indian war and also fought in the revolutionary war, coming from battle with eighteen bullet holes shot through his coat. The mother of Avery A. Stanton was a daughter of Deacon John Stanton, who was a son f Joshua Stanton, whose father Washington also came from England. His brothers are Captain John L. … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Samuel B. Sprague

Samuel and Ruhamah Borden Sprague were the grandparents of the subject of this biography. His father, William B. Sprague, was born in South Killingly, and some years later removed to the town of Scotland, then a part of the town of Windham. He married Hannah, daughter of Ebenezer Fuller, of Scotland. The children of this union who grew to mature years were : Samuel B., Hannah M. and James W. Samuel Borden Sprague was born on the 15th of October, 1823, in South Killingly, and after a common school and an academic education spent some time as a teacher. Preferring, … Read more

Windham County, Connecticut Census

  1790 Windham County, Connecticut Census Free 1790 Census Form for your Research Hosted at Ancestry.com – Ancestry Free Trial 1790 Windham County, Census (images and index) $ Hosted at Census Guide 1790 U.S. Census Guide 1800 Windham County, Connecticut Census Free 1800 Census Form for your Research Hosted at Ancestry.com – Ancestry Free Trial 1800 Windham County, Census (images and index) $ Hosted at Census Guide 1800 U.S. Census Guide 1810 Windham County, Connecticut Census Free 1810 Census Form for your Research Hosted at Ancestry.com – Ancestry Free Trial 1810 Windham County, Census (images and index) $ 1810-1890 Accelerated … 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 Floyd Cranska

James Cranska, the father of Floyd Cranska, a native of Portland, in the state of Maine, removed to Providence when a boy, and at a later date made Thompson, in Windham county, his home. Here he embarked in the shoe business, continuing in the same for nearly thirty years, and was for twenty years station agent at Grosvenor Dale, as also postmaster of the village. He married Asenath, daughter of Calvin Randall, manager and proprietor of mills in the eastern part of Thompson, Windham county. Their children were five sons and three daughters, of whom Floyd Cranska was born September … Read more

Lewis and Palmer Cemetery, Ashford, Windham County, Connecticut

Small cemetery located near the Eastford town line. Lewis Lewis, Israel, d. 17 Mar 1840. Lewis, Mary, d.22 Apr 1844, @50. Owen Owen, Emily Maria, d. 20 Aug 1845, @27 [wife of David K. Owen, and dau. of Israel and Mary Lewis] Palmer Palmer, Mrs. Mary, d. 20 Oct. 1846, @77 [wife of Nathan Palmer]. Palmer, Nathan, d. 6 Mar 1852, @85.

Biography of Marvin H. Sanger

Of Canterbury, the second son of Ebenezer and Eunice (Hutchins) Sanger, was born in the town of Brooklyn, Conn., April 12th, 1827. In the year 1828 his parents removed to Canterbury, which has since been his residence. His paternal grandfather was James Sanger, of Windsor, Hartford county, Connecticut, and his grandmother, Olive (Chaffee) Sanger. Mr. James Sanger died in Windsor,. Some years after Mrs. Sanger returned to Canterbury, where she resided until her death at an advanced age. The children of this marriage were three sons, James, Ebenezer and Ira, and one daughter, Sally. Immediately after the death of his … 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 George M. Morse

George M. Morse, the second son of Milton S. and Susanna Blake Morse, spent his youth in and about the city of Providence. His early years were devoted to study at the schools of Providence, where he remained until the age of eighteen, when on removing to Putnam he interested himself for a year in the store belonging to the company with which his father was connected. Again making Providence his home, he spent several years in that city, and at Putnam, ultimately locating in the spring of 1856 in the latter place, where he was made the superintendent of … Read more

Biography of Edgar S. Lincoln

Jonah Lincoln, the great-grandfather of Edgar S. Lincoln, was in his day a man of prominence in his town. He was for a long time judge of probate for what are now the towns of Hampton, Windham and Chaplin, and held various other offices of trust. He was the father of Dan Lincoln, who in 1812 married Mehitable Flint. Among their eight children was a son Jared, born September 8th, 1823, in Windham, from whence he removed to Scotland and later to Chaplin. He was in early life a teacher, and afterward engaged in mercantile pursuits in Chaplin. He has … 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

Whipple-Card Farm Cemetery, Ashford, Windham County, Connecticut

Allen Allen, Sarah, d. 21 May 1832, @1 yr 8 mo. [dau. of James and Lucy]. Palmer Palmer, Martha, d. 28 May 1837, @77 [husband of Benjamin]. Palmer, Chauncey, d. 30 Mar 1839, @47. Palmer, Friend B., d. 22 Sept. 1839, @2 yrs, 1 mo. [son of Chauncey and Hannah]. Whipple Whipple, Caroline, d. 2 Sep 1809, @2yrs, 2 mo. [dau. of Samuel and Hannah D.]. Whipple, Reuben Chaffee, d. 21 Jan 1828, @18 [son of Samuel and Mary]. Whipple, Mary, d. 12 Mar 1828, @49 [wife of Samuel]. Whipple, Samuel, d. 9 Nov 1813, @70? [stone fallen, footstone says … Read more

Biography of Edward Spicer Cleveland

The subject of this sketch was born in the town of Hampton, in Windham county, Connecticut, on the 22d of May, A. D. 1825. He was the son of the Hon. Mason Cleveland, who was a man of much influence, and universally respected throughout the state, having been both a representative from his town and a senator from his district, also comptroller of the state and subsequently school fund commissioner. He died in the year 1855, soon after thee expiration of his term as school fund commissioner. E. S. Cleveland was a nephew of Hon. Chauncey F. Cleveland, also of … 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 Joseph Hutchins

Nicholas Hutchins emigrated from England about the year 1670, in the reign of Charles the Second, and settled in Groton, Massachusetts. His two children were John and Joseph, the former of whom was born in Groton in the year 1678, and married a Miss Whitney. Their five children were: Joshua, John, Benjamin, Sarah and Abigail. Having lost his wife he removed to Plainfield, Connecticut, and married a Mrs. Pierce (formerly a Miss Weyman), whose children by this union were: Joseph, Weyman, Ezra, Silas, Anna, Keziah, Ruth and Mary. Joseph Hutchins was born in 1711, and married Sarah Levins, whose children … Read more

Biography of James W. and Elisha S. Converse

The descent of the Converse family, of Thompson, from Roger de Coigneries, one of the trusted chieftains of William the Conqueror, has been elsewhere given in this volume, and need not be repeated here.. The first member of the family to emigrate from England to America was Deacon Edward Convers, who settled in Woburn, Mass. His grandson, Samuel Convers, in 1710 removed to, Thompson parish, then Killingly, and became the progenitor of all branches of the family who bear the name, in Thompson. In the line of descent was Edward Convers, whose son Jonathan was the father of Deacon Jonathan … Read more

Biography of George S. Moulton

The subject of this sketch, George S. Moulton, was the son of Harvey Moulton and Anna M. Turner, who were married October 29th, 1828. He was born in the town of Mansfield, Tolland county, Conn., on the 13th of September, 1829, and was the eldest of six children. He received a thorough elementary education, and in youth spent several years on a farm. Being, however, ambitious for a wider field of activity than was open to him in the country, he went to Willimantic and entered the Windham Company’s stores, of which (after a few years of service) he became … Read more

Biography of Edwin Milner

John Milner, the father of Edwin Milner, married Charlotte Dews, to whom were born four children: Edwin, Hannah, wife of Christopher Richardson, of Newark, New Jersey; Sarah, deceased, and John H., of Moosup, who married Mary Fidler. Edwin, the eldest of these children, was born in Horbury, Yorkshire, England, December 1st, 1842, and in his fourth year emigrated with his parents to America, landing in Boston, from whence they soon after removed to East Greenwich, Rhode Island, and resided in that borough until 1854. In 1856 Westerly in the same state became the home of the family, where at the … Read more

Biography of Rufus S. Mathewson

The name of Mathewson has for several generations occupied a prominent place in the annals of Windham county. Joseph Mathewson, the grandfather of the subject of this biographical sketch, married Mary Bowen. Their son Darius, whose wife was Mary Smith, became the father of seven sons and three daughters, of whom the eldest son, Rufus S. Mathewson, was born September 14th, 1802, in Brooklyn, and received his elementary training in the schools of his native town. He fitted for college with the intention of entering Yale, but yielding to the solicitations of his father, abandoned his purpose with reference to … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Edwin Scarborough

On Wednesday afternoon, October 10th, 1877, Brooklyn and Windham county lost one of the truest and best of men in the death of Mr. Edwin Scarborough. For several years increasing feebleness of body had warned our esteemed friend that he was walking very near that mysterious line which divides the here from the hereafter, but the marching orders to cross came to him suddenly at last. Mr. S. was a public-spirited citizen; a largehearted, generous neighbor; a loving parent: a man of cultureone who had the courage of his convictions upon political or religious matters, and yet liberal and courteous … Read more