Connecticut

Biographical Sketch of Nathan E. Morse

Nathan E. Morse is a descendant of Anthony Morse mentioned in the preceding sketch. His grandfather, Abel Morse, married Sarah Holbrook. Their son Nathan, born October 14th, 1785, was twice married, first in 1822, to Rebecca Child, and second to Mary Mills. By his first wife he had three childrenAbel, George and Nathan E. Abel, born August 20th, 1823, married Mary Elliott, of Thompson, and died February 25th, 1858. George, born May 19th, 1825, married Sylvia C. May, of Woodstock, and is county commissioner. Nathan Eugene Morse was born in Woodstock November 12th, 1829, and was married August 29th, 1850, … 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

Biographical Sketch of William F. Palmer

Vaniah Palmer, the grandfather of William F. Palmer, resided in Scotland, then the town of Windham. He married Cynthia Fitch, whose son John, born in Scotland on the 12th of March, 17795, in 1820 married Charlotte G. Bingham. Their children were : Emily C., William F., Henry W., Lewis C., Sanford K., John P. and Charlotte E. William F. Palmer was born June 29th, 1824, in Scotland, and with the exception of seven years in Springfield, Massachusetts, has passed the whole of his life in his native town. After an elementary education received at the schools near his home, he … 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

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 David Greenslit

Elijah Greenslit, a farmer and the landlord of one of the early taverns of the town of Hampton, married Mary Burnham. His children were: David, Elijah, Henry, Ebenezer, and one daughter. His son David spent his life in Hampton, the town of his birth, where he was an industrious and prosperous farmer. He married Nancy, daughter of William Foster, of Canterbury. To this union were born nine children, of whom Lucius, William F. and David grew to mature years. David Greenslit was born June 2d, 1817,’ in Hampton, and spent his early years at the schools in the vicinity of … Read more

Biographical Sketch of Samuel Strong Moseley

The Moseley family are among the oldest and most prominent in the town of Hampton. The father of the subject of this biography, Ebenezer Moseley, was a preacher of considerable repute in his day. His son, Samuel Strong Moseley, was born at the homestead of the family in Hampton, in 1786, and in his native town the whole of his active life was spent. He received an academic education, and early embarked in mercantile pursuits, to which he later added farming. In both of these branches of industry he brought to bear the ability and thrift which were the inevitable … Read more

Biography of David L. Aldrich

Noah Aldrich, a revolutionary soldier and a resident of Scituate, Rhode Island, married Huldah Whittaker, who died in her one hundredth year. They raised a large family of sons and daughters, among whom was David, born in 1770, in Scituate, where his life was spent as a farmer. A public-spirited and influential citizen, he was for many years a member of the town council, director of the Citizens’ Union Bank, since extinct, and a liberal contributor to the Smithville Seminary, now the Lapham Institute, of Scituate. He married Hope Law, of Killingly, Conn., whose children were: George, William, John and … Read more

Biography of James S. Atwood

Born in Scituate, R. I., March 17th, 1832. He was the son of John and Julia A. Batty Atwood, and grandson of Kimball and Selinda Colgrove Atwood. He was educated at the Smithville Seminary in Scituate, and at the Woodstock Academy in Connecticut. At an early age he entered his father’s cotton mill in Williamsville, in the town of Killingly, Conn., and there mastered every detail of cotton manufacture, from bobbin boy to general manager. He was perfectly familiar with the construction and working of every machine. in a mill. September 17th, 1855, he married Julia A. M. Haskell, of … Read more

Biography of William Stuart Babcock

Three brothers of the Babcock family came from England in colonial days-probably James, Jesse and Nathaniel-and settled in Newport, Rhode Island. Nathaniel afterward located in Stonington, Connecticut, and became the progenitor of the branch of the family represented by the subject of this biography. His descendant, Nathaniel, the grandfather of William Stuart Babcock, had two sons, Jonas and Stephen, and one daughter, Mary. Jonas served under Washington in the war of the revolution, and lost his life in the battle of White Plains in 1776. Stephen, born June 15th, 1765, was thrice married. The first wife, Mercy Hinckley, left four … 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

Biography of Albert C. Greene

Abel Greene, the grandfather of Albert C. Greene, resided in West Greenwich, Rhode Island. Jeremiah Greene, a son of the former, also a resident for years of West Greenwich, where he engaged in the milling business, and was also a skillful carpenter, married Freelove Hopkins, of the same town. Their children were five sons and seven daughters, the youngest with one exception being Albert C. Greene, who was born in West Greenwich, February 21st, 1823, and in infancy removed with his parents to Plainfield. His education was such as the common schools afforded, and very limited. His father’s death during … 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 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 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 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 David A. Griggs

Nathan Griggs, the great-grandfather of David A. Griggs, married Elizabeth Sharpe and resided in Pomfret. John Griggs, son of Nathan, married Ruth Ashley and resided in Coventry and Hampton, Connecticut. His son Daniel was born in Coventry, March 24th, 1 7 79. He married Elizabeth Hewitt, daughter of Robert and Abigail Hewitt of Hampton. Robert Hewitt was a patriot of the revolutionary war. Daniel Griggs resided in Hampton, Brooklyn, Pomfret and Chaplin, where he died June 26th, 1862. He was a farmer and large owner of real estate. He had a family of eleven children, viz.: Elizabeth H., married Ephraim … 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

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 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