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GENEALOGY COLLECTION

MEMORIAL.

The number of this copy is

Edition limited to SOO copies.

MEMORIAL

Henry Wolcott

One of the First Settlers of Windsor, Connecticut

SOME OF HIS DESCENDANTS

By SAMUEL WOLCOTT

PRINTED FOR PRIVATE DISTRIBUTION

NEW YORK

ANSON D. R RANDOLPH AND COMPANY

1881

112372^
CONTENTS.

PAGE

PREFACE V

THE FAMILY IN ENGLAND i

THE FAMILY IN THE UNITED STATES n

Second Generation n

Third Generation 35

Fourth Generation 57

Fifth Generation 123

Sixth Generation 197

Seventh Generation 383

Eighth Generation 407

Conclusion 421

INDEX I. — Christian Names of Members of the Family by Birth . 427
INDEX II. — Names of other Persons 432

ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE

Ancient Church of St. John the B.^ptist, Tolland, England, with the Wolcott

Monuments Frontispiece

The Wolcott Coat of ArjMS j^jjj

The Great Seal of England : King James I. ; with License of Alienation of

Galdon Manor : Lord Bacon, Chancellor xv

Deed, of Robert Mynne to Christopher Wolcott, conveying Galdon Manor . . 6

Monument of Henry and Elizabeth Wolcott ,2

Deed of Henry Wolcott, conveying Galdon Manor to his son Henry .... 34

Monument of Simon and Martha Wolcott cq

The Old Wolcott Homestead, South Windsor 76

■Silver Tankard and Cup of Roger Wolcott, with Family Arms 120

Monument of Roger and' Sarah Wolcott 122

Monument of Samuel Wolcott, with Family Arms 125

The Wolcott Elm, South Windsor 132

Portrait of Oliver Wolcott 148

Portrait of Marlustn Wolcott Goodrich 150

Artotype Letter of President Washo^gton to Oliver Wolcott 192

Portrait of Laura Collins Wolcott 196

Portrait of Oliver Wolcott, Secretary 216

Portrait of Oliver Wolcott, Governor 310

Portrait of Frederick Wolcott 314

Portrait of Henry Griswold Wolcott 316

The Wolcott Monuments, Litchfield 353

The Wolcott Homestead, Litchfield 382

Portrait of Huntington Frothingham Wolcott 400

Monument of the Same 401

Portrait of Samuel Wolcott 412

The Old Meeting-House, South Windsor 415

Deed-Chest of Henry Wolcott, 1630 420

PREFACE.

The Compiler presents a brief statement of the origin of
this Memorial.

The elder sons of the late Judge Frederick Wolcott,
of Litchfield, — J. Huntington Wolcott, of Boston, Frederick
H. Wolcott, of New York City, and Charles M. Wolcott, of
Fishkill-on-the-Hudson, — commissioned their kinsman, George
Gibbs, Esq., of New York, after he had published his in-
teresting " Memoirs of the Federal Administrations," to com-
pile some account of the descendants of Henry Wolcott, of
Windsor.

For this purpose he opened a correspondence with some
branches of the Family, and examined some of the public records
of Connecticut. He had made considerable progress, when, in
the midst of his investigations, he decided on a removal to
Oregon. I had been his constant correspondent, having been
in a favorable situation to learn the early history of the Family,
— which, indeed, I had already traced in part ; and the gentle-
men at whose instance he had commenced the work, desired me
to take his papers and complete it. In assenting to this
arrangement, I entertained no other thought than that of becom-
ing jointly responsible with him for its execution. But in the

vi THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

development of a somewhat fuller plan, I had occasion to exam-
ine personally all original sources of information, and prepare
an entirely new work, for which I had to assume the sole respon-
sibility. In the record of his grandfather, it will be seen that I
have quoted from his work, and have credited to it a few letters
of which I failed to take copies when the manuscripts were
in my possession ; and occasionally, also, with his assent, have
incorporated its phraseology with the narrative of that period.

It is proper that I should indicate the principal sources from
which my materials were derived. There had fortunately been
preserved, among some blank pages at the end of a folio ledger,
bearing the date of 1691, an extended record, under the following
title: "A Chronologic of the famely of the Wolcotts in New
England." The original account had been continued, and em-
braced several generations. The principal additional entries had
been made by Gov. Roger Wolcott and Gen. Erastus Wol-
COTT, throuQfh whose hands it had descended to the writer.
Other family registers and memorials were examined, together
with all the church, town, and probate records, which could be
supposed to throw any light on the subject. For this purpose
I personally visited and examined nearly every town and district
in Connecticut and Massachusetts which had ever been the
residence of any member of the Family ; and an extensive cor-
respondence was prosecuted for two years with the various
branches scattered through the country. From these sources
the genealogical portion of the work was compiled. It will be
observed that it does not profess to bring down the family
records in full to the present date, — not so fully, indeed, on
account of the accumulation of historical matter, as our corre-
spondence had developed them. The earlier generations, cov-

PREFACE.

ering the obscurer periods, have been prepared with the utmost
care and completeness. The later generations, whose members
are thus enabled to trace their descent without our aid, are not
fully presented ; of the latest, only a few are given. It is my pur-
pose, as soon as I can arrange them in a manuscript volume, to
deposit in the Library of the New England Historic, Genealogi-
cal Society, Boston, the genealogical tables which I have gath-
ered, and for which I have not found room.

For the biographical and historical portion, some items were
gathered from state, county, and town records ; but my main
dependence was on the private papers of the Family. These
were largely in our own possession, including the voluminous
and invaluable papers of the late Gov. Oliver Wolcott, Jr.,
since deposited with the Connecticut Historical Society. Many
of an earlier date had been already gathered by that Society, to
whom our thanks are due for the use of them. These had been
principally collected and presented by Mr. Sydney Stanley, of
Tolland, to whom the Family are under special obligations for
the service. The whole, embracing several volumes, have been
suitably bound by the gentlemen who projected this Memorial.
A large collection of letters and papers left by the late Judge
Frederick Wolcott, and which are as yet in the possession of
the Family, have also been examined and drawn from.

From these we pass to the ancient deeds of the Wolcott
Family, — its genuine antiquities, — most of them handsomely
engrossed on parchment, with the original signatures and seals
attached. One of them is notable as bearing the Great Seal
of James I., of the Stuart line, England. Through the won-
derful artotype process, exact impressions of some of them
have been taken, and in the following pages they speak for

viii THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

themselves. These documents, deposited in a small trunk which
bore, in brass nails, the initials H. W., were the most valued of
" the honored heirlooms " transmitted from the elder line of the
Family through the daughters of the third Henry Wolcott.
They were held by some related family in Windsor, until by
some fortune they came into the possession of the younger
Governor Wolcott, through whom they descended to Mr. George
Gibbs. The latter deposited them with the Connecticut Histor-
ical Society, Hartford, their final and natural resting-place. We
insert here the handsome acknowledgment of their receipt, ad-
dressed to him by the Librarian, Rev. Dr. Robbins : —

Hartford, April 13, 1848.

Dear Sir:

Your venerable small Trunk, with various Relics of ancient days,
arrived in safety, and is disposed of as one of our most valuable deposits.
You have obtained an ample reward for your persevering researches among
the remains of your venerable ancestors. I consider no family of Con-
necticut as holding a higher reputation for the two centuries we have
passed, and as more sure to be held in lasting remembrance, than the Wol-
COTTS. This collection of valuable documents is received with gratitude
as a sacred deposit, holden at all times subject to your disposal, and with
a sacred regard to the conditions you have prescribed.

Your obliged friend

Thomas Robbins.

This deed-chest, or trunk, is now (1880) in the possession
of Henry Goodrich Wolcott, of the Seventh Generation, residing
at Fishkill-on-the-Hudson. An exact picture of it is given on
the page following his record, which closes our family registers.
Artotype impressions of two of the valuable documents of which
it was the ark are given in our work.

PREFACE. IX

The historical department of the work might have been
amplified ; I have condensed my materials, but have not muti-
lated the quotations. I have scrupulously copied the original
phraseology of the documents which I have used, holding that
" the old style of composition, without the old mode of orthog-
raphy to convey its meaning, is a falsification of the times of the
original."

The gentlemen named as having instigated these researches
had looked back from the scenes of their successful commercial
pursuits and business enterprises to their early, rural home
in Connecticut with filial veneration, and the desire to perpetuate
some suitable memorial of a revered and honored ancestry.
Sharing these sentiments and feelings, it gave me sincere gratifi-
cation, as far as it depended on myself, to be enabled, provi-
dentially, to carry the project into execution, both from a
conviction of the value of the proposed memorial, and from
sympathy with the honorable motive which prompted its prep-
aration ; namely, " not a weak family pride, but a desire to rescue
from oblivion the memories and the services of patriotic and
godly men." As far as this result is accomplished by the work,
it will be to its projectors and prosecutors its own reward.

It was thus compiled some thirty years since, with the
expectation that it would then be issued from the press. Vari-
ous causes interposed to prevent this ; and now, after the lapse
of another generation, — its projectors and its compiler being still
spared, — it goes to the press under its original auspices. It has
been carefully revised, and some Family Papers of historic in-
terest have been added. The work may have lost some of the
freshness which it would have had if printed when first compiled.
The substance of some of its earlier pages I contributed to the

X THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

"Congregational Quarterly" in 1859 (I- Hi-^So)' under the title,
"Henry Wolcott and his Children — a Puritan Family."
Some passages in it have been incorporated with Stiles's miscel-
laneous " History of Ancient Windsor ; " the Wolcott Genealogy
given in the appendix of that work was condensed, though inac-
curately, from a copy of this ; and other passages have crept into
other publications. But the loss in freshness is more than com-
pensated by the greater completeness which has been gained ;
and though some who would then have perused it with special
interest have passed away, to the few in each generation for
whom it has been specially compiled its interest will increase
and not diminish with the ages.

The moral effect of it, I cannot but hope, will be to unite the
wide-spread branches of the Family in a closer sympathy; to
awaken a general interest in the success of each member in every
field of honorable exertion ; and to strengthen in the hearts of all
the sentiment that they have a common and sacred inheritance,
and that if they are not to aspire to the renown of their ancestors,
they must not fail to copy their integrity and worth. I never
enter the quiet churchyard of Old Windsor, in which is garnered
the dust of the first settlers of the colony, and look upon the
monument which the filial piety of Griswold has chiselled in
memory of Henry Wolcott and Elizabeth his wife, who left
the green fields of England and crossed the dreary ocean, —
they and their little ones, exiles from a home of affluence and
ease, that they might found in the savage wilds of Connecticut
the happy fortunes of our Family, — without many solemn, ten-
der, and grateful reflections, holier far than any feeling of ances-
tral pride. Of a truth, " Children's children are the crown of old
men, and the glory of children are their fathers^

PREFACE. xi

It remains for me to add, that the gentlemen already named
have lately performed almost the only service which, in the way
of filial tribute to the Family, was possible in Connecticut, by
renovating the monuments of our forefathers ; and these will
now, probably, endure for centuries to come. The spirit of emi-
gration and dispersion has fallen upon the Family, and its origi-
nal seats have been forsaken. The banks of the Connecticut
River, where the early generations flourished, are associated with
their memories alone. The elms which their own hands planted
in Windsor and in Litchfield are broad-branched and majestic,
but strangers to their name and lineage now dwell beneath their
shadow. Not a trace of the Family now remains in Old Wind-
sor, except in the churchyard ; in the other Windsors scarcely a
dozen can be numbered ; and Litchfield has no living representa-
tive. " The shades under which our ancestors reclined and the
streams by which they roamed are deserted by their descendants,
and grass has grown up in the paths once trod by the masters in
our Israel. There is one only gathering-place of the great and
good which shall never be left desolate ; only the shade of the
tree of life shall be always refreshing ; only the stream from the
fountain of life shall flow on without end."

SAMUEL WOLCOTT.
Cleveland, Ohio, i Jan., 1880.

THE WOLCOTT ARMS.

Shield : Argent a CheO^on between three Chess Rooks ermined.

Crest : A Bull's Head erased argent, armed or, ducally gorged, lined, and ringed of the last

Motto : Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri.

Bearing the Name of "WOLCOTT."

These arms, which are of great antiquity, are identical with the '
Walcott Artns, and indicate the historical identity of the families.

We have copies of the shield etched on the silver tankard and cup of
Gov. Roger Wolcott (28), grandson of the first settler, and whose father
was born in England, and engraved on the tombstone of Capt. Samuel 4sL^i^ h /^O
Wolcott (42), of the elder line, who was contemporary with Roger; these '

were not, apparently, copied from each other or from books of heraldry,
and they point to a traditional copy which has disappeared.

The chess-rooks were introduced early in the fifteenth century, through
a knight, of whom it is recorded in the old Family Pedigree : —

Playinge at ye chesse with Henry ye fifte, king of Englande, he gave hym ye
checke matte with ye rouke, whereupone ye kinge changed his coate of armes which
was ye crosse with flower de lures, and gave him ye rouke for a remembrance.

" It seemes these Chess Rooks were at first called Rooks for being in defence of
all ye rest : and therefore they stande in ye uttermost corners of ye Chesseboard as
Frontier Castles. Kinge William ye Conquerour lost greate Lordships at this playe.
And it might well become a Kinge, for therein are comprised all ye Stratagems of
Warr or plotts of Civill State." (" Heralds' Visitation.")

The motto is a line of the Latin poet, Horace, and a literal rendering
is, Acctistomed to swear in the words of no master. The allusion is to
the schoolboy practice of repeating a form of words after the teacher ; and
the idea, of course, is to rest one's faith on no man's assertion, to think and
decide for one's self ; in a word, to take nothing on trust.

We give an excellent picture of the arms, drawn by Somerby and
engraved by Richardson.

1Stit^3

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4i<s2/M^HSiVui'

v^^^^^^^^^H

THE GREAT SEAL OF ENGLAND.

ROYAL LICENSE OF ALIENATION OF GALDON MANOR.

The preceding document is the one to which special reference has
been made in the Preface, as having been issued during the Chancellorship
of Lord Bacon — attested by his brother. Its Latin, in the old black-
letter text, together with both sides of the Great Seal of King James, as
will be seen, have been beautifully duplicated by Harroun & Bierstadt,
of New York, by the artotype process. To decipher this Latin was, obvi-
ously, an achievement of patience and learning ; and for its execution we
are greatly indebted to two distinguished scholars in the faculty of the
University of the City of New York, — Eben. A. Johnson, LL.D., Professor
of Latin, and Henry M. Baird, D.D., Professor of Greek. With the excep-
tion of a single word obliterated in the original, we give both the Latin
text and the English translation, as kindly furnished by these gentle-
men.

It will be observed that this instrument gives the Somersetshire or-
thography of the name — Wolcott — which has prevailed in this country ;
though the spelling of all names, as is well known, was less definite for-
merly than now. Of the ancient Family letters in our possession, written
in England, the signature, the seal, and the superscription of the same
letter present the name in three different forms. The traditional pronun-
ciation of the penultimate vowel is the same as in Wolf.

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

I. COPY IN LATIN.

Jacobus, Dei gratia, Anglie, Scotie, Francie, et Hibemie Rex ; fidei defensor,
etc.

Omnibus ad quos praesentes litere pervenerint salutem : Sciatis quod nos, de
gratia nostra special!, ac pro viginti solidis solutis firmariis nostris, virtute literarum
nostrarum patentium, concessimus et licentiam dedimus, ac pro nobis, heredibus, et
successoribus nostris, quantum in nobis est, per prsesentes concedimus et licentiam
damus dilecto nobis Roberto Mynne, Armigero, quod ipse duo mesuagia, unum
molendinum, tria gardinia, tria pomaria, octo acras prati, et septuaginta et quatuor
acras pastura2, cum pertinentiis, in Tolland et Lydyard Lawrence in Comitatu nostro
Somersetensi, que [quae] de nobis tenentur in capite, ut dicitur, dare possit et con-
cedere, alienare, aut cognoscere per finem vel per recuperationem, in curia nostra,
coram Justiciariis nostris de Banco, aut aliquo alio modo quocunque, ad libitum ipsius
Roberti, dilecto nobis Cristofcro Wolcott habendum et tenendum eidem Cristofero,
ac heredibus, et assignatis suis, ad opus et usum ipsius Cristoferi ac heredum et
assignatorum suorum imperpetuum, de nobis, heredibus, et successoribus nostris, per
omnia inde debita et de jure consueta. Et eidem Christofero, quod ipse praedicta
mesuagia, . . . et omnia praemissa, cum pertinentiis, a praefato Roberto recipere
possit, tenere sibi, ac heredibus, et assignatis suis de nobis, heredibus, et successo-
ribus nostris, per omnia prsdicta, sicut praedictum est, imperpetuum tenore praesen-
tium literarum licentiam dedimus, ac pro nobis, heredibus, et successoribus nostris
praedictam damus specialem.

NoLENTES quod pra2dictus Robertus, vel heredes sui, aut praefatus Cristoferus
vel heredes sui ratione prasmissorum per nos, heredes, vel successores nostros, aut
per Justiciarios, Escaetores, Vicecomites, Ballivos, aut alios Officiarios sen ministros
nostros, aut eorum heredum vel successorum nostrorum quoscunque, inde occa-
sionentur, molestentur, impetantur, vexentur in aliquo sen graventur, nee eorum
aliquis occasionetur, molestetur, impetatur, vexetur in aliquo, seu gravetur.

In cujus rei testimonium has literas nostras fieri fecimus patentes. Teste me
ipso apud Westmonasterium, primo die Aprilis, anno regni nostri Anglie, Francie, et
Hibemie sextodecimo, et Scotie quinquagesimo primo.

Bacon.

LICENSE OF ALIENATION.

2. COPY IN ENGLISH.

James, by the grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland,
Defender of the Faith, &c.

To ALL to whom the present letters may come, Greeting : Know ye that we, of our
special grace, and for twenty shillings paid unto our collectors, in virtue of our letters
patent, have granted and given license, and, for ourselves, our heirs and successors,
so far as in us lies, by these presents do grant and give license unto our beloved
Robert Mynne, Esquire, that he may give and grant, aliene, or acknowledge by fine
or by recovery, in our court, in presence of our justices in bench, or in any other way
whatsoever, at the pleasure of the same Robert, two messuages, one mill, three gar-
dens, three orchards, eight acres of meadow, and seventy-four acres of pasture, with the
appurtenances, in Tolland and Lydyard Lawrence, in our county of Somerset, which
are held of us in capite, so-called, unto our beloved Christopher Wolcott, to have and
TO hold unto the same Christopher, and his heirs and assigns, for the use and behoof
of the same Christopher and his heirs and assigns forever, of us, our heirs and suc-
cessors, by all things thence due and of right accustomed.

And unto the same Christopher that he may receive the aforesaid messuages,
. . . and all things foregoing, with the appurtenances, from the aforesaid Robert, to
hold to himself, and his heirs and assigns, of us, our heirs and successors, by all
things aforesaid, as before, forever; according to the tenor of these present letters,
we have given and for us, our heirs and successors, we give [as] before special
license.

It being our will that neither the aforesaid Robert or his heirs, nor the
aforesaid Christopher or his heirs, by reason of the foregoing, be distressed, molested,
impeached, vexed in anything, or oppressed, nor that any one of them be distressed,
molested, impeached, vexed in anything, or oppressed, by us, our heirs or successors,
or by our justices, escheat ors, sheriffs, bailiffs, or other officers or servants, or any of
their heirs or of our successors.

In Witness whereof we have caused these our letters patent to be made.
Witness myself at Westminster, on the first day of April, in the sixteenth year of
our reign over England, France and Ireland, and over Scotland the fifty-first.

Bacon.

THE IVOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

ENDORSEMENT OF RECORD, WITH TR.\NSLATION.

Recordat in Memords. Sccii de Anno Sextodecimo Regis Jacobi viz' int Record de
Tmino Sci Michis R° * Ex pte Remem The^

Or, in extenso : —

Recordata f in Memorandis Scaccarii de Anno Sextodecimo Regis Jacobi videlicet inter
Recorda de Termino Sancti Michaelis Rotulo * Ex parte Rememoratoris Thesaurarii.

Translated, it reads : —

Recorded in the memoranda of the Exchequer of the sixteenth year of King James, that
is to say, amongst the Records of the Term of Saint Michael, Roll — — *. On the side of the
Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer.

A Licence of Alienacon from Robert Mjnine Esquier to Christofer Wolcott.

Bacon.

The deciphering of the original paper above rendered into Latin and
English was committed to Mr. Roger Wolcott, of Boston ; and were we
to give in detail the time and ingenious research which have been expended
on the brief sentence (involving on one or two points a final reference to
living authorities in England), it would at least illustrate the spirit of accu-
racy which, even in matters that will not attract the notice of the general
reader, has presided over the INIemorial. Among other satisfactory results
is the positive information that the Bacon whose name is attached to the
instrument was not, as had been supposed, the Lord High Chancellor,
but in all probability an elder half-brother. Under date of London,
Nov. 25, 1S80, Mr. William Hardy, Deputy Keeper of Records, writes to
Mr. Wolcott : —

On the 2ist of May, in the i6th year of James L, I find the enrollment of
Bacon's appointment to the office of ingrossing such licenses (Patent Roll, 16 Jas. I.,
Part 23, No. 10). — "Rex 21 die Mail concessit Nathanieli Bacon gen (generoso)
the office of ingrossinge all licenses and pardons for alienations during life." The
name " Nathaniel " induces me to think that he was probably connected with the
family of Nicholas, the Lord Keeper, and his son Francis, Lord Chancellor. The
Lord Keeper had by his first wife two sons, — Nicholas, the first baronet created by
James I., and Nathatiiel ; by his second wife he had Francis, the Lord Chancellor.

* Left blank for the number of the roll. f i. e. The License.

THE FAMILY IN ENGLAND.

THE late Mr. H. G. Somerby, an antiquarian and artist, who devoted
himself to investigations of this nature, was requested to make inqui-
ries respecting the home of the family in England. As far back as can be
definitely traced, Tolland in Somersetshire was their ancestral seat, and
was the home of John Wolcott, the father of Henry; though branches of
the family lived in the adjacent parishes. The Old Church in Tolland,
which forms our frontispiece, engraved by Richardson, from a sketch by
Mr. Somerby, is the one in which our ancestors, for generations, wor-
shipped. Under date of May 4, 1849, Mr. Somerby writes to Mr. Frederick
H. Wolcott, who was the first of the transatlantic branch, after an interval
of two centuries, to make a pilgrimage to the spot, which his two brothers
have since visited : —

Since I have been in London, I have had access to a large mass of manuscripts,
lately brought to light, called the Subsidy Rolls, in which the names and places of
residence of all those persons who were assessed from the time of Henry the
Seventh are to be found. Although these papers are in a very mutilated state, and
many of them illegible, still I had the good fortune to find the names of your family
as far back as 1525, and learn that they then resided in Tolland. William and
Thomas VVolcot are the names for the above year. I find that the name is invariably
spelt Wol in Somersetshire, while in Shropshire, Lincolnshire, and other places, it
is Wa/.

July 6, 1849. — Since I wrote you, I have visited Tolland, and collected all that
now remains relating to the Wolcott family. Unfortunately, the parish register of

2 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Tolland has not been preserved prior to 1706. . . . The parish of Lidiard St.
Lawrence adjoins that of Tolland ; and it seems, by referring to the parish register
of Lidiard, that it was not unusual, two centuries ago, — neither is it at the present
time, — for persons residing at Tolland to have their children christened at Lidiard.
In the case of your Anglo-American ancestor, it is fortunate that it was so ; for I
find in the register, which dates back to 1573, the following entries : —

Henry y° sonne of John Wolcott was baptized the VI. of December 1578.

John, son of Henry WoUcott was bap. i^ Oct. 1607.

Henry AVolcott & Elizabeth Saunders were married 19 Januar)' 1606.

. . . The parish church of Tolland is quite romantically situated, and retains its
ancient characteristics. I made two drawings of it from different points, which I trust
you will recognize. There are but two monuments in the church-yard, side by side.
The most ancient contains no inscription : it is completely obliterated, in conse-
quence of the stone being of so perishable a nature. There is no doubt, however,
that it belongs to the VVolcotts, as it stands so near to the one with the following
inscription : —

The body of John Wolcot.
21 Mar. 1618.

Here also lieth the Bodie of

JOHNE WOOLCOT

mother of the saide John Wolcot

who deceased

the s"" of Aprill 1637

There are no other grave-stones, either at Lidiard St Lawrence or at Tolland,
ancient or modern, bearing the name of Wolcott.

I next visited the old mill which belonged to the family at least three hundred
years ago. The house connected with the mill is the same which was standing then,
and is a curious specimen of ancient architecture, both internally and externally.
The mill is also the original one, with a modern addition to one end. The house is
now occupied by a laborer, and is in rather a dilapidated condition. I also made a
sketch of the house and mill.

I suppose you recollect enough of Tolland to know that it is one of the most
secluded, quiet, and picturesque villages in England. The inhabitants appear to be

THE FAMILY IN ENGLAND. 3

very comfortable and happy ; and I saw no cases of suffering among them. Having
collected all that could be found at Tolland, my next step was to consult the wills.

Of these he gives copies of a dozen, part of which he found on record at
Taunton, and part at Wells, and which show clearly that the earlier gen-
erations of the stanch Protestants who emigrated to America were devoted
Papists. We give abstracts of the wills of two John Wolcotts, of Tolland,
the latter the father of Henry Wolcott, of Windsor, and the former, appar-
ently, his grandfather.

The will of John Woolcott, of Tolland, dated Feb. g, 1571, and proved April
II, 1572, bequeaths "my soule to Almightie god my creaf and to o' Lord Jesus
Christ my redeemer and my bodie to Xtian buriall," with bequests " to y'= cathedrall
churche of Welles," " to John my sonne," " to Alice my daughter," " to Mary my
daughter," " to John Howe," " to Agnes Meyn," and " unto Agnes my wief," —
appointing as overseers " Henry Woolcot and Roger Woolcot my brothers."

The will of John Wolcot the elder, of Tolland, dated Nov. 10, 1623, and

proved Jan. 16, , bequeaths " my soule into the hands of god my saviour and

redeemer and my body to Christian burial," with bequests " unto JoJui Wolcott my
son John's eldest sonne," " unto Agnes Wolcott the daughter of John," " unto every
of the nowe children of Henry Wolcott my sonne," " unto Ma^y Wolcott the
daughter of my sonne John," "unto Synion Wolcott my kinsman," "unto Giles More
my ser\'ant," and " unto Richard Locke, Alexander Thatloke, John Sealy and
Alexander Engrane;" makes John Wolcott executor; witnessed by Christopher
Wolcott and Henry Woollcott, his two eldest sons — being in the handwriting of the
former.

From the Subsidy Rolls, it appears that there were in the different
branches of the family at this period contemporary Johns and Henrys ;
and the lineage of Henry Wolcott,. of Windsor, cannot certainly be traced
further through these papers, or through any other that have yet come to
light. And as our Memorial is designed to embrace only what has been
ascertained and is definitely known, we omit what is merely conjectural,
however plausible or probable it may seem. The present work, moreover,
is the record of the family in this country, and the mere names of their
English progenitors are of little practical interest to us. It is a satisfaction

4 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

to US, however, to know that our ancestors in England, as far back as we
are able to identify them, either certainly or conjecturally, occupied a good
social and moral position ; that they were largely British freeholders, and
fair representatives of the class to which Great Britain owes her strength
and supremacy ; that they supported the institutions of religion ; and that,
at the repeated call of the Government, they readily furnished their quota
of men and horse, all armed and equipped for the wars.

The circumstances of our own ancestor are known to have been easy,
and apparently affluent. The venerable historian of Connecticut (Trum-
bull), whose testimony appears in its place, and who lived a century nearer
those days than ourselves, makes special mention of his valuable English
estate. His deed to his eldest son, which we give in course, conveys the
Galdon Manor, — the principal mansion in Tolland, — " with meadows,
pastures, mills, tenements, and hereditaments thereunto belonging." This
was the estate which came into his possession after his removal to America,
by the death, without will, of his elder brother, Christopher ; and appears to
have been wholly distinct from the estate which, according to later history,
he owned and disposed of at the time of his emigration. The holders of
landed estates in England were in that day persons of social rank, as in a
large degree they still are.

The personal consideration with which Henry Wolcott was regarded in
the Colony from the outset is evidence that he was an English gentleman
of acknowledged ability, intelligence, and excellence. But gratifying as
this may be, our principal object in referring to his worldly circumstances
and social standing is to exhibit more fully the resolute and self-sacrificing
spirit with which he turned his face towards the New World, — confirming
the tradition and conviction of his descendants, that they have sprung from
a worthy sire.

The following description of Tolland is taken from Collinson's " His-
tory and Antiquities of Somerset : " —

" It is situated at the northwest angle of the hundred toward that of Williston-
Freemanors, and a mile southward from the turnpike road leading from Taunton to
Dunster. It stands in a rich, woody, and well-watered vale, surrounded with hills,

THE FAMILY IN ENGLAND. 5

highly cultivated. Eastward from the church is a fine hanging wood, which clothes
the steep slope of a pretty high hill, and has a pleasing appearance. The whole
parish is rented at about five hundred pounds per annum, and consists of only twelve
houses, four of which are in the hamlet of East Tolland. The lands are mostly
arable, the general crops wheat, barley, pease, and some flax. A spring rising at North
Combe, in the parish of Brompton Ralph, runs through and turns a grist-mill in the
•parish, whence it passes through Lidiard St. Lawrence, and empties itself into the
Tone. The cross-roads here are very deep, narrow, precipitous, and overhung with
hedges. Garldon, or Garmildon, an ancient manor in Tolland, belonged, 7 Eliz., to
Francis Southwell, Esq. The church is dedicated to St. John the Baptist, and is a
small building, consisting of a nave, chancel, and a small aisle on the north side.
At the west end is a clumsy, embattled tower, thirty feet high, containing three small
bells. In the church-yard are the remains of an old stone cross."

Besides the notes above, Mr. Somerby prepared an elaborate gen-
ealogical table, which has been widely published, and which carried the
family back to the eleventh century in Wales, and traced its descent
through a titled Walcott family in Shropshire, basing his argument on
the identity of the family arms and names. We appreciate the force of
these considerations ; but as his table is conjectural, and as we reserve these
pages for papers of clear authenticity, we do not reproduce the list.

Prof. Franklin B. De.xter, of Yale College, in his late paper on " The
Influence of the English Universities in the Development of New Eng-
land," refers to the "significant, if not typical, circumstance, that only
three out of all the ' Mayflower ' company can be traced to English homes."
We had not fully apprehended how singularly fortunate we were in being
able to trace our family to the identical homes which they occupied in
Old England. We none the less heartily accept his conclusion: —

" It is enough to know that the primitive aristocracy of New England was an
aristocracy of intellect consecrated to duty, and not of blood ; that her peerage and
her knighthood were honors direct from the creative hand of God, and not from the
touch of a monarch." p. 17.

6 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Our limits have precluded our touching upon the great moral issues
which were pressed upon our fathers, and the consecration to duty which
forced them into exile from their native land. Nor can we dwell upon the
coincidence, that the same Providence which had reserved the territory
prepared for its occupancy the people that were to plant its institutions,
mould its laws, and impart a tone to its whole history. The two great facts
challenge our attention, — that they were the only company in the world
that had then learned, even imperfectly, the principles of civil and religious
liberty ; and that this was the only spot in the world where those principles
could have a fair field, and room for expansion and growth. For this it
had been preserved an unbroken wilderness, and hither, across the howling
deep, they came, to establish freedom in Church and State, — "govern-
ment of the people, by the people, and for the people."

"The Parliament was hardly dissolved (1629) when 'conclusions' for the estab-
lishment of a great colony on the other side of the Atlantic were circulating among
gentry and traders ; and descriptions of the new country were talked over in every
Puritan household. The proposal was welcomed with the quiet, stern enthusiasm
which marked the temper of the time ; but the words of a well-known emigrant show
how hard it was even for the sternest enthusiasts to tear themselves from their native
land. 'I shall call that my country,' wrote the younger Winthrop, in answer to feel-
ings of this sort, 'where I may most glorify God and enjoy the presence of my dearest
friends.' The answer was accepted, and the Puritan emigration began on a scale
such as England had never before seen." ^

" Several persons in the west of England, having by fishing-voyages to Cape
Ann, the northern promontory of the Massachusetts Bay, obtained some acquain-
tance with these parts ; the news of the good progress made in the new plantation of
Plymouth, inspired the Rev. Mr. White, minister of Dorchester, to promote the set-
tlement of such another plantation here for the propagation of religion." — "Briefly,
the God of Heaven served, as it were, a summons upon the spirits of his people in
the English nation ; stirring up the spirits of thousands which never saw the faces
of each other, with a most unanimous inclination to leave all the pleasant accommo-
dations of their native country, and go over a terrible ocean, into a more terrible
desart, for the pure enjoyment of all his ordinances."^

1 Green's Hist. Eng. People, III. 169. ' Mather's M.ignalia, I. 62, 64.

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DEED OF GALDOJSr MANOR.

DEED OF GALDON MANOR

BY ROBERT MYNNE TO CHRISTOPHER WOLCOTT.

We give below, in legible English, a copy of the preceding deed, which
is in the English of Chaucer's day, made specially obscure by the use of
abbreviated and antiquated legal phrases. For this we are indebted to the
patient research of Mr. Roger Wolcott, of Boston ; and the work will be
appreciated by any who may attempt to read the instrument, as given in
the artotype impression, without the aid of this copy.

THIS INDENTURE made the twentyth daye of June in the yeares of the Raigne
of our Sovereigne Lorde James by the grace of god of Englande Fraunce and Irelande
Kinge defendor of the Fayethe &c ; That is to saye, of Englande Fraunce and Irelande
the Sixteenthe and of Scotlande the One and Fyftythe Betweene Robert Mynne of
Hartingfordburye in the Countie of Hartforde Esquier of the one parte and Christopher
Woolcott of Wellington in the Countie of Somerset Mercer of the other parte ; Wit-
nessethe that the saide Robert Mynne for and in consideration of the some of Twoe
Hundred and Twentye Poundes of good and lawfull money of Englande to him in
hande paide by the saide Christopher Wolcott before the enseallinge and delivrye
hereof whereof he doeth acknowledge himself fullye satisfied and paide and thereof
and of evrye parte and parcel! thereof doeth cleerely acquite and dischardge the saide
Christopher Wolcott his Executors and Administrators Hath given graunted bar-
gained solde aliened and enfeoffed and by these piits doeth give graunte bargayne sell
alyen and enfeofife unto the saide Christopher Wolcott ; all those Messuages Lands
Meadowes Pastures Milles Tenements and Hereditaments scytuate lyenge and beinge
within the pishes of Tollande and Lydearde Lawrence which John Wolcott the
father John Wolcott the sonne and the saide Christopher Wolcott or some or one
of them nowe holdeth by coppie of Courte Roll and which nowe are or lately
weare parcell of the Manner of Galdon, and all those Messuages Lands Meadowes
Pastures Tenements and Hereditaments scytuate lyenge and beinge within the saide

8 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

pishe of Tollande which William Fyke nowe holdeth by Coppie of Courte Roll and
which nowe likewise are or lately weare parcell of the saide Manner of Galdon ;
togeather with all houses Edifices Buildinges Orchards Gardens Woods Underwoods
Rents Rentours Services Wales Waters Watercourses Royalties Jurisdictions Fran-
chises Priviledges Liberties Easements Profittes Comodities Advantages and Heredita-
ments whatsoever to the saide premisses or anie parte thereof belonginge or in anie
wise apperteyninge or accepted reputed taken knowen used occupied or enioyed as parte
parcell or member of the same or of anie parte thereof And the saide Robert Mynne
for the consideration aforesaide doeth graunte unto the saide Christopher Wolcott all
Deedes Evidences Writinges Court Rolles Escriptes and Mynuments which onely con-
cerne the premisses or anie parte thereof which nowe are in the custodye or possession
of the saide Roberte Mynne or which he maye lawfullye attaine unto without suite in
the lawe ; All which the saide Robert Mynne doeth covenaunte promise and graunte
to deliver unto the saide Christopher Wolcott his heires or assignes salfe whole and
undefaced before the Feast of the Annuncyacon of our blessed Ladye the Virgin
Marye next ensueinge the date hereof, togeather with the true coppies of all Writinges
and Evidences in the possession or custodye of the saide Robert Mynne which touche
or concerne the premisses or anie parte thereof togeather with anie other Lands
Tenements or Hereditaments the same to be coppied out at the costes and chardges
of the said Christopher Wolcott his heires or assignes To Have and to hold the saide
Messuages Lands Meadowes Pastures Milles and Hereditaments and all and singler
other the premisses with their and evrye of their appurtenances unto the saide Chris-
topher Wolcott his heires and assignes to the onely use and behoof of the saide
Christopher Wolcott his heires and assignes forever To be holden of the Chief Lorde
and Lorde of the Fee by the Rente Suites and Services thereof due and of right accus-
tomed to be paide And the saide Robert Mynne for him selfe his heires Executors
and Administrators doeth covenaunte promise and graunte to and with the saide
Christopher Wolcott his heires and assignes that the said Christopher Wolcott his
heires and assignes and evrye of them shall from tyme to tyme and at altimes here-
after forever peaceably and quietly have holde occupye and enioye all and singler the
saide premisses with the appurtenances without the lawfull Lett Trouble deniall
molestacon or interrupcon of the saide Robert Mynne his heires or assignes or
of anie other person or persons whatsoever lawfullye clayminge in by from or under
him them or anie or eyther of them or lawfullye clayminge in by from or under
George ]\Iynne his Father and Edwarde Mynne Brother of the saide George and
Francis Southwell and Alice his wief and Nicholas Butler and Elizabeth his wief
or of anie or eyther of them (Except for the estates hereafter in theis presentes

DEED OF GALDON MANOR. 9

excepted) and that cleerely acquited exonerated and dischardged of and from all and
all manner of Guiftes Grauntes Bargaines Sales Feoffments Leases Joyntures dowers
Judgments Executions Statutes Recognizaunces Rents Arrerages of Rente and Ser-
vices and of and from all other Burthens Troubles chardges and yncombraunces what-
sover heretofore had made suffered done or lefte undone by the saide Robert Mynne
George Mynne Edwarde Mynne Francis Southwell and Alice his wief and Nicholas
Butler and Elizabeth his wief or anie or eyther of them or hereafter to be had made
suffered done or left undone by the saide Robert Mynne his heires or assignes or by
anie other person or persons whatsoever by their or anie or eyther of their assent
consent meanes or procuremente (an estate graunted by coppie of Court Roll unto
the saide John Wolcott the Father John Wolcott the Sonne and Christopher Wolcott
of soe muche of the saide premisses as they or anie of them now holdeth by coppie of
Court Roll and allso an estate graunted by Coppie of Court Roll unto the saide
William Fyke of soe muche of the premisses as he nowe holdeth by coppie of Court
Roll onely excepted and foreprised) And the saide Robert Mynne for him selfe his
heires Executors and Administrators doeth further covenaunte promise and graunte to
and with the saide Christopher Wolcott his heires and assignes that the saide Robert
Mynne and Helen his wief and the heires and assignes of the saide Robert shall and
will from tyme to tyme and at altimes hereafter duringe the space of Tenne yeares
next ensueinge the date hereof uppon Request and at the Costes and Chardges in the
lawe of the saide Christopher Wolcott his heires or assignes make doe acknowledge
suffer and execute or cause to be made done acknowledged suffered and executed all
and evrye suche further and reasonable acte and actes thinge and thinges devise and
devises in the lawe whatsoever for the better and more perfect assuraunce and sure-
makinge of all and singler the saide premisses with the appurtenances unto the saide
Christopher Wolcott his heires and assignes accordinge to the Tenor purporte and true
meaninge of theis presentes Be it by Fyne Recovrye Release Confirmacon or otherwise
as by the saide Christopher Wolcott his heires or assignes or his or their Counsell
learned in the lawe shalbe reasonably devised or advised soe as for the doinge thereof
the saide Robert Mynne and Helen his wief nor eyther of them nor the heires and
assignes of the saide Robert nor anie of them be compelled to travell above the space
of Tenne Myles from the place of his her their or anye or eyther of their dwellinge or
abydinge at the tyme of suche Request And the saide Robert Mynne and his heires
all and singler the saide premisses with the appurtenances unto the saide Christopher
Wolcott his heires and assignes in manner and forme aforesaide against him the saide
Robert Mynne George Mynne Edwarde Mynne Francis Southwell and Alice his wief
Nicholas Butler and Elizabeth his wief their heires and assiarnes shall and will war-

lO THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

rante acquite and defende by theis presentes And finally e \.\i& ?.2}At Robert Mynne
hath constituted appoincted and in his place and steede putt and by theis presentes
doth constitute appoincte and in his place and steede putt his trustie and well beloved
Friends Robert Sellecke and Henry Wolcott ioyntly and severally for him and in his
name into all and singler the saide premisses or into some parte thereof in the name
of the whole to enter and possession and seysin thereof to take and after suche posses-
sion soe thereof had and taken full and peaceable possession and seysin" thereof or
some parte thereof in the name of the whole to give and deliver unto the saide Chris-
topher Wolcott to have and holde to him his heires and assignes accordinge to the
Tenor purporte intent and true meaninge of theis presentes Ratefyinge allowinge and
confirminge all and whatsoever his saide Attornies or eyther of them shall doe in or
about the premisses by vertue of theis presentes In witnesse whereof the parties above
saide to theis presente Indentures ynterchaungably their hands and sealles sett the

daye and yeare first above written.

R° Mynne

Signed sealled and delivered to the use of the wthin named Christofer Wolcott

in the pnce of

Ro Catford.

William Sellecke.

Edw. Webbett.

Memorand that the XIS" daie of August A° d- 1618 full and peaceable
possession and sein of the lands and tenem*^ wthin written with the appurtenances
was given and delivered by the within named Henry Wolcott unto the within named
'Christopher Wolcott to have and holde to the saide Christopher his heires and
asignes accordinge to the teno= effect and true meaninge of the deede within written
in the p'sence of theise whose names are here under written.

S2I? William Sellecke.

Signed John Burnell.

Entered and Recorded in the third booke of Records of the Notary Publike of
the Massachusetts Colonic of New England in the 266 267 & 268 pages of the said
Records of the 20IJ day of September 1661.

Robert Howard Not. pub'-. Colonice pradict.

THE FAMILY IN THE UNITED STATES.

SECOND GENERATION.

I. Henry Wolcott, who emigrated from England, and was the ances-
tor of the family in this country, of which a record is here given, was the
second son of John Wolcott, of Tolland, in Somersetshire, England, and
was baptized in the adjoining parish of Lydiard St. Lawrence, Dec. 6, 1578.
He married, Jan. 19, 1606, Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Saunders, of
Lydiard St. Lawrence. She was baptized Dec. 20, 1584. Children: —

1. John, baptized Oct. i, 1607 ; was living in England in 1631, and apparently never

emigrated to this country. He had died without issue, previous to the date of
his father's will in 1655. The family record makes no mention of him.

2. Anna. She came over with her sister and youngest brother, after the family had

become settled; married, Oct. 16, 1646, Matthew Griswold, of Windsor.^

3. Henry, h. Jan. 21, i6\^. See II.

4. George. See III.

5. Christopher. He emigrated to America with his parents and two older brothers

in 1630. The family homestead in Windsor was bequeathed to him by his
father. He died unmarried, Sept. 7, 1662. By his will nuncupative, his
estate was divided among his brothers and sisters, — Henry receiving the
larger share.

6. Maty. She married, June 25, 1646, Job Drake, of Windsor. She and her

husband died the same day, Sept. 16, 1689.

7. Simon, born between Sept. 11, 1624, and Sept. 11, 1625. See IV.

' He came from Kenilworth, England, to Windsor, and removed to Saybrook about 1639; '^^'^s
one of the first magistrates. He had charge of Governor Fenwick's affairs when the latter left the
Colony. He had a grant of a large tract of land, on which he settled, in Blackhall, a pleasant part of

12 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

The old " Famely Chronologie, 1691," has this entry respecting the
parents, Henry and Elizabeth Wolcott: —

This happie pair were married About ye year 1606. He came to New England
about the year 1628, and in the year 1630 brought over his family, to avoid the
persecution of those times against dissenters.

This was during the reign of King Charles I., while its oppressiveness
was felt, but several years before the roused spirit of the people, under the
good guidance of Oliver Cromwell, swept away his authority and his
tyranny together.

" Every corner of the nation was subjected to a constant and minute inspection.
Every httle congregation of separatists was tracl^ed out and brolven up. Even the
devotions of private families could not escape the vigilance of spies. And the
tribunals afforded no protection to the subjects against the civil and ecclesiastical
tyranny of that period." "This was the conjuncture at which the liberties of
England were in the greatest peril. The opponents of the government began to
despair of the destiny of their country; and many looked to the American
wilderness as the only asylum in which they could enjoy civil and spiritual freedom.
There a few resolute Puritans, who, in the cause of their religion, feared neither
the rage of the ocean nor the hardships of uncivilized life ; neither the fangs of
savage beasts nor the tomahawks of more savage men, — built, amidst the primeval
forest, villages which are now great and opulent cities, but which have, through
every change, retained some trace of the character derived from their founders.
The government regarded these infant colonies with aversion, and attempted violently
to stop the stream of emigration, but could not prevent the population of New
England from being largely recruited by stout-hearted and God-fearing men from
every part of the old England." ^

It was at this juncture that Henry Wolcott left England; and no one
will question his title to the character of "a resolute Puritan, — a stout-
Old Lyme, which has now been the seat of the Griswold family for two and a half centuries. To tlie
church in Saybrook (of which Lyme was then a part) he presented a silver cup, still in existence, and
which the church has sold to an individual, bearing this inscription, "S. C. DON. Domini Matthew
Griswold." The title simply indicates his social standing; as does the English title, Mr., which is
applied to him in the New London records. He died at the age of ninety-six, and his grave is un-
known, — the more noticeable, as the monument still standing in Windsor over the grave of his father-
in-law, Henry Wolcott, is ascribed to his agency.

' Macaulay, Hist. Eng., 1. 69, 71.

SECOND GENERATION.

hearted and God-fearing man." He was not an obscure adventurei, but
held a fair position among the gentry in England, possessing an estate
which yielded him a fair income, and his property was freely devoted to
the service of the expedition which he accompanied. He had now passed
his fifty-second year, and his children were at an age when they most
needed such advantages in the way of education, limited though they were,
as they could find only in their native land. The parents decided, as the
least trying of the courses open to them (though they must have taken the
resolution with a heavy heart), to leave behind them their two daughters
and their youngest son, then five years of age, until a settlement had been
effected in America. Taking three sons (Henry, George, and Christopher),
they went forth, at this stage of life, to grapple with the hardships of a new
settlement in an unexplored country, — retiring forever from their pleasant
seat, from the place of their fathers' sepulchres and the birthplace of all
their children (from some of whom in their tender years they were to be
separated for an uncertain period), and bravely encountering the unknown
future which awaited them and theirs on the deep and in the desert.
They have their reward, — and they desired none other on earth, — a name
and a place among those excellent companies, of whom the world was not
worthy, who came out from the mother country to this, at that eventful
period, on their high mission of civilization and Christianity.

The company of which they were members consisted of one hundred
and forty persons ; and the historian of Connecticut makes the following
mention of them : —

" In one of the first ships which arrived this year came over the Rev. Mr. John
Warham,! Mr. John Maverick,^ Mr. Rossiter, Mr. Ludlow, Mr. Henry Wolcott, and

' John Warham came from Exeter, England (where he had been a prominent minister), as teacher
of the Dorchester Church, Mr. Maverick being pastor. He did not remove to Connecticut until the
September following the removal of his church.

In memory of Rev. John Warham ; he was installed pastor of this church at its inauguration in Plymouth, Eng-
land, in 1630 ; they arrived in this country the 30th of May the same year, and remained at Dorchester, Mass., five years, when
they removed to this town. Here Mr. Warham continued his pastoral labours to his flock until April i, 16-0, when he slept
in the Lord. He was among the most eminent of New England's early divines. Erected by his church, 1S42.

Epilaph, Windsor C/lurcliyard.

2 John Maverick was a minister of the Established Church, and resided about forty miles from

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

others of Mr. Warham's church and congregation, who first settled the town of
Windsor, in Connecticut. Mr. Rossiter^ and Mr. Ludlow 2 were magistrates.
Mr. Wolcott had a fine estate, and was a man of superior abilities. This was an
honorable company. Mr. Warham had been a famous minister in Exeter, the capital
of the county of Devonshire. The people who came with him were from the three
counties of Devonshire, Dorsetshire, and Somersetshire." ^ " They were a very
godly and religious people, and many of them persons of figure and note, being
dignified with the title of Mr., which few in those days were."*

They sailed from Plymouth, in England, on the 20th of March, 1630,
in the ship Mary and John, of four hundred tons burden, Captain Squeb,
master. Before their embarkation, after their passage had been engaged,
they were allowed the privilege of organizing themselves into an indepen-
dent church. This is now the First Church in Windsor, — the oldest in
the State of Connecticut. The Barnstable and Plymouth churches, in
Massachusetts, had been organized in the same way ; and these three, so
far as we know, are the only New England churches which had a trans-
atlantic origin.

They arrived at Nantasket on the Lord's Day, May 30, 1630,
after a voyage of two months and ten days, and landed the next day.
A brief account of the expedition from one of their own number,
Captain Roger Clap,^ one of the first settlers of Dorchester, who was then

Exeter, England; he is the first mentioned at the time of the assemblage in the New Hospital,
Plymouth, England, to organize a church. Cotton Mather includes him in the " First Classis " of min-
isters, viz. those who "were in the actual exercise of their ministry when they left England." He
was "somewhat advanced in years " at that period. He took the freeman's oath, May 18, 163 1. A
curious account of his drying some gunpowder, in a pan, over the fire, in the Dorchester meeting-
house, which was used as a magazine also, and the wonderful escape of Maverick in the consequent
e.xpIosion of a "small barrel," are described in Winthrop's Journal, \. *72. Mr. Maverick expected to
remove to Connecticut, but died Feb 3, 1637, aged " about sixty," — "A godly man, a beloved pastor,
a safe and truthful guide."

^ Edward Rossiter, Assistant in Massachusetts, 1629, died 1630. His early removal was a great
affliction to the Colony.

^ Roger Ludlow, Assistant both in Massachusetts and Connecticut ; an able jurist, but ambi-
tious and aspiring

' Trumbull, Hist. Conn., I. 23.

< Mass. Hist. Coll., IX. 150.

^ He held several civil and military trusts ; and was representative of the town, and captain of
Castle William.

SECOND GENERATION. ic

a young man, is fortunately extant, and we quote a few paragraplis
from it.

"There came godly families in that ship. We were of passengers many in
number (besides seamen) of good rank. These godly people resolved to live
together; and, therefore, as they had made choice of those two reverend servants
of God, Mr. John Warham and Mr. John Maverick, to be their ministers, so they
kept a solemn day of fasting in the New Hospital in Plymouth, in England, spendin"-
it in preaching and praying, when that worthy man of God, Mr. John White, of
Dorchester, in Dorset, was present, and preached unto us the word of God in the
fore part of the day ; and, in the latter pjirt of the day, as the people did solemnly
make choice of and call those godly ministers to be their officers, so also the Reverend
Mr. Warham and Mr. Maverick did accept thereof, and expressed the same. So we
came, by the good hand of the Lord, through the deeps comfortably; havmg
preaching or expounding of the word of God every day, for ten weeks together, by
our ministers." 1

" When we came to Nantasket, Captain Squeb, who was captain of that great
ship of four hundred tons, would not bring us into Charles River, as he was bound
to do, but put us ashore and our goods on Nantasket Point, and left us to shift for
ourselves, in a forlorn place in this wilderness. But, as it pleased God, we got a boat
of some old planters, and laded her with goods ; and some able men, well-armed,
went in her unto Charlestown, where we found some wigwams and one house; and
in the house there was a man which had a boiled bass, but no bread that we see.
But we did eat of his bass, and then went up Charles River, until the river grew
narrow and shallow ; and there we landed our goods, with much labor and toil, the
bank being steep ; and, night coming on, we were informed that there were hard by
us three hundred Indians. One Englishman, that could speak the Indian language
(an old planter), went to them, and advised them not to come near us in the night ;
and they hearkened to his counsels, and came not. I myself was one of the
sentinels that first night. In the morning, some of the Indians came and stood at
a distance off, looking at us, but came not near us. But, when they had been a while
in view, some of them came and held out a great bass toward us ; so we sent a man
with a biscuit, and changed the cake for the bass. Afterwards they supplied us with
bass, exchanging a bass for a biscuit-cake, and were very friendly unto us.^

1 Young's Chronicles.

"^ " Which," saith Elder Blake, " our people ascribe to God's watchful providence over them, in
their weak beginnings."

1 6 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

" We had not been there many days (although, by our diligence, we had got up
a kind of shelter to save our goods in), but we had order to come away from that
place, which was about Watertown, unto a place called Mattapan, now Dorchester^
because there was a neck of land fit to keep cattle on. So we removed and came to
Mattapan. The Indians there also were kind unto us.^

"In our beginning, many were in great straits for want of provisions for
themselves and their little ones. Oh ! the hunger that many suffered, and saw no
hope in an eye of reason to be supplied, only by clams and mussels and fish. We did
quickly build boats, and some went a-fishing. But bread was with many a very scarce
thing, and flesh of all kinds as scarce. And in those days, in our straits, though I can-
not say God sent a raven to feed us, as he did the prophet Elijah, yet this I can say,
to the praise of God's glory, that he sent not only poor, ravenous Indians, which came
with their bags of corn on their backs to trade with us (which was a good supply
unto many), but also sent ships from Holland and from Ireland with provisions
and Indian corn from Virginia to supply the wants of his dear servants in this
wilderness, both for food and raiment.^

" In those days, God did cause his people to trust in him, and to be contented
with mean things. It was not accounted a strange thing in those days to drink
water, and to eat samp or hominy without butter or milk. Indeed, it would have
been a strange thing to see a piece of roast beef, mutton, or veal, though it was
not long before there was roast goat. After the first winter, we were very healthy,
though some of us had no great store of corn. The Indians did sometimes bring
corn, and truck with us for clothing and knives ; and once I had a peck of corn, or
thereabouts, for a little puppy-dog. Frost-fish, mussels, and clams were a relief to
many." ^

The name of Henry Wolcott appears in the first list of " ffreemen "
made in Boston, Oct. 19, 1630. This was the day on which the first General

^ They began a settlement about the beginning of June. They named the place Dorchester,
because several of the settlers came from Dorchester, England, and also in honor of Rev. John White,
rector of Trinity Church in that town, who took a warm interest in the settlement, and aided the colo-
nists,— earning the title of "the great patron of New England emigration." The name was sanc-
tioned by the Court of Assistants, Sept. 7, 1630, and the town was then regularly incorporated.

- " In July, 1633, they were reinforced by the arrival of a ship with about eighty passengers and
twelve kine, which set down at Dorchester." — IVini/trop's Journal.

3 Young's Chron. Mass., 347-353, Memoirs of Captam Roger Clap. " Relating some of God's
Remarkable Providences to him, in bunging him into New England ; and some of the Straits and
Afflictions the Good People met with here in their beginnings."

SECOND GENERATION. 1 7

Court in Massachusetts was held, consisting not of representatives, but of
individual freemen. Under the ancient charter of the Colony, none were
recognized as members of the body politic, except such as were admitted
by the General Court, and took the oath of allegiance to the colonial gov-
ernment.

"May 13, 1634. There is liberty granted to Mr. Israeli Stoughton and Mr.
Wulcotte to looke out ffermes for themselves with promise to accomidate them." ^

In three or four years after their settlement, the Dorchester Company
had their attention directed to the unoccupied and fertile lands in the Con-
necticut Valley.

" In September of this year (1633), Mr. John Oldham with three others travelled
through the wilderness to Connecticut, to view the country and trade with the In-
dians.^ They appear to have had information from the Dutch of New York of a
valuable tract of land lying upon that river. They were hospitably received by the
Indians, and brought back such flattering accounts of the fertiUty and products of
the soil as, in 1635, induced a large number of the people to emigrate thither."

" Actuated by the noblest spirit of the times, these men had determined to
remove as early as the year 1634 ; and they applied to the General Court of Massa-
chusetts for permission to go in quest of new adventures in a better land. But, owing
to a division in that body with regard to the propriety of the measure, they did not
now obtain their desires. Yet they could not be satisfied till they had accomplished
their intention, and had obtained leave of the Court. For it was the general sense,
that the inhabitants were all bound to one another by the oath of a freeman, as well
as the original compact, so as not to be at liberty to separate without the consent of
the whole."

"A number of Mr. Warham's people came this summer (1635) into Connecticut,
and made preparation to bring their families, and make a permanent settlement on

1 Rec. Mass. Bay, I. 21. In the General Index of Vol. I. of these Records, the third item under
the name Henry Wolcott belongs not to his wife (for they had then removed to Windsor), but to the
wife of a yohn Wolcott who was of another family.

2 Oldham arrived in 1623, and was a troubler of the Plymouth Church ; he was restless and
adventurous, and was murdered by the Indians, with whom he was trading at Block Island in 1636,
which led to the Pequot war.

1 8 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

the river.i These pioneers encountered great privations, and were mostly compelled
by the severity of the winter and the prospect of famine to return to Massachusetts.
The people who kept their stations on the river suffered in an extreme degree. After
all the help they were able to obtain by hunting and from the Indians, they were
obliged to subsist on acorns, malt, and grain. A great number of cattle perished.
The Dorchester or Windsor people lost in this single article about ;£200 sterlmg.
Their other losses were considerable."

" Several of the principal gentlemen interested in the settlement of Connec-
ticut — Mr. John Haynes, who at this time was Governor of Massachusetts, Mr. Henry
Wolcott, Mr. Wells, the ministers of the churches, and others — had not yet moved
into the Colony .^ As soon as the spring advanced and the travelling would admit,
the hardy men began to return from the Massachusetts to their habitations on the
river. No sooner were buds, leaves, and grass so grown that cattle could live in the
woods, and obstructions removed from the river, so that vessels could go up with pro-
visions and furniture, than the people began to return in large companies to Con-
necticut. Many who had not removed the last year, prepared with all convenient
despatch for a journey to the new settlement on the river." ^

The following succinct and satisfactory account of this emigration I
extract from a manuscript historical discourse by the Rev. Dr. McClure,
of South Windsor : * —

At the time they were about to remove, the Dutch, who had possessed them-
selves of New Netherlands (New York), extended their claim to the Connecticut

1 " The removal of the Dorchester people to Windsor is said to have been disagreeable to their
ministers ; but as their whole church and most of the congregation determined upon going, they at
length consented to accompany them. However, Mr. Maverick died in the spring (Feb. 3, 1636),
before the preparations were made for his removal. Mr. Warham went in September, but did not judge
it expedient to remove his family until better accommodations could be made for their reception." —
I Mass. Hist. Coll. IX. 153.

Another church in Dorchester was organized with a few members, Aug. 23, 1636.

^ Mr. John Haynes became Governor of Connecticut also. He was a man of eminent abilities.
Mr. Thomas WeUs, also, became Governor of Connecticut.

' Trumbull's Hist. Conn., I. 60, 63, 64.

< This discourse, from which I shall give further extracts, is entitled "A Century Thanks-
giving Sermon." Text, Deut. iv. 37, 38. Preached in East Windsor, Dec. 24, 1795. I have tsvo
copies by the author, — the original and the revised, — the phraseology differing somewhat. The sub-
stance of a portion of it was given in a letter by the author, and published. — i Mass. Hist. Coll.,
V. 166.

SECOND GENERATION. 19

River. They had made a small settlement a few miles below, in Hartford Meadow,
for the purpose of trade with the Indians. From the Dutch, the people of Plymouth
had heard of a rich country of land in this quarter, and some adventurers from Ply-
mouth had come, two or three years before, and built trading-houses in Windsor, near
the mouth of Little River.

The towns of Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield were settled by people from
Dorchester, Newtown (now Cambridge), and Watertown. The Dutch and the people
from Plymouth (who had begun to engross the Indian fur-trade) were unwilling to
admit them into their neighborhood. The Plymouth people were satisfied with com-
pensation, and the Indians were paid what they demanded for the land. The title of
the Dutch was too slender to support a claim.

Having thus prepared the way for their peaceable settlement, the three com-
panies arrived in the summer of 1635.-' When we consider the difficulties and
dangers which they had to surmount, we may well admire their pious zeal and forti-
tude. The greater part came through the woods by land, and the remainder by water.
It was a long, fatiguing, and dangerous march. About one hundred men, women, and
children took their departure from the three towns, encumbered with baggage and
cattle, to travel through an unexplored territory. They shaped their course by a
compass. They had to pick their way through forests, over or around swamps and
mountains, and to construct rafts to help them over the streams. They saw here
and there a solitary foot-path leading to the Indian villages. The Nipnit or inland
Indians, whose country they passed through, were numerous, and might have taken
advantage of their weak and defenceless condition to cut them off. But the God of
Israel, who conducted the chosen tribes through the desert of Arabia, and caused
the fear of the people of God to fall upon their enemies, in like manner restrained
the savages of the wilderness from molesting this worthy company. They were
fourteen days performing this tedious journey. Their hearts did not sink under the
pressure of sufferings. Some of them had lived delicately in their native country,
but they cheerfully encountered the hardships of the way. They fed upon the milk
of their cattle ; and, wrapped in their cloaks and blankets, they slept upon the ground,
amid the nightly bowlings of beasts of prey. They were supported by the goodness
of the cause for which they had followed God into the wilderness ; his providence
had pointed out to them the path of duty ; and they devoutly prayed and sung Psalms
as they marched along, and the woods for the first time resounded with sacred halle-
lujahs. They at length came in sight of this river, the object of their ardent expec-

• Dorchester Records.

20 THE WOLCOTT AIEMORIAL.

tation, — probably near the mouth of the Scantic River in this town, — and proceeded
to form their settlements with a view to their future enlargement. The next year,
another company came by the same route from the same towns in Massachusetts,
and joined them.

The Indians upon the river and in its vicinity were then numerous, consisting
principally of three powerful Sachemdoms. The seat of one was near the mouth of
the Podunk River in the south border of this town ; the seat of another was about
twenty miles down the river at Middletown ; and that of the other on Little River
at Farmington.

Some of the first settlers of these towns were gentlemen of opulence, education,
and worth. The right of settling here they purchased of the Plymouth Company, in
England, who held this country by grant from the Crown. But they did not esteem
their title valid until they had purchased their land of the Indians, whom they looked
upon as the only rightful proprietors. The Assembly of the infant colony in the
Massachusetts gave to the people of these three towns, on their removal, authority
to form themselves into a political body, although they were beyond their jurisdiction.
They soon proceeded to form a system of laws, similar to those of Massachusetts,
except that they did not make church-membership a necessary qualification for civil
office.

In the year 1637, the first General Assembly was held in Connecticut.
Mr. Henry Wolcott had been elected a member of the committee, twelve
in number, which constituted the Lower House, or popular branch of that
body ; and thus he participated in the first legislative proceedings of both
Colonies. In 1640, his name stands first in the list of inhabitants in Wind-
sor. In 1643, he was elected a member of the House of Magistrates, as
the Upper House, the present Senate, was then styled, consisting of six
or eight members ; and he was annually re-elected during life. " He was,
probably, after the pastor, the most distinguished man in Windsor." ' By
the decease of his elder brother without issue he had become proprietor
of the family estates, including the manor-house and the mill already re-
ferred to; and in the year 1640 he appears to have visited England. His
younger children, Anna, Mary, and Simon, had probably joined the family
in America before this date ; we can only ascertain that they came between
the years 1631 and 1641.

' Stiles, 55. See p. 355-

SECOND GENERATION. 21

We have in our collection of family manuscripts a number of let-
ters 'sent from England during the first thirty years of their settlement
here. Letters of this date, handed down through eight generations, are so
rare as to be a curiosity, and a somewhat liberal insertion of them is war-
ranted. Those which we here give were addressed to the elder Henry.
An earlier date will be found among those later given, addressed to his son,
the second Henry.

From his Brother.

In Venns in Bushops lydeard
the i^th of Apr ill 1639 :

Loving and deare brother my trew love and best respects unto yourselfe my
sister in Lavve and all my Cuzens remembred wishing allwayes your health and pros-
peritie in the Lorde and trusting in God you are in good health as we all vveare at
the writting hearof the Lords name be prayesd for it.

Broather soe it is that it hath pleased the Lord to take to his mersie the soull
of our deare brother Christopher WoUcott of Wellington who desesed the 25th of
March 1639 : in the morninge he died vntestat and thareby as I vnderstand that his
Land faleth vnto yourself or your sonne which maketh me to writt vnto you to know
your minde what you will have done in it I desire your answer as soone as maye be
for I am informed that his land falleth vnto you and all his prsonall estatt falleth vnto
his wiffe and for my partt I shall have nothinge yeat you knowe deare brother that
I have suported him by his breeding, and his being in Fraunce and by byeing him

lande by copie into Tolland Mill Living, and into John Living which never

cost him a pennie and nowe in requitall of it I shall not have a pennie which greveth
the verie harte of me that it should soe fall out, for he did promise our father in his
death bed that my sonne John WoUcott should be his heare vnto Tolland Mill and
allso promised it before manie others, yeat neverthelese I will put my trust in the
Lord for he hath been my helper and my shure defense hithervnto and soe he shall
be vnto the end, for thes things are transitorie and put vpon me for triall of my
patience but the Lord knoweth whome are his tharfore vnto him be all honore and
prayse for ever and ever.

Broather I reseaved your leter whearin you wrott of dangers that you have had
in your Countrie whearin god hath prserved you and soe he will all them that truly
trust in him, you wrott to vnderstand of the course of our Cuntrie it was never by
my time soe dangerouse as now it is for it is proclaymed open warrs betwixt England
and Scottland, and our most gracious King Charles is gone into Scottland with 30 or

22 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

40 thousand of the traynors as the report doeth goe ar gon with him and thare are
40 or 50 of a band ar prickt vpon everie Captines boocke and doe stand at an bowers
warning vpon payn of death thare be them prickt whous livings is worth 200^ a
yeare and vpward and thare be suplyes apoynted to fill vp the Captins boock agayn
as sowne as they ar gone it is much feared that we have manie dangerouse enimies
but if god be with vs we feare not whoe is agaynst us. you wrott vnto me to send
you a laboring man or to and I have spoken vnto divers to goe and them that be
good wokmen and can get theyer living heare ar fearfuU to go to seae for feare they
shall not live to com to your land, but wear it not for the danger of the seas you
mought have inough.

Broather my wife and chilldren desireth to be remembred vnto your wife and
chilldren and we doe dayelye praye for your prosperitie besiching the Allmighti god
to blese vs all and send vs his kingdom of grase and the kingdom of glorie in heaven
through Jesus Christ our only saviour and redemer, Amen.

Brother I praye you to return me your answer conserning the land what shall
be dune in it wheather I shall mak an enter vpon it in your behalfe vntill you can
com or send over, for it is howses much of it and must be repayred or otherwise it
will goe in decaye.

Broather you wrott conserning the teaching of the word, it is not soe much
taught as it was when you lyved heare for thar is no lectuarie vsed in no place and
but on sermon vpon the sabath day, and in manie places on sermon in a month
and skarse that whearfore manie doe feare that the Lord hath ordayned a punish-
ment for it, soe I end and rest your Loving brother to the utermost of my power
vntill death. John Wollcott.

I have writt vnto you at this time 3 letters becaus if on miscari the other may
com to your hands, my sonne John is not com hom from the Indens [Indies].

To My Loving brother
Hennory Wollcott
d-dielling in Winsor
by quenattecott rieiier
in Nu England giue
these I pray you.

From the Same.

deare broather my Love to you remembred and to your wife and all the rest of my
cuzcns wishing allwayes your health and prosperitie in the Lord allso my wife and

SECOND GENERATION.

chilldren desireth to be remembred unto your selfe my sister and my cozens these feowe
lynes are to sertifie that I reseaved your letter whearin you wrott of your safe arrivell
whom [home] into your Cuntrie god be praysed.

Brother soe it is that the cheffe man that you did leave in trust for you which
was the ffarmer Venn : is dead and your letter of Atornie unto him is out of forsce
and ray bond for M- Berches monie lyeth in farmer Venn's executors hand M' Clarke
hath no writing to shew him what he should doe in your busnes I have payed
M' Berch his 25"? at this daye and hand not up my bond, also I have layed out moar
monie for the Liverie and your busnes than is in my hand and M' Jeans telles me that
the Liverie must be retorned back into the excheqer this next tearm to be recorded
thare or otherwise thare will com out upon the land a paymnt of 40^^ everie yeare

untill it be dune bye doing of it will cost betwixt 40 and 50 and for the rest

of your rents I have no power from you to demand it of them, nether doeth m' Clarke
knowe what to doe because he hath not the writings nether as it should seme unwill-
ing to truble himself in other mens busnes for my partt I shall be redye and willing
to doe you anie resonabell servise that I can doe and have showed m' Clarke what
I have layed out and dune in your behalfe praye brother retorn to m' Clarke and
me your answer what shall be don for you in your busnes as sonn as you can
so I end and rest your loving brother to be comanded to the utermost of my
power,

John Wollcott

In Venns in Bushois } ,

V1641:
Lydeard the 10th of Aprill V

To my verie
Lovinge Brother
Henrie Wollcott in
new England at
Winsor tieere qtiena
tacotte riettergiue
these I pray you.

From the Same.

ffrovi Wellington the 6"' of february 1650

Loved Brother my kind love and best respects to you remem. and to my sister
in Law w"" all the rest of my Cozens Ingenerall rem. Hopinge in the lord you are
all in good health as wee all were at the present writinge hereof praysed be god for

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

it These few lines are to give you to understand that I doe much desire to here
from you to have Answere of my former letteres sent unto you the last yere w'*" I
hope you have receved I did desire to have a dischardge by your letter of the account
betweene you and mee till micklemas 1649 of w'"" I have made full satisfaction to
Henrie Wollcott and Rich Skinner for all busines past till that time exceypt the o'^
five pounds above 300^ and I desire to have a dischardge of the 30^ bond that was
left in m' Venns hand and at micklemas 1649 I left of housekeping and my selfe and
wife and Daughter Elizabethe doth Rent 2 or three roomes of ray sonn Hugh Wollcott
in the house my sister did lieve and since that time my sonn did take Longforth of
your Trustees and was to pay IC^ pr Annum and you to dischardge all Taxes exceypt
church & poore w'"'" they sent you by the last letter and what mony is behind in his
hand he is verie willinge to pay when you shall send order and a dischardge under
the hands of your overseers my sonn is desirous to know your mind in it where you
will sett it for longer terme for he doth bestow a great chardge in dressing of it and
all the fodder he hath growne is spent on it and now they have made him pay for our
owne chardge w'"" is bestowed one it Henrie Wollcott and Rich Skinner & m' Trott
hath scene it all 3 and doe all like well of his Husbandrie If at anie time you desire
to sell either Tolland or the Eleven akers at Wellington I shall desire that my sonn
may be heard before another it is Indif. quiet w* us here in England at present but
warrs in Ireland and Scotland but prased be god they doe much prevaile we have still
greate taxes how to maintaine the Armies in both lands and the fleete at seaes soe I
having noe other nuse to Trobel you w* at present but desirous to here from you or
to see you here in England I rest

Allwaies your Loved Brother till Death

John Wollcott

I have never lost anie opportun when I could send letteres unto you I have Re

a letter from this letter was writen the same day dated the 7"' month the 23"*

day where I understand my Cozen Henrie hath a Intent to com over to take an
account for you it is w"'out anie great doubt by gods protection safe passadge over
sea and in England quiet over the lands for the present and verie hopefuU to con-
tinue soe I leave you to the protection of the Almightie god to prosper you and
familie

To my verie Loved Brother
Mr Henrie Wollcott at
Winsor plantation neere
Connectecott River in
new England

SECOND GENERATION. 25

From the Same.

Wellington the ll"" offcbriia 1650

Lovinge Brother my kind love and best respects to you and to my sister in law

and to all the rest of my cozens Ingen. rem. Hoping in the lord you are all in good

health as wee all were at the prsent writing hereof prsed be god for it These few lines

are to certifie you that I have recea. a letter from you dated the 23"" of the 7 month

in w'*' you write that my Cozen Henrie doth Intend to com over eyther this yere or

the next to take up your Accounts I should be verie glad to see him here w"' us and

I shall desire that he will be plesed to take my house for his resting place I will

promise him trulie wellcom for our condition here I neede not to write I did somwhat

certifie by my other letter dated the 6"' of this prsent month that m' Trott can certifie

anie thing what you shall desire you wrote to know of my sister in law brothers and

sisters were living Thomas Saunders is dead Robert Saunders is yet living and young

Georg Saunders hath bought his father's living and is married he is the house kepper

w"' his mother and for my sonn John we have noe nuse of him since you were here

I have sent 2 letters more one for you and the other from my sonn to my Cozen

Henrie all Recconing hath bin past to Henrie Wollcott and Richard Skinner till

Mickelmas 1649 and there was 8~ due to you w''' I paid them and also Constable had

■3^^ 10' the rest wras in cloth as they told me by your direction and what

money is due to you since that time you shall have it returned by your next order soe

I having noe nuse to troble you w"* at the prsent I rest

Allwaies your Loving Brother till Death

John Wallcott
To my verie Lovd Brother

mr Henrie Wollcott

at Winsor 7ieere

Connettecott River in

new Engla7id

From his Nephew.

Wellington the 25"' of March 1654
Lovd Uncle my Reverend dutie to you rem. and to my Aunt and to all the rest
of my Cozens in general! rem : Hopinge in the lord you are in good health as wee all
were at the present writing hereof praysed be god for it These few lines are to
certifie you that my father is dead he died the 17"' of februr 1652 and for the rent of
Tolland mill I have made Even w"' my Cozen Henrie till the 25"" of March 1654 and
for longforth it doth appeare in the purchase deede to be a chattell lease noe tearm

26 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

expressed, purchased to one Nicholis Greeneslad now I should desire of you to cer-
tifie how Old RP John Greenslade came to have the Inherit, of this land and by what
lawfull titell he made it to my Uncle Christoph and his heires it semes by the deede
that two Akers of bulls meadow and 3 akers more called Giffords Burgadge was pur-
chased by the same deede w"'" my Kinsman hath a counterpart of the deede my father
bought of you 3 akers in bulls medow w""" was all that whole piece and after bull
did make it appeare that he had a 3 prte for w"*" I paid 22' 10' to one berrie that
had bought it of bull w'*" money If it were in case of conscience ought to be Allowed
and in regard that the State is not to be made good w'"" was bought I shall desire
you to be certified by your next letter how the fee came to m' Greenslade and for
Tolland mill there are som goods w* were my grandfathers and my fathers and now
I prceaive by my Cozen Henrie you have noe Intent to Departe w* the Estate ; you
shall buy such household goods as I have there if you plese for I am loth they should
be removed I shall desire an Answer in these prticulars I have made Even in all
things w* you till the 25* of March 1654 leaving the 22' uppon an Equall triall soe
I having noe other thing to trubell you w* but that my Kinsman can certifie you of
AUmost all our prcedings I rest

Allwaies your Dutifull Kinsman till Death

Hugh Wollcott

To my verie Lovd Uncle
mT Henrie Wollcott at

Winsor neere Connettecott River
in new England
give this I pray you

From his Nephew.

Sunterset Aprell the 4"' 1655
Loving uncle my due respects to you and to my ante and all the rest of my
cozens hoping you are in good health as wee are all this present time blesed be god

for it we are heare in a doutting condition of more troubles : we had a

greate raiseng of Cavellers in many places of the nation that did proclaime he that
was our prince Charles to be kinge but blessed be god thear desines have note taken
efeect if it had our condition had ben very sade they are all scattered and taken : as
for our trade of cloth it is very good : cloth is very deare in regarde of spenneng is
very scarce ; praye lett us heare from you as soone as posible I shall be willing to
doe my uttermoste for you or any of my Cusans if you or thay have any occasion to
employe me aboute sendeng of cloth or any other thing my mother desiers very
earnestly to remember her deare love and respeectes unto you and ante if living we

SECOND GENERATION.

harde nothing of you in your last letter ; my wiffe and my sisters desiers to presente

theare due respeectes unto you and my ante and my cusanes we doe earnestly desier

to heare frome you and wheather my ante be living or no I should write a letter to

my Cusane Henery if I had time but I have nothinge to present unto hem bute my

kind love and to his wife soe haveing nothing ales at present leving you to the pro-

tecttion of the Almighty I Reste

Your asured Loving Cusane to serve in any thinge

George Saunders
Lawrauce Liddiard

Apr ell d^'' 1655

Cusan Richard Skiner have sene this leter and he desiers to be remembred unto
you but he have no time to write

To my ■Very Loving U?icle
Mr Henry Woolcott theld-
att Winsorr neare

Conettecott River in New Angland
give these

GRANT OF LANDS BY THE GENERAL COURT.
Connecticott. 7'"'"a>y n"- 1640

Henry Woolcott the elder hath grannted from the plantation for an homelott
twelue acres, the breadth by the streete on the north twenty fowre rodd, and the
breadth behind to the south forty sixe rodd more or lefs, bounded by Joseph Lomas
and John Porter east and by Rodger Ludlowe North :

Also in the greate meade twenty two acres, the breadth is thirty sixe rodd, and
is bounded by Rodger Ludlowe west, by Henry Woolcott the younger north, by the
greate riuer East, by the riuerlett south :

In Plimouth meade eight acres, the breadth seuentene rodd. the length from the
way on the banke to the greate riuer, bounded by Henry Woolcott the younger
north. Thomas Moore south.

Also towards Harteford sixty eight acres, in breadth next the greate riuer east
seuenty rodd, in length to the west an hundred thirty fowre rodd, bounded by Thomas
Moore north ; Rodger Williams south :

Also ouer the greate riuer twenty fowre acres more or less, in breadth eighty
one rodd, and the length from the sayd riuer to the east to the second swampe,
bounded by Benimin Nuberry South, Bray Rosseter north :

28 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Also ouer the sd greate riuer next there unto in breadth twenty rodd and the
length from the riuer to the east three miles bounded by John Witchfeild north Dauid
Wilton south :

Also ouer the sd riuer next thereunto in breadth ten rodd in the length to
the east three miles, bounded by Dauid Wilton north, and on the south by Henry
ffookes.

Also ouer the greate riuer fowreteene acres begining thirty one rodd and halfe
from the riuer, and is to bee there eighteene rodd in breadth and runnes to the east
an hundred and threescore rodd bounded on the north and south with his owne
ground.

Also uppon the banke of Plimouth meade tenne rodd in breadth bounded on
the south by Henry Woolcott the younger, on the north by Christopher Woolcott,
on the east by Phmouth meade, on the west by the highway.

Ouer the greate riuer fifty acres in breadth tenne rodd to beginne an hundred and

threescore rodd from the riuer, and from thence in length two miles and halfe to the

east, and is bounded by Thomas Buckland south, in the north by William Rockwell

(Winsor ffoll. 12 :)

Bray Rosseter Rcgistr

Mr. Wolcott's residence in Windsor was toward the southern end of
the town, south of the Farmington River, on a tract of high land which
has always borne the name of " The* Island," along which the road passes
southward, and then through the meadows, — being the first, or meadow,
road to Hartford. The lot of his eldest son, Henry, Jr., adjoined his own
on the south, both fronting the west. He continued an honored resident
of Windsor until his death, which occurred May 30, 1655. His will was
dictated on the day of his death, and was as follows : —

LAST WILL.

The thirtieth of May (1655), I, Henry Wolcott, sick of body, but of perfect
memory, do make and ordain this my last will and testament, in manner and form
following.

First. I commend my soul to God my maker, hoping assuredly through the
only merit of Jesus Christ my Saviour, to be a partaker of life everlasting ; and I
commend my body to the earth, whereof it was made.

I will that my wife shall have all my house lot, orchard, garden, hop-yard and

SECOND GENERATION.

my lot in Plymouth meadow, during the term of her natural life. Also, I give unto
my wife two of my cows, and half the household goods in my dwelling house.

Also, I leave my land in England to Henry my eldest son, without encum-
brances. Also, I give unto him my two books of martyrs.

Also, I give to Christopher my second son, my lot in the Great meadow, — and
also, my house lot and houseing upon it, after the death of my wife, he paying out of
it thirty pounds, after my wife's decease, as I shall hereafter appoint.

Also, I give to George my third son, the five pounds he owes me, and five
pounds more.

Also, I give to Simon, my youngest son, all my land on the easterly side of the
Great River and also my lot at Arramonets.

Also, to the children of Henry, my eldest son, five pounds to Henry the eldest
of them, and to the rest of them forty shillings apiece.

I give all the rest of my goods to be equally divided amongst all my children.

Also, I appoint Henry Wolcott, my son, to be overseer of this my will and
testament.

Also, my will is, that Christopher, my son, shall have my lot in Plymouth
meadow, after the decease of my wife.

My will is that my debts shall be first paid.

October 4, 1655. The above written being testified to the Court by Mr.

Henry Wolcott, upon oath, and by Mr. Wichfield to be the last will and

testament of Mr. Henry Wolcott, senior, deceased, the Court approbated of

the same, and ordered it to be recorded.

John Cullick, Secretary.

His widow survived him about five weeks ; she died July 7, and her will,
dated July 5, is attested by her mark. The explanation of this, which we
find in one of our old manuscripts, is unquestionably authentic : " Their
wills were made just before their deaths, and Mrs. Wolcott, not being well
enough to write her name, only made her mark."

The inventory of Henry Wolcott's estate, exclusive of property in Eng-
land, amounted to ^764 8^-. \od. This schedule, compared with the
amount which he was worth on leaving England, illustrates forcibly the
following observation of the Connecticut historian, Dr. Benjamin Trum-
bull: —

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

" In purchasing the lands and making settlements, in a wilderness, the first
planters expended great estates. It has been the opinion of the best judges, who
have had the most perfect acquaintance with the ancient affairs of the Colony, that
many of the adventurers expended more, in making settlements in Connecticut, than
all the lands and buildings were worth, after all the improvements which they had
made upon them." ^

To the brief sketch which we have now given of our ancestor, we annex
the notice which the venerable historian, ah-eady quoted, gives of his death.
On examining tlie MSS. of Dr. Trumbull, deposited in the library of Yale
College, I discovered that the authority for his statement was a letter from
Gov. R. Wolcott to the Rev. Thomas Prince, of Boston, dated Aug. 15,
1754, to which there is a reference. On examining the remnants of the
library which Mr. Prince left in Boston, I ascertained that this letter
unfortunately was among the other valuable manuscripts, which were
deposited in the steeple of the Old South Church, and which were destroyed
by the British soldiers while they held possession of the church.

"This year (1655) died Henry Wolcott, Esq., in the 78th year of his age. He
was the owner of a good estate in Somersetshire, in England. His youth, it is said,
was spent in gayety and country pastimes ; but afterwards, under the instructions of
Mr. Edward Elton, his mind was entirely changed, and turned to the sincere love
and practice of religion. As the Puritans were then treated with great severity, he
sold about .5^8,000 worth of estate in England, and prepared for a removal into
America. He came into New England with Mr. Warham, in May, 1630, and settled
first at Dorchester, in Massachusetts. In 1636, he removed to Windsor, and was one
of the principal planters of that town. He was chosen into the magistracy in 1643,
and continued in it until his death. He left an estate in England, which rented at
about £60 a year, which the family for some time enjoyed ; but was afterwards sold.
After his decease, some one of his descendants was annually chosen into the magis-
tracy, for a term of nearly eighty years. Some of them have been members of the
Assembly, Judges of the Superior Court, or magistrates, from the first settlement of
the Colony to this time, during the term of more than a century and a half. — a.d.
1797-"='

1 Hist. Conn., I. 117. 2 Hist. Conn., I. 227.

SECOND GENERATION. ,1

Over the graves of Henry Wolcott and Elizabeth his wife there is an
arclied monument of brown stone. Around it are the monuments of their
children and children's children. The cemetery lies in the rear of the
First Congregational Church, on the high northern bank of Farmino-ton
River; the railroad passes on its western side. Here these worthy pil-
grims, and their companions in tribulation and in the kingdom and
patience of Jesus Christ, found a resting-place from their wanderings and
toils ; they rest from their labors, and their works do follow them.

We add, from our ancient " Chronologie," the simple statement which
follows the record of their death, and which is of more worth than all other
history and eulogy : —

These both dyed in hope and Ly buryed tinder one Tomb in Windsor.

Of this ancient monument and its inscriptions we give on the next
page a clear picture, engraved by Richardson, from a sketch by Ells-
worth. It is said to be the oldest monument, of this style, in the
country. Erected about thirty-five years from the landing at Plymouth,
it is still in perfect preservation. The church whose organization we have
stated (p. 14), and which, historically, leads the column of the Connecticut
churches, is observing, as these pages pass through the press, its " Quarter-
Millenial Celebration." When in the good providence of God it shall reach
its Semi-Millenial, we see no reason to doubt that this sepulchre of one of
its founders will remain with it, intact.

ipllfw^

W^"1-tiM"nT-rv-*"— r^f"^"im^fif'™^))'^'lH'll^l iiiHiiithili'l i/'"l'IT

Here ViVBER LYETO the BODfOFHENHY
WqICQT SOMETirtES A MAtESTRATEOFM^

AETATrS 77

VNDEfl LYETH THE BODr^0F,,JLL::/'. r:
/OLCOt\i;'>iD DYEC v 7 DAY MlSfiii,..,.,,,

-AEh^TIS/l

SECOND GENERATION. 33

DEED OF GALDON MANOR

BY HENRY WOLCOTT TO HIS SON HENRY.

We give a copy of this deed, although the engraved copy is very
legible. The estate appears to have been largely, if not wholly, that which
was conveyed by Robert Mynne to Christopher Wolcott. The last-named
condition, requiring the wife, if she survived her husband, to relinquish her
legal interest in the estate, was obviously designed to allow it to pass unen-
cumbered to the eldest son in succession, in accordance with the English
law of entailment. This will appear more fully in the sequel.

KNOW AL MEN BY THESE pnts that I Henry Woolcot of Windsor upon
Conecticut Gent In consideration of my natural affection unto Henry Woolcot mine
oldest Sonne and for other considerations mouvinge me hereunto have given and
graunted and by these piits doe give and graunt unto the said Henry Woolcot my
Son al that farme and mansion house lying and situate in the prshes of Tolland and
Lidiard Lawrence in the County of Somerset parcel of the Mannour of Galdon with
al those Messuages Lands Meadows Pastures Mills Tenements and Hereditaments
thereunto belonging now or late in the occupation of John Woolcot or his assignes
To Have and to Hold the said Farme and several Premisses after the natural lives of
me the aforesaid Henry Woolcot and of Elizabeth my Wife (except as hereafter
excepted) to him the said Henry Woolcot my Son and to his heirs male begotten or
to be begotten of the body of Sarah his now Wife and in default of said Heirs then to
said Henry my Son forever together with one shilling yearely to be payd out of the
Rents and Profits of the same excepting alwaies one estate of the premisses which
the aforesaid John Woolcot holdeth by Coppy of Court Rolle according to the custom
of the mannor. Alsoe I the said Henry Woolcot for the aforesaid consideration doe
hereby give and graunt assigne and set over unto the said Henry Woolcot my Son a
Rent charge of fifteene pounds yearly during the Hves of me the said Henry and
Elizabeth my Wife beginning at or upon the determination of the above mentioned

24 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

estate holden by the aforesaid John Woolcot Alsoe I the said Henry Woolcot for the
aforesaid consideration and in consideration of a marriage lately entred and solem-
nized betwixt the said Henry my Son and his now Wife Sarah doe hereby give and
graunt ratify and confirme unto the said Sarah my daughter in law the summe of ten
pounds yearly during hir natural life in case she shal happen to overlive the said
Henry Woolcot my Son after the determination of the aforesaid estate of John
Woolcot holden as aforesaid In case she relinquish al challenge of hir wives estate
In witness whereof I have hereunto put my hand and scale the tenth day of March

Anno Doini 1642. , ^

Henry Woolcott

Sealed and delivered (and a seal.)

in the presence of

Ephraim Huit

John Warham

John Witchfield

Note. — Our scant notices of Mr. Wolcott's residence in Dorchester
are supplemented by some details in the early Dorchester Town Records,
lately issued in Boston as a city document, — " Fourth Report of the
Record Commissioners, 1880." These show that before his removal to
Windsor he held a position of trust and influence in the excellent company
that settled Dorchester. We have space for but a single extract.

" It is ordered that Mr. Woolcott MF Johnson, & Walther Filer shall viewe
the pales of the great lotts and if they find any pale insufficient they shall forthwith
give notice to him that is to impall who if he doth not amend within one day after
he shall pay 10^ a day for the tyme it standes insufficient and the sayd p'tyes shall
report or deeme the pale insufficient. Afterward he whose swine are taken trespass-
ing in the sayd lotts shall make good any trespas shall be by them committed and
the say'd p'tyes or any other shall amend any pale after the sayd notice, they shall
have 5^ p' goad for amending them." p. 6.

rnvjnC,

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winf: «•f'^^/^ SoiotC' tiitJ fpw olrd^ rna^tvTXtDii'^ Tnftifinjt mC ^tyCfnto ^< -jr
Mir. /oh «f f^«t fainnc' anC .^yu^y\ju'f■L. fianfC ^Cvmr c\nt fritiinic' in f/i'f ^i/|» >"

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'^^•U-

THIRD GENERATION. 35

THIRD GENERATION. 1129722

II. Henry Wolcott (3) came to America with his parents, and was
admitted a freeman by the General Court, at Boston, April i, 1634, which
shows that he was at that time a member of the Dorchester church. He
removed with the family to Windsor in 1636, where he married, Nov.
18, 1 64 1, Sarah, daughter of Mr. Thomas Newberry.' Children: —

8 — I. Henry, b. Jan. 6, 1643. See V.
9 — 2. John, b. Feb. 28, 1645. See VI.
10 — 3. Sainiid, b. Oct. 8, 1647 ; d. May 10, 1648.

11 — 4. Sarah, b. July 5, 1649 ; m. June 6, 1674, Capt. John Price, of Salem, Mass.^

12 — 5. Mary, b. Dec. 6, 165 1 ; m. June 2, 1679, James Russell, Esq., of Charles-

town, Mass.''

1 He was from a Devonshire family, — " one of the earliest settlers and largest landed proprie-
tors of .Dorchester ; " had sold out his property there with a view to remove to Windsor, where he
died, in 1636, but his family removed.

2 "Capt John Price was the son of Capt. Walter Price, who came to Salem in 1641, and was
a respectable merchant, a deputy to the General Court, and an estimable member of the community.
He was himself a merchant, and his estate was over ^2,245. He held various offices, was frequently
selectman, and deputy to the Grand Court. His life gave promise of continued and distinguished
usefulness ; but it was cut off, to the sorrow of many, Aug. 13, 1691. His widow died March 5, 1699."

" Major Walter Price, only son of Capt. John Price and Sarah Wolcott his wife, graduated at
Harvard College in 1695. He was a captain in the battle of Haverhill in 1708. He was a commis-
sioner of the Province loan for Essex, and naval officer for the port of Salem. He followed in the
useful and honorable path of his ancestors." — Felfs Annals.

^ The follo\ving records of the baptism of his only child by this marriage, and of the mother's
death, are copied, the one from the First Church Record of Baptisms, and the other from the Town
Record of Deaths, in Charlestown : —

16S0, S'"o- lod^y, Mary ye daughter of y" worshipfull James Russel and Mary his wife.
Mrs. Mary, the wife of the worshipfll James Russel Assitt, died August the 5t,h 16S3.

We copy the inscription on his tombstone in Charlestown : —

Here lieth the body of James Russel, Esqt, son of Richard Russel Esq' and Maud, his wife, who was
bom in this town 4*^ October 1640 and was elected a counsellor for the Colony in the year 16S0, from which time to his death

26 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

13 — 6. Hannah,\>. March 8, 1653; died at Charlestown, Sept. 4, 1683, a month

after her sister Mary.
I4_7. Samuel, b. April 16, 1656. See VII.
15 — 8. yosiah, b. July 21, 1658. See VIII.

Mr. Henry Wolcott was an importing merchant, and his ledger has
been preserved. He appears to have been in England on business in the
sprino- of 1654. He was engaged in public life, and held various appoint-
ments ; was one of the nineteen gentlemen prominent in the Colony who
were named in the Charter of Connecticut. He was elected a member of
the House of Deputies in 1660, and of the House of Magistrates in 1662,
and successively after, until his death.

He was master of a short-hand which had puzzled us in several docu-
ments, and to which we did not imagine that any key could ever be found.
Amono- the papers deposited in the library of the Connecticut Historical
Society, many years since, was a stout little vellum-covered volume of nearly
four hundred pages, closely written in this hand, with no clew to the sub-
ject nor to the writer's name. It lay unnoticed until about the year
1857, when it attracted the attention of J. Hammond Trumbull, LL.D.,
who is as ingenious in such matters as he is persevering in his researches.
He succeeded in deciphering it, and found it to consist of notes of sermons
and lectures, delivered in Windsor and Hartford, between April, 1638, and
May, 1 64 1, in regular course. The writer's name is not given, but his birth-
day is noted on the first leaf of the volume, and this and other facts iden-
tify him as Henry Wolcott, Jr.; and it is a curious fact that the only record
of his birth is found among these hieroglyphics, and the date has been
unknown till now. Having called Dr. Trumbull's attention to this fact, we
give his answer, which explains his discovery of the authorship : —

I was aware that the entry of Henry Wolcott's birth in the short-hand note-
book supplied a date not hitherto ascertained, and corrects the year to which his

he was annually chosen, saving in the few years of the reign of King James, when the people were deprived of that pri\nlege.
He also ser%-ed God and his Country, in many other eminent stations, as a Treasurer, a Judge, and other places of the highest
trust, all which he discharged as became a faithful steward. He changed earth for Heaven on Thursday the 28',^ of April 1 709,
being the 69'^ year of his age.

THIRD GENERATION. 37

birth has been usually assigned. This entry was my first clew to the ownership of
the note-book. It is made at the top of the first leaf in the volume, in a single line,
which, deciphered, reads : " Tlie day I was born was the 21 of yaniiary i6io" — that
is, of course, 161 1, N. S. So I had given, a regular hearer of Mr. Warham and
Mr. Huit from 1638 to 1641, who was an occasional hearer of Mr. Hooker and Mr.
Stone, at times when the Court was in session at Hartford, and who was born in
161 1. Henry Wolcott, Jr., was the only man in the Colony that could satisfy the
conditions of the problem ; and on looking, for corroboration, into the " Wolcott
Ledger," I found numerous entries in the same characters employed in the note-
book. The latter contains no other entry of personal or family matters. The Ledger
notes the birth of one or two children in short-hand, but supplies no new dates.

The notes in the little volume give the dates, texts, and general out-
lines of the discourses of the Rev. Messrs. Warham and Huit, in Windsor,
and of the Rev. Messrs. Hooker and Stone, in Hartford, during the sessions
of the General and Particular Courts. Among the former is one delivered
by Mr. Warham, Nov. 17, 1640, " at the betrothing of Benedict Alvord and ,
Abraham Randall," from the text, Eph. vi. 11, " Put on the whole armor of
God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." The
preacher " improved " the theme, " for teaching the betrothed lovers that
marriage is a war-faring condition," and "for reproof to those who think
nothing is needed for marriage but the consent of the parents." In the
face of these solemn admonitions, it appears from the Windsor records that
both were duly married before the expiration of the year, — the happy Bene-
dict to Joan Newton, and the other to Mary Ware.

Among the latter discourses are Mr. Hooker's two Election Sermons.,
of May 31, 1638, and April 11, 1639. Of the first, from the text, Deut.
i. 13, Dr. Trumbull gives an abstract of deep interest, as showing the "poli-
tics " which were preached by the ablest and best of the Puritan Fathers.
" The Luther of New England," in the infancy of the Colonies, proclaimed
boldly the fundamental doctrines of constitutional liberty.^

Mr. Wolcott gave much attention to the cultivation of fruit, of which
he kept a record in his short-hand volume. Josselyn, who, on a second
return voyage, was his fellow-passenger, says : —

' Col'. Conn. Hist. Soc, I. 19-21.

38 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

" The Countery is replenished with fair and large Orchards. It was affirmed by
one Mr. Woolcot (a magistrate in Connecticut Colony) at the Captaine's Messe (of
which I was) aboard the Ship I came home in, that he made Five Hundred Hogs-
heads of Syder out of his own Orchard in one year. Syder is very plentiful in the
Countery, ordinarily sold for ten shillings a hogshead." ^

" Mr. Wolcott's apple orchard was one of the first, and for many years was
probably the largest, in the Connecticut Valley. It was in bearing before 1649, and
his cider-presses were at work in 1650. For twenty years afterwards, he supplied
young trees, summer and winter apples, and cider by the hogshead, gallon, or pint,
not only to his neighbors at Windsor, but to other towns in the vicinity, and occa-
sionally for exportation to other colonies." ^

The following are among the letters addressed to him by his kinsmen
in England which have been preserved. It appears that he was expected
to return for his sisters and yoimger brother ; whether he performed this
service, we do not know. We have evidence that he visited England about
the year 1671.

From his Cousin.

Cozen Henry my love to you remembered and to your father and mother to your
Brothers these are to give you to understand that we are all in good health my father
hath remembered his love to you and to your father and mother and to the rest of
your Brothers these are to give you to understand that your Brother Simon hath
been verre sicke of late and soe hath your sisters alsoe But now thanks be to
almightie god they are resonabelly wel againe Your Brother John continues in his
ould Course of livinge. We shall al desire to have your Companie with us soe soone
as Conveniently you can good Cozen let me Intreate you to write to me of the
manner and situation of the Cuntry I have sent you in your Box a quire of paper
be kause you shall remember to write unto me soe in hast I levinge you to the
prtexion of the almightie god I end and restt

Your Inseperabel Cozen

Wellington, 22 July, 1631 JOHN WaLLCOTT [Jr.]

To his Lovinge Cozen
Henry Wolcott Junior
in Matapan {Dorchester')
these in new England.

^ Josselyn's Two Voyages, 189.

^ Trumbull, in Connecticut Press, Jan. 2, 1858. Several entries, giving many particulars, are
copied from the short-hand account-book.

THIRD GENERATION.

From his Cousin.

ffroni Wellington the loth March 1642

Loving and kind kinsman Henrie Wollcott my kind love and best respects to
you remembered with very kind love to your second selfe and to all the rest of my
Cozens In generrale remembered Hoping in the lord you are all in good health, as
we all were at the present writinge hereof praysed be God for it : These few lines are
to certifie you that I have reseaved your letter by your Brother in law Mr Joseph
Newberrie and I understand that you have not reseaved any letter from me I sent to
you the last yere and divers letters before and never had noe returne : my brother
John we have had no nuse from him since my Uncle was here It hath pleased God
to set a great Destruction amongst us here in our land both in Church and State that
men as the scripture sath hath bin almost at there wits end for noe Turkish slavery
can be worse than hath bin Inflicted over us we have bin robed and stript of all our
goods both within doores and without and leade away captive from house and harbor
and like to suffer death but prayse god that he hath not given us over to the wills of
our Adversari for then we had bin overwhelmed : Cozen soe it is we are removed
from Venns to Wellington at Micklemas last and my father and mother doth live in
the house that was my Uncles Chr Wollcott and I and my wife doth live with them
my Uncle Wollcott is dead for 3 yeres since If your ffther or you plese to com over
to dispose of what is here there may be sales men found but Estates doe goe at verie
low value that formerly they have bin for since the Trubles did arise not any Estate
was able to make good the charges that went out of it by a greate deale one hundred
pound in purse that could be saved to deale over hath bin more work then 2 Hundred
pounds pr Annum I doe not goe to underwrite any thinge you have but I speake really
as you shall find if you come into England Cozen If you have any occasion to make
use of me I shall be readie and willing to doe you the best service that lieth in my
small power I have writen to you 2 other letters at this time desiringe to have
Answeres from them as soone as may be soe in som hast and no lesse love I rest
Allwaies your Loved Kinsman till Deathe

Hugh Wollcott.

To my verie
Lovinge Kinsman
Henrie Wollcott
Junior at Winsor
in Connecticott
in New England
give these.

40 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

From the Same.

ffrom Wellington the ()"^ febrar 1650

Loved Kinsman Henrie Wollcott my kind love to your selfe to your wife and

children unknown w* my reverend Dutie to your father my Uncle rem. and all the

rest of my frends Ingen. rem. hoping in the lord you are all in good health as we all

were at the present writinge hereof prsd be god for it These few lines are to cert.

you that I much desire to here from you otherwise to see you here in England w* us

to settle things in a right order for now prsd be god w"' us at present we are at quiet

but here are divisions oftimes w"" us in divers places but most of all in Scotland and

Ireland in w'"" there are two great Armies of horse and foote and more still in a

redines to be sent f™ England but our Armies doth verie well prosper both by sea

land we have Allwaies greate payments here to maintayne the wares both at

home and abroade but we hope in a short time it wille all overcom I live still in

Wellington my father and mother in law doth live in house w* me but they have left

of housekeping and doe live private w* my youngest sister Elizabeth is Unmar. and

doth live w"' them I shall desire to here from your brothers for my Uncle Haine doth

hold a house here in towne by my Cozen Chr. life and George, and his landladie will

make him to approve they are livinge or else shee will take possession of the Estate

I shall desire you to certifie me by your next letter and I shall be redie and willing to

doe you the like curtesie If lieth in my power your father hath som rent behind in

my hand I wish I had order for the disposinge of it I shall be glad to returne it to

his use If I might have safe convayance soe I rest and Remaine your Loved poore

Kinsman till Death

Hugh Wallcott

To tny Lovd Kinsman m''
Henrie Wollcott Jim'' at

Winsor neere Connettecott River
in new England give these

From the Same.

Loving Kinsman Henrie Wollcott my kind love to your selfe and to your wife
and all the rest rem. Hopinge in the lord you are all in good health as we all were
at the present writinge hereof praysed be god for it These few lines are to certifie you
that I have receaved your letter the last yere by w""" I understand that you had an
Intent to have com over to old England it is verie quiet here w* us at the prsent
and I doubt not but it will soe continue we should be verie glad to see you here in
our land and you might settle things better in order than it is now done my father

THIRD GENERATION.

and mother and the rest of my sisters doth all remem. there kind love and true

respects to your selfe your wife and all the rest of our frends Ingenerall you write

that I should write to you the conditions of the cuntrie soe it is our land is governed

by States ordered by the house of Commons assembled in parlaiment we have a great

armie in Ireland and they goe one verie prsperous and like to subdue the land in a

verie short time we have a brave fleete at sea to keepe that secure and safe passage

to most plases beyond the seas Cozen If your father hath any intent to sell anie thing

that he hath here I shall desire to be heard before another man I should be verie

glad to deale w"' him but if he be not that way minded I shall Intreat you to certifie

by your next letter and then I am fully resolved what to do in that cause I shall

desire to be rem. to my Uncle and Aunt and all the rest of our frends I rest

Allvvaies your Lovd Kinsman till Death

Hugh Wallcott
ffrom Wellington

the 14"' of June 1650

To my verie Lovd
Kinsman M'' Henrie
Wollcott yuttior at
Winsor mere Conattecott
River in New England
give these I pray you-

From the Same.

Wellington the 26"' of March 1660
Welbeloved Kinsman my kind love and best respects to you rem. and to your
wife and to all the rest of my cozens Ingenerall rem. Hoping in god you are in good
health as we all were at the prsent writing hereof praysed be god for it These few
lines are to certifie you that I did send 4 letters to you the last yere and have had
noe Answere from you since but M' Newberrie and M' Skinner did receve a letter
apeice from you the contense of my last letters was to let you to understand first of
the death of my mother in law next of the letting of the Tenement and Mill the living
for 18"^ pr Annum the Mill for 8-^ the Tenement to Lawrnes Saunders the Mill to
Robert Rossiter I wrote to you by my last to know whether you will set it for 7 yeres
or Eleven yeres or 21 yeres or whether you would sell it if you plese to do eyther of
these I should desire you that I might be heard as soone as any other man Exceypt
you Intend to live uppon it your selfe I have timber eneough there to make a loft
over the hall and all the furniture that did belong to the house if you have anie minde

42 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

to any of it should desire you to write me by your next L" and before such time I
shall not remove any of it I hav given Account to M' Newberrie and M' Skinner of
all such things as belongs to me and there is moneyes liing in the wid Saunders
hands and in M' Skinners hands If you plese to have it bestowed in cloth or serdge
pray send order by your next letter mr Skinner would Intreate you to deliver this
Inclosed to M' William Torrie living neere the bay and he would desire of you to
Inquire after him and send word where he be yet living or not when you have Read
his L' pray scale it up and send it away w* as much speede as may be for it much
concernes him Soe I having noe other nuse to trobell you w* but should be verie
glad to here from you or to see you here w* us in England I rest & reraaine
Alwaies your Lovd Kinsman till death

Hugh Wollcott

To my Verie Lovd Kinsman
M'' Henrie Wollcott at Windsor

in New England give this I pray you

From the Same.

Wellington the 4."' of March 166 1
Lovd Kinsman m' Henrie Wollcott my kind love & true respects to you and
to your wife and all the rest of your familie rem : Hoping in god you are all in good
health as we all were at the prsent writing hereof praysed be god for it : These few
lines are to certifie you that I much marvell that I have not receaved any letter from
you not this 3 yeares w"*" since the times I have sent you 6 letters I trust you have
Rec. som of them : Cozen soe it is your Cozen Lawrnes Saunders doth rent Tolland
mill and is now to pay for it iS"^ yerely and Robert Rossiter doth continue the mills
and is to pay as I here 8^ pr the yere as he did formerlie and there is som high rent
Rec from John Darte and John Wollcott and other moneyes that M' Skinner hath
reed of me but for the Tenaunts at Tolland Mill they hath not got paid any since my
mother in law died If you plese to com over or send by your letter how you would
dispose of it you may have an account of everie passadge : Cozen if you plese to let
Tolland Mill for some Terme I shall gladly be your Tenaunt and shall be redie to
returne your mony as you shall give order ; soe it is that here doth still continue
greate payments and Taxes since the cominge in of the King as were formerlie and
your Tenaunts hath laid out a greate deale of mony repayration of the house and
mills since my mother in law died for it was much decayed for want of repayre ; and
If you plese to have a chamber made over the hall I have timber there in a Redines
partly to doe it w''' hath lien in house ever since my grandfather lived in it I doe not

THIRD GENERATION. 43

Intend to remove it nor any household goods before I here your Answere w''' I shall
expect by your next letter your Tenaunts had one tree from me to make the water
wheele for the mill w^'' was filld one my ground by M' Newberries desire and I have
a prettie parcell of wood one my ground w''' I doe forbeare the filling of till I here
from you uppon what grounds we shall agree on : I should desire you to rem. my
kind love to my Cozen Christopher George and Simeon my Cozen Hanna and Marie
and to there husbands unknown and to all there famylies my wife and children doth
remem. there best respects to your selfe your wife and all there kindred in your parts
Soe I shall trobell you w* noe more at prsent but trust you have Rec my former
letters of w''' I desire an Answere as soone as convenetly you may soe in som hast
and noe lesse love I rest and remaine

Allwaies your Lovd Kinsman till Death
„ ,^ . ^ , ^. Hugh Wollcott

To my Vene Lovd Kinsman
M'' Henrie Wollcott in Windsor neere
Connettecott River in New England
give these I pray you

Uncle Haine and Cozen Sanford and his wife desires to be rem to your selfe
your wife and familie

He rented to several tenants in England the estate which his father
had bequeathed to him. From the business letters of his English agent
we extract the following passage, which touches upon public affairs at a
period when the contest between King Charles II. and the Parliament
had become threatening.

From his Agent.

Tauntoi2. May 30'" 1678
I suppose you are not a stranger to the state of affaiers in publique in these
kingdoms the disenters from the Church of England are under great penalteys and
presures both heare and in Scotland heare are maney Abomenations to bee founde in
the middst of us that bringes fourth great desolations wee are at present in great
Callametys by reason of the decay of trade and in great confusions by reason of some
misunderstandings betweene the kinge and the house of Coiiions : 60.000 horse and
foott some say in order to a warre with france some say to other purposes its suposed
a Litle time will determine what its raised for the Lord keep us close to him selfe
for there only is there saufety and peace wee feel at this time in as much need of

44 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

yours and all the prayers of god's people as ever I receaved your son's letter of the

13'" of November pray give him my dere respects and accept the same your selfe from

Your asured frend

John Hucker.

He appears to have taken as prominent a part in church matters as
in town and state affairs. Previous to the death of Mr. Warham, the town
had been agitated by an unpleasant ecclesiastical controversy. A colleague
having become necessary for the aged pastor, various candidates preached,
and the people became divided in their preferences. The General Court
at that time charged itself with the care of the churches, and many papers
are on file in its archives relating to the difficulties in this church. Its
final adjustment in relation to two candidates — Rev. Nathaniel Chauncey
and Rev. Benjamin Woodbridge — is thus recorded: —

"Oct. 10, 1667. This Court doth desire and require the Town of Windsor to
meet on Monday next at the Meeting House, by sun an hour high in the morning,
and all the freemen and householders within the limits of said Town and Massaco are
to bring in their votes to Mr Henry Wolcott ; Those that would have Mr Chauncey
to be the settled Minister for Windsor, are to bring in a paper to Mr Wolcott with
some writing on it, those that are against his continuance are to bring in a white
paper to Mr Wolcott. And Mr Wolcott is desired to take the account of it, and make
a report thereof to the General Assembly. And this Court doth hereby require and
command all and every the inhabitants of Windsor, that during this meeting they
forbear all discourse and agitation of any matter as may provoke or disturb the spirit
of each other ; and at the issue of the work that they repair to their several occasions,
as they will answer the contrary. If any should object against the vote of any person,
Mr Henry Wolcott is to decide it. This to be published on the sabbath day after the
morning exercise."

"Oct. 14, 1667. Mr Wolcott returns that this day the Town hath met, and
that there was eighty-six votes for Mr Chauncey's continuance, and fifty-two voted
against it."^

The Assembly voted the church liberty to settle Mr. Chauncey, and
on petition of the minority voted them leave, in view of the state of feeling,
to settle " an able, orthodox minister ; " and each party had its favorite.

1 Conn. Col. Rec, II. 73.

THIRD GENERATION.

We find this entry in the Colony Records : —

"At a General Assembly held at Hartford, Oct. 14, 1669, the Court grants Mr.
Henry Wolcott three hundred acres of land, provided he take it up where it doe not
prejudice any former grant."

An order was passed Oct. 4, 1 7 1 7, laying out to his heirs the land thus
granted.

It was through a member of his household that Springfield was
seasonably forewarned of the plot of destruction, partially successful, pre-
pared for it in King Philip's War, 1675.

" While such was the feeling of composure here [Springfield], twenty miles
down the river, at Windsor, there was one person whose bosom was agitated with
emotions so powerful that they could not be concealed. This person was an Indian,
named Toto, who was domesticated in the family of Mr. Wolcott, and was friendly to
the English. He was in possession of a secret that stirred the very depths of his
nature. Upon being questioned by the family, and urged to explain the cause of his
manifest distress, he at length revealed the fact, which had in some way become
known to him, that a plot had been formed to destroy Springfield, and that for this
purpose a large body of Philip's men had been treacherously admitted by the Spring-
field Indians to their fort. This fort was situated on Long Hill, about a mile south
from the central part of the town." ^

Mr. Wolcott died July 12, 16S0. The inventory of his estate was in
part as follows : —

Real and personal estate in Windsor ;^i.550 : 12

Property, mostly real estate in Wethersfield .^^ 1.234 '• 04

Lands in Eng. Houseing & Mill at £i,2 per annum ^1.033 : 00

Reversion of a living oi £\o per annum £, 160 : 00

Among other articles enumerated are, —

Several divine and history books, ;^I3 : 07 : 08

Silver, gold, and plate, as per ace. ^74 : 1 5 : 00

It included also his servant Cyrus, valued at ^30.^

1 Morris's Hist. Spring., 34.

^ " This is the first slave in Windsor (and probably in Connecticut) of which we have any record.
The record of burials in the Old Burying Ground of South Windsor gives the deaths (but not the

46 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

We give a copy of his last will, with the records of the Court relat-
ing to it.

RECORDS OF COUNTY COURT & PROBATE COURT.

August 27, 1680. At a Speciall Court held at Windsor by W"' Leet Esq'= Gov-
erno' Majo' John Tallcott & Capt. John Allyn, by consent & desire of the widdow and
legatees concerned for probation of the will & setlement of the estate of the Honoured
M' Henry Woolcott Sen' late deceased, the court sees cause to order as followeth :
Whereas we find that the sayd Testato' did sundry times (a litle before his death)
express that something in his will he did thinke meet should be altered, but did not
say what, nor can it be so proved now, & that he would leave that to the court which
Inevitable providence disabled him to doe.

We haveing heard all parties alligations & pleas doe see cause to alow the
proofe of the will with the schedull annexed as allso the constitution of the relict
executrix of the same in conjunction with Capt. Benj: Newbury to be assistant to
her (at her desire) she alledging herselfe unable to manage such a trust alone.

I : And first as to the lands in England it is ordered that M' Henry Woolcott
(eldest son to the deceased) doe allow & performe according as is set down in the will,
& doe now declare what way he will chuse & performe accordingly, in case M' Henry
Woolcott do buy of his bretherens Interest in England then they are to pay Twenty
five pownds p. annum to there mother till the daughters portion be payd.

2 : That as to the payment of the 3 daughters portion, additionall to what they
have received at or since marriage or age appoynted they shall have the residue of
Two hundred and Fifty pownds in whatever species the executrix can provide out of
the estate to be payd here equivalent to New England money with in the space
of Two yeares next ensueing besides their division of overpluss in loose or personall
estate according to will

3 : As to M' Josiah's portion in land at Weathersfield, viz' The one halfe of what
was given betwixt him and Samuell, that he shall have & enjoy what he at present
possesses for the future, & the remayner be according as the will expresseth & the
Twenty pownds out of the Homstead is to be payd him with in Two yeares by sayd
Samuel.

names) of iwenfy-oiie negro slaves, between the years 1736 and 176S. Eleven of these belong to the
Wolcotts, three to the Elmers, two to the Rockwells, two to the Cooks, one to the Elsworths, and two
unknown." — Stiles, 489.

THIRD GENERATION.

Allso an Inventory of the estate of sayd M' Henry Woolcott was exhibited in
court & Mr' Sarah Woolcott the Rehct made oath that she had made a true present-
ment of the estate of the deceased to the apprizers so farr as at p'sent she knows &
If more comes to knowledg she will cause it to be aded to the Inventory & the court
orders that the will & Inventory be recorded according to law. (IV. 37, 38.)

THE LAST WILL & TESTAMENT OF M'^ HENRY WOOLCOTT
OF WINDSOR.

September the 21 : 1670 I henry Woolcott Sen' of Windsor in New
England being in Good health doe make & ordaine this my last will & Testament
in maner & forme Following.

Imp^ I give unto my wife (besides The Tenn pownds p. annum which wos
granted unto her before our Marriage out of my land at Tollon Mill) all my houseing
& land in Windsor dureing the time of her Natural life she keeping the houseing &
fences in good repayre & takeing care of & provideing for my children, & bringing
them up in the feare of God untill they marry or com to the age of Twenty one yeares
It. I give unto her the Improvement of halfe my land at Wethersfeild untill my
son Samuell shall be of the age of Twenty one yeares : Allso I give unto her all the
houshold Goods shea brought with her, & the use of fifty pownds worth more of my
houshold Goods dureing the time of her naturall life, Allso I give unto my sonn
Henry all that is due unto me from him on accompt on my booke, & my ring that I
seale with, & my best sword pistolls & brass Gunn, Allso I give unto my son John
all my houseing & land in Windsor after the decease of my wife. Allso I give unto
him halfe my houseing & land in Weathersfeild from the time of my death dureing
the time of the naturall life of my wife. Allso I give unto him all my houseing &
lands in Tollon — which are or lately were in the possession & Improvement of John
Dart dureing the time of the naturall life of the sayd John Woolcott, Samuel Woolcott
& Josiah Woolcott my sonns, he paying five pownds p annum out of it unto my
executrix for the use of the rest of my children untill "their portions hereafter
mentioned shall be all payd." Allso I give unto my sonn Samuel halfe my land at
Wethersfeild when he shall be of the age of Twenty one yeares. Allso I give unto
him my land at Wellington called longforth containing eleven acres when he shall be of
the age of twenty one yeares, dureing the time of the naturall lives of my Three sonns
John Woolcott, Samuel Woolcott & Josiah Woolcott he paying Ten pownds p annum
out of it unto my executrix for the use of the rest of my children untill their portions
hereafter mentioned shall be all payd

48 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Allso I give unto Josiah Woolcott my youngest son halfe my land at Weathers-
feild after the decease of my wife, he being of the age of Twenty one yeares. Allso
I give unto him my land in Tollon which is now in the possession of John Woolcott
after the determination of the estate that was granted by my unckell Christopher
Woolcott unto John Woolcott Sen' long since deceased & after my son Josiah shall
be of the age of Twenty one yeares dureing the naturall lives of my Three sonns
John Woolcott, Sam' Woolcott & Josiah Woolcott, he paying Ten pownds p annum
out of it unto my executrix for the use of the rest of my children, untill the portions
of all the rest of my children herein mentioned shall be all payd Allso I give unto
my daughter Sarah Woolcott Two Hundred & fifty pownds sterling. Allso I give unto
my daughter Mary Woolcott Two Hundred & fifty pownds sterling Allso I give unto
my daughter Hanna Woolcott Two Hundred & fifty pownds sterling. Allso my will is
that my wife shall have the Improvement of the portions of each of my children untill
they shall marry or shall be of the age of Twenty one yeares. Allso I give unto
Ambrose Fowler forty shillings & To Nath: Cooke forty shillings, and to Rebeccah
Kellsy forty shillings. Allso my will is that all the rest of my estate shall be equally
divided amongst all my children, Henry, John Samuel, & Josiah, Sarah Mary &
Hanna Woolcott. Allso my will is that if any one or more of my children shall dye,
before they shall be of age to receive their portions, that then the portion or portions
appoynted to him or them shall be equally divided amongst all my children that shall
then survive Allso I doe make my wife executrix of this my will and testament. Also
I doe make my brother in law Capt. Benjamin Newbery & my son Henry Wolcott
overseers of this my will and testament and if any difference shall arise amongst my
younger children in the distribution of my estate, my will is that it shall be deter-
mined by ray overseers

Henry Wolcott

Signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of & a seal.

Joseph Haines
Nathana"- Collins

A schedule to be added to my last will.

Whereas by my last will and testament dated September the 21-' Anno dominie
1670, I did give unto my three younger sons John Wolcott Samuel Wolcott and
Josiah Wolcott my three tenements in England during the time of their naturall
lives. Viz. my land in Tolland which is in the occupation of John Dart & John Wol-
cott & my land in Wellington called longforth which is in the occupation of Hugh
Wolcott : my will now is that if my eldest son Henry Wolcott shall desire to have

THIRD GENERATION.

the aforesaid lands, & shall pay unto my Executrix for the use of the rest of my chil-
dren the sum of Three hundred pounds in current New England Money to be payd
in six years after my decease by fifty pounds per annum the aforesaid six years, that
then he shall have & enjoy the aforesaid three tenements during the time of his
natural life & to the heir males of his body lawfully begotten & to their heirs forever,
but if he shall dy not having any such heir male Then my will is that it shall decend
& remayne to the heir males of my other three sons & to their heirs forever &
Whereas in my aforesaid will I did give all my land in Wethersfield unto my two
youngest sons after the decease of my wife, my will now is that all my land in
Wethersfield (besides my houseing & home Lot) shall be equally divided by my over-
seers after the decease of my wife betwixt my two youngest sons Samuell & Josiah
but my houseing and home Lot shall be to my son John from my decease untill the
decease of my wife & after her decease unto my Sonne Samuell & to his heirs for-
ever, he paying Twenty pounds unto my son Josiah. Also my will is that if my son
Henry shall pay the Three Hundred pounds before mentioned that it shall be equally
divided betwixt my three younger sons above named they paying yearly out of it &
out of their parts of my land in New England as is determined by my Will afore-
said untill the portions of the rest of my children shall be all payd. Also I leave my
Houseing & land at Tollen Mill unto my son Henry Wolcott without Incumberances
& all other things contained in my aforesaid will I doe hereby rattify & confirme
Witness my hand & scale this 2"'' day of October Ano Domini : One thousand six

hundred & seventy one.

Henry Wolcott & a scale
Signed Sealed & delivered in the presence of

Jos Haines

Nathaniell Collins.

The reader will note the mention of a seal-ring, along with sword,
pistol, and brass gun. For aught that we know, " the weapons of war have
perished," but the eventful history of the seal-ring will appear in the sequel.

The widow of Henry Wolcott died July 16, 1684.

June 16 : my Dear Mother, M^ Sarah Wolcott, was suddenly seized w- a palsie
and some convulsions. Continued till 16 : July, 8 o'clock.^

' Fam. Chron.

50 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

The inventory of her personal effects is a curious family document,
illustrating the condition of the wealthier colonists at this period. In the
matter of wardrobe it includes dozens of items, commencing as follows : —

Inventory of the estate of Mrs. Sarah Wolcoti.

II s. dd

Impr^ to a silke mantll and a Hooke 03=10 = 00

To a silk cloake 04=10 = 00

To a silke petticoate, 12 = 00 = 00

To a broadcloath petticoat 02=10 = 00

To a stamell coat 03=00 = 00

To a mohaire petticoate silk 50' to a silck coate 2" . . 04= 10 = 00

III. George Wolcott (4) came with his parents from England. He
was made a freeman by the General Court of Connecticut, May 21, 1657,
and settled in Wethersfield. His history is more obscure than that of his
brothers. The names of his children are given in the Family Chronology,

but none of their descendants. We learn from this that he married

Treat, and died at Wethersfield, Feb. 12, 1662; and from the Probate
Records that the Christian name of his wife was Elizabeth. Children : —

16 — I. Elisabeth, b. June 20, 1650; m. Dec. 15, 1686, Gabriel Cornish.

17 — 2. George, b. Sept. 20, 1652. See IX.

18 — 3. yohn, b. Aug. 5, 1656. Nothing more is known of him, except that he was

living at the date of his father's will in 1662.

19 — 4. Mercy, b. Oct. 4, 1659; was living in 1687, an invalid.

LAST WILL.

The 19- of January 1662, I George Wolcott, weak of body but of perfect
memory doe make and ordain this my last will and testament in manner and form
following —

Imp^ My Will is that Elizabeth my wife shall have my houseing and lands at
Wethersfield during the term of her naturall life shee keepeing the houseing and
fence in good repayr, Also my will is that my son George shall have the said house-
ing and land after the decease of my wife, he paying unto y' rest of my Children soe
much as he shall receive of my personall estate by this will, upon condition that he

THIRD GENERATION.

carry himselfe orderly and well, which payments shall be made by five pounds p' annum
beginning immediately after the Decease of my wife ; but if he carry himselfe disor-
derly then my will is that my son John shall have y" s** houseing & land, paying out
of it to the rest of my Children as my son George should have done he carrying him-
selfe orderly and well, & this I leave to be determined betwixt them by my overseers.
Also I give unto Elizabeth my eldest Daughter ten pounds more than unto my young-
est Daughter, also I give all y" rest of my Estate to be equally divided amongst all
my Children, George, John, Elizabeth, & Mercy, also my will is that each of my
Children shall receive their severall portions as soon as they shall be marryed or
accomplish the age of twenty one years, also my will is that the benefitt of the
Improvement of all my Estate besides my houseing & land shall be for y= use of my
Children, also my will that if any one of my Children dye before they come to
receive their portion that then the portion appointed for them shall be equally divided
amongst all my Children that shall survive.

George Wolcott
Signed in f presence of

John Deming
Thomas Attwood ;
Also I make my Brother [copy lost]

IV. Simon Wolcott (7) was but five years old when his father emi-
grated to America. He remained in England with his two sisters until
the family had effected a settlement in this country ; they came over within
ten years after, but the exact time of their arrival we have not been able to
ascertain.

He was admitted a freeman in 1654. He married (ist), March ig,
1657, Joanna, daughter of Aaron Cook, one of the first settlers of Windsor;
she was born Aug. 5, 1638. Her married life was brief; she died April
27, 1657, at the age of eighteen years. He married (2d), Oct. 17, 1661,
Martha Pitkin, described in the Windsor Records as " late from England."
Children : —

20 — I. Elizabeth, b. Aug. 19, 1662 ; m. Dec. 10, 1680, Daniel Cooley, of Longmeadow,
Mass.

21 — 2. Ma7-tha, b. May 17, 1664; m. Jan. 6, 1686, Thomas AUyn, of Windsor.

22 — 3. Simon, b. June 24, 1666. See X.

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

23 — 4. yoanna, b. June 30, 166S ; m. Sept. 2, 1690, John Colton, of Longmeadow,

Mass.i
24 — 5. Henry y b. May 20, 1670. See XI.
25 — 6. Christopher, b. July 4, 1672 ; d. April 3, 1693.
26 — 7. J/^;7, b. 1674; d. 1676.

27 — 8. William, b. Nov. 6, 1676. See XII.

28 — 9. 7?o^^r, b. Jan. 4, 1679. See XIII.

Mrs. Martha Wolcott was the sister of William Pitkin, Esq., of East
Hartford, Attorney-General and Treasurer of the Colony. She is repre-
sented to have been a superior lady, having received an accomplished edu-
cation in England. In the obituary notice of one of her sons, published in
the "Connecticut Courant," July 27, 1767, the following mention is made
of the mother : —

" Her maiden name was Martha Pitkin, a woman of eminent good sense, virtue
and piety ; she was sister to Mr. William Pitkin, who was likewise an Assistant
before the Charter, famous in his time for distinguished good sense and eminent
piety, and founder of the honorable family of Pitkin in Hartford." ^

1 There is in Longmeadow an antique volume of manuscript poems, written by one Jonathan
Stebbins, a native bard, the chief merit of whose verses is that they " teach the rustic moralist to die."
This lady is the subject of an elegiac poem of eighteen stanzas, the last two of which are devoted to
her brother. Gov. Roger Wolcott. The piece is entitled, "An elegj- on the Death of that pious, useful,
and aged Matron, Mrs. Joanna Colton, of Springfield, Longmeadow. Who departed this life Janu!?
lo'S A.D. I7SS, in the 87* year of her age."

Come, Zion's Daughters, try your skill,
In mournful accents lead the song ;
Let sighs and groans your voices fill,
While death in triumph rides along.

Come, ye surviving Daughters, come.
Offer the tribute of a tear,
Inscribe your grief on Cotton's tomb,
And speak her praise and virtues here.

2 From memoranda furnished by a lady of the Pitkin family. East Hartford, we learn that Wil-
liam Pitkin, who emigrated to Connecticut in 1659, was born in the city of London in 1635, probably
in the parish of Mary-le-bone, where he lived at the time of his emigration, and where he had received
an excellent English as well as law education. His superior legal training soon became known, and led
to his advancement to the public trusts named above. The records of the Courts, which at that day
gave at length the written pleas of the counsel engaged, are evidence that he was one of the ablest

THIRD GENERATION. 53

Her son, Gov. Roger Wolcott, pays a grateful tribute to her in his
private Journal, which is given in its place, and to which we refer the reader.
There is a current tradition — which we trace to a respectable source, and
beheve to be authentic — that she came on a visit to her brother, and that
some of the leading men of the Colony, desirous of securing her residence
in the country, through a suitable marriage-connection, selected her future
husband as the most promising young man then in the Colony to make the
proposal to her.'

He purchased the house-lot of Goodman Whitehead, opposite the
residence of his father, on the meadow-road to Hartford. He had received
with others a grant of land in Simsbury, then Massacoe, in 1667; and in
1668 was appointed by the General Court one of a committee who were
empowered, with reference to grants in that place, " to further the planting
of the same, and to make such just orders as they shall judge requisite for
the well ordering of said plantation, so they be not repugnant to the public
orders of this Colony." In April, 1761, he sold his place in Windsor to the
Saunders Brothers, and removed to his farm in Simsbury.

It is a significant sign of the change of public sentiment, that, " until
an ordinary be set up in Simsbury," an order of the General Court

lawyers then in the Colony, and that no one was more generally employed in cases of importance. He
died Dec. 10, 1694, at the age of fifty-nine, and his departure was a heavy affliction to the Colony.
In a funeral sermon at the death of Governor Saltonstall, preached by Rev. Ehphalet Adams in 1 724,
referring to the removals year by year of their eminent magistrates, he makes mention of " the wor-
shipful William Pitkin, a gentleman of great worth, wisdom, and piety, whose loss we feel and lament
even to this day."

His great interest in religious subjects is evidenced by the manuscripts which he left behind,
now in Miss Pitkin's possession, embracing one hundred and sixty-three essays on various texts of
Scripture, and filling a large folio volume of six hundred and fifty closely written pages.

He left in England an only brother, Roger, an officer in the royal army, and an only sister,
Martha, who was strongly attached to him, and who in the year i66i,at about the age of twenty,
crossed the ocean with the view, it is said, of inducing him to return to England with her.

1 " This girl put the Colony in commotion. If possible, she must be detained ; the stock was
too valuable to be parted with. It was a matter of general consultation, what young man was good
enough to be presented to Miss Pitkin. Simon Wolcott, of Windsor, was fixed upon, and, beyond
expectation, succeeded in obtaining her hand. Her brother favored the proposal, and the results
showed that they had judged worthily." — Rev. Dr. Robbins, quoted by Miss Pitkin. Chancellor
Walworth, in his " Hyde Family," mentions the tradition. It has long been current, and has some-
times appeared with romantic embellishment.

54 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

(Oct. 12, 1671) granting him liberty, under proper restrictions, to "dispose"
of alcoholic liquors, was evidence of public confidence in him and of his
good social standing.

"Aug. II, 1673. The Committee for the MiHtias do hereby appoynt Mr. Simon
Woolcott and John Griffin to be those that shall command the Traine Band of Sims-
bury for the present, and untill the Generall Court order otherwise, or the people
there make their choyse." ^

The same gentlemen were, in 1674, chosen townsmen, or selectmen.-
His investment in Simsbury proved unfortunate, as the settlers were
driven from the place by the Indians in 1675, and his property was
destroyed. It is said that on his flight from the place he filled a brass
kettle with his plate, &c., and sunk it in the deep mud of the swamp, but
was unable to find it afterwards.^

After the loss of his place in Simsbury, he remained a few years in
Windsor, and in 1680 settled on his land, on the east side of the Connecti-
cut River, in the present town of South Windsor.

"May 13, 16S0. This Court grants Mr. Simon Woolcot two hundred acres of
land for a farme, provided he take it up where it may not prejudice any grant to any
perticular person or to any plantation." *

In the Windsor Town List of 1686 his "Estate Rateable" is among
the largest entered ; but it was involved, and there remained little at his
decease. He is one of six on the list whose names have the prefix of Mr.,
which was then a title of civil distinction.

He died Sept. 11, 1687, and was buried in the Windsor churchyard.
His death was hastened, according to his son's account, by gloomy

1 Rec. Col. Conn., II. 208.

2 " Mr. Simon Wolcott lived nearly opposite the present dwelling-house of Charles L. Roberts,
in the north part of the present town of Simsbury." — Phelps's Hist. Sims., 17. The statement in
the same work, that Gov. Roger Wolcott was a native of Simsbury, is a mistake.

2 Barber's Hist. Coll. Conn., 102.

^ Laid out by order of the General Assembly, May, 1 719, to Roger Wolcott, "eastward of Wil-
lamantick." — Rec. Col. Conn., I. 199.

THIRD GENERATION.

anticipations of the oppression and suffering which awaited the colonists
under the coming administration of Sir Edmund Andros. These fears,
as the result proved, were not wholly groundless, and they were probably
heightened in his mind by the tragic scenes which had recently been
enacted in his native county in England. Somersetshire had been the
principal seat of the unfortunate operations of Monmouth's fatal expedition,
and the former neighbors of the family in England, and their families, had
furnished some of the victims for the "judicial massacre" of the brutal
Jeffreys during his Bloody Assizes. The reign of King James II., during
the few years it lasted, was naturally an object of strong dislike and dread
to the colonists.

To the brief account of this worthy ancestor, given in the Journal of
his son Roger, we choose to refer the reader, rather than detach the passages
from their place in the narrative.

The widow of Simon Wolcott married (2d), 1689, Daniel Clarke, Esq.,
of Windsor, being his second wife.^ She died Oct. 13, 1719, aged "eighty
years." A head-stone marked her grave in the old churchyard of South
Windsor; but her name has since been inscribed on the durable monu-
ment of her first husband in the Windsor churchyard. We give this mon-
ument, engraved by Richardson from a sketch by Ellsworth.

1 He was an attomey-at-law, held a captain's commission, and was one of the leading men of the
Colony, having been for a number of years a magistrate, or assistant, and for several years secretary
of the Colony ; he was one of the patentees named in the Charter. He came over from England with
the Rev. Ephraim Huit in 1639, and with him settled in Windsor. He died Aug. 12, 1710. A "wain-
scotted " pew was appropriated to the magistracy in the old meeting-house in Windsor, which explains
the following vote, passed May 5, 1651 : "At a meeting of the Towne, Mr. Clark was appointed to sitt
in the greate pew."

FOURTH GENERATION.

V. Henry Wolcott (8) married, Oct. 12, 1664, Abiah, daughter of
Edward Goffe, Esq., of Cambridge, Mass.' She was born April i, 1647.
Children: —

29 — I. Elizabeth, b. Aug. 27, 1665 ; m. Jan. 5, 1686, Matthew AUyn, of Windsor.^

We find among our papers the following hasty notes to his wife, writ-
ten while absent on military service, and which, while they show his excellent
character, show also the lack, not unusual in those days, of early school
advantages in one who subsequently occupied high social and official
positions.

Westfidd, June 26, 1704
LovEiNG Wife

I am doubtfuU I Cannot Com downe the fore parte of this weak becase this is
the day on which the attack is likely to be made as the mowhawke supposeth ; we
have nothing new : but that eyghty men Came into hadly last night : from boston
under the Command of Capt Ting : seven men from hampton are gon up to the next
river thence to scout 1 2 mills west and retume to morrow night : wee have dayly
reports of indyans being seen about this towne which gives us trubell but on strict

1 " Mr. Goffe was a prominent citizen, — Selectman, Treasurer of Middlesex County, Magistrate,
Representative to the General Court. He was a large landholder, and one of the most wealthy men in
the town. His homestead contained thirty-two acres. His widow, Margaret, married John Witchfield,
of Windsor." — Paige's Cambridge, 561.

^ He was a grandson of one of the first settlers of the same name, and the family was prominent
in the early history of the town. His mother was a daughter of the Rev. John Warham. He and his
wife were buried in Windsor.

The Hon. Col. Matthew Allyn, Esq., who was many years one of the Council, and Judge of the Superior Court
for tlie Colony of Connecticut, died Feb. 17, A.D. 175S, in the gS^ year of his age.

Mrs. Eliz.^eeth Allyn, his consort, died June y^ 4'J;, a.d. 1734, in ye 691!; year of her age.
And here their Bodies sleep in Dust
Till the Resurrection of the Just.

{Epiiafh.)

jS THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

serch they all prove mistakes : one or 2 excepted : being most likely but not sertayn :
as to those raarkes on a tree westard of Sallmon creeke its likely they ware made by
ower indyans as they Came up they say they pictured an indyan w"" bow & arrows &
made marks on a mapeU tree & bent downe a bush all by the side of a brook;
(they went up not very far from the place the marks ware) :

As to my bisnis I desier Cus: Sam" more wold be helpfull in trying to get a
markit for y' beef at twopence a povmde before it be killed may be will, filly : would
take some henist worke for sume of it : Could sell it all if it warr heare : but if this
fayle I hope in a few days to Come down and order it my self : the goodness of God
to mee has bin very greate, and I dezier thare may be a law of thankfullness ^\Tit-
ten in my herte for the same, practycally she^vn in Kfe, must not inlarge my love to
you and owers, duty to father and mother respects to all friends is all at presant from
yo' Consemed husband

M ALL-iTJ

bid Pelatiah omit that he asked me aboute til I Com home

Wood Crik Septm 2 7'!' 1 709
My De.vre,

this corns to informe you that I am pretty well in helthe but not stronge our
peopel are uneasy being much discouraged by reasone of the prevelency of the dis-
temper which hath but lately bin so seveare, the good Lorde humbel under his
rebukes and fit us all for his wdU and pleasure we are dayly sendeing dowme our sick
to Allbany as faste as we Can and I am so taken up that Cannot enlarge save my
herty love to you and owers my duty to father and mother the Gen" is mounting

farewell

M Alu^n

To mrs Elizabeth Allyn
In Windsor N England
pr Cornelius Merry

30 — 2. Henry, b. April 13, 1667; died young.

31 — 3. Abiah, b. May i, 1669; d. Jan. 25, 1696.

32 — 4. Sarah, b. March 27 ; buried July 20, 1671.
33 — 5- Henry, March 30, 1673 ; d. Aug. 5, 1697.

Here lyeth the
BODY OF Henry Wolcot

THE FOURTH

WHO DYED August

SALUTIS 1697

ANNO , , r- . , V

iETATis 24 {Epttaph.)

FOURTH GENERATION.

34 — 6. Sarah, b. April i6, 1676; m. March 16, 1698, Rev. Charles Chauncy, of

Stratfield,' — a parish composed of parts of Stratford and Fairfield. Our
only personal memorial of her is a brief note to her sister, without date.

Dear Sister

I Should have Writen to you before now if I could have had an opportunity

an this being unexpected finds me unprovided With a letter an so I must only Write

a line or two to let you know how it is With us We are thro divine goodness in health

only colds : I am very glad to heare that you and yours are in health I hop you Will

take the trouble of coming down this ne.\t Spring I am allmost ready to thinke I am

forgot by all my relations I have not had one Word from them this long time I Would

desire of you that you Would send me Word as often as you can how it is With you.

dear sister I return you many thanks for the token of your love you Were plesed to

send me ; but I shall not add at present but my heartty love to your self an my

brother desiering that When you go before god for your selfe you Would remember

your Loveing Sister

Sarah Chauncy

We have also a letter from her husband to her father, written about a
year after her decease, — their eldest child, Abiah, being then about five
years old, — from which we give a few sentences.

HonrPSir. Straff dd,]^.'^^,l^os

... As for my good little Abiah, she liveth alwayes in my thoughts, and I can-
not expres the desires I have to see her, from whom I have been long absent, and
much longer than I expected I should hav been, but I hope that providence may in
a httle time open a door for it. I thank God my family at home, and my little one
abroad, are in competency of health. . . . This with my Humble Duty to yourself
and hon*? mother, with respect to all relations and friends, my love to my Little
Daughter, is all at present from him who with desires of your Parentall remembrance

at the throne of Grace subscribes

S' your DutifuU Son

Ch. Chauncy

To Mr. Henry IVo/cott, Esq':
In Windsor

35 — 7. Samuel, b. March 26, 1679. He graduated at Harvard College in 169S, being

the first of the family who completed a college course in this country. Two

1 He was a grandson of Rev. Charles Chauncy, D.D., second President of Harvard College.
The late Commodore Isaac Chauncey was a great-grandson of Rev. Charles Chauncy and Sarah
Wolcott his wife.

6o THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

or three of his college text-books, with his autograph, have come, in good
state, into the writer's possession. Among his papers is a term-bill, sent to
his father by a college officer, who appears to have acted as his steward, giving
in detail his disbursements.

On the day of his graduation, he was engaged by the selectmen as school-
master in his native town, — the school to be taught three months on the east
side of the Great River, and nine months on the west side, half on the north
side and half on the south of Little River.

" Agreed with Mr. Samuel Wolcott to keep a reading and writing and cyphering
and grammer school for one full year, to begin on the twelfth day of this month ; to
take none but such as are entered in spelling. His salary to be tliirty-five pounds in
county pay or tvvo thirds of so much in money. The school is to be kept at the
several places agreed on by the townsmen." i

In 1 701, he took his Master's Degree at Harvard, and the theme which
he publicly maintained is quite significant of the early religious sentiment
that pervaded the venerable University which bears on her seal the sacred
motto : " Christo et Ecclesi^," — " For Christ and the Church."

" QuAESTioNES Pro Modulo DiscuTiENDAE Sub Reverendissimo Domino D.
CRESCENTIO MATHERO Colkgii Harvardini Quod est Cantabrigiae Nov-
Angloruii PR.'^ESIDE Lectissimo, In Comiiiis per Magisiros in Artibus, Die
secundo QuintOis MDCCI."

" An Pracdestinatio publke doceri, ac praedicari debeai 1

Affirmat Respondens SAMUEL WOLCOT."

{Ord. Ex. Com., 1701.)

"General Court, Oct. 1705. Samuel Wolcott is appointed to be Capt. of the
Troop in the countie of Hartford." ^

In 1706, he was chosen by the town of Windsor a Representative to
the General Assembly, and was, evidently, a young man of rising influence
and promise. Colonel Allyn, in a private letter, makes mention of him as
"my very kinde brother." He died June 25, 1709, at the age of thirty
years, a few months before his father's death ; and with him perished the
hopes of the elder branch, in the male line.

1 Town Records. * i Col. Rec. Conn.

FOURTH GENERATION. 6 1

Estate of Capt. Samuel Wolcott, M.A}
Whereas the Court of Probates holden at Hartford August 2"'' Anno
Dom. 1 71 5 Did Apoint & Impower us the subscribers to Distribute ye
Estate of Cap' Sam' Wolcott late of Windsor Dec" who being sworn
thereunto have in pursuance of s'" power and trust upon this lo"" day of
October 17 15. Distributed what of s*" Estate as was offered to us by
Col Mathew Allyne administrator on s** estate In manner as followeth

To Elizabeth Alyne sister of the Deceast

Impf The bleu coat ^3. one 2oybill pub. cred" ;^4.oo.oo

The one moiety of the vest 45/ 2.05.00

The one moiety of the Silver Tankard 5.10.00

Three Gold rings 21/ 1.07.00

The silver dram cup 12/ 0.12.00

Eight silver buttons 37" 6^/ ' 0.03.06

The one half of the books ;^4.i6 4.16.00

Col Alyne Rec'' formerly one horse j[^\\ 11.00.00

^^29.13.06

To John Moor Esq' Guardian to the heirs of Sarah Chauncy
deceast, sister to the Intestate

Impf The laced Hatt 3oy'wosted Stockings 8/ _;^i.i8.oo

A pair of red breeches 20/ one chest 8/ 1.08.00

The one moiety of the vest 45/ 2.05.00

The one moiety of the Silver Tankard 5.10.00

A gun 28y^ three Gold Rings 27/ 2.15.00

A silver spoon 11/20 Silver Buttons 8/6(/ 0.19.06

The one moiety of the bookes ;£4. 1 6 4.16.00

Mr. Charles Chauncy formerly rec"" of the Estate in right of
his children to say
Three horses at £^t, each 9.00.00

One cape 12/ pair of boots \oJ 1.02.00

Given under our hands on the day of the Date afs*^
William Wolcott
Roger Wolcott
Israel Stoughton.

^^29.13.06

' From the Records.

62 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Here lyeth the

BODY OF CaPT. SaJI"^

wolcott master of
arts who dyed
June 25
CHRiSTi 1709

AETATis 30 {Epitaph^)

It had been the expectation of his father that, as the only surviving
son, he would succeed to the possession of the real estate which the first
Henry Wolcott left in England, and which had descended by will, first to
his eldest son, the second Henry Wolcott, and then to his eldest son, the
third Henry Wolcott. It was their evident desire that the property should
remain in the family, in the possession of the eldest heir in the male line.
On the death of the third Henry, without male issue surviving, it naturally
reverted to the heirs of his two daughters, Mrs. Allyn and IMrs. Chauncey.
Their claim was contested by the heirs in the male line. The suit was
regarded with much interest in the Colony, as it was supposed to involve
the question whether the English law of primogeniture and entail should
be recognized in this country. The claim of the Wolcotts was disallowed,
and the property was divided between the Allyns and the Chaunceys.
The decision caused some unpleasant feeling in the family ; and Benjamin,
the son of John Wolcott, proceeded to England, and took personal pos-
session of the property, which caused difficulty there. The demands of
the Wolcotts, whether legal or not, were subsequently purchased by
Colonel Allyn. So much of the estate as remained in the possession of
his heirs in 1787 was disposed of at that time by Henry Allyn, Esq., for
/850 sterling.

Many details respecting the estate are preserved among the Allyn
family, most of which were in 1848 in charge of Dr. Theodore Sill, of
Windsor, through whose courtesy I had the examination of them.

Not only did the real estate pass out of the Wolcott family, but the
personal effects passed legitimately to the daughters, and through them to
the branches which sprung from them, among which they were dispersed.

FOURTH GENERATION. 63

The valuable papers recovered by Mr. Stanley, to which reference is made
in the preface, were a small portion of them. The larger portion, together
with some heirlooms, — among which was a silver tankard, probably that
named in the distribution of the estate of Capt. Samuel Wolcott, — have
been irrecoverably lost. One of the latter, how^ever, through the generosity
of the lawful heir, has lately come again into the family.

Hon. Elisha N. Sill, of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, who emigrated from
Old Windsor in his youth, was in one line of descent from the Allyns and
Wolcotts, and had inherited some of their effects. He had already sent
me a college text-book, with the clear autograph of Samuel Wolcott, dated
in the seventeenth century, with a facetious recognition of it as a stray
volume from my library! On a subsequent visit to him, he surprised me
by producing, in the little box in which it had been preserved for two and a
half centuries, the identical gold signet-ring [H. W.] which had come down
as a legacy from the successive Henrys. This surprise was followed by a
greater, — in his cordial gift of the treasure to me, saying in a subsequent
note : —

It is not without interest to me : it seems a connecting link, binding the eight
generations together ; and I never took it in hand without feeling that I was reaching
past all of them, and taking the original owner by the hand.

It had rendered service in the family through three generations ; and,
after a partial exile through five, it has come back again most unexpectedly,
and will now be transmitted with Governor Roger's silver tankard.

Among Mr. Wolcott's family letters we find the following : —

From his Brother-in-law.

Charles f own -f 27 March 1703
Much respected Brother

After tender of respects to yourself w* sister &c. these may inform you that

God has brought us to a new Year ; w'!' is begun with information of Good tidings

from our Queen, who has Ordered publique thanksgiveing in all her plantations,

(and we have Appointed it on y'^ 9" Aprill next) ffor the great Victories Our Nation

and the Confederates have had against the ffrench and Spaniards At Vigo ; where

64 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL. .

they took great Treasure in y° Span. Galeoons and destroyed and took y° ffrench
men of war that were there, which were mostly brought to England and Holland, and
they have also taken divers places in fflanders and donn great Spoile to the Enemy in
divers places and took many vessells privateers and others, So that I hope y- haughty
bloody Monarck of ffrance is comeing doun, w''' the Lord hasten ; refering to my
daughter Mary (to whom pleas give the inclosed) I have written her fully refering to
Stephen C, whom I cannot Judge has any reall love for her more than others, which
he did frequently keep Company w* and has bin a long time of ill ffame on those
Accompts, Therefore, if he shold happen to come to your parts, I have forbidden her
to keep him Company, and I desire your Self to forbid him Also ; for as I have
formerly advised you I cannot consent to bestow her upon him, for I have seen divers
Such matches y- have proved very unhappy to poor women all their lives after, pleas
to communicate this w* the inclosed papers to my Brother Jn° Wolcot w"^ due respects
to him w"'' is the needfull at present from Your Loveing Brother

Ja. Russel

After you have perused the inclosed papers if they come early to your hands
pleas to Convey them w'!". my service to Bro' Willis mr VVoodbridge &c. at Hartford,
and let the inclosed be delivered to my daughter Mary Yours J. R

To Henry Wolcott Esql , At Windsor

Mr. Henry Wolcott was elected a member of the House of Deputies
in i6S6, and subsequently he was for many years the Town-Clerk of Wind-
sor. He made a visit to England, — the date of which is not known, —
to look after his property there. He and his wife, who survived him seven
years, were buried with their kindred in the Windsor churchyard ; and
their epitaphs, which we give below, are inscribed on stone slabs, inserted
in opposite sides of a square brick monument.

Here lyeth the body

OF Henry Wolcott y^ 30

Esq. who dyed Feby 18™

ANNO Christ: 1709-10

AETATIS SUAE 67

And ALSO the body of

Abiah his wife, who

Dyed June 15

Christi 1 71 7
anno

Aetatis 72

FOURTH GENERATION.

VI. John Wolcott (9) married, Feb. 13, 1677, Mary, daughter of
Capt. John Chester, and granddaughter of Gov. Thomas Wells. She was
born Dec. 23, 1654, and died July 10, 1689.

He settled in Wethersfield, and was townsfnan, or selectman, in 1679.
He removed to Windsor, and was chosen deputy to the General Court in
1698 and subsequently. Children : —

36 — I. yohn, b. Nov. 20, 1677. See XIV.

37 — 2. Henry, b. Aug. 7, 1679 ; d. April 29, 1680.

38 — 3. Charles, b. Sept. 3, 1681. See XV.

39 — 4. George, b. Oct. 20, 1683. He was in Salem, Mass., with his uncle Josiah

Wolcott in 1 69 1 ; but he died unmarried previous to 1719, when his

father's estate was distributed.
40 — 5. Benjamin. He was residing or visiting in Salem, in the autumn of 1702.

He subsequently proceeded to England, and asserted a personal claim

to a portion of the family estate there. He married, Nov. 3, 1719, Mrs.

Jone, widow of Edward Gilhampton, of Tolland, England, and died in

England, apparently without issue. His property was divided among his

surviving brothers and sisters, previous to 1732.
41 — 6. Mary. Married, Dec. 19, 1706, John Eliot, Esq., of Roxbury, Mass.^

Mr. John Wolcott married (2d), June 22, 1692, Mrs. Hannah
Nicholas, of Stamford. He died Jan. 23, i^W- His estate was inven-
toried at ^1,300.

Vn. Samuel Wolcott (14) married, March 6, 1678, Judith, daugh-
ter of Samuel Appleton, Esq., of Ipswich, Mass." Children : —

' He graduated at Harvard University, 1685 ; was the son of John Eliot, Jr., and Ehzabeth
Gookin, his wife, and the grandson of the Rev. John Ehot, the apostle to the Indians.

^ " Col. Samuel Appleton held several offices, was Representative to the General Court, member
of the Governor's Council, and Judge. In 1675, he was ordered to keep five hundred men for the
defence of the frontier towns at the West against the Indians. In this quarter he was several times
successful in repelling the enemy and preventing several places from being consumed. When Hatfield
was attacked, October 19, a bullet passed through his hair, and a sergeant was mortally wounded by his
side. He served as major in an e.xpedition against the Narragansetts, December 9, and had the com-
mand of five hundred men in the great battle. His skill and bravery- and exertions did much toward
securing victory. While in this campaign he had his tent burnt, and his men lost their clothes and

66 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

42 — I. Samuel, b. April 11, 1679. See XVI.

43 — 2. Gerslwm, b. Nov. 14, 1680; d. Sept. 23, 1682.

44 — 3. Josiah, b. Feb. 27, 1682 ; d. Oct 28, 1712.

45 — 4. Haimah, b. March 19, 1684; m. May 8, 1704, Rev. William Burnham, of

Kensington.
46—5. Sarah, b. Aug. 14, 1686; m. Dec. 12, 1706, Capt. Robert Wells, of Weth-

ersfield.
47 — 6. Lucy, b. Oct. 16, 1688; m. Feb. r, 1713, Samuel Robbins, of Wethersfield.
48 — 7. AbigaU,h. Sept. 23, 1690; d. Nov. 9, 1714.
49 — 8. Elizabeth, b. May 31, 1692 ; d. March 15, 1765.
50 — 9. Mary, b. May 14, 1694; m. May 26, 1715, John Stillman.

Mr. Samuel Wolcott was a merchant in Windsor, and was elected
deputy to the General Court in 1685. He subsequently removed to
Wethersfield, and located himself on a gentle swell of land, which has since
borne the name of Wolcott Hill, — a pleasant range, lying about a mile west
of the village. The tract is still (1848) occupied by his descendants,
including all of the name who now reside in Wethersfield. He died
June 14, 1695.

Here lies Interred the Body of Mrs. Judith Wolcott, relict of Mr. Samuel
Wolcott Deed., and daughter of the Worshipful Samuel Appleton Esq', of
Ipswich, who died Feb" y' 19'.'' 1741, about 88 years of age. — Epitaph.

Vni. JosiAH Wolcott (15) received a classical education at school,
but did not pursue a collegiate course. He first established himself as a
merchant in Windsor, and subsequently removed to Salem, Mass., and
engaged in mercantile business there. He married (ist), Feb. 19, i68|,
Penelope, daughter of Capt. George Corwin, of Salem.' He married (2d),

arms. His diversified and complicated duties, as a warrior, legislator, and judge, he ably and faith-
fully discharged." — Felfs Hist. Ips., 169.

Among the legacies which the daughter received by her father's will was the item : " One hun-
dred pounds in good merchantable Corne and Cattle."

' "Workington," says Camden, "is now the seat of the ancient knightly family of the Curwens,
descended from Gospatrick, Earl of Northumberland, who took that name by covenant from Culwen,

FOURTH GENERATION. 67

May 1, 1694, Mary, daughter of John Freke, Esq., of Boston: She was
born May 6, 1674. Children: —

51 — I. Elizabeth, b. March 30, 1688 ; d. July 12, 1702.

52 — 2. Josiali, b. Dec. 21, 1690; d. Jan. 8, 1691.
53 — 3. Freke (son), b. March 26, d. July 7, 1696.

54 — 4. Thomas, b. June 23, d. Sept. 13, 1697.

55 — 5. Mehitable, b. Aug. 3, 1698 ; d. July 6, 1721.

56 — 6. yosiah, b. July 11, d. July 31, 1700.
57—7. yoh7i, b. Sept. 12, 1702. See XVII.
58—8. Elizabeth, b. April i, 1705 ; d. Jan. 24, 1716.
59 — 9. Mary, b. July 13, d. July 29, 1706.

60 — 10. Sarah, b. Nov. 29, 1708 ; d. Sept. 2, 1720.

61 — II. Freke (daughter), b. Oct. 9, 1712 ; m. Nov. 19, 1730, Edward Kitchen, Esq.,
of Salem.^

"March 6, 1676. The Councill grant Mr Wolcott liberty to transport thirty
bushels of grayne upon Mr John Stevens ketch to Salem for the supply of some of his
family that purpose to pass thither shortly." ^

Reference has ah-eady been made to the Ledger of Mr. Josiah Wolcott,
which in its other character of a family record has proved so serviceable to

a family of Galloway, the heir whereof they had married. They have a stately castle-like seat ; and
from this family (increaseth v'anity) I myself am descended by the mother's side."

" Capt. George Corwin was born at the above seat, Workington, County of Cumberland, Eng-
land, Dec. 10, 1610. He came to Salem in 1638, and died Jan. 6, 1685. He left property over jT 5,694.
He was often Selectman, and Deputy to the General Court ; and was in service against the Indians.
He possessed a good understanding, which was actively, honestly, and patriotically appUed. He
deserved esteem, and it was readily and largely granted him."

" One of his sons, John, married a daughter of Governor Winthrop ; another, Jonathan, was one
of the first Council, under the new Charter ; one of his daughters, Abigail, married for her second hus-
band the Hon. James Russel, of Charlestown, being his fourth wife ; another, Penelope, married the
Hon. Josiah Wolcott, of Salem." — Felfs Aniials.

1 " He was a Justice of the Gen. Sess. Court. By his will he bequeathed six silver pint cans to
the Third Church; /40, to the poor of Salem; £(y(y: 13 14 L. M. to the Society for promoting Chris-
tian knowledge among the Indians ; ^133 : 6 : 8 to Harvard College." — Felfs Annals, 468.

Here lyeth interred the body of Mrs. Freek Kitchen, wife to Edward Kitchen, Esq., and daughter to the
Hon. Josiah Wolcott, Esq., who departed this life, Jan. 17, 1746. AE. 34 yrs. — Epitaph.

Here lyes buried the body of Edward Kitchen, Esq., who departed this life Aug. 17, 1766. AE. 66 years. —
EpUaph.

2 CoU. Rec. Conn.

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

US. We copy two accounts entered in this book as illustrative of the times.
Mr. Foster was a clergyman in Hartford.

1680

Mf Isaac fforster is Df

£" s"d

Apr"-' —

To a Maide Servl named Mary Humphreys pay-""

in wheat

7 " 5 " 0 "

1 69 1

M; Mathew Griswold Senf

£" s "d

OctoT 28

To my Negro Man Called Tom at

30 " 0 '' 0

0 " 16 " 0

£zo" 16" —

We learn from Felt's " Annals of Salem " that he was for a number of
years a Representative in the Legislature and a Justice of the Peace. In
1722, he was appointed a Judge of the Court of Common Pleas, in which
office he continued until his death, extensively useful and much respected.^
His place of residence in Salem, afterwards occupied by his son John, is
still known.^ His first wife was granddaughter of Gov. Edward Winslow.

We have a file of his letters, addressed to his brother Henry at Wind-
sor, mostly on business ; the first written when he was a young man, and
the rest after he was settled in Salem, some of which indicate a generous
interest in his relatives. We give brief extracts.

Charlestown : 9: s'.*?: 1679

To HIS Brother Henry.
Mr. Henry Wolcott ;

Most Dear Bro?*

I hope in a sevennight after this kisses your hand [to be with you]. I inti-
mated somew' to my ffather about Mr. Russells motion, and I thinke he has now
gotten incuragm- enough from our Sister M. to write to F — I shall without perswa-
sives leave it to your Prudentiall Judicatures, to in= or dis=Curage, as far as may
be=come causes by Councell, I know not to add, but wishing you. Much prosperety,
& Longevite, Subscribe

S!
Pray present my harty Love Yo^ very Lo: Bro'

to my good Sister Josi: Wolcott

' Annals, First ed., 391.

Hist Coll. Essex Inst., VI. 100.

FOURTH GENERATION. 69

To THE Same.
Dear Bro^ Sakm 8''/ 12 ; 1690

Sister price has been very III this 5 or 6 weeks: she is the more discouraged, it

Continues Soe Long, & Little better, She desires to be remem'^ to each of you ; &

all your famalys, & desires yo! prayers for her, & Good Advice, to one Another,

Espetially when there is any breaking foarth, y! there may not be (thro infinite

mercy) a faling away I need not be more particuU . . I have not time to Inlarge,

the bearers goeing, being very Sudden, & I am hurried, & Sabbath night, w- tenders

of harty Lo. & Respects, to boath your Selves & famalys, as also to my other Bro-

&c. I am ~,r , ^

Yo; very Lo: BroT

Jos: WOLCOTT

To THE Same.
Dear Bro^ Salem June 28* i6gi

I purposed to have wroat you pr. Jno. Allyn, Intending to follow him to Boston,

but was prevented by the unfortunate news of the ketch, patient Bettyes being taken

by the french privateer. I had a very Considerable Losse, & am never the Lesse

Sorry for yours, who have been less acquainted w"' the hazards of the Sease. I sent

your Daughter a silver Thimble (produced w"? old buttons) & returned her silver

hooke. I was at Boston last weeke and bought your Son a Grammer & Dixonary

I Cold not get m' filer nor any other, to Carry them by Land, we put them on board

under the Charge of one Cornehill, y' formerly used to Sayle w't' m' Codman. w"'

tenders of Cordiall respects, I am

S! your very affect" Bro'

Jos: WoLCOTT

To THE Same.
Dear Bro'? Salem, July 25, 1692.

It has pleased god in the Midst of our many trials and afflictions, Mercifully to
Remove yl Judm! of the small-pox, w".'' is totally Seased above this 2 mo: and this
and the adjacent townes have a gen- health, but the unheard of Calamety of the
Witch Craft, Continues, & further discoveryes made, tho 6 have already been Exe-
cuted, Since w- (about " weeks since) : 5 more, of Andover. viz! G[oodvvi]fe fforster,
her Daughter Laury, and her Daughter of the 3*! general! a Comely Ingeinous young
woeman of about 17 years old, and 2 Brothers one about 19 Years old and the other
neere 16: Sirnamed Carriers, boath likely Ingenious, manly & hardey. Young men.
Yet all these following & about Seaven before, have Confest, & made a wonderfull
Relation of there Compacts, & pranks w!? the Devell. Soe we have yet, here, at
Ipswich, & Boston, about 60 accused persons, in Goale of which 12 : are Confessors,

70 THE IVOLCOTT MEAIORIAL.

& of them, good M' Higginson's daughter is one, who has long been melancholy, &
Seemed Crazed. It appears that yf Devell has not (as formerly) Gained a fiew
discontented & Revengefull persons, but was making a Collony to set up his kingd"
by force of Armes. I may not ad. but w- tenders of Love & respects to boath your-
selves &c I am

YoT Assured Lo. Bro-

J: WOLCOTT

To THE Same.
Dear Bro? Salem, Decem? primo: 1693.

. I have sent here with a Gold hatband for your selfe, and a Lawt handkercher
for my Good Sister, w- I request her to accept as a Remembrance of her that boath
made & wore it. I iirmly purpose to See you in the Spring, Dei Gratia. I am

Yol assured Lo: Bro- & Serv!

J. WOLCOTT

To the Same.
Dear Bro"? Salem, April y^ & 1695.

I cannot but be much Concerned for your Childrens disadvantage in your
remote Livinge (tho god has blest you with a good Estate, which is likely to descend
to them) the want of Education being the grand Calamety of this Country, but you
have always Been offered noe small advantages, besides there diat free, vi- I deeme
the Leest. I can only Renew the same offer which I have made tenn years since &
Annaly — that if you pleas to Send Either of your daughters to my Howse, they shall
find they are welcome to spend a Sumer or a year, or as long as you and they please ;
and they will be equally Welcome to my Wife, also I thinke it may be your sons
advantage to hasten downe to the Colledge whilst our Nephiew price is there, and if
you have any thing by you, that y- designe for there Cloathing, let it be made up
hear. Else it will not be fit, for EttI of them to Ware, also, for the ne.xt winter, if
your son be minded to Retire a month, or two, as many doe in the Dead Season ; he
may Come to my howse, and M' Noyes, I am sure will be very ready to oblige him ;
w- the use of his Library, & Stoody he being Remove to his owne howse nextweeke,
& has a tenant in one End of it, that dresses his victualls. & My Mother Corwin
being Removing then to Boston, & will Dwell w- her Daughter, who married one
mr Lyde (in g:*"' last.)

I shall not Enlarge only to assure you that I shall be happie where in I may be

serviceable, to my fathers Children, & theirs

I am

Your very Aff. Brof & Servant

J. WoLCOTT

FOURTH GENERATION.

To THE Same.
Dear BrO^ Munday Aug' 26'^' 1695 : In Salem N. E.

I formerly Signified y' I had bought y' son Sam" 3 Bookes Cost 32. Since

s d

w- have bought him Richessons Logick. Janua tria Linguis & a hatt. Cost 18. 6:
more I sent him back to the Colledge the first week Ins' & George Wolcot went
w- him, to bring back my horse, they stopt one night, at Maiden w".' y' kindred, & y"
next day to Cambridge ; & Geo' Came home y! same day.

m' Leveret Came to my howse, y': next day after he went (w'' m' Brattle &
others), they boath have promised to be kind to him, the week after, I lent S' price,
my horse to Boston, and obliged him to visit Your Son at Cambridge w".*' he did ; and
Brought him downe to Boston, where I met him, and dined w* him at Coll'.' Hutchin-
sons, and dismist him, to returne in the Evening.

I Expected you wold have sent downe one of your daughters before nowe, Either
of them shall be very Welcome to me & my Wife, and now we have more Elbo
Roome, upon Sister prices Remove. I doubt not but one of them wold be welcome
Company to her, and I thinke you will be to blame if you faill of sending them boath
downe, Before they are at other mens dispose.

I doubt Sister Judiths want of helpe will Incline her to detaine her son

Sam. w'!" I Cannot advise too. but am Content to Leave it to others advise. I am

perswaded he will prove an Ingenious man wherever he dwells, & however he is

Educated, his being here, however, hath been a good Improvem! w* he will always

Retaine something of, in his very aspect, and it Cost his father never a Groat, and is

returned better Cloathed than he Came. I would freely give her other Son, a years

board & Schooleing, & then his mother may dispose of him as she please the

kindness will be none if delayed, he grows a great boy, and Schooleing time will soon

be over.

W* tend" of Lo. and best respects

I am

Yo' Assured Lo. Br' & Serv"

J: WOLCOTT

To THE Same.
Dear Br? Salem, ti T 29': 1702

I suppose you have heard of the sore and Sollem visitation among us here

& particularly of gods holy Just & Righteous dispensation in taking away the delight

of my Eyes, my tend' dear, and Loveing daughter Elizabeth, on Sabbath-day, the

12'" of July last, about 10. a Clock at night. She was from the first of her lines,

apprehensive of her death, & I hope thro infinite mercy prepared for it, tho my Loss

is Irep'ble in this world, & I shall goe mourning to my grave, but hope I shall not

72 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

murmur, But Justefie god in all his dealings towards me, my Child was seldom
discomposed by her feaver, till a few days Before her death, & then only in her feaver
ffits, and Slept most part of the night Before her death, & was much refresht in the
morning, discourst very Composedly & thankt her Watchers for their Care & paines,
desired them to Eate, & took some refreshment her selfe ; & in a Quarter of an hower
was Seized w"- death & had a terrible strong death, & Could speak to the last, and
my hart bleeds to tell y" how all that day, in the aggonies of death She was
Continually Caling for me, & shewing heart-melting demonstrations of affection,
w'i' noe tongue can Relate, god helped me to be silent, the distemper Continues, &
the Changes are dayly Ringing amongst us. We have buried. 53 : persons of it,
most of them Children & young persons, how much further the destroying Angells
Comis : may E.xtend, we know not, there appearing little mittigation.

S' in the midst of these sore trialls & troubles, god has been pleased to favour
us by giving my Wife safe delivery of a Sonn uppon Satterday the 12- Inst. Boath
my wife & her Sonn (who is named John) are in a hopefuU way of doeing Well
I pray god Continue it.

I shall not Enlarge, but to Desire your dayly Remembrance of us, at y= throne
of Grace, and to assure y" that I am

S' Y- affect, but Sorrowfull Bro-
pray give the tend? of my J. Wolcott

Harty Love & respects to my good
Sister & y' Children, to Bro- John
& his Wife. Uncle & Aunt Clark,
w'- all others who I long to see.

At a town meeting in Salem, March 10, 1712, Mr. Wolcott and three
other citizens were chosen a committee " to procure a suitable Grammar
school master for y" instructing of youth in Grammar learning, and to fitt
them for y" Colledge, and also to learn them to write and cipher and to
perfect them in reading." The accomplishment of spelling is not specified,
though doubtless included.

For some time after his removal to Massachusetts, he retained con-
siderable property in Connecticut, and was one of the original proprietors
of the present town of Thompson.

He died Feb. 9, 1729. His tomb, covered with a brown freestone
slab, containing a slate tablet with an inscription, was standing in Salem

FOURTH GENERATION. 73

until within a few years, but is now defaced by time. His domestic
bereavements were unusually severe. Of his eleven children, only two
reached adult years. From his own papers, which we have quoted so
freely, as well as from the testimony of his contemporaries, it is evident
that he was a man of sterling character.

His widow died in 1752, having survived all her family.'

IX. George Wolcott (17) married, Aug. 30, 1691, Elizabeth Curtis,
who died Aug. 13, 1741. He lived in Wethers field, and died July, 1726.
By his will he gave land in Hebron to his son. His estate amounted to
£ 840. Children : —

62 — I. Elizabeth, b. May 22, 1693 ; d. April 23, 1770.

63 — 2. Deborah, b. Jan. 3, 1695 ; m. March 8, 1722, John Taylor, of Wethersfield.

64 — 3. Ann, b. Aug. II, 1698 ; d. 1732.

65 — 4. George, b. Jan. 15, 1701. See XVIII.

66 — 5. Caleb, b. Aug. 15, 1703 ; died before 1725.

67 — 6. Eunice, b. Nov. 28, 1705 ; d. Nov. 30, 1747.

68 — 7. Joshua, b. June 15, 1708. See XIX.

69 — 8. David, b. March 3, 1711. See XX.

70 — 9. yosiali, b. Aug. 29, 1713. See p. 420.

71 — 10. Sarah, b. Nov. 3, 1716; married Timothy Hollister, of Glastenbury.

X. Simon Wolcott (22) married, Dec. 5, 1689, Sarah, daughter of
Capt. John Chester, of Wethersfield ; lived in South Windsor ; was one
of the original proprietors of Tolland. Children: —

72 — I. Sarah, b. 1690; m. Nov. 22, 1716, Samuel Treat, of Wethersfield.
73 — 2. Martha, b. 1692 ; m. July 17, 1735, Sergt. William Stoughton.

1 Her father was a prominent merchant in Boston, and she received from her grandfather,
Thomas Freke, Esq. of England, a large estate in this country, described in the indenture as "a parcel
of Forrest Land, known by the name of Freke's Land or Division of Land, containing by Estimation,
Two Thousand Acres, Scituate, etc. at a place called Ouenecuslett in the Nipmugg Country, within
the County of Suffolk in the Province aforesaid, etc., also one other parcel of Land within the Town-
ship of New Oxford in the Nipmugg Country aforesaid, containing about Two Thousand Acres."

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

74 — 3. Simon, b. 1694; d. July 26, 1742.
75 — 4. ChristopJier, b. 1696; d. Oct. 9, 1727.
76 — 5. Etmice, b. Sept. 24, 1697; d. Feb. 18, 1725.

"J"] — 6. James, b. 17CX); d. Feb. 16, 1748. By his death the family became extinct,
in the male line.

Here Lyes the Body of

M' Simon Wolcott,

who died Oct'?-' the 28* A : D 1732,

in the 66'-!^ year of his Age. {Epitaph.')

Here Lyes the Body of

M" Sarah Wolcott, wife of

M' Simon Wolcott who died

August the 8* A : D 1723 in her

67* Year. {Epitaph:)

XI. Henry Wolcott (24) married (ist), April i, 1696, Jane,
daughter of Thomas Allyn, of Windsor ; she was born July 22, 1670,
and died April 11, 1702: (2d), Rachel Talcott,' who died Jan. 8, 1725:
(3d), April II, 1727, Hannah, widow of John Wolcott. Children: —

^% — I. Henry, b. Feb. 28, 1697. See XXI.

79 — 2. Thomas, b. April i, 1702. See XXH.

80 — 3. Peter. See XXIII.

81 — 4. Rachel, married Joseph Hunt, of Northampton.

82 — 5. yane,'b. Oct. 20, 1710; d. March 16, 1711.
83—6. Gideon, b. 1712. See XXIV.

The church-rate book of the Rev. Timothy Edwards, who appears to
have collected his own salary in cash and produce, and kept an account
with each parishioner, has been preserved. It includes a dozen of the
Wolcott families ; and, as a fair specimen of it, we cite extracts, embracing
both the debit and the credit side of his annual reckoning with this
parishioner."

^ As I am unable to verify the surname by any decisive record, I do not vouch for its correctness.
2 This book is in the possession of Mr. John A. Stoughton, of South Windsor, to whom we are
indebted for its items.

FOURTH GENERATION.

Lt. Henry Wolcott is T)'

To his Rate for y" year 1727 001 " 14 " 00

To what he is to pay for y° wid" Coult, 000 " 02 " 00

To his rate for y" year 1728 ooi " 14 " 02

etc. etc. etc.

Pr Contra he is C'

Jan I'- I72|- By 3 Bush'^ of Wheat by Gideon 001 " 01 " 00

Nov. 4, 1727 By 4 Bush"f of Ind" Corn at 3 000 " 12 " 00

May 2, 1729 By 4 Bush"' of Rie at 5'-^' 001 " 00 " 00

By pd by Tho' Grant Collec; 001 " 14 " 02

April 22, 1 73 1 By 5 Bush",' of Wheat at S'-ts? by his son Gideon . . 002 " 00 " 00

April 14, 1732 By 2 Bush"' & | of Wheat at 8-?' by his son Gideon. 001 " 02 " 00

April 14, 1732 By 3 Bush"' of Malt at &'^ by Gideon 000 " 18 " 00

March 14, 173I By 20"' & | of Tallow as my wife remembers Gideon

said 001 " 00 " 09

Anno 1733, By 5 Bush'^ of Barley Malt 001 " 10 " 00

Anno 1734 By 12"' of Butter at 12'^' 000 "12 "00

Anno 1734 By 2'" of Butter 2* 18'" of Butter at 19'ii' 001 " 03 " 00

Anno 1734 By 21"' of Chees at g'' pr 000 " 15 "09

Lieut. Henry Wolcott was one of the original proprietors of Tolland

and Wellington, in Connecticut, and was a man of affairs in his own
town. He and his family are said to have been of unusually tall stature.
He died November, 1746.

THE OLD WOLCOTT HOMESTEAD IN SOUTH WINDSOR.

The four sons of Simon Wolcott (IV.) located themselves on the main
street in East, now South, Windsor : the two eldest, Simon and Henry,
about a mile south of the present meeting-house, — the latter on the west
side of the street; the third, William, about a quarter of a mile farther
north, on the same side ; and the fourth, Roger, about a third of a mile
north of the meeting-house, also on the west side of the street. The
residence which we give, engraved by Richardson, from a sketch by

76 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Ellsworth, occupied the site of Henry's house ; and the materials of the
latter were used, in part, in its construction ; the exact date of its erection
has not been ascertained. The children of his grandson, Samuel Wolcott
(LI I.), and some of the grandchildren of the latter, were born in it. It
stood on a knoll or ridge, fronting the east, and survived the longest of all
the early Wolcott homes. The site has passed out of the possession of
the family, and the building has been superseded only within the past gen-
eration. Some of the ancient elms remain in the dooryard ; and the great
tree, of which an engraving is given elsewhere, stood in the street opposite.
As Roger was but eight years old at his father's death, and returned with
his mother to Old Windsor, this location of the elder brothers was prob-
ably an original family-seat on the east side of the river.

XII. William Wolcott (27) married, Nov. 5, 1706, Abiah Hawley,
of Windsor. Children : —

84 — I. Abiah, b. Jan. 14, 1708 ; married Samuel Stoughton.

85 — 2. Lticia, b. May 7, 1710 ; married Stephen Olmsted.

86— 3. William, b. July 21, 171 1. See XXV.

87 — 4. Ephraim, b. March 13, 1714. See XXVI.

88 — 5. Martha, b. Jan. 20, 1718 ; m. Oct. 21, 1749, Josiah Chapin, of Springfield.

Mr. William Wolcott's estate in South Windsor was a little north of
his brother Henry's, and is still in the family. Tradition describes him
as " a large, fleshy man, very handsome and good-natured." He was
buried in the old churchyard.

Here lies the body of Mr. William Wolcott who died Jan'' ye 26* A : D 1749
In the 73'' year of his age.

This stone stands but to tell ye place
Where his dust lies, not what he was
When saints arise y' day will show
The part he acted here below. (^Epitaph.)

FOURTH GENERATION.

XIII. Roger Wolcott (28) married, Dec. 3, 1702, Sarah, daufrhter
of Job Drake, of Windsor, and granddaughter of Job Drake and Mary
Wolcott his wife. She was born May 10, 1686. Children: —

89 — I. Roger,):). Sept. 14, 1704. See XXVII.

90 — 2. Elizabeth, b. April 10, 1706; m. Aug. 24, 1727, Roger Newberry, Esq., of

Windsor.^

91 — 3. Alexander, b. Jan. 20, 1708 ; died (being killed by a cart-wheel) Oct. 8, 171 1.

92 — 4. Samuel, b. Jan. 9, 17 10; d. Dec. 27, 1717.

93 — 5. Alexander, b. Jan. 7, 1712. See XXVIII.

94 — 6. Sarah, b. and d. Dec. lo, 171 2.

95 — 7. Sarah, b. Jan. 31, 1715. " This dear and Ingenious child Dyed in a extasie of

Joy Triumphing over death Jan. 5, 1735 "

96 — 8. Hephzibah, b. June 23, 1717 ; m. Nov. 10, 1737, John Strong, of East

Windsor.

97 — 9. Josiah, b. Feb. 6, 1719 ; lived in South Windsor; d. Jan. 29, 1802. His

estate was inventoried at 1^8,034.68.

98 — 10. Erastus, ) (d. May 10, 1722.

^ , -TWINS, b. Feb. 8, 1721,^ , , .,
99 — II. Epapliras,) (d. April 3, 1733.

100 — 12. Erasius,h. Sept. 21, 1722. See XXIX.

loi — 13. Ursula, b. Oct. 30, 1724; m. Nov. 10, 1743, Gov. Matthew Griswold,

of Lyme.2

1 We learn from a family record that this gentleman was a son of Capt. Benjamin Newberry
and grandson of Thomas Newberry. He graduated at Yale College in 1726. He received the com-
mission of a captain on the English Establishment, and commanded one of the companies belonging to
Connecticut enlisted in his Majesty's service against the Spanish West Indies. He died May 6, 1741,
on his return from Carthagena to Jamaica, about three days before the "Transcript" arrived. His
widow received a pension from the British Government. The Hon. Roger Newberry was the eldest
son of Capt. Roger Newberry and Elizabeth Wolcott his wife, and was a member of the Upper
House, 1 790-1 809. He received an honorary degree from Yale College. A portrait of him is in the
possession of his daughter, Mrs. Sargent, of Windsor; and, according to tradition, he bore a striking
resemblance to his grandfather, Gov. Roger Wolcott.

^ He was a descendant of the fourth generation of Matthew Griswold and Anna Wolcott his
wife. He died in Lyme, April 28, 1799. The following notice of him we extract from the sermon
preached at his funeral, by Rev. Lathrop Rockwell : —

" His Excellency Matthew Griswold, Esq., descended from a respectable family, and was bom in Ljine, March 25, 1714.
Not being favored with a public education, he spent his earliest days in the more retired walks of life. But possessing natu-
rally a strong and inquisitive mind, accompanied with a desire to be useful to mankind, he entered on the study of law, which
he pursued till he was qualified for admission to the Bar, where he served for maiiy years as counsellor and also as king's

78 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Gov. Roger Griswold was their youngest son ; and the following
brief notice of him we extract from Judge David Daggett's extended
Eulogy, delivered at the request of the General Assembly, Oct. 29,
1812: —

" Governor Griswold died at Norwich on the last Lord's day, at two o'clock in
the afternoon. About the time of the evening sacrifices of the various religious assem-
blies, while prayers were ascending from many hearts for the restoration of his health,
his spirit departed to the realms of immortality. He was born at Lyme, in this
State, on the 21st of May, 1762. His father, the Hon. Matthew Griswold, was for
many years Lieutenant-Governor of the State, and Chief Judge of the Superior
Court; and in 1784 was chosen Governor. His mother was the daughter of the
Hon. Roger Wolcott, of Windsor, who was for a long period Governor, and highly
respected for his talents and virtues. The descendant of these fair ancestors has not
sullied their fair name, but added to it a new lustre, and more indelibly stamped im-
mortaUty on their names. He was educated at Yale College, where he graduated in
1780. In 1783, he was admitted to the Bar, where he remained, an ornament to the
profession, and full of business, till removed by his fellow-citizens to a higher sphere
of action. In 1794, the Freemen of the State chose him a representative in Congress.
This place he filled for the period of ten years, with high honour to himself and to the
great satisfaction of many eminent men in the nation. In 1801, he was appointed by
President Adams, Secretary of War, which office he declined. In 1807, he was ap-
pointed a Judge of the Superior Court. In 1809, the Legislature chose him Lieu-
tenant-Governor, which office he held till May, 181 1, when, by the suffrages of the
Freemen, he was elevated to the office of Governor.

" To these several exalted stations he was called by the voice of the people. He
sought no elevation. No man enjoyed a more enviable and honourable popularity
than Governor Griswold, for no man courted it less. He wished for popularity, for no
good man is insensible to it ; but it was ' that popularity which follows, — not that
which is run after, — that popularity which sooner or later never fails to do justice to
the pursuit of noble ends by noble means.' "

Unfortunately, no portrait of him is known to exist ; he is said to have
been a man of uncommonly fine presence. The house which he built in

attorney, with integrity and reputation. After being frequently chosen a Representative to the General Assembly, he was elected
into the Council of the State in 1759. In the year 1766, he was appointed one of the judges of the Superior Court, and in 1769
was elected Lieutenant-Governor, which office was connected with that of Chief Justice of the State. In 17S4, he was chosen
Governor, and in 17S6 he retired from public life, till the adoption of the Federal Constitution by the convention of this State, in
the year 17SS, when he was called to officiate as president of that body. In all the offices which he sustained he distinguished
hnuself as a faithful servant of the public ; and the whole tenor of his conduct was happily designated with fidelity, upright-
ness, and a high regard for the good of his constituents."

FOURTH GENERATION.

Blackball, with its pleasant outlook over the waters, is still occupied by bis
grandchildren.

We have given above some account of the Governors Griswold, bus-
band and son of Ursula Wolcott. One of her descendants — Mrs. Eveiyfi
McCnrdy Salisbury — has prepared an ingenious and unique monograph,
tracing with careful and curious research the blood relationship of this lady
to Governors, Judges, and other distinguished characters ; the reader is
respectfully referred to this paper.^ We give an extract from the sermon
preached at her funeral by the Rev. John Devotion, of Saybrook : —

"That, Sir, which a mind not so well furnished with knowledge might view as
an aggravation of the bereavement, may Justly afford a degree of consolation, which,
though somewhat different from the usual mode of consolatory address, is the result
of thought and consideration. That you, Sir, through God's mercy, have had the
happiness of connection with a family, and long enjoyment of a consort, the daughter
of the Hon. Roger Wolcott, Esq., Governor of this Colony of Connecticut, whose
great powers of mind, joined to assiduous application and approved integrity, opened
to him the way to the highest seat of honor in this then Colony ; that you was
connected with the sons of that great man, who inherit a good share of that native
greatness of mind, assiduous application, and integrity, which has distinguished sev-
eral of them also in this State ; that your consort was their sister, who, inheriting
a good share of mental endowments, yet knew her place, and was a crown to her
husband ; that your Excellency has been blessed with a consort well versed in fru-
gality, industry, and economy, — one who feared God, revered his sanctuary, loved
his ordinances, bare testimony against vice, was a friend to order, virtue, and religion,
and exemplary in the duties of Christian Hfe. Has your Excellency enjoyed such
a blessing so long, and shall not your soul glow mth gratitude to the great disposer
of all events?"

The following epitaph we copied, on a recent Sabbath afternoon
(October, 1S79), from the headstone of her grave in the cemetery of Old
Lyme : —

' N. E. Hist, and Gen. Reg., XXXIII. 223-225. Among the descendants of Gov. Roger Wol-
cott by his daughters, mention may properly be made, in this connection, of Charles Wolcott Brooks,
of San Francisco, and Jabez Haskell Haydeti, of Windsor Locks, among the Hving ; and among the
deceased, a .special tribute is due to Miss Jerusha Treat, of South Windsor, daughter of Samuel
Treat and Esther Wolcott his wife (194), who Hved under the shade of the Great Ehn, and whose
researches into the genealogy of all branches of the Wolcott family were untiring.

8o THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

In memory of

Mrs. Ursula Griswold,

the amiable consort of

Matthew Grjs\vold, Esq., late Governor of the State.

She departed this life on the 5- day of April, 1 788,

in the 64- year of her age.

102 — 14. Oliver, b. Nov. 20, 1726. See XXX.

103 — 15. Mariann, b. Jan. i, 1729; m. Dec. 5, 1758, Thomas Williams, Esq.

CONNECTICUT UNDER THE CHARTER.

Before proceeding to our record of one of the Colonial Governors, it
may be proper to make a passing reference to a section of the history of
Connecticut, which does not come under direct review in the manuscripts
before us. From our Family Records, as presented in this Memorial, the
reader will gather some correct idea of the early settlements of the countr}^
of the conflicts with the savages, of the French wars, of the War of the
Revolution, and of the civil government which succeeded it. But the
interval of half a century which preceded the introduction of Roger Wol-
cott to public affairs, though of special historic interest, is not described in
any of our Family Papers which have survived ; while they contain allusions,
on which a brief statement will throw light.

The restoration of King Charles II. to the throne of England in 1660
awakened forebodings in the infant transatlantic colonies, as well as among
sober and thoughtful persons in Great Britain, for they knew that the ocean
was not a protection from royal despotism and greed. The General Court
of Connecticut, at a session held in the first year of his reign, with prudent
foresight, declared : —

" It is our duty, and very necessary, to make a speedy address to his Sacred
Majesty, our Soveraigne Lord Charles the Second, King of England, Scotland, France
and Ireland, to acknowledge our loyalty & allegiance to his Highnes ; hereby declare-
ing and professing ourselues, all the Inhabitants of this Colony, to be his Highnes
loyall and faythfull subjects. And doe further conclude it necessary that we should
humbly petition his Majesty for grace and fauour, and for y° continuance and con-

FOURTH GENERATION. gl

firmation of such privilidges and liberties as are necessary for the comfortable and
peaceable settlement of this Colony." ^

A committee was appointed to draft a suitable address, which Governor
Winthrop was commissioned to bear to England, with a formal application
to the king for a charter ; and funds were provided for the purpose. The
Colony was fortunate in its agent. Winthrop possessed a grace and culture
which appear to have been transmitted in the family to our own generation.
With superior natural endowments, and a mind enriched by study and
foreign travel, combined with refined and elegant manners, he was equally
at home in the humble abodes of the colonists, in the castles of nobles, and
in the palaces of kings. He prosecuted his mission with great tact and
wisdom ; and, after availing himself of collateral sources of influence, placed
special reliance on a remarkable souvenir which he carried in his hand.
This was no other than a ring, once in the possession of the unhappy King
Charles I., father of the monarch, a gift from him to the grandfather of
Winthrop, and now brought back to his son. This touching remem-
brancer of his father, the King accepted with filial gratitude.

" Under these circumstances, the petition of Connecticut was received with
uncommon grace and favor. Upon the 20- of April, 1662, his majesty granted his
colony the letters patent, conveying the most ample privileges, under the great seal
of England." ^

It was to this successful agency that Roger Wolcott paid the tribute
of verse, which will be referred to in its place. From its thirty-six printed
pages, as published by the Massachusetts Historical Society, we give here
a few lines pertinent to this historical episode, quoting them as history and
not as poetry : —

" ' Be it so then, and we ourself decree,
' Connecticut shall be a Colony ;
' Enfranchised with such ample liberties
' As thou, their friend, shall best for them devise :
' Chief in the patent, Winthrop, thou shalt stand,
' And valiant Mason place at thy next hand.

' Col. Rec. Conn., I. 361. 2 Trumbull, I. 248.

82 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

' And for chief senators and patentees,

' Take men of wealth and known abilities ;

' Men of estates, and men of influence,

' Friends to their country and to us their prince.

' Let law and right be precious in their eyes,

' And hear the poor man's cause whene'er he cries.

' So peace may spring from the earth, and righteousness

' Look down from Heaven, truth and judgment bless.' " '

The eventful fortunes of the charter, thus graciously granted by the
King, and so highly prized by the freemen of Connecticut, need not be
recited here; her school-children all know the story, — the appointment of
Sir Edmund Andros, as Governor, by the perfidious King James II.; his
exercise of arbitrary authority ; his coming to Hartford with his body-guard
of troops, and demanding of the General Assembly, then in session, the
surrender of the charter, preliminary to his suppression of the rights and
liberties which it guaranteed ; the conference with him, protracted till
evening, when the instrument was produced and laid upon the table ;
the sudden extinction of the lights, and the discovery, when they were
rekindled, that the charter had disappeared and could not be found ; its
subsequent recovery from the hollow of the great oak fronting the resi-
dence of Samuel Wyllys, where it had been safely deposited ; and its trans-
fer to the State House in Hartford, where it is now preserved as a sort of
palladium. This is the outline of the story. This famous oak is one of
the distinct remembrances of the writer's boyhood, as he has often sat under
its shadow and climbed into its branches.

" The Charter Oak it was that saved the PeopWs Liberty."

The reference, in one of the papers which follow, to the exuberant joy
of the colonists on the accession to the throne of the Prince and Princess
of Orange, is finely exemplified in the address to the King of the General
Court of Connecticut, convened in special session for the purpose, June 13,
1689, as soon as the joyful tidings were received. We give a few sen-
tences : —

1 1 Mass. Hist. Coll., IV. 297.

FOURTH GENERATION. 83

" Great Sovereign :

" Great was that day, when the Lord, who sitteth upon the floods, and sitteth
king forever, did divide his and your adversaries from one another, like the waters of
Jordan forced to stand upon an heap, and did begin to magnify you like Joshua, in
the sight of all Israel, by those great actions that were so much for the honor of God,
and the deliverance of the English dominions from popery and slavery, and all this
separated from those sorrows that usually attend the introducing of a peaceable
settlement inany troubled state ; all which doth affect us with the sense of our duty
to return the highest praise unto the King of Kings, and Lord of Hosts, and bless
Him, who hath delighted in you, to sit you on the throne of his Israel, and to say
because the Lord loved Israel forever, therefore hath he made you king, &c. . . .

" Which we trust we shall not forget nor be unprofitable under ; but as we have

this day with the greatest expressions of joy, proclaimed your majesty and royal

consort king and queen of England, France, and Ireland, with the dominions thereto

belonging, so we shall ever pray, that God would grant your majesties long to live,

and prosperously to reign over all your dominions, and that the great and happy work

you have begun may be prospered here and graciously rewarded with a crown of

glory hereafter.

" Robert Treat, Governor,

" By order of the General Court of Connecticut,

" John Allen, Secretary'.' ^

In the atmosphere of sentiments Hke these, fraught with loyalty and
religious faith, were developed the youth and early manhood of the
ancestor whose record we now give. Among the papers left by Gov.
Roger Wolcott is a brief autobiography or private journal, in which he
has noted down the leading events of his life, which we are happy to be
able to give almost entire, it being a consecutive narrative.

To call to and keep in remembrance Mercy, and some remarkable Providences
that have hitherto fallen to my share, in this weary pilgrimage of life.

IV/ndsor June ro'i} 1755.

Come, my soul, enter into thy chamber and shut the door. Consider seriously
thy sun is setting and just in the horizon, yea the shadows of the evening are already
drawn over my heart, and my strength faileth. I am now far advanced in the yf!>

1 TrumbuU, I. 537.

84 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

year of my age ; the things of time and sense have lost their rehsh ; I can no more
hear the voice of singing men and singing women, and the things of God, if any
there be that remain in thee, are ready to dye. Dost thou not want to have them
strengthened ? Canst thou not call the sun some degrees back upon thy dial, by
calling to mind the days of old and the right hand of the most high, to excite thy
thankfulness and dependence upon him ? Is there nothing in these many stages of
time and tasks of life that thou hast already passed, that may subserve hereunto ?
Come, then, and with the sweet Psalmist of Israel — Psalm 103. 2. Forgett not all
his benefits.

I was the youngest child of my hon^ father Mf Simon Wolcott, tender and
beloved in the sight of my mother M- Martha Wolcott, and was born January 4".^
1679 at a time when my father's outward estate was at the lowest ebb.

Some years before, he sold his estate on the west side of the River in Windsor,
to settle on a farm at Simsbury, to which he removed and laid out his money to
promote his settlement there. But in the calamitous year for New England 1675, he
was driven back to Windsor with his Family by the war ; his buildings were burnt,
and his Farm at Simsbury ruined by the Indians. He had left about 200 acres of
meadow and uplands adjoining, on the east side of the River in Windsor, but durst
not then settle upon it for fear of the enemy. His family was chargeable, the pub-
lick taxes high, he was much in debt, and no house to put his head in but upon hire,
and that upon high rents and difficult to be obtained.

Soon after I was born, I was taken with a sore mouth, which prevailed to that
degree that my life was almost despaired of, but thro' Divine Goodness recovered,
and thro' mercy this is the only threatening sickness I have had in my life.

In the year 1680 my father settled on his own land on the east side of the
River in Windsor. Every thing was to begin ; few families were settled there. We
had neither Minister nor school, by which it hath come to pass that I never was a
Scholar in any school a day in my life ; my parents took care and pains to learn
their children, and were successful with the rest but not with me by reason of my
extreme dulness to learn.

On September 11* 1687 dyed my hon*^ father in the 62'? year of his age ; it was
just before the coming of Sir Edmund Andross. It was generally expected persecu-
tion for religion would soon ensue ; it filled him with agonizing fears, and excited his
fervent prayers for deliverance, but God took him away from the evil he feared to
come. . . .

We were now a widow and six fatherless children ; the buildings unfinished, the
land uncleared, the estate much iu debt, but we never wanted.

FOURTH GENERATION.

In the year 1689 my mother marryed with Daniel Clark, Esq. ; I went with her
to live on the west side of the river.

The times were now changed. King William and Queen Mary ascended the
British throne ; with them all fears of persecution vanished. Those that come after
will never conceive the joy of New England at King William and Queen Mary's
Coronation ; the French Leviathan, that had long been King of the children of pride
was by our glorious monarch stopt in his career.

In the year 1690 my mind turned to learning and I soon learned to read
English and to write.

In the year 1691 thro' the constant monitions of my father in law and my
mother, I had many convictions of my sin and danger, but after a while they
wore off. — In 1694 I went an apprentice to a Cloathier.

The year 1697 was a year of great scarcity and mortality. The summer was
cool and cloudy, not a month without a frost in it ; the winter very long and severe.
In February and March the snow was very high and hard ; there was a great cry for
bread ; the cattle famished in the yards for want ; the sickness very distressing and
mortall ; those in health could scarcely get food, tend the sick, and bury the dead.
Many suffered for want of fire wood and tendance, but I was preserved in perfect
health and never wanted.

On January 2, 1699 I went into my own business. My hands were enabled to
perform their enterprise and my labor was crowned with success.

December 3*! 1702 I marryed M? Sarah Drake and went to live on my own
land, on the east side of the river in Windsor. My settlement here was all to begin,
yet we lived joyfully together ; our mutual affection made every thing easie and
delightfuU ; in a few years my buildings were up and my farm made profitable.

In 1707 I took my first step to preferment, being this year chosen selectman
for the town of Windsor.

In the year 1709 I was chosen a Representative for that town in the General
Assembly.

In the year 1710 I was put on the Bench of Justices. This year, the lo- of
August, dyed my kind father in law Daniel Clark Esq', in the 86- year of his age,
with which I was much affected, and soon after these words came powerfully into my
mind : — What hope hath the hypocrite tho' he hath gained, when God taketh away
his soul .' — and were followed with such convictions as I hope will never wear off.

In 171 1 I went in the expedition against Canada, Commissary of the Connecti-
cut Stores. In October my little son Alexander was killed by a cart wheel ; the
memory of this sweet child often recurred, attended with this verse :

86 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Farewell, sweet Babe, my heart's too much content.

Farewell, sweet babe, the pleasure of my ey
Farewell, sweet flower, that for a time was sent.

Then taken away into eternity

In 1 7 14 I was chosen into the Council.

On the 13* day of October 17 19, dyed my honoured mother M'f Martha Clark
in the 80'" year of her age. She was a gentlewoman of bright natural parts, which
were well improved by her education in the City of London. She came to New
England in 1661, the same year was marryed to my father. The rest of her useful
life she spent in this wilderness, in doing good and setting an example of piety,
prudence, charity, and patience

In the year 1721 I was appointed Judge of the County Court. In the year
1732 I was appointed one of the Judges of the Superior Court.

In March and April 1733 my family was visited with sore sickness, my house
like a hospital was full of sick persons ; all in it were sick but myself, my wife, and
one child. In this hurry and distress I was imprest, as if it had been a voice: Be still
and know that I am God ; this something laid my troubled mind, and disposed me
humbly to wait the issue. I lost in this sickness a son and a servant ; the rest after
a long time recovered. Note :

Be still, my soul, be still, and gain a sense
Of what is sin, by what's the recompense.
And tremble at that guilt that doth prepare
Such arrows and such coals of Juniper.

On the 6- day of January 1735 dyed my pious and ingenious daughter Sarah
Wolcott at 20 years of age. Her sickness was long and in her languishing she often
exprest her ravishing sights of Christ and longing to be with him and that her joy
in believing was unspeakable and full of glory ; the afternoon before she dyed I told
her M" Filer (an ancient and pious gentlewoman) was dead ; she said she wished it
had been her turn ; then summoning up her whole strength she thanked her parents
for all their care and kindness to her, and blessed God she had been brought up in
a Christian family ; then spoke to her brothers and sisters counselling them to live
well and prepare for death and gave her Bible to her little sister ; she continued till
on the ne.xt morning being the Lord's day, and now when she was ready to be offered
up and the time of her departure was apparently at hand she met death with confi-
dence and comfort complaining why is his chariot so long a coming, why tarry the

FOURTH GENERATION. 87

wheels of his chariot ; her last words were Rejoice, Rejoice, and expired without a

groan.

Like bird of prey Death snatch't away

This harmless Dove,

Whose soul so pure now lyes secure

In Heaven above.

In the year 1741 I was chosen Deputy Gov- of this Colony and appointed Chief
Judge of the Superior Court.

In the year 1745 I led forth the Connecticut troops in the expedition against
Cape Breton and rec? a Commission from Govf Shirley and Gov' Law for Major
General of the Army. I was now in the 67- year of my age and the oldest man in
the army except the Rev"? Mr. Moody.^

It was a tough business ; Divine Providence appeared wonderfully in our favor
and should forever be remembered with thankfulness, nor ought the firmness of our
troops ever to be forgotten. After we had contmued the siege 49 days the City of
Louisburg was surrendered on Capitulation and we with great joyfulness entered it.

On the 21 of January 1747 God took away the desire of my eyes with a stroke.
My wife for a long time had been out of health, but constantly attended her business
and rose this morning not well, but took care of and went about the business of the
family. About two hours after she was up she was taken with an apoplexy and in
a short time expired in the 61- year of her age. Upon consideration of her life and
sudden death my thoughts burst out in the following reflections :

This bird of Paradise upon the nings
Of flaming Seraphs mounts, she sitts and sings
And sees as she is seen her God above
And in the annes of Jesus drowns in love.
Me ah ! bereaved ! me now left alone
My lovely turtle ever to bemoan ;
So long my morning star whose beaming eyes
Did never open but my day would rise ;
So long my constant help to give relief,
Double my comfort and divide my grief;
So long my loving wfe, of thee bereaven,
I have no friend so good unless in Heaven ;
I'll not forget thy kindness nor thy charms
But love thee dead that long lay in my arms.

' Rev. Samuel Moody, of York, Me., born in 1676, a minister of note in his day.

88 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

In the year 1750 I was chosen Governor of the Colony of Connecticut.^
In November 1752 the Spanish Snow S. Joseph and Si Helena, Don Joseph
Mig! de St. Juan, Supercargo, came by distress into New London Harbor. Such care
was taken to give him protection and relief that he might have been gone in 20 days
after he entered the port, but he dismist his men and went to New York and delayed
and embarrassed his affairs to the great loss of the cargo and in October 1753
demanded the Assembly damages and laid a part of the blame for his delay upon
a copy of a letter the Collector had got which I had sent to the Merch! and which
was then in his hands. The Council approved of what I had done but the House of
Representatives were terrify'd with it and refused to approve it. Soon after the
rising of the Assembly, the land was filled with Reports that I had oppressed the
Merchant and extorted vast sums out of his cargo, and occasioned his delay and loss
of time ; that I had laid my proceeding in the affair before the Assembly to be
approved, but they refused to approve it ; that then I pleaded with the Assembly to
tax the Colony for damages but could not prevail, but it must be expected this would
be the end of it. The people see the cargo wasted, and these reports so imprest
upon them, that at the election in May 1754 I was dismist by a great majority of
voices.^

I had now the common fate of discarded favorites. Neither the Government or
Assembly took any more notice of me than of a common porter. To redeem my
name from infamy and the people from their fears, I moved to their Court to be
examined on oath upon that affair, and submit to their judgment, but they shut their
doors against me. Note :

If solid virtue don't support the frame,
They are but fools who hold on babbling fame.
Ransack thy conscience ; there if thou find friends,
Leave it to time to make thy name amends.

' His predecessor was Gov. Jonathan Law, who died in office. The "Oratio Funebris"
pronounced in Yale College on his decease by the Senior Tutor, afterwards President (Rev. Ezra
Stiles, D D.), contains the following allusion to his associates in the government and his successors
in office : " Coloniam praecipere cui maxime gratulor sub auspiciis sapientissimorum Hominum peril-
lustris WoLCOTT et integerrimi Fitch, Virorum Regimine ac Legibus peritissimorum," p. 10.

^ In consequence of their misapprehension of the matter, of which they were subsequently dis-
abused, he failed of re-election. His friends voted for him the subsequent year, and he was nearly
successful, but was not again a candidate. His successor was Gov. Thomas Fitch, who, after a
serv'ice of some years, was in hke manner superseded, with a great deal of popular indignation, for
taking an oath, in his official capacity, to help enforce the odious Stamp Act,— Jonathan Trumbull,
MaUhew Griswold, and others withdrawing from the Council Chamber, rather than witness the
degradation.

FOURTH GENERATION. 89

And having now done all I could, here I left it supported with the sense of my
own innocence, and it was not in vain ; for the redemption of my name, that I could
not obtain from the Assembly, was in a short time rolled upon me. The Assembly's
complaint was laid before the King in Council, when no fault was found in any one
step of my conduct in it ; yea the merchant declared that I had been friendly and
favorable to him, and in this manner went off with his cargo. A universal opinion
prevailed that I was innocent and abused by these reports, and the reporters sunk
into contempt.

My conduct being thus searched to the bottom, and thereby appearing to be
without fraud or error, the freemen now looked upon the whole affair in a true light,
and at the next election, in 1755, I had more than 2500 of their voices, and did not
want 200 more to put me in my former seat.

Undoubtedly there were a few malicious persons, that were from that principle
active and furious in raising and fomenting these Reports ; but the effects were
from mere terror, and how can we blame the Assembly, or the people, acting under
this passion t

It is certain that terror may be and often is imprest as strongly from imagina-
tion only as from real danger, and when it is by any means imprest upon the mind, it
is an irresistible passion. It has made a whole herd run violently down a steep
mountain into certain perdition. The Syrian army that in the days of King Joram
fled from the walls of Samaria and left the camp as it was and cast away their gar-
ments and their vessels in the flight, tho' we may imagine that when they had rested
and found they had neither seen an enemy nor lost a man, it raised many specula-
tions among them, yet we have no reason to think they blamed themselves for
making haste in the condition they had been under.

Nor may we in these times, without offering violence to human nature, blame
men that are much in the same condition for acting a like part. No — nor may we
blame them for not staying to examine, for in such case men can think of nothing
but now or never and then 'tis best to cut and run, and yet we find that afterwards,
if they find they had an old servant that dare stand the shock and prudence to avert
the danger, he will not fail of their esteem.

I am now stript of all public trust and business and yet have lost nothing that
was my own or that I had right to claim a continuance of, or any thing that, consid-
ering my age, it is not better for me to be without than to have. May I not then
take this as a benefit and since my mother's Sons have discharged me from keeping
their vineyard, apply myself more closely to the keeping of my own. There is work
enough to be done in thankful acknowledgments of former favors and living up to my
duty for time to come. I will close with the Psalmist : —

go THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Thine eyes did on my substance look
When yet I wanted frame,

And all my members in thy book
Were written down by name.

From my youth up, oh mighty God,
Thou hast instructed me,

I hitherto have show'd abroad
The wonders taught by thee.

My mouth shall of thy righteousness
And thy salvation show

From day to day, for of the same
No numbers do I know.

Unto the time of elder age

0 cast me not away,

O do not thou abandon me
When my strength doth decay.

And now, O Lord, when I am old
And hoary hair'd, O God,

Forsake me not till I have told
Thy mighty power abroad.

With righteousness my soul adorn,

Conform my heart to thee.
And mth thy likeness in the morn

1 satisfyed shall be.

O stretch my thoughts beyond the skies,

There let me see and there adore

Thy presence, and at thy right hand

« Be filled with pleasures evermore.

From his Son-in-law.^
f^Qj^D gR Lyme, Dec 16"; 1755

Death has with a violent hand taken from us our Eldest Daughter a Dear and
Tender Child who on account of some Amiable Quallitys which as I imagin. appear^

1 From a copy by Mrs. Ellen E. Griswold, of Blackhall.

FOURTH GENERATION.

in her in an uncommon degree with a most Exemplary and Dutiful Behaviour not

only Rais^ the Expectation but Extremely Endeared her to her Parents : but alas

our towering hopes like the flower of the Field are all cutt Down at one blow : upon

my Return from Windham about 24 hours before her Death She appear"? in a Calm

and Serene Temper of mind Signified She had made her Peace with God Used the

words that he was Sweeter to her than all y" world y! She was free to part with

Father and Mother and Everything here and was willing & not afraid to die : She

appeared to Retain a Composed Temper of mind and her Reason to the very last :

a little past the Middle of the Day the Symptoms of Death appeared She appeared

very Sensible of View'? her finger nails Sundry times : I Suppose to Satisfie herself

whether she was Dying : then Desired a prayer might be made which being done :

her friends Standing Round her not being able to Refrain Weeping after Some time

turning her Eyes Round upon them and once in a Special Manner : and of her own

Accord without Shedding a Tear & without any other Seeming Disorder but only

Some Difficulty to Speak bid us Rejoice her Speech fail"? and after some time without

y" least token of Repining at her Condition : or anxiety of mind : like a Tender

Lamb : Resign"? her breath and So fell a victim to the King of Terrors : Indeed the

Satisfactory Account She gave how She had Seen her Self a Sinner and of the Love

of God manifested to her Soul : and a Sense of her Love to God : and Willingness

to part with y' world : with the Surprising Unshaken fortitude of mind with which

She was Carried Thro the agonies of Death : afford us unspeakable Comfort : but to

human Nature y° blow is violent and y° Wound Deep : Parting pain is sensible &

piercing : I beg your prayers to almighty God : that wee might be Supported under

this bereaving Stroke : and not Murmur or Repine at the Dispensation of heaven :

and so by Such Undutiful behaviour make this Chastisement a new occation of sin

This from your Dutiful Son

M Griswold
(From the original draft, endorsed :

Coj>y Z' Gov. Wolcott on death Hannah)

The extracts which we are able to furnish from his correspondence
begin with the date of the expedition against Louisburg ; and before pre-
senting them we select the following brief account of the enterprise and
its leaders from the pages of Grahame's "Colonial History:" —

"The qualities of a commander were happily combined in William Pep-
PERRELL, a colonel of the Massachusetts Militia, an eminent merchant, possessed of

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

a great landed estate, and generally known and esteemed in Massachusetts and New
Hampshire. He was not a stranger to such scenes of war as American experience
could supply, — having served from his youth in the provincial militia, and inhabiting
a part of the country peculiarly exposed to the assault of French and Indian hostility.
Happily for his country and for his own fame, Pepperrell was induced by the earnest
instances of Governor Shirley to accept the chief command of the forces, and next to
him in authority was Roger VVolcott, the lieutenant-governor of Connecticut, and
one of the most respected and popular of its inhabitants. The station and character
of these men, and the great sacrifices which they now incurred of ease and interest,
produced a powerful effect in inciting persons of humble rank to abandon for a
season their own less important concerns for the service of their country, and to
imitate on a small scale the virtue and public spirit of their favorite leaders. Many
who enlisted as private soldiers were themselves freeholders, and many more were
the sons of thriving farmers and substantial tradesmen, — men whom only views of
public interest could persuade to enlist, or to consent to the enlistment of their chil-
dren. Never did an army take the field, in civilized warfare, less formidable by its
experience and tactical accomplishments, or more likely, from the piety and virtue,
the manly fortitude and patriotic enthusiasm that prevailed in its ranks, to minister
occasion either of unstained and honorable triumph, or of profound affliction and
regret to its country. The earnest expectation that jDervaded New England was at
once sustained and regulated by religious sentiment. Fasts and prayers implored
the divine blessing on the enterprise ; and the people and their rulers, having ex-
hausted all the resources of human endeavor, and girded the choicest of them for
battle, now sought to prepare their minds for either fortune by diligent address to the
Great Source of hope and consolation, and awaited the result with anxious and sub-
missive awe, or with stern composure and confidence." ^

The papers which follow are from our own files.

From Governor Shirley.
c Boston March 8, 1744

Agreeable to the Proposal made to me from the Government of Connecticut by
Col° Trumbal & Mr. Williams, I have ordered a Commission to be made out to give
you the second Command over the Forces raised for the Expedition against Cape
Breton ; Which Commission is herewith inclosed. And from my personal Knowl-

1 II. 169, 170.

FOURTH GENERATION.

edge of you & the general Character you bear of those Qualities which make you at
least equal to this Trust, I do with the utmost Chearfulness commit it to You & wish
you all possible Success in the Discharge of it. I doubt not but you will do your
utmost to have the Succours your Governm' sends by you seasonably join our
Forces, to prevent any Inconvenience that may happen by a Delay.
I am, Sir,

Your most obedient humble Servant

W. Shirley
Roger Wolcott Esq".

From General Pepperrell.

May it please Y^ Honour ^"-f'"" ^^^'"'"'^ ^'h 1744

This waits on you pr. the Commissioners of your Govern! pr whom
we had the agreeable news of your acting in the Expedition against Louisburg in
conjunction with us. And it is a great Satisfaction to me, that I am to receive
Assistance from a Gentleman of Your Wisdom & Experience. The affair requires
the best despatch on your part, and must intreat you to afford it.

I have had some Conversation with Mr Williams, whom I perceive to be a
Gentleman of good Council & accomplishments, & should be very desirous to have
his Assistance in the Army. And if he may go in a military Capacity in your Regi-
ment, Suitable to his Honour & worth so that we may have the advantage of his
advices, I should be well pleased with it ; & Inasmuch as he is a Person of distin-
guished Learning & Gifts & has been to great acceptance in Sacred orders. If he might
also officiate as a Chaplain to that Regiment, I know of nothing unsuitable in it.^
I am with great respect

Yr Honor's Very Hum"= Serv'

To the Honourable Roger Wolcott Esq':

Lieutenant Gov. of the Colony of Connecticut

William Pepperrell

From Governor Shirlef.

Sir Boston March 174.5

Having given you a Commission to command as Major General in the Forces
raised within this Province & the neighboring Provinces %i Colonies for the E.xpedi-
tion against the French at Cape Breton, whereof William Pepperrell Esq! is Lieutenant
General & Commander in Chief ; I do hereby direct you as soon as the Auxiliary

> The appointment asked was given to this gentleman, Rev. Elisha Williams, who had been
President of Yale College, and subsequently distinguished himself in a civil and military capacity.

94 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Troops from the Colony of Connecticut which are under your particular Command
are ready and embark'd on board their respective Transports, with them forthwith to
proceed to Cape Breton & join the other Forces for the said Expedition, and then
you must follow such Orders and Directions, for the Annoyance of the Enemy as
you shall from time to time receive from the said Lieut; General Pepperrell. And
forasmuch as upon the Death of the said Lieutenant General Pepperrell or his
Absence from the said Forces on any extraordinary Emergence or Occurrence the
chief Command of all the said Forces will devolve on you ; In such Case I hereby
direct you to conform yourself to the Body of Instructions I have given to the said
Lieut: General in the several Opperations of the said Expedition, Which Instructions
you must in such Case take into your Possession, & govern yourself by them, or by
any other Instructions which he may or shall have received, or you shall from time
to time receive from me.

And so heartily wishing a good Voyage and Success in your Enterprise
I am

Sir,

Your most assured Friend & Servant

W. Shirley

To the Jw7i'''f Roger Wolcott EsqK
Major Gen', of the Forces raised for the
Exped". ag'.' Cape Breton.

To Mrs. Wolcott.
Dear Spouse ^'^^ London, Aprill lo'i 1745

This is the Last Letter I shall Give you before I Embarke and am allmost Dis-
tracted with Haste while I write this, have only to say, Alexr is Marryed and Ursula
is here but Going home to day Capt. Fones is here with the Tartar 90 men 16 guns
Comodore Warren is doubtless at Cape Breton with a 60 and two 40 Gun ships
The whole number of Carriage Guns on board is about 270 besides Swivels &c. We
expect one if not two Companys from R. Island.

Yesterday was a Generall Review and Monday we took a view of the Trans-
ports and found they would not sufice for the men and stores therefore are filling
Another Brig this has Given some delay but hope to Go on board by fryday at
furthest in my opinion it appears the bravest Regiment that ever I see and I hope
they will do Good service when we come to Action

I am in Good health and chearefuU hopeing for Success and a Joyfull return.

I acknowledge the kind and Ingenious Letter from Josiah and Erastus. Can

FOURTH GENERATION.

have no time to Gitt any thing for Oliver or Concern myself with my Domestick

business only if they want .... they may have it from Mr. Huntington and Major

Newton which I hope they will send up to you.

Dear heart Excuse my Hurry which has engrossed my Whole time since here

and Encreases every Day but my heart is the same toward you as before and hope

to have a time to pour it out into your Bosom, recounting the Toils and Dangers I

have borne, or meet you, in endless happiness, when our Conversation will be upon

a better subject, and more pleasing farewell sweet heart. Give my Love to my family

and all friends

Ever Yours Roger Wolcott

To Mrs. Sarah Wolcott

In Windsor
These

"April I" Gen. Wolcott arrived and was welcomed with salutes from the fort
and sloop Defence. His tent was pitched on the hill at the south-east corner of the
burial place. On Sunday the 7'-, Mr. Adams preached to the General and soldiers,
drawn up on the meeting-house green. On the 9- the commissions were pub-
lished with imposing ceremonies. The eight companies were arranged in close
order on the green, and the throng of spectators around the hill. Through them
Gen. Wolcott, supported right and left by Col. Andrew Burr and Lieut. Col. Simon
Lothrop, marched bare-headed from his tent to the door of the custom-house where
the commissions were read. The troops embarked Saturday April 13-, and the next
day, at one o'clock p.m., the fleet sailed. The Defence carried Gen. Wolcott and
100 men." ^

He arrived at Cape Breton with the troops on Tuesday, April 30,
and on Monday, June 1 7, the city of Louisburg capitulated, and the pro-
vincial forces entered it. We have his daily journal from May 30 to
July 2, inclusive, detailing the events of the siege, and giving copies of the
official communications which passed between the respective commanders-
in-chief. Following the journal is a connected narrative, carefully drawn
up, prefaced with this sentence, " Having now past through what I am now
to act in this memorable siege, attended with so much danger and hard
service, I have time to make a short pause and take a retrospect of this

' Caulkins's New London, 391, 392.

96 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

expedition, in the projection, prosecution, and success of it." These papers
are a valuable historical document. A fair copy covers twenty-eight folio
pages, and the length precludes its insertion entire ; we give merely the
conclusion of the narrative.

'Tis God has done it, and the praise belongs to him alone. God hearing the
prayers of his people by many signal instances of mercy has led us on from step to
step to victory.

Let us stand and see the salvation of the Lord —

First By bringing in the forces and the Ships from such different and distant
places just at such a time as would best serve for our success.

2ndiy gy giving as fair weather at our landing and during the siege as has not
been known in the memory of man in this country usually cover'^ with palpable fog
and rains in this season for the greatest part of the time, and this is the more remark-
able for that altho' the fair weather generally continued until we entered the City yet
the rain and fogg came on before we could reach the Intendants house and continued
for eight or ten days verry severe, which the French took notice of and said that if
the English had not come into the town, it would have been fair weather still.

3!^!? By the great health afforded us, for altho' about the 27'-!! of May it was
judg"? we had about 800 sick in the Camp it prov"! mortal to but few.

4'i!? By causing our enemys to become bread to us by their surrendering up
the Royal Battery, cannon shells and great shot that were there without which we
could have done nothing and by the supplys of powder and shot &c. afforded us out
of the Vigilant and other Ships taken by sea without which we could not have
gone on.

5!!;!r By the wonderful protection of our lives from the fire of the enemy. At
our Batterys those who kept the account say they discharge 9^57 great shot and
shells against the Town besides small shot in abundance and 'tis supposed the fire of
the enemy did equal if not exceed ours ; in the last 24 hours of firing they sent 74
large shells to our batterys and several of them fell in the Trenches. The ground
about our Battery was plow'? up like a corn field and the earth as it were cover^ with
broken shells, and yet we lost not 20 men by the fire from the Town and about
130 in all.

6^ By intimidating our enemys to surrender to us the Royal Battery without
a blow and afterwards the City which considering the breastwork, Pikes boom and
several other things by which they had strengthened it during the Siege was more

FOURTH GENERATION.

defenceable when we entered it than when we first set down before it. This is the
Lord's doing and it is marvellous in our eyes.

This town of Louisburg has a very large and good Harbour before it and it is
easily if not already made impregnable by sea. It is seated in the gulph of the Bay
of St. Lawrence and the gut of Canso dependant upon it and being under His
Majesty's obedience secures all these to the Crown of Great Britain and will be
a better estate to the Nation than the mines of Peru are to the Crown of Spain. It
is a place of that importance that there is no doubt His Majesty will secure and
settle it under his Government ; and to facilitate this I wish His Majesty would
graciously set up a Civil government there with liberty of conscience to all Protest-
ants and that God would spirit teachers after his own heart to go there and teach the
people the good knowledge of his word.

So prays

Roger Wolcott

Maj . Gen"- to the Army.

The colonial historians all make mention of the demonstrations of
exuberant joy with which the intelligence of the reduction of Louisburg
was received in the Provinces. Our next letter exhibits this fact in a very
vivid light.

From Judge Edwards.
S2. Hartford ]\Ay y? g'l' 1745

All health to your Hon' and y" rest of our Hearoes at Louisburg, to whose
Wisdom & Martial bravery under God we ascribe y" Glorious Success, had I been an
Actor or so much as a Spectator of y° Wondrous Scene cou'd not be at a loss for
a Story worth y^ attention of Ancient or Modern hearos, but your Hon- will not
expect forreign & Surprizing occurrences from Such as pass not y" limits of their
own land.

Of y' Wellfare of your Lady & family doubt not your more direct intelligence
yet having a day or two past been there my Self may not omit to Say M- &c. are
-well, Save only Solicitude for your Hon'

Gen'-' Health and prospect of gen" pleanty may be enumerated among y' bless-
ings of y" present year.

The Progress and Success of our brave Army Ingross y" Conversation of y*"
whole Country, every Horse man is taken for a traveller & every Traveller for a Post,
and all Down to y' most Indolent Vie with y'= ancient Athenians & continually

g8 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

y' inquiry is What News from Cape Breton ? And this not from common Curiosity
but a Cordial Concern for y' important Event ; Every Successful! Step has gladn'd
every heart & enliven'd every face.

But when first arrived on last fryday eve here y' Tidings — Louisburg is taken !
is taken ! Language fails to discribe y' Joy ! Instantly Shone y' Town House with
y' houses in y' body of y' Town with a Surprizingly Suddain & Beautifull illumina-
tion, as tho y' Same breath y' proclam'd y" happey News had blown up y' Town
into y° brightest blaze ; The Spreading Joy like an inundation Soon reacht y"
remotest parte of this & even to y' Towns adjacent, whence from every quarter rush
young and old and promiscusly Share y' Transporting Story, and fill up y' Evening
with all y' Tokens of Joy and Gladness which Nature or Art cou'd So Suddainly
Supply, And

On more certain & particular Advice of this Great Event & y'' Glorious Actions
conducive to it, yesterday were Mustered y" Militia of y' Town, to whose Assistence
in y^ Triumphant Rejoycings of y" Day were present many Gentlemen of Distinc-
tion with a Numerous Concourse of every age and Sex, whom to Regale, together
[with] Sprightly and exhilarating Liquors, was an Ox Roasted whole on y= Green in
y' Midst of them, And y' Beat of Drums, Sound of Trumpets, Brisk & regular Dis-
charge of Cannon & Small arms, Constitute y'' Rejoycings of y' Day: And on
approach of Evening, Splendid Illuminations, Ringing of Bells, and Bonfires
blazing like y"' Eruptions of JEtna, with Health to our Sovreign & y'' most hon-
ourable Remembrance of y'' Bravery of our Hearoes of Louisburg beautifyed &
enlivened y" Night and were but y' imperfect expressions of y" Overflowing Joys of
every Mortal.

In a Word Such a Tide of Zeal & Unaffected Mirth & gladness Inspiring So
Numerous a Concourse of every age Rank & quality, Unallay'd with any ill accident
or Disorderly or offensive Action our oldest men have never Seen

Our first Recruits hope may Safe arrive ere this, and a Second Augmentation
of 300 Troops more were last Wednesday ordered with all possible Dispatch to follow
them but whether y° Advices of y' Towns Surrendry will Suspend or prevent y"
Inlistment or imbarkation is what may not adventure to conjecture, but tis evident
y' Courege & generous Ardour of y" Country to Support & carry on this important
enterprise has increased even beyond that unpresidented freedom which first gave
birth to y' Undertaking, and People Seem to need no more than permission to take
up arms.

Capt Church & D- Morrisons Familys are well, to whom with M- Williams

FOURTH GENERATION.

D- Woolcot & y" rest of our Gent" to whom I have y" honour to be known may your
honour pardon me in praying to be remembred.

And now may y' Same good Providence which hath hitherto preserved and
Protected your valuable life amidst a thousand Dangers, and rendred you Signally
Subservient to y^ Honour and Interest of your Country in y^ Camp in Due time
render your Safe Return to us an equall Blessing both in Court & Council for which
more Sincerely Wishes or more ardently prays no Mortal Than
S- your Honours

Most Obedient Humble Servant

Daniel Edwards
Tof Ho7i''Ii
Roger Wolcot Esq'.
MajK Genldfc —

We have his Diary again from his embarkation at Louisburg, July 2,
on his return home, and his arrival at his residence, July 30. We omit
the record of the voyage.

Tuesday July 2'i. I went to view the Island Battery, and from thence on board
the Diamond, Ephraim Done Capt" to return to N. Engl'? with "/y men mostly
invalid, myself very weak and full of pain.

Thursday July 18- In the morning were abreast of Point Juda Wind at S. W.
A brisk gale. Turn'd to windward ; past through Fisher's Island Sound and by
sunset were at anchor in New London Harbor. Saluted the Fort at the Harbor's
mouth with three swivels which return^ our cannon, and the Town with seven which
return'? an equal number. I was receiv'? by a number of gentlemen on the wharf who
gave me a hearty welcome. Took my lodgings at Mr Miller's. Very weak and out
of health. Here I tarry'-' until

Monday 22'? I went with Mr. Griswold to Lyme where I tarry'? until

SaUirday 2f^ I set out from Lyme with my Son Erastus, arriv'? at Middletown
about sunset very weary — quarter'? at Mr Sage's

Sunday 28'i Heard Mr Russell

Monday 29'-^ Went forward in Company with si.x gentlemen to Weathersfield
— weather very wet.

Tuesday 30"' Col. Whiting with his troop and sundry gentlemen from Hartford
and Weathersfield came to me at my Lodgings, from whence they attended me to
my own house at Windsor, where we arriv'? about two afternoon. Here we had a

lOo THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

good dinner, drank some bowls of punch &c. and after the discharge of the great
Artillery and small arms, gave three Huzzas and parted good friends.

R. WOLCOTT

We have before us a number of letters from Sir William Pepperrell
and Governor Shirley, but must limit our selection.

From Sir William Pepperrell.
Honour— S- Louisbourg Se^v. 20* 1745

It is a greate pleasure to heare that you are Saffe arriv'? with yor agreable family
and Like to recover yo' health, w- I hope God will Long preserve, I should have
been o-lad to had a line or two from you to have known how you found our Friends
in New England & what passage you had.

There is no News only that we heard there was two Squadrons of French men
of Warr bound to this place Seven in one squadron & nine in y° other ; I had rather
they should com here than goe to y° westward of it, because I trust we are here in
reddyness for them.

I want now to return to New England but cannot at present get Liberty, as
nothing would have induced me to com here but y° good of my Countery so nothing
Else would perswade me to tarry, I dont know but must be Obliged to tarry here this
Wintter, I Shall be glad to Serve you or any Friend of yours and with best respects
I am

Honour'-i^ S'

Your affectionate Friend

& Very Hum''l'= Serv!

VV- Pepperrell

To The Honour*^
Majl Generi Wolcoti
Ait Connecticut

From the Same.
HoN^H Sir Louisbourg December 13!!' 1745

Your favour of the 23'? of October Last I received, wherein find that you had
received mine of the 20- of Septr, it gives me great Pleasure to hear that you was
Safe arrived with your Dear family, and had Recovered your health ; I desire that
the Almighty will be graciously pleased to Continue your Life and health for a Long
Time to Come a Blessing to your King & Country, & that you may yet be Enabled
to do more Eminent Service.

FOURTH GENERATION. lOi

I am greatly obliged to you for your Congratulation, and do joyn with you in
opinion that the honour done to the Head, is to all the Army.^ As you Justly
Observe there are no Braver, Activer men, than our Country men are and they ought
to be Encouraged — I must Acknowledge that this Campaign has bore much upon
my Constitution and almost wore me out ; But if it should please him who made us
willing to Come on this Expedition, to Call us on another. He Can Support & Carry
us through ; and I hope we shall at all times be enabled to rely and trust on him. —
The Short Acquaintance I had with you, gave me a great Value & Esteem for you
And should have been glad if your Health had permitted you to have tarry'? Longer
here ; I hope in a short time to pay you a Visit and talk all our old affairs over ; But
if Providence should deny us this favour; I hope thro' the merits of a Glorious
Redeemer, we shall meet in a happy Eternity : We are much Obliged to you for
the Chaplain you have sent, and your good Advice, which I always Valued and
Honoured.

Be pleased to give my Service to all inquiring friends but more particularly
to those that were here with us on this Expedition which I shall allways Value &
Honour.

I am with best Respects

Dear Sir,

Your Affectionate Friend and

Most Humble Servant

Hon'* Major General Wolcott W^l Pepperrell

From Governor Shirley.
Sir Boston Dec: 24, 1745.

Being informed that the Affairs of War are committed by the Govern! of Con-
necticut to a Number of Gentlemen of which you are the first in Commission, I am
therefore now to inform you that Application has been made to me from the Propri-
etors & others of the Towns of Stockbridge & Blanford, to desire that they may
have some Soldiers sent for their protection, they being much exposed to the Indian
enemy ; & the Inhabitants likely to draw off unless they can be soon relieved. I
have laid the Affair before the Assembly of this Province, who have desired that
I would move the govern! of Connecticut to send sixty men for the Protection of
Blanford & Stockbridge & the Settlements between them, at least till such time as
men may be raised in this Province & sent thither.

' An allusion to the baronetcy which had been conferred on him.

I02 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

I must therefore desire that you would with all possible Expedition send such
a Force into those Places as may be sufficient for their Defence ; Which I am the
rather inclined to expect and hope for, because these Places are a Barrier to some
part of your Colony, & if they should be deserted your own Towns will be much
more exposed to the Enemy ; And if I mistake not you have signified your Intention
to do something of this Nature in one of your Letters to Col° Stoddard. You will
please to let me have your Answer as soon as may be.

It would have been a great Pleasure to me to have seen you at Louisbourg,
I hope you have by this time perfectly recovered your Health, & that the Service
you did your Country, for which I think they are much oblig'd to you, as I am my
self for the Honour you did my Commission thereby, will not finally prejudice it.

I shall write soon to the Governour ; and am with great Regard
Sir,

Your most humble Servant

W. Shirley

The hon'''f Roger Wolcot Esq"

To Governor Shirley.
Sir IVindsor Dec. 27*1745

By this I acknowledge y^ favour of yours of y" 24"" Instant & altho' an offensive
war against our Enemy in North America has ever been my favorite opinion yett
Would omitt nothing necessary & proper for the Defence of the frontiers.

Upon a motion from Coll° Stoddard, the Councill of War Sent an hundred men
to Deerfield & offer'^ him fifty more for the Defence of Stockbridge till you Could
place a Sufficient Garason, then y" Coll'- answerf, he thought ten men from us Would
be Sufficient for Stockbridge, accordingly We Sent ten men there.

On the iS'-l! Instant I Rec'' a Letter from Coll? Stoddard and of the near
approach of a considerable force of the Enemy as twas Expected on the frontiers up
the River moveing for our Assistance on this Exigency, Imediately we sent up about
150 men, they sett forward the 20- Instant and I have not heard from them since, so
that we have now about 260 men on the frontiers in your Government besides 40 in
our own, this with what we have at Louisbourg raiseth a charge beyond our power
to support, the Colony consist only of Labouring Husbandmen and I suppose the
.... our Currency into the Treasury Annually. Nevertheless in Case of War it
is my mind that nothing that is possible to be done should be left undone. I will
therefore Imediately advise with the Councill if we shall make up the ten men at
Stockbridge to be 50 till you can Supply a Garason there which I hope will be
speedily.

FOURTH GENERATION. IO3

I heartily Congratulate your Excellency on your Return to your Government.
Indeed during the siege I promised my self a great deall of pleasure if we Could Gitt
into the Town, but as it pleased God the next day I was taken with sickness, by the
force of which I had no ease then nor in my voyage home nor for some time after
my Return, but thro' Mercy I am now Well Recovered. I should not have deprived
my self of the Hon- of Waiting upon you at Louisbourg had my health permitted,
however it was a pleasure to me to learn that you were Going to the place where I
knew you was so much wanted, pray do me the Hon- to make my service known to
Sr William Peperill at the first oportunity.

The Campain being over I am very contentedly Retired into my own Business,

Where I hope I shall have time to Attend any service that the publick or my friends

shall Expect from me and especially any Commands your Excellency shall do me the

Hon- to Lay upon me who am your Excellency's

Most obliged

Very Humble Servant

Roger Wolcott
To His Excellency
IVilliaJH Shirley Esq":

From the Massachusetts Assembly.
Honourable Sir, Boston Febmary vs 17^1

We are very sensible Virtue carries its own Reward, and doubt not of the Solid
& lasting. Pleasure you have from your own Consciousness of the good Principles,
which have excited you to, & carried you thro, the many useful & publick Services
you have performed, & by your Example & Address influenced others to do ; And
how little soever the wise & virtuous are affected by such remote Considerations, as
the Opinion & Sentiments of others, yet we could not but think, that common Justice
& Gratitude required Our Acknowledgments of the large Share you had in the late
Reduction of Cape Breton ; to you our eyes were more particularly turned, on our
first Application to your Government in this Affair, & we happily found Our Selves
not mistaken, by their generous Assistance in that successful Expedition, more par-
ticularly obtained by your Care & Influence ; for this publick Service & for the just
& kind Sentiments you have always had towards this Province on other Occasions,
We now publickly profess our Esteem & Obligations, which we shall ever be glad at
all Opportunities to Acknowledge.

In the Name & by order of the Council

JosLAH Willard Sccr'y

In the name & by order of the House of Representatives.

Thomas Cushixg, Speaker.
The Hon'±. Roger Wolcott Esq":

I04

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

From Governor Shirley.
c jTj Boston Feb^ the ^'i- 1 74I

I hope you will be pleased to exert your best Endeavours for promoting the
raising of mine & Sir William Pepperrell's Regiments within your Colony, and favour
Cap' Gridley with your Advice & Direction in the Service; And this I shall not
doubt of as I am persvvaded you must have the preservation of Louisbourg, towards
the Acquisition of which you have so much Contributed by your personal Services, at
Heart. I thank you for the last Supply of men w":" you sent us upon my Letter to
you requesting it, & am entirely of your Sentiments y' it would be more for our
Interest to act offensively in the management of the Warr, y" to Content ourselves
with being upon the Defensive ; As the first measures will indeed not only more
effectually Defend our Frontiers by keeping the Enemy at Home, but very much
weaken them, at least by being harrassed in their own Country, towards effecting
w"? I have brought forward the Consideration of the Affair of the Enemie's Fort at
Crown Point, in w^ both Governments, & our Neighbours of New Hampshire, New
York, &c. are Concerned ; & shall Let you know what this Government proposes for
the good of the Common Cause, as soon as we Come to a Determination. Our Pro-
ceedings at Crown Point, by opening Lake Champlean to us, would be a Considerable
Step towards our penetrating into Canada at a proper Opportunity ; the Reduction of
w";"" Place would indeed Comprehend every thing in Favour of the Colonies, & crown
our Success most Compleatly ; & I have accordingly represented it to the Ministry
as a matter of the greatest Consequence to his Majesty's Subjects upon this con-
tinent.

If you think I may be of Service to you by the Recommendation of any thing
in particular in favour of you be pleased to Let me know it & I will serve you to the
best of my Power.

I am with great Regard

Sir

Your most Obedient
. Humble Servant

Honl' Major General Woolcott W. Shirley

From Sir William Pepperrell.
HoN--^ AND Dear Sir, Louisbourg k-^x\\\ 15'^ 1746

As I have wrote you at large since I have had any of your Favours, and am
greatly hurried, I beg Leave to referr you to Colonels Lothrop and Goodrich for a

FOURTH GENERATION. IO5

particular Account of Affairs here ; but having this Opportunity by a Vessell bound
to Connecticut, I could not omit my Complements to You, and just let you know
that through God's Goodness, I am still alive. We have endured great Hardships
and Anxiety the Winter past, especially on Account of the terrible Sickness and
Mortality that has raged amongst us to such a Degree, that it looked sometimes as if
the whole Army was destined to Destruction by it ; and which has actually carried
off above one third of our Numbers since November. But Blessed be God, he has in
the midst of Judgment remembered Mercy, and I can now with Pleasure inform you
that it is a Time of General Health in the Garrison. Among those that have been
taken away, is the Reverend and valuable Mr Baccus,i who was much esteemed here,
and his Death greatly lamented.

As his Majesty has been graciously pleased to give me the Command of a
Regiment for the Defence of this Place, to be raised in his American Colonies, I
hope I shall have the Assistance of the Gentlemen who were with me on the E.xpedi-
tion, and I flatter myself that your Interest will not be wanting to promote my raising
Part of it in your Colony. It gives me much Uneasiness that it is put so much out
of my Power to reward the good Services of the brave Officers who, by the Blessing
of God on their exemplary Bravery and Resolution to surmount all Difficulties in
their Way, have gained the noble Acquisition. What little I have in my Power to
bestow I shall endeavor to distribute in the most impartial Manner I am able, and
sincerely wish it was in my Power to reward every Officer and Soldier that came in
that Expedition.

I hope your Government will be so good as to transport what Men shall be
raised amongst you in those Vessells that they send to fetch home their Troops now
here.

I am with much respect

Hon"^'' Sir

Your Sincere Friend &

Most Humble Serv!
Hon'i'f Roger Wolcott Esq'. W- PePPERRELL

There was one result of this successful expedition which excited much
unpleasant feeling among the colonists, and to which we find allusions in
the papers before us. The matter has been fairly stated by the candid
Scotch historian.

' Rev. Simon Backus (gr. Y. C. 1724), chaplain to the recruits.

Io6 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

" The provincial troops, who performed the original and most substantial part
of the enterprise, and who for nearly a year formed the sole British garrison by which
Louisburg was occupied, together with the crews of the New England vessels which
co-operated with the British ships of war, vainly expected and demanded a share of
the prize-money that accrued from the captures. Their claim to participate in this
advantage was disallowed by the British Government ; and the whole of the prize-
money was appropriated to the officers and crews of the royal ships of war. The
British Government, though favored by this provincial enterprise with the first ray
of success that illustrated its arms during the war, displayed the most illiberal desire
to magnify the recruits of the royal and naval force, and to depreciate the fair claim
of the colonists to the glory of the conquest. Among the rewards, the title of
baronet was conferred as an acknowledgment of the services of Warren, the British
commodore, and though a seeming impartiality of recompense was studied, by the
communication of the same dignity to Pepperrell, the official accounts of the con-
quest of Cape Breton, that were published in England, suppressed the merits of the
provincial forces in a manner that filled them with equal surprise and resentment,
and taught them to consider the reputation of America as a distinct and separate
interest, instead of blending it in their regard with the general glory of Britain." i

This was wounding the colonists on a tender point. Circumstances
had made them warlike ; their fire-arms were as familiar to them as their
implements of husbandry. Surrounded by savage tribes and hemmed in
by the hostile French, warfare with them was traditional. And this was
the commencement of a protracted series of conflicts with the hereditary
enemy of Britain, in which they discovered, to their chagrin, that their
bravery and skill were habitually slighted by the parent government, to
whose service they were so generously devoted. In the swamps of Louis-
burg, in the forests of the Alleghanies, and on the plains of Quebec, the
provincial levies were not merely conspicuous, but principal. And when
under " their favorite leaders " they had reduced the "impregnable " fortress
of the eastern islands and coast ; when guided by the prudence and valor
of their own Washington they had covered the retreat of Braddock's rash
expedition and saved his army from total destruction ; and when at the
bidding of the heroic Wolfe, they had scaled the heights of Abraham and
stormed the citadel of the north, and found that to others were assigned

1 Grahame's Colon. Hist. U. S., II. 174.

FOURTH GENERATION.

107

the honors, trophies, and rewards of achievements which they had performed
and victories which they had won, — their self-respect was stung, and the
aHenated feehng thus produced hastened the day of their independence.

The writer of the letter from which we next give an extract was a
prominent citizen of New York, and afterwards one of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence.

From the Hon. Philip Livingston.

Sir New York 12 February 174I

I am Concerned to hear and So are all those who have the hon' to be acquainted
with you that you are not promoted to Some Considerable Post of Profit for your
Singular Conduct & behavior in the reduction of Cape Britton, this Step taken to
promote those who have not been on the Expedition is Somewhat Extraordinary
(and in my opinion) very Imprudent, for this may much discourage the Imediate Ser-
vice, and be attended with bad Consequences in not being able to Raise the two
Regiments. I think you be not well used, be it either willfull or Ignorant the Pub-
lick Service must Suffer for Such Conduct. I Expected at least you would have had
a Lieu' Coll° Post and one of your Sons a Cap' on the Establishment, which would
have been but a reasonable Recompense due for your Services, as you be Justly
Entitled to this I hope you may Soon Enjoy it.

Sir, your most Humble Servant

Ph. Livingston.
To the HonVl Roger Wolcott Esq':

In raising the men for the campaigns of the subsequent 3^ears, the
expeditions against Nova Scotia, Ticonderoga, Crown Point, Niagara, and
Quebec, for which Connecticut furnished more than her quota of troops,
the influence of her former chief magistrate was efficiently exerted. Our
limits forbid us to enlarge ; and from the papers before us we give but one
letter more.

To Governor Hamilton.'
Sir Windsor March 13, 1754.

Yours of the 4'- Instant is rec'd & I hope that by your Letter and my Discourse

with Mr. Armstrong I am now better Informed than before of the state of the Sus-

' We give this from a copy which states that the original is in the possession of Mr. Crownin-
shield, of Boston.

I08 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

quehannah Lands. It is with Concern that we in these parts of the Country contin-
ually hear News that the French are blocking up the Avenues of the Country North
& West & encroaching upon the lands belonging to the Crown of Great Britain. We
fear that this is very much from the Backwardness in the Western Governments in
promoting New Settlements, & their being now no unappropriated Lands with us,
some of our Inhabitants hearing of this Land at Susquehannah & that it was North
of the Grant made to Mr. Penn. & that to Virginia, & upon a design of making
a purchase of the Indians & hope to obtain a Grant of it from the Crown, this
appearing to be a designe to promote His Majesty's Interest & render the Country
more defensible, we were all wishers to it.

But Mr. Armstrong informs me, that this Land is certainly within Mr. Pen's
Grant. If so I don't suppose that our people had any purpose to quarrel with
Pensilvania, Indeed I don't know the mind of every Private man, but I never heard
our leading men express themselves so inclined.

Your proposal to move Mr. Pen and the government of Virginia to promote
new settlements in the easiest manner, if elected, may turn the eyes of our people
that way, & it is but reasonable that Lands so far from the sea & on the frontiers
should have the settlers on it encouraged. In my opinion you may serve your King,
your Proprietaries, & your Country in promoting this Scheme, & this may probably
draw many of our people to settle in those parts, which I hope will prove Orderly
& Industrious Inhabitants, & being used to War may be of good Service on that
account. This seems to be a time if ever to promote so good a worke, & if omitted
may prove our Last Opportunity.

We in New England from our beginning have often had Wars with the French
& Indians, & Hitherto made our part good with them. It is probable the War will
extend in the Western parts, & you must come to a push with the French which
shall be the Masters of the Country, in which case every man will be serviceable
according to his Strength of body, and Resolution of mind. The Resolution of the
Soldier will be very much in fighting for his Country according to his Interest in it,
and if I must go out. Let me have an Army of freeholders or freeholders' sons.

I have seen an instance of this in the siege of Louisbourg. We had but about
3700 men, & before we had done about 700 of these were Lost or Invalids. With
these we beat the French at our Landing & besett the City. The walls were 34, 30,
& in some places 20 feet high from the bottom of the Trench, & built so regular that
one or more Cannon swept every face of it. The Trench was 11 feet deep, & 10
rods wide, without it a picket and glacis, on the walls were mounted loi Cannon &

FOURTH GENERATION.

109

78 Swivells, in the Town were 5 Mortars & all warlike Stores, Besides this we had
the Grand Battery and the Island Battery to subdue. In the Town were 2100 Men
and Lads able to bear Arms. Before these walls we lay 49 dayes, hourly expecting
an Army the Enemy had raised to take Anapolis would be upon our backs. We
advanced our Battery within 40 rods of the Wall ; we accounted we received from
them 9000 Great Shot & Bombs ; yet I never heard a man in this time, excepting
those in the Hospital, move to go home till we had taken the City, and we took it.
God gave us the victorie, but humanly speaking it was because our Soldiers were
freeholders and freeholders' sons, and the men within the walls were Mercenary
troops.

Whenever the War commences with you, I think a small Army of such men,
well Appointed, and Disciplined, will soon Convince the French of their Error in
provoking and Insulting of you. I think a few of them will be more than a Match
for a Multitude of their soldiers brought up in slaverie & that have nothing to fight
for of their own. This brings to my mind a story a Gentleman told me, that he went
in to see his Negro man then dying, and seeing him fast going said to him, Cuffee,
you are fast going, are you not sorry .■' No, massa, says the fellow, the Loss will not
be mine.

Pardon the length of this Letter, and be assured that I am with great Esteem
Your Hon—

Most obedient

very Humble Serv!

R. WOLCOTT
To the Hon''!! James

Hamilton Esq":

CALL OF REV. MR. PERRY.^

At a meeting of the Second Church of Christ in Windsor, regularly convened
on the 15- day of April, a.d. 1755, the Hon. Roger Wolcott, Moderator, Matthew
Rockwell, chosen Clerk ; the following call to Mr. Joseph Perry to be the pastor of
this Church in the Lord, together with the declaration, &c. of the Faith and Order
of this Church is voted and subscribed unto by the members of this Church.

The call thus extended was accepted by the pastor-elect, and the usual provision
for an ecclesiastical council was made by the Church.

Messrs Roger Wolcott, Jr., William Wolcott, Matthew Rockwell, and Abiel

' From the church records.

no THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Abbott are appointed a Committee to wait upon the Ordination Council, to answer
such inquiries, and do such services, as there shall be occasion for.

N. B. Governor Wolcott drew up the Covenant on the Church's part, and
when he laid it before the Church he informed them, that by the Westminster Con-
fession of Faith they were to understand the same as the Assembly's Catechism. So
that the faith which this Church hath subscribed unto is contained in the Assembly's
Catechism.

Gov. Roger Wolcott published during his lifetime, so far as is known
to us, three pieces or works. The first was poetical, being a little volume
of seventy-eight pages, i8mo, with the following title: —

" Poetical Meditations, Being the Improvement of some Vacant Hours, by
Roger Wolcott, Esq ; With a Preface by the Reverend Mr. Bulkley of Colchester.
New London : Printed and Sold by T. Green 1725."

The collection consists, besides a dedication to the Rev. Timothy
Edwards, of seven other pieces in verse, mostly religious. The longest of
them is historical, and has been reprinted by the Massachusetts Historical
Society.^ It is entitled, —

" A Brief Account of the Agency of the Honourable John Winthrop, Esq ; in
the Court of King Charles the Second, Anno Dom. 1662, When he Obtained for the
Colony of Connecticut His Majesty's Gracious Charter."

The key-note of the sentiment which pervades it appears in the closing
lines of the prayer to God, which he puts into the mouths of the colonial
forces under Mason, at the moment of their terrible onset upon the Pequots

in 1637.

" Let the Proud Dwellers of the Nations see

' There's none that is Invincible but thee,
' So shall the Wrath of Man Honour thy Name,
' And this shall their remaining Wrath restrain :
' And this thy Peoples Thankful Hearts shall raise
'To Celebrate thy Name with endless Praise."^

1 Hist. Coll., IV. 262. '^ Pages 57-59.

FOURTH GENERATION. Ill

We take leave of the venerable Governor as a poet^ with the following
notice from a recent work, entitled " The Poets of Connecticut, with
Biographical Sketches ; edited by Rev. Charles W. Everest : " —

" We commence our work with the name of Hon. Roger Wolcott. Although
his verses are quaint relics of a by-gone age, their author must not be passed by in
silence. He is the Chaucer of our ' goodly companie,' and must lead the van of the
' Poets of Connecticut.' He was compelled to rely entirely upon his own exertions,
both for his temporal support and his acquisitions in learning. To this circumstance
it is probably owing that his name has come down to us. Had his childhood been
spent in pampered indulgence, his youth might have been wasted in slothful indo-
lence, and his name might never have graced the page of history, nor been known
upon the scroll of letters." ^

His second publication was ecclesiastical, being a controversial letter
to a clergyman, an octavo tract of twenty-four pages, with the following
title : —

" The New-English Congregational Churches, are, and always have been, Con-
sociated Churches ; and their liberties greater and better founded, in their Platform
of Church Discipline agreed to at Cambridge, 1648, than what is contained in the
Agreement at Say-brook, 1708; Asserted in a letter to the Rev. Mr. Noah Hobart."
Dated Windsor, April 25, 1760. Printed at Boston, 1761.

This tract is written with considerable spirit, and is an earnest vindi-
cation of the ancient liberties of the Congregational Churches.' The
writer's attention had been directed to the subject many years before, in
connection with some points of church polity and discipline which came
up for discussion between the Rev. Mr. Edwards and the church of South
Windsor, in which he had maintained the same ground. He subsequently
embodied the facts and arguments of that controversy in a manuscript
narrative, from which some passages have been transferred to the printed

^ Appended to Stiles's Funeral Oration on Governor Law is an anonymous poem of eight pages
on the same subject. We have no knowledge of its authorship ; but we venture a conjecture, from
internal evidence, that it is the composition of Gov. Roger Wolcott.

2 P. 14. 3 See p. 357-

112 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

pamphlet. The former was prepared for publication, but was not printed.
It was entitled, —

"A Narrative of the Troubles in the Second Church, from the year 1735 to the
year 1741. With the Reasons why the Brethren of that Church Adhere to the Order
of Church Government assented to by the Churches of New England, A: Dom:
1648 ; and Refuse to Submit to the Order of Discipline agreed upon at Saybrook,
1708."

The opening letter in the manuscript volume, addressed to Mr. Ed-
wards, and evidently from the pen of Gov. Roger Wolcott, sufficiently
indicates the respective positions of the parties. The whole discussion
shows that the Governor and the intelligent laymen associated with him
were much in advance of their pastor and some of his ministerial brethren
in the assertion of the fundamental principles of religious freedom. The
reader who is interested in the matter will find the details in the manu-
script referred to, in the Wadsworth Athenaeum.

The third piece which Governor Wolcott published over his name
was political, being " A Letter to the Freemen of Connecticut," which
appeared in the "Connecticut Gazette," March 28, 1761. We extract a
sentence or two, to show its drift : —

" I am now advanced into the eighty third year of my age, and for the far greater
part of it have been of your number. In this time you have been pleased to confer
many Honours upon me and intrust me with much of your Public Business.

"I have no desire to appear in public : but seeing the prevalence of this Ambition
or Party Spirit and fearing the confusion it may produce : it has moved me to give
myself and you the trouble of this Letter, if possible to secure our Foundation laid in
you. If this in any way can be done, I am happy — if not, I shall go to the Grave
in more Peace, having washed my Hands of so great a Mischief."

A writer in the next number of the " Gazette," who signs himself " A
Freeman," cordially thanks him, " the father of our commonwealth, for his
aged, and as it were dying counsel to us, to remember our exalted privi-
leges." He survived some years longer, and died May 17, 1767. Thou
shalt come to thy grave in a full age, like as a shock of corn cometh in in his
season.

FOURTH GENERATION.

113

An obituary sketch appeared in the "Connecticut Courant" of July
27 succeeding, entitled, —

" Memoirs of the Life and Character of the Honorable Roger Wolcott, Esq.,
late Governor of Connecticut."

We omit some portions which have been anticipated.

" This great and good man was descended from honorable parents. He was
one of those happy few whose minds seem to be formed with an original strength and
force, not to be suppressed by misfortune or want of exterior advantages ; and though
this did not appear early, yet, like the hidden gem in the mountain, was daily ripening,
in due time to be produced to light, polished, and make a shining appearance in many
exalted stations in life.

" As soon as he left his master, he was determined to have a liberal education,
if possible, but on taking an inventory of his estate, he found it not to amount to fifty
pounds, so he was obliged to drop that design ; but, still unalterably determined not
to remain in a state of ignorance, he borrowed such books as he could get, and read
with attention ; and, having a retentive memory and solid natural judgment, what he
read he retained, digested, and made his own. He got an acquaintance with men of
the best abilities of his time, and by an indefatigable industry and application got
acquainted with most branches of literature ; for he was an exact chronologer, well
acquainted with history, ecclesiastical and civil, and geography, both ancient and
modern, and with the Newtonian philosophy, and most of the curious discoveries of
the moderns.

" He had a taste for the Belles Lettres ; and some poetical pieces he has left
behind, to show that, had his Genious been well cultivated, he might have made
a considerable figure among the Sons of the Muses.

" But the law and arts of government were his favorite study. Accordingly, he
soon made his appearance at the barr, where he distinguished himself so far as to be
soon called into public employment.

" He filled the post of Governor, as he had the rest, to good acceptance, till the
affair of the Spanish ship, a considerable part of whose rich cargo being embezzled
through the indolence, inadequateness, and inattention of the Spanish merchant, the
freemen were by some designing persons made to believe that that loss was occa-
sioned through Governor Wolcott's fault, and that the people must be taxed for repay-
ment.

" He retired with composed, unruffled grandeur, cheerfully referring it to Divine

114 '^HE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Providence to find means to evidence that innocence that he had an inward con-
sciousness of; nor were his expectations disappointed, for we suppose every one is
now fully convinced that that affair was well conducted, — and that to a wonder, con-
sidering its suddenness, and the little acquaintance this Colony had in affairs of this
nature.

"After his retirement from public life, he divided his time between devotion,
reading (which was principally church history, and the works of the most celebrated
divines, especially Doct. Owen and Doct. Bates), agriculture, — his beloved employ, —
and the enjoyment of his friends.

" And though his constitution was excellent, yet as he knew that, in the course
of nature, the time of his departure was at hand, his great and constant business was
to stand with his loyns girt and his lamp burning, waiting for the coming of his Lord.
Thus he lived till about the middle of April last, when he complained of a disorder
in his legs, which soon turned of a livid colour, his strength from that time declining
fast, till Sunday, May 17-, on which day, about noon, his constitution (firm as it was),
not being able longer to support itself, sunk under the weight of old age, he being
then in the eighty-ninth year of his age.

" His funeral was, agreeable to his own directions, attended without much pomp
or show ; at which time the Hon. Deputy Governor Trumball, and Hezekiah Hunt-
ington, Esq., from the Upper House, and eight of the principal members from the
Lower House, being specially appointed for that purpose by the General Assembly,
then sitting in Hartford, attended, and delivered a message to the mourners, wherein
they did honor to the wisdom, patriotic spirit, religion, and virtue that adorned his
life, and expressed their full approbation of his public services in the various posts
he sustained in this Colony.

" His body was strong and well proportioned ; his countenance and deportment
peculiarly adapted to command reverence and esteem ; his wit was ready, and uncom-
monly bright ; his method of reasoning (free from sophistry) was clear, nervous, and
manly, as became a generous inquirer after truth, and not a noisy wrangler for vic-
tory only. He was a sincere, unfailing friend to every industrious, virtuous, honest
man, who acted his part well, whatever was his station in life ; but the indolent
sluggard, and soft, enervated, unexerting debauchee was his aversion. But, above all,
persons of true piety were his delight. He was a true friend to regular and firm
government, and was an equal enemy to tyranny on the one hand, and licentiousness
on the other. He thought that the practice of industry, economy, frugality, and
temperance was the only way to relieve this Colony, and America in general, from
their present distresses, and therefore was often recommending them.

FOURTH GENERATION. ue

"He was a wise legislator and an able statesman. While he was a judge, he
held the balance of justice with a steady unwavering hand ; and being far superior to
venality, or the influence of personal, family, or party connections, he pronounced the
law impartially, on all the causes brought before him. As a governor he appeared
to advantage : this was his proper element, for he seemed originally formed to govern.
He was a kind and provident husband and parent. His moral character was unblem-
ished, his religion and piety were unaffected ; and he died as he had long lived, a
member of the Second Church in Windsor. In short, we take this to be one of the
few lives spent in so useful and exemplary a manner, that 'tis worth while to hold it
up in view of the world, as being in general worthy of their imitation."

We have a copy of the funeral discourse of his pastor, twenty-eight
pages quarto, entitled, —

" The Character of Moses illustrated and improved in a Discourse occasioned
by the Death of the Honorable Roger Wolcott, Esq., of Windsor, who for several
years was Governor of the Colony of Connecticut, and died May 17, 1767, in the 89-
Year of his Age. Preached the first Opportunity after his Funeral. By Joseph
Perry, A. M., Pastor of the Second Church of Christ in Windsor.

"Isaiah Ivii. i, 2. The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart; and
merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken from the
evil to come. He shall enter into peace; they shall rest in their beds, each one
walking in his uprightness.

" Psalm cxii. 6. The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.

"Psalm Iviii. 11. Verily there is a reward for the righteous.

"Hartford: Printed by Thomas Green."

Text : Deuteronomy xxxiv. 5. So Moses, the Servant of the Lord, died there,
in the land of Moab, according to the Word of the Lord.

The text indicates the strain of the discourse; we subjoin a few para-
graphs : —

"He seldom ever undertook any business but what he accomplished, and carried
through, however difficult it might be. At the head of government, he was a wise
and able governor ; at the head of an army, a general true to his king and country ;
on the bench, a just and upright judge ; and at the bar, an able lawyer. For all
these great and beneficial services he received the thanks and enjoyed the smiles of

Il6 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

his countT)-, and has now received the approbation of the Lord, in the heavenly
world, whose ser\-ant he was. In his own person he was frugal, chaste, and temperate.
View him at the head of a family, he was a kind husband, a good father, and a com-
passionate master. He was a member of this church for a great many years ; a
steady professor of the Christian name, a constant and devout attendant on public
worship and holy ordinances. He was one of your praj-ing rulers ; had the grace as
well as the gift of prayer. He made the Bible his test, and had a particular affection
for the peculiar doctrines of grace, rightly understood ; and with a catholick spirit,
embraced the Cal%'inistick scheme.

'■ He was able to make a good figure, in conversation, among the learned, upon
almost any subject, and had a good acquaintance both with men and things. He was
ver)' easy of access ; no forbidding air sat upon his countenance ; free, affable, and
unaffected, in conversation ; he had a peculiar talent in making himself agreeable to
all sorts of company, so far as innocency would permit. He was a man of ready wit
and great humor. In the later period of his life he devoted himself to reading, medi-
tation, prayer, and self-examination. The authors he read principally were the most
approved in di\"init)', and often feasted himself with the great Doctor Owen, for
whose works he had a particular affection. The subjects of his meditation and
frequent conversation were the transcendant perfections of God, the displays of
them more especially in the Christian institution : of this scheme of salvation he
frequently conversed with great delight and admiration.

" On making him a visit, in his last sickness, a few days before his death, I was
surprised to find how well he retained his intellectuals, and glad to see how well he
supported a firm trust in God, and dependence on Christ, and a good hope of glory.

" The General Assembly, from a grateful sense they had of his past services,
and out of regard to so worthy a character, chose a committee from both Houses, to
pay their respects, in the name of the Assembly, on the solemn occasion of his funeral.
Thus lived, thus died, and thus was buried, that eminent ser^■ant of the Lord, whom
we may, for his resemblance, in many instances, to the illustrious Hebrew in the text,
call the Moses in our Israel."

We have no portrait of him. In one of the political squibs of the day
he is referred to as " stately, smoking Roger." For the following descrip-
tion of his public appearance, in his official costume, we are indebted,
through a friend (Hon. Isaac W. Stuart), to a lady in Wethersfield, Miss
Marsh, the daughter of a venerable clergjTnan long since deceased, who

FOURTH GENERATION. II7

gives it as she received it from her mother, who had often seen him in her
childhood : —

He was a visitor at her father's, and the costume of an oflBcer under the regal
government was too imposing to pass unnoticed. Several times a week he rode out
on horseback, and never appeared abroad but in full-dress.

He wore a suit of scarlet broadcloth. The coat was made long, with wide
skirts, and trimmed down the whole length in front with gilt buttons, and broad gilt
vellum button-holes, two or three inches in length. The cuffs were large and deep,
reaching nearly to the elbows, and were ornamented, like the sides of the coat, as were
also the pocket-lids, with gilt vellum button-holes and buttons. The waistcoat had
skirts, and was richly embroidered. Ruffles at the bosom and over the hands were
of lace. He had a flowing wig, and a three-cornered hat with a cockade ; and rode
slowly and stately a large black horse, whose tail swept the ground.

A Httle north of his residence in South Windsor was a public road to
the river, where he owned a ferry, connecting with Plymouth Meadow on
the other side, the right of which was granted him by the General Court,
in 1725. His house, which is one of the recollections of the writer's boy-
hood, was about a third of a mile north of the present meeting-house. He
built it in 1704, the year of the attack on Deerfield, and the walls of the
front room were covered with a painting descriptive of that scene. The
house was taken down a few years since, and some of the panels which
belonged to that apartment are preserved in the neighborhood as reHcs.
He spent the last years of his life with his daughter, Mrs. Newberry, in Old
Windsor, and was buried there with his fathers, although his home had
been on the other side of the river. His estate was inventoried at ;^ 1,805
\s. 2d., and was distributed among his surviving sons and daughters, and
the children of his deceased son Roger.

LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT.

In the Name of God, Amen. This 18"' Day of July Anno Domini 1761 I
Roger VVolcott of Windsor calling to Mind my Near approaching Death now make
and ordain this my last Will and Testament in Maner as followeth.

Imprimis I resign my Soul to God that gave it and my body to the Dust to
be Decently buried by my Executor, and my Estate both real & perssnell I give &

Il8 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

bequeath as followeth I give to my son Allexander Wolcott all my land that I
bought of John Hoskins my six acre lot in the great meadow all my land in Toland
the land I bought of Zecheriah Long, the land that I bought of Thomas Phelps, my
lot laid out to me in the last Division of Town Commons not far from poison pond
to him & his heirs forever. I also give him my Seal and Seal ring, and the fusee that
I brought from Cape breeton. I give to my Son Josiah Wolcott my land at podunk
that is bounded Eastward partly on the land of Peter Mills partly on a way North,
partly on his own land as far west as to the brow of the upland hill then West on
my own land till it come to the north side of the way in the pasture then north
on my own land at the north side of the way in the pasture and a line Drawn
According to the coorse of the said Way to Podunk brook or the Drain Then west-
ward on Podunk brook & the Drain to the Buttonwood tree that standeth on the
West side of the Brook, then North on a line Drawn from Said Tree Westward
to Nathaniel Bancroft's land at the first point of it where it comes farthest East
against said tree then Westardly & Southerly by Podunk brook till it comes to the
land of John Hills then Southerly on the land of John Hills and land belonging to
the heirs of Jabez Burnham, and a line Drawn according to y" course of the Ditch
between my land & the heirs of Jabez Burnham to Podunk brook or the Drain, and
then it bounds Eastward on podunk brook to my land on the north side of said Brook
and then it bounds South on the land of Nathaniel Bancroft to the South east
Corner of my upland.

I also give him the way on the East Side of s'' land and five acres of meadow
I bought of Nathaniel Fitch att the Cherry trees I also Give him the upland in the
Celler lot that lies farthest East then y° land I bought of Brother William I also
give him my land in the Town Commons that lies South of the Farm brook bounded
on all Sides as it was laid out to me to him & his heirs forever. I also give him my
Silver hilted sword my gold buttons and Double Chambered fusee — I give to my
Son Erastus Wolcott my lot where I now live bounded North on the land of Ephraim
Wolcott in part and partly on a Way South on the land of Benoni Olcott, West on
the River with the appurtenences. I also give him my ferry with the appurtenences
to him & his heirs forever I also give him my Silver Tankard — I Give to my Son
Oliver Wolcott all my land in Litchfield, and all my land in Hartford and all my land
in Colebrook and all my land in Windsor that lies in the Equiuelent to him & his
heirs forever. I also give him my Silver Can.

I give to my Sons Allexander, Erastus and Oliver my meadow land in Wind-
sor that lies Southward of the land I have given to my Son Josiah Wolcott share and
share alike to them and their heirs forever, also free liberty to pass and Repass to and

FOURTH GENERATION.

119

from said land through the land Given to my Son Josiah at the place where I used to
pass to them they are to do their parts in making and repairing the way and bridge.
I also give to my son Allexander my watch — I Give to my Grandson Roger Wolcott
my land in Windsor Bounded West on the River, North on the land of Thomas
Elmore East on the land of Peter Mills and the land of Joshua Loomis South on
the land of Joshua Loomis and Daniel Elmore. I also give him my meadow land in
the Celler lot and my upland in the Celler lott extending East from the highway as
far as the land I bought of Brother William. I also give him my pasture and meadow
land at Podunk that lies Northward of the land I have given to my Son Josiah Wol-
cott with the land or way East of the land of Joseph Diggins. I also give him the
land I bought of John Eglestone and that I bought of Caleb Haskins, as also my
other Lands lying between these lands & farm brook, as also my land laid out to me
in the Town Commons next North of the land of John Rockwell Deceased to him
& his heirs forever.

I give to my grandson Epaphras .Wolcott the land that I bought of Timothy
Green to him & his heirs forever. I give to my grandson Parmenio Wolcott my
Meadow land in Windsor bounded West on the River North on land of Samuel
Elmore Deceased, South on the land of Joseph Diggins & Augustus Diggins to him
& his heirs forever. — I give to my daughter Maryanna Williams the land in Windsor
I bought of Ebenezer Phelps, and all my land in Bolton and all my land in Willing-
ton to her & her heirs forever. I also give her Fourty pounds of my personall
Estate — I give to my daughter Ursula Griswold the Sum of fifteen pounds per-
sonall estate. My Will is that after my just Debts funeral expenses and Legacies
Specially given the Residue of my Estate be equally divided into Six parts, one of
which I give to my four Sons Allexander Josiah Erastus and Oliver Share and Share
alike and four of the Sixth parts I give to my four Daughters, Elizabeth, Hephzibah
Ursula and Maryanna to be Divided between them, Elizabeth to share Sixty pounds
less than any of her Sisters, the Other Sixth part I give to my three grand Daughters
Sarah Steel, Mary Wolcott & Ameha Wolcott Share and Share alike My Will is
that if any of my Children Die before me leaving Issue [the latter] take the Legacy
given to their parents as their parents would have done had they Survived me —

I Nominate & appoint my Son Erastuss Wolcot Executor to this my last Will
and Testament In Confirmation hereof I have hereunto Set my hand and Seal the
Day and Date above said Signed Sealed pronounced & Declared by the Testator to
be his last Will and Testament in presence of us.

Benoni Olcott a

Aaron Bissell K Roger Wolcott a Seal

Elizabeth Wolcott j

I20 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

In the Name of God Amen I Roger Wolcott of Windsor in the County of
Hartford having on this Twenty third Day of March AD 1764 Viewed & Considered
my last Will & Testament Dated the iS* Day of July A:D 1761 Do now Ratify and
Publish the Same to be my last Will & Testament excepting only the following
Legacies mentioned in said Will which in this my Codicil to said Will I Revoak and
utterly make void. That is to Say Whereas I have given to my grandson Roger
sundry pieces or persels of land particularly Described & Bounded in said Legacies,
I do hereby Revoake and make void the whole of Said Legacy I give and Bequeath
the use & Improvement of all Said lands to my Said Grandson Roger Wolcott
During his Naturall life and the Remainder after his Death to his Son Roger & to
his heirs forever y4«a? whereas I have given to my Grandson Parmenio Wolcott one
certain piece or persell of land particularly Described in Said Will I do now revoak
and utterly make void said Legacy, & give & Bequeath the Said persell of land to my
Son Erastuss Wolcott & his heirs forever — And my Will is that my Son Erastus
Wolcott shall pay to my Grandson Parmenio Wolcott one Hundred and Thirty
pounds Lawfull money within Eight months after my Decease. In Confirmation
whereof I have hereunto Set my hand & Seal the twenty third Day of March afore-
said Signed Sealed published & Declared to be his Codicil to his last Will and
Testament by the Testator in presence of

Benoni Olcott

Elizabeth Wolcott Roger Wolcott a Seal

her

Deborah Olcott x

mark

TANKARD AND CUP.

The silver tankard and silver cup, mentioned in his will, and which
are still in the family, bear each an engraving of the Wolcott arms, and
also the initials R^g The church in South Windsor has two valuable
communion cups of silver, which he ordered from England and presented to
it, bearing the initials, the one of his own name, the other of his wife's, with
the date : " R. W. 1756," " S. W. 1756." It is not improbable that all these
pieces were procured at the same time. The tankard is mentioned again
in the will of Judge Erastus Wolcott, from whom it passed to his son,
Capt. Erastus Wolcott ; from the latter to his daughter, Juliana Wolcott ;
and from her to her step-son, the writer of this, in whose possession

FOURTH GENERATION. 121

it now is (1879), its fifth owner, each representing a generation. The
cup and gold buttons are now in possession of Frederick H. Wolcott, of
Astoria, Long Island, N. Y.

We are indebted to Bierstadt and the artotype process for the accu-
rate representation which we give of both tankard and cup.

We have devoted more space than we purposed to this worthy patri-
arch, without exhausting our materials. His character cannot fail to com-
mand the veneration of the Family, to the latest generation, as that of one
who was neither elated by prosperity nor cast down by adversity ; who, in
each extreme of fortune and under every variety of temptation, was true to
his principles, and maintained throughout a simple integrity, with a manly
self-reliance and a calm faith in God.

It was our purpose to let him retire from these pages in the garb of his
own sentiments, which to us appears richer than any biographical sketch.
There remain, among the manuscripts before us, two of his longer religious
Meditations, — one of them founded on a passage in a book of the Apoc-
rypha, the other on a chapter in the book of Proverbs. We had selected
brief extracts from each, but refrain from giving them, on account of the
length of the preceding sketch. They justify the strain in which the writer
in the " Connecticut Gazette," whom we have already quoted, addresses
him in conclusion: —

" I congratulate you on all the good Publick Services you have done for us.
You may now sing a Requiem to your Soul, and join the rapturous song of good old
Simeon, 'Now, Lord, lettest thou thy servant depart in Peace,' and, having been
faithful in a few things, may you be made Ruler over many."

His monument in the old Windsor churchyard is a tablet of brown
stone, supported by five columns, to which the name of his wife has lately
been added. We give an engraving by Clement, from a sketch by Ells-
worth.

'ethtf
^ of the

-B,y»PB..„„, ,, ,^ ,„

Mere lyeth tfieBocIy

[Horfi- Roger WolcottEJ((.\

Who for Teveral Years was

, GOVERNOUR of the Colonev \
''tdftor2neetKui(;And , \\

'h ' f'j£tc(tis 8y

I Jalulis nSi ,\ . :|
j EariMisJiefi Station aidsinHereheJies, '

in Memory of Sarah Drake i|
,wife of Hon^-'RoGm WojxOTT ' j
' Bbm A)\6S4. Died /D 1747 '

FIFTH GENERATION.

123

FIFTH GENERATION.

XIV. John Wolcott (36) married, Dec. 14, 1703, Hannah, daughter
of Thomas Newberry, of Windsor; she was born Feb. 10, 1679; lived in
South Windsor. Children : —

104 — I. Mary, b. Sept. 18, 1704; d. June 14, 1706.

105 — 2. Hannah, b. Oct. 21, 1706; m. June 2, 1737, Uriah Loomis.

106 — 3. Jolin, b. April 24, 1709. See XXXI.

107 — 4. Anne, b. Dec. 9, 171 1 ; m. Dec. 21, 1732, Nathaniel Bancraft.
108—5. Abigail, b. Sept. 26, 1716; m. Feb. 8, 1743, William Stoughton, Jr.
109 — 6. Jerusha, b. Jan. 18, 1719; m. Feb. 10, 1746, Erastus Wolcott (100).

Here lyes y" Body of Mr. John WoLcorr,

who Died Aug- y'' 20* 1750. {Epitaph.^

XV. Charles Wolcott (38) married, Dec. 19, 1706, Elizabeth
Hawley. Children : —

no — I. Sarah, b. Sept. 29, 1707; d. March 24, 1727.

111 — 2. Mary, b. Aug. 20, 1709; m. Aug. 28, 1730, Jonathan North, of Farmington.

112 — 3. Elizabeth, b. June 15, 1712 ; d. March 5, 1728.

113 — 4. George, b. March 3, 1714; d. March 16, 1728.
114 — 5. Charles, b. June 17, d. June 27, 1716.

lis — 6. Benjamin, b. Feb. 23, d. April 19, 1722.

116 — 7. Eunice, b. June 14, 1725 ; married Benoni Olcott, of South Windsor.

Lieut. Charles Wolcott lived in South Windsor, and in his death the
family became extinct in the male line.

In Memory of Lieut. Charles Wolcott,
who died July y' 20''' 1754 in y" 74'''

Year of his Age. {Epitaph.^

In memory of Elizabeth wife of Lieut. Ca-iRLES Woolcott
who Died Nov- y' 3- A. D. t 765 in 79- Year of her Age. {Epitaph^

124

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

XVI. SamuelWolcott (42) married, Dec. 27, 1 705, Abigail, daughter
of the Rev. Nathaniel Collins, of Middletown. Children : —

117 I. Abigail, b. June 3, 1707 ; married Abraham Waterhouse, of Saybrook.

1 18 — 2. Oliver, b. Oct. 2, 1709; d. Oct. 6, 1734.

i,g_3. Samuel, b. April 13, 17 13. See XXXII.

120 4. MeJiitable, b. Aug. 12, 1715 ; married Jonathan Russell, of Wethersfield.

121 — S. Elisha, b. Sept. 26, 171 7. See XXXIII.

122 — 6. Josiah, b. March 27, 1720. See XXXIV.

Capt. Samuel Wolcott, when a youth, lived for a time with his uncle,
Josiah Wolcott, Esq., of Salem, Mass., who expresses a very favorable opin-
ion of him in one of his letters. The death of his father while he was yet
a lad of sixteen years, and the eldest of eight children, devolved upon him
a special charge, and seems to have interrupted the plans of his education.
He commanded a military company; was an importing merchant, and
appears to have been a rich man for his day. The items of his inventory,
the amount of which was £s^097 2.r. lod., manifest a rather unusual degree
of luxury in iht persotmel.

His tombstone, in the Wethersfield churchyard, is a handsome brown
stone monument, supported on columns, and bearing the family arms.
We give it on the next page, engraved by Richardson, from a sketch by
Ellsworth.

Here lies interred the body of

Mrs. Abigail Wolcott, relict of Capt. S.\.muel Wolcott,

& daughter of y" Rev? Mr. Nathaniel Collins of

Middletown, who departed this life

Feb. -f 6- 1 758 in the 77- year of her age. {Epitaph)

It is reported to us that " the ' Worshipful ' Samuel Wolcott built and
occupied the mansion still standing (18S0), which afterwards became famous
as the Washington Headquarters in Wethersfield." An excellent plaster
cast has been taken of the arms and epitaph on the monument.

I Here tytshmiei fhe Body A

RCaF^ S'AllUFl WOICOTT
11 diied ^tp)^ Ij^ 1734
h 58^^ Veai ofhsAse

126 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

XVII. John Wolcott (57) graduated at Harvard College in 1721.
The theme which he discussed on taking his master's degree might be
thought, at this day, as strongly aristocratic as his cousin's had been reli-
gious and doctrinal.

"QuESTiONES Pro Modulo Discutiendae Sub Reverendo D. D. HENRICO FLYNT

CoLLEGij HARV.iRDiNi, quod cst, Divina Providentia, Cantabrigiae Nov-Anglortim, Socio, in

Comitiis publicis a Laureae Magistralis Candidatis : Calendis Quintilis, MDCCXXIV.

" An Superioritas ad Societatem sit necessaria ?

" AFFiRiUT Respondexs JOHANNES WOLCOTT."

{Ord. Ex. Com. 1724.)

He married, Jan. 28, 1730, Elizabeth, daughter of Capt. Peter Papilion,
of Boston. Children : —

123 — I. yohn, b. Nov. 2, d. Nov. 27, 1731.
124—2. Josia/i, b. April 16, 1733. See XXXV.

It is stated by Felt that John Wolcott, Esq., was for a time engaged
in mercantile business with Col. William Brown. He represented the town
in the General Court, was a justice of the peace in 1733, and in 1737 suc-
ceeded Benjamin Marston, Esq., as high sheriff of Essex County. His
estate in Salem, at his death, was ^980 2>s. ^d. ; and he owned Scarlett's
Wharf in Boston, valued at ^6,500. He died May, 1747. His widow mar-
ried (2d), Oct. 4, 1747, John Higginson, of Salem. We have but one brief
letter in his handwriting, addressed to Gov. Roger Wolcott, when the latter
was preparing for his expedition against Louisburg.

HoN° Sir Sa!em, Mar. iS'i; 1744

Understanding you are engaged in this laudable Enterprise, I thought it but

proper to assure you of my good wishes on y- Expedition, a Blessing on his Maj-

Arms in General, the Divine Protection on your Person, & that you may return

w* Safety and Honour to your Family. I send this by Mr: Geo. Cortvin who is

a Branch of my Father's first Wife's Family & to whom I would be glad (if in y"

course of things) you could show any Favour. If you should make use of him, I

doubt not but you'll approve both of his Capacity & Fidelity, & I shall esteem any

marks of kindness done him as a Favour done to

S'- Y'- M? Hum!:!:^ SerV & Kinsm^

Jn: Wolcott
Toy. I/oKtl Rog: Wolcott Esq'.

FIFTH GENERATION.

127

XVIII. George Wolcott (65) married Mary Hartwell, who was
born Dec. 23, 1705; lived in Newington ; his Family Bible is preserved by
descendants in Ohio. Children : —

125 — I. Mary, b. Oct. 27, 1724 ; m. Sept. 7, 1748, Moses Barnes, of New Britain.

126 — 2. Sarah, b. Oct. 5, 1726; married Jonathan Blinn.

127 — 3. Caleb, b. Dec. 19, 1728 ; married Jerusha Price, of Glastenbury.

128 — 4. George, b. Feb. 28, 1731 ; d. June 18, 1744.

129 — 5. yames, b. Oct. i, 1734; married Mrs. Huldah B. Case, of Glastenbury;
lived in Newington.

130 — 6. yusUis, b. Feb. i, 1735 ; m. (ist), 1759, Rachel Bidwell ; (2d), Mrs. Edify

Scott, daughter of Daniel Loomis; moved to Painted Post, N. Y.,
where he died, leaving a large family, — fourteen children, nine of
whom were sons, who had also large families.

131 — 7. Rosajina, b. March 30, 1737; m. April 12, 1764, Levi Warner.

132 — 8. Lois, b. July 27, 1742 ; married James Blinn.
133 — 9. Eunice, b. June 29, 1744; d. Nov. 30, 1747.

134 — 10. George, h. J a.n. 18, 1747; m. March, 1774, Elizabeth Nott ; lived in New-
ington, and left children.

XIX. Joshua Wolcott (68) married Esther, daughter of Joseph
Belding, of Wethersfield; she was born Jan. 26, 1710. The names of his
children are copied from his will, dated Nov. 11, 1752, exhibited Feb. 6,
1753 ; and their order is somewhat conjectural. His estate in Wethersfield,
real and personal, was inventoried at ^4,723 4^. Children: —

135 — I. Joshua, m. June 20, 1757, Esther Dean, of Portland, where he lived and left

children.
136 — 2. Esther, .

137 — 3- Solomon, b. Sept. i, 1735. See XXXVI.

138 — 4. Honor, m. Dec. 14, 1756, Elisha Baxter.
^•l<)— ^. Joseph. See XXXVII.

140 — 6. Caleb, bap. Aug. 1743; died without issue.

141 — 7. Josiah, bap. Sept. 7, 1746; m. March 25, 1772, Prudence Warner; left

a son.
142 — 8. Thomas, bap. 1749 ; died without issue.

128 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

XX. David Wolcott (69) married (ist) Eunice Buck, who died
Aug. 16, 1755; (2d), Abigail Loomis, of Guilford. He is traditionally
known in his native parish of Newington as a man of great moral excel-
lence. Children : —

143 — I. David, b. Aug. 20, 1744; m. Hannah Mimsell, of Windsor; had children.

144 — 2. Elizabeth, b. Aug. 12, 1746 ; m. Feb. 9, 1769, Elias Seymour, of Newington.

145 — 3. Eunice, b. May 26, 1748 ; d. Jan. 19, 1822.

XXI. Henry Wolcott (78) married, Dec. 27, 17 16, Abigail, daughter
of Benjamin Cooley, of Longmeadow; lived in Longmeadow and East
Windsor. Children : —

146 — I. Benjamin, h. Sept. 14, 1717 ; accompanied the expedition to Fort Henry;
married Mrs. Mary Adams ; resided in Longmeadow; d. Feb. 25, 1801.

147 — 2. Jane Allyn, b. Aug. 5, 1719; m. Oct. 31, 1745, Joseph Chapin, of Spring-
field.

148 — 3. Abigail, b. Aug. 15, 1721 ; m. Dec. i, 1743, Matthew Keep, of Long-
meadow.

149 — 4. Penelope, b. Dec. 15, 1724; m. Nov. 22, 1749, John Colton, of Longmeadow.

150 — 5. Tryphena, b. Dec. 20, 1726; m. Oct., 1751, Theophilus Allyn, of Windsor.

151 — 6. Henry, b. May 15, 1729; married Dorcas Allen, of East Windsor; had
children.

152 — 7. Christopher. "Oct. 25, 1732, I baptized at their own house an infant of

Henry and Abigail Wolcott, by the name of Christopher, and it dyed
soon after Baptism was administered." — Rev. Dr. Williams, in Long.
Ch. Rec.

153 — 8. 52W(?«, b. Aug. 7, 1733. See XXXVin.
154 — 9- Peter, b. Aug. 21, 1736; d. Dec. 7, 1758.

155 — 10. Martha, bap. Dec. 9, 1739 ; married Joseph Stoughton, of East Windsor.

Descendants of Henry Wolcott settled at Scantic and Ketch Mills
in East Windsor. His son Henry, named above, who left two sons
that had families, died Oct. 25, 1813; his estate was inventoried at ^22,-
185.46.

FIFTH GENERATION.

129

XXII. Thomas Wolcott (79) married (ist), Aug. 12, 1725, Catha-
rine, daughter of Moses Loomis, of Windsor; she was born Dec. 19, 1702,
and died March 24, 1738. In the " Record of Burials" in East Windsor
we find the entry, "1723 — Oct. 5. Thomas Wolcott's wife." If this is
correct, the above was a second marriage.

Mr. Thomas Wolcott was one of the first settlers of Tolland, and
resided there a number of years. The names of Henry and Simon Wol-
cott appear at the head of the list of the original proprietors of this town.
Tolland and the adjacent town of Wellington (now Willington), in which
they were also proprietors, were named by them in honor of the seats of
the family in England. Children : —

156 — I. Thomas, b. Sept. i, 1726; married Catharine Sackett, of Dover, N. Y.,
where he lived and left a family.

157 — 2. Miriam, b. Feb. 26, 1728 ; married Stone Mills, of South Windsor.

158 — 3. Ljike, b. Sept. 4, 1730; married Jerusha, daughter of Joseph Diggens, of

South Windsor; d. March 11, 1762, leaving children.

159 — 4. yane Catharine, b. Feb. 22, 1733 ; m. Nov. 18, 1751, Ellis Russell, of Windsor.
160 — 5. Rcdexelaiia, b. May 16, 1735 ; m. June 8, 1756, John Loomis, of Windsor.

161 — 6. Rachel, b. April 4, 1737 ; m. Sept. 15, 1757, Elijah Loomis, of Vernon.

After the death of his wife, Mr. Thomas Wolcott removed to
Taghanic, N. Y., where he is said to have married again, and had sev-
eral children. The names of nine have been reported to us, additional
to those above given, though with but a single date. Their descendants
reside in Copake, Dover, Taghanic, Hillsdale, and Ancoram. We give the
descendants of the one the date of whose birth is reported ; but, though
they apparently belong to our lineage, the connecting link at this point
does not as yet rest on historic evidence.

162 — 7. Gideon, b. Feb. 24, 1750. See XXXIX.

XXIII. Peter Wolcott (80) married. May 30, 1733, Mrs. Susanna
Cornwell, daughter of William Hamlin, of Middletown ; died, December,
1 733, in Cork, Ireland. Child : —

163 — I. Giles, b. July 16, 1734; served in the French and Revolutionary Wars ; m.
July, 1779, Sibyl Alden ; left four sons.

I30

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

XXIV. Gideon Wolcott (83) married (ist) Abigail, daughter of
Samuel Mather, of Windsor; she was born May 31, 17 18, and died June,
1 741; (2d), Naomi, daughter of Deacon Joseph Olmsted, of East Hartford.
Children : —
164 — I. Abigail, m. April 9, 1764, Charles Rockwell, of South Windsor.

165 — 2. Samuel, b. April 4, 175 1. See XL.

166 — 3. Naomi, b. Sept. 28, 1754; rn. Feb. 8, 1780, Rev. William Robinson, of

Southington, who graduated at Yale College, 1773.^

" The affection of IVIr. Robinson towards his first wife, with whom he was
united a little over two years, was the earliest and probably the most devoted
attachment of his life. He loved her for her personal qualities, and cherished
the highest respect for her character. This, indeed, is manifested in the
inscription upon her tomb-stone:"^ —

In Memory of

Mrs. Naomi Robinson,

Wife of the Rev. William Robinson.

She was born at East Windsor, Sept. 28, 1 754,

of the ancient and honorable family of the

WOLCOTTS.

She was peculiarly beloved in life,

and at death universally lamented.

She died of the small pox in the 28- year

of her age, April 16- 1782.

Hers was the character so strikingly described

in the 31S Chap, of Proverbs ; and to none

could the closing verse be more appropriately

applied than to her : " Many daughters

have done viituously, but thou excellest

them all."

167 — 4. Gideon, b. Nov. 28, 1756; d. 1806.

168 — 5. Eliz7ir,h. April 12, 1760; married Elizabeth (209), daughter of Dr. Alex-
ander Wolcott ; lived in South Windsor.

Elizur WoLCOTT, Bom April 12, 1760, Died Sept. 20, 1828. — Epitaph.
Elizabeth Wolcott, wife of Elizur Wolcott, Born Jan^ 13, 1763, Died
Oct. 12, 1817. — Epitaph.

1 The distinguished biblical scholar. Rev. Edward Robinson, D.D., was his son by a later
marriage. He has written an interesting memoir of his father, from which we quote above. See also
Sprague's Annals, II. 131-137. " Memoir, 98.

FIFTH GENERATION. 131

Capt. Gideon Wolcott commanded one of the companies raised by the
colonists in 1760 against the French and Indians. We have only this
tradition of him, that " his contemporaries and those who knew him best
regarded him as one of nature's noblemen." The inventory of his estate at
his death was rendered at ^2,557 25-. 3^'.

In Memory of Capt. Gideon Wolcott, who departed this Life June 5"' A. D., 1761, in
ye 50* Year of his Age. — Epitaph.

In Memory of Mrs. Naomi Wolcott, late Relict of Capt. Gideon Wolcott. She was
bom at East Hartford, March i- 1721, and Died Nov- 7- 1775.

Be ye also followers of those who through Faith and patience inherit the promises. —
Epitaph.

THE OLD WOLCOTT ELM IN SOUTH WINDSOR.

This patriarchal tree, which cannot be traced to the hand that planted
it, we associate with the name of the family because it stood opposite the
original estates of its members ; both sides of the street at this point having
been occupied, early and late, by them and their kindred. The first set-
tlers and their immediate descendants planted a row of elms, fronting their
farms, along the middle of the street in almost a continuous line for a mile
south of the meeting-house, with a carriage-road on each side. Those
whose recollections reach back to the first quarter of this century remem-
ber long sections of this row of trees, that had attained gigantic stature,
which were felled, in order that the street might be graded into one dry
carriage-road. There are spots where the double road still (1879) exists,
separated by the original trees or their successors. At the point where the
Great Elm stands, the west side of the street rises by a gentle swell to the
site of the Samuel Wolcott residence, of which we give a drawing, throw-
ing the carriage-road into the middle of the street; and this tree, with its
mates, was planted on its level east side. A friend who measured its trunk
for us, ascertained that at the height of five feet it was twenty-three feet in
circumference, and at the height of eight feet, twenty-nine and one-half feet
in circumference. Learning that Dr. Gurdon W. Russell, of Hartford, had
examined it with the eye of a naturalist, we applied to him for his observa-
tions, and he has kindly furnished other measurements : —

132 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

The spread of the branches from north to south is one hundred and two feet in
diameter. There are numerous branches starting out from the trunk at the height of
about eight feet. The tree is one hundred and eight feet in height. It is a most
noble specimen of the elm, and is still healthy and vigorous, and likely to live for
many years. I know of only one larger ; that is standing in Broad Street, Wethers-
field, four miles below Hartford.

He considers it to be less than two centuries old, — an age which
he thinks the elm rarely attains. It may be somewhat less, and still be
coeval with the first settlers. If not planted during the residence of Henry
Wolcott on the site opposite (as I am inclined to believe), it was certainly
standing here while the spot was the home of Gideon Wolcott.

An admirable drawing of it has been made by E. W. Ellsworth, and
Harroun and Bierstadt have reproduced its exact form and appearance.
Bearing in mind that this sketch represents an altitude of one hundred and
eight feet, and a corresponding breadth, we get an idea of the majesty of
this monarch of the plain. From photograph by E. P. Kellogg, Hartford.

XXV. William Wolcott (86) graduated at Yale College, 1734. As
was common in that day, he was evidently fitted for college by the pastor.
Among the items charged to the father in Rev. T. Edwards's rate-book we
find: "To instructing his son William in the Latin & Greek Tongues."
He was tutor in the college, 1735-36. He married, Feb. 26, 1747, Abigail,
daughter of Abiel Abbott; she was born Nov. 25, 1718. Children: —

169 — I. Eunice, b. Dec. 11, 1747 ; d. August, 1749.
170 — 2. Eunice, b. March i, 1750.

Miss Eunice AVolcott, daughter of William Wolcott, Esq., died Nov. 24,
1S26, aged 76. She loved to do good. — Epitaph.

171 — 3. Abigail, b. Dec. 25, 175 i ; d. Jan. 5, 1752.

172 — 4. William, b. Feb. lo, 1753. See XLI.

173 — 5. Abigail, b. Feb. 8, 1756 ; m. Dec. 10, 1772, Oliver Ellsworth, of Windsor.^

1 The following sketch is from the pen of Theodore Dwight, Esq., of Hartford : —

"The Hon. Oliver Ellsworth was born at Windsor, in the county of Hartford, April 29, 1743. He entered Yale
College in the year 1762, and continued in that seminary three years, when he went to the college at Princeton in New Jersey,
and there finished his education. He was admitted to the bar in I77i,and soon rose to great distinction among his professional

FIFTH GENERATION.

133

We append in the note some account of this distinguished gentle-
man. His widow died Aug. 4, 18 18. The drawing-room of their mansion
in Windsor is graced with full-length portraits of both, painted by Earle, on
one canvas. This apartment, which retains some of its original furniture,
is one of the historic rooms of Connecticut ; Washington and Lafayette
have been the guests of this house. Among the pictures on its walls is a
piece of embroidery presented to the Chief Justice by the First Napoleon.
This pleasant family-seat, shaded by the now stately elms which he planted,
is still (1879) in the possession of the family.

Four of their sons were graduates of Yale College : Oliver E/lszvorth
(1799), also a tutor, died 1805 ; Martin Ellszvorth (1801) ; William Wolcott
Ellsworth (\Z\o) \ Henry Leavitt Ellsworth (^\%\o). William Wolcott Ells-

brethren. Upon being appointed State attorney for the county, he removed to Hartford, where he resided several years, and
was universally considered as at the head of the bar. In 1776, he was appointed by the Legislature a delegate to the Conti-
nental Congress. In 1 7S0, he was elected a member of the Council, a place which he occupied for four years ; and in 1 7S4 he
was appointed a judge of the Superior Court. In 17S7, he was chosen a member of the convention which formed the Constitu-
tion of the United States, and was one of the most able and efficient members of that dignified assembly. \\'hen the document
was submitted to the people of the States for their approbation, he was elected a member of the State Convention, chosen for
that purpose, and probably had more influence in procuring its adoption than any other member of that body. At the organi-
zation of the national government, he was appointed a Senator of the United States. He held his seat in that body until
March, 1796, when he was appointed Chief Justice of the United States. In 1799, he was nominated Envoy Extraordinary to
France, and having finished the negotiations with which he and his associates were intrusted, with the French government, he
visited England for the benefit of his health, which had been seriously impaired by the voyage to Europe. Whilst he was in
England, he resigned his office of Chief Justice of the United States. Immediately after his return to this country, he was
elected a member of the Council, and was appointed Chief Justice of the State, an office which he declined, in consequence of
the state of his health. He remained, however, in the Council until his death, which occurred Nov. 26, 1S07."

*' Mr. Ellsworth was formed to be a great man : his imagination was uncommonly vivid, his wit brilliant and piercing,
his logical powers very great, and his imagination fitted for capacious views and vast designs. Intense thought appeared to be
his amusement, and he unfolded his views on every occasion with an arrangement singularly clear and luminous. His elo-
quence strongly resembled that of Demosthenes, — grave, forcible, and inclined to severity. In the numerous public stations
which he filled during a period of more than thirty years, he regularly rose to the first rank of reputation ; and to this superiority
of intelligence his moral attributes were peculiarly suited. In private life he was just and amiable: in public life his impar-
tiality, fairness, integrity', and patriotism awed and defied even calumny and suspicion. Retentive as his memory was, he must,
from intense application to public affairs, have lost much of that ready recollection and that exact knowledge of the law which
are necessary for the bench. Yet he sustained the office of Chief Justice of the United States, with high and increasing
reputation, throughout every part of the Union. As a senator he was pre-eminent. His mind discerned political subjects with
an intuition peculiar to himself. It may be added, that in the highest excitement of party spirit no attack was ever made
upon his public integrity or private worth." 1

" He died greatly regretted, as in his life he had been admired for his extraordinary endowments, his accompUshments
as an advocate, his integrity as a judge, his patriotism as a legislator and ambassador, and his exemplariness as a Christian." 2

" He was a lover of the peace and order of society ; one that respected the public institutions of Christianity ; a pro-
fessor of the religion of Jesus from his youth; a constant attendant upon the worship of God in his sanctuary, and on the
sacrament of the Lord's Supper. In private life he was regular and strictly temperate. In his intercourse with men he was
social, easy of access, and from the improvement of his mind, and that fund of useful knowledge which he possessed, his con-
versation was improving and highly entertaining." 8

1 Conn. Courant Sup., May 23, 1840. 2 Lord's Univers. Biog. s Rowland's Funeral Sermon.

134 ^-^^ WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

worth was member of Congress, Governor of Connecticut, and Judge of the
Supreme Court of the State.

They had three daughters : Abigail Ellsworth, married Ezekiel Wil-
liams (gr. Y. C. 1785) ; Frances Ellsworth, married Joseph Wood (gr. Y. C.
1801) ; Delia Ellsworth, married Thomas S Williams (gr. Y. C. 1799), Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court of Connecticut.

174 — 6. Martha, b. April 23, 1757; m. Sept. 10, 1792, Increase Mather, of Windsor.

175 — 7. Abiel, b. Aug. 10, 1 761. See XLII.

William Wolcott, Esq., resided in South Windsor, and was a justice
of the peace. Among the papers of Mr. E. N. Sill, before named (p. 63), is
a manuscript folio, in paper covers, of one hundred and fifty pages, entitled,
" Henry Allyn's Book of Record: Containing Judgments of Court, Recog-
nizances, &c., made and performed by me as one of His Majesties Justices
of y^ peace for y^ County of Hartford for y^ Year of our Lord — 1734."
The record covers several years. In some instances, it seems, the magis-
trates sat as a board, and we copy one of the cases in which Mr. Wolcott
officiated. At this session, six persons were separately arraigned, of appar-
ently respectable social standing, all of whom were charged with the same
offence, were each adjudged guilty, and received each the same sentence.
It is a most striking, and in our day strange, illustration of the state of public
sentiment on such questions, in Connecticut, a century and a half ago.

At a Court of Tryals for Small Causes Holden at Windsor in Hartford County
Sep' 25'!' 1746, Present Henry Allyn, Dan'^ Bissell & William Wolcott Esq- Justices
of y' Peace in & for s- County. Rebeckah Drake of s^ Windsor y" Wife of Dea^
Nath" Drake being Arrested was Brought before s*" Court to answer to a Complaint
against her made by s"* Windsor Constables & Grand] urors, Who on their Oaths
Informed against s*^ Rebeckah Drake y' She Did not Attend y' Publick Worship of
God on y' Two Last Sabbaths of August Then Last past. Which is Contrary to the
Law of this Colony in Page 30, & Praying y' She may be proceeded against as y Law
Directs. The said Rebeckah being Examined in y" Matters of said Complaint
Pleaded Not Guilty. Thereupon y= Evidences being Heard & y° Case Considered
this Court is of Opinion y' y" s'' Rebeckah Drake is Guilty of Neglecting y" Publick
Worship of God y" Last Sabbath in August 1746 — & Thereupon Give Judgment y'

FIFTH GENERATION. 135

y' s*" Dea' Nathan- Drake & his Wife pay a fine of five Shillings money Old Tenor
for her Breach of Law to be Disposed of as y"' Law Directs & Also pay y" Costs of
Prosecution allowed to be &, 4'' Old Tenor.

Mr. Wolcott was for many years a representative of the town in tlie
General Assembly. He took an active part, as a civilian, in the stirring
discussions which preceded and attended the War of the Revolution ; was
chairman of the Town Committee of Correspondence, and of the County
Committee of Observation. The latter held important meetings at Hart-
ford, over which he presided ; we copy extracts from the minutes adopted
at two of them : —

" At a meeting of the Committees of Observation in the several Towns in the
County of Hartford, to consult and resolve on the most effectual and uniform Meas-
ures for carrying the Association of the Continental Congress into Execution, held at
Hartford the 25- Day of January, a.d. 1775.

" William Wolcott, Esq., Chaii'inan.

" First — We declare we neither aim at, nor wish for, independence ; we desire
only to enjoy our ancient dependent constitution in the same manner as we received
it from his Majesty's royal progenitors, as it hath always been understood and prac-
tised upon before the late innovations." ^

" At a meeting of the Committees of Inspection of fifteen towns in the county
of Hartford, duly warned and convened at the State-House in Hartford, on Wednes-
day the 27th day of March, a.d. 1776,

" William Wolcott, Esq., in the Chair,

"Resolved — That it be recommended to the respective committees of inspection
of the several towns in this county, that for the future they grant no license to any
person for the purchasing of tea, except for the use of the sick in their respective
towns ; and that in said permits the name of the person applying, the exact quantity,
together with the name of the person for whose use it is, be inserted, with direction
that the said permit be left with the seller, to whom it shall be directed ; and that no
person do presume to sell directly or indirectly any India tea without such license,
nor shall upon such license give or receive more than at the rate of four shillings
and six pence per pound therefor." ^

' Conn. Courant.

136 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

His will was dated July 31, 1791 ; its preamble recites: —

Being far advanced in age, and my departure from this world draweth nigh —
commending my Soul to God who gave it, hoping for a happy immortality beyond,
thro' the mediation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and my Body after my decease
to a decent burial in the Earth from whence it was taken, etc.

Sacred to the memory of William Wolcott, Esq. who died May 22, 1799, aged 88
years.

He possessed an enlightened mind,

Aided by a liberal education.

And in early life dedicated himself

To the service of God, and of mankind.

He sustained several important

Offices in this state, and discharged

The duties of them with fidelity.

Throughout a prolonged life

He was a pillar of the church and an

Ornament to his Christian profession.

The memory of the just is blessed,

His life was pure, beneficent, approved

Of God and man, and happy was his end. {Epitaph!)

In memory of Mrs. Abigail, the Wife of Will- Wolcott, Esq' She Died Oct- y° 12-
A. D. 1763, in y^ 45- year of her age.

In Virtues that became her stUl

Life's various parts she acted well

And clos'd at Death, such peace was given

Like rest in sleep, to wake in Heaven. {Epitaph^

XXVI.- Ephraim Wolcott (87) married, May 12, 1758, Mary
Kellogg, of Newington ; lived in South Windsor; died Dec. 18, 1762.
Children: —

176 — I. Sarah, b. Feb. 25, 1760; married Josiah Bissell.
177 — 2. Ephraim,\>. Feb. 25, 1762. See XLIII.

FIFTH GENERATION. xT)!

XXVII. Roger WoLCOTT (89) married (ist), Oct. 10, 1728, Marah,
daughter of Capt. Benjamin Newberry, of Windsor ; she was born Feb. 3,
1710; (2d), June 19, 1759, Eunice, widow of John Ely, of Springfield, and
daughter of John Colton. Children: —

178— I. Roger, b. Sept. 18, d. Nov. 15, 1729.

179 — 2. Marah,h. Oct. 15, 1730; d. Aug. 4, 1737.

180—3. Roger, b. June 16, 1733 ; d. Nov. i, 1736.

181 — 4. Sarah, b. June 7, 1735 ; married Elisha Steele, Esq., of Tolland.

182 — 5. Roger, b. Nov. lo, 1737. See XLIV.

183 — 6. Epaphras, b. May 2, 1740. See XLV.

184 — 7. Mary, b. April 4, 1742 ; m. April 22, 1764, Jesse Goodell.

1S5 — 8. Emeline, b. Oct. 20, 1744; d. Feb. 25, 1745.

186 — 9. Pannenio, b. April 17, 1746. See XLVI.

187 — 10. Amelia, b. Oct. 27, 1750; m. May 30, 1771, Marvin Lord, of Lyme.

188— II. Martha, b. April 23, d. May 9, 1753.

Major Roger Wolcott was contemporary with Jonathan Edwards.
There was less than a year's difference in their ages ; and their birthplaces
— their fathers' residences — were not half a mile apart, on the main street
in South Windsor. His own residence is said to have been the estate ad-
joining his uncle Henry's on the south, about a mile south of the meeting-
house, on the west side of the street, — the place afterwards owned by Mr.
Elihu Wolcott, and where the writer was born. The house, with some
additions, is still (1879) in good preservation.

He was a Representative of the town in the General Assembly, a
Major of the Connecticut troops, a member of the Council, a Judge of the
Superior Court, and one of the Revisers of the laws of the State. His
premature removal by death defeated and disappointed the general desire
and purpose of the freemen to elevate him to the highest office in their
gift.

He was one of three Commissioners appointed by the Colony to meet
the Commissioners of the other colonies in convention at Albany, June,
1754, to arrange a plan of union for the several colonies. The Connecticut
delegation dissented from the plan then proposed, and it fell through.

1,8 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

None of his papers have come down to us, but we have the testimony
of his contemporaries to his high standing and worth. A writer in the
" Connecticut Courant," under date of March i6, 1767, arguing against the
propriety of having two of the leading offices in the government filled at
the same time by members of the same family, cites the following illus-
tration : —

" When the Honourable Governour Wolcott was at the head of this government,
his worthy Son, since deceased, was in the nomination (for the Council) a Gentleman
universally known, and universally esteemed, loved, and admired by the Freemen of
this Colony, yet they omitted advancing him into the Council, until the Dismission of
his honoured Father."

His pastor, the Reverend Joseph Perry, in the funeral sermon for his
father, who survived him several years, pays the following tribute to his
virtues : —

" One Son, especially, whose memory is dear to this place and government ; an
ornament to the family, employed and approved of in many of the most important
places of public trust, but was taken away suddenly ; of whom it may be said, his
sun set before noon, — I mean before he had arrived at that pitch of honor and useful-
ness there seemed to be the fairest prospect of, — the Hon. Roger JVo/coii, ]un., Esq.,
of Windsor, a member of his Majesty's Council for the Colony of Connecticut, and
one of the judges of the hon. the Superior Court for said Colony. This gentleman
was universally esteemed for his distinguished accomplishments, natural and acquired.
He was an able statesman, a most reliable friend, and an exemplary Christian. By
his death, not only his bereaved family and near relatives were put into tears, but the
town and government also gave expression of deep resentment and bitter grief"

Among our books is a pamphlet of ten octavo pages, with the title, —

"Judge Wolcott. A Funeral Poem upon Roger Wolcott, Esq.; Who was one
of the Honorable Council of the Colony of Connecticut, and a Judge of their Superior
Court, who died October 19- 1759, i" the 56'^^ Year of his Age. Inscribed to William
Wolcott, Esq.

" ' . . . . Quern semper amatum.
Semper honoratum, sic Dii voluistis, habebo.'' " ■ — ViR.

FIFTH GENERATION.

139

" My whole' Life tells me, that a just Demand for Esteem is sacred, but rare.
We may well afford to pay it where it is due. The Centaur not fabulous.
"New-Haven; Printed by James Parker & Co., 1760."

Of this tribute to his memory by some unknown friend we give the
concluding lines : —

" Strong was his moral taste ; his sense as strong
Of his own weakness, as of right and ivrong.
His humble trust secured the Almighty's aid ;
He feared not man, nor of the grave afraid,
Peaceful and calm the dreary vale he trod,
Sweet sleeps his flesh ; his spirit's with his God."

A writer in the "Connecticut Gazette," Dec. i, 1759, offers an
extended poetical " epitaph " upon him, which contains a glowing descrip-
tion of the " manly grace " of his person, and of the excellent qualities of
his mind and heart.

Here Lyeth Roger

WoLCOTT Esq' who

was one of the Coun

oil A Judge of y" SupT

& County Court

which offices he Dis

charged with Such In

tegrity & Skill that

He Dyed much La

mented Octr \<f^

A. D. 1759 aged

55 years {Epitaph.)

In Memory of Mrs

Mara Wolcott, y= ^fe

of Roger Wolcott Jun. Esq',

who departed this Life,

June f 5"-i AD. 1758,

ill -f 49'- Year of

her Age. {Epitaph.)

140 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

XXVIII. Alexander Wolcott (93) graduated at Yale College,
1 731. He married (ist), Dec, 4, 1732, Lydia, daughter of Jeremiah
Atwater, of New Haven; (2d), March 17, 1739, Mrs. Mary Allyn, of New
Haven; (3d), 1745, Mary Richards, of New London. Children: —

189 — I. Jeremiah, b. Nov. 3, 1733. See XLVII.

190 — 2. Alexander, b. Feb. 17, 1735 ; killed in the French war, while serving under

his grandfather, Gov. Roger Wolcott. His will, dated April 18, 1757,
proved March 6, 1758, refers to himself as "being enlisted in the war
against his Majesty's enemies."

191 — 3. Lydia, bap. Nov. 6, 1737; m. Dec. 6. 1759, Samuel Austin, of New Haven.

Their son (Rev. Samuel Austin, D.D.) graduated at Yale College,
1783, and was President of the University of Vermont.

192 — 4. Esther, b. Sept. 17, d. Oct. 9, 1746.

193 — 5. Simon, b. Aug. 9, 1747. See XLVHI.

194 — 6. Esther, b. July 17, 1749 ; m. Jan. 6, 1785, Samuel Treat, of South Windsor,

being his second wife.

195 — 7. George, b. May 23, d. Oct. 17, 175 1.

196 — 8. George, b. Oct. 17, 1753. See XLIX.

197 — 9. ChristopJier, b. Oct. i, 1754. See L.

198 — 10. Mary, b. Aug. 7, 1756; m. Dec. 25, 1776, Elihu Griswold, of Windsor.

199 — II. Alexander, b. Sept. 15, 1758. See LI. , \ '

200 — 12. Guy, b. Aug. 7, 1760. See LH.

201 — 13. Elizabeth, b. Jan. 13, 1763 ; married Elizur Wolcott (176), of South Windsor.

Dr. Alexander Wolcott accompanied his father as surgeon in the
expe*dition against Louisburg. He removed from New Haven after his
last marriage, and settled in Windsor as a practising physician, and soon
distinguished himself in his profession. He is said to have been " a man
of commanding personal appearance and of great talents," and he was called
to take an active and prominent part in public affairs, which were becoming
critical. He was a Justice of the Peace, and repeatedly a Representative of
the town in the General Assembly, in which he took an active and influen-
tial part in the discussion which preceded the Declaration of Independence.
During the War of the Revolution he was chairman of the Windsor Com-

FIFTH GENERATION.

141

mittee of Inspection, and was placed by the General Assembly at the head
of a commission to examine applicants for the post of surgeon and sur-
geon's mate.

" His library was large and well selected, and its array of folios, mostly in Latin,
would make a student of this day shudder with apprehension. Dr. VVolcott was in
the practice of reading these ponderous tomes of Latin and Greek. He had a faith-
ful servant, originally a slave (Primus), to escort him when he visited his patients,
and aid him in preparing medicines for the sick. In this way Primus and his
master lived on for years, till it occurred to the latter that the old negro should be
released from bondage. Primus was free, but he did not waste months in doubt
respecting his future course. He immediately removed to the opposite bank of the
river (the east side), and was at once recognized as a doctor, and as such frequently
employed. On one occasion he was requested to visit a sick child in Poquonnock, —
the west side. Primus obeyed the summons ; and on his way home rapped at the
door of his old master, who came out to inquire what was wanted. ' Nothing par-
ticular, Master, I called to say that I was sent for to see a child of our old neighbor,
but found it to be a very simple case, and said to the mother it was not necessary to
send so far for a doctor, iox yoii would have done just as well as any one else.' " ^

Like his father, he occasionally wrote verses, and we insert the opening
and closing lines of one of his pieces : —

A Penitential Prayer.

Almighty God, most merciful and just,

Who, many times, hast wrought salvation for me,

O hear thy suppliant's prayer, Ere yet the sun

Breaks from the hidden chambers of the East,

To drink the morning cloud and early dew —

Fair emblem of my life — my prayer begins,

Nor ends when night has curtained o'er the sky. . . .

Here then I bow — and on the bended knee
Of humble gratitude, accept the mercy.
And in return to thee, my God, my Saviour,
I give myself, and every power I have,

1 Dr. Georee Sumner.

142 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

To be devoted ever to thy service ;
Accept the dedication which I make,
Assert thy rightful empire o'er thy servant,
Reign king supreme forever in my breast ;
O tune my nature in unison to virtue,
May my heart glow with that celestial order
That animates the seraphs round thy throne.
And when this mortal hfe on earth is ended,
O may I rise and join the flaming throng.
And dwell forever near thee.

The writer's father once told him that Dr. Alexander Wolcott, whom
he saw when a child, far advanced in years, was very tall, and erect as a
plane-tree, with hair hanging down his shoulders, of silvery whiteness, and
with an eye and eyebrow and complexion of a dark hue ; his appearance
was exceeding noble.

In memory of Doct. Alexander Wolcott, who died March 25,1 795. ^t. 2>i. — Epitaph.

In memory of Mary Wolcott, widow of Doct. Alexander Wolcott, who died Oct. 23,
1 8 1 7. ^t. 93 years. — Epitaph.

XXIX. Erastus Wolcott (100) married, Feb. 10, 1746, Jerusha
(109), daughter of John Wolcott, of South Windsor. Children : —

202— I. Erastus, b. Dec. 24, 1747; d. Aug. 16, 1751.

203 — 2. Flavia, b. May 27, 1750; d. Aug. 23, 1751.

204 — 3. Erastus, b. July 6, 1752. See LIII.

205 — 4. i^flOTrt, b. Jan. 5, 1754; m. Aug. 20, 1783, Roswell Grant, Esq. (gr. Yale

Coll. 1765), of South Windsor.

206 — 5. Jerusha, b. Nov. 29, 1755 ; ra. Dec. 29, 1774, Samuel Wolcott (173), of

South Windsor.

207 — 6. Arodi,h. Sept. 29, 1760. See LIV.

208 — 7. Albert, b. Dec. 19, 1761. See LV.

General Erastus Wolcott settled in South Windsor, on the homestead
adjoining his father's on the south ; was repeatedly a Representative of the
town in the General Assembly, and also Speaker of the Lower House,
Justice of the Peace, Judge of Probate, Judge and Chief Judge of the

FIFTH GENERATION. 143

County Court, Representative in Congress, and Judge of the Superior
Court. He held the rank of Brigadier-General of the Connecticut troops
in the Revolutionary War. We find a sketch of his life in his funeral dis-
course, a pamphlet of twenty-eight pages, with the following title : —

"A Sermon delivered in East Windsor, Connecticut, at the interment of the
Hon. Erastus Wolcott, Esq., who departed this Life September 14, 1793, in the
7l5i Year of his Age. By David McClure, A.M.

" ' To few, and wondrous few, has heaven assigned
A wise, extensive, all considering mind.'

" ' Be thou faithful unto death.'

"Printed at Hartford, by Hudson and Goodwin, MDCCXCIV."
Text : Psalm xii. i, " Help, Lord, for the godly man ceaseth, for the faithful
fail from among the children of men."

Dedication: "To Erastus Wolcott, Esq., and the surviving Brethren and
Sisters, the Children of the deceased, the following Discourse, a tribute of Respect
to the Memory of their worthy Father, who though dead yet speaketh to them, by an
exemplary life of well-doing, is affectionately inscribed by their sympathizing Friend
and Servant, the Author."

We give a few paragraphs : —

"His younger life was spent in the business of agriculture, an employment
pleasing to him thro' his whole life. He had the advantage only of a common-school
education, yet he acquired great knowledge in useful science. He had much expe-
rience in public business, having had the advantage of the instructions of his worthy
father, formerly the chief magistrate and governor of the State ; and by being called
to public employment, either in this his native town, in the legislature, at the council-
board, or on the bench of judicature, between thirty and forty years. And in all his
civil and military offices and services for the public he obtained the approbation of
his countrymen, as a wise, judicious, and faithful man.

"In the spring of 1775, Dr. Johnson,^ now president of New York College, and
Major Wolcott were sent by the Legislature of the State to Boston, then the head-

' Rev. Samuel Johnson, D.D.

144 '^^^ WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

quarters of the British troops, to investigate, if possible, the designs of the British in
their military manoeuvres, and ascertain the necessity of immediate preparation for
the worst events. They had an interview with Gage, and obtained only specious and
delusive promises of peace. In 1776, he was appointed to the command of a regiment
of militia, and marched to the army investing Boston, and, under the illustrious
Washington, was active in throwing up the works on the heights at Dorchester,
which eventually compelled the British fleet and army to evacuate the town and har-
bour of Boston. The same season he proceeded to New London, and superintended
the erection of fortifications to defend the harbour ; and garrisoned Fort Trumbull
and Fort Griswold with his regiment during the summer. Having received the
appointment of brigadier-general of the first brigade of militia of Connecticut, in
1777 he went on an expedition to Peekskill, on Hudson's River, where he was sta-
tioned for a season, to guard some important places, while the continental army were
recruiting and the regiments filling up. On the arrival of the news of the destruction
of Danbury by a part of the enemy under the command of Tryon, he left his encamp-
ment on Hudson's River, and marched to oppose him, but on the road received intelli-
gence of the enemy's retreat to Long Island.

" The offices of trust and honour which were conferred on him by his fellow-
citizens were conferred without his solicitation. He was repeatedly chosen by the
freemen as a delegate to the Congress of the United States. The university of this
State (Yale College), as an expression of their estimation of his merit, conferred upon
him an honorary degree. He was a firm patriot and able advocate for the liberties
of his country. His name and exertions for the prosperity of his country will remain
among the bands of patriots, when the virtuous sons of New England were

' Mindful of their old ^eno^\'n,

Their great forefathers' virtues, and their own.'

He well understood the nature of government, and was a zealous friend to republican
principles.

" While we would shun unmerited encomiums on the dead, or flattering compli-
ments to the living, it becomes us, in the language of truth and soberness, to pay
a decent respect to the memory of the man whose obsequies we are now attending.
And were not the general traits in the character of the faithful and godly man hap-
pily seen in the Hon. Judge Wolcott 1 Tho' descended from respectable ancestors,
his merit did not depend upon his honourable pedigree. He possessed a strong and
penetrating mind, a quick discernment and solid judgment, beyond what is common
to men. And these gifts of the universal Parent were united to great integrity. His

FIFTH generation; 145

opinion in all important matters was the dictate of wisdom, and expressed in plain
and comprehensive language, the language of masculine sense, and always with
a respectful deference to the judgment of others. Assemblies listened to him with
instruction and applause. He was firm and persevering in all affairs of moment, on
which he had formed an opinion after mature deliberation. His superior powers of
mind, which were improved by reading and reflection, were at length devoted to the
service of the public. Desirous, at length, of contemplative retirement from the
labours of public office, he resigned his seat as one of the judges of the honourable
Superior Court, with great dignity to himself ; and too soon, for his friends and
country, felt the shock of death's approach. A life of virtue and religion prepared
him to meet his dissolution with fortitude, resignation, and hope ; the consolations
of the gospel were his support and joy.

" It has pleased a holy God to remove from this church and society one whose
presence and faithful assistance they had long enjoyed. His seat in these earthly
courts is now vacant ; exchanged, we trust, — O happy exchange ! — for a glorious seat
in the church of the first-born, in the general assembly of the spirits of just men made
perfect. As a church, we feel the loss of a wise father and friend. He honoured the
institution of the Sabbath, public worship and ordinances. The Holy Scriptures were
the subject of his pleasing meditations. Thus the brightest geniuses which the world
hath seen, a Newton, a Locke, an Addison, fatigued in the pursuit of human knowl-
edge, sat down, delighted at the sublime and glorious truths contained in the Holy
Scriptures as the only satisfying science. A reviving light on divine subjects, partic-
ularly the distinguishing doctrines of grace in our redemption by Jesus Christ, shone
with lustre and comfort on his mind some time before his last sickness. He was
catholic in sentiment, and charitably embraced good men of other denominations.
A condescending spirit of forbearance and Christian moderation among his brethren
were branches of his worthy character.

" Our deceased friend bore his last long sickness and the pains of dissolution
with great patience and submission to God ; possessing that cheerful serenity and
fortitude which his whole life displayed. And when his speech failed, he raised his
dying hands in testimony of his hope of heaven and joy in God, through a glorious
Redeemer. May it please a holy God to sanctify this affliction to the children who
mourn the loss of an affectionate father and friend, to the surviving brethren and
sisters, to the aged of his acquaintance, to this church and town, to the people of this
State, and to each of us." ^

1 McClure's Sermon, pp. 16-20.

146 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

One of the volumes in our possession is a long manuscript letter from
a prominent citizen, Benjamin Gale, of Killingworth, calling his attention
to measures of public policy, on which an expression of his views will be
welcome, on account of the sentiments which " many Freemen of this State
entertain respecting the frank, open, and undisguised line of Conduct
which you have ever maintained in your Public Station, and therefore what
you say will have great weight."

We have the following traditionary notice of him : —

He was a tall man, of large frame, with light gray eyes and light hair. He was
rather reserved in conversation, and seemed to look forward to the result of things ;
had a high reputation for sagacity, and was familiarly known among his neighbors as
" Old Long-Head!' He was plain in his manners, and accessible to all, and patient
in hearing every one. He had great decision of character when he had made up his
mind. He was noble-hearted and generous, and when he died the town felt that one
of its props was taken away.

The writer's father, (who was a grandson of the Judge, familiar with
his home, and nine years old at the time of his decease,) once furnished
him with the following interesting sketch, drawn from the recollections of
his boyhood : —

I well remember sitting on Gen. Erastus Wolcott's knee, when I was quite a
child, and listening with intense interest to stories which he told to amuse me. Well
do I recollect that gigantic frame and noble countenance. But I cannot minutely
describe him. He was as wise and as truly great a man as ever bore the Wolcott
name. But he had no ambition for public life ; and such public offices as he filled, he
accepted not from choice, but from a sense of duty. Had he been ambitious, he
might have risen to the very highest distinction. Whether engaged in public or
private business, he was a man of indefatigable industry.

None of his papers are left, except a few brief military letters. Ap-
pended to his funeral sermon is a disquisition on the Moral Government
of God, written by him about two years before his death ; and from this
piece, being all that we have of his own composition, we give a brief
extract. It is thus introduced by the author of the sermon: —

FIFTH GENERATION.

147

" Tlioiights on God's Moral Government of the World, as it is connected zvith the
Redemption of Mankind. By the Hon. Erastus Wolcott, Esq.

" Written about two years before his death, and put into the hand of the author
of the foregoing discourse, with a view, as himself expressed, to consideration and
candid enquiry. They are now published with a desire that the important thoughts
suggested may edify those who may peruse them."

" The language of the Deity, in his word and by his providences, to the children
of men, is : ' I have laid help on one mighty to save, even my own Son, whom I have
appointed to be the Lord your righteousness, and thereby opened a way, consistent
with the justice of my government, to exercise my mercy, goodness, and long-suffer-
ing to you during your probationary state ; for it is my design to form your minds to
habits of holiness and goodness, that it may be your increasing happiness to bear
a part in the higher employments and enjoyments of another world, among the good
and virtuous from all parts of my universal dominions. I have seated myself on a
throne of mercy, to which all may freely repair, — the vile for mercy, the afflicted
for consolation. My providence attends you to supply your wants, and guard you
from evil. If I chastise you, it is for your good, that chastisements may produce in
you the peaceable fruits of righteousness, and teach you the evil of disobedience.
My laws are written on your minds, and consist in love and obedience to the author
of your being, and the practice of love and benevolence to one another.'

" The beneficent efifects of that important transaction are not confined to the
children of men, but angels and superior intelligent beings above share and partici-
pate in the joy of so glorious a deed, and are filled with adoring views of the wisdom,
power, and goodness of God displayed in the redemption of mankind." '

LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT.

In the name of God, Amen — this 14- day of December 1792. I Erastus Wol-
cott calling to mind my approaching mortality do make & ordain this my last Will
& Testament. My soul I commend to the mercy of God thro' the merits of my
Redeemer ; my body to the Dust, to be Decently buried by my Executors here-after
mentioned. My Will is that my just debts and funeral expenses be paid by my
Executors. I give to my Son Erastus Wolcott my Silver Tankard. I give to my

1 Thoughts, iSrc, 23, 24, 28.

148 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Daughter Flavia, the wife of Major Roswell Grant, Five hundred pounds, in addition
to what I have already given her, to be paid out of my Estate at Inventory price. I
give to my Daughter Jerusha, the Wife of Samuel Wolcott, the sum of five hundred
pounds in addition to what I have already given her, to be paid out of my Estate at
Inventory price. All the rest of my Estate that I shall die possessed of I give to my
three Sons, Erastus, Arodi, & Albert Wolcott, to be equally divided between them,
including what I have given them by deeds to them and their heirs forever. And I
do constitute & appoint my three sons, Erastus, Arodi, & Albert, E.xecutors of this
my last Will and Testament. In confirmation of all which, I have hereunto set my
hand & seal, the day & year above written. Signed, sealed and delivered by the
Testator to be his last Will and Testament.

Erastus Wolcott — and seal.
In presence of

Azariah Skinner

Amasa Newberry

yoseph Phelps.

He was buried with his wife in the old churchyard of South Windsor.

Sacred

to the memory of the

Hon. Erasius Wolcott, Esq.

one of the Judges of the

Hon. Superior Court, & General

in the Army in the late war.

He was a sincere friend of

Religion, & filled up his important

life with usefulness to mankind.
Deceased Sept. 14'^ 1793 — &. 70. {Epitaph.)

Sacred to the memory of

Mrs Jerush.\ Wolcott

the amiable consort of

Er.\stus Wolcott, Esq'

Deceased June 2, 1789, JE. 70. {Epitaph.)

■H

'Ji^r.

FIFTH GENERATION. 1 49

XXX. Oliver Wolcott (102) graduated at Yale College, 1747.
He married, Jan. 21, 1755, Lorraine, or Laura, daughter of Capt. Daniel
Collins, of Guilford.' Children : —

209 — I. Oliver, b. Aug. 31, d. Sept. 13, 1757.

210 — 2. Oliver, b. Jan. 11, 1760. See LVI.

211 — 3. Laura, b. Dec. 15, 1761 ; m. Oct. 6, 1785, William Moseley (grad. Yale
Col. 1777), of Hartford. Their eldest son, Charles, graduated at Yale
College, 1806. A full-length portrait of Mrs. Moseley, with her little
son, Charles, by Earle, hangs over the broad stair in the hall of
Mr. Charles Moseley Wolcott, at Roscneath. The painter was famous
in his day ; but this picture is unique, its value being less as a work of
art than as a family antique. We find among our papers a letter to
her brother, which refers to this painting.

Dear Brother. lHartford\ Wednesday, Sept 28, '91

I am told that you begin to indulge hard thoughts of me for not
writing oftener ; you ought to consider that my attention has been
engrossed by Mr. Earl, and that I have had enough to do, to acquire
the grace of patience ; I assure you, I have nearly attained it, and
probably in the course of two or three months shall arrive at a state
of perfection in this virtue. Painting goes on steadily, though slowly,
and my Portrait looks — • I can't tell you how. Earl has two or three

* This gentleman was descended from one of the first settlers of New England ; his descendants
comprise some of the principal families of Goshen. The Rev. Timothy Collins, of Litchfield, was
related to him, of whom the last Governor Wolcott remarks : " He was the first clergyman of the
village, and united in his person the dignities of a justice of the peace, with both civil and criminal
jurisdiction, parish priest, and practising physician."

The widow of Captain Collins was for many years an inmate of the family of her son-in-law.
Governor Wolcott. She was buried in the west burial-ground at Litchfield. Their son, the Rev.
Daniel Collins, graduated at Yale College in 1760, and was the first clergyman in Lanesborough,
Mass.

In memory of Mrs. Lois Collins, relict of Capt. Daniel Collins of Guilford, who died January 4I!; A.D. 17S6.
Aged 66 years.

This monument was reestablislied in 1S25 to the virtuous mother of a numerous family by her Grandson, Oliver
Wolcott.

150 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

others in hand. My best love to our Parents ; tell Mamma that I
never intend to omit writing to her so long again

Y- with sincerest affection

L. MOSELEY.

Charles is well and says that you never intended to send him
that Colt ; your credit is hurt with him, I assure you.
Mr. F. Wolcott.

212 4. Mariann, b. Feb. 16, 1765 ; m. Oct., 1789, Chauncey Goodrich, of Hartford.^

" VVolcott's youngest sister I have already had occasion to mention as
one of the most distinguished beauties of her time. She was after-

1 " The Hon. Chauncey Goodrich was the eldest son of the Rev. Ehzur Goodrich, D.D., of Dur-
ham, in the county of Middlesex. He was born in the year 1759, ^"d received his education in Yale
Colleo-e, where he graduated in 1776. He was afterwards chosen a tutor, and acted as such for a
considerable time with much reputation. He prosecuted his legal studies in the office of Charles
Chauncey, Esq., in that city, and was admitted to the bar in New Haven County. In the year 1781 he
fixed his residence in Hartford, and commenced the practice of law. He soon rose to distinction at
the bar, and for many years was considered as at the head of the profession. In October, 1793, and
May, 1794, he represented the town in the State Legislature; and in September following he was
elected a member of the House of Representatives of the United States, — a place which he occupied
by successive elections for the six following years.

" In 1801, he relinquished his seat in Congress, and resumed the practice of law in Hartford. In
1802, he was chosen a member of the State Council, which at that time formed the upper branch of
the State Legislature, and remained connected with that body until the year 1807, when he was
appointed a Senator of the United States. After holding his seat in the Senate six years, he was
chosen Lieutenant-Governor of the State, and by the citizens of Hartford, mayor of that city, — offices
which he held to the time of his death, in August, 1815.

" Mr. Goodrich was a man of extensive attainments as a scholar; and his reputation while acting
as a tutor in the college was deservedly high, not only among his associates in the government of that
institution, but among the students who were placed under his oversight and instruction. By them
he was regarded with sincere esteem, and a degree of affection little short of filial. At the bar, no
man stood higher for personal as well as professional integrity and honor. To the younger members
of the profession he was kind, Hberal, and friendly. To those of more advanced age he ever mani-
fested the greatest degree of frankness and urbanity ; and to the courts the most uniform and
punctilious respect. As a politician, his sentiments and principles were formed and adopted with
marked deliberation, and were ever maintained with candor, firmness, and dignity. He engaged in
political life from a sense of duty, but with an entire destitution of the feelings of selfishness or ambi-
tion. In private life, he was mild and amiable in his manners, unreserved in his social intercourse
with his friends, cheerful and affectionate in his disposition and temper, and of the most exemplary
purity of morals. He was a wise councillor, an able and upright magistrate, and an example of all
that is virtuous in the private relations of life." — Coim. Coiirant, May 23, 1S40. See also Funeral
Sermon, by Rev. Dr. Strong.

[?•? CHAUIfCEir GOOBKICHo

("iktAjKI-AI^iTE iyoX.COTT.

FIFTH GENERATION. 151

wards married to Chauncey Goodrich, a man of eminent abilities and
the highest character." ^ She was as bright and witty as she was
beautiful, and some of her sprightly, familiar letters will appear in the
correspondence of her brothers, Oliver and Frederick. An engraving
of her by Rogers, from an original picture by Earle, in possession of
Mr. Frederick H. Wolcott, is given in the " Republican Court." The
accompanying picture was engraved for our Memorial by S. A. Schoff,
of Boston, from an original painting by Earle, in the possession of
Mr. J. Huntington Wolcott, of Boston.
213 — 5. Frederick, b. Nov. 2, 1767. See LVII.

The following notices of the life of Gov. Oliver Wolcott, Sen.,
are copied from family documents. The original sketch, published in
Sanderson's " Biography of the Signers of the Declaration of Indepen-
dence" (III. 63-67), is among these papers, having been drawn up by his
son, the late Gov. Oliver Wolcott, Jr.

On leaving College, he received a commission as Captain in the Army, from
Gov. George Clinton, of New York, and immediately raised a company, at the head
of which he marched to the defence of the Northern Frontiers, where he served until
the Regiment to which he was attached was disbanded, in consequence of the peace
of Aix-la-Chapelle. He then returned to Connecticut and studied medicine, under
the direction of his Brother, Dr. Alexander Wolcott, then a distinguished practitioner.
Before he was established in practice, the County of Litchfield was organized, and he
was appointed the first sheriff of the county, in 175 1. He settled in Litchfield, and
was a representative of the Town in the General Assembly. In the "year 1774, he
was chosen an Assistant or Councillor, to which station he was annually elected till
the year 1786. While a member of the Council, he was also Chief Judge of the
Court of Common Pleas for the County, and for many years Judge of the Court of
Probate for the district of Litchfield. He served in the militia, in every grade of
office, from that of Captain to that of Major-General. On all the questions prelimi-
nary to the Revolutionary War he was a firm advocate of the American cause.

At the Town Meeting held in Litchfield, Aug. 17, 1774, to consider the Reso-
lutions of the Legislature, on the subject of the Boston Port Bill, he presided, and
drew up the eloquent preamble and resolutions then adopted, which we give in their
place.

1 Griswold's Rep. Court, 344.

152 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

He was chosen a member of the Continental Congress, and in July, 1775, was
appointed by that body one of the Commissioners of Indian affairs for the Northern
Department, — a trust of great importance, its object being to induce the Indian
nations to remain neutral during the war. While he was engaged in this business,
the controversies respecting the boundaries between Connecticut and Pennsylvania,
and between New York and Vermont, menaced the tranquillity of the Colonies, and
exposed them to the seductions of British partisans. His influence was exerted with
great effect to compromise these disputes, and to unite the New England settlers in
support of the American cause.

In January, 1776, he attended at Philadelphia the session of Congress at which
the Declaration of Independence was adopted, of which he was one of the
Signers. In this connection Barlow thus refers to him in his poem, the " Vision of
Columbus :" —

" Bold WoLCOTT urged the all-important cause,
With steady hand the solemn scene he draws ;
Undaunted firmness widi his wisdom joined.
Nor Kings nor Worlds could warp his steadfast mind."

During the session he returned to Connecticut. He carried with him from the
city of New York the leaden statue of King George III., which was converted into
bullets at Litchfield, under his direction. On the 15- of August, he was appointed by
Governor Trumbull and the Council of Safety to command fourteen Regiments of the
Connecticut Militia, which were ordered for the defence of New York. This duty he
performed, till the force, amounting to more than five thousand men, was subdivided
into four brigades. He then returned home for a few weeks.

In November, 1776, he resumed his seat in Congress, and accompanied that
Body to Baltimore, during the eventful winter of 1777.

On the 17"' of January, he was appointed by the General Assembly of Con-
necticut, Brigadier-General, and was constantly employed, the ensuing summer, in
superintending detachments of militia, and corresponding on military subjects. After
detaching several thousand men to the assistance of General Putnam on the North
River, he headed a corps of between three and four hundred volunteers, who joined
the Northern Army under General Gates, and took command of a Brigade of Militia,
and aided in reducing the British Army under General Burgoyne. From February
to July, 1778, he attended Congress at Yorktown.

In the summer of 1779, he was in the field at the head of a Division of Militia,
for the defence of the sea-coasL During the severe winter of 1779-80, famine added

FIFTH GENERATION. 153

its terrors to excessive cold. The deep snows in the mountain region of the State,
and the explosion of the paper system, rendered it almost impossible to procure the
necessaries of life. Connecticut had been in the foremost rank of the supporters of
the war ; she had contributed freely from her narrow resources, and the blood of her
sons had moistened every battle-field. And now, when cold and hunger threatened
their utmost rigors, and a dark cloud hung over the fate of the country, the courage
of her citizens failed not. The records of her Towns — the votes of recruits to the
army and of bread to the suffering — showed that she had counted the cost of the
struggle, and was ready to meet it. It may well be supposed that the resources of
so zealous an advocate for the war as General Wolcott were not withheld. Every
dollar that could be spared from the maintenance of the family was expended in
raising and supplying men ; every blanket not in actual use was sent to the Army,
and the sheets were torn into bandages or cut into lint by the hands of his wife and
daughters. From 1781 to 1783, he occasionally attended Congress. In 1784 and
1785, he was one of the Commissioners of Indian affairs for the Northern Depart-
ment, and in concert with Richard Butler and Arthur Lee prescribed the terms of
peace to the Six Nations of Indians. His military services, his known probity and
judgment, his ardent attachment to the Republican cause, and his social standing, all
contributed to give him an extended influence, which was faithfully exerted for the
public good. From the beginning to the end of the Revolutionary War, he was con-
stantly engaged, either in the Council or in the field.

In 1786, he was elected Lieutenant-Governor of Connecticut, and annually
thereafter, until he was chosen Governor. In November, 1787, he was chosen a mem-
ber of the State Convention which adopted the Constitution of the United States. In
November, 17S9, he was further appointed by the State, in connection with Samuel
H. Parsons and James Davenport, to hold a treaty with the Wyandottes and other
Indians, for extinguishing their title to the Western Reserve of Connecticut.

In the fall of 1796, he was chosen a Presidential Elector, in which capacity he
voted for John Adams and Thomas Pinckney. The same year, he was chosen Gov-
ernor, which office he held until his death, in the seventy-second year of his age.

Such is a brief catalogue of the more important political offices and
services of Oliver Wolcott, the elder. During a long and laborious life
devoted to public service, he enjoyed the unremitted confidence of his
fellow-citizens.

154 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

To Mrs. Wolcott.
D"? Spouse Hart/ord i?,'!i a fay, 1767

Yesterday, about 12 of the clock, my father departed this Hfe, and to-morrow in
the afternoon his Remains are to be interred. I visited him the Evening I left
Home, and found him very low ; since, he has decayed sensibly till his Death, at
which I was present. Death in him seemed to be but the irrevocable Sentence of
Mortality ; or it seemed to be the effect only of natural Decay. He did not die by
a mortification, but the force of animal Life failed. But notwithstanding his Death
ought to be an alarming Lesson to us, and I wish we might be wise enough to be
instructed by it.

To-morrow hope to attend the funeral Solemnities, after which shall probably
be more steady than I have been at this Place. I greatly want to hear from you and
the State of my Family — which I hope I may soon, by Mr. Marvin. Am myself
well, which I hope is your condition, and that of my Children. Shall write to you as
often as I have opportunity.

Sister Newberry is in a low state of Health, but hope she will recover it ; other

Friends are well. Would have you provide for yourself what you may want, and may

judge decent for Mourning. I want much to be with my Family, which would be

much more agreeable to me than my present condition. Have no news. Election

was made as it was the last year. I most cordially wish your Happiness, and am

your most loving Spouse

Oliver Wolcott.

REVOLUTIONARY RESOLVES OF THE TOWN OF LITCHFIELD, DRAFTED
BY OLIVER WOLCOTT, SEN.

At a meeting of the Inhabitants of Litchfield, legally warned and held in
(-1
? Litchfield on the 17- day of August, a.d. 1774.

-5 Oliver Wolcott, Esq., Moderator.

The Inhabitants of Litchfield in legal Town Meeting assembled on the 17- day
of August, 1774, — taking into Consideration the Distresses to which the Poor of the
Town of Boston may. likely be reduced by the Operation of an Act of the British
Parliament for blocking up their Port, and deeply commiserating the Unhappiness of
a brave and loyal People who are thus eminently suffering in a General Cause, for
vindicating what every sensible, virtuous American considers an essential Right of
this Country, — think it their indispensable Duty to aflTord their unhappy and dis-
tressed Brethren of saiil Town of Boston all reasonable Aid and Support ; and this
they are the more readily induced to, not only as the Inhabitants of said Town are

FIFTH GENERATION. 155

thus severely condemned for their Reluctance to submit to an arbitrary, an uncon-
sented-to, and consequently unconstitutional Taxation, but the whole of the great and
loyal Province of the Massachusetts Bay have been condemned unheard in the Loss
of their Charter Privileges by the heretofore unknown and unheard-of exertions of
parliamentary Power ; which they conceive is a Power claimed and exercised in such
a manner as cannot fail of striking every unprejudiced Mind with Horror and
Amazement, as being subversive to all those inherent, essential, and constitutional
Rights, Liberties, and Privileges which the good People of this Colony have ever
held sacred and even dearer than Life itself, nor ever can wish to survive — not only
every Idea of Property, but every Emolument of Civil Life, being thereby rendered
precarious and uncertain.

In full Confidence, therefore, that no Degree of Evil thus inflicted on said Town
and Province will ever induce them to give up or betray their own and the American
Constitutional Rights and Privileges, especially as they cannot but entertain the most
pleasing Expectations that the Committees of the several North American Provinces,
who are soon to meet at Pliiladclphia, will in their Wisdom be able to point out a
Mctliod of Conduct effectual for obtaining Redress of those Grievances — a Method
to which (when once agreed upon by said Committees) will look upon it their Duty
strictly to attend.

And in the mean time, we earnestly recommend that Subscriptions be forth-
with opened in this Town under the Care of Reuben Smith, Esqr, Capt. Lynde
Lord, and Mr. William Staunton, who are hereby appointed a Committee to
receive and forward to the Selectmen of Boston, for the use of the Poor in that Place,
all such Donations as shall be thereupon made for that Purpose ; as also to correspond
with the Committee of Correspondence there or elsewhere as there may be occasion.
We also take this Opportunity publickly to return our thanks to the Members of the
Hon- House of Representatives of this Colony, for their patriotic and loyal Resolu-
tions passed and published in the last Assembly, on the Occasion, and order them to
be entered at large on the public Records of this Town — that succeeding Ages may
be faithfully furnished with authentic Credentials of our inflexible Attachment to
those inestimable Privileges, which we glory in esteeming our inalienable Birthright
and Inheritance.

We copy this stirring minute from the Town Records of Litchfield,
where it is followed by a copy of the resolves adopted by " the House
of Representatives of the English Colony of Connecticut, May, 1774."

156 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

These " Resolves " are eleven in number, preceded by an extended pre-
amble. They herald the Declaration of Independence ; containing, like
that, a recital of grievances, together with earnest professions of loyalty,
which in two years were to become exhausted, and cease forever. They
may be found in Document No. 46, Vol. I., Revolutionary War. We
give a vote passed at a later meeting : —

" At a legal Town Meeting of the Inhabitants of Litchfield on the 6- December
1774 .... Voted that the Honorable Oliver Wolcott, Esquire, and [twelve other
citizens named] be a Committee for the purposes mentioned in the Eleventh Article
of the Association Agreement of the Grand Continental Congress in Philadelphia,
5- September last, and approved, adopted and recommended by the General Assem-
bly of this Colony at their Sessions in October last."

Of the Resolutions which follow, we can give no other explanation
than that we find them, written in a lady's hand, among the papers of Gov-
ernor Wolcott. They evidently belong to this period, or a little later, and
we give them as a mirror of the times.

RESOLUTIONS OF THE LADIES OF HARTFORD.

The Ladies in this City, attentive to the impoverished state of their Country,
and to the well-founded charge of extravagance in our manner of living, offer to their
sisters in this State the following considerations : —

1. We consider it as a general truth, that the manners and fashions of every
country should be adapted to its particular situation and circumstances.

2. We believe that the English and French fashions, which require the manu-
facture of an infinite variety of gewgaws and frippery, may be highly beneficial and
even necessary in the countries where those articles are made ; as they furnish em-
ployment and subsistence for poor people.

3. We believe, also, that it is very politic in foreign nations to introduce their
fashions into this country, as they thus make a market for their useless manufactures,
and enrich themselves at our expense.

4. But we are of the opinion, at the same time, that our implicit submission to
the fashions of other countries is highly derogatory to the reputation of Americans,
as it renders us dependent on the interest, or caprice, of foreigners, both for taste and
manners ; it prevents the exercise of our own ingenuity, and makes us the slaves of
the milliners and mantua-makers in London or Paris.

FIFTH GENERATION. 157

5. We consider, also, that this servile imitation of foreign fashions is one of the
circumstances which operate to embarrass and distress this country.

6. We also consider many of the fashions which now prevail among us as in
many respects extremely inconvenient, and consequently as proceeding from a false
taste in dress, or a total want of taste.

7. We are of opinion that an attention to industry and economy, among all
ages and ranks of people, is an infinitely better way to promote the prosperity, and to
relieve the distresses, of this country, than quarrelling with laws, debts, and courts of
justice.

Convinced of these truths, and desirous of silencing all complaints of extrava-
gance, and of contributing all in our power to deliver the country from this slavery of
fashions, and the consequent expenses and embarrassments, we subscribe the follow-
ing Articles : —

Art. I. That after the signing of these articles, we will not purchase, or wear,
any superfluous articles of dress, such as gauze, ribbons, flowers, feathers, lace, and
other trimmings and frippery, designed merely as ornaments.

Art. 2. That we will not purchase the richer kinds of articles which are used
as necessary dress ; such as silks, muslins, expensive hats, &c., except a single suit
for a wedding, or for mourning ; but that for the future we will wear on visits, and in
public places, such articles only as we have on hand, or newly purchased calicoes and
other cheap articles, without ornaments or trimmings.

Art. 3. That we will endeavor to retrench the expenses of visits and enter-
tainments, by not suffering them to interrupt our attention to industry, by reducing
the number and price of the articles which furnish our tables, and particularly by
giving the preference to such articles of provision as our own country supplies.

Art. 4. That we will not attend a public or private Assembly oftener than
once in three weeks.

Art. 5. That we will use our influence to diffuse an attention to industry and
frugality, and to render these virtues reputable and permanent.

Conscious to ourselves that our intentions are laudable, and calculated to secure
the reputation, the morals, the prosperity, and the social happiness of our Country, we
shall pay no regard to any reflections, or ridicule, that may be cast upon our conduct ;
but now pledge ourselves to each other and to the world, that we will carry these
resolutions into practice.

We will now give brief extracts from some of his numerous manuscript
letters before us. They were for the most part private, and written under

158 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

the pressure of official duties, and often in great haste ; but we do not think
it necessary to copy the apologies which the writer frequently offers on this
account. We give but a small portion of the correspondence, and from
several of the letters we give only extracts.

From Colonel Allen.
Honourable Sir Shejgield, is March, 1775.

The confused and difificult Circumstances of the New Hampshire Settlements
urge me to request your Honour's Sentiments respecting the expediency of a Com-
pact, &c., for the Conduct of those Settlers. I am the more emboldened to desire
this special favour of your Honour, as you have shown yourself Friendly to our
Oppressed Cause as well as to the Rights and Liberties of English America

Provided I could be favoured with your Honour's Opinion, I should esteem it
not only a Friendship to myself, but to those inhabitants in general to whom I shall
exhibit the same ; and provided the Controversy between Great Britain and the Colo-
nies should terminate in a War, the Regiment of Green Mountain Boys will, I dare
ingage, assist the American Brethren in the capacity of Rangers. I am, Sir, with
due Respect, your Honour's most obedient and humble Servant

Ethan Allen.

To Col. IVokott, Litchfield.

To Mrs. Wolcott.
My Dear Litchfield, May i, 1775

The Want of Opportunity and Hurry of Business in the Assembly have pre-
vented my writing to you earlier. The Assembly mean to raise Six Thousand men
for the Defence of the Colony, and have appointed a number of old officers, viz.
Wooster, Spencer, and Putnam to command them. The Army of Observation
continues near Boston. When the Assembly will rise uncertain. Much to be done.
Successful Opposition or the most direful Ruin inevitable. The union of all the
Colonies seems as if it might be depended on. With regard to my own Business I
have neither Time nor Opportunity to write or think of it. The General Training
put by. Am well. May God preserve, direct, bless and support you and Family.
I am yours most affectionately

O. Wolcott

Mrs. Lorrain Wolcott.

FIFTH GENERATION. 1 59

To Mr. S. Lyman.

Sir Philadelphia, ¥e\>. 2,'^ iyy6

I do myself the pleasure to let you know I am well and have been so, since I
left home. And as I write to you from this place, I believe you will expect I shall
tell you much more news than I am furnished with ; and if I should do so, it would
be nothing uncommon in a story teller. But the news of this day, and which may be
believed, is that a Capt. Mason of this city, a private adventurer, has brought into this
river (Delaware) 60 tons of Salt Petre, 20 tons of Gunpowder, and 2000 Stands of
Arms. This, together with the 60 tons of Petre before rec'd, will be a small, but
needful supply ; the mills are constantly at work, and I wish to hear they may be
soon so in Connecticut. The Ladies, I hope, will still make themselves contented to
live without Tea, for the good of their Country. The news you have in the publick
prints. It seems the Ministry intend to offer special pardons upon the points of
bayonets. But I think we are not well disposed to receive their graces in that man-
ner. The old trick of endeavouring to divide will be probably still practiced, but I
believe without effect. I think the word rebel is not made quite so free an use of
by their High Mightinesses of late. But I more fear their temporary moderation
than their arms. Common sense operates pretty well but all men have not common
sense. We hear nothing in special from the westward. Our fleet are still frozen in
the river. The repulse at Quebec I suspect was necessary for our good ; tho' I most
sincerely regret the loss of our brave officers and men. The exertions of the New
England people would do them great Honour, if it had not become so habitual as to
render it less noticed ; but I hope they will persevere. The people, under God, are
most to be relied on. The establishment of these Colonies in peace and security
will require great deliberation, But I know of no time that can be more necessary
and seasonable than the present, to conclude this mighty affair. To give up any of
our rights I hope will never be done ; and I imagine Great Britain will never settle
with us upon the terms of enjoying them. What consequences these contrariant
and fixed claims must produce, will be easily conceived. That America may be
happy is my ardent wish — and also that you in particular may share in the blessings
of the Almighty. I am, Sir, your most humble servant

Oliver Wolcott.
To Mr. Samuel Lyman.

To Mrs. Wolcott.

My Dear Philadelphia, 19 Feb'y 1776

Retired from Business, Noise and Politicks, I enjoy a solitary and pleasurable
hour in writing to you. I am sorry you suffer any Solicitude ou my account. You

l6o THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL. :

have much more reason to attend to your own Comfort, having so many Cares to
trouble you, and in a state of Health too much impaired. I am well by divine
Blessing, and with some very good Friends. An Anxiety may become habitual for us
to suffer, on account of Friends most dear to us ; but it is a fruitless Grief, and let
us not indulge it. We cannot know whether our absent Friends enjoy the Comforts
of Existence, or are torn by the sharp Thorns of Adversity. An omnipresent God
orders the Circumstances of all, and with calm hope and trust may we commit every
thing to his providential Care. I know your Cares must be many, but I hope you
and the Family may be supported and provided for The tender feelings may become
too sensitive and destroy Fortitude. Let us not pervert the bounties of our Creator
by an unreasonable Solicitude, but enjoy with Gratitude the Blessings we possess.
I do not mean this as a Reproof, but to advise you to lay aside unprofitable Care.

Every thing is ripening to produce a most important Crisis, and I hope Wisdom
will be given to those to whom the publick Counsells are committed. An Accom-
modation with Great Britain I think becomes less and less probable. Wisdom and
Firmness are necessary, and I hope they will mark the Lines of Publick Conduct.

My love to my Children and kind Regards to all Friends. I am yours affection-
ately

Oliver Wolcott

Mrs. Laura Wolcott

To THE Same.
My Dear Philadelphia, March 2, 1776

I feel much concerned for the Burden which necessarily devolves upon you ; I
hope you will make it as light as possible. You may easily believe from the Situation
of publick Affairs, that the critical Moment is near, which will perhaps decide the
Fate of the Country ; and that the business of Congress is very interesting. Yet if
any time can reasonably be allowed for my return, I shall think myself justified in
doing so. The circumstances of my affairs demand it.

March 19!^

My own wishes are not gratified in living from my Family, but as in an im-
portant Circumstance of Life, which has since led me much from Home, I committed
the future Allotments of Life to the Disposal of Divine Providence, I humbly hope it
may please God to bless me with his Guidance, and take care of and protect those
who are most dear to me, tho' I am unworthy of his favours. Your own Cares must
be many; I earnestly wish you may enjoy Health and fortitude of Mind. Mr.
Sherman is going to make a short visit to his Family ; when I may do so, is uncer-
tain. The publick Trust is very important, and a hasty recess from it will not be
justified but for urgent reasons.

FIFTH GENERATION. l6i

March ifi
There are many things here which discover great Ingenuity and Design, but
nothing struck my mind in any degree like the amazing Orrery of Mr. Rittenhouse.
As I am but little acquainted with Astronomy or Mechanism, I could only view it
with the strange Wonder of a Barbarian, for such I could only consider myself.
This work is calculated to make an ordinary Genius humble, while it leads us to
adore the fountain of Wisdom.

My love to my Children, and my best Compliments to all my Friends. Wish-
ing you all possible Happiness, I am yours with tenderest affection

Oliver Wolcott
Mrs Laura Wolcott

To THE Same.
My Dear Philadelphia, lo"' April, 1776.

A merciful Providence still continues my Health to me. Thro' various scenes
of Life God has sustained me ; may he ever be my unfailing Friend ; may his Love
cherish my Soul ; may my Heart with gratitude acknowledge his Goodness; and may
my Desires be to Him and to the remembrance of his Name. Vanity, by the Wisest
of men, has been inscribed on every Thing mortal, and no Experience has ever con-
tradicted this Declaration. May we then turn our Eyes to the bright Objects above,
and may God give us Strength to travel the upward Road. May the Divine Redeemer
conduct us to that Seat of Bliss which he himself has prepared for his Friends ; at
the approach of which every Sorrow shall vanish from the human heart, and endless
scenes of Glory open upon the enraptured eye. There our Love to God and each
other will grow stronger, and our Pleasures never be damped by the fear of future
Separation. How indifferent will it then be to us, whether we obtained Felicity by
travelling the thorny or the agreeable Paths of Life ; whether we arrived at our Rest
by passing thro' the envied Road of Greatness, or sustained Hardship and unmerited
Reproach on our Journey. God's Providence and Support thro' the perilous, per-
plexing Labyrinths of human Life, will then forever excite our Astonishment and
Love. May a happiness be granted to those I most tenderly love, which shall con-
.tinue and increase thro' an endless Existence. Your Cares and Burdens must be
many and great ; but put your Trust in that God who has hitherto supported you
and me ; he will not fail to take Care of those who put their Trust in him.

The general Complexion of Affairs gives little ground to expect an Accommo-
dation with Great Britain on former Terms. There is a great Ardor amongst the
People this way in support of American Rights. It is most evident that this Land

1 62 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

is under the Protection of the Almighty, and that we shall be saved, not by our Wis-
dom, nor by our Might, but by the Lord of Hosts, who is Wonderfull in Councill and
Almighty in all his Operations.

1 1 'J; May

The natural World opens upon us with great Beauty, while the political one is
all convulsed. When will Tyrant Worms cease to disturb human Happiness .' We
may soon expect to hear of further arrivals of the Enemy ; we know they mean to
prosecute the War. In such tempestuous Times no one can say what the Events of
Things may be, tho' I have no apprehension that Great Britain can subjugate this
Country ; to give us much trouble, is doubtless in her Power, and a People engaged
in War must not always expect prosperity in all their undertakings. God has indeed
in a wonderful Manner hitherto granted us his Protection, and I hope he will still
continue it. Possess your own Mind in Peace. Fortitude not only enables us to
bear Evils, but prevents oftentimes those which would otherwise befal us. I do not
apprehend any personal danger, and if I did, I hope I never shall betray that
Baseness as to shrink from it, but I do think it is not unlikely we may have a trouble-
some Summer. And if so, let every one bear his part of the publick Calamity with
Fortitude.

I if June

It is now a long time which I have been here, and I do most sincerely wish to
return to the Pleasures of a domestick rural Life — such a Life as Poets and Wise
men have always with so much Propriety praised. Here I see but little except human
Faces which I know not, and numerous Piles of Buildings, which have long since
satiated the Sight, and the street rumble is far from being musical. But as I was
not sent here to please myself, I shall cheerfully yield to my Duty, convinced of this
Truth, that the Noise and Bustle of this World are the best Lessons to teach a man
how few are its Enjoyments.

You see by the Papers that our inveterate Foes threaten us with a large Arma-
ment this Summer, tho' I rather think their Land Forces will not probably be more
than about Thirty Thousand. These Exertions of our Enemies will call for the like
on our part. I think we have no Reason to be discouraged. Our cause is just ; we
may therefore hope God will, as he has done, appear to vindicate it. Our Resources
are numerous.

ii'-^ June.

We seem at present to be in the midst of a great Revolution, which I hope God
will carry us safe thro', with. Every Thing is tending to the lasting Independency of
these Colonies. Much Wisdom and Firmness are requisite to conduct the various

FIFTH GENERATION. 1 63

and most important Matters which are necessary to be determined upon. This year
will probably be productive of great and most interesting Consequences ; and my
Wish is, that the Supreme Ruler of the Universe would guide every publick Measure.
By the Blessing of God I enjoy Health, which demands my gratitude. The
Service is hard, and affords but little Time for Exercise; but I hope before next
month is out, to be upon my return to my Family, whom I do most sincerely desire
to see. My Love to my Children, and accept the tender Regards of him who always
esteemed himself happy in your affection —

Oliver Wolcott.

Mrs. Laura Wolcott.

In less than a month from the preceding date the Declaration of
Independence was adopted and signed, and Mr. Wolcott made his antici-
pated visit to Connecticut. And of those whose names occupy a conspic-
uous place in the history of that contest, there was not one who, in his
own province, redeemed more faithfully than he the sacred pledge of the
Signers.

The following account, with the explanatory note, we find among our
papers ; the incident has been already stated. The youngest of his three
children who participated in this patriotic service, Frederick, was then in
his tenth year.

Cartridges.

Mrs. Marvin, 6.058

Ruth Marvin, 11.592

Laura, 8.378

Mary Ann, 10.790

Frederic, 936

Mrs. Beach, 1.802

Made by sundry Persons, 2.182

Gave Litchfield Militia on Alarm, 50

Let the Regiment of Col. Wigglesworth have 300

Cartridges, No. 42.088

N. B. An Equestrian Statue of George the Third of Great Britain was erected
in the City of New York, on the Bowling Green, at the lower end of Broad Way.
Most of the materials were lead, but richly ^z7^^^, to resemble gold. At the begin-
ning of the Revolution, this Statue was overthrown ; Lead being then scarce and

1 64 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

dear, the Statue was broken in pieces and the metal transported to Litchfield as a

place of safety. The Ladies of this Village converted the lead into Cartridges for

the Army, of which the preceding is an Account.

O. W.

From Governor Trumbull,
Cjp Lebanon, Aug. I2'J!, 1776

Having rec'd the most pressing application from General Washington to send
forward a part of the Militia of this State to his Assistance, have given orders to the
Commanding Officers of 14 Regiments to march with their Reg- immediately to
New York, to join Gen. Washington's Camp. And as it was judged by myself and
Com— of Safety absolutely necessary for the good of the Service to have a Gen'.
Officer especially appointed to command the Brigade now going on to N. Y., have
appointed you a Brigadier General to command the same, and shall send forward
a Commission accordingly. Having formed raised expectations of your Disposition
and Ability to serve your Country in this most important Crisis, on which the Fate
of America seems so much to depend, I trust you will cheerfully undertake the
Service, and it will be of great Importance for you to be at New York as quick
as possible. Heartily recommending you and the Army to the God of Armies,
to whom it becomes us to look, and humbly depend for Success, I remain with great
Esteem your humble Servant

JoN^iii Trumbull.

The Hon'± Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

To Mrs. Wolcott.
My Dear ^- York. 28"' Aug. 1776

I wrote to you on Monday, since which an irregular Fire has been kept up on
Long Island. The Battle has been very diffuse over a large Country, but nothing
decisive has been done ; some Loss on both sides. The People are in high spirits,
and I hope God will crown our Enterprise with Success.

2? Sept.

It was found necessary to evacuate Long Island, of which the Enemy are in pos-
session. No Action has happened in some days. May God protect you and my
Family, and grant you his support and Blessing. I find my time very busily em-
ployed, but can go through the Service with less fatigue than I expected, I am, in
haste, yours most affectionately

O. Wolcott.

FIFTH GENERATION. 1 65

To THE Same.

My Dear Philadelphia Vi. Octb^ 1776

This morning I arrived safe in this City, with as much Health as when I left
Home, tho' a little fatigued with a long Journey.

8'i Octb^
The aspect of publick affairs is the same. I wish that God in his Providence
would bring this country into a State of Peace, safe and equitable ; but I fear this
happy Period is pretty remote. Yet I think we have no Reason to despair of our
Cause, tho' it is attended with many Perplexities. God can, and I trust will, bring
Order out of this Confusion.

i7'-i OcU
At the Expiration of my present Delegation, if God spare my Life, I shall with
great cheerfulness return home, and shall hope to relieve you from some part of your
present Cares, and enjoy those Pleasures which are to be found only in domestick
Life. That the Almighty may be your and my guide and support and the Protection
of our Children and Friends, is the sincere Wish of him who is yours with the most

inviolable Affection

Oliver Wolcott
Mrs. Laura Wolcott.

To THE Same.
My Dear Philadelphia, 16'J; Nov. 1776

We had the happy News of Carlton's going back to Canada, the 14-. This I
hope will give Peace for the present to the Northward ; tho' if he had been heartily
drubbed before he set out, it would have been well ; but Nobody but himself is to
blame in that it was not done, and God be thanked that the Affair has turned out so

favourably.

i3'-l! Dec^

The 1 1- in the Evening, a Detachment of the Enemy took possession of Bur-
lington, about 20 miles from this City on the Jersey Shore. The Rest of their Army
are at Trenton, and upon the Banks of the River above it. Their numbers are uncer-
tain, but are computed about Twelve Thousand ; and as their Designs are undoubt-
edly to gain Possession of this City, the Congress, upon the advice of Gen- Putnam
and Mifflin, who are now here to provide for the Protection of the Place, as well as
from the Result of their own Opinion, have adjourned themselves to Baltimore in
Maryland, about no miles from this City; as it was judged that the Council of
America ought not to sit in a Place liable to be interrupted by the rude Disorder of
Arms — so that I am at this moment going forward for that place. Whether the

1 66 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Army will succeed in their cruel Designs against this City, must be left to time to
discover. Congress have ordered the General to defend it to the last extremity ; and
God grant that he may be successful in his Exertions.

Whatever Events may take place, the American Cause will be supported to the
last, and I trust in God that it will succeed. The Grecian, Roman, and Dutch States
were in their Infancy reduced to the greatest Distress, infinitely beyond what we
have yet experienced. The God who governs the Universe, and who holds Empires
in his Hand, can with the least Effort of his Will grant us all that Security,
Opulence, and Power, which they have enjoyed. The present Scene, it is true,
appears somewhat gloomy, but the natural or more obvious Cause seems to be owing
to the Term of Enlistment of the Army having expired, I hope we may have a most
respectable one before long established. The Business of War is the Result of
Experience.

It is probable that France before long will involve Great Britain in a War, who
by unhappy Experience may learn the Folly of attempting to enslave a People, who
by the Ties of Consanguinity and Affection ever were desirous of promoting her
truest Happiness.

Gen. Howe has lately published a Proclamation, abusing the Congress as having
sinister Designs upon the People, and has offered to such as will accept of Pardon,
upon an unlimited Submission, royal Forgiveness. But who is base enough to wish
to have a precarious Case, dependent upon the Caprice of Power unrestrained by any
Law, and governed by the dangerous Thirst of Avarice and Ambition .'

My best Love to my Children and Friends. May the Almighty ever have you

and them in his Protection. I am yours, with the tenderest and most inviolable

Affection

Oliver Wolcott
Mrs Laura Wolcott

To THE Same.
My Dear Baltimore Town, i^i. Dec^ 1776

You excuse yourself from writing to me on account of the difficulty and uncer-
tainty of Conveyance. The Delivery of Letters is a matter of some uncertainty, but
if they should fall into the Hands of the Foe, such as come from you and my Friends
I am sure I shall never be ashamed of, and as for mine they will find more Trouble in
reading them than Entertainment.

I am still here alone from Connecticut, which I do not very well know what else
to attribute to, except that Affairs since last July wear such a benign Aspect as to
render the Circumstance of a Delegation a Matter of a good deal of Indifference !

FIFTH GENERATION. 1 67

li Jan'2 1777
Take Care of your Health ; make the Cares of Life easy. Prosperous and happy
Times I trust will return to our Country, and that God will grant us the Peace and
Happiness of former Days — a Happiness which I most sincerely covet, tho' I trust
I shall never wish for Peace with the Loss of the Security of my Country. For what
is there which we can leave our Children, equal to the Advantages of civil and relig-
ious Liberty ?

S'i! Jan^r
We flatter ourselves that we shall soon hear of some farther advantages obtained
over the Enemy in the Jerseys ; and as it is certain that the Spirit of the People is
now rousing, and that our Army is greatly increased and daily acquiring Strength, it
is hoped that the Enemy will soon be obliged to leave the Jerseys, where it is said
their Brutality and Violence have been most shocking.

14* Jan^
I wish these troublesome Times were over, that we might enjoy those peaceful
and happy Days which we have formerly done. But this I do not wish for, till the
Rights of this Country are fully secured. How long a hardened, unjust Foe will
maintain the Controversy, God only knows. Well satisfied I am, that the Force
which they now have in this Country, will be very unequal to subdue it.

2i!i Jans
My Situation gives me the knowledge of many Opportunities of writing which
you have not, almost every one of which I embrace, not only as I take a Pleasure in
writing to you, but I well know that you wish frequently to hear from me. You are
more especially intitled to a Letter of this Date, as it is an important Anniversary in
our Lives, which cannot fail of producing in me the most agreeable Recollections.
My distant Situation does not diminish my Regard for you and my Family. I feel
the warmest Wishes for your Welfare, and hope that it will please God to bestow
upon you and our Children every Blessing. I am not able to give you the least
Advice in the Conduct of my Business. Your own Prudence in the Direction of it
I have no doubt of. I only wish that the Cares which must oppress you were less.
But if the present Troubles shall terminate in the future Peace and Security of this
Country (which I trust will be the Case) the present Evils and Inconveniences of
Life ought to be borne with' Cheerfulness. I fear that by Reason of the scarcity of
many Articles in Connecticut, you find a Difficulty in supplying the Family with

1 68 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

some Things which may be wanted. But I trust the Essentials of Life you are pro-
vided with, and I wish that you may not want any of the Conveniences of it.

My kindest Love to my Children and Friends, and be assured that I am yours

with tenderest Affection

Oliver Wolcott
Mrs Laura Wolcott

To THE Same.

My Dear Philadelphia, ll'^ March, 1777

My last to you was from Baltimore, since which Congress have adjourned to this
City, from whence I hope Howe will not again attempt to drive them ; and if he
should, that he will meet with that Rebuke that his Insolence deserves. We have
suffered some for the Want of a Regular Army, but I hope that Inconvenience will
be soon remedied.

I am very solicitous of hearing from you, as by my last Information you was in
an ill state of Health. But we must commit the Care of our absent Friends to a
merciful Providence, and not be anxious about Matters which it is not in our Power
to alter. With Gratitude let us enjoy the Blessings of our Maker, and with an
unruffled mind bear the Hour of Adversity. By the Blessing of God I enjoy Health ;
and I hope that the same will continue to brighten more and more upon our publick
Affairs.

224 March,
I have this instant rec'd a Letter from Dr. Smith, of the 12* wherein he tells
me that you and the children have been inoculated for the Small Pox, and that he
apprehended you was so far thro' it as to be out of Danger, Casualties excepted —
News which is very agreeable to me, as I have for some time been much concerned
lest you should take the Infection of that distressing Disease unprepared. I perceive
that Mariana has had it bad — he writes, very hard. I am heartily sorry for what the
little Child has suffered, and very much want to see her. If she has by this lost
some of her Beauty, which I hope she has not, yet I well know she might spare
much of it and still retain as much as most of her Sex possess. But I hope the Small
Pox will give her no Uneasiness, tho' it may have a little hurt her Complexion, as
there is no valuable or lasting Beauty but what exists in the Mind ; and if she culti-
vates these Excellencies, she will not fail of being beloved and esteemed. May a
grateful Sense of the divine Goodness be deeply impressed upon my Mind, in that
God has taken the Care of you and our Children, and for the Health which I am
favoured with.

FIFTH GENERATION. 1 69

Would that the Knaves and Oppressors of this World would cease their Vil-
lany, so that one might return to domestick Enjoyment, and possess unenvied that
Peace which cannot be had in any other Circumstance of Life. I want much to see
my Family, and shall return by May or June at farthest ; I think by that Time, and
perhaps much earlier, a good Opinion may be formed as to the Extent and Duration
of the War. I have no particular attachment to this City, or the Way of Life which
I am in. If I can, in any Way, serve my Country, my Family, and my Friends, it is
a Matter of great Indifference to me what my Situation is. I have no other Wish of
my own, than simply to do the Thing which is proper, just, and honourable; and
whatever that appears to be, I shall do it.

v± April

I wrote a Letter to Oliver, the 1 1- last Month, directed to him at New Haven,
but probably enough it did not find him there, as I think he was kept at Home, till
the Family had got thro' with the small Pox. Wherever he is, I hope he spends his
Time well, in relieving the Wants of others, or improving his own Mind, in the pre-
cious Days of Youth, so as to enjoy those happy Fruits in the future Periods of Life,
which a proper Use of Time will never fail to yield. I have no more Reason to
doubt of his Attention, than I have of that of any young Person ; but such want the
kind Advice of Experience to guide them thro' the dangerous Paths of Youth, tho'
such Advice is often suspected to be no more than the Peevishness of Age. The
other Children are under your more immediate Notice, and consequently will have
that Advantage which no other situation would afford them. I have not been told
whether the School has been kept up. I hope the Unhappiness of the Times has not
prevented an Attention to Education.

Qti April
American Affairs undoubtedly bear a better Aspect than they did a few Months
past, and a fortunate Blow on our Part might nearly settle the present Dispute. God
grant that the insolent, barbarous Enemy may be speedily curbed, and that the happy
Days of Peace may return. But at all Events, the Freedom of this Country must be
established, which can never be done but by establishing the Independancy of it.
The Probability of that is so great, that scarcely the least Degree of Doubt can
remain respecting the accomplishing of it. But if the Blessing is bestowed, which I
fully believe it will be, the Favour will be granted to a People who in no Respect
may be said to deserve it, except on account of the Injuries which they receive from
Britain ; for as to the Morals and Virtue of this People, I believe they have for a long
Time been upon a most rapid Decline.

I70 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

You may expect that I should say something in regard to my returning Home.
I trust the Affairs of America will soon put on a brighter Face, and whenever that
shall be the Case, I shall most gladly enjoy the Sweets of domestick Happiness. But
as I have had so much Service to go through with, in this important Dispute, I
should be glad to see more clearly the probable end of it, before I leave the Service.

i5<^ April
By letters from Mr Lyman, I am informed of your own and the Family's Recov-
ery of the small Pox. May the merciful Dispensation which has carried you thro'
this Disorder be remembered by me with that Gratitude which it becomes a Subject
unworthy of Favour to render to him who is the Parent of all Good.

3o*i April

Since I wrote you my Letter of this Date, which has gone into the Post Office, I

have heard of the Irruption of the Enemy into Danbury, an Event which demands

the publick Attention. This has determined me to return Home. Whether I can

be of any Service to my Country, I cannot say ; but if my Wishes were gratified, it

would receive a Benefit from me. In my present View, I think it probable that I can

be of more service there than here, which has determined my Choice. I am yours

Oliver Wolcott
Mrs Laura Wolcott

To THE Colonel of each Regiment belonging to his Brigade.^
Sir:

When a merciless Foe, in conjunction with Savages, are spreading Devastation
and Horror over a Country once the Seat of Peace and Happiness, but now suffering
all the Cruelty which an exasperated Tyranny can inflict, little need be said to rouse
the Virtuous and the Brave to vindicate the Rights of Humanity, and repel a brutal
Enemy, whose Conduct has been distinguished only by Violence, Rapine and Murder.

And whereas I have received an earnest Requisition from Gen' Gates, that the
approved Friends of their Country would more especially at this Time step forth to
assist him in suppressing the Army under the Command of Mr Burgoyne, and as
it is very certain that such is the present Situation of his Army that a vigorous
Exertion on our Part would probably be attended with the greatest Success — I do
therefore. Sir, relying on the firm Virtue of the Militia under my Command, earnestly
invite all such as are able and effective to go forth with me to meet this insolent and
rapacious Foe, and by the Aid of the Almighty prevent their farther Devastation and
Plunder.

1 From a copy received by Governor Trumbull, endorsed Sept. 25, 1777. See p. 360.

FIFTH GENERATION.

171

This Invitation you will in my Name be pleased to make to the Regiment
under your Command. A Consciousness of the Rectitude of our Cause, the Feelings
of Humanity, a regard to Ourselves, our Country, and Posterity, will be our Motives
for the present Undertaking. These are the Motives which influence the virtuous
and the good ; and I trust they are Motives which will influence us.

To prevent any Loss of Time in carrying the Design of annoying the Enemy
into immediate Execution you will, Sir, nominate such Officers in your Regiment as
will be most proper and likely to enlist or collect the Men for this Service. Those
who engage in the present Enterprise will provide themselves with such Provisions
as will be necessary to carry them to Albany or such other place where they may be
directed, and where they can obtain Continental Supplies. The men will, at their
Option, either ride or march on foot as will be most agreeable ; if they ride, faithful
Persons must go with them to bring back their Horses. The Men will furnish them-
selves with Arms, Ammunition, and every necessary Accoutrement.

As the Service is intended to be not only entirely voluntary, but entered upon
with the greatest Dispatch, you will therefore recommend to your Regiment the
utmost E.xpedition in their Equipment and March, without which their Service will
not probably be attended with the Advantages which it is designed to obtain.

You will give such Orders in regard to the Destination of your Regiment as you
shall think proper until other Orders are received.

The Motives of pecuniary Reward will have but little Influence upon Men who
engage in a Service so generous and noble, yet every one who engages in it may
expect such Reward as shall be honorable and just.

Oliver Wolcott,

Brigadier General

To Governor Trumbull.

Sir Litchfield, 25'^ Sept. 1777

The Draught that was lately made from my Brigade for the Peekskill has been
less productive than I could wish, but I was apprehensive that many men would pre-
fer paying a five-pound Five, to the personal Inconvenience which would attend the
Service ; this, together with the Militia having been so lately called out, and a certain
Disgust which I find prevails against Draughting, has occasioned that not more than
400 have gone from this Brigade.

On Tuesday I had sent to me the enclosed Requisition from Gen' Gates for
Militia Aid. The Importance of suppressing the Enemy at the Northward I consid-
ered as very essential ; and the State of Gen. Gates's Army, as a considerable Part of

172 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

the Assistance sent him was at Fort Edward and the country above, requiring a
Reinforcement, induced me upon Advice with the Court which was then sitting to
send to the respective Colonels of this Brigade an Invitation to those under their
Command to turn out voluntarily and go with me to the Assistance of our Northern
Friends. A Copy of this Invitation I enclose. The Step which I have taken
is new, and what the Law has not particularly pointed out ; but as I tho't in the
present Case the Method would more likely succeed than any other, I ventured to
adopt it, and I wish it might obtain your Excellency's and your Council's Approba-
tion. I cannot yet say what success the Measure will have, but at present the
Appearance is flattering, and I am well persuaded it will procure more Men than any
other which could be gone into. The Court will rise this Morning, some of whom,
with a number of the Barr, will accompany me to the Northward. I find Gentlemen
here are very willing to give all the Efficiency to the Measure in their Power. "

Yesterday I received the enclosed Letter from Mr Fay, and sincerely congratu-
late your Excellency on the Import of it. Providence seems to have thrown the
Enemy's Northern Army in our Power, and if we are not inattentive to our Safety, it
may undoubtedly be suppressed — which in my Judgment is a Matter of that Conse-
quence that it ought to be done at this Time, though the Strength of three-quarters
of the New England States were called out to effect it. The Suppression of that
Army I think would give an essential Turn to our Affairs. There is Nothing from
the Southward which can be depended upon. The Retreat of Genl Washington was
an Event very unexpected, but I hope there may be no Occasion to repeat it.
I am with Esteem

Your Excellency's most obedient humble Servant

Gov. Truvihull Oliver Wolcott

P. S. To-morrow or the day after I shall go forward, Northward.

To HIS Wife.
My Dear Stillwater, 2 Octbr 1777

I came here the Day before Yesterday, and am stationed about two Miles from
Headquarters. Mr Burgoyne, I apprehend, will not choose to attack this Army ; so
that it is a Matter of Uncertainty whether any Thing very interesting will turn up
immediately. Deserters are daily coming in from the Enemy, as well as Prisoners.
Burgoyne's Situation must be disagreeable to him, as he cannot hope to achieve any
thing, while such a Force opposes him, and is liable to many disastrous Events.
Endeavors will probably be used to draw him out of his Lines, but I believe he will

FIFTH GENERATION.

^1Z

cautiously avoid such a Circumstance. Our Army are in great Vigor and healthy,
and Provisions are plenty. My own Situation is more comfortable by far than I
expected to find it. I live in a good and convenient House, and the Volunteers are
well accommodated. May the Almighty take Care of you and the Family.

I am yours aft'ectionately,

O. WOLCOTT

To Governor Trumbull.
Sir: Camp Bemis Heights, lo OcU 1777.

I came to this Camp the 30"^ ultimo with a little more than 300 Men. The
apparent Exigency of our Affairs in this Department and the Probability of affording
some usefull succour to this Army were, as I observed in my former Letter, my
Inducements to this Undertaking. How far the Step which I have taken has been
approved of by your Excellency and Council of Safety I have not been told ; but as I
was directed to afford such Aid to this Army as I tho't proper, it was my Opinion,
and the Opinion of all Gentlemen whom I consulted, that the Enemy could not be so
deeply wounded any where as in this Quarter ; and I am happy to find that the Suc-
cess which has attended our military Operations in this Department has justified my
Opinion.

After the Action of the 19- the Enemy kept close till the 7-, before which Time
a large Force was collected at this Place. On the 7- about two oclock, p. Ji., the
Enemy began to advance upon our Left, upon which our Army were ordered to their
Posts, and part of Gen! Arnold's Division was sent out to oppose the Enemy. About
three the Enemy began to play with their Field Pieces ; and as our Party was much
inferior to that of the Enemy, our People gave Ground about sixty Rods, when Genl
Arnold came up with a Reinforcement about four, upon which the Fire of the Mus-
quetry became violent and incessant until Night when the Enemy retired to their
Lines, the outermost of which our People entered and kept possession of, that night.
Within these Lines Gen! Arnold had his Horse shot under him, and immediately
after, unfortunately, had a Musquet Ball pass through his Ankle, which broke the
Bone and he has since been carried down to Albany. I cannot precisely say what
was the Loss on either Side ; ours was, undoubtedly, inconsiderable. I suppose we
had about 20 killed and 60 wounded. The Enemy had about 100 killed, 193 taken,
and 200 or more wounded. I believe I shall not reckon too high, when I say that the
Enemy were weakened by this Action not less than Five Hundred. Amongst the
wounded was Gen! Frazer who is since dead. Taken, one of Gen! Burgoyne's Aid de
Camps, two Majors and some other Officers. We had no Field Officer killed and
but very few Officers wounded. We took from the Enemy two 12, and six 6,

174

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

pounders (Brass.) We had no Field Pieces of our own in the Action. We also took
from them between 300 and 400 Tents. It is supposed we had between three and
four Thousand in the Action, and it is said that the greater Part of the Enemy were
engaged. Col. Cook's Regiment was in this Day's Action, who behaved much to
their Honour. Col. Latimer's Regiment took a Part in the former Action, and both
of them have acquired much Reputation.

It was fully expected that the Enemy would retreat towards Lake George, the
Night after the Action. In Consequence of this, nine or ten Regiments were sent
out very early the next Morning, who returned towards Night, having gone above the
Enemy's Encampment about four miles, as far as the River ; they found they had
not passed. This intelligence was unexpected, as it had been confidently asserted by
those who had come in that Morning, that the enemy had retreated about 2 o'clock.
In this Persuasion, about 500 Men were sent out on the Morning of the 8-, to drive
what was supposed only a covering Party out of their Camp. Nothing of Conse-
quence was done that Day. The Enemy kept up a scattered, irregular Fire which
was returned, and a few People were killed on both Sides. Genl Lincoln had that
Day a Musquet Ball pass thro' his Leg which broke the Bone. On this Day I fancy
both Partys were much deceived. Otherwise, the Enemy would not have failed to
destroy the few of us who were then out before their Lines, which they might have
done with great Facility, as their whole Army was then in Camp. I suppose they
tho't the petty Appearance which we made was only a Decoy to draw them out.

The Night following the 8-, the Enemy evacuated their Camp, leaving about
300 wounded, principally British Troops, which Gen- Burgoyne, the next Morning, by
Flagg recommended to the Care of Gen! Gates. Very early on the Morning of the
ninth, large Partys were sent out of Camp to harrass the Enemy in their Retreat,
but it proving a very rainy Day, but little was effected, so that the Enemy marched
yesterday about four Miles without much Molestation.

This Morning, very large Detachments are gone out, and the Fire of Field
Pieces is heard. The People with me are ordered to keep the Camp. Gen' Fellows
is posted with about 2000 Militia on the east Side of the River, near Genl Schuyler's
Plantation. This Day will probably be attended with important Events.

II-. I intended to have closed my Letter yesterday, but as I was desirous to
communicate to your Excellency as many Events as possible of this most interesting
Period, I have stopp- the Express till this Morning, to give you the History of yester-
day, but which I cannot do with Particularity, but can only in general observe that
almost the whole of our Army went forward yesterday. Gen! Gates followed about
2 o'clock p. M. The Enemy attempted to cross the River near Schuyler's Plantation,

FIFTH GENERATION.

175

but were hindered by Genl Fellows. They then made an Attempt to go off from the
River and flank our People on the west Side, but were prevented. Our Army are
on their Front and Flank, and on the opposite Side of the River. Yesterday, and in
the Evening especially, the Enemy appeared to be in the greatest Confusion and Dis-
tress, environed on every Side by our Army, their Baggage scattered and a good deal
of it destroyed by themselves. A great number of their Horses are killed on the
Road, and several hundred Barrells of Provisions have fallen into our Hands. Our
Army, the last Night, lay on their Arms, to renew the Attack this Morning. What
will be the Events of the Day God only knows. But in all Probability it will end in,
at least, the total Loss of all the Enemy's Artillery Stores and Baggage, if not of the
greater Part of their Army. I cannot well conceive of an Army being bro't into a
worse Situation than that of the Enemy's. But the Fate of it will be fully known in
two or three Days. May it please a merciful God to grant that the kindest Events
may take place as it respects ourselves.

It is my Belief that the Events of the Campaign in this Quarter will open to
us the brightest Schemes and will involve in it Consequences which will fully estab-
lish the American Independency. And although our Affairs put on a disagreeable
Aspect in other Parts, yet an Aurora Borealis from this Quarter will dispell the
dismal Gloom.

I expect soon to be discharged ; but before that Time I hope I may have the
Pleasure to congratulate your Excellency on the full Establishment of our Affairs in
this Department, except the Re-capture of Ticonderoga, &c., which I hope will before
long be also effected.

I am your Excellency's

Most obedient humble Servant

Gov. Trumbull ■ Oliver Wolcott

P. S. We took on the 7- four Artillery Wagons. The Enemy in their Retreat
have burnt Genl Schuyler's House, Barn, Mills, and the Barracks ; and in their
Progress have burnt the House of every Man who has been reported friendly to his
Country.

To HIS Wife.
My Dear york Town 18'J; Feb'j; 1778

I arrived here the 15-, well, after having been detained about two Days by the

Susquehannah. I performed the Journey with much less Fatigue than I expected,

and my Horse held out bravely, and has suffered nothing. We have no European

News. An Exchange of Prisoners between Washington and Howe is agreed upon.

176 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

I can add nothing except my earnest Wish, that the Almighty Being who has
hitherto taken Care of us, would still extend his Protection over us and our Children,
and grant us such Direction and Support as may be necessary for us. I am by the
Blessing of God well, and enjoy a Freedom of spirits. God I trust will take Care of
this Land, and will bring us together again in Peace. Trust in your Maker, and he
will do you good.

14'J; April

The Service in attending Congress is more arduous than I have before known
it. We sit sometimes till between 10 and 1 1 o'clock at Night, but in those Cases we
have an Adjournment at Noon. I have been so confined as not to have been on
Horseback since I came here, which I find has been some Injury to my Health.

As to the Gloominess of the Times which you mention — Times I admit are
bad, but I do not believe that God will consign this Country to Destruction. Light
in due Time will arise, and the happy Days of Peace — fair, equitable, and just Peace
— will return. Suffer not your Mind to be under any overwhelming Solicitude on
this account, God will take Care of this People, and I trust that both you and I shall
live to see the most convincing Proofs of it, in the establishment of their Indepen-
dency and Safety.

I do not know wljat I can add, but to advise you to take the best care of your
Health, and free yourself, as far as you can, from anxious Care. Remember that he,
who does not suffer a sparrow to fall to the ground but under his providential Ap-
pointment, and who knows the Wants and Desires of all his Creatures, will do that
which upon the whole will be best for every one who humbly confides in his provi-
dential Goodness. Your own Experience has taught you that you have suffered
many unnecessary Inquietudes ; I am sure that mine has, in numberless Instances.
Let us then commit all our Concerns to the Disposal of our Maker, who I believe will
order that concerning us which shall be for our greatest Advantage.

9':!] May
I think that Great Britain can proceed no further. I consider our Independency
as established. And as I wished not to continue in the bustle of Business abroad, any
longer than till the happy Days of Peace returned, I shall hope it will please God to
grant that for the short Time I may have to live in the World, I shall enjoy with you
the humble Condition of rural, blissful Retirement.

5'i June
My own Opinion is that Great Britain will not continue a Land War in this
Country ; and I am persuaded that the proud Spirit of that Nation is more humbled

FIFTH GENERATION.

177

than it ever has been since it had an Existence. This great Variation in the Cir-
cumstances of our Affairs is the Lord's Doings, and it is truly Wonderfull. May we
ascribe it to that Great Cause which produces all the Good which we experience.

1 25 June.
The Enemy will endeavour, if possible, to divide the Americans ; but I believe
that it will not be in their Power. Congress are united and firm not to enter into
any kind of Negotiation, but upon the acknowledged Principles of our Independence.
This is an interesting Period.

2o£ June.
Put your Trust in the Most High, whose Providence in the late Event of the
Enemy's leaving Philadelphia has been most signal. After having been almost nine
Months in the Possession of that City, they have now left it without Compulsion and
in apparent Terror. God will establish us in Peace and Safety. My tenderest Love
to my Children and Friends. I am affectionately yours

Oliver Wolcott

Mrs Laura Wolcott.

General Orders.^

Head Quarters, lo'i July 1779
General Wolcott has a high Sense of the Activity with which the Militia
now in this Town have come forth for the Defense of the State, and to repel the
wanton, savage Violence of the Foe who not only insulted every Principle which
governs civilized Nations, but by their Barbarities offered the grossest Indignities to
human Nature. The Numbers and Alertness with which the Militia have assembled
at this most busy Season, at once shows their Detestation of the Foe, and their inflex-
ible determination to vindicate their own Rights.

From Citizens of Norwalk.
Hon'd Sir Norwalk, July 19'i 1779

We need not inform you that our Habitations are burned. But as our Lands
and Crops are here, we have determined to remove as near as we can find Shelter to
our former Abodes, and People are gathering as fast as they can in the Borders of the
Town, but have no Guard sufficient to protect us. We are fearful to continue here,

■ The outrages referred tg were the burning of the towns of Fairfield, Norwall<, &c.

178 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

and yet we know not how to subsist elsewhere. We therefore earnestly entreat you

to commiserate our Distresses, and send us Men to defend us.

Thaddeus Betts

Stephen St John (and others)

From General Heath.
Dear Sir Mandeville's, July 19, 1779

I am just honored with your very obliging favor of yesterday. Every assistance
in my power shall be given you. The late wanton and savage Conduct of the Enemy
must be execrated by every person who is actuated by principles of humanity. The
Enemy have moved towards King's Ferry in force. I have the Honor to be very
respectfully, my Dear Sir, your ob't serv't

W. Heath
Maj'. Gen'. Wolcott

From General Parsons.
Dear General Highlands, 20^ July '79

We arrived at North River last Night, after a most fatiguing March. The Fort
at Stony Point was taken by Storm, with the Loss of about 90 men killed and wounded
on our Part. The Action continued about Ten Minutes, and our Troops behaved
with the greatest Firmness and Intrepidity. The Loss of the Enemy is 516 killed,
wounded & Prisoners — about 120 killed & wounded. The Body of the Troops now
seem to be directing their Course this Way. I believe they will repent their Attempt,
should they make the Attack.

In arranging our Line, a number of Ensigns are vacant. If your Son is willing
to accept one of these Vacancies, I shall be happy in having it in my Power to gratify
the Inclination of the Son of so worthy a Father. I am determined to have these
Offices filled by young Gentlemen of Spirit and Learning, to make the Army respect-
able, or to leave them vacant. I am. Sir, with much Esteem and Respect your obe't
Serv't

Sam^ H. Parsons

Hon. Maj. General Wolcott.

From General Washington.

Sir Head Quarters, July 24* 1779

I was favored with your letter of the 17"' Instant a little time past and prevented

from giving it an earlier answer, from the hurry of unavoidable business.

Be assured, Sir, that I have felt much pain at the destruction of your Towns,

and been unhappy that I could not, consistent with the general good, afford such an

FIFTH GENERATION. 179

aid of Continental Troops as might have prevented it ; I hope, however, that the late
fortunate attack on Stony Point will tend to give a check to the continuance of the
ravages in your State. Gen! Glover has been directed to halt his Brigade at Ridge-
field, a situation that will enable him to afford you some assistance, should the Enemy
return to the object they begun with in the Sound.

I am with esteem. Sir, y'r most obe't serv't

G? Washington
Major Gen'. Wolcott

To General Parsons.
Sir Horsencck, 25'J; July 1779

Should the Enemy choose to attack us here in large Force, the Consequence
must perhaps be unavoidable, that we leave the Places. But whatever happens, I
hope if we do retreat, the Reasons for it will be apparent.

Your kind Design, Sir, with regard to my Son merits my most respectful
Acknowledgments. He is now in a Course of Studies to fit him for civil Life, which
I do not wish him to leave. You will therefore please to accept of my Gratitude for
the proffered Favour. I am. Sir, with much Respect,

Your ob't ser't

Oliver Wolcott

From General E. Wolcott.

5ljj East IVindsor, July 27, 1 779

Your Orders of the 24- are received. I received Orders from the Captain Gen-
eral to detail and have in Readiness, properly officered, one half of my Brigade on
the West Side of Connecticut River, to march on the shortest Notice ; I issued my
Orders accordingly. Soon after, I had Orders for one half of those detailed, to march
to New Haven and act as occasion shall require, under the Commanding Officer to
the Westward. I gave my Orders accordingly, and the Men marched under Com-
mand of Lieut. Col. Hez. Wyllys and Lieut. Col. Howell Woodbridge.

We are no\<r making Detachments to fill the Continental Army & the Two
Regiments raised for the Defence of this State. I e.xpect the Returns every Minute,
and hope they will be ready soon to march. This being the State of affairs in this
Part of the Country, would it not be best that the Men now on the Sea Coast should
content themselves a little longer .' But this I submit, and shall punctually comply
with any Orders from you, and am, Sir, with Regard your most obe't Serv't

Erastus Wolcott
Hon!± Ma/. Gen' Wolcott

l8o THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

To General E. Wolcott.
Cr„ Horseneck, 30'J} July 1779

Your Favour of the 24- is rec'd. I never had any Intention that more than one
Quarter of the MiHtia should be out at once, but in Cases of the last Extremity.
That Case does not yet exist. I am directed by the Governor to defend, according to
the best of my Discretion, the Sea Coast from Connecticut River to this Place. I
shall be satisfied. Sir, if you keep in constant Service, for the Defence of the State,
one Quarter of your Brigade West of Connecticut River, and shall leave it to you to
judge in what Manner it shall be effected.

Whether the Enemy will attempt this Place, or go to New York, a Day or two

at farthest will determine. If they shall go to New York, I shall proceed to the

Eastward, leaving the detachment now here at this Place. Yours with much

Respect,

Oliver Wolcott

Brig. Gen'. Wolcott

To ONE OF HIS Daughters.
My Dear Child Philadelphia 25'i> Dec. 1781

I wrote to your Sister on the 19- instant, acknowledging her Letter of the 10-.
I hope that you will put it in my Power to acknowledge the like Kindnesses from you,
as nothing gives me more Pleasure than to hear from my Family.

In my Absence I shall frequently write to some of you, tho' I may not have
any thing material to communicate. The able Advice which you will receive from
a kind Mother, and your own Discretion, will render any Counsel from me in a very
great Degree unnecessary. I write principally to gratify my Inclination for a corre-
spondence, and to recommend to your Observance the same Principles of Honour and
Virtue which have hitherto governed your Conduct.

You will let your Mamma know that by the divine Goodness I enjoy Health,
and will present my kindest Regards to her, your Sister and Brother. I am affection-
ately yours

Oliver Wolcott

To Mrs. Wolcott.
My Dear Philadelphia, iVi. Jano: 1782

The Date of this I hope you remember with the same agreeable Recollections
which give Pleasure to my own Mind. But yet this Circumstance reminds me of the
rapid Flight of Time. But what is its Importance, except how it is used .' Properly
employed in the great Duties of Life, it will insure us Pleasures lasting and sublime.

FIFTH GENERATION. l8i

And how noble and exalted the Joy, to spend an Eternity together in the Participa-
tion of Delights becoming rational Natures to enjoy, and such as the Profusion of
divine Goodness will bestow. The future Life must give the Stamp to human Wis-
dom or Folly. You I trust have made that rational Choice, which both respects
your Duty and your Happiness. May we both attend to the great Concernments of
Immortality, and never forget the Obligations which we are under to our Maker. By
the Goodness of God I enjoy Health, and find my Service here far less burdensome
than I expected. My kindest Regards to my Family and Friends. I am yours most

affectionately

Oliver Wolcott
Mrs Laura Wolcott.

To HIS Son Oliver.
Sir PJiiladelphia, is'-i Jani^ 17S3

Mr Ellsworth says that you will succeed in the Business which you propose.
I am very glad that he has a good Opinion of you, as there is no one whose Friend-
ship will be more serviceable to you. And as he is a Gentleman of great Candor and
Integrity, as well as in high Reputation in his Profession, you will I doubt not merit
that Regard from him, which I believe he is inclined to bestow.
May the divine Being guide, protect, and bless you.

Yours, with the kindest Regard

Oliver Wolcott
M': Oliver Wolcott., JunT

To THE Same.
My D" Friend Litchfield, 15'i; Sept: 1783

I have of late frequently recommended to you that you do not so assiduously
attend upon the Business of the Pay-table Office. About a Year ago you had all the
Appearance of possessing vigorous Health, but since that Time you have gone thro
a Service, which the most athletic Constitution must have suffered by. And in addi-
tion to all this, I suspect that you have read considerably every Night. This is too
much. Relax your Attention ; throw aside your Books ; Ride or Exercise mod-
erately in good Weather ; suffer your Mind to be more vacant ; and Lodge where it
shall be most agreeable to you, without regarding any other Consideration. Your
Labours and literary Improvement will justify such an Exemption. You want Time
and Opportunity to recover a Tone — and which I trust that God will give you, if you
shall not be wanting to yourself. Your Pursuits are too urgent, more I believe than
those of any other Person that I was ever acquainted with. When I consider your
Years and the Business that you have done, and the literary Improvements which you

1 82 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

have made, I am astonished at your Industry. But take my Advice, and essentially
abate this Fervour of Pursuit, and come and see us as often, as it can be convenient
for you ; tho I cannot say that I have any Thing very special to induce me to ask
the Favour of you, except the Gratification of a Parent's Fondness.

7'-^; Octi
I shall not go to New Haven till next week. I will if God please attend one
Session more, which I expect will be a disagreeable one. But I will act what I
beheve will be most for the Interest of my Country, without any Regard to any per-
sonal Consideration. I believe that we must suffer much Distress before this Con-
federacy will be brought to that Consistency which will secure us in the Possession
of internal Peace.

I am yours with the tenderest affection

Oliver Wolcott
Mk O. Wolcott, J:

To THE Same.
Sir Fort Schuyler, Oct. 4, 1784

I arrived here yesterday ; the Indians are not yet generally come in, but we
expect a full representation of them in a few days. We made them a short address
yesterday, and find that the Savages appear much disposed to be friendly. How
long the Negotiation will continue is uncertain, tho' I do not expect to leave the
Place in less than ten days or a Fortnight. The number of Indians now here is
about one hundred, and a much larger number will probably be here within three
days.

The Marquis de La Fayette, with his Aid the Chevalier de C, who are on their

Journey to Boston are here. The Marquis will go by Hartford and will deliver you

this Letter, to whom I wish you would make yourself known.

I am. Sir, yours

Oliver Wolcott
Mr. O. Wolcott Jr.

To THE Same.
Sir Litchfield, Jan 10, 1785

Your Letter of the 4- instant is received. The Character of the young Lady,
whom you mention as the Object of your Affection, justifies your Choice, and receives
the Approbation of your Parents. And if you shall wait upon her here, when you
shall come to see us, it will increase the Pleasure of the Visit.

Yours

Oliver Wolcott

FIFTH GENERATION. 1 83

Deed of Emancipation. ^

Know all men by these presents, that I, Oliver Wolcott, of Litchfield, in the
State of Connecticut, in expectation that my negro servant man, Caesar, will by his
industry be able to obtain a comfortable subsistence for himself, and that he will make
a proper use of the Freedom which I hereby give him, do discharge, liberate and set
free, him, the said Caesar, and do hereby exempt him from any further obligation of
servitude to me, my heirs, and every other person claiming any authority over him,
by, from, or under me.

And that my said servant, whom I now make free as aforesaid, may be known
hereafter by a proper cognomen, I hereby give him the name of yaviics — so that
here-after he is to be known and distinguished by the name of Caesar Jamus. As
witness my hand and seal in Litchfield, Nov. 23? AD. 1786

in presence of Oliver Wolcott & seal

Mariann Wolcott
Frederick Wolcott

To HIS Son Oliver.
S[lj Litchfield, Sept. loi 17S7

We most sincerely join with you and Betsey in our Congratulations upon the
Birth of your Son, and devoutly wish that he may live and so conduct in Life as to
give you that Pleasure which none but a Parent can feel.

Oct. -f-

We are sorry that the Badness of the Roads has prevented us the Pleasure of
seeing you and Betsey and your little Son, who all agree is a very fine Boy. You
will take the first Opportunity to bring him here, as we wish to become acquainted
with the young Stranger.

I have examined the Constitution proposed by the Convention, and I find that
they have attended to the great Object of rendering Government efficient, yet capable
of having its Errors corrected without publick disturbance, and guarded both in the
constitution of its Offices and in its Operations, against the Impressions of Faction.
These important Points have never been effectually combined in any System of
national Government, which I have had the Knowledge of; and if fully obtained, it
may be considered as a high Improvement. Upon the whole, I think there is much

1 Litchfield Town Records. See p. 360.

1 84 THE IVOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

to be admired in this Constitution ; it is the Production of the wisest and the best of
Men, and I hope that it will be so considered.

I shall probably go to New Haven on Wednesday, and shall hope to see you
there in the Course of the Session. Our Love to Betsey.

Yours with much Regard

Oliver Wolcott

Mr Oliver Wolcott, J'.

To THE Same.
My D^ Friend Litclifield, Feb. 8, 1789

Upon my return home ; I found my Family as well as usual. You will easily
believe that your Mother felt the most sympathetic Grief with the Rest of the Family
on account of the Loss of that sweet Babe, who I trust now enjoys a Happiness
which he cannot wish to exchange for the uncertain Pleasures of this Life. Our
Grief for the Loss of those who are most dear to us is I believe very often selfish and
partial ; mine I fear is so in the last Instance which has occasioned it, tho' it has
been and still is too pungent, not to distinguish it from all others which I have ever
suffered. But God grant that we may all submit to this divine Dispensation. God
grant that we may all be prepared to enter, after Life, into that social State, which
will not be interrupted by any Thing like the Evils of this Life, where both the
Society and the Happiness will be endless.

Every Thing in this Life presents a faded Aspect to my View. May we seek
for a Happiness which is permanent. What can a rational Being place his wishes
upon short of the permanent Favour of his Maker .' So far as we resemble our
Creator, so far and no farther do we attain to Perfection. May you and I and all of
this Family possess those Dispositions of Mind, which are correspondent to the
heavenly State, and if this shall be our happy Condition, we shall soon enjoy the
Society of our young Friend, who I doubt not is exempt from the Evils which he
must have suffered, had he continued in this Life.

Your Mother presents with me her kindest Love to you and Betsey. May both
of you be enabled with Calmness and Resignation to submit to the divine Dispensa-
tion, under this persuasion that we are but poorly able to judge either what is best
for ourselves or for those who are most dear to us.

Feb. 21^
We live in a mutable World ; but our Understandings are weak and most liable
to err. We doubtless frequently grieve, when the divine Dispensation is intended in
mercy to ourselves and those for whom we lament. Let us be assured that infinite

FIFTH GENERATION. 1 85

Wisdom knows, and supreme Goodness disposes for the best. God will not forsake
those who put their trust in Him. He will give you Peace.

Yours with the kindest Regard

O. WOLCOTT
O. Wolcott, JK, Esq.

To THE Same.
Sir Litchfield, Nov. 24'-!; 1789

Old Age is very apt to be vain in giving Advice. No one, I believe, of your
years, requires it less, as you have been long conversant with People of almost every
Condition, and very readily investigate the Principles of human Action. Yet I will
indulge myself once, and which I shall probably never think it necessary to do again,
advise you that in every Matter of Consequence, you depend (in the last Resort) upon
your own Judgment rather than upon that of any other. In this Mode of Conduct
you will less frequently err ; it will induce a stricter Habit of Reflection ; and if you
mistake, you will not feel the Mortification of being misguided by such as may have
an Interest in deceiving you. The Executive Officers with whom you will have most
Intercourse will, I believe, be inclined to treat you with Generosity and Frankness,
from the First Magistrate downwards. An open, unassuming Behaviour will be most
agreeable to them ; this naturally induces Confidence, and may be done consistently
with such Reservations as may be necessary. It is generally said that Courtiers
always act in Disguise. This is far from being universally the Case ; and when it is,
it is more generally owing to their Situation than Choice, especially among those who
are to be denominated good Men, to which Character I truly believe the First Magis-
trate, and the Heads of the Executive Departments, (all of whom I know,) are justly
entitled. The Habits and Manners of a Soldier are naturally open and frank, and if
at any Time it shall seem to be otherwise, such Conduct will be rather assumed and
political than natural.

Your Service will be complicated and arduous ; but you will reflect that those
who are to judge of your Service, will be most capable of making a just estimate of
it. You may therefore safely indulge yourself with as much Exercise and Relaxation,
as will be necessary for your Health. Endeavor to preserve the mens sana in sajio
corf ore, by indulging at times a certain Vacancy of Thought, &c. As to your Mode
of Living, I need say but very little ; your Habits of Temperance will render it
unnecessary — only this you will recollect, that there are many old Men in Connecti-
cut, who have drank Cyder freely for three Quarters of a Century, who are active and
almost blooming, and exempt from all Gout, Rheumatism and Stone ; while the
Drinkers of Beer and Spirits die soon, and in Misery. Simple Diet and fermented

1 86 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Liquors, except rich Beer, will with the moderate use of Water, be always found to
be best, especially for sedentary Persons.

Thus far I have wrote, which is much farther than I intended when I began
to scribble. You need be under no Apprehension that I shall oblige you to read
such long Letters of grave Advice in future, and will consider this rather as an
Evidence of my Regard for your Happiness, than of any Anxiety I feel lest
you should be under any misapprehension of what Principles ought to govern your
Conduct.

Our sincere Love to Betsey, which you will also accept for yourself. I am with
the kindest Regard

Yours

Oliver Wolcott

Oliver Wolcott J'., Esq.

To THE Same.
Sir Litchfield, June ii* 1790

Your Mother has received your two Letters, informing her of the Birth of your
Son, and has desired me to express to you and to your Spouse her most sincere
Congratulations upon this auspicious Event ; and that her devout wishes might be
accepted for the Happiness of both of you and for that of your Child. She hopes that
she shall be gratified by seeing you all at Litchfield, as soon as it can be done with
a proper Attention to their Health. A wise Providence has rendered all our Enjoy-
ments in Life precarious. You have had a very sensible Evidence of this Truth ; and
will therefore always endeavor to be prepared to submit to every divine Dispensation.

Litchfield, July 4'i', 1791
I have been happy to be informed by the publick Prints that the President has
been pleased to appoint you the Comptroller of the Treasury. This mark of Appro-
bation and Confidence is highly honourable to yourself, and will have (I doubt not) a
constant Influence upon you to persist in that undeviating Course of Integrity which,
I am happy to believe, has procured you that Trust which is really more confidential
than almost any other. Let us ever act, conscious that we are always under the Inspec-
tion of the Almighty, and that He justly requires of all his Creatures, that they use
the Powers which He has given them for the Purposes for which they were bestowed.
I suppose that this Morning you are putting on your best Coat, decently to
celebrate the Anniversary of American Independence — an Event, indeed, which
seems to become more and more important, and which fully justifies the Struggle
which we made to obtain it. This Country has already much more than recovered

FIFTH GENERATION. 1 87

all the Damages or real Inconveniences, which resulted from the War. What a
Misfortune must it have been to us, to have been connected with a Power which is
continually either making, or finding, an Enemy in every Part of the Globe.

We wish you enjoyed some of our cool Litchfield Airs this Season. I hope
that you will take Care of your Health and of that of your Family, and that your
Service will not be so extremely arduous as it has been.

Our kind Regards to Betsey and yourself. Your little Boy we hear is a fine
red-faced jolly Fellow ; and we wish he might ever be as happy as he shall deserve
to be, and indeed more so, unless he shall prove to be better than most Folks.i

Yours.

O. WOLCOTT

You will remember that I always write fast

Mrs. Goodrich to Mrs. Wolcott.

My Dearest Mama Hartford, 14S Jans: 1791

I have been quite uneasy that so many weeks should elapse without my writing
to you ; but I hope to be pardoned, when you know how entirely my time has been
taken up with the attention I have been forced to pay to company, and the necessary
business of my Family. I have, however, been made happy by receiving several
letters from Frederick, which have informed me of the welfare of the family, and that
yoit and my Father would certainly make us a visit this Winter. The expectation of
this visit has employed so many of my waking and sleeping hours, that it would
indeed be a cruel disappointment, if any thing should happen to prevent it. It is
painful to me to reflect that I have lived here so long, in a place that my dearest
Mother has never seen, and that those objects which have become perfectly familiar,
and so much endeared to me, should all appear strange to friends, whose Interests
and Happiness I used to consider as entirely inseparable from mine. I hope there
is nothing whimsical, or singular, in the feelings which I have expressed, for they
impress my mind too forcibly to be easily subdued.

I received a letter from Oliver, two days ago ; the family were all very well at
the time he wrote ; we hear from him but seldom, and his letters appear to be written
in haste — which we cannot think strange.

Laura is gone to the Assembly this evening, with all the gaiety and good spirits
of a girl of sixteen. I should have gone too, but my friend Peggy was not in spirits

The little child, thus playfully alluded to, died only ten days after.

1 88 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

to attend ; and tho' I consider myself as well as most people, I mean to take Oliver's
advise " not to play too many modish pranks," this Winter. I have not heard
whether my Father is gone to New Haven ; if he is not, you will remember me affec-
tionately to him, and beg of him to write to me sometimes.

Mr. Goodrich joins with me in presenting Love and Respects to the whole
family

I am, my dear Mamma with sincerity your

Mariann Goodrich
M'J Wolcott.

The Same to the Same.
My Dear Mamma Hartford, -^-^ April 1791.

We have been very assiduous to find an Opportunity to send to Litchfield
for a fortnight past, but have not heard of any, tho' M' Pomeroy and M- Webster
have been there without informing us of it. I am very much pleased that it is in
my power to inform you that my wrist is almost well, and will probably soon be as
strong as the other. I am sure you will approve of my fortitude in submitting
to the Operation, since it is likely to restore to me the use of a limb, that I had con-
sider'd as almost lost. I shall soon have not the least shadow of an excuse for
being indolent and useless to my friends. I hope I may enjoy my health, and
live to discharge some part of the obligation I am under to those, who have so kindly
and tenderly assisted me, thro' a long and dangerous illness. The gratitude which
I have felt is now become a very pleasing emotion, since I flatter myself, that I can
make my services and attentions, somehow beneficial to my friends.

We were very happy in my Father's company the few days he spent with us —
we hope to enjoy the same pleasure again when the Court of Errors meet. I have
procur'd a pair of shoes for you which I hope will suit, — the cloth is exceedingly
durable, and I think almost as handsome as sattin.

Laura and I have taken pains to collect you some flower seeds, but we cannot
get any great variety. We are making up our gardens and things begin here to wear
the appearance of summer. The flood is up, which prevents their taking any Salmon,
otherwise we might perhaps have the pleasure of sending you one. There is to be
an Ordination here next week — I wish my dear Mama that you would persuade
Frederick to come. I cannot tell you how much I want to see him, and I am certain
the ride will be for his health.

We have not heard from Philadelphia since M- Ellsworth's return. Miss Wads-
worth tells me that my Brother and Sister seem to be very happy, and that little

FIFTH GENERATION. i8q

Oliver is as handsome an Angel. M- Goodrich, M- Mosely and Laura, are all well
and join with me in the most affectionate regards to my Father and yourself.

M. Goodrich.
M'-^ Laura IVolcott

To HIS Son Oliver.
Sir Litchfield, May 5, 1794,

By my Letter of the 21'- ultimo, I informed you of the Death of your Mother.
Her Children will render their best Regards to her Memory, as well as most benefit
themselves, by observing the Instructions which she has given them, and by an
Imitation of her Conduct.

The Circumstances of human Existence would be involved in impenetrable
Darkness, but as we are instructed by the Christian Religion ; not but that those
who have not that Aid, by governing themselves by the intellectual Sense which God
has given them, may attain to that State of Happiness and moral Improvement,
which is the ultimate Object of the Religion of Christ Jesus. But by him Life and
Immortality are brought to Light, of which without that Aid no certain knowledge
could be obtained. This teaches us that adequate Provision is made, and the Appli-
cation thereof rendered certain to such as shall sincerely desire it, for our recovery
and restoration to a State of moral Purity, and the Possession of a Happiness most
exalted and refined and which will never end.

That your dear Mother is in a state of exalted Happiness, and which is rendered
sure to her by that Almighty Being, who will never disappoint those who in the
Observance of a proper Conduct put their Trust in Him, I have no doubt. May we
so conduct, and so place our Hope and Confidence in Him who is able to save to the
uttermost, as that we may finally participate in that Happiness.

My kindest Love to Betsey. May the Almighty bless you, her, and your Child.

Oliver Wolcott.
O. Wolcott, J:, Esq.

To THE Same.
Sir Litchfield, Feb. l6'-I; 1795

I am happy to find it announced in the publick Papers that you are appointed
to the office of Secretary of the Treasury, not only as it is an official Honour, but as
it is a publick Testimonial of the Merit of your Services and your Ability to execute
the Trust, by those whose Judgment will be fully confided in. The Appointment is
more important and confidential than any single Trust held under Government, and
consequently has the highest Responsibility annexed to it ; but I persuade myself
that it will be executed by you in such a Manner as will fully evince the Propriety of

I go

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

the Designation. In transacting very important Business, it is necessary for obtain-
ing Success, that a Man should not despair of his Ability to effect it. In conducting
a national fiscal Department, it is, so far as I have been informed, in certain publick
Exigencies, and upon unforeseen Events, for the Officer to exercise certain discre-
tionary Powers, in Confidence that his Conduct, if evidently directed to publick
Utility, will obtain Approbation ; and such Conduct might well be sanctioned, when
its Consequences have been evidently beneficial.

But the Exercise of such Discretion is ever attended with much Risque ; and it
will be peculiarly so under our Government, where many are seeking to find Grounds
for Discontent, and when they are not real, will create such as are imaginary. I
think that an Officer should never depart from established Rules, unless the Necessity
be most urgent and apparent.

Col. Hamilton leaves the Office with high Reputation, in the Opinion of those
whose Judgment deserves to be respected. His Successor can have no higher Ambi-
tion than to execute the Office in the same honourable Manner which he has done.

I hope that Betsey has recovered from her Indisposition, and that she and her
dear Babe will spend as much as it can be agreeable to her of the next Summer with
us, and that you will accompany her hither.

The Situation in which you are placed is highly important to the Publick, as
well as honorable to yourself, but I have full Confidence that in case you enjoy
Health, which you ought to endeavor to preserve, the Duties of it will be honourably
discharged and to the good Acceptance of the Publick. At the same Time it will be
well for you to expect to meet with Calumny, which no Man who faithfully does his
Duty has any Reason to hope to escape. The Man who shall so conduct as to enjoy
the Approbation of his own Conscience, and the Respect of the virtuous, the sensible,
and the good, obtains every Thing in Life, as it respects his Character and Peace of
Mind, which he ought to wish for. This Satisfaction I trust you will enjoy, and
finally, a Happiness which the World can neither give, nor take from you.

My kindest Love to Betsey, your little Child, and yourself.

I am, &c.

Oliver Wolcott

O. Wolcott, 7:, Esq.

To THE Same.
Sir Litchfield, ]z.-a.\\'^ 1796

I have little to communicate, but as I think much of my Children, it could not
escape my recollection that this is your birth-day. How short is the period from
infancy to middle life, and from that to old age ! But a wise man will estimate what-

FIFTH GENERATION. I9I

ever respects his permanent existence, and regulate his conduct accordingly. We
ought to consider it one amongst innumerable Evidences of Divine Goodness, that
a state of being so impotent and frail in every respect as the present, has been
ordained of God to be of short duration, especially as the most ample Provision is
made by the Author of all good, not only to exempt us from all present infirmities,
both natural and moral, but to conduct us, unless we shall neglect what essentially
concerns us, to the possession of the most exalted and refined pleasures, of endless
duration. May we by the most inflexible perseverance endeavour to obtain a prize
of such inestimable Value.

My kindest Regards to my dear Connections who are with you. We have our

usual health.

Yours, &c.

Oliver Wolcott
O. Wolcott, J:, Esq.

To President Washington.
Sir Litchfield, Jan. 21L' 1796

I conceive it to be my Duty to inform you. Sir, that in Consequence of the
Death of our late worthy Governour, His Excellency, Samuel Huntington, the
Powers annexed to that Office have devolved upon me as Lieutenant Governour of
the State ; and you will be pleased, Sir, to be assured that whatever official Duties
you shall require of me, will be strictly observed.

Permit me. Sir, upon this Occasion, to express the deep Regret which I have
long felt at the extreme Impropriety with which the national Administration has been
treated by disappointed Ambition, and from other Motives not less improper ; and to
assure you, Sir, that the People of Connecticut have ever preserved the most perfect
Confidence in the Wisdom and Rectitude of your Administration, and are fully per-
suaded that in Consequence thereof, their Country has been exempted from Evils the
most calamitous and distressing ; and they are very sensible that they enjoy every
Benefit which can possibly be derived from Government.

The favourable Opinion which you have been pleased to entertain of my Son,
by appointing him to the very important and confidential Ofifice of Secretary of the
Treasury, excites in me the most agreeable Reflections. I shall flatter myself. Sir,
that he will, by his Assiduity, Discretion, and Fidelity, continue to merit the Confi-
dence you have placed in him. With great Deference, Esteem, and Respect, I am,

Sir, your most obedient and most humble Servant,

Oliver Wolcott

The President of the United States.

192 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

AUTOGRAPH LETTER OF GENERAL WASHINGTON.

An impression of the next letter which we had selected, — a perfect
facsimile, by the beautiful artotype process, — has been taken by Bierstadt ;
and giving it in that form, we omit it from the text.

The confidence, which in this letter is expressed in both of these gen-
tlemen by the Father of his Country, was shared by the freemen of Con-
necticut. Mr. Wolcott, Sen., was placed in the Governor's seat by their
votes at the succeeding election, — a result foreshadowed in the Election
Sermon of 1796, from which we give an extract, preached by the Rev. John
Marsh, D.D., of Wethersfield. The impressive custom, upon the organi-
zation of the two branches, of marching in procession, with the Executive,
to the sanctuary, and engaging in divine worship before entering upon
legislative duties, — a custom handed down from the early generations, but
now perpetuated in Massachusetts alone, — was then obsei-ved, also, in
Connecticut.

" The Lieutenant-Governor, on whom the chief command devolved in conse-
quence of the death of his Excellency, we trust is no stranger to the joy and satisfac-
tion arising from a consciousness of a prevailing and habitual regard to God, in the
discharge of the duties of public as well as private life. May his Honor, whose great
talents have been employed many years, in various, important public stations, con-
tinue, under the invigorating influence of the great principles of religion, to exert all
his abilities, as God shall give him opportunity, for the good of this State and Nation
and of mankind."

We refrain from further extracts from the correspondence, but give
from a manuscript copy the opening and the concluding paragraphs of his
last Address to the Legislature of Connecticut.

TO THE LEGISLATURE.

Gentlemen of the Council, and

Gentlemen of the House of Representatives:
A continuance of the sickness with which I have been visited for several
months, will forbid my attendance with you at the approaching Session of the Gen-
eral Assembly, and apologize for a written communication of the few matters it is my
duty to lay before you

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FIFTH GENERATION. I93

Under a serious impression of the uncertain issue of my present sickness, I
cannot forbear, in closing this communication, to express the deep sense I feel of my
Obligations to our Constituents, for their candour and confidence manifested towards
me in the various and important Offices with which I have been honoured by their
suffrages. My particular and sincere thanks are also due to those Gentlemen, with
whom I have been associated in public life, for the many instances I have experi-
enced of their friendship and respect. My best wishes attend them and all the
members of the Legislature for their personal happiness. And I commend your delib-
erations, and the interests of the State, to the divine guidance and blessing.

Oliver Wolcott
Litchfield, October 1797.

His apprehensions, as above intimated, were realized, and he expired
at his seat in Litchfield, Dec. i, 1797, it being his seventy-first birthday.

In person, Governor Wolcott was tall and erect, and of dignified
appearance and bearing. His complexion was dark; his features bore
the impress of his iron will, and their general expression was sedate.
Though firm in his own opinions, he manifested deference to the opinions
of others. He was never idle ; dissipation had no charms for him. His
love of domestic life is fully exhibited in the extracts which we have given
from his letters. He was intimately acquainted with public law, and his
Alma Mater, Yale College, conferred upon him the honorary degree of
LL.D. He was personally acquainted with, and esteemed by, most of the
great actors in the American Revolution, and his name is recorded in con-
nection with most of its important events. On all occasions he showed
himself an inflexible Republican, and a lover of social order. His character
was worthy of the trust reposed in him by his country. It may be said of
him, as Jenkins said of Coke, that " he was one whom power could not
break nor favor bend." Of unswerving integrity; of devoted patriotism ;
a sincere and humble Christian, untainted by bigotry or intolerance ; exem-
plary in his private as well as in his public relations ; possessing natural
abilities not brilliant but sound ; of indefatigable industry and immovable
resolution, — the State had no truer servant and no better citizen.
His funeral discourse, of twenty-four pages, bears the title : —

194

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

"A Sermon delivered at the Funeral of his Excellency, Oliver Wolcott,
Governor of the State of Connecticut ; who died i- December 1797. By Azel
Backus A.M., Pastor of the church in Bethlehem.

" ' Intellectum est quid intersit inter lenitatem concionatorum, et animum vere
popularem, saluti populi consulentem.' — Cicero.

" Printed at Litchfield, by T. Collier."

"Text — 2 Chronicles, xxxii. 33. And Hezekiah slept with his Fathers, and
they buried him in the chiefest of the sepulchres of the sons of David ; and all Judah,
and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, did him honor at his death."

We give a few sentences : —

" By this death, the State is called to mourn one of the real friends of the sim-
plicity and purity of her ancient institutions. In the language of the prophet, she
may say that ' One of her strong rods is broken and withered.' Descended from ances-
tors distinguished among the first settlers of New England, Governor Wolcott was
a real and not a theoretic republican. He revered and embraced the religion of his
country. . . .

" In the discharge of these several offices. Integrity and firmness were the
leading features of his character. He was an eminent exemplification of the ' Vir
tenax propositi ' of the bard of Venusia. Although he possessed a strong mind
capable of deep and thorough investigation, his abilities were not of that brilliant cast,
which have often ruined men in popular governments. He always seems to have
aimed more to do his duty than to shine ; to be useful, than to dazzle. By his death,
the true interests of science have lost a strenuous defender ; Virtue, religion, and
good men, a sincere friend. Like good Hezekiah, he reverenced and loved public
worship and divine ordinances ; was a tried, but not an ostentatious, friend of the
gospel ministry. He sensibly felt every attempt to depart from puritan practice
and morals. He set his face like a flint against all the specious sophistry of new
political theories, and the madness of infidel fanaticism. Rather than flatter or
license the vices of the community, hke a popular sycophant, he was willing to put
his continuance in office at hazard, and his reputation in jeopardy, that he might dis-
charge a good conscience. With the same firmness that he sustained the ills of life
and the perils of office, he met the King of Terrors. With all the splendor of his
station and his well-earned fame, he was not ashamed to pray in the e.xpressive lan-
guage of the Publican, ' God be vtereifnl to me a siti/ier ! ' and to make the most feeling
declarations of his own personal unworthiness.

FIFTH GENERATION. 195

" To what insignificance do human honors dwindle, before the grandeur of
eternity ! Nevertheless, the death of such a character is a grievous loss ; especially
under the present threatening aspects of Divine Providence, and the perilous situa-
tion of this country. Such tried characters are the pillars of our national existence.
The presence, firmness, counsels, prayers, and example of such Fathers, should be
esteemed ' tlie chariots of our Israel and the horsemen thereof!

" While we have assembled this day, to do honor to the remains of our beloved
Chief Magistrate, how does the occasion echo the divine declaration, ' All flesh is
grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field! This is the end of
all living. No character, no distinction, can exempt us from a war in which there is
no discharge. The richest furniture of the mind and the most excellent human
accomplishments little avail in that land of darkness, where all distinctions are lev-
elled. But let it not be said of us, that the righteous and the excellent of the earth
are taken away, and no man layeth it to heart. When persons of superior merit and
usefulness are removed, let them not, with the useless and vicious part of the com-
munity, be buried in oblivion. Let us cherish the memory of their virtues, and strive
to have them engrafted into our own characters. To honor a father of the people is
the duty of all who have been happy under his official administration. Let us revere
the men who have firmness to resist the prevailing current of a wicked world. Let
modern Jeroboams, and their adherents, bow to their own calves of Dan and Bethel.
But let our conduct show that we are more zealous to be found citizens of the
heavenly Zion, than to obtain the plaudits of capricious mortals. Feeling that we
have here no continuing city, may we look for one which cannot be shaken by the
broils and tumults of this noisy world."

Two portraits of him, duplicates, by Earle, have been preserved. One
of these is in the State House at Hartford, presented by his grandson, the
late Dr. John S. Wolcott. This has been engraved for Sanderson's " Lives
of the Signers," from a reduced copy by his granddaughter, Mrs. Laura
W. Gibbs. The other is in the hbrary of tlie Connecticut Historical
Society, at Hartford, presented by Mrs. Gibbs. An excellent engraving
of the former picture, by F. Halpin, of New York, accompanies our
work.

In connection with the preceding sketch of General Wolcott, honor-
able mention is due to Mrs. Wolcott. Durina: his almost constant absence

196 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

from home while engaged in the arduous service of the Revokitionary War,
she educated their children and conducted the domestic concerns of the
family, including the management of a sm.all farm, with a degree of forti-
tude, perseverance, frugality, and intelligence, equal to that which in the
best days of ancient Rome distinguished her most illustrious matrons.
Without her aid, his public services could not have been rendered, without
involving a total sacrifice of the interests of his family ; with her aid, his
house was a seat of comfort and hospitality, and by means of her assistance
he retained during life a small estate, a part of which was a patrimonial
inheritance.

Her portrait, also by Earle, now in the possession of her grandson,
Mr. J. H. Wolcott, of Boston, and engraved by C. H. Smith, of Brooklyn,
for this Memorial, presents her as a woman of fine countenance and
majestic figure, and authenticates the current tradition that in her day she
was the most beautiful woman in the village. Her remains lie beneath
the same monument with her husband's, in the east graveyard of Litchfield.

The family which they founded, and which throughout the State was
for nearly a century so honorably associated with this pleasant village,
has now no living representative within its dwellings and beneath its
shades.

To the Memory

OuvER Wolcott, late Governor

the State of Connecticut,

who was born Dec' i- 1726,

& who died Dec' i- 1797.

Also of
Laura Wolcott,
who was bom JanS^ i- 1732,
& who died Apl 19'J; 1794. {Epitaph^

On the monum.ent are inscribed the Arms of Wolcott, with the family
motto, " NuUius jurare in verba"

Si.I^^'E m ^"^OliC O TT

( liAX^MA €Ol,]L,IKf( . )

SIXTH GENERATION. 197

SIXTH GENERATION.

XXXI. John Wolcott (106) married, Jan. 9, 1735, Mary Hawley, of
Middletown ; lived in South Windsor. Children : —

214 — I. Mary, b. Dec. 10, 1736 ; married Abiel Grant.

215 — 2. Laura, b. June 15, 1739; married Jonathan Bement.

216 — 3. Hope, b. Dec. 29, 1742 ; m. April 4, 1774, Nathaniel Drake.

217 — 4. Benjamin, b. Oct. 26, 1744 ; married Abi Pinney ; lived in South Windsor ;

had ten children, and four of his sons had families.

218 — 5. Ann, b. March 6, 1746.

In Memory of Mr. John Wolcott,
who died April die 11- A. D. 1773,

in the 64- year of his age. {Epitaph.')

XXXII. Samuel Wolcott (119) married (ist), March 11, 1735,
Mary, daughter of Israel Wyatt, of Colchester; she was born Nov. 19,
1716; (2d), Aug. 30, 1759, Mrs. Sarah (Sherman) Boardman, who died
March 6, 1 794, aged 79 ; lived in Wethersfield. Children : —

219 — I. Samuel, b. Nov. 15, 1736. See LVIII.

220 — 2. Oliver, b. Jan. 17, 1738; d. Feb. 25, 1788.

221 — 3. Wyatt, h. April 9, 1739 ; m. 1764, Desire Saxton ; removed to New York ;

had nine children, including si.x sons who married and left families.

222 — 4. Mary, b. April 18, 1741 ; m. June 11, 1781, David Mitchell.

223 — 5. Solomon, b. June 21, 1743; married Sarah, daughter of Joseph Wells, of

Wethersfield ; had eight children, and three of his sons had families.

224 — 6. Chloe, b. April 9, 1745 ; m. May 2, 1771, Lemuel Woodhouse.

225 — 7. Roger, b. Nov. 15, 1746; m. (ist), 1775, Mary Slater; (2d), March 9, 1800,

Esther Wilson ; lived in Walpole, N. H. ; had six children.

1 98 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

226 — 8. Nathaniel, b. July 9, 1748 ; m. (ist), Dorothy Evans ; (2d), April 15, 1798,
Abigail Goodrich ; had children and grandchildren.

227 — 9. William, b. June 5, 1750-; died young.

228 — 10. Abigail, b. April 21, 1752 ; m. Jan. 30, 1772, Levi Wright.

229 — II. William, b. Jan. 30, 1754; m. (ist), June 14, 1780, Rebecca Goodrich;
(2d), March 18, 1790, Huldah Wells ; had seven children, and four of
his sons had families.

In memory of Mr Samuel Wolcott,
who died April 11- 1800, aged 88 years. {Epitaph^

Here lies interred the body of

Mrs Mary Wolcott, wife of

Mr Samuel Wolcott, who departed

this life June 6- 1758, in yf

42'' year of her age. {Epitaph.')

XXXIII. Elisha Wolcott (121) married, June 28, 1746, Sarah,
daughter of Gershom Nott; she died March 12, 1800, aged 73; lived in
Wethersfield. Children : —

230 — I. Gershom, h. April il, 1748; m. Oct. 10, 1774, Rhoda Robbins ; had four
children, two of them sons who had families.

231 — 2. SaraJi, b. Aug. 7, 175 1 ; married Levi Robbins.

232 — 3. Elisha, b. Oct. 2, 1755 ; m. Jan. 19, 1775, Mary Wells ; had eleven children,

four of them sons who had families.

Mr Elisha Wolcott, died Jan. 17, 1827, aged 72. — Epitaph.

Mrs Mary Wolcott, Relict of Mr Elisha Wolcott, died Oct. 6, 1 828, ^.72. — Epitaph.

233 — 4. Mehitable, b. June 12, 1759; m. April 12, 1781, Frederick Robbins.
234 — 5. Hannah, b. Sept. 22, 1762; d. March 13, 1784.

In Memory of Deacon Elisha Wolcott,

• who departed this life Oct. 13, A. D. 1793, in the

7 7- year of his age. In a full belief, through

the merits of the Son of God, that they

that fall asleep in Jesus shall be raised

to a glorious immortality. {Epitaph^

SIXTH GENERATION. 199

XXXIV. JosiAH WoLcoTT (i22) graduated at Yale College, 1742;
intended to enter the ministry, but was prevented by feeble health, after
having been licensed to preach ; married Lois, daughter of Capt. Gideon
Goodrich ; lived at Rocky Hill. Children : —

23s — I. Josiah, b. Sept. 17, 1755. See LIX.

236 — 2. Susanna, b. Sept. 17, 1757 ; m. June 3, 1779, Joseph Belden Weed.

237 — 3- Lois,\i. 1761 ; m. Feb. 18, 1779, David Belden.

238 — 4. Theodore, b. April 29, 1763. See LX.

Here lies Interred the Body of

Mr JOSLAH WoLCOTT,

who departed this life March 28- A. D. 1773,

in the 54- year of his Age. {Epitaph.')

XXXV. Josiah Wolcott (124) married (ist), Isabella, daughter of
Rev. John Campbell, of Oxford, Mass.; (2d), Dec. 12, 1794, Mrs. Naomi,
widow of Samuel Jenison, of Douglas, Children : —

239 — I. yohn, b. July 12, 1752 ; d. Sept. 28, 1825.

240 — 2. Edward Kitchen, b. April 30, 1754; married Hannah Sewall, of Brookline ;

had six children.

241 — 3. Thomas Freke, b. March 13, 1757.

242 — 4. Freke,\). Oct. 21, 1759; m. Feb. 19, 1 791, Josiah Shumway.

243 — 5. Elizabeth, b. July 19, 1761 ; m. July 26, 1787, Andrew Sigourney, of Oxford,

a descendant of one of the Huguenot refugees.

244 — 6. Peter Papilion, b. Sept. i, 1763.

245 — 7. Mary, b. Sept. 29, 1765 ; married John Dana, of Orford, N. H.
246 — 8. William, b. May 8, 1767 ; d. Nov. 8, 1769.

247 — 9. yoslma, b. May 1 1, 1769 ; married Mary, daughter of Rev. Jonathan Fames ;
lived in Orford, N. H. ; had ten children.

248 — 10. JMchitable, b. July, 12, 1771 ; married Phineas Dana, of Woolwich, Me.

249 — II. Henry, b. Feb. 4, 1774; died in O.xford.

Josiah Wolcott, Esq., settled in O.xford, on the estate bequeathed to
him by his grandmother, being a portion of the estate which she had
received from her grandfather in England. The Rev. John Campbell,

200 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

whose daughter he married, was a native of Scotland, and a graduate of
the University of Edinburgh, and is said to have been a kinsman of Lord
Loudon. The latter paid him a visit at Oxford, when he was on official
service in this country.

" It was arranged that for the entertainment of his lordship while at Oxford, he
should be the guest of Mr. Wolcott, his son-in-law, who, by his wealth and more
aristocratic style of living, could better provide for him. Mr. Wolcott's house was in
close view, across the street, from Mr. Campbell's. Soon after the arrival of Loudon,
with a single attendant, at the Wolcott house, Mr. Campbell left his more humble
habitation, in full dress, his wig carefully arranged, to welcome his friend. Loudon
saw him, and at once advanced to meet him. The little stone bridge, about equi-
distant from the two houses, was the spot where they met and embraced. They
returned to the Wolcott house, and supped and passed the night together." ^

Mr. Wolcott was a Justice of the Peace, and held other public trusts.
We have picked up the following note, in his handwriting : —

Josiah Wolcott with his Children Desire to give thanks to God in this Church
& Congregation for God's Great Goodness to him, altho he has been shakeing him
over Y Gates of the Grave by Sore Sickness — But Blessed be God that he has
Granted him a Reprieve, & has Raised him to Such a Measure of Health that he is
Able to Wait Uppon God with his people in this his House of Prayer, & again to
Worship him in the Beautys of Holiness.

The inventory of his estate embraces among personal items several
pieces of painting and needle-work, including " two large, gilt-framed like-
nesses," one of a gentleman, the other of a lady and child, reported to have
been brought from England, and supposed to be portraits of his grand-
mother's ancestors, of the Freke family.

JosLiH Wolcott Esq'
died Dec. 9, 1796, yE. 63. {^Epitaph.')

Mrs Isabella Wolcott, his
wife, died June 27, 1786,

J¥.. 58. {Epitaph:)

* Hist. Coll., I. 242 ; this work has some items from our manuscript.

SIXTH GENERATION. 20I

XXXVI. Solomon Wolcott (137) married, Feb. 11, 1767, Abigail,
dauo-htcr of Dr. Waitstill Hastings, of Pittsfield, Mass.; she was born
Feb. 28, 1739, and died July 17, 1822. He lived in Williamstown, and
died Aug. 12, 1829. Children: —

250 — I. Solomon, b. March i, 1769. See LXI.

251 — 2. Abigail, b. June 14, d. June 25, 1771.

252 — 3. Abigail Marsh, b. Oct. 16, 1773 ; married Flavel Gaylord, of Amsterdam,
N. Y.

253 — 4. Estlicr Bclding, b. Oct. 6, 1777; married Daniel Noble, of Williamstown,
Mass. Their son, Rev. Edward Wolcott Noble, D.D., of Truro, Mass.,
graduated at Williams College, 1831, and the Theological Seminary,
Andover, 1837. Their daughter, Mary, married Charles Stoddard, of
Boston, parents of Rev. Charles A. Stoddard, D.D. (grad. Williams
Coll. 1854), one of the editors of the " New York Observer." Another
daughter married Arthur F. Stoddard, of Port-Glasgow, Scotland,
whose son, Frederick Wolcott Stoddard, is a partner in the manufac-
turing works at Broadfield.

254 — 5. Mary Hastings, b. Feb. g, 1780.

255 — 6. Waitstill Hastings, b. July 23, 1782 ; lived at Utica, N. Y. ; died at Hart-
ford, 1833.

256 — 7. John, b. Feb. 3, 1784; d. 1828.

XXXVII. Joseph Wolcott (139) married, Sept. 16, 1766, Elizabeth
Bosworth, of Sandisfield ; " was a large, portly, and strong man," and his
sons inherited his physical stature and strength ; lived in Sandisfield.
Children : —

257 — I. Lncy, b. March 9, 1767; m. March 12, 1789, Simeon Deming, who served
in the War of the Revolution as Aid to Major Samuel Wolcott.

258 — 2. Horace, b. May 9, 1769. See LXII.

259 — 3. yoseph, b. May 5 ; d. Nov. 5, 1771.

260 — 4. Honor, b. Nov. 17, 1772 ; married Asa Loveland, of Manchester, Vt.

261 — 5. Joseph, b. Feb. 9, 1775; married Ann Twining, of Tolland, Mass. He
bequeathed a portion of his estate ($2,100) to the First Congregational
Society in Sandisfield.

Joseph Wolcott, Died March 23, 1847,

&. 72 Y. I Mo. II D. {Epitaph.)

202 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

262 — 6. Elias, b. June r6, 1777; rn. Aug. 29, 1802, Belinda Howe; lived in Ohio;

had nine children.
263 — 7. Eliza, b. May 17, 1779; m. Dec. 13, 1805, Timothy Harding, of Sandis-

field.
264 — 8. Edivard, b. June 23, 1781 ; m. (ist), December, 1808, Susan Twining;

(2d), Maria Squiers ; had two children.
265 — 9. Esther, b. Nov. 22, d. Nov. 24, 1783.
266 — 10. yosiah, b. March it, 1785. See LXHI.

267 — II. Esther, b. July 19, 1787 ; married Nathan Hall.

268 — 12. yoshna, b. Feb. 4, d. Feb. 8, 1791.

269 — 13. Sarah, b. April 4, 1793 ; d. Oct. 9, 1817.

Erected to the memory of
Mr Joseph Wolcott,
who died May 21, 1808, M. 68. {Epitaph!)

Sacred to the memory of
Mrs Elizabeth WoLCOTr,
who died March 14, 1812, &. 66 years & 6 months. {Epitaph.)

XXXVIII. Simon Wolcott (153) married Mary Gillett, who died
Dec. 30, 1 81 3; lived in East Windsor; died July 2, 1784. Children: —

270 — I. Peter, b. Dec. 5, 1758; m. (ist), 1783, Huldah Bissell ; (2d), Oct. 6, 1785,

Elizabeth Root ; had seven children.
271 — 2. Simon, b. Aug. 20, 1761 ; m. (ist), Nov. 23, 1786, Eunice, daughter of

Thomas Sadd, of East Windsor, who died April 4, 1793 ; (2d), Dec. 26,

1794, Elizabeth, daughter of Oliver Stoughton, of East Windsor; had

one daughter.
272 — 3. Mary, b. Aug. 15, 1763 ; married Warham Loomis.
273 — 4. Esther, b. Dec. i, 1765 ; married Daniel Smith.

274 — 5. Benjami)i,h. March 26, 1768; m. Dec. 20, 1792, Abigail Rockwell; had

eleven children.

275 — 6. yonatlian, b. July 26, 1770; removed to Vermont.

276 — 7. Nathaniel, b. July 26, 1772; m. Aug. 6, 1803, Clarissa Bissell ; had eleven

children.
277 — 8. yoseph, b. March 25, 1775 ; m. Aug. 17, 1795, Lucy Hills.

SIXTH GENERATION. 203

A correspondent writes : —

Capt. Simon Wolcott received his commission in Colonel Gay's regiment, June
20, 1776. He marched with his men to New York, and was engaged with the British,
when they came over from Long Island, in the action of September, 1776. Soon after
their arrival, Colonel Gay sickened and died, and was succeeded by Colonel Hart,
who was taken prisoner. Captain Wolcott and his company served out the re-
mainder of their term with Major Mott, and returned home about the ist of January,
1777. His son Peter was a member of the company.

XXXIX. Gideon Wolcott (162) married, Dec. 28, 1771, Hannah,
daughter of Abner Woodworth, of Salisbury; she was born June 18, 1754,
and died April 16, 1826; lived in Coxsackie, N. Y.; died Dec. 27, 1794.
Children : —
278 — I. Roger, b. Nov. 5, 1773 ; married Rachel Ash ; had children.

279 — 2. ErastHS, b. Aug. 11, 1775.

280 — 3. Elisha, b. Dec. 11, 1776. See LXIV.

281 — 4. Thomas, b. Jan. 19, 1778; m. Oct. 20, 181 1, Mrs. Joanna Reed, daughter
of Shubael Kelley, of Schodack, N. Y. ; had children.

282 — 5. Olive, b. Dec. 17, 1779 ; m. (ist), Oct. 19, 1796, James Barden ; (2d), May 3,

1807, Dr. Erastus B. Woodworth, of Flint Creek, N. Y.

283 — 6. Stephen Ashley, b. Nov. 15, 1781. See LXV.
284 — 7. Gideon, b. Jan. 27, 1784; died young.

285 — 8. Walter, b. Aug. 3, 1791. See LXVI.

286 — 9. Elizabeth, b. March 28, 1795 ; m. July 4, 181 1, Patrick Ouinn, of Millport, N. Y.

Reference has already been made (p. 129) to some obscurity connected
with the earlier history of this branch. The family record of Mr. Gideon
Wolcott is authentic ; his descent from Mr. Thomas Wolcott, who removed
from Tolland to Taghanic, N. Y., though highly probable, is to us only
traditional. His children appear to have been among the early settlers of
Yates County, N. Y., settling in Benton, Barrington, and Dundee ; and
interesting notices of them appear in Cleveland's History of that county.
From this point onward their record is clear. The Family is still repre-
sented in the county ; while a portion of them removed to the West, and
became identified with Milwaukee.

204 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

XL. Samuel Wolcott (165) married, Dec. 29, 1774, Jerusha (214),
daughter of Gen. Erastus Wolcott, of South Windsor. Children : —

2S7 — I. Jerusha, b. Oct 8, 1775; m. Nov. 30, 1794, Epaphras Bissell, of East

Windsor Hill.
288 — 2. Naomi, b. Oct. 10, 1777; m. Oct. i, 1804, James Wadsworth, of Geneseo, N. Y.i

Their eldest daughter, Harriet Wadsworth, b. Sept. 13, 1805,
married Martin Brimmer, Esq. (grad. H. U. 18 14), Mayor of Boston,
whose only son, Martin Brimmer, Jr., graduated H. U. 1849.

Their youngest daughter, Elizabeth Wadsworth, b. July 26, 1815,
married Hon. Charles A. Murray, British Consul-General in Egypt.

Their eldest son, yanies Samuel Wadsworth, b. Oct. 30, 1 807,
studied law at Har\'ard and Yale, and was admitted to the bar in 1833.
He gave his time to the management of his large patrimonial estates,
and took a deep interest in the cause of freedom, as well as of educa-
tion. When a famine was prevalent in Ireland, he chartered a vessel,
and sent it out with supplies of grain. At the outbreak of the Rebel-
lion he was one of the first to offer his services to the Government.
He was made a major-general, and commanded a division in several
battles. He fell, at length, at the head of his troops, in the Battle of
the Wilderness, May 6, 1864.

"The country's salvation claimed no nobler sacrifice than that of Gen.
James S. Wadsworth, of New York. Bom to affluence and social distinction,
already past the age of military service, he had volunteered in 1861, under the
impulse of a sense of duty alone. As an Aid of General McDowell, he was con-
spicuously useful at Bull Run. Accustomed to every luxury, he had courted
ever since the hardships and perils of the field. Made the Republican candi-
date for Governor of New York, in 1862, by an over^vhelming majority, he could
not have failed to be elected could those have voted who, like himself, were
absent from the State at the call of their country ; and though he peremptorily
declined, his fellow-citizens, had he lived, would have insisted on electing him

^ James Wadsworth, Esq., widely known as a philanthropist, was bom in Durham. April 20,
1768. He graduated at Yale College in 1787, and in 1790 removed with his brother to the Genesee
Valley, New York, where they purchased a large tract of valuable land, and encountered for a few
years the privations and exposures of the wilderness. He thus became one of the most opulent land-
holders in the countr)'. He took a warm and active interest in the cause of education, to which, in
various forms, he contributed nearly Sioo,ooo. He died in Geneseo, June 7, 1844.

SIXTH GENERATION. 205

Governor in 1864. Thousands of the unnamed and unknown have evinced as
fervid and pure a patriotism, but no one surrendered more for his country's
sake, or gave his hfe more joyfully for her deliverance, than did James S. Wads-
worth." '

289 — 3. Samuel, b. Dec. 12, 1781 ; d. Feb. 17, 1795.

290 — 4. Elilm, b. Feb. 12, 1784. See LXVII.

291 — 5. Sopliia, b. March 29, 1786; m. Oct. 19, 1807, Martin Ellsworth, of Windsor.

He graduated at Yale College, 1801 ; a son of Chief Justice Ellsworth,
whom he succeeded in the occupancy of the family mansion and estate.
Their eldest son, Oliver Ellsworth, graduated at Yale College, 1830.

292 — 6. Ursula, b. Nov. 17, 1788; m. May 10, 1815, Rev. Newton Skinner, pastor
of the Congregational Church, New Britain. He graduated at Yale
College, 1804. Their only son, Samuel Wolcott Skinner, graduated
Y. C, 1842, and M. D., 1846.

293 — 7. Elisabeth, b. Sept. 23, 1791 ; m. Nov. 23, 1820, Erastus Ellsworth, then of
New York City, born in Windsor. He was a successful merchant, and
an elder in the Presbyterian church ; at the close of his business career
he purchased a pleasant residence on East Windsor Hill, which had
been successively occupied by his brothers-in-law, Epaphras Bissell and
Elihu Wolcott. He became one of the founders and benefactors of the
Theological Institute of Connecticut, and died, respected and honored,
April 30, 1879, ^" his ninetieth year.

Their only surviving son, Erastus Wolcott Ellsworth, graduated at
Amherst College, 1844. He has published a little volume of poems,
one of which is given in Whittier's " Songs of Three Centuries." He
has brought out several ingenious mechanical inventions. He has
kindly prepared for our work, with a skill which engravers admire,
several of the sketches which we give.

Their daughter, Mary Lyman Ellsworth, married William Wood,
M.D., of East Windsor Hill, author of " The Birds of Connecticut,"
whose ornithological and oological cabinet is said to be the finest in the
country.

294 — 8. Horace, b. March 25, 1794. He was captain of a mounted troop in his
native town ; removed first to Michigan and then to Illinois, where he
died in 1838.

^ Greeley's Am. Conflict, II. 570.

2o6 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Mr. Samuel Wolcott served as a commissary in the Revolutionary War.
He occupied the residence of which we give a sketch, and the farm in
South Windsor which had been held by his father and grandfather. The
inventory of his estate was sworn at $30,669.09. A correspondent has
given us the following description of him : —

At the time of my earliest recollection of him, he was somewhat crippled by
severe attacks of the gout, which heavily afflicted the latter years of his life. When
young, he must have been a person of great manly beauty. His height was near six
feet ; his frame robust, and well covered with muscle ; his whole physical structure
adapted alike to strength and activity. His hair was very dark, but not quite enough
so to be called black ; his eyes dark hazel, and of uncommon brightness ; his features
regular, and his whole countenance indicative of a strong and active mind.

" Died, suddenly, at his paternal residence in East Windsor, on the 7th inst., Mr. Samuel
Wolcott, aged 62. In active and extensive business distinguished for incorruptible integrity,
beloved by a numerous acquaintance, a most judicious counsellor of the many who sought his
assistance, and the poor man's friend." 1

S.-iMUEL Wolcott, Bom April 4, 1751,

Died June 7, 18 13. {EpitapJi.)

Jerusha WoLCOTr, wife of S.\muel Wolcott.

Died March 19, 1844. JE. 88. {Epitaph.)

XLI. William Wolcott (172) graduated at Yale College, 1775;
married Esther, daughter of Maj. John Stevens, of Rutland, Vt, an officer
in the Revolutionary War; she was born June 21, 1762, and died Oct. 11,
1818; lived in Windsor. Children: —

295 — I. Esther, b. Nov. 16, 1786; m. May, 1811, Capt. Gaston Dickson, of Middle-

field, Mass.

296 — 2. Fanny, h. July 23, 1788; m. March 20, 1830, Daniel Leach, of Middlefield.

297 — 3- Laura, b. Feb. 18, 1798 ; d. May 28, 1804.

Dr. William Wolcott, son of

WiLLUM Wolcott Esq. of East Windsor,

was bom Feb. 10, 1753 ; graduated at

Yale College, 1775 ; and died Sept. 22, 1825,

aged 72. {Epitaph.)

^ Conn. Courant, June 15.

SIXTH generation: 207

XLII. Abiel WoLcoTT (175) married, July 10, 1 791, Ursula, daughter
of Samuel Tudor, of South Windsor. Children : —

298 — I. Frances, b. Jan. 31, 1794 ; m. Nov. 30, 1821, Harris Haskell, Esq., of Wind-
sor Locks.

299 — 2. Ursula, b. Feb. 1 8, 1 796.

300 — 3. Samuel Tudor, b. Dec. 18, 1799. See LXVHI.
301 — 4. Williavi, b. Oct. 19, d. Nov. 20, 1802.

302 — 5. Eveline, b. June 1 1, 1804 ; m. Nov. 29, 1826, Edgar Bissell, of South Windsor.

Maj. Abiel Wolcott resided in South Windsor, on his patrimonial
estate, was a Justice of the Peace, and a Representative of the Town in the
General Assembly. His estate at his death was appraised at $30,702.19.

Abiel Wolcott
Died Jan. 15, 1840 — aged 78.

Ursula Tudor Wolcott
Died Oct. 24, 1854 — aged 89. {Epitaph.)

XLIII. Ephraim Wolcott (177) married (ist), Feb. 12, 1792, Eliza-
beth, daughter of Jerijah Bissell; (2d), April 28, 1799, Mary Bissell, her
sister; lived in South Windsor. Children: —

303 — I. Elizabeth, bap. March 10, 1793 ; m. Jan. 18, 1814, Horace Bissell.

304 — 2. Ephraim, bap. Feb. 17, 1795 ; d. Aug. 10, 1826. By his death, this branch

of the family of William Wolcott the elder became extinct in the male

line.

In memory of Ephralm Wolcott who died May 18, 1826. He remembered the divine
precept, " Be blameless and harmless, the sons of God without rebuke." — Epitaph.

In memory of Mrs Betty, wife of Mr. Ephralm Wolcott, who died Feby. 15, 1795, in
the 39- year of her age. — Epitaph.

Mary, wife of Ephraim Wolcott, died May 7, 1845, aged 85. — Epitaph.

Ephraim Wolcott, the only son of his Father, soon followed liim to the grave. Re-
spected and esteemed, he died Aug. 10, 1826, Aged 31. — Epitaph.

2o8 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

XLIV. Roger Wolcott (182) married Dorcas Burnham, of East
Hartford; administration granted on his estate June 3, 1799. Children: —

305 — I. MartJia, b. Oct. 29, 1757 ; married Samuel Treat, of South Windsor.

306 — 2. Roger, b. May 25, 1760; married Mary Steele ; had eight children.

307 — 3. Abner, b. March 12, d. May 11, 1762.

308 — 4. Jemima, b. May 14, 1763 ; m. Nov. 19, 1782, James Steele, of Ellington.

309 — 5. Cornelius, b. July 12, 1765 ; married Margaret Williams ; had seven children.

310 — 6. Hannah, b. Aug. i, d. Dec. 31, 1769.

311 — 7. Abigail, b. Dec. 11, 1770 ; m. Feb. 12, 1791, John Holton, of ElHngton.

312 — 8. SetJi, b. Oct. II, 1773 ; m. 1799, Lois Gay ; had nine children.

313 — 9. Amelia, b. July 17, d. July 29, 1776.

314 — 10. Amelia, b. Feb. 2, 1778; m. Aug. 10, 1793, Willis Russell, of Ellington.

315 — II. Oliver, b. March 8, 1780 ; d. April 24, 1781.

316 — 12. RJioda, b. April 13, 1785 ; married Lieut. Charles Burbridge, U. S. A.

Mrs Dorcas, relict of Roger Wolcott, Esq., died Nov. 11, 1823. ^t. 86. — Epitaph.

XLV. Epaphras Wolcott (183) married, June, 1762, Mabel, daughter
of John Burnham, of East Hartford; she died March 27, 1814, aged 79;
enlisted in Capt. Giles Wolcott's company in the expedition against
Canada; died Jan. i, 1825. Children: —

317 — I. Sarah, b. Jan. 10, 1764 ; m. Feb. 5, 179S, Ebenezer Pomeroy, of Hadley, Mass.

318 — 2. James, b. April 19, 1766 ; m. Jan., 1786, Miriam Munsell ; had seven children.

319 — 3. Mabel, h. March 17, 1770; married John B. Richardson, of Easthampton,

Mass.

320 — 4. Mary, b. July 26, 1773 ; m. Nov. 26, 179S, Aaron Davis, of Hinsdale, Mass.

XLVI. Parmenio Wolcott (186) married, 1767, Mary Ballard, who
was born in 1750, and died March, 1833; lived in Rome, N. Y. ; died in
181 2. Children: —

321 — I. Alfred, b. April 14, 1769. See LXIX.

322 — 2. Parmenio, b. Dec. 17, 1770; married, Aug. 9, 1798, Anna Ferguson ; lived

in Yorkshire, N. Y. ; had eight children.

323 — 3. Prudence, b. Aug. 21, 1772 ; d. Aug. 2, 1776.

324 — 4. Josiah, b. April 4, 1776 ; d. Aug. 7, 1797.

SIXTH GENERATION. 209

325 — 5. Mary, b. Oct. 27, 1778 ; m. 1802, Nathan Stone, of Rome, N. Y.

326 — 6. Prudence, b. May 10, 17S9 ; m. 181 1, Chauncy Keep, of Rome, N. Y.

327 — 7. Lydia, b. 1790; d. Aug. 27, 1797.

XLVII. Jeremiah Wolcott (189) married, April 13, 1758, Sarah
Goodrich, only child of Rev. Thomas Goodsell, of East Haven ; died May
12, 1792. Children: —

328 — I. Martha, b. Aug. 18, 1762 ; married Hezekiah Reynolds, of Wallingford.
329 — 2. Thomas Goodsell, b. Aug. 17, 1764. See LXX.
330 — 3. Sarah, b. May 7, 1767 ; married Philemon Harrison.

XLVIII. Simon Wolcott (193) married (ist), Jan. 23, 1774, Lucy
Rogers, who died April 4, 1791, in her thirty-ninth year; (2d), Mrs. Char-
lotte (Woodbridge) Mumford, who was born Dec. 26, 1761, and died
Dec. I, 1 83 1. Children: —

331 — I. Litcretia, b. Jan. 24, 1775 ; m. Oct. 28, 1793, Capt. Richard Law, of New

London.
332 — 2. Alexander, b. Nov. 12, 1775 ; married Joanna Paull, of New York ; had a son.

333 — 3- Lucy, b. June 30, 1780; d. Jan. 28, 1782.

334 — 4. Mary, b. Dec. 30, 1781 ; m. Jan. 21, 1807, Christopher Manwaring, of New

London.

335 — 5. Lucy, b. Oct. 31, 1783 ; m. (ist), Nov. 25, 1802, Francis Drake ; (2d), April

25, 1816, Erastus Strong, of South Windsor.

336 — 6. Charlotte, b. Nov. 10, 1784; d. 1789.

337 — 7. Catharine, b. May 15, 1786 ; m. Sept. 28, 1817, Daniel Hinsdale, of Hartford.

338 — 8. Elizabeth, b. Jan. 10, 1788.

339 — 9- Frances Caroline, married George Robbins, of New York.

Dr. Simon Wolcott was a physician in New London, and for several
years Secretary of the County Medical Societ3\ He died April 7, 1809.

"Died in this city, on the 7th inst., Doct. Simon Wolcott, aged 61 years;
a gentleman highly respected, and greatly beloved by an extensive acquaintance." ^

* New London Gazette.
14

2IO THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

XL IX. George Wolcott (196) married, July 23, 1777, Alithea,
dauo-hter of Rev. David S. Rowland, of Windsor. Children : —

240 — I. Mary, b. Sept. 15, 1778; m. Sept. 30, 1804, Moses Bliss, of Springfield,

Mass.
341 — 2. Ljicy, b. Jan. 31, 17S0; m. (ist), January, 1807, Capt. Henry Talcott, of

Windsor; (2d), Dec. 24, 1823, Rev. Elijah Waterman (grad. Y. C. 1791),

of Bridgeport.

342 — 3. Henry Rowland, b. March 22, 1786; died at sea, Oct 12, 1817.

343 — 4. Wil/ia7n Frederick, h. June g, 1788. See LXXI.
344—5. Elizabeth, b. Nov. 14, 1790.

George Wolcott, Esq., was a Representative of the Town of Windsor
in the General Assembly. He removed to Saybrook, May, 1804, and held
the office of Surveyor of that Port at the time of his death.

In Memory of George Wolcott, Esqf,
born Oct. 14, 1752, died Jan. 31, 1822, JSj. 69. (Epitaph.)

In Memory of Mrs Thea Wolcott,
wife of George Wolcott, Esqf, born July 19, 1757,

died June 21, 1822. M. 65. (Epitaph^

L, Christopher Wolcott (197) married (ist), Aug. i, 1782, Lucy
Parsons, who died March i, 1804. He married (2d), Sept. 26, 1806, Amy,
daughter of Dea. Daniel Gillett, of Windsor. Children : —

345— I. Lanra, b. May 7, 1783 ; d. Aug. 23, 1789.

346— 2. Elizabeth, b. Jan. 20, 1785 ; d. May 3, 1786.

347 — 3. Christopher Coln7nbus,h. ]\me <), iy8j. See LXXII.

348 — 4. Laura, b. Oct. 3, 1789; m. (ist), July 30, 1807, Ellsworth Mather, of Wind-
sor. Their eldest son, Gen. Frederick Ellsworth Mather, of the New
York Bar, grad. Y. C. 1833 ; their youngest son. Rev. Oliver Wolcott
Mather, grad. Y. C. 1837. She married (2d), Nov. 12, 1816, Henry
Halsey, Esq., of Windsor.

349 — 5- Elizabeth, h. ]zn. 10,1792; m. Sept. 26, 1811, Warren Marshall, of Windsor.

350 — 6. Philip, b. May 11, 1794; m. July 11, 1817, Emily, daughter of Eliakim
Marshall, of Windsor ; had a daughter.

SIXTH GENERATION. 211

Dr. Christopher Wolcott, having studied with his father, settled in
Windsor as a physician. He was Representative of the Town in the Gen-
eral Assembly. A correspondent who knew him writes, —

Dr. Wolcott was a practitioner in medicine through life, and was considered
very skilful. He was a plain, blunt man, somewhat eccentric both in speech and
manners, and much esteemed for his frankness and independence of thought and'
expression ; his remarks were often quoted.

In memory of Dr. Christopher Wolcott, who died April 23, 1821, in the 67- year of
his age. — Epitaph.

In memory of Mrs Luci', wife of Doct. Christopher Wolcott, who died March i, 1804,
M. i,2. — Epitaph.

Amy, wife of Dr. Christopher Wolcott, died July 24, 1835, M. 65 y'rs. To her memory
this monument is erected. — Epitaph.

LI. Alexander Wolcott (199) graduated at Yale College, 1778.
On taking the Master's Degree, he advocated the study of jurisprudence in
our schools : —

" Qucestiojics pro Modulo discutiendce sub Reverendo D. Ezra Stiles, 5". T. D.,
CoUegii — Yalcnsis, Quod est, Diviud Pi'ovidentid, Novo Porhi Cotinccticutensium,
Preside, In Comitiis Publicis a L'aurea Magistralis Candidatis M, DCC, LXXXI.

''An Jtiris prudcntice et omnium gentium Politiarum studia in academiis Ameri-
canis, prcesentim hisce temporibtis, excoli debeant.

" Affinnat Respondens Alexander Wolcott."

He settled in Windsor as an attorney, and married (ist), September,
1785, Frances Burbank, of Springfield, Mass., who died June 17, 1800.
He married (2d), June 7, 1807, Lucy Waldo, of Boston, Mass. Children : —

351 — I. Frances, b. Aug. 9, 1786; m. (ist), Thomas Romans, of Boston, Mass.;

(2d), Arthur W. Magill, of Middletown.

352 — 2. Henry, b. March 6, 1788. See LXXIII.

353 — 3. Alexander, \i. Feb. 14, 1790; grad. Yale Coll. 1809; married Eleanor M.

Kinzie.
354 — 4. Mary Ann, b. Feb. 11, 1792; lived in Middletown.

212 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Alexander Wolcott, Esq., was a Representative of Windsor in the
General Assembly. He subsequently removed to Middletown, and held
the office of Collector of that Port under the successive administrations of
Presidents Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and J. O. Adams. He was also
a Justice of the Peace. He was a prominent leader of the Democratic
party, which was in a minority in the State. This prevented him from
filling any high State office, but he stood high in the favor of the above
Presidents. President Madison nominated him to the dignity of Judge of
the Supreme Court of the United States; but the nomination failed in the
Senate by seven votes.

He is said to have been a man of splendid intellectual powers, and of
a very handsome person, large frame, and extremely powerful. There is
said to be a miniature portrait of him existing. He was one of the early
manufacturers of woollen cloths in this country, and a great promoter
of American manufactures generally. Hon. John M. Niles, a political
admirer, pays the following tribute to his abilities : —

" Mr. Wolcott possessed a highly original character. A gigantic stature,
marked with prominent and intelligent features, with a mind not less gigantic, gave
him a commanding personal dignity, inspiring respect without exciting awe, of which
there are few examples. His mind was profound rather than brilliant, and, although
slow in its operations, it possessed great energy and strength ; but a striking, peculiar
originality was its characteristic feature. In independence of character and unshaken
firmness of purpose he has been surpassed by few, and such was the clearness and
force of truth on his mind, that he could never resort to any other means than fair
argument and conviction to advance any cause he espoused. Always frank in his
purposes, he was equally direct in his means, despising chicanery and artifice, the
constant resource of feeble minds. For many years he was regarded as the leader of
the Republican party in Connecticut. He was the Atlas against which the shafts of
his political opponents were constantly directed ; but amid all the rage of the political
storm he remained unmoved, firm in his integrity, unshaken in his purposes, untinng
in his efforts, until their wrath having spent itself, they were constrained to pay
homage to his inflexible integrity and stern Republican virtues."

Alexai«)er Wolcott. Died June 26, 1828. Aged 70 years. — Epitaph.

SIXTH GENERATION. 213

LII. Guy Wolcott (200) married, Oct. 5, 1781, Abigail Allyn, of
Windsor; she was born Oct. 5, 1765, and died February, 1834. Chil-
dren : —

355 — I. Abigail, b. July 2, 1785 ; married Nathan Gillett.

356 — 2. Guy, b. Oct. 5, 1787; m. April 24, 1822, Annis Porter; lived in Tallmadge,

Ohio, and left numerous descendants. Their third son, Eliziir, born

July 14, 1833, graduated at Yale College, 1854, and was tutor in

Western Reserve College, 1856.
357 — 3. jFavies, b. Nov. 3, 1789; married (ist), Mary, daughter of Capt. William

Wells, of Fort Wayne, Ind. ; had children.
358 — 4. Elizur, b. July 7, 1792; m. Esther, daughter of Elihu Lewis, of Albany;

lived in Thompsonville.
359 — 5. Frederick, b. Jan. 13, 1795; m. Eliza, daughter of Jonathan Gaylord, of

Middletown ; lived in Stowe, Ohio; had children.

360 — 6. Anna, b. May 16, 1797; married Dr. John Emery, of Swanton, Ohio.

361 — 7. Almira, b. May 24, 1799; m. April 24, 1821, George Kilborn, of Hudson,

Ohio.

362 — 8. Amanda, h. Nov. 15, 1802; d. 1815.

363 — 9. Eleanor, b. April 24, 1804; m. April 20, 1826, Lucius W. Hitchcock, of

Tallmadge, Ohio.

364 — 10. George, b. July 26, 1806 ; m. Aug. 6, 1828, Margaret Hine, of Tallmadge ;

had seven children. He removed to Lagrange County, Ind., in 1837, and
erected mills and other buildings at a place called Wolcottville, making
it the seat of a Young Ladies' Seminary, the buildings of which he also
put up. " All the money used by Mr. Wolcott in these enterprises was
from his own resources. He also gave largely for the support of the
gospel, and was in the true sense of the word the poor man's friend." ^

365 — II. Allyn Ellsworth, h. March 12, 1809; attorney-at-law (i860) in Chicago.

"Dea. Guy Wolcott removed to Torrington in 1783. He and his family were
of considerable prominence in the town, through various business enterprises. Wol-
cottville is the principal village of the town of Torrington. The name was given to
it by popular vote in 181 3, on the day of the raising of the woollen mill, built by
Frederick Wolcott, of Litchfield, and Guy Wolcott, of Torrington, who had purchased

^ Orcutt's Torrington, 633-35.

214

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

extensive mill privileges on the Waterbury River at this point. To this establish-
ment the village largely owed its rise. Its construction was superintended by James,
the son of Guy, who had had some experience in the manufacture, and whose per-
suasions are said to have induced the purchase. Dr. Christopher Wolcott was the
general manager ; a faithful, upright man, and earnestly religious." i

" Dea. Guy Wolcott's sons were among the most intelligent, enterprising, and
ambitious in the town. They were celebrated for being the most sedate and quiet at
home, being trained in the strictest manner ; while abroad, or out in company, they
were as full of sport and enjoyment as anybody." ^

He removed to Tallmadge, Ohio, in 1822, and died the next year.

Guy Wolcott,
Died Sept. 2, 1823, aged 63 years. (Epitaph^

LIII. Erastus Wolcott (204) married, Dec. 27, 1 783, Chloe, daughter
of Capt. Aaron Bissell, of South Windsor. Children : —

366— I. Erastus, b. Oct. 7, 1784; d. Feb. 27, 1812.

367 — 2. Chloe, b. April 19, 1786 ; died in Rochester, N. Y.

368 — 3. Edward, b. Oct. 12, 1788. He commanded a company of Connecticut

troops at New London, in the last war with Great Britain. He died
Nov. 9, 1832. By the death of Col. Edward Wolcott this branch of the
family of Gen. Erastus Wolcott became extinct in the male line.

369 — 4. yuHaiia, b. April 19, 1791 ; m. May 13, 1823, Elihu Wolcott, of South
Windsor (361).

370 — 5. Helen, b. March 9, 1794 ; m. Sept. 3, 1822, Horace Hooker, of Rochester, N. Y.

Erastus Wolcott, Esq., served as Captain in the Revolutionary War,
and was a man of much promise. He was a Justice of the Peace, Repre-
sentative of the Town in the General Assembly, and Judge of Probate.
He was at the time of his death a member of the Legislature, and was
steadily rising to civil distinction. A correspondent has kindly furnished
us with his brief youthful recollections of him : —

Capt. Erastus Wolcott was taken prisoner by the British in the War of the
Revolution, and from long confinement and hard treatment his health became irrep-

1 Orcutt's Torrington,94. ^ lb. 263.

SIXTH GENERATION.

215

arably impaired. At the time of my earliest recollection of him, he was a tall,
skeleton-looking man, of light complexion, prominent nose, light flaxen hair, which
grew thin and straight on his head, and always appeared sunburnt, — a man of strong
mind and unbending integrity.

He died in the meridian of life, possessed of an estate which was
inventoried at $39,918.35. He occupied the homestead of his father.

Sacred to the memory of Erastus Wolcott, Esq": who departed this life Jan?' 7- 1797,
in the 45- year of his age. — Epitaph.

Sacred to the memory of Mrs Chloe Wolcott, who died Febv 16- 1802, aged 43 years.
— Epitaph.

LIV. Arodi Wolcott (207) married, December, 1789, Ruth,
daughter of Richard Pitkin, of East Hartford. Lived in South Windsor.
Children : —

371 — I. Arodi Pitkin, b. June 14, 1791 ; d. Dec. 30, 1842. By his death the de-

scendants of Judge Erastus Wolcott in the male line became extinct.

372 — 2. Almira, b. Aug. 13, 1793 ; died in South Windsor.

373 — 3. Ulary, b. April 2, 1797; died in South Windsor.

Sacred to the Memory of Arodi Wolcott, who died May 18"' 1805, in the 46'.'' year of
his age. — Epitaph.

Sacred to the memory of Ruth Wolcott, wife of Arodi Wolcott, who died Aug- i-,
181 1, aged 47 years. — Epitaph.

LV. Albert Wolcott (208) married, April 26, 1786, Hannah
Loomis, of South Windsor. He removed to Cleveland, Ohio, where he
died. Children : —

374 — I. Hannah, b. May 19, 1786; died in Cleveland.

375 — 2. Albert, h. Nov. 20, 1787; d. March 24, iSio.

376 — 3. Cynthia, b. Sept. 15, 1789; m. May 16, 1813, William Bliss.

377 — 4. Laura, bap. March 3, d. Sept. 30, 1793.

378 — 5. Laura, bap. Nov. 2, 1794 ; d. Dec. 24, 1795.

379 — 6. Elizabeth, bap. Oct. 29, 1797.

In memory of Mrs Hannah Wolcoit, consort of Mr Aluert WoLCOn', who died Jan'-^
11'-!! 1S07, in the 42? year of her age. — Epitaph.

2l6 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

LVI. Oliver Wolcott (210) graduated at Yale College, 1778. He
married, June i, 1785, Elizabeth, only daughter of Capt. John Stoughton ;
she was born Oct. 27, 1767.^ Children: —

380 — I. yohn Stoughton, b. Aug. 28, 1787 ; d. Feb. 4, 1789.

381 — 2. Oliver, b. May 27, 1790 ; d. July 17, 1791.

382 — 3. Lattra, b. April 10, 1794; m. Dec. 27, 1810, Col. George Gibbs, of New-

port, R. I., afterwards of Sunswick, N. Y.^

Their eldest son, George Gibbs, referred to in the Preface, was born
at Sunswick, July 17, 1815, and died at New Haven, April 9, 1873. A
younger son, Wolcott Gibbs, graduated at Columbia College, N. Y.,
185 1, and afterwards at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in that
city; received from his Alma Mater, in 1873, the degree of LL.D. ;
is now (1879) Rumford Professor and Lecturer on the Application of
Science to the Useful Arts, in Harvard University, and has won a dis-

1 The Stoughton family, several of whom have intermarried with the Wolcott, were distin-
guished in the early annals of Connecticut in connection with the Indian wars and other events of
importance. Their ancestor was Thomas Stoughton, of Windsor, one of the five gentlemen who were
appointed to superintend and bring forward the settlement of that place. The other four were the
Hon. John Mason, Hon. Roger Ludlow, Hon. Henry Wolcott, and Elder John Strong, the ancestor of
Gov. Caleb Strong, of Massachusetts. They had emigrated from England together. Stoughton's
name stands next to Wolcott's in the first hst of Freemen made at Boston.

Capt. John Stoughton was an officer in the British provincial army. He was appointed by Sir
Jeffrey Amherst, Dec. 15, 1758, a Lieutenant in the Independent Company of which Horatio Gates was
Captain, and performed meritorious services in the war against the French. He was the son of Nathan-
iel, and was born in Windsor, Nov. 22, 1733. He married, Jan. 22, i 765, Ruth, daughter of Thomas
Belden, of Wethersfield, and settled with her upon lands granted him by the Crown for his military
conduct, which are still known as the Stoughton Patent, situated between Lakes George and Cham-
plain. He was drowned near Lord Howe's Point on Lake George, by the sinking of a boat, Nov. 27,
1768, — his daughter Elizabeth being then an infant a year old. His widow married (2d), Col.
Samuel Wyllys, of Hartford.

^ "Colonel Gibbs was a man of singular culture and talent. Brilliant in conversation, polished
in manners, and of large and various experience of men and hfe, he was one of the marked men of his
day, and his large mansion at Sunswick was the seat of a broad and elegant hospitality rarely to be
met with in this country at that time. The beautiful mansion, with its front upon the East River, at
one of its most picturesque points, and its rear opening upon a broad inward landscape of fertile fields,
was then one of the landmarks of the river. Within was his fine library, abounding in works of the
best authors, and in many tongues ; added to this, a mineralogical collection. The extensive and valu-
able collection now in the possession of Yale College was made by Colonel Gibbs himself while
abroad." — J. A. Stevens, Jr.

^^^^

SIXTH GENERATION. 217

tinguished name in science. A third son, Alfred Gibbs, received a
major-general's commission in the army, and rendered gallant service
in the field.

A correspondent who knew Mrs. Gibbs intimately writes us:
"No more noble and vigorous soul has honored the name since history
began." The sermon by Dr. Bellows, after her death, was a most just
and appreciative utterance.

We give the opening and the closing paragraphs of this Funeral
Address : ' —

" One of the last links binding the present with the early and heroic period
of our national history has parted, and we are gathered about all that remains
of its once vigorous fibres. The daughter of Oliver Wolcott, a member of the
Cabinet of Washington, lies in this coffin, and will carry into her tomb a store
of vivid recollections of the men and the times when our national life was young
and earnest, anxious and devoted, — after having given in her own person and
life one of the best illustrations of the spirit and character of the fathers. A
descendant of three generations of Governors of her native State (Connecticut),
grandchild of the first Oliver Wolcott, who was a General in the Revolutionary
Army, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence, and daughter of the
second Oliver Wolcott, who succeeded Hamilton in the Department of the
Treasury, and who was a Cabinet officer, a Judge, a merchant, a financier, and
Governor of his own State for a decade, her earliest years were too thoroughly
steeped in the memories and traditions of the great struggle that made us a
nation, to allow her character to escape the most shaping and permanent effects
from it.

" Oliver Wolcott's mother — Lorrain Collins, of Guildford, a woman of
remarkable courage, masculine judgment, and business character — gave her
son no small portion of her own strong nature. He himself was one of those
hard-headed, truth-seeking, and truth-telling men, to whose indomitable energy,
firmness, and patriotism we owe the consolidation of our independence. The
ancestral home for three generations must have been the resort of all the chief
friends of the country and the cause ; and Oliver Wolcott's daughter, the heiress
of his vigorous intellect and decisive will, motherless from childhood, and taking
her place in her early teens at the head of her father's table, must from very
infancy have been more accustomed to the discussion of public questions and

' " Address at the Funeral of Mrs. Laura Wolcott Gibbs, widow of George Gibbs, Esq.,
at All Souls' Church, New York, Dec. 13, 1870. By Rev. Henry W. Bellows, D.D."

2l8 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

the sight of public men than to the prattle or the playthings belonging to the
nursery. So fresh and active were these impressions, that it was impossible to
be in the company of Mrs. Gibbs for the shortest time without feeling that
public questions, public interests and duties, were her natural or inherited
concern. She had a man's, almost a statesman's, interest in the country, and
talked as if, for her, the revolutionary times were not yet over, and the temper
and spirit of those heroic days when private affairs were merged in public
dangers and duties not less timely or less natural now than then.

" Sometimes the character of parents interprets their children, and some-
times the knowledge of the children interprets the parents. I confess I always
felt, in the presence of Mrs. Gibbs, as if I were talking with Oliver Wolcott
himself, and saw in her self-reliant, self-asserting, and independent manner and
speech an unmistakable copy of a strong and thoroughly individual character,
forged in the hottest fires of national struggle. The intense individuality of
her nature set her apart from others. You felt that from the womb she must
have been just what she was, — a piece of the original granite on which the nation
was built. It was very easy, from such a sample of the old stuff, to understand
how the Revolution was accomplished. The force, the courage, the self-poise
she exhibited in the ordinary concerns of our peaceful life would in a masculine
frame have made, in times of national peril, a patriot of the most decided and
energetic character, — one able and willing to beheve all things possible, and to
make all the efforts and sacrifices by which impossibilities are accomplished.
I do not know that Mr. AVolcott got his Christian name from any special sym-
pathies which his father or grandfather had with OUver Cromwell, but there has
always seemed some resemblance between his character and the great English
Republican ; and certainly her strong and serious face might well have passed
for that of a descendant from the massive, rugged, and noble Protector. . . .

" I have thought it a duty to take this brief pubHc view of the feelings
aroused by the death of this strong woman, who represented so much of the
past history of the country. I beg seriously to commend her example to the
consideration of those who think the home and the family a small sphere for
a woman to occupy. She proved how large, how decisive, how excellent may
be a wonian's sway who merely improves her domestic and social opportunities !
She was one of the heirs of the great women that matched our Revolutionary
sires, and who did their full part in achieving and consolidating our liberties,
without once deserting the woman's place, or imagining her sphere to be con-
tracted. May her death add a fresh sense to the lesson her worthy and vigorous
life inspired ! She gave the nation sons who illustrated her blood, — one dying
a general in the country's service, and one leading its fame in chemical science ;
and we pay, in these services, only due honor to the daughter of a line of

SIXTH GENERATION. 219

patriots, and to the mother of sons not unworthy of theii* sires ; but best of all,
a woman of the strongest and most upright nature and character, and a Cluristian
of practical and unpretending genuineness of faith and works."

The author of the address quoted above was the distinguished
President of the United States Sanitary Commission ; and it seems
suitable to give here the following extracts from his interesting " His-
torical Sketch of the Union League Club of New York :" —

" The Union League Club of New York is a child of the United States
Sanitary Commission. That body was represented when not in session by an
Executive Committee, all residents-of New York City, consisting, up to the date
of the origin of the Union League, of five persons only, — its President, Dr.
Bellows, its Treasurer, George T. Strong, Prof Wolcott Gibbs, Dr. Cornelius R.
Agnew, and Dr. William H. Van Buren.

"The Sanitary Commission was not, from its inception, a merely humani-
tarian or beneficent association. ... Its projectors were men with strong
political purposes, induced to take this means of giving expression to their
solicitude for the national life . . . develop, purify, and strengthen the imper-
illed sentiment of nationality, and help to make America sacred in the eyes of
the living children of her scattered States.

" Prof. Wolcott Gibbs was the first to suggest that the idea on which the
Sanitary Commission was founded needed to take on the fonn of a club, which
should be devoted to the social organization of the sentiment of loyalty to the
Union ; and he chose Mr. Frederick Law Olmsted as the first person to be
consulted and advised with. Professor Gibbs had a natural right among his
co-workers to be earliest in the field with a plan which concerned the existence
of the Union. His grandfather, Oliver \\'olcott, had been among the most
vigorous and earnest of the patriots who formed the Union and guided its
earliest steps. His mother was known all her life long as a noble daughter of
a revolutionary father, worthy of the name she bore, and inheriting and trans-
mitting a profound interest in the honor and dignity of the countr)', intensely
alive to all that concerned the purity of our politics and the stableness of our
institutions. No better source could ha\'e been found for the Union League than
the heart and head of a grandson of Oliver Wolcott. It was an additional merit
that Professor Gibbs, a man of science, and already, perhaps, the most distin-
guished of American chemists, was not a pohtician or a man of affairs. His
patriotism was pure and simple, without a taint of partisan feeling, of lust for
office, or of taste for power ; absorbed in his engrossing studies, private in his
tastes and habits, nothing less than the great perils of his country could have

220 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

taken him out of his laboratory, and made him for many years an earnest and
active member of the Sanitary Commission, and at length the comer-stone of
the Union League Club."

383 — 4. Elizabeth Stoughton, b. Oct. 9, 1795 ; m. July 2, 18 13, William Gracie, Esq.,

of New York City.
384 — 5. Oliver Stoughton, b. Jan. 18, 1800. See LXXIV.
385 — 6. John Stoughton, b. Dec. 4, 1802; gr. M.D., College of Physicians and

Surgeons, New York ; lived in New York and Litchfield, and was

buried with his kindred.

John Stoughton Wolcott, M.D., Bom 4 Dec. 1802 ; Died 22 Nov.
1843. — Epitaph.

386—7. Henry, b. Sept. 4, d. Sept. 25, 1805.

IN MEMORIAM.

We cannot take leave of the above record, and proceed with the family
narrative, without some further, yet necessarily brief, notice of our dear
friend George Gibbs, whose name so unexpectedly claims in these pages
a passing and parting tribute.

Mr. Gibbs received his school training at the famous Round Hill
School of Northampton. He early developed a taste for natural history,
and before reaching the age of twenty had gathered and mounted, himself,
a large collection of birds. After two years' travel in Europe, he entered
the Harvard Law School, and took his degree in 1838. He opened a law
office in New York, but his mind retained its early bent, and he gave much
of his time to literary and scientific pursuits. He was for several years
Librarian of the New York Historical Society, and after his decease the
Society devoted a session to his memory. A " Memorial " — an essay
uncommonly tender — was read by his life-long friend, Mr. John Austin
Stevens, Jr., and published by the Society. The paper was honorable
alike to its subject and its author, and the personal friends of the former
will all bear witness to the justness of its warm eulogium.

In 1846, Mr. Gibbs published, in two octavo volumes, "Memoirs of
the Administrations of Washington and John Adams, edited from the

SIXTH GENERATION. 221

Papers of Oliver Wolcott, Secretary of the Treasury," — a work throwing
much Hght on a great epoch in our history, and exhibiting the strength of
the author's political convictions and the qualities of his literary style. In
1849, he went to the Pacific coast; in 1S54, he was appointed Collector of
the Port of Astoria. In 1S57, he accompanied a Government Exploring
Expedition, as geologist and botanist; he served also on the Boundary
Commission, and prepared an elaborate report on the geology and natural
history of the region. In i860, he returned to the Eastern States, and was
employed by the Smithsonian Institution in editing a large collection of
documents relating to the ethnology and philology of the Indian tribes.

This briefest summary of his work indicates the great versatility of
his talents. His interest in every department of historical research was
abreast with his interest in physical science. In one of his letters to the
writer he casually observes : —

When I want to feel very New England and old-fashioned, I dig a little into
Cotton Mather. I believe that I am one of very few living men who ever read
the Magnalia. The preface by John Higginson is a superb piece of English writing ;
his exordium is truly eloquent.

With all his acquisitions, the charm of his character was the generous
warmth of his heart. The proofs of this which lie nearest to me cannot be
delicately cited. I give a single extract from a letter, Feb. 5, 1849, written
when he was preparing to start for Oregon : —

I choke sometimes to think that the step I am about taking carries me away
from every thing that I love, every association of youth and manhood, from domestic
affection, from friendship, from old paths and old tastes and pursuits. But I know
that I am acting wisely, so far, at least, as we can know any thing of the future ; and
I trust to tread boldly the unknown path that opens itself I thank you heartily for
your God-speed ; I know that it is not merely conventional, &c.

In 1 87 1, he married his cousin, Mary Kane Gibbs, daughter of Ex-
Governor William C. Gibbs, of Newport, R. I. He made his home in the
city of New Haven. The next year, it was my privilege to be a guest in it
for a few days, and its cordial, genial hospitality is one of the delightful
memories of my life. A subsequent invitation from his widow to share it

222 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

again, which could not be accepted, is touchingly associated with the
thought that her gentle spirit has also passed away.

My dear Husband spoke of you two or three times during his illness, and antici-
pated so much pleasure in the hope of seeing you again. His illness was very short,
and we were wholly unprepared for the result. We knew he could never be well or
strong again, but we hoped to keep him with us for years. I need not tell you how
lonely and desolate I am, for you have seen us in our cheerful happy home, and you
know what a tender, loving nature my Husband had.

In preparing the sketch of Gov. Oliver Wolcott, Jr., we have had
free access to the manuscripts from which his grandson, George Gibbs,
drew the materials for his work already described ; and from the latter,
also, we freely quote. The village which became the seat of this branch
of the Family is thus described m its earlier days : —

" At a period much later than this, Litchfield was on the outskirts of New
England civilization, and presented a very different aspect from its now venerable
quiet. The pickets which guarded its first dwellings were not yet decayed. The
Indian yet wandered through its broad streets ; and hunters, as wild as our present
borderers, chased the deer and the panther on the shores of the lake. The manners
of its inhabitants were as simple and primitive as those of their fathers a century
back, in the older settlements on the Connecticut. Travelling was entirely on horse-
back, e.xcept in the winter ; and but a casual intercourse was carried on with the
distant towns. Occasionally, and more frequently as they became more interesting,
tidings reached them from Boston, and even from the Old World." '

Among these secluded hills young Oliver passed his childhood, of
which he has fortunately left us a pleasant autobiographical sketch. This
was written when he was over seventy years of age. It was apparently his
intention to beguile his leisure hours with a familiar narrative of his whole
life ; but the sketch covers only the early portion of it, and this we are
happy to lay before our readers.

I have thought that my recollections extend back to the time when I was nour-
ished by my Mother. The songs of the Nursery were my great solace, and some of

1 Gibbs's Fed. Admin., I. 9, 10.

SIXTH GENERATION.

223

Doct. Watts's Hymns and Songs are still perused by me with thrilling emotions, and
I shall ever consider them as among the best Poetry of our language. My Mother
and Grandmother learned me to speak early ; I could read before I was four years
old, and was proud of my acquirements.

The School House was in the street near the N. W. corner of my Father's
Home-Lot, and was about twenty rods from home. The street was nine or ten rods
wide, and the hillocks were covered with whortleberry bushes, which were tall enough
to hide a young man or boy from observation. It was an excellent place for truants,
and used for that purpose by many of the larger Boys of the School. When I had
attained the age of six or seven years, I was told that it was time for me to go to
School, and was flattered by my Mother that my learning exceeded that of Boys
twice my age. I was accordingly dressed in my Sunday habit, and sent out, whip in
hand, on a Monday morning. I was the smallest and most slender boy who appeared,
with a pale face and white hair. The Master was a stout, rough man, and I think
it probable that he was a foreigner. When I was called before him, he, judging from
appearances, took me between his knees, and with a ferule and Dilworth's Spelling
Book in his hand, offered to instruct me in spelling words of several syllables. My
astonishment and indignation exceeded all bounds ; I considered it as the greatest
possible indignity. I had no conception that a Schoolmaster, whom I deemed a great
personage, could be so ignorant as not to know that I could read in the Testament.
I remained mute, and stifled my proud sobs as well as I was able. The Master
supposed that he had put me too far forward, and turned me back to words of
one syllable. My wrath increased, and I continued silent. He tried me in the
Alphabet ; and as I remained silent, he told me that I came to learn to read, and that
I must repeat the words after him, or he would whip me. He actually struck me,
supposing me to be obstinately mute ; my sobs nearly broke my heart, and I was
ordered to my seat. Some of the Boys tried to console me, and others laughed. I
left the School with the most decided disgust, resolved never to enter it again.

I evaded going to School as long as possible ; and when I did go, I hid myself
in the Bushes. At length the Master enquired why I had left the School. This
brought out my explanation ; and such were my horror and antipathy, that my parents
judged it proper to excuse me, and I was soon sent to another School, kept by a Miss
Patterson, whose mild and conciliating manners attracted my affections. In reading
and speaking I was a great proficient, and distinguished for committing long lessons
to memory.

At about eleven years of age I went to the Grammar School, which was kept by
Nath- Brown Beckwith, a graduate of Yale College. Here I began Latin in Lilly's

224 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Grammar and the Accidence. Lilly's Verses (in what was called Hog-Latin) took
my fancy greatly, and I soon could repeat much or all of it from memory. The
Ryme of this old hog-Latin was much of it excellent, and till a late period of my life
was strongly impressed on my memory.

I was far from being a student. One of the eldest and stoutest Boys was still
less so ; he and the Master were attached to Fishing and Hunting. Trouts, Par-
tridges, Quail, Squirrels both grey and black, and in the season Pigeons and Ducks,
were in great abundance. To these Sports all our Holidays were devoted, and I
engaged in them with alacrity, in which the Master joined on the footing of an equal.
In this course I continued till, in the summer of 1773, Master Beckwith pronounced
me fit to enter College.

My Father thought I was too young ; but I was equipped, and furnished with a
steady Horse, and a Letter of introduction to Parson Trumbull, the Father of our great
Poet and Scholar, John Trumbull. I found Parson Trumbull in a field, superintend-
ing labourers ; he received me kindly, ordered my horse to be taken care of, and
invited me to partake of a Farmer's dinner. He looked kindly at me, and, placing his
hand on my head, said I was one of the old Stock of Independents. I did not then
understand his meaning, but the sound pleased my ear, and as it was said to be
a family characteristic, I recollected it ever after. Parson Trumbull was a great
farmer, and partook his meals with his labourers. I was dismissed in season to get
down to Parson Leavenworth's, at Waterbury, before sunset. Here I found another
agricultural Clergyman, who lived well, in a good House, but in a poor Parish, where
the lands did not allow his Parishioners to afford a support equal to that received by
Parson Trumbull. On enquiring my name, and placing his hands on my head, he
enquired whether I intended, if I was able, to be like Old Nol, a Republican and
King Killer. These were new phrases in my ears ; but I treasured them in my
memory.

The next morning, I proceeded down through Salem, and soon began to ascend
the mountains of Bethany (now Woodbridge) till on the Heights I got a view of Long
Island Sound. This was the first time I had seen the salt sea, or Ocean ; the emo-
tions were peculiar, and the excitement made strong impressions on my mind. I
accelerated my Journey, and arrived seasonably at Mrs. Noyes's, a Widow Lady, who
afterwards married General Silliman, the father of Professor Silliman, of Yale College.
I had read of Cities, and seen some Pictures in Books, but the grandeur of New
Haven (which was then merely a small Village), with its State House, Prison, College,
and Meeting Houses, with the rows of Elms with which the Green was surrounded,
appeared to my fancy as a work of Magic.

SIXTH GENERATION. 225

Mrs. Noyes had three Sons ; the eldest, Joseph, was afterwards my Classmate ;
the three were mild, amiable youths, and they were, of course, my companions and
playmates.

I went up to College in the evening, to observe the Scene of my future exploits,
with emotions of awe and reverence. Men in black robes, white wigs, and high
cocked hats ; young men, dressed in camblet gowns, passed us in small groups. The
Men in Robes and Wigs, I was told, were Professors ; the young men in Gowns were
Students. There were young men in black silk Gowns, some with Bands, and others
without. These were either Tutors in the College, or resident Graduates, to whom
the title of Sir was accorded. When we entered the College Yard, a new scene was
presented. There was a class who wore no Gowns, and who walked, but never ran
or jumped, in the yard. They appeared much in awe, or looked surlily, after they
passed by the young men habited in Gowns and Staves. Some of the young Gowns-
men treated those who wore neither Hats nor Gowns in the yard, with hardness, and__
what I thought indignity. I give an instance : " Nevill, go to my room, middle story
of old College, No. — , and take from it a pitcher, fill it from the pump, place it in
my room, and stay there till I return." To such a mandate, delivered by a slender
sprig to a sturdy Country Lad, apparently much his superior in Age and Strength,
the answer might be various, according to circumstances and the temper of the
Parties, viz. " I have been sent on an errand." " Who sent you .'' " " Tutor H." Or
the mandate might be submitted to, pleasantly with a smile, or contemptuously with
a sneer. The domineering young men in Gowns, I was told by my conductors, were
Scholars or Students of the Sophomore Class, and those without Hats and Gowns, and
who walked in the yard, were Freshmen, who, out of the Hours of Study, were waiters
or servants to the Authority, President, Professors, Tutors, and Undergraduates.

These exhibitions of Wigs, Bands, Gowns, and Staves, and especially of Sopho-
morical dictation, raised emotions illy adapted to recommend Collegiate discipline to
the Youth who was descended from the old Stock of Independents, and who was a
namesake of Old Nol, the King Killer.

When the hour for examining Candidates for admission into the College was
approaching, my repugnance to encountering the perils of the unknown scrutiny
increased. I recollected that my Father and Mother had both told me that I was
too young to go to College. The appearance of the high dignitaries I had seen struck
me with awe and reverence, and the insolence of the Sophomores filled me with dis-
gust. I resolved to return home and study another year ; and I mentioned this to
Mrs. Noyes and her Sons. She used no counter arguments ; and in subsequent
years I concluded that my journey had been promoted by my Parents, to wear off my
Bashfulness, and give a new direction to my natural temperament.

226 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

When I got back to Litchfield, it took a long time to recount all the wonders
I had seen, — the grandeur of New Haven, its numerous Streets, beautiful Trees,
Shrubbery and Flowers in the House Yards, the Vessels at the Long Wharf, and the
peculiar dress and language of the Mariners. With one of these I had formed an
involuntary acquaintance, which cost me a shilling. The wharves of a mud harbour
presented no prospect of the Sea ; to mend my prospect, I climbed a part of the way
up one of the strands, when I felt a Sailor below me, who was tying one of my legs
to what I considered a rope ladder. He did it mildly and silently. As I could move
neither up nor down, I soon began to lament, which brought my companions to my
aid. They desired the Sailor to untie and let me down. He enquired who I was,
and why I climbed his Vessel without his liberty. I assured him that I intended
no harm, and was ignorant that I was doing wrong ; that I was a boy from the
Country, and having seen the Sea on coming to New Haven, I was desirous of seeing
its Shores. This account was confirmed by my friend Noyes. The Sailor said, that
as it was the first time I had been on board a Sea Vessel, and had seen and smelt the
Salt Water, I ought to pay what he called beverage ; that he would require but a
Shilling, though if I was a Scholar, he would exact three Shillings. I agreed with
joy to his demand, and was instantly let down, amidst the hearty laughter of his com-
rades ; it seemed no unusual occurrence, so my friends joined in the joke. The Sailor
told me that no person ought to pay twice, and that if I found myself tied up again,
and called upon him, he would see me liberated without expense.

When I had recounted my travelling News to my School Mates, I was advised
to resume my Studies, and repeat my travelling Stories out of School hours, which
I thought but reasonable. In addition to the character of being one of the best
Scholars in the School, especially in reading and in recitations which I had committed
to memory, I had seen the inside of Yale College, the Library room, and the Pictures
of Mr. Yale, Governor Salstonstall, &c., which no other of my Schoolmates had done.

I had now passed the infantine period, and was between thirteen and fourteen
years of age. I was no longer a Child, but a Boy, and hoped soon to be a Man. I
found myself useful to my Mother. I could drive Cows to and from Pasture, ride the
Cart Horse to Mill, bring in light wood and chips for the kitchen fire, and rock the
Cradle, when necessary. My Mother was very fond of flowers, of which she had
beautiful kinds in the Garden. She was always ready to direct, and I could execute ;
and what was better, as she said, I could learn, which, as it pleased her, I did with
great readiness.

Sunday was to me the most uncomfortable day of the Week, from the confine-
ment in dress and locomotion which it imposed on me. After Prayers and Breakfast,

SIXTH GENERATION.

227

I was taken by my Mother to a Wash Tub, and thoroughly scrubbed with Soap and
Water from head to foot. I was then dressed in my Sunday Habit, which, as I was
growing fast, was almost constantly too small. My usual dress, at other times, was
a thin pair of Trowsers, and a Jacket of linsey-woolsey ; and I wore no shoes, except
in frosty weather. On Sunday morning, I was robed in a Scarlet Cloth Coat with
Silver Buttons, a white Silk Vest, white Cotton Stockings, tight Shoes, Scarlet Cloth
Breeches with Silver Buttons to match my Coat, a close Stock, Ruffles at the Breast
of my Jacket, and a cocked Beaver Hat with gold lace Band. In this attire I was
marched to the Meeting House, with orders not to soil my Clothes, and to sit still,
and by no means to play during meeting-time.

Parson Champion succeeded Parson Collins, our first Minister, Doctor, and
Justice of the Peace. Mr. Champion was a pleasant, affable man, and a sonorous,
animated Preacher.' I liked loud preaching, and suffered only from the confinement
of my Sunday dVess. Mr. Champion not unfrequently exchanged Sunday services
with a neighboring Parson, whose performances were most uncomfortable. They
were dull, monotonous, and very long ; in the afternoon they frequently extended to
two hours. As I was not allowed to sleep during meeting time, my sufferings were
frequently extreme.

After service, new toils awaited me. Our Sunday was in fact the old Jewish
Sabbath, and continued from sunset to sunset. In the interval, from the end of
services in the Meeting House till Sunset, my Father read to the Family from the
Bible or some printed Sermon, and when he had done, I was examined by my Mother
in the Assembly's Shorter Catechism. I learned to recite this, in self-defense; and
I comprehended it as well then as at any time afterwards. When this task was
ended, I was allowed to resume my ordinary Habit. It exhilarates my spirits, even
at present, to think of the ecstacies I enjoyed when I put on my Jacket and Trowsers,
and quit my Stockings and Shoes. I used to run to the Garden Lawn or into the
orchard ; I would leap, run, lie down and roll on the grass, in short, play all the
gambols of a fat calf, when loosened from confinement.

1 " Thy Reverend Champion, — champion of the truth ; —
I see him )-et, as in my early youth ;
His outward man was rather short than tall.
His wig was ample, though his frame was small.
Active his step, and cheerful was his air,
And O, how free and fluent was his prayer !
He sleeps in peace and honor — "

{PierponCs Litch. Cen. Poem, 78.)

228 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

The reader, we are sure, will share our regret that this charming
autobiography was not continued and completed. The further incidents
named are taken principally from his grandson's published volumes.

The following year, 1774, he returned to New Haven, and entered the
college in the same class with his cousin, Alexander Wolcott. Of this
class there were several who afterwards became eminent in different pur-
suits, among whom may be mentioned Noah Webster, Joel Barlow, Uriah
Tracy, and Zephaniah Swift. One of them, Barlow, thus writes to him
soon after leaving college : —

Now respecting yourself, I think it is a shame to the world, and a dishonor to
yourself, that you should bind your whole attention to the Law and neglect the fine
arts, and especially Poetry, a study of all others the most capable of a delicate sub-
limity, which is exactly suited to your genius. I have been waiting a long time to
see some of your poetry, and saw it not. I hope ere long to rejoice in the vision.

He had more discretion than his friend, though he did achieve some
poems, one of which has been preserved in manuscript. Another of his
classmates, Dr. Webster, thus writes, late in life, respecting his collegiate
reputation : —

I was an intimate friend, class-mate, and for some months room-mate, with
Gov. Wolcott. My acquaintance with him was of nearly sixty years' duration. I
found him always frank and faithful in his friendship, and generous to the extent of
his means. He was in college a good scholar, though not brilliant. He possessed
the firmness and strong reasoning powers of the Wolcott family, but with some
eccentricities in reasoning.

Thick-coming events soon explained the meaning of the remarks
which had dropped from his father's clerical friends on his first journey
to New Haven. In April, 1777, his studies were broken in upon by a call
to a less peaceful scene than the groves of Yale. He had gone home on
a visit, his father being absent attending Congress, when the news arrived
at Litchfield that a large body of the British under Tryon had landed and
marched to Danbury to destroy the continental stores. Awakened at
midnight by the summons to repair to the rendezvous of the militia, he

SIXTH GENERATION. 229

armed himself; and his mother, furnishing his knapsack with provisions
and a blanket, hastened his departure, and dismissed him with the charge
" to conduct like a good soldier." The party to which he was attached
reached the enemy at Wilton, where a skirmish took place, in which, as
well as in the subsequent attacks during the retreat of the British, he
participated.

The next year he took his degree at Yale College, and immediately
commenced the study of law at Litchfield, under Judge Reeve. In 1779,
after the destruction of Fairfield and Norwalk, he attended his father to the
coast, as a volunteer aid. He shortly after accepted a quarter-master's
commission in the service, without relinquishing his professional studies.
This was a period of great privation and distress, and the absence of his
father, who was with Congress, threw upon him an almost insupportable
burden, in obtaining fuel and provisions for the family, and in keeping
open the roads for the transportation of the army stores and ordnance
which were under his charge.

His father's public character, and the hospitalities of his house, intro-
duced young Oliver to many persons of distinction in the army and in
Congress. In the year 1 780, he thus received General Washington, who
with his suite, among whom was Colonel Hamilton, passed through the
district. The arduous duties thrown upon him at so early a period of his
life, and his constant intercourse with men, were high advantages in their
influence in forming and ripening his character.

In January, 1781, he became of age, and was immediately admitted to
the bar. He shortly after removed to Hartford. Such was his poverty,
that he left home with no more than three dollars in his pocket ; and to
defray his expenses, on reaching Hartford, he accepted a clerkship in the
office of the Committee of Pay-Table, with a salary amounting to about
fifty cents a day, in specie value.

He this year took the Master's degree in Yale College, his thesis
being, —

"An Agricidtiira in Repiiblica Americana sit magis colcnda qtiam Commerciiiin.
" Affirmat respondens Oliverus Wolcott."

{Quest, discut. a Laur. Magis. Cand. MDCCLXXXI.)

230

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

His diligence in his employment had attracted the notice of the Gen-
eral Assembly, who in January, 1782, unsolicited, appointed him one of the
Committee, at that time the central board of accounts. Being the junior
member, it became a part of his duty to call upon the Council of Safety, at
their almost daily sittings, and receive and execute their directions. There,
under the keen inspection of Governor Trumbull and the Council, he
became initiated into the system of conducting public affairs, and person-
ally known to many of the prominent characters in different departments.
His labors from this time to the end of the war were incessant. Cut off
from the society natural to his age, and at twenty-one thrown upon his own
resources in a situation arduous and responsible, associating with men of
ability, he acquired the self-confidence, the intense application to business,
practical habits, and iron perseverance, which formed the basis of his
success in life.

In May, 1784, he was appointed a Commissioner for the State of
Connecticut, in concert with Oliver Ellsworth, to adjust and settle the
accounts and claims of the State against the United States. This duty,
which was continued through several years, was performed in addition to
his ordinary occupation as a member of the Board of Pay-Table.

In May, 1788, the Pay-Table Committee was abolished, and the office
of Comptroller of Public Accounts instituted, to which their duties and
some others, until then differently distributed, were assigned. He was
appointed Comptroller, and arranged the financial affairs of the State anew,
in a manner which met the approval of the Assembly, and has since been
tested by experience. In this post he continued until the establishment of
the National Treasury, in September, 1 789, when he was appointed Auditor,
with a salary of $1,500, in the Treasury Department, of which Colonel
Hamilton was appointed Secretary. He removed to New York, and
entered upon the duties of his new ofifice in November. He was appointed
Comptroller of the Treasury in June, 1791 ; and in February, 1795, Secre-
tary of the same, — which last ofifice he held through the remainder of
Washington's and nearly the whole of the elder Adams's administrations.
He resigned in December, 1800, and in February, iSoi, was appointed, under

SIXTH GENERATION. 231

the new Judiciary Act, a Judge of the Second Circuit of the United States.
On the destruction of these Courts, by the repeal of the act creating them,
he removed to New York, and entered upon business as a merchant.
After the close of the last war with Great Britain he returned to Litchfield,
and in 181 7 was elected Governor of Connecticut, being the third of his
family, in lineal succession, who attained that honor. He was re-elected
ten years successively, closing his administration in 1S27.

He has left behind him a valuable collection of manuscripts, — more
than fifty folio volumes. They embrace a full correspondence with the
able political leaders of his party, and the public men of that period, —
Washington, Hamilton, Ames, Cabot, Ellsworth, Pickering, Griswold,
King, Hillhouse, Hopkinson, Quincy, and others, — gentlemen in whose
confidence he stood high, and in whose counsels he actively participated.
Two volumes, embracing a portion of these papers, have been already
published, and others may eventually follow. The political discussions
contained in them, however able and interesting, do not fall within the
scope of our plan. We extract, therefore, from the voluminous mass, such
passages only as seem to us to belong properly to a family work of this
character. The portions which we give are faithful copies of the originals ;
but those which we necessarily omit are so numerous that we have seldom
indicated them. We begin with one written at the age of fifteen, in his
first college year ; followed by one written by his sister in her girlhood.

To HIS Father.
Honoured Father AV-^ //^ztw:, Tuesday 1775

I take my Pen in hand to write unto you to acquaint you by this favourable
Opportunity of my Health and of the anxious Concern I endure for my Mamma's
Recovery. Mr Adams has just brought the melancholy News of Aunt Lyman's
Decease and likewise of Mamma's hurt, but I hope she will recover soon. I am well,
and at my Studies which I intend to prosecute with the utmost Diligence, being sensi-
ble what great Joy it will give my Parents, and the exquisite Grief my Failure must
occasion. With a lively Hope that the Lord will be your Deliverer, I subscribe

myself your Obedient Son,

Oliver Wolcott

232 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Miss Wolcott to Miss Stoughton.
My Dear Eliza Litchfidd, July s'i 1784

You want to know "what we are about on this Western Hill." Since you will
not be so good as to come and see, I will tell you that our Sister Laura is thinking
and dreaming of her Beloved. As my soul was not made to be puffed away in sighs,
I spend many an hour of clear comfort in the Grove, the Bower, and my Chamber.
At this dehghtful season, when all Nature is singing, I think it best to dismiss all
our cares, or give them a parole till sullen Winter returns, when we can think of
nothing else. And I believe after all, Eliza, that there are few of us who have not
our pensive moments — and at every season. For myself, I will confess that I have
often, this very summer, retired to the brink of a purling stream, and thought how
convenient a place it was, for a despairing Lover to end his days ! I have recom-
mended it to two or three, but they are not yet far-gone enough to be willing to take
the leap.

I shall dispatch Zephyr (who loves to reside in L d) with a particular com-

mand never to quit Col. Wyllys's Arbour ; and thither, my dear, I advise ye all to

repair from the sultry hours of Noon. But I cannot accompany him — my presence

is indispensably necessary at home this summer ; but I thank you from my heart for

your friendship, and from my heart I love you for it. But methinks that yoii, my

dear one, are sadly to blame ; these short excursions that my Brother makes — it

cannot be inconvenient (I believe) for you to come with him — come then, my dear

Eliza, and see how delightfully we look on this Mountain. — Laura sends love, so

does Mr Wolcott (I could tell you something else) and so does thy

Mariann
Miss Stotighton

To HIS Wife.
Dear Betsey Hartford, Sept. 2ii 1786.

I have waited impatiently till this evening for a Letter from you, that I might
know whether you arrived safely in New York, and how I might direct my Letters.

Your small family of folks and kittens are as well as usual, and if they love you
as well as I do, will be very glad when you return. If nothing extraordinary shall
prevent, I shall set out for New York next week.

Pray, Betsey, be careful of your health, and write by every stage, if it be only

one line to inform me of your condition. Please to present my best respects to Mr.

and Mrs. W., and believe me to be with the greatest affection and sincerity

Your friend and humble serv!

Oliv: Wolcott Jr.
Mrs. Elizabeth Wolcott

SIXTH GENERATION.

233

To HIS Father.
Sir New York, Nov. 3^ 17S9

We arrived here after as good a passage as could be expected, and have procured
lodgings at Mrs Grinnell's, No. 27 Queen Street, in a good family.

I have not been able to inform myself of the extent of the business in which I
am engaged, as Col. Hamilton has been unwell, and as Mr Eveleigh has not arrived ;
though the business will be for some time difficult, it will not be insurmountable, and
I trust that I shall be able to discharge my trust, with as much reputation as the
nature of such an appointment will permit.

What arrangements are in contemplation with respect to the public debt, I
have not been able to learn, though I believe from the character and manners of the
Secretary, that they will be prudent, sensible, and firm.

As soon as I shall have formed such acquaintances, as will enable me to write

Letters, that may convey information of the state of our Affairs, I will write fully to

you ; in the mean time be pleased to present mine and Betsey's love to ray Mamma

and to my Brother.

I am with respect your obe' Son

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.
Hon''lL. Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

Mr. and Mrs. Goodrich to Mrs. Wolcott.

My Dear Sister, Hartford, 15J; Nov. 1789

I received your good letter ; it found me exactly in the situation which you wished
it might — " seated by the fire with my good man like sober honest people." Indeed,
if I had ever so much inclination to ramble from my fireside, it has not been in my
power since I have been here, for I took a most violent cold coming from Litchfield,
and have been quite sick and confined ever since with the Influenza. You can
sympathize with me, for I am told you had it severely, and Oliver writes that you are
unwell yet. Pray, my dear sister, be careful of yourself. We are all concerned for
you; always cherished in the bosom of your Mother — how can you support the
separation .' But I am a queer girl to say this, for I know, and feel myself, that the
place of a Mother may be supplied by a yet dearer friend. You do not know how
much we miss you. It seems to me that you might be happier here than at New
York ; but if you must, and will, stay there, keep up as good spirits as possible. I
know it would please you to see my swain and me in our own home. Tell Brother
Oliver not to encourage Oppression and Tyranny. If he sends any more such letters,
they shall be sent back. It is giving advice in a very critical time, for it is not deter-

2 34

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

mined yet wnere the power is lodged. As for being " obedient " and " duti/u/," tell
him it is not in my creed.

I received letters from Litchfield yesterday ; they are as well as usual. I wish
when you get well you would write to my Mamma ; poor Lady ! she is quite solitary.
She felt it very strongly, your going away. And when shall we see you here .' —
some time the Winter if the weather is good ; and next Summer, after you get to
housekeeping, we will go and see you. Li the mean time, write to us, I beseech you ;
we shall improve every opportunity. I have more to say, but I have written two or
three letters to Litchfield, and it has fatigued me. Tell my Brother that I love him
sincerely. My good man writes a postscript for himself. He is frequently mention-
ing you to me as a pattern worthy of my imitation. I tell him when he becomes as
good a husband as my Brother, I shall endeavor to imitate your perfections, and not

before. Adieu.

Yours faithfully

M. Goodrich

Mrs Wokott

Dear Betsey

I love you too well to be content to leave it to my good Girl to insert it in
her Letter in the usual formal mode ; and therefore add a codicil to assure you
of my remembrance of you and regret at your departure. Your husband is a very
worthy man, but it was not a very benevolent act in him, to run away with you just
as I had the Rights of a Brother to see you, to be visited by you, to chat, laugh — and
a thousand other clever things. We are now in a comfortable, family state ; my
Girl is a good Wife, and I believe much indebted to your example, for which I am
obliged to you ; as also to your Spouse, for his Advice to her to mind her Hils-
band — in exchange for which good Advice to my Wife, I cannot make a Return
more suitable, than by praying of his to be regardful of her health.

Believe me to be, as I really am, your affectionate friend

C. Goodrich.

From the Rev. Dr. Strong.

Dear Sir Hartford, Dec: s"! 1789

By every account I receive, the department in which your are fallen is a busy
one ; and I fear your Ambition will lead you to such Industry as may destroy your
Constitution, in the very Beginning of what I esteem your public Usefulness. You
ought to remember that none of your predecessors have killed themselves in the
service of their Country ; and tho' I esteem fidelity, I should not wish that kind of

SIXTH GENERATION.

235

Suicide to come in fashion. You will forgive this caution, when you consider that it
flows from friendship, joined with some knowledge of your persevering disposition.
I wish you to fulfil the old promise you made me, of living to see eighty ; and when
you have done that, I shall allow you to be a Gentleman who can keep your Word, in
every Instance.

As for Politicks, I have Nothing which will be new to you. Connecticut has a
few Geniuses, who intend to bring themselves up, by insinuating against the general
Government ; you know the Men, that they are Rogues in grain.

You know that in this Country we all play the Politician. For me, in the
Retirement of my Study, and unknown to Mankind, it has neither danger nor advan-
tage ; but to you Gentlemen who move in the public sphere of a court, it is life or
death ; therefore be cautious, but firm, and if old death should chance to threaten
you, be as stubborn as he is.

With my best Regards to Mrs. Wolcott and yourself, I remain yours with much
affection and respect

Nathan Strong

From Mr. J. Trumbull.
Dear Sir Hartford, VitC (p 17?,<).

I received yours by Dr. Cogswell, who appears a sensible, agreeable young man,
and I am glad that he proposes to settle in Hartford. Indeed our circle of friends
wants new recruits. Humphreys, Barlow, and you are lost to us. Dr. Hopkins has
an itch of running away to New York, but I trust his indolence will prevent him.
However, if you should catch him in your city, I desire you to take him up and
return him, or secure him so that we may have him again, for which you shall have
sixpence reward and all charges. Webster has returned and brought with him a
very pretty wife. I wish him success, but I doubt in the present decay of business
in our profession, whether his profits will enable him to keep up the style he sets out
with. I fear he will breakfast upon Institutes, dine upon Dissertations, and go to bed
supperless.^ I cannot conceive what Barlow is doing. After being eighteen months
abroad, you tell me he has got so far as to see favourable prospects. If he should not
effect something soon, I would advise him to write " the Vision of Barlow," as a
sequel to those of Columbus and McFingal.

Pray congratulate Col. Humphreys, in my name, on his late promotion in the
diplomatic line. If I understand the matter rightly, he holds the same post which

' " The result was more favorable than it appeared in the sportive anticipations of TrumbulL"
— Memoir of Webster.

236 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Crispe promised George, in the Vicar of Wakefield. You remember Crispe told him,
there was an Embassy talked of from the Synod of Pennsylvania to the Chickasaw
Indians, and he would use his interest to get him appointed Secretary. Tell him not
to be discouraged too much at his want of success. The President has tried him on
McGillivray first, and he did not suit the skull of the Savage ; but we cannot argue
from that circumstance, that he would not sit as easy as a full-bottomed wig upon
the fat-headed Sovereigns of Europe. Tell him this Story also for his comfort, and
to encourage his hopes of speedy employment : — A King being angry with an Am-
bassador, asked him whether his Master had no wise men at his Court, and was there-
fore obliged to send him a fool ? " Sire," said the other, " my Master has many wise
men about his court, but he conceived me the most proper Ambassador to your
Majesty." Upon this principle, I am in daily expectation of hearing that he is
appointed Minister Plenipo. to George, Louis, or the Stadtholder. For is not his
name Mumps ?

You must know that at this present writing, I am confined with this paltry
Influenza. I kept it for si.x weeks at the stave's end, as Shakspeare's Malvolio
did Beelzebub ; but it has driven me into close quarters at last. Indeed I could
not expect to avoid it, for old Wronghead says it is a federal disorder, bred out
of the New Constitution at New York, and communicated by infection from
Congress.

I see the President has returned, all fragrant with the odour of incense. It
must have given him satisfaction, to find that the hearts of the people were united in
his favour ; but the blunt and awkward adulation of our addresses must often have
wounded his feelings. We have gone through all the Popish grades of worship, at
least up to the HyperdoiUia.

I expect something capital with regard to the arrangement of the public debt,
from the abilities of the Gentlemen in the Treasury Department. You will avoid the
complicated and embarrassed Systems of Financiers, who affect to be mysterious and
artful, and form a Plan at once bold, simple, and decisive. I almost envy you the
friendship of Col. Hamilton, with whom I doubt not you are already in the closest
habits of intimacy.

I perceive I shall repay your correspondence in quantity. Indeed, writing this
letter is the only amusement I could have found under this unpleasant indisposition.
Mrs. Trumbull joins in our affectionate Compliments to yourself and Mrs Wolcott.
I am. Dear Sir, with the highest esteem, your Friend and humble Serv-

John Trumbull

Oliver Wolcott J:, Esq. '

SIXTH GENERATION.

237

To HIS Mother.
Madam New York, Dec^ 21, 1789

By a letter from my Father I was informed of the pleasing intelligence that you
were in usual health, and that my brother had so far recovered, as to be able to renew
his studies with Mr Reeve.

I can easily judge, from my own feelings, that your situation, since the removal
of my Sister, must be in some respects lonely and disagreeable. But as you will be
able to hear frequently from her, and must be perfectly satisfied with the character
of Mr Goodrich, I feel not so much anxiety on that account, as from the multiplied
attention which you will give to the family of servants, with which you are burdened.
I must request that your humanity to them be not so particular as to suffer your
health to be impaired on their account. If any measures consistent with propriety
can be taken, to prevent an increase of that kind of trouble, it is surely your duty to
attempt them.

My health is good, and though my business is laborious, yet as I have able
Clerks, I find it less burdensome than my former employment. The compensation is
better ; and though economy will be necessary to make any considerable savings, yet
I am disposed to exercise it, with a view of some time or other enjoying more leisure.
Any considerable degree of affluence is not attainable in public service, consistent
with integrity ; my prospects on that head are therefore very limited.

The manners of the people are favourable to the plan which I have in view ;
great expense is not required, nor does it add to the reputation of any person. There
appears to be great regularity in the City ; honesty is as much in fashion as in Con-
necticut ; and I am persuaded that there is a much greater attention to good morals,
than has been supposed in the Country. So far as an attention to the Sabbath is
a criterion of Religion, a comparison between this City and many places in Connecti-
cut would be in favour of New York. The greatest inconvenience which I shall
suffer, will arise from being separated from my friends ; this I must remedy by
keeping up a strict correspondence with them.

We have not been able to hire a house, and shall continue in lodgings till the
Spring ; this mode of living, taking all things into consideration, is the best for us at
present.

With the most sincere wishes for your health and happiness, permit me to

subscribe myself your obe' Son

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.

Mrs Laura Wolcott

238 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

To HIS Father.
Cjj, New York, FebT if 1790

Congress appears to be going on smoothly, the opposition to the government is
diminished, and if the people will in practice submit to what in theory they have
admitted to be proper, all will be well.

My situation is as agreeable as possible, considering the unreasonable accumu-
lation of business thrown upon me ; if I get through with it, it will operate to my
advantage. I am treated very fairly by all the Officers of the Department, and I have
been noticed by all the principal Gentlemen in the public Service. The favours I
have received I am very happy to mention to you, as I am certain that they have
been bestowed upon me under the auspices of your reputation.

I have reason to believe that when we shall keep house by ourselves, you could
spend a few weeks here very happily, with many Gentlemen with whom you have
been well acquainted during the War ; and I flatter myself that you will be persuaded
to accept the Invitation.

Betsey is better than she has been ; she some time since intended a visit to
Connecticut, but from the state of the roads, this Winter, I think it will not be
prudent for her to undertake so long a Journey. She desires me to present her best
respects to Mamma and all the family.

As a Post is now established from hence to Litchfield, I flatter myself that you
will write to us by every opportunity ; I shall do every thing in my power to be
punctual on my part. With respects to my Mamma and love to my Brother I remain

with the greatest respect your obe' Son

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.
The Hon. Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

Mrs. Goodrich to Mrs. Wolcott.

Hartford, 22 March, 1790
I am very happy, my dear Betsey, to find so direct a conveyance as by Col.
Wadsworth, to answer your good long letter, for which I most sincerely thank you.
I perceive by it that you are the same good Sister which I have ever found you, and
not at all the worse, for living in New York. I know your disposition too well, to
believe that there is any danger of your losing your attachment to those friends you
have left behind, or of your becoming at all dissipated. We have repeatedly heard
that you have had a great deal of company, and that the first people in the City are
proud of your acquaintance — together with many other things, which I dare not
mention, for fear of being taxed with Flattery.

SIXTH GENERATION.

239

But I can easily believe you, my dear Betsey, when you tell me that all this
affords but a cold, insipid enjoyment, when compared with that which the society of
a few good friends brings with it. You have one great satisfaction, which is that of
knowing that your best beloved is highly respected, and has the esteem of the best
Characters — which Col. Wadsworth tells us is the case. You will reflect, too, that
the same company and amusements, which at present you do not relish very highly,
may after a while be very pleasing to you. I would not, my dear Sister, if there were
the least prospect of our ever getting you back to this Town, say one word in favour
of your present situation ; but I see we must resign you ; and since this is inevitable,
I want to have you as happy as possible. Remember that I am most sincerely your
affectionate Sister

M. Goodrich.

Mrs. IVokott.

From Mr. Goodrich.
Dear Sir Hartford, March 23, 1790

I certainly have the most reason to regret your want of Leisure to write to your
friends, for were it not for that ambition of yours of doing every thing better than
other folks, and more than any Body else, I might claim from you to know what wise
men think, which I believe cannot always be found out from what they say and do ;
and also know your own feelings and reflections, in which I am really more inter-
ested, than in political systems, or in the noisy clamour of Congress.

We draw our Lottery the ne.xt week ; and Mary Anne is to have the highest
Prize, which is already laid out in a most economical manner, for the best good of
the family ; and the Sum of three hundred Pounds is about enough to begin a good
system of economy with.

Col. Wadsworth gave us a very sensible satisfaction, by the account he has
given of the high estimation in which you are had by Mr. Hamilton, and the public.
I could easily believe it, for I knew you would deserve it. I am, my dear Sir, your

friend.

Chauncey Goodrich.
To HIS Mother.

Madam New York, May 31, 1790.

We are now conveniently situated in a very healthy and convenient part of the
Town, and expect to live more at ease than we have done, and shall be happy to see
such of our friends as will visit us. From my Brother we have received a promise,
which we e.xpect he will shortly fulfill with good faith.

I have nothing new, not even in the world of Politics, of which you can wish
to be informed, except that the House of Representatives have this day resolved to

240 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

remove to Philadelphia. This event is indifferent to me, except as it will require me
to remove farther from my friends. I often think of you and my friends, and regret
that my fortune in life compels me to live from them ; a hope, which is perhaps vain,
is frequently indulged, that some incident will enable me to return, with a prospect
of business which will support me. In all events, it will be my constant prayer that
you and they may live in health and prosperity.

Betsey directs me to present her best respects to you and my Brother Fred-
erick, and to inform you that she will make you a speedy visit. With every senti-
ment of respect I remain. Madam, your obed! Son

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.

Mrs Laura Wolcott.

To HIS Wife.
Dear Betsey New York, Aug. 26'J}, 1790.

I find it but a dull business to live alone, especially since Congress have
adjourned. The difference which this and the removals of the citizens into the
country have made in the appearance of the city, is much greater than I could have
imagined. I have heard or seen, I know not which, the advice which you sent to
Miss M. and Miss W., to inform you how I behave. Miss M. has gone into the
country, and Miss W. cannot give you much information. I know more than both of
them respecting the matter. In general I have behaved well ; but to enumerate my
good actions would savour of vanity, for which reason I am prevented from affording
a great part of the history of my conduct ; and I do not think that what has been
amiss ought to be published to the world, which is as good a reason why the remain-
ing part ought not to be committed to writing. As I know you cannot have done
any thing which is not praiseworthy, and as the Ladies are permitted by custom to
compliment themselves, it will be perfectly proper, and will be a satisfaction to me
to know how yoii, have behaved, which I doubt not you will be good enough to
inform me.

I suppose this Letter will find you at Litchfield, where I hope you will be able
to breathe a great deal of good air, and acquire much health. I am glad that the
little boy is well, and has seen so much of the world as to recommend himself to his
Grand Parents. You must learn him all the tricks proper for a gentleman of his age
before I come.

I suppose the reason that I have not heard from Litchfield, has been that my
friends supposed me to be from the city. It is a sore disappointment that I have not,
but Mr. Eveleigh's (the Comptroller's) sickness, and the labour necessary to prepare
to execute the acts passed the last session have absolutely prevented. At no future

SIXTH GENERATION, 24 1

period will my business be so burdensome as it has been, and in one or two years it

will be easy. Give my love and respects to all friends, particularly to my Parents &

Brother when you see them. I am your friend with the greatest sincerity,

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.
Mrs Wolcott.

To THE Same.
Dear Betsey New York, Sept. 7, 1790.

I have at length been to Philadelphia, and with much difficulty have procured
a house in Third Street, which is a reputable part of the City. Philadelphia is a
large and elegant city. It did not, however, strike me with all the astonishment
which the citizens predicted. On account of the absence of the Comptroller, con-
siderable business has devolved on me, and though I wish much to see you and the
little boy, yet I cannot at this time be spared without injury to the public business,
and missing an opportunity favourable to my views.

Pray take all the care in the world of our little son ; and yet this is unnecessary
advice, you are too kind and too much interested in him to permit any accident to
befall him that human foresight can prevent. His life is I believe the care of a good
God, who will save him for us.

^Give my love to all friends, to my Mamma and to my brother.
Adieu — may God bless you.

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.

Mrs. Wolcott.

To THE Same.
Dear Betsey New York, Oct. 31 1790.

Your very good and acceptable favour of the 30- I received last evening. I am
happy to hear the flattering accounts which you give of our little son, and wish that
it had been in your power to inform me that your own health was more than tolerable.
I live here exactly like an Owl, in one month more I should become one ; indeed
I would not live such another month as the last for any thing which I can expect to
attain by common fortune. My health, though not confirmed, is mending. I take
the bark and bathe every morning, by which you will know that I am recovering.
I have sent off a part of my Office Papers and furniture, and have got our glasses
packed, and cases made for the other furniture ; the rest of the business can be done
in a short time, when I am otherwise ready.

Give my love to all friends, and kiss the little boy for yourself and me.

Yours forever

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.
Mrs. Wolcott

242

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

To HIS Father.
OjTj Philadelphia, March 28'-!! 1791.

The business in which I am engaged continues to be arduous ; but I shall grad-
ually be able to render my situation more tolerable. I have been well treated since
I have been here ; frequent inquiries are made after you, and many Gentlemen
have expressed their wishes to see you here. I need not add that such an event
would render us very happy.

The President has set out on a Tour for the Southern States. This will serve
to conciliate the affections of the people ; though he will not be received with all that
cordiality, or those zealous acclamations, which attended his journey to New England.

The little Oliver grows finely, and is a very promising boy ; he almost exactly
resembles his dear and lamented brother. I am very respectfully your obe' Son

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.

Secretary Hamilton to President Washington.

Sir Philadelphia, April 17, 1791.

You will probably recollect, that previous to your departure from this place,
anticipating the event which has taken place, with regard to the death of Mr. Eve-
leigh, I took the liberty to mention to you that Mr. Wolcott, the present Auditor,
would be in every respect worthy of your consideration, as his successor in office.

Now that the event has happened, a concern as anxious as it was natural, for
the success of the Department, united with a sentiment of justice towards Mr.
Wolcott, leads me to a repetition of that idea. This gentleman's conduct in the
station he now fills has been that of an excellent officer. It has not only been good,
but distinguished. It has combined all the requisites which can be desired ; modera-
tion with firmness, liberality with exactness, indefatigable industry with an accurate
and sound discernment, a thorough knowledge of business, and a remarkable spirit
of order and arrangement. Indeed I ought to say, that I owe very much of whatever
success may have attended the merely executive operations of the Department to
Mr. Wolcott ; and I do not fear to commit myself when I add, that he possesses
in an eminent degree all the qualifications desirable in a Comptroller of the Treas-
ury ; that it is scarcely possible to find a man in the United States, more competent
to the duties of that station than himself — few who could be equally so. It may
truly be said of him, that he is a man of rare merit ; and I have good evidence that
he has been viewed in this light by the members of Congress extensively, from

SIXTH GENERATION.

243

different quarters of the Union, and is so considered by all that part of the public
who have had opportunities of witnessing his conduct.

The immediate relation too, which his present situation bears to that of Comp-
troller, is a strong argument in his favour. Though a regular gradation of office is not
admissible in a strict sense, in regard to offices of a civil nature, and is wholly inap-
plicable to those of the first rank, (such as the Heads of the great executive Depart-
ments,) yet a certain regard to the relation which one situation bears to another, is
consonant with the natural ideas of justice, and is recommended by powerful consid-
erations of policy. The expectation of promotion in civil as in military life, is a great
stimulus to virtuous exertion, while examples of unrewarded exertion, supported by
talent and quahfication, are proportionable discouragements. Where they do not
produce resignations, they leave men dissatisfied, and a dissatisfied man seldom does
his duty well. In a government like ours, where pecuniary compensations are mod-
erate, the principle of gradual advancement as a reward for good conduct, is perhaps
more necessary to be attended to, than in others where offices are more lucrative.
By due attention to it, it will operate as a means to secure respectable men for offices
of inferior emolument and consequence.

. In addition to the rest, Mr. Wolcott's experience in this particular line pleads
powerfully in his favour. This experience may be dated back to his office of Comp-
troller of the State of Connecticut, and has been perfected by practice in his present
place.

A question may perhaps. Sir, arise in your mind, whether some inconvenience
may not attend his removal from his present office. I am of opinion that no sensible
inconvenience will be felt on this score, since it will be easy for him as Comptroller,
who is the immediate superior of the Auditor, to form any man of business for the
office he will leave, in a short period of time. More inconvenience would be felt by
the introduction of a Comptroller not in the immediate train of the business. Besides
this, it may be observed that a degree of inconvenience on this score cannot be
deemed an obstacle, but upon the principle which would bar the progress of merit
from one station to another.

On this point of inconvenience a reflection occurs, which I think I ought not to
suppress. Mr. Wolcott is a man of sensibility, not unconscious of his own value, and
he doubtless must believe that he has pretensions from situation to the office. Should
another be appointed and he resign, the derangement of the Department would truly
be distressing to the public service.

In suggesting thus particularly the reasons, which in my mind operate in favour
of Mr. Wolcott, I am influenced by information that other characters will be brought

244

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

to your view by weighty advocates, and as I think it more than possible that Mr.
Wolcott may not be mentioned to you by any other person than myself, I feel it
a duty arising out of my situation in the Department, to bear my full and explicit
testimony to his worth, confident that he will justify by every kind of substantial
merit any mark of your approbation which he may receive.

I trust, Sir, that in thus freely disclosing my sentiments to you, you will be
persuaded that I yield only to the suggestions of an honest zeal for the public good,
and of a firm conviction, that the prosperity of the Department under my particular
care, (one so interesting to the aggregate movements of the government) will be best
promoted by transferring the present Auditor to the office of Comptroller of the
Treasury. I have the honour to remain, with the truest and most respectful attach-
ment. Sir, your most obedient and humble servant

Alexander Hamilton.

The President of the United States.

From Mr. Goodrich.
Dear Sir Hartford, July 2, 1791.

We have received the news of your new appointment, though you have not been
kind enough to write us on the subject, and let us know how you feel on having one
cubit more added to your stature. We impute it to the modesty which is the prevail-
ing trait of character among courtiers, that your pen has been silent. Be assured,
however, that we rejoice in this instance of your good fortune ; and the more so, as
we know, and everybody believes, you richly deserve it. We wish you more ease
than you have had in your Business, and really imagine that you have laid up reputa-
tion enough, or as the Prompter says, have so well got your name up, that you may
be a little more idle. We are affected at the news of your little Boy's illness, but are
encouraged from your letter to Mr. Mosely, that we shall hear from you soon of his
entire recovery. All your friends here are well. We set off to-morrow morning on
a visit to Litchfield,

July 30'i'

You will believe, without any assurances from me, that I feel a very tender sym-
pathy and concern for you and sister Betsey under the severe affliction by the death
of your dear child. But you cannot realize how much all your friends have regretted
their absence from you, and wishes to be present to relieve you in this affecting scene.
We do most ardently pray that your health and spirits may not sink under this severe
trial ; and that the delicate frame of our sister Betsey may enjoy the kindest and best
of Heaven's blessings to support her.

SIXTH GENERATION.

245

You can determine best, but if it would consist with your official Engagements,
I imagine a journey with Mrs. Wolcott to Connecticut would be advisable. It is
greatly wished for by your friends, who cannot help feeling very anxious for you in
this uncommon sultry Season, so long as you are in Philadelphia. Present my senti-
ments of Condolence and Affection to sister Betsey, and believe me to be always

your sincere and affectionate friend

Chauncey Goodrich
Oliver Wolcott, EsqK

To HIS Father.

Sir Philadelphia, July 21!! 1791.

I am now to acknowledge your favour of the 4- instant, and several others
which have remained unanswered, not for want of respect, but for a reason which
I fondly hoped I should explain in a manner pleasing to myself and not unacceptable
to my friends.

Our little hope, about five weeks since, was attacked with a disorder of this
climate, peculiarly fatal to infants ; he, however, by proper care was nearly recovered,
when a change of the weather produced a relapse ; from this, also, he was consid-
erably restored. As his strength had suffered considerable diminution, it was the
opinion of physicians that he should be removed to New England. The time spent
in recruiting his strength, and making preparation for so long a journey, at this
season of the year, unfortunately exposed him to severe trials from this variable
atmosphere ; but on Saturday last, Mrs. Wolcott proceeded, under the protection of
kind friends, to New York. In the evening, the disorder was reproduced by the old
cause, and on Sunday evening, the little darling ceased to suffer.

Betsey has sustained this shock with more fortitude than I could have expected ;
but her feeble frame, nearly exhausted with e.xertion and anxiety, and now wounded
in those nerves which possess peculiar sensibility to suffer, is an object for tender
commiseration.

My health has been as good as I could expect, considering the change of
climate, and my confinement, until within a few days, when I have had a slight
attack of intermittent fever ; from what I can judge, I shall have no trouble from
it, except for a few days, and it will oblige me to be more careful of my exercise, for
which purpose I have purchased a horse.

With the greatest respect and the sincerest wishes for your health and happi-
ness I remain your obe! Son

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.

Hon. Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

246 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

A national bank was established in 1791, and Mr. Wolcott was offered
the Presidency of the institution, with an ample salary, which he declined,
" preferring the public service, and believing that such a station would be
deemed unsuitable for a young man without property."

To HIS Brother.
Dear Brother Philadelphia, April 6!i, 1792.

We shall make you a visit in the ensuing summer, when I hope for a short time
to feel, as formerly, free from the vexations and toils of a busy life. Col. Tallmadge
is here, and will tell you when he returns how I live. I am more plain, and certainly
work harder, than most Quakers. I shall not, without some misfortune befall me,
be in debt, but I shall never be rich. I hope to do some good, and to steer through
the maze without injuring others, and with sufficient philosophy to be inattentive to
small disappointments. You know how much I love you and some of my Connecticut
friends. I pray that I may never love them less ; as a reflection on the past pleas-
ures of their society is my chief amusement. Betsey sends her love to you, and to
my father and mother. Accept and circulate mine to our common friends, and
believe me to be with the most sincere wishes for your prosperity your affectionate

brother

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.
Frederick Wolcott, Esq.

To HIS Wife.
My Dear Betsey Philadelphia, July io!S, 1792.

The life of an old bachelor does not prove to be the thing which I represented
it to you. Instead of being still, quiet, and at leisure — learning French and reading
poetry — I find it very dull and insipid. It would please you proud Ladies, to
observe the sober faces which we, poor wifeless souls, make in this hot City. You
are so good a girl that I know you will pity me, though you may laugh at the rest.

My Dear Betsey, improve the present to make yourself as happy as possible,
and expect to see me soon. All your neighbours and friends enquire after you and
send their love.

July 22^
I received your kind and good Letter of the 15-, written under the inspiration
of the pure breezes of Litchfield ; and feel grateful that you are well, and that my
good mother is so much better than I expected from your last accounts.

SIXTH GENERATION.

247

July 24'i
I shall break away from my business, and hasten to you, by the time I prom-
ised. In the mean time laugh and be as happy as possible, in that best of places, our
dear native soil of Connecticut.

Give my love to all friends, and believe me to be your best and unfailing friend

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.
Mrs. Wolcott.

To HIS Brother.
My Dear Brother Philadelphia, March 9* 1793.

I received your letter of the 5- instant and though the information therein
contained is somewhat more encouraging than when my father wrote last, I cannot
but feel the most extreme solicitude as to the issue of my mother's illness. The
probability doubtless is, that we must soon feel the pang of separation from a parent,
whose kindness and affection to us, and whose virtues and respectable example will
demand a perpetual homage to her memory. When we shall be called to mourn the
afflicting bereavement to us and to society, it will become us to reflect that she
arrived to the usual period of human life, and that in every situation she was justly
esteemed and honoured. Sincere ought to be our gratitude, that such has been the
tenor of her life as to render death no evil to her, and be a source of consolation for
a loss ordained to be inevitable.

I have been exceedingly engrossed this winter, which has prevented me from
writing to my friends as often as I should have otherwise done. You have doubt-
less heard of the attack of the Virginians upon the Treasury. The result has been
such as the merits of the case required ; every thing has been fully explained, much
to the honour of Col. Hamilton and to the great chagrin of his adversaries. I enclose
the Journal of the House on this subject.

Mrs Wolcott is well and desires to be remembered to the family. Yr'

Oliv. Wolcott Jr.

Fredi Wolcott, Esq.

To the Same.
My D- Brother Philad'. June 11, 1793

I have perfectly recovered from my indisposition, and wish that I could indulge
myself on your Hill in eating strawberries, and breathing the pure air of freedom.
This cannot be permitted for the present ; I must remain busily employed this
summer. Until the present storm is blown over, it is necessary that all the seamen
should stay with the ship.

248 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

You good people of New England ought to be proud of your situation. While
the world is contending for and against Liberty and Equality, you can enjoy the
blessings of peace, security, and independence ; and if you but preserve the old man-
ners and institutions of your Country, you will have the consolation of extending the
happiness, which they bestow, to every part of America. You may be assured, that
the success of the republican system in a great measure depends on the conduct of
the people of New England. I wish you to present my own and Betsey's most
affectionate respects to our Mother, and assure her of our constant wishes for her

recovery.

I am, D- Brother, your friend & obed! serv?

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.
Fred. Wolcott, Esq.

Mrs. Goodrich to Mrs. Wolcott.

Hartford, 30'!; March, 1793.

I have made two or three attempts to write to you, my dear Sister, and have
been interrupted by company. I know that you are not wont to suspect your friends
of unkindness, or I should fear that you thought me very inattentive.

Your kind and sympathetic letter of the ^'^ inst. afforded me a great deal
of Consolation, and has added to the tenderness of my friendship for you. I
have hardly yet recovered my usual health and spirits, since the trying scene I
went thro' at Litchfield. I had no expectation. of finding my Mother alive, and
experienced what it is to part with a beloved Parent. But it was the will of Provi-
dence, that her sufferings should not then be terminated. I attended upon her for
a fortnight, and it was with the greatest regret that I left her, which I should not
have done, had not my Health made it necessary. Her situation is very affecting
indeed ; but she is perfectly calm, and resigned to her fate. Frederick writes to me
that he hopes there is a little alteration for the better in her symptoms, but I do not
think we can indulge the expectation of any material improvement.

There has nothing happened here, worth communicating. We have a company

of Players in Town ; tho' I believe they exhibit nothing very naturally, except their

own folly.

20^ September.

I have received your letter of the 14"', my dear Sister, which gave me great

pleasure. My good brother always takes liberties with me, which my self-love is apt

to interpret as an evidence that he thinks highly of my good-nature at least. I think,

however, it is best he should know that a Woman can never forgive an attack upon

her beauty ; and when I see you, we will devise some punishment, that shall teach him

never to be so imprudent in future.

SIXTH GENERATION. 249

December i2

We are at length quietly settled, and I feel myself more at home, as we say,

than I have before, since I lived in Hartford. Every object, almost, appears familiar,

and brings to my remembrance tlie days of viy Youth, and a variety of interestin"- and

agreeable scenes that took place, when I formerly visited you in this Mansion. On

the other hand, as it constantly reminds me of the separation which has since taken

place between us, I sometimes feel as if I could never enjoy the pleasantness of the

situation so highly as I should if we were not indebted for it to so painful an event.

This is a subject that will awaken your sensibility ; and I should not have said a word

upon it, if I could possibly have avoided it. You have heard me often enough, and

strongly enough, express my Disappointment at my dear Brother's leaving this Town.

I feel, more and more, the want of your society ; but my hopes are now all founded

upon the promise which my Brother made to us both at New Haven. I beg you to

use proper means to keep it in his memory ; and in order to the fulfillment of it,

you must be careful not to let the enemy. Ambition, gain too powerful an ascendency

over his mind ; he will make his approaches in a variety of shapes, but I trust you

will oppose yourself to him, in every avenue to your Husband's heart, and keep the

entire possession of it yourself. Tell the good Man if he supposes me an Aristo-

cj-at, he is not mistaken. He knows I am so constitutiotialfy ; I am so, likewise, from

feeling and sentiment — I hope it is not arrogance, in Philadelphia, for a Woman to

have sentiments. If he is not pleased with tliis declaration, perhaps he may be with

what follows — if he will not aspire to any higher Dignities himself, than being

a good and respectable Jjtstiee of the Peaec in this Town, I will use my influence to

have a Democratie Government established in France, and secured perpetually to the

people of America.

I will thank you to give my best Love to Mr. Wolcott, and tell him that I mean

to get Mrs. Wolstonecraft's book, and make Mr. Goodrich read it aloud in the Family,

in the same manner that he advised ; I have a perfect reliance upon his opinion and

recommendation of it. Tell him, also, that his promise to write me a long Letter,

which he has not yet performed, is registered against him. Mr. Goodrich, I suppose,

will write to you, for he refuses to send his love in this Letter — he says there is too

much of it already. So I will bid you adieu, my dear Sister, with a sincere prayer

for your health and happiness.

Yours truly and affectionately

M. A. Goodrich.

P. S. Do desire Mr. Wolcott, in his next letter to Mr. Goodrich, to inform him
what new fashions have lately arrived, and his opinion of them.

250

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

To HIS Father.
Sir •P''"''^-. Sept. i2t!; 1793.

I have judged it best to remove Mrs. Wolcott, her little Sister, and a part of our
domesticks, into the Country, where I shall soon follow them. At present I remain,
partly because from this place I can safely render some services to friends who stand
in great need of them.

The apprehensions of the Citizens cannot be increased ; business is in a great
measure abandoned ; the true character of Man is disclosed ; and he shows himself
a weak, timid, desponding and selfish being. One half of the risques which are
incurred in the gratification of idle curiosity, or in the practice of the most degrading
fanaticism, would administer relief to numbers who perish without notice, or the
least assistance from their friends. The Africans are said not to be affected ; and
much to their honour, they have zealously contributed every aid in their power.
Sunday and Monday of this week have proved the most mortal ; since, the disorder
is said to have abated ; it is very certain that it is communicated only by contact, or
by specific contagion. The fever has not, except in one or two instances, appeared
in the quarter where I live, and my situation is as favorable as almost any in the
City. When I leave the City, I expect not to be permitted to return ; the alarm of
the Country being so great, as to restrain much intercourse. If you should not hear
from me for some time, you will not therefore be alarmed.

Col. Hamilton lives about two miles out of the City, and by entering the house
of a sick person, caught the fever. He was violently attacked ; but by proper treat-
ment, which few have had the good fortune to experience, he is believed to be out
of danger. I am the better satisfied with being in town, as by information from his
servants I can render him some services, without risque to myself.

I have every motive to induce caution, and feel no apprehension ; I hope none
will be experienced by friends, as it can render me no service. With best respects to
my Mother and love to brother Frederick I remain your obei Son

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.
Hon''!L Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

To HIS Father.
Sir Smith's House, near Phil., Oct ri'i 1793

The dreadful sickness in the City continues to occupy our chief attention. Its
ravages are extending, with added circumstances of terror and distress. Many now
die without attendance. The kind attentions, the tears of condolence and sympathy,

SIXTH GENERATION.

251

which alleviate pain, and in some degree reconcile the dying to their fate, are fre-
quently omitted by the nearest friends and relatives ; when generously bestowed, they
are too often the price of life.

Though I hope that myself, Mrs. Wolcott, and a part of our domestics are safe
from this disease, yet I am sorry to be informed that the contagion has reached to
my house in town. One person will certainly die ; the lives of two others, now
apparently well, must therefore be endangered. Under these circumstances, though
I shall not expose my own life, I feel bound to provide for their relief ; this I shall

do, whatever be the trouble or expense.

Oct. 17'J;

Since I wrote last, we have had some rain and cool weather. The effects are
already very beneficial ; the mortality has greatly abated, and but few comparatively
are taken sick. May God grant a speedy relief from the awful scourge with which
we have been afflicted !

I believe you need feel no anxiety for our personal safety. I take every pre-
caution which appears to be necessary ; and experience has not evinced, that persons
are affected under such circumstances.

I am with much respect. Sir, your obe' Son

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.

Hon''ii Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

From Dr. Hopkins.
My Dear Friend Hartford, 1.1'^ Dec; 1793.

I heartily congratulate you and Mrs. Wolcott, that you have escaped the Pesti-
lence that walked in darkness, and the Destruction that wasted at noon-day. I was
anxious for your safety during the prevalence of this disease ; but less so than I
should have been, had I believed that all the danger lay in mere Contagion, unaided
by other causes. I now feel glad that one Officer of Government had the Patriotism
and Fortitude to continue so near the scene of terrible and complicated distress and
danger, as to keep alive the public business.

I hope that France, England, Algiers, and the Western Indians will inspire our

Councils with unanimity on great national questions.

Dear Friend — Farewell !
O. Wolcott, Esq'. L Hopkins

From the Rev. Dr. Dwight.
Dear Sir [i793]

Allow me, without detailing apologies for my apparent negligence in so long

delaying this letter, to thank you, with much sincerity and affection, for the uniform

252 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

good-will and hospitality, which I found at your house. Assure Mrs. Wolcott of the
grateful sense I shall ever retain of the very polite and very friendly manner, in
which she rendered my residence there peculiarly agreeable, and of my best wishes
for your united happiness. Should your affairs allow, you would add much to our
little circle of enjoyments, by giving us a visit, in your next Connecticut tour. Mrs.
D wight, I need not tell you, very sincerely joins with me in every wish of this
nature. I was, on many accounts, greatly pleased with my journey to Philadelphia.
Our season is fine and fruitful, and is a beautiful symbol of general prosperity.
Were we fairly freed from Indian troubles, we should have nothing to regret. Green-
field Hill is at present in a dormant state. With sentiments of sincere respect and

affection, I am, dear Sir, your friend and servant.

Timothy Dwight

Oliver IVokott, Esquire.

To HIS Brother.
Mv Dear Brother FJiit-, March 3? 1794

You Gentlemen of the Country, instead of thinking that you know less, ought
to be sensible that you know more of everything useful and desirable to be known,
than those who live in Cities, which are for the most part the seats of ignorance,
vanity and vice. Of this be certain, that when the Country becomes possessed of the
same spirit and character, which is prominent in most of our great Towns, the happi-
ness and liberty of our Country will be terminated. This is not spleen of mine, for I
have met with nothing special to excite disgust. Ask Mr Tracy or Mr Swift when
they return, and they will tell you as I do. The people of Connecticut at this time
enjoy the best state of Society, and are the most happy Community under heaven.
They have the reputation of being in this situation ; they have the strongest motives
for maintaining their present character. Be assured that their representation in Con-
gress is considered as the most respectable in the United States — having no scape-
goat and no character destitute of respectable Talents.

The only effect which this information is intended to produce, is contentment
with what passes in this imperfect state. By knowing what is the best which we are
to expect, we naturally become satisfied. It is not natural, but artificial evil, which
is the chief cause of our anxiety.

Betsey is well and sends her best love. Present my respects to my friends —
Mr Reeve, Allen, Belden, Tallmadge, etc., and believe me ever with great sincerity
to be your friend and brother.

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.

Fred. Wolcott Esq.

SIXTH GENERATION. 253

To HIS Father.

Sir '• Phili, May 3I 1794

I received your letter announcing the intelligence of my mother's death.
Though this event has been for some time expected, yet it was not the less
agonizing to me, who have been deprived of a parent who possessed and well
deserved my most perfect affection, gratitude and respect. It is, however, on such
melancholy occasions, that the dignity of virtue and the consolations of religion
appear most conspicuous ; and happy it is for us, that in the life and death of our
mother, they have been fully illustrated. To live with honour and respect, to die
lamented, and confidently to expect a happy futurity, is to attain every good allowed
to humanity. In all these particulars our departed parent was eminently distin-
guished.

The fortunes of America and the destiny of Republicanism depend on the sta-
bility of the Northern States. We must have a government, and this is the last that
can be settled in the United States, by the general consent of the present members.
With perfect respect I remain your obe! Son

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.
Hon. Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

From the Rev. Dr. Morse.
My dear Sir Cliarlestown, Dec. I7>J; 1794.

I take the liberty to enclose you Mr. Osgood's Thanksgiving Sermon, with
which I think you will be pleased. I could wish, if you think it proper, that the
Sermon might, in a suitable way, be put into the hands of our most Worthy President,
with this remark accompanying it, that the Clergy in this Commonwealth, generally,
approve of the same sentiments. I wish it because it may possibly add to his satis-
faction, and will certainly to our honor in his view.

I am sorry to hear of the intended Resignation of Mr. Hamilton, who has
merited so much from his country. He will retire with victory over his enemies, and
with the " loud applauses " and good wishes of his numerous friends. It is happy
that we are not wanting in men of ability to succeed him ; we are not much at a loss
who will be his Successor.

Your Letters are ever highly acceptable and gratifying to me, and of course it

would be pleasing to receive more of them ; but I know your engagements, and

would only hope that once in a while you will amuse yourself, in a leisure moment,

in writing me a line. With regards to Mrs. W., I am with great sincerity and

esteem

Your friend

Jed" Morse.

254

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

To HIS Father.
Sir P'"^"^ Jan. 6, 1795.

The office of Secretary of the Treasury is justly viewed of high consequence to
the public ; it will be found a very responsible situation, and no man can hold it
without being opposed and attacked. Other qualifications than those which respect
skill and capacity for the mere business of the Treasury will be desirable ; and in
these respects a successor to Col. Hamilton will not be found. A change in the
Executive Department, like what must happen, will therefore be of importance, and
may explain the nature and bias of our government.

I shall take no measures for putting myself in the way of this appointment ; if
it is offered to me, I shall accept it, and I shall certainly conduct the mere business
of the department in an orderly and proper manner. Whatever may be said or done,
I shall suffer no disgrace eventually, unless it shall be found that the talents of a
politician, and a certain address in persuading and informing individuals and the
public on certain conjunctures, are necessary qualifications. In these matters I shall
be understood, if I am appointed, to have no responsibility. I have arrived at all that
degree of advancement to which a man can himself lay claim ; public opinion and the
exigencies of the times will determine what is to be my situation hereafter. I men-
tion these things, as it will be natural for you to feel some concern respecting me ;
but that is unnecessary, as I shall in any event be properly and fairly treated, and my
ease and reputation consulted as far as I ought to desire.

I remain with great respect your ob! Son

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.

Hon''h. Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

To President Washington.
Sir Phil", Feb. 4'-!! 1795.

I have been informed, through the Secretary of State, that you have been
pleased to appoint me to the Office of Secretary of the Treasury of the United
States.

It is with real diffidence that I undertake to discharge the important duties
incident to this appointment ; yet if constant exertions and strict fidelity can com-
pensate for such qualifications as I may not possess, I indulge a hope that my
services will receive your approbation.

But whatever may be the effect of my endeavours, in respect to my own repu-
tation and the interests confided to my care, I beg leave to assure you, that this

SIXTH GENERATION.

255

distinguished token of confidence will never fail to excite in my breast lively senti-
ments of respect and gratitude.

I have the honour to be with perfect deference, Sir, your most obe'. serv'.

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.
The President of the United States.

From his Father.
Sir Litchfield, March i6'J! 1795

The Situation in which you are placed is highly important to the public as well
as honourable to yourself ; but I have full confidence that in case you enjoy Health,
which you ought to endeavour to preserve, the Duties of it will be honourably dis-
charged, and to the good Acceptance of the public. At the same Time it will be well
for you to expect to meet with Calumny, which no Man who does his Duty has any
Reason to hope to escape. The Man who shall so conduct as to enjoy the Approba-
tion of his own Conscience, and the Respect of the virtuous, the sensible and the
good, obtains every thing in Life as it respects his Character and Peace of Mind,
which he ought to wish for. This Satisfaction I trust you will enjoy, and finally a
Happiness which the World can neither give nor take from you.
Yours with tender Regard

Oliver Wolcott
O. Wolcott, Jr., Esq.

To HIS Wife.
My Dear Betsey Philadelphia, June iS'i; 1795

I rejoice to hear that you are all well ; take good care of yourself and the little
girl, and tell me whether she learns to talk, whether she grows, and whether her
teeth affect her — in short, every thing respecting her.

We are all well. Miss M. has visited me but once ; I presume she is afraid that
Mr. Ellsworth will inform yoii, if she comes while he is here.

June 25*i

Mr. Ellsworth sets out for Hartford this day, and I cannot deny myself the
pleasure of writing to you again. The Senate have substantially ratified the Treaty,
though as one point is suspended, it may be considered as open. I understand they
have determined not to countenance a publication, though they have reserved the
right of conversing generally about it ; perhaps this will be found equivalent to a
publication. At present, however, it may not be correct to write what it would be
contrary to the rule to print. Mr. Ellsworth, however, has so far experienced your
faculty of keeping State Secrets, that I doubt not he will tell you every thing that

256 • THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

you wish to know, and you have my consent to tell others any thing that he tells you.
This, I think, is a generous indulgence on my part.

You must be careful of yourself and little Blue Eyes. I hope you will be able
to bring her back as plump and hearty as a partridge. I am in perfect health, and
Mr. Ellsworth will tell you how I behave. Indeed, I think I am rather more steady
than usual ; it is certain that I am not less so. Our friends are as usual. Mrs.
Washington enquires after you often, as also the President and the young Ladies.

July 312

It will be a circumstance very far from being agreeable in itself, if you should
not be able to return here in September ; and yet your health and that of our dear
little Girl are of more consequence, than the evil of separation. In what you deter-
mine, be governed entirely by what shall be advised as most safe.

Adieu and may God bless and preserve you. Kiss Laura for me.

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.

Mrs. Wolcott.

From Vice-President Adams.
Dear Sir Quincy, September 16, 1795.

The Treaty operates in Boston like the Hogsheads of Lime which I am putting
under Earth and Weeds and Mud and Straw to make manure. It occasions some
Smoke and some Dust and some hissing but will end in reducing all to one rich
mould I hope.

I am, Dear Sir, with great esteem and affection your Friend and humble servant

John Adams.

Oliver Wolcott, Secretary of the Treasury.

To HIS Father.

Sir Pliil' April l8!i, 1796.

I understand from all quarters that you will succeed to the Office of Governor.

At this I rejoice, as it is proper in itself, and as it is a proof of the stability and

gratitude of the people of the State. Mr. Trumbull, it is said, will be chosen Lt.

Governor ; this is also well, except that it will take a good man from the Senate. It

appears to me to be important, that the good old habits of Connecticut should be

maintained. Among those hab;':s, that of promoting men in regular gradation is one

of the best. This principle will, I think, have its influence on the appointment of

Senators.

May 26.

It gives me great pleasure to observe the result of the election, and the evi-
dences of stability and moderation in the conduct of the Legislature. While the

SIXTH GENERATION.

'■57

Northern States continue firm, and while honest and able men can be induced to

hold public offices, wc shall be able to maintain the present Government. It will fail,

whenever it shall be administered by the demagogues of the day.

We are well, and I remain with perfect respect your obe! son

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.
Gov. Wolcoti.

It marks a revolution in public sentiment on this point, and indicates
the centralizing, or national, drift of the Republic, that the transfer from
a seat in the Senate of the United States to the ofifice of Lieutenant-Gov-
ernor of the State of Connecticut, was in that day regarded as a political
promotion.

Mr. Trumbull was the son of the Governor Trumbull of the same
name, Washington's great co-adjutor, who had held the oflfice during the
War of the Revolution — the official record of Connecticut exhibiting the
coincidence of two Jonathan Trumbulls, father and son, and two Oliver
Wolcotts, father and son, besides two Griswolds, father and son, succeeding
to this post. The following is his letter acknowledging the new dignity:

Senator Trumbull to Governor Wolcott.
Sir Philadelphia^ ig'Ji.May, 1796

I have received your favour of the 4'- instant. Disposed as I am at all times,
to follow the voice of my fellow-citizens in their call for my services, I now cheerfully
listen to the late honourable expression of their will, and accept with gratitude and
pleasure the appointment which your Excellency has announced to me, of Lieutenant
Governour of the State. But as our State has at this time but one member on the
floor of the Senate of the United States, and as several Senators are absent from
that body, I shall think it my duty to remain in my present situation, either until I
am especially called from here, or until the close of the present session of Congress,
which I expect will probably terminate in the course of next week.

Your Excellency justly observes that Congress ought to do some material
public good to compensate for the vexation they have occasioned. Some valuable
acts will be completed, but perhaps it will appear that the most material good that
will be accomplished, will be the prevention of evil that was intended. A truly
valuable object this — if properly effected. All necessary treaty appropriations are
completed, and all arrangements are made, and making, for their full execution ; in

258 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

consequence of which our happy country will, I trust, continue to enjoy the blessings
of neutrality peace, and security.

The new British minister has arrived, and has been presented to the President.
It is said he is furnished with full instructions to conciliate the affections, and to
further the interests of our country ; and that he possesses the best dispositions
towards effecting these desirable objects. I am sure the President and Executive
will be prepared to meet him in these estimable views.

I beg leave most sincerely to congratulate your Excellency on your election to
the first Chair of the State, and have the honour to be, with great esteem and regard,
Sir,

Your obedient and humble servant

J. Trumbull.

Hon''i Oliver Wolcott

From Vice-President Adams.
Dear Sir Quincy, June i, 1796.

The Political World in this Quarter of it, is as Still and calm as a Dutch Canal.
We have not yet heard of the Rising of Congress. If any Thing very curious should"
turn up, I should be much obliged to you, for a Line now and then. I am much
pleased with the Appointment of Mr. King and Mr. Humphreys. I shall have more
confidence in future in Representations from abroad.

With great Regard and Sincere friendship I am, dear Sir, your most obe!

John Adams.

Oliver IVolcott jfiin';, Secretary of the Treasury.

From his Father.
Sir Litchfield, July 4, 1796

The inadequate Support which the most important Officers of the Government
receive, their high Responsibility, severe Services, the Malignity which they have to
encounter from the Envy and venal Influence of some, and the stupid Pride and
Ignorance of others, must be very discouraging to Men to continue in Services in
which they are conscious that the public derive every attainable Benefit from their
greatest Exertions and most able and faithful Conduct.

I have always had the Pleasure to know that you were respected by the sensi-
ble, the virtuous and the good. These are great Rewards which a Man ought to
receive for faithfully conducting a Business of the greatest national Importance under
Government. In this State, which is very economical, I never heard of any Com-
plaint of the extravagant Pay of the Officers of the United States. I believe that

SIXTH GENERATION.

259

they are very willing that they should have more than is necessary for a bare Sub-
sistence.

I sincerely wish that the President would suspend the Enjoyment of Retire-
ment till the Wars of Europe shall be brought to a final Close. No one, on the
Ground of Services, can have a greater Claim to it than he has ; but our Country
will be in a very precarious Condition if he shall retire before they are ended. It
will be impossible for this country not to be deeply affected while they continue.

My Congratulations on the Day. Our Country, at the Period commemorated,

was united but distressed ; it is now disunited, rich and unhappy. I am with the

most affectionate Regard

Oliver Wolcott
O. Wolcott, Jr., Esq.

To HIS Father.
Sir: Philadelphia, Aug. 9, 1796

I am well, and so is my family. Mrs Wolcott lives at a farm-house about six
miles from the city. The place is healthy, but inaccessible to company, there being
no road near the house. If I were a democrat, I might raise a fund of popularity
upon a circumstance of this kind, but it is well known that we live as we do because
we cannot afford to live better, and this destroys all title to merit.

The affairs of the country are prosperous, except that the preservation of the
public credit is a work of increasing difficulty. I shall get along for the present, and
at any rate prove that nothing has been wanting on my part.

Whether the President will decline or not, is not certainly known to the public
— to you I can say that I think he will not. His decision ought not, however, to be
anticipated.

I shall be able to write you shortly upon some political subjects ; as yet I have
not been able to dispatch the business of the last session. I am. Sir, with much
respect your obe! Son

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.

Gov. Wolcott

In March, 1797, Mr. Adams succeeded to the Presidency. "On the
retirement of General Washington," Mr. Wolcott writes, " being desirous
that my personal interests should not embarrass his successor, and sup-
posing that some other person might be preferred to myself, I tendered
my resignation to Mr. Adams before his inauguration. The tender was
declined, and I retained office under my former commission."

26o THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

But the void which Washington's retirement created was never filled
in the hearts of the friends whom he left behind him at the seat of govern-
ment, and by none, perhaps, was it felt more sensibly than by Mr. Wolcott,
who had grown up, as it were, under Washington's eye.

" The relation in which the Secretaries had stood with the President had been
one of respectful but affectionate intimacy. Familiarity with him was a thing im-
possible, but the most cordial and unreserved friendship was extended to all whom he
trusted and esteemed. On their part there was a no less sincere love for their chief.
His death hallowed his memory in their hearts to a degree and with a sanctity which
none can know who have not heard from their own lips ; and in like wise the wife
and family of Washington were cherished. Wolcott among others had enjoyed much
of the domestic society of the President's house. His gentle and graceful wife had
been regarded with maternal tenderness by Mrs. Washington, and was the friend and
correspondent of her eldest daughter. His child had been used to climb, confident
of welcome, the knees of the Chief ; and though so many years his junior, while Mr.
Wolcott's character and judgment had been held in respect by the President, his
personal and social qualities had drawn towards him a warm degree of interest.

" On leaving the seat of government. General Washington presented, it is
believed, to all his chief officers some token of regard. To Mr. Wolcott he gave
a piece of plate. Mrs. Washington gave to his wife, when visiting her for the last
time, a relic still more interesting. Asking her if she did not wish a memorial of the
General, Mrs. Wolcott replied, " Yes, I should like a lock of his hair." Mrs. Wash-
ington, smiling, took her scissors, and cut off for her a large lock of her husband's
and one of her own. These, with the originals of Washington's letters, Mr. Wolcott
preserved with careful veneration, and divided between his surviving children." *

From General Hamilton.
Dear Sir April 5^ 1797-

I have received your letter of March 31. I hope nothing in my last was mis-
understood. Could it be necessary, I would assure you that no one has a stronger
conviction than myself, of the purity of the motives which direct your public Con-
duct, or of the good sense and judgment by which it is guided. If I have a fear (you
will e.xcuse my frankness) it is lest the strength of your feelings — the companion of

1 Gibbs's Fed. Admin., I. 449, 450.

SIXTH GENERATION. 26 1

energy of character — should prevent that pliancy to circumstances, which is some-
times indispensable. I beg you only to watch yourself on this score, and the public
will always find in you an able as well as faithful servant.

The situation of our country, my dear Sir, is singularly critical. I am clearly
of opinion that the President should come forward to Congress in a manly tone, and
that Congress should adopt vigorous, defensive measures. Those which you propose
are proper, and some others on which I may write hereafter.

Yours very truly

A. Hamilton
Oliver Wolcott, Jicn. Esq.

Miss Custis to Mrs. Wolcott.
My Dear Madam Moimt Vernon, May ii'J! 1797.

I should not have delayed so long an answer to your kind letter of April \f^,
but I am just returned home after an absence of three weeks, which I passed happily
with my Mother and Sisters in the City. My beloved Grandmamma is now very
well, and looks much better than when I left her ; Grandpapa is perfectly well.

We are much obliged to you, and our other Friends in Philadelphia, for their
regret at our absence. I shall always remember them with affection and gratitude ;
but I sincerely rejoice that we are now released from the form and ceremony, which
attended us there. This place is now really delightful ; and this Month the most
pleasant in the year, I think. We sincerely wish that Mr. Wolcott's business would
permit him to visit us here, and bring you, and your children. I think you would be
pleased with the extensive prospects, verdure, &c., which render this spot so charm-
ing. We hope, if not this Summer, that the next will afford us that pleasure.

My Grandparents desire to be sincerely and affectionately remembered to you

and Mr. Wolcott, in which my Sisters and self join ; kisses for your little girls, who

I hope are well. With sincere regard and affection.

Believe me, My Dear Madam, your Friend

Eleanor Parke Custis.
Mrs. Wolcott

From General Washington.
Dear Sir Mount Vernon, \f^ May, 1797.

I thank you for the information contained in your letter of the 19- ult., and infer
from it, with pleasure, that you must be better, if not quite recovered of the indis-
position of which you complained, by your being enabled to write. To know this,
however would give me satisfaction, as I entertain an affectionate regard for you.

262 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Various conjectures have been formed, relative to the causes which have
induced the President to convene the Congress at this season of the year ; among
others, that laying an embargo is supposed by some to be in contemplation ; whether
with or without foundation, you who are acting on the great theatre have the best
means of judging. For myself, having turned aside from the broad walks of political,
into the narrow paths of private life, I shall leave it with those whose duty it is to
consider subjects of this sort, and, (as every good citizen ought to do) conform to
whatsoever the Ruling Powers shall decide. To make and sell a little flour annually ;
to repair houses going fast to ruins ; to build one for the security of my Papers of
a public nature ; and to amuse myself in agricultural and rural pursuits, will consti-
tute employment for the few years I have to remain on this terrestrial globe. If, to
these, I could now and then meet the friends I esteem, it would fill up the measure,
and add zest to my enjoyments. But if the latter ever happens, it must be under
my own vine and fig tree, as I do not think it probable that I shall ever extend my
walks beyond a radius of 20 miles from them.

To detail matters of private concern, would be as improper as it would be
uninteresting ; and therefore, upon the principle I have adopted, it will never be in
my power to make adequate returns for your kind communications ; which I wish
may be continued whenever you are at leisure and liberty, for there is so little
dependence on newspaper publications, (which take whatever complexion the editors
please to give them) that persons at a distance and who have no other means
of information, are oftentimes at a loss to form an opinion on the most important
occurrences.

Mrs. Washington and Nelly Custis unite with me in cordial remembrance of
Mrs. Wolcott and yourself ; and with great truth, I remain, Dear Sir,

Your affectionate friend

Go. Washington.

Oliver Wolcott, Jr., Estf.

To General Washington.

Sir Philadelphia, May 18, 1797

I have had the pleasure to receive your favour of May 15, and while I rejoice
that you enjoy that repose and tranquillity so richly earned by a life of services and
benefits for mankind, the reflection, that he who so long directed public opinion, and'
whose counsel at this time would possess and deserve universal confidence, is a
private citizen, excites mixed emotions which I am unable to describe.

In what concerns public duties at this interesting crisis, all are satisfied, who

SIXTH GENERATION. 263

are friends to our country, that the principles of your administration must be sup-
ported. The President's speech to Congress, which I enclose, will prove his convic-
tion how important this principle is esteemed, and the measures which he deems
necessary to be pursued.

What censure can be too severe upon those who have invited the assaults of
a foreign power, and who foster internal divisions ! The situation of those who have
any concern with public affairs is disagreeable ; a consciousness of pure intentions
is, indeed, almost the only reward now remaining.

Mrs Wolcott joins me in presenting to yourself, Mrs Washington, and Miss
Custis, her cordial respects. For myself, duty and inclination concur in proffering
expressions of the most lasting attachment.^

From General Washington.
Dear Sir Mount Vernon, icjh May 1797

I have received your letter of the 18- instant, with its enclosures, and thank you
for both. The President has, in my opinion, placed matters upon their true ground
in his last speech to Congress. The crisis calls for an unequivocal expression of
the public mind, and the speech will, mediately or immediately, bring this about.

Our own affairs, maugre the desolating scenes of Europe, might continue in the
most happy, flourishing and prosperous train, if harmony of the union was not endan-
gered by the internal disturbers of its peace.

With sincere and affectionate regards, I am always yours,

r,i- nr 7 „ <^ zr ,. Go: WASHINGTON

Oliver Wolcott, Jr., Esq'.

Mrs. Goodrich to Mrs. Wolcott.
My Dear Sister LitcJifield, ]vint ijgy

I think now that I shall soon be quite well. I wish I could say the same with
respect to my Father. He is indeed considerably better than he has been. His
Physicians tell us not to be too confident of his recovery. They say, however, that
he may regain a comfortable degree of health. I attend solely to him, prepare his
food, administer his medicines, and do every thing for him. You will believe that
I find this a pleasing employment, though I lament that there is any necessity for it.

I shall not fail to inform you by every mail of my father's situation. He desires

me to present his kindest regards to you and my brother ; be pleased to accept the

same from. Frederick and your affectionate friend and sister

M. a. Goodrich
Mrs. Wolcott.

* From copy in Fed. Ad., I. 534.

264 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

To HIS Wife.
Dear Betsey Cra/s Gardens, Sept. 15, 1797.

I am well, though I find it a dull story to live alone, in a small room, in a
Tavern, with a prospect of a crooked river, and occupied either with some dull busi-
ness, or talking of the distresses of a great City. For the present, however, it will be
my duty to remain here.

The Jacobinical affection in my bowels has been cured by small doses of rhu-
barb, and drinking camomile tea. I should have had the honour, if I had been in
the City, of having been cured of the yellow fever, at an expense of 150 ounces of
blood and a salivation. The deaths in the city have latterly diminished ; whether the
disorder is running out, I cannot say.

In the morning when I walk ih these gardens, I fancy I feel much as Adam
did in Eden before he lost a rib. The place is mighty pretty, and that is all. After
a man has gone round the walks one way, if he pleases, he may go round again ; or
he may return back upon his track ; or he may sit down ; or go into the house, or go
down upon the bridge and see a lazy fellow hold a line for hours in the River without
taking one fish ; but if he means to enjoy himself tolerably well, he will do as I do,
either read or sit down to business. In the evening, the scene changes. Then we
have Eves in plenty, of all nations, tongues, and colours — but do not be jealous ; I
have not seen one yet, whom I have thought pretty.

I often go to the Woodlands ; once I dined in company with Mr and Mrs

Listen, who enquired kindly after you. Kiss the Girls and believe me yours

Oliv: Wolcott, Jr.
Mrs. Wolcott.

From President Adams.

Dear Sir East Chester, 20 miles from New York, October 12, 1797

Last night I arrived at Col. Smith's, and my family will probably make this
house their home till they can go to Philadelphia with safety. Your reasons against
convening Congress at any other place than Philadelphia, have great weight ; but
must all be overruled if the plague continues in that city. I shall wait for time and
your advice.

Mrs Wolcott was well at Hartford on Sunday. The child had an ill turn, but
was better. It is a great pleasure to me to be again within a hundred miles of you,
and I pray you to write me as often as possible. Your minutes of communications
and recommendations to Congress at the opening of the session, I wish to have as
soon as possible. With great respect I am, dear Sir, your most obedient ser\'ant

John Adams

Oliver Wolcott, Jr., Esq.

SIXTH GENERATION.

265

From Mr. Goodrich.

Dear Sir, Hartford, Oct. 29, 1797.

Mrs. Wolcott will shortly give you all the anecdotes in the land of Connecticut,
up to the time she left it ; and since, nothing has happened worthy of your whim,
considered as a man, or with your adjunct of an aristocratic man, the Secretary of
the Treasury. My wife, good woman, sends forth many doleful complaints on
account of my being about to leave her ; and yet, as a Christian woman ought, she
bestirs herself notably to get everything in order for our once more quitting our
house. It is yet doubtful whether I shall set out in season to be present at the
pronunciation of your speech. When a great man is overwhelmed with expressions
of public applause, I suppose all in subordinate grades take a share. If the winds
have blown from our hemisphere, take care you don't charge the speech with too
much gas ; always remember, nothing gives a sans-adotie more joy, than to take
a sturdy aristocrat when vaunting.

From the accounts we have of our father, we hope he has been, some days
past, less subject to nervous symptoms. I don't perceive that the approach of cold
weather proves unfavourable to him. I shall put up the things Mrs. Wolcott directed,
and have them sent by a vessel that goes from this place about the middle of ne.xt
month. Mary Anne and all of us are an.xious to hear of Mrs. Wolcott's safe arrival.
Our love to her and the children. Affectionately yours,

Chauncey Goodrich.

From General Washington.
Dear Sir Mount Vernon, 17'i! Dec, 1797.

Your letter of the 24- ult. has been duly received, but one cause or another has
prevented the acknowledgment until now, when I thank you for the President's
speech which it enclosed, and your obliging offer to render me any services I might
need in Philadelphia.

I cannot conclude without offering you my condolence, and I do it sincerely,
on the death of your worthy and much respected father. As it was an event, how-
ever, which for some time has been expected, you could not have been unprepared
for the stroke ; and amidst the affliction, you have the consolation to know that he
died "full of years and honours," and regretted by all who knew him. With best
respects for Mrs. Wolcott, in which I am joined by Mrs. Washington and Nelly
Custis, I am, my dear Sir, your sincere and affectionate friend,

Go: Washington.
Oliver Wolcott, Esq'.

266 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

To General Washington.
Sir, Philadelphia, Jan. 12, 1798.

The condolence which you are pleased to express, on account of the bereave-
ment which I have suffered, has, I trust, made a proper impression on my mind ; and
I hope the consolations, which the occurrence admits, are also suitably appreciated.
Considering the prospects of our country, it appears to me that death can have no
terrors for those who have had the felicity to be the benefactors of their age. I have
the honour to be, Sir, with perfect respect, Your obe! serv!

Oliv: Wolcott

From Mr. Cabot.
My Dear Sir Brookline, Jan. 19'i, 1798.

It would not be easy to describe to you the pleasure it gave to Mrs. C. and me
to see our son warm from your fireside. His unaffected relation of the manner in
which we were recognized through him, seemed to place us at the corner of Fourth
and Spruce streets, where we have passed our most agreeable hours. When may
we hope for the gratification of meeting you and Mrs. Wolcott in this part of the
country 1 I hardly know on what grounds my hopes have rested, but certainly I
have persuaded myself that you made a half-promise of that sort. Mrs. Cabot says
more affectionate things than I have leisure to repeat. It is sufficient that you and
Mrs. Wolcott know how dear you are to us.

Yours, fideliter,

G. Cabot.

Mr. Wolcott.

From the Same.
My dear Sir Brookline, March 26'i 1798

Nothing could be more gratifying to Mrs Cabot and me, than the expressions
of friendship from Mrs Wolcott and you, contained in your letter of the if^. Be
assured we receive them as testimonials of an esteem and affection which our hearts
constantly covet, and which they liberally return.

I have written to you less frequently than might have been expected, because
I have felt no disposition to bear any thing like an agency in political affairs, and
because I thought it little less than criminal to occupy any part of the time of our
public slaves. Indeed, such is my sympathy with many of our public men, that it
has become extremely painful to think of their tasks.

I live perfectly recluse, scarcely going beyond the limits of my farm once in a
month ; I do not pretend, however, to be uninterested in what passes in the world ;
on the contrary, I partake in all the anxieties of those who foresee and tremble at the

SIXTH generation: 267

destiny of our country ; but while I am so selfisii as to applaud myself for shunning
all responsibility which might belong to official character, I have omitted no oppor-
tunity to inculcate just sentiments upon those who hear me prate, or read what
I write ; for I have often been tempted to write, by the belief that public opinion
depended much on the newspapers, and that I could say much that would be useful.
It ought to be some compensation to our Executive Officers to know, that their
administration is universally approved, and generally admired by the wise and the

Your sincere and affectionate friend,

G. Cabot

O. Wolcott, Esq.

From Mr. Ames.
My Dear Sir Dedhavi, 22? April, 1798.

I am flattered, and I pray you to believe that I am thankful, for your repeated
favours. I have not written till I am, I find, very much in your debt, for a reason
which I also desire you to be persuaded is the only one — that I have not thought
it right to force upon a busy man the correspondence of a recluse one. My sick
chamber has enfeebled and impoverished the ideas, that my situation in the country
might otherwise have obtruded. Do not, I pray you, think I flatter, or that I am too
civil, when I assure you my clearest knowledge of public affairs is derived from your
letters.

I saw Go. Cabot two days ago ; he talks of you with affection and respect, and
is disposed to use his e.xertions in Boston to promote a right conduct. No man is
good, who is not now firm. Passive virtues are little better than Treachery. Zeal is
now better than logic.

I am in very poor health, but recruiting. I shall ride about, and mind business

but little. Scribbling is not more of a labour than backgammon.

Yours truly

Fisher Ames.
Mr. Wolcott.

From Mr. Hopkinson.

Dear Sir New York, May 17, 1798

As I shall not take my departure from this place for an hour or two, I cannot
employ a part of this time more to my own gratification than by devoting it to you.
I write to you from a box in the Tontine, and the clatter of two or three hundred
merchants and the bawlings of a vendue crier ringing in my ears. It is a mortifying
fact, my dear sir, that the federal spirit of this city is not worth a farthing. It is

268 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

entirely unlike that which animates us in Philadelphia, and although as a Phila-
delphian I am proud of our pre-eminence, as an American I am mortified and
distressed to find the difference. The people here are driving at their private
occupations, and seem plunged in the mire of commercial avarice. They attend to
nothing else ; they seem to consider themselves as having no kind of connection with
the affairs of the nation, and no interest in it. If I were an absolute despot here,
I would order the whole city to undergo the Turkish ceremony of the bastinado. I
would rouse the lazy drones with a whip, or allure them into action by instituting
public games and military exercises for brass farthings since money is their god. If
I except a delightful and lengthy conversation I had with Col. Hamilton, I can assure
you I have heard nothing like politics since I came here. This is a kind of intol-
erable political starvation to me. The tri-coloured cockade is by no means an unfre-
quent sight here, but I have not yet seen one of our own sort.

When I came to peruse the letters of introduction you were kind enough to
favour me with, I found myself a good deal puzzled to decide what to do with them.
On the one hand, I am unwilling to forego the pleasures and many advantages I
should derive from your friends to whom you have written ; and on the other hand,
as I never expect to get such flattering and honourable testimonies again to my
character, I don't quite like to part with them. A man once brought an action for
slander. When he saw the declaration of his lawyer, in which he was stated to be
a good, honest, and faithful citizen, free from all manner of crimes, stain, or reproach,
&;c., he put the declaration in his pocket as a valuable certificate of his good char-
acter and gave up his action. So keeping this story in view, I will not suffer my
vanity to mistake your friendly politeness for my merit. Remember me very
affectionately to your good wife, to my democratic friend, Mrs Goodrich, and her
husband.

Yours

Joseph Hopkinson

Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

From Mr. Davis.

Dear Sir » Boston, July i6, 179S

Presuming that a perusal of the enclosed oration would be gratifying to you,
I do not hesitate a moment to offer a copy for your acceptance. My friend, Mr.
Quincy, who has much the right sort of ambition, will be much gratified if it meets
your approbation. We have sustained a severe loss in the death of the excellent
Dr. Belknap. As a scholar, a divine, a friend, and a gentleman, he was most dis-

SIXTH GENERATION. 269

tinguished. On my removal to this town, I became his parishioner ; and now, when
the intimate connection I formed with him has failed, I sensibly feel how considerable
a portion of my happiness was derived from it.

The correct and manly tone which the public mind has assumed, is formed on
such a basis, that it promises to remain for some time unabated. It is said of
Pericles that he frequently repeated to himself, " Remember, Pericles, that you
command freemen — that you govern Grecians." A greater and better man than
Pericles, seems to decide and act under the spirit of a similar reflection, and I feel
a consoling confidence he will not be disappointed in the honourable opinion he has
formed of his countrymen. Yours with sincere and respectful regard

John Davis

Oliver Wolcoit, Esq.

From Mr. Goodrich.
My Dear Sir Hartford, Aug. 12, 1798

On Friday morning Mrs Wolcott was as well as ordinarily she had been, since
her arrival. Our friends consider her as amending. No other evil besets us but the
indolence of the intense weather. In addition to that — of itself, enough to suspend
all action — you have again the city's old enemy, the fever or plague, and if we may
believe accounts, of the most malignant type. I hope you have left the city.

We have not made up our minds as to European news ; it looks as if soon we
should have one of those ship loads of political information, that come out two or
three times only in a year. Mind our own business, is our motto ; take care of our
own Jacobins. Here the converts are nestling for office. Some of our friends sus-
pect a concert to get as many as they can into the army. Be that as it may, every
one of them ought to be rejected, and men only of fair property employed in the
higher and most confidential grades. It is said men will enlist here, if good officers
should be appointed ; the service depends on it. Mary Anne sends her love.

Yours affectionately,

Chauncey Goodrich
Oliver IVolcott, Esq.

To President Adams.
Sir Phila., Aug. 13, 1798

I was unfortunate in not having the honour of paying my respects to you on
my return from Connecticut. I arrived at New York by water, the day you left the
city. Mrs Wolcott has gained strength, but as she is not free from dubious symp-
toms, I feel extreme concern respecting her situation. Since my return, I have been

270

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

engaged in a scene of various and pressing business ; that part which relates to my
office, has been for the most part accomplished.

The sickness has alarmed the citizens very generally ; in a few days business
will be at an end, and the melancholy scenes of 1793 and 1797, in all probability
renewed. Preparations are making for removing the public ofi&ces to Trenton. It is
by no means the least distressing idea which this sickness presents, that the measures
for executing the acts of the last session will be considerably delayed and enfeebled.^

" The pestilence which had for some years scourged the principal cities of the seaboard,
again appeared, accompanied with its further afflictions of distresses among the poor. A letter
from the President to Mr Wolcott, written in September, contains the honourable request that
he would contribute on his behalf to their amelioration. ' The distress of the poor at Phila-
delphia is so great, that I pray you to subscribe and pay for me, under the tide of a friend, and
to let nobody know but yourself from whom it comes, five hundred dollars.' " ^

To HIS Wife.

Dear Betsey Trenton, Sept. iSii 1798.

I received your Letter of September 9-, which afforded me much satisfaction,

as I now consider you out of all danger from the attack which you had in New

York. My fondest hopes, my ardent wishes, and constant prayers, are answered in

the prospect that you will continue the partner of my joys, and the solace of my

troubles in this incomprehensible pilgrimage of human life. You will, however,

remain during the ensuing winter, in a state which will render it proper that your

sole, or rather principal attention, should be directed to the confirmation of your

health.

Oct. 2?

I have before me your Letter of Sept. 24-, and rejoice to know that your resto-
ration to health is progressive, and that cool weather is not disadvantageous.

I am to be beatified with the company of Judge and Lady C, for a few days.

We shall be in high spirits, with a Lady in the House. For some reason, which I

cannot comprehend, the young and pretty damsels of this Town will not come and

see us ; we must therefore, instead of a handsomer — a better there cannot be — make

Love to the old Lady.

Kiss the Girls and believe me assuredly yours

Oliv: Wolcott

Mrs. Wolcott.

1 From copy in Fed. Admin., II. loj. ^ Fed. Admin., II. 104.

SIXTH GENERATION.

271

From President Adams.

Sir Quincy, April 3I, 1799

I received yesterday your favour of the 25- of March, and thank you for the
letter in it to Gen. Lincoln. I wish the expense of marching a force against the mal-
contents could be laid upon them alone. Our elections are supposed to have gone
very well, much better than had been feared and expected. In a violent snow storm
this is written by, Sir, your most humble

John Adams

Quincy, April 26*, 1799
If a real reformation should take place in Northampton County, in consequence
of a conscientious conviction of their error and crime, it would be happy ; but a
cessation of opposition from fear only, may last no longer than the terror. I am. Sir,
your most obedient

John Adams
Oliver Wolcoti, Esq.

From Mr. Goodrich.
Dear Sir Hartford, April, 1799

I thank you for your letter. You will not let any untoward circumstance keep
Mrs Wolcott and the children too late in Philadelphia ; an easy journey here will
do her good, and she will here be most comfortable through the summer. All our
friends are well ; the long winter has made us torpid ; we shall after a while put on
our sheep-skins and crawl about.

The President's absence excites no general attention ; a few speak of it among
themselves with regret. The iiitcrnah of the Cabinet appear less generally known
than I had foreboded. The disposition of the State is to cling to the public acts of
the government. Freemen's meeting has passed with less excitement than ever
known. A few Jacobins will steal into the House — mere kittens, however.

The trade on the River begins to look up ; our vessels quite successful ; great
deal of ship-building going forward. The scarcity of forage is a serious calamity ;
we have no other. As yet the direct tax has caused less noise than the state dog-
tax. The commissioners are viewing some parts of the State ; they mean to execute
the principles of equality.

A firm execution of the law towards the ringleaders, only, will satisfy public
justice and sentiment. Government should not cringe. It has been regretted by
every body the troops did not march earlier.

272 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Write when you have leisure. Give my best love to Mrs Wolcott and the little
girls. Mary Anne sends hers.

Yours affectionately,

Chauncey Goodrich
Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

From the Rev. Dr. Holmes.

Sir Ca?nbridge, May 14, 1799.

I take the liberty to enclose a copy of a Discourse delivered at the late National
Fast, which you will be pleased to accept as a small testimonial of my personal
respect and esteem for yourself, and of my best wishes for the success of the
measures of the Government in which you hold so conspicuous and interesting a
place.

Make my compliments acceptable to Mrs. Wolcott, and believe me to be with
great and respectful regard. Sir,

Your Friend and humble Servant

A. Holmes.

The Hon. Oliver Wolcott.

Mrs. Goodrich to Mrs. Wolcott.

Hartford, 15'J! May, 1799.
I am more disappointed than I can express, my dear sister, to find that the
probability is, that you will not come to Connecticut this summer. I yet hope that
you will ; and that my brother, good man as he is, will give up his selfish project of
stowing you into some farm-house near Philadelphia, that he may have the satisfac-
tion of spending, perhaps, an hour or two with you, in every week. I know the whole
world cannot supply to you the place of your husband, for which partiality I can
forgive you, as I am at a loss whether I do not love him myself, better than I ought
to ; but if you come here, it will make all your friends happy, and we will do all we
can to make you so. You will at least enjoy a purer air ; and Brother Frederick,
who sets his heart upon seeing you, will ride with you wherever you wish to go.
And after all, you will be separated from your husband only a few weeks. I should
not feel so anxious about the matter, if I was certain that you could obtain an equally
healthy situation near Phil- , and if there was a prospect of my spending the next
winter with you. But since my good Man has tried the state of widowhood, he seems
so enamoured of it, that there is not a word said of my ever accompanying him, in
future, upon his Congressional tours. The ne.\t year you will be taken to the City

SIXTH GENERATION. 273

of Washington, a distance so great that I do not like to think of it. And now I bid

you adieu, with mine and Mr. Goodrich's best wishes and love to yourself, your good

husband and the dear children.

Mary Ann Goodrich.
Mrs. E. Wokott.

From the Rev. Dr. Maxcy.
Sir R. I. College, Dec. 26, '99.

I take the liberty to send you a diploma of the degree of Doctor of Laws, con-
ferred on you, in September last, by the Fellows of this College. This Diploma
I request you to accept as a Testimony of respect and esteem from this College.
Your abilities, virtue, and public character, command our most ardent wishes for
your prosperity and happiness.

I am. Sir, with great respect your friend and servant

JoNA- Maxcy.

The Hon. Oliver Wolcott, LL.D.

From Mr. Caeot.

My Dear Sir . BrookUne, January 16, 1800

Mr Ames passed last evening with me. He is to pronounce the eulogy of
Washington before our State Legislature, three weeks hence. I hope he will
weave into it as much as possible of his own politics. They are such as Washington
approved ; and I hardly know what greater praise can be given him than a display
of this fact.

Your view of Continental Europe is more unfavourable, and much more pro-
found, than my imagination had formed. Doubtless the selfishness of the German
Emperor is a bar to the exertions of the conquered States ; a glorious opportunity
has been lost to destroy the power of Jacobinism. But will not the adversity which
closes the campaign operate to unite more closely and effectually the three great
powers .' I confess to you, nothing can exceed my chagrin at seeing a campaign
which promising every thing to my hopes, produces so little. Still, however, it has
produced something of value. It has proved to the terrified people of various coun-
tries, that their oppressors are not immortal, and that whoever opposes them with
courage will defeat them. I do not yet despair of reaping, next year, the golden
harvest I vainly expected at this time.

Heaven bless you and yours,

G. Cabot
Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

274 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

From President Adams.
Sir Philadelphia, May 17, 1800

I thank you for youi report of the 16- of this month, and for your early atten-
tion to the important subject of the loan. I have subscribed, and send you with this,
an authorization to borrow to the amount of the law ; but if the public exigencies can
be satisfied with a part of it, your own public spirit of economy will induce you to
confine yourself to such part.

The rate of interest is a subject of great anxiety to me. When I recollect that
I borrowed for this country near a million sterling, at a rate of interest from four and
a half to six per cent, or thereabout, more than fifteen years ago, when the nation
had not two-thirds of its present population, when it had a very feeble government —
no resources, no taxes — by barely pledging the faith of the people, which faith has
been most punctually and religiously kept, I cannot but suspect that some advantage
is taken of this government, by demanding exorbitant interest. As Great Britain,
with her immense burdens, after so long and so wasting a war, is able to borrow at
a moderate interest, I entertain a hope that we may at least abate somewhat of a
former interest.

As I know your zeal for the interest of your country to be equal to my own, I

have entire confidence in your exertions that we may take up as little as possible of

the sum, and at as low an interest as can be obtained.

With great esteem I am. Sir, your obedient servant,

John Adams

Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

From Mr. Gore.
My Dear Sir Boston, 30 May iSoo

I shall embark from this place about the 10- June, and shall be very happy to
beat any of your commands to the other side of the ocean. Under the existing cir-
cumstances, it would give me singular satisfaction to have one hour's conversation
with you before my departure ; but that is impossible ; although not less so to com-
municate all I feel, and all I fear, as to our future situation. I hope, and in that hope
I am sure I am joined by almost every honest and every sensible man in the com-
munity, that our very honourable and respectable friend, Col. Pickering, will not find
it expedient to retire from the active scenes of society.

I pray you to present my affectionate regards to Mrs Wolcott, and to believe

me sincerely your friend and servant,

Christopher Gore
Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

SIXTH GENERATION.

275

From Mr. Goodrich.
Dear Sir, Hartford, June 19, 1800.

As the summer work comes on, we Yankee farmers begin to let politics alone,
which I suspect will be much in favour of the good old grace of Christian patience,
and probably of no dis-service to the body politic while in its truant state.

The letters I enclosed came under cover to me. Mrs. Wolcott and the family
left us on Tuesday for Middletown ; yesterday, all were well ; Mary Anne is better
than while you were here. I have furbished up my office, and am furbishing up my
brain for lucubration in the science of Laiu. If you at any time should be bereft of
the great Law character of the country, or Government rather, I expect soon to have
on hand some of Lord Coke's conundrums for your use ; so after a while you may
send forward your knotty points.

I see the New Jerusalem of our Empire has been consecrated, not, indeed, after
the old New England mode, but with meats and viands. Pray, in what line has the
enterprising Genius of the inhabitants of Georgetown been displayed, except in a
commerce with Greenleaf's, Morris's, and Nicholson's Notes .' The compliment
may, however, be literally true, if they have only been enterprising in that way, for
the gist of the thing is enterprise.

Was it not going a little too far, to pray that the Government may at all events
abide forever and forever at Washington .' Who knows what may happen in the
mean time t According to all calculations of the mundarians, Tristram Dalton and
all the rest of the good folks, on the Potomac and south of it, must be gone far away
before the end of the period. It seems to me, a thousand years would have satisfied
on that point. But perhaps he who begot the Government, nursed it up, keeps it
from being eat up, either by Frenchmen or Englishmen, Federalists or Jacobins ; who
is the Opossum in which it sleeps by day and night, knows, and can and ought to
say, where it shall live evermore. I consider it as now fixed, till the millenium at
least, for the time in which Man and Devil are to rule, by the irreversible laws of
diplomacy; and no little imp or greenhorn, come from Mother's womb since 1776,
is to say anything about it. The fiat has been pronounced in the temple of the
Laws by the Founder of the Empire himself; and let no one kick hereafter against
the pricks.

The Frenchmen keep up the game of catching our vessels in the West Indies.
I am your affectionate friend,

Chauncey Goodrich.

Oliver Wolcott, Esq"".

276 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

To HIS Wife.
My Dear Betsey Washington, July 17, 1800.

In my last I mentioned my intention of visiting Alexandria and Mount Vernon,
which I have since done. Ale.xandria is a beautiful place. It is situated on a plain,
covered on the West by rising grounds, from which the prospects are delightful.
The town contains about six thousand people ; it is well built, and the streets are
well paved. This place would have been established as the Seat of Government, if
General Washington had not been confined to a choice on the East side of the
Potomac. I dined on Saturday with Dr. Craik, who is one of the antient and best
sort of Gentlemen, of mild and amiable manners ; in short, such a man as the friend
of General Washington ought to be.

The lands on the road below Alexandria to Mount Vernon are, in general, stiff,
dry, and unproductive. You ride three miles through forests on the Mount Vernon
Estate, before the Mansion appears, which is still more venerable than my imagina-
tion had painted it. In the buildings, walks, and gardens, and in every disposition
for the accommodation of a numerous household, traces of the character of the
incomparable Washington may be discerned; — here, elegance is combined with
utility ; there, magnificence is disencumbered of ostentation.

Mrs. Washington received me with great cordiality, and inquired after you and
the Children, with lively afTection. She appeared to be grieved that you were not of
the party. Her mind is generally serene ; but the decay of strength, the increasing
marks of age, and occasional suffusion of the countenance, plainly show, that the
zest of life has departed. Mrs Peter and Mrs Lewis with their husbands and chil-
dren. Miss Dandridge and a Miss Henley (relations of Mrs Washington) were at
Mount Vernon. Mrs Peter has two daughters and a son, and Mrs Lewis a daughter,
all fine children. The ladies enquired after you ; Nelly, though a matron, appears
friendly, amiable, and gay as formerly. Her attachments to her old acquaintance
remain undiminished, and she mentioned her desire to renew a correspondence with
you. If you can without too much fatigue, I wish you to write to her and Mrs.
Washington.

If Mount Vernon could remain as at present ; if the Trees, which shade the
Tomb at the foot of the Lawn, could be preserved in immortal verdure, if the unfin-
ished improvements could be protected from further decay, no other monument, than
what now exists, ought to be desired by either friendship or patriotism. The works
which have been completed, indicate the mind of their late Master, while those of
which the designs only remain, prove that death alone arrested a persevering progress
towards perfection.

SIXTH GENERATION.

277

I rejoice to hear of your health, and that of our Children ; you are much in my
thoughts. I am more and more satisfied that I must turn my attention to some
private business. The post in which I am placed will, I am certain, be soon
untenable.

Kiss the Babes and believe me ever yours

Oliv: Wolcott.

Mrs. Wolcott.

To Mr. Goodrich.
Dear Sir Washington, July 20, 1800.

I received your favour of June 19- in due season, and have been half vexed that
you should be so contented and good-humored ; why can you not appear to be in the
dumps .'' To write such a Letter to a man at the Seat of Government, is almost as
uncivil as the conversation of the Fox, to the Goat in the well. I shall, however,
have my revenge next Winter, when I shall be comfortably lodged within half a mile
of my Office, while the Legislators of the Capitoline Mount will be surrounded with
mud to an immeasurable distance.

The Law Character you mention has gone to the Capes of Virginia ; on his
voyage, he will have an opportunity of becoming acquainted with Maritime Law, as
practised by the sages who navigate Chesapeake Bay. He will be so well qualified
for solving doubts, that we shall not probably stand in need of another Councillor.

If you let Mary Ann read this Letter, tell her not to laugh at it; whatever she

may think, it is a sober Letter. Give my love to all friends, and believe me

Assuredly yours

Oliv: Wolcott.
M'. Goodrich.

From Mr. Cabot.
My Dear Sir BrookUne, July 20, 1800

Mr Ames put into my hands the letter you wrote from Hartford, and I have
since received your favour of the 18* June, from Philadelphia. Let me repeat to you
now the wish which is daily expressed by your friends here, that you will not quit
the treasury while a just sense of character will permit you to remain. Doubtless a
man may act independently in office as well as out, and he can only be made respon-
sible for his own individual opinions and those acts which he approves. If you were
out of office you would not wholly avoid the anxiety which you now feel for the
national welfare and the dignity of the government ; and although you would escape
some mortifications, I doubt, on the whole, whether you would then allow them as
much weight as you do now. It is, and must be, the fate of every man of sensibility,

278 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

to suffer in the public service. If the cause of the present chagrin were removed,
I apprehend no less would proceed from other sources inherent in our system. I
lament that for the sake of the public, and for your own sake, you were not born
under Saturn, instead of Mercury, and that your nativity was not in Germany, where
a good stock of phlegm would have been nourished in your constitution. But these
things cannot be altered, and it only remains to accommodate to them.
With unfeigned esteem and respect I remain your faithful friend,

G. Cabot

Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

From Mr. Goodrich.

My Dear Sir Philadelphia, July 28, 1800

I left Mrs Wolcott and family yesterday, well, and conveniently situated. Mary
Anne is with them. I know what vexations you will experience while in your pres-
ent place ; you can't hold it with any satisfaction, and no other man could on the
terms you must, without at least being entangled in some ugly snare. I think you
must get ready to quit. Let who will be President, the pride of American character
and office for a while must be faded ; there is neither object nor reward for your
anxieties and exertions. Will it not be best to arrange the business of the Depart-
ment, and quit a short time after the meeting of Congress } You will ask what you
shall do. Get a small farm in this State, and look about you. I will talk with some
friends who love and feel for you, and write more. Let me hear from you.

Affectionately yours,

Chauncey Goodrich
Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

From the Same.

Dear Sir Hartford, Aug. 26, 1800.

I take a new sheet of paper because I am going to write about yourself and
myself, and do not love to mix up these more interesting topics with the disgusting
ones of politics. As what concerns me can be shortly despatched, I first speak to
that point, and announce that the paragraph you will see in our papers of my declin-
ing a re-election to the great sanhedrim of the nation, is genuine. I perceive it is not
a very popular act, but as it is perfectly justifiable in respect to the public, and abso-
lutely necessary to myself, I am entirely at my ease about it. Personally, I have no
other regrets than what I experience in setting out anew in my profession ; as, how-
ever, I shall be attentive to it, I hope to gain from it a decent subsistence ; that is
about all it will give.

SIXTH GENERATION.

279

I think, with you, you must quit your office. That point once settled, you have
only to consult your convenience and character as to time and manner. When you
quit, you will wish to leave the business of your department well arranged, and the
evidence to the public of its being so. I trust the honest part of the community are
well satisfied as to the last particular. You can best judge how far a formal investi-
gation is necessary, on account of the attacks in the papers. A call for an enquiry
may give them an importance they do not merit, or would not otherwise receive.
Perhaps it may be well to give a pretty ample detail of the finances in your report
at the opening of the session ; viewing it as a public record of the state of things
when you quit. On such an occasion it may be allowable to amplify.

In your letter you ask me to make enquiries for a place near Hartford. Do you

mean bordering on the town, or in some of the neighbouring towns } In either case

pleasant situations of good land may be found, but it will be difficult to get a good

house. There is a little estate next south of Samuel Wolcott's, of 22 acres of most

excellent land, running west to the meadow; a pretty decent house, wants repairs,

price £t^o ; repairs as to fences, &c., $400. Col. Wadsworth commends it much.'

If you can, I think you had better get a place on this side the River ; let me know

your wishes. As to business, that must be found. Some of our friends here ask, if

Tracy becomes Governor of St. Clair's Territory, whether, till something better

offers, you will go into the Senate. I am confident business will offer. If you

possibly can, come here this fall. Mary Anne is well.

Affectionately yours,

Chauncey Goodrich
Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

To Mr. Hamilton.
Dear Sir Washing/on, Sept. 3i iSoo

I am favoured with your letters of the 3- and 19- ult. You will have thought
it strange that the first has not been acknowledged ; it has been out of my power.
The effects of a new climate, want of exercise, and too much application to official
business, produced a serious indisposition, which disabled me from writing for a
fortnight. I am recovering, though I remain weak.

I had commenced the statement which I had promised, and soon found myself
embarrassed with the reflection which has occurred to you. The situation in which
we are both placed, is delicate and somewhat perplexing. Whatever you may say or
write, will by a class of people be attributed to personal resentment ; while it will be

' This place subsequently became the residence of Elihu Wolcott.

2 So THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

said that the President has not injured me — that he has borne with my open disap-
probation of his measures, and that I ought not to oppose his re-election by disclosing
what some will term personal or official secrets.

Having reflected on the dilemma, I have concluded that as it respects myself,
I was justifiable in continuing in office during the present year, on the ground of the
sudden innovations in the administration, which afforded me no opportunity for
reflection before the termination of the last session of Congress ; that the unsettled
state of two of the Departments, the removal of the offices to this place, the absence
of the President from the seat of government, and the duty of preserving order in a
branch of business which had been committed to my care, were circumstances which
should justly dissuade me from an abrupt resignation, while they left me free to
exercise my opinion, and my rights as an individual, upon any question relative to the
public policy and interest. To secure myself from the imputation of being con-
cerned in a secret cabal, I have, however, thought it my duty to express my opinions
and intentions frankly to my colleagues, in the same manner as I have done to my
private correspondents. I am apprized that I shall by some be considered as fac-
tious ; but the accusation is less offensive than the suspicion of cunning, or subser-
viency to measures which I seriously disapprove, and to which I should otherwise
be opposed.!

From Chief-Justice Ellsworth.
Dear Sir Havre, October i6, 1800

You will see our proceedings and their result. Be assured more could not be
done without too great a sacrifice ; and as the reign of Jacobinism is over in France,
and appearances are strong in favor of a general peace, I hope you will think it was
better to sign a convention than to do nothing. — My pains are constant, and at
times excruciating ; they do not permit me to embark for America at this late season
of the year, nor if there, would they permit me to discharge my official duties. I
have therefore sent my resignation of the office of Chief Justice, and shall, after
spending a few weeks in England, retire for winter-quarters to the south of France.

I pray Mrs Wolcott to accept of my best respects, and shall ever remain, Dear
Sir,

Your affectionate friend,

Oliv. Ellsworth

Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

P. S. You certainly did right not to resign, and you must not think of resigna-
tion, let what changes may take place — at least till I see you. Tho' our country

From copy in Fed, Admin., II. 416.

SIXTH GENERATION. 28 1

pays badly, it is the only one in the world worth working for. The happiness it
enjoys, and which it may increase, is so much superior to what the nations of Europe
do, or ever can, enjoy, that no one who is able to preserve and increase that happi-
ness, ought to quit her service while he can remain in it with bread and honour. Of
the first, a little suffices you, and of the latter it is not in the power of malevolence
or rapine to deprive you. They cannot do without you, and dare not put you out.
Remember, my dear friend, my charge — Keep on till I see you.

O. E.

To President Adams.
Sir Treasury Department, Washington, Nov. 8, 1800.

I have, after due reflection, considered it a duty which I owe to myself and
family, to retire from the Office of Secretary of the Treasury, and accordingly I take
the liberty to request that the President would be pleased to accept my resignation,
to take effect, if agreeable to him, only at the close of the present year.

In thus suggesting my wishes, I am influenced by a desire of affording the
President suitable time to designate my successor, and also of reserving to myself an
opportunity to transfer the business of the Department without injury to the public
service.

I have the honour to be with perfect respect. Sir,

Your obed' serv'

Oliver Wolcott.
The President of the United States.

From President Adams.
Dear Sir Washington, Nov. 10, 1800.

I have received your Letter of the 8- of this month, and am sorry to find that
you judge it necessary to retire from office. Although I shall part with your services
as Secretary of the Treasury with reluctance and regret, I am nevertheless sensible
that you are the best and only judge of the expediency of your resignation.

If you persist in your resolution, your own time shall be mine. I should wish
to know whether, by the close of the present year, you mean the last of December or
the fourth of March. If the first, it is so near at hand that no time is to be lost in
considering of a successor. I am. Sir, with great esteem, your most obedient and
humble servant,

John Adaius.
Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

Secretary of the Treasury.

282 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

To President Adams.
5 115^ Washington, Nov. ii, iSoo.

I have the honour to acknowledge with thanks the President's obliging Letter of
yesterday. The time contemplated by myself for retiring from office, is the last day
of December next. It will, however, be necessary for me to remain here several
weeks after my resignation takes place, whenever that event may happen, for the
purpose of completing the business which will have been by me previously com-
menced. Notwithstanding my resignation will take place, agreeably to the Presi-
dent's permission, on the last day of December, any services which I can afterwards
render while here, will be at the disposal of my successor or the Government.

I have the honour to be with great respect, Sir,

Your obe' serv'

The President of the United States.

To Mr. Cabot.

Dear Sir Washington, Nov. 16'-!; 1800

I received your favour of Oct. 5-, a few days since, after my return from a visit
to Connecticut. After due reflection, I have considered it to be my duty to retire
from office. I have accordingly written a respectful letter to the President, ofTering
my resignation at the close of the ensuing month, to which I have received an
obliging answer. I reflect with satisfaction that the business of the Treasury
Department has not suffered in my hands ; that the revenue of the present greatly
exceeds that of any former year, and that loans can be obtained if necessary. It
would be affectation to pretend that my resignation has not been attended with a
conflict of emotions. I can, however, declare that none of them have been of
a nature to produce self-crimination, and I presume to hope that my future conduct
will evince a zealous attachment to the interests of my country and its government,
and sincere gratitude to those who have honoured me with their confidence, friend-
ship, and support.^

To THE Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Sir, Treasury Department, Washington, Nov. 22, 1800.

I deem it proper through you, to inform the House of Representatives, that I
have obtained the permission of the President of the United States, to resign the
office of Secretary of the Treasury, at the close of the present year.

1 From copy in Fed. Admin., II. 446.

SIXTH GENERATION. 283

I indulge a hope, that I may without presumption declare, that the different
offices with which I have been entrusted since the establishment of this Department,
have been executed according to my best skill and judgment ; with a conscientious
regard to the rights of the public, and of individuals, and under an impressive sense
of responsibility to the government. In conformity with these professions, I now
fully submit the whole of my conduct to any investigation which the House of Repre-
sentatives may be pleased to institute.

I cannot omit this only opportunity which may ever be afforded, of expressing
the sincere sentiments of gratitude which I now feel, and shall ever cultivate, for the
many proofs of confidence and indulgence, which I have experienced in the course
of my official communications with the Legislature. At the same time, I request
that if the liberty I have now taken, to invite their attention to a matter of personal
concern, should be deemed in any degree unsuitable, the errour may be attributed
to a just and reasonable desire that my conduct and character may, on proper evi-
dence, appear to have deserved their approbation.

I have the honour to be with perfect esteem and deference, Sir,

Your most obe! serv!

Oliver Wolcott
The Hon— Theodore Sedgwick, Esq. Speaker, etc.

This letter was referred to a committee of seven, who, on the 28th of
January following, presented a full report, of which we give only the con-
cluding sentence. Coming as it did unanijnously from an able committee,
whose members belonged to different political parties, it was an honorable
and gratifying testimonial of the merits of the Secretary's administration
and services.

" On the whole, after such examination as they have been enabled to make, the
Committee beg leave to express their opinion, that the business of the Treasury
Department has been conducted with regularity, fidelity, and a regard to economy ;
that the disbursements of money have been always made pursuant to law ; that every
attention, consistent with the nature of the business, has been bestowed in removing
delinquents from office, in compelling them to account, in securing moneys due from
them, and in preventing an improper and unreasonable accumulation in the hands of
public agents ; that the loans effected on account of government, have been procured
on the most advantageous terms for the public ; that the most eligible modes of

284 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

remittance to Europe have been devised ; and generally, that the financial concerns
of the country have been left by the late Secretary in a state of good order and
prosperity."

From Mr. Cabot.
My Dear Friend Brookline, Nov. 27, 1800

Although I had long contemplated the possible event of your retirement from
office, yet my mind was not quite prepared for it, when your letter of the 16- arrived
I have revolved it the greatest part of the last night, which I found impossible to pass
in sleep ; and I still can view the subject only as grief, or indignation, presents it.
A government which cannot tolerate the virtues which have been exhibited in ours,
cannot long enjoy the confidence of the wise and good. It cannot long be preserved
pure, and will soon be thought not worth preserving. You must indulge my wishes
to know your future destiny, so far at least as it is foreseen by yourself. I am
anxious to learn what course you have prescribed yourself, that I may direct the
prayers of my heart in conformity.

With the highest esteem and purest regard, I remain ever yours

George Cabot

Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

From Mr. Ames.

My Dear Sir Dedhani, Dec. 15, iSoo

It grieves every thoughtful friend of the country, that you should be placed in

a situation which you think you ought to renounce. If the fault was generally

known to lie where I suppose it does lie, it would greatly increase the displeasure

that is already felt. Who will succeed you, or how our affairs are to proceed in

future, when a man born in office with the government, so attached to it, and so

familiarly acquainted with it, as you are, receives from the head of the government

such uncomfortable and discouraging treatment, though not personally affi^ontive, I

know not. The very Jacobins abuse you with measured moderation, and allow me

to say, (it really is my opinion, and I would not insult you with flattery), that those

whose good opinion you would value were progressively raising their esteem and

respect for your character. The success of governments depends on the selection

of the men who administer them. It seems as if the ruling system would rob the

country of all chance, by excluding the only classes proper to make the selection

from. I am, dear Sir, with great esteem,

Yours truly,

Fisher Ames

Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

SIXTH GENERATION.

285

From Mr. Pickering.
Dear Sir Philadelphia, Jan. 3, 1801

I am truly sorry for the sake of our country, that you cannot continue at the
head of the Treasury. But as to yourself and family, I am sure you will be more
happy, and quite as rich, on your little farm, as if you continued a pjiblic servant
during life. Should you be willing, however, to accept of any public employment in
the gift of Connecticut, it will certainly be conferred. But in whatever way you shall
be occupied, my best good wishes will attend you and yours. Ne.xt week I expect to
proceed for Boston and Salem, and if I pass through Hartford, will do myself the
pleasure to call on Mrs. Wolcott.

With perfect sincerity I am your friend and servant

Timothy Pickering

Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

We have hardly hinted at the reasons which impelled Mr. Wolcott to
resign his responsible post, and which may be gathered in full from his
pubhshed correspondence. His final judgment, which was seldom erro-
neous, was expressed decisively in a letter of this date to his wife : —

I was never better pleased with any act of my life, than with my resignation at
the time and in the manner I did. It appears to have been the only way I could
have taken to avoid dishonour. I will try to be contented hereafter, and doubt not it
will be in my power.

Mr. Wolcott had now, as he supposed, taken a final leave of public
life. The necessities of his family required that he should at once enter
upon some active employment for their maintenance, — his whole property
at this time consisting of a small farm in Connecticut, and a few hundred
dollars in cash. He had the satisfaction of going out of office poorer,
after a service of eleven years, than when at the first establishment of
the government he entered upon the auditorship. His retirement drew
from his political friends at the seat of government many expressions
of personal regard, among which was a public dinner from Members of
Congress.

286 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

From Senator Ross.
Dear Sir, ^^^y "f Washington, 24 Jan., 1801.

Your determination to retire from the station wliich you have so long and so
ably held, could not but sensibly affect those who had been witnesses of your unre-
mitted exertions to advance the public good.

Fully persuaded that those exertions have not been less useful to your country
than honourable to yourself, your numerous friends in the Senate and House of
Representatives of the United States cannot without violating their feelings, permit
you to depart from the seat of government unaccompanied with the strongest assur-
ances of their conviction of the worth and purity of your public life.

As a parting testimonial of their high respect for your person and character
they have ordered a public dinner to be prepared for you at Still's hotel on Wednes-
day next ; and on their behalf I am directed to request that you would accept and
partake of this entertainment, where we can all have an opportunity of bidding you
a friendly and affectionate farewell.

With most sincere respect I have the honour to remain, Dear Sir, your most

obedient servant,

James Ross.

Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

To Senator Ross.

Dear Sir City of Washington, Jan. 26, 1801.

I have been honoured with your favour of the 24'!' instant, and beg leave to
express to you. Sir, and the other Gentlemen of the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives therein referred to, my most respectful and grateful acknowledgments for
the distinguished manner in which they have been pleased to manifest their approba-
tion of my public services.

I shall meet the Gentlemen at the time and place proposed in their invitation,
with pleasure unalloyed by any other reflection, than that a few days must separate
me from the society of the guardians of the public welfare, whose talents, services,
and virtues have been the constant objects of my esteem and veneration.

I request you, Sir, personally, to accept assurances of, the inviolable attachment

and respect with which I remain. Dear Sir, your obed' serv!

Oliv: Wolcott.
The Hon^Jl James Ross, Esq.

To HIS Wife.
My Dear Betsey Washington, ]nn.-ii,\?>oi.

The Report of the Committee on my letter was unanimously agreed to, and is
entirely satisfactory. I have been treated with attention by the Citizens, and Mem-

SIXTH GENERATION. 287

bers of Congress. God be praised, that my sincere exertions for the pubhc good
have not, as has sometimes happened to others, been ungratefully requited.

Yours with affection

Oliver Wolcott.

Mn Wolcott.

From Senator Hillhouse.

My Dear Friend Washington, Feb'y 18, 1801

I have the pleasure to announce to you the agreeable intelligence of your being
nominated by the President of the United States, to be a Circuit Judge under the
new Act. The nomination has been brought about in a manner perfectly delicate
as relates to yourself, and highly honourable as regards the President. I will write
you confidentially and more particularly by to-morrow's mail. Our friend, Elizur
Goodrich, is nominated Collector for the port of New Haven.

With my kind regards to Mrs Wolcott, I am. Dear Sir, in sincerity and affec-
tion your friend

James Hillhouse
Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

From Chief-Justice Marshall.

Dear Sir Washington, Feb. 24, iSor

It is with peculiar pleasure I transmit to you the commission which accom-
panies this letter. Permit me to express my sincere wish that it may be acceptable
to you. At the same time I will allow myself to hope that this high and public evi-
dence given by the President of his respect for your services and character, will
efface every unpleasant sensation respecting the past, and smooth the way to a perfect
reconciliation.

I am, Dear Sir, with much esteem your obed't

J Marshall

From Mr. Goodrich.
My Dear Sir, Washington, Feb. 24, iSoi.

Your appointment to the office of Judge passed the Senate unanimously. You
may be assured your friends have manifested peculiar felicitations in a circumstance
which they believed would be both grateful and advantageous to you. They have
not been inattentive to the embarrassments you may at first experience, for want of
technical knowledge of practice. All, however, are of opinion that these embarrass-
ments will soon be overcome ; and then, they expect to see in you the Amcricati
Mansfield — a kind of character, if it exist at all in our country, we certainly are not

288 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

overstocked with. I think you ought not to hesitate as to an acceptance, and you

know the value of my sentiments on cases much more casuistical than this.

Mrs. Lewis is standing just behind me, at my elbow ; and all males however

wise, and all females however lovely, at a distance, will agree that the matter in hand

is of all others most pressing ; and Mrs. W. must be content with my love en passant.

I am your affectionate friend

Chauncey Goodrich.

To Chief-Justice Marshall.

Sir Middletowii, March 2.i iSoi

I have received your favour of the 24"" of February, and cordially thank you for
the obliging expressions of your friendship. The appointment with which I have
been honoured was unexpected ; and I learn with pleasure that it was unsolicited by
my friends.

Being sensible that I owe this distinguished proof of confidence to the favour of
the President, duty and inclination naturally inspire sentiments of gratitude and
good will ; and I assure you that I yield to their influence, not only without reluctance
or reserve, but with the highest satisfaction.

It is impossible that I should not feel the greatest diffidence of my qualifica-
tions for the appointment, yet so far as diligence and fidelity can compensate for the
deficiences of which I am conscious, I may hope to render my services acceptable.^

To Senator Hillhouse.
Dear Sir MiddUtown, March 18, 1801.

I have not been able before now, since your return to Connecticut, to acknowl-
edge your kind favours of Feb. 7, 18 and 19, from Washington. The part you have
acted has been that of a sincere and intelligent friend ; and the opinions which you,
and the other gentlemen expressed, on the subject of the late appointments with
which I have been honoured were sufficiently favourable. I feel the utmost diffi-
dence of my qualifications, but under the influence of the most grateful sentiments,
I shall certainly endeavour, by all the means in my power, to merit their confidence
and approbation.^

To Ex-President Adams.

Sir, Middletoiun, March 2S'-i, 1801.

I embrace the earliest opportunity which I have been able to improve, since
your arrival at Quincy, to express my most sincere acknowledgments for the distin-

1 From copy in Fed. Admin., II. 496. ^ lb. 497.

SIXTH GENERATION. 289

guished proof which I have received of your confidence, in being appointed a Judge
of the Second Circuit of the United States.

My friends have communicated to me the circumstances which attended this
appointment ; by which I learn with the highest satisfaction, that I owe the honour-
able station in which I have been placed purely to your favourable opinion, and in no
degree to their solicitation. Believing that gratitude to benefactors is among the
most amiable, and ought to be among the most indissoluble of social obligations, I
shall, without reserve, cherish the emotions which are inspired by a sense of duty and
honour on this occasion.

Mrs. Wolcott joins me in expressing to yourself and Mrs. Adams our common
sentiments of respectful attachment. I have the honour to be with perfect defer-
ence, Sir, your most obed' and obliged serv!

Oliver Wolcott
Hon. John Adams, Esq.

From Mr. Adams.
Sir Sioney Field, April 6, 1801.

I have received your favour of the 28"' of March, and read it with much pleas-
ure. The information you have received from your Friends concerning the Circum-
stances of your nomination to be a Judge of the Second Circuit of the United States
is very correct. I have never allowed myself to speak much of the Gratitude due
from the public to Individuals for past services. But I have always wished that
more should be said of Justice. Justice is due from the Public to itself, and Justice
is also due to Individuals. When the Public discards or neglects Talents and
Integrity, united with meritorious past Services, it commits Iniquity against itself by
depriving itself of the benefit of future Services, and it does wrong to the Individual
by depriving him of the reward which long and faithful Services have merited.
Twenty years of able and faithful service on the part of Mr. Wolcott, remunerated
only by a simple subsistence, it appeared to me, constituted a Claim upon the Public
which ought to be attended to.

As it was of importance that no Appointment should be made that would be
refused, I took measures to ascertain from your friends the probability of your
Acceptance, and then made the nomination — happy to have so fair an opportunity
to place you beyond the reach of Will and Pleasure.

I wish you much pleasure and more honour, in your Law Studies and Pursuits,

and doubt not you will contribute your full share to make Justice run down our

Streets as a Stream.

290

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

My Family joins in friendly regards to you and yours. With much esteem,
I have the honour to be, Sir, your most obedient and humble serv!

John Adams.
The Hon. Oliver Wohoit, Judge, etc.

From Mr. Ames.
My Dear Friend, Dedham, April 4, 1803.

It is not often the case, that even very good performances are the better for
beino" long. Yet all our friends here concur with me in saying, that your letter of
45 pages would not have been half so excellent, if it had been only half as long. A
view of our politics, so luminous and profound as you have taken, is a drama livelier
than the life. We understand better, as you describe, than when, without that aid,
we are lookers on, and observe for ourselves ; so that your exhibition seems real, and
the actual scenes of politics make impression only as if they were theatrical. A few
select friends are in turn reading and pondering on your instructive letter. It is to
be returned to me for safe keeping as a treasure.

For myself, I look neither far round nor far forward. A little business at the
bar, more on my farm, some pleasure "sought in books, more with friends, and my
affections, plans, and hopes chiefly concentered in my family, afford a substitute for
the rewards, and a refuge from the terrors and vexations of politics.

I wish you success as a merchant, because competence at least is essential to
liberty. Great wealth indeed is slavery ; the over-rich pilgrim must travel through
life with a pack at his back. With your habits and qualifications for business, I
anticipate a good event. I pray you not to permit your compting house to exclude
me wholly from your remembrance and regard — as I shall not cease to value and
reciprocate them.

Mrs. Ames desires to join with me in offering to you and Mrs. Wolcott her best

wishes for your happiness and that of your family. I am, dear sir, with unfeigned

attachment

Yours truly

Fisher Ames.
Mr. Wolcott.

From Mr. Webster.
Dear Sir New Haven, April 13, 1803.

I perceive by the papers that you are establishing business in New York, under

very favourable auspices, and have an appointment that will secure to your family

permanent subsistence. I rejoice at these events ; as the most meritorious services

in public life, and such I consider yours to have been, cannot secure more than a

SIXTH GENERATION. 291

temporary subsistence, even with all the toil, and exposure to calumny, attending

such services.

Accept my best wishes for your prosperity, and believe me yours affectionately

N. Webster, Jr.
Oliver IVokoit, Esq.

To HIS Daughters.

My Dear Daughters ^''f«' ^'>r^> Ju'y 2-. 1804.

I intended to have wrote you a Letter before now, but have been prevented by
urgent business. You will remember, I hope, that the present is the most important
period of your lives. If you do not improve the few years which are to come next,
in case your health is spared, you will never be accomplished in those branches of
knowledge, which can alone render you amiable, respected, and beloved in this world,
and happy in the next.

Though I do not wish to divert your minds wholly from the amusements
suitable for your age, yet you are now old enough to consider, that this is not a
world for dissipation and mere amusement. It is now time to study and to think,
and also to begin to be useful. You ought to, and I hope do, reflect that your Dear
Mamma is in a state of feeble health, and that I am obliged to be absent, to procure
the means of supporting you and your Brothers, and that you ought to do all in
your power to lessen her cares, and also to set a good example to your young
Brothers.

You must write to me every Week, and inform me how the boys behave, and
whether you like the Country better than New York.

I remain your affectionate Parent

Oliv: Wolcott.

Miss Laura Wolcott, and

Miss Elizabeth S. Wolcott, Litchfield.

To HIS Wife.
My Dear Wife ^'^^ ^'"■'^' J"ly "> 'S°4-

I had prepared to set out to see you, to-morrow morning, but an affecting event
has just occurred, which renders it proper for me to postpone my journey a few days.
This morning my friend Hamilton was wounded, and as is supposed mortally, in a
duel with Col. Burr — the cause, the old disagreement about Politicks.

I have just returned from Mr. W^ Bayard's, where Hamilton is. I did not see
him ; he suffers great pain, which he endures like a Hero. Mrs. Hamilton is with
him, but she is ignorant of the cause of his Illness, which she supposes to be
spasms ; no one dare tell her the truth — it is feared she would become frantic.

292 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Gen. Hamilton has left his opinion, in writing, against Duelling, which he con-
demns as much as any man living. He determined not to return the fire of his adver-
sary ; and reasoned himself into a belief, that though the custom was in the highest
degree criminal, yet there were peculiar reasons which rendered it proper for Imn, to
expose himself to Col. Burr in particular. This instance of the derangement of intel-
lect of a great mind, on a single point, has often been noticed as one of the most
common yet unaccountable frailties of human nature.

While there is life there is Hope, but that is all which can be said. Thus has
perished one of the greatest men of this or any age.

I am as well as could be expected, considering how my mind is agitated by this

event ; and I will come to you as soon as the issue is decided. Kiss the Children,

and believe me affectionately yours.

Oliv: Wolcott

P. S. Hamilton spent the afternoon and evening of Monday with our friends
at my House, in company with M- Hopkinson of Philf. He was uncommonly cheer-
ful and gay ; the duel had been determined on for ten days. Monday was first
proposed ; it was then postponed till Tuesday, and took effect this morning. Judge
Pendleton was his Second.

To THE Same.
My Dear Wife ^^-w York, July 13, 1804.

Yesterday Gen! Hamilton expired in the midst of his family, who are agonized
beyond description. No person who witnessed their distress, will ever be induced to
fight a duel, unless he is a person wholly insensible to every sentiment of humanity.

Nothing can present a more humiliating idea of the imperfection of human
nature, than the scene we have witnessed. A man of the first endowments of mind,
the most strict propriety, the greatest sincerity, and the most tender attachments, has
for a considerable time been deliberately settling his affairs, in contemplation of the
event which has happened, as one highly probable. He left his family in perfect
health, as if proceeding on ordinary business, and with the same deliberation has
received a mortal wound ; thus proving his respect for justice in comparatively small
matters, and at the same time disregarding its obligations on points of the first
importance. This inconsistency has, moreover, happened, in compliance with a
custom which he deemed wholly criminal and indefensible, by which he had lost
a darling Son in the prime of Life, and with which he had resolved never to comply,
except in respect to the disposal of his own Existence. The defense of all this Con-
duct is, that there was a Chance for an escape, and that it would be wrong to torture

SIXTH GENERATION.

293

his family with unnecessary Anxiety. This excuse is weak and unsatisfactory ; and
it proves that, on certain points, the most enlightened men are governed by the
most unsound reasons.

To-morrow the funeral will be attended, and I have supposed that you would
think it my duty to be present. I feel the most sincere regret at the delay, and
more so, as I am concerned to hear that you are unwell. I will come, the next
Stage, at all Events.

Give my Love to Mary, the Children, and my Brother's family, and be assured

of the attachment of yours

Oliv: Wolcott.
Ms Wolcott.

To Mr. Willing.
My Dear Sir New York, July 16, 1804.

The afflicting intelligence, that our revered and beloved Hamilton is no more,
has already reached your ears. I will not attempt to describe my feelings ; and to
you, who have had ample opportunities of estimating his worth, it is unnecessary to
describe his character. I address you at the request of a number of Gentlemen, who
are desirous of testifying their gratitude for those services which, more than those of
any other man, have contributed to the prosperity of our Country. . . .

I communicate the design to you, with the most perfect conviction of your
cordial co-operation. I have the honour to be, with perfect Respect, Dear Sir, your
obe! serv'

Oliv: Wolcott.

Thomas Willing, Esq., Phila.

The great statesman who passed from the stage of human affairs in
this tragic manner, in view of his close relation to the subject of the sketch
before us, is entitled here to a commemorative line. Of the deep and
bitter lamentations which were called forth by his untimely death, — " more
deep, more bitter, because unavailing," — none can be more suitably in-
serted here than that of the brilliant Massachusetts orator and patriot,
whose classic eloquence is one of the traditions of Congress, and whose
relations to both Hamilton and Wolcott were those of unreserved intimacy.
We can give but brief, detached sentences from his glowing eulogium.

" In every place he made it apparent that no other man could have filled it so
well ; and in times of critical importance, in which alone he desired employment, his

294

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

services were justly deemed absolutely indispensable. As Secretary of the Treasury,
his was the powerful spirit that presided over the chaos : —

" ' Confusion heard his voice, and wild uproar
Stood ruled.'

" It is not as Apollo, enchanting the shepherds with his lyre, that we deplore
him ; it is as Hercules treacherously slain in the midst of his unfinished labors,
leaving the world overrun with monsters.

" While the power of his friends over him seemed to have no limits, and really
had none in respect to those things which were of a nature to be yielded, no man —
not the Roman Cato himself — was more inflexible on every point that touched, or
only seemed to touch, integrity and honor. With him it was not enough to be
unsuspected ; his bosom would have glowed like a furnace, at its own whispers of
reproach.

"The tears that flow on this fond recital will never dry up. My heart, pene-
trated with the remembrance of the man, grows liquid as I write, and I could pour
it out like water. I could weep too for my country, which, mournful as it is, does not
know the half of its loss. It deeply laments when it turns its eyes back, and sees
what Hamilton was ; but my soul stiffens with despair when I think what Hamilton
would have been.

" Alas ! the great man who was at all times so much the ornament of our

country, and so exclusively fitted in its extremity to be its champion, is withdrawn

to a purer and more tranquil region. We are left to endless labors and unavailing

regrets.

" ' Such honors Ilion to her hero paid,

And peaceful slept the mighty Hector's shade.'

" That nation is fitted to ignominy and servitude, for which such men have lived
in vain. Power may be seized by a nation that is yet barbarous ; and wealth may be
enjoyed by one that it finds, or renders, sordid. Both are mutable, and have passed
away without leaving behind them any other memorial than ruins that offend taste,
and traditions that baffle conjecture. But the glory of Greece is imperishable, or
will last as long as learning itself, which is its monument ; it strikes an everlasting
root, and bears perennial blossoms on its grave. The name of Hamilton would have
honored Greece in the age of Aristides. May Heaven, the guardian of our liberty,
grant that our country may be fruitful of Hamiltons, and faithful to their glory ! " —
Fisher Ames}

1 Works, II. 259-264.

SIXTH GENERATION. 295

The latest tribute to this eminent statesman reaches us as we are
revising the proof of the preceding, in the telegraphic report of the open-
ing remarks of General Garfield, Republican candidate for the Presidency,
from a balcony on Fifth Avenue, New York, to the crowd below, Aug. 5,
1880: —

" This is New York, and yonder toward the Battery, more than one hundred
years ago, a young student of Columbia College was arguing ideas of American
Revolution and American Union against un-American loyalty to the monarchy of
his College president and professors. By and by he went into the patriot army, was
placed on the staff of Washington, to fight the battles of his country ; and while in
camp, before he was twenty-one years old, upon a drumhead, he wrote a letter which
contained every germ of the Constitution of the United States. That student,
soldier, statesman, and great leader of thought, Alexander Hamilton of New York,
made this Republic glorious by his thinking, and left his lasting impress upon New
York, the foremost State of the Union."

Our next letter was prompted by a bereavement which had in it no
tragic element, but which awakened most pensive and tender regrets.
The favorite sister, the devoted wife, whose facile pen has enlivened our
Memorial, and whose face, as seen in the portrait which adorns it, justifies
the admiration which her presence evoked, died March 12, 1S05.

To Mr. Goodrich.
My Dear Sir ^'ew York, March iSi, 1805.

By letters from our Friend, Mr. Dwight, I am informed of the affecting event ;
which calls us to lament the separation of the tenderest ties of Nature. Perhaps
your relation to the deceased, still more intimate than that of Brother, gives you
a right to expect from me some attempt to offer you consolation. Alas ! this is not
in my power. The intelligence of our bereavement has reached me at a moment,
when my mind, unprepared for the Stroke, and susceptible only of Anguish, is
agonized at the prospect of a similar Misfortune.

Yet believe me, my Dear Brother, my own sufferings can never render me
indifferent to any Event, which affects your Happiness. My Tears shall constantly
flow with yours ; we will mutually cherish a lively recollection of that excellence
which has departed. Though Clouds of adversity darken our Dwellings, yet we

296 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

will not forget that we have duties to perform ; that the cares and pains of this Life.

will soon be over, when we shall rejoin the Society of our Friends, in a state of

glorious and immutable Felicity.

With sincere condolence, and the most perfect Esteem and Friendship, I

remain. Dear Brother,

Your affectionate

Oliv: Wolcott
Chauncey Goodrich, Esq.

To HIS Wife.
My Dear Wife -^'^^ York, June 28!i, 1805.

I arrived home on Wednesday Evening, without meeting any unlucky accident
and found the House and every thing in order. Your friends, whom I have seen,
enquire after you with much affection, and desire me to present their Love. It
grieves me sincerely, that in your critical and feeble state I cannot be constantly with
you, to administer such comfort and support as might be in my power. You are
sensible, however, of the motives for our present separation, and acquiesce in them
as fully, as if you were not personally interested. You will I hope, also, endeavour
to support your spirits, to preserve tranquillity of mind, and after resorting to all
reasonable methods for preserving your Life and recovering Health, acquiesce with
serenity in the determination of Heaven. In the most unfavourable issue, you will
possess every advantage, which the lot of humanity affords. I am certain that no
person is better prepared to live, or to die, than yourself. In your family, friends,
and acquaintances, this world presents as many attractions to you as to any other
person ; and a review of your Life and conduct must console you, in respect to the
untried Scenes of futurity.

I shall be glad to hear from you often, but do not wish to fatigue you with
writing. Unless something extraordinary occurs, a line written by Laura will be
sufficient.

I feel as if I had more weighty duties to perform, than at any former period.
They are, however, different from those which have principally occupied my Life. I
shall perform them in the best manner in my power, and hope for that aid, which has
in a distinguished manner protected and supported you through Life.

Present my Love to all Friends and to our D- Children, and remain assured of
the affectionate attachment of yours

Oliv: Wolcott,

Mn Wolcott

SIXTH GENERATION.

297

From the Rev. Dr. Morrison.
Dear Sir Canton, Old French Factory, Oct. 19'i 1807

Being at length brought by the good Providence of God to this eastern verge
of the old world, I beg leave to express my obligations to you for the favour of a
passage in the Trident, and introductory letters to Messrs Milner and Bull. Capt.
Blakeman, and the Officers on board the Trident, showed towards me, on the whole
of our passage, every disposition to render my situation comfortable. Messrs Milner
and Bull have, since my arrival, treated me with the utmost politeness. They have
favoured me with two rooms in their factory, and allowed me to board in the family.

I hope to be permitted to remain in this country, but do not by any means
consider it as certain.

I remain, Dear Sir, with much respect and esteem

Yours sincerely

RoB^ Morrison
Oliver IVolcott, Esq.

From the Corporation of Yale College.

At a meeting of the President and Fellows of Yale College in the College
Library, Sept. 8'^ 1807 —

Voted — That the Two Thousand Dollars, presented this College by the Hon.

Oliver Wolcott be put at Interest, and that the Interest thereof be appropriated

to the purchase of Books, to replenish the Library, pursuant to the will of the

Donor ; and that the thanks of this Board be presented to Mr. Wolcott, for his

liberal Donation.

Attest

David Ely, Scribe.

From the Rev. Dr. Dwight.
Dear Sir New Haven, 'Idiny 18, 1808.

It is unnecessary to tell you, that I cordially unite in the sentiments expressed
by our Corporation. It is hardly possible that any other person should feel this
subject as I feel it. The interests of this Institution are by habit become my own ;
and are incapable of being regarded by me as the interests of a Stranger. The aid,
which you have given us, is a prop to a weak part of our building, essential to the
symmetry and usefulness of the whole structure. In no other manner could the
same benefaction have been equally useful. Accept my best wishes for your health
and happiness.

298 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

The Prudential Committee of this Institution voted, at their late meeting, to
return you their cordial thanks for your kind offices' to us, in forwarding the objects
of Mr. Silliinans Mission. I do it with sincere pleasure. We are not merely satis-
fied ; we are greatly obliged, and feel no small gratification in declaring it.

I am. Dear Sir, very respectfully your obedient friend and servant

Timothy Dwight.

Hon. Oliver Wolcott, Esquire.

To President Dwight.
Rev? and Dear Sir ^-^^ york, Aug. 24, 1808.

Various avocations have hitherto delayed my acknowledgments of your much
esteemed favour, transmitting the resolution of the President and Fellows of Yale
College, of the 8- of September last. As the Board will soon convene, I request you
to express to them my Thanks for the honour conferred on me, by their Vote. That
it has been in my power to perform an Act, which would excite the feelings expressed
in your Letter, affords me the highest satisfaction.

That your life may be prosperous, and that you may long continue the orna-
ment, guide, and benefactor of an Institution, of the highest importance to Society,
is the constant Wish of, Rev'? and Dear Sir, your sincere Friend and obed! Serv!

Oliv: Wolcott.

Revf Timothy Dwight, D.D.

To Mr. Giebs.
My Dear Sir Litchfield, April 7, 1817.

Our Election has been held this day. In this Village, Gov. Smith had 222, and
your humble servant 322 votes. I own that I am pleased with obtaining the major-
ity in this Town, as every possible exertion has been made to oppose me. I know
that seven eighths of the Town are pleased with the result, though many of them
dare not confess it. I knew my Conn! Comrades well ; when a strange animal, as
they consider me, comes among them, they first attempt to knock him on the head. If
they find him too strong, they will make peace on pretty fair terms, and like him the
better for having resisted them. I do not want an office, but I could not decline this
Contest with Honour nor with Safety.

Take good care of George, and with love to Laura, remember that I am affec-
tionately yours

Oliv: Wolcott.
George Gibbs, Esq.

SIXTH GENERATION. 299

He was chosen Governor of the State at this election, and we give
below the opening and concluding sentences of his first Message to the
Legislature : —

" Gentlemen of the Cotincil,
" Mr. Speaker, and

" Gentlemen of the House of Representatives :

" I enter upon the duties of the honourable station which has been assigned me,
with emotions which I cannot describe. After a long absence from the State, I
found myself, on my return, almost a stranger in the land of my Fathers ; and, till
a recent period, I should have deemed no event more improbable, than that which
has rendered it my duty to address you from this place.

" You, Gentlemen, are all witnesses, that the publick suffrages have not been
influenced by my solicitations or exertions ; neither ought I to attribute the inval-
uable proof of the confidence of my fellow citizens, which at this time demands my
grateful acknowledgements, to personal favour. If, indeed, my countrymen have
been in some degree influenced in their choice by a favourable estimate of the ser-
vices I have performed in various stations, still it is my duty to acknowledge, that
those services were commenced and continued, under the guidance of illustrious men,
who were among the founders of our Nation ; and that to the wisdom of their pre-
cepts, whatever has appeared to be most meritorious in my conduct, ought chiefly to
be referred. It is sufficient honour for me, to have obtained their confidence and
approbation. Disclaiming all pretensions to participation of their Glory, I cannot
omit to express the reverence I entertain for those sages, whom no artifices could
deceive, no temptations seduce, no dangers intimidate. Their names have already
been inscribed on the imperishable tablets of History, and in now tendering my
homage to those, who, by divine favour, were instrumental in achieving our Inde-
pendence and establishing our Government, I presume that I perform a duty, which
will be repeated by every future generation, with increasing gratitude.

" Notwithstanding every embarrassment incident to the present period, the rise,
progress, and actual condition of this State, in connexion with the American Repub-
lic, affords just cause for patriotic exultation. In particular I desire to thank God,
that my existence in this life has been allotted, during a period distinguished by
remarkable events ; that I have constantly witnessed his protecting care of our
beloved Country ; that I have seen the Tree of Liberty, the emblem of our Inde-
pendence and Union, while it was a recumbent plant, fostered by vigilance, defended

300

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

by toil, and not unfrequently watered with tears ; and that by his favour, I now
behold it in the vigour of youthful maturity, standing protected from violation by the
sound heads, glowing hearts, and strong arms of a new generation, elevating its
majestic trunk towards Heaven ; striking its strong roots in every direction through
our soil ; and expanding its luxuriant branches over a powerful, united, and pros-
perous Nation.

" Oliv: Wolcott.
"General Assejibly,

"May Session, 1817."

The document, from which we have given brief extracts, found its way
to England, and the " London Times," the leading political journal of
Great Britain, which has always been sparing in its commendation of any
American production, had the following editorial notice in its columns,
under date of July 8, 181 7: —

"We have just received the Inaugural Address of his Excellency Oliver Wol-
cott, Governor of Connecticut, which we have perused with much satisfaction and
delight, and which we lay before a class of our numerous readers. It is worthy of the
republican Chief Magistrate, from whose pen it emanated. It is a lucid disclosure
of topics which it presents for legislative consideration. When we look at the sim-
plicity and dignity of its manner, the beauty of its style, the purity of its language,
the elegance of its diction, and the originality of the composition, we have no hesi-
tance in saying, that we consider it one of the most splendid State Papers that has
ever yet appeared."

To Mr. Otis.
Sir Litchfield, Aug. 9* 1820.

I have to acknowledge the receipt of your Letter of July 15*, with the first vol-
ume of your translation of Botta's History of the War of American Independence,
which I have attentively perused with great satisfaction. If the remaining volumes
are executed with the same spirit, truth and intelligence, which distinguished the
first, this work will, in my opinion, be justly considered as by far the most philo-
sophic and classic History of the memorable events it celebrates, which has yet
appeared ; and will deserve a place in the library of every patriotic American.

It will be in vain, hereafter, for the advocates of Royalty, Hierarchy, and Feudal
Privileges, to assign to the Founders of our Nation a low rank in the scale of intel-
lect. Learned investigations have at length demonstrated, that the ascendancy of

SIXTH GENERATION.

301

America, in every progressive stage, ought to be ascribed no less to mental energ}',
than to military prowess. Perhaps the period is not remote, when European States-
men will generally admit, that it constitutes the chief glory of the British Nation, that
the sublime doctrines of civil and religious Liberty, which were promulgated by
Hampden, Sidney, Milton, Locke, Berkeley, and other illustrious luminaries of their
age, were transplanted, invigorated, and firmly established on this Continent by their
contemporaries and associates.

It appears to have been the design of Mr. Botta, to evince that the principles
of the Founders of our Nation, have been in every period, and especially during the
War of the Revolution, no less ably and efficiently defended by their descendants in
the Council, than in the Field ; and with equal virtue, by the great body of the
People. And I humbly trust that, by the favour of a gracious Providence, these
principles will be diffiised throughout the world, with every future expansion of arts,
science, and civilization.

I tender you my thanks for the pleasure your translation has afforded me, and
I entertain no doubt, that your labours will be rewarded by an extensive diffusion of
the publication.

I am with great respect. Sir, your very obed! serv!

Oliv: Wolcott.
George A. Otis, Esq. Phi If

To Mr. Gracie.
My Dear Sir Litchfield, Janr 8, 1S22.

When you see the Marquis La Fayette, please to present my best respects to
him. I recollect his appearance, soon after his arrival in this Country ; his erect
form, bright brown hair, blue eyes, and brilliant complexion, rendered him the most
interesting young man I had then seen. I have lately read a description of his
figure, as at present. Time and the Events, to which he has been exposed, have it
seems changed his aspect to that of venerable age. The Marquis is certainly the
most fortunate and illustrious Frenchman of his Age ; he has passed the ordeal of
tribulation, and survives, covered with glory as with years. I should like to know
the Fortunes of his Son, George Washington La Fayette ; if I recollect right, he was
distinguished in the army.

I hope to be able to write you with more punctuality hereafter; for the present,
I subscribe myself with great sincerity and truest affection yours

Oliv: Wolcott.

William Gracie, Esq., Paris.

302 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

From the Rev. Dr. Day.

Sir Yale College, Feb. 12, 1822.

I have to acknowledge the receipt of yours of Jan. 31-, accompanied with a
valuable collection of books, to be added to the repeated contributions with which
your liberality has already enriched our Library. Should your example be followed
by a few of the friends of the Institution, we might soon have a collection of books,
which would be an honour to the State, and of inestimable value to the literary
public.

I have the honour to be, with sentiments of the highest respect, your Excel-
lency's obed! servJ

Jeremiah Day

From Ex-President Adams.
My Dear and Worthy old Friend Quincy, 17* November, 1823.

With real pleasure I received your kind letter of July 28'^ though I received it
but a few days ago. I thank you for introducing to me Major Wolcott Huntington,
whose appearance and manners do honour to both his names.

I rejoice to learn that you enjoy good health, and I wish that your Life may be
prolonged for the Government of Connecticut as long as mine has been, which has
extended beyond all my anticipations and expectations.

I have received a letter from our fellow Citizen and noble General, La Fayette,
within a few days, in which he hails Faneuil Hall as the Cradle of Universal Liberty
to all Mankind. This is very flattering to the City of Boston, and to all the United
States, but the prospect at present is somewhat clouded. The old dragon, the off-
spring of the unholy alliance between political and ecclesiastical tyranny, now appears
under the title of legitimacy, which threatens to destroy the rights of the People to
institute their own Government, and it will undoubtedly produce great calamities to
mankind. But great is truth, and will ultimately prevail.

Our political discussions are only a warfare of words, our Cannon are only
Goose Quills, and our shot nothing but black ink ; we shall preserve our Liberties a
long time, let the crowned noddles of Europe bluster as they will.

A session of Congress approaches in no gloom, and with no formidable appre-
hensions of danger or difficulty. The next Election, thoroughly discussed before-
hand, will go off in great tranquillity, whoever draws the highest ticket in the Lottery.
Our Governor Eustis sits very easily in his Chair, and we are as haf^y as we ever
shall be.

SIXTH GENERATION.

303

I am, Sir, with assurances of high esteem and regard, and in daily expectation of

a summons to another department,

Your friend and humble servant

John Adams.
Governor Wolcott.

In August, 1824, he had the pleasure, as Governor of the State, of
extending its welcome to his old friend. General La Fayette, on the occa-
sion of his visit to the United States. We give his Address: —

"Dear General,

"I rejoice in this opportunity of renewing our welcome to you, in this ancient
Capital of Connecticut, where a virtuous and enlightened people have during nearly
two centuries, enjoyed Republican Institutions, which were devised by themselves,
and which have been administered by agents annually designated by their voluntary
suffrages. The principles which you have advocated in the Council and defended in
the Field, have been here triumphantly established, and by the favour of Heaven we
hope to transmit them unimpaired, to the latest posterity.

" These principles are now diffused on every side, from the Ocean to the high
Plains of Missouri, and from the Lakes to the Bay of Mexico. Over this great
region, our sons and our daughters, parents of future millions, are rapidly extending
science, religion, industry, and all the arts which perpetuate and embellish powerful
communities. Literature and commerce augment our strength and resources. We
are united with elevated spirits from every country, who have come here to enjoy all
that freedom of opinion and of action with which our own minds are imbued. You
can proceed to no spot where you will not be met by Patriots who have aided your
exertions, in both hemispheres, or by their admiring relations ; and in every class
you will find an interesting proportion of Frenchmen, including numbers of the
descendants of those early immigrants who imbibed the liberal and gallant spirit of
your Fourth Henry.

" Every class of citizens will instantly recognize in you an illustrious Benefactor
of the United States and of mankind, and they will unite in spontaneous benedictions,
with ardent invocations to the Supreme Being that you may be prosperous in life,
with a happy transition to a blessed immortahty."

304 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

To Doctor Rhinelander.
My Dear Sir Litchfield, Oct. 4'^ 1829.

I took up my Pen to write you a Letter, to acknowledge files of Newspapers
which, in the absence of Books, have kept my mind in action, and preserved my
reason, my health, and some share of vivacity. It is proper that I should return you
thanks for these favours, which I do with perfect sincerity.

The difference between savages and civilized men, is chiefly to be ascribed to
the arts of writing and printing. Who can contemplate without wonder, admiration,
and gratitude, the advances which have been made in physical arts and science,
since the commencement of the reign of George the Third of England, a period
within my personal recollection ! But " the end is not yet ; " the progress of im-
provement is continually extending, and becoming more rapid. Where it will end,
and what will be the consequences, in respect to our species, is known only to God,
who established the Ordo reriim by which all nature is surrounded, and which he
only can overrule and control.

When I review the incidents of my own life, I am compelled to acknowledge,
with sincere and reverential gratitude, that many of the most important, in relation
to my standing in society, my health, my fame, my family, and my children, have
occurred without my contrivance, and have terminated contrary to my expectations
and wishes. I have suffered severe afflictions ; yet on the whole, my life has, so far,
been happy and fortunate.

I have been connected with great Men, who were Actors in events, of which
they saw not the results, nor are they yet to be foreseen. I am now engaged in
small affairs, which seem to me important to my Family.

From your friend

Oliv. Wolcott.

Doct. J. R. Rhinelander.

Time has softened the political asperity and rancor of the period
embraced in the preceding record, and we have a clearer perspective than
the parties had of the questions which divided them. Without entering
here into any analysis of these questions, which our kinsman has fully
done in his work, we presume there are few of our readers who will not
assent to the general justness of the encomium given below, which we
extract from his closing pages.

SIXTH GENERATION.

305

" The merits of the Federal Administrations do not require to be estimated by
comparison with those which have followed. With an exception springing from the
abandonment of Federal policy, the first twelve years of our constitutional govern-
ment deserve, and from an impartial posterity will receive, the admiration and respect
of our country. ' In those days there were giants in the land.' Dignified and ele-
vated as was the character of Washington, pre-eminent as he stood among the great
and illustrious personages of history, there were around him and with him upon the
stage of public action others who at any time would have been, who even then were,
conspicuous as monuments amidst their race ; men who are found only in revolu-
tions ; who in times of fat and prosperous security remain inert and obscure ; who
appear only with the storms of state ; whose ardor and patriotism are roused in pro-
portion to the danger ; whose self-reliance increases with peril, and whose resources
are fertile in the same degree that they are ta.xed. Such were the great representa-
tives of the Federal party, the men whose names are household words, examples for
the imitation of those that come after. Blot these names from our records, and what
indeed would remain ! The tone of their government was in accordance with the
character of its administrators ; they had considered official station, not as a reward
of partisanship, but as a trust confided by the nation to those who had marked them-
selves worthy of the trust ; they had inculcated maxims of reverence for the laws, as
the true loyalty of republicans ; their foreign policy was distinguished by a pure and
undeviating love of country ; their domestic, alike by ability, integrity, and foresight.
Firm, prudent, and honest, they indulged in no levity of resentment to other nations,
nor wavered at the apprehension of danger from them. With the single object
of the public good, they never hesitated to incur individual odium or misrepresenta-
tion." ^

We abstain from any further extracts from our voluminous papers.
Our purpose is accomplished in having furnished the materials for a fair
judgment of the character and services of Oliver Wolcott, the younger.
We have seen him, at the early age of thirty-five years, selected by the
sagacious Washington for a post in the Cabinet, second in importance to
no other, as the successor of the accompHshed Hamilton. And he fully
justified the confidence of his chief, and showed himself possessed of the
qualities requisite in a minister of finance. He had not, it is true, a brill-

' Gibbs's Fed. Admin., II. 513.

3o6 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

iant genius, but he had a sound and well-regulated mind, a judgment
matured and reliable, strong practical good sense, and native shrewdness.
His conceptions were broad and comprehensive, his reasoning was vigor-
ous and clear. He was well acquainted with the resources of the country,
and with the views and interests of its different sections, thoroughly-
versed in the duties of his office, capable of continuous application, me-
thodical and strictly business-like in his habits. To his capacity for detail
the Government were indebted for the admirable arrangements adopted in
the Department of the Treasury, which was chiefly modelled by him ; and
to his financial ability for some of its ablest and most lucid Reports. He
had no desire to obtain a shining reputation, and little ambition, other
than to fill honorably an honorable station. His employment from so
early a period in subordinate official services, while it had perfected his
qualifications for his particular Department, had withdrawn him entirely
from those fields of action where men gain personal popularity. He
brought, therefore, no addition of political strength into the Cabinet, had
this been sought, but he did bring, what at that time was perhaps equally
valuable, the entire confidence of many (including General Hamilton) who
themselves occupied a high and deserved rank in the public regard.

He possessed withal, unflinching resolution, a high-toned sense of
honor, and an integrity of character beyond the power of temptation ; he
could never bend, even in appearance, from what he considered right. No
idea of expediency, no hope of attaining a cherished object, ever made him
swerve from his path ; he was, in every matter of principle, stern and
uncompromising.

The late Hon. Joseph Hopkinson, one of his distinguished political
associates, thus writes resiDecting him : —

During his residence in Philadelphia, the division of political parties in their
social intercourse was more decided than it has ever been since. His associations,
therefore, were almost exclusively with the federal members of the Administration
and of Congress, together with families residing in the city of the same politics,
which then certainly constituted the best society of the city. In his parlor, of an
evening, you would meet more or less company of that description. Leading mem-

SIXTH GENERATION. 307

bers of the Senate and House of Representatives, especially from New England,
were habitually there, and sometimes at my house. When I mention such names as
Ellsworth, Ames, Griswold, Goodrich, Tracy, and others, you may imagine what a
rich and intellectual society it was. I will not say that we have no such men now,
but I don't know where they are.

Mr. Wolcott was a man of a cheerful and even playful disposition. His conver-
sation was interesting and earnest, but gay, unless the occasion was unfit for gaiety.
He enjoyed a good joke from himself or another, and his laugh was hearty and
frequent. He delighted in the discussion of literary subjects and the works of
distinguished authors, and was particularly fond of poetry. Indeed, I understand
that in his younger days he was a poet. He had a good taste in literature, with one
exception about which we often disputed, and in which his New England attachments
or prejudices controlled his judgment. He had an excessive admiration of Dr.
Dwight's " Conquest of Canaan." His domestic life was most exemplary ; his
greatest happiness was in his family, with the friends who congregated there. His
devotion to the business and duties of his office was severe and unremitting. He
possessed, in a high degree, a very rare qualification, the capacity for continued
hard work, and was in everything systematic and orderly. His attachments to his
friends were strong and lasting, never taxing them with unreasonable exactions, nor
subjecting them to unpleasant caprices. He was open and direct in all his dealings,
without duplicity or intrigue in anything ; his sincerity was sure, he deceived
nobody. His political opinions were the honest convictions of a man of undoubted
integrity, of distinguished intelligence, and high attainments, and, above all, of a true
and sincere lover of his Country.

It may be added here, that during the pressing occupations of his
pubHc life he never forgot his Hterary tastes, — his retentive memory ena-
bling him to recall long passages of the British poets, with whom he was
specially familiar. He received at different times, from Brown University,
New Jersey College, and Yale College, respectively, the honorary degree
of LL.D.

The office of Governor he sustained for ten years with dignity. Dur-
ing this period he became the author of some of the ablest papers in the
Records of the State. His annual Messages to the Legislature, his Veto
of the act known as the Steamboat Bill, his Plan of Taxation, and his Draft

3o8 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

of the new Constitution, fully sustained the reputation for ability which he
had gained in the Cabinet of Washington.

After his retirement from i^ublic life, he returned to the city of New
York, and his few remaining years were passed there, at the seat of his son-
in-law. Col. George Gibbs, or in its immediate vicinity. He died June i,
1833, and his remains were taken to Litchfield.

" He was the last survivor of Washington's Cabinet. The departure of few
men ever produced a more deep and general feeling of sorrow. All felt that a most
important link in the chain that united the present generation with the one of the
Father of his Country was broken." ^

" The character of Mr. Wolcott was strongly marked. Stern, infle.xible, and
devoted in all that duty, honor, and patriotism enjoined, he was in private life of the
utmost gentleness, kindness, and simplicity. With strong original powers, which the
stirring events of the revolutionary days in which he was born only developed, he
had acquired a habit of self-reliance which little fitted him for that sort of political
co-operation, which results from expediency rather than right. He aimed at the
right always, and at all events, according to his best convictions ; and if any ques-
tioned his judgment, none could impeach his honesty and sincerity." ^

The Common Council of the city of New York, on the occasion of
his death, unanimously adopted the following resolution, June 3, 1833: —

"Resolved, That this Board, entertaining a high respect for the Character of
the Honorable Oliver Wolcott, late Governor of the State of Connecticut, lately
deceased, will attend his Funeral ; and that a Copy of this Resolution be furnished
by the Clerk to the Family of the deceased."

The Governor of Connecticut made the following address to the
Legislature, at the close of their session, June 6, 1833: —

" While met with you for the purpose of closing the session, I cannot omit
a momentary and passing notice of one who once filled the place I occupy, and who
has very recently been called to another world. His life had been devoted to the
service of his country. Blessed with a vigorous mind, highly cultivated and improved

1 Kilbourn. ^ New York American, June 3, 1S33.

SIXTH GENERATION. 309

by education ; called at an early period into the public service ; his advantages were
great, and they were not unimproved. In all the various stations he has held, he has
rendered distinguished services to our State and Nation ; among these services, those
which he rendered as the Chief Magistrate of this State, will not soon be forgotten.
He went into office at a most important and interesting period, at a time when great
and important changes in our institutions were contemplated. He brought to the
work the full powers of his vigorous mind, the treasures of his long experience,
careful attention, laborious research, and a liberal, enlightened, and ardent patriotism.
In the foundation of what is most valuable and most esteemed in our present insti-
tutions, we trace the work of his hand. While civil and religious liberty, equality of
rights and privileges, an equitable distribution of public burdens, an economical and
judicious appropriation of the public revenues, are deemed objects of value in our
State, the name of Oliver Wolcott will be cherished and revered.

" Time and the occasion admit of nothing more than this momentary notice, and
the tribute of a tear to the memory of one, who so long and ably led the councils,
watched over the interests, and presided in the administration of the concerns of the

State.

" Henry W. Edwards."

In the "Litchfield County Centennial Celebration," August, 1851,
brief tributes were paid to the brothers Oliver and Frederick Wolcott,
both in the Address by the Hon. Samuel Church, Chief Justice of the
State, and in the Poem by Rev. John Pierpont, of Boston. An extract
from the former we give here : —

" Hon. Oliver Wolcott the younger, late Governor of this State, was also
a member of this Bar, and though he engaged in public life soon after his admission,
we are entitled to retain his name on our catalogue. I shall not now speak of his
life and eminent services. They make a prominent part of the country's history, and
have been, within a few years, faithfully written by his near relative. His bust has
been presented, on this occasion, to the Bar of this County."

Governor Wolcott was in person about the ordinaiy size, and as he
advanced in life inclining to corpulence. His head was large, and his
countenance strongly delineated and expressive. He possessed much
dignity of manner; his disposition was sedate, but cheerful, and with
some causticity of humor.

3IO THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Several portraits of him exist. The one from which the preceding
engraving, by Andrews and Tappan, was taken, is by Colonel Trumbull,
and was painted for the Hon. Josiah Ouincy, of Boston ; was bequeathed
by him to Prof. Wolcott Gibbs, of Harvard University, in whose possession
it now is. Another, painted by Gilbert Stuart, is in the State House at
Hartford ; another, painted by R. Earle, is in the library of the Connecti-
cut Historical Society, Hartford. The later portrait which we here give
is from a crayon sketch, by Rembrandt Peak, of much value as a likeness,
taken, it is said, while the Governor was delivering his Inaugural Address
to the Legislature, and engraved for the Memorial by Charles Burt, of
Brooklyn, N. Y. An admirable bust, executed after his death, by Mr.
S. V. Clevenger, is in the possession of the family.

" During the whole of Mr. Wolcott's residence in Philadelphia, his situation,
though involving laborious duties, was in a high degree delightful. A society at that
time existed there, marked by every characteristic which could recommend it to one
of a cultivated mind and social disposition, embracing much of the genius, the worth,
and no little of the wit and beauty, of the country, and cemented by mutual confidence
and congeniality of opinions and pursuits. Of this society, two members of his family,
his younger sister (Mrs. Goodrich) and his wife, were no inconspicuous ornaments.
The former was distinguished for her personal beauty and brilHant conversation.
Mrs. Wolcott, M'ith less beauty, had still a countenance of much loveliness, and man-
ners graceful and dignified. To the most feminine gentleness of disposition, she
added sound sense, and that kind of cultivation which is acquired in intercourse with
thinkers. Both belonged to a class of women of whom Connecticut could then boast
many, whose minds were formed, and habits of reflection directed by incn ; and
without coming within the category of female politicians, they had been almost from
childhood familiar with questions of public and general interest. An anecdote of
Mr. Tracy, whose sarcasms were of old dreaded alike in the Senate Chamber and
the drawing-room, has been preserved, commemorative at once of Mrs. Wolcott's
attractions and his own peculiar wit. Mr. Liston, the British Minister, who was
thoroughly English in his ideas, on some occasion remarked to him : ' Your country-
woman, Mrs. Wolcott, would be admired even at St. James.' ' Sir,' retorted the
Senator from Connecticut, ' she is admired even on Litchfield Hill ! ' " ^

1 Fed. Admin., I. 162.

\-j^ X"^

SIXTH GENERATION. 311

"At the houses of the principal Federalists connected with the government there
was a very different style of conversation ; religion was treated with reverence ; the
instructions of the past were received with humility, and visions of the future were
seen through the softening light of experience. The New Englanders clustered
about the home of Wolcott." ^

We find among our pajaers a letter fi-om his wife, dated Litchfield,
August 29th, addressed to him at New York, and closing as follows : —

My cough has been a little tighter, a few days past, otherwise I am much as
when you left me. The children are much as usual ; they join me in love to Papa.
Remember me affectionately to all friends. Adieu, my dearest friend. That God
may bless you and bring you again in safety is the constant prayer of your affec-
tionate

Eliza Wolcott

To this letter he has appended this memorandum, written, evidently,
in his latter years : —

This is the last letter which I ever received from my most excellent Wife, the
mother of all my children — a beautiful and intelligent lady, admired by all her
acquaintances and affectionately beloved by me. She discharged every duty of life
in the most exemplary manner, and her calm, firm spirit enabled me to suffer the
distresses to which I was exposed during the toils of my public life. She was a
sincere and devout Christian. During the year 1798, her fatigues occasioned
a rupture of her lungs, after which her health gradually declined. She continued,
however, to attend to domestic duties till the day of her death. She rode on horse-
back several miles with me on the morning of Sept. 22- 1805, was dressed and saw
her friends in the afternoon ; took her supper, went to bed as usual, and resigned
her spirit to God who gave it, about 1 1 o'clock in the evening. She passed a useful
and honourable life, esteemed by the most distinguished and virtuous of the age in
which she lived, and closed her days with a serene confidence in God.

In the gubernatorial gallery of the new State House in Hartford, a
portrait of Roger Wolcott is, unfortunately, among the few that are want-
ing. The portraits of his son and grandson hang in their places, and we
give here, from the Records of the Senate of Connecticut, the official vote
of thanks to their donor : —

1 Republican Court, 343. See pp. 364-3S0.

312 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Whereas, Doctor John S. Wolcott, on the 29"' day of May, 1834, made a
written communication to the Senate, that he had in his possession original Portraits
of his Grandfather, Oliver Wolcott, one of the Signers of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence, and of his Father, Oliver Wolcott, late Governors of this State, both by
eminent artists ; and informing the Senate, that should they deem them worthy of
a place in the Senate Chamber he would present them for that purpose ; therefore

Resolved by the Senate, that they entertain a very high regard for the memory
of the former and later Governors Wolcott, and with just sentiments of esteem
accept the present of their portraits, and duly appreciate the liberality of the donor,
and order the same to be placed in the Senate Chamber in New Haven.

Resolved, further, that the thanks of the Senate be presented to Doctor John S.
Wolcott for the respect he has shown them in presenting the portraits of his Grand-
father and Father, and assure him that they are esteemed highly worthy of a place
in the Senate Chamber.

LAST WILL.

To all persons whom these presents may concern, be it known that I, Oliver
Wolcott, a native citizen and lately an inhabitant of the Village, Township, and
County of Litchfield in the State of Connecticut, but lately and at present a resident
in the City, County, and State of New York, being at present in the seventy-third
year of my age, but free from any restraint and of sound mind and memory, reflecting
on the uncertainty of human life, do hereby make and establish this instrument as
my last will and testament.

First, I give to my beloved and only surviving son. Doctor John Stoughton
Wolcott, who resides with me and is the protector of my declining age, all my books,
papers, manuscripts, pictures, and household furniture, wherever found or situated.
From this general donation of personal property I except money on hand, or depos-
ited to my credit in banks, or notes or securities remaining due, or uncollected. Also,
all articles which I have given to my daughter, Laura Gibbs, and which remain in
her possession, which she is to retain without rendering any account.

Second, I do also give to my said son my home-farm in Litchfield, with all the
buildings thereon, and the appurtenances thereof, including the pictures and furniture
in the mansion-house in which I once resided ; and my will further is, that if by any
means this property becomes depreciated, so that within five years after my decease,
it will not produce ten thousand dollars at a public sale, that any deficiency of this
sum shall be supplied from any other property which I have.

SIXTH GENERATION. 313

Third, my will further is, that all the real property which I have, after satis-
fying my just debts, shall be divided into two shares, by partition or otherwise, one
share of which shall be appropriated to my dear daughter, Laura Gibbs, wife of Col.
George Gibbs of Long Island, and her children, in addition to what I have already
given her ; the other share I give to my son. Doctor John Stoughton Wolcott, and
I enjoin it upon my said son to take care of, support, and educate my dear grandson,
Oliver Wolcott, son of Oliver Wolcott and my daughter-in-law, Jane L. Conard ;
this is to be in addition to the property settled upon her and her son, lying near
Camden in New Jersey.

Fourth, I request William Gracie, Esq., to accept one hundred dollars, to be
invested in some token of my affectionate regard for him, as the husband of my dear
daughter, Elizabeth Gracie, deceased.

In testimony whereof, I, Oliver Wolcott, do declare this Instrument, written
with my hand on one sheet of paper, and sealed with my seal at Washington Hotel,
this fourteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and
thirty-two, to be my last will and testament.

Oliv: Wolcott [l. s.]

Signed and sealed in the presence of us, who at the request of said testator,
who is to us well known, have subscribed and sealed this instrument, with our places
of residence, in his presence, and in the presence of each other.

Henry Johnson, 282 Broadway, New York.

James H. Hart, No. 8, North Moore Street, New York.

Benjamin Franklin Hart, No. 40 Renwick Street, New York.

His Family Monument in the Litchfield Cemetery, erected by Mrs.
Gibbs, bears the Family Arms ; —

In Memory of

Oliver Wolcott,

Secretary of the Treasury of the United States,

and Governor of Connecticut.

Bora, 4 Jan., 1760. Died, i June, 1833.

And of
Elizabeth Stoughton, his Wife,
Born, 27 Oct., 1766. Died, 25 Sept., 1S05. {Epitaph.^

214 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

LVII. Frederick Wolcott (213) graduated at Yale College, 17S6,
with the first honors of his class, which appears to have embraced much
talent ; not less than eight of his classmates became members of Congress,
and several were eminent as clergymen. " Salutatory Oration in Latin by
Sir Wolcottr (Ord. Com.)

He married (ist), Oct. 12, 1800, Betsey, daughter of Col. Joshua
Huntington, of Norwich, Conn. ;^ she was born Nov, 8, 1774, and died
April 2, 1 81 2. He married (2d), June 21, 18 15, Mrs. Sally Worthington
Cooke, daughter of Rev. Samuel Goodrich, of Berlin;" she was born Aug.
7, 1784, and died Sept. 14, 1842. Children: —

387 — I. Mary Ann Goodrich, b. Aug. 9, 1801 ; m. May 22, 1827, Asa Whitehead,
Esq., of Newark, N. J. He was a leading member of the New Jersey
Bar.

388 — 2. Hannah Huntington, h. Jan. 14, 1803; m. April 21, 1834, Rev. Frederick

Freeman, of Sandwich, Mass.

389 — 3. Joshua Huntington, b. Aug. 29, 1804. See LXXV. (p . J? <j (?.

3go — 4. Elizabeth, \i. March 6, 1806; m. May 22, 1827, John P. Jackson, Esq., of
Newark, N. J. She died Oct. 15, 1875. Of this generation of the
Wolcott daughters there is not, probably, one who has combined more
harmoniously the elements of a charming character. A writer in the
New York " Evening Post," upon her decease, expressed the warm
appreciation of all her friends.

1 This gentleman was the worthy scion of a family renowned in the annals of Connecticut.
His father, Gen. Jabez Huntington (gr. Y. C. 1741). consecrated his wealth to the cause of Inde-
pendence, and was appointed Major-General of the entire State force. His eldest brother, Gen.
Jedediah Huntington (gr. H. U. 1763), bore a part, at the head of his troops, in some of the most
important scenes of the war. His youngest brother, Gen. Ebenezer Huntington (gr. Y. C. 1775),
was also prominent in the army and in pubhc life. Col. Joshua Huntington was engaged in mercan-
tile business in Norwich, when, on the receipt of the news of the battle of Lexington, he hastened
with a hundred men under his command to the scene of action, and was attached to General Putnam's
brigade. Through a long life he maintained the character of a high-toned Christian gentleman and
was held in great esteem. Mrs. Sigourney relates that his countenance was the most benign that she
had seen ; and it was the index of his temper and life.

2 He was the son of Rev. Elizur Goodrich, D.D., of Durham ; his wife was Elizabeth,
daughter of Col. John Ely. Three of his daughters married clergymen ; and two of his sons, Charles
A. and Samuel G. Goodrich, became known as writers. See p. 3S0.

«r^'

, y^^/'6-t/<:^ .^cy^ //c -Y^e

\ jm^ -

SIXTH GENERATION.

315

" It may be said that she never had an enemy. Those persons who knew
her well will testify to her sweetness, firmness, warm love for humanity, ardent
patriotism, and domestic devotion. She loved hospitality, and never tired of
entertaining her friends."

Their eldest daughter, Laura Wolcott yackson, married Charles
H. Parker, Esq. (gr. H. U. 1835), of Boston. Their eldest son, Fred-
erick Wolcott yackson, studied at Sheffield Scientific School, Yale
College ; is (1879) General Superintendent of the United New Jersey
Railroads, Pennsylvania Company. Their second son, yoscph Cooke
yackson, graduated at Yale College, 1857, Harvard University, LL.B.,
i860; served through the late war in various grades, closing as
Brigadier-General ; Assistant United States Attorney, Southern Dis-
trict of New York ; author of treatise, " Relations of the American
Lawyer to the State." Their third son, yoJin Peter yackson, graduated
at Princeton College, with the first honors of his class, 1S56, Harvard
University, LL.B., 1858 ; has been a member of the Newark City Coun-
cil and of the New Jersey Legislature. Their fourth son, Huntington
Wolcott yackson, graduated at Princeton College, 1863, and studied at
Harvard Law School ; served in the late war in several grades, ending
as Brevet Lieutenant-Colonel, for gallant and meritorious conduct ;
member of the Illinois Bar, and Supervisor of South Chicago. Their
fifth son, Schuyler BrinckerJioff Jackson, graduated at Yale College,
1871, Columbia Law School, 1873; is a Trustee of the State School
Fund, and (1879) Speaker of the General Assembly of New Jersey.

A fine monument to the memory of Mr. John P. Jackson has been
erected by the New Jersey Railroad Company, of which he was Vice-
President, and through whom, largely, the great enterprise had been
inaugurated and carried through. We copy the inscription: —

John P. Jackson,
Born June 8'^ 1805. Died Dec': lo'J-' 1861.

He was bom at Aquackanonk, N. J. ; was graduated at Princeton College
in 1823, with distinguished honor, and left a successful practice of law for a
generous devotion to works of internal improvement and Christian benevolence.

At home, the pillar around which the affections of all most tenderly clung ;
in social life, the faithful, sympathizing friend ; in public, a zealous patriot and
influential citizen ; in the church, an ardent and exemplary Christian. In the
highest maturity of his powers, he exchanged his life of eminent usefulness here
for the higher enjoyments of heaven.

3i6 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Elizabeth Wolcott,

Wife of John P. Jackson,

and daughter of Frederick Wolcott,

of Litchfield, Conn.

Bom March 6'^ 1806. Died Oct^ 15'-^ 1875.

" Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night

in his temple."

391 — 5. Frederick Henry, b. Aug. 19, 1808. See LXXVI. vU d ^ /

392 — 6. Laura Maria, b. Aug. 14, 181 1 ; m. March 3, 183 1, Robert G. Rankin, Esq.

(gr. Yale College, 1826), of New York City. He was a member of the
New York Bar, took an active leadership in business projects, and was
connected with important manufacturing and railway enterprises. He
passed the latter years of his life at Newburgh, N. Y., where he died
much respected, an elder in the Presbyterian Church, and one of the
Regents of the University of the State of New York.

Their son, Frederick Wolcott Rankin, graduated, Williams College,
1849; and their son, Francis Huntington Rankin, M.D., New York
University, 1869.

393 _ 7. Charles Moseley, b. Nov. 20, 1816. See LXXVH. P W" o ^
394 — 8. Chauncey Goodrich, b. March 15, 1819; d. Oct. 28, 1820.

395 — 9. Henry Griswold, b. Nov. 4, 1820. He received his business training in
Boston, and in 1843 went abroad and established himself in commercial
pursuits in Shanghai, China, — the house which he represented being
one of the earliest foreign firms in the new port. He held for a time
the post of United States Consul at this point. After developing the
Chinese trade with vigor and success, he was compelled by failing health
to return to this country. A visit to the German baths failed to restore
him ; and, still drooping under the malarial fever contracted in China,
he returned again to New York, where he died at the residence of his
brother Frederick, No. 105 Waverly Place, May 8, 1852.

He was endowed with uncommon strength and beauty of person,
and his natural energy was combined with high moral traits, with man-
liness and courage and honor. His future seemed full of promise ; and
his removal, in his early prime, was a severe blow to the family. " He
died in firm trust of a better life, through the merits and sacrifice of
Christ his Redeemer." He was buried in Litchfield.

raved by Cha^ Sfcmner ftom a Photograph

A/i>z^^^y xi?^^^^^''^

SIXTH gen'eratton: 317

The accompanying portrait is from a photograph, from life, by
M. B. Brady, engraved by Charles Skinner, of New York City.

Henry Griswold Wolcott,

Born

In Litchfield, Conn!

November 24- 1820.

Died

In New York

May 8'i 1852.

/ will say of the Lord,

He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in him will I trust. {Epitaph.)

3g6 — 10. Mary Frances, b. July 9, 1823; m. Feb. 4, 1845, Theodore Frothingham,
of Boston. Their son, Theodore FrotJiiugliain, grad. H. U., 1870.

The following recollections of Mr. Frederick Wolcott, as he appeared
in his college days, we give from a private letter of his venerable contem-
porary, Rev. Calvin Chapin, D.D., of Rocky Hill: —

His countenance was indicative of intelligence and strength. Personally, he
was portly, and doubtless as near perfection as any individual in the Seminary. His
manner was uniformly distinguished by dignity. In classical scholarship, his place
was with the first among his fellow-students. His undeviating use of college privi-
leges through the academical course proved him voluntarily joined to the wise, but
small, company of those who go there for abiding intellectual and moral improve-
ment. The expenditure of time and money in the momentary pleasures of trifling
and vicious foolery had no place in his purposes and plans, his occupations and
hopes. If memory fails not, the highest, at that day, and most honorable part, — the
Salutatory Oration, — was assigned to him at graduation.

Soon after leaving College he entered upon the study of the Law,
but was prevented by ill-health from engaging in its practice. He was
appointed Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas in 1 793, and in 1 798 Clerk
of the Superior Court of Litchfield County, then first established. These
offices he held until 1836, and on his resignation the County Court issued
a special order, expressing " their most unqualified approbation of the

3i8 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

fidelity, integrity, and courtesy with whicli he has performed the various
duties of the office." In 1796, he was also appointed Judge of Probate of
the District, which last post he retained till his death. He was a Repre-
sentative of the Town in the General Assembly, and in 1808 he was
chosen one of the Presidential Electors. He was elected a member of the
State Senate in 1810, and annually thereafter until 1823. During the last
si.x years of his service as Senator, he was one of the Fellows of Yale Col-
lege,— his brother, as Governor of the State, being at the same time a
member of the Board.

He was the prime mover in the manufacturing enterprise started at
Wolcottville, elsewhere noticed, in which his brother Oliver was associated
with him, bearing a part in the early development of the manufacture of
woollen cloths in this country. They were also associated in another
specialty, namely, the improvement of agriculture, and the introduction
of improved breeds of stock, particularly the Devon and Durham cattle,
and the Merino sheep, of both which they were importers, — the latter from
Spain and the former from England. These two brothers, influenced
largely by patriotic motives and the desire to render this country inde-
pendent of Europe, were among our pioneers in the advancement of these
great national interests, both agricultural and manufacturing, — a rank
which they attained not without pecuniary risk and sacrifice.

From the family correspondence we select two letters addressed to
him by his father and his brother, then twenty-two years of age, soon after
he had entered college, having at their date just passed his fifteenth birth-
day, and a third when he entered upon his Sophomore year.

From his Father.
My Child Litchfield, Dec. 4, 1782

I have no doubt but that you will attend to your literary Improvement as far as
shall consist with the Preservation of your Health, which you cannot expect to enjoy
unless you indulge yourself in such innocent Recreations as are necessary to give
Vigor both to the Body and Mind ; perhaps, indeed, your Service as a Freshman
subjects you rather to an Excess of Exercise than otherwise ; but you will best know
what will be necessary for you by your own Experience.

SIXTH GENERATION. 319

I have nothing in special to recommend to you, but that you attend to the great
Dutys of Religion and Virtue without which you will not enjoy any comfortable
Reflections in this Life nor Happiness hereafter. — May unerring Wisdom be your
Guide thro' the slippery Paths of Youth. I am yours

with the kindest affection

Oliver Wolcott

Your Mamma sends her kindest Love to you. Your Sisters will write to you
The Family enjoy usual Health.
Frederick Wolcott, N. Haven.

From his Brother.
My Dear Brother Hartford, December 4'^ 17S2

I have an opportunity to write to you, and it is with pleasure I embrace it. I
suppose this will find you a Freshman with your Hat under your Arm under con-
tinual Apprehensions of some severe Discipline from those self-important Gentry
who affect to stile themselves your Superiors. You ought however to remember that
this Superiority will be of short Duration in case you make a proper Use of the
Advantages which are now in your hands. It is not being one Year before you in
College that gives any person an Advantage over you, but it is the improvement they
have made of that Year. You have an undoubted right to despise an ignorant
Fellow, who values himself upon his priviledge of wearing a Gown, though it would
be improper and imprudent to express any Contempt publickly ; and as you have a
Right to entertain this Opinion of Others, they have the same Right to think of you
in a Way much to your Disadvantage should you be so foolish as to be proud of any
thing but your Learning. I suppose that there are many in Your Class who are
older than you, and who will certainly surpass you in Scholarship if you do not pay
the strictest Attention to your Studies ; and depend upon it that those who gain the
Reputation of being good Scholars the first Year, maintain that Reputation through
Colledge.

It will be more difficult for you to be the best Scholar in your Class than for
some, your Superiors in Age, but it will not be impossible, and you know that it will
be more honorable to excell under these disadvantages, than if it was the general
Expectation ; besides, as I had the Reputation of being a good Scholar while I was
in College, if you do not equal or excell me you may depend upon it that people will
make a Comparison to your Disadvantage — a thing which I hope you are too proud
to suffer.

As for those Butterflies you will see every Day in New Haven who think that

320

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

they are the best people because they wear the richest Cloaths, drink the most Wine,
and do the most Mischief, you may depend upon it that they will in ten Years time
— a period which will soon arrive — be the most despicable part of the Community.
They will be ignorant, unhealthy and poor, consequences that naturally follow from
Inattention, Profligacy, and Extravagance. And what is worse, they will be more
despised by comparing the Inconsistency of their Conduct, in the days of their Pros-
perity and Disgrace. This will appear very evident when you think of those persons
with whom you are acquainted. I dare say that you never despised an honest
Farmer who attended to the Business of his Occupation and was contented with his
Situation in Life ; though he is a very ridiculous Creature when he sets up for a
Gentleman and looses his Estate by endeavoring to imitate what is called high Life.
The same inconsistency distinguishes every Person who aims at any thing beyond his
Reach. To be a real Gentleman, it is necessary to possess Learning, Politeness and
Money sufficient to defray necessary Expenses — Qualities which a Fop can never
possess as his Inattention renders him ignorant and uncivil and his Dissipation de-
prives him of his Money. But while you are pursuing your Studies, you ought to pay
the strictest Attention to those inferior Accomplishments of which every person is a
judge — such as graceful Behavior, Elocution, Handwriting, &c. You never will be
considered as a Man of Learning if you are not really so ; for there are some Judges
who will give you your due in this Respect and no more, and if you acquire their
good Opinion you will go current over the World as a Man of Learning ; for there
are but few in Comparison of the whole who are Judges of Learning, and Mankind
receive their opinions in this Matter implicitly. But of those Accomplishments
which I mentioned above, all persons either are or suppose themselves capable of
judging; the most ignorant person you will find will give his Opinion whether you
speak and behave with propriety and can write your Name so as to be legible ; and
if you are deficient they will entertain an Opinion to your Disadvantage. — Never
imitate any of those persons who are called queer droll Fellows, for I never knew one
of them who was a Man of sense or honesty.
I am dear Brother with the greatest

Friendship yours

Oliv? Wolcott Jun'

I have spelt one Word wrong, you write and let me know which it is.
M". Frederick Wolcott.

SIXTH GENERATION. 32 1

From his Father.
Ti^ Child Litchfield, Nov^ 29, 1783

I do not believe that I have the least occasion to say any thing to you to excite
you to a more vigorous Pursuit of your Studies, but rather on the contrary to advise
you to more Moderation than you probably allow yourself. Attend properly to your
Health, which I think you may do, and yet be the best Scholar in your Class. This
Character I shall expect you will support, and that your literary Improvement will be
of the best kind. The great Obligations of Virtue and Religion you will never
forget, as an Observance of them is necessary for your present and future Happiness.

The Assembly will sit at New Haven on the s** of Janu'^, and probably you

may return home on the Horse I shall ride there. Your Mother sends her Love to

you.

Yours,

O. WOLCOTT

Among our Family Papers we find a number of letters addressed to
him in his youth by his accompHshed sister, whose lively pen will be recog-
nized by the readers of her letters given in preceding pages ; off-hand
effusions, affording glimpses of a former century, not less interesting
because written impromphc, and addressed in confidence to a loving
brother.

From his Sister Mariann.
Dear Brother [Hartford] Sunday Afternoon

We have had some of our good friends to dine with us to-day ; but they are all
gone to Church, and I am left to the luxury of being alone, and indulging my own
reflections. The best use which I can make of my freedom, is to discharge the
obligation that I am under to you, for a very good Letter which I was incapable of
answering last week. Can you believe that these people have actually forbidden me
the use of pen and ink .'' Yet this is a trifling grievance, compared with some which
I am compelled to endure. I am laid, every night, upon a bed of straw, and even
this will not long be allowed me. In the morning, I am plunged into cold water, or
rather have it poured upon me, till my breath forsakes me ; and then they take the
hint and wrap me in a warm blanket till they perceive returning life. I am then
compelled to swallow some nauseous drugs, to sharpen my appetite for a dish of
soup-meagre, which is my breakfast.

I cannot relate to you my numerous griefs ; but if you will, like a kind and

322

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

sympathetic brother, come with your Waggon and release me from this state of
thraldom, I do assure you that neither my weakness, nor the bad roads, " nor storms,
nor night, shall keep me here." Doct- Hopkins has written a Letter to Mamma,
and has advised her to let me stay here — but pray don't mind him. I know that I
shall be well enough to go this week, or the beginning of next. It is now two days
since I have had scarcely any pain at all, and I am gaining strength fast. I have
several times rode to Wethersfield in a Carriage, without fatiguing me at all. I
know I can follow Doct' Hopkins' prescriptions, and practice all the self-denial which
he wishes me to, as well at Litchfield as here. In short, / want to go home — and
will, in some way or other.

Yet let me in justice to my friends say, that there never was a girl treated with
greater tenderness ; it is all for my good, that I am so severely restricted. The ties
which bind me to my friends in this town, are some of the strongest and tenderest
which the human heart can know ; but I have formed no attachment which is incom-
patible with the tender claims which yoii have upon me, and the affection and duty
which I owe my Parents. My thoughts will wander back to my native Hill ; but
they are not allowed long to contemplate distant objects.

The roads have got to be very fine, in and about the Town. The river, which
was " bound in icy fetters " when you was here, is now filled with shipping. The
meadows begin to look green, and the lilac bushes under my window are putting forth
their leaves. By the way, you must not forget to uncover my flower beds. I expect
to spend some time very innocently, at least, amongst them this summer.

I must hasten to a conclusion, for our people will come home soon, and they
must not find me transgressing. I must, however, once more request you to come
for me, as soon as the last of this week. My kindest love to Papa and Mamma. I
hope the post will bring me a letter ; and so, with a thousand good wishes I leave
you.

M. WoLCOTT

From the Same.
Dear Frederick Z/Zf/yf^/^/, Fete 24'J; i 786

Your going off so suddenly prevented my having an opportunity to thank you
for recovering me from the Night-Mare. I believe I should not have breath'd again
if you had not wak'd me — and then I could have resign'd my life with a very good
will, tho' it is now become very dear to me.

I suppose you expect to hear of a Wedding or some such high matter, but I
assure you that I have better news to tell you — which is no other than this, tJiat your
Sister Mariann is not agoing to be married at all. The night after you left us, Mr. W.

SIXTH GENERATION.

323

and his Family, which consisted of Mrs G. and his boy Nat, and his dog Caper,
arrived here — and Saturday they set off for Albany ; but before they left us, it was
agreed that there should be a total cessation of hostilities, from this time henceforth
and for ever, Amen. I could add Hallelujah — for my very soul is in raptures at the
deliverance. Oh, Frederick, this indeed is happiness — such happiness as my bosom
has long been a stranger to. This is a strange story, you will hardly credit me, but it
certainly is true, and I have not done any thing dishonourable neither — my Parents
approve of my conduct, and so will you when you know my motives. I have not
leisure now to tell you any thing more about it. I wish you were here to rejoice with
me, for I have had a most lucky escape. You may tell people that this Business is at
an end, but do not show this Letter to any living mortal. Next Election, I hope we

shall go to H d together. I am sure I shall be more impatient to see you before

Vacation than I ever have been before. Litchi people are all well — they have now
got something to wonder about. You would laugh to hear the strange conjectures
that are made.

Pray write me by Beers, if the Wretch ever means to return again, and do not
let this Letter make you suppose me beside my wits, for I have not had but three
minutes allowed me to write it. I will do better next time.

In true singleness, and sincerity of heart, I am my dear Brother, your loving and

affectionate Sister, until Death

Mariann Wolcott
F. Wolcott

From the Same.
My Dear Brother [LMijiehf]

I have been able to find only the i- and 5- Nos. of the Crisis ; you must there-
fore content yourself with those ; the other books I send you as desired. I suppose it
happens to be your part to speechify at Commencement ; and you are anxious, upon
that important day, to utter Common Sense, if nothing better — be it so, and may
your Speech be such that he who heareth may understand. Do not let it be so sub-
lime as to be ineomprekensible. I know some fools who make their compositions,
and even their common conversation, excessively ridiculous, by aiming at something
brilliant. I hope your good sense and discernment will forever prevent your falling
into this error. If you address the Passions of men, you will find them most pow-
erfully awakened by the simple language of Nature. If you would convince their
yudgme7its, you will do it easiest by delivering a plain unvarnished tale, without
ostentation, or pomposity. I suppose one's language may be refined without being
ridiculous, and simple without being vulgar ; pray let your composition be so. But

324

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

all this is very foolish in me ; I forget that I am writing to one of the wiser sex, and
to one that is a Scholar forsooth, and knows every thing. Shall I then, in the true
female style, tell you that I am in great haste, and cannot stay to write a long Letter,
and that you must excuse all errors ?

Mr A. I suppose told you all the news there was to be told. It would grieve
you to hear of all the ill-natured remarks which are made about your poor Sister.
Coquette is the least odious epithet they bestow upon me. But I have the satisfaction
of knowing that every person, whose opinion I care any thing about, believes that I
have done right. Those who judge rationally, suppose that I have motives for my
conduct, sufficient to justify me, if I do not impart them ; and those who know my
motives, approve of what I have done.

I wish you would tell me in your next, how you can prove that W. winks slozv.
For my part, I have not seen him wink at all, the fortnight past ; he has taken a
composing draught, that I hope will keep him asleep this some time. I wish it was
in my power to lay B., with as little trouble ; but this is a secret.

Love or Compliments to P. If you was not a sinner, you would not compel me
to write such long Letters. Love from all friends. Yours

Mariann

From the Same.
Dear Frederick Litchfield, Aug. 23?

It is a long time since I have heard from you, and longer since I wrote to you.
Whatjj'o?/ can say for yourself I do not know; but I am certain if you knew the
many and various cares which have exercised the head and hands and heart of your
Sister, you would not open your mouth by way of murmuring. Verily, Frederick,
there is no sense in living in this world ; if I had one wing, one single pinion to buoy
me up — I would endeavor to keep aloof from it.

I e.xpect to see you at Commencement ; I shall go with — my Papa; I believe
we shall come in a carriage, for the sake of confabulation.

I have been dancing all the forenoon, and my hand trembles so, I can hardly

write intelligibly. We dance again, this evening ; and we all wish for your company.

Mean time, you are poring over some antiquated subject, that is neither instructive

nor entertaining. You cannot say so of our dancing ; it is " an amusement that

profits the mind." I cannot write you a long letter now ; adieu — pray thee write me

speedily.

Heaven bless you !

Mariann

SIXTH GENERATION. 325

From the Same.

Litchfield, Nov. zS'-*- 1786
I think you say Brother Frederick that I never write but to reprove you. I will
therefore spare you this time, tho' Charity itself must confess you richly deserve
chastisement — a breach of promise, where the happiness of a friend was concern'd,
is no small crime. But if you are not case-harden'd — in the rebukes of your Con-
science, you have received your desert. Alone as I am, without one friend to com-
plain to, I look not for much happiness ; you should not then deprive me of what
share your letters would afford. Since my return from Hartford, (which was last
Tuesday evening) I have hardly known whether I was in the body, or out. Never
was poor mortal so impatient to get home ; but when I came into the House it look'd
so empty and deserted that nothing but the pleasure I saw my return gave my
Parents supported my spirits — now I find no interruption to my gloomy reflections
— the present I am sure is destitute of comfort, and the dreaded future will be yet
harder to sustain. I have however a peaceful shore in view, from whence I shall
look back with exultation on the rude tempests which have assaulted me on my way.
Ye who have in prospect fairy-fields and cloudless suns — Ye will laugh ; you too my
Brother will laugh, I suppose, at these reflections. May you never know experi-
mentally how hard to conquer, the feelings are from whence they spring — there are
circumstances of distress from which the mind by its utmost efforts cannot disengage
itself. — But I am to blame for all this, and yet I fear to write another sentence, lest
it should be more faulty still. I expect Mr Allen will deliver you this ; I have not
seen him, and I suppose I shall not — but I pray you to write when he returns, and
let it be a merry letter, tell me you are happy, and intend always to continue so ; at
any rate write something — I cannot bear any neglect now. Your Parents have you
in dear remembrance. Adieu, my Brother — and may the Heavens regard you

Mariann Wolcott

I beseech that you will commit this to the flames — if it deserves so honourable
a death.

We have already given (p. 150) a brief biographical sketch of the
writer of the next letter, and have inserted in the preceding records several
letters more or less characteristic of the man. Our readers have already
learned something of his ability and eminence in his profession, and of
his high personal and social qualities. His coming into the Family by

326 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

marriage was the accession to it of a highly esteemed and vakied member.
Those of our readers who through her letters have made the acquaintance
of the daughter of the house, whom he won and wedded, must recognize
a special affinity and fitness in the relationship, which was so happy while
it lasted. The letter which follows happens to be, chronologically, his
introduction to our work. It will be recognized as one of those sallies of
wit, with which a grave young lawyer, pressed with business, enlivened his
office cares. Though representing a class of literature which, as a general
rule, is not edifying to the average reader, it combines with its exquisite
humor a dignified delicacy, which leads us to trust it to the readers of our
Family Memorial.

From Mr. Goodrich to his Sister.

Hartford, Monday Evening

You ask, Maria, what objects engage my attention and pray me to tell you.
As much as to ask of me, What do you think about, whom do you see, and what do
you do .'' A hard task it is you impose, for if my Conscience be ever so ready to
return an answer, my Pen would be at a loss in what style to dress out the fine story.
Csesar only, of ancient and modern writers, had talents to write entertainingly of
himself. But you pray. When pretty saints pray, they must be heard, and when
they pray in Sincerity and Love, they ought to be gratified. Instead then of moral
themes, take on this white, pure quarter-sheet of Paper, a summary sketch of the
thoughts, life and conversation of Chauncey Goodrich, Esq^ — and to begin with his
thoughts.

He thinks principally of yourself and of himself, and eke more also when both

these selves shall become one self.

Now he is a little Boy, he lives by himself.

All the Bread and Cheese he gets, he puts on ye shelf ;

The Rats and the Mice make such a strife,

He is forced to go to London to buy a wife.

When the good man is serious, he thinks of your sentimental Observations ;
when gay, of the sprightly humour that dissipates the gloomy hour, and enlivens the
sociable one. When he retires within his own Bosom, and indulges softer Emo-
tions, he thinks that kindred Emotions flow in a purer Bosom, and are kindly inter-
ested in the little incidents which mark his life and manners. So he thinks about
yourself and himself.

SIXTH GENERATION.

2,^7

Of the world, viz : of Men and Women — he thinks about them very good-
naturedly, and much to their advantage when they manifest such good thoughts
towards him. But tho' an admirer of the best Sentence ever uttered — to pray for
Enemies, and bless those who curse us — he is not good Christian enough to practise
according to this benign Law of human Happiness. He thinks ill of those who
think ill of him.

Already, you say, come to his Conversation — What is it, and with whom is it?
He says, Maria, but little in public circles. His years are three times ten, in which
time he has learned the truth of the old Adage: There is much safety in silence.
Women don't like to be interrupted. Men are rivals for wealth and power, and Con-
versation is to worm out each other's designs. If he can draw a little, sweet Nymph
to some rural walk, or some retired room, the modest man might even dare to open
his lips. O Flattery ! balm of female minds, thy Powers only can check the vocifera-
tion of female tongues. Unfortunate man ! that its mellifluous influences do not
flow from thy lips. To the Nymphs thou canst only speak in the undisguised lan-
guage of a Brother. Saturday, one came to my office for advice. She was hand-
some ; her Uncle was with her. The Uncle introduced the tender tale of Woe. The
Case was broken Vows. I listened. He ended by saying that he had always heard
of me as an honest Lawyer. I sent my Clerks away — they tittered too much. I
told her that she had come to the right Place, for of all the Lawyers in the Town,
I was the only one who could find for her a Remedy : Your lover was a fool to leave
so nice a Girl ; think no more of him ; take a sincere and honest-hearted Lawyer.
The little Vixen expressed this diabolical sentiment : That she should be much more
happy in giving Pain to her former lover, than Pleasure to her new one ; that before
my suit should prevail, I must prevail in her suit against her quondam sweet-heart.
Now as her Honest Lawyer knows that her suit will not be ended these many days,
he thinks best to be off too. The Uncle went away ; her Lawyer consulted the Case
soberly, and had from her the whole courtship — solemn vows, a bundle of foolish
letters, much like those the Esq' himself writes to Miss Wolcott. Just as I was
taking my pen to draw the writ, I reflected that it was a common case and might
also happen to me ; it was possible. It softened me prodigiously, as I told the pitiful
story ; it was pitiful, wondrous pitiful.

This, Maria, is the only object which has engaged my attention ; forgive me, it

was a sudden case — one as Lawyers say exactly in point.

Tell Betsey that I love her.

Thine

Chauncey Goodrich
Miss Maria IVolcott

328 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

From his Sister.
Dear Frederick Hartford, Nov. issi 1789

If I can assist you, by instructing you in the mysteries of the female heart, I
think it my duty to do so, and shall not fail to administer some wholesome counsel.
You need not tell me that you are able to speak for yourself — it will never answer ;
such novices as you are know nothing about the Language of Gallantry. Your lips
must drop honey, and your expressions be smoother than oil. Sometimes you must
pay silefit adoration — this you will think is easily done, but I assure you it is more
difficult even than speechifying. Your face must express devotion mixed with fear, and
the lifted whites of both your eyes must witness great inward anguish. For we do
love, Frederick, to see our Lovers unhappy ; at least, we love to think that it is in our
power to make them so. Believe me, the Lover, even the highly favoured Lover,
ought frequently to complain of his Mistress's cruelty. We love to have you feel and
to feel ourselves, as if we were doing a mighty benevolent, disinterested act, when
we recompense your sufferings.

And now I wish to return to the subject of your obstinacy in not coming here.
I want you to see what a good wife I am, and what a good Husband I have. He
sometimes threatens, indeed, tbat he will carry me back to you ; but as soon as I
begin to make ready to go, he tells me, with tears in his eyes, that he cannot think of
my leaving him. We are going to Durham to keep Thanksgiving, and expect E.
and N. to meet us there. The first sleighing, we will go to Litchfield ; and if you
do not come before you must certainly return with us and spend the Winter here.
How is your head now } Does it ache .' If it does not, you may read Mr. Goodrich's
Law books ; if you are not able to do that, you may play cards. Write to me and tell
me of every thing. I am not yet so estranged from you, as not to feel an interest in
every thing which interested me when I was with you. Give my Love and Duty to
my Parents, also Mr. Goodrich's ; and accept of our best wishes for yourself.

I am yours most sincerely

M. Goodrich.

Mr. F. Wolcott.

From Mr. Goodrich.
Dear Frederic Hartford, Jans 25, 1790

In Obedience to the Commands of my dear Wife, I have stayed at Home from
meeting, to preach and be preach'd to, by our fireside ; and now our sermons are
ended, I cannot find a better Employment than writing to you, though I have nothing

SIXTH GENERATION. 329

of any consequence to send. But really the principal Object of the Letter is to tell
you how much we want to see you here, for the fates determine that we shall not
visit Litchfield. We both of us fear that an uninterrupted attention to your studies
will not suit your Health ; and think it will be best promoted by coming to the circle
of your friends. When you was with us Mary Anne's health was at a low ebb ; since
it has improved, and she is generally free from fever, and makes all the folks happy.
I have known her worth for many years, but to me she appears every day with addi-
tional lustre. Her ill health has prevented her from shewing the improvements of
a refined and affectionate Courtship, and of the sober maxims and useful sentiments
of domestic and married life ; but this being removed, we now have them all in full
blossom. It is pity, Frederic, that you should not enjoy them as well as the rest of
us. Another Inducement for you to come is that our Court is and will be in session
for this fortnight, and you may hear a great Quantity of pompous nonsense, and your
Brain may be relieved from its exertion which is quite ugly for the Headache. Again,
as the Lawyers say, our Ladies who have been for Mo- shut up by the Influenza and
bad roads, daily and nightly now sally forth, and I think were never more lovely,
sensible, or witty. And so Mary Anne thinks too, and we are also well agreed that
in these respects she excells them all. But if you meet with nothing else you will
find two folks, who are happy themselves, and will be more so by your company.
We understand that you are highly improved in the sweet powers of music, and as
our family is mostly destitute of that enchanting commodity, except in the female
voice, we shall be much delighted by the agreeable addition you will bring to it.
When a man's own wit fails him, it is very handy to have a ready stock in his wife's
brain to draw upon ; and mine, to drag out this Letter, has bid me to tell you that
our Assemblies are most brilliant ; at the last were forty Ladies in most superb
attire, among whom was Mrs Goodrich in a most elegant fancy dress. And also,
that if you are pleased with scenes of a more serious and solemn kind, we have a
most excellent Methodist Preacher, who one evening in every week calls our atten-
tion from trifles, to subjects grave and awakening.

When I robbed your House of Maria, I intended that she should have revisited
it sooner, but there has been no means of conveyance. We mean to send the Girls
under the care of my honest Man Daniel, if there should be sleighing before the
Court rises. Remember us affectionately to our Parents. I am. Dear Frederic,

your affectionate Brother

Chauncey Goodrich

(P. S. by Mrs G.). Revised and Corrected by Mary Anne Goodrich, the
author's wife.

33°

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

From his Sister.
Dear Frederick {Hartford] March 28, 1791

I should have answered your good Letter the next morning after I received it,
but the Posts demands are so unreasonable that I do not think my letters are worth it.
I have now for several days had nothing to do — or rather have not been allowed to do
any thing — but though it is a state which most of mankind would think very envi-
able, I do not believe that it is at all favourable to Happiness, or the gentle mild virtues
of Contentment and Benevolence. I believe we generally behave better when we are
guided by the impulse of the moment, or go on mechanically without reflection, than
when we pretend to reason and lay plans of conduct. In short I have a poor opinion
of this dame Reason ; she is constantly intruding upon one's privacy, and pointing
out some insurmountable obstacle in the road to our desires, and shewing us the
unsubstantial fading texture of that fine fabric with which Faticy has veil'd them for
our view. How poor indeed, and unworthy of a rational and an immortal mind, do
almost all our pleasures appear when analys'd by Reason. Let me then banish this
enemy from my bosom — this spoiler of my peace, who is always suggesting to me
that I am not happy, and discouraging all my exertions by pointing out to me that
I am a creature of a few days, and that the years draw nigh when I shall say I have
no pleasure in them

Dear Frederick April 3-1

I ask your pardon for sending you a part of an old Letter ; it is to let you see
that I have not been altogether unmindful of you — indeed I have thought much of
you for a fortnight past, for I have had nothing to do but think and build Air-Castles.
I am now imagining that I shall have the pleasure of seeing you here before long in
the Capacity of Deputy from Litchfield ; when this happens, I request you to come
and put tip with us ; and I will teach you how to manage state Matters, and how to
make Public Good subservient to your own Interest. We have read your piece
entitled Popular Magic, and we desire the jiext time that you will favour us with
some-thing a good deal better. In the next place we would remind you that M'
Fhnts ordination is the 20- of April A. D. 1791 ; — a word to the wise ; if you do
not take the hint, I shall allow you but little credit. Chauncey and I wish to know
whether you have receiv'd any answer from P. since you wrote last. I have not
heard directly from there since last Feb. . I am sorry to hear that your head con-
tinues to ache ; it will be better when the warm weather comes on : let this encour-
age you. — [Remainder lost.]

SIXTH GENERATION. 331

From the Same.
Dear Frederick Hartford, 13^ Aug. 1793-

You have at present some severe trials to support, but I trust that better days
await you ; you must not be discouraged. Your filial Piety is spoken of with
esteem, and will meet with the promis'd reward ; your days will be long and hon-
ourable in the land, and your posterity, to the third and fourth generation, will call
you blessed.

Mr Goodrich is very desirous to have you come here this week or next ; you

will easily believe we all wish it, but you must consult your convenience. I was

glad to hear that Mama grows no worse, and may perhaps get some better. I hope

you will attend to Papa's health and encourage him in moderate exercise and to live

generously. It is supposed that Mr Sherman and Gen. Wolcott brought on their

disorders by too great Temperance in living. I hope our Father will be a comfort

to himself and a blessing to us for a long time. My duty and Love to him and my

Mother.

In haste I remain yours ever

M. A. Goodrich.

From his Brother to his Father.
5jj^ S/iiith's House, 7iear Phil':, Sept. 21, 1793

I have engaged Doct. Smith's house near the falls of Schuylkill, for tempo-
rary offices, which I hope will render it unnecessary for me to enter the City while
the danger continues — myself & the family through the favour of God having
hitherto escaped sickness.

My imagination could not have conceived of such an alteration as happened in
a short time in Philadelphia. I left town myself last evening ; business was sus-
pended ; a great proportion of the houses deserted ; every face was sad ; all inter-
course avoided ; no man would speak to another except at a distance ; the once busy
streets were nearly as silent as at midnight. These dismal appearances were however
in a great degree the effect of panic. The alarm has extended to the neighbouring
towns ; a military force is stationed on all the approaches to Maryland ; the people
of New Jersey & New York are said to have forbidden atl intercourse. Their lan-
guage and conduct appears to us to be rather severe & inhospitable ; but perhaps we
are not impartial judges. Great caution is doubtless necessary and proper to prevent
the introduction of so desperate a calamity.

To increase the despondency, there is a difference of sentiment among medical

332

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

men as to the proper mode of treatment. Some have abandoned their Posts ; others
are disconcerted. A few resolute & benevolent men stand their ground and keep
alive some exertion. In my opinion, public statues ought to immortalize the gener-
osity of some of the sect of Friends who have ventured their lives in this time of
general calamity. I am I believe well informed of the real state of the business, & in
my opinion the Malady has within a few days abated.

Be pleased to make our respects acceptable to our Mother & brother Fred'f.

Oct. \% 1793

I wish it was in my power to inform you that the distress of Philadelphia was
diminishing. I fear however that there are yet no grounds for such an opinion.
Every day adds to the melancholy catalogue of ruined families, and new circum-
stances afflicting to humanity.

The alarm which has spread through the Country adds much to the distress.
The Citizens are coniined at home by the same causes which interrupt their usual
supplies ; the prices of the necessaries of life are at the same time augmented and
their employments are at an end. Though the danger is such as to justify some
caution, yet oppression ought not surely to be added to calamity.

I see that the Connecticut papers propose that measures be taken for the
general safety. I sincerely hope that nothing more will be done, than to secure an
inspection of Vessels from this Port. You may be certain that the approaches to this
City are so watched, that a man who can reach Connecticut by Land, cannot have
the fever. It is as well ascertained as the case will admit, that the contagion becomes
active in the constitution in four days ; and it is still more certain that no man can
travel after he becomes affected. I should much regret any regulations to interrupt
intercourse by Land ; they will not indicate either good sense or humanity.

By the blessing of God we are well, and we desire to be remembered to our
mother and the rest of your family.

I am with great respect your obed' son

Hotfi!; Oliver Wolcott Esq.

Oliv: Wolcott Jr.

From his Sister.
My Dear Brother Hartford, 7* April 1794

My health has been very good for some time past ; I have now a severe cold
imprudently caught by standing in the air last Sunday to look at the dreadful fire we
had here. I shall if possible go to Litchfield next week. Distressing as it will be to

SIXTH GENERATION.

333

me, I have a great desire to see my dear Mother once more ; it is perhaps sinful
to wish her sufferings may be prolonged a single hour, but I have felt thro' the
whole of my confinement as if I should see her before her death, and as if I could
not otherwise acquiesce in the dispensation. Give my best love and duty to my
Father, and tell him it has been my first wish a great while to be able to go and see
him.

I shall send Papa a piece of salmon.

I will bid you adieu.

Yours truly

M. A. Goodrich

From the Same.

Hartford, Monday Morning

I received your letter, my dear Frederick, just as we were leaving New Haven.
My father I left in very good health and spirits, tho' much engross'd by business.
He will come home on Saturday on the Stage, & expects you to send his horses
here.

I shall be much pleased with such a jaunt as you mention, but I cannot engage
to be gone a week. You know I have a long journey to prepare for, and must econ-
omize my time. I will promise however to make you very happy, and have already
laid several plans for that purpose. You have indeed been much confined lately, & I
sincerely wish you would accompany us to Philadeh, or at least as far as N. York.
We shall go in Rice's Carriage with Senator Hillhouse and Citizen General Tracy;
there will be plenty of room for you, so I beg you to think seriously of it.

New Haven folks, especially the women, are most terribly angry at Mr G. for
quitting Miss W. They say he has been engaged to her seven years, and now he
writes her a civil letter informing her that he has been so unfortunate as to fall in
love with Sally T., and cannot possibly fulfil his promise to her Ladyship — and so
wishing her a great deal of happiness he bids her adieu. I had several reasons for
taking the gentleman's part, which I did with some zeal. I told them it had always
been an established practice with the Litchfield Ladies to steal the hearts of all the
Gentlemen who came there, and that I thought a New Haven Lady must have a
degree of modest assurance to expect to keep her sweet-heart after he had seen the
Litchfield beauties !

My compliments to our friend Mitchell.

Expecting to see you soon I bid you adieu.

M. A. G.

334

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

From Mr. Goodrich.
Dear Sir Hartford, Nov. i8, 1796

We set out for Philadelphia on Tuesday morning, where we mean to arrive at
the commencement of the Session. Since it is evident the enemies of our peace and
welfare mean to do us mischief and embroil our affairs, it is fortunate their intem-
perance has propelled them so clearly to eclaircise their views. This Country will
not be cajoled by soft words, nor intimidated by any menaces or insults to yield its
essential prerogatives.

You will write me often ; cooped up as we shall be in the pestiferous atmos-
phere of knaves and fools, we shall want the breathings of northern genius upon us.
If I can get a moment to write your father, I mean it ; if not, you will make to him
our acknowledgments of affection and respect. I bid you farewell with our love and
cordial wishes for your enjoyment this winter, and subscribe myself your affectionate

friend

Chauncey Goodrich
Frederic Wolcott, Esq.

From his Brother.
Dear Brother Grafs Gardens, Sept. 15, 1797

Betsey writes me that you are in your office, by which I know you are much
better ; pray take care of yourself, and in particular, wear flannels and dress warm ;
you know I suppose myself to be a skilful physician except as to the administration
of medicines — that branch I have yet modesty enough to leave to the faculty.

My father I understand yet rides daily and is supposed to be gaining health
gradually ; his disorder not being of an acute kind, a rapid convalescence is not to be
expected. I fear it will appear too dull & uniform an exercise, to ride constantly
about home ; perhaps you may find it convenient to visit our friends in Hartford or
elsewhere with him ; but of this you are the best judges. My sister Laura is I am
happy to hear perfectly well ; on the whole my news from Litchfield, though not the
best, must be considered as good.

Here I am at Gray's beautiful Gardens ; we have the Green House for offices
for the clerks &c. I have a small room in the Tavern, furnished with a bed, and as
many books & papers as a poet's chamber, but not containing one line or sentiment
at all poetical. Compared with the situation of thousands who have left the City, I
am in a paradise ; but notwithstanding, I question whether I enjoy myself as well as
Adam did, even while a bachelor — which was far from being a state of perfect
happiness.

SIXTH GENERATION. 335

The state of things in the City has been better for two or three days, but
whether the disorder is really diminishing, or whether there is any unusual disorder,
are questions upon which I have latterly had some doubts. The depopulation is
prodigious ; nearly two thousand Houses are shut up, and almost all business sus-
pended. The Doctors dispute, frighten people, bleed & give mercury ; robbers break
houses ; and prudent people who are able, get away as fast as possible. I do not see
but that I must stay about here to have some oversight of my business & to watch
my House ; but I shall be prudent & take care of myself.

My visit has done me a great deal of good. I have had opportunity to reflect on
the folly of working too much ; and have seen, what I had not seen for years before,
how rational people live in the Country. I shall be wiser during my life, for the
last journey.

Please to present my respects to my father & love to Laura. Remember me

also to Messrs. Tracy, Allen, Smith, Sheldon, Reeve, &c.

Yrs with sincere affection

Oliv: Wolcott Jr.
Fred^. Wolcott Esq.

From Mr. Goodrich.
My Dear Sir, Philadelphia, Dec: 8, 1797

Your obliging attention had beforehand familiarized to our expectation the
news yesterday announced to us of our beloved Parent's death ; in mingling my
sensibility with yours, I bewail the loss of both the venerable personages of my
attachment and respect.^ And while their exit endears to me the rich legacy of their
virtues they have left behind for our imitation, it admonishes us of the uncertain hold
we have on life, and the blessings of beloved and useful connexions. The scene
our feelings have been and yet are so much interested in, was strikingly diversified,
teaching us what indeed we well knew, tho' not habitually realized, that we may go
hence with little or no sense of our departure, or with severe struggles of our nature
& convulsive shocks. We shall however do well not to confine our view to the single
point of the Exit of our dear Parents out of life, for perhaps even in that, infinite
benevolence has been no less at work, than in the circumstances of their lives. I
think on review we have reason to acknowledge that the allotments of Providence
towards them were kind in respect to what they had to do, suffer and enjoy. And
having done much and extensive good, we may humbly hope that they have passed
to a state of blessedness.

' Referring to the recent death (Nov. 21, 1797) of his own father.

336 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

I hope repose and reflexion will afford a quick relief for your sufferings in body
and mind. The best of blessings remain to us ; we will improve them wisely, and they
will not on our quitting them, or being quitted by them, add the stings of reproach
to the pain of separation. Indeed my sorrows except on account of my Mother,
Mary Anne & my sister, have ceased to be painful ; they are precious and will ever
remain precious to my heart. And I cannot but console myself that they will all be
refined in this furnace of sore tryal yet more than ever to bless and be blessed.

I need not use many words to assure you how much all my affections are with
you ; you will believe it, pray write me often. Adieu, and Heaven bless you. I
remain with the sincerest attachment your Brother

Chauncey Goodrich

From his Brother.
My Dear Brother ^''">. Dec. 13, 1797

We have heard the tidings of the death of our revered parent and most sin-
cerely do we mingle our tears of condolence with yours on this afflicting occasion.

The death of a venerable man such as you have witnessed is a scene which
more than any other is calculated to produce strong and various emotions. The
strength & greatness of the human powers, the dignity of virtue, the consolations
arising from moral rectitude when other things have lost their value, prove the eleva-
tion of our nature, and support our faith in a future existence. On the other hand,
the pain, the imbecility, and the dissolution of our bodies, are instructive & morti-
fying lessons to human pride.

If however, as ought to be the case, the stroke of separation is agonizing in
proportion to the value of him we have lost, still we are not without peculiar conso-
lations. Our father arrived at the destined term of human life, in the whole course
of which he was an example of whatever is good or great in our nature ; in scenes of
difficulty and danger to himself and country, he supported what is most valuable —
a good character ; we have reason to believe that he is promoted to the enjoyment of
happiness in a more glorious state of existence. Let us imitate his example & per-
form for the present age, and for ourselves in a future world, our duty.

I certainly wish to be with you, but it is impossible. My own health would
suffer & be endangered by travelling this season. Mrs Wolcott has been tolerably
well ; the children have both been sick, but are recovering. She joins me in affec-
tionate expressions of love & friendship to you & Mary Anne.

I am your affectionate Brother

Oliv. Wolcott
Frederick Wolcott, Esq.

SIXTH GENERATIOX. 337

From his Sister.
My dear Brother Philadelphia, 6± DeC- 1799

We arrived here in safety last Saturday evening, and had the pleasure to find
our brother's family in good health. You may have heard that we came near being
lost in attempting to come by water to N. York. We were indeed in very great
danger, but a kind protecting providence preserved us. The weather was mild, and
the wind favorable, when we went on board the packet, and it was not till we had
got out of the harbour that we discover'd that our vessel was very leaky, & deeply
laden with salt & other heavy articles, & commanded by a fellow ignorant, stupid,
& dishonest. About midnight the wind got ahead & blew a heavy gale; this,
together with the swell which was very great, strained the vessel till the leak in the
hold became large enough for a man to thrust in his arm. In this situation we were,
with a number of hogsheads of sugar and salt on deck, that were not lash'd, rolling
about ; the lower deck lying under water, & every wave beating over the quarter
deck, the hold almost full of water, & twenty passengers as sick as mortals could be
— when the helmsman quitted the helm & swore it was impossible to save the vessel.
She was, however, with much difficulty got about, and at ten o'clock ne.xt day we got
into Milford, after a night of such distress, that I cannot think of it without shud-
dering.

Laura is here yet with Charles, waiting for a conveyance to Nazareth. We
have taken lodgings at the distance of one square from Oliver's. We are agreeably
situated ; Mr Brace and Brother Elizur live with us.

I suppose you have the President's speech — and how do you like it.' There
is an answer reported to the house, but they have not yet acted upon it.

I think Mrs Wolcott is in as good health as I have ever seen her. She and her
husband and Mr Goodrich join me in love to you, and request that you will write
often to some of us. Present my respects to Mr Huntington and your household,
and kind regards to Mrs Tallmadge, etc.

I am my dear brother your

Affectionate friend and sister

M. A. Goodrich

Mr E. Wolcott

From his Brother.

(Private)
My De.-vr Brother ^^'^ ^'"'^^ l^ecr 26, 1808

I have reci your Letter of the 19- instant and wish that I could converse with

you a few Hours ; but as this is impossible, I will give you a brief statement of my

opinions.

338 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Any project which cannot be executed without producing a Civil War, must be
a bad one. New England is actually divided in opinion respecting the present policy
of our Government. If a new question, still more intricate than the question of
Embargo, is agitated, it will not compose any existing controversies, but increase
them.

There is no instance of a State having voluntarily renounced its name and
authority ; we must presume the measure suggested to be utterly impracticable in '
Connecticut, etc.

But if practicable in New England, I assure you it would excite the utmost alarm
and hostility here. New York is now a powerful State ; will she consent to become
comparatively a weak State, or a section of a large State, in which she is not to
possess a controlling Influence .' Certainly not.

I might extend the reflections arising out of this simple view of the subject
much further ; but it is unnecessary. It must be evident to your mind that a change
of the Government, at the present time and in the present state of Parties, can only
be produced by a Civil War. Who is to gain by a Civil War? Not you, nor I, nor
any of our Friends and Connexions.

Will our Country generally be a Gainer } In my opinion a Civil War will be
the signal for Factions to arise, directed by Foreign Influence. The consequence
will be the subjugation of our Country, or the establishment of a Despotism. I am
utterly opposed to all violent projects at this time, and will resist them by whomever
recommended. Let us wait ; the Embargo does not distress the Federalists more
than the Democrats, and the former can bear it as well as the latter. When all Par-
ties are united, as they will be if ive are prudent, we can control the measures of the
Gov': If we once get the command, changes may be made beneficial to the Interests
of the Commercial States.

The World is in a critical state. The suspension of Commerce is not peculiar to
this Country. The Commerce of the World is suspended. The English say they
like our Embargo ; so say the French, and we say the same. The Pride of every
Country is concerned in not admitting that they can be ruined by a suspension of
their Commerce. The truth is, no Country will be ruined, but all will suffer great
losses and inconveniences. Where the chain will break I cannot say, but let us not
break it and incur the danger and disgrace of appearing to take a side opposed to the
cause of our Country.

The pressure upon the Country may however become so extreme, as to render
it necessary to do something, in order to prevent the people from ruining themselves
by some act of Rashness. It should be the part of wise men to moderate and guide

SIXTH GENERATION. 339

their Passions ; but at all events I pray you to preserve the forms of our Institutions,

till a more quiet and auspicious period for reforming them.

With love to you and yours and to my Dear Children, I remain in haste

Your affectionate Brother,

Oliv. Wolcott

From the Same.
My Dear Brother : New York, May 3!! iSn

I think that the Election of our Cousin Grisvvold maybe rendered of permanent
advantage to the State. It is time to mitigate the dangerous rancour of Party
Spirit; to cultivate American sentiments and feelings; and to extirpate from Fed-
eralism the poisonous mixture of Toryism, with which it has been too much alloyed
of late years. We have nothing to hope from any foreign Government. Our
dependence must be on God and our own resources ; and the sooner they are
brought into activity, the better will be our condition.

New York, May II, 1811

If you think as I do, you will resist in the most public and decided manner, the
project of the New Haven Resolution Matters. I respect the Gentlemen whose
names are given to the public ; but as I believe that they have totally mistaken the
Interests of the Country and their duty, I will not march with them in the Road to
Ruin. I shall consider Connecticut as nearly ruined, if the Assembly gives counte-
nance to the opinions expressed in the Resolutions. Depend on it, that you and I
cannot live long enough to repent the consequences of a mistake on this subject.

New York, Nov. 22^ 181 1
It is impossible for this Country to recede from the principles which it has
contended for, without ruin. The Government has certainly the right of the ques-
tion and ought to be supported. This will be the general sentiment of the Country ;
and no body of men who abet the claims of the British Govern' will be able to main-
tain their influence with the people. It is impossible for Commerce to revive while
the British system continues. Non-importation, or War, are our alternatives ; and if
smuggling can be discountenanced without war, that will be best for the Country in

general.

Yrs. affectionately

Oliv. Wolcott
Frederick Wolcott, Esq.

340 THE IVOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

From the Same.
My Dear Brother New York, Apr'. 9, 1812

I have been informed of the very afflicting event, which has deprived you
of an excellent Wife, and your Children of their affectionate Mother. I can say
nothing to diminish the sensibility of your feelings on this occasion ; it is certain that
your and their loss can never be repaired.

The deceased has attained a more exalted existence, as the reward of virtuous
actions performed in this life. Your probation, my dear Brother, is not yet fin-
ished, and I hope you will not forget that your exaltation is also to depend on your
conduct. To yield to despondency, would be to desert the station in which the
Providence of God has placed you. You have new motives to preserve your life and
the vigour of your mind, that you may the more efficiently perform the additional
duties for which you are responsible to your Children, your Friends, and your Coun-
try. Unless we discharge these duties, we are not permitted to hope for the appro-
bation of Heaven.

My Children join me in expressions of affectionate sympathy and condolence

with you and our common friends.

I remain, D- Brother, truly yours

Oliv. Wolcott
Fred't Wolcott, Esq.

From Mr. Goodrich.
My Dear Brother Washington, April 9, 1812

I am just informed by Mr Holmes's letter of Mrs Wolcott's death. I feel for
you all with a tenderness I know not how to express. If I was with you, my heart
would commune with you in all its griefs. Now, alone by myself, I sympathize with
your bereaved family circle, and mourn our loss. It is indeed ours ; for our beloved
friend, thro' the merits of our Redeemer, on which she has reposed, has, we humbly
trust, found the felicities and rewards of her piety. The same divine grace which
shed peace and triumph on her last moments, can alone sanctify and console bereaved
relatives and friends. I join with them in supplications for the blessings of the good
Spirit on us all, and commend you and your dear children to the divine care.
I am, with real sympathy.

Your affectionate Brother,

Chauncey Goodrich

SIXTH GENERATION. 34 1

From the Same.
My Dear Brother: Washington, k.'^xW 21, \Z\2

Your letter of the 14-, that came by yesterday's mail, unbosoms to me your
griefs on the death of your beloved wife. My heart, be assured, receives them all,
and sympathizes with you in your sorrows, with fraternal affection. I pray that the
Spirit of grace may invigorate your mind with humility and resignation, and give you
the supports and consolations of the gospel. It is matter of pious joy and grateful
acknowledgment to the Father of lights and of love, that he was pleased to sustain
our dear friend in nature's last and great conflict, and enable her to add to the exam-
ple of a good life, resignation and the triumph of hope in death. The beams of
divine goodness irradiating the bed of a dying saint, shine with peculiar lustre.
While it sheds light on the dark valley, thro' which we pass to immortality, and
sustains the departing spirit on the way, it assures survivors of the efficiency
of the grace of the gospel, and the prevalence of the intercessions of our exalted
Redeemer in behalf of his beloved children. It is the grace of the gospel that
connects us with heaven, and holds forth hope of our union with its blessed inhab-
itants. If we ask aright, we shall receive whatever of grace may be necessary for
us both in life and at death. Our path then will be made to shine more and more
unto the perfect day. We also shall inherit the promises together with those who go
before us.

As we go along on our journey, we are not only getting onwards nearer and
nearer to its end, but acquiring new and tender interests in that future state, to which
we are going. It is the abode of our friends and relatives. There are our parents,
brothers, sisters, and wives. Our best hopes and wishes tend upwards to them, to
their and our Father in heaven. But we are left on the course of life, where there is
much suffering from which they are relieved, and many duties remaining, in which
they were partners with us. Why they are taken from the last, when it would seem
they were both willing and able to do great good, and at the very moment when they
were about it, and we hardly know how their places are to be supplied, if indeed they
can be supplied at all, appears to us strange. We know little, and very imperfectly
that we do know. Why is an affectionate and discreet wife taken from a husband,
who in her intercourse with him is alluring his heart to the cause of religion .■' Why
is the intelligent, pious, and fond mother taken from a group of little children, when
by God's own law of our being she seems to have been constituted their priestess, in
their tender age, to lead them to himself, the great end of being ? If left to us, we
should order otherwise. Notwithstanding, in these, as in every thing else, the provi-

342

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

dence of God is right, wise, and good. His will is a perfect law, and his pleasure is
a father's good pleasure. How favoured we are that our interests, especially our
immortal interests, are in his hands. Our dear friend experienced all the advantages
of this blessed truth. She gave up her soul and all that was most dear, to God, in
full assurance of his accomplishing his good and wise purposes for his own glory,
in reference to herself and them. Her memory will be pleasant, her example instruc-
tive, and her death consoling and animating.

She has left you a rich legacy in her children, to whom she performed all the
maternal duties while permitted to act, and whom with her expiring breath she dedi-
cated to her Heavenly Father. She sought for them the blessings and promises of
the covenant, which comprehends both parents and children. It has not failed, nor
will it ever fail. Your own loss — and what it is the great Disposer of events has
taught me to feel, once and again — is swelled in its dimensions by your children's
loss. Our friend will be missed in all the relations and concerns where she moved —
most in the maternal. Her parents under the weight of years now look in vain on
earth for the delight of life and the favourite object of affection. But the saint in
heaven has left you and them and her children most precious gifts, most endearing
comforts. Your loss is great both because it comprehends what was delightful, good,
and useful in social life, and for its intimate connexion with the nurture and educa-
tion of your children. Even on this point, where you are tenderly touched, your loss
is thus great because of its relation to the great blessings which a kind providence
has vouchsafed to you. The divine benignity is every where, and every where
active ; it visits the dwellings of sorrow, watches over the silent recesses of the
tomb, and will awake the slumbering dust to fresh vigour and immortality. Afflic-
tion, tho' it comes under dark and forbidding aspects, is one of the most necessary
and salutary branches of parental authority and love. Whom our Father loveth. He
chasteneth. Let your heart stay itself on his mercies and promises. Christian sub-
mission to his will is amongst the most unequivocal evidences of Christian virtue,
and the most difficult and sublime attainments in the Christian graces.

I have been called to a large share of family bereavement ; my house is bereft
of its delights. But the visions of the past often come in pleasing remembrance, to
solace the solitary hours, that sit heavy on me. How little have I profited by the
merciful and corrective discipline of providence towards me ! How illy am I qualified
to point your thoughts to the true sources of religious improvement and consolation !
Near at hand is the Man of our counsel, inexhaustible in instruction and comfort.
Inspired wisdom best teaches us meekness and humility so becoming our state and

SIXTH GENERATION. 343

our dependence on God, the only Rock of ages. It opens to the benighted mind the
only rational hopes of the favour of our God and immortal happiness.

I regret my absence from you, and the more, as it is still uncertain how long
it will last ; if we do not have a short recess, our session will be protracted to an
irksome length.

The Vice President died about nine o'clock yesterday morning, full of years
and public services. His funeral is to be attended to-day.

Mention me kindly to the children, and respectfully to our friends. Write as
often as your leisure will permit, and believe me ever

Your affectionate Brother

Chaun'cey Goodrich

From Colonel Huntington.
My Dear Sir Norwich k'^xW zd, 1812

I wrote you a few lines the week after my return from Litchfield & have been
in hopes of receiving a letter from you ; the Death of our Dear Child is constantly in
our thoughts, and every object is gloomy, and the thought of not seeing her again
fills us with anguish ; it is our duty to be still. God gave and has a good right to
take away ; to this our Judgment assents but our feelings revolt.

I presume you feel the Loss of your dear Wife equally with her Parents.
When we are deprived of our earthly comforts we must seek to God for support ;
he has promised that those who seek shall find. Our afflictions are very grievous
to be borne by us, but we are Assured they will work out a far more exceeding &
Eternal weight of Glory. That Being who sends these trials will grant those con-
solations which the World knows nothing of ; and when we can by faith embrace
that promise, all things will work together for our Good. We often think of you
& feel for you in your disconsolate situation, & we pray that you may be comforted
and supported.

It would be very gratifying if we could step in and see you & the dear Chil-
dren with the rest of your family, though the visit would be a gloomy one, our dear
daughter being gone. Your children with us are well as are all our family and
friends. Mrs. Huntington & the Children unite with me in affectionate Love to
you & your Children, Mrs. Williams and Cousin Jabez. Please to remember me to
Mr. & Mrs. Reeve.

Your affectionate Parent.

Joshua Huntington.

Frederick Wolcott Esql

... THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

From his Brother.
Dear Brother ^'^^ ^''''^' J"'y '^ '812

A crisis has arrived in our public affairs, which I have long considered inevi-
table. I wish the Country was better prepared for war, and better united than it is.
Our principal danger is not from the force of the Enemy, but from our own divisions.
Every man must judge for himself, and all ought to be willing to tolerate the opin-
ions of others. In my opinion, the Government ought to be supported. We may
endure the privations of a foreign war, but a civil war will destroy every thing —
liberty, freedom, property, and perhap.s, national independence.

Col. Gibbs will call on you at Litchfield in a few days, and perhaps I shall have
occasion to request you to keep Eliza till I can make some arrangement for her.
My love to you all, and remember that I am ever yours.

Oliv: Wolcott

Fredi Wolcott Esq.

From Mr. Goodrich.
My Dear Brother : Wasliingto7i, Nov. 2, 1812

I have had an easy tour to this place, where I arrived in good health, Saturday.
The Senate has adjourned without a quorum, a single member being wanted.

At Philadelphia I first met the afflictive intelligence of Gov. Griswold's death.
Altho it came in a form to claim credit, my mind brooded in gloomy silence over the
hope that it might not be true, till I came here, where the painful news was con-
firmed. I have lost one of the best friends of my early life, with whom I have been
unreservedly intimate and confidential for many years. It is indeed a wide breach, and
at a time when, it seems to us, as if his services could not be spared. We can recon-
cile our minds to the event only on the ground that our relations in private life, and
the dispensations of providence in the deaths of eminent public characters, are
arranged and ordered by perfect goodness and wisdom.

Make my remembrances to Mrs Williams and Mr Huntington, and give my

love to the children.

Your affectionate Brother,

Chauncey Goodrich

From his Brother.
Dear Brother ^"ew York, Feb? lo-J; 1814

Before I rec'd your letter, I had rec'd the mournful intelligence of the death of
our beloved Sister, Mrs Moseley. The information was very unexpected to me, as I
had before understood that she was recovering. I should have made an effort to be

SIXTH GENERATION. 345

present at the Funeral, if the state of my Health had permitted ; but having suffered
considerable pain from rheumatism, I was afraid to expose myself to the rigor of the
season.

I humbly trust in the merciful and just Disposer of events, that our Sister, after
having performed her duties to God and Mankind, in an acceptable manner, has
exchanged the cares and anxieties of this probationary Life, for a state of permanent
Felicity. The number of our Friends is fast diminishing, and this ought to
strengthen the ties of affection between those who remain.

Eliza and Oliver join me in expressions of affectionate attachment to you and

your Children.

I remain sincerely and affectionately, D- Brother, yrs.

Oliv: Wolcott
Frederick Wolcott Esq.

To HIS Brother.
Dear Brother : Litchfield, March 28, 1814

I will acknowledge that in forming my opinion on certain political questions, I
have experienced no small embarrassment by finding that my judgment respecting
them did not accord with yours. The respect I have ever been in the habit of enter-
taining for your opinions on all questions will always incline me to hesitate, and
greatly to distrust my own judgment, when I find my opinion on important questions
varies from yours. Every person, however, must act according to the dictates of his
own conscience, and according to his judgment. No honest man can act differently.
He must either be silent and inactive when questions which involve the essential
interests of his Country come under consideration and are to be decided, or he must
support and advocate the measures which he conceives to be correct. I hope, how-
ever, I shall never be found to support the measures of any party indiscriminately, or
because they are the measures of a particular party. And if I be so unfortunate as
to differ from you on any of the questions which divide our Country, I have no appre-
hension that opinions, honestly entertained, can ever endanger our friendship, or
diminish our mutual confidence or respect. I am no Friend to civil dissention, and
cannot be benefited by it. If I have any influence, it will be exercised not merely in
supporting the institutions of this State, but in maintaining our national Government
in the exercise of its constitutional powers. I may judge incorrectly respecting the
extent of these powers, but it is impossible that I should not act according to the
dictates of my Conscience and Judgment.

I am truly your affectionate Brother

Frederick Wolcott
Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

346 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

We come now to the last of the pleasant letters of the excellent and
eminent man who brought into the Family the heart of a brother, and was
an honor to both houses. He died the next month.

From Mr. Goodrich.
My Dear Brother Saratoga Springs, July 4, 1815

We came here Saturday with less inconvenience than might have been
expected, considering the violent heat of several days. As yet, I cannot ascertain
the effect of the waters.

I have no leisure to write to you and my dear Niece [Mrs. Wolcott] ; few feel
for you more affection, or a deeper interest in your welfare ; and you may be assured
that I am amongst those who sincerely pray that the best of heaven's blessings may
rest on your whole family circle. Remember me very affectionately to Sally. I
remain as ever, in the old ties of

Your very affectionate Brother

Chauncey Goodrich

To One of his Sons.

Litchfield, OctL 1820,
My Dear Son Saturday at Noon

I write to communicate to you the painful intelligence of the death of your
dear little Brother, Chauncey Goodrich Wolcott. My dear Child, how it distresses
me to inform you, that yesterday at half past two o'clock P. M., while at play in the
kitchen, he ran backwards and fell into a kettle of very hot tho' not boiling water,
which was set on the hearth the moment he reached it. His mother saw him
tumbling into it and he was instantly taken out, and two pails of cold water were
immediately thrown upon him, and afterwards every medical aid was afforded — but
all in vain. As lovely and promising a child as was ever born, is taken from us,
and we can only grieve and forever lament his death. May our kind Parent in
Heaven enable us to sustain this very severe bereavement, and make it productive of
everlasting good to us all.

I send the bearer to Hartford with my Horses and Wagon, to bring you home

to attend the funeral. I can only inform you further, that the rest of the family

enjoy health.

In haste, your affectionate Father.

F. Wolcott

SIXTH GENERATION. 347

To One of his Sons.
Dear ILitchfield- 1824]

I do not write at this time because I have anything special to communicate,
but I wish to assure you of my constant remembrance of you, and of my regard. I
am very glad that you find leisure frequently to write to your Mamma and Sisters.
I think your correspondence with them will be beneficial to you ; you are certain of
their perfect and disinterested regard for you, and your Mother is very capable of
giving you advice which will be worthy your attention.

We have been much gratified with the information we have had, from various
sources, that you continue to conduct, as we expected you would, with strict pro-
priety, and that you give satisfaction to the Gentlemen with whom you live. It is
hardly possible that you can fully realize the importance to yourself, of the character
and the habits which you are now forming. You observe an amazing contrast in the
conditions and characters even of those who are considered men of business, and
persons of good standing. Almost the whole of this diversity of character and con-
dition, has arisen from the habits which these persons acquired, within a short
period, when of your age. If you now associate with persons of respectable char-
acter, and merit their confidence, you will continue thro' life to associate with such,
and will acquire the honours and emoluments which they now enjoy. A young Gentle-
man whose connections are good, and on whose character there is no stain, can just
as easily form his acquaintance and friendships among persons of respectability and
culture as with those who can never benefit him, and with whom an intimacy would
be degrading. How much more rational a satisfaction you enjoy in the confidence
and regard of your friend, Daniel Wadsworth, than you could possibly have from
any intimacy with low-minded and vulgar men.

If you meet with no special misfortune, you will succeed in life, if you start on
a correct plan. Be, from principle, invariably an honest man, and a man of honour.
Be habitually accurate and industrious. Be obliging and respectful to your supe-
riors in age ; this will conciliate their friendship, and incline them to favour and
benefit you. Treat with civility your equals in age, and all with whom you may have
occasion to associate ; but form your particular friendships and intimacies with the
utmost caution. Constantly aim at acquiring the character of a man of business and
of honour, and take special care that you become, not superficially but in fact, well
qualified to do business, and then your success will be certain.

Whenever you have leisure, as far as your health will permit, I hope you will
not fail to read with attention Books, from which you will obtain solid and useful

348 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

information. Most of the reading of our young men is merely for amusement ; such
reading, tho' it may occasionally be indulged in, can be but of little use. Remember
that your first object must be, to acquire information which it will be indispensable
for you to possess ; when this has been fully accomplished, you may read for amuse-
ment, if you please. No man can succeed in any kind of business, till he become
thoroughly acquainted with the principles on which it is conducted. If you regard
your own ease and character and comfort in future life you will not forget or disre-
gard my intimations on this subject. Your future prospects depend, in a great
measure, on your exertions this year. If you go through this year favourably, you
will find, the next year, that you are enjoying the advantages which a good character
has acquired for you ; and the information you will have obtained, will render your
business more easy. Every day devoted to laudable pursuits renders a life of virtue,
honour, and comfort more secure. It is because I have confidence in you, that I say
these things to you. If I e.xpected nothing from you, and had no regard for you, I
should not trouble you with such observations.

Your sisters will write to you. Be very careful of your health, and let us hear
from you when convenient. Remember me respectfully to the Messrs .

Your affectionate Father

Frederick Wolcott

The votes which Judge Wolcott received whenever his name was
proposed to the people showed that no man in the State had a stronger
hold on the confidence and regard of his fellow-citizens. And though nc-
man was ever less covetous of office and popular applause, he would have
been elevated to a higher station, had he not felt that his health was inad-
equate to its cares and responsibilities. For this reason, he declined :.
nomination for the office of Governor, which on two different occasion
was tendered him by a convention of his political friends ; in both case.-
their final nominee was elected.

He was an accomplished belles-lettres scholar, and kept up his ae
quaintance with the ancient classics. He was a gentleman of the oL
school, of the most pure and high-toned sentiments, and distinguishe
alike for the benignity and delicacy of his feelings and the suavity of hi
manners. The compiler of this Memorial recalls with great distinctnes
a pleasant afternoon and evening passed at the mansion of Judge Wolcc:,

SIXTH GENERATION.

349

in the spring of 1834, and the impressions made aUke by his mingled
urbanity and dignity, and by his deHghtful reminiscences of Washington
and the other leaders of the Revolution, whom he had personally met, when
in his youth he visited his brother at the seat of Government.

He was retiring and modest, almost diffident, unless there was a prin-
ciple to be asserted, and then he was unwavering and unyielding. His
love of truth and justice, and his loyalty to duty, were paramount to all
personal considerations. Above all, he was a humble disciple of Christ,
and adorned his profession by a blameless life.

He died at Litchfield, on Sunday morning. May 28, 1837.

A Funeral Sermon was preached by his pastor, the Rev. Jonathan
Brace, from a manuscript copy of which we give the following cx-
racts : —

He was a man of sterling integrity ; all believed that whatever he did was
right, or at least that he sincerely believed it to be right. Great confidence was
herefore reposed in him, which in no instance was abused.

His judgment was uncommonly sound and mature. It may l)e doubted
'.•hether there v/as a man in the State superior to him in this respect. This singular
ipeness of judgment was universally acknowledged ; hence those frequent cases in
vhich he was called to arbitrate. His mind was a good mind, — well-balanced, wcll-
lisciplined, well-furnished, and well-regulated by common sense and experience, —
ad most accurate in those conclusions to which by patient investigation it arrived.

Another trait of character which he possessed was magnanimity. His standard

36 honor was an elevated standard. The dignity of his person was not an assumed,

dtitious dignity. It was the medium through which a large, magnanimous soul

lanifested itself. His stately figure vvfas a fit tabernacle for its spiritual occupant, —

a occupant that scorned every thing narrow and sordid.

He was likewise a generous man ; the amount of his contributions to worthy
ojects was great, in proportion to his means. Every charitable enterprise received
is cheering smiles and patronage. No meritorious, suffering cause passed him unre-
bved. The fountain of benevolence in his heart was not sealed up, it was always
oen. This secured him many friends, which suggests one other feature in his
caracter, — friendly feeling. He was pre-eminently formed for friendship, and he
id not desert his friends ; he was alive to their good qualities, and loved them so
iog as such qualities continued to exist.

350

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

He died at home, in the bosom of his family, deprived of nothing which could
minister to his comfort ; and now that he is no longer upon the earth, we send our
thoughts upwards to Heaven, assured that he is happy there. This church feels
keenly the afflicting stroke ; it has been deprived of an exemplary and valuable
member. He was emphatically a mediator between parties ; equally removed from
wild enthusiasm and empty formality, and sound in all his sentiments, he could
lay his hands on extremes and bring them together. A spiritual man himself, and
devoted to the best interests of Zion, he could be relied on in every emergency.

The loss is a public loss. Our deceased friend did not live for himself alone ;
as a neighbor and a citizen he was every thing that could be wished. He was a man
who could always be found ; and when found, was always seen on the side of educa-
tion, good order, and public improvement. And if there was a man in the village
whom the aged respected, and to whom the young looked up with reverence, that
man was Frederick. Wolcott. But he will be seen in our streets no more. He
is gone, and lie is the last of his order. Reeve has been carried out before him.
We go to commit his remains to the same home, to mingle with the same dust, that
they may rise together, glorified spirits, in the morning of the resurrection.

An obituary notice of him appeared in the " New York Commercial
Advertiser" a few days after his decease, from which we extract the
following passages : —

" His clear and comprehensive mind, combined with a tender conscience, fur-
nishing strong instinctive and enlightened perceptions of right and wrong, admirably
qualified him for an arbitrator and judge. All his official duties were discharged in
a most exemplary manner, and those who required his services and counsel will
long remember the fidelity, purity, urbanity, and ability with which they were
performed.

" But the charms of his character were most attractively unfolded in the peace-
ful and retired scenes of private and social life. In these he most delighted to move,
and in these it is most pleasing to contemplate him. Possessing a singularly modest
and unassuming deportment, a frank, generous, and cordial disposition, he loved the
exercise of those kindly offices which pertain to the citizen, the neighbor, the friend,
the father, and the Christian. In the performance of the varied duties incident to these
interesting relations, he was pre-eminently happy. In these the daily beauty of his
life was developed in all its loveliness. Fitted both in form and feeling to command

SIXTH GENERATION. 351

respect and esteem, the dignity of his person and the magnanimity of his soul marked
him one of 'nature's noblemen.' He rejoiced in relieving the distresses of the
widow and the orphan ; delighted to bind up the broken-hearted, and to pour the oil of
consolation into the bosom of affliction. Meek and merciful, pure in heart, and a
peace-maker, like his great Master he went about doing good. Hence he was appro-
priately denominated the patriarch of the village, a pillar in the church, a luminary
in the land. The memory of this revered patriot, philanthropist, and Christian is
embalmed with pious affection in the hearts of many ; the sweet fragrance of his
virtues will rise in holy incense from his tomb. Let us all emulate his noble example
in life, so that we may 'die the death of the righteous, and our last end be like
his.'"

" I make the same claim to retain among the names of our departed brethen
that of Hon. Frederick Wolcott, of this village. He became a member of this bar in
early life, and with high prospects of professional distinction ; but he accepted the
proffered offices of Clerk of the Courts and Judge of Probate for this district, in 1793,
and soon relinquished professional duties. For several years he was a prominent
member of the Council, under the Charter administration. An intimate connexion
with this gentleman, both public and private, justifies the high opinion I have ever
entertained of his purity of life and character, his public spirit, and his frank and
open bearing. I never pass by the venerable mansion of the Wolcott family, in my
daily walks about this village, without recalling the stately form and ever honor-
able deportment of Frederick Wolcott. The duties of his official station were dis-
charged with the entire approbation of the community for many years, and until a
short time before his death, and amidst the conflicts and overturnings in the political
revolutions of the times." '

" In the old school of truth and honor bred,
Guarding alike the living and the dead.
Thy WoLCOiTS, grave, inflexible, sedate.
Honoring at once the nation and the state,
Before us pass. The Treasury and the Bench,
With moral courage, never known to blench.
The one adorned ; the other calmly wore
The robe of righteousness, laid up in store
For him who lives trustworthy to the end —
The widow's counsellor, and the orphan's friend." ^

^ Chief Justice Samuel Church. 2 j^gy John Pierpont.

352

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Two excellent portraits by Waldo and Jewett, of New York, are in
the possession of his eldest sons, and the preceding engraving was exe-
cuted by Halpin, of New York. He was of fair complexion, of command-
ing stature, and most dignified mien ; and his character evidently did not
beHe the outward semblance of the man.

The family monument in the Litchfield cemetery, erected by his sons,
bears the arms of Wolcott. Of the group on the next page, engraved by
Richardson from a drawing by Hosier, the left is his, the right, his brother
Oliver's, and the middle, his father's, in the rear of which is seen the head
of the monument of his son Henry.

The Memory of

Hon. Frederick Wolcott.

Born November 2, 1767.

Died May 28, 1837. {Epitaph.)

To the Memory of

Mrs. Betsey Wolcott,

Wife of

Frederick Wolcott, Esq"

and daughter of
Joshua Huntington Esq?

and
Mrs Hannah Huntington,
of Norwich.
Bom November 8'J! AD 1774 :

Died April 2"-\ AD. 181 2. {Epitaph)

Memory of

Mrs Sally W. Wolcott,

Wife of

The Hon. Frederick Wolcott.

Born Aug. 7, 1 785,

Died Sept. 14, 1S42.

Precious in the sight of the Lord

is the death of his saints. {Epitaph.)

354 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

REVIEW.

The preceding record is that of the last member of the Family who
has been prominently identified with the public affairs of Connecticut.
From the settlement of Henry Wolcott in Windsor, 1635-36, to the decease
of Frederick Wolcott in Litchfield, 1837, — a period of two centuries, —
the history of this little Commonwealth can hardly be written without a
partial biography of some member of the Family. A brief review seems
suitable at this point, especially as the preceding pages have been supplied
with few connecting links, except such as were furnished by the Family
Records themselves.

The early generations were almost exclusively identified with Con-
necticut, though connections were formed with a few Massachusetts fami-
lies,— Appleton, Corwin, Eliot, Freke, Goffe, Price, and Russell. We
have mentioned (p. 65) the marriage of Mary Wolcott (41) and John Eliot.
In the record of the Eliot Family, given in Mather's " Magnalia" (I. 479),
special mention is made of the ecstatic death-bed experience of John Eliot,
father of the above-named, who died in 1668, and a regret is expressed that
some of his wonderful utterances have not been preserved. Among the
papers of the descendants of Mary Eliot's kindred, the writer found a
manuscript, yellow with age, containing, among other things, " A Speech
of Mr. John Eliot upon his Death Bed." As a striking historic corrobora-
tion, and an authentic, antique souvenir of this family, we furnished a copy
for the press, to which we refer the reader, — "Congregational Quarterly,"
VII. 193, 194.

What individual share Henry Wolcott and his sons may have had in
the pioneer labors and hardships which preceded and attended the settle-
ment of the Dorchester Company in Windsor; what in the construction
and manning of the Palisado, which was relied on as the protection of the
families from the surrounding savages ; and what in the sharp, incisive
campaign against the Pequods, under the command of Capt. John Mason,

REVIEW.

355

of Windsor, in 1637, and which resulted in the destruction of the hostile
Indians and their fort at Mystic together, — does not appear from the rec-
ords. The spirit of religious fervor, or frenzy it might be termed, with
which the extermination of these fierce men was prosecuted, such as
breathes through the lines of Roger Wolcott which we have quoted
(p. 1 10), finds full expression in the harangue of the eloquent preacher to
the troops, as reported by Edward Johnson, in the " Wonder-working
Providence of Sion's Saviour in New England," a sentence or two of
which we quote : —

" The Souldiers arriving in safety at the town of Hartford, were encouraged by
the reverend Ministers there with some such speech as follows :

. . . . " You, my deare hearts, purposely pickt out by the godly grave Fathers
of this government, that your prowesse may carry on the work, where there Justice
in her righteous course is obstructed, you need not question your authority to execute
those whom God, the righteous Judge of all the world, hath condemned for blas-
pheming his sacred Majesty, and murthering his servants ; every common Souldier
among you is now installed a Magistrate ; then shew yourselves men of cour-
age. . . .

" And now the Lord hath prepared this honour for you, oh you couragious
Souldiers of his, to execute vengeance upon the heathen, and correction among the
people, to binde their Kings in chaines, and Nobles in fetters of Iron, that they may
execute upon them the judgements that are written ! this honour shall be to all his
Saints," ^ &c.

The divine edicts against the ancient Canaanites stood our Puritan
ancestors in good stead in their wars with the Indians. The separate
jurisdiction of the Connecticut Colony was established in 1639, by the
adoption of its first constitution.

" The men who formed this constitution deserve to be held in everlasting re-
membrance. They were not ignorant, or rash, or timid men. They were Ludlow
and Haynes and Wolcott and Hopkins and Hooker, and others of kindred spirit ;
men of clear minds and good hearts, — men who, in their views of civil and religious
liberty were far in advance of their age, and who, under the guidance of a kind

1 2 Mass. Hist. CoU., IV. 45, 46.

356 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Providence, introduced a form of government which for two centuries has secured to
the people of this State a measure of peace, of liberty, of order and happiness not
surpassed by any other people on earth." ^

"The constitution which was thus framed was of unexampled liberality. More
than two centuries have elapsed ; the world has been made wiser by various expe-
rience ; political institutions have become the theme on which the most powerful
and cultivated minds have been employed ; dynasties of kings have been dethroned,
recalled, dethroned again ; and so many constitutions have been framed or reformed,
stifled or destroyed, that memory may despair of a complete catalogue ; but the
people of Connecticut have found no reason to deviate essentially from the govern-
ment established by their fathers. The laws of honest justice were the basis of their
commonwealth ; and therefore its foundations are lasting. These humble emigrants
invented an admirable system ; for they were near to Nature, listened willingly to
her voice, and easily copied her forms. History has ever celebrated the commanders
of armies on which victory has been entailed, the heroes who have won laurels in
scenes of carnage. Has it no place for the founders of States, — the wise legislators
who struck the rock in the wilderness, and the waters of liberty gushed forth in
copious and perennial fountains .■■ " ^

With the civil administration which followed, the Family were asso-
ciated from the first, the senior Henry, and his eldest son and grandson
of the same name, having under this instrument, in successive generations,
held the office of Magistrate ; and this brings our record to the early part of
the succeeding century. It covers the season of gloom, terror, and suffer-
ing connected with the breaking out of King Philip's War, in 1675, i^^
which they took their share of the burden of Connecticut, that freely con-
tributed her quota of men and of means to the common defence. The
Indians within her own borders remained friendly; and though for two
years this savage war was the common affliction of New England, its deso-
lating track did not cross the Connecticut Colony, — the Plymouth and
Massachusetts Colonies being the theatre of its ravages, but the sons of
Connecticut yielding their lives in its battles.

We have already referred to the following half-century (p. 80), and the
entrance upon public life of Roger Wolcott, the grandfather of Frederick

» Rev. Dr. Hawes, of Hartford, Cent. Ad., 1835. ^ Bancroft's Hist. U. S., I. 402, 403.

REVIEW. 357

Wolcott. The French wars which succeeded, and the siege and capture
of Louisburg, in which he bore a part, need no further recital here.
Measuring his achievements by his scant early advantages, and estimating
his innate force by this standard, he is to be recognized, perhaps, as the
historical head of the Family, If his title to this distinction is not clear
on personal grounds, it manifestly belongs to him as the father of the
stalwart sons whom he trained for his country's service. Not less than
four of them bore a distinguished part in its annals ; all of them prominent
in the State Assembly, one of them Speaker of the House, one of them
Lieutenant-Governor and Governor, two of them Members of Congress,
three of them Judges, and two of them Generals in the Army; while two
of his grandsons succeeded to the Governorship. The part which the
Family, at that period, bore in the council chambers of the nation, and
in the fields on which its destiny was decided, is sufficiently indicated in
the preceding pages.

We have stated (p. 112) that the Governor took liberal ground on
ecclesiastical questions. While jealous for the liberties of the churches,
and resisting any tendency to priestly usurpation, he shared the convictions
stanchly held by the Puritans, and which they had proclaimed from the
elder Winthrop down, that a Christian government was bound to provide
for the religious welfare of the people, and make good the inspired predic-
tion that kings should be nursing-fathers, and queens nursing-mothers,
to the church of Christ. The racy letter which follows was addressed
to one who had been a Congregational minister, and having declared
for Episcopacy, and obtained a commission from the British Society for
the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, was disposed to set
aside the civil regulations of which he had availed himself in his previous
charge : —

Reverend S" Windsor, ]2Lrin icf^ it^t.

Yours of the 11- of this instant I acknowledge & observe that the late Bishop
of London was of Opinion, that the Rehgious State of this Country is founded upon
an equal Liberty of all Protestants ; none can claim a national Establishment, nor any

258 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Superiority over the rest. As far as I can know any thing about it, this Government
is of the same Opinion, & that this is the best Foundation of Love & Peace.

Yet it is certain the Charter grants us a Power to govern the People religiously.
This must intend something, & if it be not a Power to set up the Gospel & support
it & to oblige the people to attend the Publick Ordinances of it, it is nothing : for
where there is no Religion, there can't be any acts of Government about it.

When the Charter was granted, there was scarcely a Chh man in the Country.
It was chiefly settled with Congregationalists & Presbyterians, & these two Sects are
now intermix! in almost all our Plantations, and where either of these Sects were
able separately to settle & support a Minister, they were never denyed, & the like
Liberty is granted to all other Protestants ; and the Professors of the Chh of England
are expressly allowed this Liberty. But when in any of our Plantations one Sect
was not able to settle & support a Minister, the Law is that they shall do it joyntly,
and this without any View or Consequence of setting one Sect above another, but as
a thing necessary for the Being of the Publick Worship in our Plantations ; and this
order has flourished for more than lOO years. The Chhs settled in our several Planta-
tions have flourished in Peace & Love&, I hope, in aboundant Increase of Godliness,
& no one Sect in all this Time have comiDlained y' they were made inferior to another
And altho' at this Time y° Congregationalists & Presbyterians together support the
same Minister, yet neither of 'em think themselves superior or inferior to the other.

And is there not the same Reason that the Professors of the Chh of England,
that are not able to settle & support a Minister of their own, neither live so near that
they can and do hear one, sho'd have the same Easiness to be looked upon as no
ways made inferior by it .' Especially since it is necessary it sho'd be so, in order to
support the Gospel and oblige 'em to attend the publick Ordinances of it.

You inform me that those that submit to you, meet every Lord's Day, wor-
shiping according to the Liturgy & read Sermons. I suppose all this without any
Minister — & suppose this had been allowed to the Presbyterians, Congregationalists
& all other Sects from the Beginning — no publick meeting Houses, no Order, no
Sermon preached, no Officers to take notice of, or punish Omissions in Attendance —
what can we conclude, but that the People wo'd have been without Knowledge, &
even almost without the Trace of Religion, w'*" I believe you will acknowledge to be
generally the Case in all the Places of his Majesty's Dominion in America, where no
Care is taken of Religion by the Government .' And if the Professors of the Chh
ought to be left at this Liberty, so ought every other Sect : and all wo'd sink into
a mist of Ignorance & Profaneness.

When these things are well considered, I think the Apprehension of our setting

HE VIE IV.

359

one Sect above another will cease, & the Society will be satisfied. For I presume
the Society for propagating the Gospel will never be fond of using their Power to
screen men from attending the publick Ordinances of it.

But I am concern'd to find that you purpose to enter the Prison when the
Execution is served, & the' I can't supersede the Judgment, yet I sho'd rejoice to
be a means to prevent your going to Prison. And why, Good S', sho'd a Gentleman
of your Estate & Character be so fond of going to Prison .■'

The reason y' you intimate is y! it will not sound very pleasantly at Home,
& I may say that it will not sound very pleasantly here, for it is indeed a moving
thing to see a Gentleman of the Clergy go to Gaol. But wise & good men will
consider the Legallity of the Action & Justness of the Cause & Censure accordingly.
And in this Case it will be found, yl you were not committed for your Religion,
nor forced into the Law & condemned beyond w' you are able to bear, but upon
a Judgment obtained against you in a civil Action, brought by yourself, & so is no
more than is the Case of every other Subject.

You further observe you are a Member of one of the greatest Societies in the
Nation & Missionary from another. Wise men will always allow you all that Respect
that is due to your Character, but will hardly allow you to be bigger than the King,
who is much in the Law and often cast, but has never yet pleaded his character as
sufficient to exempt him from abiding the Judgment.

You further observe that you shall be committed for non Payment of an Exe-
cution for a Tax taken from your Parishioner. 'Tis the first Time I ever heard that
an Itinerant was Minister of a Parish. I have heard that your Mission extends all
over New England ; if so, you've a large Parish. Be that as it will & admitting y'
all you say is true, yet it was a Question whether you had a Right to y! Tax, & in
bringing your action you claimed your Right to it by the Statute & prayed the Opin-
ion of the Court upon it. The Court determined it against you ; 'tis impossible you
sho'd be wronged in this Case, unless the Court denyed you a fair Tryal or erred in
Judgment, but of these you don't complain. When these things are duly considered,
good Sr, this Action of yours may rather blemish than serve your Cause as merely
voluntary to stir up Resentment without suf Grounds.

But I submit the Matter to you, & if you think there is nothing in what I have
s'^, yet be assured it was done to serve you, & is all, I think, that at present I can do
in this Case, consistent with Reason & the Law. You'll therefore excuse the Free-
dom I have taken & esteem me

Your Friend & humble Serv!

To the Reiri R. WoLCOTT

Afr EbeiV Pundeison

360 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Of the characters sketched in this Memorial, none appears to the writer
to have excelled in symmetry that of the senior Oliver Wolcott. Like
most of the prominent actors in his day in our country's affairs, he was
called to bear a part both in military and civil relations. The papers
which he addressed to Governor Trumbull, and which appear on pp. 170-
175 of our work, are a fresh and valuable contribution to the literature of
the war. They were taken from the Trumbull MSS., now in the pos-
session of the Massachusetts Historical Society, and we are indebted to the
courtesy of that Society for permission to copy them. Of the hundreds of
his letters which have been preserved, we have not noticed any which are
not pervaded with the same good judgment and good feeling as those
which we have selected for the Memorial.

With a character of such excellence as his, the relation of slaveholding
was not, in his day, regarded as in the least degree inconsistent. The
Declaration of Independence was partially accepted, and happy would it
have been for the nation had it been universally construed, as the national
abolition of the system. We have given (p. 183) his own manumission of
a slave, at a later day. We here annex a copy, which we find among our
papers, of a Bill of Sale to him of a slave, several years before, as illustrative
of the times : —

Know all men by these Presents That I Eunice Gardiner of Hartford in the
County of Hartford and Colony of Connecticut Administratrix on the Estate of
William Gardiner late of said Hartford Decl for and in Consideration of the Sum
of Thirty Pounds Lawful! money to me in Hand Paid and received to my full Satis-
faction of Oliver Wolcott Esq' of Litchfield in the County of Litchfield & Colony
aforesaid Have and by these Presents do Bargain Sell and Deliver unto the said
Oliver Wolcott and to his Heirs and Assigns a Certain Negro Girl named Zillah of
the age of about Ten Years a Slave for Life To Have and to Hold the said Negro
Girl unto him the said Oliver Wolcott and to his heirs and assigns to his & their only
use and behoof for and during the Natural Life of the said Zillah, and I the said
Eunice Gardiner do Covenant to and with the said Oliver Wolcott his Heirs &c. That
I have good right and Lawfull Authority to sell and dispose of the said Negro Girl in
■manner as aforesaid and that the said Zillah at the time of Delivery and Ensealing
hereof is sound and free from any Bodily Distemper whatever and shall and will war-

REVIEW. 361

rant her to be so as well as against all Lawfull Claims of any Person or persons
whatsoever In witness whereof I have hereunto Set my Hand and Seal this 26'!' Day
of March Anno Domini 1768.

Eunice Gardiner Adnf- [seal]
Signed Sealed & Delivered
In Presence of

William Stanton
Be7ij'\ Payne

Right and wrong are immutable distinctions, but different standards
of right and obligation have obtained in different ages of the world ; and if
we are somewhat surprised at the low standard here indicated as prevalent
on one point, among " the saints in the earth, and the excellent," we are
nevertheless cheered by it, as one among many tokens of the steady
advance of humanity.

The scope of our work has not allowed us to enter upon the political
discussions of that day, which compose the bulk of the papers before us.
Mr. Wolcott took a lively interest in all public questions, but his spirit
was calm and judicial, free from the heat of partisanship. We should have
referred in its place to his service as Delegate to the State Convention,
which met in Hartford, Jan. 3, 1788, to act upon the proposed National
Constitution. The master-spirit of this Convention, as he had been of the
National Convention which adopted the instrument, was Oliver Ellsworth,
whose earnest advocacy of its ratification was ably seconded by Oliver
Wolcott. The latter remarked of it : —

It effectually secures the States in their several Rights. It must secure them
for its own Sake, for they are the Pillars which uphold the general System. The
Senate will secure the Rights of the States ; the other Branch, the Rights of the
People.

He utterly condemned the imposition of a test.

In the measures which followed the close of the war and the adoption
of the Federal Constitution, the financial problem came, unavoidably, to
the front as one of great importance and concern, and on this subject he
took firm and unambiguous ground.

362 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

National Reputation is undoubtedly of the last Importance. This must be
supported by a determined and apparent Effort to do substantial Justice ; by an une-
quivocal Punctuality of Payment in the Manner and Time proposed ; by being always
in a Condition to provide against untoward Accidents ; and by a firm Union among
ourselves.

" The party denominated federal having prevailed at the elections, a majority
of the members were steadfast friends of the constitution, and were sincerely desirous
of supporting a system which they had themselves introduced, and on the preserva-
tion of which, in full health and vigour, they firmly believed the happiness of their
fellow-citizens and the respectability of the nation greatly to depend. To organize
a government, to retrieve the national character, to establish a system of revenue,
and to create public credit, were among the arduous duties which were imposed upon
them by the political situation of their country. With persevering labour, guided by
no inconsiderable portion of virtue and intelligence, these objects were in a great
degree accomplished." ^

We give from a manuscript copy one of his Annual Thanksgiving
Proclamations : —

By his Excellency

Oliver Wolcott, Esqtiire,

Governor and Commander in Chief of the State of Connecticut,

A PROCLAMATION.

When the Supreme Ruler of the Universe has liberally conferred his blessings
upon a people who enjoy the inestimable benefits of divine revelation, it becomes in a
special manner their duty to adore their beneficent Creator with public thanksgiving
and praise.

Impressed with this sentiment and contemplating the many favours which by
the dispensations of Divine Providence the people of this State have enjoyed the
current year, I have thought proper by and with the advice of the Council and at the
desire of the House of Representatives, to appoint, and do hereby appoint, Thursday
the 22'' day of December next, to be religiously observed as a day of Public Thanks-
giving AND Praise to Almighty God, throughout this State ; hereby recommending
to Ministers and People of every Society, Church and Congregation, to assemble on

1 Marshall's Washington, II. 209.

RE VIE W.

363

said day and devoutly render their tribute of praise to their Almighty Creator, for the
various manifestations of his goodness towards us : particularly, that it has pleased
God to grant to his people the blessing of general health ; and prospered our agri-
culture, commerce and manufactures and other of our lawful vocations and employ-
ments ; and continued to us the unmolested enjoyment of the blessed Gospel of Christ
Jesus, the Saviour; — to supplicate the Almighty to continue to us his favour and
blessing, and make us sensible of our dependence upon his providence and disposed
to manifest the sincerity of our gratitude by a cheerful obedience to the Divine Will.

That thanks be rendered to Almighty God for the prosperity which he has
granted to our Nation ; that our liberties and Independence have been preserved and
a national peace established ; that God has preserved the life and important useful-
ness of the President of these United States, and to supplicate the Almighty to
continue to him divine aid and protection.

That God would ever influence and direct the public councils and administration
of this State and of the United States of America, and render them subservient to
the important ends of their Institution ; that our nation may always be under the
protection of a most gracious Providence, and that no evil machinations may be
permitted to disturb our National Union and Peace ; that the precepts of our holy
religion may have their proper influence upon the conduct of mankind ; that right-
eousness and peace may universally prevail.

All servile labors are forbidden on said day.

Given at the city of New Haven, the thirty-first day of October in the year of
our Lord one thousand seven hundred and ninety-six, and the twenty-first year of the
Independence of the United States of America.

Oliver Wolcott

By his Excellency' s Command,
Samuel Wyllys

Secretary.

He was honored with official trusts to the very close of his long
career, which seems to have been singularly free from the annoyance of
detraction and defamation. The prevalent sentiment of personal kindness
towards him was expressed in Mr. Goodrich's congratulations on his acces-
sion to the gubernatorial chair.

I am happy to find from your letter of the 15-, and others from my friends, that
your election has been conducted with so much unanimity, and so highly for the

364 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

honor and welfare of the State. I need not add my sincere wishes that your virtuous
administration may be followed with your own personal happiness.

" No resident of the town ever achieved a more honorable and wide-spread fame
than Oliver Wolcott ; and no name in the historic annals of the town and State
in which his life was passed, is more earnestly and affectionately cherished than
his." 1

His son, the second Oliver Wolcott, was probably gifted vi^ith the
strongest intellect which the Family has contributed to the country. His
mind was logical and his judgment comprehensive, and he had the
faculty of lucid statement. His mental traits appear fully in that portion
of his published correspondence to which we have frequently referred,
— the two volumes compiled by his grandson. It should be borne in
mind that only a part of his papers have yet been printed ; and none of his
extended and earnest political discussions are embraced in our own work.
The intelligent reader of the whole will not probably dissent from the
judgment expressed by his correspondents, — repeatedly by his friend,
Fisher Ames, as quoted by us on pp. 267, 290. He was well fitted for
that work of civil construction which followed the scenes of successful
revolution in which his father and uncles participated.

Something like the interest with which we trace a celebrated stream to
its source attaches to the letter which follows, recognizing the first asso-
ciation with the Supreme Court of one who was destined to become its
distinguished ornament, and forecasting clearly the traits which became
illustrious in Washington's biographer and the future Chief Justice.

From Mr. Hopkins.
j)R gjj^ Richmond, January i8'^ 1795

This will be handed to you by, and is to introduce to your acquaintance, my
friend, John Marshall. He is your friend and the friend of every good Republican
citizen, whether he comes from the East, West, North or South — but a great politi-
cal foe to every man whose principles are the reverse, and whose object is confusion

1 Kilbourn's Hist. Litchfield, 143.

SIXTH GENERATION. 365

and disorder ; and some such, alas, there is too much reason to fear we have amongst
us. He goes to Ph. to argue the cause before the Supreme Court of the U. S.
between the British debtors and creditors upon an appeal from the Virg' Circuit. I
wish you to become acquainted with him. You will find him possessing great lib-
erality, solid sense and judgment ; an agreeable companion, free from all party preju-
dices or passions ; an upright, candid and, in fine, an Honest Man.

Who is to be the Secretary of the Treasury } Are you .? It is so expected and
believed here, and I may add, desired.

Yours sincerely

John Hopkins

Oliver Wolcott, Jr., Esq.

From Rev. Dr. Eliot.
gjj^ Boston, May 9'i; 1801

The Mass. Hist. Society, at their last meeting, directed me to make their
particular acknowledgments of your care and kindness in sending the transactions of
Congress while you were Secretary of the Treasury.

It is one of our Regulations to give publick thanks to our benefactors thro' the
medium of a Newspaper. But this is not sufficient to express our gratitude to one
whose assistance has been of such advantage to the Institution. Many of these
papers, we are well persuaded, would not have been procured but for your attention
to the business. These now make a handsome, as well as very useful, part of our
Library, and often bring to remembrance the worthy Corresponding Member, thro'
whose hands we received the valmhle present.
With the highest esteem, I am, Hon-° Sir,

Your much obliged and hum- servant,

John Eliot

Cor. Sec. Mass. H. Soc.

His political correspondents and valued friends, to whom he wrote so
freely on public affairs, were the trusted leaders of the Federal party ; and
the ties of mutual confidence and affection which subsisted between them
were somewhat rare in public men. Foremost among them was the be-
loved and revered Federal chieftain ; and it is the published testimony of
a political opponent, that " Oliver Wolcott of the Treasury Department was
more perhaps in the unreserved confidence of Colonel Hamilton, the chief
of the party, than any other man."

366 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Another of the group, and probably the most brilliant, was the Massa-
chusetts Representative, Fisher Ames, one of whose eloquent speeches in
Congress received the compliment of an immediate adjournment of the
body, that its members might be able to vote calmly on the subject on
which they had been addressed. Mr. Wolcott's intimacy with this gifted
and charming man is sufficiently apparent from the shreds of their corre-
spondence which we have given. In one of the letters which we have not
quoted, Mr. Ames writes to him thus : —

Dedham, Jan. 12, 1800.
I am flattered exceedingly by your frankness ; I know that it is a mark of your
trust both in my friendship and discretion ; you do not lavish such things. I am not
behind Mr. Cabot in regard for you, and I will add in respect, too ; he alone shall
know the contents ; they are a treasure which I should be unworthy to possess if I
could not bring myself to destroy. I will do it after I have read the letter a hundred
times more ; yet I confess, however informing, I was not quite unapprised of most
of the circumstances detailed in it. My knowledge is now more perfect on each
article, and much the more comprehensive for your assistance.

Another of his most endeared and confidential friends has just been
named, — a Massachusetts senator of great influence, distinguished by the
dignity of his presence, to whom his later successor, Daniel Webster, paid
the following tribute on an anniversary occasion : —

" The mention of the father of my friend brings to my mind the memory of his
great colleague, the early associate of Hamilton and of Ames, trusted and beloved by
Washington, consulted on all occasions connected with the administration of the
finances, the establishment of the treasury department, the imposition of the first
rates of duty, and with every thing that belonged to the commercial system of the
United States, — George Cabot of Massachusetts." ^

After Mr. Cabot's voluntary retirement from political life, President
Adams offered him the Secretaryship of the Navy, which he declined ;
nothing could draw him from his chosen retreat. In one of his letters to
Mr. Wolcott occurs the following domestic sketch : —

1 Works, II. 205.

SIXTH GENERATION. 367

My Dear Sir Brooldine, k\3.^. i,\Zo\.

We are in a very pleasant village, five miles from the centre of Boston, suffi-
ciently retired, yet within visiting distance of several agreeable neighbors, besides
the accessibility of town friends. My family consists of Mrs Cabot and my only
daughter (a girl of sixteen) and myself. My farm is very good as well as pleasant,
and my love of ease is more gratified than is salutary. I am not rich,, yet my income
is as great as my expenses, and my expenses as great as my desires. Mrs Cabot is in
better health than when you knew her. We visit very little, yet we are not long
solitary. A single man and three females form our list of domestics, the former of
whom drives us round the country every fine day. The labor of my farm is performed
altogether by a tenant, to whom I give specific benefits, that he may have no control
over the management ; and the benefits are liberal, that he may be happy, and tied
to me by his interest. When I have no living company, I call upon the dead, who
are always ready to come from my library and entertain me.

Among the friends who contribute greatly to my happiness, Mr Ames is almost
the only one with whom you are acquainted, but you can easily conceive how precious
he is. Our intimacy, and I believe our mutual attachment and confidence, have con-
tinually increased. He lives seven miles from me, and sometimes takes my house in
his way to or from Boston ; and I often go to Dedham to see him. We never meet
without talking of you, and expressing our desires to see you. I shall indulge this
hope till it is realized. You know so well that Mrs C. and I wish to see you and Mrs
Wolcott as our guests, that when you come to this part of the country, you will
certainly make our house your home.

Yours affectionately and faithfully,

George Cabot

After his release from confining duties, Mr. Wolcott visited his old
friend at his delightful residence, and upon his return home sent him the
following reminiscence of the visit : —

Litchfield, Aug. 28, 1802.
I often think of the felicity of your situation ; and you will believe me, when I
assure you that the reflection affords me the highest pleasure. In the vicinity of one
of our most wealthy and polished towns, surrounded with those friends whose society
you prefer, with a mind disposed to review the events which have passed, and in a
situation which affords you early information of those which are passing, you at once
realize the great objects of human pursuit. May you long live to enjoy them, and if
possible, may they be increased.

368 THE WOLCOTT MEAIORIAL.

Another of his intimate associates was Joseph Hopkinson, of Phila-
delphia, who lived till 1843, and was a leading member of the Convention
for the Revision of the Constitution of Pennsylvania in 1837. He was a
physician in Philadelphia, in successful practice, but his intense interest in
politics, which does not seem to have affected his genial temperament,
brought him into civil office, and he was appointed District Judge. He
was President of the Academy of Fine Arts, and is known in literary
circles as the author of " Hail, Columbia ! " To his letters already given
we add the following : —

Judge Hopkinson to Mrs. Wolcott.
My Dear Friend PJtUadelpIna, ]\i\y 2,1, iSoo

My little woman being from home when your letter came to hand, I took the
liberty to read it before her. It was impossible to refrain ; my feelings have always
been an over match for my politeness. Be assured my heart gave its kindest wel-
come. While it reviewed the memory of times past and pleasant to the soul, it
introduced the sad reflection that they will probably return no more. With what
delight did I look upon even the imperfect representation of yourself ! How did I
dwell on every line and word that brought me once more into conversation with my

dear kind neighbor. You desire Mrs H to prevail on me to write to you, can

you believe that anything more is necessary than to know my letters would be
acceptable to you. I cannot have a greater pleasure than to write to you under this

assurance. Mrs H was e.xcessively disappointed in not receiving a line from

you by Mr Wolcott, by whom I believe she wrote to you. She impatiently looked
day after day, for a letter from you, and I fully united in her anxiety, indeed you are
very dear to us both, and the loss of your society has not been and will not be com-
pensated to us. Our children have all been pretty severely handled with hooping
cough particularly the little girl, which obliged me to part with them all and my wife
in the bargain for several weeks past. Mrs H was three weeks at Bordentown, and
has now been three more in Northampton county, over the mountain at our friends,
Mr Stroud's. I forwarded your letter to her, knowing I could not bestow a greater
gratification

Business comes on with me much better than I could reasonably have expected.
I shall keep my chin above water. I am determined I will not say one word about
politics, to convince you that whatever my propensity towards them may be, I like

SIXTH GENERATION. 369

my freinds better, and can write to them without perplexing them on this fruitless
topic — I mean fruitless of advantage

You may depend upon hearing from us from time to time, and do not neglect to
let us know frequently how you and yours come on. .
Mo^ truly

Y' friend & h'ble serv'

Jos HOPKINSON

From the Same.
My Dear Sir Philad. Septemb. 25, 1803.

We received the letters from Mrs Wolcott and yourself with that excellent
satisfaction which the kind remembrance of such friends affords. Although it is a
very long time since I have heard directly from you, I have kept a pretty steady eye
upon you, and never neglected an opportunity of enquiring after your welfare. You
will be assured there was much joy in our house when we were informed of the very
honorable and advantageous situation you have acquired in New York. We could
not indeed but reflect how much better it would have been if the same thing had
happened in Philadelphia; but as it is, we feel so much within reaching distance, as
to give us a hope of seeing you sometimes. A journey to New York I shall consider
as a very inconsiderable impediment, in comparison with the pleasure of spending
a few hours in your parlour, after otir old manner.

Remember me in the sincerity and truth of friendship to your wife and my
kind neighbour. I must and will see you all again together.

Most truly and affect'-^ y-

JOS. HOPKINSON
Oliver Wolcott, Esquire

Still another of this circle of personal and political friends should be
named here, — Mr. Josiah Quincy, of Boston, the representative of a family
then holding a distinguished rank, vi^hich it still retains. Mrs. Adams,
referring to him in one of her letters, writes : " This young man is a rare
instance of hereditary eloquence and ingenuity, in the fourth generation.
He comes into life with every advantage of family, fortune, and education,
and I wish him all the success which such auguries naturally present to him
in prospect." At the age of thirty-five, he was the leader of the Federal
party in the House of Representatives at Washington. After leaving Con-

370

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

gress, he was chosen the first Mayor of the city of Boston. On his retire-
ment from poHtics, he was elected to the presidency of Harvard University.
He survived his ninety-second birthday, retaining his facuUies to the close
of his life, — an object of veneration to the generations that had grown
up around him. . His intimacy with the Wolcotts, to which we are in-
debted for one of the portraits given in the Memorial, appears to have
commenced through the accomplished young lady who became his wife,
and who had been previously intimate with them.^ We give such parts
of a few of his letters as can be detached from the political topics which
they freely discuss, together with an extract from his published diary, rela-
tive to his visit to New York on his way to Washington, travelling with
his wife and daughter in his own carriage, being about a month on the
road.

From Mr. Ouincy.
Sir Boston, 30 Sept. 1801

I enclose to you the last volume of the publications of the Historical Society
and all of the Agricultural.

We reached home in four days from Litchfield, and found nothing terrible on the
Hartford side of your hills ; nothing which the recollection of the attentions and
pleasure we had received from our visit did not make appear trifling obstacles. It is
impossible for Mrs Ouincy and I not to reckon the time passed at your house as the
most delightful part of our excursion, as well as not to dwell upon your promise to
give us in the Spring, by a long visit, a chance of returning a few of those many
kindnesses which you and Mrs Wolcott found means to extend in so short a
time.

I have found in no part of the United States I have visited, so much calmness
in the political sky as about Boston. The confidence of monied men seems to
increase exactly in proportion as the evidences of want of stamina in government
multiply. The mass of men never think that the ship can sink or fly to pieces in a
calm. I have been, I confess, more at a loss to account for this than for any of the
late occurrences, as it has happened directly contrary to my expectations. However,
I suppose that all theories that relate to men in a mass are very apt to be found
erroneous.

1 Life of Josiah Quincy, 46.

SIXTH GENERATION. 371

Present me with all respect to Mrs Wolcott, in which Mrs Quincy unites,

together with our best wishes for the happiness of yourself and family.

I am, Sir, your most obe! sev!

JosiAH Quincy
Hon. Oliver Wolcott

From the Same.
Sir Boston, 26 March 1802

I enclose the last publication of our agricultural society. I cannot omit this
opportunity of reminding you and Mrs "Wolcott of the promise you made of visiting
us this spring. Not only Mrs Quincy and myself, but many very numerous friends
of ours in this place and neighborhood will be delighted by your performance of it.
My little daughter already begins to plan little schemes of amusement for Miss Eliza
or Miss Laura. We hope you will not disappoint one so near to us ; but bring one
or both with you. I know Mrs Wolcott will be happy in being informed that Mrs
Quincy presented me, about two months since, with a fine Boy, and that both mother
and child enjoy the most perfect health.

I will say nothing concerning the aspect of our political affairs. It is so gloomy
that to say little would not do justice to my own feelings, and to write much, as little
justice to yours. I cannot help however anticipating even with pleasure that de-
spondence and regret, which conversations with you on this subject will occasion me,
at a time when your and Mrs Wolcott's presence in my family will jnake every other
object bright about me.

With respects to Mrs Wolcott, in which Mrs Quincy joins,

I am y' most obed'. serv-

JosiAH Quincy

Hon. Oliver Wolcott, Esq":

From the Same.
Sir Boston, 31 Aug. 1802

You will have seen by the public prints before this reaches you, that your
address has been published ; I hope with as much correctness as publications of this
kind are usually made.

Present me very respectfully to Mrs Wolcott. We associate recollections of
you and your lady with the objects of our domestic scenes, and delight to remember
that you have been with us. Our home is more valuable to us on this account, and
my wife and family often recur to it with gratitude and satisfaction. You shall hear
from us more fully hereafter.
With great respect,

I am your most obed! serv;

JosiAH Quincy
Oliver Wolcott, Esq.

372 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

"Dec 9". Dined with Mr. Gracie, at his country-seat, about eight miles from
New York. Gracie is a merchant of eminence, a particular friend of Mr Wolcott,
through his attachment to whom I am probably indebted for his politeness to me
— the dinner having been made particularly on my account. Wolcott's character
of Gracie is, that he is one of the most excellent of the earth — actively liberal,
intelligent, seeking and rejoicing in occasions to do good. I have great reason to be
gratified for this attention. His seat is upon the East River, opposite the famous
pass called Hell-Gate. The scene is beautiful beyond description. A deep, broad,
rapid stream glances with an arrowy fleetness by the shore, hurrying along every
species of vessel which the extensive commerce of the country affords. The water,
broken by the rocks which lie in the midst of the current, presents a continued scene
of turbulent waves, dashing, foaming, and spending their force upon the rocks. The
various courses every vessel has to shape, in order to escape from the dangers of the
pass, present a constant change and novelty in this enchanting scene. The shores
of Long Island, full of cultivated prospects, and interspersed with elegant country-
seats, bound the distant view. The mansion-house is elegant, in the modern style,
and the grounds laid out with taste in gardens. Judge Pendleton, Dr. Hosack, Mr
Wolcott, and Mr Hopkins, were of the party." ^

From Mr. Quincy.

Dear Sir Washington, II Dec. 1805

I cannot express how much I value your excellent and kind communication.
All the hints, personal or political, I can only promise to note, and make the rule of
my conduct as far as you can expect or wish.

I thank you for your hint not to commit myself upon a certain question. Be
assured I am as aware of the consequences as you can possibly be, and I promise to
throw the lead every inch I advance. If I get upon the breakers, it shall be from an
overscrupulous zeal for the real interests of my country, and not from an overhasty
eagerness to lead, or to follow, on a course unexplored.

You will see from the papers that I have taken a very small share in the debates.
It was my intention not to have taken any at an early period of the session. But from
the state of the house I find it inevitable. It is impossible for me to vote on any
question without having some public avowal of the principle on which I agree or
differ, given either by myself or by those whose coincidence in political sentiment
with me will, in explaining their own, justify my vote. But I find an inertness in

1 Life of Josiah Ouincy, 81, 82. See p. 424.

SIXTH GENERATION. 373

most of these, in relation to such explanations, that I cannot acquiesce in. It seems
to me that the more correct and honest the views disclosed, the more honour to our
party, and the sooner the best men will rise out of their down-trodden state. I
mention this to you by way of apology. I put the spur and the rein into your hand.
Urge me up to the mark, or force me back if I exceed the proper limit of duty or just
reputation.

IVashingtoti, 5 Jan. 1806
For my own part, I have no sort of apprehension of engaging the enemy at
close quarters. If our little band be beaten for the present, it is no matter. It will
show our spirit and harass the adversary. The time will come, and in my opinion it
is not many years distant, when we shall gain the victory. The best maxim of life,
which I endeavour always to keep in my mind, and to infuse into practice, is the
Sibyl's parting advice to jEneas :

Tu ne cede malis, sed contra audentior iio,
Quam tua te Fortiina sinet. Via prima salutis,
Quod minime reris, pandetur.

Thus most classically and most sincerely

I am yf obliged h-° serv?

JOSIAH QUINCY
Hon. Oliver Wolcott

From the Same.
Dear Sir Boston, 11 March 1821

I have the honor to acknowledge your letter of the 6- in'-', with respect to my
address, I apprehend you " understand it as well " as I do myself. I did not seek the
opportunity of writing it, but yielded, in undertaking the task, to a sort of moral com-
pulsion ; which however I did not regret. In executing it, I restricted myself only
to say what was true, and what I believed. As to theories, I have none ; nor yet
application of principles therein stated to the particular conditions of the U. S. For
a long time yet to come we must have armies and navies and military apparatus.
But that in proportion as the moral and intellectual condition of the mass of mankind
improves, wars will diminish, I cannot doubt, and that in an exceeding high condition
of both, they will be of exceeding rare occurrence, and even the custom annihilated,
I believe. But as that time is at a great distance, I q,uarrel not with the fashions of
my own times, and am rather disposed to countenance than to condemn them ;
provided always that they require little wear of purse and no tear at all of con-
science.

374

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

As to pauperism, it is an unexplored depth, and one of the most difficult as well
as of the most important of all objects of investigation. The poor come in shoals
from Nova Scotia & Ireland ; and we must find some means to reduce the number,
or we shall all be candidates for the almshouse. Our legislature have taken it up
very seriously, but whether any thing will come of it, remains to be proved. I think,
however, we shall want nerve to apply the only efficient remedy.

It gives me great pleasure to receive from yourself a testimony of your recol-
lection of me. And it will be a great gratification to be permitted, as you propose,
occasionally to hear from you.

The season reminds me of my farm and I am preparing to renew my addresses
to that coy nymph. Agriculture, who is eternally promising to bring you riches for
a dowry and is always disappointing your expectations. What shall we farmers do .'
Indian corn at New Orleans is at 25 cents the bushel. Here it was sold last week
for forty cents. Yet wages continue at but little below their old level. The business,
however, is as good, all things considered, as Law or Commerce, so that we have no
great reason of complaint.

Mrs Quincy desires to be affectionately presented to your recollection with

Very truly & respectfully

Y' obe- sev'

JosiAH Quincy

His Excellency

Oliver IVolcoit

If you have not received the last numbers of our agricultural repositor}', pub-
lished by our society, I will transmit them to you.

Mr. Wolcott was the last of Washington's Secretaries to retire from
the cabinet of Mr. Adams, in which he had remained by invitation. His
colleagues had been dismissed, or asked to resign, by the President ; he
withdrew, at length, of his own accord. The matter is referred to in the
correspondence which we have given, but without details ; and for this
reason it may be worth while to quote the testimony of a historian so
impartial as ]\lr. Hildreth, who thus states his position: —

" Wolcott was not less decisive in his political opinions than either of the other
Secretaries. But he had preserved towards the President great courtesy of manner ;
he was an excellent Secretary of the Treasury, whose place it might not be so easy

SIXTH GENERATION. 375

to fill ; and perhaps the President considered it politic to allow to the ultra section of
the Federal party a representation, though not a majority, in the cabinet." *

" Ever since the dismissal of his colleagues, Wolcott had felt his position in the
cabinet very uncomfortable ; but the urgency of his friends, and the desire to leave
the affairs of his department on a good footing, had hitherto induced him to remain.
He had fixed, however, on the end of the year as a period for retiring, of which he
had notified the President and the Hotise, asking, at the same time, an investigation
into his official conduct. He left the treasury in a flourishing condition." ^

The letter in reply to the following we have already inserted (p. 302).
We give this with the more pleasure, as the writers political relations to
his distinguished correspondent were at one time somewhat trying, and it
furnishes evidence that, if time had not changed his convictions, it had
mellowed his feelings.

To Ex-PREsmENT Adams.
Sir Litchfield, Connecticut, July 28'i! 1823

The bearer. Major Wolcott Huntington, is a very estimable young Gentleman,
son of General Ebenezer Huntington of this State, who served in the American
Army from the year 1775 till the close of the Revolutionary War. In common with
the patriotic young men of the present age, he is desirous of personally manifesting
the admiration and gratitude with which all men are animated, towards the eldest
and most distinguished of the surviving actors in those great Events which estab-
lished the liberties and independence of the United States.

I am happy in being the organ of expressing Major Huntington's wishes on this
occasion, and while thus recalling myself to your recollection, I cannot omit to
express my thanks to heaven, that your life has been happily protracted and actively
employed in disseminating wise and salutary counsels, which cannot fail to enlighten
and direct the conduct of successive generations.

With profound respect and perfect deference I remain

Sir,

Your devoted servant,

Oliv: Wolcott
To

John Adams, Esq'.

Quincy.

1 History of the United States, II. 372. » Ibid., II. 396.

376 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

To Mr. Wharton.
My Dear Sir Litchfield, Feb? 22, 1825

I feel the most lively attachment to Philadelphia, where I long resided, where
most of my children were born, and particularly to your Family, from whom I rec?
many proofs of kindness and attention. If I could be useful to any member of your
family, gratitude would demand every exertion in my power. I request you to
present my respectful regards to your Mother and Aunt and to all remaining friends.
With sincere attachment and the best wishes for the prosperity of yourself and family,
I remain, Dear Sir,

Your obed- ser-

Oliv: Wolcott
Fishboiirn Wharton, Esq.

P. S. My son Oliver, who was an infant when I left Philadelphia, has married

one of your fair Quakeresses, who has presented me with a fine Grandson, who -is a

great comfort in my declining years.

O. W.

The two names which authenticate the Proclamation which follows
became so familiar, in this connection, to the ears which had listened to
them twice a year on preceding Sabbaths for a long period, — calling to
the observance of Thanksgiving and Fast Days, — that when at length a
similar Proclamation was attested by other names, it sounded unnatural to
the good people of Connecticut. The combination below belongs to the
memories of the writer's boyhood, and recalls days which, in their religious
associations, were week-day Sabbaths.

By his Excellency

Oliver Wolcott,

Governor and Commander in Chief in and over the State of Connecticut,

A PROCLAMATION.

Whereas it is the duty of all men to acknowledge their dependence upon God, the
great Creator and Preserver of the Universe, and publickly to express their gratitude for
the bounty atid protectiojt, which they derive from his indulgence and favour:

I HAVE therefore thought fit, by and with the advice of the Council, and at the
request of the House of Representatives, in General Court assembled, to appoint,
and I do hereby appoint, Thursday the twenty-sixth day of November next, to be

SIXTH GENERATION. yjj

observed, throughout this State, as a day of Public Thanksgiving and Prayer.
And I do accordingly invite the Ministers and Teachers, of all denominations, with
all the good people of this State, to assemble on said day, and with sincere and devout
affections, to present the reverential homage of their hearts to Almighty God, for his
inestimable favours to our State and Nation ; in particular, that he has continued to
us the great blessings of peace, internal tranquillity, general health and fertile
seasons ; above all, to render united and humble thanks, for the divine revelation,
perfect example, and expiatory sacrifice of His son, our Saviour and Judge, and the
assurance thereby afforded of a happy and immortal existence, through faith, peni-
tence and obedience.

At the same time, to supplicate the divine guidance and protection, in behalf of
the President of the United States, and all others entrusted with rule, counsel and
authority ; to entreat that they may possess the spirit of their stations, and cause
right and justice to prevail ; that all institutions for promoting piety, science, moral-
ity, benevolence and charity may flourish ; that liberty, happiness, peace and security
may be continued to our country, to the latest generations, and be speedily extended
to all mankind.

All servile labour and vain recreation on said day are by law forbidden.

Given under my hand, at the Council Chamber in New Haven, this twenty-
second day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and
eighteen, a7td in the forty-third year of the IndependeiKe of the United States of
America.

Oliver Wolcott

By his Excelkftcy's Command,

Thomas Day,

Secretary.

It was in Governor Wolcott's day that the Missouri Compromise was
enacted, — a proceeding which drew in its train the great rebellion ; and
in his address to the Legislature in 1820 he referred to the subject of
slavery, pointing out the feature in the system which made it a dangerous
element in our politics.

It cannot have escaped your attention, that a diversity of habits and principles
of government exists in this country ; and I think it is evident that slavery is grad-
ually forming those distinctions which, according to invariable laws of human action,
constitute the characteristic difference between aristocratical and democratical re-
publics.

378 . THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

The names of a dozen of his political associates are recalled in the
letter which follows; and besides these, Rufus King, Oliver Ellsworth,
and other prominent statesmen were, in their day, his constant correspond-
ents. This was written in the evening of his life, in answer to a corre-
spondent who had called his attention to a partisan address, reopening the
stormy questions that had convulsed the country in the administrations of
the early Presidents. While faithful to the memories of his early friends,
he had evidently survived the political animosities of that excited era. His
scrupulous preservation of the rough drafts of all his writings evinces his
confidence in the integrity of his own record ; but it was foreign to his feel-
ings that the political controversies of a former period should be revived,
and especially repugnant that his papers should be used for the purpose.

To Doctor Rhinelander.
My Dear Friend Litchfield, March n-i 1829

Your very kind and acceptable letter of the 5- inst. accompanied one from my
daughter, and was received on the 1 1*. From this delay you will judge of the state
of the roads and what has been my painful seclusion during this horrid season of the
year. Though not enjoying the comforts of your anthracite coal fire, and though
instead of the cheering rays of your Southern sun, my windows are darkened by a
cold North Easterly rain, I have been rendered very tranquil by hearing that you and
my other friends are well and happy. You say that you and Col. Gracie are unde-
termined what characters to assume at the Ball. I cannot suggest any idea on this
subject which would be pertinent. I can only think of either of you in your natural
characters, which will always be most attracting to my eyes. I have heard nothing
of^ any legacy to William ; I hope it is sufficient for his purposes. An ample fortune
is due to Mr Gracie, and no man more richly deserves to enjoy it.

Apart of your letter is devoted to the Political controversies of the day — a
subject most revolting to my mind of any it can contemplate. Cabot, Ames, Quincy
and Hamilton were my intimate friends, and I corresponded with each of them ; but
Ames was in declining health after he resigned his seat in Congress. No man pos-
sessed a purer and more exalted mind, or a more fascinating eloquence ; in his last
days he seems to have been hypochondrical in respect to the consequences of the
French Revolution, and he probably communicated some of his opinions and impres-
sions to his friends. Cabot was a pure and honourable man, and the same may be
said of Quincy, who fs alive and can speak for himself. The temperament of these

SIXTH GENERATION. 379

men was different from mine, our opinions on some points differed, but still we
continued friends. With respect to Hamilton my intercourse was constant, till his
conflict with Col. Burr which was concealed from me, or at any risque I would have
endeavoured to prevent it. Renconters of a similar nature I had arrested on two
former occasions, and to this alone can I attribute the secrecy which was observed
towards me. I assure you, my friend, that Hamilton's pure and just fame, as a patri-
otic statesman, is in no danger of violation. Authentic and incontrovertible documents
exist which will vindicate him, but the present is not the time to publish or reveal
them.

I possess portraits of Washington, Adams, Jay, Hamilton and Robert Morris,
which I value as memorials of great and good men who were my friends. If their
successors have chosen to run wild, I see no motive for following them in a mad
career to furnish employment for factious printers. I had rather burn all my papers,
than be an instrument of such mischief. Now that Pickering is dead, who was as
honest a man as either of the others I have named, I am the last survivor of the civil
companions of Washington and the elder Adams. I am willing to bear testimony to
any fact I know in favour of either, but not to be drawn into any controversy with
others. Chauncey Goodrich, who married a beloved sister, with Judges Swift and
Smith of this State, were members of the Hartford Convention. But after all due
allowance in favour of individuals, it was, in my opinion, a monstrous Political
mistake.

This letter contains no secrets, and you may show it to Col. Gibbs, to my

daughter, and to our mutual friends. With esteem and love for all whom, I remain

Affectionately your friend,

Oliv: Wolcott
Doct. John R. Rhinelander

We give place here with pleasure to the following letter from the noble
Frenchman who in the darkest day of our late rebellion did not lose
faith in the Great Republic, and issued his thrilling address, " The Uprising
of a Great People : " —

From Count de Gasparin to Mrs. Gibbs.
Madam Rivage, 16"' Feby 1864

It is with deep emotion that I have received the lines with which you have
honored me, and the precious letter of Washington which you have been so good as
to send.

380 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

It is not only precious in itself ; it is so, also, from the hand which transmits it.
You, Madam, daughter and grand-daughter of illustrious men, who have labored in
laying the foundations of the United States, will permit me to say, that your letter is
also an autograph which I shall place, and religiously preserve, side by side with that
of Washington.

May God bless your noble country, and grant that you may soon see with your
own eyes what I have always called the second birth (regeneration) of the United
States. Rely on the true sympathy and on the prayers of your European friends.

Receive, Madam, with the assurance of my gratitude, that of my devoted and

respectful regards.

A. De Gasparin

The younger brother, Frederick Wolcott, the last of our Family who
sat in the Senate of Connecticut, or bore a part in its public affairs, was
a worthy representative of the succession which terminated with him.

In Dr. Fowler's Appendix to the " Chauncey Memorials," lately issued,
we find the following just tribute to the second Mrs. Wolcott and her
sisters, which we take pleasure in transferring to our own Memorial : —

" The six daughters of the Rev. Samuel Goodrich were all of them distin-
guished for their mental, moral, social, and personal qualities. These qualities were
largely derived from ancestral influences. From the Chaunceys they seem to have
derived their love of learning and of books ; from the Worthingtons, their personal
beauty, bland manners, and affectionate hearts ; from their paternal grandfather. Rev. .
Elizur Goodrich, D.D., something of his good sense and self-control ; and from their
maternal grandfather, Col. John Ely, his free and fluent vein of conversation.

"They enjoyed, to some extent, advantages for school instruction in New
Haven, Durham, Litchfield, Stamford, and elsewhere ; but the best of their education
they received at home, under the guidance of their parents. Here were cultivated
their social affections, their love of learning, their love of labor, and their love of the
truths and duties of the Christian religion.

" Sarah Worthington [Mrs. Wolcott], the first-born, was the leading star
in that bright family-constellation. ' She was distinguished equally for her love of
books, for her love of the cultivation of flowers, and for her love of labor.' She was
fitted for Yale College when she was twelve years of age, and cried because she could
not enter that institution. In her position at Litchfield she sustained the relation of

SIXTH GENERATION. 381

mother towards three sorts of children in her family, to each and all of whom she
showed a tender and generous affection. In the midst of her beautiful daughters she
sat as a queen surrounded by her maids of honor, who yielded her love and homage."
pp. 348, 349.

We have more than once, in the preceding record, been reminded of
passages in Dr. Bushnell's eloquent " Speech for Connecticut."

" Mr. Bancroft, the historian, thoroughly acquainted with the relative character
and merit of the American States, not long ago said, ' There is no State in the
Union, and I know not any in the world, in whose early history, if I were a citizen,
I could find more of which to be proud, and less that I should wish to blot.' My own
conviction is that this early history, though not the most prominent, is really the most
beautiful that was permitted to any state or people in the world."

" Such, I say, is Connecticut ! There is no outburst of splendor in her history,
no glaring or obtrusive prominence to attract the applause of the multitude. Her
true merit and position are discovered only by search ; she is seen only through the
sacred veil of modesty — great only in the silent energy and worth of beneficence.
But when she is brought forth out of her retirement, instead of the little, declining,
undistinguished, scarcely distinguishable State of Connecticut, you behold, rising to
view, a history of practical greatness and true honor ; illustrious in its beginning ;
serious and faithful in its progress ; dispensing intelligence without the rewards of
fame ; heroic for the right, instigated by no love of applause ; independent, as not
knowing how to be otherwise ; adorned with names of wisdom and greatness fit to
be revered as long as true excellence may have a place in the reverence of man-
kind." pp. 6, 33.

THE WOLCOTT HOMESTEAD IN LITCHFIELD.

Windsor, South Windsor, and Litchfield have been the seats of the
Family in Connecticut. Of the homes of the early generations in Wind-
sor not a trace remains. We lately visited the site of the residence of the
first Henry Wolcott, and found the lot vacant. We have fortunately
secured an accurate representation of one of the early homes in South
Windsor (p. 75), and are happy to add another of the later, yet ancient,
homes, still standing in Litchfield.

382 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

This mansion was built by the first Oliver Wolcott, as early as 1 754,
and was the home of the Family during all the years in which its name
was identified with that of the village. It was the home in which his
children and grandchildren were born, and from which he and his youngest
son, Frederick Wolcott, each at the age of threescore and ten, were borne
to their burial. At the date of its erection, it was considered the most
eleo-ant residence west of the Connecticut River ; and it appears attractive
to the last in the sketch which we give, engraved by Richardson, from a
recent drawing by Herrick.

To name the eminent men, of the Colonial and Revolutionary periods
as well as of later date, who have been entertained as guests in this home,
would make a list of names for which we have not room ; including Presi-
dent Washington, Secretary Hamilton, Count Rochambeau, General La-
fayette, and a host of Senators, Governors, Judges, Divines, and men
distinc^uished in every walk. In a location which favored the opportunity,
the character of its occupants has made it, from the first, the abode of a
refined and generous hospitality. The celebrated Law School which once
fiourished here attracted hither, and introduced into the social life of the
place, young men of liberal education and representatives of some of the
best families in the country ; and the Young Ladies' Seminary, established
here by the Misses Pierce, — an institution unrivalled in its day, — was
thronged by pupils who represented the best culture of New England.
This home was surrounded with these influences, and partook of them
freely ; and some of its daughters, like Mrs. Goodrich in Hartford, and
Mrs. Jackson in Newark, have "shed its power" on other homes and
communities.

Here, as in Windsor, its earlier seat, the Family has become extinct
as a living name; and here as there the sepulchres of its departed are
preserved, and their memories are honored; while scattered in different
localities a few of its members survive, with many more not directly related
to them, whose youth was associated with this village, and to whom the
familiar picture of this old homestead will call up pleasant recollections.

SEVENTH GENERATION. 383

SEVENTH GENERATION.

LVIII. Samuel Wolcott (219) married (ist), May 10, 1762, Pru-
dence, daughter of Thomas Robbins, of Newington ; she died April 1 9,
1802, aged 57; (2d), 1807, Mrs. EHzabeth (Hinman) Beach, who died June
24, 1824, aged 57. Children: —

397 — I. Prudence, b. April 20, 1763 ; married John Baxter, of Sandisfield.

398 — 2. Samuel,h. April 19, 1765 ; m. (ist), 1789, Lucy, daughter of Gideon Wright ;

(2d), 1806, Rebecca Markham. Capt. Samuel Wolcott had eleven sons

and three daughters.

399 — 3- Mary, b. May 20, 1767; married John Parsons, of Windham, N. Y.

400 — 4. Thomas, b. June 19, 1769; m. January, 1800, Sarah, daughter of John Can-

field ; had children.

401 — 5. Abiathar, b. March 13, 1772 ; m. Dec. 29, 1796, Mary, daughter of Daniel

Warner ; had a large family.

402 — 6. William, b. June 13, 1774; m. (ist), January, 1800, Honor, daughter of

Gideon Wright; (2d), 1805, Huldah, daughter of John Deming ; has
numerous descendants.

403 — 7. Abigail, b. Dec. 22, 1781 ; m. Aug. 24, 1801, John Chapel, of Avon, N. Y.

Major Samuel Wolcott emigrated to Sandisfield, Mass., in 1764. He
served through the Revolutionary War in the successive ranks of captain
and major, and was present at the surrender of General Burgoyne. He
was a Representative of the town in the General Court.

In Memory of Maj. Samuel Wolcott,

who died Aug. 24, 1824, aged 88. (^Epitaph.)

Erected to the memory of Prudence Wolcott,
wife of Maj. Samuel Wolcott,
who died April 19, 1802, in the 58- year of her age. (^Epitaph.')

384 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

LIX. JosiAH WoLCOTT (235) married (ist), May 13, 1779, Lydia,
daughter of Rev. Daniel Russell, of Rocky Hill ; she died April 17, 1805 ;
(2d), Feb. 16, 1806, Mrs. Nancy, widow of Dr. Joseph Higgins, of Rocky
Hill, and daughter of Capt. Israel Williams ; (3d), Mrs. Elizabeth Brown, of
Warren, Ohio. He served with his brother Theodore in the Revolutionary
War; removed to Bristol in 1792, and to Farmington, Ohio, in 1807.
Children : —

404— I. Catharine, b. March 5, 1780 ; m. Nov. 25, 1802, Chauncy Hooker, of Farm-

ington, Conn.

405 — 2. Daniel Russell, b. March 16, 1782; m. (ist), April 27, 1805, Elizabeth

Root ; (2d), July 20, 181 1, Philanda Atwood ; had a large family.

406 — 3. Horace, b. Nov. 17, 1784; m. Dec. 15, 1808, Sabrina, daughter of Seth,

Tracy ; had a large family.

407 — 4. Susanna, b. March 26, 1787; m. July i, 181 1, Joshua P. Danforth, of

Farmington, Ohio.

408 — 5. Mary, b. Oct. i, 1789; d. Sept. 2, 1808.

409 — 6. Josiah Willis, b. Jan. 26, 1793 ; m. (ist), Oct. 23, 1815, Elsa Woodford;

(2d), March 21, 1821, Jane Stewart ; had twelve children.

410 — 7. Erastns, b. May 2, 1795. See LXXVIII.

411 — 8. Edmund Pinkney, b. Nov. 17, 1800; m. Nov. 19, 1829, Clarissa, daughter

of Dan Bosworth ; had a large family.

412 — 9. Lydia Russell, b. Feb. 24, 1807; m. September, 1827, Elbert Cowles, of

Austinburg, Ohio.

413 — ID. Carolitie, b. Sept. 12, 1808 ; m. Nov. 6, 1828, George L. Holmes, of Farm-
ington.

414 — 1 1. Charlotte, b. July 17, 1812 ; m. Oct. 26, 1836, William Smith, of Farmington.

415 — 12. Nancy Williams, b. July 12, 1830.

In memory of Dea. Josiah Wolcott,
who died Jan. 17"" 1838, aged 82 years. {Epitaph.)

In memory of Nancy, wife of Josuh Wolcoti,

who died Oct. 13, 1824, aged 58 years. {Epitaph.)

LX. Theodore Wolcott (238) married, February, 1784, Rhoda,
daughter of Roger Goodrich, of Farmington; she was born Oct. 13,
1763; he removed to Farmington, Ohio, 1814. Children: —

SEVENTH GENERATION. 385

416 — I. Lewis, b. Aug. 21, 1785. See LXXIX.

417 — 2. yosiali, b. Aug. 25, 1787; m. March 8, 181 5, Lois, daughter of David Belden ;

had children.

418 — 3. John, b. Sept. 26, 1790 ; d. July 21, 1792.

419 — 4. John, b. Feb. 26, 1793; m. Aug. 7, 1816, Fannie, daughter of Silas Goff;

had children.

420 — 5. William, b. May 21, 179S ; m. Nov. 3, 1818, Persis, daughter of Dan Bos-
worth ; had children.

421 — 6. Nancy, b. July 9, 1797; m. Aug. 22, 1816, Silas Higgins, of Farmington.

422 — 7. Newton, b. Nov. 17, 1799; m. (ist), October, 1823, Harriet, daughter of Abi-

jah Lee ; (2d), March 28, 1843, Cynthia Smith ; had a large family.

423 — 8. Chester Goodrich, b. Dec. 19, 1803 ; m. Nov. 7, 1843, Louisa S., daughter of

Elias Hudson, of Orwell.

424 — 9. Emily Fatima, b. July 10, 1809; m. Aug. 8, 1829, David Belden, Jr.

425 — 10. Susan, b. July 30, 181 1 ; m. April 7, 1829, Asahel A. Goff, of Farmington.

In memory of De.4. Theodore Wolcott,

who died June 2'^ 1837, aged 74 years. (^Epitaph.')

Rhoda, wife of Dea. Theodore Wolcott,

died Aug. 7, 1851, aged 88 years. (^Epitaph:)

LXI. Solomon Wolcott (250) married, May 10, 1799, Abigail B.,
daughter of Joseph Butler, of Pittsfield, Mass. Children : —

426 — I. Julius Hastings, b. May 14, 1800; d. Aug. 3, 1802.

427 — 2. Juliet Adeline, b. Aug. 24, 1802; d. May 11, 1804.

428 — 3. Sidney Butler, b. Nov. 6, 1804; d. Aug. 24, 1806.

429 — 4. Horace Butler, b. May 30, 1807; d. July 18, 1829.

430 — 5. Sidney Hastings, b. March 14, 1810; living (1879) i" Addison, N. Y.
431 — 6. Solomon Bclding, b. Aug. 19, 1812 ; lived in Addison ; d. Sept. 14, i860.

" Mr. Wolcott occupied a high position in the community as a man of
integrity and honor in all his business transactions. He was well known and
much respected throughout this region of country, and had many warm friends
who lament his death, and deeply sympathize with the bereaved brother, feeling
that the affectionate and near relation ever sustained between them cannot be
supplied." 1

^ Addison Advertiser.

386 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Dr. Solomon Wolcott removed, in 1802, from Williamstown, Mass.,
to Utica, N, Y., where he was appointed Government Post Surgeon in the
War of 1812; held public trusts, and was appointed Judge of the Oneida
County Court of Common Pleas; died Oct. 30, 18 18.

" In person he was large and fine-looking, of staid habits and grave demeanor ;
was a steady friend and firm supporter of our religious, moral, and political institu-
tions; he was deeply interested in the Utica Academy and the Presbyterian Church ;
he discharged with fidelity all the social and pubhc duties of life." 1

LXII. Horace Wolcott (258) married, March 22, 1788, Lucy
Smith, of Sandisfield, Mass. Children: —

432 — I. Emily, b. 178S ; m. (2d), April 4, 1816, Heaton Rose, of St. Albans, Ohio.

433 — 2. Mary,h. 1790; d. 1807.

434 — 3. Gad Fuller, \). 1792; died young.

435 — 4. L2icy,\>. 1794; died young.

436 — 5. Horace, b. March 24, 1799; m. April 15, 1829, Rebecca R. Winchell ; lived

in Granville, Ohio ; had children.

437 — 6. Persis, b. 1801 ; d. 1819.

438 — 7. Lucy, b. March 20, 1802 ; m. Nov. 23, 1823, Linus G. Thrall, of St. Albans,

Ohio ; their son. Rev. Homer Thrall, graduated at Kenyon College, 1853.
439 — 8. Charlotte Bosworth, b. Sept. 8, 1806 ; m. April 5, 1829, William Bishop, of

VVorthington, Ohio.
440 — 9. Uriel Smith, b. May 9, 1809.
441 — 10. Levis Eliza, b. 181 1 ; died young.

Mr. Horace Wolcott removed in 1797 to Worthington. Ohio.

Erected to the memory of Horace Wolcott,

who was bom at Sandisfield, Mass., May 8, 1769,

emigrated to this country at an early day,

lived forty years a member of the Presbyterian Church,

died triumphantly at Worthington, July 28, 1833,

aged 64 years, 2 months, and 20 days. {Epitaph^

Lucy Wolcott was born Sept. 11, 1770;

died July 31, 1831, aged 61 years. {Epitaph.')

1 Pioneers of Utica, 154.

SEVENTH GENERATION. 387

LXIII. JosiAH WoLCOTT (266) married, May 28, 181 1, Amelia
Minerva, daughter of William Cowles, of East Hartford ; she was born
Oct. II, 1788. Children: —

442 — I. yosiaJi Bisscll, b. Aug. 11, 1812 ; m. November, 1835, Lucy, daughter of
Martin Belden, of Sandisfield ; had children.

443 — 2. Susan Amelia, b. Jan. 20, 1814; m. April 11, 1838, Horace C. White.

444 — 3. Edward Cowles, b. Oct. 16, 181 5 ; m. Nov. 29, 1838, Jane D., daughter of

Pitts Fuller, of Sandisfield ; had children.
445 — 4. yoseph Neivton, b. Aug. i, 1817; d. Oct. 19, 1836.
446 — 5. Sarah, b. June 5, 1819; m. September, 1840, Francis B. Smith, of Norfolk.

447 — 6. Frederick, b. Feb. 28, d. March 12, 1821.

448 — 7. Eliza, b. March 12, 1823; m. September, 1845, Francis B. Smith, of Nor-

folk.

449 — 8. Oliver, b. Dec. 14, 1825 ; d. April 14, 1834.

450 — 9. Orlo, b. Sept. iS, 1827.

Gen. Josiah Wolcott resided in Sandisfield, Mass. ; commanded the
Second Brigade of the Berkshire Militia ; was a Justice of the Peace, and
a Representative of the Town in the General Court.

LXIV. Elisha Wolcott (280) married Anna, daughter of Eliphalet
Hull; removed in 1795 to Yates County, N. Y. ; died in Barrington, 1856,
and his widow, 1857. " They were a pair happily united, and lived to enjoy
life, and improve it for others as well as themselves." ' Children : —

451 — I. Gideon, b. Nov. 7, 1798 ; m. Jan. 22, 1825, Anna, daughter of Daniel Brown.

Their daughter Mary married Gen. Charles L. Kilbourn, U. S. A., who
served with credit in the Mexican War.

452 — 2. Han7iah, b. Aug. 21, 1800; married Dr. Mason Laman, of Benton, N. Y.

453 — 3. Oliver Piatt, b. April 19, 1802; m. June 10, 1832, Sophia, daughter of

Samuel Stewart ; had children.

Dr. Oliver P. Wolcott lived in Benton Centre, N. Y., where for
many years he had a large practice as physician ; removed in 1857 to
Milwaukee, where he maintained his rank in his profession.

1 Cleveland's Yates County, 200.

388 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

454 — 4- Erastiis Bradley, b. Oct. i8, 1804. See LXXX.

455 — 5. David, h. 1806; died young.

456 — 6. Gco7'ge Washington, b. 181 1 ; m. Nov. 28, 1849, Flora Shaw; she was born

March 31, 1829. He lived on the homestead in Barrington, engaged
in farming ; has represented the county in the New York Legislature ;
had children.

LXV.' Stephen Ashley Wolcott (283) married, May 16, 1803, Lois
Piatt, of Le Roy, N. Y. ; lived in Le Roy. Children : —

457 — I. Nathaniel, b. Sept. 25, 1804; d. Sept. 9, 1813.

458 — 2. Stephen, b. May 3, 1806; d. April 11, 1835.

459 — 3. Margaret, b. Aug. 21, 1808; m. Dec. 9, 1840, David H. Buel, of Benton

Centre, N. Y.

460 — 4. Anna, b. April 10, 1815.

461 — 5. Martha Sarah, b. March 14, 1817; m. May i, 1839, Stephen S. Briggs, of

Canandaigua.

462 — 6. J^oh7i Greig, b. Jan. 6, 1821 ; studied medicine with his cousin, Dr. Oliver

P. Wolcott, and settled in Milwaukee as a practising physician.

463 — 7. Pauline Saxton, b. Dec. 7, 1 826.

LXVI. Walter Wolcott (285) married. May 6, 181 7, Abigail,
daughter of William Cornwell, of Jerusalem, N. Y.; she was born Oct. 26,
1792. Children: —

464 — I. Hiland Grieve, b. Oct. 21, 18 18. See LXXXI.

465 — 2. Mary, b. Aug. 4, 1820; m. (ist), Oct. 24, i860, Amos Wilcox; (2d), Jan.

20, 1877, Henry B. Stone.
466 — 3. Sophia Lee, b. Jan. 22, 1822.
467 — 4. John Dorsey, b. March 10, 1825 ; m. June 11, 1856, Caroline, daughter of

William Cornwell ; lived in Dundee, an attorney-at-law ; d. Jan. 3, 1873 ;

had children.
468 — 5. Walter, b. May 10, 1827 ; was a merchant ; d. July 3, 1863.

Dr. Walter Wolcott died at Dundee, N. Y., where since 1846 he had
resided as a practising physician, Oct. 9, 1876.

SEVENTH GENERATION. 389

LXVII. Elihu Wolcott (290) married (ist), Nov. 27, 1806, Rachel
McClintock, youngest daughter of Rev. David McClure, D.D.,' of South
Windsor, and granddaughter of Rev. Benjamin Pomeroy, D.D., of
Hebron; (2d), May 13, 1823, Juliana (440), daughter of Erastus Wolcott,
Esq., of South Windsor; she died Nov. 30, 1832; (3d), Sept. 17, 1835,
Sarah C, daughter of Dea. John Crocker, of Derry, N. H. ; she was born
Aug. 17, 1797, and died Aug. 4, 1844. Children: —

465 — I. Elizabeth Ann, b. Dec. 26, 1807; m. Nov. 28, 1832, Col. Carlton H. Perry,
of Keokuk, Iowa. He commanded a regiment in the late war.

470 — 2. Hannah McClure, b. June 7, i8u ; m. Nov. 28, 1832, Rev. William Kirby

(gr. Y. C. 1827), of Jacksonville, 111. He was Superintendent of Home
Missions in Illinois. Their eldest son, Edward P. Kirby, Esq., lawyer,
Jacksonville, graduated at Illinois College, 1854, LL.D., 1880.

471 — 3. Samuel, b. July 2, 1813. See LXXXII.

472 — 4. Arthur, b. April 10, 1815 ; m. (ist), July 12, 1849, Sarah Ann, daughter of

Gen. William Morrison, of Lock Haven, Pa. ; she died Jan. 27, 1851.
Their only daughter, Sarah Mo7-rison, became, by adoption of her aunt,
Sarah M. Perry. He married (2d), Clara, daughter of Gen. William

1 "The Rev. Dr. McClure was born in Boston, November, 1748. His grandfather was one of
the emigrants from the north of Ireland, who with their pastor, Rev. John Moorhead, established a
flourishing church in Boston, in 1730. His grandfather, father, and brother were deacons in that
church. He was educated at Yale College, where he graduated in 1769. He was an assistant of the
Rev. Eleazer Wheelock, D.D., in the establishment of Dartmouth College. In 1772, he was ordained
as an Evangelist at Dartmouth, and went on a mission to the Indians on the Ohio. In 1776, he was
settled in the ministry in Hampton, N. H., and continued there till 1785. The year following, he
was installed the pastor of this church. He continued in great harmony with his people, laboring with
fidelity, till, by the mysterious appointment of God, his voice gradually failed, about the year 1805, so
that he was unable to speak in public. Though able afterwards to preach but very little, he enjoyed
generally comfortable health till his last sickness. He died of a dropsical complaint, after a dis-
tressing illness of four months, on Lord's day, June 25, 1820. His funeral was attended with much
solemnity on the 27th. The sermon was preached, at his request, by the surviving pastor, on Eccles.
ix. I.

" Dr. McClure was uniformly attached to the doctrines of grace received by our churches, usually
denominated Calvinistic. He was an intelligent divine, an accomplished scholar, a man of extensive and
profitable reading, possessing a great variety of useful and interesting information. He was a man of
great prudence, of uncommon self-command, of great uniformity of feeling, and a peculiar suavity and
mildness in all his deportment. He was beloved in life, and lamented in death. ' Blessed are the
dead that die in the Lord.' " — Church Records, South Windsor. For a fuller sketch, see Sprague's
Annals of Am. Pulpit, I., 7-9.

390

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

G. Belknap, U. S. A., of Newburg, N. Y. ; lived in Keokuk, Iowa ;
d. Nov. 28, 1873; left a daughter, Bertha, b. April 10, 1865.

473— 5. Elizur, b. Aug. 7, 1817. See LXXXIII.

474 — 6. Frances Jane, b. March 30, 18 19; m. Jan. 2, 1849, Major Barbour Lewis

(gr. 111. Coll. 1845), of Jacksonville. He served in the late war ; lived in
Memphis ; a lawyer, and Member of Congress from Tennessee.

475 _ 7. Helen Maria, b. June 9, 1824; d. May 13, 183 1.

476—. 8. Julia Ann, b. June 20, 1826; m. Nov. 19, 1846, William C. Carter (gr. 111.
Coll. 184s), of Jacksonville.

477 — 9- ^^^'^ Louisa, b. Jan. 4, 1828.

478— 10. Sarah Elizabeth, b. May 12, 1837 ; d. Sept. 6, 1838.

479 — II. Richmond, b. Jan. 10, 1840. See LXXXIV.

Elihu Wolcott, Esq., represented the town in the Legislature. His
residence and farm adjoined his father's on the south. His second wife
had occupied, before her marriage, the family seat of her father, Capt.
Erastus, and of her grandfather, Gen. Erastus Wolcott. He sold both
estates, and in the autumn of 1830 removed with his family to Jacksonville,
111., choosing for his future home in the West a spot which had just been
selected as the site of Illinois College. It was beautiful at that time in its
prairie wildness, and it has become a place of culture and the pleasantest
town in the State, — the appropriate seat of its humane institutions and of
various educational enterprises. He engaged in mercantile business, but
relinquished it after a time, and devoted his later years to the care of his
real estate. His property, at his death, was inventoried at $100,000.

Moral questions which have since convulsed the nation were then
pressing for discussion, and Mr. Wolcott occupied no doubtful position.
He never stood in fear of his fellow-men, and his sympathy with the cause
of freedom and humanity was earnest, practical, and outspoken ; the op-
pressed and the weak found in him a steadfast protector and benefactor.
In the assembly that came together at his funeral, it was impressive to see
so many of the poor Portuguese exiles and colored people, who manifested
their appreciation of the loss of their best friend in the community.

His last sickness was brief, and he sank peacefully to his rest, the

SEVENTH GENERATION.

391

serenity of which seemed to linger on his countenance. The funeral ser-
vice was conducted by his valued friend, Rev. J. M. Sturtevant, D.D.,
President of Illinois College. His discourse was based on the text, " Be
3'e steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." He
concluded with a tribute to the departed, a portion of which is here
given : —

Of the power of this motive to steadfastness, our deceased friend has afforded
an eminent example. From the very infancy of this place he has had his home
among us, and his strong and peculiar character has made its impression upon this
community. He came with his interesting family, and I have noticed but three
persons in this audience who were here to welcome him, and to rejoice in so impor-
tant an addition to our society. In all this period, approaching the lifetime of a
human generation, he has evinced a uniformity, steadiness, and consistency of char-
acter seldom surpassed. Three traits of character seem to me to have distinguished
him : intuitive insight and discernment of principles ; the power of giving to his con-
victions a concise, lucid, and often irresistible expression in language ; and an inflex-
ible steadfastness in adhering to his convictions, in whatever circumstances and at
whatever cost.

In the formation of his opinions, he was in the strictest sense original. He
used the aid of other minds only in the way of information or suggestion. The
judgment was purely his own, and often seemed to be the result of seizing at a glance
some decisive view of the case, which terminated all doubt and left no room for
argument. With this intuition of truth, the lucid and transparent brevity of his
e.xpression perfectly corresponded. In many instances of painful and perplexing
deliberation, sometimes indeed in the midst of excited and vehement popular pas-
sion, he has been known to present, in a few calm and lucid words, a view of the
whole subject at issue, so clear that all could understand it, and so convincing as to
terminate debate and secure a prompt decision in accordance with his opinion.

In his modes of life and the character of his education he ranked as a man of
business rather than as a man of study ; in his modes of thought and the style of his
conversation, a person, unacquainted with his history, would have placed him among
scholars and philosophers. His use of the English language was characterized not
only by unfailing grammatical accuracy, but by eminent felicity in the choice and
collocation of words, for the expression of his thoughts with clearness, force, and
beauty. Few men ever used the English language in conversation with greater
purity than he.

392

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

But eminent above all these purely intellectual traits was his unbending adhe-
sion to his convictions in all circumstances and at whatever cost. Opposing public
opinion, however overwhelming in its numbers, however clamorous and imperative
in its tone, did not move, nor even disturb him. He was sure that truth and right
were on his side, and with that he was content. He made little effort to exert influ-
ence on other minds ; he was not at all ambitious of the world's honors or praises ;
he was not even ambitious of being a man of influence. It was enough for him that
he saw a truth clearly, that he enjoyed the luxury of giving it clear and forcible
utterance, that he should steadily adhere to it to the last, and that sooner or later it
must prevail. The doctrine of immortality was to him no theory, but a great practi-
cal reality, and supplied an unfailing motive to immovable steadfastness in the work
of the Lord.

Whether we hold all the opinions of our departed friend or not, we should all
unite around his open grave in thanksgiving to God, that we have had one man in
the midst of us who was willing to stand alone and suffer obloquy, rather than be
disloyal to his convictions of truth and right; one man whose opinions were never in
the market, and were formed and held and expressed without the slightest regard to
their bearing on his temporal interests. Such examples the American people need
more, perhaps, than any other. It is at this very point that we are encountering
our greatest danger. Many persons seem to regard the utterance of an unpopular
sentiment as a crime. Mr. Wolcott had formed his character in a very different
school of morals. And we should unite in honoring the noble example which in
this respect he has set us, however we may differ in respect to the truth of those
opinions which he maintained with so much steady consistency.

He has gone. We shall no longer be guided by the light of his clear intellect,
cheered by his generous liberality, or sustained in the hour of conflict by his firm
voice and the calmness and tranquillity of his spirit. May his mourning children and
grandchildren treasure up all the precious lessons of his life and example, and may
his brethren in the church ever imitate his steadfastness in all the work of the
Lord!

Elihu Wolcott,
Bom Feb. 12, 1784. Died Dec. 2, 1858. (^Epitaph.)

Rachel M. Wolcott,
Wife of Elihu Wolcott,
Born Oct. 29, 1783. Died April 2, 1822. (Epitaph?)

SEVENTH GENERATION. 393

LXVIII. Samuel Tudor Wolcott (300) married, June 12, 1829,
Maria, daughter of Capt. Allen Stewart, of East Hartford. Child: —

4S0 — yiilia Maria, b. April 9, 1840 ; married Rev. Henry Powers.

Col. Samuel T. Wolcott resides (1879) in South Windsor, and is the
only surviving descendant in the male line of the elder William, son of the
first Simon Wolcott.

LXIX. Alfred Wolcott (321) married, May 27, 1806, Margaret,
daughter of William Craig; lived in Boston, Portage County, Ohio;
was Justice of the Peace; died Nov. 20, 1835. Children: —

481 — I. Malinda,\). April 14, 1807, the first white child born in the township; m.
Oct. 9, 1828, John S. Oviatt, of Hudson.

482 — 2. Editlta, b. Oct. 3, 1808 ; m. Jan. 10, 1828, Zebulon Stow, of Stow.

483 — 3. Parinoiio, b. May 11, 1810 ; m. June 10, 1835, Emeline, daughter of Simeon

Tupper.

484 — 4. Alfred, b. Jan. 28, 1812 ; m. April 18, 1831, Mary Ann, daughter of Lev-

erett Scovill ; lived in Boston, and had children ; the eldest son, Simon
Perkins, b. Jan. 30, 1837, graduated Western Reserve College, 1862;
a younger son, Alfred, b. March 17, 1858, is (1879) ^ member of that
College.

485 — 5. Josiah, b. Feb. 20, 1814; d. March 15, 1828.

486 — 6. Darius, b. Dec. 12, 1816; m. April 30, 1841, Sophia, daughter of Robert

Simpson.

487 — 7. Mary, b. Aug. 22, 1819; m. July 4, 1838, Eli Gaylord, of Stow.

488 — 8. Simon Perkins, b. Aug. 4, d. Oct. 26, 1821.

LXX. Thomas Goodsell Wolcott (329) graduated at Yale College,
1783. He married, May 27, 1789, Lucy, daughter of Henry Hoffman, of
Branford. Children : —

489 — 1. Sarah Goodsell, b. March 19, 1790; m. 1814, Dr. Charles R. Norton, of

Southwick, Mass.

490 — 2. Naticy Green, b. Sept. 14, 1791 ; m. Sept. 14, 1808, Samuel Bartholomew,

of North Branford.

491 — 3. Eliza, b. Feb. 2, 1795 ; d. March 18, 1832,

394

THE WOLCOTT MEAIORIAL.

4^2 — 4. Alexander, \i.]-avi.. 13, 1800; grad. Y. C, M. D., 1823; d. Oct. 9, 1842.

493 — 5. Martha Davenport, b. March 16, 1803 ; d. July 5, 1835.

494 — 6. Litcretia, b. Aug. 7, 1805 ; m. 182 1, Dr. Bedford Mowery, of Pittsburg, Pa.

Mr. Thomas G. Wolcott died Jan. 22, 1847, and in his death this
branch of three generations became extinct ; not one of the name remains.
The graves of the entire household are in the churchyard of the Episcopal
Church in North Branford.

LXXI. William Frederick Wolcott (343) married, Nov. 30, 181 5,
Lois Bryant, of Springfield, Mass., who was born May i, 1787, and died
Feb. 14, 1843; lived in West Springfield; was Justice of the Peace.

Children: —

495 — I. Hannah Bryant, b. Oct. 15, 18 16; d. Oct. 9, 1834.

496 — 2. Martha, b. March 24, 181 8.

497 — 3. Elizabctli, b. April 10, 1820.

498 — 4. George, b. June 11, 1822.

499 — 5- William Henry, b. May 29, 1824; m. April 26, 1848, Elizabeth Cooper, of
West Springfield.

500 — 6. Hele7i, b. Sept. 26, 1826.

501 — 7. Alexander, b. Aug. 12, 1828; d. April 21, 1829.

502 — 8. Alexander, b. April 26, 1830.

LXXI I. Christopher Columbus Wolcott (347) married, Nov. 18,
1818, Susan Blinn; lived in Torrington ; was Justice of the Peace, and
Representative of the Town in the Legislature ; removed to Steubenville,
Ohio, in April, 1833. Children: —

503 — I. Christopher Parsons, \>. Dec. 17, 1820. See LXXXV.

504 — 2. Samnel Merwin, b. June 22, 1822; d. Aug. 3, 1848.

505 — 3. Hcmy Philip, b. Feb. 24, 1824; m. Jan. 26, 1847, Sarah Allen; had chil-

dren.

506 — 4. Frederick Halsey, b. Sept. 13, 1825 ; d. March 31, 1831.

507 — 5. Susan Maria, b. Aug. 26, 1827 ; d. Oct. 5, 1833.

508 — 6. Caroline Matilda, b. May 8, 1829.

509 — 7. Laura Elizabeth, b. Aug. 12, 1831 ; d. March 6, 1833.

SEVENTH GENERAJ'ION. 395

LXXIII. Henry Wolcott (352) married, Nov. 26, 181 3, Mary
Almira, daughter of Major Jehoshaphat Starr, of Middletown, an officer in
the army of the Revolution; Hved in Middletown; was Justice of the Peace
and Collector of the Port, having been appointed to the latter office in
1828 by President Adams; removed to Chicago; died April 5, 1846.
Children : —

510 — I. Alexander, b. Oct. 9, 1814; m. Dec. 23, 1845, Mary A. Spaulding.

511 — 2. Henry Huntington, b. Aug. 5, 18 16.

512 — 3. Caroline Starr, b. Oct. 8, 1818; m. June 19, 1837, Joseph N. Balestier, Esq.,

of New York City.

513 — 4. Edward, b. July 31, 1820; m. June 15, 1848, Anna, daughter of James

McCracken, of Montgomery County, N. Y.
514 — 5. Frances Biirbank, b. Nov. 2, 1823; m. February, 1841, Leonard Proctor,

M.D., of Fultonville, N. Y.
515 — 6. Ellen Almira, b. Jan. 19, 1828; d. Feb. 13, 1829.
516 — 7. Emma, b. June 26, 1832 ; d. August, 1846.
517 — 8. Juliette, b. Nov. 20, 1835; d. Aug. 8, 1836.

LXXIV. Oliver Stoughton Wolcott (384; entered the Military
Academy at West Point, but was transferred to the Navy ; was attached as
midshipman to the " Chesapeake ; " afterwards left the Navy, and settled
in Litchfield, where he married, Nov. 9, 1820, Jane Lowe, daughter of John
Conard, of Chester County, Pa.; she was born Sept. 17, 1803. He sub-
sequently resided in New Jersey, where he owned a farm ; died in New
York City ; buried in Litchfield. Children : —

518 — I. Oliver, b. Nov. 5, 1821 ; d. March 5, 1823.

519 — 2. Oliver, b. Sept. 14, 1823 ; graduated as M.D. at the College of Physicians
and Surgeons, New York City; resided for a time at Monte Video,
S. A. ; died in San Francisco, May 22, 1856; buried in Litchfield ; the
last male descendant of Oliver Wolcott, Secretary of the Treasury, in
the line of his sons.

520 — 3. Elizabeth Stoughton, b. July 31, d. Aug. 15, 1825.

Olh'er Stoughton Wolcott,
Born 18 Jan. 1800; Died 23 May 1832. {Epitaph^

^q6 the wolcott memorial,

LXXV. Joshua Huntington Wolcott (389) received his school-
training in Litchfield, under Mr. John P. Brace, a teacher of high repute,
and entered in his 3-outh upon his business career in Boston. He became,
early in life, a partner in the mercantile house of Messrs. A. and A. Law-
rence & Co., of Boston, with which he remained connected until its disso-
lution ; surviving, by many years, his distinguished associates and friends,
Messrs. Amos and Abbott Lawrence. This firm bore a leading part in
the development of the great manufacturing and commercial interests of
New England, and through its long and honorable career sustained a
reputation for energy, sagacity, and probity which was unsurpassed.

He married (ist), Nov. 12, 1844, Cornelia, daughter of Samuel Froth-
ingham, Esq., of Boston; she died June i, 1850. Children: —

521 — I. Hiintington Frotliitighavi, b. Feb. 4, 1846; d. June 10, 1865.
522—2. Roger, b. July 13, 1847. See LXXXVI.

The writer's personal acquaintance with Mrs. Wolcott was limited to
a single visit to the home over which she presided ; and the vision of love-
liness which it recalls assures him of the fidelity to truth of the tributes to
her rare beauty and worth, with which he has been favored from those who
knew her intimately. One who had known her from childhood writes
of her : —

The peculiarity of her character was its freedom from fault. I have known
others with great virtues, but in the long time I have known her, in great variety of
circumstances, she has been always the same, — affectionate, overflowing with kind-
ness, thoughtful of every one, and loving her friends with a warmth and constancy,
a perpetual well-spring of affection that to colder natures would seem exaggerated.
Kind to the poor, most kind and judicious to those in her own household, she met all
the perplexities and cares of daily life with a sound, efficient, and courageous mind.
She had a taste for the purest and highest in poetry and literature, and a true relish
also for the humorous, having too much perception herself not to appreciate it in others.
To every one connected with her she was a radiating centre of kind deeds and out-
flowing affection. She gave little pleasures that sweetened existence to the happy ;
she gave her feelings, her sympathies, her whole heart, to the suffering. The stream

SEVENTH GENERATION. 397

of her life has flowed clear to the last, reflecting unbroken the image of the heavens
above it. We shall stand by its waters and be refreshed and comforted no more ;
yet who may wonder or repine that she should have passed into that heaven whose
light was all around her, even while she was with us here.

Another, who was bound to her by the even closer tie of near relation-
ship, says : —

Words cannot paint her outward loveliness. The unaffected interest she felt in
every one she addressed, the desire to make all happy, gave a fascination to her pres-
ence which won all hearts. The gift of language and extraordinary conversational
powers made her brilliant in society, where, with a native grace and dignity of
manner and a most winning address, — elegant, simple, and earnest, and yet as glad
as a bird, and as free, — she became its ornament and inspiration.

Mr. Wolcott married (2d), Nov. 12, 185 1, Harriet Frothingham, sister
of his first wife.

The elder of the sons (Huntington) had not completed the years, or
the preparatory training, of his minority when he responded to the call of
his country for service in the field, — a representative of that large class of
patriotic youths, born in the same and the preceding decades, whose life-
plans and destinies were wholly changed by the late Civil War. With
a physique of uncommon strength and beauty, with a pure and fervid spirit,
and with a charm and dignity of manner which impressed themselves upon
all, his was one of those rare natures which seem to combine all the dis-
tinctive qualities of noble manhood with all the sensitive delicacy and
grace of fair womanhood. Before he was nineteen years old he received
from Governor Andrew a commission as Second Lieutenant in the Second
Regiment of Massachusetts Cavalry, and was appointed Aid to Major-
General Gibbs.

This officer, to whom we have before referred (p. 217), was his kins-
man. He was born April 22, 1823; entered West Point at the age of
eighteen, and after graduation was in the Mexican war with Genferal
Scott's command. He took part in its principal battles, and repeatedly
received honorable mention for sfallant conduct. Durina: the War of the

398 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Rebellion he was constantly in active service, and was successively pro-
moted till he reached the rank of Brevet Major-General in the regular
army. He was a perfect soldier in all his feelings, and was valued always
as one of the bravest and most loyal officers in the service. He died at
Fort Leavenworth, Dec. 26, 1868, in the very meridian of life.

In a note to the Lieutenant's father, announcing his arrival at the
front, the General writes : —

Camp at White House, Va., March 24, 1865.
Lieutenant Wolcott joined me this morning. He comes just in time before we
start on another of Sheridan's raids. He will have plenty of opportunities of showing
the stuff the Wolcotts are made of, and distinguishing himself.

The opportunities came. The young soldier, who had been prevented
only by his extreme youth from devoting his life to the service of his
country at an earlier period of the war, had now gone to the front just in
time to take part, side by side with veterans, in the toilsome and brilliant
campaign under Sheridan, which resulted in cutting off Lee's retreat from
Richmond, and thus compelling his surrender. The weeks which followed
were weeks of arduous marching and constant fighting. How Lieutenant
Wolcott acquitted himself may be judged by the following extracts from
letters of General Gibbs. Immediately after the Battle of Five Forks he
writes : —

We have just passed through one of the most terrible and decisive battles of
the war. We have turned Lee's right, captured 7,000 prisoners, 9 pieces of artillery,
10 battle-flags, and are now moving on the South Side Railroad, Lee's present only
source of supply. If as successful as we hope to be, Mr. Davis's chimera will explode
like a soap-bubble. Huntington Wolcott, who was acting on my staff, behaved nobly,
— like a Wolcott, — went into the thick of the fight and brought down a lot of
prisoners. He is just as earnest and ardent as ever, in action as well as in expres-
sion.

May 9, 1S65.

I consider his pluck as most extraordinary, and he has been so fortunate as to
have joined us in the most eventful campaign of the war, — the one that sealed the
fate of the hated confederacy. He has passed through it unscathed. From frequent

SEVENTH GENERATION. 399

and close observation of his conduct, I have noticed particularly his gallantry at Din-
widdle Court House, Five Forks, " Clover Hill," " April 9th," and on various other
occasions, and have often refused him permission to " go in," when duty did not
require him to do so. He has had a terribly tough baptism in military service, but
has come out of it with increased vigor and vitality of both body and mind.

The war was over, and with the rest of the victorious army the regi-
ment to which Lieutenant Wolcott was attached joined in the Grand
Review in Washington. Some who saw him on that occasion wrote, after
his death, which was so soon to follow: " It was impossible not to notice
particularly young Lieutenant Huntington Wolcott, with his manly bearing
and inspired face." " He seemed the impersonation of one's ideal of noble
youth." " The radiant beauty of young Lieutenant Wolcott was to me the
fulfilment of the Scripture promise, ' If thine eye be single thy whole body
shall be full of light.' "

Almost on the very day following this grand celebration of the
nation's restored unity he was prostrated by camp-fever, which had taken
insidious hold of his system. He was carefully transported to his father's
country residence, — the summer home of his boyhood, on the Milton
Hills ; but nothing could avail to prolong his life. He lingered a week,
happy to have reached a spot so dear to him, and died June 9, 1865.

The following tribute to his memory was written, at the time of his
death, by a friend of the family in Washington who had known him in his
boyhood, and it well expresses the sentiment of all who knew him : —

IN ME MORI AM.

Among the thousands who have fallen victims in battle or by disease during
this war, no one has laid down his life with nobler devotion than this young ofificer.
Without personal ambition, possessed of every thing which makes life desirable, and
with every inducement to ease and indulgence in the pleasures of youth, a simple
sense of duty called him to take part in the great struggle of his country. Under all
the temptations of army-life, he retained unsoiled the purity of his character. His
gentleness won the affection of his fellow-soldiers, as his courage did their respect.

400

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Having participated with honor in the glories of Sheridan's last campaign, he accom-
panied the triumphant return of the army, escaping the dangers of the iield only,
alas ! to die from disease contracted while in service.

The Boston "Evening Transcript" (June 12,1865) contained the
following notice of his death: —

" The hope that he might be saved by breathing again his native air was not
fulfilled. He lingered for a few days, and then fell asleep. So an agonizing bereave-
ment has visited a loyal circle of kindred, amidst the general rejoicing for the return
of peace. So one of the costliest sacrifices was demanded just when it seemed the
call for sacrifices might cease. So a short and brilliant career has given to this com-
munity the proud but inexpressibly sad duty of adding to its list of heroes the name
of one in whose childlike and gentle heart beat the manliest pulsations, in whose
artless bearing could be traced the inspiration of noble desires seeking to express
themselves in noble deeds."

A friend, who knew him from birth, wrote, " He has lived and died
worthy of his ancestry, — the fair record of his life without a spot, his pure
brow unstained, every pulse of his heart generous and noble ; and the
record cannot be marred now."

The Presidential Election of 18S0 has occurred while the preceding
record was in press, and the notes of joy with which its result was received
are still echoing around us. The reason of this exultation is the convic-
tion of the majority, that some of the fruits of the late war were staked on
the issue of the election ; and they feel a corresponding satisfaction in the
belief that it has saved those fruits, and that they are now safe forever.
Our grief would be inconsolable if the sacrifice had been fruitless. But
there is unspeakable comfort in the thought that lives like the above —
that of one who though as a refined and gallant young man he has not,
probably, left a superior, is only a representative of thousands as patriotic
— were not laid in vain upon the altar of their country. Such lives fulfilled
their high destiny ; and though they closed in the prime of manhood, or of
youth, they were longer, measured by results, than are the lives of most of
those who live out their threescore years and ten.

LIEOT. HDOTIN'GTON rEOTHINGHAM WDLCOTT

SEVENTH GENERATION.

401

A Memorial Volume, prepared by his mother, illustrating the career of
honor which he had completed before he reached the age of twenty, is one
of the treasures of the household. The likeness which we give is from
a portrait painted by the late W. M. Hunt, who had known him long
and well, and who wrote after his death : " He combined the character of
the lovely boy and noble and devoted patriot and soldier in a more
striking manner than any one I have ever known." Lieutenant Wolcott
was buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery.

402

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Mr. J. Huntington Wolcott represents the Family in the Society of
the Cincinnati, of which his grandfather was an original member. This
association was organized at the close of the War of the Revolution, and
was composed of officers in the army, with a provision for its perpetuation
in the persons of their descendants and representatives. It was an expres-
sion of the fellowship which the war had created, a memorial of the patriot-
ism and valor which had sustained it, and was designed to guard in civil
relations the liberties which it had achieved in battle. It embodied the
most patriotic traditions of the Republic, and linked its different sections
with the memories of a common struggle and a common triumph and
renown. Many of the officers of the Revolutionary Army were men of
liberal education, familiar with ancient classic literature. The record of
Cincinnatus, the hero of Republican Rome, who at the close of his emi-
nent public service retired to the farm, which at the call of his country he
had left to assume the supreme control of affairs, and whose spirit was
exemplified in their own Chief, suggested the fitting name. Washington
was its first president.

In later years, Mr. Wolcott's time and means have been freely devoted
to various humane institutions, public and private. During the war, he
was Treasurer of the Boston Sanitary Commission ; and the untiring and
effective devotion both of Mrs. Wolcott and himself to sick and suffering
soldiers and their families, and to the cause for which they suffered, claims
grateful commemoration. He resides (1880) in Boston, wath a summer
residence in Milton.

The family monument in the Mount Auburn Cemetery is of pure
Italian marble, in the form of a sarcophagus, bearing on one end the
Wolcott coat of arms.

CORXEUA

Wife of J. H. Wolcott,
Daughter of Samuel and Eliza Frothingham.
Bom Dec. 11, 1824. Died June i, 1850. {Epitaph:)

SEVENTH GENERATION. 403

LXXVI. Frederick Henry Wolcott (391) fitted for college under
Mr. Brace and Judge Reeve, but al an early age engaged in mercantile
business in New York City. He married (ist), June 12, 1838, Abby
Woolsey, daughter of Gardiner G. Howland, Esq., of New York City, a
descendant of John Howland, of the " Mayflower;" she died Jan. 14, 1851.
Some friend, in a succeeding number of the " New York Observer," paid
an affectionate tribute to her Christian gentleness and worth.

" Shrinking from notoriety, and unassuming and meek in her whole deportment,
her gentle spirit might almost rebuke this tribute to her worth. I would not bring
out to the world's gaze the overflowing charities of her domestic life, in all the rela-
tions of daughter, sister, wife, and mother; surrounded by all the appliances of
wealth, station, and influence, she yet made them all subject to the possession of
the more enduring treasures of eternal grace. For nearly two-thirds of the whole
period of her life she was a follower of Christ, and sought not her own, but his. She
was remarkably conscientious, and evinced an exalted purity of thought and action
throughout her whole life. Her virtues shone brightest in the domestic circle ; and
disliking ostentation from principle, she in a remarkable degree e.xemplified the con-
sistency of a Christian in all the proprieties of the station which Providence had
assigned her. Her last utterance was, ' My God is good.' "

Mr. Wolcott married (2d) Jan. 18, 1855, Sarah Elizabeth Chase, daugh-
ter of Gen. Charles S. Merchant, U. S. A., who graduated at West Point,
1S13, and at his recent death, Dec. 6, 1879, was the oldest ranking officer in
the army. She was born in Plattsburgh, N. Y., Oct. 10, 1822.^ Children : —

523 — I. Frederick H any, b. Oct. 30, 1845.

524 — 2. Gardiner Howland, b. Aug. 25, 1848.

525 — 3. Oliver Huntington, b. Oct. 24, 1S50; d. April 15, 1851.
526 — 4. Charles Merchant, b. Nov. 16, 1855 ; d. April 3, 1858.

527 — I. Elizabeth Hnntington, m. Nov. 20, 1861, Stephen L. Merchant, of New
York City. Their son, Huntington Wolcott Merchant (b, June 14, 1869),
is the only representative of the family (1880) in the third generation.

528 — 2. Abby Howland.

259 — 3. Alice.

1 She was the widow of Capt. Leslie Chase, U. S. A. (gr. West Point), and their son, Leslie
Chase (gr. Col. C), became a member of Mr. Wolcott's family.

404

THE IVOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Mr. Frederick H. Wolcott retired from business in middle life, and
his time has been specially devoted to charitable and benevolent enter-
prises. He took an active part in the organization of the New York
Juvenile Asylum ; and he has been particularly identified with the Amer-
ican Bible Society, having served for many years on its Board of Directors ;
is now one of its Vice-Presidents, and Chairman of the Committees on
Distribution and on Anniversaries. He has been for a long period an
elder in the Presbyterian Church, and has several times represented his
Presbytery in the General Assembly.

As we close this record, our eye falls on a report from the Committee
on Anniversaries of the Bible Society, just issued, and drafted by Mr. Wol-
cott, relative to the celebration of the Semi-Millennial of the Translation
of the Bible by Wycliffe into English vernacular, a.d. 1380, embodying
a recommendation which the Society has adopted. The paper strikes us
as so appropriate and well expressed, and relates to a subject of such
universal interest, that we are happy to give an extract from it, and thus
associate with these pages an event of which the Society justly remark, in
their last Annual Report: "A wide-spread observance of this anniversary
would doubtless be fruitful of excellent results, since it is impossible to
meditate upon the good which has been accomplished by the English
Bible, without emotions of devout and reverent gratitude to our own and
our fathers' God."

REPORT.

"New York, Dec. I, 1879.

"Your Committee recommend the observance of this important event, so
fruitful in its benefits and blessings to mankind. We recognize the fact that previous
to this epoch the Holy Bible was almost a sealed book, and that a knowledge of the
sublime revelation contained in the life and teachings of our Lord, His prophets and
apostles, was purposely concealed from the people by designing men, and in their
stead a gross superstition was inculcated, which exercised a debasing and corrupting
influence.

" It must be admitted that the door opened by a translation of the Bible into
the common language spoken by the people of England was an event transcendent

SEVENTH GENERATION. 405

in its influence for good, and proved to be the instrument through which was revealed
unto man the knowledge of his rights, and his responsibility to God for the use of his
talents, which were thereby brought into active life. It is not the province of your
Committee to enlarge upon the wonderful development of true Christian civilization,
in the sciences, arts, and industries by which the races of men have been elevated,
as the outcome from the teachings of the Bible.

"We believe the occasion justifies, and demands, a thorough historical, philo-
sophical, and religious presentation, exhibiting the influence of the English Bible upon
the English-speaking people, and through this instrumentality upon the whole human
race ; and we recommend the appointment of an Orator who, thoroughly appreciating
its grandeur and importance, shall represent our Society in the preparation of a Com-
memorative Discourse, to be delivered on the 2d day of December, a.d. 1880, in
the Academy of Music, in New York. . . . We advise the appointment of Rev.
Richard S. Storrs, D.D., LL.D., of Brooklyn, to be our representative and speaker,
and he is hereby respectfully and most affectionately invited to undertake this duty
as set forth in this Report."

Mr. Wolcott has cherished a filial reverence for his ancestors; and for
much that has been done to trace the Hneage, preserve the monuments,
and perpetuate the memories of the early generations, — including the
publication of this compilation, — the Family are largely indebted to his
enterprise and zeal. His principal residence for many years has been on
the East River, near Astoria, Long Island, N. Y.

The family monument in the Greenwood Cemetery, of which he is one
of the trustees, like his brother's, just described, is of Italian marble, in the
form of a sarcophagus, and bears the family arms.

Abby Woolsey Howland

Wife of

Frederick H. Wolcott

and daughter of

Gardiner G. and Louisa Edgar Rowland.

Bom in New York, Nov. 11, 1817. Died Jan. 14, 1851.

" I heard a voice from Heaven, saying.
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." {Epitaph.)

4.06 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

p ; I (5 .
LXXVII. Charles Moseley Wolcott (393). married (ist), Nov. i,
1843, Mary E., daughter of Samuel G. Goodrich, Esq.; she died Nov. 13,
1845, and was buried in Litchfield. He married (2d), Nov. 26, 1849,
Catharine A., daughter of Henry Rankin, Esq., a merchant of New York
City, who for the term of forty years was an elder in the Scotch Presby-
terian Church, under the pastoral care of the celebrated Dr. John Mason ;
she was born June 6, 1817. Children: —

530 — I. Frederick, b. Dec. 23, 1844; d. March 25, 1846.
531—2. Henry Goodrich, b. July 16, 1853. See LXXXVII.
532 — 3. Katharine Rankin, b. April 29, 1855.
533 — 4. Annette Rankin, b. June 29, 1857.

The family seat of Mr. Charles M. Wolcott is called Roseneath, and
lies on the high eastern bank of the Hudson River, near Fishkill Land-
ing. The grounds are exceedingly attractive, and the views of the river
and mountain are almost unrivalled, even in this beautiful portion of the
Highlands.

Mr. Wolcott has extensive real-estate interests, owning several farms
and a large amount of village property, and is actively engaged in the
internal improvements, and the development of the agricultural and manu-
facturing enterprises, of the neighborhood.'

Mary E.

Wife of Charles M. Wolcott,

and Daughter of Samuel G. Goodrich.

Bom at Hartford, Oct. 26, 1818,

Died at Philadelphia, Dec. 13, 1845. {Epitaph.)

1 Mr. Wolcott's mother, Sarah W. Goodrich (p. 380), the second wife of Frederick Wolcott,

was the widow of Amos Coolce, of Danbury, who graduated at Yale College, 1791, and died in iSio.

Her two children became cherished members of the Wolcott household. These were (i) Elizabeth

Cooke, who married Richard Wayne Stites, of Savannah, Ga.'; she is living (1880) in Morristown,

, N. J.. (2) Joseph Piatt Cooke, M.D., who graduated at Yale College, 1827, and died at sea, 1835,

' ' returning from New Orleans ; he was buried with the Wolcott family in Litchfield.

EIGHTH GENERATION.

407

EIGHTH GENERATION.

LXXVIII. Erastus Wolcott (410) married, Jan. 19, 1820, Almira,
daughter of John Hannahs; Hved in Farmington, Ohio. Children: —

534 — I. Orlando Keep, b. May 30, 1823; m. Nov. 13, 1845, Catharine Maria,
daughter of Norman Stow; lives (1879) "^ Farmington, Ohio, and has
children.

535 — 2. LutJur Humphrey, b. Oct 21, 1825.

536 — 3. Catliarine Celestia, b. Dec. 31, 1827.

537 — 4. jFulius Erastus, b. Oct 9, 1830.
538 — 5. Orvis Adny, b. May 16, 1834.
539 — 6. Helen Cornelia, b. Oct 13, 1845.

Dea. Erastl"s Wolcott,
Died Dec. 26- 1867, aged 72 years, 7 mos. {Epitaph.)

A1.MIRA, wife of Dea. Erastus Wolcott,

Died Jan. 11, 1865, aged 67 )ears. {Epitaph.)

LXXIX. Lewis Wolcott (416) came on foot to Ohio in the spring
of 1805, ^^^ the following spring, in company with two other young men
(Ezra Curtis and David Curtis), struck the first blow in clearing the land
and making improvements in the town of Farmington, Trumbull County,
Ohio. He married (ist), Nov. 3, 1808, Nancy, eldest daughter of Dr.
Joseph Higgins; (2d), Feb. 8, 1816, Mar}' Higgins, her sister; hved in
Farmington. Children : —

540 — I. yoseph, b. Aug. i, d. Aug. 3, 1809.

541 — 2. yoseph Higgitts, b. Aug. 2, 1810; m. Sept 12, 1837, Rebecca Banning,

daughter of Amzi Webb ; lived in Farmington, and had children.
542 — 3. Henry Goodrich, b. April 9, 1812; licensed to preach the gospel in 1839;

d. Feb. I, 1840.

4o8 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

543—4. Nancy Higgins, b. April 13, 1817 ; m. Sept. 13, 1837, Robert M. Mont-
gomery, of Youngstown, Ohio.

544 — 5. Liicrctia Goodrich, b. April 5, 18 19; was lady principal of the Farmington
Normal School; d. Aug. 25, 1858.

545 — 6. Orloiv Lczi'is, b. Dec. 10, 1823; m. March 14, 1850, Martha Frances,
daughter of Austin D. Kibbe, of Farmington ; lives in Farmington,
and has children ; was State Commissioner of Railroads and Tele-
graphs.

546 — 7. Lyma7i Bcechcr,h. Oct. 5, 1825; m. Dec. 25, 1855, Elizabeth Robe; lives

in Farmington, and has children.

547 — 8. Harriet Newell, b. Oct. 18, 1827; m. March 14, 1850, Benjamin Maltbie, of

Southington, Ohio.

548 — 9. Florilla Wright, b. Oct. 25, 1829.
549 — 10. George Washitigton, b. April 5, 1835.

Dea. Lewis Wolcott.
Died Aug. 2=-^ 1868,
aged 82 Years, 11 Mos. 12 Ds. {Ej>itaj>h.)

Nancy, wife of Lewis Wolcott,

Died July 8- 1815, aged 29 yrs. {Epitaph.)

Mary, wife of Lewis Wolcott,
Died June 12, 1872, aged 72 y'rs. 9 mos. {Epitaph.)

LXXX. Erastus Bradley Wolcott (454) studied medicine, and
received an appointment in the medical staff of the United States army
in 1835. He was stationed at Fort Mackinac, where he married, April
14, 1836, Elizabeth Jane, daughter of Michael Dousman, Esq., a gentle-
man connected with the fur trade, and one of the founders of Milwaukee.
She died Oct. 28, i860. He married (2d) Oct. 12, 1869, Laura J., daughter
of James Ross ; she graduated at the Woman's Medical College, Philadel-
phia, Pa., in 1856, and is also eminent in the profession. Children: —

550—1. Catharine Jane, b. April 5, 1837 ; d. Jan. 29, 1839.

551 — 2. Arthur Welles ley, b. Feb. 21, 1840; d. April 24, 1844.

552 — 3. Marion Jane, b. January, 1842; m. Dec. i, 1863, Maj. Theodore Yates,

United States army, who has charge (1879) o^ ^^^^ Soldier's Home in
Milwaukee.

EIGHTH GENERATION. 409

553 — 4. Douglas Doitsman, b. May 20, 1844; grad. Yale College, 1868.
554 — 5. Herro, b. Sept. 20, 1846; d. Oct. 28, 1847.

Dr. Erastus B. Wolcott removed to Milwaukee in 1840. In 1846
he was commissioned Major-General of the First Division of Wisconsin
MiHtia. In 1850 he was appointed on the Board of Regents of the State
University. He was Surgeon-General of the State of Wisconsin through
the late war, and in 1866 was appointed by Congress one of the Managers
of the National Home for Disabled Soldiers at Milwaukee. He has long
been identified with the growth and prosperity of the city, and stands at
the head of his profession in the State.

"His form is symmetrical, his movements are graceful, and his youthful energies
are unimpaired. His mind is vigorous and active, embracing a wide field of observa-
tion. Always eminent in his profession, he keeps a steady step in the march of
medical science. Skilled as a surgeon, the knife does not tremble in his hand.
Unerring in his diagnosis, he waits with the patience of a nurse. His sensibilities
are alive to every object of human suffering. As husband, father, and friend, he
discharges his duties with scrupulous fidelity." — Wisconsin Centennial, 1875.

The preceding record had but just left our hands when intelligence
reached us of the death of its subject, followed soon by full obituary notices
and the details of funeral obsequies, in which the whole community par-
ticipated. We can here make room for but a few sentences.

"THE DEATH OF A NOBLE MAN.

" Dr. Erastus B. Wolcott, Surgeon-General of the State of Wisconsin, one of
the most widely known men of the Northwest, died at his residence on Milwaukee
Street, at eleven o'clock last night, after an illness of one week. There are few men
whose death would cause more general sorrow ; few men have worked as faithfully
and unselfishly, so long and laboriously, in one of the most noble of professions, as
Dr. Wolcott. The announcement made this morning will carry pain to hundreds of
households, where the cheerful face of Dr. Wolcott has brought hope and his skiill
has brought relief from suffering. ... Of an historic family, fine education, great

4IO THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

practical sense, keen powers of observation, great kindness of heart, and wide expe-
rience, he made a place for himself which it will be impossible to fill. ... Of a fine
presence, not unlike in appearance the late William Cullen Byrant, he was a notable
person in any gathering, and he will be missed more than any other man would
be. . . . In enterprises of public moment he was always among the first, and his
advice was always sought for in relation to public matters." ^

"... Dr. Wolcott was very eminent as a surgeon, and in difficult cases was
sent for from all parts of the State, and built up an extensive and lucrative practice.
In politics he always took an active part ; was an original Abolitionist ; helped to
organize the Republican party in Wisconsin, fought its battles and rejoiced in its
victories. His personal appearance was very striking, and he was a conspicuous
figure in all public assemblies. Physically, he would have been a fine model for the
Grecian artists to copy for a god. By his death, the medical profession loses one
of its brightest ornaments, and the Republican party one of its most stalwart
members." ^

" State of Wisconsin, ExECUTrvE Office,
" Madison, Jan. 6, iS8o.
" General Order No. 2.

" The sad duty is devolved upon the Governor of announcing to the people of
Wisconsin, and especially to the officers and men of the Wisconsin National Guard,
the sudden and unexpected death of Brig.-Gen. Erastus B. Wolcott, M.D., which
occurred at his residence in the city of Milwaukee, at eleven o'clock yesterday
evening. . . .

" It may be truthfully said of General Wolcott, that in all these public positions,
and in the wide and possibly more important sphere of a citizen, he was efficient,
faithful, and zealous. Broad and sympathetic in his views, polished in manner, wise
in counsel, vigorous in action, the personification of honor and integrity, his death
may well be mourned as a public calamity. In token of respect for his memory,
the members of the staff are requested to wear the usual badge of mourning for a
period of thirty days from the receipt of this order, and all officers of the Wisconsin
National Guard will wear a similar badge during the same period, when in uniform.
On the day of his funeral the flag upon the capitol will be displayed at half-mast, and
the Adjutant-General will direct such guards of honor and formal escort to be fur-
nished as may be agreeable to the family and immediate friends of the deceased.

"Wm. E. Smith, Governor."

* Milwaukee Sentinel, January 6. ^ Chicago Tribune, January 7.

EIGHTH GENERATION.

411

"National Home for Disabled Vol. Soldiers, N. \V. Branch,
" Milwaukee County, Wis., Jan. 6, iSSo.
" General Orders, No. 3.

" It is the sad duty of the undersigned to announce the decease, at his resi-
dence in the city of Milwaukee, at eleven o'clock on the evening of the 5th inst.,
of Brigadier- General Erastus Bradley Wolcott, M.D., a member of the Board
of Managers of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, and formerly
Commandant of this Branch. . . .

"During the seven years that the undersigned has been in command of this
Branch, General Wolcott has with almost unfailing punctuality visited the Home on
each Tuesday morning. His gratuitous and untiring services rendered to the Home,
and to the interests of the disabled soldiers of the country, entitles his memory to
their grateful and affectionate regard. His uniform courtesy and kindness, and his
ever genial deportment, have endeared him to all who knew him, and the tears of a
community attest the universal affection in which he was held.

" The remains of the deceased will lie in state in the Arcade of the Plankinton
House, from ten a.m. to one p.m. on Thursday the 8th instant, and the funeral
ceremonies will take place from his late residence, 471 Milwaukee Street, Milwaukee,
at three o'clock, p.m., on the same day.

"As appropriate honors to the memory of the deceased, half-hour guns will be
fired by the Home Battery from sunrise until sunset on the day of the funeral, and
the national flag will be draped in mourning and displayed at half-mast at this Branch
until sundown of the 8th instant.

" The usual badge of mourning will be worn by the officers of the Home for

thirty days.

" Edw. W. Hincks,

" Commandant."
"THE PUBLIC HOMAGE.

" The love that Milwaukee bore for her late distinguished townsman. Dr. E. B.
Wolcott, found expression yesterday in a way at once simple and touching. Shortly
before ten o'clock his remains were escorted to the Plankinton House by a com-
mittee of citizens, and a detail of sixteen men from the Sheridan Guard as a guard of
honor. The body was borne to the Arcade, where it lay in state until half-past one.
The casket was placed on a catafalque in the centre of the room. . . . Several
thousand people viewed the remains. For nearly three hours they came and went,
and yet there were those who were not permitted an opportunity. At one o'clock

412 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

the doors were closed, and the remains escorted back to the late home of the
deceased, where the obsequies took place, at three o'clock. The house was crowded,
and the streets for a distance of two blocks were filled with people and carriages.
The funeral was one of the largest ever seen in the Northwest. The procession,
which was very long, was headed by a military escort. Arriving at Forest Home
Cemetery, a few simple services, and Erastus B. Wolcott, loved in his lifetime and
mourned in his death, was shut out from mortal vision." — Sentinel, January 9.

"Milwaukee has lost a friend, — one who was an enthusiastic worker in every
direction which meant a city's welfare. Her citizens have lost a friend, — one who
was a skilled and sympathetic helper whenever and wherever suffering called for aid,
an attentive gentleman, answering social calls with genial, courtly grace. Humanity
has lost a friend, — a warm, unselfish, loving friend, who hastened to its every call
upon his counsel and his generosity, and freely gave of his abundant gifts of wisdom
and honorable devotion, as well as of professional skill, without partiality, without
fear or favor.

" Gratuitous services were given by him in all charitable institutions in the
city ; and among the profusion of floral tributes bestowed upon his remains, as they
lay for a few hours in a public place, that all his friends might take one last look upon
the noble, kindly face, were many that came as tokens of gratitude from those he had
ministered unto without money and without price.

" Far and near, in our homes and in distant homes, the summons to come or to
go was never unheeded by him. There will be many a home where the news of his
death will carry, not only the pang of loss, but the anxious thought and fear that all
cannot be as well with them henceforth.

" The citizens of Milwaukee desired to give all attention and honor to the beloved
and respected dead, but were restrained from parade and show by Dr. Wolcott's
family, who regarded his oft-expressed wish that in the event of his death there
should be no public display." — Index, January 22.

LXXXI. HiLAND Grieve Wolcott (464) studied medicine, and
received a diploma in 1844; afterwards studied law, and was admitted to
the bar in 1851; lived in Dundee, N. Y., and combined land surveying
with his law practice; married, Jan. 5, i860, Emily Caroline, daughter of
Sherlock Andrews, of Yates County. Children : —

555 — I. Helen Pamelia, b. Jan. 18, 186 1.

556 — 2. Edith Abigail, b. Aug. 31, 1865.

^^.^^^^t..^^,,^^ '"/^^^TTt^.^r^^

EIGHTH GENERATION. 413

LXXXII. Samuel Wolcott (471) completed his preparation for
college at the East Windsor Hill Academy, then in charge of Mr. William
Strong, now Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He
graduated at Yale College, 1833 ; Commencement Oration, " The Proper
Direction of American Enterprise and Talent." He completed the course
of study at the Theological Seminary, Andover, 1837; was ordained to
the ministry in Boston, Nov. 13, 1839. He married (ist), Sept. 5, 1839,
Catharine Elizabeth, daughter of Ezra Wood, of Westminster, Mass. ;
(2d), Nov. I, 1843, Harriet Amanda, daughter of Jonathan A. Pope, of
Millbury, Mass.; she was born June 29, 1821. Children: —

557 — I. Samuel Adams, b. Sept. 3, 1844 '■> was for a year or two a member of Yale

College; is now (1880) a stock-raiser in Texas, where he has a large
tract of land, near the Rio Grande, fifty miles north of Laredo.

558 — 2. Henry Roger, b. March 15, 1846 ; completed his education at the Cleveland

High School; went to Colorado, 1869; member of the State Senate
from Gilpin County, 1879-82; resides (1880) in Denver, Manager of
the Boston and Colorado Smelting Works at Argo, of which Senator
N. P. Hill has for years been Superintendent.

559 — 3. Edward Oliver, b. March 26, 1848; was for a year or two a member of

Yale College ; LL.B,, Harvard University, 1875 ; member of the Col-
orado Bar; District Attorney, 1877-78; member of the State Senate
from Clear Creek County, 1879-82 ; resides (1880) in Denver.

560 — 4. Harriet Agnes, b. March 15, 1850; m. April 29, 1879, Frederick O. Vaille

(grad. H. U., 1874), of Denver, Col. Their daughter, Harriet Wolcott
Vaille (b. March 24, 1880), is the only representative (1880) of the
family in the third generation.
561 — 5. William Edgar, b. April 26, 1852; grad. O. C, 1874; member (1880) of
the Senior Class in the Andover Theological Seminary.

562 — 6. Katliarine Ellen, b. Aug. 25, 1854 ; m. Nov. 25, 1880, Charles H. Toll (grad.

H. C. 1872), of Denver, Col., Attorney-General elect of Colorado.

563 — 7. Mary Alice, b. July 24, 1856 ; d. Feb. 3, 1858.
564 — ^^8. Anna Louisa, b. May 25, 1858.

565 — 9. Clara Gertrude, b. Dec. 17, 1859 ; member (1880) of the Sophomore Class
in Smith College, Northampton.

414

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

566 — 10. Herbert Walter, b. Nov. 25, 1861 ; member (1880) of the Freshman Class

in Yale College.
567 — II. Charlotte Augusta, b. Oct. 20, 1863.

Mr. Wolcott preached the Annual Election Sermon before the Massa-
chusetts Legislature, 1853; received the honorary degree of S. T. D. from
Marietta College, 1863; has resided since 1861 in Cleveland, Ohio. See
Records of Class of 1833, Yale College, 1870 and 1879. The accompany-
ing likeness is from a portrait painted by T. W. Wood, of New York City,
1879, engraved for this work by S. A. Schoff, of Boston.

In memory of
Catharine Elizabeth,

Wife of

Rev. Samuel Wolcott.

Bom in Westminster, Mass., U. S. A., Dec. 19, 181 2.

Died in Beirout, Syria, Oct. 26, 1841.

Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. — Rev. xiv. 13.

(Epitaph, Amer. Cemetery^

LXXXIII. Elizur Wolcott (473) graduated at Yale College, 1839 ;
married, July 15, 1846, Martha Lyman, daughter of Daniel Dwight, of
Amherst, Mass. ; held for years an important connection with the railroad
service, from which failing health compelled him to retire; lives (1879) in
Jacksonville, 111. ; has kept up his literary pursuits, and through his knowl-
edge of mechanics has rendered essential service to the community,
especially in the provision of a supply of water for the town, which he
superintended. Children : —

568 — 1. Leofwyn, b. Nov. 20, 1847 ; d. Aug. 7, 1858, — a lad of rare loveliness and

promise.
569 — 2. Edith Dwight, b. Dec. 19, 1850.
570—3. Elilm, b. Dec. 30, 1859; d. Aug. 29, i860.
571 — 4. Rlay, b. May 14, 1863.

EIGHTH GENERATION. 415

THE OLD MEETING-HOUSE IN SOUTH WINDSOR.

The heads of the two preceding families were born in South Windsor;
and we introduce here its venerable sanctuary, which was standing in their
youth. The first and second meeting-houses in South Windsor were built
near the old cemetery. The third, of which we give a sketch, engraved
by Richardson from a drawing made by Ellsworth and completed by
Bonwill, stood a mile and a half south of the above site, in front of the
present burial-ground. It was erected in 1761, and remained till 1846.

It was a fair representative of the type of church architecture which
prevailed in New England for more than a century. It stood with its side
to the street, and a door in the middle, which opened into the broad aisle,
with the pulpit at the opposite end. There was an entrance, also, at each
end of the house, — that on the north opening into the vestibule, or lower
room, of the steeple. The pulpit, up in the middle of the western side,
was ascended by a flight of narrow stairs, and above it was the sounding-
board, suspended by an iron rod from the ceiling. In front of the pulpit
was the deacons' seat; and the remaining space below was occupied by
square pews with seats on three sides, and aisles which reached them from
all the entrances, and into which their doors opened. In each front corner
were stairs mounting to the gallery ; and at the head of each flight, in the
most secluded corners of the house, were the negro-pews, or seats for col-
ored people. The front seats of the gallery, which extended around three
sides of the house, belonged to the singers, whose leader gave the key-note
with his pitch-pipe ; and in the rear, at a higher elevation, was a row of
square pews. An aesthetic culture may be satisfied with the voices of a
quartette, the operatic airs, and the sentimental songs which modern taste
has introduced into the religious exercises of the Lord's Day. But, to one
who remembers the old-time worship, never will " the service of song in the
house of the Lord," never will the sotil of devotion, find such expression in
these strains, as when, by the great choir circling the gallery, the devout
praise of the congregation was borne heavenward in sacred lyrics to the
tunes of " Majesty " and " Old Hundred."

41 6 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

The pastor of the church that worshipped in this meeting-house during
the writer's boyhood, and who made a formal bow to the families seated on
each side as he walked up the middle aisle, wore knee-buckles and top-boots,
— though the ancient costume, introduced into the picture, had at that time
very generally disappeared. The swallows circling around the spire and
alighting on the ridge-pole have a very familiar look ; as has also the
whipping-post at the corner, which had been an indispensable institution
in the early Puritan administration, but which in the writer's youth served
only the purpose of a bulletin-board. Beneath the very shadow of this
sanctuary was laid to her rest, nearly sixty years ago, the mother who
within its walls had dedicated to God her first-born son, who here brings
his filial tribute to her grave.

LXXXIV. Richmond Wolcott (479) graduated at Illinois College,
1859; commanded a company in the late war; lives (1879) in Springfield,
111., an attorney-at-law ; married, July 11, 1865, Jane Van Vechten, daugh-
ter of James D. B. Salter, of Springfield. Children: —

572 — I. Cordelia Leland, b. May 9, 1866.

573 — 2. Lucy Salter, b. Nov. 13, 1867.

574 — 3. Ella Richmond, b. July 5, 1873; d. Feb. 3, 1875.

LXXXV. Christopher Parsons Wolcott (503) married, April 25,
1844, Pamphila, daughter of David Stanton, M.D. Children: —

575 — I. Christopher Darwin, b. Sept. 13, 1846.

576 — 2. Samuel Ilerivin, b. Dec. 7, 1848.

Hon. Christopher P. Wolcott came when a lad with his father to
Steubenville, Ohio. He read law in the office of Tappan and Stanton, —
the former, Benjamin Tappan, afterwards United States Senator from
Ohio, and the latter, Edwin M. Stanton, the distinguished Secretary of
War, whose sister he married. He established himself at Akron, in 1845,
and soon came to the front rank in his profession. Judges of that period
concur in pronouncing him the most gifted and brilliant member of the
Bar in Ohio.

EIGHTH GENERATION. 417

In 1S56 he was appointed Attorney-General of the State, and held the
office four years. In 1861 he was appointed Judge Advocate General, and
served in this capacity until he was appointed Assistant Secretary of War.
He died at Akron, April 4, 1863, in the very prime of his life, — a sacrifice
to his country, as was justly claimed by the editor of the Akron " Beacon,"
in an obituary sketch, from which we give an extract : —

" As a lawyer he probably had no superior in Ohio, and his loss will be severely
felt in legal circles throughout the State. He was not only one of our greatest law-
yers, but one of the most profound thinkers upon constitutional questions, and, in the
true sense of the word, a statesman. The abilities he displayed in conducting public
affairs brought him the offer of the position of Assistant Secretary of War ; this he
reluctantly accepted. He was then worn and jaded with the rush of business, and
the ardent and laborious way in which he had thrown all the force of body and soul
into this war. He had, after spending over a year from home, gone there to recruit
his impaired strength, when he received this new summons. He looked upon it as
his duty to accept it, though it cost him life itself. He went to Washington City,
and entered upon those arduous duties incident to such a position, in such a war as
we are now waging, and there he toiled through the hot months last summer, from
si.x in the morning until one and two o'clock at night. He took a slow fever, but
worked on until he was so sick he could work no longer. After being in the hands
of a skilful physician in New York City some three months, he, in November last,
returned to take his place as Assistant Secretary of War. He again put on the
harness, and toiled on and on. His friends and relatives remonstrated, but he could
not be diverted from his purpose. He would reply to such remonstrance, ' Why can
I not give myself to my country, as thousands of soldiers are doing every day.' He
worked on until he could work no longer, and then he went home to die. He did
indeed give his life to his country with as determined a purpose to do so as any
soldier who has met his death on the battle-field.

" But with all his talent and energy of character, his' strong love for his country,
and his intense desire for her speedy restoration to peace and prosperity, the states-
man, the patriot, the neighbor, the friend, has been summoned from earth in the
prime of life and vigor of manhood. Let us all, while lamenting his early departure,
proudly cherish the memory of his devoted patriotism, and endeavor to emulate his
example, in giving all that we have, even life itself, if need be, to the service of our
beloved country, in this her hour of peril and of trial."

41 8 THE WOLCOTT MEAIORIAL.

LXXXyi. Roger Wolcott (522) graduated at Harvard University,
1870, and delivered the Class Oration; theme of Commencement Oration,
"The Early Franciscans;" Tutor in the College, 1871; LL.B., 1874. He
married, Sept. 2, 1874, Edith, daughter of William G. Prescott, of Boston,
and Augusta Peabody his wife. She was born April 20, 1853; grand-
daughter of William H. Prescott, the Historian.' The two lines connect
the children with the Frothingham, Huntington, Peabody, Pickering, Pres-
cott, Putnam, and other leading families in New England.

Roger Wolcott is a member of the Boston Bar; member (1879) of the
Common Council ; his summer residence is near his father's, on the slope
of the Blue Hills, in Milton. Children: —

577 — I. Huntington Frothingham, b. Nov. 29, 1875 ; d. Feb. 19, 1877.

578 — 2. Roger, b. July 25, 1877.

579 — 3- Prescott, b. May i, 1880.

In adding to our record the last name in the series, — the number
succeeding this, a Christian name which had done illustrious service in
the Family, — we referred to the coincidence of the birth with the
pubUcation of our Memorial. It gives us sincere pleasure, before reach-
ing the final page, to introduce to the record a still later comer, and
join with our own surname, as a Christian name, one which is redolent
of revolutionary and literary fame and synonymous with patriotism.
Our best wishes attend these cousins, our latest representatives, —
whom it is our privilege thus early to greet " with cordial salutation "
as they " arrive on the shore of being," — for their own sake, and for
the sake of the Family, whose future, under God, is to be committed to
them and their associates.

1 The father of the Historian was Judge William Prescott, an eminent lawyer and jurist, described
by Daniel Webster, in announcing his death to the Supreme Court, as standing " at the head of the
Bar of Massachusetts for legal learning and attainments ; " his grandfather was Col. Wilham Prescott,
of Bunker HiU renown.

The emigrant ancestor of the family, John Prescott, representative of an ancient English family,
came to this country in 1640. He Uved first at Watertown, and afterwards estabhshed himself at
Lancaster, then on the frontiers of civilization. There he acquired a good estate, and defended it
bravely from the incursions of the Indians, to whom he made himself formidable by occasionally
appearing before them in a helmet and cuirass, which he had brought with him from England, where
he is said to have served under Cromwell. He was a strong man, of large frame, with a stern counte-
nance ; he died in 1683.

EIGHTH GENERATION. 419

LXXXVII. Henry Goodrich Wolcott (531) graduated at Yale
College, Ph.B., 1873; Columbia College, LL.B., 1877. He married, May
22, 1879, Julia Sterling, only daughter of Hon. Waldo Hutchins, Member
of Congress from the Twelfth District, of New York City, and Elizabeth
Ellsworth, his wife. She was born July 17, 1855; great-granddaughter of
Chief Justice Ellsworth and of Noah Webster.

Henry G. Wolcott is a member of the New York Bar and United
States Commissioner ; is Lieutenant-Colonel of the Twenty-first Regiment
of New York National Guards. He resides at Roseneaih, his father's seat,
near Fishkill on the Hudson. Child: —

580 — Olivei; b. March 14, 1880.

This " heir of all the ages," with whose name our record closes, has
been born into the Family while our work is in press. He is the lineal
descendant of the following seven Governors, namely: William Bradford,
one of the Pilgrim Fathers, and the second Governor of the Plymouth Col-
ony ; Thomas Welles, John Webster, William Leet, and Roger Wolcott,
who were Colonial Governors of Connecticut ; and Oliver Wolcott and
William Wolcott Ellsworth, who were Governors of the State of Connecti-
cut. We name this lineage merely as a remarkable coincidence, and not
with any ostentation. This household concur with us in the sentiment
expressed by Cowper, that a Christian parentage is the highest distinction
and privilege of a child. On a recent delightful October Sabbath, while
sharing the hospitalities of the Roseneath mansion, the writer had the
pleasure of being present at the consecration in baptism of this child, in
the neighboring church of St. Luke. The Christian name pronounced
over it in this interesting ceremony is one which in both ancestral lines has
been honored by Oliver Wolcott and Oliver Ellsworth, who dignified civil
station by Christian virtue, — a feature of our Memorial which we take
pleasure in again commending to the advancing generation.

420

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

DEED-CHEST OF HENRY WOLCOTT, 1630.

APPENDIX.

JosiAH WoLcoTT (70) married (ist), April 23, 1740, Mrs. Lucy W.,
widow of Joseph French, and daughter of Capt. Daniel White. She was
born July 17, 171 5, and died Nov. 29, 1760. He lived in Andover, re-
moved to Saybrook about 1750, and afterwards to New Jersey, where he
married again, and died Oct. 24, 1784. He left children ; among others a
daughter, Theodora Wolcott (b. Nov. 5, 1746), who married, Nov. 17, 1768,
Michael Baldwin. Their sons, Michael Baldwin and Henry Baldwin,
graduated at Yale College, 1795 and 1797. The latter became a Member
of Congress and one of the Justices of the United States Supreme Court.
Another daughter, Sarah Wolcott (b. March 26, 1752), adopted by Rev. John
Devotion, of Westbrook, married Col. Asa Lay, of Westbrook.

CONCLUSION. 421

CONCLUSION.

We have now completed our Memorial, and are ready to take leave of
the work. The acquaintance to which it has introduced us, both with the
departed and the living, has been instructive and pleasant to us ; and we
would fain utter some brief valedictory of exhortation and encouragement
to those of our kindred now on the stage of life on whom are restino-,
under God, the future hopes and fortunes of the Family, and to those who
may succeed to their responsibilities. This desire we are providentially
enabled to gratify, with parting words more impressive than our own.

A larger number of the Family than have since been fellow-wor-
shippers in one sanctuary attended on the ministry of the Rev. Dr. McClure,
in South Windsor, and listened to his " Century Thanksgiving Sermon,"
in 1795, from which we have already given extracts. He closed this dis-
course with an appeal to them, which seems to us a not less fitting conclu-
sion of a work like this. The manuscript from which he thus addressed
our fathers, nearly a century ago, now lies before us ; and although we
cannot but be sensible, as we copy its closing paragraphs, how much the
effect of its delivery was enhanced by the venerable figure of the preacher
as he stood, in clerical costume, beneath the antique sounding-board, and
by the silvery tones of his simple and devout eloquence, as they fell on
the listening ears of his congregation in the square pews below, gathered
" in families like a flock," still we cannot doubt that the silent perusal of
the same strains in these pages will awaken in the hearts of their descend-
ants a similar response.

While we admire and adore the marvellous displays of the protecting providence
and goodness of God towards our ancestors, the first planters of this land, let us, Sirs,
labour to emulate their virtues, and maintain that fear of God, that sacred regard to his
word and ordinances, and zeal for our holy religion, of which they gave so illustrious

422 THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

so disinterested an example. They left the dear delights of their native land, to
follow God into this wilderness. They gave the most unequivocal proof of their
piety and sincerity. The glory of God, the purity of worship, doctrine, and ordi-
nances, and the enjoyment of civil and religious liberty, were the great and noble
objects which animated them. When their settlements here were few and feeble,
they formed a friendly confederation, the preamble of which states the laudable design
of their coming: "Whereas we are all come into these parts of America with one
and the same end and aim, namely, to advance the kingdom of Jesus Christ, and to
enjoy the liberties of the Gospel in security with peace." And they took care that
the invaluable legacy might descend to their posterity, as it is this day. Let us.
Sirs, stand fast in the liberties, civil and sacred, in which the God of our fathers hath
made us free. Beyond the reach of the arm of arbitrary power, with the Bible in
their hands, they laid here the foundation of the churches in truth and purity, accord-
ing to that perfect standard. And God has remarkably owned and blessed them, and
multitudes have gone to glory, who long sat under the shadow of their ordinances
with delight. An honourable inhabitant of this town, and for several years the chief
magistrate of the Colony, in a letter written several years past, says : " The Congre-
gational churches in New England have subsisted more than one hundred years.
What orthodox divinity, what peace, what love, what vital piety and good order, are
obvious to all, and taken so much notice of abroad, that they have said, The Lord is
there. The churches have multiplied, and this wilderness of heathenism has become
a fruitful field." *

Our descent from such worthy ancestors, and our local situation and advan-
tages, demand from us the warmest gratitude. They were men of liberal and enlarged
minds, and nobly disdained to be bound in the chains of bigotry and oppression.
They looked into the perfect law of liberty, and led the way to freedom of thought on
this great subject, so necessary to the repose of mankind. They possessed the spirit
of the primitive martyrs, and for Christ's sake endured all manner of suffering ; and
though persecuted, they were not forsaken. The infant Churches of New England,
like the woman represented to St. John in heavenly vision, fled from the face of the
dragon of bloody persecution across the Atlantic ; and the sails of the ships which
wafted them hither were as the two wings of an eagle, that were given them to fly,
and hide in this wilderness from the flood cast out to destroy them. And here they
found an asylum, and have been nourished more than a century and a half. Moun-

* Governour Wolcott's letter to Rev. Noah Hobart.

CONCL US I ON. 423

tains of danger and suffering became as pleasant plains ; the Red Seas and the
swelling Jordans of trouble gave way before them ; a table was spread for them in
the wilderness, and God brought them in, to give them this land for an inheritance,
as it is this day.

It is our duty, Sirs, with humble importunity, to implore the Most High to con-
tinue his mercies to us, saying with the prophet, Where is the Lord God of our
fathers ? From their graves they seem to call us to a holy emulation of their virtues,
addressing us, as did the pious king of Israel his son Solomon : " Beloved children,
fear ye the God of your fathers, and serve him with a perfect heart and a willing
mind." In all their institutions, their extended views regarded their children's chil-
dren to perpetual generations. Let a lively gratitude embalm their memories !

O God, our fathers have told us what work thou didst in their days, in the times
of old. How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy right hand and plantedst
them, and the light of thy countenance shone upon them, because thou hadst a favour
unto them. In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name forever. And
we thy people, and the sheep of thy pasture, will give thee thanks forever : we will show
forth thy praise to all generations. Amen.

424

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

NOTE.

The Hon. Josiah Ouincy, of WoUaston, Mass., ex-Mayor of Boston,
— the "fine Boy" referred to on page 371, — has favored us with the fol-
lowino- interesting reminiscence, drawn from his sister's diary (Sept. 1818),
several years after Mrs. Wolcott's decease : —

Mrs. Quincy, on her way to visit her sister, Mrs. Bogert, at Beekman, Dutchess
Co., N. Y., travelled across the State of Connecticut, of which Mr. Wolcott was then
Governor, accompanied by two of her daughters and her niece, Sophia Morton.
After following the beautiful Farmington River, travelling in her own carriage, Mrs.
Quincy arrived one evening at Litchfield. After engaging accommodations at the
hotel, and taking the refreshment of tea, she wrote a note to Mr. Wolcott informing
him of her arrival in Litchfield, and that on her way the next morning before resuming
her journey, she would have the pleasure of calling on him at his house. The mes-
senger had hardly departed before, to the great surprise of the company, Governor
Wolcott, attended by one of his sons, appeared, to call on Mrs. Ouincy and insist on
her removing immediately with all her party to his house. Being told that all their
arrangements were made and this change was impracticable, Mr. Wolcott said, " Then
you must all breakfast with me to-morrow." Again Mrs. Quincy said she would
not trouble him to give them breakfast. On this, the Governor was quite excited,
and said, "At your peril, Ladies— if you do not all appear at my breakfast-table to-
morrow morning, I will order out the militia and send a troop of horse after you.
What use is there in being Governor, if I can't make people do as I please ?"

This formidable threat had its due effect ; the Ladies were all at the appointed
hour before the Governor's mansion. He came out to the gate and assisted Mrs.
Quincy from her carriage into his breakfast-parlour. They had a most interesting
visit, and walked in the garden which commanded a beautiful view.

A memoir of this lady mentions the Governor's leading her " with
great emotion into his library to the portrait of his wife, her early and much
loved friend." Of the visit named on p. 367, it says : —

The following summer, Mr. and Mrs. Wolcott passed a month with us. Their
numerous friends gathered around them, and we were engaged in a succession of
parties and entertainments, including several visits to Pres" and Mrs. Adams at
Quincy. The time passed deUghtfully away in the companionship of these dis-
tinguished friends, pp. 78, 79.

INDEXES.

INDEX I.

CHRISTIAN NAMES OF MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY BY BIRTH.

[The figures in this Index refer to the number in the family record]

Abby Howland, 528
Abiah, 31.
Abiah, 84.
Abiathar, 401.
Abiel, 175.
Abigail, 48.
Abigail, 108
Abigail, 117,
Abigail, 148,
Abigail, 164.
Abigail, 171
Abigail, 173,
Abigail, 228
Abigail, 251
Abigail, 311
Abigail, 355,
Abigail, 403.
Abigail Marsh, 25
Abner, 307.
Albert, 208.
Albert, 375.
Alexander, 91.
Alexander, 93.
Alexander, 190
Alexander, 199.
Alexander, 33
Alexander, 353
Alexander, 492,
Alexander, 501
Alexander, 502,
Alexander, 510,
Alfred, 321.
Alfred, 484,
Alfred, 484.

IptiiHi.tii

Alice, 529.

Allyn Ellsworth, 365.

Almira, 361.

Almira, 372.

Amanda, 362.

Amelia, 187.

Amelia, 313.

Amelia, 314.

Ann, 64.

Ann, 218.

Anna, 2.

Anna, 360.

Anna, 460.

Anna Louisa, 564.

Anne, 107.

Annette Rankin, 533.

Arodi, 207.

Arodi Pitkin, 371.

Arthur, 472.

Arthur Wellesley, 551.

Benjamin, 40.
Benjamin, 115.
Benjamin, 146.
Benjamin, 217.
Benjamin, 274.
Bertha, 472.

Caleb, 66.
Caleb, 127.
Caleb, 140.
Caroline, 413.
Caroline Matilda, 508.
Caroline Starr, 512.

Catharine, 337.
Catharine, 404.
Catharine Celestia, 536.
Catharine Jane, 550.
Charles, 38.
Charles, 114.
Charles Merchant, 526.
Charles Moseley, 393.
Charlotte, 336.
Charlotte, 414.
Charlotte Augusta, 567.
Charlotte Bosworth, 439.
Chauncey Goodrich, 394.
Chester Goodrich, 423.
Chloe, 224.
Chloe, 367.
Christopher, 5.
Christopher, 25.
Christopher, 75.
Christopher, 152.
Christopher, 197.
Christopher Columbus, 347.
Christopher Darwin, 575.
Christopher Parsons, 503.
Clara Gertrude, 565.
Cordelia Leland, 572.
Cornelius, 309.
Cynthia, 376.

Daniel Russell, 405.
Darius, 486.
David, 69.
David, 143.
David, 455.

INDEX I.

CHRISTIAN NAMES OF MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY BY BIRTH.

[The figures in this Index refer to the number in the family record.]

Abby Howland, 528
Abiah, 31.
Abiah, 84.
Abiathar, 401. -
Abiel, 175.
Abigail, 48.
Abigail, 108
Abigail, 117
Abigail, 148
Abigail, 164,
Abigail, 171
Abigail, 173.
Abigail, 228,
Abigail, 251
Abigail, 311
Abigail, 355
Abigail, 403.
Abigail Marsh, 252
Abner, 307.
Albert, 208.
Albert, 375.
Alexander, 91.
Alexander, 93.
Alexander, 190,
Alexander, 199,
Alexander, 332
Alexander, 353
Alexander, 492
Alexander, 501
Alexander, 502.
Alexander, 510,
Alfred, 321.
Alfred, 484.
Alfred, 484.

js^mo.Zd

Alice, 529.

Allyn Ellsworth, 365.

Almira, 361.

Almira, 372.

Amanda, 362.

Amelia, 187.

Amelia, 313.

Amelia, 314.

Ann, 64.

Ann, 218.

Anna, 2.

Anna, 360.

Anna, 460.

Anna Louisa, 564.

Anne, 107.

Annette Rankin, 533.

Arodi, 207.

Arodi Pitkin, 371.

Arthur, 472.

Arthur Wellesley, 551.

Benjamin, 40.
Benjamin, 115.
Benjamin, 146.
Benjamin, 217.
Benjamin, 274.
Bertha, 472.

Caleb, 66.
Caleb, 127.
Caleb, 140.
Caroline, 413.
Carohne Matilda, 508.
Caroline Starr, 512.

Daniel Russell, 405.
Darius, 486.
David, 69.
David, 143.
David, 455.

428

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Deborah, 63.

Douglas Dousman, 553.

Edith Abigail, 556.
Edith Dwight, 569.
Editha, 482.

Edmund Pinckney, 411.
Edward, 264.
Edward, 368.
Edward, 513.
Edward Cowles, 444.
Edward Oliver, 559.
Edward Kitchen, 240.
Eleanor, 363.
Elias, 262.
Elihu, 290.
Elihu, 570.
Elisha, 121.
Elisha, 232.
Elisha, 280.
Eliza, 263.
Eliza, 448.
Eliza, 491.
Elizabeth, 16.
Elizabeth, 20.
Elizabeth, 29.
Elizabeth, 49.
Elizabeth, 51.
Elizabeth, 58.
Elizabeth, 62.
Elizabeth, 90.
Elizabeth, 112.
Elizabeth, 144.
Ehzabeth, 201.
Elizabeth, 243.
Elizabeth, 286.
Elizabeth, 293.
Elizabeth, 303.
Ehzabeth, 338.
Elizabeth; 344.
Elizabeth, 346.
Elizabeth, 349.
Elizabeth, 379.
Elizabeth, 390.
Elizabeth, 497.
Elizabeth Ann, 469.
Elizabeth Huntington, 527.
Elizabeth Stoughton, 383.
Elizabeth Stoughton, 520.
Ehzur, 168.

Elizur, 356.
Elizur, 358.
Elizur, 473.
Ella Louisa, 477.
Ella Richmond, 574.
Ellen Almira, 515.
Emeline, 185.
Emily, 432.
Emily Fatima, 424.
Emma, 516.
Epaphras, 99.
Epaphras, 183.
Ephraim, 87.
Ephraim, 177.
Ephraim, 304.
Erastus, 98.
Erastus, 100.
Erastus, 202.
Erastus, 204.
Erastus, 279.
Erastus, 366.
Erastus, 410.
Erastus Bradley, 454.
Esther, 136.
Esther, 192.
Esther, 194.
Esther, 265.
Esther, 267.
Esther, 273.
Esther, 295.
Esther Belding, 253.
Eunice, 67.
Eunice, 76.
Eunice, 1 16.
Eunice, 133.
Eunice, 14;.
Eunice, 169.
Eunice, 170.
Eveline, 302.

Fanny, 296.
Flavia, 203.
Flavia, 205.
Frances, 298.
Frances, 351.
Frances Burbank, 514.
Frances Caroline, 339.
Frances Jane, 474.
Frederick, 213.
Frederick, 359.

Frederick, 447.
Frederick, 530.
Frederick Halsey, 506.
Frederick Henry, 391.
Frederick Henry, 523.
Freke, 53.
Freke, 61.
Freke, 242.
Florilla Wright, 548.

Gad Fuller, 434.

Gardiner Howland, 524.

George, 4.

George, 17.

George, 39.

George, 65.

George, 113.

George, 128.

George, 134.

George, 195.

George, 196.

George, 364.

George, 498.

George Washington, 456.

George Washington, 549.

Gershom, 43.

Gershom, 230.

Gideon, 83.

Gideon, 162.

Gideon, 167.

Gideon, 284.

Gideon, 451.

Giles, 163.

Guy, 200.

Guy, 356.

Hannah, 13.
Hannah, 45.
Hannah, 105.
Hannah, 234.
Hannah, 310.
Hannah, 374.
Hannah, 452.
Hannah Bryant, 495.
Hannah Huntington, 388.
Hannah McClure, 470.
Harriet Agnes, 560.
Harriet Newell, 547.
Helen, 370.
Helen, 500.
Helen Cornelia, 539.

INDEX OF CHRISTIAN NAMES.

429

Helen Maria, 475.

Helen Pamelia, 555.

Henry, 3.

Henry, 8.

Henry, 24.

Henry, 30.

Henry, 33.

Henry, 37.

Henry, 78.

Henry, 151.

Henry, 249.

Henry, 352.

Henry, 386.

Henry Goodrich, 531.

Henry Goodrich, 542.

Henry Griswold, 395.

Henry Huntington, 511.

Henry Philip, 505.

Henry Roger, 558.

Henry Rowland, 342.

Hephzibah, 96.

Herbert Walter, 566.

Herro, 554.

Hiland Grieve, 464.

Honor, 138.

Honor, 260.

Hope, 216.

Horace, 258.

Horace, 294.

Horace, 406.

Horace, 436.

Horace Butler, 429

Huntington Frothingham, 521.

Huntington Frothingham, 577.

James, 77.
James, 129.
James, 318.
James, 357.
Jane, 82.
Jane Allyn, 147.
Jane Catharine, 159-
Jemima, 308.
Jeremiah, 189.
Jerusha, 109.
Jerusha, 206.
Jerusha, 287.
Joanna, 23.
John, I.
John, 9.

John, iS.

John, 36.

John, 57.

John, 106.

John, 123.

John, 239.

John, 256.

John, 418.

John, 419.

John Dorsey, 467.

John Greig, 462.

John Stoughton, 380.

John Stoughton, 3S5.

Jonathan, 275.

Joseph, 139.

Joseph, 259.

Joseph, 261.

Joseph, 277.

Joseph, 540.

Joseph Higgins, 541.

Joseph Newton, 445.

Joshua, 68.

Joshua, 135.

Joshua, 247.

Joshua, 268.

Joshua Huntington, 389.

Josiah, 15.

Josiah, 44.

Josiah, 52.

Josiah, 56.

Josiah, 70.

Josiah, 97.

Josiah, 122.

Josiah, 124.

Josiah, 141.

Josiah, 235.

Josiah, 266.

Josiah, 324.

Josiah, 417.

Josiah, 485.

Josiah Bissell, 442.

Josiah Willis, 409.

Julia Ann, 476.

Julia Maria, 480.

Juliana, 369.

Juliet Adeline, 427.

Juliette, 517.

Julius Erastus, 537.

Julius Hastings, 426.

Justus, 130.

Katharine Ellen, 562.
Katharine Rankin, 532.

Laura, 211.

Laura, 215.

Laura, 297.

Laura, 345.

Laura, 348.

Laura, 377.

Laura, 378.

Laura, 382.

Laura Elizabeth, 509.

Laura Maria, 392.

Leofwyn, 568.

Lewis, 416.

Lois, 132.

Lois, 237.

Lovis Eliza, 441.

Lucia, 85.

Lucretia, 331.

Lucretia, 494.

Lucretia Goodrich, 544.

Lucy, 47.

Lucy, 257.

Lucy, 333.

Lucy, 335.

Lucy, 341.

Lucy. 435-

Lucy, 438.

Lucy Salter, 573.

Luke, 158.

Luther Humphrey, 535.

Lydia, 191.

Lydia, 327.

Lydia Russell, 412.

Lyman Beecher, 546.

Mabel, 319
Malinda, 481.
Marah, 179.
Margaret, 459.
Mariann, 103.
Mariann, 212.
Marion Jane, 552.
Martha, 21.
Martha, 73.
Martha, 88.
Martha, 155.
Martha, 174.
Martha, 188.

430

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Martha, 305.

Martha, 328.

Martha, 496.

Martha Davenport, 493.

Martha Sarah, 461.

Mary, 6.

Mary, 12.

Mary, 26.

Mary, 41.

Mary, 50.

Mary, 59.

Mary, 104.

Mary, iii.

Mary, 125.

IVIary, 184.

Mary, 198.

Mary, 214.

Mary, 222.

Mary, 245.

Mary, 272.

Mary, 320.

Mary, 325.

Mary, 334-

Mary, 340.

Mary, 373.

Mary, 399.

Mary, 408.

Mary, 433.

Mary, 451.

Mary, 465.

Mary, 487.

Mary Alice, 563.

Mary Ann, 354.

Mary Ann Goodrich, 387.

Mary Frances, 396.

Mary Hastings, 254.

May, 571.

Mehitable, 55.

Mehitable, 120.

Mehitable, 233.

Mehitable, 248.

Mercy, 19.

Miriam, 157.

Nancy, 421.
Nancy Green, 490.
Nancy Higgins, 543.
Nancy Williams, 415.
Naomi, 166.
Naomi, 288.

Nathaniel, 226.
Nathaniel, 276.
Nathaniel, 457.
Newton, 422.

Olive, 282.

Oliver, 102.

Oliver, 118.

Oliver, 209.

Oliver, 210.

Oliver, 220.

Oliver, 315.

Oliver, 381.

Oliver, 449.

Oliver, 518.

Oliver, 519.

Oliver, 580.

Oliver Huntington, 525.

Oliver Piatt, 453.

Oliver Stoughton, 384.

Orlando Keep, 534.

Orlo, 450.

Orlow Lewis, 545.

Orvis Adny, 538.

Parmenio, 186.
Parmenio, 322.
Parmenio, 483.
Paulina Saxton, 463.
Penelope, 149.
Persis, 437.
Peter, 80.
Peter, 154.
Peter, 270.
Peter Papilion, 244.
Philip, 350.
Prescott, 579.
Prudence, 323.
Prudence, 326.
Prudence, 397.

Rachel, 81.
Rachel, 161.
Redexalana, 160.
Rhoda, 316.
Richmond, 479.
Roger, 28.
Roger, 89.
Roger, 178.
Roger, 180.

Roger, 1 82.
Roger, 225.
Roger, 278.
Roger, 306. '
Roger, 522.
Roger, 578.
Rosanna, 131.

Samuel, 10.
Samuel, 14.
Samuel, 35.
Samuel, 42.
Samuel, 92.
Samuel, 119.
Samuel, 165.
Samuel, 219.
Samuel, 289.
Samuel, 398.
Samuel, 471.
Samuel Adams, 557.
Samuel Merwin, 504.
Samuel Merwin, 576.

Samuel Tudor, 300.

Sarah, 11.

Sarah, 32.

Sarah, 34.

Sarah, 46.

Sarah, 60.

Sarah, 71.

Sarah, 72.

Sarah, 94.

Sarah, 95.

Sarah, no.

Sarah, 126.

Sarah, 176.

Sarah, 181.

Sarah, 231.

Sarah, 269.

Sarah, 317.

Sarah, 330.

Sarah, 446.

Sarah Elizabeth, 478.

Sarah Goodsell, 489.

Sarah Morrison, 472.

Seth, 312.

Sidney Butler, 428.

Sidney Hastings, 430.

Simon, 7.

Simon, 22.

Simon, 74.

INDEX OF CHRISTIAN NAMES.

431

Simon, 153.
Simon, 193.
Simon, 271.
Simon Perlcins, 484-
Simon Perlcins, 488.
Solomon, 137.
Solomon, 223.
Solomon, 250.
Solomon Belding, 431.
Sophia, 291.
Sophia Lee, 466.
Stephen, 458.
Stephen Ashley, 283.
Susan, 425.
Susan Amelia, 443.
Susan Maria, 507.
Susanna, 236.
Susanna, 407.

Theodore, 238.
Thomas, 54.
Thomas, 79.
Thomas, 142.
Thomas, 156.
Thomas, 281.
Thomas, 400.
Thomas Freke, 241.
Thomas Goodsell, 329.
Tryphena, 150.

Uriel Smith, 440.
Ursula, loi.
Ursula, 292.
Ursula, 299.

Waitstill Hastings, 255.
Walter, 285.

Walter, 468.
William, 27.
William, 86.
William, 172.
William, 227.
William, 229.
William, 246.
William, 301.
William, 402.
William, 420.
William Edgar, 561.
William Frederick, 343.
William Henry, 499.
Wyatt, 221.

THE FAMILY IN ENGLAND.

[These figures refer to the page.]

Agnes, 3.

Alice, 3.

Christopher, xvi, xvii, xviii, 3, 7,

8, 9, 10, 21, 33, 39, 40.
Elizabeth, 24.

Henry, x, 1,2, 3, 10, 11, 12, 24, 25.
Hugh, 24, 26, 39, 40, 41, 42.
John, I, 2, 3, 7, 9, II, 21, 22, 23,

24, 25, 33, 34, 3S, 42.
Johne, 2.

Mary, 3.
Roger, 3.
Simon, 3.
Thomas, i.
William, i.

INDEX 11.

NAMES OF OTHER PERSONS.

[The figures in this Index refer to the page.]

Abbott, Abiel, no, 132.

Abbott, Abigail, 132.

Adams, Abigail, 289, 369.

Adams, Andrew, 231.

Adams, Eliphalet, 53, 95.

Adams, Jolin, 78, 153, 220, 230,
256, 258, 259, 264, 269, 271, 274,
281, 282, 28S, 2S9, 290, 303, 366,

374, 375' 379. 395-
Adams, John O., 212.
Adams, Mary, 128.
Addison, Joseph, 145.
Agnew, Cornelius R., 219.
Aldan, Sibyl, 129.
Allen, Dorcas, 128.
Allen, Ethan, 15S.
Allen, John, S3, 252, 335.
Allen, Sarah, 394.
Allyn, Abigail, 213.
Allyn, Henry, 62, 134.
Allyn, Jane, 74.
Allyn, John, 46, 69.
Allyn, Mary, 140.
Allyn, Matthew, 57, 58, 60, 61.
Allyn, Theophilus, 128.
Allyn, Thomas, 51, 74.
Alvord, Benedict, 37.
Ames, Fisher, 231, 267, 273, 277)

284, 290, 294, 307, 364, 366, 367,

378.
Ames, Frances. 290.
Amherst, Jeffrey, 216.
Andrew, John A., 397.
Andrews, Emily C, 412.

Andrews, Joseph, 310.
Andrews, Sherlock, 412.
Andros, Edmund, 55, 82, 84.
Appleton, Judith, 65.
Appleton, Samuel, 65, 66.
Armstrong, John, 107, 108.
Arnold, Benedict, 173.
Ash, Rachel, 203
Atwater, Jeremiah, 140.
Atwater, Lydia, 140.
Atwood, Philanda, 384.
Atwood, Thomas, 51.
Austin, Samuel, 140.

Backus, Azel, 194.
Backus, Simon, 105.
Bacon, Francis, xv, xviii.
Bacon, Nathaniel, xvi, xvii, xviii.
Bacon, Nicholas, xviii.
Baird, Henry M., xv.
Baldwin, Henry, 420.
Baldwin, Michael, 420.
Balestier, Joseph N., 395.
Ballard, Mary, 208.
Bancraft, Nathaniel, liS, 123.
Bancroft, George, 356, 38 1.
Barber, John W., 54.
Barden, James, 203.
Barlow, Joel, 152. 228, 235.
Barnes, Moses, 127.
Bartholomew, Samuel, 393.
Bates, William, 1 14.
Baxter, Elisha, 127.
Baxter, John, 383.

Bayard, William, 291.
Beach, Elizabeth H., 383.
Beckwith, Nathaniel B., 223.
Belden, David, 199, 385.
Belden, Lois, 385.
Belden, Lucy, 3S7.
Belden, Martin, 3S7.
Belden, Ruth, 216.
Belden, Thomas, 216.
Belding, Esther, 127.
Belding, Joseph, 127.
Belknap, Clara, 390.
Belknap, Jeremy, 268.
Belknap, William G., 390.
Bellows, Henry W., 217, 219.
Bement, Jonathan, 197.
Berkele}-, George, 301.
Betts. Thaddeus, 178.
Bidwell, Rachel, 127.
Bierstadt, Edward, xv, 121, 132

192.
Bishop, William, 386.
Bissell, Aaron, 119, 214.
Bissell, Chloe, 214.
Bissell, Clarissa, 202.
Bissell. Daniel, 134.
Bissell, Edgar, 207.
Bissell, Elizabeth, 207.
Bissell, Epaphras, 204, 205.
Bissell, Horace, 207.
Bissell, Huldah, 202.
Bissell, Jerijah, 207.
Bissell, Josiah, 136.
I Bissell, Mary, 207.

INDEX OF NAMES OF OTHER PERSONS.

433

Blake, James, 15.
Blakeman, Captain, 297.
Blinn, James, 127.
Blinn, Jonathan, 127.
Blinn, Susan, 394.
Bliss, Moses, 210.
Bliss, William, 215.
Boardman, Sarah S., 197.
Bonwill, Charles E. H., 415.
Bosvvorth, Clarissa, 384.
Bosworth, Dan, 3S4, 385.
Bosworth, Elizabeth, 201.
Bosworth, Persis, 385.
Botta, Carlo G., 300.
Brace, John P., 396, 403.
Brace, Jonathan, 337, 349.
Braddock, Edward, 106.
Bradford, William, 419.
Brady, Matthew B., 317.
Brattle, Thomas, 71.
Briggs, Stephen S., 3S8.
Brimmer, Martin, 204.
Brooks, Charles W., 79.
Brown, Anna, 3S7.
Brown, Daniel, 387.
Brown, Elizabeth, 384.
Brown, William, 126.
Bryant, Lois, 394.
Bryant, William C, 410.
Buck, Eunice, 128.
Buck-land, Thomas, 28.
Buel, David H., 388.
Bulkly, John, no.
Burbank, Frances, 211.
Burbridge, Charles, 208.
Burgoyne, John, 152, 170, 172

173. 174, 383-
Burnell, John, 10.
Burnham, Dorcas, 208.
Burnham, Jabez, 118.
Burnham, John, 208.
Burnham, Mabel, 208.
Burnham, William, 66.
Burr, Aaron, 291, 292, 379.
Burr, Andrew, 95.
Burt, Charles K., 310.
Bushnell, Horace, 381.
Butler, Abigail B., 385.
Butler, Elizabeth, 8, 9.
Butler, Joseph, 385.

Butler, Nicholas, 8, 9.
Butler, Richard, 153.

Cabot, Elizabeth, 266, 367.
Cabot, George, 231, 266, 267, 273,

278, 282, 284, 366, 367, 378.
Camden, William, 66.
Campbell, Isabella, 199.
Campbell, John, 199.
Canfield, John, 383.
Canfield, Sarah, 3S3.
Carleton, Guy, 165.
Carter, William C, 390.
Case, Huldah B., 127.
Catford, Robert, 10.
Caulkins, Frances M., 95.
Champion, Judah, 227.
Chapel, John, 3S3.
Chapin, Calvin, 317.
Chapin, Joseph, 128.
Chapin, Josiah, 76.
Charles, King, 12, 21, 43, 80, 81.
Chase, Leslie, 403.
Chase, Sarah E., 403.
Chaucer, Geoffrey, 7, in.
Chauncey, Charles, 150.
Chauncey, Isaac, 59.
Chauncy, Charles, 59, 61.
Chauncy, Nathaniel, 44.
Chester, John, 65, 73.
Chester, Mary, 65.
Chester, Sarah, 73.
Church, James, 98.
Church, Samuel, 309, 351.
Clap, Roger, 14, 16.
Clarke, Daniel, 55, 85.
Clarke, Martha, 86.
Clement, John A., 121.
Cleveland, Stafford C, 203.
Clevenger, Shobal V., 310.
Clinton, George, 151.
Codman, Stephen, 64.
Cogswell, Mason F., 235.
Coke, Edward, 193, 275.
Collier, Thomas, 194.
Collins, Abigail, 124.
Collins, Daniel, 149.
Collins, Laura, 149, 217.
Collins, Lois, 149.
Collins, Nathaniel, 48, 49, 124.

Collins, Timothy, 149, 227.
Collinson, John, 4.
Cotton, John, 52, 128, 137.
Conard, Jane L., 313, 395.
Conard, John, 395.
Cook, Aaron, 51.
Cook, Colonel, 174.
Cook, Joanna, Jl.
Cooke, Amos, 406.
Cooke, Elizabeth, 406.
Cooke, Joseph P., 406.
Cooke, Nathaniel, 48.
Cooke, Sally W., 314, 406.
Cooley, Abigail, 128.
Cooley, Benjamin, 128.
Cooley, Daniel, 51.
Cooper, Elizabeth, 394.
Cornish, Gabriel, 50.
Cornwell, Abigail, 388.
Cornwell, Caroline, 388.
Cornwell, Susanna, 129.
Cornwell, William, 388.
Corwin, Abigail, O7.
Corwin, Elizabeth, 70.
Corwin, George, 66, 67, 126.
Corwin, John, 67.
Corwin, Jonathan, 67.
Corwin, Penelope, 66, 67.
Corwin, Susanna, 70.
Cowles, Amelia M., 3S7.
Cowles, Elbert, 384.
Cowles, William, 387.
Cowper, William, 419.
Craig, Margaret, 393.
Craig, WiUiam, 393.
Craik, James, 276.
Crocker, John, 389.
Crocker, Sarah C, 389.
Cromwell, Oliver, 12, 218,224,418.
Crowninshield, Benjamin W., 107.
Cullick, John, 29.
Curtis, David, 407.
Curtis, Ehzabeth, •]'},.
Curtis, Ezra, 407.
Gushing, Thomas, 103.
Custis, Eleanor P., 261, 262,263,
265, 276.

Daggett, David, 78.
Dalton, Tristram, 275.

434

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Dana, John, 199.
Dana, Phineas, 199.
Danforth, Joshua P., 3S4.
Dart, John, 42, 48.
Davenport, James, 153.
Davis, Aaron, 208.
Davis, Jefferson, 398.
Davis, John, 269.
Day, Jeremiah 302.
Day, Thomas, 377.
Dean, Esther, 127.
Deming, Huldah, 383.
Deming, John, 51, 383.
IJeming, Simeon, 201.
Devotion, John, 79, 420.
Dexter, Franlvlin B., 5.
Dickson, Gaston, 206.
Diggens, Augustus, 119.
Diggens, Jerusha, 129.
Diggens, Joseph, 119, 129.
Dilworth, Thomas, 223.
Doane, Ephraim, 99.
Dousman, Elizabeth, 40S.
Dousman, Michael, 408.
Drake, Francis, 209.
Drake, Job, 11, 77.
Drake, Nathaniel, 134, 197.
Drake, Rebecca, 134.
Drake, Sarah, 77, 85.
Dwight, Daniel, 414.
Dwight, Mary, 252.
T)wight, Martha L., 414.
Dwight, Theodore, 132, 295.
Dwight, Timothy, 252, 298, 307.

Eames, Jonathan, 199.

Eames, Mary, 199.

Earle, Ralph, 133, 149, 151, 195,

196, 310.
Edwards, Daniel, 99.
Edwards, Henry W., 309.
Edwards, Jonathan, 137.
Edwards, Timothy, 74, no, 112,

132.
Eggleston, John, 119.
Eliot, John, 65, 354, 365.
Ellsworth, Abigail, 134.
Ellsworth, Delia, 134.
Ellsworth, EUzabeth, 419.
Ellsworth, Erastus, 205.

Ellsworth, Erastus W., 31, 55, 76,
121, 124, 132, 205, 415.

Ellsworth, Frances, 134.

Ellsworth, Henry L., 133.

Ellsworth, Martin, 133, 205.

Ellsworth, Mary L., 205.

Ellsworth, Oliver, 132, 133, 181,
188, 205, 230, 231, 255, 256, 280,
307, 361, 378, 419-

Ellsworth, WiUiam W., 133, 419.

Elmer, Daniel, 119.

Elmer, Samuel, 119.

Elmer, Thomas, 119.

Elton, Edward, 30.

Ely, David, 297.

Ely, Elizabeth, 314.

Ely, Eunice, 137.

Ely, John, 137, 314, 380.

Emery, John, 213.

Engrane, Alexander, 3.

Eustis, William, 302.

Evans, Dorothy, 198.

Eveleigh, Nicholas, 233, 240, 242.

Everest, Charles W., in.

Fellows, John, 174, 175.

Felt, Joseph B., 35, 66, 67, 68, 126.

Fenwick, George, n.

Ferguson, Anna, 208.

Filley, William, 58.

Fitch, Nathaniel, 118.

Fitch, Thomas, 88.

Flint, Abel, 330.

Flynt, Henry, 126.

Fones, Captain, 94.

Fookes, Henry, 28.

Foster, Isaac, 68.

Fowler, Ambrose, 48.

Fowler, William C, 380.

Frazer, Simon, 173.

Freeman, Frederick, 314.

Freke, John, 67.

Freke, Mary, 67.

Freke, Thomas, 73.

French, Joseph, 420.

French, Lucy W., 420.

Frothingham, Cornelia, 396.

Frothingham, Eliza, 402.

Frothingham, Harriet, 397.

Frothingham, Samuel, 396, 402.

Frothingham, Theodore, 317.
Fuller, Jane D., 387.
Fuller, Pitts, 3S7.

Gage, Thomas, 144.
Gale, Benjamin, 146.
Gardiner, Eunice, 360, 361.
Gardiner, William, 360.
Garfield, James A., 295.
Gasparin, de, Agenor E., 380.
Gates, Horatio, 152, 170, 171, 174,

216.
Gay, Colonel, 203.
Gay, Lois, 208.
Gaylord, Eli, 393.
Gaylord, Eliza, 213.
Gaylord, Flavel, 201.
Gaylord, Jonathan, 213.
George, King, 152, 163.
Gibbs, Alfred, 217, 397, 398.
Gibbs, George, v, viii, 216, 217,

220, 222, 260, 298, 308, 313, 344,

379-

Gibbs, Mary K., 221.

Gibbs, William C, 221.

Gibbs, Wolcott, 216, 219, 310.

Gilhampton, Edward, 65.

Gilhampton, lone, 65.

Gillett, Amy, 210.

Gillett, Daniel, 210.

Gillett, Mary, 202.

Gillett, Nathan, 213.

Glover, John, 179.

Goff, Asahel A., 385.

Goff, Fanny, 385.

Goff, Silas, 385.

Goffe, Abiah, 57.

Goffe, Edward, 57.

Goffe, Margaret, 57.

Goodell, Jesse, 137.

Goodrich, Abigail, 198.

Goodrich, Charles A., 314.

Goodrich, Chauncey, 150, 188,
189, 234, 237, 239, 24s, 249, 26s,
269, 272, 275, 277, 278, 279, 288,
295. 307, 334, 336, 337, 340, 343,
344, 346, 363, 379-

Goodrich, Elizur, 104, 150, 2S7,
3'4, 337, 380.

Goodrich, Gideon, 199.

INDEX OF NAMES OF OTHER PERSONS.

435

Goodrich, Lois, 199.
Goodrich, Mary E., 406.
Goodrich, Rebecca, 198.
Goodrich, Rhoda, 3S4.
Goodrich, Roger, 384.
Goodrich, Samuel, 314, 380.
Goodrich, Samuel G., 314, 406.
Goodrich, Sarah W., 380, 406.
Goodsell, Sarah G., 209.
Goodsell, Thomas 209.
Goodwin, George, 143.
Gool<in, Elizabeth, 65.
Gore, Christopher, 274.
Gracie, Archibald, 372.
Grade, William, 220, 301, 313,

378.
Grahame, James, 91, 106.
Grant, Abiel, 197.
Grant, Roswell, 142, 148.
Grant, Thomas, 75.
Greeley, Horace, 205.
Green, John R., 6.
Green, Thomas, 115.
Green, Timothy, no, 119.
Greenslade, John, 26.
Greenslade, Nicholas, 25.
Gridley, Richard, 104.
Griffin, John, 54.
Griswold, Elihu, 140.
Griswold, Ellen E., go.
Griswold, Hannah, 91.
Griswold, Matthew, x. ii. 12, 68,

77, 78, 79, 80, 88, gr. 99. 257.
Griswold, Roger, 78, 79, 231, 257,

307, 339. 344-
Griswold, Rufus W., 151.

Haines, Joseph, 48, 49.

Hall, Nathan, 202.

Halpin, Frederick, 195, 352.

Halsey, Henry, 210.

Hamilton, Alexander, 190, 2171
229, 230, 231, 233, 236, 239, 244,
247, 250, 253, 254, 261, 268, 279,
291, 292, 293, 294, 295, 305, 306,
36s, 366, 378, 379. 382.

Hamilton, Elizabeth, 291.

Hamilton, James, 107.

Hamlin, William, 129.

Hampden, John, 301.

Hannahs, Alniira, 407.
Hannahs, John, 407.
Harding, Timothy. 202.
Hardy, William, xviii.
Harrison, Philemon, 209.
Harroun, Gilbert K., xv, 132.
Hart, Benjamin F., 313.
Hart, Colonel, 203.
Hart, James H., 313.
Hartwell, Mary, 127.
Haskell, Harris, 207.
Haskins, Caleb, 119.
Hastings, Abigail, 201.
Hastings, Waitstill, 201.
Hawes, Joel, 356.
Hawley, Abiah, 76.
Hawley, Elizabeth, 123.
Hawley, Mary, 197.
Hayden, Jabez H., 79.
Haynes, John, 18, 355.
Heath, William, 17S.
Higgins, Joseph, 384, 407.
Higgins, Mary, 407.
Higgins, Nancy, 384, 407.
Higgins, Silas, 385.
Higginson, Jolin, 70, 126, 221.
Hiklreth, Richard, 374.
Hill, Nathaniel P., 413.
Hillhouse, James, 231, 287, 288,

333-
Hills, John, 118.
Hills, Lucy, 202.
Hincks, Edward W., 411.
Hine, Margaret, 213.
Hinsdale, Daniel, 209.
Hitchcock, Lucius W., 213.
Hobart, Noah, in 422.
Hoffman, Henry, 393.
Hoffinan, Lucy, 393.
HoUister, Timothy, 73.
Holmes, Abiel, 272.
Holmes, George L., 384.
Holton, John, 208.
Homans, Thomas, 211.
Hooker, Chauncy, 384.
Hooker, Horace, 214.
Hooker, Thomas, 37, 355.
Hopkins, Edward, 355.
Hopkins, John, 365
Hopkins, Lemuel, 235, 251, 322.

Hopkinson, Emily, 368.
Ho)ikinson, Joseph, 231, 268, 292,

306, 368, 369.
Hosack, Alexander, 372.
Hosier, Abram, 352.
Hoskins, John, 1 18.
Howard, Robert, 9.
Howe, Delinda, 202.
Howe, John, 3.

Howe, William, 166, 168, 175.
Hovvland, Abby W., 403.
Howland, Gardiner G., 403, 405.
Howland, John, 403.
Hovvland, Louisa E., 405.
Hucker, John, 44.
Hudson, Barzillai, 143.
Hudson, Elias, 385.
Hudson, Louisa S., 385.
Huit, Ephraim, 34, 37, 55.
Hull, Anna, 3S7.
Hull, Eliphalet, 387.
Humphreys, David, 235, 258.
Humphreys, Mary, 58.
Hunt, Joseph, 74.
Hunt, William M., 401.
Huntington, Betsey, 314.
Huntington, Ebenezer, 314.
Huntington, Hannah, 343. 352.
Huntington, Hezekiah, 95.
Huntington, Jabez, 314.
Huntington, Jabez W., 337, 343,

344-
Huntington, Jedediah, 314.
Huntington, Joshua, 314, 343,

352-
Huntington, Samuel, 191.
Huntington, Wolcott, 302, 375.
Hutchins, Julia S., 419.
Hutchins, Waldo, 419.
Hutchinson, Thomas, 71.

Jackson, Frederick W., 315.
Jackson, Huntington W., 315.
Jackson, Jolm P., 314, 315, 316.
Jackson, Joseph C, 315.
Jackson, Laura W., 315.
Jackson, Schuyler B., 315.
James, King, xv, xvi, xvii, xviii,

7, 55- 82.
Jamus, Caesar, 183.

436

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Jay, John, 379.
Jefferson, Thomas, 212.
Jeffreys, George, 55.
Jenison, Naomi, 199.
Jenison, Samuel, 199.
Jewett, William, 352.
Johnson, Eben. A., xv.
Johnson, Edward, 355.
Johnson, Henry, 313.
Johnson, Samuel, 143.
Josselyn, John, 38.

Keep, Chauncy, 209.
Keep, Matthew, 128.
Kelley, Shubael, 203.
Kellogg, Edwin P., 132.
Kellogg, Mary, 136.
Kelsey, Rebecca, 48.
Kibbe, Austin D., 408.
Kibbe, Martha F., 408.
Kilborn, George, 213.
Kilbourn, Charles L., 3S7.
Kilbourn, Payne K., 308, 364.
King, Rufus, 231, 25S, 378.
Kinzie, Eleanor M., 211.
Kirby, Edward P., 389.
Kirby, William, 389.
Kitchen, Edward, 67.

Lafayette, de. Marquis, 182, 301,

302, 303, 382.
Lafayette, George W., 301.
Laman, Mason, 3S7.
Latimer, Colonel, 174.
Law, Jonathan, 87, 88, ill.
Law, Richard, 209.
Lawrence, Abbott, 396.
Lawrence, Amos, 396.
Lay, Asa, 420.
Leach, Daniel, 206.
Leavenworth, Mark, 224.
Lee, Abijah, 385.
Lee, Arthur, 153.
Lee, Harriet, 385.
Lee, Robert E., 398.
Leet, William, 46, 419.
Leverett, John, 71.
Lewis, Barbour, 390.
Lewis, Eleanor, 276, 2S8.
Lewis, Elihu, 2 1 3,

Lewis, Esther, 213.
Lilly, William, 224.
Lincoln, Benjamin, 174, 271.
Liston, Robert, 264, 310.
Livingston, Philip, 107.
Locke, John, 145, 301.
Locke, Richard, 3.
Long, Zechariah, 118.
Loomis, Abigail, 128.
Loomis, Catharine, 129.
Loomis, Daniel, 127.
Loomis, Elijah, 129.
Loomis, Hannah, 215.
Loomis, John, 129.
Loomis, Joseph, 27.
Loomis, Joshua, 119.
Loomis, Moses, 129.
Loomis, Uriah, 123.
Loomis, Warham, 202.
Lord, Eleazer, 133.
Lord, Lynde, 155.
Lord, Marvin, 137.
Lothrop, Simon, 95, 104.
Loudon, Lord, 200.
Loveland, Asa, 201.
Ludlow, Roger, 14, 27, 216, 355.
Lyde, Edward, 70.
Lyman, Samuel, 159, 170.

Macaulay, Thomas B., 12.
Madison, James, 212.
Magill, Arthur W., 211.
Maltbie, Benjamin, 408.
Mansfield, Lord, 287.
Manwaring, Christopher, 209.
Markham, Rebecca, 383.
IVLirsh, John, 192.
Marshall, Eliakim, 210.
Marshall, Emily, 210.
Marshall, John, 2S7, 288, 362,

364-
Marshall, Warren, 210.
Marston, Benjamin, 126.
Marvin, Ruth, 163.
INIary, Queen, 85.
Mason, Captain, 159.
Mason, John, 81, no, 216, 354,

406.
IMather, Abigail, 130.
Mather, Cotton, 6, 14, 221.

Mather, Ellsworth, 210.
Mather, Frederick E., 210.
Mather, Increase, 60, 134.
Mather, Oliver W., 210.
Mather, Samuel, 130.
Maverick, John, 13, 15, 18.
Maxcy, Jonathan, 273.
McClure, David, 18, 143, 389, 421.
McClure, Rachel M., 389.
McCracken, Anna, 395.
McCracken, James, 395.
McDowell, Irwin, 204.
Merchant, Charles S., 403.
Merchant, Huntington W., 403.
Merchant, Stephen L., 403.
Merry, Cornelius, 58.
Meyn, Agnes, 3.
MifMin, Thomas, 165.
Miller, Jeremiah, 99.
Mills, Peter, 118, 119.
Mills, Stone, 129.
Milton, John, 301.
Mitchell, David, 197.
Monmouth, Duke of, 55.
Monroe, James, 212.
Montgomery, Robert M., 408.
Moody, Samuel, 87.
Moore, John, 61.
Moore, Samuel, 58.
Moore, Thomas, 27.
Moorhead, John, 389.
More, Giles, 3.
Morris, Henry, 45.
Morris, Robert, 379.
Morrison, Norman, 98.
Morrison, Sarah A., 389.
Morrison, Robert, 297.
Morrison, William, 389.
Morse, Jedediah, 253.
Morton, Sophia, 424.
Moseley, Charles, 149, 337.
Moseley, William, 149, 189, 244.
Mott, Major, 203.
Mowry, Bedford, 394.
Mumford, Charlotte W., 209.
Munsell, Hannah, 128.
Munsell, Miriam, 208.
Murray, Charles A., 204.
Mynne, Edward, 8, 9.
Mynne, George, 8, 9.

INDEX OF NAMES OF OTHER PERSONS.

AZl

Mynne, Helen, 9.
Mynne, Robert, xvi, xvii, xviii, 7,
8, 9. 10, 12,.

Newberry, Amasa, 148.
Newberry, Benjamin, 27, 46, 48,

77, 137-
Newberry, Hannah, 123.
Newberry, Joseph, 39.
Newberry, Marah, 137.
Newberry, Roger, 77.
Newberry, Sarah, 35.
Newberry, Thomas, 35, 77, 123.
Newton, Isaac, 145.
Newton, Joan, 37.
Newton, Major, 9;.
Nicholas, Hannah, 65.
Niles, John M., 212.
Noble, Daniel, 201.
Noble, Edward W., 201.
Noble, Mary, 201.
North, Jonathan, 123.
Norton, Charles R., 393.
Nott, Elizabeth, 127.
Nott, Gershom, 198.
Nott, Sarah, 198.
Noyes, Joseph, 225.
Noyes, Nicholas, 70.

Olcott, Benoni, iiS, 1:9, 120,

123-

Olcott, Deborah, 120.
Oldham, John, 17.
Olmsted, Frederick L., 219.
Olmsted, Joseph, 130.
Olmsted, Naomi, 130.
Olmsted, Stephen, 76.
Orcutt, Samuel, 213, 214.
Osgood, David, 253.
Otis, George A., 301.
Oviatt, John S., 393.
Owen, John, 114, 116.

Paige, Lucius R., 57.
Papilion, Elizabeth, 126.
Papilion. Peter, 126.
Parker, Charles H., 315.
Parker, James, 139.
Parsons, John, 3S3.
Parsons, Lucy, 210.

Parsons, Samuel H., 153, 178,

179.
Paull, Joanna, 209.
Payne, Benjamin, 361.
Peabody, Augusta, 418.
Peale, Rembrandt, 310.
Pendleton, Nathaniel, 292, 372.
Penn, William, loS.
Pepperell, William, gr, 92, 93,

94, 100, loi, 103, 104, 105.
Perry, Carlton H., 3S9.
Perry, Joseph, 109, 115, 138.
Perry, Sarah M., 389.
Phelps, Ebenezer, 119,
Phelps, Joseph, 148.
Phelps, Noah A., 54.
Phelps, Thomas, 118.
Philip, King, 45, 356.
Pickering, Timothy, 231, 274,

285, 379.
Pierce, Sarah, 382.
Pierpont, John, 227, 309, 351.
Pinckney, Thomas, 153, 285.
Pinney, Abi, 197.
Pitkin, Martha, 51, 52, 53.
Pitkin, Richard, 215.
Pitkin, Ruth, 215.
Pitkin, William, 52, 53.
Piatt, Lois, 3S8.
Pomeroy, Benjamin, 389.
Pomeroy, Ebenezer, 208.
Pope, Harriet A., 413.
Pope, Jonathan A., 413.
Porter, Annis, 213.
Porter, John, 27.
Powers, Henry, 393.
Prescott, Edith, 4r8.
Prescott, John, 418.
Prescott, William, 418.
Prescott, William G., 418.
Prescott, William H., 418.
Price, Jerusha, 127.
Price, John, 35.
Price, Walter, 35.
Prince, Thomas, 30.
Proctor, Leonard, 395.
Punderson, Ebenezer, 359.
Putnam, Israel, 152, 158, 165,

314-
Pyke, William, 8, 9.

Quincy, Eliza S., 370, 371, 374.

Quincy,Josiah, 231,268, 310, 369,

370,371,372,373,374,378,424-
Quinn, Patrick, 203.

Randall, Abraham, 37.
Rankin, Catharine A., 406.
Rankin, Francis H., 316.
Rankin, Frederick W., 316.
Rankin, Henry, 406.
Rankin, Robert G., 316.
Reed, Joanna, 203.
Reeve, Elizabeth, 343.
Reeve, Tapping, 229, 237, 252,

335, 343, 35°, 403-
Reynolds, Hezekiah, 209.
Rhinelander, John R., 304, 379.
Richards, Mary, 140.
Richardson, James H., xiii, i, 31,

55, 75, 124,352, 382, 4'S-
Richardson, John B., 208.
Rittenhouse, David, 161.
Robbins, Frederick, 198.
Robbins, George, 209.
Robbins, Levi, 198.
Robbins, Prudence, 383.
Robbins, Rhoda, 19S.
Robbins, Samuel, 66.
Robbins, Thomas, viii, 53, 383.
Robe, Elizabeth, 408.
Roberts, Charles L., 54.
Robinson, Edward, 130.
Robinson, William, 130.
Rochambeau, Count, 3S2.
Rockwell, Abigail, 202.
Rockwell, Charles, 130.
Rockwell, John, 119.
Rockwell, Lathrop, 77.
Rockwell, Matthew, 109.
Rockwell, William, 28.
Rogers, John, 151.
Rogers, Lucy, 209.
Root, Elizabeth, 202, 384.
Rose, Heaton, 386.
Ross, James, 2S6, 408.
Ross, Laura J , 408.
Rossiter, Bray, 27, 28.
Rossiter, Edward, 14.
Rossiter, Robert, 41.
Rowland, Alithea, 210.

438

THE WOLCOTT MEMORIAL.

Rowland, David S., 210.
Rowland, Henry A., 133.
Russell, Daniel, 3S4.
Russell, Ellis, 129.
Russell, Gurdon W., 131.
Russell, James, 35, 64, 67, 68.
Russell, Jonadian, 124.
Russell, Lydia, 384.
Russell, Mary, 35.
Russell, Maud, 35.
Russell, Richard, 35.
Russell, William, 99.
Russell, Willis, 208.

Sackett, Catharine, 129.
Sadd, Eunice, 202.
Sadd, Thomas, 202.
Salisbury, Evelyn M., 79.
Salter, James D. B., 416.
Salter, Jane V., 416.
Saltonstall, Gurdon, 53, 226.
Sanderson, John, 151.
Saunders, Elizabeth, 2, II.
Saunders, George, 25, 27.
Saunders, Lawrence, 41, 42.
Saunders, Robert, 25.
Saunders, Thomas, II, 25.
Saxton, Desire, 197.
Schoff, S. A., 151, 401, 414.
Schuyler, Philip, 174, 175.
Scott, Edify, 127.
Scott, Winfield, 397.
Scovill, Leverett, 393.
Scovill, Mary A. , 393.
Sealy, John, 3.
Sedgwick, Theodore, 283.
Sellecke, Robert, 10.
Sellecke, William, 10.
Sewall, Hannah, 199.
Seymour, Elias, 128.
Shakspeare, William, 236.
Shaw, Flora, 388.
Sheldon, Daniel, 335.
Sheridan, Philip H., 398, 400.
Sherman, Roger, 160, 331.
Shirley, William, 87, 92, 93, 94,

100, 102, 103, 104.
Shumway, Josiah, igg.
Sidney, Philip, 301.
Sigourney, Andrew, 199.

Sigourney, Lydia H., 314.
Sill, Elisha N., 63, 134.
Sill, Theodore, 62.
Silliman, Benjamin, 224, 298.
Silliman, Gold S., 224.
Simpson, Robert, 393.
Simpson, Sophia, 393.
Skinner, Azariah, 148.
Skinner, Charles, 317.
Skinner, Newton, 205.
Skinner, Richard, 24, 25, 27.
Skinner, Samuel W., 205.
Slater, Mary, 197.
Smith, Charles H., 196.
Smith, Cynthia, 385.
Smith, Daniel, 202.
Smith, Francis B., 387.
Smith, George, 385.
Smith, John C, 298.
Smith, Lucy, 386.
Smith, Nathaniel, 379.
Smith, Reuben, 155, 168, 335,
Smith, Wilham, 384.
Smith, William E., 410.
Smith, William S., 264.
Somerby, Horatio G., xiii, I, 5.
Southwell, Alice, 8, 9.
Southwell, Francis, 5, 8, 9.
Spaulding, Mary A., 395.
Spencer, Joseph, 158.
Sprague, William B., 130, 389.
Squeb, Captain, 15.
Squires, Maria, 202.
St. John, Stephen, 178.
Stanley, Sydney, vii, 63.
Stanton, David, 416.
Stanton, Edwin M., 416.
Stanton, Pamphila, 416.
Stanton, William, 361.
Starr, Jehoshaphat, 395.
Starr, Mary A., 395.
Staunton, Wilham, 155.
Stebbins, Jonathan, 52.
Steele, Elisha, 137.
Steele, James, 208.
Steele, Mary, 208.
Steele, Sarah, 119.
Stevens, Esther, 206.
Stevens, John, 67, 206.
Stevens, John A., 216, 220.

Stewart, Allen, 393.
Stewart, Jane, 384.
Stewart, Maria, 393.
Stewart, Samuel, 387.
Stewart, Sophia, 387.
Stiles, Ezra, 88, in, 211.
Stiles, Henry R., x, 20, 46.
Stlllman, John, 66.
Stites, Richard W., 406.
Stoddard, Arthur F., 201.
Stoddard, Charles, 201.
Stoddard, Charles A., 201.
Stoddard, Frederick W., 201.
Stoddard, John, 102, 103.
Stone, Henry B., 388.
Stone, Nathan, 209.
Stone, Samuel, 37.
Storrs, Richard S., 405.
Stoughton, Elizabeth, 202,' 216,

232.
Stoughton, Israel, 17, 61.
Stoughton, John, 216.
Stoughton, John .A.., 74.
Stoughton, Joseph, 128.
Stoughton, Nathaniel, 216.
Stoughton, Oliver, 202.
Stoughton, Samuel, 76.
Stoughton, Thomas, 216.
Stoughton, William, 73, 123.
Stow, Catharine M., 407.
Stow, Norman, 407.
Stow, Zebulon, 393.
Strong, Caleb, 216.
Strong, Eras tus, 209.
Strong. George T., 219.
Strong, John. 77, 216.
Strong, Nathan, 150, 235.
Strong, William, 413.
Stuart, Gilbert C, 310.
Stuart, Isaac W., 116.
Sturtevant, Julian M., 391.
Sumner, George, 141.
Swift, Zephaniah, 228, 252, 379.

Talcott, Henry, 210.
Talcott, John, 46.
Talcott, Rachel, 74.
Tallmadge, Benjamin, 246, 252,
Tallraadge, Mary, 337.
Tappan, Benjamin, 416.

INDEX OF NAMES OF OTHER PERSONS.

439

Tappan, W. H., 310.

Taylor, John, 73.

Thatloke, Alexander, 3.

Thrall, Homer, 386.

Thrall, Linus G., 386.

Ting, Captain, 57.

Toll, Charles H., 413.

Torrey, William, 42.

Tracy, Sabrina, 384.

Tracy, Seth, 384.

Tracy, Uriah, 228, 252, 279, 307,

310, 333. 335-
Treat, Elizabeth, 50.
Treat, Jerusha, 79.
Treat, Robert, 83.
Treat, Samuel, 73, 79, 140, 208.
Trumbull, Benjamin, 4, 14, 18, 29,

30, 81, 83.
Trumbull, J. Hammond, 36, 37,

38.
Trumbull, John, 224, 235, 236,

310.
Trumbull, Jonathan, 88, 92, 114,

152, 164, 170, 171, 173, 175,230,

256, 257, 258, 360.
Trumbull, Sarah, 236.
Tryon, William, 144, 228.
Tudor, Samuel, 207.
Tudor, Ursula, 207.
Tupper, Emehne, 393.
Tupper, Simeon, 393.
Twining, Ann, 201.
Twining, Susan, 202.

Vaille, Frederick O., 413.
Vaille, Harriet W., 413.
Van Buren, William H., 219.

Wadsworth, Daniel, 347.
Wadsworth, Elizabeth, 204.
Wadsworth, Harriet, 204.
Wadsworth, James, 204.
Wadsworth, James S., 204.
Wadsworth, Jeremiah, 239, 279.
Waldo, Lucy, 211.
Waldo, Samuel, 352.
Walworth, Reuben H., 53.
Ware, Mary, yj.

Warham, John, 13, 15, 17, 18, 30,
34, 37, 44, 57-

Warner, Daniel, 3S3.

Warner, Levi, 127.

Warner, Mary, 3S3.

Warner, Prudence, 127.

Warren, Peter, 94, 106.

Washington, George, 106, 164,
172, 175, 179, 191, 192,220, 229,
230, 231, 242, 254, 259, 260, 261,
262, 263, 265, 266, 273, 276, 305,
308, 362, 366, 374, 379, 3S2, 402.

Washington, Martha, 256, 260,
262, 263, 265, 276.

Waterhouse, Abraham, 124.

Waterman, Elijah, 210.

Watts, Isaac, 223.

Webb, Amzi, 407.

Webb, Rebecca B., 407.

Webbett, Edward, 10.

Webster, Daniel, 366, 418.

Webster, John, 419.

Webster, Noah, 188, 228, 235,
291, 419.

Weed, Joseph B., 199.

Wells, Huldah, 198.

Wells, Joseph, 197.

Wells, Mary, 198, 213.

Wells, Robert, 56.

Wells, Sarah, 197.

Wells, Thomas, 18, 65, 419.

Wells, William, 213.

Wharton, Fishbourn, 376.

Wheelock, Eleazer, 389.

White, Daniel, 420.

White, Horace C, 387.

White, John, 6, 15, 16.

Whitehead, Asa, 314.

Whitehead, Goodman, 53.

Whiting, John, 99, 105.

Whittier, John G., 205.

Wigglesworth, Edward, 163.

Wilcox, Amos, 388.

Willard, Josiah, 103.

William, King, xiii, 82, 83, 85.

Williams, Dorothy, 343, 344.

Williams, Elisha, 93, 98.

Williams, Ephraim, 92.

Williams, Ezekiel, 134.
Williams, Israel, 384.
Williams, Margaret, 208.
Williams, Roger, 27.
Williams, Stephen, 128.
Williams, Thomas, 80.
Williams, Thomas S., 134.
Willing, Thomas, 293.
Wilson, Esther, 197.
Wilton, David, 28.
Winchell, Rebecca R., 386.
Winslow, Edward, 68.
Winthrop, John, 6, 14, 16, 67, 81,

"o, 357-
Winthrop, Margaret, 67.
Witchfield, John, 28, 29, 34, 57.
Witchfield, Margaret, 57.
Wolcott, John, 17.
Wolfe, James, 106.
Wollstonecraft, Mary, 249.
Wood, Catharine E., 413.
Wood, Ezra, 413.
Wood, Joseph, 134.
Wood, Thomas W. , 414.
Wood, William, 205.
Woodbridge, Benjamin, 44.
Woodbridge, Charlotte, 209.
Woodbridge, Howell, 179.
Woodford, Elsa, 384.
Woodhouse, Lemuel, 197.
Woodworth, Abner, 203.
Woodworth, Erastus B., 203.
Woodworth, Hannah, 203.
Wooster, David, 158.
Wright, Gideon, 383.
Wright, Honor, 383.
Wright, Levi, 198.
Wright, Lucy, 383.
Wyatt, Israel, 197.
Wyatt, Mary, 197.
WyclifFe, de, John, 403.
Wyllys, Hezekiah, 179.
Wyllys, Samuel, 82, 216, 232,

363-

Yale, Elihu, 226.
Yates, Theodore, 408.
Young, Alexander, 15, 16.

} 5»|fl^''7V«-,^] ^o'

/^^- c^^^v v/^„ .-aA-^/c.

HoLBROOK, Printer, 11 Mechanic St., Newark, N. J.

Chakles M. Wolcott and Robert

G. Rankin, Executors, et als., ON BILL.

Plaintiff's, I Suit for construction
^e.l/iVSr ;■ of the last Will of Mrs

Isabella J. Fkebland, et als., I Ann Rankin.

Defendants.

Every person who makes a Will, desires to make a complete
one — to dispose of all his property — and provide for all possible
contingencies.

This was, evidently, the design of the testatrix. And she had
a particular object which she specially declares, and which runs
through the whole Will : [F. 14] " My desire and design is, that the
property on which I now resiile may remain with my descend-
ants, and be a home to them in time of need, so long as God in
His good providence shall permit.'' The expounder of this Will
should take this sentence as the guide through its comijlications.

She had, when this Will was made, two " descendants," in
" need " of " a home" — her unmarried daughters, Ann and Cath-
arine,— and in strict accordance with her " design,"' she arranges,
first — that the homestead shall remain their "home," and then,
that it should continue in the blood as long as possible.

Notice, the second head of the Will [F 4] divides the furniture
between these daughters. They are thus enabled to remain in
their home. The succeeding article provides for the valuation
of the homestead itself, in order that it be set apart to the
daughters as part of their equal shares of the whole estate.

The future of these daughters in connection with her beloved
homestead is immediately evinced to be her chief care. She
studies the possibilities of their lives.

What could hajipen to them in connection witli this place ?

I. They could live together there till one died, and then the
survivor might marry, and bear children, and must, finally, die.

n. They could live together there till one married, and then
it was likely they would part. If they chose to do so, that was
to be regulated. The oViject was to keep them together on the
place ; at any rate, to keep it for one, and at all events, retnin it
in the blood — her " descendants."

While thus aiming to control the destiny of the homestead, it
will 1 le seen that she nevertheless desired not altogether to forget
the rights of the daughters, who were to take it in part of their
shares. And she sought to make them not only conscious of her
intentions, but aids in cfiecting them. [F. 14] " I leave it," she says,
'■ in charge to my daughters Ann and Catharine to carry out these
intentions according to their sound discretion in disposing of
the property."

Marriage — children — death — these, one or all of them, were
the incidents, inseparably, of the existence of these daughters :
for these events as they might occur, during one or other of the
two states of existence she held before her mind as above stated,
viz : that they might live together there till one died, or till one
married, the Will goes on to provide. And so she says, Article
Fourth, [F. 7,] Provided, that is, if the two daughters remain
unmarried during their joint lives — (i. e., as long as boUi shall
remain alive,) then the land belongs to both — as joint tenants
during their join* lives.

On the destruction of this joint unmarried existence liy the
death of one —

1. The other takes for life.

She may marry and have issue, or ma\- not, so

3. If she leaves issue, then the land goes at her death to such
issue — subject, however, to the payment of half the valuation
made, among testator's other children and their issue, per stirpes.

3. If she leaves no issue, then at her death to the children
thereinbefore named and their lawful issue.

But, notwithstanding this, this sole tenant for life may devise
by Will to or among anj- or all of her brothers and sisters,
therein before mentioned, or their lawi\il issue, in such propor-
tions or manner as she shall think proijer.

Here every contingency is met which can occur, possibly, in
the case proposed, viz : that iiotli daugliters remain unmarried
during their joint lives. This done, the Will proceeds —

II. In case either daughter marry during the life of the other —
(we pause to remark that this necessarily occurs if both do,
so that the contingency sought to be met covers everything
which could happen not already provided for — ) in case, I
say, either daughter marry during the life of the other — how
would such an event aftect the object of the testatrix, viz : that
the homestead should be her daughters' home, and after their
death remain in the blood ? Why, after such marriage, they
might wish to stay togetlier, or they might not. They might
both wish to retain the homestead, too, even if desiring to part.
And so she directs

II. a If they so agree, [F. 10] they may continue to hold the
land for their joint lives — and then

1. On the death of one, [F. 12] the survivor shall enjoy
the whole land for life, paying interest at 6 per cent, on the
value of half to the lawful issue of the deceased sister. And

2. At the death of such survivor, [F. 13] her issue shall
take per stirpes in foe.

3. If no issue, [F. 14] the land shall go to the testatrix's issue
per stirpes.

4. Nevertheless, if the survivor when she dies leave no issue,
she may devise the land to or among any of testatrix's issue.

5. On the survivor's death, the other's issue, if any, shall haye
their mother's moiety out of the land, in money.

II. J If they do not agree to stay together, they need not.

1. Each may wish the Zara<?. Ifso, the one longest unmarried shall
have the option to hold it as sole tenant, but shall pay interest
to the other or her issue, so long as she,^shall live, on her moiety
as valued.

3 The one remaining longest unmarried may relinquish her
entire estate for life in the land to the other, receiving such in-
terest on the moiety of the valuation for her life.

3. Thus the testatrix provides for her daughters separating,
yet not agreeing on terms, viz : which shall take the land, or at
what price. It was unnecessary for her to provide how their
interest in the lands should be severed, if they did agree on
these points. That the law regulates. A release by one to the

other would effectuate the severance. An agreement as to the
value would avoid all need of arbitration.

Keeping this in mind, the testatrix endeavors to govern the
future fate of the land, in view of her great object, retaining it
in the blood.

4. "The lawful issue [F. 13] of the one of my said daughters
being such last sole tenant for life, shall on her death take said
land in fee perstirjjes.

5 "In default of issue, [F. 13, 14] such daughter shall have
the like powers of devising and disposing of the same l^y Will as
herein before provided."

6. " In default of such iJrovision by Will, the land shall 1)6
equally divided in fee among my several children then living,
and the lawful issue of such as shall be dead, leaving issue."

Here is a connected, consistent Will. With much verbiage and
complication, it is nevertheless drawn with an object, steadily
pursued, and distinctly avowed. This homestead, then the
home of the two unmarrried daughters, shall remain such, and
shall descend in the blood.

But as inequality is intended between her chikb-en, liearing
especially upon these daughters, in the fact that the others all
have their share in fee; they only for life with remainder over;
the right of the daughter surviving, and in any way sole ten-
ant for life, if dying childless, to devise among the blood, is
carefully provided for.

•My conclusion therefore, is, that if Miss Rankin, who died
wthout issue, became legally sole tenant for life, in any way,
she owned the land subject to the directions of the Will ; with
power of devise to any one or more of the blood ; failing such
devise, the projjerty to go to all the testatrix's issue per stirpes.

Exjiounders of this Will have seemed perplexed by the clause
iu article Fourth, [Folio 7, 8] which reads thus: "The said land
with the appurtenances, shall be held by ray said daughters, as
joint tenants during their joint lives, provided they so long both
remain unmarried, and in such case, and in all cases wTiere one of
my said daughters shall die without lawfid issue, during the life of
the other, the said land shall belong to the other for life, with
remainder therein to her lawful issue in fee, charged," &c., &c.
Now it is urged, this strong phrase, "in all cases," settles, that
as Miss Rankin died without issue during Mrs Wolcott's life,
the latter takes the land for life, remainder to issue in fee.

But, it is evident that if by the operation of law, under the
plan marked out by the Will, or otherwise, Miss Rankin be-
came sole tenant for life, this provision cannot apply. She
then owes the other the value of her moiety. She pays interest
on it. The estate is transmissible by her Will. The issue of
the surviving sister, has a right at lier death to the principal of
this moiety. The words "in all cases" must be restrained, and
there are "cases" to which they may apply, in strict consistency.
Suppose both daughters should marry, but neither have issue
during their joint lives, and they do not sever, tlien on the
death of one, the land would go to the survivor, and to any
issue she might thereafter leave; failing any, to such of the
blood as she may devise to ; failing such devise, to the whole
bloo'l, equally. Again, suppose one daughter marries, the other
does not — but that they do not sever. Then again, on the death
of one, the same consequence follows. The provision is to be
made consistent with the rest of the Will, and cannot be har-
monized with what is said respecting the right of the "sole
tenant for life," contemplated in article Fifth, if the words "in
all cases" are given complete force.

Miss Rankin evidently so understood the Will; she elected in
1852 to become sole tenant. [F. 33] To this Mj/ Wolcott and
her sister agreed. The latter conveyed their interest to her. She
leased to Mr. Wolcott. He paid her rent. He expended much
on the property, as part of the comjiensation for its use, and with
her assent and request ; she expecting to devise to his wife.
And on the 8th day of February, 1864, she devises the property
to Mrs. Wolcott, [F. 43, 43] as authorized by the Will.

It has been objected that the "sole tenant for life," spoken of
in Article Fifth is only a tenant whose sole interest was pro-
duced by the operation of that as'ticle, that is to say, cither by
election, and appraisement, or by survivorship, and that a sole
tenancy produced by agreement and ordinary conveyance is not
contemplated, or at least, such a tenant is not invested with the
power of disposition by Will. But, I answer, this provision for
separation is only for peace-sake, and to enable the daughters to
obtain a sole tenancy, compulsorily; which otherwise they could
not do. The testatrix provided for the case, that "either should
at any time choose to remain no longer tenants in conmion."
It was needless that she should arrange for the contingency of
both desiring it, for there was ample means by law for eftect-
ing that. Nothing in the Will prevents either buying from the
other. And such a restraint upon alienation, will not be pre-
sumed. Again, why should the testatrix wish a "sole tenant
for life," when severalty was acquired under this mode, to have

the right of disposition conferred, and not one whose severalty
was brouglit about by any other legal way ?

Passing now from the construction of the Will, which seems
to my mind, very clear, if one assume the position and stand-
point of the testatrix, I observe, that if Mr. and Mrs. Wolcott
did convey her undivided tenancy in common for life to Miss
Rankin by deed, duly executed and delivered, the subsequent
destruction of this deed did not destroy its eflect.

The deed is but the instrument for producing the fact it calls
into existence — viz : that of conveyance of title. That fact can-
not be destroyed, though the instrument be.

Jackson Y. Chase, 2 Johns., 84; Baynorv. Wilson, 6 Sill, 4:69;
Nicholson v. Halsey, 1 Johns., ch. 417.

This would be true, even though the destruction was not by
misapprehension — which the evidence will show was the case
here. It was not unnatural for Mr. Wolcott, ignorant or forget-
ful why this deed and lease were made, and aware that Miss Ran-
kin's Will devised this property to his wife, to regard these doc-
uments as valueless.

But he could not thus deprive Miss Rankin of her rights, or
do anything to militate against those of his wife.

That Miss Rankin regarded herself as sole owner of the prop-
erty in question, and entitled to devise it to her sister in fee, is
plain from her Will. [F. 42.] For she devises it, in full quantity
of estate, to her sister in fee.

It will not be alleged that Jliss Rankin, if sole tenant for life
and entitled to devise, could not designate her sister as the devi-
see. For the language is [F. 9] " She is hereby empowered, in
case she shall die without lawful issue, to devise and dispose of
such land, with the aijpurtenances and all the estate and inter-
est therein, to or among any or all of her brothers and sisters
herein before mentioned, or their lawful issue, in such manner or
proportion as she may think proper. Her sister Catharine had
been before mentioned. And besides, if she is excluded, so is
her issue, which the testatrix could hardly be supposed to de-
sire. Her design and desire was that the property might re-
main with her " descendants."' And, surely she had as much
love fortius daughter and her issue as for any others.

I submit, therefore, that under a proper construction of this
Will and the subsequent facts, Miss Rankin became sole tenant
for life of the property, with power of devise to any descendant

of the testatrix ; that she did devise to her sister, Sirs. Wolcott,
and that she now owns the land, in fee.

It is my duty to observe, thougli in my view supererogatory,
that if the deed made by Mr. Wolcott and his wife to Miss
Rankin did not make the latter " sole tenant for life," she ac-
quired no power to devise ; her Will is therefore nugatory, and
the case stands as if no such effort to destroy the tenancy in
common had been made.

The rights of Mrs. Wolcott, then, are still to be settled under
Article Fifth. " In case my said two daughters shall continue to
hold as tenants in common as aforesaid till one of them die, the
survivor shall enjoy the whole of said land during the rest of
her life, paying interest at six per cent, upon the value of one
equal moiety thereof, to be ascertained as aforesaid upon the
death of the other, to the hiwful issue of such deceased sister, and
in all cases the lawful issue of the one of my said daughters not
being the last sole tenant for life of the said land under this,
my Will, shall, ou the death of both of my daughters, ht enti-
tled to the payment out of said land of the value of their
mother's equal moiety," &c.

This is all very plain. Mrs. Wolcott is survivor. Slie is to
pay interest to whom ; To the lawful issue of her sister. But
she died never having been married. So again, the lawful is-
sue of the daughter not being last sole-tenant for life shall be en-
titled to payment of their motlier's equal moiety. But there is
no such issue. It is then clear that if Mrs. Wolcott's deed has no
operation, she holds the land for life, without obligation to pay
anything to anybody. And being thus last sole-tenant for life,
her -'issue shall on her death take the said land in fee per
stirpes, and in default of issue" she " shall have the like power
of devising," ifcc, as before provided, and in default of such provi-
sion, then said land shall be equally divided in fee among my
said children then living and the issue jser stirpes" of such as
are dead.

In shorter words, if Miss Rankin was not by operation of law
sole tenant for life, she having died without issue, Mrs, Wolcott
takes for life remainder to her issue ; failing issue, to such of
the testatrix's issue as she may by Will appoint ; failing such
appointment, to the testatrix's issue generally. And all \vithout
charge of interest or principal, becriuse there is no issue of Miss
Rankin Her issue alone have anything to do with this interest
or principal.

If it be held that the parenthetical phrase in Article Fourth

" and in all cases where one of my said daughters shall die with-
out lawful issue, during the lifetime of the other," with its fol-
lowing words, gOYerns this article, so that " the said land belongs
to the survivor during her life with remainder therein to her
lawful issue in fee charged with the payment of the one equal
half part of the value of said lands among such of testatrix's
children as should be li%'ing and the lawful issue of such as shall
be dead," &c. ; and if it be asked, what value '. I answer that it
is veiT clear it is fixed by the v.iluation made by executors to
ascertain the amount at which the daughters take the land origin-
ally. Up to that point, the Will has spoken of no other val-
uation. And the other mentioned in Article Fifth, is only for
the purpose of fixing the rights of parties when about to destroy
survivorship compulsorilj'.

C03TLANDT PARKER. TELEPHONE 848. LAW OFFICE,

RICHARD WAYNE PARKER. 765 BROAD STREET,

NEWARK. N. J.
CORTLANDT PARKER, Jr.

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HECKMAN

BINDERY INC.

^ JAN 91

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Full text of "Memorial of Henry Wolcott, one of the first settlers of Windsor, Connecticut, and of some of his descendants"

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