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REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS
OF THE
TENTH ANNUAL REUNION
OF
THE SOCIETY OF
DESCENDANTS OF
HENRY WOLCOTT
\0±h Reunion
HELD AT CLEVELAND, OHIO
SEPTEMBER 2d AND 3d, 1914
1851880
Report of the Tenth Annual Reunion
Society of Descendants of Henry Wolcott
Held Sept. 2d and 3d, 1914, at Cleveland, O.
The tenth annual meeting of the Society of the Descendants of
Henry Wolcott was held in the Lattice Room of the Hotel Statler,
Cleveland, Ohio, and was opened at 10:30 o'clock on the morning
of September 2, 1914.
The following named descendants were registered:
Aten, Mrs. Maria Burbridge, Chicago, 111.
Aten, Stella Wolcott, Chicago, 111.
Bliss, Harry A., Cleveland, Ohio.
Case, Mrs. Gertrude Cole, Cleveland, Ohio.
Cole, Mrs. Maverette Wolcott, Geneva, Ohio.
Dunham, Mrs. Mary Wolcott, Waverly, N. Y.
Frazer, Mrs. Beulah Wolcott, Chicago, 111.
Fisher, Mrs. Percy L., New York City.
Fitch, Mrs. C. C, Struthers, Ohio.
Green, Mary Wolcott, New York City.
Haines, Mr. and Mrs. W. J., Warren, Ohio.
Hawxhurst, Mrs. Emma, Cleveland, Ohio.
Hoyt, Mrs. K. S., Toledo, Ohio.
Hoyt, Louise, Toledo, Ohio.
Hoyt, Helen E., Toledo, Ohio.
Hudson, Mrs. Ann L., Kalamazoo, Mich.
Hull, Mrs. Freddie Wolcott, Maumee, Ohio.
Johnson, Mrs. Lorena Wolcott, St. Johns, Mich.
Mahaffy, Mrs. L. W., Canton, Ohio.
McMillan, Mrs. K. W., Chicago, 111.
Paterno, Dr. and Mrs. Charles, New York City.
Paterno, Carlo, New York City.
Saint, Clara, Canton, Ohio.
Smith, Grace Wolcott, Warren, Ohio.
Wolcott, C. H., Ashtabula, Ohio.
Wolcott, Mrs. C. H., Orwell, Ohio.
Wolcott, Mr. and Mrs. Charles F., Cleveland, Ohio.
Wolcott, Dorothy, Orwell, Ohio.
Wolcott, Mr. and Mrs. Duncan B., Kent, Ohio.
Wolcott, Mr. and Mrs. Dorr, Cleveland, Ohio.
Wolcott, Mr. and Mrs. E. C, Warren, Ohio.
Wolcott, Dr. Edwin H., Rochester, N. Y.
\\ ,,1, ott, I i Ik I h., Columbus, ( )hio.
Wnhott, Mr. and Mrs. Mcmy K., Uatavia, 111.
Wolcott, Mrs. m. VV. K., Easl Cleveland, Ohio.
Wolcott, Homer J., Lockwood, Ohio.
Wolroll, Jack M., Cleveland, Ohio.
Wolcott, Mi. and Mrs. Jerome, East Orwell, Ohio.
Wolcott, Mi. and Mrs. Judson E., Cleveland, Ohio.
Wolcott, K. W., Akron, Ohio.
Wolcott, Mr. and Mrs. 1,. Urucc, Baltimore, Ohio.
\\ oh ott, Mary, Akron, ( )hio.
Wolcott, Mar} Goehring, Jefferson, Ohio.
Wolcott, Mrs. Metta E., Akron, Ohio.
Wolcott, Mr. and Mrs. N. A., Warren, Ohio.
Wolcott, Oliver H., Akron, Ohio.
\\ oleott, Mrs. Oliver, Columbus, Ohio.
Wolcott, Rose A., Lakewood, Ohio.
Wolcott, Mr. and Mrs. R. H., Rockcreek Station, Ohio.
Wolcott, Mr. and Mrs. S. E., East Orwell, Ohio.
Wolcott, Stella A., Topeka, Kan.
Wolcott, Mr. and Mrs. Warner, Jefferson, Ohio.
Woodruff, Mr. and Mrs. E. A., Jefferson, Ohio.
Woolcott, John, Harrisburg, 111.
Woolcott, William, Winchester, Ky.
In the absence of the President, Harry K. Wolcott, of Norfolk,
Va., who was unable to attend, Judson E. Wolcott, of Cleveland,
Vice-President and Chairman of the Executive Committee, called
the meeting to order. After expressing the regrets of the Society
and himself at the absence of the president, he introduced Hon. Dun-
can Brewster Wolcott as the latest scion of a family of Senators,
his father and grandfather having each held that honorable office
before him, and proposed his name as temporary presiding officer.
Senator Wolcott upon taking the chair introduced the Hon. Newton
D. Baker, Mayor of Cleveland, who made a short address of welcome.
Among other things Mayor Baker said was to recall a visit which
he had made to Europe where one of the noticeable features that had
impressed itself on his mind was the care with which family tradi-
tions and family ties were preserved. America, he said, had been
very lax about this, but of late years there was a tendency to pay
more attention to the family tree and its collateral branches and to
rekindle the fires of family amity about ancestral hearthstones. He
said that although sometimes there might seem to be too much stress
paid to the family name and too little to the real worth of the in-
dividual, family pride was a worthy pride and that this uniting of
families and the promoting of a broad and tolerant spirit of brotherly
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love and helpfulness, which such unions and reunions must do, could
not but be beneficial to society at large.
The speaker paid a high tribute to the Wolcott family, with the
history of which he seemed familiar, down from the days when Henry
Wolcott, the first of the name in America, founded the town of
Windsor in the "Land of steady habits," in the making of which he
and his stalwart sons and their descendants played so important a
part. Next to Connecticut, where the Wolcott family in America
took its start, he said that Ohio seemed to have been the most popu-
lar with the descendants of Henry of Windsor, and that surely no
state owed more to the Wolcott family than Ohio, where pioneers
of that name had hewed homes out of the wilderness in many sec-
tions and ever since pioneer days had taken their place as earnest,
loyal and influential citizens. The people of Cleveland, he said,
united in giving warm welcome to the scattered descendants of a
representative patriotic American family, as a testimonial of their
regard to the members of that family settled within the boundaries
of their own proud state.
Hon. Duncan B. Wolcott replied to the able and earnest address
of Mayor Baker, thanking him in behalf of the Society and the Ohio
Wolcotts. He spoke at some length upon the influence that the Wol-
cotts and other New England families had had on the vast growth
and prosperity of not only Ohio, but all the great Northwest terri-
tory, and how that influence has been felt in the making of a nation
and the moulding of its thought and morals. He also told much of
interest of the Wolcott pioneers of Ohio and their early struggles
and later triumphs. At the close of this address an adjournment
was taken until afternoon.
Afternoon Session, Wednesday, September 2d
I he business session began ;it 2 o'c loc k With the Kotl, huncan
Brewster W'olcott presiding.
Letters and telegrams of regret were read from the following
named members:
President Many EC. W'olcott, Norfolk, Va.
Mr. Robert K. VVolcott, Wethersfield, Conn.
Mr. Koscoe W'olcott, Watertown, Ohio.
Mr. Darwin S. Wolcott, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Mr. William A. VVolcott, Hartford, Conn.
Mrs. Mary II. S. Johnston, Humboldt, Iowa.
Mr. G. F. W'olcott, Jefferson, Ohio.
Mr. C larence K. VVolcott, Syracuse, N. Y.
Mr. J. II. Timberlake, Steubenville, Ohio.
Mr. Darwin B. Wolcott, Garfield, Kansas.
Mrs. Henry Clay Wolcott, Harrington, Del.
Miss Ada Wolcott, Dover, New Hampshire.
Mrs. Hull, a descendant from Maumee, Ohio, brought the regrets
of Mrs. Eva Wolcott Gentry, who was unable to be present because
of serious illness, in Rhinefrank Hospital, Perrysburg, Ohio. The
Society instructed the Secretary to write to Mrs. Gentry expressing
the general regret at her absence and their wishes for her speedy
recovery.
Mr. Henry K. Wolcott made the motion, which was seconded
by Miss Rose Wolcott, that a letter of greeting be sent to the
Daughters of America, who were holding a State Convention in the
Hotel Statler. This was done and a most courteous reply was later
received as follows:
The Society of Descendants of Henry Woi.cott — Greeting :
The Society of Daughters of America in convention assembled
return the greeting of your society and extend best wishes for the
prosperity of your society and all measures for the perpetuation of
American ideals by our splendid old American families.
Sincerely and cordially yours,
JULIA T. ROTH, Secretary.
The report of the Secretary was then read.
Report of the Secretary-Treasurer
Mr. President and Fellow Members: If there is any one of
the blood who has grown tired of life on account of its monotonous
round, let him beseech his relatives to elect him Secretary-Treasurer
of the Society of Descendants of Henry Wolcott. That position
offers some new and unexpected phase of mental and physical activity
every day in the week.
Until two years ago, I had supposed that the duties of Secretary
meant the writing of letters, preparing reports and such routine work
as might appear in the course of the Society's business. I am wiser
now. From my experience, I feel that the ideal Secretary is ex-
pected to be accomplished in all business methods, wise in every-
thing pertaining to genealogy, conversant with the names, addresses
and family lines of the 3,000 names in the card index, endowed with
psychological insight as to the reason why certain branches of the
family received more attention in the book published by the Society
than others, an expert in the art of advertising, an adept at stenog-
raphy and journalism, as well as an authority upon the weather, the
high cost of living, the parcels post system, and the real cause of
the European War.
Lacking so many points necessary for the ideal Secretary, I can
only assure you that I have enjoyed the work, and especially the
friendly letters from all over the country, and although the writers
of many of these may always be strangers to me by sight, I feel that
I have gained much by the contact with the minds of so varied a
family and I appreciate the experience.
There have been sent out from the office of the Secretary-
Treasurer during the year about 2,363 pieces of mail, which include
reports, bills, receipts, stationery, pins, and scores of letters.
As recommended last year, we had only 500 reports printed.
These were sent out to members, those who attended the reunion
last year, to all who had ever paid dues and to all who had made
inquiries that showed a beginning of interest, and finally to those
bearing the name living in the vicinity of Cleveland, distributing
them around in sections where there were Wolcotts living in order
to arouse interest in the present reunion. The cost of printing 500
was no greater than would have been the cost of printing 300.
But one complaint has reached the Secretary from any paying
member, about failure to get the mail sent. Several pieces of mail
have been returned by the postoffice department. The card index
must be changed constantly.
Circular letters to the members to the number of 500 were pre-
pared and sent out to as many names on the card index. These were
to persons who had never paid dues or whose dues had not been paid
for four years or more. This letter gave the facts of the formation
of the Society, its aim, accomplishments and membership, together
with an invitation to join the Society. This resulted in several new
memberships and brought promise of some others in the future. All
new members have furnished proofs of eligibility, and by this the an-
nals of the family are slowly being completed. As an example, one
woman has become interested whose family line, so far as the printed
record goes has been lost since L856, She is bringing it up to date
and Interesting others of her line, so that it is expected that a number
oi her famil) will join the Society.
Over 1,200 invitations to this reunion were sent out. Besides this
your Secretar) prepared notices for newspaper publications which
wer< senl to each Vice President, to be printed in their home or state
papers. Clippings from many of these papers have been received
Bhowing that the vice-presidents have done their work well. These
clippings have been added to the scrap-book.
There have been several deaths in our membership. Where notice
of such deaths have been received the Secretary has written letters
of condolence in the name of the Society. The death of the follow-
ing named members has been reported:
Mr. FRANK B. WOLCOTT, Cleveland, Ohio,
Died January 4, 1914.
Air. SIDNEY WOLCOTT, Buchanan, Mich.,
Died January, 1914.
Mr. HOWARD O. WOLCOTT, Litchfield, Pa.,
Died in New York City, Oct. 13, 1913.
Air. OSCAR WOLCOTT (father of Howard), Litchfield, Pa.,
Died Feb. 23, 1914.
Mrs. SARAH HADLOCK WOLCOTT (mother of Howard),
Died April 19, 1914. Litchfield, Pa.
Mr. PRESTON WOLCOTT, Austin, Pa.,
Died April 13, 1914.
Mrs. ELIZA WOLCOTT McVAUGH, Elmira, N. Y.,
Died April 15, 1912.
Air. ARCHIE McVAUGH (her son),
Killed in Cleveland, June 28, 1912.
Dr. OLIVER M. WOLCOTT, Columbus, Ohio,
Died April 25, 1914.
Last year, the Secretary-Treasurer was commissioned by the
Society to purchase a die for embossing stationery with the coat-of-
arms of the Society and to secure suitable stationery bearing this
emblem. A report had been made that a die could be obtained for
$14.00, and a letter from the firm of the Siegel-Cooper Co. making
that offer had been filed. But when a check for that amount was sent
with an order for the die, the Company repudiated their offer claim-
ing that a mistake had been made, although confronted with their
own letter. They declared that $27.50 was their lowest figure for the
— 6 —
die. Another firm was then secured which made the die for $15.00.
I thought the Society would be willing to pay the extra dollar. The
embossed stationery is on sale here and if readily sold will help swell
the coffers of the Society.
A pin has also been made, as ordered by the Society. This pin
is of gold with the family coat-of-arms and motto and can be worn
either as a pin, watch charm or fob, and costs $5.00. Although the
jeweler will not make separate pins for less than $5.00, he will give
the Society a rebate of 66 cents per pin, if ordered in lots of three.
This rebate will pay for the die when the four pins on exhibition here
with four more are sold, together with the eight already purchased.
Then the Society will own the die and will benefit by the rebate.
The money for the die was paid by the Secretary, so the Society
has been at no expense for pins. The pins have been pronounced
handsome emblems by those competent to judge of such matters.
Your Secretary purchased a scrap-book, as instructed at the Hart-
ford gathering of last year, and it is her sincere wish that every
member of the Society had time to read it. The clippings came in
slowly and are not in chronological order, but perhaps it is just as
interesting. The Wolcotts are a widespread family, and their activi-
ties are varied as their independent rule of life could make them.
"Bound to swear in the words of no master" is as sure a Wolcott
ideal today as in the days of Henry of Windsor.
Through the scrap-book, I find that the richest policeman in
New York City is named Erastus Wolcott, and the paper adds that
"the money was honestly made in land speculations."
The first man married in Chicago was one Dr. Alexander Wol-
cott, his wife being the daughter of John Kinzie, the first white set-
tler in the city. It was from this branch of the family that one of
our new members came, Mrs. Carrie Wolcott Reid of Chicago. From
this branch came also Wolcott Balestier and his sister, who is the
wife of the English author, Rudyard Kipling.
We have also in the scrap-book the story of Elihu Wolcott, who
first settled at Jacksonville, 111., in the days when his furniture had
to be sent from the East by the way of New Orleans, and how it
was delayed until the spring following the arrival of the family. It
is interesting to read how they made the best of affairs and considered
themselves well off because they had the only double cabin in the
settlement, all other families living in one room. Yet they were
happy, although the children slept up in a loft where they had to
go outside the house and climb a ladder to get up to bed, and the loft
had no windows. However, it would seem that this did not affect the
ventilation since the chinks were large enough to let the snow pile
up on the bed.
rherc is an interesting Btorj oi ome oi the Ohio branch of the
family, and the fact thai a Wolcott was the first white male child
I,, a Farmingtonj Ohio, is noted, as well as the activity of the
famil} in building mills, developing settlements, and proving them-
lelvei progressive citizens. One town took the name of Wolcottville,
rhere is sufficient proof in the clippings to show that the love
ol venturesome ways and the simple life- was not confined to our
forbears, Since there is a story of Miss Ursula Wolcolt Brown, who
not long since made a trip, during a severe storm, in an airship, and
another descendant, Walter Hayward Green, and wife, of New York,
who are making a six thousand mile canoe trip which has taken them
already over a year, and during that time they have not slept under
a roof more than a dozen nights.
We arc told of the discovery by Herbert Wolcott, of Alamo
Gordo, New Mexico, of a "sleepy grass" which has the effect of mak-
ing cattle which eat it sleep for several days.
There is also much family history of the famous Wolcotts of
Colonial and Revolutionary days, of brave men and courageous
women, of the family traditions handed down from generation to
generation, always new and interesting whenever told. Altogether,
our scrap-book is one of which any family might well be proud.
I wish to extend my thanks to the President, Mr. Harry K.
Wolcott, for his ready assistance whenever appealed to. In a large
Society with a widely scattered membership, with officers so far
apart, many emergencies arise in which the Secretary must take the
initiative, without previous consultation with President or the Exec-
utive Board. During the two years I have been in office I have not
appealed to the President without receiving immediate attention, and
I have felt that he was ready to support my work in every way. I
wish to thank the State vice-presidents who have aided me in bring-
ing the work of the Society to the attention of such of our kinspeople
as had heretofore given the matter little heed or who had, maybe,
never heard of the Society before.
I wish to call the attention of the Society to the work done by
the Vice-President, Mr. Judson E. Wolcott. No one except the Sec-
retary could possibly know of his active, earnest work in behalf of
the Society. Every week he is engaged in promoting the interests
of the reunion, and whatever of success may attend the reunion would
be divided in half were in not for his splendid efforts. I thank him
for his personal help to me in the office of Secretary-Treasurer.
I have but one recommendation to make before closing my report.
I would suggest that the Chairman of the Historical Committee be
asked to give a report, embodying all new lines not in the genealogy,
which are furnished by new members, the same to be printed in our
— 8 —
report, so that each year new material concerning the family shall
be included in the printed reports of the proceedings.
There are some old reports left of different years. I have re-
tained several sets for the Society, but would suggest that in places
where there are historical societies or libraries that members in such
places send the names to the Secretary and that these surplus reports
be forwarded. I have received letters from some of the large public
libraries asking for these reports and have sent them. The Society is
thus named in the list of benefactors of such libraries.
Our membership is growing; our work is spreading; our efforts
are bearing fruit, and the name of Wolcott promises to continue to
be a synonym for good citizenship and pride of country in the future
as it has in the past — brave men and loyal women who stand for
America in her highest ideal of a peaceful republic.
Respectfully submitted,
MARY WOLCOTT GREEN,
Secretary-Treasurer.
Upon motion of Mr. Charles F. Wolcott, the Secretary's report
was accepted with the thanks of the Society. Dr. Edwin Wolcott
then offered the following resolution:
WHEREAS, The Secretary-Treasurer of this Society, Dr. Mary
Wolcott Green, has recently been granted the degree of Doctor of
Literature by the Syracuse University, an honor conferred upon few
women, and she being the only women receiving a doctor's degree
at Syracuse this year, it is resolved that this Society, in recognition
of the honor, orders this fact spread upon the minutes.
The resolution was adopted after being seconded by Mrs. Hull.
" Mrs. Charles V. Paterno of New York City, a descendant, was
introduced. She gave greetings and said this was the first time
she had met with the clan, but hoped to have her family line com-
pleted back to Henry Wolcott before another year.
It was announced that Mr. John Wolcott, of the Treasury De-
partment, a son of Mr. John AVolcott, of Washington, D. C,
was one of the four men just appointed Commissioner to carry the
money set apart by the government for the relief of stranded Ameri-
cans left helpless abroad by the war which had just broken out in
Europe.
Dr. Edwin H. Wolcott spoke concerning the family genealogy,
saying that it was the intention of the Chairman of the Historical
Committee to publish later a few pages of addenda, or corrections
to the Wolcott Genealogy, and urged the necessity of completing
various lines and furnishing new information.
I h<- following telegram was received from the President of the
California ( ienealogh al Society:
Hon. M. K. WOLCOTT,
President Society of Descendants of Henry Wolcott,
I [otel Stath r, ( lleveland, Ohio.
Mi. California Genealogical Society sends cordial greetings with
the hope thai you will arrange for a special meeting in San Fran-
cisco in L915. Our Society trusts you will, at your annual meeting,
appoint official delegates to represent the Wolcott Family Associa-
tion al the International Genealogical Congress meeting in San Fran-
cisco in July, L915. With the co-operation of your Society we hope
to make the Genealogical Congress a great feature of the Exposition.
HENRY BYRON PHILLIPS,
President California Genealogical Society.
By request, the following subjects as presented by the Congress
were read to explain, somewhat, the scope of their work:
(a) The relation between genealogical investigations and eu-
genics.
(b) The establishment of a National Bureau of Heraldry in the
United States, to become a recognized and accepted authority.
(c) The establishment of a bureau wherein genealogists of
standing shall be permitted to register so that a certain stamp of
official approval may be placed upon their work.
(d) Action looking to a uniform publication of the historical
and vital records of various counties and States now unpublished,
and the establishment of a National Bureau of Vital Records as a
part of governmental records at Washington, similar to the records
in the General Register Office, Somerset House, London, England
The official delegations to the Congress will be limited to two
members from each Society with a membership of 100, and one more
for each additional hundred.
As there was no one present who expected to attend the Ex-
position between July 19 and August 2, 1915, it was moved and sec-
onded that the Secretary should include this in her report, and if any
of the members should attend the Exposition at this time, that such
members' names should be forwarded for credentials as delegates.
No further action was taken in the matter.
Mr. Harry A. Bliss of Cleveland, a descendant of Gov. Roger
Wolcott, spoke of an old Bible belonging to his ancestor which had
been left by his uncle with the Howard Museum in Hartford, which
he wished to become the property of the Society. He felt that its
preservation should be an object of the Society. He said that it
— 10 —
seemed to him when he visited the museum that the custodians did
not realize its value.
It was moved by Miss Green and seconded by Dr. Edwin Wol-
cott that the guardianship of this Bible be accepted with thanks to
the donor, and that a member of the Society be appointed to attend
to this matter and^ee that every care is taken by the Howard
Museum for its preservation. The motion was carried.
As Mr. Bliss had never been enrolled as a member of the Society,
the Chairman, Mr. Duncan B. Wolcott, gave him an invitation.
Mr. Homer J. Wolcott, of Lockwood, Ohio, spoke of the Wol-
cotts who settled Farmington. His grandfather, Josiah Wolcott,
came to Farmington in 1806 from Connecticut, and surveyed the town
of Bristol, receiving in payment 1,000 acres of wild land. In 1814 his
brother Theodore came out and settled a mile west of the Center,
as Josiah's holding was known. Each brother organized a Con-
gregational church just a mile apart. Around these two houses of
worship in the woods grew up a little town and the rivalry between
the little congregations was carried on between the two towns for
many years. One always retained the name of the "Center" and the
other was known as the "West Part," which continues to this day
as a corporate village. The rivalry long since died away.
Theodore Wolcott built an academy at West Part which was for
many years under control of the Congregational Church, but in time
passed into the hands of the M. E. Church. This passed out of exist-
ence about two years ago, and now the public school is all they
have. The house that Josiah Wolcott built still stands, very much
as he left it, as does the house that his son, the father of Homer J.
Wolcott, built for himself, which looks much as it did when built on
the outside, but has been done over on the inside many times. A
nephew of Homer J. Wolcott owns the original homestead and lives
there — a continued occupancy by the Wolcotts for more than a cen-
tury.
Mrs. Maria Burbridge Aten, a new member from Chicago, was
introduced. She is a granddaughter of Rhoda Wolcott, born in Wind-
sor, Conn., and came West when a young girl.
Miss Green urged upon the members the preparing of short
sketches of their ancestors, including those personal touches not in
the broader scope of genealogy. She read the following account of
Silas Wolcott, founder of her own line.
Silas Wolcott and His Descendants
The pioneer spirit has long been strong in the Wolcotts. The
same desire for independence of thought and action that had led
Henry Wolcott to leave his landed estate in England and come first
to Massachusetts Bay and later into the Connecticut widerness, has
led many of his descendants to wander far into new fields, leading,
— 11 —
no( following, the advance oi civilization, They counted not the
toils and privations of pioneer life, where there was a promise oi
Independence -it the end of the trail.
Vnd these trails were not short, as distances were counted be
Fore tiit days of railroads and telegraphs, or even wagon roads, and
always led only to pioneer privations but often to painful sepa-
ratiom I hese pioneers founded their new homes and raised families,
l>nt with me. ins oi communication so limited that within a genera-
tion oi two <dd family ties were forgotten, or if remembered, were
so indefinitely remembered as to become almost wholly lost within
the course of a few years.
I hus it is that there are scattered here and there, throughout
all this broad land, little groups of Wolcotts tracing back from three
to six generations by hazy traditions, but until the Society of De-
scendants of Henry Woleott was formed and the work of tracing the
Wolcotl genealogy taken up in a systematic way, were unaware that
there were others than their own little group bound to them by ties
of blood and kinship. If they did have any such knowledge it was so
distorted and indefinite as to be valueless.
One of the best accomplishments of this Society has been the
bringing together of these branches. This has been done by follow-
ing broad lines, reaching out for everyone of the name, and opening
the way for each to prove his kinship.
It is to aid these isolated branches, as well as to complete the
records of those already in the Society that the Secretary recom-
mends that a report on new material be incorporated each year in
the annual report.
One such family is that founded by Silas Woleott, in the town-
ship of Litchfield, Bradford County, Pennsylvania. A man of more
than middle age, with a family of grown children, some already mar-
ried wmen he moved there, he and his sons played their parts in turn-
ing the woodland into fertile farms, and if the old man spoke proudly
of the fact that he fought in the War and that he was a cousin of
the OliverWolcott who served in the cabinet of Washington, there
was no communication between them and other Wolcotts. They
were satisfied with the fact that they were of the family and as good
as any, and their children were far too busy making a living to
bother further about their genealogy. In was this Society, together
with the interest in such matters aroused by various patriotic organi-
ations, that led to a search of. the records condensed into this sketch.
Silas Woleott (Josiah IV, George III, George II, Henry I) was
born in New Hampshire, August 4, 1755. He was only a baby when
his father moved to the new settlement of Newark, N. J., and only
five years old when his mother died. An elder sister kept the family
together during his early boyhood, though it is .likely that Silas
struck out for himself while in his teens, probably with his father's
second marriage. Of that period of his life we know practically
nothing. He learned to read and write and to cipher enough to keep
his accounts and to do the figuring necessary to build and to operate
a sawT-mill, for he had learned the trade of millwright, and like most
men of his time, we are told he liked an argument or a debate. There
were no cheap newspapers then and debates and the discussions at
public gatherings, especially on a "training day," were the chief
sources of common education after the days of school and the three
"R's."
— 12 —
With his trade he drifted, just when we do not know, to Lan-
caster, Pa., and was there when the Revolution began. He enlisted
as a private in the First Pennsylvania Riflemen, on March 30, 1776.
And right here I might mention one of the difficulties of the genea-
logist, the spelling of names, that of Silas Wolcott which is spelled
no less than seven different ways in the official records.
The regiment to which Silas Wolcott belonged was authorized
by Congress for home defense and mustered in four months before
the Declaration of Independence — April 6, 1776. The regiment was
of two battalions, one of riflemen and the other musketmen. Silas
Wolcott was in Captain Caspar Weitzel's company, a rifleman or
sharpshooter. Col. Samuel Miles commanded the regiment which
moved to Philadelphia on July 2, and after the Declaration of In-
dependence had seen signed, marched to Trenton and thence across
the State of New Jersey to Perth Amboy, where it joined the forces
of General Mercer on July 16th. There came a month of watchful
waiting, and then the regiment was ordered to the defense of Long
Island, and on August 12th was brigaded with two others under
General Alexander Lord Sterling.
Then came the battle of Long Island — the baptism of fire for
the Americans — and defeat. Of the part taken by the Pennsylvanians
we may judge by the losses of Capt. Weitzel's company — a lieutenant,
two sergeants and sixteen privates being left dead on the field.
Colonel Miles was among those taken prisoner. Silas Wolcott, No.
18 on the roll of his company the morning of the battle, was No. 7
the next day, eleven men ahead of him on the list having fallen in
the fight.
The riflemen — and the roll calls show Silas Wolcott present —
took part in the battle of Harlem Heights, the defense of Fort Wash-
ington and the retreat across the State of New Jersey. It was in
General Hand's brigade, under Washington's own command at New
Brunswick, on November 27th, that they took part in the battles of
Trenton and Princeton, and in the following March was consoli-
dated into a regiment of foot, Silas Wolcott being at that time in
Captain John Robb's company. Colonel Stewart commanded the
new regiment in the battle of the Brandywine and at Germantown
that fall, and with it went into winter quarters at Valley Forge. The
regiment was then organized as the 13th Pennsylvania Line, but was
mustered out in April, 1778. Silas Wolcott, in his pension applica-
tion, gives the date of his own discharge as January 1, 1778, but he
was in the border service — that is, the militia — some time after that.
Returning to Lancaster he married, March 2, 1778, Margaret
Rowan, who lived, in Donegal township, now Dauphin County, Pa.
Silas Wolcott and his brother Paul appear in the 80's on the tax list
of what is now Lockhaven, Pa., and it is likely they had taken up
soldiers' land there. But Silas evidently did not remain long.
The Sullivan expedition had cleared the Indians from the Great
Lake country of Central New York, and with the war over Massa-
chusetts began to send settlers to hold her "claims" there, as Con-
necticut had sent hers into the Wyoming Valley. When the first
of these Massachusetts settlers forced their way through the wilder-
ness to Catherinestown, now Havana, N. Y., they found Silas Wol-
cott, who had already located and built a saw-mill. He was the
first white settler there, though others had preceded those from the
"Bay State."
— 13 —
Later, Silas Wolcotl lived in Cherr) Valley, then at [thaca, and
moved to Litchfield township, about three miles above Tioga Point,
now Athens, I'a., on llie Susquehanna River, about 1806, after two
oi bis sons had man ltd daughters of Corporal Thomas Park, the
lust settlei in the township, who lived at the State line. Silas Wol-
cotl died in 1834, He had lour sons and five daughters. Elijah Wol-
COtt, the ebb st son, bad twelve children, and most of their descendants
live in or about Litchfield. One of bis sons, Amos Prentiss Wolcott,
was .1 colonel on the staff of Governor McLean. A sister of Elijah
Wolcotl married Thomas Munn, also of Litchfield, and had twelve
sons and one daughter, all of whom lived to have families of their
own. A brother, Benjamin Wolcott, married Elizabeth Merrill, and
each of the two daughters of Elijah Wolcott married a Merrill, and in
AugUSl I attended a reunion of the Merrill-Munn families, at which
about .">(>() persons were present, and nearly all of whom were, by three
lines, also of Wolcott blood.
Silas Park Wolcott, son of Elijah, was the father of Mrs. Mary
Ann Dunham, one of our energetic vice-presidents. The youngest
child of Elijah and the only one now living was my mother, who has
attended several meetings of this Society.
Benjamin Wolcott, son of Silas and brother of Elijah, was the
father of Ransom, Henry and Ellsworth, among others, and the
grandfather of our poet laureate, Wellman Wolcott, and his sisters,
who are members of the Society, and also several of the Michigan
cousins.
I would like to extend this paper with more names, but these
would be tiresome when read at such a gathering. For the benefit
of present and prospective members, however, I shall ask permission
of the Society to edit this paper and make such genealogical addi-
tions as may be of value before it goes into the permanent records.
— 14 —
1851880
Wednesday Evening — Annual Banquet
On Wednesday evening, sixty-seven members of the family sat
down to a banquet in the Lattice Room of The Statler. Mr. L.
Bruce Wolcott of Baltimore, presided as toast-master. After a humor-
ous introduction, he called upon Mr. Duncan Brewster Wolcott of
Kent, Ohio, to speak on "The Responsibility of Heritage," which he
did as follows:
Mr. Toast-Master and Members of the Society of the Descendants
of Henry Wolcott: We have met once more at a family home-com-
ing under the kindly auspices of the Cleveland Wolcotts and those
of the Western Reserve.
It is eminently fitting that we assemble in this locality. For we,
as sons and daughters of the good old "Nutmeg State," are now in
the New Connecticut of the West, in that famous section of Ohio,
settled and peopled by New Englanders under the formation of the
Connecticut Western Reserve.
On an occasion like this it is well for us to stop to take a per-
sonal inventory of ourselves — what we are, where we came from, what
we owe to the generations that are gone and what we must impart
to those that must take up our work when we are done.
As descendants of Henry Wolcott, the emigrant from Tolland,
we are essentially English. From the mother-country we received
our language, our forms of jurisprudence, our general ideals of life,
our love of individual justice and freedom of individual thought.
So long as the family remained in the state of its adoption they
intermarried with their own country people, and any admixture with
foreign blood came only in the last two or three generations, when
the family had commenced to scatter into other localities. It is a
pure type of English stock — a New England-bred family — and so far
as I have ever learned, all of the name of Wolcott in America spring
from one source, the Wolcotts of the Connecticut Valley, descendants
of the first Henry who settled in Windsor in 1630.
We are here tonight in this delightful spot, in this beautiful city,
in a country where life is worth living, at peace with all the world,
because away back in the early days of the seventeenth century that
bluff country gentleman of Tolland, England, left a home of com-
parative comfort and turned his face across the seas to try his for-
tunes in a new and distant land.
We are thankful that fate decreed that men of his worth and
intelligence chose to leave the land of their birth, to found a new
country and a new civilization, where freedom of thought and action
could be exercised without the limitations of moth-eaten monarchies.
Those old Puritans of New England mixed liberty and intolerance
in a strange manner. They believed in religious liberty, as viewed
from their standpoint, but the exact brand of liberal religion brought
across the Atlantic was not liberal enough for some. Everything,
even nature, combined to make those early settlers harsh and in-
tolerant of other people's ideas. The cold, bleak winters, the rocks
of the upper Atlantic coast — all tended to mould a race of stern
men and women.
The Puritan mother helped to carve out the nation as well as did
the Puritan father, but the father was always the head of the house-
hold. The mother in those days did not have to worry over the
— 15 —
oi suffrage, 01 what make oi auto they should get, or how
il would be ili*- Fashion to weai a tube skirt, with the inner
tube left "nt.
I am reminded in this connection of a saying attributed to the
i Willi. mi lli.it women arc for "church, children, and cook-
NowadayS they Seem l<> take all these in "homeopathic doses."
Then they bore and buried their children in great numbers and
most of thciu yielded up their lives when young.
Hundreds o! gravestones in New Kngland, with slight modifica-
tion, testify that "Mary Ann died at the age of twenty-six, leaving
eight children to the tender mercy of God."
I will not impose upon your time nor patience to recount the
honor- and achievements of the Wolcotts of Colonial days. They
,u ( spread upon the pages of the history of the old Commonwealth
of Connecticut. They are also so charmingly and graphically por-
trayed in that work of immeasurable value — The Wolcott Memorial.
Every member of the family in the land owes an everlasting debt
of gratitude to the revered author, Dr. Samuel Wolcott, of this city.
No family was more honored, more truly American, more con-
spicuous in public and civic life. Scarcely any gift of office within
the Commonwealth but was filled by some member of the family.
We have made two pilgrimages back to the cradle of our
forefathers — back across the vale of centuries to the paths they trod,
back to the peaceful burying grounds, where they are laid away with
only the stars of God to watch over them.
Sometimes we feel that the present day Wolcotts are less
prominent than were their early fathers; that we can be compared
to the hill of potatoes — the best part underground. But we must
remember that there was less competition for high honors in their
time, and that many of our family achieved fame when armed con-
flict was the order of the day.
I "do not believe that the family of today in its entirety has lost
any of its old time vigor, its sterling qualities, and its characteristics
of good citizenship.
In their first home they had an early lesson in self-government,
for no other colony enjoyed such a democratic form of government
as did the colony of Connecticut, with the possible exception of
Rhode Island. They had a liberal charter from the very first, which
was never changed until the formation of the States.
From the first settlements at Windsor, Hartford and Wethers-
field, the family grew and sought new firesides across the Alleghenies,
and then beyond the Rockies, wherever opportunnity called them
in the winning of the West.
My own immediate branch settled in Ohio, in Summit County,
about a century ago, my great grandfather having been a surveyor
for the Connecticut Land Company. It is related that my Great-
grandmother Wolcott, being homesick to visit Connecticut, made the
journey back alone on horseback, returning in the same manner
through the unbroken wilds to her new home.
If we never before appreciated the debt which we owe to those
who made our being here possible in this beloved country, we do so
just now. When the Old World is torn and rent by contending
armies with no valid excuse for attempting their mutual destruction,
with all its attending misery and woe, we, almost alone in the world,
are at peace with all mankind.
— 16 —
We have heeded the prophetic words of Washington to keep
free from any entangling alliances. Great oceans are our chief
frontiers, which, with our Anglo-Saxon neighbors on the North,
makes a foreign war next to impossible. On every hand we hear
people of every nationality saying: "I am glad that I live in America
and not in Europe!"
We hope and pray that when the people now at war have ex-
hausted their jealousies and greed that the world will never again
permit such an awful calamity.
It is a distinct loss to civilization, a loss of young manhood for
which generations must suffer and pay the toll. And when this strife
is over all eyes will turn for relief and hope like a guiding star to
our own blessed America. We will be the clearing-house of peace,
plenty and prosperity. • .
That we live in such a land of security, we are again reminded,
is not due to ourselves alone, but rather to the Henry Wolcotts of
early days.
Men are all too self-conceited: We take too much credit to our-
selves for what we enjoy, when in fact the present merely represents
the resultant of years of toil and effort by a slow evolution now
springing into its full being. We take a just pride in our schools
and universities. But who made them possible? Not you or I. We
are simply gathering the fruits made possible by those who planted
these young trees of knowledge and sacrificed time and money in their
nourishment before we were born. Can the educational world
measure its debt of gratitude to Horace Mann? This pioneer in the
little college of Antioch kindled the fires of education in Ohio, until
today there are more students in schools of higher education in the
"Buckeye State" than in any other in the Union.
Who is responsible for all our comforts, our scientific marvels,
our thousand and one blessings showered down upon us? Surely,
the chief credit must go to the toilers who silently worked on when
no man applauded; who met discouragement and failure and whose
chief asset was faith in themselves, their work, and their ultimate
success!
Take for example the Wright Brothers of Dayton. They were
dubbed crazy lunatics because they were trying to do the thing that
no other person had done. But they proved that the thing could be
done. The laws of gravity were defied, and men fly.
It is a common error to put too much emphasis upon the worth
of men who rode to fame over the dead and bleeding bodies of their
fellow-men. Every schoolboy knows of Caesar, of Napoleon, of
Hannibal, and of Alexander. But ask him who Morton was and what
he discovered and he is silent. It is not his fault but rather our own.
There has been held up to him false ideals of greatness.
Put in your histories and into your schoolrooms the names and
faces of those men whose life-work has been creative instead of
destructive. Men like Morton, who from his great discovery of the
use of anesthetics have alleviated the bed of suffering and pain by the
means of a blessed form of insensibility; men like Louis Pasteur, who
have made life more secure from destructive germs; men like Luther
Burbank, who have made two blades of grass grow where there was
but one before; men like Thomas Edison, who have turned night into
day — that wizard of science who has snatched from the realms of
mystery the wonders of the twentieth century. The works of such
— 17 —
nun have made life sweeter, have cheered the disheartened, and
brought everlasting blessings to the world we live in. They are the
true giants of history.
Qui country has l<»si to ;i greal extenl its Anglo-Saxon traits.
Ever} jreai a new avalanche oi immigrants seek a haven upon our
shores, and with them comes an added responsibility upon us to
maintain the high ideals and principles of our forefathers. It is a
grave problem how far this process of assimilation can be carried on
in thi^ great melting pot of ours.
Realizing our heritage let us not forget these great responsibili-
ties, for if they are no1 solved now we may be too late. As we glory
in our country, we can take a just pride in our immediate line of
ancestry in the part it has played. Not in a boastful spirit, for no
one cares for the past unless it is reflected in the present.
Let ns strive tO make the last link equal to its predecessors that
it may continue on to stand the stress of time eternal, and as Goethe
says:
'•Happy the man who remembers his progenitors with pride; who relates with
pleasure the story of the greatness of their deeds, and, silently rejoicing, sees him-
self linked to the end of this goodly chain."
Miss Lila P. Robeson, of the Metropolitan Opera Company of
New York, sang an aria from "Samson and Delilah" — "My Heart At
Thy Sweet Voice" — and later sang the "Harbor Night Song," by
Sanderson, graciously responding to hearty encores.
Mr. Homer J. Wolcott of Lockwood, Ohio, responded to the
toast, "The Wolcott Fathers." He said in part:
Can you imagine eternity by looking into the starry space? As
much can we imagine what Henry Wolcott endured living down in
Connecticut, by looking at the country today.
The beautiful fields, now glowing brilliant with the harvest was
then a virgin forest. Before he could reap the harvest he had to
clear out the trees, plow up the roots and sow grain. There was no
harvesting by machinery. It was done by a sickle. They knew what
work was in those days, as they hewed and cut, cleared land, planted
and reaped, and built their homes to endure, of which we can know
nothing.
But after all, the strongest and greatest thing they built was
character. This national society is far greater than Mrs. Sereno
Wolcott and I, who started it, ever dreamed of; but as we will
soon be dropping out of work, we leave it to good hands. Carry on
the task begun — the bringing together and passing upon the records
of a fine American family of high deeds and noble purposes.
Miss Mary Wolcott Green, called upon to speak of "The Wolcott
Mothers," responded:
It is somewhat hard for me to speak about the Wolcott mothers
to-night, for my mind keeps turning back to one Wolcott mother in
New York, who serene and unafraid, is fast approaching the myster-
ious country where her twelve brothers and sisters as well as her life
companion have gone before. As a type of the Wolcott women she
has ever stood to me an ideal — facing toil, sorrow, danger, trouble
and loss with that sublime faith in God that knows neither defeat nor
disaster.
— 18 —
Elizabeth Saunders, the helpmeet of Henry of Windsor, brought
across the sea with her this spirit. Guided by love, she helped to
make the wilderness blossom into a garden; and having helped to
found a home passed to her daughters for generations to come, an
ideal of womanly faithfulness, devotion and love. Hers was no smooth
path, but even as the women in the midst of the booming cannon
across the water, are silently bearing the greatest burden of the
war, so did the Wolcott mothers bear their part in making America
what she is, and her greatness rests today upon the American homes.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox has said:
"Laugh and the world laughs with you;
Weep and you weep alone;
For this sad old earth has need of mirth —
It has sorrow enough of its own."
So as I have been requested, I am going to give you a little
monologue of one type of woman who is an American mother, not
of the Wolcott type.
Following the monologue, Miss Green responded to an encore.
Mr. Henry K. Wolcott of Batavia, spoke of "The Wolcotts in the
Civil War":
"I personally knew very few Wolcotts in the Civil War except
my brother and myself," he said, "but I know there were many, and
that they did their duty as it came to them I hav.e no doubt. War
tries the courage of a man, but oftentimes through that trial comes
a sense of patriotic duty of which he might have been ignorant before.
The name of Wolcott is one of patriotism, a reminder of duty per-
formed at any time."
Mr. E. A. Woodruff of Jefferson, Ohio, responding to the toast
of "The Ladies," said:
The first woman I ever loved was a Wolcott — my mother, now
seventy-seven years old, who is not able to be present. All the
Wolcott women look good to me, but as far as my telling before
my wife what I think of the ladies, it is asking too much, Mr.
Toast-Master.
Dr. Edwin Wolcott of Rochester, N. Y., responded to "The
Wolcott Doctors:"
Dr. Alexander Wolcott, the famous Revolutionary surgeon, had
a slave named Primus who, having gained a little knowledge of
medicine from the doctor, began to practice for himself. Having
been called to visit a sick baby, he stopped in to see Dr. Wolcott.
The doctor asked him if there was anything he could do for him
and Primus replied: "Oh no; I told 'em they needn't bother to
send so far for me — when they were sick to just send for you."
There are two well known doctors of the present century in the
family: one has but recently passed away — a splendid man, and
known to the profession — Dr. Oliver Wolcott of Ohio. Another
whose name has spread beyond his own state is Dr. Alexander Wol-
cott of Wisconsin.
The life of a physician or a surgeon is a stern fight and a hard
one, and there may be many of the Wolcott family who have engaged
in this profession, but I know but few. However, even the most
solemn occasion may give place to a sense of humor.
— 19 —
A surgeon siting ;i woman unconscious on a stretcher, whose
fce1 were covered with bunions, remarked: "Madam, you have the
knobbietl pair o( Feel l ever saw!"
Hearing Bruce oi Baltimore and Judson of Cleveland here quar-
reling ovei the merits ol their respective tities, makes me think of
anothei story. \i a dinner, a colonel from Seattle heard fine speak-
ers From I os Angeles praising thai city in such glowing terms that
there could be no doubt bu1 thai all the greatness of the world was
encompassed by its boundaries. At last one remarked: "There is
no Other city so fine as Los Angeles if We only had such water as
you have here in Seattle." The Colonel said: "Gentlemen, I've
solved thai problem. Gel water by pipe line. Just lay a pipe and
ii you can all suck as hard as you blow you will have no trouble."
We are each proud of our country and proud of our own particu-
lar section of country, because there we realize the great underlying
influence of our forefathers.
Some time ago I read "The Glory of the Country," by Susan
Gaspell, and that gives this principle in beautiful terms. A picture
of a statue representing a woman carrying a soldier on her shoulders
from the battlefield. In his hand is tightly grasped a broken sword.
The woman is looking backward. The discussion of this statue is
the keynote of the world's situation. When we get through with this
senseless struggle in Europe — this awful carnage — then peace may
reign for a thousand years, but the awful effects of the struggle will
last for a century/'
Mr. Fredrick Wolcott of Cleveland was next called upon. He
said :
Owing to the lateness of the hour I shall be like the man who
rose in protracted meeting and said: "What shall I say! What shall
I say!" to which a wag responded: "Just say, Amen." I'll say, Amen.
Mr. Judson E. Wolcott of Cleveland, responding to "Cleveland in
1920," said:
Cleveland in 1920 means 1,000,000 people. Then Baltimore will
probably be grieving over their little 750,000. To this Mrs. Bruce
Wolcott remarked: "Mr. Wolcott, come down and see."
Among others who responded were Mrs. Charles V. Paterno of
New York City; Mr. C. F. Wolcott, State Vice-President from Ohio;
Mrs. Katherine Wolcott MacMillan of Chicago; Mrs. Judson E.
Wolcott of Cleveland; Mrs. Sereno Wolcott of East Orwell, Ohio,
one of the founders of the Society; Dr. Charles V. Paterno of New
York City.
A hearty vote of thanks was given to Miss Robeson for her
splendid musical treat and to Mr. Judson E. Wolcott for his excellent
arrangements for the banquet.
— 20 —
Morning Session, Thursday, Sept. 3d
At the opening of the session Thursday morning the report of
the Treasurer was read as follows:
The finances of the Society vary considerably from year to year,
as some members pay dues for only one year, some leave them for
two or three years, and then pay up arrears and some pay only for
the years in which they can attend the reunion.
The present financial condition of the Society is as follows:
Receipts:
Balance in Treasury on August 7, 1913 $8.63
Received from Dues and Reports 221.15
Special Subscription, Mrs. Annie Clay Wolcott.. 2.00
Sale of Pins 55.00
Sale of Stationerv 30.37
Sale of Badges 10.00
Left from Banquet 2.00
Contributed, Mr. C. F. Wolcott 3.50
Total $332.65
Expenditures:
Printing $87.65
Letter-Heads, Envelopes $10.75
1,300 Invitations 12.25
500 Circular Letters 5.00
200 Banquet Tickets 75
Card 40
500 Reports 58.50
Postage 24.76
Die for Stationery 15.00
Stationery (embossed coat-of-arms) 16.38
Pins (official, with coat-of-arms) 55.00
Badges 11.10
Salary Secretary-Treasurer 50.00
Two Banquet Tickets .' 4.00
Expenses, State Vice-President 3.50
Total $267.39
Balance on hand $65.26
This does not include the postage of the Historical Committee.
I find that my predecessors in office reported interest received
on money deposited. It is the custom in New York banks to de-
mand that from $100 to $500 be kept in the bank in order to main-
tain a checking account. Otherwise, from fifty cents to one dollar
per month is charged for the privilege. It is by especial courtesy
to your Secretary-Treasurer that we do not have to pay considera-
tion for caring for our funds. This is the reason I have no interest
to report.
Respectfully submitted,
MARY WOLCOTT GREEN,
Treasurer.
— 21 —
iIk [Treasurer's report was accepted, Mr. Judson E. Wol-
cott suggested thai Miss Robeson ,be paid foi hei singing at the
banquet. Upon motion oJ Mr. Fred Wolcott, seconded by Mr. War-
ren Wolcott, a check for $20.00 was sent to Miss Robeson, as a
token of appreciation.
I'pon motion of Mi. I' red Wolcott it was decided that the re-
union should be always held on the second- Wednesday and Thurs-
day in A.UgUSt. The motion was seconded by Mr. Warren Wolcott.
Imitations were received from Warren, Ohio, Syracuse, N. Y.,
Chicago, 111., and New York City, as places for holding the next
meeting of the Society. After some discussion it was decided to
hold the next reunion at Syracuse, N. Y., August 11 and 12, 1915.
It was moved by Mr. Dorr Wolcott and seconded by Mr. Bruce
Wolcott that the salary of the Secretary-Treasurer be increased to
$100.00 per year, providing the finances of the Society warrant the
same. Carried.
The Nominating Committee, Warren Wolcott, Jefferson, Ohio,
Chairman; Fred J. Wolcott, Cleveland, Ohio; Mrs. Bruce L. Wolcott,
Baltimore, Md.; Mrs. Katherine Wolcott McMillan, Chicago, 111.; and
Charles F. Wolcott, Cleveland, Ohio, submitted the following ticket,
which was unanimously elected:
President, Duncan Brewster Wolcott, Kent, Ohio.
First Vice-President, Judson E. Wolcott, Cleveland, Ohio.
Second Vice-President, Dr. Edwin H. Wolcott, Rochester, N. Y.
Secretary-Treasurer, Mary Wolcott Green, New York, N. Y.
Chair. Historical Committee, Chandler Wolcott, Rochester, N. Y.
, Chair. Executive Committee, Clarence E. Wolcott, Syracuse, N. Y.
STATE VICE-PRESIDENTS
California — Nelson A. Wolcott, Los Angeles.
Colorado — C. H. Wolcott, Axial.
Connecticut — Robert Robbins Wolcott, Wethersfield.
Delaware — Mrs. Henry Clay Wolcott, Harrington.
District of Columbia — Mary Wolcott Durham, Washington.
Georgia — Charles W. Wolcott, Atlanta.
Illinois — Henry K. Wolcott, Batavia.
Indiana — Eben H. Wolcott, Wolcott.
Iowa — Mrs. Webb Souers, Des Moines.
Kansas — Darwin B. Wolcott, Garfield.
Maryland — L. Bruce Wolcott, Baltimore.
Massachusetts — Herbert Wolcott, Springfield.
Michigan — Lorena Wolcott Johnson, St. Johns.
Minnesota — J. E. Wolcott, Fergus Falls.
— 22 —
Nebraska — Ethan C. Wolcott, Omaha.
New Hampshire — Ada M. Wolcott, Dover.
New Jersey — Wilfred B. Wolcott, Camden.
New York — (Eastern) Mrs. Helen M. E. Dwight, New York.
(Western) Clarence K. Wolcott, Corning.
New Mexico — Leo A. Wolcott, Silver City.
Ohio — Newton A. Wolcott, Warren, Ohio.
Oregon — Allen D. Wolcott, Marshfield.
Pennsylvania — (Eastern) Mrs. Mary Wolcott Dunham, Waverly,
N. Y.
(Western) Charles F. Wolcott, Pittsburgh.
RfeBtfe* Island — Henrf Wolcott, Providence.
Texas — Mrs. W. G. Von Vleck, Houston.
Vermont — Helen S. F. Wolcott,. Bennington.
Virginia — Edward E. Wolcott, Norfolk.
Wisconsin — Mrs. Theodore Yates, Milwaukee.
COMMITTEES
Executive and Program
Clarence E. Wolcott, Syracuse, N. Y., Chairman.
William Wolcott Wiard, Syracuse, N. Y.
Fred Wolcott, Syracuse, N. Y.
Judson E. Wolcott, Cleveland, Ohio.
Dr. Edwin H. Wolcott, Rochester, N. Y.
Mrs. Mary H. S. Johnston, Humbolt, Iowa.
Finance
Warner Wolcott, Jefferson, Ohio, Chairman.
Stanley Wolcott Hayes, Richmond, Ind.
Clarence E. Wolcott, Syracuse, N. Y.
Historical
Chandler Wolcott, Rochester, N. Y., Chairman.
Mrs. Samuel Wolcott Ver Planck, Fishkill, N. Y.
George A. Reynolds, Hartford, Conn.
Badge
Mrs. L. Bruce Wolcott, Baltimore, Md., Chairman.
Mrs. Beulah Wolcott Frazer, Chicago, 111.
Mrs. Judson E. Wolcott, Cleveland, Ohio.
Poet Laureate
Wellman Wolcott, Columbus, Ohio.
— 23 —
linn d.t\ afternoon the members were taken for a long drive in
automobiles around Cleveland and through the Rockefeller estate,
i i.« evening was devoted t<> an informal program and an enjoyable,
real old time familj reunion, with music, dancing and stories.
Among the visitors were: Mr, John Wolcott of Harrisburg, 111.,
and Mi. William Wolcott of Winchester, Ky., relatives of if not
descendants of Henry Wolcott. Their father owned the Wolcott
mill in Tolland, England, and le.ft there when Mr. John Wolcott was
aboul Fourteen years of age. If the present genealogical researches
prove successful it is hoped that they may be enrolled as members
of the Society by the next reunion.
Another visitor of interest was Mrs. wtKen Grant ose
anecestors, the Grants, came over with Henry Wolcott on the "Mary
and John," in L630.
— 24 —
Extract from Constitution and By-Laws of
The Society of Descendants of Henry Wolcott
Article I.
This organization shall be known as "The Society of Descendants
of Henry Wolcott."
Article II.
The purpose of this Society shall be the collection and preserva-
tion of records, papers and other data of historic interest and value
to the family; the compiling and bringing to date the genealogical
records of the family; the preservation of family monuments and
antiquities; and to bring the various members of the family into closer
acquaintanceship by assembling in social enjoyment.
Article III.
Any lineal descendant of Henry Wolcott who emigrated from
Tolland, England, May 30, 1630, and settled in Windsor, Conn., may
become a member of this Society upon the payment of such dues as
may be required; and by conforming to the rules and regulations
adopted by this organization.
Article IV.
The annual dues of this Society shall be the sum of Two Dollars,
which shall be paid by every member thereof. Such payment by
member shall extend the privileges thereof to a wife or husband and
to all children under eighteen years of age. The fiscal year of the
Society shall extend from January first of one year to January first
of the next year.
Special Announcements
Paper embossed with the Wolcott coat-of-arms may be obtained
in any quantity from the Secretary, at the price of twenty-five cents
a dozen sheets; envelopes at the same price. This includes the postage
by parcels post.
The pins of the Society with the coat-of-arms of gold may be
purchased from the Secretary. The price is five dollars. If any
calls are received for the pin in silver, arrangements can be made
with the same jeweler. As a pin, it has a ring so that it can be used
as a charm if desired. This ring turns back when worn as a pin.
For a watch charm only a ring is put on.
The Secretary will be glad to receive clippings relative to the
family and desires all news of births, marriages and deaths sent that
current history, may be reported.
If you are now a member of the Society of Descendants of Henry
Wolcott, kindly send your checks or money order for dues to Mary
Wolcott Green, Secretary-Treasurer, 613 Prospect Street, West New
Brighton, New York City, as soon as possible.
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If you arc not .t member, will you not look up your genealogy,
.ind if eligible make application for membership through the Secre-
tary Treasurer .m<l the Chairman of the I [istoi i< :al Committee?
For the firsl time the report is printed by one of the members of
the Society, Mr. Edmund Wolcott of the J'atteson 1'ress of New
York. Mr has taken a personal interest and this shows in the fine
appearance <>i the report.
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Members of
The Society of Descendants of Henry Wolcott
Adams, C. Eugene, Wethersfield, Conn.
Allis, Mrs. Marion Yates,
Milwaukee, Wis.
Anderson, Herman, Silver Creek, N. Y.
Anderson, Mrs. William E.,
Houston, Tex.
Aten, Mrs. Marion L., Chicago, 111.
Aten, Miss Stella Wolcott, Chicago, 111.
Bacon, Addie M, Wethersfield, Conn.
Barstow, Mrs. Mary W.,
Wethersfield, Conn.
Bartlett, Mrs. Vesta Wolcott,
Waterford, Ohio.
Bedell, Mrs. Nettie Wolcott,
Cotman, Ohio.
Bonnell, Mrs. A. R., Conneaut, Ohio.
Chittenden, Mrs. George M.,
Meriden, Conn.
Chrisman, George, Sharon Center, Ohio.
Chrisman, Mary W., Sharon Center, O.
Churchill, Anna S., New Britain, Conn.
Churchill, Miss Rose,
New Britain, Conn.
Clark, Elsie Wolcott, Manchester, Conn.
Clark, Mrs. Fred B., Manchester, Conn.
Dean, Charles R.,
Whitestone, Long Island, N. Y.
Deming, Mrs. Ella G.,
Wethersfield, Conn.
Dillon, Mrs. Cora A.,
Huntington, W. Va.
Dore, Mrs. Lottie, Mt. Vernon, N. Y.
Dorr, C. W.,
Drisler, Herman, Mt. Vernon, N. Y.
*Drisler, Mrs. Kate W.,
Mt. Vernon, N. Y.
Dunham, Mary A. Wolcott,
Waverly, N. Y.
Durham, Mary W., Washington, D. C.
Dwight, Mrs. M. E.,
Mount Morris Park, West New York.
Fisher, Mrs. Genevieve Hudson,
New York City.
Fitch, Mrs. C. C, Struthers, Ohio.
Frazer, Mrs. Beulah Wolcott,
Chicago, 111,
Gray, Mrs. J. W., Sutton, Neb.
Green, Euphemia M., West New Brigh-
ton, Staten Island, N. Y.
Green, Craig W., New York City.
Green, Harry C, New York City.
Green, Mrs. Marion E. Wolcott, West
New Brighton, Staten Island, N. Y.
Green, Mary Wolcott, West New Brigh-
ton, Staten Island, N. Y.
Griffen, Mrs. Orin A., Warsaw, N. Y.
fDeceased.
Grush, Mrs. Jane Ellsworth,
Manchester, Conn.
Hadlock, Mrs. Byron S., Litchfield, Pa.
Harvey, Mrs. Kate Wolcott,
Waterford, Ohio.
Harbison, Mrs. Hugh, Hartford, Conn.
Havens, Mrs. Cora Wolcott,
Meriden, Conn.
Hayes, Stanley Wolcott, Richmond, Ind.
Hemingway, Mrs. Buell,
Watertown, Conn.
Hoyt, Albert E., Albany, N. Y.
Hudson, Anna L„ Wolcott,
Kalamazoo, Mich, i
Hull, Mrs. Freddie Wolcott,
Maumee, Ohio.
Hunt, Mrs. Ruth D., Auburn, N. Y.
*Jackson, Gen. Joseph Cook,
New York City.
Jackson, Schuyler B., Newark, N. J.
Jones, Nathan H., Poultney, Vt.
Johnson, Anna W. M., Urbana, Ohio.
Johnson, Mrs. Lorena Wolcott,
St. Johns, Mich.
Johnston, Mrs. Mary H. S.,
Humboldt, Iowa.
Kibbey, George H., Medina, Ohio.
Kline,' Mrs. John E., Lynn, Mass.
Kreutzer, Mrs. A. L., Warsaw, Wis.
Laylin, Mrs. L. C, Washington, D. C.
Lent, Mrs. Bertha Wolcott,
Cleveland, Ohio.
Linn, Dr. Emma Wolcott, Chicago, 111.
Mackie, Mrs. Robert A., Bradford, Pa.
Marshall, Fannie C. K., New York City.
Meffert, Mrs. Sarah W.,
Hortonville, Wis.
Metcalf, Mrs. Celia Fletcher, Erie, Pa.
Montgomery, Belle E., Youngstown, O.
Moore, James B., Hartford, Conn.
Morrison, J. E., Ashtabula, Ohio.
Nash, Miss A. S., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Nash, Miss E. S., Brooklyn, N. Y.
Nowlen, Mrs. J. W., Wilkinsburg, Pa.
Newbury, William P., Chardon, Ohio.
Olmstead, A. M., East Hartford, Conn.
Olmstead, E. S., East Hartford, Conn.
Randolph, Henry Wolcott, Vernon, Mich.
Reddick, W. B.. Wilkinsburg, Pa.
Reddick, Mrs. W. B., Wilkinsburg, Pa.
Reid, Mrs. Carrie Wolcott, Chicago, 111.
Reynolds, G. A., Hartford, Conn.
Roberts, Mrs. Jennie C, Basom, N. Y.
Roberts. Ziba, Medina, N. Y.
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Robins, Miss Louise Bsrnum,
A. In. in, Muli.
Robinson, Mrs, C,
( ll> ahojja lulls. < ).
Starl. . Mrs. ( harlcs I!.,
( imbi Idge, Mass.
SelleW, Mill Mary. Mra.lvillc. Pa.
Sinnus. IMiilip Wolcott, I'niontown, Pa.
Smith, George M., Warren, Oliiu.
Sowers, Mis. Webb. I >€-s Moines, Iowa.
Soiithnate, Mrs. John W., Saginaw, Mich.
Spairow, Jackson \V., Cincinnati, Ohio.
Spencer, T. P., Warren, Ohio.
Scjiiire, \li s , Wilbui II.. Mci iden, ( 'onn,
Street, Frederick Hartford, Conn.
Talcott, Mrs. George Sherman,
New Britain, Conn.
Thompson, Col. Charles E.,
Hartford, Conn.
Yerplanck. Mrs. Kathcrinc,
Fishkill-on-lludson, N. Y.
Von Vleck, Mrs. W. G., Houston, Tex.
Ward, Mrs. James F., Baltimore, Md.
W elles, Rev. Thomas Clayton,
Kdilington, Pa.
Wheellock, T. S., Hartford, Conn.
Wheellock, Mrs. T. S., Hartford, Conn.
Wiard, William Wolcott, Syracuse, N. Y.
Willey, Mrs. Ida Wolcott, Baltimore, Md.
Williams, Mrs. Catherine H.,
New Britain, Conn.
Wolcott, Abigail A., Wolcottville, Ind.
Wolcott, Ada M., Dover, N. H. .
W'olcott, A. J., Albion, Mich.
Wolcott Mrs. Alfred,
Grand Rapids, Mich.
Wolcott, Alferd Perry, Omaha, Neb.
Wolcott Allen Dwight, Marshfield, Ore.
Wolcott, Mrs. Annie M.,
Harrington, Del,
Wolcott, Arthur H., Boston, Mass.
Wolcott, Arthur K., Corning, N. Y.
W'olcott, Augustus I.,
South Orange, N J.
\Yolcott, Bert Henry, Buffalo, N. Y.
Wolcott, Mrs. Charles,
Wethersfield, Conn.
WTolcott, Carrie B., Grand Rapids, Mich.
Wolcott, Carrie, Ripon, Wis.
Wolcott, Chandler, Rochester, N. Y.
Wrolcott, Charles A., Shinglehouse, Pa.
Wolcott, Charles F., Avalon, Pa.
Wolcott, Charles W., Atlanta, Ga.
Wrolcott, C. H., Axial, Col.
Wolcott, Clarence E., Syracuse, N. Y.
\Yolcott, Clarence E., Oil City, Pa.
\Yolcott, Clarence K., Corning, N. Y.
Wolcott, C. H., Jackson, Mich.
Wolcott, Corwin, Vincent, Ohio.
Wolcott, C. P., McKeesport, Pa.
w oleott, ( harlei ( diver,
Bucklsnd, ( onn.
Wolcott, Dai win Garfield, Ohio.
Wolcott, l). B„ Schenectady, N. Y.
Wolcott, Darwin s., Pittsburgh, Pa,
Wolcott, Mr. and Mrs. Dorr,
( leveland, Ohio.
Wolcott, Duncan II., Kent, Ohio.
Wolcott, Eben H., Indianapolis, Ind.
Wolcott, Ebetl II., Marion, Ohio.
Wolcott, E. Cm Warren, Ohio.
Wolcott, Edward, Gainesville, N. Y.
Wolcott, Kdward E., Joliet, 111.
Wolcott, Edward, Norfolk, Va.
Wolcott, Edmund, New York, N. Y.
Wolcott, Edwin A., Ludlow, Vt.
Wolcott, Dr. Edwin II.,
Rochester, N. Y.
Wolcott, Edwin S., Richland, Iowa.
Wolcott, Elizabeth E.,
Fishkill-on-Hudson, N. Y.
Wolcott, Elizabeth E., Talmadge, Ohio.
Wolcott, Ella L., Eimira, N. Y.
Wolcott, Emily J., Utica, N. Y.
Wolcott, Emma, New Britain, Conn.
Wolcott, Elsie, Manchester, Conn.
Wolcott, Ethan C, Omaha, Neb.
Wolcott, F. Cm Coldwater, Mich.
Wolcott, F. J., Cleveland, Ohio.
Wolcott Frank, Buekland, Conn.
^Wolcott, Frank B., Cleveland, Ohio.
Wolcott, Fred, Corning, N. Y.
Wolcott, Fred R., Syracuse, N. Y.
Wolcott, George R., Duke Center, Pa.
Wolcott, Dr. Grace, Boston, Mass.
Wolcott, Grove H., Jackson, Mich.
Wolcott, Guy E., College Point, Md.
Wolcott, Harry K., Norfolk, Va.
Wolcott, Hazel, Grand Rapids, Mich.
Wolcott, Helen L., Wethersfield, Conn
Wolcott, Helen S. F., Bennington, Vt
Wolcott, Helen R., Springfield, Mass.
Wolcott, Henry, Providence, R. I.
Walcott, Rev. Henry B.,
Jamaica, West Indies.
Wolcott, Henry B., Schenectady, N. Y
Wolcott, Mrs. Henry Clay,
Harrington, Del.
Wolcott, Henry J., Lockwood, Ohio.
Wolcott, Henry K., Batavia, 111.
Wolcott, Henry R., Purchase, N. Y.
Wolcott, Herbert R., Springfield, 111.
Wolcott, Herbert W., Jackson, Mich.
Wolcott, H. O., Perry, Ohio.
Wolcott, Plomer J., Lockwood, Ohio.
Wolcott, Horace, Amherst, Mass.
Wolcott, H. W. E., Cleveland, Ohio.
Wolcott, Isaac, Heightstown, N. Y.
*Deceased.
Wolcott, James, Flint, Mich.
Wolcott, James G., La Grange, 111.
Wolcott, J. C, Topeka, Kan.
Wolcott, J. E., Fergus Falls, Minn.
Wolcott, John S., Hartford, Conn.
Wolcott, J. S., Benezette, Elk Co., Pa.
Wolcott, Judson E., Cleveland, Ohio.
Wolcott, Leo F.,
Silver City, New Mexico.
Wolcott, L. A., Huntington, Va.
Wolcott, Linn Bruce, Baltimore, Md.
Wolcott, Mable L., Grand Rapids, Mich.
Wolcott, Mary E., Hartford, Conn.
Wolcott, Mary E., Omaha, Neb.
Wolcott, N. A., Warren, Ohio.
Wolcott, Nelson Wesley, Oakley, Kan.
Wolcott, O. C, Rochester, N. Y.
Wolcott, Orvis A., Omaha, Neb.
Wolcott, Rev. Peter Clark,
Highland Park, 111.
Wolcott, Ralph, Akron, O.
Wolcott, Robert B., Atlanta, Ga.
Wolcott, R. G„
Wolcott, Robert H., Lincoln, Neb.
Wolcott, Robert Robins,
Wethersfield, Conn.
Wolcott, Roger, Boston, Mass.
Wolcott, Rose, Lakewood, Ohio.
Wolcott, Ryland A., Marion, Ind.
Wolcott, S. H., Warren, O.
Wolcott, Stephen C, Dixondale, Va.
Wolcott, Stella, Topeka, Kan.
Wolcott, Townsend
Wolcott, Walter B., Newton, Mass.
Wolcott, Warner, Jefferson, Ohio.
Wolcott, Wellman, Columbus, Ohio.
Wolcott, Wilfred B., Camden, N. T.
Wolcott, William A., Hartford, Conn.
Wolcott, William F., La Grange, Ohi<
Wolcott, Wiliam Oliver, Riverton, N.
Wolcott, William Prescott,
Readville, Mass..
Wolcott, Mrs. William Vernon,
Boston, Mass.
Wolcott, William Warner,
Jefferson, Ohio.
Wolverton, Mrs. Josephine D.,
Columbus, Ohio.
Woodruff, E. A., Jefferson, Ohio.
Yale, Mrs. Mary, Meriden, Conn.
Yates, Mrs. Marion Jane,
Milwaukee, Wis.
PATTESON PRESS. N. Y.
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