USA > Connecticut > History of Connecticut, Volume IV > Part 1
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44
Gc 974.6 B51h v.4 1450881
M. L.
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01150 4906
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2019
https://archive.org/details/historyofconnect04bing
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT
FAMILY AND PERSONAL RECORDS
VOLUME IV
LEWIS HISTORICAL, PUBLISHING COMPANY (Incorporated) NEW YORK WEST PALM BEACH, FLORIDA
COPYRIGHT LEWIS HISTORICAL PUBLISHING COMPANY (Incorporated) 1962
1450881
Goodspeed 37,50 2-20-68 Hva's, = mer, 581-R.O.5621
Medad Holcomb
HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT
HOLCOMB FAMILY
Holcomb or Holcombe are forms of the local surname for resi- dents "of Holcombe," parishes in the counties of Somerset, Devon and Lancaster. It is also the name of a tithing in the parish of Newington, Oxfordshire.
(I) Thomas Holcombe, or Holcomb, as the name was found of record in this generation, was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales, accord- ing to one account, or, in Devonshire, England, in another record, in 1601, and died at Windsor, Connecticut, September 7, 1657. His estate was inventoried October 1, 1657, and amounted to £ 244-9S .- 8d. In March, 1630, he was a member of a company assembled at Plymouth, England, which sailed for America on the "Mary and John." It is not known exactly when Thomas Holcomb arrived in New England, but he was made a freeman at Dorchester, Massachu- setts, May 14, 1634. In the spring of 1636, the Reverend John Ware- ham brought his flock, including Thomas Holcomb, to Windsor, Connecticut. Before leaving Dorchester, Thomas Holcomb sold his property to Richard Jones. In 1639, he removed to Poquonock, Hart- ford County, Connecticut, where he engaged in farming. He served as representative from Windsor and Hartford to the convention which framed the constitution of the Colony of Connecticut. Thomas Hol- comb served as a soldier, who, by order of the General Court, was freed from training on certain days, in September 1649, so that he might take his turn in guarding his home and those of his neighbors.
Thomas Holcombe or Holcomb married Elizabeth Ferguson, a widow, who was born in England, and died in Connecticut, October 7, 1679. She married (third), August 5, 1658, James Eno. Thomas and Elizabeth Holcombe or Holcomb were the parents of ten children, the eighth being: Nathaniel (1), of whom further.
(II) Lieutenant Nathaniel (1) Holcomb or Holcomb(e), as his name was recorded in the records of the Society of Colonial Wars, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Holcomb, was born at Poquonock, Windsor, Connecticut, November 4. 1648, and died March 5. 1740. He located in Simsbury, Connecticut; from here he served as repre- sentative to the General Court, as well as from Windsor, 1703 to 1706. and again from 1720 to 1722. In 1716 he was a lieutenant.
Lieutenant Nathaniel (1) Holcomb or Holcomb (c) married
Conn. IV-1
525
526
CONNECTICUT
(first) February 27, 1670, Mary Bliss. He married ( second), January 16, 1725, Sarah Owen, widow of Josiah Owen. One of the nine child- ren of the first marriage was: Nathaniel (2), of whom further.
(III) Nathaniel (2) Holcomb(e), as the name was spelled in different records of this generation, son of Lieutenant Nathaniel ( I) and Mary (Bliss) Holcomb, was born June I or II, 1673, and died September 9, 1766. He was called sergeant in some records. He served as representative to the General Court of Connecticut from 1748 to 1753.
Nathaniel (2) Holcomb(e) married, at Simsbury, Connecticut, November 1, 1695, Martha Buell. The eldest of their ten children was: Nathaniel (3), of whom further.
(IV) Nathaniel (3) Holcomb, as the name is spelled in and after this generation according to records in possession of descendants, son of Nathaniel (2) and Martha (Buell) Holcomb(e), was born October 25, 1696, and died in 1782. In some records he is referred to as "captain."
Nathaniel (3) Holcomb married (first), October 9, 1717, Thank- ful Hayes. (Hayes II.) He married (second) Thankful, whose sur- name is not known. There were thirteen children by the first marriage, one being: Nathaniel (4), of whom further.
(V) Nathaniel (4) Holcomb, son of Nathaniel (3) and Thank- ful (Hayes) Holcomb, was born February 1, 1720.
He married (first), in 1740, Margaret Cossett. He married ( sec- ond), in April 1760. Hannah Holcomb, daughter of Azariah Holcomb. The eldest of eight children by the first marriage was: Nathaniel (5), of whom further.
(VI) Nathaniel (5) Holcomb, son of Nathaniel (4) and Mar- garet (Cossett) Holcomb, was born November 10, 1740, and died in Schenectady, New York, September 11, 1812. He was a member of the Church of England, and removed to Granville, Hampden County, Massachusetts. During the Revolutionary War, he served as a pri- vate, enlisting in the Third Hampshire Company, under Captain Abel Pettibone, Colonel Roger Eno's Regiment, and served in Cap- tain Japhet Daniel's Company, Lieutenant-Colonel Calvin Smith's Regiment. He removed to Schenectady, New York, where he re- mained for the rest of his life.
Nathaniel (5) Holcomb married (first ) Hannah Holcomb, "whose parents were Presbyterians." She was born January 19, 1739, and died in May, 1780. He married (second), in 1780, Jemima Smith, widow, and had, among others, Medad, of whom further.
Frederick A. Holcomb
MM
Mary (Rogers ) Holcomb
Henry A. Holcomb
Mary & l'Wainwright) Holcomb
527
CONNECTICUT
(VII) Medad Holcomb, son of Nathaniel (5) and Jemima Hol- comb, was born in Granville, Massachusetts, July 27, 1781, and died about 1849, when his fifth wife, Harriet, was called "widow." He was a pioneer settler in Durham, Connecticut, and in 1800 removed to North Guilford, Connecticut.
Medad Holcomb married (first), in 1801, Betsey Stevens, who was born October 25, 1781, and died December 9, 1803. He married (second), in December, 1804, Sally, also called Betsey or Polly Ben- ton, who was born December 25, 1781, and died March 12, 1814-15. He married (third) January 25, 1815, Myrta M. Fowler, who was born June 22, 1798, and died August 3, 1821; married (fourth), De- cember 5, 1821, Nancy Parnel Dudley, who was born April 29, 1797, died September 26, 1845; and married (fifth) about 1849, Harriet Fowler.
(VIII) Frederick A. Holcomb, son of Medad and Sally, also called Betsey or Polly (Benton) Holcomb, was born in North Guil- ford, Connecticut, January 31, 1807, and died in Branford, Connecti- cut, July II, 1886. He resided in Branford, Connecticut, where he is recorded as having manufactured the first bent wagon shaft, and was a carriage manufacturer. In 1877, he celebrated his Golden Wedding Anniversary.
Frederick A. Holcomb married, in 1827, Mary Rogers, who was born at Stony Creek, Connecticut, July 26, 18II, and died at Bran- ford, in 1887, aged seventy-six years. She was a daughter of James Rogers, a Revolutionary soldier.
(IX) Henry A. or Harry Alonzo Holcomb, son of Frederick A. and Mary (Rogers) Holcomb, was born in Branford, Connecticut, February 21, 1837, and died in South America, in 1890. He was edu- cated in New Haven. He resided in New Haven for a time, but re- moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he engaged in the export business. In the early 187os he went to China, and then to South America on water power projects.
Henry A. or Harry Alonzo Holcomb married, May 1, 1862, Mary Ellet Wainwright.
(X) Frederick Wainwright Holcomb, son of Henry A., or Harry Alonzo and Mary Ellet (Wainwright) Holcomb, was born in Chile, South America, February 15. 1883, and died in Waterbury, Con- necticut, December 9, 1949. At the age of nine, he came to New Haven, Connecticut, on a sailing vessel from South America, to live with his uncle, George F. Holcomb. At the age of seventeen he re- moved to Waterbury, Connecticut, where he was employed for twenty-
528
CONNECTICUT
five years by the Scovill Manufacturing Company. He worked first in the casting shops and mills, and eventually became manager. His next move was to Meriden, Connecticut, where he took over the paper box company of his father-in-law, E. J. Doolittle Company. After ten years, he withdrew from the latter company, and during the period of World War II, returned to the Scovill Company to aid in the war work efforts. After this, he retired from the concern and spent the remaining years of his life in the peaceful pursuit of landscape gardening in Waterbury. He was a member of the Fishers Island Club, the Waterbury Country Club, and the Waterbury Club. He was a Thirty-second degree Mason. Mr. Holcomb was a man of domestic tastes and devoted most of his time to his home. While active in aid- ing various civic movements, he never held a public office of any kind.
Frederick Wainwright Holcomb married, November 15, 191I, Dorothy Doolittle. (Doolittle-Family in America-VIII.) Children :
1. Jane, of whom further.
2. Martha, born July 4, 1915; was educated at Westover School; married, June 24, 1946, William Middlebrook Goss, of Waterbury, Connecticut. Child:
i. Martha Middlebrook Goss, born at Waterbury, November 4, 1947.
3. Nancy, born August 16, 1916; was educated at Westover School; married, May 17, 1938, Ernest Arthur Anderson, Jr.
(XI) Jane Holcomb, daughter of Frederick Wainwright and Dorothy (Doolittle) Holcomb, was born at Waterbury, Connecticut, September 1I, 1913. She was educated at Westover School. She is a member of the Junior League; a director, and at one time secretary of the Boys Club of Wilmington; director of the Girls Club of Amer- ica; a member of the Children's Bureau of Delaware, and a member of the Junior League; a director, and at one time secretary member of the Wilmington Flower Market, Inc., of which she served as chair- man in 1953. She is a member of the Society of Colonial Dames of Delaware, the Vicmead Club, the Wilmington Country Club, the Fishers Island Country, and the Fishers Island Yacht clubs.
Jane Holcomb married, at Fishers Island, New York, June 24, 1933, Pierre Samuel du Pont (q.v.)
DOOLITTLE FAMILY
The surname Doolittle is placed by authorities in the sobriquet class of names, for "the idler," the original ancestor, even though many bearing the name have been distinguished for their zeal and industry. The name derives from the Old English don, meaning do, plus lytel, for little.
Dorothy Dolente Holcomb
Abraham Doolittle, settler; of Wallingford, 16"10
Rose Farm built before 17 35-erected by one of the three sons of
-
-
529
CONNECTICUT
(THE FAMILY IN ENGLAND)
(I) Humphrey Doolittle, first of his family to be of definite record, was probably a son of Humphrey and Alice Doolittle, who resided at Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England. He was the grandfather of the "Emigrant" Abraham Doolittle, and was living in Kidder- minster in 1592.
Humphrey Doolittle married Ann, whose surname has not been found. She was buried at Kidderminster, October 20, 1592.
(II) Edward Doolittle, son of Humphrey and Ann Doolittle, was born at Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England, and was baptized there May 18, 1588.
1 He married Elizabeth, whose surname has not been found.
(THE FAMILY IN AMERICA)
(I) Sergeant Abraham Doolittle, progenitor of the family in America, son of Edward and Elizabeth Doolittle, of Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England, was a staunch and persevering Puritan. He was born in 1619-20, and died at Wallingford, Connecticut, August II, 1690, aged seventy years. His estate was valued at £ 342. About 1640, he came to America with John Doolittle, who was called his brother. John Doolittle settled at Rumney Marsh, near Chelsea, Mas- sachusetts, where he attained prominence and was chosen constable at a town meeting "14th of I mo., 1652-3," and died in 1681, leaving no children.
Sergeant Abraham Doolittle is believed to have been the ancestor of all who bear the name in America. He emigrated from Boston, Massachusetts, to New Haven, Connecticut, where it is of record that he bought or built a house. In 1644, he took the oath of fidelity; was chosen sheriff of the county; served as deputy, and was marshal of New Haven County. He was a corporal of the New Haven Trainband in 1657; sergeant in 1665, and deputy in 1668. About this time he, with others, became interested in the new settlement at Wallingford, and, in 1670, served on a committee to manage its affairs, he being one of the most prominent of the first settlers. He was a member of the Vigilance Committee during King Philip's War, and his dwelling was fortified by a picket guard against attack by the Indians. He served as deputy at Wallingford in 1671 and 1672; was one of the selectmen, and represented the town at the General Court, 1679-1683, and in 1684.
Sergeant Abraham Doolittle married (first) Joan Allen, daughter
530
CONNECTICUT
of James Allen of Kempston, County Bedford, England. He married (second), July 2, 1663, Abigail Moss.
(II) Captain Joseph (1) Doolittle, son of Sergeant Abraham and Abigail (Moss) Doolittle, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, February 12, 1667, died in Wallingford, May 15, 1733, and is buried in the Wallingford Cemetery. In a deed dated 1702, he described himself as a "rope maker." Like his father, he too located in Walling- ford, where he served as lieutenant of the trainband in October 1712, and as deputy to the General Assembly in 1713, 1714 and in 1716. In May 1716, he was made captain of the trainband. In 1717, he was returned to the Assembly, where he again served in 1720 and 1722.
Captain Joseph (1) Doolittle married (first), April 24, 1690, Sarah Brown, daughter of Samuel and Sarah Brown. She was born August 8, 1672. He married (second), October 5, 1720, Elizabeth Holt.
(III) Ensign Joseph (2) Doolittle, son of Captain Joseph (I) and Elizabeth (Holt) Doolittle, was born in Wallingford, Connecti- cut, October 17, 1725, and died there June 1, 1798. He is buried in Wallingford Cemetery. In the early records of that town, the "ear- marks" of his cattle "that was his father's, Capt. Joseph Doolittle, deceased," were "recorded to him May 23. 1747." About 1765, he became part owner of a grist mill, with his brother-in-law, Dr. Walter Munson, and later became the sole proprietor. This mill was well operated and managed, and for over one hundred years was noted for its excellent service.
In 1767, he joined his father-in-law, Obadiah Munson, and his brother-in-law, Dr. Walter Munson, in the presentation of land to New Haven for an open highway to run past their mill and the Munson homestead. In October 1768, Joseph (2) Doolittle was ap- pointed ensign of the first company, or trainband of Wallingford.
He married (first), December 8, 1748, Sarah Fredericks, who died November 29, 1749. He married (second), May 11, 1756, Mary Munson.
(IV) Joseph (3) Doolittle, son of Ensign Joseph (2) and Mary (Munson) Doolittle, was born in Wallingford, Connecticut, January 15, 1757, died there February 25, 1814, aged fifty-seven years, and is buried in Wallingford Cemetery. On April 7, 1800, he and two of his brothers bought from the heirs of Joshua Doolittle Waterman, deceased, one hundred and forty acres in Wallingford for two thou- sand dollars. In 1801, Joseph (3) Doolittle was elected to the General Assembly from North Haven in which office he continued to serve
Jared Doolittle
Rev. Edgar F. Doolittle
Jane 8. (Sage) Doolittle
531
CONNECTICUT
for twelve years. In 1812, he was elected to serve as the first select- man of North Haven.
Joseph (3) Doolittle married, January 27, 1780, Sarah Hart.
(V) Jared Doolittle, son of Joseph (3) and Sarah (Hart) Doolittle, was born in Wallingford, Connecticut, in 1780, and died in North Haven, Connecticut, in May 1816, aged thirty-six years, where he was buried. He was a merchant.
Jared Doolittle married Anna Jones. (Second Jones Line VI.)
(VI) Reverend Edgar Jared (I) Doolittle, son of Jared and Anna (Jones) Doolittle, was born in New Haven, Connecticut, Oc- tober 19, 1810, died February 1, 1883, and was buried in Walling- ford. It is written of him:
Mr. Doolittle was a man of rare excellencies, highly respected as a minister and greatly beloved in his private relations. He was wise in counsel and sympa- thetic in times of sorrow, delighted to do good and happy in the reward of goodness.
His early life was spent in his native city, but after his father's death, his mother removed to Wallingford. Before his decision to study for the ministry, he worked as a merchant's clerk in New Haven. He was educated at Yale College, from which he graduated in 1836, after which he taught at the Academy at Cromwell for two years. In 1838, he began his studies at Yale Theological Seminary; gradu- ated in 1841, and was ordained in the Congregational ministry at Hebron, Connecticut, May 18, 1842. He served in the pastorate at Hebron until December 14, 1852, when he was called to serve in the Congregational Church at Chester, Connecticut, where he was in- stalled April 16, 1853. Because of failing health he was obliged to leave this pastorate in April 1859. However, the desire to return was so great, that in 1861, he accepted the invitation, and served as the pastor for eight years more. In 1869, he returned to the family home- stead in Wallingford, where he spent the remainder of his life in retirement.
Reverend Edgar Jared (1) Doolittle married, June 8, 1842, Jane Elizabeth Sage.
(VII) Edgar Jared (2) Doolittle, son of Reverend Edgar Jared (1) and Jane Elizabeth (Sage) Doolittle, was born at Hebron, Con- necticut, January 29, 1845, and died at Meriden, Connecticut, March 30, 1926. He was educated in the public schools of Hebron and grad- uated from the Guilford Institute in 1861. The following year he came to Meriden and engaged in a small way in the manufacture of paper boxes. This was the beginning of a business that has grown to
532
CONNECTICUT
be one of the largest of its kind in the state. The plant is completely equipped with modern machinery for making paper boxes, cartons and so forth, and many of these are very elaborate, being lined with silk and satin and largely used by the manufacturers of silverware.
Mr. Doolittle, after locating in Meriden, became actively inter- ested in its civic affairs. He was elected to the Board of Directors of the Home National Bank, later being elected as its vice president. In 1913, he was honored with the presidency of the institution and devoted a great deal of his time and energy to the bank's interests. He was a director and vice president of the Meriden Savings Bank.
In politics, Mr. Doolittle was a Republican of high integrity and character. Because of the faithful discharge of duties in this field, his constituents were anxious to confer upon him the honor of the can- didacy for State Governor, but this honor was graciously declined. In 1881, he was elected Mayor of the City, to which office he was reelected for five successive terms. He was a Thirty-second degree Mason, and was a member of Meriden Lodge, No. 77; Keystone Chapter; St. Elmo Commandery; Lafayette Consistory ; and was one of the earliest members of the Pyramid Temple, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution; of the Highland Country Club; and of the Home Club, of which he was president. He was a member of the First Congregational Church of Meriden, which he served and attended faithfully. He was a sup- porter of the movement to found the Meriden Hospital and was chairman of the first meeting. In 1885, the charter was obtained, and he was chosen a member of the Board of Directors. He donated a room known as the Doolittle Room to the hospital, and it was here that he had his last illness.
The high esteem in which Mr. Doolittle was held is attested to in the following obituaries at the time of his death. At the regular meeting of the Directors of the Home National Bank, held Tuesday, April 6, 1926, the following Memorial was adopted :
In the death of its President, not only has the Home National Bank met an irreparable loss, but Meriden mourns the passing of one who for a long period has been intimately identified with all its business, financial, civic, social and benevolent interests; the State, too, sorrows over the loss of a favorite son and honored and faithful servant. .
From an ancestry which had a prominent part in the original organization of the Town of Wallingford, Mr. Doolittle since 1862 has been in the forefront of Meriden's life, and few of its citizens have been held in such universal esteem or done more to promote its interests in every good way. '
He became a Director of this Bank in 1886, its Vice-President in 1896 and President in 1913.
Possessed of a most gracious personality, charitable in all his thoughts and
E. S. Doveit
1450881
Martha W ( Couch) Doolittle
533
CONNECTICUT
dealings, his integrity, established by life-long uprightness of character and honesty of purpose, he made an ideal Banker, and his counsel was widely sought and freely given.
To his family we extend our heartfelt sympathy, and with them we mourn the loss of one whom from long personal contact we had learned to love, honor and respect. . ..
The following resolution was adopted by the Meriden Trust and Safe Deposit Company, at a meeting held May 20, 1926:
Resolved, That inasmuch as death has removed from our Board of Trustees
EDGAR J. DOOLITTLE
a friend and associate of high character and attractive personality, we consider it a privilege to record in this manner our expression of loss and our estimate of the man.
Mr. Doolittle was one who had unusual ability to attain and hold the con- fidence and respect of the entire community. Not only the business activity but the civic and social life of our city have suffered a loss in his passing.
Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be suitably engrossed and transmitted to the bereaved family with the sincere sympathy of the members of the Board ....
The eulogy at the funeral of Mr. Doolittle, delivered by Dr. Lord, follows in part:
Mr. Doolittle came from the best of Puritan ancestry. He was a son of a Connecticut clergyman, and inherited all that was best in spirit and character of New England's life. It is doubtful if history can find a higher hereditary title of true nobility, than that which has been handed down to such men as he, by those strong-willed, stout-hearted, freedom-loving people. He had a splendid heritage and he made good use of it. In his youth, he was poor in pocket but rich in determination to do his best in the world. We are fast losing out of our American life this type of royal manhood which has meant so much to New England and the nation.
The local paper cites as follows:
Few citizens of Meriden have ever been held in such universal esteem as Mr. Doolittle and the fact that he was elected Mayor of the city five times, is pretty good proof that his fellow citizens honored him for his many excellent qualities and proclaimed their faith in his ability as an executive as long as he would permit himself to be a candidate for public office. ... Whenever there was anything that in any way concerned the improvement of the city or the welfare of its citizenry Mr. Doolittle was one of the first to show his interest. He worked for everything that was worth while and his influence was boundless, so great was the faith of the people in him and his works.
It is praise of no mean order to say that he had no enemies, for the charm of his personality and the warmth of his interest made friends of all who knew him. Meriden is better for having had such a citizen live here for so many years.
Edgar Jared (2) Doolittle married, at Meriden, November 13, 1867, Martha Warner Couch. (Couch V.)
(VIII) Dorothy Doolittle, daughter of Edgar Jared (2) and Martha Warner (Couch) Doolittle, was born at Meriden, Connecti- cut, March 8, 1889. She was educated at Ogontz School, Ogontz,
534
CONNECTICUT
Pennsylvania. She is a member of the Colonial Dames of America, and also of the Fishers Island Club. She holds membership in the National Girls Club of America, and in the Girls Club of Waterbury, Connecticut.
Dorothy Doolittle married Frederick Wainwright Holcomb. (Holcomb X.)
COUCH FAMILY
Couch is a surname of occupational derivation, derived from the Middle English word "couchen," to set, or arrange, and signifying one who was an upholsterer, or carpet-maker by trade. Variants found in English and American records are Couche, Cooch, Coach, Coucher, and Couchman.
(1) Captain John (1) Couch, first of this family found of record, was born in Branford, Connecticut, August 7, 1725, and died in Meriden, Connecticut, April 11, 1806. According to records in pos- session of descendants, he was the son of Dr. John Couch who was a resident of Branford in 17II, and a grandson of Captain Samuel Couch of Fairfield, Connecticut, who, in turn, was the son of Simon Couch of Fairfield who died in 1687/8. The records of Fairfield show, however, that the John Couch who was the son of Captain Samuel moved to Redding, Connecticut, where his son John was baptized, March 20, 1748. As Captain John Couch was born twenty-three years earlier, and was settled in that part of Wallingford, Connecticut, which later became Meriden by 1746, it seems evident that he did not belong to the Fairfield branch of the family. It is more likely that he was a descendant of Thomas Couch of Wethersfield whose son, Simon, settled in Glastonbury, Connecticut, and had a large family.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.