USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > Hartford > A historical discourse, delivered before the Connecticut historical society, and the citizens of Hartford, on the evening of the 26th day of December, 1843 > Part 3
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During the latter part of this period, he married Miss Me- hitabel Russell, daughter of the Rev. William Russell of Middletown. After his mother's death in 1773, he, with his family-a wife and three children-removed to Hart- ford, and occupied, in common with his sisters, the paternal mansion house.
(a) Mrs. Sigourney.
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The revolutionary war, which commenced when he was about thirty two years old, deprived him of his employment at sea. But he had become too much a man of business to be idle. It was seen, that his experience and tact in buy- ing and selling cargoes, might be turned to a profitable ac- count-profitable to his country as well as to himself-in furnishing supplies for the army. He was offered the place of deputy-commissary under Col. Joseph Trumbull, which he accepted ; and so satisfactorily did he execute its duties, that on the resignation of his principal, not long afterwards, he was appointed, by Congress, as his successor in office. After the arrival of the French troops, he became commis- sary of the French army, and acted in that capacity until the close of the war.
His official situation, his knowledge of the country and its resources, his insight into the characters and motives of men, and his sound common sense on all subjects, rendered it useful, not to say necessary, for the principal officers of the American and French army to hold frequent consulta- tions with him. He shared largely in their confidence-es- pecially in that of the commander-in-chief. Hence they were often his guests ; and his house was always open to them. The following apostrophe to this house after its re- moval, is not less authentic as a record of historical facts, than its diction is graceful :
" Fallen dome-beloved so well, Thou could'st many a legend tell Of the chiefs of ancient fame, Who, to share thy shelter, came. Rochambeau and La Fayette Round thy plenteous board have met, With Columbia's mightier son, Great and glorious WASHINGTON.
Here, with kindred minds, they plann'd Rescue for an infant land; While the British lion's roar
Echo'd round the leagur'd shore." (a)
(a) Mrs. Sigourney.
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Let me add, in my own plain prose, that General Wash- ington was enjoying the hospitality of this house, with Count de Rochambeau, at the time Arnold was perpetrating treason at West Point, and returned to take a hasty break- fast at the traitor's table, an hour after he had fled from it, and immediately before the discovery of his guilt.(2)
In July, 1783, after the cessation of hostilities, and a few weeks before the treaty of peace was signed, Col. Wads- worth embarked for France, for the purpose of rendering an account of his administration to the proper officers of the French government, and obtaining a final settlement with them. He arrived in France, in August, after a passage of twenty-seven days. So correctly had his accounts been kept, and so satisfactory had his official conduct been, that a settlement was effected without difficulty ; and the large balance in his favour was honourably paid. In the latter part of March, 1784, he left France, and passed over to England, where he remained until some time in July fol- lowing. Thence he went to Ireland, where he spent about six weeks ; and then returned to America. He arrived in Delaware Bay, after a passage of fifty-six days.
A considerable part of the funds he received from the French government he invested in French, English and Irish goods, which he brought home and sold in Hartford and Philadelphia. This, with the care and management of his other property, afforded him sufficient employment in the way of business, without trenching upon his social and domestic enjoyments.
During this period, he cansed some improvements in the agriculture of his neighbourhood, by successful experiments on his own land. He also introduced into the state breeds both of horses and horned cattle, superior to those which had been previously raised here.
When the constitution of the United States was referred to the people of the several states for their consideration, he was elected a member of the convention of this state
(a) Sparks' Life of Arnold, passim.
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from his native town, and not only took a deep interest in its proceedings, but largely shared its labours and responsibil- ities. Though his education and habits had not especially fitted him for public debate, yet his natural good sense sur- mounted every difficulty of this sort, and he became an effi- cient advocate of the constitution. After its adoption, he was elected a member of the first Congress, with such men as Roger Sherman, Jonathan Trumbull, and others, for his colleagues. He was re-elected to the second Congress, and afterwards to the third. After serving his state and coun- try, in this capacity, for six years, he resigned his seat, or declined a further election. In May, 1795, the next session of the General Assembly of this state after the expiration of the third Congress, he was chosen a representative of his native town in the popular branch, and was, at the same time, elected, by the freemen of the state, an Assistant or member of the Council. He took his seat in the latter body ; and was annually re-elected to that station until 1801, when, at his own request, he was omitted. He died on the 30th of April 1804, leaving a widow and two children-a son and a daughter.
I have not time, if I had the requisite materials and qual- ifications, for a full delineation of his character. It may be sufficient for the present occasion, to mention a few char- acteristic qualities, which those who knew him best, love to cherish in their memories. To a sunny cheerfulness of temper, he united very vivid recollections of past events, combining important historical truths with pleasant anec- dotes ; and these he related so well as to entertain and delight his hearers. He was a most firm friend ; and to those whom he loved, his generosity was unbounded ; whilst his firmness and integrity kept at bay the inquisitive and the intriguing. He gave encouragement to industrious people, by advice, and when their necessities required it, by pecuniary assistance. No man since the days of Job, could, with more truthfulness, appropriate his declaration- " I was a father to the poor ; and the cause which I knew not, I searched out." Col. Humphreys, than whom few
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had better opportunities of knowing him, says-" He was always the protector and the guardian of the widow, the fatherless and the distressed." In relation to his public character, the same distinguished witness testifies as fol- lows : " No man in this country was ever better acquainted with its resources, or the best mode of drawing them forth for the public use. His talents for and dispatch of business, were unrivalled. His services, at some periods of the war, were incalculable."(")
M. De Warville, a respectable French gentleman, who travelled in this country in 1788, thus speaks of him : " Hartford is the residence of one of the most respectable men in the United States-Colonel Wadsworth. He enjoys a considerable fortune, which he owes entirely to his own labour and industry. Perfectly versed in commerce and ag- riculture ; universally known for the service he rendered the American and French armies during the war ; generally esteemed and beloved for his great virtues ; he crowns all his qualities, by an amiable and singular modesty. His address is frank, his countenance open, and his discourse simple. Thus you cannot fail to love him, as soon as you see him." (3)
I will conclude this imperfect sketch, by adopting the general summary, which appeared in one of the public prints of this city, (') immediately after his decease : " In all the public and private relations of life, he was esteemed and respected. By his death, his family have lost a tender, affectionate and beloved relative ; the poor a kind and be- neficent father; the town its greatest benefactor ; and the country one of its firmest friends, and most able and faith- ful patriots."
Daniel Wadsworth, after the decease of the survivor of his aunts, occupied the homestead of his ancestors, as well as the adjoining land on the East, until the spring of 1842.
(a) Valedictory Dis course before the Connecticut Society of Cincinnati, July 4th, 1904, pp. 11, 38.
(b) New Travels in the United States of America, performed in 1788, by
J P. Brissot De Warville. Translated from the French. London, 1792.
(c) The Connecticut Courant of May 2d, 1504.
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Of this gentleman, as he is living, my notice will be brief. His genealogy in the paternal line, has already been traced as far back as William Wadsworth ; (") and it might easily be carried farther back, by crossing the Atlantic. I now have occasion to advert more particularly to his ancestry, in the maternal line. At the close of my notice of Elder William Goodwin, I spoke of his blood as not yet extinct. Here it is pertinent to state the curious and interesting fact, that the last individual proprietor of the land in question, is a lineal descendant of the first proprietor in severalty ; and if that "godly man" is now in a situation to know what has become of that portion of earth, which, two hundred years ago, constituted the rear of his homestead, lying on the North side of the riveret in Hartford, he may well, at this hour, look down upon it, and upon his offspring of the sixth generation, with some degree of complacency. It has been stated, as you may recollect, that Elder Goodwin left a daughter, Elizabeth, an only child, who married John Crow.(') By him she had several children, and among
(a) William Wadsworth, the younger brother of James, was born in Long- Buckby, Northamptonshire, England; removed thence to Braintree in Essex ; emigrated thence, with his family, to New-England, and was admitted a free- man of Massachusetts, simultaneously with William Goodwin and others, November 6th, 1632. He came to Hartford, either in the Fall of 1635, or the Spring of 1636. [I intended to insert here a complete list of the descend- ants of William Wadsworth,-at least those in the male line-and have taken some pains to collect the materials requisite for that purpose; but the collec - tion is still so incomplete, that I must defer the accomplishment of my design to a future occasion, or leave it wholly to some other hand.]
(b) For the following account of the descendants of John Crow, the son- in-law of Elder William Goodwin, I am indebted to Nathaniel Goodwin, Esq. of Hartford, one of our most accurate, as well as diligent, antiquarians. The facts and dates are mostly taken from public records, which he examined, and in part transcribed for my inspection.
CHILDREN OF JOHN CROW.
John, who was engaged in trade and lived at Fairfield. He perished at sea, in 1667, and left no family.
Daniel, settled in East Hartford.
Nathaniel, do.
Samuel, lived and died at Hadley.
Esther, married Giles Hamlin, of Middletown.
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them a daughter, Esther, who married Giles Hamlin, a merchant of extensive business in Middletown. A daugh- ter of his married the Rev. Noadiah Russell of Middletown;
Hannah, married Thomas Dickinson, of Hadley.
Mehitabel, " Samuel Partridge, of Hadley and Hatfield.
Elizabeth, 66 William Warren, of East-Hartford,-afterwards Phin. Wilson.
Mary, Noah Coleman, of Hadley.
Sarah, Daniel White, of Hatfield.
Ruth, William Gaylord, of Hadley.
Elder Goodwin and his son-in-law, Mr. Crow, removed to Hadley, in 1659. At the commencement of the Indian wars, Elder Goodwin, being in ad- vanced life, returned to Connecticut, and located himself at Farmington, where he remained until his death, which occurred on the 11th of March, 1673. , His wife, whose name was Susannah, died there, May 17, 1676. John Crow and wife disposed of Elder Goodwin's house and lands in Hadley, after his decease.
Giles Hamlin, of Middletown, was married to Esther Crow, daughter of John Crow, in the early part of the year 1655. They had children, as fol- lows, viz :
Esther, born December 15, 1655.
John,
December 14, 1658.
Mary,
February 11, 1662.
Mehitabel, November 17, 1661.
Giles,
August 13, 1666.
William, February 3, 1667.
Giles Hamlin, died September 1, 1659, aged 67.
Esther Hamlin, relict of Giles Hamlin, died August 23, 1700.
Giles Hamlin had a home-lot of five acres, in Middletown, lying next south of the ancient burying-ground, bounded east by Connecticut River, west by highway, and south by his wife's grandfather, Elder William Goodwin. He was extensively engaged in foreign commerce, in which pursuit he seems to have amassed a large estate. He was also engaged in foreign trade, with John Crow, jun., his brother-in-law, who resided at Fairfield, and, as the records of the court of probate at Hartford show, settled an administration account on Mr. Crow's estate, at said court, on the 3d of March, 1687. Mr. John Crow, jun., as before mentioned, was lost at sea, in 1667. He was in large business, at the time of his decease ; and being so suddenly removed, it required a long time to bring his concerns to a close. After the settle- ment of his estate, there remained a balance for distribution, which was distributed among his brothers and sisters.
The Rev. Noadiah Russell and Miss Mary Hamlin, daughter of Giles Ham- lin, were joined in marriage covenant, Feb. 20th, 1690. They had children born as follows, riz .:
William, November 30, 1690.
Noadiah, August 8, 1692.
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and his son, the Rev. William Russell, who succeeded his father in the ministry, was the father of Mehitabel, who became the wife of Jeremiah, and the mother of Daniel, Wadsworth. The latter gentleman, the only son of his parents that survived infancy, was born at Middletown, August 8th, 1771.
When he was between two and three years old, he re- moved, with his parents, to Hartford, where he has ever since resided. In 1783, he accompanied his father to France, England and Ireland, where he had favourable op- portunities of cultivating and refining his natural taste for the fine arts-especially architecture, drawing and paint- ing ; and young as he then was, he was not too young to profit by his advantages. On the 26th of June, 1794, he was married to Miss Faith Trumbull, eldest daughter of Jonathan Trumbull, the second governor of that name. Uniformly and firmly declining office, (unless it were one of charity,) his life has been that of a private gentleman. How much he has done to adorn and illustrate such a life, may be more appropriately told, on a future occasion. Dis- tant be the day when that occasion shall arrive !
In the summer or autumn of 1841, Mr. Wadsworth offered to the citizens of Hartford, as much of his ancestral home- stead as would be requisite for a building for certain pur- poses which will soon be specified, provided they would raise, by subscription, the necessary means of erecting it. This offer was gladly embraced ; and somewhat over 20,000
Giles, November S, 1693. Died January 13, 1712.
Mary, December 30, 1691. John, July 6, 1607. Esther, August 14, 1699. Daniel, June 3, 1702. Mehitabel, May 27, 1704.
Died February 27, 1723.
Died,-(no date in the record.)
Hannah, February 23, 1706.
Rev. Noadiah Russell died December 3, 1713.
Esther Hamlin, the daughter of Giles Hamlin, senior, was married to William Southmayd, in October, 1673. She died December 29, 1052.
Jolin Hamlin, the son of Giles Hamlin, senior, was married to Elizabeth Partridge, of Hatfield, at Hatfield, May 3, 1709. He died in the island of Antigua. on the 9th of August, 1709.
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dollars was thus raised ; Mr. Wadsworth himself making the most liberal subscription. Considering the condition as sufficiently complied with, he, on the 18th of March, 1842, conveyed, with the usual covenants, to Thomas S. Williams and Alfred Smith, the land on Main-street lying between the alley on the North and the land of Charles Brainerd on the South, and extending Eastward about 172 feet to the East side of a gateway ; to be held by them in trust for a corporation to be created and organized, embracing, as members thereof, the subscribers for the fund intended for the erection of a building on the land so conveyed, in three principal divisions, separated from each other, by substan- tial partition walls, extending from the foundation to the roof, as a protection against fire : the central division to be appropriated and used for a gallery of the fine arts; the North wing or division for a library, reading-room and other accommodations of the Hartford Young Men's Institute ; and the South wing or division for the Connecticut Histor- ical Society, with authority to that society to allow or grant room or accommodations, in their division, for the use of the Natural History Society of Hartford, on such terms and to such extent, as the Historical Society should think proper. (")
At the session of the General Assembly in May, 1842, the subscribers were created a corporation, by the name of WADSWORTH ATHENEUM, with power to take from the trustees a conveyance of said land, with all the privileges and appurtenances thereto belonging, and to hold the same pursuant to the terms of said grant, and for the uses and purposes therein expressed and thereby intended.
At a meeting of the subscribers, legally held, on the 18th of June, 1842, the charter of incorporation was accepted; and the corporation was duly organized under it. At the same time, the following gentlemen, previously designated by the subscribers, were appointed a committee to superin- tend the construction of the building, viz. Alfred Smith, David Watkinson, James B. Hosmer, Gideon Welles, David
(a) 64 Hart. Rec. Deeds, 210.
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WADSWORTH ATHENEUM. 35
F. Robinson, Erastus Smith and Calvin Day. Under their superintendence, the work, which had already been com- menced, was carried on.
By a deed of release, dated November 25th, 1842, Thomas S. Williams and Alfred Smith conveyed to the corporation of Wadsworth Athenaeum, and their successors, all such right and title as the grantors had in the premises, by virtue of the deed from Mr. Wadsworth to them. (")
We have thus traced the title of the land we occupy, through all its changes, from the sachem of Sukiauge to the corporation of Wadsworth Athenaum, with some notice of those through whose hands it has passed. In every in- stance, the title appears on the record, and that title is a perfectly legal one ; so that if an exclusive and uninter- rupted possession of those under whom we claim, for more than two hundred years, were of no avail, we could still vindicate our right to the soil, by authentic muniments, against all the world. Are we not then rightfully in pos- session ? May not this institution well say, Hec mea sunt ?.
Though unforeseen difficulties have retarded the comple- tion of the building, it is now, though still in an unfinished state, fitted for our reception and partial accommodation.
The style of architecture is castellated, a modification of Gothic, which, in Europe, has been extensively used in the construction of defensive, household and collegiate build- ings. The edifice is one hundred feet long, by seventy broad. In pursuance of the requirements of the grant and of the charter, the interior is in three nearly equal divisions, which are separated from cellar to roof, by substantial walls of masonry. Each of the three divisions is in two stories, besides the cellar or basement. The first story is about fourteen feet high, and divided into rooms, with stairways and halls. The second story is about twenty-five feet high, with a single room in each division, arched, and lighted by windows and sky-lights. The several divisions are appro- priated to, and are to be fitted for, the purposes specified in the grant and charter.
(a) 61 Hart. Rec. Deeds, 212.
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How interesting are the historical associations which throng around that place !' How " beautiful for situation," too, is Wadsworth Athenæum! No other site could be se- lected, combining so many and so great advantages. Its position is prominent, commanding. To the coming stran- ger and returning citizen, it presents its massive walls, its towers of strength and beauty, its mullioned windows and its wide-unfolding portals, welcoming their approach. It is central and easy of access, while it is sufficiently removed from unsafe or inconvenient contiguity to other structures. Its construction is admirably adapted to the purposes for - which it is designed. It will be permanent.
History has inscribed on its tablet the name of Joseph Wadsworth, as a public benefactor, for preserving our colony charter, when rapacious power demanded its surrender, by hiding it in a hollow tree. That charter constituted the frame-work of our government, for a century and a half. But it has now become a dead letter ; the tooth of time has danawed away its seal ; it exists only as an object of anti- quarian curiosity. The charter-oak, after having flourished unknown ages with its companions of the primitive forest, has outlived them more than two centuries. The wood- man's axe has spared that tree. It has escaped the ravages of fire ; and has withstood the assaults of hail, and snow, and vapour and stormy wind. Still Decay has exercised dominion over even the charter-oak. Some of its boughs have withered ; some of its branches have been broken off ; the heart of its trunk has mouldered into dust; and the remnant of that trunk has ceased to chronicle on its wood the years of its life. But when all its boughs shall become withered like those of the fig tree in the gospel ; when all its branches shall be scathed as if by lightning ; when rot- tenness shall have eaten outward through the very rind of its trunk ; and when the charter-oak, like the charter itself, shall live only in history-those walls, those towers, those battlements, will endure, changeless as the perpetual hills. And when the achievement of Joseph Wadsworth shall be remembered no more, memorials of granite will commem- orate the munificence of a distant relative, in a later age.
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