Commemorative biographical record of Middlesex County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Part 121

Author: Beers (J.H.) & Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Chicago : Beers
Number of Pages: 1502

USA > Connecticut > Middlesex County > Commemorative biographical record of Middlesex County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families > Part 121

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The Stocking family is one of the oldest in New England, and Charles H. belongs to the eighth generation of the family in this country, his line being as follows: George, Deacon Samuel, George, Samuel, Elijah, Elijah (2), George and Charles H. The Stocking family is supposed to have had its habitation in West England, where the name sometimes appears in the old records as Stocken and Stockin. They were among the very early settlers of Hartford and Middletown, and have furnished many good and useful citizens to the community. In- termarried with the leading families of the county, their names appear frequently in the annals of every neighborhood in this part of the State.

(I) George Stocking, the emigrant, came to America in 1633, and died at a great age May 25, 1683. He was twice married. His first wife, Anna, he wedded in England, and his second, Agnes, was of Hartford, Conn. He settled in Cambridge, Mass., where he was admitted a freeman in 1635, and the next year removed to Hartford, where settlements. were just forming. He had a lot of twenty

COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

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acres of land in the first distribution. In 1647 he was selectman; in 1654, and again in 1662, surveyor of highways; and in 1659, chimney viewer. He was excused from military duty in 1660. In May, 1670, with his wife, Agnes, he "separated" to the Second Church in Hart- ford. He left no will, and his property, consist- ing of over £257, was divided among his chil- dren : Deacon Samuel; Hannah, wife of An- drew Benton, of Hartford; Sarah, wife of Samuel Olcott, of Hartford; Lydia, wife of John Richards, of Hartford; and his grandson, John Stocking.

(II) Deacon Samuel Stocking was born in England, came with his father to Massachu- setts, and removed with him to Hartford. There he was married May 27, 1652, to Miss Bethia Hopkins, a daughter of John and Jane Hopkins. He removed with the first settlers to Middletown about 1650, and was one of the three signers of the Indian deed of that settle- ment. His home was in Upper Middletown, which is now called Cromwell. He was the first deacon of the Middletown Church, which was organized in 1668, and representative in the General Assembly from that town in 1658, 1659, 1665, 1669, 1674, 1677 and 1681. He served in King Philip's war, probably as ser- geant. He died December 3, 1683. In his will he mentions all his children except Han- nah, who was probably dead. He leaves his land on the east side of the Connecticut river to his sons George and Ebenezer, and leaves £3 to his pastor, Rev. Nathaniel Collins. His es- tate amounted to £650. His widow later mar- ried James Steele. The children of Deacon Samuel Stocking were: Hannah, born Octo- ber 30, 1654, died before 1683; Samuel, Octo- ber 9, 1656, died December 2, 1697; Bethia, October 10, 1658, married Thomas Stow, of Middletown, October 16, 1675; John, Septem- ber 24. 1660, lived for some years with his grandfather in Hartford, and was later in Mid- dletown, where in 1713 he was recorded as a "distracted person" ; Lydia, January 20, 1663, married Joseph Howell, of Southampton, L. I .; George, February 20, 1665 ; Ebenezer, Feb- rnary 23, 1669, died before 1697; Steven, March 23, 1673, died before 1697; Daniel, April 14, 1677, lived in Upper Middletown, married Jane Mould, of New London, became the father of five boys and two girls, and died in 1733.

(III) George Stocking was born in Upper

Middletown, now Cromwell, February 20, 1665, and in the early part of the eighteenth century moved to East Middletown, which is now Portland. He had a home back on the hills near Somasick mountain, where he was engaged in farming. In 1693 he married his wife Elizabeth. He died on his farm February 14, 1714, and was buried in the old Portland cemetery. His name appears in the tax list of Southampton, L. L, for the year 1694, and he is supposed to have lived there a short time. His estate amounted to nearly £350, divided among his six children, all of whom were liv- ing at the time of his death. His widow mar- ried Deacon Samuel Hall, of East Middletown, and died November 16, 1737. The children of George and Elizabeth Stocking were: (1) Steven, born August 20, 1694, lived in Chat- ham, was commissioned ensign of the mi- litia in 1732, and died in 1789. He married (first) July 5, 1722, Elizabeth Hall. a daugh- ter of Deacon Samuel and Sarah ( Hinsdale) Hall, who was born in 1694. and died August I, 1756. The second wife of George Stocking was Widow Sarah Andrews, who died July 29, 1790. Steven Stocking was the father of seven children, Joseph, Steven, Elizabeth, Sarah, Da- vid, Lois and Amos. (2) Elizabeth. born March 6, 1697, married December 8, 1736, John Payne, of East Middletown. (3) Sam- uel, born October 16, 1700. is further men- tioned in this article. (4) Bethia, born April 12, 1703, married June 8, 1727, John Churchill. of East Middletown. (5) Capt. George, born April 16, 1705, married March 1. 1727. Mercy Savage, and removed from East Middletown to Middle Haddam, where he had a gristmill before 1740. He was commissioned captain of the militia in 1752, and died in 1790. He had ten children, George, Capt. Abner. John. Mary, Hezekiah, Lucy, Reuben. Martha, Mercy and Mercy (2).

(IV) Sammel Stocking, born in Upper Middletown October 16. 1700, was married July 20, 1726, to Abial Boardman. He lived in Chatham, whither his father had removed from East Middletown when he ( Samuel) was buit a child, and had his home back in the hills near the present reservoir of the Portland Water Company. He was a farmer. He died July 21, 1772. His wife died October 13. 1767. Their family were: ( 1) Samuel was born June 17. 1727. ( 2) Elijah was born Decem- ber 30, 1728. (3) Marshall, born August 15.

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COMMEMORATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

1730, married (first) Anne (surname not given), and ( second) September 3, 1767, Es- ther Tryon, who died in 1779. Marshall Stock- ing became the father of the following children, all by his first wife: Prudence, who married Nathaniel Goodrich; Jemima; Eunice, who married Ephraim Bowers; Marshall, who mar- ried Anna Bartlett; Anne; Asaph; Samuel; Esther ; and Ruth.

(V) Elijah Stocking was born in Portland December 30, 1728, and died July 18, 1807. He was a farmer and a well-known citizen. His wife, Hannah, was born in 1733, and died December 1, 1817. Their children were : Han- nah, Samuel, John, Abigail, Elijah, David (1770), Joel (1774) and Jared (1777). John, born May 5, 1763, served on a Revolutionary privateer; he married Deborah Hurlbut, and removed to New York in pioneer days. Abi- gail ( 1767) married Timothy Hurlbut.

(VI) Elijah Stocking (2) was born near Somasick. in 1769. In his youth he was a sailor, but in his maturer years became a farm- er, owning the farm where Olaf Olson is now living. He was a well-to-do citizen. He mar- ried Mary (Polly) Sage, of Cromwell, who was born in 1773, and died September 29, 1852. He died November 4th of the same year, and they were buried in the old Center cemetery: They were the parents of the fol- lowing children: Daniel went to Rochester, N. Y., where he died; Joel moved to Ohio; Eleazer married Melantha Case, and removed to Ohio; John was a farmer, and died in Port- land: George died in infancy; George (2) is mentioned at length below; Sarah married (first) Edward Shepard, and (second) Olonzo Loveland, and died in Portland ; Cordelia mar- ried Joab Hurlbut, and was the mother of Mrs. Cordelia F. Pettis, widow of Sheriff George F. Pettis, whose biography appears elsewhere ; Mary and Sophronia died young.

(VII) George Stocking was born July 29, 1821, on the same farm where his son now lives. His education was all acquired in the common schools, and although he worked in the quarries for eight years he was reared a farmer. He was always industrious, and after his marriage located on the old homestead, as- suming the care of his aged parents. He af- terward sold out to his brother John, moved on Portland street, and drove a team in the quarry. His last move was to buy back the old place, where he lived until his death, April

21, 1868. He was buried in Center cemetery. In politics he was a Democrat, and in religion a Methodist. On April 26, 1843, Mr. Stock- ing married Miss Catherine Hurlbut, who was born June 29, 1824, in Middle Haddam, a daughter of Seymour and Asenith ( Penfield) Hurlbut. Two sons and the widow survive. Of these, Charles H. is mentioned .below. Leverett Sage, born June II, 1846, is now living in Meriden, with his wife and one child. The widow married Edward Edwards, of Glas- tonbury, who has since died, and she now makes her home with Charles H. Stocking.

Charles H. Stocking was born September 4, 1844, on the old family homestead. His first schooling was obtained at Penfield Hill, in the school taught by Miss Laura Wheeler, and later by Miss Helen Penfield and Horatio Chapman. When he was somewhat older he attended school at Portland, in a building that occupied the present site of Waverly Hall, and, being a faithful and industrious student, he ac- quired a good education. He was early "put into harness," and much work fell upon him, as his father was not able to do much, and he was the eldest son. After his marriage he lo- cated on the old homestead, living there until October, 1879. when he bought the David Cornwall farm, on Rose Hill, where he has since lived. He has been engaged in tobacco culture for a number of years. Although he had a very meager start, Mr. Stocking has ac- cumulated a comfortable property.

On December 21, 1870, Mr. Stocking mar- ried Miss Mary A. Cox, who was born in Hart- ford, August 12, 1848, daughter of George and Eliza ( Barnaby) Cox, a sketch of whom appears elsewhere. She attended Rose Hill school, and moved with her parents to Portland when she was a girl. Children, as follows, were born of this union: Mary E., born Octo- ber 25, 1874, graduated from the Gildersleeve high school in 1893, and is a popular school teacher ; George Edward, born July 14, 1877, is a farmer : William Cox, born June 13, 1881, and Dora S., born February 2, 1887, live at home; Eliza Catherine was born September 20, 1890. Mrs. Stocking died November 23, 1900. She was an Episcopalian, and was president of the ladies' sewing society connected with St. John the Baptist Chapel at the time of her death. Mr. Stocking is a Democrat, and has served several times on the board of relief. He is a member of the A. O. U. W. at Portland.

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STEPHEN W. MILLER (deceased ) was during his lifetime one of the prosperous and respected farmers in the East Long Hill Dis- trict of Middletown. His family is one of the oldest in Middlesex county, Thomas Miller, its founder, coming from, Birmingham, Eng- land, to Rowley, Mass., where as early as 1639 he was made a freeman. The local records speak of him as a skilled carpenter there in 1651. Four years later he had lands recorded to his credit at Middletown, Conn., and was evidently prominent in the church, as he was recommended to the church in that place from the brethren in Rowley. Thomas Miller built the first gristmill, on Miller's Brook, in Mid- dletown, which stood on the present site of the Russell factories, at the Farms. He died in I680.

Stephen W. Miller was in the sixth genera- tion from the Thomas Miller, the emigrant, and was the last of four successive generations to bear the name of Stephen.

Stephen Miller, the father of Stephen W., was born in 1795 at South Farms, where he was reared to agricultural pursuits. He mar- ried Clarissa Whitmore of Maromtas, and they had two sons, namely: Stephen W., the sub- ject proper of this record; and Benjamin W., a farmer, who lived at South Farms, and died unmarried. After the death of Mrs. Clarissa Miller, Stephen Miller married for his second wife, Lucretia, daughter of Elisha Fairchild, of East Long Hill, moving there, to the farm of his father-in-law, soon afterward. The fol- lowing children were born to this union : Darius, who married Elizabeth Bissell, of East Windsor, became a successful dealer in dry goods at New Britain; Nathan G., who mar- ried (first) Cora McKee, (second) Celia Stanley, and ( third) Agnes Stanley, a sister of his second wife, is now living in New York : one died in infancy; Charles, who married (first ) Abigail Welton, and ( second) Sally Benton, is a successful dry-goods merchant at Waterbury, Conn .; Catherine E., widow of Erwin Strickland, has her home in Bridge- port ; Frank, who married Emily Clinton, is in the coal business in Bridgeport. The father, Stephen Miller, was a successful farmer. He spent his last years in Middletown, having a home near the Pameacha bridge, where he died September 26, 1877.

Stephen W. Miller was born October 23. 1821, and was quite young when he lost his

mother. After his father's second marriage and removal to the Fairchild farm: he attended school in that district. When quite a young man he began working for the William Wilcox Manufacturing Company, at Zoar, Conn., and made rapid progress in all kinds of mechanical work, although he was paid but fifty cents a day for some time. He was connected with that firm for twelve years, this being the only work he was ever engaged in aside from farm- ing, with the exception of a short period of employment in the Whitmore Quarries, at Maromas, Connecticut.

After receiving fifty acres as his share of his father's property, Mr. Miller located there- on, and engaged for the rest of his life in ag- ricultural pursuits. At the time of his death he owned eighty-six acres. He added the culture of tobacco to his other products, and usually harvested about five acres of tobacco, besides a great quantity of garden vege- tables. Being a careful and judicious farmer. he wisely watched the rise and fall of the market, and profited accordingly. Physi- cally Mr. Miller was a man of medium height, and he had a robust constitution. His death occurred July 27, 1884, after a decline of sev- eral years.

Mr. Miller married Hannah A. Corey, who was born May 8, 1834, at South Farms, and died February 5, 1870. She was a daughter of William and Lucy ( Clark) Corey, the former of whom was a joiner by trade. Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Miller. namely: Clara W., January 18, 1861: and Alice Cora, August 20, 1863.

On January 1, 1883, Miss Clara W. Miller was united in marriage with Lewis M. Crowell, born January 7. 1850. at Zoar, Conn., son of Matthew and Mary F. ( Foster ) Crowell. He was educated in his native place, and as- sisted his father on the farm until the latter's death placed the property under his manage- ment. In 1885 he moved to the Stroud place. at East Long Hill, which was his pleasant home at the time of his sudden death, from overheating. July 9. 1800. With many sin- cere expressions of regret and sympathy he was laid away in beautiful Pine Grove cen- etery. Mr. Crowell was a man of high char- acter, universally_ esteemed and sincerely mourned. The following named children were born to. Mr and Mrs. Crowell : Stephen M., February 10. 1884 (graduated

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with the class of 1902 from the Connecticut Agricultural College) ; Abigail H., September IO, 1886; Eldon L., November 5, 1887; and Irene W., October 21, 1889. Mrs. Crowell and her children reside at East Long Hill.

Alice Cora Miller, the youngest daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Stephen W. Miller, attended the Middletown schools, and also had the ad- vantages of two years at Durham Academy, under Prof. E. A. Bishop. On November 25, 1885, she was united in marriage with Frank L. Strickland, who was born in October, 1858, in Middletown, Conn., where he spent his boy- hood days and acquired his education, attend- ing the Middletown high school. For a num- ber of years he was employed as a clerk in the Parshley shoe store, in Middletown, and later was connected with the great shoe house of R. H. White & Co., at Boston, Mass. There he remained until 1886, when he purchased his present well equipped shoe store in Rock- ville, Conn. This was an old stand, known as the Jacobs shoe store, and under the able man- agement of Mr. Strickland it has grown and prospered until it now bids fair to be a leader in that line. To Mr. and Mrs. Strickland have been born four children, namely: Edna Helen, June 5, 1887; Bertha Miller, June 28, 1889; Wallace Knight, August 1, 1891 (died January II, 1892) ; and Seward Holmes, April 8, 1898.

Mr. Miller is well represented by descend- ants who worthily uphold not only his honored name, but also follow those precepts which enabled him to honestly accumulate, in the course of an ordinary lifetime, much more than an ample competency.

BONFOEY. This name is variously spelled, Bonfoy, Bunfoy, Bonnefoy, Bonnefoi and Bonnefous. The spelling of the later gen- erations is Bonfoey, all according to the Eng- lish Encyclopedia. Burke's Peerage states that the ancestor came from Normandy with William the Conqueror, and lived in Hayes, County of Middlesex, England. He was en- gaged in one of the Crusades of England and France, and is believed to have been knighted at Jerusalem. In the invasion of England by William the Conqueror only the best soldiers were selected. The following description of the Bonfoey coat of arms is taken from the Encyclopedia Heraldica, or Complete Diction- ary of Heraldica, by William Berry, fifteen

years registering clerk to the College of Arms, London.

"Bonfoy or Bunfoy (Hayes, Middlesex County, England), azure on a cross argent, a human heart gules. Crest, an arm couped and erect, in armour purpure, holding in the hand a cross Calvary, gules." In Burke's Peerage the following description is given : "The Bonnefoy or Bonfoey (as now spelled) coat of arms. Shield azure, on a cross argent, a human heart gules. Crest, an arm couped in armour purpure, holding a cross Calvary, gules. Motto, En Bonnefoy, 'In good faith.' "

The American ancestors Bonfoey, or Bon- nefoy, as the name was spelled, were a part of the large immigration of French Huguenot families who came to this country after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, landing at Bonnefoy's Point, Echo Bay, now called New Rochelle. Bolton's history of Westchester coun- ty, N. Y., says the colony was divided, a part going to Delaware, some up the Hudson river, and others into the Connecticut Valley. The Bonfoeys came at this time, because David de Bonnefoy, also a French Huguenot, had sold his land, Ville Pontaux. This sale was made . about 1690, and doubtless about the time Da- vid de Bonnefoy came to Connecticut, settling at or near Middletown, Conn. The following tradition comes down through the family : There were two brothers, Jerathmel and Ben- anuel, who started from France together, and were likely with the colony already named, and Jerathmel died on the way over. Benanuel ar- rived safely, and he is very likely the American ancestor of the Bonfoeys of Connecticut. Bol- ton also says that in France John Coutant mar- ried Susannah Bonnefoy, and came to this. country, and it is probable that he also was one of this colony. He was born in 1659, and his wife in 1660. Bolton further says that the old Bonnefoy Bible is in New Rochelle, in the pos- session of one of the Coutant family. This. Bible was printed in Amsterdam, by Jean Fred- erick Bernard, and was revised and corrected by the teachers and professors at Geneva. On February 6, 1695-96, according to Bolton, let- ters of denization were issued under the seal of the Province from King William to David d'- Repos, Alexander Allair, David de Bonnefoy, and Louis Guion. The history of Middlesex county states that in October, 1738, Richard Bonfoy, Nathaniel Burr and others residing in Haddam, on a tract of land lying between the

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Connecticut and Salmon rivers, petitioned to the General Court for an act of incorporation as a parish, and in May, 1740, their request was granted, and the parish was incorporated under the name of Middle Haddam. Richard Bon- foey had four children, Richard, Benanuel, Susannah and Penelope.

Benanuel Bonfoey, son of Richard, was born about 1720. He married Rachel Bailey, in November, 1752, and they had two children : Hannah, born November 12, 1753, and Bena- nuel (2), born December 13, 1755. Benanuel Bonfoey (I) served in the French and Indian war. The powder-horn carried by him in this war is inscribed "Beenanawell Bonfoey, his horn 1756." This relic is in the possession of Watson E. Bonfoey, brother of Mrs. Hezekiah Scovil, who lives in Tipton, Ind. Mr. Bonfoey has the knife, also, with which the above in- scription was carved. This soldier died in the army as the result of his arduous service, 1756- 1757. He served in the company commanded by Capt. James Harris, of Saybrook, in the regiment commanded by Col. David Wooster, afterward major general in the war of the Revolution. The chaplain of the regiment was the well-known Rev. John Norton, who was a minister in Chatham, and who had been made a prisoner by the Indians. Benanuel Bonfoey's widow, Rachel (Bailey), married Ebenezer Skinner, and they both lie in the cemetery at Higganum. She died February 26, 1820, aged eighty-eight.

Benanuel Bonfoey (2), son of Benanuel (I), the soldier, was born December 13, 1755. Concurrence Smith, his wife, was born in 1759. They were married in 1778. She was a mem- ber of the Church of Christ, Congregational, at Haddam, uniting October 14, 1804, under Rev. David Dudley Field, the well-known divine. Concurrence Smith was the daughter of David Smith, sixth son of Stephen Smith, the latter coming from West Haven in 1723 and settling at Candlewood Hill, owning a large estate in the vicinity. David Smith, the father of Con- currence, married Lydia Cogswell, daughter of Robert Cogswell, who was one of the original settlers in Okdl Saybrook. Robert Cogswell's father, Sammel Cogswell, married Ann Mason, daughter of Capt. Jolin Mason, of Pequot fame. Capt. John Mason was from the Netherlands, and was educated in the art of warfare under Sir Thomas Fairfax ; he was one of the first settlers in Old Windsor, and is buried at Nor-

wich. David Smith, father of Concurrence, died November 22, 1776, aged thirty-nine; Lydia Cogswell, his wife, died November 22, 1825, aged eighty-eight. The children born to Benanuel Bonfoey (2) and his wife Concur- rence Smith were: David, born November 22, 1779, died in 1863, when eighty-four years of age. Hannah, born September 19, 1781, died in 1864, aged eighty-three. Concurrence, born June 9, 1783, died in 1856, aged seventy-three. Ashael, born May 21, 1785, died in 1850, aged sixty-five. Anson, born June 13, 1787, died in 1884 in Michigan, aged ninety-seven; these two brothers were located at Ponsett, and were clothiers, making the finest of broadcloth. Lydia, born December 1, 1791, died in 1883, aged ninety-two. Matilda, born in 1793, bap- tized October 2, 1804, died in 1883, aged nine- ty. Horace, born in 1795, baptized October 2, 1804, died in 1873, aged seventy-eight. Lu- cinda, born June 5, 1797, died in 1887, aged ninety. Clarinda, born in March, 1801, died February 16, 1806. Benanuel (3), born Sep- tember 28, 1802, died October 10, 1894, aged ninety-two. Richard, born September 13, 1805, died in August, 1825, aged twenty. The united ages of this family amount to 869 years. Benanuel Bonfoey (2) died August 14, 1825, aged seventy. His wife died November 12, 1849, aged ninety.

The service of Benanuel Bonfoey (2), in the war of the Revolution, according to the record of Connecticut soldiers in that war, was as follows: Benanuel Bonfoey enlisted in the Fifth Battalion, Wadsworth's Brigade, in May, 1776, serving as a private in Capt. Cornelius Higgins' Company, from Haddam. This bat- talion was raised in June, 1776, to reinforce Gen. Washington's army at New York. It served in the city and on the Brooklyn front, being at the right of the line of works during the battle of Long Island, August 27, 1770. and was engaged in the retreat to New York. August 29 and 30; was stationed with a mi- litia brigade inder Col. Douglas, of Kips Bay. on the East river, at the time of the British at- tack on New York. September 15: was at the battle of White Plains, October 28. The time of this Battalion expired December 25. 1770. Benannel Bonfoey re-enlisted in the 6th Reg- iment. Connecticut Line, April 2, 1777, serving in Capt. Pond's Company as a private until honorably discharged, March 29, 1780. He was pensioned under the Act of Congress.

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Commemorative biographical record of Middlesex County, Connecticut : containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens, and of many of the early settled families, Part 121

Author: Beers (J.H.) & Co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1903 Publisher: Chicago : Beers Number of Pages: 1502

Author: Beers (J.H.) & Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1903
Publisher: Chicago : Beers
Number of Pages: 1502