USA > Connecticut > New Haven County > Commemorative biographical record of New Haven county, Connecticut, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and of many of the early settled families, V. I, Pt 1 > Part 56
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that his work was such as stood the test of time. In November, 1854, Mr. Sperry went to Daven- port, Jowa, and engaged in business for a year. In the winter of 1855-56 lie returned to Connecticut, and in the spring located in Florence, Neb., where he built his first home, his wife joining him there in the fall. After some four years residence there, he moved to Denver, later to Central City, where for six years he was interested in mining. On Jan. I, 1867, he returned to New Haven, where he has since remained. He engaged in mason building with Lyman B. Bunnell for about twenty-five years, then for a short time was alone, and later his son, Lucius B., was associated with him. Mr. Sperry is now gradually retiring from the cares of business.
The marriage of our subject was on Jan. 29, 1856, to Emily Chatfield, who was born in Oxford, a daughter of Enos and Roxy Sperry Chatfield, also of Oxford, and four children were born to this un- ion : (1) Della F. is deceased. (2) Frederick A., engaged in the agricultural advertising business, resides in Oak Park, Ill .; he married first Fanny Draper, who died leaving two children-Donald and Frederick. He married, second. Grace Draper, and they have one child, Jennett Chatfield. (3) Julia. (4) Lucius B., associated in business with his father, married Maude Davis, of New Haven, and has two children, Ruth and Everett.
In his political belief our subject favors the Democratic party in national affairs, but in local matters reserves the right to be independent. So- cially he is connected with Trumbull Lodge, No. 22, F. & A. M. In religious matters MIr. Sperry and his children are Universalists, while Mrs. Sperry is a member of the Episcopal Church.
HARLEY HALL, grandfather of Eugene A. Hall, of Meriden, and son of Comfort and Jemima (Bacon) Hall, was born in the town of Middletown, Conn., March 21, 1799, and died in Middlefield, Conn., April 24, 1874, at the age of seventy-five years. On June 8, 1828, he married Martha Cone Hall, who was born in East Haddam. April 3, 1805, and died in Meriden April 20, 1880. She was a daughter of William Hall (direct descendant of John Hall, of Boston, 1633, and Hartford, 1635, and original proprietor of Middletown, 1650) and Martha Cone, a daughter of Sylvanus Cone, of East Haddam, a Revolutionary soldier, and a direct de- scendant of Daniel Cone, original proprietor of Haddam, 1662. To Harley and Martha Cone (Hall) Hall were born : ( 1) Sophia Fidelia, April 6, 1829, is the wife of Judge Levi E. Coe, president of the Meriden Savings Bank and Meriden National Bank. (2) Norman Cone, Dec. 31, 1832, married Nov. 13, 1853. Harriet Elizabeth Redfield, a daugh- ter of Roswell and Harriet (Stone) Redfield, and died Feb. 24, 1892, at Meriden. (3) Betsey New- ton, Oct. 18, 1836, married Nov. 17, 1853, Leman W. Cook and died April 9, 1895, at New Haven.
(4) Rufus, born at Middlefield Oct. 3, 1839, was the youngest of the family.
Rufus Hall was educated in the district schools and assisted his father on the farm. Leaving home when nineteen years of age he engaged in the meat business in Portland, Middlefield and Wallingford. In 1860 he moved to Meriden, and the next year went into the grocery business with his brother, Norman C. Hall, under the firm name of Norman C. Hall & Co. In 1870 he sold out his interest to his brother and formed a partnership with Charles Grether in the market business under the name of Grether & Hall; later buving out Mr. Grether he continued the business for several years, but finally sold out to his former partner and returned to the grocery trade with his brother. In 1884 he again engaged in the meat business, continuing his market until his death from pneumonia at Meriden, Feb. 3, 1901. His remains rest in Indian Hill Cemetery, Middletown.
On April 25, 1859, Rufus Hall wedded Esther Asenath Grover, of Middletown, and their union was blessed with two children: Effie Maria, born March 13, 1860, died March 1, 1862; and Eugene Ashley, born Aug. 7, 1865. Esther Asenath (Gro- ver) Hall was born at Middletown, Conn., Jan. 2, 1837, and died in Meriden Dec. 18, 1891, and is buried in Indian Hill Cemetery, at Middletown. She was a daughter of Arden and Sarah Maria (Clark) Grover, the former a son of Oliver and Asenath (Eaton) Grover, and a grandson of John and Abi- gail (Flint) Grover, and the latter a daughter of Daniel Clark, a Revolutionary soldier. Asenath (Eaton) Grover was a descendant of William Eaton, of Watertown, Mass., 1642: and Abigail (Flint ) Grover traced her line to Thomas Flin:, Salem, Mass., 1650.
EUGENE ASHLEY HALL, son of Rufus and Esther Asenath (Grover) Hall, was born Aug. 7, 1865. in Meriden, Conn., where he has ever since resided. He entered the employ of the Meriden Savings Bank in 1883 and remained until after the death of his father, when he resigned the position of tel- ler to devote his whole attention to the business es- tablished by his father. He is a trustee and direc- tor of the Meriden Savings Bank; a member of the board of trustees of the Connecticut School for Boys, and secretary and treasurer of said board since 1897; treasurer of the Connecticut State Ag- ricultural Society ; treasurer of the Meriden Agri- cultural Society ; treasurer of the town of Meriden ; past master and present treasurer of Meridian Lodge, No. 77, A. F. & A. M .; past high priest of Keystone Chapter, No. 27, R. A. M. ; past T. I. mas- ter Hamilton Council, No. 22, R. & S. M .; eminent commander of St. Elmo Commandery, No. 9. Knights Templar : a thirty-second degree Mason and a member of Pyramid Temple, Mystic Shrine, of Bridgeport.
On Dec. 15, 1897, Eugene Ashley Hall wedded
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RUFUS HALL.
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Edna Adele Mix, daughter of ex-Senator John Wal- ter Mix, of Yalesville, and his wife, Kate Urana Wallace. To Mr. and Mrs. Hall have come two children : Fanny, born Nov. 15, 1898; and Edna, born Feb. 3, 1900. Ex-Senator John Walter Mix, present collector of the port of New Haven, is a direct descendant of Thomas Mix, of New Haven, 1643, and a son of John and Eliza (Merriman) Mix, of whom the latter is a daughter of Albert Merriman, a Revolutionary soldier. Kate Urana (Wallace) Mix is a daughter of Franklin and Fanny (Hall) Wallace, of Cheshire, the latter a daughter of Lyman and Milla Hall, both direct de- scendants of John Hall, of Wallingford. Benjamin Hall, father of Lyman, was a soldier in the Rev- olution.
SAXTON BAILEY LITTLE, of Meriden, is of the seventh generation in descent from Thomas Little, who came to Plymouth, Mass., from Devon- shire, England, in 1630. In 1633 he married Ann Warren, a daughter of Richard Warren, who came over in the "Mayflower," followed, in 1623, by his wife and five children, who crossed in the "Fort- tune." In 1650 Thomas Little purchased 1,000 acres of land in East Marshfield, and built a house still occupied by his descendants. By profession he was a lawyer, and his death occurred in 1671. His chil- dren were: Thomas, Samuel, Ephraim, Isaac, Ruth, Mercy and Patience. Thomas Little, the emi- grant, possessed a coat of arms.
(II) Ephraim Little, third son of Thomas, was born in 1650, and died in 1717, aged sixty-seven years. He married Mary Sturtevant in 1671, and they had children as follows: Ephraim, Ruth, David, John, Ann and Mary.
(III) John Little, Esq., son of Ephraim, was born in 1681, and died in 1767, aged eighty-six years. He was a magistrate, and extensive land holder and owned several negro slaves. His wife was Constant Forbes, of Little Compton, R. I. His will distributes his property among his children as follows: To John, a farm in the north part of Lebanon, Conn., now called Columbia; to William, a farm in the south part of Lebanon ; to Ephraim, Thomas and Lemuell, each a farm in East Marshfield; to Forbes, a farm in Little Compton, R. I., to each of his daughters, Ann White and Ruth Oakman, he gave with other personal proper- ty, a negro woman.
(IV) John Little, son of John, Esq .. »was born in 1714, and died in 1798, aged eighty-four years. In 1740 he married Mary Simpson, who died Feb. 22, 1810. Their tombstones are near the entrance of the old cemetery in Columbia. It was in 1740 or 1741 that John Little moved to Columbia, and there his children were born between 1741 and 1763. They were as follows: Gamalial, Otis. Consider, Mary, John, Elizabeth, Priscilla, Faith, Charles and Elvira.
(V) Consider Little, son of John and grandfather
of Saxton B. Little, was born in 1746, and died Aug. 3, 1831, aged eighty-five years. He married Re- becca Buckingham, who was born May, 1751, and died Oct. 25, 1825. Their children were as fol- lows: Samuel, born Aug. 18, 1774, died Sept. 22, 1853, aged seventy-nine; Mary, born Feb. 7, 1776, died Aug. 12, 1853, aged seventy-seven ; Sarah, born Dec. 29, 1777, died July 23, 1853, aged seventy-six ; Rebecca. born June 17, 1779, married Eleazer Dewey ; Fanny, born March 2, 1781, died Sept. 12, 1794, aged thirteen; Levi, born Dec. 1, 1783, died 1854, aged seventy-one; George, born March 26, 1788, died April 5, 1864, aged seventy-six ; Lydia, born March 26, 1797, died June 20, 1797, aged three months.
VI) Samuel Little, son of Consider, born Aug. 18, 1774, learned the hatter's trade. When he at- tained his majority, his whole property consisted of a colt, which he sold for $30. By industry and economy, he sent two of his five sons to Yale, and divided among them a farm of 350 acres. He mar- ried first in 1801, Levina Richardson, and their three children were: Levina, born May 11, 1802, died May 24, 1807, aged five years; Samuel, born March 6, 1804, died Feb. 8, 1876, aged seventy-two; and Anson, born June 20, 1806, died Sept. 15, 1895, aged eighty-nine. On June 23, 1808, Samuel Little married for his second wife, Jerusha Bailey, daugh- ter of Saxton and Lois ( Hunt) Bailey. By this marriage there were four children: Emily, born April 27, 1809, died June 14, 1830, aged twenty-one ; Saxton Bailey, born April 19, 1813; William Buck- ingham, born June 6, 1815, died Dec. 16, 1897, aged eighty-two; and Charles, born Sept. 26, 1818, died in Lincoln, Neb., Aug. 19, 1892, aged seventy-four.
(VII) Samuel Little, Jr., son of Samuel Little, and Levina Richardson, born March 6, 1804, mar- ried, first, Amy Pinneo, Dec. 29, 1829; she died Dec. 20, 1831. He married second Clarissa Pinneo, May, 1840, who died Jan. 7. 1863. He died Feb. 8, 1876, aged seventy-two. His children were: James Pin- neo, born March 2, 1831, died Oct. 12, 1833; Emily Jerusha, born Aug. 28, 1842, died March 4. 1893.
(VII) Anson Little, son of Samuel Little and Levina Richardson, born in Columbia, June 20. 1806, graduated from Yale in 1827. He studied law, and was clerk of the District Court in New York. In 1833 he married Lucy Ann Wells, and he died in Hebron, Conn., Sept. 15, 1895, aged eighty-nine ; she died in Hebron June 5, 1882, aged seventy-five. Of their children John was born May 12, 1839: and George Anson, born April 2, 1845, died Feb. 2, 1862, aged seventeen years.
(VII) William Buckingham Little, son of Sam- uel, born June 6, 1815, married May 19. 1841. Har- riet Palmer, who was born Feb. 1, 1819. Their children were: (1) Myron Winslow, born Oct. II, 1842, married Emily A. Wright, daughter of George Wright. Nov. 15, 1869. and their children were: Louis, born April 29, 1873: Grace, born May 28, 1874, married Tressilian Tucker; Cora
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Palmer, born Oct. 1, 1876, married Henry Hutch- ins, May 14, 1901 ; and William E., born Oct. 22, 1879. (2) Elliott Palmer, born July 3, 1844, died June 3, 1855. (3) Hubert, born Nov. 14, 1848, married first Alice Brown, of Columbia, Nov. 14, 1871; she died May 20. 1877; and Sept. 19, 1878, he married Martha E. Williams, of Meriden, who was born Jan. 24, 1856. His children were: Flora Edith, born Nov. 18, 1872, in Meriden, died Jan. 14, 1875; Clayton Everett, born Dec. 19, 1874, died March 27, 1875 : Clinton Egbert, born May 8, 1877 ; Edna May, born June 28, 1879, died April 9, 1883 ; Thomas Saxton, born Nov. 27, 1882, died May 12, 1883 ; Harold Saxton, born July 7, 1884: and Bur- ton Elbert, born May 4, 1890, died Oct. 30, 1891. (4) Alonzo, born April 17. 1851, married Harriet Isham ; they have no children. (5) Elbert Cornel- ius, born Oct. 24, 1853, married first Annie Dewey, who died in Norwich, Conn., Dec. 6, 1881, of con- sumption ; and second Luella Hale : their child, Lyn- den, was born March 9, 1894. (6) Prescott Palmier, born in Columbia, Sept. 15, 1856, married Eliza Ford Clark July 12, 1882. She was born in 1861, and died Jan. 4, 1895. Their children: Herman Clark, born July 15. 1884; Joseph Prescott, born Feb. 13, 1886; and Edith Lucy, born May 5, 1891. (7) Payson Elliott, born Aug. 31, 1859, married Emma Bascom, of Columbia, Sept. 24. 1882, and their one son, Homer, was born Aug. 3, 1884. (8) Anna Maria, born June 23, 1846, died Oct. 25, 1855, aged nine years.
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(VII) Charles Little, son of Samuel and Jerusha Bailey Little, born Sept. 26, 1818, was graduated from Yale in 1844. He studied theology at Au- burn, N. Y., and at New Haven, and was ordained in Columbia in 1847. He married first in 1847, Amelia Newton, and sailed for India the same year. Landing at Madras, they rode in a palanquin, 180 miles to Madura, where his wife died in 1848, aged twenty-five years. He returned to America in 1852 and married Susan Robins in 1853. They started for Madura in the fall of that year, but her health failed and they returned, reaching New York, Feb. 4, 1860. In 1868 he became Pastor of the First Congregational Church in Lincoln, Neb. No rail- road had reached Lincoln at that time, and the lum- ber to build his house was carted fifty miles. The failure of his health caused him to give up preach- ing, September, 1888. He died at his son's home in Lincoln, Aug. 19, 1892. He was a bright, pure- minded boy, and a noble, Christian man. His chil- dren were: Samuel Robbins, born in Madura, In- dia, Sept. 21, 1855, now deceased ; Amelia Newton, born in India, March 21, 1857, died Dee. 10, 1857; Charles Newton, born in India May 14, 1858, is a fine scholar and has been professor in the State Uni- versity in Minneapolis, and in Leland Stanford Uni- versity, California : Elizabeth, born in Cheshire, Conn., Jan. 12, 1863, married Mr. Adamson, has two children, and lives in Lincoln, Nebraska.
(VII) Saxton Bailey Little, son of Samuel
Little and Jersuha Bailey, was born in Columbia, Conn., April 19, 1813, and on Aug. 21, 1836, mar- ried Sarah Maria Traey, who was born Oct. 13, 1813, daughter of Calvin and Sarah (Loomis) Tracy. She died Dec. 31, 1844, aged thirty-one years, having been a good wife, a faithful mother and a devoted member of the Congregational Church. Her remains rest in the cemetery at Col- umbia. The children born of this union are as fol- lows: (1) Charles L., born July 16, 1839, in Col- umbia, Conn., was married April 23, 1862, to Gene- vieve M. Stiles, of Suffield, Conn., and they have had six children: Sarah Maria, born March 3, 1863, married Robert Hubbard, June 24, 1896, and has one child, Genevieve; Frank Allen, born Aug. 30, 1864, was a graduate of Yale Scientific school and died. Dec. 26, 1895; Arthur Edgerton, who re- sides in Los Angeles, Cal., is the father of two chil- dren, Saxton Bailey and Mildred ; Edward Baxter, born Oct. 26, 1867; Isabelle Annette, born March 13, 1869, was married Jan. 17, 1893, to Fred Brown, of Springfield, Mass., and has two children, Dorcas and Kathleen; and Clara Elvira, born March 19, 1878. (2) Frank Eugene Little, born April 28, 1844, was married Jan. 28, 1868, to Jennie Coan, and they have become the parents of five children : Myra, who died in infancy; Mabel Jennie, born Oct. 2, 1870, married George Baldwin, of Laurel, MId., and is the mother of one child, Elsie; Lena Coan, born Oct. 9, 1876; Charles Eugene, born July 31, 1878, was in the Spanish-American war; and Ernest Butler, born Jan. 30, 1880. Frank Eugene Little served four years in the Union army during the Civil war, first in the 15th Conn. V. I., and later in the 107th regiment of Colored Troops, in which he held the rank of Major.
. Saxton Bailey Little received his preliminary in- struction in the public schools and completed his studies in Tolland, East Hartford, and Bacon Acad- emies. When sixteen years of age he began teach- ing school. The first fifteen winters he "boarded round," as was the custom in those days. One year he taught in Bacon Academy, two years and a half in Willimantic, three years in Greenville, Norwich, Conn. In 1850 he went to Rockville, Conn .. where he taught four years, and where he ended his ser- vices in the public schools. In March, 1854, he was appointed assistant superintendent and teacher in the Connecticut Reform School, and upon the death of the lamented Dr. E. W. Hatch, Feb. 7, 1874, was inade acting superintendent. After a continuous service of twenty-one years with the institution, he severed his connection with it July 31, 1895. The trustees in their report to the General Assembly in 1874 thus fittingly referred to Mr. Little: "We should fail in our duty if we did not signify to you our high appreciation of the well-applied and faith- ful services of this officer ; and to testify that his labors in the position of superintendent and teacher have contributed largely to the success of the school."
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As might be inferred of one so long associated with the educational interests of Connecticut, Mr. Little is a lover of books and has taken great interest in placing them within the reach of others. He has been an efficient helper in establishing a free public library in Columbia, his old home, and to it he has given $1,500 as a permanent fund, the interest of which only is to be used in purchasing books and in keeping the building in repairs. Mr. Little has also given to the library a thousand volumes. He is an esteemed and highly-valued and much re- spected citizen of Meriden, having in many ways outside of the school room been useful to the city. His religious connections have been with the Con- gregational Church, and in Meriden he is a member of the First Church.
Mr. Little has filled most efficiently a number of public offices in the town, having been a member of the Common Council of Meriden, served on the high school committee, a trustee of the Y. M. C. A. and has been for many years on the school district committee, and a member of the Board of Educa- tion since school districts have been abolished. Since retiring from the school, he has made a tour of Europe, going as far as Naples and Pompeii. In this country he has. travelled extensively, and has also made himself familiar with various parts of Canada by personal observation. The large cities in forty states have been visited by him, including Florida, southern California, the Yosemite, New Orleans Exposition, the Yellowstone Park, Luray and Mammoth Caves, and other points and places of interest. The political affiliations of Mr. Little are with the Republican party. In his personal habits he has been extremely regular, and has never used alcoholic drinks or tobacco.
JULIUS ELISHA MERRIMAN, who now lives retired from business activity, in his comfort- able home on Crown street, Meriden, Conn., was born in this town Oct. 10, 1820, and is a descendant of one of the oldest settlers of Wallingford, New Haven county.
Capt. Nathaniel Merriman was the first of the name found in America. He was born in England in 1614, was in New Haven, county as early as 1639, and a signer of the Plantation Covenant in that year, and later he became one of the original settlers of Wallingford, in 1670. Capt. Merriman was sergeant of the train band, in New Haven, and lieutenant of it in Wallingford, becoming captain of the troop of dragoons raised in New Haven county. Several times he was a deputy to the Gen- eral Court, and his death occurred Feb. 13, 1694, in Wallingford.
Elisha Merriman, the grandfather of Julius E., of Meriden, was a native of the town of Walling- ford, was twice married, and made his home in Mer- iden, where he dicd.
Orrin Merriman, son of Elisha, was born in Meriden, and in his youth learned the trade of shoe-
maker. While still a young man, he moved to Southington and there engaged in the making of shoe and boot lasts, and there he died, while still in the prime of life, in 1824. Mr. Merriman per- formed a soldier's duty during the war of 1812, and was one of the leading members of the Congre- gational Church, a man esteemed by all. He was married in Southington, to Susannah Johnson, who was a native of Southington, but who died in the home of her son, Julius E., in Meriden, where her declining years were made comfortable. Her re- mains rest in West cemetery. Her children were: Julius E .; and Caroline, who is the widow of R. S. Dowd, and now makes her home in Meriden.
Julius Elisha Merriman was but four years of age when death robbed.him of a father's protection. His education was obtained in the district schools. but his schooling was shortened in order that he might become a wage earner, his mother having but small means. When but fourteen years of age, he started to work with Issabell. Curtis & Co., later going to New Britain, where for a considerable period, he was employed in the brass works. Then he went to Hamden, Conn., and engaged in work for James Ives, at harness and carriage trimmings, remaining in this position about four years. Mr. Merriman then came to Meriden and found employ- ment with Julius Pratt & Co., in the manufacture of combs, remaining with this firm for fifteen years, during seven of these serving as superintendent of the factory, which was latterly devoted to the pro- duction of ivory piano keys. After leaving the em- ploy of Julius Pratt & Co., Mr. Merriman then ac- cepted a position with Foster, Merriam & Co., and spent the succeeding fifteen years with this company, in the furniture casting department, where he was a contractor and later superintendent.
In 1881, after such an active life for so many years, Mr. Merriman decided to retire from such exacting work, and for the past twenty years has been principally engaged in looking after his prop- erty interests. Like other men of substance he had invested in real estate with advantage, and is the owner of valuable property. One of his possessions is a brick block, on Perkins street, which he erected at a cost of $10,000. Mr. Merriman looks well af- ter his property himself. is still vigorous and hearty and quite capable of physical exertion. When in his eighty-second year, he noticed that one of the three-story buildings needed repainting, and with surprising agility and capacity he remedied this matter himself. This, however, is nothing un- usual, as he is in the habit of painting his roof once in two years, as well as the interior of his home.
On Feb. 24, 1845, Mr. Merriman was married in Southington, Conn., to Miss Minerva Clark, who was born in that town, a daughter of Allen and Sylvia (Barnes) Clark. To this union four chil- dren were born: Alice C., who died young; Har- riet (Hattie) Lee, who married Edward F. Pierce,
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and has four children, namely : Charles (deceased), Lloyd (deceased), Allen Clark and Emeline Daisy ; George Edward, who died at the age of two years ; and Rufus C., who married Alice Castelow, and is a butter and egg dealer on Colony street, in Meriden. Mrs. Merriman is a descendant of one of the old and most highly respected families of Southington, more extended mention of whom is found in an- other part of this history. She is a lady of retiring and gentle disposition, whose peaceful contentment is written upon her face, and whose Christian char- acter exerts its uplifting influence in the community. Her beautiful life of devotion to husband and chil- dren is known to them, and she is most tenderly beloved by every one.
In his early political life, Mr. Merriman was a Whig, but for many years has been an active sup- porter of the Republican party, although never will- ing to accept any office in its gift. For a long per- iod he has been connected with the Masonic fratern- ity, and is a member of Meridian Lodge, No. 77, of Meriden. From early boyhood he has been con- nected with the Congregational Church and is one of its most liberal supporters. Mr. Merriman be- gan his career as a poor boy, but with determination and perseverance he overcame all obstacles. For many years his capacity for work was enormous, and as time went on he accumulated means, through legitimate channels. One feature which Mr. Merri- man considers of consequence in his career, was his stand on the subject of temperance, never in his life having taken a drop of liquor over a bar, the result being a surprisingly robust condition of physical health and a clear brain.
CLARK. Lemuel Clark was born at Middle- town, Conn., in 1748, and was married in Southing- ton, Conn., on Oct. 14, 1772, to Asenath Carter, who was a daughter of Abel and Mary (Coach) Carter and lived in that part of Southington, now called Plantsville, where he died on Jan. 14, 1786. His widow, Asenath, married, March 20, 1808, Dr. Theodore Wadsworth, and died April 8, 1841, at the age of eighty-six years. Lemuel Clark's chil- dren were: Phebe, born Dec. 11, 1773; Allen, Nov. 26, 1774; Solomon, Sept. 6, 1781 ; Polly, Oct. 16, 1783, and Lemuel, Feb. 10, 1786.
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