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 3 > Part 60
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(VI) Jacob Griswold, grandfather of Henry Hill Griswold, was born in North Guilford. and died there Nov. 26, 1855. He married, in May, 1805, Obedience Potter, born in Branford. Conn., Feb. 13. 1786, and died Feb. 27, 1872, a daughter of Medad Potter, a soldier of the Revolutionary war, and a blacksmith by occupation. Three chil- dren were born to them: Russell Medad, sketch of whom follows ; Clarissa Mehitabel, July 18, 1814. married to Henry H. Hill ; and Janette Adelia, April 30. 1822, married to Martin C. Bishop. Of these, (VII) Russell Medad Griswold, father of Henry Hill Griswold, was born Feb. 15, 1806, in North Guilford, where he received a common school edu- cation, and he also took a course at Guilford Acad- emy. He was a lifelong farmer in that town, and died there Aug. 31, 1865, his remains being interred in North Guilford cemetery. He was a member of the Episcopal Church, in politics a Democrat, and was a man well-known and highly respected as a good citizen, a loving father and kind husband.
Mr. Griswold was twice married, first time on June 15, 1834, to Polly F. Hill, born Aug. 10, 1812, and died Dec. 6, 1857, a danghter of Henry and Lucy ( Doolittle) Hill. Children born to this union : Dorcas Augusta, May 1, 1835, died Dec. 4, 1837; Frances Dorcas, Sept. 19. 1838, married Jerome Coan and died Feb. 1, 1859: Ellen Frederica, May 24, 1843, died Dec. 25, 1845; Henry Hill, sketch of whom follows. The mother of these died Dec. 6, 1857, and Nov. 24. 1859, Mr. Griswold married Mrs. Emeline W. Parkhurst born July 19, 1816, and died in St. Albans, Vt., July 31, 1872.
: (IV) Nehemiah Griswold, son of Samuel, was (VIII) Henry Hill Griswold, whose name in- troduces this sketch, was born Dec. 15, 1847, in North Guilford, and was educated in part at the district schools of the locality, in part at the North Guilford Academy, followed by one term at the Bryant & Stratton Business College, Hartford. When his father died, our subject was eighteen years born in Wethersfield. and in boyhood was brought by his parents to Guilford, where he was reared. He engaged in farming in North Guilford, and died there Dec. 31. 1787. On Jan. 23, 1745, he married Mary Graves, who was born in Guilford Sept. 6. 1716, and died Nov. 25, 1770, a daughter of Nathan- iel and Elizabeth ( Barnes ) Graves, of Guilford. To | old, and from that time he conducted the home
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farm till 1891, since when he has occupied the Dudley farm, on which has wife was born.
On Nov. 5, 1873, Henry H. Griswold married Frances S. Dudley, who was born May 14, 1848. Mr. and Mrs. Griswold are members of the Con- gregational Church, and in politics he is independent. Well known and highly respected, a man who lives up to the "Golden Rule:" Mr. Griswold has hosts of friends whose esteem he justly merits.
HILL. The Hill family, intermarried with the Griswold's, was early represented in Guilford, and (1) John Hill, the first of the name in that town, came to America from Northamptonshire, England, settling in Guilford in 1654, and dying there June 8, 1689. His first wife, Frances, died in May, 1673, and on Sept. 23. 1675, he wedded Catharine Chalk- er, born Sept. 8, 1657. a daughter of Alexander Chalker. Children born to John Hill: John, James, Sarah, Elizabeth and Ann.
. (II) John Hill married Thankful Stow, who died Nov. 18, 1711 ; he passed away May 8, 1690. They became the parents of children as follows : Mary, born May 8, 1671, died Aug. 24, 1671 ; John, born July 18, 1672, married Hannah Highland, and died Feb. 10, 1740: Elizabeth, born Feb. 20. 1674. married Jamies Ford : Mary, born Feb. 1, 1676, mar- ried Josiah Rossiter, and died July 14. 1739; Hon. Samuel, born Feb. 21, 1678, married Huldah Rug- gles, and died May 28, 1752 : Nathaniel, born April. 1680, died Oct. 16, 1714; and James, born April. 1682, married Mary Fry, and died March 25, 1715.
(III) James Hill, born April. 1682, married . Jan. 15, 1710, Mary Fry, and died March 25, 1715. Three children were born to them: James, Sept. 28, 1712; Lydia, Sept. 9, 1713: Mary, Dec. I. 1715, married Eliphalet Hall, and died May 27, .1762.
(IV) James Hill, maternal great-grandfather of Henry Hill Griswold, died Oct. I. 1798. He mar- ried April 15, 1744, Hannah Nettleton, who was born in 1724, and died Nov. 26. 1821. Twelve chil- dren were born to them: Hannah, born April 14. 1745, married Abner Hull: Sybil. born Oct. 10, 1746, married Ezra Parmelee: Mercy, born Feb. 26, 1748, married Absalom Kelsey: James, born Nov. 30, 1749, married Eleanor Hull; Noah, born Oct. 22, 1751, married Caroline Parmelee : John. born Feb. 4, 1754, died in the Revolutionary war, Aug. 5, 1777 ; Thankful, born Feb. 9, 1756, married Elias Parmelee, and died Oct. 9, 1790: Selah, born Feb. 3, 1758, married Sally. Turner ; Henry, born July 27, 1761; Joseph, born April 15, 1765. mar- ried Hester Butler, and died Sept. 28, 1840; Ben- jamin (twin brother of Joseph ), died in 1849. mar- ried Jennie Stannard; and Molly, born Feb. 20, 1767.
ISIo. and died March 18, 1886, married Clarissa M. Griswold; Polly F., born Aug. 10, 1812, married Russell Medad Griswold, and died Dec. 6, 1857; John, July 18, 1814, died same year; John, March 12, 1816, and died Feb. 1, 1881, married Polly S. Willard.
DUDLEY. The Dudley family, with which Mrs. Henry Hill Griswold is connected, ranks among the old-time settlers of the town of Guilford.
Jared Dudley, son of Capt. William, grandson of Joseph, and great-grandson of the first William Dudley, was born Nov. 17, 1727, in the town of Guilford, and like his ancestors was a lifelong far- mer and prominent citizen. He married Dec. 25, 1754, Mary Chittenden, who died Nov. 18, 1821, at the patriarchal age of ninety-two years, and their children were as follows: Luther, born Sept. 16, 1755; Jared, June 29, 1757; Ruth, Jan. 23, 1762, married March 6, 1783, John Tyler; Eunice, Sept. 3, 1764, married Dec. 5, 1787, Jonathan Russell ; Mabel, March 10, 1767, married Davis Ford, of North Branford, Conn.
Luther Dudley, great-grandfather of Mrs. Gris- wold, and a farmer by occupation, was born in Guil- ford Sept. 16, 1755, a son of Jared Dudley, and died Sept. 14, 1810. He married Jan. 27, 1779, Mary Chidsey, who died April 8, 1827, at the age of seventy-eight years, and seven children were born to them: Luther, born Sept. 6, 1779, died at sea Oct. 1. 1799; Loveman, born July 7, 1781 ; Erastus, May 9, 1783; Nathan, 1785; Frederick, 1787, died Jan. 18, 1803, being crushed to death by a cart wheel ; Olive, 1790, settled in Alabama ; Pros- per. Aug. 10, 1793.
Erastus Dudley, grandfather of Mrs. Griswold, was born in North Guilford, and there passed his entire life in agricultural pursuits, dying June II, 1872, and buried in North Guilford cemetery. He married, July 2. 1806, Ruth Fowler, who died Dec. 23, 1863, and also buried in North Guilford. Their children : Mary Louisa, born April 4, 1807, mar- ried Oct. 9, 1845. William Norton, of North Guil- ford; Fanny Elvira, born Sept. 23, 1808, married Ira I. Fenn, of Lacon, Ill. ; James Hervey, born Nov. 4, ISII; Lois Rossiter, born March 6, 1814, married May 6, 1834, Joel Benton, of Mendon, Ill .; Luther Frederick (twin of Lois, but born the day after), March 7, 1814: Ruth Francis, born May 1. 1816, married David Bartlett, April 12. 1839: Erastus Franklin (twin of Ruth F.) ; Ebenezer Fowler, April 20, 1819; Nathan Chidsey, Feb. 23, 1821 : Abbie Ann, March 22. 1823. married David D. Chittenden, Aug. 22, 1814. Of these.
Erastus F. Dudley. father of Mrs. Griswold. all his life followed agricultural pursuits on the farm whereon our subject. Henry H. Griswold, has lived since 1891, in which year Erastus died, his remains being interred in North Guilford cemetery. On Jan. 5. 1842, in North Guilford, he married Parnel F. Chittenden. daughter of Simon Chittenden, and chil-
(V) Henry Hill. maternal grandfather of Henry H. Griswold, was born at Killingworth, Middlesex Co., Conn .. died March 28. 1834. He married Lucy Doolittle, who died in 1845. and four chil- dren were born to them: Henry Hall, May 21, , dren as follows were born to them: Louis Frank-
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lin, born Nov. 8, 1843, married Ellen Rowe : Frances Selina, born May 14, 1848, married Henry II. Gris- wold Nov. 5, 1873; and Jane Louisa, born Jan. 29, 1855, died May 2, 1855.
CHARLES IVES PARMELEE was born in Wallingford, Nov. 1, 1854, a son of Samuel Blakes- lee Parmelee, who was born on North Elm Street, Wallingford, Aug. 9, 1824. For the last twenty- one years before his death Samuel B. Parmelee was a traveling salesman for Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co., his territory being mostly in the West and South. In politics he was a Republican, and un- usually well posted on the topics of the day. Of a genial and companionable nature he had many friends among his patrons. Fraternally he was a Mason; in religious connection a member of the First Congregational Church. On Oct. 18, 1846. he married Miss Lavinia C. Cook, a daughter of George Cook, a tavern keeper on the stage route between New Haven and Hartford. Their children were: Mary C., born April 15, 1849. died unmarried March 3, 1893; Charles I .; and Carrie Belle, born Feb. 7, 1860, married O. H. D. Fowler.
Leander Parmelee, father of Samuel Blakeslee, was born in Killingworth, where the Parmelee fam- ily was settled from an early period in the history of the Colony. He was a farmer, and a leading man in his day. For twelve years he was high sheriff of New Haven county, and spent the greater part of his life in Wallingford. While he was sheriff it was his official duty to hang four men. His funeral is remembered as being one of the most largely at- tended ever held in Wallingford. He was father of the following children: Stephen Ives went to California where he died when twenty-one years old ; Charles died at the age of twenty-one years : Samuel B. is noted above; Elizabeth married Lo- renzo Lewis, of Wallingford; and Emily married George Cooley, of Meriden.
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Charles I. Parmelee received his education in the · schools of his native place, was a student for a year in Cargill's business college, about the same time in French's Private School at New Haven, and for a year and a half he was student of Claverack Col- · lege (The Hudson River Institute). Mr. Parmelee was now about twenty-one, and he came back to Wallingford to take charge of his father's farm of 125 acres, and a tract of fifty-seven acres, which he purchased for himself. He is a practical and suc- cessful farmer. and on the side of his farm that touches the town he is proving a very successful real estate dealer. selling off a number of building lots which have been improved by the erection of many very elegant residences, and greatly increasing the value of his entire property. For thirteen years Mr. Parmelee conducted an extensive milk route in Wallingford which. proved very remunerative, but which he was compelled to give up in 1896 on account of ill health.
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Mr. Parmelee is a member of the Grange, and
has been active in its work from the time of its or- ganization. He is a member of the First Congre- gational Church, while his wife is an Episcopalian. In politics he is a Republican, but he has never been much interested in partisan affairs.
On Dec. 31, 1878, Mr. Parmelee married Miss Eliza J. Ives, who was born June 18, 1857, daughter of Othniel Ives, and died Oct. 14, 1890. Two chil- dren came to this union : Mildred 1., born Jan. 11, 1880, and Frances Cook, born Feb. 21, 1889. Charles I. Parmelee was married Dec. 15, 1891, 10 Miss Edna G. Wooding, a daughter of Henry Cal- vin Wooding, of Wallingford. To this union were born Hazel Marian, Oct. 10, 1805; and Samuel Blakeslee, March 8, 1899.
PHILO BAILEY NORTON, the popular liv- eryman at Waterbury, was born Feb. 17, 1834, in Goshen. Litchfield county, this state, and descends from one of three Norton brothers who came from England prior to the Revolutionary war.
Mr. Norton's grandfather. great-grandfather and great-great-grandfather all bore the Christian name of Stephen, and his great-grandmother was named Experience. In the great-grandfather's family were four sons and one daughter: Jona- than, Stephen, Ephraim, one son who was killed in the Revolution (and it is thought that Jonathan also served in that heroic struggle), and Clarissa. The great-grandfather settled in Norfolk in 1769. but his son Stephen was born in Bristol ing 1706, and died in Norfolk July 8, 1843. The latter, who was the grandfather of our subject, married Hannah McCoy, a native of Stonington, Conn., born Nov. 25, 1773, who died May 20. 1848. To this union were born thirteen children, in the following order : Anson, Sept. 5. 1789 ; Lavina, Feb. 8, 1791 ; Sarah, July 4, 1793 ; Experience, Aug. 1, 1796; Amanda, June 30. 1798: Marina, July 15. 1801; Keziah. March 15. 1803: Charles L., Nov. 15, 1804; Clar- issa, April 25. 1806: Alson, April 26, 1808; Rile ;. March 26, 1813: Uriel, Jan. 26, 1815 ; and Albert, Nov. 16. 1818.
Charles L. Norton, father of our subject, grew to manhood in Norfolk, where he married Ann M. Bailey, who was born Feb. 23, 1806, daughter of Philo Bailey. After their marriage Mr. and Mrs. Norton settled in Goshen, where their children were born, in the following order: Marie E., May 12. 1827; Mary Ann, July 5. 1832: Philo B., the sub- ject of this sketch ; Albert C., Nov. 1, 1838; Charles L .. April 26, 1840; and Remus A., Dec. 23, 1844. Of these. the first born, Marie E., is married to Harvey Johnson, of Norfolk, Conn. ; Mary Ann is the wife of Nelson D. Ford, of Winchester ; Albert C. is in Montville, Ohio, engaged in farming : Charles L. is associated with Philo B. in the livery business : and Remus A., who formerly conducted the old farm in Goshen, is now retired. The par- ents of this family later in life retired to Winsted to a farm, where Mrs. Norton died Feb. 17, 1888.
Butorton
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and Mr. Norton on April 15, 1889. He was a Democrat in politics, was a very prominent man in . his day, and was first selectman of Goshen for many years.
Philo B. Norton, the subject of this sketcli. grew to manhood on the home farm, on which he remained until Dec. 12, 1859, when he came to Waterbury and entered into his present business, being now the oldest liveryman in the city and own- ing the best equipped barns, as well as large blocks of real estate, improved and unimproved. On Nov. 5, 1860, he married Miss Nettie Cebelia Yale, a daughter of Charles Elihu Yale, and a sister of John B. Yale, whose biography will be found in full elsewhere. One daughter came to bless this union, Juliette S., now the wife of Joseph Graham, who resides in New York City. In politics Mr. Norton is a Republican, and in religion a Congrega- tionalist, the family attending the Second Congrega- tional Church. He is universally respected for his uniform courtesy and his inflexible integrity in business transactions.
GEORGE STILLMAN POND, the energetic and capable superintendent of the supply depart- ment of the Southern New England Telephone Co .. with his principal office at New Haven, was born in Branford July 12, 1854. and is a son of Capt. Jo- seph W. and Mary ( Hall) Pond. The paternal grandparents of George S. Pond were Harvey and Betsy (Linsley) Pond, and his great-grandparents were Elias and Martha ( Howd) Pond.
On the Linsley side Mr. Pond is a descendant of Ebenezer Linsley, who was a native of Branford, and who married Betsy Cohan, of Guilford. He was a son of Ebenezer Linsley, and a grandson of Ebenezer Linsley, who was born in England and was one of the pioneer settlers of Branford. The family Bible which he brought from England is still in the possession of Capt. J. W. Pond, who is living. at the time of this writing ( 1901) on the old family homestead at Indian Neck, where he was born July 6, 1820. -
Harvey Pond, noted above. was a boatman and coaster, and followed the water all his life. His children were Russell, Joseph W., Harriet and Eliza A. (who married Henry Nichols).
Capt. Joseph W. Pond was reared in Branford, where he has always resided. For sixty-six seasons he had charge of a pleasure boat on Long Island sound, and during the winter months was engaged in the coasting trade. Capt. Pond was twice mar- ried. In 1845 he wedded Elvira Averill, who died in 1851. In 1852 he married Mary E. Hall, of the city of New York, who became the mother of four children: George S .: Jarvis A .; Elvira, who married George Rice; and Mary E., who is Mrs. Frank Mackay.
George Stillman Pond was reared at Branford. which has always been his home. He obtained his education in the local schools, and began his busi-
ness career by assisting his father as a boatman. For ten seasons he was captain of a pleasure boat on Long Island Sound. On Sept. 1, 1883, he re- ceived his appointment to the position he now holds. with the Southern New England Telephone Co., and is regarded as one of the most capable and trustworthy men on the company's staff.
Mr. Pond was married, Oct. 10, 1875, to Hattie J., a daughter of James F. and Harriet ( Plant) Morris, of Branford. To this union have come three children, Harry J., Walter G. and Olive H. Mr. Pond is a member of Widows Sons Lodge, No. 66, F. & A. M. He is also a member of Montowese Lodge, No. 184, New England Order of Protection, of which he is warden. In his po- litical relations Mr. Pond is a Republican.
CAPTAIN ALFRED J. WOLFF, foreman in the machine department of the Scovill Mfg. Co., Waterbury, was born March II, 1856, in Vosges, France.
Francis F. Wolff, father of our subject, was born in the same locality, in 1817, and came to. the United States in 1865, making his first New- World home in Bridgeport, Conn., where he found employment as a blacksmith on the Naugatuck rail- road. From there he removed to Waterbury, and here worked for the Farrell Foundry Co. up to about the time of his death in 1870. In his native land he had married Celestine Wolff, a first cousin, and of the same nativity, and three children were born to them: Lucian, Adrian, and Alfred J. Of these, Lucian is a machinist with the Scovill Mfg. Co. : and Adrian is foreman at the same works. The mother passed from earth in 1898.
Alfred J. Wolff was ten years old when brought. by his parents to this country from his native land,. and received his education in part at Vosges, France,. in part at Bridgeport, Conn., for a few months, then in 1866, coming to Waterbury, where he finished his. schooling. Mr. Wolff now entered life in carnest, commencing an apprenticeship to the tool-making trade with the Scovill Mfg. Co., after which he worked in New York two years. Then returning to Waterbury, he was in the employ of the Steele & Johnson Mfg. Co. In 1881 he took his present position with the Scovill Mfg. Co.
On Nov. 4, 1878, Mr. Wolff was married to Mary Thompson, of Waterbury, daughter of Rich- ard Thompson, who came from Ireland, settling in Waterbury. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Wolff are: 'Alice, Alfred, Edward, Joseph, Sarah, Grace and Armand, all of whom are living. The family are members of the Roman Catholic Church, Sa- cred Heart Parish.
On June 11, 1876, Mr. Wolff enlisted in Con- pany G, 2nd Regiment, Connecticut National Guard, in which he rose through the grades of Corporal and Sergeant to Second Lieutenant, re- ceiving his commission in July, 1884. On June 20, 1886, lie was commissioned as Captain. At the break-
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ing out of the war with Spain, Captain Wolff, in . accordance with orders from headquarters, made all preparations for service with his command, hav- ing recruited his company to 106 men, and, besides, having a nucleus of forty-five enlisted men in case it became necessary to form an additional company. In January, 1899, Captain Wolff was, at his request, placed on the retired list of the Conn. N. G. In politics he is a Democrat, and served with much ac- ceptability on the board of finance of the Center School District, being chairman thereof for five years. Socially he is affiliated with the Foresters of America, the Royal Arcanum, the Woodmen of the World, and the Knights of Columbus.
JOHN H. GUERNSEY, postmaster of Water- bury, was born in Watertown, Litchfield Co., Conn., January 26, 1848, and traces his ancestry in America back anterior to the Revolution. The first Guernsey, having come from the Isle of Guernsey, England, settled in Old Milford, Conn., in Colonial days. Many of the early Guernseys were farmers, but all were men of brains, pro- found thinkers, and of deep resources; they were patriotic to the core, and took part in all the early struggles of the Colonists in preserving the in- tegrity of the rights of the British crown, but when the time came were especially conspicuous in the struggle for the independence of the States.
John J. Guernsey, father of John H., was born Dec. 30, 1814, in the same house in Watertown in which his son was born. William Guernsey, fa- ther of John J., was born in the same town, Jan. 25, 1784, a son of Abijah Guernsey, a native of the same place. Joseph, the father of Abijah, was born in Milford.
William Guernsey, grandfather of John H., sub- ject of this sketch, grew to manhood in Water- town. His mother, who bore the maiden name of Lucy Bellamy, was a daughter of Rev. Joseph Bellamy, who graduated from Yale College in 1735, was famous as an instructor and was the leading divine of his day. William Guernsey married Han- nah Parker, of Wallingford, settled in Watertown, and there reared a family of five children, viz. : John J., father of subject; Philena, who was mar- ried to S. A. Clock, of Litchfield, Conn .; Nancy, who was married to Chester Russell, of Waterbury ; Sherman, who was a veneer sawyer, was a resident of Terryville; and a daughter, Rebecca, who died at the age of twenty, unmarried. This family, with the exception of John J., have all been called away, the father having lived to be eighty-one.
John J. Guernsey was reared a farmer and grew to manhood in Watertown. He married Mary J. Schofield, of Stamford, Conn., a daughter of Will- iam Schofield, one of the oldest residents of Fair- field county. After marriage Mr. and Mrs. Guern- sey continued to reside in Watertown for many years, but finally removed to Cheshire. They be- came the parents of eight children, as follows: ,
Sherman was a farmer and died in New Haven; Lyman was a butcher and died in Cheshire; Re- becca is the widow of R. C. Benjamin, of New Haven ; Truman was a civil engineer and dry goods merchant, and died in Crawfordsville, Ind., where he was engaged in business; John H. is mentioned below ; Almira, deceased, married Henry Hubbell, of Cheshire; Lotta married John Phillips; and an infant died unnamed. Of the above named chil- dren, Sherman, Lyman and Truman were soldiers during the Civil war, and two of them were taken prisoners, but were subsequently exchanged, having fully maintained the ancient reputation of the fam- ily for military valor. In politics the father was first a Whig, but is now a Republican ; in religious faith he is a Methodist. He and his wife are still living at this writing, January, 1902. They cele- brated their golden wedding June 27, 1887.
John H. Guernsey lived on the home farm at Waterbury until fifteen years of age, and for a short time resided in the town of Prospect. His education was acquired at the old district school, and he was an ardent student, prolonging his stud- ies far into the night. In 1871 he settled in Water- bury, where he first entered a contractor's office. and for four years kept books, drew plans, and acted as time-keeper ; he next became a hardware clerk for D. B. Wilson, with whom he remained ten years. For the following eight years he con- ducted a most prosperous hardware business on his own account. He then sold out and devoted his attention to life insurance until Feb. 14, 1899, when he was appointed postmaster of Waterbury, . a position he fills in the most satisfactory manner to the public and to the government.
In 1870 Mr. Guernsey was united in matrimony with Miss Alice E. Wooding, of Prospect, and a daughter of Wales L. Wooding, who is a descend- ant of one of the oldest families of the East. No children have blessed this union. In politics Mr. Guernsey is a sound Republican, and in religion he is liberal. Fraternally he is a Freemason and an Odd Fellow and a member of the Union League of Connecticut. Socially, he is of a jovial, happy disposition, with a kind word for everybody, and is by everybody held in the highest possible esteem.
JAMES DYER HOTCHKISS, Ansonia. Sam- uel Hotchkiss, probably of Essex, England (the traditional brother of John of Guilford, Conn.), whose name was written, respectively, Hodgke, Hodgkin, Hotchkiss, was at New Haven as early as 1641. In August, 1642, he married Elizabeth Cleverly, and he died Dec. 28. 1663, leaving six children : John, Samuel, James, Joshua, Thomas and Daniel. Of these.
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