USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v. 1 > Part 4
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57
23
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
rallying them when he received a mortal wound. A musket ball broke his back- bone, lodged within and could not be ex- tracted. He was removed to Danbury, where he died May 2, 1777. On June 17, 1777, a resolution was passed by Con- gress that a monument be erected to his memory, but the sum voted, five hundred dollars, was never paid. A granite monu- ment was erected to his memory in Dan- bury, Connecticut, in 1854.
He married Mary Clap, a beautiful and accomplished woman, daughter of President Thomas Clap, of Yale College.
ELIOT, Jared,
Distinguished Clergyman.
Rev. Jared Eliot, son of Rev. Joseph Eliot, was born November 7, 1685, died April 22, 1763. He was a grandson of Rev. John Eliot, "Apostle to the Indians ; and his father, Rev. Joseph Eliot, was an almost equally distinguished divine.
He graduated at Yale College in 1706, and became a famous minister. He was enrolled among the earliest pupils of the Collegiate School of Connecticut (after- ward Yale College). Before his gradua- tion he had won the affection and esteem of Rector Abraham Pierson, and when the venerable man lay on his death bed, he earnestly advised his parishioners of Kill- ingworth (now Clinton) to call as his successor his favorite pupil, young Eliot. They did so, and Eliot began his duties June 1, 1707, although he was not formally ordained until October 26, 1709. To ac- cept this call he withdrew as schoolmas- ter in his native town, but he maintained through life a strong interest in educa- tional matters. In 1730 he was elected a trustee of Yale College, the first graduate of that institution to be so honored, and he filled the position till his death, with interest and energy, and in his will left the first bequest for the development of
the library of that institution. He was an indefatigable student and acquired a broad culture in science and letters, at- tainments which Harvard recognized with an honorary Master of Arts, the second on her list, and which brought him into interesting correspondence with President Stiles, Bishop Berkeley, and Benjamin Franklin. Eliot's ministry in Killing- worth covered a period of fifty-six years, full of service. Ruggles, in his discourse at his funeral, says: "For more than forty years of the latter part of his life he never missed preaching some part of every Sab- bath either at home or abroad." Also, "He was sound in the faith, according to the true character of orthodoxy, so he was of a truly catholic and Christian spirit in the exercise of it. Difference in opinion as to religious principles was no obstruc- tion to a hearty practice of the great law of love, benevolence, and true goodness to man, to every man; nor of Christian charity to the whole household of faith. Them he received whom he hoped the Lord had received; abhorring narrow- ness, and the mean contractedness of a party spirit, but heartily loved and freely practiced, in word and behavior, the great law of true liberty." This broad minded- ness at one time nearly led him into Epis- copacy. He was not only a divine, but was a physician as well. It has been said of him: "Of all those who combined the offices of clergyman and physician, not one, from the foundation of the American colonies, attained so high distinction as a physician as Jared Eliot." In chronic complaints "he appears to have been more extensively consulted than any other phy- sician in New England, frequently visiting every county of Connecticut, and being often called in Boston and Newport." He trained so many students in medicine who subsequently attained distinction that he was commonly called "the father of regu- lar medical practice in Connecticut." He
24
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
was scarcely less famous in scientific in- vestigation. He discovered the existence of iron in the dark red seasand, and as a result of successful experiments made America's first contribution to the science of metallurgy in a tract entitled: "The Art of making very good if not the best Iron from black sea Sand." These investi- gations won for him by unanimous vote the gold medal of the London Society of Arts, in 1762. Some six years before he was unanimously elected a member of the Royal Society. He also published a vol- ume called "Field Husbandry in New England."
Jared Eliot was distinctly practical, and a man of affairs, and he utilized his knowl- edge. He had large and profitable invest- ments in the ore-fields of northwestern Connecticut. He had extensive farming tracts, which were better cultivated than most of his neighbors. Ruggles says: "Idleness was his abhorrence ; but every portion of time was filled with action by him. Perhaps no man, in this day, has slept so little, and done so much, in so great variety." He had a rare charm of person and manner. Well proportioned and of commanding presence, with a coun- tenance from which a grave dignity did not altogether banish a gentle kindliness, he merits Ruggles' characterization : "He had a turn of mind peculiarly adapted for conversation, and happily accommodated to the pleasures of social life. * No less agreeable charming and engaging was his company, accommodated to every person under every circumstance. Noth- ing affected, nothing assuming; it is all nature, and shined with wisdom, so that perhaps no person ever left his company dissatisfied, or without being pleased with it." Benjamin Franklin, in one of his let- ters to him, says : "I remember with pleas- ure the cheerful hours I enjoyed last win- ter in your company, and I would with
all my heart give any ten of the thick old folios that stand on the shelves before me, for a little book of the stories you then told with so much propriety and humor." His effectiveness and accomplishment, as well as his charm of manner, remained with him to the end of his long life. His pastorate was the longest in the history of the church. In addition to the publi- cations mentioned, he published : "The Right Hand of Fellowship," 1730; "The
Two Witnesses, or Religion Supported by Reason and Divine Revelation," 1736; "Give Cæsar His Due; or the Obligations that Subjects are under to their Civil Rulers are shewed in a Sermon Preached before the General Assembly of the Colony," 1738; "The Blessings Bestowed on Them that Fear God," 1739; "God's Marvellous Kindness," 1745; "Repeated Bereavements Considered and Improved," 1748; "Discourse on the Death of Rev. Wm. Worthington," 1757. He married, October 26, 1710, Elizabeth Smithson, died February 18, 1761, aged sixty-eight, daughter of Samuel Smithson, of Guil- ford.
CUTLER, Timothy,
Clergyman, Rector of Yale College.
The Rev. Timothy Cutler, clergyman, third rector of Yale College, traced his ancestry to Robert Cutler, the emigrant, who settled at Charlestown, Massachu- setts, about 1636. His son, John Cutler, married Anna Woodmansey, and their son, Major John Cutler, married Martha Wiswall, and they were the parents of Timothy Cutler, of this review.
Timothy Cutler was born at Charles- town, Massachusetts, May 31, 1684, and died in Boston, Massachusetts, August 17, 1765. He was graduated from Har- vard College in 1701, studied theology, and was ordained a Congregational min-
25
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
ister on January II, 1709. Immediately after his ordination he entered upon the pastorate of the church at Stratford, Con- necticut, where he preached in a most acceptable manner for ten years, resign- ing his pastorate at the expiration of that period of time in order to accept the rec- torship of Yale College at New Haven, Connecticut, to succeed Samuel Andrew, rector pro tempore, 1707-19. He entered upon the duties of his office, March 24, 1719, and retired from the rectorship on October 17, 1722, having become a con- vert to the Episcopal faith. The chief event during his brief rectorship was the building of a house for him, which was completed in 1722, and was used by his successors until the end of the century ; about one-half of the cost was supplied by the Assembly from the tax on rum, and the remainder came from subscriptions, collections in the churches, and a gift by Governor Yale. Shortly after his retire- ment, about two months later, he sailed for England, accompanied by his friends, Messrs. Johnson and Browne, and re- ceived Episcopal orders in March, 1723, was honored with the degrees of Doctor of Divinity and Doctor of Sacred The- ology by Oxford and Cambridge univer- sities, and made missionary of the S. P. G., and returned to become rector of the new Christ Church, Boston, Massachu- setts, where he remained until his death, a period of nearly forty-two years. His defection, as that of the head of a school founded chiefly to defend and promote the Congregational system, caused much dis- may, and had influence in inducing others to follow his example. Its immediate re- sults in the college were an "additional act" of October, 1723, making the rector a trustee, and requiring a test of sound- ness in doctrines to be signed by all its teachers, and this in some form was in force for a century. Dr. Cutler married
Elizabeth, daughter of President Samuel Andrews, his successor at Yale College.
CLAP, Thomas,
President of Yale College.
Thomas Clap was born in Scituate, Massachusetts, June 26, 1703, son of Dea- con Stephen and Temperance Clap, grand- son of Samuel and Hannah (Gill) Clap, and great-grandson of Thomas and Abi- gail Clap.
Thomas Clap was graduated from Har- vard College in 1722. He then studied theology, and in August, 1726, succeeded the Rev. Samuel Whiting as pastor of the church at Windham, Connecticut. He was especially learned in philosophy, mathematics and astronomy, and con- structed the first orrery or planetarium made in America. In 1739, when he was chosen president of Yale College as suc- cessor to the Rev. Elisha Williams, his people in Windham were so unwilling to part with him that the matter was re- ferred to an ecclesiastical council who ad- vocated the change, and on April 2, 1740, he was formally installed in the presi- dency. The State Legislature voted to pay an indemnity of £53 to the people of Windham for the deprivation of their min- ister. On entering upon the duties of his collegiate office, Mr. Clap at once drew up a code of laws to supersede the laws of Harvard College, which had until then been in use at Yale. These were pub- lished in 1748 in Latin, the first book pub- lished in New Haven. In 1745 he ob- tained a new charter for the college from the State Legislature, and in 1752 a new building was erected. He next called for a new chapel, which was completed in 1763, and many marked improvements were made under his administration. Whitefield's visit to New England brought some unpopularity upon President Clap,
26
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
who had no sympathy with the revivalist, and reprobated his methods, if he did not absolutely antagonize them. After sev- eral unsuccessful attempts by the trustees to secure a Professor of Divinity, Mr. Clap was invited in 1753 to preach to the students in College Hall, a course which was strongly objected to by the New Haven church, which claimed the college as within its parish boundaries. Other controversies increased his unpopularity, and a memorial was sent to the Legisla- ture petitioning for an examination into the college affairs. A written denial of the charges made was prepared by him and the memorial was dismissed by the Legis- lature. In 1765 he called for the resigna- tion of two of the tutors who had em- braced the opinions of the Sandemanians. The remaining tutor then resigned, as did the successors shortly afterward. Presi- dent Clap offered his resignation in July, 1766, and after conferring the degrees in September he retired from office. Among his publications were: "An Introduction to the Study of Philosophy" (1743) ; "The Religious Constitution of Colleges, espe- cially of Yale College, New Haven" (1754); "A Brief History and Vindica- tion of the Doctrines received and estab- lished in the Churches of New England, with a specimen of the New Scheme of Religion beginning to prevail" (1755); "An Essay on the Nature and Foundation of Moral Virtue and Obligation" (1765); "Annals of History of Yale College" (1766) ; and "Conjectures upon the Na- ture and Motions of Meteors, which are above the Atmosphere" (1781).
He was married, in 1727, to Mary, daughter of the Rev. Samuel Whitney, by whom he had two daughters: Mary, who became the wife of David Wooster, afterward major-general in the Revolu- tionary army; and Temperance, who be- came the wife of the Rev. Timothy Pit- kin, son of Governor William Pitkin, of
Connecticut. Mr. Clap died in New Haven, Connecticut, January 7, 1767.
DAVENPORT, Abram,
Hero of "The Dark Day."
Abram Davenport is famous in history for an act of courage which has been immortalized in one of John G. Whittier's most stirring poems.
The family from which he came is of ancient French lineage, dating in Eng- land as far back as 1086, in Chester. From him came the Rev. John Daven- port, born in Coventry, County Warwick, England, baptized there April 9, 1597, in the Church of the Holy Trinity. In 1637 he arrived in Boston in the ship "Hec- tor," and in April, of the following year, settled in New Haven, where he was in- stalled as pastor of the First Church. His wife, Elizabeth Wooley, died in Sep- tember, 1676, having outlived her hus- band, who died March 15, 1669.
Their son, John Davenport, born in London, England, in 1635, came to New Haven with his parents. In 1666 he re- moved to Boston, where he engaged in mercantile business, and was register of probate in 1675-76, dying in the latter year. He married Abigail, daughter of Abraham Pierson.
Their son, Rev. John Davenport, was born in Boston, and removed to Stam- ford, Connecticut, where he was ordained to the ministry. He was married twice- to Martha Gould Selleck, and to Eliza- beth Morris Maltby.
Abram Davenport, son of the Rev. John Davenport by his second marriage, was born in Stamford, Connecticut, in 1715. He graduated from Yale College in his seventeenth year. Connected with the militia, he was generally known as Colonel Davenport. He was one of the formost men of his day in public life ; was called to the bench, and in his later years
27
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
sat in the legislative assembly. On the memorable "dark day" of May 17, 1780, he held his seat apparently undisturbed, while most of his associates were filled with terror. To a proposition to adjourn, he replied : "I am against adjournment. The Day of Judgment is either approach- ing, or it is not. If it is not, there is no reason for adjournment ; if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish there- fore that candles may be brought." Whit- tier's fine poem well expresses the moral of the lesson in the concluding lines :
And there he stands in memory to this day- Erect, self-poised, a rugged face half seen Against the background of unnatural dark- A witness to the ages as they pass,
That simple duty has no place for fear.
When the story of Sir Philip Sidney is told as an illustration of sublime self- abnegation, and his generosity to a poor suffering soldier as stronger than the pangs of a mortal wound, this story of Abram Davenport may be well told as a companion piece, illustrating for all time the simple but lofty principle that the post of duty is the best place to live and the best place to die.
Abram Davenport married, in 1750, Elizabeth Huntington, who died in 1773, after which he married Mrs. Martha Fitch. Their son, Hon. John Davenport, was born in 1752 and died in 1830. He was a man of importance, and was a member of Congress from 1799 to 1817. In 1824 he entertained as his guest, at the Davenport mansion in Stamford, Con- necticut, the distinguished Lafayette, a hero of the Revolution and friend of Washington.
SPENCER, Joseph,
Revolutionary Soldier.
Joseph Spencer was born in East Had- dam, Connecticut, in 1714, died there, January 13, 1789. He was reared and
educated in his native town, and there spent his entire lifetime. In 1758, he en- tered the northern army with the rank of major, serving in three campaigns with such conspicuous bravery and skill that he was promoted to the rank of colonel. On June 22, 1775, upon General Wash- ington's recommendation, he was com- missioned brigadier-general in the Con- tinental army. He was stationed at Bos- ton, Massachusetts, until after its evacu- ation, after which he participated in the defence of New York City, the surrender of which to the British he strenuously opposed. He was advanced to the rank of major-general on August 9, 1776, and two years later was assigned to the com- mand of the patriot forces in Rhode Island. In order to expel the British from Newport, Rhode Island, he as- sembled a considerable army at Provi- dence, but owing to a delay of several weeks' duration he was forced to dismiss his troops without accomplishing the desired end, not having an opportunity to advance against the enemy. For this failure he was tried by a court of inquiry, which absolved him from all blame in the premises. Congress, however, was not satisfied with the decision of the court of inquiry, and insisted that the case be re- opened, and rather than again undergo the ordeal, General Spencer tendered his resignation on June 14, 1778, which was accepted, and from that time until his decease, a period of almost eleven years, he lived in retirement from active pur- suits.
CHAMPION, General Henry,
Revolutionary Soldier.
Henry Champion, the immigrant ances- tor, came from England and settled in Saybrook, Connecticut, as early as 1647. He had various parcels of land in Say- brook, and about 1670 removed to Lyme,
28
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
where he was one of the first and most active founders. He was admitted a free- man there May 12, 1670, and owned land. He died February 17, 1708-09, aged about ninety-eight years. He married (second) March 21, 1697-98, Deborah Jones, of Lyme.
Thomas Champion, son of Henry Cham- pion, was born in April, 1656, in Say- brook, and died April 5, 1705, in Lyme. He resided on land given him by his father in Lyme. He also had grants there. His will was dated April 4, 1705, the day before his death. He married in Lyme, August 23, 1682, Hannah Brockway, born September 14, 1664, died March 2, 1750, daughter of Wolston and Hannah (Briggs) Brockway.
Lieutenant Henry Champion, son of Thomas Champion, was born May 2, 1695, in Lyme, and died at East Haddam, No- vember 26, 1779. When he became of age he made an agreement with his brother Thomas to divide the homestead, and in 1716, settled in East Haddam, where he bought fifty acres of land in the first divi- sion. He lived about a mile east of the meeting house, and his house is still standing. He was "a man of more than medium height, square and compactly built, all his joints seemed to be double, and he was possessed of great strength. His face was handsome, his eyes dark and his complexion florid." His will was dated June 29, 1764, and proved February 7, 1780. He married, in East Haddam, January 16, 1717, Mehitable Rowley, bap- tized December, 1704, died October 5, 1775, daughter of Moses and Mary Row- ley.
Colonel Henry Champion, son of Lieu- tenant Henry Champion, was born in East Haddam, January 19, 1723, and died July 23, 1797. At the age of eighteen he was appointed ensign of the East Haddam South company. In 1758 he was elected captain of a company to serve in the
French War. The company left Colches- ter, where he had settled, on June 8, 1658, and marched to join the main army at Lake George. He left a diary with an account of the trip and campaign. He returned home November 15 and on March 8, 1759, was elected captain of the fifth company of the second regiment, and was transferred to the command of the twelfth or Westchester company in May, 1760. On May 14, 1772, he was appointed major of the twelfth regiment of colonial militia. On April 26, 1775, he served as one of the commissioners to supply the troops with provisions and stores, and when General Washington took command of the army he recommended that he be one of the commissaries. He served in that position until the evacuation of Bos- ton in March, 1776. In 1775 he was ap- pointed colonel of the Twenty-fifth regi- ment. When the army began to assem- ble at New York, Colonel Champion acted as commissary, and from that time the army was supplied almost wholly by him. He also provided for the troops ordered to Rhode Island. He received the ap- pointment of sole commissary-general of the eastern department of the Continental army in April, 1780. In that spring he was placed in command of a train, largely supplied from his own resources, to re- lieve the distress of the army at Morris- town. In a very short time he reached the Hudson, was ferried across at New- burgh, and delivered the provisions. In May, 1780, he resigned his commission and returned to his home in Westchester. He was deputy to the general assembly in 1761, from 1765 to 1779, and in 1781-83- 90-91-92. He was deacon of the West- chester church from 1775 until his death.
He married (first) in East Haddam, December 25, 1746, Deborah Brainard, born June 20, 1724, died March 17, 1789, daughter of Captain Joshua and Mehit- able (Dudley ) Brainard. He married (sec-
29
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
ond) in Westchester, November 24, 1791, Mrs. Sarah (Brainard) Lewis, born April 30, 1744, died January 17, 1818, widow of Judah Lewis, and daughter of Stephen and Susannah (Gates) Brainard.
General Henry Champion, son of Colonel Henry Champion, was born in Westches- ter, Connecticut, March 16, 1751, and died there July 13, 1836. He served in the Rev- olution as ensign at the Lexington Alarm. On April 26, 1775, he was appointed sec- ond lieutenant of the Eighth Company, Second Regiment, and on May I promoted to first lieutenant. He was on duty at Roxbury until December 10. He was in the battle of Bunker Hill. On January I, 1776, he was promoted adjutant on the staff of Colonel Samuel Wyllys, and after the evacuation of Boston, marched to New York, and assisted in fortifying that city. He took part in the battle of Long Island, August 27, 1776, and was with the army at White Plains, October 28, remaining until December, 1776. On January I, 1777, he was promoted captain of the First Connecticut Line, remaining until the regiment was reorganized as the Third. On July 15, 1779, he was appoint- ed acting major of the First Battalion, Light Brigade. This corps was composed of picked men from all the regiments under Washington's immediate command, and was organized especially to attempt the capture of Stony Point, which was successfully done. Major Champion re- mained in the army until the close of the Revolution. He was a member of the Order of the Cincinnati in Connecticut.
Major Champion was deputy to the General Assembly in 1789, 1793-98, 1800- 05, and from 1806 to 1817 was assistant. He was a deacon in the Westchester church from 1813 to 1828. General Cham- pion always celebrated July 16, "Stony Point Day," at his home in Westchester. He obtained the charter for the Phoenix Bank of Hartford, because the State Bank
had refused him the accommodation of a loan. He was largely interested in the Connecticut Land Company, to which he subscribed over eighty-five thousand dol- lars. The towns of Champion, New York, and Champion, Ohio, were named in his honor. He was instrumental in obtaining the school fund for Connecticut, and was chairman of the committee of the legis- lature appointed to arrange for the hold- ing of the Hartford Convention in 1814. His epitaph reads as follows:
The patriotism of General Champion early led him to join the army of the Revolution. He was a brave and efficient subaltern officer at the battle of Bunker Hill. He shared in the perilous retreat of the American troops from Long Island. He rendered essential services under Kosciusko in constructing the defences at West Point. He led the first battalion of Connecticut Light Infantry at the capture of Stony Point. Subsequently he filled many offices of honor and trust in his native State. By his talents and influence he promoted the welfare of the com- munity where he resided. He died cheered by the hope and sustained by the promises of the Gospel, leaving a memory respected by his friends, cherished by his family and honorable to the place of his birth.
He married, in East Haddam, October 10, 1781, Abigail Tinker, born March 24, 1758, died April 19, 1818, daughter of Sylvanus and Abigail (Olmstead) Tinker.
ANDREW, Samuel,
Clergyman, Educator.
The Rev. Samuel Andrew was a native of Massachusetts, born at Cambridge, in 1696, and died January 24, 1738. He was graduated from Harvard College in 1675, and was afterward tutor there for several years, performing his duties in a most creditable manner. He meantime pur- sted a course in theology, and in 1685 was ordained pastor at Milford, Connecticut, and during his ministry certain divisions among his people were healed.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.