USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v.2 > Part 25
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Eli Ely, son of William and Drusilla (Brewster) Ely, was born in West Springfield, Massachusetts, July 25, 1772, and died in Hartford, Connecticut, April 6, 1842. He was for many years a suc- cessful merchant in Hartford. He mar- ried, in Hartford, April 1, 1798, Bathsheba Blake, born November 23. 1777, died Sep- tember 22, 1832, daughter of Amariah and Hannah (Babcock) Blake, of Milton, Mas- sachusetts.
Alfred Eli Ely, son of Eli and Bath- sheba (Blake) Ely, was born in Hartford, Connecticut, October 14, 1814, and died November 3, 1887. He and his brothers, William and Henry, succeeded to the father's business. He married, in North- ampton, Massachusetts, June 2, 1841, Mary Jones Bull, born January 20, 1820, daughter of James Perry and Mary (Col- ton) Bull (see Colton). Their daughter, Isabelle Blake, become the wife of the Rev. Flavel S. Luther (see Luther).
(The Edwards Line).
Deacon John Edwards, father of Mary (Edwards) Ely, was born February 27, 1694, and died January 18, 1769. His mother was Mary (Talcott) Edwards, second wife of Richard Edwards, and therefore Deacon John Edwards was a half-brother of the famous Rev. Timothy Edwards, father of the Rev. Jonathan Ed- wards, president of Princeton College. Richard Edwards was a merchant in Hartford. He married Elizabeth Tuthill, of Middletown.
His father, William Edwards, the im- migrant ancestor, was the son of Richard
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Edwards. of Wales. who removed to Ox- ford in the latter part of Queen Eliza- beth's reign, and after that went to Lon- don, where he was a minister of the Church of England. After his death his widow married a Mr. Coles, who became truly a father to his wife's young son. They brought young Edwards with them to Boston, Massachusetts. where they arrived about 1630. Richard Edwards is first heard of in Hartford. Connecticut. where he married Anne. widow of Wil- liam Spencer.
(The Brewster Line).
William Brewster. father of Drusilla (Brewster ) Ely, was born September 16. 1714. He was probably a farmer, evi- dently very industrious and successful. He removed from Preston to Canterbury after the birth of his first child in 1738. He joined the church there in 1751. The following year he purchased land in Windham and removed there. His name appears in connection with many transfers of land between 1752 and 1786, and it would seem that he suffered severe prop- erty losses during the Revolution. He married for his first wife at Preston, Con- necticut. March 24. 1737, Damaris Gates. born December 18, 1718, died in Canter- bury, Connecticut, September 7. 1751. daughter of Joseph and Damaris (Rose) Gates, of Norwich. Connecticut.
His father. Benjamin Brewster. was born July 7. 1688. He married for his first wife at Preston, Connecticut. Octo- ber 10 or 16, 1713, Elizabeth Witter. born in Preston, March 3, 1694, died February 21. 1740-41, daughter of Ebenezer and Dorothy (Morgan) Witter, and grand- daughter of Josiah Witter, and great- granddaughter of William Witter. who emigrated from Scotland to Lyman, Mas- sachusetts. Benjamin Brewster's estate was appraised at £2.340, from which we
may infer that he was exceptionally pros- perous for his day. Letters of adminis- tration were granted to his widow and eldest son. William. on November 7, 1752.
His father. Deacon William Brewster. resided at Duxbury. Massachusetts. and was "a worthy man, who was often em- ployed to good advantage in the civil affairs of the town." He took the free- man's oath in 1689. He became a large landowner. and was deacon of the church. He married. January 2, 1672. Lydia Part- ridge. daughter of George and Sarah (Tracy) Partridge: she died February 2. 1742-43. "aged near 78 years ;" George Partridge came in the "James" in 1636.
His father. Love Brewster, came in the "Mayflower" with his parents. He was made a freeman. March 2. 1635-36. "He early removed from Plymouth to Dux- bury and devoted himself to the cultiva- tion of the paternal acres in Duxbury, forming there with his father a family loome where. in due time, a portion of the estate became his own and his children's inheritance." He was among those who volunteered to serve in the Pequot War in 1637. and in the mili- tary enrollment of 1643 his name appears as a member of Captain Myles Standish's Duxbury company. He was grand jury- man in 1643. and in 1645 was one of the proprietors of what later was called Bridgewater. The inventory of his estate was made by "William Collyar and Cap- tame Miles Standish" on "January the last day 1650." It amounted to £97-07-01. He married. May 15. 1634. (O. S.) Sarah, daughter of William Collier, of Duxbury. She married (second) Richard Parke. of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and died at Plymouth. April 26, 1691. in her seventy- sixth year. William Collier was born in England, and was one of the "Merchant Adventurers" who came to New England in 1633. He was elected assistant coun-
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cillor to the governor of the Plymouth Colony in 1634, and with the exception of the year 1653 held the office continuously until 1666. He was one of the two com- missioners appointed by the Plymouth Colony in 1643 to form a confederation of the New England Colonies. "He appears to have been the wealthiest man in Dux- bury, being rated the highest on the tax list." "He was a distinguished early set- tler and a great benefactor to the Colony."
His father, Elder William Brewster, was born during the last half of the year 1566 or the first half of 1567, probably at Scrooby in Nottinghamshire, England. He matriculated at Peterhouse, Cumber- land, England, December 3, 1580. A more detailed narrative of the career of Elder William Brewster will be found in the genealogy of the Rt. Rev. Chauncey B. Brewster which appears elsewhere in this work. Elder Brewster married Mary
-, who died at Plymouth, Massachu- setts, April 17, 1627. He died there, April 10, 1644.
(The Colton Line).
Deacon Reuben Colton, father of Mary (Colton) Bull, mother of Mary Jones (Bull) Ely, was born in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, November 26, 1762. He resided in Enfield for many years ; repre- sented the town in the Legislature in 1808-09; was deacon in the church, and recognized as one of the leading citizens. "Business complications, and a very liter- al interpretation of scriptural injunctions which seemed to forbid his taking legal measures to enforce his rights, led him to emigrate to the central part of New York State, then the 'far west'." He married for his first wife in Greenwich, Massachu- setts, September 13, 1787, Sally Harwood, born in 1768, and died August 1, 1810, in Enfield, Massachusetts. He died on his farm in Geneseo, New York, in 1822.
His father, Samuel Colton, was born
December II, 1718. He married, Febru- ary 19, 1751, Mary Hoar, of Brimfield, Massachusetts. They resided in Green- wich, Massachusetts. The births of their children are recorded in Springfield.
His father, Lieutenant Ephraim Colton, was born February 8, 1672, in Long- meadow, Massachusetts, and died Sep- tember 22, 1753. He married, in West- field, Massachusetts, February 1, 1699, Mary Noble, born June 29, 1680, daughter of Thomas and Harriet (Warriner) Noble.
His father, Ephraim Colton, was born in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, April 9, 1648. He married, November 17, 1670, Mary Drake, daughter of Job Drake, of Windsor. She died in 1681. The fore- going is according to the "Longmeadow Centennial" and the "Colton Family Gene- alogy." According to "Stiles' Ancient Windsor," Mary Drake was born Decem- ber 12, 1649, and married Thomas Mar- shall, March 3, 1685-86. Ephraim Colton and his wife first settled in Longmeadow, but about 1696 removed to Enfield, Con- necticut, where he died, May 14, 1713. John Drake, father of Job Drake, was born at Wiscomb, County Devon, Eng- land, about 1600. He married Elizabeth Rogers. He came to Boston, Massachu- setts, about 1630, and on October 19 of that year, he petitioned to be made a free-
man. In 1638-39 he was one of forty- six original purchasers and proprietors of Taunton, Massachusetts, but did not settle there. Stiles says he settled in Windsor before 1639, and was killed in a runaway accident, August 17, 1659. His widow died October 7, 1681, "at 100th year of age." John Drake was of the ninth generation in direct descent from Jonathan Drake, of Exmouth, England, 1630, who married Christian, daughter of Jonathan Billett, and acquired the manor of Ashe, County Devon.
George Colton, father of Ephraim Col-
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ton, who was referred to as "Quarter- master," is supposed to have been born in Sutton, Coldfield, County Warwick, England. We know not when he came to America, but we find him in Masacksich, Longmeadow, Massachusetts, in 1644. About that time he married Deborah Gardner (or Goodner), of Hartford. He took the oath of allegiance in 1665; was made freeman in 1669-71 ; and was repre- sentative to the Massachusetts General Court in 1677. He was one of the com- missioners appointed by the General Court to lay out and sell lots in the new planta- tion of Suffield. In 1722 fifty acres of land were laid out in Suffield to the as- signs of George Colton, then deceased, in recognition of his services. He was a trusted, prominent and public-spirited citizen.
HYDE, Hon. Ephraim Henry, Lieutenant-Governor.
The name of Hyde holds an eminent position in the roll of Connecticut's colo- nial families. The progenitor of the fam- ily in America, William Hyde, was one of the founders of the city of Hartford, and, from that time to the present, members of the family, distinguished for their ability, have rendered signal service to their State and country in the development of in- dustry, as members of the professions and in the capacity of efficient and faithful public officials.
The Hyde family is an old one in Eng- land, the name being found on record for five hundred years. William Hyde, the immigrant ancestor, was a native of Eng- land. The exact date of his coming to America is unknown, but his name ap- pears on record in Hartford in 1636. He was an original proprietor in 1639-40, his name being perpetuated as such on the monument in the old graveyard at the
rear of the First Church in Hartford. He was doubtless a member of Rev. Thomas Hooker's company. He was in Saybrook as early as 1652, and we find him named as one of the original thirty-five propri- etors of Norwich in 1660. He was a man of considerable wealth, and was promi- nent in the colony. He served several terms as selectman. His death occurred at Norwich, January 6, 1681.
From him the line descends through Samuel Hyde, born in 1637, and died in 1677; his son, Thomas Hyde, born in July, 1672, and died April 9, 1755; his son, Captain Jacob Hyde, who was born January 20, 1703, and resided at Norwich West Farms. His son, Ephraim Hyde, was born April 23, 1734, and his son, Jasper Hyde, was born at Stafford in De- cember, 1769. He engaged in the manu- facture of iron in his native town, and ac- cumulated great wealth for his day. He was one of the town's most useful citi- zens. His death occurred on August 5, 1848.
Hon. Ephraim Henry Hyde, son of Jas- per Hyde, was born June 1, 1812, at Staf- ford, Connecticut. Notwithstanding the fact that his formal educational opportu- nities were limited, he became one of the leading citizens of the State, and served as its Lieutenant-Governor. He was a man of splendid mental capacity, ambitious and determined. He was progressive and aggressive, and the State will ever be in- debted to him for his intelligent and un- tiring efforts to promote agriculture and stock breeding, the cause of education and prison reform.
On his father's farm was an old hotel known as the halfway station between Hartford and Worcester. He attended the district school in his native town, and had about six weeks of study at the academy in Monson, Massachusetts. He worked in the hotel and on the farm. Dur-
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ing this period he also had about four months' experience at driving a stage be- tween Stafford and Sturbridge. At the age of eighteen he became a clerk in a country store. His thrift and industry are indicated by the fact that soon after at- taining his majority he became proprietor of the business. As fast as his means in- creased he embarked on new enterprises. He was interested in a blast furnace for about eight years, and at the age of twen- ty-nine was the chief promoter of a cotton inill at Stafford Springs. For many years he was a member of the firm of Converse & Hyde, manufacturers of satinets, and he was actively engaged in many other industrial enterprises.
While his industrial interests were large, he found his greatest pleasure in agriculture and kindred interests. He owned several large farms, and from about the year 1842 gave most of his time and attention to cattle breeding and the farming operation incidental thereto, entering upon a course that was to make his name familiar as a household word to the leading agriculturists throughout the country. He was convinced that Devons were best adapted to natural conditions in Connecticut, and imported many fine cattle of that breed. He also experi- mented with Ayrshires, Durhams and Jerseys. His Devon cattle won many sweepstakes, medals and other prizes. His study and efforts contributed greatly to the improvement of the breed on this continent, individuals from his herds be- ing shipped to all parts of the country. The improvement in Connecticut herds was especially marked. The name of Ephraim Henry Hyde will ever hold a place of eminence in the development of modern agriculture and stock raising in that State. His activities were not limited by the desire for personal gain; he gave liberally of his time, money and talents to the advancement of these interests.
The Tolland County Agricultural So- ciety was organized in 1852, largely as a result of his influence and efforts. He was its first president, serving continu- ously until 1860, and again from 1864 to 1868. Hyde Park at Rockville was so named in his honor, and in recognition of his services to the society. He was presi- dent of the Connecticut State Agricul- tural Society from 1858 to 1881; presi- dent of the American Breeders' Associ- ation from 1865 until the association was resolved into sections for each breed ; president of the Connecticut Valley Agri- cultural Association, comprising New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and Connecticut ; president of the Tolland County East Agricultural Society from its organization in 1870 to 1876; vice- president of the State Board of Agricul- ture from its organization in 1866 to 1882, and was placed in the office again in 1890; vice-president of the New England Agri- cultural Society from its incorporation until his death; vice-president of the Dairymens' Association; was one of the incorporators of the Connecticut Stock Breeders' Association; for more than thirty years served as chairman of the State Commission on Diseases of Domes- tic Animals, and chairman of the com- mittee to publish the first volume of the "American Herd Book."
Governor Hyde long felt the need of a school in Connecticut especially devoted to teaching agriculture, and he was one of the first two persons who discussed with the Storr Brothers the desirability of establishing such a school at Mans- field. The success of the undertaking was due largely to his zeal, support and un- tiring efforts in its behalf. In 1899 he was chosen one of the committee under whose direction the splendid buildings were erected at a cost of about $50,000. He was a member of the board of trustees and its vice-president. Soon after the
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Civil War, when the office of Commis- sioner of Agriculture at Washington be- came vacant, he was strongly recom- mended for the place, every member of the Legislature then in session, regard- less of party affiliation, signing the peti- tion, and nearly as many of the State delegation in Congress. He was sent as a delegate from the New England Agri- cultural Association to the United States Agricultural Association Convention at Washington. That Governor Hyde was a broadminded man, alive to all the in- terests of his State, economic, social and religious, is indicated by his widely varied activities; and in all the offices he held and the many undertakings in which he engaged he displayed the same fore- sighted vision, sound judgment and pains- taking attention to details that made his private enterprises so successful. He was one of the leaders in his day in the prison reform movement; was one of the founders and directors of the Prisoners' Friend Association and served as a direc- tor of the Industrial School for Girls. He was active in the direction of the State Board of Education, especially in the years 1867-69.
He was a worker from early manhood in the ranks of the Democratic party, and while he held many offices he was not a politician in the general acceptation of that term. He was a man of strong con- victions and in matters of public concern had the courage as well as the ability to make his opinions known. He was coun- ty commissioner for Tolland county in 1842-43; member of the General Assem- bly from Stafford in 1851-52; and was sent as a delegate to the Democratic Na- tional Convention at Baltimore before the war. He was identified with the States' rights faction of his party, took an active part in the presidential campaign and was a presidential elector on their ticket. In
1867-69 he held the office of Lieutenant- Governor, and in 1876-77 was president pro tem. of the State Senate. He worked earnestly for the establishment of the Connecticut Experiment Station, and was elected vice-president of the board of con- trol at its organization, March 29, 1879. He was president of the Tolland Centen- nial Celebration in 1876 and delivered the opening address. He also presided at the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the primitive organization of the Congre- gational church and society at Franklin, Connecticut, October 4, 1868. His re- ligion was of the practical kind that finds its expression in the practice of the Golden Rule rather than in dogmatic disputations. He was identified for many years with the Universalist Society at Stafford, serv- ing for fifteen years as sexton, organist and leader of the choir.
He married (first) September 27, 1836, Hannah Converse Young, who died Feb- ruary 26, 1862. He married (second) Oc- tober 19, 1869, Mary S. Williams, of Hart- ford. Children by first wife: Ellen E., married Ernest Cady, of the Pratt & Cady Company of Hartford; Ephraim Henry, a sketch of whom follows; four children died young.
Governor Hyde died June 18, 1896. In all his public life, covering a period of nearly half a century, his aim was to sub- serve the interest of the State, and not the shadow of a suspicion rests on his honored name. His conduct, motives and inethods were straightforward and honor- able, and his record one of which to be proud. Lieutenant-Governor Hyde filled a large place in the State, but his name will best be known as that of the eminent breeder, who, by his enlightened efforts, materially assisted in raising the farming industry of the State to a higher level, and in vastly increasing the value of its dairy farm and stock. But few men of
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half his age were to be compared with him in activity and endurance. Always strictly temperate in his habits, he saved himself from the infirmities that so often overtake public men in their declining years. With a tall and slender form, a well-bred face, a flowing white beard, and the graceful courtesy of an elder day, he presented a striking figure. Affable and agreeable, fond of society and companion- ship, kind and considerate of others, with a pleasant smile and a cheerful greeting always, he had as large a circle of per- sonal acquaintances and friends as any man in the State, and no one was more highly and widely esteemed.
HYDE, Ephraim Henry, Jr., Lawyer, Public Official.
Major Ephraim Henry Hyde, Jr., son of Hon. Ephraim Henry and Hannah Con- verse (Young) Hyde, was born in Staf- ford, Connecticut, October 5, 1848. He was educated at the public schools of his native town, and made his preparation for college at Wesleyan Academy, Wilbra- ham, Massachusetts, which he attended for a year; at Monson Academy and at the high school in Stafford. He entered Yale University in 1867. At the end of his freshman year he decided to take up the study of law, and accordingly entered the law offices of Waldo, Hubbard & Hyde, one of Hartford's leading law firms. After three years of study he was admitted to the bar in 1871. He then be- gan the practice of his profession on his own account, having his office with Sam- 11el F. Jones for four years. In April, 1875, he formed a partnership with Charles M. Joslyn, and this business was conducted under the name of Hyde & Joslyn for nineteen years. In 1894 George H. Gilman was admitted to partnership, the name being changed to Hyde, Joslyn
& Gilman. On September 1, 1897, the late Frank L. Hungerford, of New Britain, became a member of the firm, which was reorganized as Hungerford, Hyde, Joslyn & Gilman. After the death of Mr. Hungerford, his son became a member of the firm, the name being changed in June, 1909, to its present style, Hyde, Joslyn, Gilman & Hungerford. This firm has always maintained the best traditions of the legal profession and holds a prominent place among the law firms of the State. They have a large general practice besides handling the legal affairs of many important corporations.
It is to be expected from the nature of his calling that a lawyer should be keenly interested in public affairs. There is a natural kinship between law and politics, as is evidenced by the fact that there is a large proportion of lawyers to be found in all of our legislative bodies. Major Hyde has been no exception to the rule, and so we find him, soon after his admission to the bar, as an active worker in the ranks of the Democratic party. In 1873 he served as assistant clerk in the Connecti- cut House of Representatives. The fol- lowing year he was clerk of the House, and in 1875 was clerk of the Senate. On October 1, 1875, he became prosecuting attorney for the city of Hartford, serving until November 1, 1877. He held the office a second time for a year beginning April 4, 1879. In 1893 Governor Morris appointed him as a member of the com- mission of uniform State legislation, and he rendered his fellow citizens valuable service in that capacity until 1904, when he resigned. Major Hyde became presi- dent of the Hartford Board of Charity Commissioners in 1896, and served until 1901. In 1896 he was the candidate for Congress in the First Congressional Dis- trict on the ticket of the Gold Democrats. He was a member of the Municipal Build-
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ing Commission that had in charge the erection of Hartford's beautiful new mu- nicipal building, and on the occasion of the formal dedication of the structure in 1915 the pleasant duty of turning over the key of the building to the mayor of the city devolved on him.
He is past master of St. John's Lodge. No. 4. Free and Accepted Masons. of Hartford: also a member of the Hart- ford Club. Farmington Country Club. and Army and Navy Club of New York. Since ISSo he has been a member of the First Company Governor's Foot Guard, of which he was major-commandant from 1891 to 1898.
On June 2, 1881. Major Hyde was mar- ried to Clara Pierce Tuttle, of Hartford.
In this brief sketch we have touched only the most salient features in the ca- reer of a man who is recognized as one of Hartford's leading lawyers, a man of scholarly tastes and attainments. Like his father. he is one of the most approach- able of men. broadminded, generous and public-spirited. His professional and pub- lic career have been marked by unswerv- ing devotion to the highest ideals.
SHELTON, Gould Abijah, M. D., Physician.
In the professional life of Dr. Gould A. Shelton he has gained a creditable posi- tion and won gratifying success, for he is well equipped for the practice of medi- cine, his efforts have been discerningly directed and they have gained him pre- cedence as one of the followers of the calling. He is of the third generation of physicians in his family, inheriting in marked degree the qualifications neces- sary for that line of work, and he has conducted his activities in Shelton, a town named for his family and in which his ancestors and relatives have been
leaders of affairs for many years, and in which he has also distinguished himself in public matters.
(I) The immigrant ancestor of the Shelton family and the founder in this country of the Connecticut Sheltons was Daniel Shelton, a native of Deptford, Yorkshire. England. He was a merchant in his native land. He came to New Eng- land about 1686-90 and settled in Strat- ford. now Huntington, Connecticut, where he resided until about 1707, when he set- tled at Long Hill and there spent the re- mainder of his days, his death occurring there in 1728. He was a large landholder. owning land in Stratford, Stamford, Farm- ington. Oxford. Woodbury and Derby, and was an original, though non-resident. proprietor of Waterbury. He married, April 4. 1692. Elizabeth, daughter of Sam- uel Welles, of Wethersfield, Governor of the Connecticut Colony, and granddaugh- ter of Hon. Thomas Welles, one of the early Governors of the Commonwealth. She survived her husband, her death oc- curring April 1. 1747. aged seventy-seven years. Children: Elizabeth, born Janu- ary 2, 1693: Sarah, January 2, 1694-95 ; Joseph. June 24. 1698; Daniel, July 21, 1700: Thaddeus. 1702: Samuel. of whom further : James. about 1710; John, about 1712: Josiah, about 1714.
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