USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v.2 > Part 29
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
198
:ry
Le Roy Sunderland White
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
nized by his appointment as chairman by the State Medical Society of the commit- tee of school inspection for the State of Connecticut, an office he holds at the present time.
Dr. Goodenough married, June 1, 1897, at Waterbury, Edith Sunderland White, a native of that city, daughter of Le Roy S. and Sarah J. (Delancey ) White, both de- ceased. Mr. White had an unusually clever intellect and was a great inventor in the department of mechanics. He held over sixty patents and brought out some remarkable and important devices. Im- provements in electro plating, a machine to draw 36-inch tubing used for hot water boilers, a method of holding carbon in arc light at a proper distance apart, a breech-loading rifle, a bicycle, stove ther- mometer and various electrical appliances were invented by Mr. White and show his versatility. Perhaps his greatest achievement was his invention of the telephone, independently of and simul- taneously with Alexander Bell. Dr. and Mrs. Goodenough are the parents of one child, Robert Delancey, born August 30, 1900.
Despite the multitude of duties con- nected with his professional and official work, Dr. Goodenough does not close his eyes or heart to the more general life of the community of which he is a member. The social and club activities interest him and claim as much of his time as he finds it possible to spare from more urgent tasks, and he is an active member of a number of the more important clubs and organizations of Waterbury. He is espe- cially fond of golf, and is a player of local repute. He is also a member of the order of Free and Accepted Masons, in which he has attained the rank of Knight Tem- plar : the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, and the Knights of Pythias. He is a member of the various medical societies
and takes an active part in the work undertaken by those for the benefit of the profession generally. Since his residence in Waterbury Dr. Goodenough has been a member of the First Congregational Church of the city, and for a number of years past has served in the capacity of deacon.
REDFIELD, Hosmer Parmelee,
Financier.
Hosmer Parmelee Redfield, treasurer of the Connecticut Trust and Safe Deposit Company of Hartford, was born February 9. 1858, in Essex, Connecticut, son of Ed- ward Walker and Louise Bates (Ayrault) Redfield. He traces his ancestry through a number of lines to those courageous pioneers, who, to establish liberty of con- science and political and industrial free- dom, braved the perils of ocean and wilderness and savage men and planted a new civilization on New England's barren shores. In addition to the progenitor of the Redfield family, who came soon after the Pilgrims, Mr. Redfield of this review traces to John Alden; Edward How, one of the early settlers of Lynn; William Paybody; Matthew Grinnell; Thomas Buckingham ; Dr. Nicholas Ayrault, and other early colonists who were prominent in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Con- necticut. Many of these old worthies were distinguished for long and faithful service as town officials, members of the legisla- tive bodies, and as judges. The confidence thus shown in them by their fellow citi- zens is sufficient commentary on their strength of character and mental endow- ment.
Thus far the antecedents of the Red- field family of America have not been traced in England. This name, like most other old names, has undergone a change in spelling, its present form having, for
199
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
some reason not discovered, been adopted by the second generation in this country. The immigrant ancestor of the family was William Redfin, and that form of the name was spelled in various ways in the early records, as Redfen, Redfyn and Redfyne.
(I) The first record of William Redfin shows him as an occupant of a house and four acres of land on the south side of the Charles river, about six miles from Bos- ton, near the northwest corner of what is now the town of Brighton. That was in 1639, and he may have located there at an earlier date. He sold the place in Sep- tember, 1646. He probably joined the ranks of those who removed about that time to what is now the town of Ledyard, Connecticut. The first positive evidence we have of his presence there is in 1653, when he built a house on Brewster's Neck, on land conveyed to him by Jona- than Brewster, May 29, 1654. He died about April or May, 1662. The last rec- ord we have of his widow, Rebecca, is in 1667. During the residence of the family in New London the spelling of the name, as shown in various documents on record, was gradually changed to its present form.
(II) James Redfield, son of William and Rebecca Redfin, was born about 1646. On April 1, 1662, he bound himself for five years to Hugh Roberts, of New Lon- don, to learn the trade of tanner. In May, 1669, he was married at New Haven to Elizabeth How, born in 1645, daughter of Jeremy How, of New Haven. Jeremy How was a son of Edward How, one of the early settlers of Lynn, Massachusetts, who was admitted freeman there in 1636; was several times chosen representative ; was a member of the Essex court in 1637; attended the court which was convened in Boston in March, 1639, and in April dropped dead while on his way home. We
next find James Redfield as a resident of Tisbury, Martha's Vineyard, in 1671. He was evidently of a roving disposition, for we find him back in Connecticut in July, 1676, where he was engaged in weaving. He was granted land at Pipe Staves Point in 1683, and again in 1686. He removed to Fairfield as early as 1693, and probably earlier, where he married his second wife. The date of his death is not known, but it probably occurred prior to 1723.
(III) Theophilus Redfield, son of James and Elizabeth (How) Redfield, was born in 1682, probably at Saybrook, and died February 14, 1759. He was a joiner by trade, and settled in Killingworth, Con- necticut, soon after becoming of age. In March, 1704-05, he purchased a small piece of ground in that part of Killing- worth which was afterward set off as Clinton. On December 24, 1706, he mar- ried Priscilla Greenel (or Grinnell), the seventeen-year-old daughter of Daniel and Lydia (Pabodie) Greenel, who three years before had settled in that part of Say- brook, now known as Westbrook. Pris- cilla Greenel's mother, Lydia (Pabodie) Greenel, was born (according to "The Paybody Family" by B. Frank Pabodie) April 3, 1667, daughter of William Pa- bodie, of Duxbury, Massachusetts, and Little Compton, Rhode Island. William Pabodie was born in England, 1620, and died December 13, 1707. He married, De- cember 26, 1644, Elizabeth, born 1624-25, died May 31, 1717, daughter of John and Priscilla (Mullins) Alden, the story of whose marriage is immortalized in Long- fellow's "Courtship of Miles Standish." William Pabodie (or Paybody) settled at Plymouth with his father; afterward re- moved to Duxbury, where he held many offices of trust and responsibility. He owned much land there. He was one of those to whom Bridgewater was set off in 1645 ; was one of the first proprietors of
200
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
Freetown in 1659; was one of the original purchasers of Little Compton in 1675, and removed there with his family about 1684. His father, John Paybody, was born in England about 1590, died at Bridgewater about 1667; had a wife named Isabel. He and his son William are named among the original proprietors of Plymouth. Daniel Grinnell, father of Daniel Grinnell, mentioned above, was born in 1636, in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and died at Little Compton in 1703. He married Mary, born November, 1640, daughter of William and Mary Wodell. William Wodell was in Boston at an early date, and died at Tiverton, Rhode Island, in 1693. In 1643, he, with others, was ban- ished from Massachusetts for "heresy and sedition" and returned to Portsmouth, Rhode Island, where they had previously been living. In 1643 he was granted land in Portsmouth; was commissioner, 1656- 63; deputy, 1664-65-66-67-69-70-72-73-74- 75-80-81-82-83-84-86. During these years he served on many important committees. In 1684 he was chosen assistant, but posi- tively declined to serve. Daniel Grinnell was a malster; was made freeman at Portsmouth in 1657. His name appears in several real estate transactions in that town and at Little Compton. He served on the grand jury and as constable. His father, Matthew Grinnell, died prior to 1643; was a resident of Newport, Rhode Island. His wife Rose died in 1673. About 1717 or 1718 Theophilus Redfield pur- chased about one hundred and twenty acres of land on Chestnut Hill in Killing- worth, Connecticut, and there he resided during the remainder of his life. He served on many important town commit- tees, and was known as "Sergeant Red- field." He died February 14, 1759. His widow, Priscilla (Greenel) Redfield, died January 12, 1770, aged eighty-one years.
(IV) Daniel Redfield, son of Theophilus
and Priscilla (Greenel) Redfield, was born September 22, 1707, and resided at Clin- ton, Connecticut. In 1725 he recognized the church covenant. In May, 1746, he was commissioned ensign of the Third Company of Colonel Elisha Williams' regiment of Wethersfield, raised for a contemplated expedition against the French in Canada. During a part of his life he was a sea captain, and died Janu- ary II, 1758. His wife, Elizabeth, whom he married in 1728, died November 2, 1775, aged seventy-four years.
(V) Roswell Redfield, son of Daniel and Elizabeth Redfield, was born Septem- ber 4, 1731, at Guilford, Connecticut, was a sea captain, and resided at Clinton. About 1764 he and his crew were lost at sea. On November 2, 1758, he married for his second wife, Mehetable Post. After the death of her husband, she mar- ried Captain Samuel Crane, and died June 12, 1814, in her seventy-fourth year.
(VI) Roswell (2) Redfield, son of Ros- well (1) and Mehetable (Post) Redfield, was born April 27, 1762, and died Febru- ary 15, 1838. He followed the sea during a portion of his life, and also followed the vocation of jeweler. He married, March 20, 1787, Juliana Stevens, of Killingworth. Connecticut, born February 2, 1763.
(VII) Elias Redfield, son of Roswell (2) and Juliana (Stevens) Redfield, was born November 7, 1792. He was a mer- chant in Essex, Connecticut. He mar- ried, August 28, 1819, Ann Snow, born June 8, 1793 (according to "Redfield Genealogy," but "The Buckingham Fam- ily" gives the year as 1792). She was a daughter of Hosmer and Lilly (Snow) Buckingham. Hosmer Buckingham was born August 6, 1761 ; married, about 1790, Lilly Snow. His father was Nathan Buckingham, born May 7, 1714; married, March 27, 1745, Constant Tiffany, and lived in Saybrook until his death, Febru-
20I
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
ary 29, 1796. His father, Hezekiah Buck- ingham, was born June 21, 1682, held many important offices of trust in Say- brook, and died probably in the early part of 1752; he married, December 15, 1703, Sarah Lay. His father, Rev. Thom- as Buckingham, was born probably early in the year 1646; he preached in Wethers- field when he was only eighteen years of age, and early in 1665 commenced preach- ing in Saybrook ; he was not ordained and installed as pastor of the church, however, until 1670, though he had regularly sup- plied the pulpit during the intervening five years; he received several grants of land, became a large landowner, was often appointed on committees to deal with im- portant town affairs, and was one of the Founders and Fellows of Yale College from 1700 until his death; he was influ- ential in the councils of the church; he married, in Hartford, September 20, 1666, Hester, daughter of Thomas Hosmer, of that city ; he died April 1, 1709, and his wife died June 3, 1702. His father, Thom- as Buckingham, arrived in Boston from England, June 26, 1637; in April, 1638, he became a resident of New Haven, and received an allotment of land in the first division ; he was one of the original mem- bers of "The Church of Christ" at Mil- ford, first gathered on August 22, 1639; he was a deputy to the General Court, and was one of the prominent men of the colony ; he died in Boston in the fall of 1657; his second wife, Ann, died subse- quent to May 18, 1687, the date of her will.
(VIII) Edward Walker Redfield, son of Elias and Ann Snow (Buckingham) Redfield, was born November 26, 1825, and died August 9, 1898. He received his education in the public schools of his na- tive town, Essex, Connecticut, and at the Connecticut Literary Institute at Suffield. He then formed a partnership with two
cousins, Elias and Hosmer Parmelee, under the firm name of Redfield & Parmelee, and they took over the mercantile busi- ness that had been established many years before by Elias Redfield. They also en- gaged in ship building, and were among the few men in the town who were leaders in its business life. Later the partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Red- field became treasurer of the Essex Sav- ings Bank, which position he filled for many years, retiring a few years prior to his death. He was a man of high prin- ciples, of sound judgment and exceptional business ability. His personality was of that cordial, pleasing quality that wins the friendship and confidence of those who come within its influence. He was a member of the Masonic lodge in Essex, was a Whig in politics, and later a Repub- lican. He filled the office of town clerk, was a member of the Legislature in 1858, and for a period of thirty or forty years administered the office of judge of pro- bate for his district in an efficient manner. He married, April 28, 1853, Louise Bates, daughter of Daniel and Hepzibah (Kent- field) Ayrault, of Wethersfield, Connec- ticut, and a descendant of an old Wethers- field family. The name Ayrault is said to be Belgian, but it is always referred to in the Wethersfield records as French. Nicholas and Pierre Ayrault, brothers and physicians, came to America in 1687, shortly after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, as members (some say leaders) of a party of Huguenots. Pierre Ayrault settled and died in Rhode Island; Nicho- las Ayrault married there Marion Bre- toun, also a Huguenot, whose acquaint- ance he made on the voyage, and settled in Wethersfield. He was apparently a man of means and good social standing. The Wethersfield inscriptions say he died May 6, 1706-07, aged thirty-seven. The "Wethersfield Record" says he died March
202
THE In
GHIE ARY
Lena do marra
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
4. 1706, aged about fifty years, "his age not clearly known." In his will be be- queathed to his wife "all the rest and resi- due of my estate, goods and chattels what- soever, in France, not hereinbefore be- queathed, after my debts and funeral ex- penses are discharged." His widow died August 27, 1741, aged sixty. Their fourth and youngest child. Captain Nicholas Ayr- ault, was born October 2, 1705, was a tanner, and died April 29, 1775. He mar- ried, April 17, 1730, Jane, daughter of Daniel Stocking, of Middletown. She survived him until October 26 or 31, 1783, being seventy years of age at her decease. Their son, Daniel Ayrault, was born De- cember 8, 1735, and died March 8. 1807. He married for his second wife, in 1784, Mary, daughter of Ebenezer Balch. She died September 16, 1852, aged one hun- dred. Their son, Daniel Ayrault, was born in October, 1786, baptized Novem- ber 12, 1786; married Hepzibah Kent- field; he died November 1I, 1868, and she, August 23, 1871, aged seventy-four. Their daughter, Louise Bates, became the wife of Edward Walker Redfield. Chil- dren of Mr. and Mrs. Redfield : Mary Ayr- ault, born January 27, 1854, widow of George W. Dickinson, of Essex; Hosmer Parmelee, mentioned below; Edward Daniel, born February II, 1864, married, June 21, 1893, Marietta Alice Griswold ; Lily Snow, born July 19, 1865, married, June 1, 1887, Walter H. Wright, of Essex. (IX) Hosmer Parmelee Redfield, son of Edward Walker and Louise Bates (Ayrault) Redfield, was born in Essex, Connecticut, February 9, 1858. After completing the course in the public schools, he attended Hills' Academy at Essex. His first experience in the busi- ness world was in the office of the town clerk of Hartford, under his uncle, Gurdon Robins, who held that position for many years. After a year in Hartford, Mr. Red-
field returned to Essex and was employed for a few years in the Saybrook Bank. About 1876 he came to Hartford and was identified with the Hartford Trust Com- pany for about six years. In 1882 he be- came bookkeeper for the Connecticut Trust and Safe Deposit Company, and was from time to time promoted to the positions of teller and assistant treasurer, and in 1915 was made treasurer of the company. Mr. Redfield has, during all these years, given the best that was in him to his business, permitting no outside interest to divert his attention. He has been identified with Hartford financial in- stitutions for two score years, and for more than a third of a century with the company of which he is treasurer. No man in Hartford's financial circles is better known. His careful, conservative methods and sound judgment have won for him the unqualified confidence of all who know him, and his unfailing courtesy and consideration for others make friends of all with whom he comes in contact. He is a member of the Hartford Yacht Club. Hartford Golf Club, City Club of Hartford, and Dauntless Club of Essex.
Mr. Redfield married. June 13, 1888, Mary A., daughter of Dudley Wells, of Wethersfield, Connecticut. Children : Dudley Wells, born November 25, 1889; Hosmer Parmelee, Jr., born July 25, 1902. Mrs. Redfield is a member of the Asylum Hill Congregational Church, of which Mr. Redfield is an attendant.
MARVIN, Loren Pinckney Waldo,
Lawyer, Jurist.
Hon. Loren Pinckney Waldo Marvin, judge of probate for the district of Hart- ford, is the descendant of a family that for eight generations has been prominent in the history of Connecticut. He is the son of Edwin Eliphalet and Cynthia
203
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
Paulina (Waldo) Marvin, and was born in Hartford, October 19, 1870.
The genealogical tree of the family reaches back without a break to Reinold, or Rynalde Marvin, of Ramsey, County Essex, England, who was born as early as the year 1514. Several families of the name had lived for more than a hundred years prior to that date within a few miles of the place of his birth. He died before October 14, 1561, and his wife, Johan, was the executrix of his will, which is still preserved in Somerset House, London. He was possessed of considerable land. Edward, one of their six children, was born at Ramsey, or Wrabness, about the year 1550, and inheriting the homestead, became possessed also of other farms. His old mansion house, "Edons," or "Dreybacks," was still standing in good repair, a few years ago. Edward Marvin died November 13 or 14, 1615. His widow, Margaret, was buried May 28, 1633. Of their children two, Matthew and Reinold, came to America and settled in Connec- ticut.
Reinold Marvin, ancestor of the present line, was baptized October 25, 1594, in St. Mary's Church, Great Bentley, County Essex, England. He inherited property from his father, was a man of some promi- nence, and became one of the overseers in 1625 and 1637. He was also one of the wardens of St. Mary's in 1627-33-34; his name is on record as being in Great Bent- ley in 1637, and in 1638 we find him in Hartford. About the year 1640 he re- moved to Farmington, of which town he was one of the earliest proprietors. Later he removed to Saybrook, where he was made a freeman, May 20, 1658, and his house was located in what is now the town of Lyme. On July 9, 1663, his will was probated. His wife, Mary, died about 1681, her death being attributed to witch- craft; and Nicholas Jennings and his wife
were tried on account of her death and that of others.
Lieutenant Reinold (2) Marvin, son of Reinold (1) and Mary Marvin, was born in Great Bentley, England, where he was baptized December 20, 1631. He died in Lyme, Connecticut, August 4, 1676. He came to Connecticut with his father and was admitted a freeman ten days after his father, at Saybrook, where he became prosperous and possessed of considerable land. He was prominent in the colony, and was a deputy to the General Court from Lyme in 1670, and from 1672 until his death. He was town surveyor, and served on the committee to divide the town of Saybrook. In 1672-73 he was select- man, and in 1674-75 also; in addition to this he was constable in 1674. In 1661 he was sergeant of the train band, and later lieutenant until his death. He mar- ried Sarah, daughter of George, Jr., and Sarah Clark, who was baptized February 18, 1643, and died in Milford, Connecticut, February 1, 1716.
Deacon Samuel Marvin, son of Lieu- tenant Reinold (2) and Sarah Marvin, was born at Lyme in 1671, and died there, May 15, 1743. He served as selectman in 1699, from 1708-12, inclusive, and 1718-20, inclusive. Beginning with the year 1725, he was town clerk for many years; was constable from 1695 to 1718; surveyor, 1701; lister, 1706-15; tythingman, 1723; and town treasurer most of the time from 1725 to 1738. In 1700 he was a member of the school commission to divide the town into school districts; and was deputy to the General Court in 1711-22. He was also for many years deacon of the church. In 1726 he was appointed to make the rates. His will was proved June 18, 1743. On May 5, 1699, he was married to Su- sannah, daughter of Henry and Mary Graham, of Hartford.
Their son, Deacon Zachariah Marvin.
204
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
was born in Lyme, December 27, 1701, and died there, September 12, 1792. He was admitted a freeman, September 14, 1731 ; and in 1729 to 1743 was lister. He was grand juryman, fence viewer, and treasurer in 1742, and for many years afterward. In January, 1741, he was dea- con of the church. He married, March 29, 1732, Abigail, daughter of Thomas and Mary (Lee) Lord, who was born in 1708.
Their son, Elihu Marvin, was born in Lyme, February 13, 1733, and died in Hebron, August 13, 1812. He removed to the latter town in 1768, teaching school for a while and later farmed. He bought land in Hebron, and was popularly known as "Squire Elihu." He was justice of the peace from 1787 to 1803, and deacon in 1793. His first wife was Anna Beach, whom he married November 16, 1762. She died September 26, 1778, at the age of forty years.
Their son, Elihu (2) Marvin, was born in Hebron, December 13, 1771, and died about June, 1805, in Tioga, Pennsylvania, where he removed in about the year 1800, and built a mill on Tioga river. Soon after his death his family returned to Hebron. About 1794, he married Clarissa, daughter of Elijah and Sally (Welles) Kilbourne, of Colchester, who was born in 1777 and died in 1809.
Their son, Deacon Ira Kilbourne Mar- vin, was born in Hebron, September 6, 1796, and died May 12, 1879, in Tolland, where he located in May, 1820. He was deacon of the Baptist church there for twenty-eight years. In 1851 he was a member of the Legislature. He married, October 22, 1824, in Windham, Connecti- cut, Julia, daughter of Eliphalet and Sybil (Lathrop) Young, who was born May 14, 1800, and died February 24, 1875.
Their son, Edwin Eliphalet Marvin, father of Judge Marvin. was born in Tol-
land, Connecticut, October 8, 1833. He was educated in the public schools of Tol- land, and at the Suffield Literary Insti- tute, and adopted the law as his profes- sion. On April 19, 1861, he enlisted for three months' service, and on May 5, 1861, for three years in the First Regiment Colt Revolving Rifles ; when it was disbanded, he enlisted on June 20, 1861, in Company F, Fifth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, which company was the first from Tolland county to repulse a Confederate charge and take Confederate prisoners. He was promoted from the rank of lieutenant to that of captain of his company, and re- signed because of disability. On Febru- ary 12, 1863, he was mustered out. In 1889 he wrote the history of his regiment, and in 1909 wrote a family handbook of the genealogy of his grandparents, Elipha- let and Sybil (Lathrop) Young. He was a resident in turn of Tolland, Colchester, Rockville, and Hartford, practicing law in all of these places. For many years he was secretary of the Tolland County Agricultural Society, and served as justice of the peace, United States commissioner and extradition commissioner for the State; he was also for many years clerk of the United States Circuit and District courts for Connecticut. The preliminary hearings of many Federal criminal cases were held before him, and he acted as an examiner and master in chancery in very many civil cases. From 1869 to 1875 he was justice of the peace in Hartford, and during the vacations of the regular judges, presided in the police court of the city. He was a lover of out-of-doors life, taking his recreation with gun and rod; and he was the author of the original enactment in the Connecticut statutes authorizing the purchase and reforestation of all de- nuded land. On December 24, 1866, he was married in Hartford to Cynthia Paulina, daughter of Judge Loren Pinck-
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.