USA > Connecticut > Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial; representative citizens, v.2 > Part 39
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
Samuel Frost came to America from the mother country in 1700, and on March 21, 1733, wedded Naomi Fenn, of Wall- ingford.
David Frost, son of Samuel and Naomi, was born in Southington, Connecticut, September 16, 1743, and died December 15, 1812. During the War of the Revolu- tion he was a soldier in the Continental army. He married Mary Beach, Novem- ber 6, 1761, a daughter of Joseph Beach, a prominent man of his day.
Enoch Frost, son of David, was born in Southington, January 8, 1765, and died May 27, 1822. His entire life was passed as a farmer. Anna Culver was his wife and they became the parents of six chil- dren : Anna, Stephen C., Selah, Nancy, Enoch W. and Eunice.
Selah Frost, the doctor's grandfather, was born in Waterbury, February 2, 1798, and died in 1848. He was engaged as a merchant in Torrington. His wife was Ursula Brooker, and they reared a family of two children : Mary, and Warren S., the father of the doctor. Mary married George Mason, who is now deceased.
Warren S. Frost was born in Torring- ton, January 19, 1827, and his long and useful life was terminated April 20, 1899. He married Miss Edna J. Spring, of Col- linsville, Connecticut, a daughter of Thomas Spring, who was born in Granby, Connecticut, and was a farmer and wheel- wright. The Springs are of English ex- traction, and the first representative of the family on the American shores came over about 1680. Mrs. Edna J. Frost died September 20, 1897, and is remembered as a woman of far more than the usual gifts and attractions. She was a good wife to her husband, and a wise and help- ful mother to her children. Mr. Frost
Note-This narrative Is reprinted from "Com- memorative Biographical Record of New Haven County."
269
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
was a Republican, and served many years in the Waterbury common council. The family were all connected with the Con- gregational church.
Dr. Charles W. S. Frost spent his boy- hood days in Waterbury, where he ac- quired his elementary and general Eng- lish education in the public schools and the Waterbury English and Classical School. He entered Yale Medical School in 1876, and graduated from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York City in 1880. His vacations were spent in the hospitals of the great city, and soon after his graduation he came to Water- bury, opening an office here. The sum- mer of 1880 marked the beginning of a singularly successful professional career.
Dr. Frost and Miss Jennie G. Davis were married February 5, 1880. By this union was born one daughter, Edna J. Dr. Frost was again married, December 31, 1891, to Mrs. Minnie L. Ryder, the daughter of Leander Wright, of West Ashford, Connecticut. Two children have been born of this union: Barbara and Sela.
Dr. Frost is a Republican, and was president of the board of health for two years, of which he has been a member since 1887. He is city and town health officer, and is a member of the staff of Waterbury Hospital. Dr. Frost was sec- retary of the Waterbury Medical Society for eleven years, and is a member of both the State and County Medical societies. On the membership roll of the Masonic fraternity, the Knights of Pythias, the Red Men, the Royal Arcanum, the Hepta- sophs, the K. O. T. M., the Order of United American Mechanics, the Sons of the American Revolution, and several social organizations, such as the Water- bury Club and the Golf Association, the name of Dr. Frost is found ; and wherever he appears he is sure to be a welcome
presence. Dr. Frost is a member of the First Congregational Church, and is a man of fine character and superior pro- fessional standing.
MARKHAM, Hon. Daniel A., Lawyer, Jurist.
The Markham family is of English de- scent and numbers among its descendants men who have gained distinction as scholars, soldiers, diplomats and finan- ciers. Few families in America are able to trace their ancestry to so remote a period as the Markhams. The name orig- inated in 1066, in England, at a settle- ment near the border of Mercia, now Scotland, and was assumed for conven- ience in distinguishing the bearer, who was engaged in trading. The first of the name was Claron, of West Markham, a Saxon chief of local renown. For serv- ices rendered during the Norman con- quest he was rewarded with a grant of land, land which, however, had been held by his father and grandfather before him.
Because of the fact that they have no particular bearing on the history of the Markham family in America, the inter- mediate generations, namely those be- tween the progenitor and the first Ameri- can ancestor, have been omitted. These generations are seventeen in number, and cover six centuries.
Arms of the Markham family: Azure on a chief or, a demi lion rampant issu- ant gules. Crest: A lion of St. Mark sejant guard, winged or, circled round the head argent, supporting a harp or lyre of the first. The meaning of the name : Local "of Markham," a parish near Tux- ford, County Notts.
(XVIII) Daniel Markham, the immi- grant ancestor of the family in America, was of the eighteenth generation in direct descent from Claron. He was born in
270
Dami AMarkham
RT
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
Plumstead Manor, near Norwich, Eng- land, and came to Massachusetts in 1665, arriving in Cambridge. Two years later it is recorded that he moved to Middle- town, Connecticut. Here in 1690 he be- came a deacon in the First Congrega- tional Church of Middletown. Issue: John, mentioned below.
(XIX) John Markham, son of Daniel Markham, was born December 28, 1708, at Middletown, and was the progenitor of the family in Chatham, where it has since that time been prominent and influ- ential in local history. He settled on the east side of Pocotopaug Lake. He mar- ried Desire Sears, on November 3, 1748. She died at the age of sixty-three years, on November 19, 1786. He died March 30, 1788, aged eighty-one years. Issue : John, mentioned below.
(XX) John (2) Markham, son of John (1) and Desire (Sears) Markham, born at Middletown, March 20, 1756, was their third child and second son. He was the great-grandfather of the present Judge Markham, and was a soldier in the Revo- lutionary War. He married on January II, 1781, Asenath Smith, and they resided on Chestnut Hill. He died April 15, 1852. Issue : Hiram, mentioned below.
(XXI) Hiram Markham, son of John (2) and Asenath (Smith) Markham, was born at Chatham, Connecticut, January I, 1795. He was the grandfather of Judge Markham. He was a farmer and a man of some prominence in the town, as is evi- denced by the fact that he several times held public offices. He was a Free Ma- son. On November 5, 1817, he was mar- ried at Chatham, to Laura Niles, a native of that place, born on July 20, 1802, and died June 14, 1877. He died December 5, 1870. Issue : Daniel Niles, mentioned below.
(XXII) Daniel Niles Markham, Judge Markham's father, son of Hiram and
Laura (Niles) Markham, was born Au- gust 26, 1821, at Chatham, Connecticut. He, like his father, was a farmer on an extensive scale, but also engaged in lum- ber dealing all his life. He was a promi- nent and well known citizen, and was Of various occasions elected to town offices. On September 23, 1844, he was married to Mary Octavia Skinner, a na- tive of Chatham, born July 27, 1821, died September 10, 1909. He died February 5, 1906. Issue : Daniel Anson, mentioned below.
(XXIII) Daniel Anson Markham, son of Daniel Niles and Mary Octavia (Skin- ner) Markham, was born in Chatham, Connecticut, on December 29, 1854. To those who are familiar with the history of the Hartford county bar, and the men who are at present upholding and fur- thering the high standards of morals, equity and honor, which have character- ized the State of Connecticut and Hart- ford county, which is in truth the cradle of the State, from its very founding, the Hon. Daniel Anson Markham, associate judge of the Court of Common Pleas, needs no introduction. Judge Markham occupies an eminence in the legal profes- sion which cannot fail to bring with it a wide popularity and deep respect. Ap- preciation of the deeds of those who are working on behalf and in the interest of the common people is readily forthcom- ing. The general esteem in which Judge Markham is held is a fair gauge of the value of the services which he has ren- dered during his career in public office, to the interests of Hartford county.
Judge Markham was prepared for col- lege under private tutors, and at the end of his training was admitted to Wesleyan University, from which institution he was graduated with the class of 1879. Deciding upon the legal profession as his vocation, he studied law under the pre-
271
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
ceptorship of Arthur B. Calef and D. W. WHITE, Niles Glover, Northrop, prominent attorneys in Mid- dletown, Connecticut. He was admitted to the bar in 1882, and two years later took up his residence in Hartford, where he has since resided. Judge Markham met with success in the practice of his profession from the very beginning, hav- ing always been an efficient worker, and with a genius for detail which neglected no phase in the preparation of a case. He has the rare faculty of making a client's case his own, and his arguments are pre- sented in so logical a fashion and force- ful a manner that they necessarily carry conviction. He has always had an ex- tremely active interest in public affairs, and has several times been elected to pub- lic offices of responsibility and impor- tance. In the year 1891 he became re- corder of the City Court, and continued in that office until 1893, acquitting him- self of the duties involved in this office in such a manner as to win favorable com- ment throughout the whole community.
In the year 1889, Judge Markham was married to Grace Goodrich, daughter of Samuel and Annie (Butler) Goodrich. Their children are: Daniel Goodrich, born December 12, 1890; Margaret, born January 21, 1893, died December 3, 1895 ; John Anson, born November 15, 1894; Chauncy G., born February 5, 1901 ; Grace G., born June 12, 1904.
By virtue of the fact that an ancestor of his was one of the original settlers who came to America in the famous "May- flower," Judge Markham has recently been made a member of the Mayflower Society. He is also a member of the Sons of the Revolution. Judge Markham has always been a member of the Congrega- tional church in East Hampton, retaining his membership there, though he now attends the Center Church in Hartford. He is one of the most respected citizens in the community, universally revered.
Business Man.
Niles Glover White, well known busi- ness man of Hartford, is a worthy repre- sentative of a family that has been identi- fied with the history of Connecticut for many generations-a family that in time of war and in the quieter pursuits of peace has maintained a standard of patriotism and upright citizenship of which its members may well feel proud. Mr. White was born November 1, 1850, in Chatham, Connecticut, son of Glover Moses and Mary Post (Markham) White.
The progenitor in this country of the branch of the White family to which Niles Glover White belongs was Philip White, an Englishman, who settled in Lynn, Massachusetts, in an early period of Colonial history. At one time he was a member of the light dragoons. His wife was a Miss Ramsdale of Lynn, Mas- sachusetts, and after his first child, Philip, Jr., was born he returned to England, leaving his family in America. As he was never heard from, it has always been supposed that he was lost at sea. For years his property in England was adver- tised, but his son would never take steps to claim it. Philip White, Jr., was born April 12, 1760, in Lynn, Massachusetts, lived for a time in that town with his grandfather, Ezra Ramsdale, and came with him prior to the Revolution to Chat- ham, Connecticut. He was a soldier in the Continental army for about seven and one-half years, serving all through the war for independence. He was small of stature, and was nicknamed by his com- panions "Frostbitten" and "Little Devil." He married Olive, daughter of Eleazer Rowley, of Moodus, Connecticut, born there April 22, 1764, died April 21, 1856. He died October 17, 1845. They resided in Chatham, and there Philip White was born February 3, 1795, the father of seven
272
le American Historical Society
Alles G. White
THE ! FUELIL
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
children. He was the grandfather of Niles G. White. He married Lucy Niles, and they had nine children, of whom Glover Moses, born September 26. 1819, was the eldest. He learned the trade of granite cutter, and subsequently became superintendent of the Mill Stone Point quarry at Waterford. Later he formed a partnership with Thomas Crane, and un- der the name of Thomas Crane & Com- pany engaged in the granite business in New York City. He married Mary Post Markham, born June 1, 1824, died Janu- ary 12, 1887. His death occurred August 26, 1872. She was a sister of Daniel Niles Markham, father of Judge Daniel A. Markham. The Markham genealogy will be found in connection with the latter's sketch, which appears on another page.
Niles Glover White, only child of Glover M. and Mary P. (Markham) White, was born November 1, 1850, in Chatham. After completing the course in the public school, he served an appren- ticeship at the trade of granite cutter under his father, in New York City. He then became a member of the firm of Thomas Crane & Company. Mr. White continued in the business in New York City until the death of Mr. Crane, soon after which the business was removed to Long Island City, and continued under the name of the White Granite Company. In 1897 he formed a partnership with William F. Whitmore, under the firm name of White & Whitmore. Their place of business is in Hartford, and they deal in mantels, tile, interior marble and fire- place goods. Mr. White has been con- nected with the granite business for a period of forty years. He is a member of the General Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen of the City of New York, and served as its president in 1906. He mar- ried, August 27, 1873, Miss Mary Cor- nelia, born August 27, 1853, in Guilford,
Connecticut, daughter of Elisha Chapman and Charlotte Griffin (Fowler) Bishop.
Elisha C. Bishop was born April 10, 1824, in Guilford, and remained on the home farm until he was twenty years of age, attending the public school until the course was completed. Hle then learned the trade of machinist and engaged in that business on his own account until 1861, when he went to Titusville, Penn- sylvania. Here he engaged successfully in developing oil wells until 1870, when he returned to Guilford and engaged in farming until his death, March 8, 1903. He was first a Republican and later a Prohibitionist ; was one of the most prom- inent men in Guilford, taking an active part in every movement of public impor- tance. He served on the school commit- tee ; was warden of the borough; also burgess ; served seven or eight years on the board of selectmen, and was first selectman at two different periods. In 1882 he represented the town of Guilford in the legislature. He married, July 5. 1846, Charlotte G., daughter of Lyman Fowler, by whom he had twelve children. Mrs. Bishop was born December 15, 1823, and died October 6, 1885. He afterward married Mrs. Bishop's sister, Cornelia F. Fowler. Jonathan Bishop, father of Elisha C., was born March 30, 1797, and in his younger days he followed the sea. rising to the position of inate of a vessel plying in the cotton trade between south. ern ports and New York. Later in life he engaged in farming on the homestead. until his death, March 16, 1887. He mar- ried, June 18, 1821, Polly Maria, born January 30, 1796, daughter of Seth and Hannah (Parmelee) Bishop. She died in July, 1839. His father, Jonathan Bishop, was born October 19. 1762, and died Sep- tember 23, 1826. He married, February 21, 1787, Huldah Chapman, born Decem- ber 1, 1762, died September 17. 1828. He
Conn-2~18
273
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
was a farmer and during the Revolution was a member of the Home Guard, for coast defense, keeping the Tories from supplying the English troops with produce, etc. His father, David Bishop, was born September 20, 1728, and died January 25, 1792. He married, April 17, 1755, Audrea Fowler, born September 12, 1724, died January 24, 1815. His father, David Bishop, was born January 6, 1697, died August 20, 1773. He married, May 17, 1724, Deborah Stanley. His father, John Bishop, was born in 1655, and died November 25, 1751. He married, July 3, 1689, Elizabeth Hitchcock, who died March 14, 1712. His father, John Bishop, married, December 13, 1650, Susanna Goldham, who died November 1, 1703: His father, John Bishop, came from Eng- land, was one of the original settlers in Guilford, and the founder of the Bishop family in America. His signature is the second of the twenty-five on the Planta- tion Covenant dated June 1, 1639, on the voyage from England, and he was one of the four persons who at first had sole direction of the affairs of the colony until the formation of the church. In England he married Anne, surname unknown, who died in Hartford in 1676. He died in Guilford in February, 1661.
To Niles G. and Mary Cornelia (Bishop) White the following children were born: Mary Bishop, August 16, 1874, married Carrol C. Beach, M. D .; Cornelia Fowler, December 29, 1876; Edna, June 30, 1879; Olive, August 14, 1881, married Edward F. von Wettberg, of Fairfield, Connecticut; Charlotte, De- cember 17, 1883, married O. Lamson Beach, of West Hartford, brother of Dr. C. C. Beach ; Bishop, October 14, 1885 ; Prentice, May 24, 1891.
Mr. White has made good in the busi- ness world by his own energy, sound judgment, executive ability and straight-
forward dealing. He has resided in West Hartford for more than thirty-five years, and enjoys the confidence and esteem of a wide circle of steadfast friends. On the Markham side his descent is traced to the "Mayflower" on three sides.
GOODRICH, Charles Augustus, Pediatrist of Hartford Hospital.
The heritage of an honorable, respected and unblemished name is a fortune than which there is nothing more valuable. The name of Goodrich is one of the old- est mentioned in the records of the early New England colonies, and has been identified continuously with that section of the country since the early part of the seventeenth century, when the founda- tions of the United States of to-day were laid by the suffering and untold priva- tions of a sturdy handful of men and women of high purpose and indomitable courage, the progenitors of that New England stock which has contributed ever since a large proportion of the coun- try's great men. In England the name Goodrich has been traced back to very ancient times, and like most other patro- nymics has arrived at its present spelling through a process of evolution from God- ric, which was the original spelling.
It is not known when the family first appeared in Great Britain. In Ingulph's "History of the Abbey of Croyland," after the description of its destruction in the year 870, we find the following : "By com- mon consent of all, the venerable father Godric, although very reluctant and mak- ing great opposition thereto, was elected abbot." The ruins of Goodrich Castle are among the most ancient in England. Its site was a commanding eminence near the southeastern extremity of the county of Herford, in Herfordshire, Wales, on the eastern bank of the River Wye. It clearly
274
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
antedates the Norman conquest, being in the style adopted by the Saxons, and con- tinued to the time of Edward the Con- fessor, about 1050. The Domesday Book and Freeman's "History of the Norman Conquest. 1066," show that landholders of the Goodrich family were numerous at that time.
(I) William Goodrich was immigrant ancestor of the Goodrich family in Amer- ica. The original ancestors of William Goodrich have not been traced, but there is little doubt that Bury St. Edmunds, County Suffolk, England, was his birth- place. The first appearance of his name on the early records of Connecticut Colony is in connection with his marriage to Sarah Marvin in the year 1648. He was made a freeman on May 15. 1656. He was deputy from Wethersfield to the General Court at Hartford, May 15, 1662, and also served on the grand jury. He was ensign of the train-band at Wethers- field. He married Sarah, daughter of Matthew and Elizabeth Marvin, of Hart- ford, who after his death married Captain William Curtiss, of Stratford, where she died in 1702. William Goodrich died in 1676.
(II) Colonel David Goodrich, son of William and Sarah (Marvin) Goodrich, was born May 4, 1667, and resided in Wethersfield. He was lieutenant-colonel in the old French war. In 1703 colonial operations began in Queen Anne's war, and in 1704 occurred the horrible massa- cre at Deerfield. In May of that year the Hartford County Dragoons were sent into Hampshire county, Massachusetts, and in this expedition David Goodrich went as lieutenant. In May, 1709, troops to the number of three hundred men were sent from Connecticut to Canada. They went, however, no farther than Albany and Wood Creek. At the latter place they were encamped through the summer
and autumn of 1709, and ninety men were lost. Captain David Goodrich was both adjutant and quartermaster of the cam- paign. In 1712 two Connecticut com- panies were sent to a post thirty miles above Deerfield. One of these was com- manded by David Goodrich. In May, 1723, he commanded one of the com- panies sent to Hampshire county. In February, 1724, he went north again as far as Fort Dummer, near the present city of Brattleboro, but then the only set- tlement in what is now the great State of Vermont. He remained in Massachu- setts most of the time until the close of the war in December, 1725. In this year he was reappointed colonel of the Hart- ford forces. He had been a member of the committee and council of war from 1723. He was appointed justice of the peace for Hartford in 1725, and held the position for many years thereafter. He was auditor and appraiser, deputy to the General Court from Wethersfield from 1717 to 1724, and 1735 to 1743, and in 1724 he was made a member of the Gov- ernor's Council.
He married, March 7, 1689, Hannah. daughter of Thomas Wright, Jr., and Elizabeth (Chittenden ) Wright. She was his first wife, and was born March 10. 1671. She died April 27, 1698. Colonel David Goodrich died June 23, 1755.
(III) Deacon David Goodrich, son of David and Hannah (Wright) Goodrich, was born December S, 1694. He resided at Rocky Hill. He was prominent and active in church work, and through his ceaseless activity earned the epithet "Forty-six years a Deacon." He married, December 31, 1721. Hepzibah, daughter of Jonathan and Mercy (Hubbard) Board- man, of Hatfield, Massachusetts. She was born February 16. 1702, or 1703, and died December 9, 1782. Jonathan Board- man, her father, was born in Wethers-
275
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
field, February 4, 1660. He was lieuten- ant of the train-band in Wethersfield in 1703, and was prominent in town affairs. His house at Rocky Hill was fortified and called Fort Deming. He married Mercy Hubbard, October 22, 1685, and died Sep- tember 21, 1712. Deacon David Good- rich died July 15, 1785.
(IV) Rev. Elizur Goodrich, son of Dea- con David and Hepzibah (Boardman) Goodrich, was born October 6, 1734, al- though according to Wethersfield records his birth is recorded as October 18, 1734. He was graduated from Yale College in the class of 1752, and remained as tutor there during the year following his gradu- ation. "So deeply interested was he in mathematics and astronomy, that in the busiest scenes of his subsequent ministry, he rarely failed to calculate the eclipses of each successive year, and when the Aurora Borealis of 1780 made its appear- ance, he drew up one of the fullest and most accurate accounts of it ever pub- lished, with exact drawings of the auroral arch. In November, 1756, he was or- dained pastor of the Congregational church at Durham, Connecticut, in which office he continued until his death. He gave fourteen hours daily to severe intel- lectual labor ; was an accomplished teach- er, having prepared over three hundred young men for college and public life. He was also an active friend of the Amer- ican Revolution, preaching the right of the colonies to resist the tyrannical rule of England, and urging them to lay down their property and lives, if need be, in the struggle for liberty. He published sev- eral of his sermons, and was the author of hundreds of elaborate essays on diffi- cult passages of the Scripture." In 1776 he was elected member of the corpora- tion of Yale. On February 1, 1757, Rev. Elizur Goodrich married Katherine, daughter of Hon. Elihu and Mary (Gris-
wold) Chauncey. She was born April II, 1741, and died April 8, 1830. His death occurred on November 21, 1797.
(V) Rev. Samuel Goodrich, son of Rev. Elizur and Katherine (Chauncey) Good- rich, was born January 12, 1763. He was a graduate of Yale College in the class of 1783, where he had pursued the regular course in theology. He was ordained and on July 6, 1786, was installed as pastor of the Congregational church at Ridgefield, Connecticut. His father preached the sermon and gave the charge both to his son and the church. He was dismissed at his own request, and moved to Worth- ington on the twenty-ninth of the follow- ing May. He married, July 29, 1784, Elizabeth, daughter of Colonel John and Sarah (Worthington) Ely, who was born February 22, 1765, and died March 3, 1837. Rev. Samuel Goodrich died at Ber- lin, Connecticut, April 29, 1835.
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.