Genealogical and biographical record of New London County, Connecticut, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the early settled families, Part 50

Author:
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1568

USA > Connecticut > New London County > Genealogical and biographical record of New London County, Connecticut, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the early settled families > Part 50

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On Aug. 10, 1890, it was a very warm da At about midday, Dr. Manwaring walked a nt or so from his h' and on his return he was juble to articulate ci. y. He could talk, however with some difficulty. His mind and understanding fere clear, and his grave manner without speech s ved his condition to be fully appreciated by higelf. For two or three days there was considerab sim- provement and his speech partially returned He sat up and walked a little. On Aug. 24th the ight arm and hand became involved, and his : ech failed, showing the progress of his maladyand from that date he gradually sank, and diedtep- tember Ist. At the September meeting of the ew London Medical Club it was voted that th fol- lowing memorandum be placed on its record d a copy sent to Mrs. Manwaring and to the daily [ess of the city for publication :

"For more than half a century, without er- ruption, Dr. Manwaring followed his calling fith a name irreproachable among men. His ski find carefulness, his faithful attention to duty anomni- form courtesy, made his usefulness conspicuot find widely acknowledged. We shall miss his hial presence and his sound counsel under the vaing circumstances of our arduous service. Espefilly also at the brotherly meetings of the club wehall ever cherish his name.

"We desire to express our sympathy forthe family of our lamented friend and brother. feir loss no words of ours can measure. His nam ur- vives and with it so much of what is nobl-und good that even their grief must be mingled ith gratitude, so long he worked well and was so i of years and honor."

While wedded to his profession, and iile pressed for time as a result of its exacting cjies, Dr. Manwaring's public spirit was always ev ni. He always had at heart the best interests ( his community, and took as prominent a part its affairs as his professional duties permitted. H vas greatly interested and occupied in the growth (the city. His character was symmetrical and fell rounded, and as a citizen he had high ideal nd lived up to them. From the founding of the Rjab- lican party he held to it, without any extremdar- tisanship. While not a politician he took an er- est in political matters to the extent of suppong

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th 1 ballot and influence any movement having r its bject the support or advancement of the y's 1 ew t interests. He served as a member of the idon city council. He was of a deep re- ious ature, and a thorough Christian, yet he uld ne. : endorse completely the Calvinistic doc- e was a liberal contributor to the cause of ligio1 and a regular attendant at the Congrega- nal ( rvice irch, not only of the Sabbath but mid-week : well.

Dr. [anwaring was survived by a widow and ly so her Wolcott Barber. The widow previous arriage to Dr. Manwaring, on May 15, 45, vs Miss Ellen Barber, born Dec. 21, 1821, yest daughter of Hon. Noyes Barber and ary Il his zabeth (Chester) Smith, of Groton. A y of Hon. Noyes Barber is given below. rs. waring passed away Nov. 24, 1903, at ashingon, D. C., where, for a number of years, it th hel d bec her custom to spend the winter months son. She was buried by the side of her sbandin Cedar Grove cemetery, New London. e uni en ved Hl with the church in Groton when but thir- old, and during her entire life was a de- ut CHIstian. She was a member of the Second ngreg voma r-pre ich w ional Church in New London. She was of the most beautiful character, and an it evidence of that gracious refinement but the natural result of a long line of tingu rs of ed ancestry. During the more than twelve er widowed life her almost constant asso- e andcompanion was her son, Wolcott B. His otionlike her pleasure theretrom, was beautiful vitne

HOM NOYES BARBER, one of the dis- juishe and prominent public men of his day in nectilt, was one of the ablest, the most con- uousand the most admirable characters that ton e produced. He was born April 28, 1781, rotor Conn., son of John and Elizabeth (Deni- Ba r. His forebears included eminent men someof the pioneers of New England. Mr. er w a representative of the seventh genera-

fron `homas Barber, the first of the name in En nd.

I) T|mas Barber, the immigrant settler, came Engind in the summer of 1635 with the Sal- all ny, and later became one of the first rs a and e of Ca Tindsor, Conn. He served in the Pequot s in the thickest of the struggle on the e fort. He received honorable mention Mason for his valor on that occasion, one the very few to receive such notice. In ycar le removed to Simsbury, Conn., where tilt t first church, and where his death oc- wife's name was Jane.

Sept.

I) JĮ n Barber, baptized July 24, 1642, mar- 1663, Bathsheba Coggens, of Spring- whi 'r he removed, and then, in 1684, to Id, vore he was deacon, selectman, etc.

(III) Thomas Barber (2) married Ann Chase and they were of Suffield, Connecticut.

(IV) Thomas Barber (3) married Sarah Ball and they were of West Springfield, Massachusetts. (V) Rev. Jonathan Barber, born Jan. 21, 1712- 13, in West Springfield, Mass., married at New York City, Nov. 2, 1740, Sarah Noyes, daughter of Dr. James Noyes, of Westerly, R. I., and grand- daughter of the Rev. James Noyes, the first min- ister of Stonington, Conn. Nine children were born to the marriage, three in the State of Georgia and six in Oyster Ponds. One of their sons, Thomas, was graduated at Yale College in 1762.

Jonathan Barber was graduated from Yale Col- lege in 1730. He studied theology and in 1732 was licensed to preach by the association of ministers in Hampshire county, and began his professional labors by preaching for a year or two (principally to the Indians) in what afterward became the parish of Agawam, in the southern part of his native town. After this he preached to the Indians in the Mohe- gan country, north of New London. He was earn- est in the defense of the rights of the Indians as against the encroachments of the white man. This position of his was a bold one, very unpopular, and required a fearless man, as he was when in defense of right. His religious work among the Indians was most lasting. He is said to have been a strict disciplinarian, and his control over the Indians with whom his labors brought him in contact was remark- able. About 1735 he gathered a congregation in that part of Southold, at the eastern end of Long Island, then known as Oyster Ponds, now called Orient. The Rev. James Davenport ( Yale College, 1732), Barber's contemporary in college, though five years his junior, was settled over the mother church of Southold in 1738. The two friends early became impressed by reports of the work which Whitfield was doing, and in March, 1740, Barber began to hold revival meetings in Southold, and, proceeding thence westward over the island, excited a new interest in religion. In September he crossed to Newport, R. I., and greeted Whitfield on his first arrival in New England.

Whitfield had heard of the summer's experiences and was so much pleased with Barber that he of- fered him the place of superintendent and lay-chap- lain of his Orphan House in Georgia. Accepting this offer, he proceeded with Whitfield to Georgia in a few weeks. He remained in Georgia for about seven years, then returned to Long Island. The history of his labors for the next ten years is not known, but on Nov. 10, 1757, he was ordained by the Suffolk Presbytery at Oyster Ponds over the church there. On Nov. 3, of the next year ( 1758), he was installed over the Congregational Church in Groton, Conn. Here he twice received visits from Mr. Whitfield, his friend, who from a platform pro- jected from the upper windows of the minister's house preached to the multitudes who came to lis- ten to the eloquence of this wonderful man. This

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old house, long the residence of Rev. Mr. Barber, is yet standing at what is known as the center of Groton, and is in excellent state of preservation ; a tablet commemorating the visit and the preaching of Whitfield while a guest of Rev. Mr. Barber, now adorns this old structure. Mr. Barber's con- nection with the church was dissolved in December, 1768. He resided in Groton during the remainder of his lifetime. His sudden death, in that town, occurred Oct. 8, 1783. His wife had died May 30, 1761, in her forty-seventh year. Both were buried in the Starr burying-ground, in Groton.

(VI) John Barber was born June II, 1747, at Oyster Ponds, Long Island. He married Elizabeth Denison, of Stonington, a lineal descendant of George Denison and Anne Boredil. He was a farmer and tavern-keeper. He resided at the old home of his father at Groton Center. He had a large family. His death occurred March 22, 1816, and with his wife he is buried in Starr burying-ground.

(VII) Hon. Noyes Barber was born April 28, 1781, at Groton. He received a public school edu- cation, which, owing to the young man's inclinations for a business life, was interrupted by his early tak- ing up such a career. When but eleven years old he began clerking for William Eldridge, a merchant in the village of Groton. His studies at school were by no means abandoned, but continued in a way of no little home study. He remained in the store of Mr. Eldridge, as an employe, until the age of twen- ty-one, when he purchased his employer's interests and took charge of the business for himself. About this time he was married to Miss Catharine Burdick, the daughter of Walter, who was a Revolutionary soldier and came to Groton from Rhode Island. This wife died Dec. 4, 1813, and was buried in Starr burying-ground.

Thus young Barber assumed all the responsibili- ties of manhood, depending solely upon his own energy and skill, and the good-will of his fellow- citizens. He was of the wide-awake and pushing type of a business young man. His predecessor and employer had carried on a thriving business, but young Barber started out to enlarge and con- duct the business on a more diversified scale. He became the most extensive buyer of farmers' prod- ucts, and dealer in farmers' supplies, along the Thames river, not excepting the dealers in New London and Norwich. He carried on besides a considerable trade with the West Indies, and was interested more or less in the various ventures by sea common in a maritime town. He made it a point to purchase almost every product of a farmer. His purchase of potatoes was by the shipload, and every other marketable product in whatever quan- tities offered. The value of such a merchant to the surrounding country is difficult to estimate.

With the pecuniary prosperity which followed his efforts came the approval and consideration of those around him. In various ways he early dis- played a superior force of character, and when but

a young man wielded a strong influence. [ was elected capain of his company in the 8th Rorment of Volunteers, and in the war of 1812 was pi noted from captain to major, by which title he was thrown among his neighbors until his death. He wasun- moned to Stonington with the volunteer tros on the Ioth of August, 1814, when an attack wanade on that town, a day on which he was to ha been married a second time, which delayed eve was consummated the next day, Aug. 11, 1814, ven he was married to Mrs. Mary Smith, the wi ly of Elijah, and daughter of Starr Chester anc Iary (Morgan) Chester. Being a Federal Rep ican De- · he his the Mr. Barber supported President Madison's Min- istration and the war, and while Commodc catur was blockaded in New London har sometimes entertained him and his officers house, with the other men of prominence region of different political views. All his le he was addicted to hospitality and his home wabpen not only to distinguished men, with whom had

intercourse, but to a large circle of friend who were wont to meet under his roof. His frier and acquaintances included the prominent men } his time, and among those entertained at his hom vere Govs. Ellsworth, Peters, Trumbull and other

The Federal Republican party was larg / in the ascendency at that time, and with his par Mr. Barber heartily sympathized, and every posifı of honor and trust within the gift of his fellow-ozens was open to him. He was twice elected to the (gis- lature of Connecticut, and in 1821 was non ated for Congress and elected. This marked the gin- ning of what proved to be the third longest vice as a member of the House of Representatives any member that ever was elected from Conn icut. Mr. Barber was returned to that body each I ces-

sive election until 1835, a period of fourteen cars. This term of service has been equalled by or two in Connecticut, both surpassing it-that of Be |min Tallmadge, of Litchfield, and that of Chart A. Russell, of Killingly.

When Mr. Barber took his seat James Maroe was President, and Webster, Clay, Calhoun, Timas H. Benton, John Q. Adams and Andrew Jakson were members of Congress. It was a brillia per- iod in our national history, and though Mr. rber could not be reckoned among those who mow the House by the power of his eloquence he fai ully and diligently sought to be useful to his cc :itu- ents and his country, and was as earnest and itir- ing in his efforts to serve his political oppone's as those whose views were in harmony with hi wn. The records of Congress assure us his vote vy re- corded in the interest of economical adminis tion of the government, liberality to the nation's ene- factors and pensioners, and in favor of libe: for the oppressed in our own and other lands. Iwas appointed on the committee of Claims, of ich Elisha Whittlesey, of Ohio, was chairman, 2 on this committee Mr. Barber served to the close his

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sional career. It was a committee where auch ird and difficult work was to be done, and Cong rom that can be learned two more faithful and aborit's men could not be found in the Congress f the Noye rnme my ousn ame Jnited States than Elisha Whittlesey and arber. No period in the history of the Gov- has been more often referred to for econ- the administration of its finance and right- in the adjustment of its claims. A change er the politics of our country, and in 1824 ne Elcoral College failed to elect a president, and he H se of Representatives, being required to do Q. Adams was elected over his opponent , Jol Andre Jackson, and the old Jeffersonian Republi- an pty was disrupted, the Jackson Democracy laimi hougl afer to be the true Democracy ; but not so Mr. Barber, and, with the sounder and n with whom he followed, he was pro- cribedby the popular party, though returned to Congr by his constituents. As he had done be- ore sche continued to do-striving to keep fraudu- ent cl ationa ach d entati rs, a: onor ith a : Mr ibute nants from thrusting their hands into the treasury, supporting a measure that for s unnecessary absence of a senator, repre- or delegate he shall forfeit his eight dol- on a motion to adjourn on Feb. 22d in Washington's birthday voting adversely ajority of the House, because, as was said Forsythe of Georgia, "the most respectful e House could pay to Gen. Washington attention to the discharge of their proper as a ities.' In the bitter contest between Mr. Jackson id the le of sdon

United States Bank Mr. Barber was on the le bank, and, as an evidence of his practical Hon. Theodore Frelinghuysen, of New id to one of Mr. Barber's descendants je time of Jackson's famous veto Webster,

rsey, at at

some of the other distinguished men of the ny an ight it would render him unpopular, but er said, "No, it won't; where he had had

rty tl . Ba : vot ie will have two," and subsequent events tified ție correctness of his opinion. With John Ada

, from the House, and Daniel Webster m th Senate, Noyes Barber was appointed by igres t.

In 18 Mr. Barber, though receiving more votes y previous election, was, with his party, private life, but in all that concerned of the country his interest did not abate, is sent regularly from his town to the ventions of the State. At the last one death, being unable to attend because of ealth, he wrote to a friend of his inability nt, and expressed a preference for Clay as candidates for President and Vice- respectively, concluding his letter with acteristic of the man, "Be bold, have no

his long service in the House of Repre- ative nie was never absent a day from his du-

ties. Mr. Barber formed the personal acquaintance of the most prominent national characters of the period. He was a warm personal friend of Henry Clay, whose touching personal letter of condolence, at the time of Mr. Barber's death, to Miss Ellen Barber, the youngest daughter, is herewith quoted verbatim.

MOBILE, ALABAMA, March 2, 1844. My Dear Miss Barber :

Your affecting letter communicating the melancholy intelligence of the lamented death of your excellent Father, my faithful and estimable friend, not finding me at Lex- ington has been received by me in this city. It contained the first announcement of the sad event which it communi- cated. Ah, my dear Miss Barber, how gladly would I if I could impart to yourself and to the other afflicted members of his family any consolation on this distressing occasion. I can only offer you the sincere condolence and sympathy of a cordial friend. Your loss and that of his family is great and irreparable. Minc is not inconsiderable. During a long service in the public Councils with your Father I found him honest, true and faithful to his country. I found him, too, through all the vicissitudes of my own checquered life, steadfast and immovable in his attachment. To lose such a friend at such a time as this, when the cause to which he was so long and so ardently attached promises to be brilliantly triumphant, fills me with sorrow and grief. Accept my best wishes for the prosperity and happiness of yourself and the bereaved family of your Father, and believe me, ever truly your faithful and obedient servant, H. CLAY.

This communication is but one of many included in the private correspondence of Mr. Barber, much of which is in the possession of his grandson, Wol- cott B. Manwaring. These interesting old docu- ments include personal letters, and invitations to dine, from Presidents Monroe and John Q. Adams, from John C. Calhoun, Martin VanBuren, Daniel Webster and others.

Noyes Barber always took a keen interest in any- thing pertaining to the welfare of his native town. He was one of the prime movers in the Groton Mon- ument Association and served as its treasurer. Though not a communicant, he was a constant at- tendant upon the services of the Congregational Church, in which he was reared. It was remarked of him, "He was as regular in attendance as the minister." He was a stanch supporter of religious institutions, and his home was one where the min- isters of the church were cordially received and hos- pitably entertained. He gave the ground next to his home, on which the church stood.

Noyes Barber died Jan. 3, 1844, at his home in Groton, and was buried in the Starr burying-ground. His second wife survived him, dying Oct. 12, 1848, and was buried by his side. The comments of the various journals of his own State and others on his life and character were such as his most intimate friends knew to be just and true. The National In- telligencer of Washington, quoting an eulogy from the New York Courier and Enquirer, says of it, "and far from being chargeable with the usual exaggera- tion of partial friendship in regard to the dead, utters no more than the literal truth of one of the best men,

:o welcome LaFayette at the time of his

n at ırnec welf: he ig C ore 1 aired pe pr Da ider ce cl ing.' Duri

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GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD.

in both his public and his private character, that it has ever been our fortune to meet," and with the edi- tors of the Intelligencer, Messrs. Gales and Seaton, Mr. Barber was on terms of intimacy.

By his first wife he was the father of children as follows: (1) Adelaide, born Sept. 26, 1802, died Nov. 15, 1804. (2) Henrietta Catharine, born Dec. 14, 1803, married July 16, 1823, Edwin Chester, a merchant in Groton, who succeeded his father-in- law in the mercantile business. Mr. Chester later removed to York State, and subsequently to Wau- kesha, Wis., where Mrs. Chester died Jan. 23, 1852. She left a family of children. (3) Orlando Avery, born Aug. 28, 1805, died Oct. 23, 1806. (4) Edwin Noyes, born Nov. 28, 1806, married Clarine Reed, of Stark county, Ohio. He was a soldier in the Civil war, enlisting from Illinois. He was a farmer, and died at Marshall, Ill., at about eighty-three years of age. (5) Betsey Ann, born Nov. 27, 1809, married Aug. 15, 1833, Belton A. Copp, of Groton. She always resided in Groton, where she died Sept. 9, 1894. Belton A. Copp was one of the prominent men of Groton in his time. An attorney by profession, and at one time judge of the New London county court, he represented the town in the State Legisla- ture a number of terms, and was much in public life. Among his children are Daniel N., of Groton ; John J., who is one of the representative citizens of Gro- ton ; George, who died in boyhood ; William, of Gro- ton ; and Belton A., cashier of the National Whaling Bank of New London ; the daughters are Ellen, now widow of Christopher Avery; Sarah, Mrs. Frank Larrabee, of McGregor, Iowa: Kate B., and Julia, who reside with their brother Daniel N., of Groton.

By his second wife Mr. Barber became the father of : (1) Noyes Chester, born May 23, 1815, married Jane Law, daughter of Lyman Law, M. C., and one of the most prominent lawyers of New London in his day. Noyes Chester Barber was a merchant. He died July 3, 1840, at Farmersville, N. Y. (2) Mary E., born Feb. 5, 1817, married Rev. A. L. Whitman, pastor of the Congregational Church at Greeneville, Conn. She died May, 1894, at Groton, Conn. (3) Julia M., born Sept. 1I, 1818, died March 17, 1824. (4) John Starr, born April 23, 1820, fell Jan. 15, 1865, at the battle of Fort Fisher, N. C. A tablet to his memory in the Starr burying-ground in part reads as follows: "Lieut. Charles L. Franklin, Ex- ecutive officer, U. S. Steamer 'Tosco,' in communi- cating the sadness of the death of John S. Barber, wrote as follows: 'It is with much regret I have to announce to you the death of John S. Barber, late of this vessel. He was one of a detachment of picked men sent from here on the 15th, to assist in storming Fort Fisher, and fell early in the assault, killed by a grape shot. While on board this ship he was faith- ful to all his duties and a good man, cheerfully obed- ient, and always ready for any service.' " (5) Ellen, born Dec. 21, 1821, married Dr. Robert A. Manwar- ing, of New London. She passed away Nov. 24, 1903. in Washington, D. C.

JOSIAH GRIFFIN ELY, M. D. (dlecoed). For many years the medical profession of Lynghas numbered among its honored members a Dr. fsiah Griffin Ely, father and son-the former ncl de- ceased-representatives of one of the early filed families of Connecticut.

On Jan. 24, 1902, there was erected in tl [Elv burying-ground at Lyme a monument to the m ory of the emigrant ancestor, Richard Ely. The nu- ment bears this inscription: "In memory ofMr. Richard Ely, born about 1610, in Hampshire. ng- land ; came from Plymouth, England, to I fon, Mass., in 1661, with his sons, Richard and W am. Afterwards settled in Lyme, Connecticut, and fere died November the 24th, 1684. Children's cl fren are the crown of old men, and the glory of ch tren are their fathers. The descendants of Mr. Rard Ely and his wife Joane of the seventh and fhth generations have erected this monument A. D. I. In memory of Joane, wife of Mr. Richard Elyficd in Plymouth January the 7th, 1660. In memet of Elizabeth Fenwick (relict of Capt. John Cuk), daughter of George Fenwick, of Brinkburne, Nth- umberland, and Dorothy Foster, his wife, porn married to Mr. Richard Ely, in Blon, 1664. Died in Lyme November the 12th, 16817

The lineage of the late Dr. Ely from the first Richard Ely is through Richard Ely (2) and Gary (Marvin), Samuel Ely and Jane (Lord), S.uel Ely (2) and Hannah (Marsh), Abner Ely and vid- get (Brockway) and Abner Sheldon and 1 my (Griffin) Ely.

Dr. Josiah Griffin Ely was born Feb. 22, 28, and passed his early school days in Lyme. He m- pleted his literary studies in the Connecticut er- ary Institute at Suffield, Conn., and his prepa on for his professional work was carried on i the Medical Department of Yale, from which horas graduated. His active practice was begun in hi- cago, Ill., where he remained three years, mong with unusual success for a young practitioner. on the death of Dr. William Warren, of Lyme, ( n., Dr. Ely returned to that place, and there and i he neighboring towns continued in the active dut of a family physician until his death. In his carethe fully met with that ideal conception of "family pc- tor" -- the friend and adviser in time of trouble| he faithful confidant in private affairs. In spite che many calls upon his time he still found opport ty to do his part as a good citizen, and for many irs served as chairman of the board of educatie. in Lyme, and in 1875 represented the town in the nate Legislature. Fraternally Dr. Ely was a memb of the Odd Fellow and Masonic organizations. He was made a Master Mason in Pythagoras Lige, No. 45, F. & A. M., of Lyme, of which he serv as Master for several years. He was a memb of Union Chapter, No. 7, R .. A. M., in which he se ed as High Priest ; Cushing Council, No. 4, R. & S [ .; and Palestine Commandery, No. 6, Knights " 11- plar, at New London, attaining the thirty-secon

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Genealogical and biographical record of New London County, Connecticut, containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the early settled families, Part 50

Author: Publication date: 1905 Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 1568

Author:
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago : J.H. Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1568