USA > Connecticut > History of Connecticut, Volume IV > Part 2
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Captain John (1) Couch came to Wallingford in 1746, and with his wife joined the Congregational Church there ten years later. He purchased from Aaron Lyman a farm in the eastern part of the com- munity, his home being near the junction of what is now Wall Street and Cherry Hill. In 1760 he was made a member of the governing committee of the church. When news of the Lexington Alarm reached Wallingford in April 1775, he was captain of the company which marched at once to Massachusetts to join the troops under Wash- ington. Subsequently he was captain of a company in Colonel Philip Burr Bradley's battalion of Wadsworth's brigade which was stationed during the summer and early fall of 1776 at Bergen Heights and Paulus Hook, now Jersey City. In October the regiment with his company was sent across the Hudson to assist in the defense of Fort Washington. When the latter fell to the British on November 16,
4
George Bouch
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1776, Captain Couch with his first lieutenant and thirty-one men were taken prisoners. He was evidently released or exchanged shortly thereafter, as in 1777 he was captain in the Tenth Regiment of Con- necticut militia. In 1786 he was on the committee to present a petition to the General Assembly of Connecticut to have Meriden annexed to Middlesex County as a separate town. His prominent and influen- tial position in the life of his community is attested by the presence of the prefix "Mr." on his gravestone, a distinction conferred in his day only upon the foremost citizens.
Captain John (1) Couch married (first), in Wallingford, Febru- ary 9, 1747/8, Azuba Andrews. He married (second) the widow Eunice Yale, who died March 5, 1800, and (third) the widow Sarah (Moss) Royce, who was born November 28, 1734, and died December 13, 1808.
(II) John (2) Couch, son of Captain John (1) and Azuba (Andrews) Couch, was born in Wallingford, December 1, 1763, and died there, September 3 or 5, 1807. He was the only son of his father to attain maturity, so that all of the Couch name descended from Captain Couch were also descended from him. His name appears in the first federal census in 1790 as head of a household comprising his wife and himself and three males under sixteen years of age.
John (2) Couch married, in Wallingford, May 27, 1784, Anna Royce, who was born about 1760, and died in Wallingford, Febru- ary 15, 1843. She married (second), December 22, 1810, Jesse Mer- riam.
(III) James Couch, son of John (2) and Anna (Royce) Couch, was born April 1, 1786, and died October 27, 1824.
He married Nancy Butler Ward, who was born about 1789, and died in Wallingford, November 1, 1835. She married (second), after August 4, 1825, Darius Benham, of Wallingford, as his second wife.
(IV) George Couch, son of James and Nancy Butler (Ward) Couch, was born about 1815, and died in Meriden, Connecticut, Sep- tember 15, 1857.
He married, January 1, 1836, Mary Warner. (Warner-Family in America-VIII.) The third of their seven children was a daughter : Martha Warner, of whom further.
(V) Martha Warner Couch, daughter of George and Mary (Warner) Couch, was born in Meriden, August 9, 1845, and died in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, August 21, 1902.
She married Edgar Jared (2) Doolittle. (Doolittle-Family in America-VII.)
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HOLLISTER FAMILY
(I) Lieutenant John (1) Hollister, the progenitor of his family in America, was born in England in 1612, and died at Wethersfield, Connecticut, between April 3, 1665, when his will was dated, and June 1, 1665, when the document was recorded. In 1642, he emi- grated to America. The fact that he immediately became a man of influence and prominence in the New England Colony, indicates that he was of good family and well educated, although efforts by the compilers of the family history to trace his family or find the place of his birth have failed. He located in Wethersfield, where his name appeared as a juror March 2, 1642. In 1643, he was admitted a freeman; served as deputy in 1644 and 1645; and represented the town of Wethersfield many times until 1656. On October 3, 1654, with Thomas Coleman and Nathaniel Dickerson, he was appointed for Wethersfield to join with the deputy governor to encourage men to unite with an expedition presumably against the Indians. In Febru- ary 1656, he and others were appointed by the General Court to give "the best and safe advice to the Indians if they agreed to meet and crave their advice." In March 1658/59, his name first appeared as "Lieut. Hollister" when he applied to the General Court as to the charges of the church at Wethersfield, March 14, 1660.
He was a large land owner in that part of Wethersfield lying on the east side of the Connecticut River, now known as Glastonbury. A considerable portion of this property remained in possession of the Hollister family until 1884. The old Hollister house, known as the "Old Red House," is said to have been built in 1675. It is pleasantly located on the west bank of Roaring Brook, on the road that led to the Rocky Hill Ferry. It is a large two-story house, after the manner of old Colonial houses of that period. The best room was very hand- somely finished, the panels and mouldings being unusually good. A rare outside attraction were the brackets or corbels carved in the corner and door posts. Referring to a picture of the Hollister house in the front of the Hollister family history volume, it reads :
The accompanying picture is from a photograph taken sometime after the death of Charles Hollister, the late owner, who is shown leaning against the hitching post. His son, Charles, now dead, stands by the gate.
There are no dates or other information to indicate which of the Charles Hollisters were indicated.
Lieutenant John (1) Hollister married Joanna Treat.
(Il) Sergeant John (2) Hollister, son of Lieutenant John (I)
The Old Hollister House, Glastonbury, Connecticut.
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....
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and Joanna (Treat) Hollister, was born in Wethersfield, Connecticut, about 1644, and died at Glastonbury, Connecticut, November 24, 17II. He was sergeant of the Wethersfield trainband. Listed among the important men of Glastonbury, he seemed to have inherited the belligerent spirit of his father, and for some years engaged in a law- suit over the boundary line of certain lands, which trial finally re- sulted in a resurvey of all the "lots" from the Hartford line to Nayaug by order of the General Court, and which has been preserved in the archives of Connecticut, as these papers are important to the history of the town. The time of this trial was 1684/5.
Sergeant John (2) Hollister married, November 20, 1667, Sarah Goodrich.
(III) Deacon Thomas Hollister, son of Sergeant John (2) and Sarah (Goodrich) Hollister, was born in Wethersfield, Connecticut, January 14, 1672, and died in Glastonbury, Connecticut, October 12, 1741. He was listed in the town records as a weaver, and served as a deacon of the church.
He married Dorothy Hills.
(IV) Josiah Hollister, son of Deacon Thomas and Dorothy (Hills) Hollister, was born in Glastonbury, Connecticut, June 7, 1696, died there January 3, 1749, and was buried in the "old South yard." Administration on his estate was granted February 6, 1749/50, to Amos Hollister of Glastonbury, who gave bonds with John Kimberly, of Glastonbury, for £ 1000. He traded in many parcels of land in Sharon, Connecticut, and perhaps lived there for a time.
Josiah Hollister married, January 18, 1718, Martha Miller.
(V) Amos Hollister, son of Josiah and Martha (Miller) Hol- lister, was born in Glastonbury, Connecticut, May 5. 1726, and died there November 6, 1786.
He married, April 27, 1749, Bathsheba Hollister, who was born January 20, 1728, and died May 1, 1808, daughter of David and Charity Hollister, and granddaughter of Sergeant John (2) and Sarah (Goodrich) Hollister.
(VI) Bathsheba Hollister, daughter of Amos and Bathsheba (Hollister) Hollister, was born in Glastonbury, Connecticut, March 23, 1750.
She married "Captain" William Sage. (First Sage Line IV.)
SAGE FAMILY
The surname Sage is derived from "the sage," the wise and sagacious. It is from the Latin sapere, to be wise.
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(I) David Sage, founder of his family in America, was born in Wales in 1639, died in Middletown, Connecticut, March 31, 1703, and was buried in Riverside Cemetery. He is credited with having left a sizable estate to his children and wife, Mary. He was one of the first settlers in Middletown in 1652, and was recorded as a freeman in 1667.
David Sage married (first) Elizabeth Kirby. (Kirby II.) He married (second), in 1672-3, Mary or Mercy Wilcox, who died De- cember 7, 17II.
(II) Timothy Sage, son of David and Mary or Mercy (Wilcox) Sage, was born in Middletown, Connecticut, in 1678, and died in 1725. He was buried in Cromwell Cemetery, Cromwell, Connecticut.
Timothy Sage married Margaret Holibert, of Cromwell.
(III) Amos Sage, son of Timothy and Margaret (Holibert) Sage, was born in 1722, and died in Cromwell in 1759.
He married Rebecca Willcox.
(IV) "Captain" William Sage, son of Amos and Rebecca (Will- cox) Sage, was born in 1748, and died in Cromwell, in 1831. At the time of his marriage, in 1767, he was referred to as being "of Middle- town," Connecticut. In the "Genealogical Record of Descendants of David Sage," cited as being "Carefully prepared by author from Authentic Records," p. 76-Note K, the following record of William Sage is found :
He was in the war of Independence. Immediately after the massacre at Lexington of the Americans by the British soldiers, an event that aroused the country to arms, he, like thousands of others left family and business, hastened to the scene of conflict and was at the Battle of Bunker Hill. He was afterwards at other places in this state, when citizens were called upon to resist invasion of the enemy. He died in 1831, lamented and respected by all who knew him.
"Captain" William Sage married, May 23, 1767, Bathsheba Hol- lister. (Hollister VI.)
(V) Deacon Isaac Sage, son of "Captain" William and Bath- sheba (Hollister) Sage, was born in Cromwell, Connecticut, in 1786.
Deacon Isaac Sage married Harriet Sage. (Second Sage Line VI.)
(VI) Jane Elizabeth Sage, daughter of Deacon Isaac and Har- riet (Sage) Sage, was born December 4, 1820, and died at Walling- ford, Connecticut, September 27, 1903.
She married the Reverend Edgar Jared (I) Doolittle. (Doolittle -Family in America-VI.)
(THE SECOND SAGE LINE)
(II) John (1) Sage, son of David and Elizabeth (Kirby) Sage,
William dage. Comwell
......
Jane Holcomb du Port
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was born at Middletown, Connecticut, March 6, 1668, and died there, January 22, 1751. He was a farmer and accumulated a large estate.
John (1) Sage married, January 10, 1693, Hannah Starr.
(III) John (2) Sage, son of John ( I) and Hannah (Starr) Sage, was born April 28, 1696, and died in 1769.
He married, January 13, 1717/18, Mary Hall.
(IV) Lewis Samuel Sage, son of John (2) and Mary (Hall) Sage, was born March 10, 1728/29, and died in 1771.
He married, May 24, 1748, Deborah Ranney. (Ranney IV.)
(V) Lemuel Sage, son of Lewis Samuel and Deborah (Ranney) Sage, was born in 1752.
He married Lois Savage.
(VI) Harriet Sage, daughter of Lemuel and Lois (Savage) Sage, was born in 1791.
She married Deacon Isaac Sage. (First Sage Line V.)
Pierre Samuel du Pont, son of Lammot Sr., and Natalie Driver (Wilson) du Pont, and of the sixth generation in America of the distinguished du Pont family of France, founded in Delaware by Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours, was born in Wilmington, Dela- ware, January 1, 19II, and received the advantages of an academic and technical education. He attended the Green Hill School; was graduated from the Tower Hill School, class of 1928, and rounded out his preparation for higher education at Phillips-Exeter Academy. Matriculating at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cam- bridge, Massachusetts, he received the degree of Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering in 1933. On January 2, 1934, he joined the du Pont organization and began his industrial career in the experi- mental station of the corporation. After about eighteen months he was transferred to the industrial engineering division, and thereafter was connected with the East Chicago, Illinois, plant for eight months; served about the same length of time in the Grasselli, New Jersey, plant, after which he was resident engineer of the Cellophane Works, at Richmond, Virginia, for one year. In February 1939, Mr. du Pont was appointed supervising engineer of the Cellophane Plant, at Buf- falo, New York, and also of the now widely known Old Hickory Plant in the general vicinity of Nashville, Tennessee. His subsequent move was to the home office of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Com- pany, and thereafter for some time he was associated with a number of the experimental organizations. For one year, he was connected with the development department as technical investigator, and be- came industrial sales manager in the nylon division. Early in 1942,
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he was placed in charge of all the military developments of the nylon division, a responsibility he shouldered most capably until September 1945, when World War II ended, and attention of important indus- tries turned to reconversion and the development of foreign markets without loss of supplies of the domestic markets of the United States. In September 1945, he became assistant director of the trade analysis division of his company; was transferred in 1947 to the Rayon Divi- sion, Rayon Department, as manager of "Cordura" high tenacity rayon sales; in July 1951, became assistant director of sales of the Rubber Chemicals Division, and, in 1954, became secretary of E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company. Since October 1948, he has been a member of the Board of Directors of the E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, and since 1952, is a member of the board of directors and vice president of the Christiana Securities Company.
Along different business lines, Mr. du Pont is a member of the board of directors of the Wilmington Trust Company, Wilmington, Delaware; a director of the Gates Engineering Company of Wilming- ton, and serves on the directorate of Dutch Village, Incorporated. His scholastic fraternity is the Phi Beta Epsilon, and he is a member of the American Chemical Society. He lends his energies and experience liberally to such groups as the Talleyville Fire Company; is a mem- ber of the board of directors and past president of the Family Service of Northern Delaware; was president for a number of years of the Christiana Community Center of Old Swedes, Incorporated; serves on the board of directors of the Delaware Hospital, and was formerly on the board of the United War Fund. Mr. du Pont was a member (1948-1953) of the board of trustees of Phillips-Exeter Academy, and is a member of the board of trustees of the Tower Hill School, of which he was elected president in September 1952. He is a member of the Society of Colonial Wars, the Huguenot Society, and the Sons of the Revolution. His clubs include the Wilmington, Vicmead Hunt, Wilmington Country, University of New York, and Cruising Club of America. He is a member of Christ Church, Protestant Episcopal, in Wilmington, and is a member of the Historical Society of Delaware. Mr. du Pont enjoys a wide variety of interests and hobbies. He likes tennis, yachting and outdoor sports; makes and collects ship models, and is also a collector of first editions.
Pierre S. du Pont married at Fisher Island, New York, June 24, 1933, Jane Holcomb, of Waterbury, Connecticut, daughter of Frederick W. and Dorothy (Doolittle) Holcomb (q.v.). They are the parents of three children :
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June de D. du Pant
Pierre I. du Pont 4th.
Michele W. du Pont
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1. Pierre Samuel IV, born January 22, 1935; attended Tower Hill School; gradu- ated from Phillips-Exeter School, and from Princeton University, in 1956; married, at Devon, Pennsylvania, May 4, 1957, Elsie Revenel Wood. Chil- dren: i. Elise Ravenel du Pont, born at Wiscasset, Maine, February 7, 1958; ii. Pierre Samuel V, born November 14, 1959.
2. Jane de Doliete, born July 6, 1939; attended Tower Hill School; graduated from the Ethel Walker School in 1957, and now attends Vassar College.
3. Michele Wainwright, born December 11, 1941; also attended Tower Hill School, and the Ethel Walker School.
CARROLL T. COONEY, JR.
Carroll T. Cooney, Jr., of Old Saybrook, has to his credit a varied career in business and industry, and is now president of Vocaline Company of America, Inc. He has also found time in his busy schedule for creative writing.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 25, 1914, he is a son of Carroll T. and Bienie (Bossert) Cooney. His father, a lumber executive, was a graduate of Yale University in the Class of 1910. While there he won a considerable reputation as an athlete, particu- larly football and field events. He died in 1947. Mrs. Cooney sur- vives him and makes her home in Boston, Massachusetts.
The younger Carroll T. Cooney completed his preparatory studies at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire, graduating there in 1932. He then attended Rollins College at Winter Park, Florida. From 1935 to 1937, he was associated with his father in the lumber business in New York City. He left this connection to enter the mo- tion picture theater management field. In 1937, he went to Maine, where he became vice president and general manager of a shipyard, manufacturing large fishing craft for the Atlantic fleet. Also, during the war years, they built tugboats for the United States Navy. Mr. Cooney remained in his executive post with this shipyard through the war years, and in 1947 moved to Connecticut.
Shortly afterwards he organized Vocaline Company of America, Inc., at Old Saybrook. This firm manufactures electronic equipment, including intercommunication devices bearing the Vocatron trade- mark. It also produces synchronous timing motors and related de- vices. In 1950 the then new company had a sales volume of thirty thousand dollars, and this figure stood at $1,600,000 in 1957. Begin- ning with the manufacture of one product, it now has three dozen different electronic devices coming from its assembly lines, and for these it has established a market throughout the country-and an excellent reputation for quality and reliability.
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Mr. Cooney has written considerably in the fiction field, chiefly during the early 1940s. Two novels of his authorship have been pub- lished, and his short stories have appeared in a number of magazines. His memberships include the Old Lyme Golf and Country Club and Mile Creek Beach Club, also at Old Lyme. He is fond of sports : tennis and golf, hunting and fishing.
Carroll T. Cooney, Jr., is the father of two daughters: I. Judith, who was born at Waldoboro, Maine, on June 12, 1939. She is now attending Mount Allison University at New Brunswick, Canada. 2. Suzanne, born at Waldoboro on August 4, 1943. She is a student at the Mary C. Wheeler School for Girls, Providence, Rhode Island.
IRVING W. DUDLEY
With a long record of experience in the banking profession to his credit, Irving W. Dudley is now president and treasurer of the Guilford Savings Bank. He is well-known and respected among his professional colleagues, and formerly served on the executive committee of the Savings Banks Association of Connecticut, and as a director of the Mutual Investment Fund of Connecticut, Inc. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the National Thrift Committee.
Born in Hartford on August 18, 1902, he is a son of Elbert W. and Harriet (Stocking) Dudley. Both of his parents are deceased. Completing his public school education at Guilford, where the family moved in his boyhood, Irving W. Dudley graduated from Guilford High School, after which he attended Wesleyan University in Mid- dletown.
In 1923 he started his banking career working on the staffs of the Guilford Savings Bank and the Guilford Trust Company. These two banks are independent institutions, but at that time were using the same building and banking facilities. Mr. Dudley began his work in the capacity of clerk. In 1925 he was promoted to assistant secretary and assistant treasurer of the Guilford Savings Bank, and in 1936 was promoted to trustee. He was made treasurer in 1941. Since 1947, Mr. Dudley has been president and treasurer of the bank.
Mr. Dudley is president of the board of trustees of the Henry Whitfield State Historical Museum in Guilford. He is a member of the Guilford Chamber of Commerce, and a member and past presi- dent of the Guilford Rotary Club. For a period of eighteen years, he served as treasurer of his town.
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In New Haven on August 22, 1934, Irving W. Dudley married Barbara H. Doolittle, daughter of Warren F. and Esther (Hull) Doolittle. Mrs. Dudley is a graduate of Pratt Institute at Brooklyn, New York. The couple have two children: I. David, who was born in 1937. A graduate of the University of Connecticut, he is now em- ployed by the Guilford Savings Bank. He is married to the former Suzanne Waller, and they have one son, Matthew Waller Dudley. 2. Mary, born in 1941, is married to Charles F. Collins, Jr.
OLCOTT DAMON SMITH
A lawyer practicing in Hartford since the beginning of his career, Olcott D. Smith has been for the past two decades a partner in the firm of Day, Berry and Howard, with offices at 750 Main Street. He serves on a number of boards of directors, and has rendered valuable service to the causes of public welfare and education.
He is a native of Hartford, and was born on June 17, 1907, son of Harry Tyler and Helen (Damon) Smith. After attending local public and private elementary schools, and Kent School, Olcott D. Smith went to Yale College for his advanced studies, and took his degree of Bachelor of Arts there in 1929. In 1932 he received his degree of Bachelor of Laws from Harvard Law School.
Admitted to the Connecticut bar in 1932, Mr. Smith began prac- tice with the firm of Day, Berry and Howard. He became a partner in Day, Berry and Howard in 1937. In addition to his law practice, he is active in business affairs, and serves on the boards of directors of AEtna Life Insurance Company, AEtna Casualty and Surety Com- pany, American Hardware Corporation, Anderson Oil and Chemical Company, and Hartford Electric Light Company. He is president and director of the Dime Savings Bank of Hartford, New Britain Ma- chine Company, the Hartford Courant Company, Connecticut Water Company, Suburban Water Company, and Yankee Atomic Electric Company. Mr. Smith was a member of the Connecticut State Legis- lature in 1941; from 1942 to 1945 he was employed by the Navy Department as attorney for the Procurement Legal Division and the Office of Procurement Material.
Mr. Smith is a trustee of the Institute for Living, and of the Hartford Public Library, Kingswood School, and the Hartford Hos- pital and a former trustee of Kent School.
On October 20, 1933, Olcott Damon Smith married Lucy Bul- keley Brainerd, daughter of Lyman Bushnell and Lucy M. Brainerd.
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The couple are the parents of four children: I. Damon. 2. Wendy. 3. Tyler. 4. Olcott. They make their home on Mountain Spring Road in Farmington.
FREDERICK WILLIAM EDGERTON
Frederick William Edgerton has to his credit a record of more than four decades of loyal service as librarian of the Public Library at New London. In the course of that time he has also been active in the city's civic and organizational life.
A native of New London, he was born on September 28, 1880, son of George A. and Wilhelmina (Crocker) Edgerton. After com- pleting his preparatory studies at the Bulkeley School, he entered Har- vard University, where he took his degree of Bachelor of Science in 1903. He began his career as instructor in English at the Bulkeley School, a position he held until 1915. In that year he was named li- brarian of the New London Public Library. He was absent during World War I, serving as transport librarian aboard the U. S. S. "George Washington."
Mr. Edgerton has also been a member of the board of education at New London since 1915, and has held office at various times as its secretary and president. He is a member and former president of his city's Rotary Club, and a member of the Ariston Club. Active in Masonry, he is a member of Brainard Lodge No. 102, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; Union Chapter No. 7 of the Royal Arch Masons; Cushing Council No. 4, Royal and Select Masters; Palestine Commandery No. 6 of the Knights Templar ; and Sphinx Temple, An- cient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Long a leading figure in the Grand Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons of Connecticut, he was grand high priest in 1938-1939. Mr. Edgerton attends the Congregational Church. He is a Republican in politics.
On August 1, 1906, Frederick William Edgerton married Julia C. Wicklund, and they are the parents of a daughter, Virginia, who is now Mrs. Evor S. Kerr, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. Edgerton make their home at 22 Granite Street.
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