USA > Connecticut > Middlesex County > Durham > History of Durham, Connecticut, from the first grant of land in 1662 to 1866 > Part 17
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DAN PARMELEE was the son of Hezekiah Parmelee, who was the son of Joel Parmelee, who came from Guilford to Durham. This latter was the son of John Parmelee, who was the son of John Parmelee, who came from England with his son John as early as 1656; for he was at Guilford at that time. Dan Par- melee, Esq., represented the town of Durham many sessions in
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the Legislature where he was much respected as a useful mem- ber; was a Justice of the Peace; and a Deacon in the Church. He was a man of pleasant and bland manners, full of anecdotes, very sprightly in conversation, and was acceptable wherever he went. He died December 11th, 1825, aged 78. His wife was Abigail Norton, sister of Dr. Lyman Norton. Their children were, 1, Hannah, who married Abraham Camp ; 2, Betsey, who married Mr. Everest, a lawyer; 3, Dan; 4, Mehetabel, who mar- ried Rev. Mr. Eells ; 5, Abigail, who married Mr. Enos.
WORTHINGTON GALLUP CHAUNCEY, the son of Elnathan, and grandson of Rev. Nathaniel Chauncey, was born March 22d, 1772. He died on Tuesday, 4 o'clock A. M., June 15th, 1858, in the 87th year of his age. In his early youth he went to Whitestown and took up land, made a clearing, and sold his land with improvements advantageously. He then acted three years as a private tutor in the family of Major Van Rensellacr in Claverack. Afterwards he was, for a time, a merchant in the same place, and was engaged in speculations in wild lands in the State of New York and elsewhere. After his return to Dur- ham he was extensively engaged in public business. From a notice of him published at the time of his death the following is an extract :
"In the performance of his public and private duties he was distinguished for his strict integrity, and honesty of purpose ; while he was courteous in his manners, and kind in his feelings, and generous in his services. Those who knew him gave him their confidence and good will, and though he outlived his gene- ration, who could best appreciate his worth, there are still those among the living who will cherish his memory in their hearts, as their counselor, friend and benefactor.
"For many years Esquire Chauncey transacted a large part of the public business of the Town, as Justice of the Peace, as Town Clerk, as a member of the General Assembly, as executor or ad- ministrator on estates. He was always a supporter of law and order, and the institutions of education and religion."
He preserved the freshness of his feelings, and his ready sympathy with others, in their welfare and their affliction, and his interest in human affairs generally, to the last days of his life. " And as he drew near the close of his long life, he said, with
CHARACTER OF THE EARLY INHABITANTS. 189
deep feeling, 'I have arrived at that point, when all that remains to me is to say, 'Father, not my will, but thine be done.' He died apparently without disease, without pain, but simply of old age, retaining his mental faculties to the last. He had always been temperate in his habits, and to this fact must be attributed, his long life, and the remarkable preservation of his mental fac- ulties. When a young man in the family of Major Van Rensel- laer, he declined drinking wine, which was every day on the table, at dinner. The Major asked him one day why he declined drinking the wine offered to him. He replied, "I do not like the taste of it, and it does not do me any good." The Major pleas- antly said, " these, are sufficient reasons."
As a magistrate, Squire Chauncey united something of the old regime, with something of the new. He was born under the King of Great Britain, when sovereignty, or the rights of com- mand, was vested in one man. In Durham, as in many other towns, this sovereignty was exercised, to some extent by one, two, or more, as magistrates, who acted in the King's name, and by his authority. But when sovereignty, by the Declaration of Independence, and by the treaty with Great Britain, became vest- ed in the State, that is, in the people of the State, the magistrates derived their authority from the people. This transfer of sove- reignty to the people exerted a modifying influence on the char- acter of the magistrates, who received their offices indirectly or directly from the people ; it placed them more under the influence of popular feeling, whether that feeling happened to be right or wrong. Esquire Chauncey, in his judicial decisions, and in the duties of his office, generally united, in a good degree, the advan- tages of both systems; preserving the majesty of the laws on the one hand, while he conciliated and satisfied public opinion on the other.
In his conversation there was a fine vein of social feeling, which made him an interesting companion, while his intelligence and good sense made him an instructive one. He spoke and wrote, with precision and energy, sometimes playfully, and poet- ically. There was a good deal of life and spirit in his poetry. His public and private virtues endeared him to his fellow-men, who made his acquaintance, so that in the last years of his life, wherever he went, he was hailed as a good man, or a benefactor,
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or a personal friend. He had that "which should accompany old age, as love, honor, troops of friends."
In his relations to the Divine Government, such was his sense of religious obligations, and such was his conseienseious dis- charge of them, that he realized in his own experience the truth of the declaration, " great peace have they which love thy laws." His native qualities, improved by Christian culture, were such that he put one in mind of the young man that Jesus loved, and and also of the beloved disciple. He never made a public pro- fession of religion, though he was a constant worshipper in the house of God. Beside these, many others might be mentioned, who served the town in their generation. Among them were Moses Parsons, Benjamin Picket, Elnathan Camp, Thomas Lyman, Abraham Scranton, Charles Coe, Daniel Bates, Bridgman Guernsey, Nathaniel William Chauncey, Richard Robinson, John Swathel.
THOMAS LYMAN, son of Thomas, and grandson of Deacon Thomas Lyman, who emigrated to Durham with his family, was a man of great intelligence, of extensive reading. He was dig- nified in his manners and impressive in his conversation. It is not impossible that he and some others were influenced in their opinions by the writings of Priestly and Price. So much pleased with him was Mr. Jefferson, that he gave him an invita- tion to spend a week with him at Monticello, which he accepted very much to his satisfaction. He was with General Phinehas Lyman in one of his expeditions to the South. He and Lem- uel Guernsey were delegates to the Convention that formed the State Constitution. He died, June 6, 1832, aged 86. He left three children-George, Henry and Betsey.
NATHANIEL WILLIAM CHAUNCEY, the elder Brother of Worthington G. Chauncey, was in the war of the Revolution and drew a pension for his services. He was with Colonel John Ely, his uncle, and Colonel Webb, when with their regiment they attempted a landing on Long Island. Both of those officers were made prisoners. Captain Collins with about two hundred men effected a landing; N. W. Chauncey being of the number. They burnt their vessel and commenced a retreat of about sev- enty miles, to the east end of the Island, the enemy being in full pursuit. On their arrival in the evening, the enemy believ-
CHARACTER OF THE EARLY INHABITANTS. 191
ing there were more troops, stationed there, made regular ap- proaches, with a view to a general attack in the morning; but in the night the Americans procured boats and made their escape. Mr. Chauncey had read many of the standard works in the Eng- lish language, especially in history and political economy, and possessing a strong memory he had treasured up large stores of information. Though he sought not for office, he represented the town in the General Assembly. He also had his share of town offices. He had great readiness of mind and fine powers of con- versation and genial feelings. In his old age some well dressed youth in the stage, as it was passing, called out to him, seem- ingly as if they were candidates for the penitentiary, "how far is it to home old daddy?" With perfect composure he an- swered, in his clear, strong voice, "It is just twenty miles to Wethersfield." After a long, healthy, cheerful, useful life, be- loved by his friends and the delight of the social circle, a lover of his Bible and his God, he died in the hopes of the Gos- pel, January 29, 1840, in the 79th year of his age. It may not be improper to say that the present writer was named after hini, and now lives on the place where he lived.
PHYSICIANS.
JOSEPH SEWARD, son of William, and brother of Caleb, the first inhabitant of Durham, and uncle of John, born 1655, in Guilford; died February 14, 1732, aged 77. He is spoken of in the proprietors' book and the town records as a leading man in civil matters. He had nine children. . Joseph, Judith, Mary, Samuel, Patience, Nathaniel, Anna. Patience married Stephen Bates, December 29, 1715.
SAMUEL ELY came to Durham about 1745. Then being absent for a time, he returned again in 1748. In 1752 the town al- lowed him £6, 4, 9 for services. In 1755 he was appointed, with Dr. Collins, of Litchfield, Dr. Marsh, of Norwich, to attend the expedition fitted out by the colony against the French on the Northern frontier. Each surgeon was furnished with a com- plete set of implements, and a box of medicines, at the expense of the colony, and each was to receive £ 7 per month for his ser- vices. At this time Connecticut had two or three thousand men in the field. I have in my possession two or three of the let- ters of Dr. Ely. They bear the marks of a sprightly mind.
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HISTORY OF DURHAM.
AMOS HUBBARD practiced in Durham after Dr. Ely left for the army, until his death, November 15, 1767, aged 43. His residence was on the " west side," half a mile from Quarry Hill, on the north side of the road, where the house of A. Jackson now stands.
JESSE COLE succeeded Dr. Hubbard. He was born at Ken- sington, 1739, and was the son of Mathew Cole, and Ruth Hub- bard. He came to Durham in 1765, and practiced here until 1793, when he removed to Southington, and from thence to Wol- cott in 1803, and died February 25, 1811, in the 72d year of his age, and was buried in Plantville. During the early part of his residence in Durham, he resided on Meeting House Hill, in the south part of the town, between "South End," and the New Ha- ven road; on the north side of the way. Afterwards he re- moved to the house formerly occupied by Dr. Hubbard. He was, for a time assisted by his nephew, Matthew Cole, who grad- uated in Yale College, 1783. Dr. Moses Gaylord, who was a student in Durham with Dr. Cole, settled in Wallingford and became a distinguished surgeon. Dr. Cole was considered to be a man of skill. When a boy, I heard it remarked, that he re- lied in difficult cases, on two pills, one of which he called the black dog, and the other, the white dog. - When the one was not strong enough, he sent the other down into the stomach of the patient. His children were 1, Ruth, who married Sherman Merril ; 2, Sarah, married David Langdon; 3, Polly, married Roswell Langdon; 4, Phebe, married-5, Samuel-6, Nancy- 7, Sophia-8, Jessie, died in Kensington.
EBENEZER GUERNSEY, son of Lemuel Guernsey, of Durham, studied medicine with Dr. Jared Potter; died in Upper Canada, September 21, 1794, aged 31 years. He was a man of consid- erable talent, but violent in temper. On one occasion he threw a shovel full of hot coals from the hearth at some one or two, who, he thought, intruded upon him. His betrothed, Miss Camp, was asked what she would do if he should throw fire? "Why, I will throw water." He left one child, Lemuel, who died in North Carolina.
NATHANIEL THAYER, born in Boston, married Anna Fowler, November 6, 1791 ; removed to Lee, Massachusetts, about 1800, where he practiced many years. He died in Westfield, Massa-
CHARACTER OF THE EARLY INHABITANTS. 193
chusetts, June 24, 1824, aged sixty-five years. He left two sons, William and Lucius, and a daughter.
LYMAN NORTON, the son of Stephen and Abigail, was born June 1st, 1763, about two miles from Quarry Hill on the north side of Wallingford road. He studied medicine with Dr. Jared Potter of Wallingford; purchased the house immediately north of Mr. Samuel Parsons' house. Commenced practice before 1797. Died April 13th, 1814, aged 54. He was a man of agree- able manners, and was generally beloved. He married Olive Wells, and left two children, Delia and Stephen.
WILLIAM FOOTE was born in Northford, studied medicine with his brother, Dr. Malica Foote, in Rye, New York, and with Dr. Benjamin Rockwell of New York; came to Durham in 1802; resided on the south corner nearly opposite the North Church ; removed to Goshen in 1807, and practiced there two years ; re- turned to Durham and resided in Haddam Quarter until his death, January 30th, 1842. He was cotemporary with Dr. Norton, had a better education than he, but less tact as a physician. Ile married Catharine Picket, only child of James Picket. Their children were, 1, James P. ; 2, Katharine H .; 3, Rebecca R. ; 4, William R.
WILLIAM SEWARD PIERSON, the son of Abraham Pierson, was born in Killingworth, graduated in Yale College, 1808, stud- ied medicine with the celebrated Dr. Nathan Smith, at Dart- mouth College, took his medical degree there in August, 1813, came to Durham on a formal invitation of the inhabitants upon the death of Dr. Norton, purchased the house occupied by Dr. Foot, remained four years in Durham, and then, upon the invita- tion of the people of Windsor, removed to that place, where he resided until his death, July 16th, 1860. He did a large busi- ness, and was successful in making his collections.
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JARED POTTER KIRTLAND, born Nov. 10th, 1793, was the son of Turhand and Mary (Potter) Kirtland, and grandson of the late Dr. Jared Potter, a distinguished physician of Wallingford. He received his classical education, chiefly in Cheshire and Wal- lingford Academies, and he was, for a time, a private pupil and a member of the family of Rev. Dr. Bronson, the President of Cheshire Academy. In the Autumn of 1810, he entered as stu- dent of medicine the office of Dr. John Andrews in Walling-
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HISTORY OF DURHAM.
ford, and in 1812 that of Dr. Sylvester Wells, of Hartford; and afterwards, was a private pupil of Dr. Eli Ives, and Dr. Nathan Smith, of New Haven. In the Autumn of 1812, he entered the first class in the medical department of Yale College, and was the first who signed the Matriculating Book, in the charge of Prof. Knight. At the close of the medical term, in company with Ly- man Foot, Selah Kirby, and Solon C. H. Smith, he formed a class for the study of Botany and Mineralogy ; and they pursued these studies, as well as their medical studies, under Profs. Eli Ives and Benjamin Silliman.
In 1814, he entered the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania, under the instruction of Wistar, Physic Dor- sey, Chapman, James, and Benjamin Smith Barton. He soon after passed an examination for a medical degree, before the Med- ical Faculty of Yale College, and the State Medical Censors. The subject of his Thesis was, " Our Indigenous Vegetable Ma- teria Medica," a favorite subject of his teacher, Dr. Barton.
In May, 1814, he was united in marriage with Caroline, daugh- ter of Joshua Atwater; and practiced, for a time, in Walling- ford. In 1817, a town meeting was held in Durham and a res- olution was passed inviting him to locate there, as a physician. This invitation he accepted. Here he soon had a great amount of business.
In 1822, on the death of his wife and daughter, and the fail- ure of his health, he removed to Poland, Ohio. Here he en- gaged in agricultural and horticultural pursuits, and in the study of Natural History and Natural Science, and made some impor- tant discoveries. He also resumed the practice of medicine.
He was elected Representative to the State Legislature three alternate sessions. He acted as Chairman of the Committee on the Penitentiary in the House. In 1836, was elected Professor of the Theory and Practice of Medicine in the " Medical College of Ohio." In 1839 he received the appointment of second As- sistant Geologist, and entered earnestly and successfully on the duties of his office. In 1841 he discharged the duties of Profes- sor of the "Theory and Practice of Medicine " in "Willoughby Medical School," one year ; having resigned his position in the Medical College of Ohio. When the medical department was established in Western Reserve College, he accepted of a similar
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CHARACTER OF THE EARLY INHABITANTS.
station in that College, where he continued until 1864. He has also successfully investigated the habits of the honey bee, and the characteristics of the fresh water naiads. He was President of the Ohio State Medical Society, and member of many differ- ent societies. He received the degree of LL. D. at Williams in 1861. He owes his eminent success in life to his untiring indus- try, and his inextinguishable thirst for knowledge.
CHAUNCEY ANDRUS, born in Southington, Conn .; studied medicine with James Percival, of Kensington, the father of the celebrated James Gales Percival ; settled in Durham, 1823 ; died October, 1863.
JOHN T. CATLIN was born in New Marlborough, Mass., and- was the son of Rev. Dr. Catlin, who was the teacher of Dr. David Smith ; attended a course of lectures at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at New York City in 1816 and 1817; was licensed to practise by the New York State Medical Society ; practised several years in Salisbury, and removed to Durham, when Dr. Kirtland left. He died July 28th, 1825. He married Hannah Hall, daughter of Jolin Hall of Durham, and left two children, a son and a daughter.
DAVID HARRISON was born in North Branford ; graduated M. D. at Yale College, 1825; soon after came to Durham at the death of Dr. Catlin; removed to Middletown in 1831; practiced in Cuba ; returned to Middletown and died, December, 1856, at Fair Haven, of heart disease.
HENRY HOLMES, son of Uriah Holmes of Litchfield, took his medical degree at Yale College, 1825 ; came to Durham about the same time with Harrison; boarded with Rev. Dr. Smith ; spent the winter of 1830-31 at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, taking another degree from the University of New York; returned to Durham where he resided until 1833, when he went to Hartford, where he now resides.
WILLIAM HAYDEN ROCKWELL, graduated at Yale College, 1824; studied medicine with Dr. Thomas Hubbard of Pomfret, who was afterwards Professor at Yale, and with Dr. Eli Todd of Hartford ; took his medical degree at Yale College, 1831; came to Durham soon after and remained in Durham until the follow- ing year ; is now Superintendent of the Insane Retreat, Brattle- boro, Vermont.
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HISTORY OF DURHAM.
ERASMUS D. NORTH was a son of Dr. Elisha North of New London ; was graduated at Chapel Hill College, N. C .; took his medical degree in New Haven, 1833 ; same year removed to Dur- ham ; married a daughter of John Swathel; practiced four years in Durham ; left to be an instructor of Elocution in Yale College ; ,was made wealthy by the death of a brother lost in the Arctic, died in 185 .
" We regret to learn that Erasmus D. North, M. D., formerly teacher of Elocution in Yale College, died yesterday at Westfield, Mass. He was an excellent teacher and will be long remem- bered by those who received instruction from him for his eccen- tricities and his genuine worth." - New Haven Palladium, 18th.
SETH H. CHILD was born in Barnston, C. E. ; studied med- icine at Fort Covington, New York ; graduated at Woodstock, Vt .; came to Durham, 1838; was a member of the State Senate in 1845; built the house opposite the North Academy, which he sold to Dr. Fowler in 1845, and in Spring of 1846 removed to East Hartford, where he now resides. He had three children born in Durham. 1, Henry Theodoric ; 2, Mary Taylor; 3, Henry Ed- wards. The two oldest are not living. His daughter Julia, the wife of Rev. E. C. Baldwin, died in 1857.
BENJAMIN L. FOWLER was born in Northford; studied med- icine with Dr. Stanton, of Amenia, New York, and N. B. Ives, of New Haven ; graduated at Yale Medical School, 1845 ; same year came to Durham; married Harriet Jewet of Durham, and afterwards Mary Payne of Amenia, New York, sister of Dr. Stanton's wife ; left Durham, 1856, for Poughkeepsie, N. Y., and there died September, 1858, of pneumonia, leaving three children by his second wife, born in Durham. 1, William Stanton; 2, Benjamin M. ; 3, Harriet Jewet.
RUFUS W. MATHEWSON, born in Coventry, R. I .; studied medicine in Norwich with W. Hooker, now Professor of Practice of Medicine in Yale College, S. Johnson and with N. B. Ives, New Haven ; attended lectures at the College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1834 and 5, then the only medical school in New York; took his degree from the University of the State of New York at the Commencement of 1835; remained in Norwich till 1846; then attended another course of lectures in New York ; removed to Gales Ferry in Ledyard, where he remained till he
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EMIGRANTS FROM DURHAM.
came to Durham, May, 1856, and purchased the house of Dr. Fowler; married Susan E. Williams of Ledyard, who died in Durham, April, 1865, leaving six children, Earl, Rufus, Mary, and Amelia, born in Ledyard; Randolph, Susan, and Ellen, born in Durham.
E. DARWIN ANDREWS, studied medicine with his Father, set- tled in Durham, 1857.
WAIT R. GRISWOLD, born in Wethersfield, graduate of Yale College, 1844 ; studied medicine with Dr. Mathewson ; attended lectures' at the College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, taking his medical degree from Columbia College, the two insti- tutions having been recently united ; was Surgeon 22d Regiment C. V., and 86th United States Colored Regiment; now Physi- cian in Easton, Ct.
SAMUEL H. CATLIN, son of Dr. S. T. Catlin, born in Durham ; studied medicine with Dr. Fowler; took his medical degree at Yale College, 1848; practised for some years in Brooklyn, New York; has been for three years Surgeon U. S. Army, Depart- ment of the Gulf.
CHAPTER XI.
EMIGRANTS FROM DURHAM.
CHANGE OF POPULATION.
In looking over the thirty-four names on the twenty-first page, borne by the patentees of Durham, we find only a few of them borne by the present inhabitants. The two brothers, Caleb Se- ward and Joseph Seward, who had numerous families, have no posterity in Durham bearing their name. The same is true of Nathaniel Chauncey, Isaac Chauncey, Samuel Fairchild, James Curtis, Ezekiel Hawley, Benjamin Baldwin, Richard Beach and Benjamin Beach, James Baldwin, William Roberts, Samuel San- ford, Thomas Wheeler, Joseph Gaylord, Joseph Gaylord, Jr.,
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HISTORY OF DURHAM.
Stephen Hickox, Joseph Norton, Samuel Norton, John Sutliff, Nathaniel Sutliff, Jonathan Wells, Henry Crane, Ezekiel Buck, and Hezekiah Talcott.
But while twenty-six have no posterity in Durham bearing their name, the following seven or eight have : David Robinson, the second settler, Joseph Coe, and perhaps, Robert Coe, Joseph Hickox, Joel Parmelee, Samuel Camp, James Wadsworth, and John Seward, nephew of Caleb, who is supposed to be ancestor of William H. Seward, now Secretary of State. Besides de- scendants in Durham, these have numerous descendants else- where. The same law of change has prevailed with respect to families that came in at a later period. The Guernseys, the Pickets, the Nortons, the Bateses, the Halls, the Goodriches, the Spelmans, the Morrises, the Bartletts, the Meekers, are no longer found here.
The first settlers generally had large families. Joseph Seward had 9 children, Caleb 7, Henry Crane 16, Nathaniel Chauncey 6, Joseph Coe 5, his son Joseph 10. I have somewhere seen it sta- ted that in some of the towns in Massachusetts, at their first settlement, the average number of children, for every married couple, was between 7 and 8. The number in Durham was prob- ably about the same. The rapid increase of population in Dur- ham during the first fifty years furnished emigrants to other towns.
CHANGES ON THE HOMESTEADS.
We are still more struck with the change by looking at the several homesteads, and their former and their present occupants. The following is from a memorandum by Worthington G. Chaun- cey, made out not long before his death, and enlarged and con. tinued to the present time by William Wadsworth, as compared with 1783. Beginning at the Meeting House on the Green and passing south in 1783, Doct. Elizur Goodrich, and wife and chil- dren, Chauncey, Elizur, Samuel, Elihu, Charles, Nathan, and Catharine; now belonging to Zebulon Hale and Watson Davis. West side of Green about 1790, Jolin Loveland, wife and chil- dren; house pulled down, a new house built on site by Oliver Knowles; now owned by William C. Ives. Next south, Elias B. Meigs ; next, John Jones, pulled down, rebuilt by Chas. Camp,
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