USA > Connecticut > New London County > Ledyard > History of the town of Ledyard, 1650-1900 > Part 12
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Anthony Stoddard and three John Stoddards came from Eng-
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land to this country about 1638. Anthony settled in Boston, and became a successful merchant. One of the Johns settled in Hingham, Mass .; another in Newington or Wethersfield, Conn .; and the remaining one, from whom the Stoddards in Groton (Ledyard) are descended, was first at Hingham, later at Say- brook, and about 1651, in New London. Grants of land were made to him in New London, also at Stoddard's landing on the Thames river. Portions of this last named grant are still in the possession of one of his descendants. He married Catherine -, and had four sons. His posterity is numerous and re- spectable. He died in 1676, aged 64.
His son, Robert Stoddard, born about 1654, married Mary Mortimer, daughter of Thomas Mortimer, about 1684.
Robert Stoddard, Jr., of the third generation, son of Robert and Mary, born in 1700, married in 1728 Bathsheba Rogers, daughter of John Rogers.
Mark Stoddard of the fourth generation, son of Robert, Jr., and Bathsheba, born in 1743, married in 1768 Lucy Allyn, daugh- ter of Samuel Allyn. Mark Stoddard was a farmer by occupa- tion. He was also a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and par- ticipated in the battle of Bunker Hill. He died March 8, 1829, aged 85. His wife Lucy (Allyn) Stoddard died July 29, 1831, aged 84.
Stephen Stoddard, of the fifth generation, son of Mark and Lucy (Allyn) Stoddard, born in 1788, married in 1810 Sarah Morgan, daughter of Stephen Morgan. He was a farmer. He served in the War of 1812-15, later as captain of militia.
Stephen M. Stoddard, of the sixth generation, son of Stephen and Sarah (Morgan) Stoddard, born 1810, married in 1838 Hen- rietta Allyn, daughter of Col. Roswell Allyn. In early life he went to sea, and made several whaling voyages out of New Lon- don. Later he settled on the homestead of his father, and spent the rest of his life in farming. He died in 1879, aged 69; his wife in 1887, aged 75.
Ebenezer Stoddard, son of Stephen, in early manhood, fol- lowed the sea, and during the Civil War served in the Navy and was sailing-master on board the "Kearsarge" at time of the bat-
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tle off the coast of France with the rebel "Alabama." He was married at Ports- mouth, N. H., and later on lived for a while in Brook- lyn, N. Y.
James Allyn Stoddard, of the seventh generation, son of Stephen M. and Hen- rietta (Allyn) Stoddard, born Oct. 18, 1848, mar- ried Sept. 10, 1873, Anna Mariah Davidson. Their children were Henrietta, born Nov. 9, 1874, married John Finnigan, 1892.
Stephen Denison, born Dec. 1, 1877.
EBENEZER STODDARD.
Albert Morgan, born Jan .. 19, 1881.
Mrs. Anna Mariah Stoddard, died March 10, 1892, aged 42.
Mr. James A. Stoddard, married Dec. 28, 1892, Miss Amey Jane Hopkins, of Norwich.
The Stoddards have generally been farmers. Quite a num- ber of them have been seafaring men, and several, like Sanford Stoddard (1779-1860) and his son, Sanford Billings Stoddard (1813-1892), have, as sea captains, developed much enterprise and achieved a high degree of success.
THE WILLIAMS FAMILY.
Denison Billings Williams, the second son of Deacon Eleazar Williams, was born March 2, 1794, in the old homestead, on Williams Hill, Stonington, Conn. He married twice; first, Hannah Avery, of Groton, daughter of Youngs Avery, and grand-daughter of Caleb Avery (the old soldier), and Han- nah Latham, daughter of Capt. Wm. Latham, descendant of
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Cary Latham, two of the oldest English families in this country. His second wife was Eliza Avery, daughter of Park Avery, of Groton. After spending a few years in Norwich, he removed to Ledyard. In 1829, he bought a farm about a mile south of the village of Poquetanuck, and there made his home, in connection with farm- ing; he held town offices, settled estates, and was justice of the peace.
He also bought large quantities of wool in all the surrounding towns for the various mills. He was a member of the Congre- gational Church in Led- DENISON B. WILLIAMS. yard, and when his hair was white, did not think he was too old to attend the Sunday-school.
His two oldest children were born in Stonington, and seven in Ledyard, and at Thanksgiving time they all came home, both children and grand-children, where saucer pies and little cakes were plenty. In 1861 he sold his farm, and moved back to the old homestead, where so many of his family had lived and died. Later, he moved to Preston (Bridge) and bought a home on what is now Williams street, taking his name. He died Feb. 26, 1867, aged 72 years. The children of Denison were
Mary Esther, born March 13, 1818.
Denison Billings, born June 30, 1819, died Feb. 23, 1867. Cecelia Hannah, born July 9, 1822, died Jan. 30, 1893.
Luke Latham, born Jan. 12, 1824, died Feb. 15, 1859.
Park Avery, born Feb. 28, 1826, died Aug. 31, 1892. Eunice Avery, born March 1, 1828.
Benjamin Frank, born April 26, 1830, died March 17, 1893.
11
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Youngs Avery, born May 25, 1833, died Aug. 24, 1865.
Elam Vanderpool, born July 1, 1837, died March 9, 1849.
Youngs Avery was a graduate of Rutgers College, and an exemplary and promising young man. At the time of his death he was studying law with the Hon. John Turner Wait and had already been admitted to the bar.
Denison Billings Williams descended from Robert Williams, of Roxbury, Mass., whose ancestry, in Wales, can be traced far back into the Ninth Century. He was born in Great Yarmouth, England, 1598. He married Elizabeth Stratton of the same place, and came to New England in the ship "Rose," in 1635, and lived to the great age of 100 years. Their descendants have ' been prominent in building up, and supporting the civil, educa- tional, and religious institutions of their country.
One of his descendants, William Williams, of Lebanon, Conn., was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. He married Mary Trumbull, daughter of Governor Trumbull, of Connecticut.
His second son, Isaac, born in Roxbury, 1638, settled on five hundred acres of land in Newtown (Newton), then included in Cambridge, Mass. He was a deacon in the church, and rep- resented Newtown in the General Assembly, for six years. From his son, by a second marriage, was descended the Rev. John Williams, the learned and revered Bishop of Connecticut.
Eleazar, of Roxbury, the fourth son of Isaac, by his first marriage, with Martha Park, came to Connecticut, first to Lebanon, then to Stonington, Conn. He purchased in 1712, a tract of land on "Williams Hill" (now known as "Quagataug Hill"), and built a house, where he lived till his death in 1725. He and his wife (Mary Hyde) were members of the "Road" Church in Stonington.
Nehemiah, son of Eleazar, was twice married; his first wife was Deborah Williams, and Gen. Joseph Warren, who dies at Bunker Hill, was their grand-son.
Eleazer, second son of Nehemiah, was born Aug., 1730,
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baptized October, 1730, and was the first person baptized in the new meeting-house on Agreement Hill, Stonington, Conn. He married Abigail Prentice.
Deacon Eleazar, son of Eleazar and father of Denison, was born June, 1759, married Mary Billings, Nov. 5, 1786, and died March 20, 1814. He lived in the homestead on "Williams Hill;" made farming his principal business. He was deacon in the church, and served in the Revolutionary Army. His great- granddaughter, Mrs. Josephine Middleton, now owns the home- stead. [P. E. L.]
CHAPTER XII. Biographical Sketches.
COL. ROSWELL ALLYN, son of James and Anna (Stanton) Ally1, was born in North Groton (Ledyard), July 11, 1789. In the spring of 1806 he commenced as an apprentice at tanning, currying and shoemaking, just north of Preston line, at the place where later was the grist and saw-mill of the late Jonah Witter. He served two years there with a Mr. Capron. In the spring of 1808 he began as a journeyman with a Mr. Wood- bridge at the head of Mystic, where he worked two years. In 1810 he set up a small tannery near where he was born and where he afterward lived most of the time, and where he died Aug. II, 1860. He was twice a representative from Groton in the State Legislature ; the first time with Hon. Elisha Haley, who was af- terwards in Congress. He held several town offices in Groton. In 1836, after Ledyard became a town, he was appointed sheriff's deputy by Alex. Stewart, then sheriff of New London County. He resigned this to become qualified to act as representative for Ledyard, being elected in April, 1843. He held town offices at various times in Ledyard. He belonged to the order of Free Masons. In early life he enlisted in the troop and when that was disbanded he served in infantry and held offices in company and regiment. In 1811 he married Henrietta Morgan, of Groton, whose children were Henrietta, born 1812, who after- ward married Stephen M. Stoddard, of Ledyard, and who died his widow in 1887. Deborah A., died July 23, 1814, aged 10 months, 14 days. Emila, died Aug. 13, 1815, aged six weeks. His wife died Sept. 27, 1824. In June, 1826, he married Harriet Palmer, of Preston, who died Sept. 14, 1888. Her children were Palmer, born April 26, 1827. Stanton, born Aug. 23, 1835, and who died in the army in Louisiana, Aug. 28, 1863. [P. A.]
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LIEUT. STANTON ALLYN, son of Roswell and Harriet (Palmer) Allyn, was born Aug. 23, 1835, in North Groton, on the old farm next north of the Bill parsonage, where his father was born. In 1840 his father moved back to the tannery which he had left in 1834. When old enough to work he was employed at tanning and farm- ing, with the ex- ception of two winter terms when he taught school. He had a common school education, sup- plemented with instruction by Mr. Joseph H. Gallup for a short time. He had held some im- portant town of- fices in Ledyard when the Civil War broke out in the spring of 1861. He was very anxious to enlist in the three months' service, but was prevent- ed by private bus- iness. In the fall LIEUT. STANTON ALLYN. of 1861 he re-
cruited a portion of a company and with them went into camp at Hartford the last of November. He was commissioned as second lieutenant of Company K, Twelfth Regiment, Connecti- cut Volunteers. The regiment stayed in camp till the last of February, 1862, when they left for Ship Island, Miss., where they
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remained till New Orleans was captured in April, 1862. They occupied Camp Parapet, La., for a while. The first time the regiment was under fire was Oct. 27, 1862, when one man was killed from Company K. In the spring of 1863 he went with the regiment into the region of the Red river. Here they were at one time in battle for about three days, when one morning the rebel works were found to be evacuated. The regiment fol- lowed in pursuit, but Allyn was taken ill with malaria and had to return to New Orleans, where he went to the hospital and stayed until the last of May, 1863. He went with his regiment to Port Hudson, where General Banks called for a picked company of men to make an assault. Allyn volunteered and nearly reached the rebel works, but was obliged to seek shelter under the same till night came and he was rescued, but it was a terrible trial and required greatest of bravery. He had been recovering from sickness and was poorly able to endure the conflict at Port Hud- son. He stayed in camp till Port Hudson surrendered. He with his company and three other companies were engaged on the night of June Ioth and IIth, where several men were killed and wounded, almost under the rebel works. Also on June 14, and at other times. They were under fire much of the time during the siege. Port Hudson surrendered July 9th and the regiment soon after left for Brashaer City, Louisiana. Weak- ened as he had been by sickness the service at Port Hudson was too much for him, and after a few days' sickness at Brashaer City, he died Aug. 28, 1863. His body was brought home and buried in the Allyn burying ground on the Charles Allyn farm, now A. W. Gray's farm.
The following extract from an article on "Port Hudson" in Harper's Magazine for August, 1867, gives us some idea of the character and bearing of Mr. Allyn as a military officer.
"At last daylight appeared. Lieut. Allyn of Company K, now arrived from lower down the ravine, and went into the lines after the stragglers of his command. Re-appear- ing in the course of a few minutes with a dozen men, he had to expose himself recklessly in order to shame certain demoralized ones into advancing over the fatal knoll behind us. He was
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admirable as he walked slowly to and fro at his full height, say- ing, calmly, 'Come along, men ; you see there is no danger.' Old Putnam, galloping up and down Charlestown Neck, to en- courage the Provincials through the ricocheting of the British army, was no finer."
Lieut. Allyn was not only a noble specimen of manhood, physically, but mentally as well. He was known perhaps as the best, or one of the best scholars in the town for his years, and perhaps the most promising of all the youth of Ledyard in those days. He was given a sash and sword by his admiring friends early in his military career. [P. A.]
CAPT. GURDON LATHROP ALLYN was in the direct line of descent from Robert Allyn, who came from Salem, Mass., to New London in 1651. He was a son of Nathan and Hannah (Lester) Allyn and was born at Gale's Ferry, Dec. 23, 1799. His surroundings in childhood and youth evidently determined his subsequent career. From his earliest years he was familiar with men and boys connected with the sea-faring life and heard from them many narratives that were fascinating to him. He was an eye-witness of scenes and events which early awakened in him desires and aspirations which could only be satisfied by actual experiences upon broader waters than those of the Thames river, and among other peoples than those who dwelt in and near Gale's Ferry. Hence he embraced the first opportunity of acquainting himself with "life on the ocean wave," by personal participation in its varied and trying experiences. His first trip was with his father to Newport, when only nine years of age. Some two years later he was with his father on a sloop bound from Gale's Ferry to Staten Island for oysters. They encoun- tered a terrible gale on the Sound in which many vessels were wrecked. But they made a port on Long Island in a disabled condition and after necessary repairs finished the round trip with success. One might think that such a trying experience would cure a boy of his longings for the sea, but as a matter of fact it seems to have had the opposite effect. For about as soon as he could do so to advantage, he was studying navigation under
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an experienced teacher, fitting himself for the calling which he intended to pursue.
A year or two later he is on the sea, mate of a sloop, of which Capt. Christopher Allyn is master, carrying rice and cotton from Charleston, S. C., to New York.
The next year he is master of the same vessel engaged in the West India trade, and in one year's time and before he was twen- ty-one years of age, he earned for the owner, Mr. Hyde, of Nor- wich, more money than he had paid for the vessel.
From this time, for several years, he made many voyages between New London, Hartford and New York, on the north, and various ports in the Southern States, West India Islands and northern coast of South America. Sometimes his enterprises were very successful and at other times quite the reverse.
In 1829, when about thirty years of age, Capt. Allyn attempt- ed a longer voyage. As master of the schooner "Spark," manned by sixteen seamen, he sailed from New London for the South African coast, in pursuit of seal-skins. After an absence of fourteen months, he returned to New London, having made a voyage which was very satisfactory to all concerned.
In 1832 he made a similar voyage, to the region of Cape Horn, and in 1834 still another.
In 1842 he went to the Indian Ocean, in the schooner "Franklin," for whale and sea-elephant oil and returned safely, making a profitable voyage. In 1844-5 he was master of the ship "Brookline," in which he conveyed a cargo of guano from an African Island to Boston. After that as master of the ship "Charles Henry," he circumnavigated the globe, in pursuit of whale oil and made a profitable voyage. After that he made three successful voyages between New London and Patagonia for guano, twice in the ship "Palladium," and once in the bark "Iris." Afterwards he made two more voyages around the world, one in a new bark, the "N. S. Perkins," which was very profita- ble, and the other in the bark "Tempest." On one of these long voyages he was accompanied by his wife and daughter. On an- other his wife and the wife of his mate were on board.
On the return from one of these voyages, they had sighted
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Long Island, when the captain, wearied with watching, left the vessel in charge of his mate, who disregarded the captain's orders, ran the ship aground on the south side of Long Island, where she became a wreck; but the ship was insured and the cargo of oil was saved. In May, 1861, Capt. Allyn obtained a commission as acting master and coast pilot in the United States Navy, and received an order in June, from Com. Dupont, to report for duty on the United States frigate, "Saint Lawrence." He was a participant in the famous Merrimac and Monitor engagement at Hampton Roads, in March, 1862. He had an honorable career in the navy, and in due time was discharged on account of his age. His salary while in the service, and the prize-money and pension, which he afterwards received, were a great help to him in his declining years.
Capt. Allyn was married Oct. 13, 1822, to Miss Sally Sher- wood Bradford, of Gale's Ferry, a descendant in the seventh generation from Gov. Wm. Bradford, who came over in the "Mayflower." They had five children, four sons and one daugh- ter, but were survived by only two, Gurdon F. Allyn, of Salem, Conn., and Mrs. Sarah E. Latham, of Gale's Ferry.
Capt. Allyn and his wife moved from Gale's Ferry to Salem, Conn., in 1839, when the captain took a three years' respite from sea-faring, by managing a farm and a saw-mill and grist-mill, but they returned to the Ferry in 1863 and spent the closing years of their lives amid the scenes of their childhood.
After living together as husband and wife, nearly 66 years, Mrs. Allyn was called away on August 16, 1888. Just three years after, on Aug. 16, 1891, Capt. Allyn followed at the advanced age of 91 years, 7 months, 24 days.
[For a fuller account of Capt. Allyn, see his autobiography]. [T. L.]
REV. ROBERT ALLYN, D. D., LL.D., son of Charles and Lois (Gallup) Allyn, was born in North Groton (Ledyard), Jan. 24, 1817, on the farm now owned by A. W. Gray. His youth was spent in work on the farm and study in the district school ; first in North Groton, then in Montville, whither the family moved
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in his boyhood. After a season of preparation in Bacon Acade- my, Colchester, he commenced his career as a teacher in East Lyme. He fitted for college at Wesleyan Academy, Wilbraham, Mass., teaching at intervals while doing so. Taking the four years' course at Wesleyan University, Middletown, he was gradu- ated at that institution in 1841. About this date uniting with the N. E. Southern Conference he supplied for a time the Methodist Church in Colchester, also that at Thompsonville, Ct. Being in- vited erelong to be teacher of mathematics in Wilbraham Academy he accepted; and in 1845 became principal of that institution. Under his management its number of students was increased and its reputation in the matter of scholarship advanced. He resigned this place to accept the position of principal and financial agent of the East Greenwich Academy in Rhode Island in 1848, and remained in that position till 1854, when he was appointed com- missioner of public instruction in that State. He held the office for three years, when he was chosen to represent the town in the State Legislature for the years 1852 and '54. In 1854 he was appointed by the President of the United States, and commis- sioned by the Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis, visitor at West Point Military Academy, Robert E. Lee being superintendent of the Academy at that time. While holding this position he formed many valuable acquaintances, and greatly profited by observing the methods of instruction employed in the institution. In 1857 he removed to Athens, Ohio, and became professor of Greek and Latin in the Ohio University, located at that place. At the end of two years he removed to Cincinnati and became president of the Wesleyan Female College in that city, and re- mained there till 1863, when he resigned to accept the presidency of McKendree College in Lebanon, Ill. Here he continued till 1874, and then was chosen to be principal of the Illinois Normal University which the State was just opening at Carbondale. Here, to a certain extent, he was enabled to carry out his ideas of what an American school should be. The male students in the institution practiced in infantry and artillery each day, taught by a regular cadet from West Point. After resigning this posi- tion in 1891 he continued to reside in the place till the time of
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his death, which occurred Jan. 7, 1894. The honorary degrees of D. D. and LL.D. were conferred upon him by his alma mater.
Professor Allyn was married Nov. 16, 1841, to Miss Emeline Denison, of Colerain, Mass. After becoming the mother of two children, a son and a daughter, Mrs. Allyn died April 24, 1844. On June 24, 1845, Mr. Allyn was married to Miss Mary Budding- ton, of Leyden, Mass. Two sons and two daughters were the fruits of this marriage. [In part from New London County History].
ISRAEL ALLYN, EsQ., son of Abel and Mary (Hakes) Allyn, was born in North Groton, May 13, 1822. His education was in the public schools, be- ing supplemented by sev- eral terms of attendance upon select schools. He began to teach pretty early in life and continued in the work nine winters and two summers. Later he served as a travelling agent for the Henry Bill Publishing Co., and remained in the serv- ice twenty years, achieving eminent success. After giving up the book busi- ness he settled down on the old homestead as a farmer, ISRAEL ALLYN, ESQ. married and reared a fami- ly. His wife was Miss Mary Ann Williams, to whom he was married Nov. 25, 1873. They had two sons and one daughter. Mr. Allyn and his wife were both members and supporters of the Congregational Church, and he was superintendent of the Sunday-school for quite a number of years. Among the town offices which he held were those of selectman and judge of probate. He repre- sented the town in the State Legislature in 1869. His death
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occurred Jan. 22, 1897. He early invested in wild lands in Iowa which, later on, became valuable, and made him quite wealthy. He bequeathed one thousand dollars to the Congregational Church.
EDWARD AVERY, who with his brother Christopher, settled in the north-west corner of Groton (now Ledyard), was the second son of James Avery, Jr., and if the recorded dates are correct he was born March 20, 1676, just seven days before his father left Norwich as lieutenant in his father's company, on the expedition into the Narragansett country during King Philip's war, when the sachem Canonchet was captured, whose capture and death was really the death blow of the war. He married Joanna Rose, June 3, 1699, daughter of Thomas Rose, whose house stood on Rose Hill, and became a noted landmark, being near the boundry line between Preston and Groton and near the south-east corner of the nine-miles square, the original claim of Norwich. He built him a home on the west side of what is now called Avery Hill near Poquetanuck cove. Here he and his wife Joanna lived to a ripe old age, sixty years of married life. They had thirteen children-a baker's dozen-and nearly all of them lived to mature age and married. He died March 14, 1759, and was buried in his own family burying ground, a well selected spot not far from his house on a high bluff just back from Poquetanuck cove.
Since then many of his own family have been gathered around him. His wife survived him less than two years. Their graves are marked by enduring stones, well lettered. His will dated Feb. I, 1752, was witnessed by Nathan Avery, Jacob Avery and Samuel Hutchinson, and approved June 19, 1759, by G. Saltonstall, judge of probate. An inventory taken after his death of his wearing apparel and household goods contained a long list. The follow- ing arc a few of the many articles mentioned : Seven coats, one full suit, a beaver hat, eleven pair hose, three pair shoes, six linen shirts, a silver-headed cane, a wearing sword and three belts, a pistol, two cutlasses, two guns and five flints, a drum, a Bible and eleven books, seventeen chairs, a spoon mould, two
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