USA > Connecticut > Hartford County > West Hartford > West Hartford, Connecticut > Part 11
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Since this report was printed the supervising corps having direction of musical instruction has been increased by the appointment of Miss Gladys Hill, Miss Ruth Wolcott, Mr. Henry Carter, and Mr. Timothy C. Sheehan.
The public school buildings erected in West Hartford during the period from 1895 to 1922, although superior to all former school buildings in the town, were all practically of the same general design and style of architecture.
Since the latter date, due to the fine artistic and educational conception of Superintendent Lloyd H. Bugbee in cooperation with architect William T. Marchant and Russell F. Booker, the school buildings which have been designed and erected show marked improvement and pleasing variety in design.
The illustration at the head of this section represents a Junior High and Elementary School building of still different type which it is proposed to build on Sedgwick Road, and it is hoped will be named in honor of Prof. William Thompson Sedgwick, a distinguished native of West Hartford.
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HISTORY OF WEST HARTFORD
II. PRIVATE SCHOOLS
The old Academy. The educational advantages afforded to the young people of West Hartford through the years have not been confined to the public schools. Rev. Dr. Nathan Perkins, pastor of the Congregational Church from 1772 to 1838, during that period taught one hundred young men in his home, now the rectory of St. James Episcopal Church, preparatory to their entrance to college. While his home was not known as a school, it was indeed a veritable "seat of learning" of great advantage to the young men of the community who were in pursuit of an education.
An academy or school of a higher order than the district schools was opened in West Hartford at a date not definitely known. In 1840, however, it was referred to as "the old academy." The building was located on South Main Street at a point near the present residence of Charles H. Ellsworth. After it ceased to be used for school purposes, it was moved by Fred- erick Brace to Farmington Avenue and converted into a dwelling house located where Dale Street is now. When Dale Street was opened, this house was moved to Whitman Avenue and is now a double tenement at Nos. 30-32 Whitman Avenue. Probably it still retains some of the material of the old school building.
In 1840 a new Academy Association was formed. The proprietors of the old Association were allowed shares of stock in consideration of their holdings in the former association, and other public spirited citizens joined in the enterprise. The shares were sold at $12.00 each, and one hundred were issued. The list of proprietors with the number of shares owned by each one was as follows:
Shares
3 Rev. E. W. Andrews
1 Hiram Wells
8 Josiah W. Griswold
1 George Flagg
1 Levi Sedgwick,
1 Morgan Goodwin
8 Samuel Whitman
1 Elihu Barber
3 Thomas Brace
2 Samuel Whiting
2 Roderick Colton
3 S. H. Huntington
1 Horace Stanley
1 Benjamin Gilbert
1 Frederick Colton
1 Chester Griswold
1 David Selden
1 Amos S. Braman
2 George D. Gates
1 H. G. Webster
3 William Sedgwick
2 John Porter
1 Amos Hurlburt
2 Harvey Arnold
2 Truman Stanley
1 Mason Seymour
1 Hezekiah Selden
1 Joshua Raymond
2 Gideon Deming
1 John Flagg
3 Elihu Olmsted
1 Michael Jennings
Shares
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HISTORY OF WEST HARTFORD
1 Henry Mix
1 Augustus Flagg
1 Amaziah Sawtell
1 W. A. Fuller
1 Elliott Millard
1 Timothy Sedgwick
1 W. and E. Selden
1 Albert W. Butler
1 Pollard Merrils, Jr.
1 Charles Seymour
1 John Ellsworth
1 J. W. Mills
1 Artemas Knight
1 Pollard Merrils
1
Josiah T. Olmsted
2 Thomas S. Williams
1 Benjamin Bishop
1 Charles Gilbert
1 Allen S. Griswold
1 Samuel Hurlburt
1 Roswell Hurlburt
2 Solomon S. Flagg
1
Rev. G. I. Wood
1 Thomas O. Goodwin
1 Rev. P. H. Huntington
1 Simeon Arnold
1 Edward Stanley
1 Walter Deming
1 Childs Goodman
1 Henry Talcott
1 Chester Francis
1 R. G. H. Cone
1 Daniel L. Sisson
1 William Knight
1 Henry Goodman
1 S. F. Cone
1 George Butler
1 Benjamin Bissell
The new Academy building was erected on the east side of Main Street opposite Goodman Park, on a small lot which afford- ed no opportunities for a playground. It was a two-story build- ing with a schoolroom on each floor. It had a front porch with large, tall, circular pillars like those on the front of the Congre- gational Church, but smaller. On the west or front end of the roof was a belfry with a bell. This building was used for school purposes until about 1865. After that date it was occupied for a time by Wyllys Lodge. The Congregational Church held their Friday evening prayer meetings in the lower room for some time, and the West Hartford Lyceum held meetings there at one time. St. James Episcopal Church, before it had a church building, held services in the Academy on Sunday. Some years ago Mr. William A. Burr purchased the property and converted the build- ing into a dwelling house for two families. It is still used for that purpose, being the house occupied for many years by the families of Dr. Edwin H. Munger and Clarence Root.
The Academy was for a time under the leadership of a Prof. Sawyer, who conducted it as a boarding school which was well patronized, with many scholars from other communities in attendance. One of the teachers who had charge at a later period was Orange Judd, who afterwards became editor and proprietor of The American Agriculturist, a weekly paper published in New York. David L. Williams of East Hartford was for several years the beloved and efficient principal. Rev. J. W. Barnhart succeeded Mr. Williams. He married Miss Emma King, a daughter of Henry A. King and sister of the late James A. King.
1 David White
1 Solomon Porter
5 Thomas K. Brace
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HISTORY OF WEST HARTFORD
When the Center School District built its new brick building, still standing near the residence of Henry C. Whitman, a school of a higher grade corresponding in character to an academy was maintained for a few years in the upper room of that building.
At one time during the period when the Academy was in operation, Mr. James W. Storey maintained a boys' school in his home on South Main Street. He lived in the house later known as the Selden House, which was recently moved to Burr Street when the site for the William H. Hall High School was prepared. Mr. Storey's school was sometimes spoken of as a military school, although probably not strictly of that order. It may have included some of the features of military training. At a still later period Miss Sarah Gleason conducted a successful day school for girls in the Mills Homestead on New Britain Avenue, which was in the Revolutionary days the home of Sarah Whitman Hooker. Miss Gleason was considered a very successful teacher. Rev. John D. Hull, who had long been a successful leader and teacher in work for boys, for a few years conducted a small boys' boarding school in his home, now the residence of Mr. Frederick Bishop on Farmington Avenue.
None of these schools with the exception of the Academy could properly be called established local educational institutions, although they made contributions to the educational advantages and reputation of the community. At the present time there are in West Hartford private schools of a more permanent character with well established reputations which may be considered as in reality and in a more vital way features of the community spirit and life.
American School for the Deaf. One of the educational insti- tutions of which West Hartford has reason to be proud is the American School for the Deaf, the oldest school for the education of the deaf in the United States. It was originally called the American Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb. It was founded in Hartford in 1817, and was situated on the avenue which has been called Asylum Avenue ever since. In 1919 the school sold its property on Asylum Avenue to the Hartford Fire Insurance Company and established a new plant on a tract of ninety-eight acres on North Main Street in West Hartford. The buildings were completed in 1922.
The Board of Directors, of which Professor Henry A. Perkins of Trinity College is president, includes some of the leading citi- zens of Hartford. A number of its faculty are teachers of long experience and understand fully the needs of deaf boys and girls. The oral method is used in teaching the children, but those making no progress are taught by any method found necessary in order to give them an education. Pupils are admitted at five years of age and the course of study is divided into twelve
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HISTORY OF WEST HARTFORD
grades. The subjects taught are the same as those taught in the public schools in the first eight grades. A few high school sub- jects are taught to those taking the preparatory course for Gal- laudet College, Washington, D. C. Trades also are taught, including printing, carpentry, bookbinding, chair-caning, paint- ing, sewing, dressmaking, cooking, and housework. The ma- jority of the pupils come from Connecticut, but in 1927 over fifty scholars were enrolled from Massachusetts and New Hamp- shire.
The school building and Principal's house represented in the picture are located on a high ridge of land several hundred feet back from North Main Street, commanding a fine view of the surrounding country, and attracting the attention of those who pass through that section of the town.
The Kingswood School. Kingswood School is a country day school for boys, preparatory to college. In the summer of 1916 a small group of citizens invited the present headmaster, Mr. George R. H. Nicholson, to organize such a school in Hart- ford. The founders were Doctor M. W. Jacobus, Mrs. James Goodwin, Messrs. Richard M. Bissell, Louis F. Butler, Charles P. Cooley, Francis R. Cooley, Walter L. Goodwin, and Arthur L. Shipman. They proposed to make available for boys of the city and neighborhood the type of secondary education represent- ed by the best boarding schools, but at much less cost, and with- out removing them from home influences or the knowledge of their local obligations as citizens.
The growth of the school through years of war and financial stress clearly demonstrated the need and the wisdom of such a plan. The school opened at 274 Farmington Avenue with two masters and six pupils. At the end of the first year thirty-two pupils were enrolled, and this number was increased to forty- two in the second year. This compelled a change of premises, and the Mark Twain house, 351 Farmington Avenue, was rented and fitted to receive the school in the fall of 1918. In 1919 the founders, who up to that time had acted as guarantors, were per- suaded of the necessity of a permanent plant. They incorporated under the name of Kingswood Incorporated. Dr. and Mrs. M. W. Jacobus donated a tract of twenty acres of land ideally located in West Hartford, on condition that sufficient money was raised to erect the buildings. Mr. Edwin S. Dodge was chosen architect, and the buildings were ready to receive the school in the fall of 1922. The name of the corporation was changed to Kings- wood Academy Incorporated, and the school took up its present quarters with an enrollment of eighty-five students and a faculty of eleven masters. The plant contained four classroom houses, each holding two classrooms, a special purpose room, and two
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HISTORY OF WEST HARTFORD
apartments for unmarried teachers; and a main building holding a dining hall, an auditorium (used at present for a gymnasium), an apartment for the headmaster, and quarters for the domestic staff.
The policy of the school is controlled by a corporation con- sisting of all persons who have contributed not less than $100 to the school funds. The corporation functions through a board of not less than 15 and not more than 22 trustees, elected for vary- ing terms, and in such a way that the Council of the Parents' Association and the families of boys in the school are fully represented. The spirit and purpose of the school are well ex- pressed in mottos of Mr. Nicholson's: "First of all the Boy." "Not boys, but the boy." "The only necessary factor is the boy." "At Kingswood nothing is essential unless it has some direct bearing on the boy."
The Oxford School. The Oxford School is a privately owned institution founded by Miss Myra Billings and Miss Mary Martin in September, 1909, as a boarding school for girls, at 232- 236 North Oxford Street. Miss Billings remained with the school for two years and then returned to normal school training work, and Miss Martin assumed the entire control of the School.
Very soon, it was obliged to give up the boarding department in order to accommodate the number of day pupils who were seeking admittance. In 1919 it had so outgrown its quarters that it was moved to the Ensworth place at 510 Farmington Avenue, where it was conducted along the lines of the country day school.
During the school year of 1923-24, the patrons formed the Oxford League for the purpose of advancing the interests of the School in every possible way. At that time Miss Ruth Guernsey, A.B., M.A., of New York, became the associate principal. At the close of the year,the Oxford League assisted in changing the location of the School to its present quarters at 695 Prospect Avenue.
Its sessions are from 9:40 o'clock in the morning to 5 o'clock in the afternoon.
Of the one hundred and seventy pupils which it now enrolls, fifty-eight are in the high school department, where emphasis is placed upon preparation for college. Boys are taken in the pre- primary department and are kept till the end of the fourth grade, when they are ready for Kingswood or the public schools.
Pre-primary work, supervised outdoor play, music with su- pervised practice periods, the Saturday morning and Wednesday afternoon art classes, and spoken French are strong features of the school.
1
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HISTORY OF WEST HARTFORD
The Margaret Laidlaw School. The Margaret Laidlaw School, opened as The Children's House, has been one of the unique institutions of West Hartford for sixteen years. It is a resident and day school. Miss Margaret C. Laidlaw, who founded it, had previously been supervisor of the kindergarten depart- ment of the South School district in Hartford, and before that had been engaged in similar work in Rochester, N. Y., for ten years.
When she came to West Hartford in 1912, she saw the op- portunities and the need for pre-school work, and several inter- ested families encouraged her in establishing a place for this pur- pose. Since then more than 300 children have received care and training there, and The Children's House has not only become a landmark to the citizens of the town, but its fame has extended to other states. Its work has interested child psychologists, school authorities, and physicians.
To many families, The Children's House has been a godsend in time of stress, because children could be left in safe keeping there. To the children themselves the institution has been a paradise for play and development. Some early pupils are now married and have children of their own, to whom the joys and benefits derived from the school will be handed down. Many others, now grown up, have embarked upon careers as musicians, actresses, and teachers. Nearly all have kept in touch with Miss Laidlaw year in and year out, with happy reminders of child- hood days spent in an environment of sunshine, play, idealistic training, and development of expression. It is an interesting fact also that many former pupils have taken honors in higher grades, high schools, and other educational institutions.
Intended only for pre-school work at the start, The Chil- dren's House has extended training to the grades as needed, sup- plementing the usual school work with special teaching of French, music, and dancing.
The school is pleasantly located in a large frame building at No. 1179 Farmington Avenue, surrounded by porches, trees, and a playground.
The Westford School. In September, 1925, Miss Loreta D. Barto, a graduate of the Beechwood School of Jenkintown, Penn., opened a school for children in the Masonic Temple on South Main Street. She was of the opinion that in such a rapidly growing community as West Hartford there was an opportunity for a school for children who were too young to attend the public schools. She had as an associate teacher Miss Estelle Reed. Nineteen children were enrolled the first year. During the follow- ing year, the school was continued in the same building with some increase in attendance.
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HISTORY OF WEST HARTFORD
In the autumn of 1927 the school was opened in a new build- ing located on Newport Avenue, purchased for the use of the school as a permanent home. At that time Miss Helen Dixon became associated with Miss Barto in the work of the school, succeeding Miss Reed. Twenty-two children were enrolled and the instruction and training included kindergarten work and grades one and two. There is a desire and purpose on the part of Miss Barto and her assistant: "To provide an environment conducive to the highest type of social development and to stress in every situation, helpfulness, courtesy, thoughtfulness, kindness, unselfishness, and a spirit of cooperation." This ex- presses the high purpose which is destined to make this school more and more an important feature in the educational life of the community.
Miss Barto is a native of West Hartford, the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. W. T. Barto.
Saint Augustine's Novitiate and Normal School. This property, formerly the Tuohey farm, was purchased by the Sisters of Mercy in 1877. They built a boys' preparatory school which was carried on with admirable success until 1912, when the growth of the community necessitated the closing of the school. The former school building was then sufficiently enlarged to meet the needs of the Novitiate Normal School, which was transferred from Saint Joseph's Convent on Farm- ington Avenue, and formally opened on January 22, 1913.
Mount Saint Joseph Academy. Mount Saint Joseph Academy, now located on Hamilton Heights, West Hartford, was trans- ferred to this eminence overlooking the surrounding country, in September, 1908. The rapid development of the Academy in its former home on Farmington Avenue, next to Saint Joseph's Cathedral, had made it necessary to provide more ample grounds and a larger building for the school. The Sisters of Mercy purchased the new site in 1902, and began the erection of the present spacious building in 1905. It was completed in the summer of 1908, and on September 29, classes were opened in it for the scholastic year 1908-1909.
Mount Saint Joseph Academy, founded in Hartford in 1852, is a resident and day school for girls. The high School department offers four courses: college, academic, English, and secretarial. There are special courses for high school graduates. Instruction in piano, organ, and the stringed instruments is given in the music department. The preparatory department is limited to the seventh and the eighth grades.
The registration for some years past has been 240 pupils approximately. In June, 1929, the enrollment in the high
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HISTORY OF WEST HARTFORD
school was 210 students. Among the residents are pupils from all parts of Connecticut, and from neighboring states; among the non-resident pupils from Hartford, West Hartford, and the nearby towns.
The treasurer's bills, including residence and tuition, vary from $600 to $800 a year, according to the location of rooms. Laboratory fees are extra. Tuition for non-resident pupils is $200.
The Library of the Academy contains about 7000 books. At present the nucleus of a college library, numbering 3075 volumes, is housed in the Academy.
In March, 1925, the Connecticut State Legislature granted a college charter to the Academy.
Since the Academy was transferred to Hamilton Heights, West Hartford, in 1908, 660 pupils have been graduated from the school. There is a large and active Alumnae Association connected with the institution.
PAROCHIAL INSTITUTIONS
Saint Mary's Home for the Aged. The Terry Farm, located on Steele Road and Albany Avenue, was purchased by the Sisters of Mercy in 1878 for a home for the aged. The original dwelling house, a small wooden building, is now used as a home for help. The present building was erected by the community and formally opened April 8, 1896. Since its opening, 1025 inmates have been registered. In 1922 part of the building was set apart as an infirmary for the use of the aged and infirm sisters of the community.
Saint Agnes Home. Saint Agnes Home, a maternity hospital, an infant asylum, and a child nurses' training school, is a diocesan institution under the care of the Sisters of Mercy. This home was formally opened by Right Reverend John J. Nilan, Bishop of Hartford, on September 8, 1914. Since then the total number of children admitted is 2814, total number of patients 1024, the number of nurses graduated 190.
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HISTORY OF WEST HARTFORD
CEMETERIES
The first site for a cemetery in the West Division was pur- chased in 1716. It was located on the east side of the main street a short distance north of the site of the first church building. It is now known as the Old Center Cemetery.
Mr. Henry C. Whitman, a descendant of one of the early prominent families of West Hartford, has carefully prepared a list of all known burials in that cemetery which have headstones. The list includes many well-known family names, and is of es- pecial value in the present age of ancestral research. The de- scendants of those buried here are many and are scattered to all parts of the country.
Belden, Ester, died 1823, aged 75. Bidwell, Amos, died 1803, aged 73. Bidwell, Phebee, wife of Amos, died 1796, aged 62. Bidwell, Phebe W. daughter of Ozias, died 1797, aged 19 months. Brace, Henry, died 1814, aged 70. Brace, Abigail, wife of Henry, died 1802, aged 55. Brace, Thomas, died 1796, aged 46. Brace, Oren, died 1804, aged 19. Brace, Zenas, died 1791, aged 63. Brace, Mary, wife of Zenas, died 1808, aged 69. "Bristol, a native of Africa," slave of Thomas Hart Hooker, died 1814, aged 83. Butler, Zacheus, died 1791, aged 48. Butler, Joanna, wife of Zacheus, died 1813, aged 79. Cadwell, Jonathan, died 1760, aged 25. Cadwell, Ensign Samuel, died 1788, aged 78. Cadwell, Elishaba, wife of Samuel, died 1784, aged 72. Cadwell, Aaron, died 1802, aged 42. Cadwell, infant of Aaron, died 1785. Center, Ebenezer, died 1786, aged 44. Coleman, John, died 1758, aged 57. Collens, Captain Seth, died 1792, aged 50. Collens, Sarah, wife of Seth, died 1837, aged 90. Colton, Rev. Benjamin, died 1759, aged 69. Colton, Ruth, wife of Benjamin, died 1725, aged 32. Colton, Elizabeth, second wife of Benjamin, died 1760, aged 71. Colton, Anna, wife of Lieutenant Benjamin, died 1762, aged 38. Easton, Rachel, wife of James, died 1751, aged 18. Ensign, David, died 1727, aged 82. Faxon, Thomas, died 1801, aged 92. Faxon, Thomas, Jr., died 1789, aged 33.
Gaylord, Deacon William, died 1770, aged 92. Gaylord, Hope, wife of William, died 1763, aged 82. Gaylord, Moses, died 1733, aged 16. Gaylord, Aaron, died 1750, aged 31. Gay- lord, Aaron, died 1750, aged 6. Gaylord, Asahel, died 1750, aged 2. Gaylord, Samuel, died 1783, aged 71. Gilbert, Anne, wife of Benjamin, died 1782, aged 39. Gillitt, Lieutenant Joseph, died 1746, aged 81. Goodman, Timothy, died 1786, aged 79. Goodman, Joanna, wife of Timothy, died 1768, aged 58. Goodman, Aaron, died 1756, aged 4. Goodman, Timothy, died 1752, aged 16. Goodman, Thomas, died 1809, aged 70. Goodman, Sarah, wife of Thomas, died 1798, aged 58. Good-
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HISTORY OF WEST HARTFORD
man, Ruth, wife of Thomas, died 1820, aged 81. Goodman, Timothy, died 1770, aged 3. Goodman, Thomas, Jr., died 1800, aged 28. Goodman, Abagail, wife of Thomas, Jr., died 1824, aged 51. Goodman, Timothy, died 1788, aged 18. Gray, Lucy, wife of Abiel, died 1791, aged 48.
Hooker, The Rev. Nathaniel, died 1770, aged 32. Hooker, Eunice, died 1769, aged 1 mo. Hosmer, Thomas, died 1777, aged 75. Hosmer, Susannah, wife of Thomas, died 1798, aged 82. Hosmer, Elisha, died 1779, aged 26.
Keyes, Captain Stephen, died 1788, aged 71. Keyes, Abigail, wife of Stephen, died 1808, aged 85. Keyes, Peggy, died 1808, aged 61.
Langdon, Timothy, died 1811, aged 22. Lyman, Abigail, wife of Ichabod, died 1809, aged 59.
Marshfield, Rachel, wife of Josias, died 1754, aged 86. Mer- rell, Lieutenant Isaac, died 1742, aged 60. Merrell, Deacon Abra- ham, died 1747, aged 76. Merrell, Prudence, wife of Abraham, died 1747, aged 71. Merrell, Jacob, died 1771, aged 56. Merrell, Mary, wife of Jacob, died 1792, aged 63. Merrell, Thomas, died 1814, aged 100. Mix, Mary, wife of Ebenezer, died 1745, aged 31. Mix, Ebenezer, died 1766, aged 51. Mix, Anna, wife of Ebenezer, died 1811 (?), aged 92.
Nash, Elizabeth, wife of Lieutenant John, died 1750, aged 67.
Sedgwick, Captain Samuel, died 1735, aged 68. Sedgwick, Mary, wife of Samuel, died 1743, aged 72. Sedgwick, Samuel, Jr., died 1725, aged 34. Sedgwick, Ebenezer, died 1759, aged 60. Sedgwick, Stephen, died 1768, aged 67. Seymore, Ensign Tim- othy, died 1749, aged 53. Seymour, Allyn, died 1760, aged 30. Seymour, Moses, died 1795, aged 84. Seymour, Rachel, wife of Moses, died 1763, aged 46. Skinner, Joseph, died 1770, aged 73. Skinner, Timothy, died 1779, aged 78. Skinner, Ruth, wife of Timothy, died 1754, aged 35. Skinner, Timothy, died 1750, aged 5. Skinner, Mabel, died 1743, aged 3 months. Skinner, James, died 1750, aged 18 months. Skinner, Abigail, died 1750, aged 3. Skinner, Thankfull, wife of Jonathan, died 1781, aged 25. Smith, Nathaniel, died 1733, aged 38. Stanley, Samuel, died 1787, aged 38. Stanley, Anna, wife of Samuel, died 1780, aged 33. Stanley, Amaziah, died 1790, aged 57, Stanley, Mary, wife of Amaziah, died 1822, aged 77. Steel, Captain Thomas, died 1740, aged 57. Steel, Dr. John, died 1760, aged 37. Steel, Allen, died 1802, aged 45. Steele, Joanna, wife of Allyn, died 1835, aged 78. Steel, Allyn, died 1789, aged 10. Steel,Lucy, died 1790, aged 4. Steele, Ebenezer, died 1805, aged 52. Steele, Rachel, wife of Ebenezer, died 1839, aged 85.
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