History of Redding, (Fairfield County) Connecticut United States of America

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Biographies:

Joel Barlow, author, was born at Redding, Conn., March 24, 1754. He was graduated at Yale college in 1778 as class poet. During his college course he served in the patriot army during vacations and fought at White Plains, N.Y. He entered the ministry after graduating and served as chaplain in the army until the conclusion of the war, when he settled at Hartford, and was admitted to the bar in 1786. He subsequently engaged in literature, and attained notoriety upon, the publication of his epic poem, "The Vision of Columbus," in 1787. He went to Europe to find customers for the Scioto land company, controlling 3,500,000 acres of government land in Ohio. He failed in his efforts, and became interested in politics in France as a Girondist, con- tributing largely to the political literature. In 1791 he went to London, where he was one of a circle of artists, wits, poets and journalists, who formed among the American colony the Constitutional society, which was intensely republican in tone, and his "Advice to the Privileged Orders," published in London, was proscribed by the government. He took refuge in France, and in 1792-'93 joined the deputation of the national convention organized to erect Savoy into the 84th department of France, and was defeated in the election for deputy. While at Chambery he wrote "Hasty Pudding." He returned to Paris, wrote "The Columbiad" and prepared the ground-work for a history of the American revolution and one of the French revolution, and in 1795 was appointed by President Washington consul at Algiers, and he succeeded in negotiating a treaty of peace with the Dey, and in redeeming the American captives held by Barbary. In 1805 he returned to America, declined all political honors and devoted himself to literature. In 1811 he was appointed United States minister to France, sailed on the Constitution, Commodore Hull, and after nine mouths of skillful diplomacy received an invitation from Napoleon, then engaged in his Russian campaign, to meet him at Wilna Poland, to sign the treaty already agreed upon. He became involved in the retreat of the French army from Russia, and, overcome by cold and privation, died at Yarmisica, in Poland, Dec. 24, 1812.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

William Augustus Croffut, author, was born in Redding, Conn., Jan. 29, 1835; son of Benedict and Harriet (Newell) Croffut. He acquired his education at the public schools and engaged in journalism, first on the New Haven Palladium, and afterward on the Rochester Democrat, the St. Paul Times, the Minneapolis Tribune, the Chicago Post, the New York Graphic, Tribune and World, and the Washington Post. In the civil war he served as a private. His travels included seven tours of Europe and visits to Palestine, Egypt, Mexico, Yucatan, Cuba, Alaska and Nova Scotia. He was married to Bessie Nicholls, who was educated at a private school and is the author of numerous contributions to magazines and cyclopedias. He received the honorary degree of Ph.D. from Union college in 1889. He is the author of the libretto of the comic opera Deseret, drawn from life among the Mormons and brought out in New York in 1882, the music having been written by Dudley Buck. He also wrote History of Connecticut in the Rebellion (1867); A Helping Hand (1868); Bourbon Ballads (1880); A Midsummer Lark (1882); The Vanderbilts (1886); The Prophecy (poem for the Columbian Exposition, 1893); Poems (1895); Jesus Christ a Myth (1896); The Lord's Day?or Man's? (1896).

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor

Ebenezer J. Hill, representative, was born in Redding, Conn., Aug. 4, 1845; son of the Rev. Moses and Charlotte (McLellan) Hill; grandson of Ebenezer and Sarah (Barlow) Hill, of Redding, Conn., and of Stephen and Hannah (IIsley) McLellan, of Portland, Maine, and a descendant of William and Sarah (Jourdain) Hill, of Lyme Regis, England, who came to Dorchester, Mass., in 1632, and afterward lived in Windsor and Fairfield, Conn. William Hill was deputy and assistant from both Windsor and Fairfield, and held other public offices. Ebenezer was prepared for college in the Norwalk public school and entered Yale with the class of 1865, remaining there two years. He then engaged in business, and became president of the Norwalk Gas Light company, the Norwalk Street Railway company and vice-president of the National Bank of Norwalk. He served twice as burgess of Norwalk, and was a delegate to the Republican national convention of 1884. He was a member of the Connecticut senate, 1886-87; served one term on the Republican state central committee; and was a representative in the 54th, 55th, 56th, 57th, 58th congresses, 1895-1905. He became a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, May 17, 1899. He received from Yale university the honorary degree of M.A. in 1892.

From: Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Johnson, Rossiter, editor