History of Wethersfield, (Hartford County) Connecticut United States of America

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Biographies:

Clarence Gordon, sociologist, was born in New York city, April 28, 1835; son of George and Maria Regina. (Stackhouse) Gordon; and grandson of John and Lucy (Robbins) Gordon and of Hastings and Margaret (Robins) Stackhouse. His first ancestors in America were John Robbins, who died in Wethersfield, Conn., in 1660; Robert Latimer, who immigrated about 1660; Thomas Stackhouse, who immigrated about 1685 and settled in Bucks county, Pa.; and Gov. Thomas Welles of Connecticut. Clarence attended the schools of Savannah, Ga., and the Charles F. Maurice military academy, Sing Sing, N.Y.; and was graduated from the Lawrence scientific school, Harvard, S.B., in 1855. He engaged in the cotton business in Savannah, Ga., with his father, 1855-60. He was married, May 1, 1861, to Frances Gore Fessenden of Boston, Mass. He engaged in literary pursuits, 1861-69; lived in retirement at his home, "Vine Lea," Newhurgh, N.Y., 1869-80; was special agent in charge of the census investigation of the livestock industries west of the Mississippi, 1880-84; was in the real estate business in New York city, 1884-89; and was made secretary and resident manager of the East Side House college settlement, New York city, in 1894. He is the author of Christmas at Under-Tor (1863); Our Fresh and Salt Tutors (1864); Boarding-School Days (1865); Two Lives in One (1866), and many contributions to periodicals.

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

Thomas Belden Butler, jurist, was born in Wethersfield, Conn., Aug. 22, 1806. He was graduated at Yale medical school in 1828; practised medicine until 1837, when he was admitted to the bar and engaged in practice at Norwalk. He was a representative in the state legislature, 1832-45; a state senator, 1848-53, and was elected to the 31st Congress. He became judge of the superior court of Connecticut in 1855; of the supreme court in 1861, and chief justice in 1870. He is the author of a speech on the slave question (1850); and of "The Philosophy of the Weather" (1856). He died in Norwalk, Conn., June 8, 1873.

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

Elizur Goodrich, educator, was born in Wethersfield, Conn., Oct. 26, 1734. He was graduated at Yale, A.B., 1752; A.M., 1755; was tutor at Yale, 1755-56; was ordained in 1756, served as minister in the Congregational church, Durham, Conn., 1756-97 and conducted at his home a preparatory school for young men, 1766-86. He was a frequent delegate to conventions and synods in New York and Philadelphia, where he represented the general association of Connecticut. He was an astronomer and mathematician of superior ability and calculated the eclipses of each successive year during his lifetime. He was defeated as a candidate for governor of Connecticut, and in 1777 for president of Yale college by a few votes. He was a fellow of Yale, 1776-97; was a member of the prudential committee, 1778-97, and secretary of the corporation, 1777-88. He received from the College of New Jersey the honorary degree of D.D. in 1783. He published an account of the aurora borealis of 1780, and a number of sermons and addresses. He died in Norfolk, Conn., Nov. 22, 1797.

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

John Marsh, temperance advocate, was born in Wethersfield, Conn., April 2, 1788; son of the Rev. John and Anne (Grant)Marsh; grandson of David and Mary (Moody) Marsh, and of Col. Ebenezer Grant of East Windsor, Conn., and a descendant of George Marsh, who came from England and settled in Hingham, Mass., about 1635. He was prepared for college under Dr. Azel Backus of Bethlehem, Conn.; was graduated at Yale in 1804; became a Congregational minister in 1809, and was pastor of the Congregational-church in Haddam, Conn., 1818-33. He was a founder and officer of the county temperance society, 1828-33; secretary of the Connecticut Temperance society, 1829-33; removed to Philadelphia, where he served as agent of the Pennsylvania State Temperance society, 1833-65; was secretary of the American Temperance union and editor of its journal in Philadelphia, 1836-37, and in New York city, 1837-65. Of one of his best known temperance lectures "Putnam and His Wolf" (1829), over 150,000 copies were sold. He represented the American Temperance union at the World's Temperance convention in London, England, in 1846. He became financial agent and raised $10,000 towards the erection of a new building for the Yale Theological seminary in 1868. He received the degree D.D. from Jefferson college, Pa., in 1852. He is the author of: Epitome of Ecclesiastical History (1838); Half-Century Tribute to the Cause of Temperance (1840); Temperance Speaker (1860); Temperance Recollections (1866); Prayers from Plymonth Pulpit (1867). He died in Brooklyn, N.Y., Aug. 4, 1868.

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