History of Washington, (Litchfield County) Connecticut United States of America

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Biographies:

Thomas Hastings, composer and hymn writer, was born in Washington, Conn., Oct. 15, 1784; son of Dr. Seth and Eunice (Parmele) Hastings; grandson of Hopestill and Lydia (Frary) Hastings; and a descendant of Thomas and Susanna Hastings who embarked at Ipswich, England, April 10, 1634, and settled in Watertown, Mass. He removed to Clinton, N.Y., with his father in 1796 and there acquired a district school education. He studied music from textbooks, without instruction, and in 1806 became the head of a singing school. He taught singing in Troy, N.Y., 1822-23, and was editor of the Western Recorder, a religious journal, at Utica, N.Y., 1823-32, meanwhile lecturing on music in Albany, New York city, Philadelphia, Pa., and Princeton. N.J. He resided in New York city, 1832-72, where he held the position of choir master, first in Dr. Mason's church, afterward in Dr. Hutton's and finally in the West Presbyterian church. He was married in Buffalo, N.Y., Sept. 15, 1822, to Mary, daughter of Norman Seymour, descended from Richard Seymour of Hartford, Conn. He contributed frequently to the musical and religious periodicals, published the Musical Magazine, 1835-37, and edited many collections of music. He received the degree of Mus. Doc. from the University of the city of New York in 1858. Among his works are: Musica Sacra (1816); The Musical Reader (1818); Dissertation on Musical Taste (1822); Spiritual Songs (with Dr. Lowell Mason, 1831); The Mother's Nursery Songs (1834); The Union Minstrel (1834); The Mother's Hymn Book (1834); Anthems, Motets and Set Pieces (1836); Musical Miscellany (1836-37); The Christian Psalmist (with Dr. William Patton, 1836); The Manhattan Collection (1837); Elements of Vocal Music (1839); The Sacred Lyre (1840); Sacred Songs (1842); The Psalmodist (1844); Indian Melodies Harmonized (1845); The New York Choralist (with William B. Bradbury, 1847); The Mendelssohn Collection (with William B. Bradbury, 1849); Devotional Hymns and Poems (1850); The Psalmists (with William B. Bradbury, 1851); The Presbyterian Psalmodist (1852); The History of Forty Choirs (1853); Selah (1856); Hastings's Church Music (1860); and Introits (1865). He died in New York city, May 15, 1872.

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

Frederick William Gunn, educator, was born in Washington, Conn., Oct. 4, 1816; son of John N. and Polly (Ford) Gunn. He was graduated from Yale in 1837, and the following year opened a school for boys in his native town. In the fall of 1845, his school being reduced to nine, on account of his fearlessness and activity as an abolitionist, he accepted an invitation to teach in New Preston, a village of Washington, and remained there until 1847, when he established a school at Iowanola, Pa. But after two years, being assured by influential friends that the old time prejudice had died away, he returned to the academy in Washington. In 1850, with his wife, he took possession of the house which was the nucleus of the present "Gunnery" and started the family school of which he was principal until his death in Washington, Conn., Aug. 16, 1881.

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

Samuel William Pond, missionary, was born in Washington, Conn., April 10, 1808; son of Elnathan Judson and Sarah (Hollister) Pond; grandson of Edward and Mary (Judson) Pond and of Capt. Gideon and Patience (Hurd) Hollister, and a descendant of Samuel Pond, who settled in Windsor, Conn., previous to 1640. He attended the public schools and in May, 1834, with his brother, Gideon Hollister Pond (1810-1878), engaged in missionary work among the Dakota Indians and the U.S. garrison at Fort Snelling. In 1837 he was ordained to the Congregational ministry and was stationed by the A.B.C. of F.M. at Lake Harriet, Fort Snelling, Oak Grove, and Prairieville, Minn., successively, 1837-54, and in other parts of Minnesota, 1854-91. He was first married, Nov. 22, 1838, to Cornelia Eggleston, and secondly, April 4, 1852, to Susan R. Smith. With his brother he produced the first written dictionary of the Dakota language, subsequently used by the Rev. Stephen R. Riggs in his published work. He is the author of: The History of Joseph in the Language of the Dakota or Sioux Indians from Genesis (1839); Wowapi Inonpa, the Second Dakota Reading Book (1842), and Indian Warfare in Minnesota, in the Historical Collections of Minnesota. He died in Shakopee, Minn., Dec. 5, 1891.

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

Orville Hitchcock Platt, senator, was born in Washington, Conn., July 19, 1827; son of Daniel G. and Almira (Hitchcock) Platt; grandson of John Platt, and a descendant of Richard Platt, who came to America in 1638 with the original settlers of New Haven. He was educated in the celebrated Gunn academy at Washington; studied law at Litchfield; was admitted to the bar in 1849, and practised in Philadelphia, Pa., 1849-57, and in Meriden, Conn., after 1851. He was clerk of the Connecticut senate, 1855-56; secretary of state, 1857; member of the state senate, 1861-62, and representative in the state legislature in 1864 and 1869, serving as speaker the latter year. He was state attorney for New Haven county, Conn., 1877-79, and was elected a Republican U.S. senator, succeeding William H. Barnum, in 1879, being re-elected in 1885, 1891, 1897 and 1903, his fifth term expiring March 3, 1909. He was chairman of the committee on relations with Cuba, and a member of the committees on finance, Indian affairs, judiciary, private land claims and patents and of the select committee on the five civilized tribes of Indians in the 56th congress. He received the degree LL.D. from Yale in 1887. He was married, May 15, 1850, to Annie B., daughter of James P. and Ann Bull of Towanda, Penn., who died, Nov. 17, 1894; and secondly, April 29, 1897, to Jeannie P. Hoyt, widow of George A. Hoyt of Stamford, Conn., and daughter of Truman Smith, U.S. senator .

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