History of Ashford, (Windham County) Connecticut United States of America

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Biographies:

Galusha Aaron Grow, representative, was born in Ashford, Conn., Aug. 31 1823. He was left fatherless when three years old and his mother with her six children removed to Susquehanna county, Pa., in May, 1834. Here Galusha worked on a farm in the summer and attended a district school during the winter months. He was prepared for college at Franklin academy, Susquehanna county. 1837-40, and was graduated at Amherst in 1844. He was admitted to the bar in 1847, practised law in Towanda, Pa., as partner of David Wilmot, 1848-50; declined a unanimous nomination of the Democratic party for the state legislature in 1850; engaged in farming and surveying; was a representative in the 32d congress as successor to David Wilmot, and was re-elected to the 33d, 34th, 35th, 36th and 37th congresses; to the first three as a Freesoil Democrat, and to the last three as a Republican. He was chairman of the committee on the territories in the 34th and 36th congresses; was the Republican candidate for speaker of the 35th congress, and was speaker of the 37th congress from July 4, 1861, to March 4, 1863. He was defeated in 1862, in the election for representative in the 38th congress in the new district composed of Susquehanna and Luzerne counties. He was a delegate to the Republican national conventions of 1864, 1884 and 1892; was chairman of the Republican state committee, 1868; visited Europe in 1855, and California, Oregon and British Columbia in 1870; was president of the International & Great Northern railroad company, with residence at Houston, Texas, 1871-76; declined the mission to Russia, tendered by President Hayes, and was elected Feb. 20, 1894, to succeed William Lilly, deceased, as representative-at-large for Pennsylvania in the 53d congress, and was re-elected to the 54th, 55th, 56th and 57th congresses. His election to the 55th congress was by a plurality of 297,446, and a majority over all candidates of 269,778 votes, the largest plurality and the largest majority ever given in any state of the union to any candidate for any office. In the 56th and 57th congresses he was chairman of the committee on education. On the completion of his term in the 57th congress, fifty-two years had elapsed from his first entry into congress in 1851. He received the degree of LL.D. from Amherst in 1884.

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

Nathaniel Lyon, soldier, was born in Ashford, Conn., July 14, 1818; son of Amasa and Kezia (Knowlton) Lyon, and grandson of Ephraim Lyon, a farmer and lawyer of Ashford, and of Lieut. Daniel Knowlton, an officer in the French and Indian and Revolutionary wars. Nathaniel was graduated from the U.S. Military academy in 1841 and was 2d lieutenant of the 2d infantry. He served in the Seminole war. 1841-42; was in garrison at Sacket Harbor, N.Y., 1842-46, and at Fort Columbus, N.Y., in 1846. He was promoted first lieutenant, Feb. 16, 1847, and took part in the siege of Vera Cruz, March 9, 1847, the battle of Cerro Gordo, where his company alone reached the crest of the hill in time to hasten the enemy's retreat; at Oka Lake, August 16, at Contreras, August 19, and at Churubusco, Aug. 20, 1847. He was brevetted captain, August 20, for Contreras and Churubusco. He also engaged at Molino del Rey, September 8, and in the assault and capture of the City of Mexico, Sept. 13-14, 1847, where he was wounded while fighting in the streets near the Belen Gate. He was in garrison at Fort Hamilton, N.Y., in 1848; on frontier duty, and on quartermaster duty at San Diego, 1850-51; was promoted captain, June 11, 1851, and was in Kansas, Dakota, Minnesota and Nebraska, 1853-61. He was commissioned brigadier-general of U.S. volunteers, May 17, 1861, and succeeded Major Hagner in the command of the St. Louis arsenal. On May 6, 1861, the demand was made by the governor of Missouri that the troops should be removed from all stations outside the U.S. arsenal which contained 60,000 stand of arms, but the demand was refused by Captain Lyon and the governor organized Camp Jackson as a rendezvous for state troops. On May 10, 1861, Captain Lyon with about 5000 troops surrounded this camp and caused its surrender. Later in the day an encounter between the U.S. soldiers and the citizens resulted in the death of several unarmed citizens and the incident caused great excitement in St. Louis. On May 11, General Harney arrived at St. Louis and assumed command, but was recalled May 21, 1861, and Lyon led in the pursuit of Jackson's state troops and overtook and scattered them at Booneville, June 13, 1861. He left Booneville July 3 for Springfield, Mo., arriving there July 15. Then followed the action at Dug Spring August 2, and on August 7 he led the attack on the state forces at Wilson's Creek, where he was mortally wounded while leading a charge. He bequeathed his entire property, nearly $30,000, to the U.S. government. He is the author of: Political Writings (published posthumously, 1862). He died near Wilson's Creek, Mo., Aug. 10, 1861.

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

Eliphalet Nott, educator, was born in Ashford, Conn., June 25, 1773; son of Stephen and Deborah (Selden) Nott; grandson of the Rev. Abraham (1696-1756) and Phebe (Tapping) Nott, of Saybrook, and of Samuel Selden, of Lyme, and a descendant of John Nott, who emigrated from Nottingham, England, to America in 1640, and settled in Wethersfield, Conn., where he was a representative at the general court for several years. He was educated by his mother and in the office of Dr. Palmer, at Ashford, until his mother's death in 1788, when he entered the family of his brother, the Rev. Samuel Nott, pastor of the Congregational church, Franklin, Conn., 1781-1852. He was principal of the academy at Plainfield, Conn., 1793-95; studied theology under the Rev. Joel Benedict, pastor of the Plainfield Congregational church, and was married in 1796 to Sallie Benedict, daughter of his preceptor in theology. Upon passing the senior examination at Brown university in 1795, he received the honorary degree A.M. He was licensed to preach, June 26, 1796; went to Cherry Valley, N.Y., as a missionary in that year, where he established an academy and acted as both pastor and teacher. He was ordained by the presbytery of Albany, N.Y., Oct. 13, 1798, pastor of the First Presbyterian church, Albany, and served 1798-1804. He was elected a trustee of Union college, Schenectady, N.Y., in 1800, and president as successor to Dr. Jonathan Maxcy in 1804. Through his efforts the state legislature passed a law in 1805 by which financial aid was secured through four lotteries to be drawn for the benefit of the college, the management of which lotteries was given to Dr. Nott and conducted by him for several years. The sum of $80,000 was the sum first agreed upon, but as the drawings did not take place until 1814, the legislature made a further grant of $200,000 for which Dr. Nott was made personally responsible. His government of the college was parental, for he had little regard for the obedience or studiousness that was compulsory, and was as a result greatly loved by his pupils, 4000 of whom were graduated during his term of office. He advocated temperance, anti-slavery and civil and religious liberty throughout his life. He was a student of the laws of heat and secured about thirty patents for stoves and other devices, among them being the first stove used for the burning of anthracite coal, which bore his name. He received the degree D.D. from the College of New Jersey in 1805, and LL.D. from Brown university in 1828. In 1855 he endowed Union college with property worth $500,000 known as the "Nott Trust Fund" of which he was a visitor, 1855-66. He published several sermons and addresses, among them the famous address on the death of Alexander Hamilton, and is the author of: Councils to Young Men (1845), and Lectures on Temperance (1847). See Memoir by Cornelius Van Santvoord, with a contribution and revision by Professor Tayler Lewis (1876). He died in Schenectady, N.Y., Jan. 29, 1866.

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

Andrew Thompson Judson, representative, was born in Ashford, Conn., Nov. 29, 1784; son of the Rev. Andrew Judson. He was educated at the common schools and under the instruction of his father and brother; was admitted to the bar in 1806, and practised in Montpelier, Vt., 1806-08. He returned to Ashford in 1808, and in 1809 removed to Canterbury, Conn. He was a representative and senator in the state legislature for several terms; state's attorney, 1819-33; Democratic representative in the 24th congress, 1835-37, and judge of the U.S. district court, 1837-53. He was designated in 1850, by the U.S. circuit judge of the second circuit, to hold court in the southern district of New York during the illness of the judge of that district, and he officiated at the trial of O'Sullivan and others for an attempted invasion of Cuba. He died at his home in Canterbury, Conn., March 17, 1853.

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