The
Silas Bronson Library’s Waterbury Hall of Fame was established to honor notable
Waterbury natives and residents who have made a significant impact on the
history of Waterbury or who have achieved recognition for their accomplishments
throughout the city, state, country or world. (*1)
The
Hall of Fame was established in 1996. To date, 140 individuals or groups have
been honored by their induction. Last year my grandfather, Harold Pierpont, was one of the individuals so recognized (*2).
Since
I have such a rich family history going back to the origins of the city, I
wondered how many of the other individuals/groups so honored are related to me
as well. After a bit of research, here is what I have found. Although most of
these cousin relationships are many times removed, that is only because they
are so many generations before I was born.
Mary Merriman Abbott (1855-1907) – The
name Merriman is very prominent in my family tree. Mary’s great*4 grandfather
was Caleb Merriman (1665-1703) who is also my great*8 grandfather, thus making
Mary my 5th cousin, 4 times removed.
The Brass Worker – As mentioned in
an earlier blog, my great-grandfather, grandfather, and father all worked for
Scovill. Several other aunts and uncles also worked for either Scovill or one
of the other of the “Big Three” copper/brass companies in Waterbury.
William Henry Bristol (1859-1930) –
William is a member of the Bristol family. His great*5 grandfather, Henry Bristol,
was the first of his family to come to America in the early 1600s. Henry is
also my great*9 grandfather, making William my 6th cousin, 4 times
removed.
Henry Bronson (1804-1893) – The
Bronson family have been part of the greater Waterbury area for many
generations. Henry’s great*2 grandfather was Thomas Bronson (1686-1777) who was
married to Elizabeth Upson (see another Upson in the list below). Thomas is
also my great*6 grandfather, making Henry my 3rd cousin, 4 times
removed.
Silas Bronson (1788-1867) – Although
he did not live in Waterbury for most of his life, it was a bequest by him to
his hometown that established the library which is named in his honor and which
sponsors this Hall of Fame. A distant cousin of Henry, Silas is my 3rd
cousin, 5 times removed.
John Lyman Chatfield (1826-1863) – My
great*6 uncle, John Alcott (1731-1808), was the first person born in the Waterbury
side of Farmingbury (now Wolcott). He married Mary Chatfield, who is a first
cousin, 3 times removed of John Lyman. The Lyman family lived in Derby and
Oxford and John Lyman only came to Waterbury when he was a teenager, a century
after his cousin Mary.
Robert Wakeman Hill (1828-1909) –
Although my aunt married a man with the last name of Hill, that is not my
connection to Robert. His grandparents, Jared Hill and Eunice Tuttle are my
great*5 grandparents, making Robert my first cousin, 5 times removed.
David Hoadley (1774-1839) – The
Hoadley and Frisbie families figure significantly in my family tree. David’s
great grandfather, William Hoadley, is my great*7 grandfather, making David my second
cousin, 6 times removed.
Lemuel Hopkins (1750-1801) – The
Hopkins family have also been in New England since the early 1600s. Lemuel’s
great-grandfather, John Hopkins, is also my great*8 grandfather, making Lemuel
my second cousin, 7 times removed.
Samuel Hopkins (1721-1803) – I find
it interesting that one of the major influences in Samuel’s life was his mentor,
Jonathan Edwards (my great*7 uncle), and that he himself was a central
character in the writing of Harriet Beecher Stowe (my 5th cousin, 4
times removed). Samuel is my first cousin, 8 times removed.
Sturges Morehouse Judd (1809-1904) – As
his bio notes, Strurges was from Old Danbury, Fairfield county, but he was a
descendant of the Judd family from Farmington, CT. His great*3 grandfather was
Benjamin Judd (1643-1689) who is also my great*8 grandfather, making him my 4th
cousin, 5 times removed.
Frederick Kingsbury (1823-1910) –
Although the name Kingsbury may not be very familiar in Waterbury history,
Frederick’s wife was a Scovill, his mother was a Leavenworth, and his
grandmother was a Bronson. Thus, there was a bit of family connection that
enabled him to become the president of Scovill. There are probably several connections
to me as well, but through the Bronson family Frederick is my 4th
cousin, 3 times removed.
Mark Leavenworth (1774-1849) – I’ve
noted in another blog (*3) the complicated relationships that I have to the
many founders of Scovill, so I’ll not repeat them here.
Mattatuck Drum Band – This is an
organization, not a specific person. However, I have so many connections to the
founding of this fine organization and to many of its leaders, that I wrote a
separate blog (*4) about it several years ago.
Timothy Porter (1792-1864) –
Timothy’s bio says that he was married to Polly Ann [Todd]. However, she was
his second wife, his first wife, Clarissa “Clara” Frisbie, having died in 1821.
While I am also distantly related through his Porter ancestors, his wife
Clarissa was my first cousin, six times removed.
Sarah Johnson Prichard (1830-1909) – Through
some complicated connections, Sarah is my 5th cousin, four times
removed.
James Mitchell Lamson Scovill and William
Henry Scovill
– like Mark Leavenworth above, I have already documented my relationship to the
Scovill family elsewhere (*3).
John Southmayd (1676-1755) – One
of my few direct ancestors, John is my great*7 grandfather.
J. Warren Upson (1903-1992) – As
noted in his bio, his Upson ancestors were among the first settlers in the
Waterbury area – that would be his great*5 grandfather, Stephen Upson (1655-1735).
Stephen is also my great*7 grandfather, making J. Warren my 6th
cousin, twice removed.
Caroline J. Welton (1842-1874) –
Caroline is best known for donating the funds to build the horse monument on
the Waterbury Green. I have previously documented my relationship to her in
another blog (*6). She is my 5th cousin, 3 times removed.
Hobart Victory Welton (1811-1895) – Hobart’s
brother Joseph married Mary Salina Pierpont, my first cousin, 4 times removed.
Nelson James Welton (1829-1917) –
Nelson’s great*2 grandfather was Eleazer Prindle who had also married into the
Scovill family. Eleazer is my great*5 grandfather, making Nelson my 3rd
cousin, 3 times removed.
There
are quite possibly other connections to individuals on this list of honorees
where I do not recognize the surname as being connected to my family tree. But I
feel honored that so many of my ancestors and cousins have contributed to making
Waterbury what it is today.
Notes:
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