Slave Owners in the Pierpont Family Tree

Recently, I investigated the slave owners in Connecticut who were part of my family tree – either by being my direct ancestors or uncles/cousins (*1). But as part of that I also found some who are in the tree of the New England Pierponts.

A genealogist friend of mine noted as a response to (*1), “Look for the doctors, lawyers and ministers. They often owned slaves.” This is certainly true with these cases as Pierpont Edwards was a lawyer and his father was a minister. And Noadiah Russell was also a minister.

The Edwards Family

[Pierpont Edwards]

One of the individuals who had slaves in the 1790 census was Pierpont Edwards (*2) (20>168a) (1750-1826), the youngest son of Jonathan Edwards and Sarah Pierpont (the daughter of Rev. James Pierpont). Pierpont Edwards had eleven children. In the 1790 census, he is shown in a family of 12 people – he and his wife, four boys under the age of 16, four daughters, and two slaves.

Pierpont’s father, Jonathan, owned slaves most of his adult life (*3) although he spoke against the practice in his later life. Another of Jonathan’s sons, also Jonathan (*4), supported abolition and he wrote a series of articles condemning the practice beginning in 1773. Nonetheless, Pierpont had two slaves in 1790, the year he was appointed the US Attorney for the state of Connecticut (*5).

Noadiah Russell

Along with the Rev. James Pierpont, one of the co-founders of Yale was the Rev. Noadiah Russell [herein called Noadiah1] from Middletown. He served as the pastor of the church in Middletown for 43 years. Two of James’ children married children of Noadiah1 – Mary Pierpont married Rev. William Russell who became the pastor after his father, serving for 46 years, and Joseph Pierpont married Hannah. Joseph and Hannah were my great*6 grandparents (*6), but this story is about the descendants of William and Mary [Pierpont] Russell.

In an article about slavery in the Hartford Courant, it noted that this included “good Yankee names like Alsop and Russell in Middletown.” This would have referred to the Rev. Noadiah1 (1659-1713) and Rev. William (1690-1761). But neither of these men were living when the 1790 census was taken. The Noadiah Russell in that census was one of the children of William and Mary.

One also needs to note that this family had been slave owners before. Noadiah1, in his will, left his “negro boy” to his son John. Similarly, William left three slaves, a woman and her two children, Lillian and Tom, in his will.

William and Mary had seven children including Noadiah (1730-1795) [herein called Noadiah2]. Noadiah2 got his education at Yale, married Esther Talcott in 1758, and was the pastor of the church in Thompson, CT, where he served from 1757 until his death in 1795. Grandfather, father, and son served for 43, 46, and 38 years respectively, each dying in office - an amazing heritage of service.

Noadiah2 and Esther also had six children – another Noadiah (*8) [herein called Noadiah3], Matthew Talcott, Esther, Sarah, Abigail, and Joseph. Noadiah2 died in Mendon, MA, while on a journey to Boston in 1795. Except for their son Noadiah3, their children all married and had large families, but none of these are listed in the official Pierpont genealogies. Below are the updates needed. Note that there are some interesting situations in this genealogical record – (1) marrying a first cousin, and (2) when your wife dies, marrying her older sister and having more children so that half-siblings are also first cousins of each other.

This substantial addition to the Pierpont Family genealogical record includes several well-known individuals, including William Huntington Russell (*9).

It is not known who the slave was that Noadiah2 owned, or why he/she was acquired. But since his father and grandfather had both owned slaves before him, it was not unexpected.

Notes:

*1 - https://ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2020/07/slave-owners-in-my-family-tree.html

*2 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierpont_Edwards

*3 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Edwards_(theologian)

*4 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Edwards_(the_younger)

*5 - https://www.founderoftheday.com/founder-of-the-day/pierpont-edwards

*6 - https://ramblinrussells.blogspot.com/2020/04/putting-connect-in-connecticut.html

*7 - https://www.courant.com/courant-250/moments-in-history/hc-250-beyond-complicity-introduction-20140604-story.html

*8 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noadiah_Russell

*9 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Huntington_Russell

Current Pierpont Genealogy

20>1645 Noadiah Russell
_e Yale 1750
+m /1758 Esther Talcott (Thompson)
20>16451 Noadiah Russell dwi
20>16452 Mathew Talcott Russell ??-/1828
+m /???? Mary Huntington
20>16453 Esther Russell
20>16454 Sarah Russell
20>16455 Abigail Russell
20>16456 Joseph Russell

Revised Pierpont Genealogy

20>1645 Noadiah Russell 24ja1730(Middletown)-27oc1795(MendonMA)
_e Yale 1750
+m 14mr1758 Esther Talcott 24je1731(Hartford)-14oc1797(Thompson)
20>16451 Noadiah Russell 15je1759(Killingly)-30my1817(Thompson) dwi

20>16452 Matthew Talcott Russell 19mr1761(Killingly)-13no1828(Windsted)
+m 17se1797 Mary Huntington 28au1769(Middletown)-je1857

20>164521 Mary Huntington Russell 11no1798-1jl1859 unm

20>164522 George Huntington Russell 8ap1800-15de1803

20>164523 Harriet Russell 14ja1802-3ap1865

+m George Larned (20>164554)

_n Harriet married her first cousin!

20>1645231 Julia Russell Larned 24no1837-30oc1869(Thompson)

20>1645232 Robert Grosvenor Larned /1841-28apr1842(Thompson)

20>1645233 Maria Cornelia Larned 8ja1835-/1910

+m John Southmayd /1835-/1918(Durham)

20>16452331 Herbert L Southmayd /1860-/1935(Durham)

20>1645234 Catharine Dresser Larned 23no1843-19de1910(KingstonRI)

+m ___ Sisson

20>2645235 George Huntington Larned 313jl839-20fe1912

+m Josephine ___ 2se1854-17oc1926

20>164524 unnamed son 3se1803-3se1803

20>164525 Julia Anne Russell 8au1804-9ap1865 unm

20>164526 Charles Huntington Russell 25mr1806-/1807 unm

20>164527 Edward Russell 17fe1808-21jl1808

20>164528 William Huntington Russell 12au1809-19my1885(NewHaven)

+m Mary Elizabeth Hubbard 23my1816-11de1890

_n co-founder of Yale University Skull and Bones Society (Russell Trust Association)

20>1645281 Frances Harriet Russell 14au1839-29de1889(NewH)

20>1645282 Talcott Huntington Russell 14mr1847-18oc1917(NewH)

+m Geraldine Whittemore Low 9au1862-25je1939(NewH)

20>16452821 Philip Gray Russell 26se1891-21fe1971(DallasTX)

+m Ethel Hill Howland 23je1903-29je1992

20>16452822 William Low Russell 20de1897-17de1976

+m Leonore Kathryn Schuppert 30ap1901-21no1990

20>1645283 Thomas Hubbard Russell 14de1851-2fe1916

+m Mary Katie Munson 8de1856-25au1942

20>16452831 Edward Stanton Russell 18se1894-12je1953

+m Estelle M ____ 6jl1896(PA)-14ap1988(WoodbridgeCT)

20>164528311 Martha Jane Russell 10se1919-17oc2008(WoodbridgeCT)

+m Reverdy Robert Hald Whitlock 26my1913-8ap2011(WoodbridgeCT)

20>164528312 Edward Stanton Russell Jr 5fe1922(PA)-20au2000(Branford)

20>16452832 William Huntington Russell 20mr1888-28ja1943(NewH)

20>1645284 Philip Gray Russell 14fe1854-21jl1900(NewH)

+m Lilean Kendall 5oc18155-7no1886

20>1645285 Edward Hubbard Russell 27de1855-21no1928(NewH)

+m Frances Hill 23je1903-29je1992

20>1645286 Robert Gray Russell 17se1860-21au1881

20>164529 Abigail Talcott Russell 7oc1810-2ap1865 unm

20>164520 Frances Russell 5ap1812-

+m Peter Roosevelt Roach

20>16452a Henry Russell 19my1813-26my1814

20>16452b Sarah Esther 17no1814-

20>16452c unnamed dau 23au1816-23au1816

20>16453 Esther Russell 9au1762(Killingly)-16au1816

+m Thaddeus Larned 26oc1756-19ja1818(Thompson)

_n Thaddeus had first married Abigail Russell

_n when she died in 1797, he then married Esther (his sister-in-law)

_n thus their son Frederick was both a first cousin and a half-sibling to Abigail’s children

20>164531 Frederick Larned 4oc1802(Thompson)-20ja1884(Thompson)

+m Harriet Fisher 20my1805-14fe1878(Thompson)

20>1645311 Jane Elizabeth Larned 14fe1824-4mr1898(Thompson)

20>1645312 Emily D Larned /1828-30je1876(Thompson)

20>1645313 Harriet Fisher Larned 14ap1830-19mr1894(Thompson)

20>1645314 Abigail Larned /1832-18de1846

20>1645315 Hannah Danielson Larned /1835-4ap1854(Thompson)

20>1645316 Frances Helen Larned 13je1836-27jl1914(Thompson)

20>1645317 Martha Larned 24oc1838-27se1912(Thompson)

20>1645318 Sarah W Larned /1841-19oc1858(Thompson)

20>16454 Sarah Russell 6no1763(Killingly)-
20>16455 Abigail Russell 20jl1766(Thompson)-7mr1797(Thompson)

+m Thaddeus Larned 26oc1756-19ja1818(Thompson)

20>164551 Simon Larned 24no1787-21se1810(Thompson)

20>164552 Noadiah Larned 19fe1789-17de1860(Thompson) unm

20>164553 Abigail Larned 9se1790-2se1845(Thompson)

+m Jacob Dresser /-19ja1825(Thompson)

20>1645531 Jacob Dresser /-27fe1824(Thompson)

20>1645532 Esther Dresser /1816-8au1848(Thompson)

20>1645533 Catharine Dresser /1788-3my1844(Thompson)

20>1645534 Emily Dresser /1815-13my1823(Thompson)

20>164554 George Larned 15jl1792-11oc1874(Thompson)

+m Harriet Russell (20>164523)
20>16456 Joseph Russell 30ap1775(Thompson)-8ja1861(Ellington)

+m Hannah __ 21de1779-19mr1859(Hartford)