Middlesex County CT Archives History - Books .....Prominent Men Continued 1887 *********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ct/ctfiles.htm *********************************************** ************************************************************************ The USGenWeb Project makes no claims or estimates of the validity of the information submitted and reminds you that each new piece of information must be researched and proved or disproved by weight of evidence. It is always best to consult the original material for verification. ************************************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com May 20, 2005, 11:36 pm Book Title: The Old Chimney Stacks Of East Haddam CHAPTER XXIII. PROMINENT MEN CONTINUED. East Haddam boasts of the unusual honor of having two members of Congress at one time, both of whom were elected for several terms under the old law for electing Congressmen by general ticket. These were Gen. Epaphroditus Champion and Jonathan O. Mosley. Gen. Champion lived at the old Tyler Place in East Haddam Landing. He was a member of the General Assembly in 1793. He had command of the 24th Regiment of the Connecticut State Militia, before his election to Congress. The following letter from General George Washington to General Champion, of this town, will be read with interest. At the date given, General Champion was commissary general of provisions for the army. The original letter is in the possession of Harvy J. Brooks, Haddam Neck: CAMP VALLEY FORGE, FEB. 17th, 1778. SIR: — The present situation of the army is the most melancholy that can be conceived. Our supplies of provisions of the flesh kind for some time past have been very defficient and irregular. A prospect now opens of absolute want, such as will make it impossible to keep the army much longer from disolution, unless the most vigorous and effectual measures are pursued to prevent it. Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland are now entirely exhausted. All the beef and pork already collected in them, or that can be collected, will not, by any means, support the army one month longer. Further to the southward some quantities of provisions have been procured; but if they were all on the spot, they would afford but a very partial and temporary supply. The difficulty of transportation is great. The distance will not allow it to be effected by land carriage; and the navigation up Chespeak Bay is interrupted by the enemy's vessels, which makes it very precarious when we shall get any material relief from that quarter. If every possible exertion is not made use of there, to send us immediate and ample supplies of cattle, the most fatal consequences most ensue. I have much confidence in your zeal and activity, and trust, upon this occasion, they will be exerted in a peculiar manner, to hurry on to camp all the cattle you may be able to purchase. I am, sir, your most obedient servant, GEO. WASHINGTON. Henry Champion, Esq. EPAPHRODITUS CHAMPION'S LIST, FOR 1813: 1 head $60, 2 cows $14, 2 horses, $10, $20 $94.00 50 acres mowing and clear pasture, a $1.34 67.00 37 " brush pasture and wood land, a .34 12.58 1 Phaeton $100, one chaise say $30 130.00 1 silver watch $10, one clock $20 30.00 1 house 11 fire places, a $5 55.00 2 one-story stores, $10 20.00 30 oz. plate a $1.11 a 6 pet 5.33 3,700 dollars bank stock a 3 pet 111.00 ________ $524.91 Col. Mosley lived but little over a mile north of Gen. Champion, on the place now owned by Wm. J. Morgan. He was a lawyer, and held the office of State's Attorney for Middlesex County from 1797 to 1805. He was elected to Congress for several terms; had held command of a regiment of State Militia, and was also a Justice of the Peace in town for a number of years. His grandaughter is the wife of Hon. Hiram Willey. His grandson, Wm. O. Mosley, resides in Hadlyme. His father, Thomas Mosley, was quite a popular physician; was a member of the State Medical Association, and was also a Justice of the Peace. Timothy Green, to whom allusion has been made in a former chapter, a resident of the Landing, was afterwards elected to Congress under the District System. These members all proved themselves a credit to the Town, County and State. Captain Green, the father of Timothy, was identified with the early history of the town, as a large landed proprietor was Captain of a company in the Rebellion, the first postmaster in East Haddam, and held many other positions of trust. The Emmons family which settled on the East Haddam and Colchester turnpike, where Ralph Stark now resides, furnished several prominent men. Among them were Rev. Nathaniel Emmons, who-settled in Boston, and acquired a national reputation for power and eloquence as a Congregational minister; and Ichabod, his brother, who moved to Berkshire County, and became somewhat noted as a politician. He was sent to the Legislature for many years, and many anecdotes are related of his wit and humor. He declared at one time, that he should continue going to the Legislature until he had "secured a tax on ministers and jackasses," which were then about the only exemptions, and he kept his word. Edward Dorr Griffin, who was born near Nathan Jewett's, became a brilliant light in the ministry, a Doctor of Divinity, and President of Williamston College in Massachusetts. His brother, George Griffin, became equally brilliant as a, lawyer, and was for many years a member of the bar in New York City, where he amassed a fortune of several hundred thousand dollars by legitimate practice alone. As a birth-place and residence of the legal fraternity, East Haddam has been quite famous. In addition to those where reference has already been made, I will mention such names as I can recall to mind. Gen. Dyer Throop was the first judge of the County Court for Middlesex County. He held the office from 1785 to 1789. Previous to this, he held the office of Justice of the Peace. At the close of the Revolutionary War, he commanded the 24th Regiment of Connecticut Militia. He died June 4, 1789, at the age of 51. Francis M. Cone, who died in Georgia a few years since, (the oldest son of Joshua Cone,) was, perhaps, one of the most brilliant men ever raised in this town. He was a distinguished lawyer, afterwards elected to the office of Judge of the Supreme Court, in the State of Georgia, which position he filled with great credit. William Hungerford, was born in Hadlyme. He graduated at Yale College in 1809, and chose the profession of the law. After practicing for some years in his native town, he removed to Hartford, where he resided at his death. He wore the honorable title of LL. D., and stood for many years at the head of the Hartford bar. Wm. D. Shipman was a native of Chester; taught school in New Jersey, where he married; studied two years for the ministry. He afterwards moved to East Haddam, where he studied and practiced law for four years, residing in the house now occupied as the northern part of Maplewood Music Seminary. In 1850 he removed to Hartford, and in 1853 was appointed U. S. District Attorney. He has for some years held the position of Judge of the U. S. Court for the District of Connecticut. Hon. Eliphlet A. Bulkley, resided at the same house, which took the name of the "Bulkley House." He practiced law for several years in East Haddam, where he had good success. He afterwards moved to Hartford, where he continued his practice and became very wealthy. He graduated in Yale College, in 1824, and is placed upon the records of the Lionian Society as the "Hon. Eliphalet Adams Bulkley, Pres. Soc. Fellow Y. C. Sen. Conn., from East Haddam." Moses Culver, of East Haddam, read law with E. A. Bulkley; was admitted to the bar in this County, in 1845; commenced practice in Colchester same year, and continued there till 1846, when he opened an office in East Haddam. While here he held the office of Judge of Probate, and U. S. Commissioner for several years; represented the town in the General Assembly in 1854. In May, 1856, he moved to Middletown, and in 1856 or '58 was appointed State's Attorney, which position he held very creditably for six years. In 1860, he represented the Town of Middletown in the General Assembly. And in 1874 was appointed Judge of the Superior Court. Judge Culver died recently in Middletown. John C. Palmer, another prominent lawyer of Hartford, and President of the Sharp's Manufacturing Co., was raised in East Haddam, where he practiced law for many years. Additional Comments: Transcribed from: THE OLD CHIMNEY STACKS OF EAST HADDAM, MIDDLESEX COUNTY, CONNECTICUT, BY HOSFORD B. NILES, Author of Genealogy of THE NILES FAMILY. NEW YORK: LOWE & CO., Book and Job Printers No. 210 Fulton Street. 1887 File at -- http://files.usgwarchives.net/ct/middlesex/history/1887/oldchimn/prominen35gms.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/ctfiles/ File size: 9.1 Kb