The paternal ancestor of the Tibbits family of Troy, New York, herein considered, was Henry Tibbits, of Warwickshire, England. He was of Kingstown, Rhode Island, where he died in 1713. In 1663 he and others of Narragansett Colony petitioned to be placed under the protection of Connecticut. In 1665 he and others petitioned the general assembly of Rhode Island for accommodation of land in Kings Province. June 22, 1670, he was appointed constable by the Connecticut authorities, and the inhabitants were desired to yield obedience to Connecticut rule. May 20, 1671, he took the oath of allegiance to Rhode Island. In 1672 he bought, with five others, a tract of land of Awashuwett, chief sachem of Quohassett, in Narragansett. May 2, 1677, he and others having been imprisoned by Connecticut authorities, the Rhode Island assembly sent a letter of protest threatening that if Connecticut "persisted in disturbing the inhabitants with illegal and forcible intrusion," they would be under the necessity of complaining to "His Sacred Majesty," the King of England. In 1678 he was again appointed constable, receiving his appointment this time from the Rhode Island authorities. In 1679 he signed with others a petition to the king praying that he "would put an end to these differences about the government thereof," etc. In 1687-88 he was a grand juror. In 1688 he and Daniel Vernon were appointed highway commissioners. In 1690 he was a conservator of the peace. In 1702 he was on the subscription list for erection of a Quaker meeting house on Mashapang. In 1705 he was elected deputy to the general court. He married, in December, 1661, Sarah Stanton, who died in 1708, daughter of Robert and Avis Stanton. Children:
- Henry (see forward);
- Ann, married Samuel Fones;
- George, married (first) Mary ————, (second) Alice Sherman, (third) Sarah Bliven;
- John, married Elizabeth Hall;
- Mary, married Edward Greene;
- Sarah, married William Hall;
- Martha, married Benjamin Stanton;
- ————, married William Tanner.
(II) Henry (2), son of Henry (1) and Sarah (Stanton) Tibbits, died in Kingstown, Rhode Island, December 27, 1702. He was made a freeman of the colony of Rhode Island, 1696, and May 1, 1700, was fined twenty-five shillings for taking part in rescue of prisoner from a deputy sheriff. He married Rebecca ————, who died 1752. Children: Thomas, Henry, William (see forward), Rebecca, Avis and Dinah. His will was administered by his widow Rebecca, whose own will was proved August 10, 1752. She named her son William as executor. To her grandson Thomas, son of Thomas, deceased, she left "my mansion house and land where I dwell, housing, orchards, fencing, etc., with liberty for my two sons to pass and repass through land"; to her daughters, Avis Rice, Rebecca Green and Dinah Tibbits, the remainder of estate equally, and Dinah to live in house while single; to son Henry five shillings; to son William twenty shillings, they both having had by deed. Inventory was £530. 1s.
(III) William, son of Henry (2) and Rebecca Tibbits, was of Warwick, Rhode Island. He married and had two sons, John and William (2).
(IV) John, eldest son of William Tibbits, was born in Warwick, Rhode Island, in 1737. He was a resident of Lansingburg, Rensselaer county, New York, subsequent to 1780, and later removed to Lisbon, St. Lawrence county, New York, where he died January 27, 1817. He married, January 7, 1760, Waite Brown, born in Warwick, Rhode Island, September 3, 1741, died in Lisbon, New York, March 10, 1809. They were the parents of ten children.
(V) George, eldest child of John and Waite (Brown) Tibbits, was born in Warwick, Rhode Island, January 14, 1763. His birthplace was the old Tibbits homestead farm on the western shores of Providence bay or river, which for a long time bore the name of "Tibbits Point," now the city of Warwick. When he was five years of age his parents removed to the town of Cheshire, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, on a farm of three hundred and fifty acres. John Tibbits purchased and located near the headwaters of the Hoosic river. Here the family remained until about 1780, when they removed to Lansingburgh, Rensselaer county, New York. George was now about seventeen years of age, and ambitious to make his own way in the world. In 1784 his opportunity to enter mercantile life came, through the kindness of Francis Atkinson, importer, of New York, who furnished him credit to the extent of $1,000. This was his "first stepping stone to my future progress in life." A location was secured in Lansingburgh and thus the business house of Tibbits was started. According to advertisements and other authorities, the house dealt in dry goods, grain, whale oil, etc. From 1784 until 1787 he was alone in the business and was successful. In 1787 he admitted his brother Benjamin as a partner, under the firm name of G. & B. Tibbits. Benjamin died September 11, 1802, and his place in the firm was taken by another brother, Elisha, the firm remaining so constituted until 1804, when George Tibbits retired. The business was removed from Lansingburgh to Troy in 1797, occupying the northwest corner of River and Congress streets, and Mr. Tibbits resided in a dwelling then situated at the northeast corner of the same streets. During his private business career, which ended in 1804, he gave himself entirely to its management and constant demands. He was a successful merchant, interested in many business undertakings, and acquired a large landed estate. He was a director of the Rensselaer & Saratoga Insurance Company; president of the Rensselaer County Agricultural Society; director of the Troy Turnpike Railroad Company; director of the Farmers' Bank (the first banking institution in Troy); in fact, was officially connected with the numerous activities that were then making Troy noted among the cities of the Empire State. After 1800 he began his distinguished public career that only terminated with his death. He was elected fire warden of the village of Troy in 1798, serving also in 1801 and 1808; in 1800 he was a trustee of the village, and in 1808 chief engineer -of the fire department. In 1800, he was elected a member of the house of assembly, and again in 1820. From 1803 to 1805 he was a member of the National House of Representatives, serving in the Eighth Congress from the Tenth Congressional District of New York. In 1815-16-17-18 he was a member of the Senate (New York state). He was a Federalist in politics, and in 1816 was the candidate of that party for lieutenant-governor of New York, on the ticket with Rufus King, the candidate for governor. Their Democratic opponents, Daniel D. Tompkins and John Taylor, were the successful candidates.
Mr. Tibbits was foremost in the effort to prevent bridges from being built that would interfere with Hudson river navigation, and, until the railroads changed traffic conditions so radically, no bridges were built. During his term as mayor of Troy he pushed to successful issue the plan for supplying the city with water from Piscawen creek. He was always an earnest advocate of the doctrine of protection, and it is believed that he was the first writer in the United States to publicly endorse and urge the passage of a tariff act for protective purposes. Under the signature ~of "Cato" his essays appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer. He was a delegate to the Harrisburg convention of 1827, and a member of the committee appointed by the convention to prepare a memorial to congress urging the passage by that body of protective measures. His arguments in favor of a tariff for protection were so strong and comprehensive, that few points have ever been added to them since. In 1824 he was one of the commissioners appointed under the act of Apr. 12, 1824, to "examine into all matters relating to the economy, government and discipline" of the prisons of New York state. Their report, bearing date of January 15, 1825, was regarded as of the greatest value not only in New York, but in other states of the Union, while from England came the highest praise. William Roscoe, the English historian, an earnest advocate of the abolition of slavery, wrote in complimentary terms of "the extraordinary and it may be said unexampled labor and attention the commissioners have bestowed in the examination of the state prisons." In 1825 the same three commissioners, George Tibbits, Stephen Allen and Samuel M. Hopkins were appointed as commissioners to build a new state prison. They were empowered to "purchase a site, procure necessary material, and to employ convicts from Auburn to erect a new prison." They selected and purchased a site at Mount Pleasant (Sing Sing), now Ossining, and on May 24, 1825, with one hundred convicts from Albany, began the erection of that since famous prison. While this work was in progress the commissioners were required to again investigate abuses at Auburn prison, and their report formed the basis of important prison reforms, and in 1828 the legislature empowered them to erect a separate prison at Sing Sing for female convicts. His connection with prison reform and management was a particularly valuable service Mr. Tibbits rendered his state.
His connection with the construction of the Erie canal is another imperishable monument to his memory. He was a warm friend of the measure from the first, and while a member of the state senate he drew up and caused to be presented to the legislature a system of financing the enterprise. The plan so proposed by him was incorporated in the general law of the state, which was passed April 15, 1817, and to him belongs the sole credit of originating the system under which funds were procured for the prosecution of this great undertaking. Hon. Robert Troup, in a letter published in 1822, addressed to Brockholst Livingston, one of the justices of the supreme court of the United States, in speaking of Mr. Tibbits' connection with the work, said: "He drew up a plan of finance, establishing a distinct and permanent fund for the completion of both canals and pointed out various sources of revenue which was substantially the same with that afterward established by the legislature." Again in 1829 his wise counsel concerning canal funds resulted in additional prosperity to the state, particularly the Onondaga salt section.
In 1830 Mr. Tibbits was elected mayor of Troy and served through successive re-elections for five years. In 1833 Hon. Henry Clay visited Troy, and it was Mayor Tibbits' pleasant duty to welcome officially the "great apostle of protection," whose views and his own were the same on this vital question. He was a careful and conscientious official. His practical wisdom, his personal services and untiring energy, were devoted to the interests of Troy; the public water and fire service were greatly improved and will ever stand to the credit of his administration. In 1835 he rendered almost his last great public service to his city and section when he opposed with all his force and energy the attempt made to divert the canal route from Troy and the towns adjacent. In the discharge of his duties as legislator and public official he spoke seldom in public, and never unless he had a message to convey, but when he did speak he was listened to with attention. As a writer he was distinguished for great strength and force in argument. He was of an intensely religious nature, caring little for externals, but had within the faith that satisfies. He was for forty-four years, from 1805 till his death, a vestryman of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Troy. He died July 19, 1849, at the age of eighty-six years; he was a great sufferer in his later years.
Mr. Tibbits married, March 9, 1789, at Lansingburgh, New York, Sarah Noyes, born at Charleston, South Carolina, January 14, 1767. (See Noyes). Children:
- George Mortimer (see forward).
- Caroline Elizabeth, born 1800, died 1879; married, 1818, Jacob Lansing Lane.
- Oliver Noyes, born 1805, died 1829.
(VI) George Mortimer, son of George and Sarah (Noyes) Tibbits, was born at Lansingburgh, New York, December 5, 1796. While still an infant his parents removed to Troy, and he was educated in the schools there until sent to Lenox, Massachusetts, where he was prepared for college by a Mr. Gleason. He graduated from Union College in 1817, and shortly afterwards went abroad for a year, spending much time in a walking tour of Scotland. On his return to Troy he studied law for a time in the office of Hon. John P. Cushman, but finding the confinement of such a life injurious to his health, he was unable to continue his studies. After his marriage in 1824 he removed to Hoosac, New York, where his father owned land, to which he afterwards greatly added. They lived on what was known as the Pfister farm, which had formerly belonged to a Loyalist whose property was confiscated during the revolution, and there Mr. Tibbits built a brick dwelling, which was remodeled in 1860, and is now a freestone mansion. He early became interested in stock raising, and imported a celebrated breed of cattle known as the Teeswater Durham, which was especially valuable for the dairy, and also, about 1830, a number of Saxony sheep, thus originating one of the largest flocks in that part of the country. He was always interested in wool growing and in the improvement of the fleece of sheep. Although living so much in the country, where he could gratify his taste for an outdoor life and his love of horseback riding, Mr. Tibbits and his family spent some months in each year in Troy at the home of his parents, which is now the property of the Day Home Association. He later built for himself a house on First street, which he occupied for the first time in 1849, and from then on spent more of his time in Troy. Though never a public man, Mr. Tibbits had a jealous regard for the good name of his city and strove earnestly for its welfare, being ever ready to aid in any undertaking which promised to increase its prosperity and generously contributing to its works of benevolence. He was a director of the United National Bank, of the Rensselaer & Saratoga Railroad, and a trustee of the Troy Orphan Asylum. He was a strong advocate of a protective tariff, the development of the resources of the country and the encouragement of home manufactures. In politics he was a Whig and then a Free Soiler, and from its beginning a member of the Republican party. When the civil war broke out, his enthusiasm for the cause of the Union knew no pause, and he supported the government in its efforts to suppress rebellion with his means and with his influence. He aided his son, William B. Tibbits, in every way in his power. In 1866 Mr. Tibbits, with his wife and a family party, made a second trip to Europe, where they traveled leisurely through Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and also visited Egypt and the Holy Land. He was a man of cultured taste, fond of books and of beautiful things, and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunities which life in the old world affords. Mr. Tibbits was a sincere, earnest Christian, pure and upright in character, and industrious and scrupulous in his way of living. He joined the Episcopal church as a young man, and was regular and devout in public worship, while maintaining in his own household the order of family prayer. He was for many years a vestryman of St. John's Church, Troy. He died July 19, 1878, at his home in Troy.
Mr. Tibbits married, May 30, 1824, Sarah, daughter of John Rutger Bleecker, of Albany, New York, and his wife Eliza Atwood. John R. Bleecker was the son of Rutger and Catherine (Elmerdorf) Bleecker. Rutger Bleecker owned practically the whole of what is now the city of Utica; he was the son of John Rutger and Elizabeth (Staats) Bleecker, and grandson of Rutger and Catalina (Schuyler) Bleecker. The ancestor of the Bleecker family was Jan Jansen Bleecker, who came to Albany, New York, in 1658. Children of Mr. and Mrs. Tibbits:
- George, born April 12, 1825, died, unmarried, March 4, 1875; received degree of civil engineer from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, class of 1841; Bachelor of Arts from Union College, class of 1845; Master of Arts from Union College in 1848; member of Rensselaer county bar; alderman of Troy, 1858-61; a war Democrat, 1861-65.
- John Bleecker (see forward).
- Blandina Dudley, born 1829, died 1833.
- Eliza Atwood, born 1831, died April 6, 1870; married, May 16, 1853, John Hobart Warren, of Troy.
- Edward Dudley, born and died in 1833.
- Charles Edward Dudley (see forward).
- William Badger (see forward).
- Caroline, born 1846, died 1847.
- Sarah Noyes, born November 8, 1847, died May 30, 1883; married, January 15, 1878, John Wool Griswold, born August 29, 1850, died January 2, 1902; children:
- Sarah Bleecker, born April 15, 1879, married, October 2, 1901, Sanborn Gove Tenney, of Williamstown;
- Elizabeth Hart, born June 17, 1880, married, October 14, 1903, Chester Griswold, of New York;
- John Augustus, born September 23, 1882, married, October 20, 1909, Hélène Robson.
(VII) John Bleecker, second son of George Mortimer and Sarah (Bleecker) Tibbits, was born January 18, 1827, died July 8, 1898. He was educated at Bartlett School, College Hill, Poughkeepsie Preparatory School, and Union College, graduating therefrom with the degree of Master of Arts in 1846. After his graduation he served as tutor for two years in Union College, instructor in classics. He then engaged in the grain business in the city of Troy with Pliny Moore, continuing the same for five or six years, after which he assisted his father in the management of the estate, particularly at Hoosac and Schaghticoke, his father having large land holdings in both places. He resided in Troy during the winter months and in Hoosac during the remainder of the year. Subsequently he began studying for the ministry, and was ordained October 18, 1866, by Bishop Horatio Potter, of New York, to the deaconate, and began building up All Saints Episcopal Church at Hoosac, which church was built by his father and mother. The nave was built in 1864, the chancel and tower completed in 1872, and the chimes were made at Florence, Italy; Mr. and Mrs. Tibbits also put in the organ. John B. Tibbits served as perpetual deacon from choice, and did not take the order of priesthood. He worked in the parish and vicinity for years, and was regarded as a saint by the surrounding country folk. He also established several missions around Hoosac, and during this period resided at Hoosac all the time. From 1871 to 1879 he resided at Bennington, Vermont, still continuing his work at Hoosac, and after the latter date he returned to Hoosac and lived in the old Tibbits country seat. In the spring of 1891 he took up his residence in the rectory at Hoosac with his son, Rev. Edward Dudley Tibbits, remaining till his death.
Mr. Tibbits was much interested in electric apparatus and dynamos. He was an expert electrician and inventor, inventing and developing the Arago disc dynamo, on which he secured patents; in the great electro exhibitions in Paris, France, 1882, he won the gold medal, the first prize, for his electric inventions. His dynamos and especially electric lighting were acknowledged to be superior to anything shown. So prominent was the success of the light that Sir Sylvester Armstrong and other prominent electricians formed a syndicate (recognizing Tibbits' inventions as being the best) for the purpose of purchasing his patents and opening up the manufacturing of the inventions. They offered, through his agent, Robert Mackie, the sum of 200,000 pounds sterling for the patent, but he refused the offer, not wishing to turn over his patents to a trust, desiring to turn them over to municipal government ownership for the production of light and power for the use of the public at a small cost. He was also the inventor of an incandescent and arc light. Thus his patents became common, and were adopted and used generally. He was the first to use tungsten (a metallic substance) as the basis for a metallic filament for incandescent lighting, now in common use. He had an experimental station at Hoosac. He also discovered the manufacture of white lead by electrolysis. He married (first), January 8, 1850, Amelia Abby, born January 23, 1828, died February 18, 1869, daughter of Le Grand and Esther (Bouton) Cannon. Children:
- George Mortimer, born April 30, 1851, died February 1, 1882.
- Le Grand Cannon (see forward).
- Edward Dudley (see forward). He married (second), June 1, 1871, Mrs. Ada West Conkling, daughter of John and Emma West, of Bennington, Vermont, and widow of Daniel Hubbell Conkling, of Bennington.
(VII) Charles Edward Dudley, fourth son of George Mortimer and Sarah (Bleecker) Tibbits, was born at Hoosac, New York, August 18, 1834. He was educated under private tuition at Troy and Hoosac, was for a time a student at the boarding school of Mr. Bartlett, at Poughkeepsie, and later took a course at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy. In 1851 he made his first visit to Europe, crossing the ocean in a sailing vessel. He saw at that time the first International Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in London. This was the first of many voyages, as since then he has traveled extensively. He has been largely occupied with the care of his own and of family property. He was president of the Walter A. Wood Mowing & Reaping Machine Company, of Hoosick Falls, from 1892 to 1895, when he resigned, and for a number of years was a director of the company; he is also a director of the United National Bank of Troy. He is a trustee of the Troy Orphan Asylum, and was chairman of the committee which selected the plans for the asylum building on Spring avenue. He was president in 1879 of the Young Men's Association, and is a trustee of the Troy Public Library, which now carries on the work formerly done by that association. As trustee of the library he chose the design from which the Memorial Library Building on Second street was erected by Mrs. Mary E. Hart. Mr. Tibbits was chosen chairman of the committee of one hundred citizens who were charged with making arrangements for the public celebration of the one hundredth anniversary of the naming of the city of Troy, in January, 1889.
Mr. Tibbits is an independent thinker politically, a Republican in sympathy, but more interested in securing good, clean government than in mere party success. When in March, 1894, Robert Ross was foully murdered at the polls, Mr. Tibbits was one of those who signed a call inviting their fellow citizens to assemble in order to express their indignation and to "show by their presence and words their love for the fair name of our city and their appreciation of any efforts which may be made to bring the guilty parties, whoever they may be, to speedy justice." He was a member of the committee of one hundred formed as a result of this great meeting to see that justice be done. He also took a part in the formation of the National Municipal League, and has been a member of its executive committee since its organization.
Mr. Tibbits married, June 8, 1865, Mary Elizabeth, daughter of John Le Grand and Elizabeth (Sigourney) Knox. (See Knox.) She died July 16, 1875. Children:
- Sarah Bleecker, born November 15, 1866.
- George, born February 22, 1868, died April 29, 1875.
- John Knox, born January 13, 1870; educated at St. Paul's School, Concord, New Hampshire; Yale College, B.A., class of 1892; Exeter College, Oxford, England; he is an Episcopal clergyman at Concord, New Hampshire. He married, April 12, 1910, at Montreal, Canada, Marguerite Vinton Harris, daughter of Arthur H. and Saidee (Lambe) Harris, of that city.
- Dudley, born October 4, 1874, died May 24, 1875.
(VII) William Badger, youngest son of George Mortimer and Sarah (Bleecker) Tibbits, was born at Hoosac, New York, March 31, 1837. He was named for a great-great-uncle, William Badger, who was a soldier of the revolution. His early life was passed in Troy and Hoosac, where, and at a boarding school in Utica, he received his preparatory education. He then entered Williams College, but left there for Union College, where he graduated in 1859, an oration being accorded him at commencement, while his classmates honored him by choosing him as one of their two class marshals. He was a member of the Chi Psi fraternity. After graduating he studied law for a time, and then entered business, having a one-third interest in the Sampson & Tibbits Scale Company. He was thus engaged when on April 15, 1861, President Lincoln's first call for troops was published in the Troy papers, and on that day he volunteered his services and obtained authorization papers for raising a company. This company, known as Company G, was accepted April 23, 1861, and was the color company of the Second Regiment, New York State Volunteers, which left Troy for the front May 18, 1861. He was mustered in as its captain, May 14, 1861. His services during the ensuing seventeen months are best explained in the following letter and recommendation:
Headquarters, Carr's Brigade,
Sickles' Division.
Camp at Fairfax Seminary, Va., Oct. 18, 1862.
General: I have the honor to recommend the promotion of Captain William B. Tibbits, Second New York Volunteers, to be major vice George W. Wilson, resigned. Captain Tibbits is the senior and one of the only two original captains left with the regiment. He has been with it on every picket, march, and reconnaisance, and in every skirmish and battle, and at Big Bethel, Fair Oaks, Glendale, Malvern Hill, Bristow, and Bull Run. At Bristow he particularly distinguished himself, and was honorably mentioned for gallant and meritorious service at Bull Run. His vast experience, undaunted courage, and excellent judgment well qualify him for the position for which I have the honor to recommend him. I have the honor to be
Your most obedient servant,
JOSEPH B. CARR,
Brig Gen. U. S. A.
To Brigadier-General Thomas Hillhouse,
State of N. Y., Albany, N. Y.
This recommendation was duly honored and Captain Tibbits was commissioned major under date of October 13, 1862. On May 23, 1863, Major Tibbits took part in the battle of Chancellorsville, and his conduct was thus spoken of in a letter by General Mott: "Major Tibbits was in command of the Second New York Infantry in the brigade that I commanded at Chancellorsville. He acted in a gallant and meritorious manner, leading his regiment in several desperate charges against the enemy. I take pleasure in recommending him to the department as a worthy and deserving officer, having served in the field during the war." The term of the Second Regiment expired the following year, and Major Tibbits was mustered out with the regiment in Troy, May 23, 1863. June 17, 1863, he procured authorization papers to raise a cavalry regiment to be known as the Griswold Light Cavalry, to serve for three years unless sooner discharged. About the time this regiment was fully recruited, a number of prominent citizens of Troy presented him with a sword suitably inscribed with their appreciation and the names of the battles in which he had fought.
On January 24, 1864, he was mustered in as colonel of the Twenty-first Regiment, New York Cavalry (Griswold Light). Colonel Tibbits received honorary mention and promise of promotion. At the battle of Piedmont in the following June, Major General Stahel rode up and in the presence of his regiment thus addressed Colonel Tibbits: "I have to compliment you and your gallant regiment for the magnificent charge they made upon the field to-day." Subsequently the same officer confirmed this opinion in a most complimentary letter dated August 29, 1864. Colonel Tibbits was recommended for promotion by his division commander, Brigadier General A. N. Duffie, in a communication addressed to Major General David Hunter, on August 5, 1864, in which he says: "This officer has served under my command since June 10, 1864, and I have found him on all occasions a competent, faithful and gallant officer. He has on several occasions distinguished himself in action. His meritorious conduct has commanded the admiration of myself and his command." This recommendation was indorsed by General Hunter, and the deserved recognition of Colonel Tibbits' conduct was made still more, complimentary by being read on dress parade to each command in General Hunter's command. On November 17, 1864, the War Department conferred on Colonel Tibbits the rank of brevet brigadier-general, to date from October 21, 1864. General Tibbits served throughout the war and afterwards was ordered west, and it was not till September, 1865, that he received permission to return home. He was made a full brigadier general and received the rank of brevet major general, U.S.A. He was mustered out of the service under General Order No. 168, to date from January 16, 1866.
In 1867 he represented the interests of the Walter A. Wood Mowing & Reaping Machine Company at the International Exposition, in Paris, and at the invitation of the Emperor, Napoleon III., took part in the great review held in Paris that summer, as a member of the Emperor's staff. General Tibbits was for many years a great sufferer from injuries received during the war. He died February 10, 1880. He was one of the most intrepid spirits that the great civil war developed, quick and skillful in action, never at a loss to decide promptly at the critical moment, and never shirking a duty. It was said of him that he begged the privilege to charge when others were even unwilling to obey orders to advance.
(VIII) Le Grand Cannon, son of John Bleecker and Amelia Abby (Cannon) Tibbits, was born in Troy, New York, January 13, 1854. He was educated in private schools in Troy and New York City and at Union College. He engaged in the real estate business, which he has since followed, and took upon himself the entire management of the Tibbits estate at Hoosac. At the present time and for the past sixteen years he has been a director of the Walter A. Wood Mowing & Reaping Machine Company of Hoosick Falls. After his father's death he occupied the old Tibbits country seat at Hoosac, but spends considerable of his time in Europe. He has served as supervisor for his county, and was a member of the state senate, 1896-98, performing very effective work, being elected on the Republican ticket. He conceived and originated the committee of safety, 1895, and has taken an active part in reforms that have been and are being carried out. He is a member of the National Guard, serving as inspector of Third Brigade, 1883, on staff of General Oliver (now assistant secretary of war), with rank of lieutenant-colonel. He is a member and senior warden of All Saints Episcopal Church, Hoosac, and trustee of Hoosac school. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, the Troy Club, Kappa Alpha fraternity, and the Legion of Honor, becoming a member of the latter by hereditary right in 1880.
He married, October 8, 1890, Elizabeth Barrett Folger, of San Francisco, California, daughter of James Arthur and Ellen (Loughlin) Folger, the former having been a son of William Folger, and a descendant of Peter Folger, of Nantucket, and the latter a representative of a Vermont family.
(VIII) Edward Dudley, son of John Bleecker and Amelia Abby (Cannon) Tibbits, was born at Troy, New York, July 7, 1859. His parents removed to Hoosac when he was a few months old, but they spent their winters mostly in Troy and New York City. He was educated by private tutors, attended St. Paul's School, Concord, Massachusetts, entering in 1870, graduating in 1878, and entered the sophomore class of Williams College, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, 1881. He then traveled abroad for a short time, and in June, 1885, graduated from the General Theological Seminary, New York City. He was ordained deacon October 10, 1885, at All Saints Church, Hoosac, by Rt. Rev. W. C. Doane, D.D., Bishop of Albany, and served as deacon of that church until 1886. The following two years he spent abroad, traveling in Egypt and the Holy Land, spending a considerable part of this time in studying at Oxford, England, taking a special course in theology. He returned to Hoosac, New York, July, 1888, and was ordained priest, December 29, 1888, in All Saints Cathedral, Albany, by Bishop Doane, of which cathedral he was appointed honorary canon, which position he has continuously held. He was chaplain to Bishop Doane during the Bishops' Conference in London, June and July, 1888. After becoming a priest he was appointed rector of All Saints Parish, Hoosac. He established two missions, one at Bayntonville and the other at Raymertown, both in New York, building churches at both places. He also established a day parish school, which in 1892 was changed to a choir school for boys, called "All Saints Choir School." This work developed into the present Hoosac School for Boys, which in 1903 was incorporated, having a regular board of directors or trustees, to which was given some sixty-five acres, together with the buildings, including the stone church which now constitutes the plant of "Hoosac School." It has accommodation for about seventy-five boys, receiving boys between the ages of eleven and nineteen, and is a preparatory school for college; at the present time (1910) it has ten instructors. The School has an excellent reputation, and the boys enter eastern colleges direct from this school, subject to the rector of school. In 1907 Trinity College, Connecticut, tendered Dr. Tibbits the degree of Doctor of Letters, and in 1908 Williams College conferred on him the degree of Doctor of Divinity. He was appointed by Bishop Doane a delegate from the Diocese of Albany to the Pan-Anglican Congress, which met in London, England, June, 1908, but he could not accept on account of his work in the school. In 1910 he was appointed by the Board of Missions a delegate to the World's Missionary Congress at Edinburgh, Scotland, but had to decline this honor, as it met before the commencement of Hoosac School. He is a member of Delta Psi, and of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament. His vacations are generally spent in travel abroad.
(The Noyes Line)
(I) Rev. William Noyes, rector of Choulderton, county Wilts, England, matriculated at University College, Oxford, November 15, 1588, age twenty years, and was graduated A.B., May 31, 1592. He married Anne Stephens, daughter of Nicholas Stephens, Esq., of Burdrop Manor, Wiltshire. She was interred at Choulderton, March 7, 1657, aged eighty-two years. He died about 1622. Their sons, Rev. James and Deacon Nicholas Noyes, in March, 1634, embarked for New England, in the "Mary and John" of London, with their cousin, Rev. Thomas Parker.
(II) Rev. James Noyes, son of Rev. William and Anne (Stephens) Noyes, was born in Choulderton, Wiltshire, England, in 1608. He matriculated at Brasenose College, Oxford, August 22, 1656, but did not graduate. He died at Newbury, Massachusetts, October 22, 1656. He came to America, as stated, and after short stays at Medford and Watertown went with some friends to Newbury, where his cousin, Thomas Parker, desired him to assist in teaching the free school. He was much loved and honored in Newbury. He was very learned in the tongues, and in Greek excelled the most. He was the author of a catechism (still in use) and highly esteemed in the ministry. He had a grant of land on which he built a house, about 1645, in which he, his family and Thomas Parker lived. This house is still standing (1910), and has never known any owner but a Noyes, and is Newbury's proudest show place. He married, in England, in 1634, Sarah Brown, of Southampton. Children:
- Joseph, born in Newbury, October 15, 1637; first appears in Sudbury records, February 16, 1662; selectman twenty-eight years; constable; justice of the peace; owned many slaves; was twice married and had eight children.
- Rev. James, of Stonington, Connecticut; graduate of Harvard, 1659; founder and trustee of Yale College; married Dorothy, daughter of Thomas and Ann (Lord) Stanton; seven children.
- Rev. Moses, of Lyme, Connecticut; graduate of Harvard, 1659; fellow of Yale, 1706; first minister of Lyme, Connecticut, where he preached fifty years; married Ruth, daughter of John Picket, and granddaughter of Elder Brewster, of Plymouth Colony; five children.
- John (see forward).
- Thomas, of Newbury; a prominent man in colonial affairs; selectman; served, during the French and Indian wars in different grades, captain, major, lieutenant-colonel; married (first) Martha Pierce, (second) Elizabeth Greenleaf.
- Deacon William, of Newbury; prominent in church affairs; served during the Indian wars in Captain Thomas Noyes' company of "snow shoe" men; married Sarah Cogswell; nine children.
These are the six sons of Rev. James and Sarah (Brown) Noyes; they had three daughters:
- Sarah, the eldest, and third child, died young;
- Rebecca, the sixth child, married John Knight;
- Sarah, the ninth and youngest child, married John Hale.
(III) John, of Boston, fourth son and fifth child of Rev. James and Sarah (Brown) Noyes, was born in Newbury, Massachusetts, June 3, 1645, died November 9, 1678. He was made a freeman of Boston in 1675. He was second sergeant of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, 1678, and constable in 1675. He was a cooper by trade. He married, in 1671, Sarah Oliver (see Oliver). Children, born in Boston:
- Sarah, August 20, 1672.
- John, married Susanna Edwards; he was fourth sergeant of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company, 1699; ensign, 1704; he was a goldsmith.
- Dr. Oliver (see forward).
(IV) Dr. Oliver Noyes, youngest child of John and Sarah (Oliver) Noyes, was born in Boston, 1675, died March 16, 1721. He was a graduate of Harvard, 1695, A.M., 1721. He was a physician of Boston and Medford, Massachusetts, but found time to engage in other matters that concerned the welfare of his town. He was one of the projectors of the Long Wharf; was one of the proprietors of "Pejepscott" (Brunswick, Topsham and Brunswick, Maine). He was an officer of the "Ancient and Honorable," 1699; selectman, 1708-11, and from 1719 to 1721, and held other offices. He was a representative to the general court, 1714-16-19-29. His estate inventoried 17,193 pounds.
Dr. Oliver Noyes married (first), 1702, Ann, daughter of Governor Belcher; (second) February 6, 1718, Mrs. Katherine (Eyre, Eire, Eyers) Jeffries, born July 20, 1694, died May 6, 1760, daughter of John and Catherine (Brattle) Eyre, who were married May 20, 1680, and had children: Katherine, Bertha and John Eyre. Dr. Oliver Noyes died March 16, 1721.
John Eyre was the youngest son of Simon Eyre, a surgeon of Watertown, Massachusetts, who came to America in the ship "Increase," from London, embarking April 15, 1635, with wife Dorothy, aged thirty-eight, and children: Mary, aged fifteen; Thomas, thirteen; Simon, eleven; Rebecca, nine; Christian, seven; Ann, five; Benjamin, three; Sarah, three months. John, his youngest son, was born in Massachusetts, probably at Watertown. Simon was representative, selectman and clerk of the town.
Catherine Brattle, wife of John Eyre, was a daughter of Captain Thomas and Elizabeth (Tyng) Brattle, of Boston. Elizabeth Tyng was a daughter of Captain William Tyng, a merchant of distinction in Boston, who came to America in the "Nicholas," chartered by himself at London. He arrived in Boston, July 3, 1638. He was representative, 1639-44, and 1647; treasurer of the colony, 1640-44; captain of the militia company of Braintree, Massachusetts, where he removed in his latter days, and which he represented in the federal court, 1649-51. His widow (Jane, his third wife) survived him. His first wife was Ann Brown; his second, Elizabeth, daughter of Rowland Coytmore. Elizabeth Tyng, eldest daughter of Captain William Tyng, was born in England, 1638; married, in 1656, Captain Thomas Brattle, and they were the parents of Elizabeth, wife of John Eyre, the parents of Katherine Eyre (Jeffries) Noyes, second wife of Dr. Oliver Noyes. Children of Dr. Oliver and Ann (Belcher) Noyes, born in Boston:
- Ann, married (first) Azor Gale; (second) Rev. Mather Byles.
- Oliver, died young.
- Oliver, died young.
- Sarah, married (first) ———— Pulcifer; (second) ———— Bridgham.
- John, died young.
- John, died young.
Oliver, only son of Dr. Oliver and his second wife, Katherine (Eyre) (Jeffries) Noyes, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, December 8, 1720. He married (first) Ann ————; (second) Sarah Badger, born 1747, died 1788, daughter of Jonathan and Mary (Baxter) Badger, who were married at Charleston, South Carolina, 1743. Jonathan Badger died at Providence, July 31, 1774.
(VI) Sarah, daughter of Oliver and Sarah (Badger) Noyes, married Hon. George Tibbits. (See Tibbits).
(The Oliver Line)
(I) Thomas Oliver (gentleman) was born in Bristol, England, where he died in 1557. He married Margaret ————, and had issue, a son and daughter.
(II) John (merchant), second child and only son of Thomas and Margaret Oliver, was born at Bristol, England, died there and was buried in St. Stephen's churchyard, January 31, 1598. He married, August 28, 1557, at the same church, Elizabeth Rowland. Issue, six sons and four daughters.
(III) Thomas (2) (surgeon), fourth child and second son of John and Elizabeth (Rowland) Oliver, was born at Bristol, England, in 1582, baptized at St. Stephen's Church, April 14, 1582, died at Boston, Massachusetts, 1657. He married Anne ————, who died at Boston, Massachusetts, May, 1635. They came to Boston with children (six sons and two daughters), June 5, 1632, in the ship "Lion." He was one of the founders of the First Church (now in Chauncey place). He married (second) at Boston, Anne ————, who died December 20, 1662.
(IV) Peter (merchant), fourth child and son of Thomas (2) and Anne Oliver, was born in Bristol, England, about 1622, died in Boston, Massachusetts, April 11, 1670. He was one of the founders of the old South Church, and in 1669 commander of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. He married, about 1642, Sarah Newdigate, of Boston, who died October 9, 1692. They had five sons and three daughters.
(V) Sarah, daughter of Peter and Sarah (Newdigate) Oliver, married John Noyes. They were the great-grandparents of Sarah Noyes, wife of Hon. George Tibbits, of Troy, New York.
(The Knox Line)
The family name of Knox has a territorial origin, being derived from the Celtic word "Cnoc," signifying a small hill. About the year 1266 Johanne de Cnok is named as a witness in a charter of the lands at Ingleston, Renfrewshire, Scotland. In 1328 two payments from the exchequer of King Robert the Bruce were made to Alanus del Knoc. Those bearing the name of Knox in his day derive lustre from being connected with the race which produced John Knox, the illustrious Scotch reformer, to whom Englishmen are in part indebted for the Protestant character of their Book of Common Prayer, and Scotsmen for a reformation so thorough as to permanently resist the encroachments of an aggressive sacerdotalism. By three centuries he anticipated the parochial system of education, now the law of England, and by nearly half that period he set forth those principles of civil and religious liberty which culminated in a system of constitutional government. The family in Scotland, Ireland and England, are prominent all down the years of recorded happenings in those lands, in ecclesiastical, civil and military life. They have held the highest positions in both church and state. Major-General Henry Knox, of the revolution, descended from the Belfast, Ireland, family. Alexander Knox, a powerful and elegant writer, was of Londonderry, Ireland. He was a personal friend of the founder of Methodism, John Wesley. Hugh Knox, of the Scotch family of Ranfurlie, settled in the parish of Donagheady, county of Londonderry, Ireland, during the latter half of the seventeenth century. He had sons and grandsons prominent as divines, and one of this family, George Knox, was a West Indian proprietor, merchant and ship owner. He spent part of his life in the West Indies, but returned to London, England, where he died. The supposition is strong that Rev. Hugh Knox, who died on the island of Santa Cruz, was connected with this Irish branch of the family. Santa Cruz was also known as Saint Croix. Alexander's Princeton in the Eighteenth Century says: "He settled at Saint Croix, where he spent the remainder of his days."
(I) Rev. Hugh Knox came to America in 1751. Dr. Rodgers, becoming interested, established a school of which Mr. Knox (said to have been educated at the University of Glasgow) became the head. While thus engaged an event happened that moulded the whole of his after life. He became acquainted with a number of young men who were accustomed to meet on Saturday afternoons for a frolic. On one of these occasions one of the party cried out to Knox: "Come, Parson," (a title they had given him on account of his grave manner, and withal a great admirer of Dr. Rodgers' preaching), "come, Parson, give us a sermon." At first he declined, but being pressed, gave an exact imitation of Dr. Rodgers and almost verbatim the sermon he had preached on the previous Sunday. As he proceeded, his auditors, who began to listen in merriment, became deeply serious, and the speaker himself was overwhelmed with a sense of his sin. The next morning, overcome with remorse, he fled from the place. Soon after he went to Newark and applied for admission to the college at Princeton, then the College of New Jersey. He related his whole previous course and his repentance and was admitted. His course in college was all that could be desired. After his graduation from Princeton, class of 1754, he studied theology with President Burr, and was ordained by the Presbytery of New York in 1755, and was sent to the island of Saba (Dutch West Indies, eighteen miles northwest of St. Eustacius, of which it is a dependency; it contains fifteen square miles), as pastor to the Dutch Church of the island. At his ordination he preached a sermon on the "Dignity and Importance of the Gospel Ministry," which was published by the unanimous request of the Presbytery. In 1772 he resigned his church at Saba and settled at St. Croix (Santa Cruz), one of the largest of the virgin isles of the West Indies, forming with St. Thomas and St. John a Danish colony, where he spent the remainder of his days as minister of the Reformed church there. The celebrated Alexander Hamilton was placed in early boyhood under the instruction of Rev. Knox, and formed a strong attachment for him, while he in return watched and assisted with the utmost fidelity the development of the wonderful powers of his pupil. They kept up an active correspondence in after life, and two of Rev. Knox's letters are preserved in the first volume of Hamilton's works. Rev. Knox received his A.M. degree from Princeton, 1754, and in 1768 from Yale, and his degree of D.D. was conferred by the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Dr. Knox published (according to Dr. Miller) five or six volumes, chiefly sermons. Two volumes of his sermons, printed in Glasgow in 1772, are in the library of the college at Princeton. (From Alexander's Princeton College in the Eighteenth Century.)
Rev. Hugh Knox married Christina Love, believed to have been daughter of the governor of the island of Santa Lucia. They had children. Dr. Knox died at Santa Cruz, 1790.
(II) Hugh (2), son of Rev. Hugh (1) and Christina (Love) Knox, was born at Santa Cruz, West Indies, in 1782. He was sent to Norwalk, Connecticut, at the age of eight years, and placed under the care and tutorship of his father's friend, Rev. Matthias Burnett, D.D. There he grew up, entered Yale College, was graduated in the class of 1800, studied law, but on account of ill health never practiced. In 1840 he removed to Troy, New York, where he died in 1858, aged seventy-eight years. He married (first) Henrietta, daughter of Samuel Cannon, of Norwalk, Connecticut, and sister of Le Grand Cannon, of Troy (see forward). She died in 1812. He married (second) Martha, daughter of Stephen Keeler, of Norwalk. Henrietta Cannon was the daughter of Samuel Cannon, born July 28, 1754, and his wife, Sarah (Belden) Cannon, born January 20, 1754, and granddaughter of John Cannon, born 1725, died February 17, 1796, and his wife, Esther (Perry) Cannon, great-granddaughter of John and Jerusha (Sands) Cannon, great-great-granddaughter of John Cannon, a Merchant of New York City, who married, September 16, 1697, Marie Le Grand, daughter of Pierre Le Grand, a French merchant of New York City.
(III) John Le Grand, son of Hugh (2) and Henrietta (Cannon) Knox, was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, November 15, 1803, died at Troy, New York, August 21, 1879. He received a good practical education in the schools of Norwalk and Troy, being sent to the latter city in 1813. In Troy he attended Dr. Stoddard's school, and in 1820 began business life as a clerk in the dry-goods house of Southwick, Cannon & Warren. He spent seven years with that firm and then embarked in business on his own account. He became a prominent merchant of Troy and was associated at different times with Francis Morgan, John H. Whitlock and Gould Rockwell. He dealt in dry goods; he was highly esteemed as a businessman and as a citizen. He retired from mercantile life and was connected with the iron works of H. Burden & Son from 1857 to 1876, when he retired from active life. He was a Federalist, afterward a Whig, and later in life a Republican. He never was active in politics, but was always deeply interested in national and local questions of the country. He married (first) Mary M., daughter of Stephen Warren, of Troy. He married (second) April 25, 1839, Elizabeth Carter, born August 6, 1813, died May 25, 1885, daughter of Charles and Jane (Carter) Sigourney, of Hartford, Connecticut (set Sigourney). Children:
- Mary Elizabeth, see forward.
- Charles Sigourney, born in Troy, May 28, 1843; graduated from Columbia College, A.B., 1862; now (1910) professor of Latin at St. Paul's School, Concord, New Hampshire.
- John Hugh, see forward.
- Stephen Warren, born in Troy, June 12, 1847, died at. Hoosick, New York, July 23, 1867.
- James Carter, born in Troy, February 6, 1849; graduated from St. Paul's School; now (1910) professor in same school in English and music.
- Henry Cannon, born in Troy, September 16, 1851, died in San Francisco, California, May 25, 1872; graduate of St. Paul's School.
(VII) Mary Elizabeth, eldest daughter of John Le Grand and Elizabeth Carter (Sigourney) Knox, was born March 11, 1842, married Charles Edward Dudley Tibbits (see Tibbits).
(VII) John Hugh, second son of John Le Grand and Elizabeth Carter (Sigourney) Knox, was born in Troy, October 25, 1845. He graduated from Churchill Military College, Sing Sing, New York, 1862. He then engaged in the hardware manufacturing business, continuing for a period of eight years, and in 1878 engaged in the general insurance and real estate business. He is a member of the Church of Holy Cross (Episcopal), and is an Independent in politics. He is an exempt fireman, retiring in 1868; trustee and secretary of Episcopal Church Home, serving in the latter capacity since 1900; and one of the founders of the Troy Vocal Society, organized in 1875. He has been identified with musical circles of Troy for many years; he makes a specialty of church music, is a bass soloist, and has been connected with various choirs for forty-five years; he was formerly with St. Paul's Church and St. John's Episcopal Church choirs, but is now (1910) connected with the choir of the Church of the Holy Cross, which was the first church in the United States to render a choral service. He married, September 3, 1878, in Troy, New York, Maria Talmadge, daughter of Henry A. Farnsworth.
(The Sigourney Line)
The name of Sigourney is found among that band of Huguenots who sought refuge in New England from the persecutions that succeeded the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV., October 22, 1685. The ancestor of the American branch of the family, Andrew Sigourney, or, according to the French orthography, André Séjourné, is said to have been comfortably settled at or near Rochelle, France, when the Edict was revoked. He at once left France and went to England. Under the auspices of Governor Joseph Dudley and others, proprietors of Oxford, Worcester county, Massachusetts, a colony of Huguenots was assisted to proceed to America where they arrived in the winter of 1686. The Sigourneys were of the company who, with their pastor, Pierre Daille, formed the settlement at Oxford in Worcester county on the banks of a stream which still retains the name they gave it, French river. His wife, whose maiden name was Charlotte Pairan, his son Andrew, a lad of thirteen years, and his daughter Susan came with Andrew to America. [* The wife of Andre Séjourné the first, is twice referred to in Baird's Huguenots in America, and her name given as Charlotte Pairan. According to this book (Vol. II, p. 267) they left France for England as early as 1681, and had a child born in London in 1682 which was baptized in the French church in Threadneedle street, April 16, 1682.] The gravestone of the emigrant ancestor stands in the "Granary" graveyard in Boston, Massachusetts, and bears the following: "Andrew Sigourney died April 16, 1727, aged 89." Children:
- Andrew (see forward).
- Susan, born in France; married John Johnson, who was killed with his three children by Indians at Oxford, Massachusetts, 1696; she married (second) April 18, 1700, her cousin, Daniel Johonnot, of Boston, born in France. There may have been other children of the emigrant, as there was a Samuel Sigourney who married Mary Dunbar, December 1, 1723, and a Charlotte who married Peter Holman, May 26, 1719, both married by Andrew Le Mercier, pastor of the French Church, but they cannot positively be identified as children of Andrew Sigourney.
(II) Andrew (2), son of Andrew (1) Sigourney, "the founder," was born in France, 1673. He came to America with his father in 1686, and became a distiller of Boston, Massachusetts. He was one of the proprietors of the French Church in South Latin School street, being one with others who executed a deed, May 7, 1748, conveying the same to another society. He died in 1748, and his will, made May 20, 1736, was recorded in Suffolk, July 7, 1748 (lib. 41, folio 148). He married Mary Germaine, born in France, March 2, 1680, died March 20, 1763-64. Children, all born in Boston, Massachusetts:
- Andrew (see forward).
- Susannah, married, by Rev. Andrew Le Mercier, to Martin Brimmer, born 1697, at Osten, Germany; eleven children.
- Peter, died 1738; no marriage recorded.
- Mary, married, February 20, 1734, John Baker, who came from Guernsey, or Jersey.
- Charles, died 1711, unmarried.
- Anthony, married Mary Waters, of Salem; (second) a widow, Elizabeth (Whittemore) Breed.
- Daniel, married (first) 1735, Mary Varney; (second) Joanna Tileston; (third) Rebecca Tileston.
- Rachel, died September 20, 1719.
- Hannah, married Hon. Samuel Dexter, son of Rev. Samuel Dexter, of Dedham; Hon. Samuel Dexter was the ardent patriot of Boston, several times elected to the council, and as often rejected by the royal governor of the province; upon his legacy to Harvard University the Dexter Lectureship is founded.
(III) Andrew (3), son of Andrew (2) and Mary (Germaine) Sigourney, was born in Boston, Massachusetts, January 30, 1702. He was married, by Rev. Andrew Le Mercier, pastor of the French Church, October 7, 1731, to Mary, only daughter of John Ronchon. Andrew Sigourney died November 4, 1762, and Mary his wife died February 28, 1772. Children:
- Mary Ann, died young.
- Andrew (4), died young.
- Mary, married Samuel Sloan; six children.
- Andrew (5), died young.
- John Ronchon, married Eunice Kidder.
- Andrew (6), died young.
- Elizabeth, married (first) ———— Paine; (second) ———— Doyle; (third) ———— Luckas.
- Susanna, married John Osborn.
- Andrew (7), born March 27, 1746, died November 23, 1767.
- Charles (see forward).
- Martin Baker, died young.
- Hannah, married Captain John Patten, of Biddeford, Maine (who was lost by shipwreck at Marshfield, January 11, 1783); she married (second) Benjamin Balch, of Newburyport.
(IV) Charles, tenth child of Andrew (3) and Mary (Ronchon) Sigourney, was born March 4, 1748, died May 20, 1806. He married (first) 1771, Sarah Frazier, daughter of Captain John Frazier and Sarah Ingraham, his wife, who bore him eight children. Married (second) February 22, 1788, Mary Greenleaf, who was the mother of eight children:
- Charles (2), died in infancy.
- Charles (3), died in infancy.
- George, died in infancy.
- John, died in infancy.
- Charles (4), see forward.
- Maria, died in infancy.
- Sarah, died at age of twenty-one years.
- Henry, married (first) Rebecca Carter; (second) Margaret M. Barker.
- William Parsons, died at age of thirty years.
- Harriet, died in infancy.
- Elizabeth Parsons, married George G. Channing.
- Mary, died in infancy.
- Mary, married J. P. Froding.
- Ann Pearson, married William Rollins.
- Jane Carter, married Fred A. Farley.
- George, died at the age of nineteen years.
(V) Charles (2), son of Charles (1) and Sarah (Frazier) Sigourney, was born July 21, 1778, at Boston, Massachusetts, died at Hartford, Connecticut, December 30, 1854. He was a prosperous hardware merchant and banker, and one of the founders of Trinity College at Hartford, Connecticut. He married (first) May 25, 1803, Jane Carter, who bore him three children. Married (second) June 16, 1819, Lydia Huntley. Charles Sigourney bore a most enviable reputation, and the notices of his death, taken from the newspapers of the day, are laudatory and appreciative. He was sent to England to finish his education. He was a devout Christian, benevolent and kind. His constant companion was a New Testament printed in the original Greek, which he diligently studied. He was president of the Phoenix Bank of Hartford. He served as one of the first trustees of Trinity College, was warden of Christ Church, and was a patron of various literary, educational and charitable institutions. Children:
- Charles Henry, born January 11, 1811.
- Elizabeth Carter, married John Le Grand Knox (q. v.).
- Jane Carter, born April 9, 1815; married, October 3, 1839, Michael Burnham.
- Mary Huntley, married Francis T. Russell.
- Andrew Maximilian, died at age of twenty years.