MIDDLETOWN UPPER HOUSES

a history of the north society of Middletown, Ct.
from 1650 to 1800
with genealogical and biographical chapters
on early families.

Charles Collard Adams
New York: Grafton Press, 1908.

THE EELLS FAMILY

[transcribed by Coralynn Brown ]

The name of John Iles first appears in this country on the records of Dorchester, Mass., under date of "The 6th January, Mooneday, 1633." 1. John Eales was made a freeman at the General Court, May 14, 1634. He was therefore a church member. The majority of the Dorchester church had removed to Windsor. The records of the present First Church of Dorchester contain the following: 2. "Samuell Eelles, his ffather beinge memb of the church of Winso was by Communio of churches baptised 3 mo. 3th ann 1640."     A town vote of "4th of January 1635" gives to John Eales "20 acres," and makes other grants. In 1641 he returned to England.     Samuel Eells (John), must have been born May 1, 1640, as this son recorded his father's age at death on April 21, 1709, Hingham, as being sixty-eight years, eleven months and twenty days old. The first knowledge of the return of Samuel Eells to this country is contained in the town records of Milford, Conn., as follows: "Mr. Samuel Eells of Milford and Ana Lenthall weare maryed the fift day agust Sixty three by Captain Marshal Commisioner at Lin." (Lynn). In 1677 he was one of a committee to transcribe the "Old books." He held many local offices, was frequentlly a member of the General Court, and prominent in military affairs. He appears to have been a weaver. The "History of King Philip's War," by Benjamin Church, second edition, Newport, R.I., 1772, shows that the Indians captured by him in Dartmouth were "carried away to Plymouth, there sold, and transported out of the country, being about eight-score persons." He was admitted to the Milford, Conn. church, May 15, 1670, and his wife on July 10th of that year. She died in Feb., 1687. On August 22, 1689, he married Sarah North in Hingham, Mass., dau of John and Hannah (____) Bateman and widow of John North. At this time he removed to Hingham. In 1700 he was "Major." In 1705 he was deputy to the General Court. The town records say: "Maj. Samuell Eells one of His maiesties Justices of the peace for the County of Suffolk; dyed the 21 day of April 1709;" There is no gravestone to enable one to locate his grave. His will is dated Aug. 1, 1705. The widow removed to Scituate to reside with her son, Rev. Nathaniel, where she d. Feb. 9, 1717. The sons to survive infancy were: 3. Samuel, b. Sept. 2, 1666. John, bapt. June 5, 1670. 4. Nathaniel, b. Nov. 26, 1677. 3. Samuel Eells (Samuel, John), b. Sept. 2, 1666, bapt. June 5, 1670, Milford, Conn., is next heard of Jan. 13, 1695-6, when he is given land. In 1696 he is made a constable; 1699 is on School Committee; 1701-1708 is a townsman; 1711 Major Eells is at liberty to build a pew for himself and his family; 1739 is appointed Colonel of the New Haven County regiment, which position he held till Oct. 1752. He was a Deputy to the General Court for twelve seasons and a Judge of the "Superiour Court of Juricature," a Judge of the New Haven County Court, a Judge of probate, a Naval Officer for the Port of Milford. He married three times. His will is dated Mar. 20, 1753, but there is no record of his death and his grave is unknown. He gave his "House & Homelot where I dwell" to his son Nathaniel, who in 1754, sold it to Stephen Stow of Upper Houses. (See Stow Family). His sons were: Samuel, bapt. Nov. 6, 1698; m. Deborah Burwell and res. in Milford. John, bapt. Apr. 11, 1703; m. (1) Jan. 11, 1727-28, Anne Beard; m. (2) Abigail Comstock, and was pastor of the Cong. ch., New Canaan, Conn. 5. Nathaniel, bapt. July 22, 1705. 4. Rev. Nathaniel Eells (Samuel, John), b. Nov. 26, 1677, Milford, Conn., bapt. Dec. 30, 1677, was eleven years of age when his father removed to Hingham. He graduated, 1699, at Harvard. On April 23, 1704, "the Society on the north River in Scituate voted unanimously concuring with the vote of the Church aforesayd," and he was ordained pastor on June 14, 1704. The sermons he preached June 14, 1733, at the ordiantionof his son Nathaniel in Stonington, Conn., and Sept. 6, 1738 at the ordination of his son Edward, as pastor in Upper Houses are to be found in the library of Connecticut Historical Society. He prepared his own sons and others for the ministry. The History of Scituate by Samuel Deane, 1831, says of him:     "There are a few good people now living who remember him. They describe his person to have been a stature rather above mediocrity, of broad chest and muscular proportions, remarkably erect, somwhat corpulent in his later years, of dark complexion, with large black eyes and brows, and of general manners rather dignified and commanding than sprightly and pleasing. He had an influence and authority amongst his people that none of his successors have exercised, and which may have been in some measure a peculiarity of earlier times than these."     The record of his marriage reads: "Mr. Nathaniel Eells of Situate was married to Mrs. Hannah North of Hingham on the 12th day of October 1704 by maj. Samuel Eells Justis of the peace."     The records of the South Scituate Society say: "The Revd Mr. Nathaniel Eells Departed this life August ye 25th 1750 in the 47th Year of his Ministry and 73d Year of his Age."     The Society defrayed the funeral expenses and ordered gravestones. He had his will in 1732. On Aug. 17, 1752, Nathaniel Eells, "Clerk," of Stonington, Conn., and Edward Eells, "Clerk," of Middletown, Conn., united with other children in selling their interest in the homestead. Mrs. Eells' will, dated Sept. 1, 1752, mentions Abiah Eells, daughter of her son John, deceased. Children: 6. John, b. Feb. 15, 1708-09; m. June 4, 1730, Abiah Waterman. 7. Rev. Edward, b. Jan. 3, 1712-13. 5. Nathaniel Eells (Samuel, Samuel, John), bapt. July 22, 1705, Milford, Conn.; m. Oct. 29, 1739, Middletown Upper Houses, Martha Stow; his father "Hon. Saml Eells Asst." performing the ceremony. She d. May 12, 1740. He m. (2) Feb. 17, 1742-3, Alice White, b. Feb. 25, 1713-14, Middletown Upper Houses, dau of Daniel White and Alice Cook of Guilford. On Apr. 10, 1742, he purchased of John Shepard for 1,000 lbs, four pieces of land in the Upper Houses. The homestead of eight acres extended on Main Street from the south corner of the Methodist church lot to the S.E. cor. of land now (1908) the Soldier's Home. In 1743 he sold the southeast corner of 60 rods, 6x10, to Daniel Ranney, who immediately sold it to Jeremiah Ranney, who built thereon and who, in 1753, sold it to Francis Whitmore, whose daughter, Mary, later sold it to Nathaniel Eells, son of Nathaniel. The great elm tree in front of the Methodist church is very aged. This Ranney house stood till 1857. Mr. Eells had been led to settle in Upper Houses by reason of the fact that his cousin, Rev. Edward, was pastor. He held many offices and d. Sept. 9, 1776. The gravestones of himself and second wife, are of Portland brownstone. His aged mother is buried next to him. Children: 8. Martha, b. Dec. 12, 1743; m. Samuel Spencer. 9. Nathaniel, b. Sept. 8, 1748. Theodosia, b. June 10, 1754; rem. 1795, with her brother, Daniel, to New Hartford, N.Y., where she d. Dec. 7, 1850, having lived under the same roof with this brother from his birth to her death. 10. Daniel, b. Dec. 5, 1757. 6. John Eells, b. Feb. 15, 1709; m. Jan. 4, 1730, Abiah Waterman. In 1750 he drowned in No. Carolina. She m. (2) Abijah Miller of Upper Houses and d. 1782, aged sixty-seven. Children: Waterman, b. abt. Aug. 13, 1732; m. Sarah ____. He removed from Upper Houses to Lanesboro, Mass., where he and son John served in Rev. War. Children bapt. in Upper Houses: John, bapt. Mar. 5, 1738, Sarah, bapt. May 8, 1743. Anna Lenthal, bapt. May 19, 1745; m. Oct. 14, 1762, William Savage (William, John, John). She d. May 10, 1820, Upper Houses. He d. Apr. 29, 1824. Tombstones in old Cromwell Cemetery. Abigail, b. abt. Nov. 4, 1750; m. (1) Aug. 20, 1772, Jonathan Stow; m. (2) Feb. 5, 1785, William White; m. (3) May 21, 1793, Capt. William Sage. (See Stow, White, Sage chapters). Lucy Anna, b. ___; m. Oct. 14, 1762, Churchill Edwards of Upper Houses. (See Edwards Family). 7. Rev. Edward Eells, b. Jan. 3, 1713, Scituate, Mass., m. (1) July 24, 1740, Mrs. Martha Pitkin of Hartford, who d. July 19, 1771; m. (2) May 19, 1772, Patience (Bulkeley) Lord, widow of Ichabod Lord of Marlboro, Conn., who d. ____. He d. Oct. 19, 1775. Grad. 1733, Harvard; studied theology with his fahter; ordained and installed pastor of Upper Houses, Sept. 6, 1738, the sermon preached by his father being published. A copy is in the Conn. State Hist. Soc. Library. Fellow of Yale Corporation, 1761; chaplain one season, in French-Indian War; clerk of the Council in the noted Wallingford Church Council of "Old Lights," vs. "New Lights," and published his account of it. He was given the land west of the old cemetery from the road on the north to the road on the south. He built thereon, on the northeast corner, opposite the cemetery. He built on the south-east part for his son, Maj. Edward Eells. He baptized several whom he termed, "my negro servants." Children: 11. Edward, b. Apr. 11, 1741. 12. James, b. Mar. 11, 1743. Samuel, b. Jan. 13, 1745; m. Nov. 7, 1770, Hannah Butler; grad. 1765, Yale. Settled as pastor in Branford, Conn.; one Sunday raised a company of soldiers and served as their captain in the Rev. Army. m. (2) ____ Goodrich. Nathaniel, b. 1747; d. 1748. Pitkin, b. May 16, 1750; d. 1817. Jane, b. 1752; d. 1752. John, b. July 20, 1753; m. Elizabeth Lord; was a drummer in company of his brother, Major Edward. Ozias, b. Sept. 3, 1755; grad. Yale, pastor of Barkhamstead, Conn. Hannah, b. Apr. 5, 1757. 8. Martha Eells, b. Dec. 12, 1743, Upper Houses; m. May 23, 1771, Samuel Spencer, b. Oct. 20, 1744, East Middletown, Conn., son of John Spencer and Elizabeth Taylor. In 1771 he purchased half of the "John Elliott" house and two and one-half acres. In 1777 he purchased the other half of the house, and d. Oct. 12, 1818. His father had died when he was quite young. His mother made her home with him in the Upper Houses and is buried there. His widow d. Feb. 19, 1831. Children: Martha, bapt. Feb. 16, 1772; m. Nov. 10, 1791, Jehiel Williams, Jr. Hannah, bapt. July 31, 1774; m. Nov. 27, 1794, Zebulon Stow, Jr. Lucy, bapt. Jan. 5, 1777; d. Jan. 28, 1778. Betsey, bapt. Sept. 18, 1779; m. Nov. 2, 1800, Elisha Kirby (See the Kirby Family). Lucy, bapt. Mar. 31, 1782; m. Nov. 12, 1801, Giles Kirby (See the Kirby Family). Mary, bapt. Sept. 19, 1784; m. July 5, 1807, Dr. Titus Morgan, whose cousin married her sister Sally. They occupied the Spencer homestead. He practiced medicine here till his death. He was an author and a poet. The widow rem. to Hartford as a member of the family of her sister Sally Morgan. Was very active in church work. She d. on Whitsun Day, 1845, and is buried in Cromwell. A mural tablet in her memory has been erected in Christ Ch., Hartford. Their only child, Titus Janius, d. 1809, aged 11 months. 13. Sally, bapt. May 6, 1784; m. Sept. 20, 1807, Joseph Morgan Jr. 9. Nathaniel Eells, b. Sept. 8, 1748, Upper Houses; m. Feb. 22, 1776, Huldah White, b. Feb. 10, 1750-51, dau of Moses White and Huldah Knowles, and sister to Ruth (White) Ranney and Rev. Calvin White. He inherited the south half of the homestead, including the house and was charged to care for his mother and also for Daniel, to whom the north half of the homestead was given. He was by trade a wheelwright and miller. In 1797 he removed to New York State. There were seven children. (See the Eells Family by James Junius Goodwin). 10. Daniel Eells, b. Dec. 5, 1757, Upper Houses; m. Oct. 5, 1782, Martha Hamlin, b. Mar. 29, 1761, dau of nathaniel Hamlin and Lucretia Ranney (Daniel, Joseph, Thomas). Nathaniel Hamlin was son of Richard Hamlin and Martha Smith, dau of Rev. Joseph Smith of Upper Houses. Daniel Eells inherited the north half of his father's homestead and built the house which he sold in 1795 to John Williams. It is the house south of the Soldiers' Home. His removal to New York was in December, and was accomplished with ox sleds carrying his wife, sister Theodosia, six children and the family supplies. The trip extended over three weeks through an almost unbroken forest, blazed trees being the guiding stars. He enlisted in 1775 and worked all night on the entrenchments on Breed's Hill. In the morning he was ordered on a scouting expedition and missed being in the battle of Bunker Hill. He was at the battle of Long Island, Aug. 27, 1776, and with Washignton in the retreat from New York. He served also on a privateer, was captured and taken a prisoner to Havana. He purchased a farm in New Hartford, N.Y., and lived in the same till his death on July 19, 1831. His wife had d. May 26, 1834. Children: William, b. July 26, 1783, Upper Houses; m. Nov. 8, 1810, Nancy Savage, b. Oct. 25, 1787; mer. and mfr.; capt in War of 1812; d. Jan. 17, 1866, Clinton, N.Y.; she d. Nov. 3, 1883. Child: Martha, b. Aug. 26, 1811; m. William Hobby; she d. Apr. 26, 1870. Four children. 14. Robert, b. July 26, 1785. 15. Patty, b. Oct. 26, 1787. Fanny, b. June 28, 1790, Upper Houses; m. 1817, New Hartford, N.Y., Samuel Johnson, b. 1791, Middletown, Conn., builder and contractor. He d. 1877; she d. Oct. 8, 1875, Cleveland, O. Child: Jane E., b. Nov. 28, 1819; m. 1840, Herman Hrulbut; res. Euclid Ave., Cleveland, O. Nancy, b. Oct. 8, 1792, Upper Houses; m. 1840, Tillinghast Simmons. She d. May 11, 1872. No children. Lucretia, b. Nov. 30, 1794, Upper Houses, preceptress of Young Ladies' Sem.; d. unm. Aug. 26, 1865. Daniel, b. Sept. 12, 1799, New Hartford, N.Y.; m. 1800, Emily Goodrich; farmer. He d. Nov. 12, 1873; she d. Mar. 9, 1874. Mary, b. Oct. 5, 1801, New Hartford, N.Y.; m. Oct. 25, 1831, Edwin Miller, b. 1803, Conn. Both d. Elyria, O.; she Jan. 1, 1899; he Mar. 20, 1881. Three children. 11. Major Edward Eells, b. Aug. 11, 1741, Upper Houses, m. (1) Jan. 27, 1763, Sarah Edwards, bapt. May 18, 1740, dau of David Edwards and Mary Churchill, who had just rem. from Wethersfield to the Upper Houses. She d. July 4, 1769; m. (2) Apr. 26, 1770, Abigail Brandagee, widow of Capt. Jacob (John, John, John) and dau of Abigail Dunham, who d. Jan. 25, 1825. Maj. Edward Eells was in the militia service, organizewd 1774, when trouble was anticipated with the mother country. The day after the news of Lexington reached Middletown he marched in the troop of horse commanded by Capt. Comfort Sage. He remained in service all through the war and was discharged in 1783 with the title of Brevet Major. He was one of the founders of the Society of the Cincinnati. He died Dec. 7, 1787. Children by 1st marriage: Reuben, b. Mar. 1, 1764; m. Sept. 7, 1788, Hannah Brooks. Children: Joseph, Edward, Pitkin. 16. David Edwards, b. July 15, 1765. Sarah, b. June 1, 1769; d. Sept. 1, 1769. Children by 2d marriage: Sarah, b. Apr. 22, 1771; m. Nov. 24, 1797, Capt. Asa Sage. Her tombstone was erected by Asa Sage Ranney. He d. July 15, 1816. Wilmington, N.C. She d. Mar. 7, 1838. 17. Samuel, b. May 13, 1773. 12. Rev. James Eells, b. Mar. 11, 1743, Upper Houses; m. Sept. 5, 1770, Mrs. Mary Johnson, widow of Deacon Thomas Johnson, who d. Sept. 9, 1802, in the fifty-fourth year of her age. He grad. 1763 at Yale, and then studied theology with the Rev. Dr. Backus of Somers. He was called Apr. 20, 1769, to the pastorate of the East Glastonbury Cong. ch., at a salary of 70 lbs, with 100 lbs for a settlement the use of forty acres and twenty-five cords of wood annually brought to his house. He was ordained Aug. 22, 1769, the service being held on a flat rock in the vicinity of where the meeting-house was built, the sermon being preached by his father. He d. Jan. 20, 1805. Child: 18. James, b. Apr. 27, 1778. 13. Sally Spencer, bapt. May 6, 1787, Upper Houses; m. Sept. 20, 1807, Joseph Morgan Jr., b. Jan. 4, 1780 in Ireland Parish, West Springfield, Mass.; only son of Joseph Morgan and Experience Smith. He rem. 1817 to Hartford, Conn., and became proprietor of the "Exchange Coffee House." In April, 1829 he leased the City Hotel and in 1835 retired from business, one of the founders, a director, and large owner of stock in the Aetna (Fire) Ins. Co. till death, July 23, 1847. The widow d. Aug. 6, 1859. Children: Mary, b. Nov. 19, 1808; m. July 16, 1832, Rev. James A. Smith, son of Rev. Joseph M. Smith and Nancy C. Root. Lucy, b. Feb. 4, 1811; m. July 30, 1832, James Goodwin, Esq., of Hartford, parents of the Rev. Francis Goodwin, D.D. and James Junius Goodwin, who have done so much for the City of Hartford. Junius Spencer, b. Apr. 14, 1813; m. May 2, 1836, Juliet Pierpont. Parents of J. Pierpont Morgan, whose portrait adorns our Life Membership Certificate and who has very generously aided our Society and given $100 for books for the Nathaniel White Public School. [Spencer Lineage - Thomas Spencer in 1635 had land recorded to him in "Newtowne," now Cambridge, Mass., and is supposed to be the Thomas Spencer who took the freeman's oath May 14, 1634. In 1639 he had become a resident of Hartford, Conn., and many parcels of land were recorded to him. He m. (2) Sept. 11, 1645, Sarah Bearding, dau of Nathaniel Bearding of Hartford. He d. Sept. 11, 1687.     Obadiah Spencer was adm. a freeman in 1658, being the child of the first wife, whose name is not known. He m. Mary Desborough, dau of Nicholas Desborough of Hartford. In his will Obadiah makes mention of his "wife's father," Mark Keley deceased.     Samuel Spencer, b. Hartford, bought May 2, 1727, for 120 lbs lands near Middle Haddam, was adm. Nov. 18, 1733, to the church in East Middletown, was an original member of the Haddam Neck Cong. ch. organized in 1740. He d. 1756.     John Spencer, b. Oct. 10, 1696, Hartford; m. Nov. 4, 1741, Elizabeth Taylor. He d. 1757. The widow died in Upper Houses, June 30, 1807, aged ninety. Her gravestone is in the Spencer row of the old cemetery in Cromwell.     Samuel Spencer, b. Oct. 20, 1744]. 14. Robert Eells, b. July 26, 1785, Upper Houses; m. New Hartford, N.Y., Rebecca Hatch, b. Apr. 14, 1793, Wethersfield, Conn., dau of Simeon and Abigail (Kilbourn) Hatch. Cooper, farmer, merchant, Whig, Cong.; both d. Clinton, N.Y., he Aug. 12, 1873; she Oct. 5, 1866. Children: 20. Charles William, b. July 13, 1817. George Kilbourn, b. July 16, 1820; m. Caroline Prior. He d. Jan. 30, 1878; she Jan. 30, 1905. Henry Pierpont, b. Jan. 15, 1825; d. Sept. 17, 1889; m. (1) Elizabeth Andrews; m. (2) Mary Jane Crocker. 15. Patty Eells, b. Oct. 26, 1787, Upper Houses; m. Mar. 11, 1811, New Hartford, N.Y., Paul Abbott, b. Mar. 7, 1783; Union, Conn., son of William Abbott and Esther Green, a Rev. soldier, whose grandmother, Elizabeth Gray, was granddaughter of Mary Chiltern of the Mayflower, wife of John Winslow. Paul Abbott, mer. tailor, elder Presb. ch.; d. Mar. 19, 1831, Lowville, N.Y.; she Apr. 16, 1823, New Hartford, N.Y. Children: May, b. ___, 1812. Elizabeth, b. ____, 1814. 21. Henry Green, b. July 19, 1818. 22. William Eells, b. Jan. 19, 1822. 23. James Hamlin, b. June 6, 1824. Thomas, b. ____, 1829. 16. Rev. David Edwards Eells, b. July 13, 1765, Upper Houses; m. Elizabeth Starr, dau of Capt. William Starr of Middletown, Conn. (See Starr Genealogy). Child: Samuel, b. Nov. 22, 1786; d. Dec. 27, 1854; m. Lucena Woodward of Middletown, Conn. Deacon and mer. Chldren: Rev. William Woodward, D.D., b. 1811; d. 1886. Samuel Thomas, b. 1813; d. 1894. Rev. Edward, b. Nov. 10, 1818; Yale and Princeton Theol. Pastor and miss.; d. Mar. 11, 1897, Washington, D.C. Children: Maj. William Bedinger; res. Mt Gilead, O. Mary, b. [m.?] Dr. Geo Henderson; res. Washington, D.C. Annie Powers; m. S. P. Franchot; res. Niagara Falls, N.Y. Rev. Edward, b. July 11, 1861; m. Dec. 24, 1891, Annie Anchmoody; studied Washington and Lee Uni.; Uni. of Va.; Union Theol. Sem. Pastor Presb. ch., Fall River, Mass. Children: Earnest Edward, b. Nov. 28, 1892, Hastings, b. June 9, 1895, Truth, b. Apr. 24, 1897, Evengeline, b. Apr. 28, 1900, Abigail, b. May 3, 1905. 17. Capt. Samuel Eells, b. May 13, 1773; d. Dec. 1856; m. (1) July 20, 1794, Aurora Smith of Glastonbury, b. June 10, 1773; d. Feb. 26, 1834; m. (2) Priscilla Williams. He was a vessel owner, sea captain and merchant at Upper Houses. Removed to Richburn, Pa., and had a general store. Was guardian to Asa Sage Ranney. Children: Thomas Jeduthan Smith, b. June 28, 1795; d. Jan. 8, 1797. 24. Ralph S., b. Aug. 1, 1797. 18. Rev. James Eells, b. Apr. 27, 1778, Glastonbury, Conn.; m. (1) Jan. 11, 1804, Lucretia Rose; m. (2) Jan. 23, 1814, Mehitable Parmelee, dau of Deacon Dan Parmelee of Durham, Conn. Grad. 1799, Yale. Settled as pastor at Westmoreland, N.Y. Children by 1st marriage: Mary, b. ____; d. at age of two years. James Henry, b. Aug. 27, 1808; d. Dec. 7, 1836. 25. Samuel, b. May 21, 1810. Mary Lucretia, b. June 18, 1812; d. Feb. 9, 1855. Children by 2d marriage: 26. Timothy Dwight, b. Nov. 1, 1815. 27. James, b. Aug. 27, 1822. 28. Dan Parmelee, b. Apr. 16, 1825. 20. Charles Williams Eells, b. July 15, 1817, Kirkland, N.Y., m. Feb. 19, 1840, Mary Ann Prior, b. June 17, 1817. Farmer, Rep., Presb. She d. Feb. 15, 1878; he Apr. 18, 1803, Clinton. Children: Elizabeth, b. May 15, 1841; m. (1) Sept. 20, 1871, William F. Hatch of Winsted, Conn., who d. Sept. 25, 1886; m. (2) Dec. 23, 1890, William Eells Abbott, who d. Apr. 29, 1899. Widow res. Clinton, N.Y. Martha Lucretia, b. Apr. 16, 1843; unm.; res. Clinton, N.Y. Theodore Henry, b. Aug. 21, 1845; m. Feb. 18, 1874, Mary Davis, b. Sept. 14, 1843; res. Ilion, N.Y. Children: Lillian M., b. Dec. 15, 1874; m. Mar. 22, 1900, Charles G. Bartholomew; res. Sauquoit, N.Y. Child: Irene, b. Jan. 28, 1901. Ida Jane, b. July 18, 1880; m. Apr. 20, 1901, Charles R. Nichols; res. Clinton, N.Y. Child: Irene Elizabeth, b. Dec. 30, 1902. 21. Henry Grant Abbott, b. July 18, 1818, Lowville, N.Y.; m. Oct. 9, 1844, New Hartford, N.Y., Mary Curtis Babcock, b. Mar. 11, 1820, dau of Dr. Charles and Nancy (Pratt) Babcock. He was educated at Lowville and Whitesboro Academies, and Oberlin Coll. Merchant many years, Presb. She d. Jan. 1, 1894, Utica, N.Y. He d. Jan. 17, 1896. Children: Charles Babcock, b. Nov. 25, 1845; d. July 7, 1846. Thomas Alden, b. June 16, 1847; m. Emma Van Nostrand; res. St. Paul, Minn. Mary Ella, b. July 31. 1849; unm.' res. Utica, N.Y. Jane Hurlbut, b. Nov. 27, 1852; unm.; res. Utica, N.Y. William Pratt, b. May 24, 1856; m. Aug. 25, 1896, May Eastman. Mer.; res. Lake Charles, La. Henry James, b. Mar. 30, 1858; d. July 21, 1863. 22. William Eells Abbott, b. Jan. 22, 1822, Lowville, N.Y.; m. (1) Aug. 12, 1845, Syracuse, N.Y., Jane Ann Foster, b. Aug. 26, 1818, Litchfield, Conn., dau of Arnold W. Foster and Susan Deming, who d. Mar. 19, 1889, Syracuse, N.Y.; m. (2) Dec. 23, 1890, West Winsted, Conn., his cousin Elizabeth Eells Hatch, dau of Charles William and Mary Ann Prior. He was educated at Lowville and Whitesboro Academies, N.Y., and Oberlin Coll., O. Merchant in Syracuse in 1871; coal trade there to 1893; treas. Central City Bldg. and Loan Assn., charter member Onondaga Co. Savings Bank, supervisor Onondaga County, Cong., Y.M.C.A. Was voluninous writer on historical and genealogical matters. Died Apr. 29, 1899, Syracuse, N.Y. Widow res. Clinton, N.Y. 23. James Hamlin Abbott, b. June 6, 1824, Lowville, N.Y.; m. Jan. 24, 1866, Cazenovia, N.Y., Elizabeth (Andrews) Edson, b. Sept. 13, 1836, New York Mills, N.Y., widow of O. W. Edson, dau of George Andrews and Polly Walker, and sister of Bishop Edward G. Andrews of the M. E. church. Educated at Lowville and Whitesboro Academies; merchant in Utica, twenty years in dry good business; rem. to Chicago, 1865, and in shoe business till 1888; asst. cashier Chicago Custom House, 1883-6; Cong. She d. Jan. 2, 1885; res. Chicago, Ill. Childern: Fannie Burdett, b. Dec. 8, 1867; m. Rev. Willis A. Luce of Maine. Charles Bickford, b. Jan. 18, 1869; d. infancy. Henry Hurlbut, b. Nov. 17, 1870; m. Florence Call. Paul Walker, b. Feb. 8, 1872; d. June 8, 1893. George Andrews, b. Mar. 11, 1873; m. 1902, Marie Millage. 24. Capt. Ralph Smith Eells, b. Aug. 1, 1797, Upper Houses; m. (1) Nov. 2, 1821, Mary C. Williams of City of Middletown, who d. 1826; m. (2) Maria Molineaux of Tortoss, West Indies, d. June 23, 1834, aged 25 years; m. (3) Sarah Addis of Addisville, Pa. He was a sea captin and d. in 1845. Children of 1st marriage: 29. Samuel R., b. Aug 19, 1822. Child by second marriage: Lucy Maria Aurora, b. Apr. 10, 1832. 25. Samuel Eells, b. May 21, 1810, Westmoreland, N. Y.; grad. 1832, Hamilton College, with the highest honors of his class, d.; unm., Mar. 13, 1842. He read law in Springfield, 0., settled, 1835, in Cincinnati, and formed a law partnership with Hon. Salmon P. Chase, afterwards Secretary of the Treasury and Chief Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court.     In a letter dated May 26, 1866, Judge Chase refers to the early and untimely death of Samuel Eells as follows : " A sun that scarcely rose above the horizon ere it hastened to its setting, but, during its brief course, all radiant with the light of mind."     Although the life of Samuel Eells was comparatively brief, it comprised one achievement which has handed down his name to posterity. At Hamilton College, in 1832, he founded the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity, which has become one of the best and most influential of the so-called Greek letter college societies, having at the date of this writing, in 1907, chapters in most of the prominent colleges of the country. Many of the men most renowned in letters and in business have been among its members. Samuel Eells was not only its founder, but he also outlined its methods and aims so definitely and so indelibly that his personal influence continues to be felt to an extraordinary degree. As a consequence, his name is known and cherished throughout the fraternity, and at every banquet and reunion it is customary for the assemblage, " standing and in silence," to toast the memory of the founder, Samuel Eells.     There are two original portraits of Samuel Eells in existence, owned, respectively, by the Hamilton Chapter and by the Williams Chapter. Copies of these portraits have been presented this year (1907) to the Alpha Delta Phi Club, at 136 West 44th Street, New York, and to the Cornell Chapter, at Ithaca, N. Y., by the founder's nephew, Howard Parmelee Eells, of Cleveland, Ohio. In response to an invitation to the Annual Convention of Alpha Delta Phi in 1867, Chief Justice Chase wrote as follows : "The generous .aims and noble purposes of the Association must endear it to all its members. In my thoughts and feelings it must have a special interest, derived from my intimate relations with Samuel Eells. His rare gifts and unique attainments gave promise of a brilliant career. To a most persuasive and prevailing eloquence he joined the grace of high literary culture and the strength of profound legal knowledge, while in the walks of private companion-ship he was equally endeared by his tenderness and his manliness.     He died young, but the career begun among men was continued among angels." 26 Timothy Dwight Eells, b. Nov. 1, 1815, Westmoreland, N. Y.; d. Apr. 19, 1876, Cleveland, O. He came in 1831 with his father's family to Ohio. Although not a college graduate, he received a good education and was engaged in business of various kinds in Elyria, Cuyahoga Falls and Navarre, Ohio ; Waterford, Rhode Island, and Auburn and Penn Yan, N. Y. About 1855 he established himself in Cleveland and became Secretary of The Cleveland Gas Light and Coke Company, which responsible position he filled with great acceptance and ability until his death. He was actively and prominently identified with the iron ore interests of Lake Superior. He in., first, Mary Conklin Ostrom, by whom he had several children, only one of whom is now living in the person of Frances Catherine Homans, of New York, widow of Edward C. Homan. Mrs. Homans had five daughters and one son, Howard Parmelee Romans, of New York City. Mr. Eells' second wife was Elizabeth S. Mills, by whom he had two daughters, Charlotte, wife of Stewart McClure, still living in Oakland, Cal., and Mary Warren, widow of J. Selden Blair, who is still living in Scranton, Pa. His third wife was Harriet Snell, of Rome, N. Y.; no children. Mr. Eells was an earnest and active member of the Second Presbyterian Church, of Cleveland. He was for many years Superintendent of its Sunday school and of several mission schools identified with that church. He was universally beloved and respected. 27 Rev. James Fells, D. D., b. Aug. 27, 1822, Westmoreland, N. Y.; d. Mar. 9, 1886, Cincinnati, O. He in. Emma Paige, who res. in Santa Barbara, Cal. He graduated from Auburn Theological Seminary in 1851. Immediately after his graduation he became pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Penn Yan, N. Y., where he remained until 1854, when he received and accepted a call from the Second Presbyterian Church of Cleveland, Ohio. In 1859 he received and accepted a call to the " Reformed Church on the Heights," in Brook­lyn, N. Y. In 1867 he became pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of San Francisco, California. After several years he returned to Cleveland and again became pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church. He subsequently returned to California and became pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, at the same time filling a chair in San Francisco Theological Semi-nary. In 1879 he became Professor of Sacred Rhetoric and Pastoral Theology in Lane Theological Seminary, Cincinnati. Mr. Eells was widely known throughout the Presbyterian Church, which he served in many important and responsible capacities. He received the degree of Doctor in Divinity from the University of the City of New York, and in 1877 was elected Moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly, which met in Chicago. The same year he was chosen to represent the Presbyterian Church of the United States at the Pan Presbyterian Council in Edinburgh, Scotland. Children : Helen Little, b. Dec. 30, 1852 ; m. Horatio P. Livermore, of San Francisco, Cal. Charles Parmelee, b. May 16, 1853, grad. at Hamilton Coll., 1874; prominent lawyer in San Francisco; m. Gertrude, dau. of J. L.- N. Shepard, of Oakland, Cal. ; has three daughters and one son, John Shepard Eells, also a lawyer in San Francisco. James, b. in Englewood., N. J., Nov. 21, 1865; grad. at Hamilton College and Auburn Theological Seminary; m. Kate, dau. of Hon. Milton H. Mervin, of Utica, N. Y., has two sons, James' and Merwin. Late pastor of First Church of Boston. Emma Louise Adelaide, b. in Cleveland, 0., Dec. 21, 1870; d. in Santa Barbara, Cal., in Feb.; 1904. 28. Dan Parmelee Eells, b. Apr. 16, 1825, Westmoreland, N. Y.; grad. from Hamilton College in 1848; m. (1) Sept. 13, 1849, Mary Maria Howard ; m. (2) Mary Witt. His business life began, immediately after leaving college, at Cleveland as a clerk in the forwarding and commission house of Barney, Waring & Co. On March 1, 1849, he commenced his long term of service in the Commercial Branch of the State Bank of Ohio, now the National Commercial Bank of Cleveland. He was elected cashier of this bank on November 23, 1858. On the organization of its successor, The Commercial National Bank, he became its Vice-President, and in 1868 its President. He held this position until he retired from active business in the year 1900. At that time he was the longest in service of any bank ofhcer.in the State of Ohio.     Mr. Eells' business interests were varied and extensive. He was identified with the construction of several important railroads, among which were the Lake Erie and Western Railway, the Ohio Central Railway and the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Rail-way. He was a Director of the United States Express Company until his death. He was one of the projectors of the Otis Iron and Steel Co., which, during his connection with it, became one of the largest and most successful steel mills of the world. He was also for many years a Director of the Cleveland Rolling Mill Company. of the Brown-Bonnell Iron Company of Youngstown, of the King Bridge Company, the American Wire Company, the Cleveland. Gas Light and Coke Co., the Bucyrus Company, the Cleveland City Railway Company, the Cleveland, Lorain & Wheeling Railway Company, the Cincinnati, Newport & Covington Railway Co., the Central Railway & Bridge Co., and other influential corporations.     Throughout his entire life he was identified with many religious and beneficient undertakings and institutions. He was a member of the Second Presbyterian Church of Cleveland for more than fifty years, and was successively Deacon and Elder of that church. For a number of terms he was President of the Young Men's Christian Association, of Cleveland, and was a Trustee of the Young Women's Christian Association, of which his wife is now the President. He was for more than twenty-five years President of the Cleveland Bible Society. For almost thirty years and up to the time of his death he was Treasurer of the Cleveland. Protestant Orphan Asylum. He was a Trustee of the Children's Aid Society and of the Bethel Association. He was also a Trustee of Lane Theological Seminary, Cincinnati, of Lake Erie Seminary of Painesville, of Hamilton College and of Oberlin College. In 1881 Mr. and Mrs. Eells erected for the First Baptist Church of Cleveland, the Idaka Chapel, as a memorjal of their daughter, whose name it bears. This building is still a part of the church establishment at the corner of Prospect Avenue and East Forty-sixth Street. In 1883 Mr. Eells purchased a lot at the corner of Willson Avenue (now East Fifty-fifth Street) and Lexington Avenue, Cleveland, and erected thereon a church building for what was then known as the Willson Avenue Presbyterian Church. This property, completely equipped and furnished, was presented by him to the church organization, free of all indebtedness and without restriction. After Mr. Eells' death the name of the church was changed, by the unanimous wish of its members, to the Eells Memorial Church, which name it still bears, and of which, at this writing, Rev. Leonard A. Barrett is pastor. Children by first marriage : 31. Howard Parmelee, b. June 16, 1855. Emma Paige, b. Cleveland, Apr. 8, 1857; grad. Wells Coll., N. Y., 1876; m. Nov. 11, 1880, Arthur St. John Newberry, second son of John Strong Newberry, M. D., LL. D., and Sarah Brownell Gaylord; res. Cleveland, O. Children: Winifred Eells, b. Sept. 5, 1881. John Strong, b. Apr. 8, 1883. Mary Witt, b. June 21, 1885. Child by second marriage: Stillman Witt, b. Apr. 24, 1873. 29 Samuel Roberts Eells, b. on shipboard in the harbor of Bath Me., Apr. 19, 1822, while his father was on a voyage. He passed his early years in Upper Houses ; rem. with his father and grandfather to Richboro, Pa., taught school, mem. of Pa. Legislature from Bucks Co.; rem. to Philadelphia and engaged in the willow ware business until the early part of the Civil War, when he returned to Bucks Co. Ret. to Philadelphia in 1866, where he res. until his death, Mar. 5, 1898. He was a great student and scholar. He m. Nov. 23, 1843, Feasterville, Bucks Co., Pa., Phoebe V. Feaster, b. Mar. 21, 1824; d. Apr. 13, 1905, dau. of Aaron and Elizabeth Feaster of Quaker descent. Both are buried in Green-mount Cem., Phila. Children : 29a Anna Eliza, b. Aug. 16, 1845. 29b Mary Catherine, b. Aug. 22, 1847. 29c Sarah Jane, b. Jan. 23, 1850. 29d Edward, b. Feb. 6, 1852. Charles M., b. Mar. 26,1854; d. Mar. 17, 1861. Lucy M. A., b. Sept. 11, 1856; d. Mar. 24, 1861. Aaron F., b. Sept. 1, 1859 ; d. Mar. 15, 1861. 30 Walter Gibbs, b. Nov. 23. 1861. 30a Wilmer F., b. July 19, 1864. 30b Thomas S., b. Feb. 12, 1866. Rachel Feaster, b. Dec. 28, 1868; d. June 30, 1869. 29a Anna Eliza Eells. b. Aug. 16, 1845; m. Apr. 3, 1864, George Taylor, who d. Nov. 29, 1887. Children: William. b. Feb. 3, 1865; d. Aug. 25, 1868. Addie, b. Mar. 31, 1867 ; m. B. Frank Glenn. George W., b. July 15, 1869 ; m. ; has two children. Samuel Robert, b. Dec. 4, 1871; d. Dec. 5, 1871. Frank. b. Apr. 25. 1873: d. Nov. 27, 1890. Lucy M. A.. b. Nov. 23. 1875; in. Walter Castle, who d. 1904. Child: Edith. Mary Eells, b. Jan. 13. 1878: d. Jan. 28, 1879. 29b Mary Catherine Eells, b. Aug. 23, 1847; m. Aug. 16, 1878, Frank Corson of Goshen. N. J. Child: Raymond Samuel, b. Feb. 26, 1879; m. Nov., 1903, Dorcas Ross. 29c Sarah Jane Eells, b. Jan. 23, 1850; m. June 28, 1877, Wil­son W. Sell. Children: Mabel Eells, b. June 15, 1878; m. Wilson Engle. Children: Dorothy I., Irma. Alma Feaster, b. Jan. 28, 1882; m. Sept. 12, 1907, William Baldwin. 29d Edward Eells, b. Feb. 6, 1852; m. Nov. 2, 1872, Sarah McKee. Children : Samuel Robert, b. July 21, 1873; d. Aug. 15, 1873. Charles M.. b. Aug. 22, 1874; m. Nov. 19, 1894, Regina Steffler, b. Feb. 5, 1876. Children : Edward J.. b. Apr. 23, 1896; d. Mar. 21, 1897. Mary V., b. May 16, 1898; d. same day. Charles F., b. Apr. 20, 1902. Regina, b. Feb. 7, 1904. Edward, b. Sept. 27, 1876: m. Oct. 19, 1898, Mary A. G. Lonny, b. Apr. 3, 1878. Children: Elizabeth A.. b. Aug. 27, 1899. Edward J.. b. Sept. 1, 1902. Gertrude, b. Jan. 25, 1905. Alma Feaster, b. Oct. 11, 1880; d. Dec. 11, 1894. Lelia, b. Nov. 26, 1883; married. Mabel V., b. Sept. 10, 1886. Walter G., b. May 9, 1888. Bonsall, b. Dee. 17, 1890. Elsie H., b. Mar. 29, 1893. 30 Walter Gibbs9 Eells, b. Nov. 23, 1861, Philadelphia ; m. Apr. 27, 1886, Amenia W. Gwint, b. Nov. 24, 1861. He is a Presbyterian and hat manufacturer; res. Philadelphia, Pa. Child : Elva Lowden, b. Dec. 16, 1887. 30a Wilmer Feaster Eells, b. Jan. 19, 1861; m. 1887, Mattie Goss. Children: Blanche Feaster, b. June 30, 1888. Helen Viola, b. Dec., 1894. 30b Thomas Sterritt Eells, b. Feb. 12, 1866; m. Oct. 4. 1895. Laura Flanagan, b. Jan. 28, 1872. Children: James Sterritt, b. Oct. 16, 1900. Thomas Samuel, b. Oct. 8, 1904. Marguerette, b. Nov., 1906. 31 Howard Parmelee8 Eells, b. June 16, 1855, Cleveland, O.; m. (1) Apr. 20, 1881, Alice Maud Overton ; m. (2) Nov. 11, 1889, Maud Stager. Howard Parmelee Eells prepared for college at Greylock Institute, South Williamstown, Mass., and was graduated at Hamilton College in the class of 1876. He then entered the Senior Class at Harvard University and was graduated in the Class of 1877. He became associated with his father in business, and has become actively engaged in a number of important enterprises. He has also been identified with a number of local institutions of a beneficent and educational character, among which are the following : University School, Hathaway-Brown School, Cleveland Protestant Orphan Asylum (of which he succeeded his father as Treasurer), Lake View Cemetery Association, Children's Aid Society, Cleveland Humane Society, Cleveland Bethel Union, Home for Aged Women. At this writing, 1907, he is President of The Bucyrus Company, South Milwaukee, Wisconsin; of The Atchison and Eastern Bridge Company; and of The Chicago Drop Forge and Foundry Co. He is also one of the Administrative Council of the National Metal Trades Association and a member of the Executive Committee. He is a Director of The Superior Savings and Trust Company. of Cleveland, and of other corporations. Children by first marriage: Emma Witt Harris, b. Oct. 4, 1882. Dan Parmelee9, b. Sept. 24, 1884; grad. 1907, Cornell Uni. Children by second marriage: Frances Homan, b. May 3, 1891. Howard, Jr., b. Aug. 25, 1892. Harriet Stager, b. Apr. 19, 1894. Samuel, b. Aug. 13, 1895.