Details

Abstract / Summary

This collection spans four generations of the Taintor, Bulkeley, and Davis families of Hampton and Hartford, Connecticut. The Taintors bought increasing amounts of land in Hampton and the neighboring towns, from which they farmed, sold wool and produce, operated a store, and loaned money. They were partners, trustees or creditors in other businesses, many with their Taintor and Bulkeley relatives, including Taintors & Bulkeley; Willimantic Cotton Manufacturing Co.; Rufus Pearl & Co.; and Loomises & Barker Gun Co.

Roger Taintor (1767-1831) and Solomon Taintor (1769-1827), both merchants of Hampton, Connecticut, were sons of John Taintor (1725-1798) and Sarah Bulkeley Taintor (1735-1806). Roger married Abigail Bulkeley (1768-1831) and Solomon married Abigail's sister, Judith Bulkeley (1775-1849). Around 1800, the two brothers and their families began to occupy jointly a house in Hampton.

Dan Bulkeley (1784-1842), the brother of Abigail and Judith, was one of Roger and Solomon's business partners. He ran a general store in Hampton from about 1817 until his death in 1842. In addition to selling foods in Hampton, Bulkeley exported silk and other Hampton produce to places as far away as New York and Philadelphia. Bulkeley was also the postmaster of Hampton from 1820 to 1836. He married, in 1813, Phoebe Burnett ( -1861) of Hampton; they had five children.

Roger Taintor's son John Adams Taintor (1800-1862) and Solomon Taintor's son Edwin Bulkeley Taintor (1800-1870) were born just a few weeks apart, and both graduated from Yale College in 1821. John Adams Taintor lived in Hartford and was a breeder of farm animals. He married, in 1831, Adelia Croade (1804-1881); they had two daughters. Edwin Bulkeley Taintor clerked for Roger and Solomon after graduation, and was elected First Constable and collector of taxes in 1822. In 1823, he removed to West Brookfield, Massachusetts, where he farmed, raised sheep, became a merchant, and was a respected local leader. He married, in June 1826, Sally Penniman (1807-1841) of North Braintree, Massachusetts; they had three daughters. In 1843, he filed for bankruptcy. He married, 12 July 1843, Frances Maria Prichard (1821-1879); they had two daughters.

Solomon's other son, Henry Griswold Taintor (1813-1889), farmed in Hampton and was active in local affairs. He was a Connecticut state representative and state senator, and the state treasurer from 1867 to 1868. He married, in 1839, Delia Williams Ellsworth (1818-1889), a granddaughter of Supreme Court Chief Justice Oliver Ellsworth (1745-1807) and daughter of Major Martin Ellsworth (1783-1857) and Sophia Wolcott (1786-1870). Delia carried on an extensive personal correspondence, and this collection includes about four boxes of letters written to her by more than 75 individuals, as well as a recipe book that she compiled and an inventory of her mother's household property.

Henry and Delia had five children: Henry Ellsworth; George Edwin; William Wolcott; Frederick; and Mary Ellen. Henry Ellsworth Taintor (1844-1904) attended Yale College until he enlisted in 1864 in the Connecticut Heavy Artillery. After the Civil War, he settled in Hartford and studied law. He became a judge and was a trustee or vice-president of several Hartford banks. He married Jane G. (Jennie) Bennett (1843-1925); they had one son. George Edwin Taintor (1846-1909) also lived in Hartford, where he worked in real estate and was a director of several businesses. He married, 25 October 1870, Emily Strong Davis (1847- ), the daughter of Gustavus Fellowes Davis, Jr. (1818-1896); they had one daughter, Lucy Strong Taintor (1871-1940). William Wolcott Taintor (1851-1924) attended school in Brooklyn and, in 1866, at Hartford High School. He did not choose

Field of Interest

Letters and Diaries

Content Type

Letter

Duration

0 sec

Format

Text

Page Count

6379

Publication Year

2011

Publisher

Alexander Street

Place Published / Released

Alexandria, VA

Subject

Letters and Diaries, History, Daily Life, Domestic life