My paternal great-grandfather, Samuel Eggleston Spencer (1867-1906), was a locomotive engineer for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company (NYNH&HRR) where he was an employee for 19 years. Operating a steam locomotive combined two responsibilities: managing a highly complex steam boiler and controlling the safe speed of a massive vehicle. For example, a class G-4 (built 1904-1907) which weighed 151,000 pounds. The photographs that accompany this post (NYNH&H Steam), depict the immensity and raw power of these steam locomotives, I can only imagine that Samuel is one of the men pictured!

In a sad coincidence, Samuel’s grandfather, Abiram Spencer, was killed in 1871 after being struck by a New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad train. (Article – Hartford Courant)

Samuel, the son of John W. Spencer (1834-1896) and Anna Eggleston (1843-1921), was born in Bloomfield and lived in Hartford, CT.  In 1897, he married Minnie M. Fowler (1858-1957), the daughter of Edward Gamaliel Fowler (1840-1912) and Ellen Jane Thompson (1845-1924). Samuel and Minnie had six children, including my grandmother Gladys. 

The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Company, commonly known as the New Haven Railroad or simply, ‘The New Haven”, operated in the states of New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. The New Haven operated freight and passenger trains over a Boston – New York City main line and was made up of 8 railroads, several trolley companies and coastal steamship lines which were controlled through stock purchases or long term lease. (Source: New Haven Railroad Historical and Technical Association, Inc.)

Comments, corrections and suggestions appreciated.

Copyright © 2021. All Rights Reserved by David R. French.

Edward Francis Daly Sr., my maternal great-grandfather, was born on May 13, 1870, in Waterbury, Connecticut. Edward was the son of Michael Daly and Hannah Mulcahy, both immigrants from Ireland. In 1889, Edward married Mary Ester Butler in Portland, Connecticut. In the census of 1900 and 1910 for Portland, CT., his occupation is listed as carpenter.

From 1914 through 1921, he was the appointed postmaster for Portland. Edward died on November 13, 1937 at the age of 67. His obituary (left) notes that he was the building superintendent at the Portland Trust Company (Bank) for the 10 years prior to his death. Edward was a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), the largest and oldest Irish Catholic organization in America and was grand knight of the local Knights of Columbus council in Portland.

In 1914, Edward was named by President Woodrow Wilson to be the postmaster for Portland, Connecticut.  He was nominated to be postmaster by Congressman Bryan Francis Mahan (New London, CT.), who was a lawyer by trade and postmaster of New London, CT. before and following his term in Congress. Note: The service record of Edward’s son (Edward Jr.), lists his employment in 1917 as a clerical worker for the postmaster (his dad) of Portland, CT. Here is a post about Edward Jr. – Pvt. Edward F. Daly Jr. – WW1 Pv Co C 3 BN 20 En

Did Edward suffer a horrible injury in 1895 while working as a joiner for the Berlin Iron Bridge Company? While I have no confirmation, everything (name/occupation/residence) lines up that this was my great grandfather. (Article – 1895 – Hartford Courant)

Comments, corrections and suggestions appreciated

Copyright © 2021. All Rights Reserved by David R. French.

This is the first of two posts about Thomas Walter (1696-1722), a 6th great paternal uncle.  Thomas was born and spent his life in Roxbury, Massachusetts.  He graduated at Harvard in 1713 was a preacher, as was his father Nehemiah, a 1684 Harvard graduate!  His wife was Sarah Mather (1671-1746, daughter of Increase Mather (In Cases of Conscience, Increase Mather), and the sister of Puritan Minister Cotton Mather (my 7^th great uncle). 

Small Pox – From spring 1721 through the winter of 1722, a smallpox epidemic afflicted Boston. By the end of 1722, over half of the city’s population of 11,000 had been infected and over 800 had died.  At the time the only known remedy for smallpox was to quarantine the infected individuals in their homes, with the hope that this would prevent the spread of the disease. 

Cotton Mather learned of the practice of inoculation from his slave, Onesimus. According to his diaries, Cotton received Onesimus in 1706 as “a gift” from his congregation.  By embracing a little known and controversial treatment, Mather and Onesimus changed the fate of Boston, and ultimately the future of the British colonies.

But the smallpox epidemic of 1721 was different than any that came before it. As sickness swept through the city, killing hundreds in a time before modern medical treatment or a robust understanding of infectious disease, an enslaved man known only as Onesimus suggested a potential way to keep people from getting sick. Intrigued by Onesimus’ idea, a brave doctor (Zabdiel Boylston) and an outspoken minister(Puritan minister Cotton Mather) undertook a bold experiment to try to stop smallpox in its tracks. How an Enslaved African Man in Boston Helped Save Generations from Smallpox (History.com – Erin Blackmore – Feb. 2021)

One of the first inoculated by Dr. Zabdiel Boylston (after his children) was Thomas Walter who stayed at Cotton Mather’s home while he was treated for smallpox. The debate over Cotton’s support for inoculation became so heated that an explosive device was thrown through a window into Cotton’s house (landing in the room where Walter was staying), luckily the device failed to explode.  A note attached to the explosive read, “Cotton Mather, I was once of your meeting, but the cursed lye you told of – you know who, made me leave you, you dog, and damn you, I will inoculate you with this, with a pox on you!”

Thomas’ treatment is noted below in Dr. Boylston’s records. 

October 31^st (1721), I inoculated the Reverend Mr. Thomas Walter, Mr. Samuel Aspingwall and Mr. Dana, each between 25, and 30, they all had the Smallpox at the usual Time, and of the distinct Sort. Mr. Aspingwall had several restless Nights, which obliged me to give him an anodyne (narcotic pain medicine) for two or three nights following. The other two Gentlemen laughed at him & said he was troubled with vapors. They all in a short time, were well. These Gentlemen came from Roxbury into Boston to be inoculated, and lay in one Room; and their Recommendation of this Practice, at their return proved to be of great Service to that Town, in carrying the Inhabitants soon thro’ that distemper, and in saving many Lives, if I may be allowed to judge from the Success of the different Ways of Infection, viz. out of the first thirteen men and they chiefly heads of Families who had the Smallpox in the natural way, ten of them died; and in above 40 Men that were inoculated at or near the same Time, in the same Town, not one Man died.

Comments, corrections and suggestions appreciated.

Copyright © 2021. All Rights Reserved by David R. French.