Table of Contents

Collection Overview

Biographical Sketch

Scope and Content

Restrictions

Subject Headings

Administrative Information

Related Material

Contents:

I. Letters to Jabez Huntington

II. Francis Gilman Transcripts

III. Cedric Robinson Transcripts

Jedidiah Huntington Papers

A Guide to the Jedidiah Huntington Papers at the Connecticut Historical Society

Biographical Sketch

Jedidiah Huntingtonwas born on August 4, 1743 in Norwich, Connecticut to Jabez Huntington and his first wife Elizabeth (Backus) Huntington. Huntington graduated from Harvard College in 1763 and joined his father in his profitable West India trading company later that year. Huntington married Faith Trumbull daughter of the Governor of Connecticut, Jonathan Trumbull, and Faith (Robinson) Trumbull on May 1, 1766.

Huntington began his military career in 1769 when he was appointed to ensign of the First Norwich Company. He quickly rose through the ranks and by the outbreak of the War was colonel of the 20th Regiment of Colonial Militia. He continued in the rank of colonel with the 8th Connecticut Regiment (1775), the 17th Regiment of Connecticut Infantry (1776), and the 1st Connecticut Regiment (1777). In May of 1777 Huntington was commissioned to brigadier general in the Continental Army, and by the war's end was brevetted as major-general.

Huntington was a member of the courts martial investigating the conduct of General Charles Lee, and appeared also in the Court of Enquiry to try the case of Major Andre. At West Point he was instrumental in organizing the Society of Cincinnati. He retired from the army in September of 1783.

On his return to Norwich, Jedidiah was appointed Alderman, and was drawn into many civic roles. He was appointed State Treasurer (1786), member of the Connecticut Assembly (1786), Sheriff of New London County (1788), and Probate for the district of Norwich. In 1789 he was appointed Collector of Revenues for the port of New London by George Washington, and with the first elections under the Constitution served as a Presidential Elector.

In less political roles, Huntington was deacon of the First Church of New London, a member of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, director of the Connecticut Bible Society and honorary member of the Massachusetts Humane Society.

His wife, Faith Huntington, witnessed the Battle of Bunker hill while traveling to see her husband in Roxbury. The trauma led to her sudden death. Huntington's second wife was Anne Moore, daughter of a New York businessman.

Huntington died on September 25, 1818 in New London, his remains were interred in Norwich.

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Scope and Content

Collection consists solely of Correspondence. The core of the collection is derived from three volumes kept by Jabez Huntington in which he kept his sons' letters. Jedidiah Huntington is the most prolific writer, and it is from that the supplied title proper is arranged. Other material added to the collection during subsequent accessions has been interfiled chronologically.

Arrangement

Materials are organized into three series; Series I based on previously constructed order, and Series II and III based on provenance.

Series I: Letters to Jabez Huntington consists of Letters written to Jabez Huntington by his sons, Jedidiah, Zachariah, Ebeneezer and Joshua. The majority are written by Jedidiah, after whom the collection derives its supplied title proper. The correspondence, originally in three volumes, has been deconstructed into 15 folders, arranged chronologically, into which other Jedidiah material has been inserted.

Series II: Francis Gilman Transcripts Consists of transcriptions of letters written by Jedidiah Huntington between 1760 and 1781. Many are transcriptions of letters actually housed in other collections at the CHS. Transcriptions seems to have been written at the turn of the century.

Series III: Cedric Robinson Transcripts Consists of Transcripts of nine letters written by Jedidiah Huntington between 1777 and 1813.

Collection is constructed from three volumes of correspondence written to Jabez Huntington by his sons, the majority from Jedidiah. Jedidiah, being the most famous of the sons, had the collection named after him. Subsequent to the renaming of Jabez's material, other material, the provenance of Joshua or Jedidiah, was inserted in chronological order.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions on access to the collection.

Use Restrictions

Use of the material requires compliance with the Connecticut Historical Society's Research Center regulations.

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Subject Headings

Personal Names

Geographic Names

Genre Forms

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Item, Collection Title, Collection number (Box #, Folder #). Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, Connecticut.

Processing Details

Original EAD instance compiled in June 1999, based on a previous arrangement. Updated to EAD 2002 in December 2010.

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Related Material

An index of catalog cards is available to aid access to this collection and material in other collections. Access is through writer, recipient and date. The card catalog is located in the Research Center reading room.

Copies of Jedidiah Huntington letters from other CHS collections are transcribed and included as adjunct material to this collection.

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