Table of Contents
Wadsworth Family Papers, 1747-1826
A Guide to the collection at the Connecticut Historical Society
Collection Overview |
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| Repository: | Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, Connecticut |
| Creator : | Wadsworth family |
| Title : | Wadsworth Family Papers |
| Dates : | 1747-1826 |
| Extent : | 72 items |
| Location: | Ms 22321 |
| Language: | English |
Biographical Sketch
Samuel Wadsworth, the son of Jonathan and Hepzibah Marsh Wadsworth, was born October 25, 1716 in Hartford, Connecticut. He served in the French and Indian Wars and engaged in the West India trade. In 1747 he married Millicent Cook and they had children Gurdon (b. 1748), Hannah (b. 1850), whose first husband was John Bigelow, and George (b. 1755).
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Scope and Content
The majority of the collection concerns the activities of Samuel Wadsworth, a merchant and landowner of Hartford. Among his legal records are bills of sale for one Negro woman and two Negro men, 1756-1766, and a document in which Sarah Boardman gives her man Peter “liberty to work for” Samuel Wadsworth. Deeds comprise another substantial portion of Wadsworth’s legal papers and these instruments of transfer include leases for “farm letts”, and the sale and purchase of partial interest in several sailing vessels. Accounts among Samuel’s financial records indicate he traded horses for rum and sugar in Barbados. There are also bills for services rendered by what appears to be a maid, one for schooling Gurdon, and one for making britches for Samuel and his son and repairing britches for his Negro. An account of the distribution of Samuel’s estate illustrates the extent of his wealth and land holdings. In 1826, someone made an inventory of land owned by Gurdon and George Wadsworth with exact measurements of each plot. Gurdon’s papers also include a copy of a document setting out his widow’s third. Several plot plans accompany the land inventories. Samuel’s daughter Hannah married John Bigelow. When Bigelow died, Samuel settled his estate. The estate records and several earlier documents, such as a bill dated 1777 for eleven months service in your company, indicate Bigelow served during the Revolution.
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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
Family Names
Subjects
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Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Item, Collection Title, Collection number (Box #, Folder #). Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, Connecticut.
Processing Details
Collection was processed by Barbara Austen in 2006.
EAD Finding Aid created June 2011.
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Contents:
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Return to the Table of Contents Papers |
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| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Samuel Wadsworth, bills of sale for slaves, and undated slave pass, 1756-1766 | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Samuel Wadsworth deeds, leases and bills of sale for portions of sailing vessels, 1747-1789 | |||||||||
| 1 | 3-4 | Samuel Wadsworth bills, receipts and accounts, 1750-1796 | |||||||||
| 1 | 5 | Samuel Wadsworth estate distribution, 1799 | |||||||||
| 1 | 6 | Gurdon Wadsworth land and estate records, 1783, 1826 | |||||||||
| 1 | 7 | George Wadsworth land records, 1826 | |||||||||
| 1 | 8 | John Bigelow financial, legal and estate records, 1763-1785 | |||||||||
| 1 | 9 | Genealogical notes | |||||||||