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[This information is from Vol. I, pp. 137-144 of Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs, edited by Cuyler Reynolds (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1911). It is in the Reference collection of the Schenectady County Public Library at R 929.1 R45. Some of the formatting of the original, especially in lists of descendants, may have been altered slightly for ease of reading.]

The Pruyn arms: "Shield: A field of gold or saffron, on which are placed three martlets of natural color, without beaks or feet, turned to the fore part (dexter side); one in the base of the shield and the remaining two in chief, at either side. Crest: A barred or tournament helmet adorned with a mantling of gold or saffron and black, on the top of which, on a twisted hand (wreath) or diadem of the ancient kings, of the same colors, between two wings of yellow or gold, is placed a martlet like those on the shield; but having feet and beak, looking toward the dexter side, like all of these are seen depicted." (The last phrase refers to a drawing given on a Dutch parchment of 1527.)

(I) Johannes (John) Pruyn, a Hollander, was the progenitor of the family in America. It is believed that his immediate family was confined to two sons, Francis (see forward), and Jacques, Jacus or Jacob. The latter was enrolled among the "Small Burghers" of New Amsterdam, April 18, 1657. He purchased a house and lot "outside of the Gate of this city" February 19, 1659, from Sybout Classen. Those of the first three generations in this country varied at times the spelling of the family name, appearing as Pruyn, Pruyne, Pryne and Pruen.

(II) Francis Pruyn (who frequently wrote his name Pruen) was called Frans Jansen, being the son of Johannes (John) Pruyn, and Iva, in Albany with his wife, Aeltje (or Alida), as early as 1665, when he was a tailor. It is recorded that in 1668, representing Jacques Cornelise Van Slyck, he conveyed a piece of property in the colony of Rensselaerwyck to one Jan Labatie, and later in the same year bought for himself a lot at the northwest corner of Maiden Lane and James street. On February 19, 1686-87, he bought from Johannes Clute and wife, Bata, for which he paid the sum of two and twenty beavers, a lot on Broadway, about the third south from Steuben street, running through to James street. His son, Johannes, afterwards occupied the house built thereon. Being a Papist, in January, 1699, he refused to take the oath of allegiance to King William, but expressed himself as willing to swear fidelity. However, Johannes Pruyn, his son, subscribed. His wife, Alida, joined the Reformed Protestant Dutch church in 1683. She died September 20, 1704, and he died May 6, 1712. Children:

  1. Anna, married Warner van Yveren;
  2. Johannes, born January 5, 1663, married, September, 1705, Emelia Sanders;
  3. Hendrick, married Anna Hofmans;
  4. Maria, married Elbert Gerritse;
  5. Christine, married Johannes Gerritsen;
  6. Madeleine, born January 8, 1676;
  7. Samuel, see forward;
  8. Helena, married Jacob Lansing;
  9. Frans, born September 28, 1683; married "Margarita";
  10. Bernardine (Barentje), born April 11, 1686; married John Evertsen;
  11. Arnold (Arent), born May 24, 1688; married, November 21, 1714, Catryna Gansevoort.

(III) Samuel, son of Frans Jansen (Francis) and Alida Pruyn, was born December 2, 1677; buried January 27, 1752. In 1703 he was one of those "who furnished labor or materials for the Dominie's house." In 1720 his name appears on the list of freeholders in the old third ward of Albany. He lived, between 1703-27, at the northeast corner of Maiden Lane and James street. He married, January 15, 1704, Maria, born June 14, 1681, daughter of Jacob Cornelise and Jeanette (Quackenbush) Bogart. Children:

  1. Francis Samuelse, born March 15, 1705, see forward;
  2. Alida, baptized November 17, 1706; buried January 3, 1727;
  3. Jacob, baptized February 10, 1712; buried June 27, 1752;
  4. Maria (or Maritie), baptized September 20, 1713; buried September 5, 1746;
  5. Johannes S., born July 14, 1723; married Jannetie van Aalsteyn.

(IV) Francis Samuelse, son of Samuel and Maria (Bogart) Pruyn, was baptized March 15, 1705 (Jacob Bogart and Anna van Yveren, sponsors); died August 27, 1767. He was firemaster, 1731-32; assistant alderman, 1745-46, and alderman from the second ward, 1761-62. He married (first) Anna ————; (second) Alida, daughter of Warner and Anna (Pruyn) van Yveren, baptized August 6, 1704. Children:

  1. Francis, born January 16, 1717;
  2. Anna, born October 1, 1726, died young;
  3. Samuel, October 2, 1727, died young;
  4. Samuel, September 15, 1728, married, February 7, 1756, Neeltje Ten Eyck;
  5. Anna, April 20, 1732, died in New York City, December 21, 1747;
  6. Casparus, May 10, 1734, see forward);
  7. Johannes Francis, December 23, 1739; married Gertrude Ten Eyck; died March 23, 1815;
  8. Jacob Francis, July 22, 1744; married Hendricke Van Buren.

(V) Casparus, son of Francis Samuelse and Alida (Van Yveren) Pruyn, was born May 10, 1734 (Jacob and Maria Pruyn, sponsors). His name appears as lieutenant on the roll of the First Albany County Regiment; in 1785 he was an assessor of the second ward; was some years an elder of the Reformed Dutch church, and this memorandum refers to his government aid: "This is to certify that Casparus Pruyn has due to him from the United States the sum of Seventy-one pounds four shillings specie, for work done for the use of the Indians, by the request of the Commissioners of Indian Affairs, in 1779-1780. P. Van Rensselaer." He died October 7, 1817. He married, December 19, 1762, Catherine Groesbeck, born May 8, 1737, died February 17, 1788, daughter of David and Maria (Vanderpoel) Groesbeck. Children:

  1. Maria, born April 17, 1764, died March 14, 1821;
  2. Alida, January 12, 1765, died September 11, 1767;
  3. Franciscus, baptized September 16, 1767, died September 27, 1768;
  4. Francis Casparus, July 19, 1769, see forward;
  5. David, August 24, 1771; married Huybertie Lansing; died January 20, 1843;
  6. Alida, December 11, 1773;
  7. Willem, March 11, 1776.

(VI) Francis Casparus, son of Casparus and Catherine (Groesbeck) Pruyn, was born July 19, 1769, baptized by Dominie Eilardus Westerlo, with Samuel Pruyn and Neeltje Ten Eyck, sponsors, and died June 14, 1837. He married, August 30, 1791, Cornelia Dunbar, born January 11, 1770, died July 12, 1844, daughter of Levinus and Margaret (Hansen) Dunbar, the latter being a niece of Mayor Hendrick Hansen. Children:

  1. Casparus Francis, see forward;
  2. Catharine, born January 3, 1794; married Adrian Van Santvoord;
  3. Levinus, October 4, 1796; married Brachie (Bridget) Oblenis;
  4. David, January 26, 1799, died young;
  5. Margaret (twin to David), married William I. Pruyn;
  6. David, November 20, 1801, lost at sea;
  7. Gertrude, married Samuel Randall;
  8. Alida, married William Boardman;
  9. Maria, married David Bensen;
  10. Cornelia, married Owen Munson.

(VII) Casparus Francis, son of Francis Casparus and Cornelia (Dunbar) Pruyn, was born May 26, 1792; was baptized with Casparus Pruyn (grandfather) and Mary Pruyn (aunt), sponsors. When thirteen years old, he entered the office of the Van Rensselaer estate, his uncle, Robert Dunbar, being the agent to conduct affairs of the extensive property. When Mr. Dunbar resigned in 1835 he was appointed agent for the manor. It was a position requiring considerable executive ability, and he filled the post with satisfaction. When General Stephen Van Rensselaer, the Patroon, died January 26, 1839, the estate was divided, that portion on the east shore of the Hudson river going to William Paterson Van Rensselaer, so Mr. Pruyn removed to Bath, Rensselaer county, to be in the vicinity, and became the agent of the "East Manor," continuing as such until the autumn of 1844, when he resigned. He died February 11, 1846. Mr. Pruyn was married by Rev. John M. Bradford, April 19, 1814, to Ann Hewson, born January 27, 1794, died February 12, 1841, daughter of Robert and Elizabeth (Fryer) Hewson, of Albany. Children:

  1. Robert Hewson, born February 14, 1815, see forward;
  2. Francis, November 2, 1816; married Isabella Kirk;
  3. Elizabeth, December 16, 1818, died February 6, 1842;
  4. Cornelia, December 5, 1820, married Charles Van Zandt;
  5. Mary, January 27, 1823, died young;
  6. Alida, March 9, 1825, married, January 16, 1845, James C. Bell, died November 2, 1895;
  7. William Fryer, February 28, 1827, married Gertrude Dunbar Visscher;
  8. Edward Roggen, July 12, 1829;
  9. Augustus, October 23, 1831, married Catalina Ten Eyck;
  10. Mary, April 3, 1834, married Montgomery Rochester.

(VIII) Robert Hewson, son of Casparus Francis and Ann (Hewson) Pruyn, was born in Albany, February 14, 1815, and was baptized by the Rev. John Melancthon Bradford, pastor of the "North" Dutch Church. His home life in childhood trained him in reverence, patriotism and industry, attributes which gave him prominence in after years. In 1825 he entered the Albany Academy, where his classical education under Dr. Theodoric Romeyn Beck and his education in the sciences under Professor Joseph Henry, the eminent scientist-discoverer, was most thorough. He then entered Rutgers' College, from which he was graduated in 1833. On leaving college he became a law student in the office of Hon. Abraham Van Vechten, a jurist of recognized ability; city recorder, Senator, assemblyman, attorney-general and member of the constitutional convention of 1821. He was admitted to the bar in 1836, and shortly after was appointed attorney and counselor for the corporation of Albany, holding office for three years, and for a like period was a member of the city council, in which body he was one of the most active members in public affairs. He was judge-advocate from 1841 to 1846, on the staffs of Governors William H. Seward, William C. Bouck and Silas Wright, Jr.; member of assembly in 1848-49-50, from the third district of Albany county, a member of the Whig party. "In 1850, he was the Whig candidate for speaker of assembly. The Democracy had a tie vote with the Whigs, but it having become apparent to Mr. Pruyn that one of the Whig members could not properly hold his seat, Mr. Pruyn abstaining from voting, and the Democratic candidate was chosen. The appreciation of this high-minded course was shown shortly afterward. The speaker was called home by family affliction, and the Democrats elected Mr. Pruyn speaker pro tempore." In 1851 Mr. Pruyn was again appointed judge advocate-general, this time by Governor Washington Hunt. In 1854 he was again an assemblyman and chosen speaker. In that office he displayed courage and such marked justice that never was there a single one of his rulings in the chair appealed from. Governor Myron H. Clark, on March 5, 1855, appointed him adjutant-general, and in 1860, when there was intense excitement in politics, he came within sixty-two votes of being elected to the assembly, although the Lincoln electoral ticket had tenfold that majority in that district against it.

President Lincoln appointed Mr. Pruyn United States minister to Japan, as successor to the Hon. Townsend Harris, in September, 1861, who was the first diplomatic representative of any country to that isolated kingdom. It was at a time when it was most essential for this country to be represented by a man of firmness and possessing strong convictions of his own in order to maintain an equality among the great powers. There being no cable communication, nor even steamship intercourse at that time, the minister was largely left to exert his own resourcefulness and responsibility more largely rested on him than on the diplomats sent later by this country. It was common occurrence that if an inquiry regarding the policy to be pursued on a certain feature were sent to Washington, the reason for it might have so changed by the time of receiving the reply, that the minister found it necessary to act along a far different course. He was thus forced to contest for influence among the trained diplomats of the world, and while the task was undoubtedly enormous, even so much higher in the public's estimation did he rise. In 1863 two naval expeditions were undertaken against the transgressing Daimio of Chosu, whose vessels had fired on the American merchant steamer "Pembroke." The allied forces in the latter engagement demolished the fortifications of Chosu, and Mr. Pruyn demanded an indemnity of three million dollars or, in lieu, the opening of new ports. Later the sum of $1,500,000 was turned over to the state department at Washington, and the effect of the American representative's insistence was so salutary that it exerted a lasting benefit, opening the eyes of Japan as a nation to white man's methods so as to be the true initiative of its desire for education and the modern methods of the powers. Minister Pruyn became an authority for all America on the arts and institutions of Japan, and in apprising the state department through his voluminous reports on his observations and reasons for his acts, furnished much beneficial information. On his return to the United States in 1867, Minister Pruyn was the candidate for lieutenant-governor, but was not elected, and an attack of diphtheria at the time caused him to retire from public life for a few years. In 1872 Governor John T. Hoffman appointed him on a non-partisan commission to frame amendments to the state constitution, and this important body made him its presiding officer.

Mr. Pruyn was chosen the president of the National Commercial Bank of Albany, an institution noted for its soundness throughout the civil war, when it afforded great aid to the government, and for more than half a century it has continued to be a depository for the general funds of the state. He was vice-president of the Albany Savings Bank, a trustee of the Metropolitan Trust Company, of New York City; trustee of Rutgers' College; president of the board of directors of the Dudley Observatory; vice-president of the board of trustees of the Albany Medical College, and on the executive committee of the State Normal College; member of The Albany Institute, and of the Young Men's Association, being its president in 1838, and a governor of the Fort Orange Club. He was made a Mason in Master's Lodge, No. 5, before he left for Japan, and upon his return was connected with the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, delivering the oration at the dedication of the Temple in September, 1875.

He brought from Japan a great number of rare art treasures, and his collection of carved ivories is regarded as one of the finest in the world. He received the degree of M.A. from Rutgers in 1865, and of LL.D. from Williams. He was devoted to his church and advanced its work very materially, and all who knew him bear witness to his honor, charity and unusual qualities of intellect. He died Sunday, February 26, 1882, of embolism of the brain, and was buried in the family lot in the Rural Cemetery on the 28th.

Mr. Pruyn married, November 9, 1841, Jane Ann, born June 28, 1811, daughter of Gerrit Yates and Helen (Ten Eyck) Lansing. Children:

  1. Edward Lansing, born August 2, 1843, died in San Francisco, February 8, 1862;
  2. Robert Clarence (q. v.), born in Albany, October 23, 1847;
  3. Helen Lansing, September 13, 1849, died May 5, 1854;
  4. Charles Lansing, born in Albany, December 2, 1852.

(IX) Charles Lansing, son of Robert Hewson and Jane Anne (Lansing) Pruyn, was born in Albany, December 2, 1852. He took the entire course of study at the Albany Boys' Academy, and graduated in 1868. He then entered the scientific department of Rutgers College, and graduated in the class of 1871. This college later bestowed on him the degree of M.S. Mr. Pruyn was fond of outdoor exercise, and took an active part in the creation of the Ridgefield Athletic Association, being one of its founders who secured the funds for the field and club-house where the young men of Albany might enjoy healthy exercises. He was closely concerned in the interests of the Albany Academy as trustee, and aided the students in the acquisition of an outdoor rink for winter sports, created in the rear of the building, which induced the young men to spend their recreation hours within the influence of the school. Mr. Pruyn was a valued member of the boards of many of the leading institutions, where his advice was appreciated. He was for many years the president of the Albany Embossing Company, a local enterprise which was rapidly expanding, and of the Albany Forge, a new concern for the city. He was a director of the State Normal College; a trustee of the Albany Savings Bank; a director of the New York State National Bank; of the Union Trust Company, of the Albany Medical College and of the Dudley Observatory. He was a member of the Albany Institute and Historical and Art Society; the University and Albany Country clubs, and president of the Fort Orange Club. He served some years as a park commissioner of the city of Albany. Mr. Pruyn was of a genial, courteous, lovable disposition, and not a person in the entire city had a greater number of firm friends in the professional and business community. He was fond of the arts and refinements of life, and helpful to others in a marked degree. His was a life regarded by all as one beyond reproach and worthy of emulation. He and his family resided for some years on Willett street, facing Washington Park, wherein were many of the objects of art brought from Japan by his father, as well as a number of paintings by such artists as Diaz, Myer von Bremen, Cole and Huntington. From there they removed to the more spacious residence, No. 5 Elk street, with a charming outlook upon the Academy Park, and finally he purchased the handsome house of the late J. Howard King, No. 1 Park place. He had also a summer residence, attractive in itself and location, at Altamont, some fourteen miles from Albany, and it was there that he died, after a brief illness, July 7, 1906.

Mr. Charles Lansing Pruyn married, October 11, 1877, Elizabeth Atwood, born October 31, 1853, daughter of William Trimble and Elizabeth Mary (Atwood) McClintock, of Chillicothe, Ohio. They had three children. She died December 20, 1884, and to her memory he erected the altar and reredos in St. Peter's Church, which is so generally admired. He married (second), October 20, 1886, Sarah Gibson, born December 25, 1851, daughter of Sebastian Visscher and Olivia Maria (Shearman) Talcott. (See Talcott IX.) Children, by first wife:

  1. Elizabeth McClintock, born June 14, 1878.
  2. Jane Anne Lansing, born in Albany, December 15, 1880; married, April 20, 1902, Franklin Townsend, born in Albany, son of the late Dr. Franklin and Margaret (Reynolds) Townsend; children:
    1. Franklin, born in Albany, February, 1904;
    2. Charles Lansing, born in Albany, January, 1906.
  3. Sarah McClintock, born in Albany, November 17, 1884, died July 22, 1885.

Children by second wife:

  1. Caspar Lansing, born September 29, 1887, see forward.
  2. Olivia Shearman Talcott, born in Albany, October 25, 1892.

(X) Caspar Lansing, son of Charles Lansing and Sarah Gibson (Talcott) Pruyn, was born in Albany, September 29, 1887. He was educated at the Albany Academy and the Lawrenceville School. Thereafter he went to Princeton College in the class of 1911, but had to leave the second year on account of illness. After leaving college he devoted his attention to the fire insurance business. A member of St. Peter's Church, a Republican in politics. He married, April 22, 1909, Helen, born September 29, 1888, the daughter of Peter Ham and Della (Friday) Lathrop, of Albany.

(The Talcott Line)

The family name of Talcott is derived from the Welsh "tal," high, and "cott, cot, cote," Anglo-Saxon, meaning cottage, that is, a high cottage or a cottage on a high place; i. e., cottage on the hill; or it may have come from the Saxon "toll," a grove, and "cott," cottage in the grove. The correct spelling of the name has been the subject of much controversy. Examining the writing of the first known ancestor, it is found that in the body of his will, John, of Colchester, England, 1606, he spelled it "Taylcot," and also "Talcoat," signing it "Taylcot," and his wife wrote it in her will "Talcoat." His son, John, of Braintree, wrote it in his will "Tailecoat," and his son, John, of Hartford, wrote it in his will "Tallcott," and his wife, Dorothy, signed hers "Talcott." In the Heralds College, London, it appears in the records spelled "Talcot," and that dates back to 1558; but in 1634 it appears there as "Talcott." Sebastian V. Talcott, in his genealogical volume, groups quite a few under each of these divisions: Tailcot, Tailecot, Talcoat, Talcot, Talcott, Tallcot, Tallcott and Taylcot. The pronounced form in use throughout the nineteenth century in America has been Talcott.

The Talcott arms: Argent on a pale sable, three roses of the field. Crest: A demi-griffin erased. Argent, gorged with a collar sable, charged with three roses of the first. Motto: Virtus sola nobilitas. The family was originally of Warwickshire, England. Previous to 1558, John, a descendant from this family, was living in Colchester, Essex county. In the British Museum one may examine the Harlean Manuscripts containing the Herald's visitation of Essex county, in 1558, and find the Talcott arms and pedigree.

(I) John Talcott, the first known of the name, resided in Colchester, Essex county, England, where he possessed real estate and considerable personal property. He was twice married, and had two sons by the first wife, John and Robert, and also a daughter. John settled in Braintree, about fourteen miles from Colchester, and died there in 1604, before his father, leaving a family of children, all minors, the eldest of whom was John, who came to New England. Robert became an alderman and justice of the peace in Colchester. By his second wife he had two sons, Thomas and John, and four daughters. Thomas was rector of the churches of St. Mary and Mile End, in Colchester, and chaplain to the Earl Marshal. John, living at the same period with his half-brother, John, went to Spain, and was a merchant in Madrid. The five daughters of John (of Colchester) married and resided in or near that place. He died about November 1, 1606, in Colchester, England, and his lengthy will was probated on the twelfth day of that same month. He married (first) a Wells, and had three children; (second) Marie Pullen and had six children. Children:

  1. John, see forward.
  2. Robert, married Joanna Drake, and died in 1641.
  3. A daughter, married ———— Barnard, and had John and Mary.
  4. Thomas, married Margaret Biggs, of Suffolk county.
  5. Grace, married John Death, after 1606.
  6. Joanna, married ———— Knewstuble, after 1606.
  7. Marie, married ———— Marshall, before 1606.
  8. Eme, married Thomas Adler, before 1606.
  9. John, left for Madrid, Spain.

(II) John (2), son of John (1) and ———— (Wells) Talcott, was born probably in Colchester, England, previous to 1558. He died in Braintree, about fourteen miles from the place of his birth, in the early part of 1604. His wife was Anne, daughter of William Skinner. Children:

  1. John, see forward.
  2. Rachel, died unmarried in 1623.
  3. Anne.
  4. Mary, married (possibly) Bagot Eggleston, in England, and came with him to Dorchester, in 1630.
  5. Grace, unmarried in 1623.
  6. Sarah, unmarried in 1623.

(III) John (3), son of John (2) and Anne (Skinner) Talcott, was born in Braintree, Essex county; England. He was left a minor on the death of his father, in 1604, and was an only son. He came to Boston with the Rev. Mr. Hooker's company in the ship "Lion," commanded by Captain Mason, which sailed from England, June 22, 1632, with one hundred and twenty-three passengers, and arrived there on Sunday, September 16, 1632. This company settled first in Newtown or Newton (Cambridge), Massachusetts, and he was admitted a freeman by the general court at Boston, November 6, 1632; was a representative in the general court for Newtown, May 14, 1634, and chosen selectman February 4, 1634. He was the fifth greatest proprietor of houses and lands in the town, out of eighty enumerated in the registry of 1634, "of those only who were considered townsmen." He owned four houses in what was called the "west end," and maintained in repair thirty-six rods of public fence. The people of Rev. Mr. Hooker's company becoming dissatisfied with the location, obtained permission from the general court to remove to the Connecticut river, whereupon, the petition being granted, John Talcott sold all his property m Newtown to Nicholas Danforth, May 1, 1636, and left with about one hundred of the company. He had the carpenter, Nicholas Clark, go there a year ahead, and build him a residence on the site where the North Church stood in 1876, which was the first house erected in Hartford, Connecticut. He gained considerable prominence there, and was styled "The Worshipful Mr. John Talcott." He was one of a committee appointed May 1, 1637, to consider and report on the propriety of a war with the Pequot Indians, and it was accordingly declared. Up to the time of his death, he was one of the chief magistrates of the colony. He died in Hartford, in March, 1660, and his name was inscribed upon a monument erected by citizens to perpetuate the memory of the founders of the Colony of Connecticut. He married Dorothy, daughter of Mark and Frances (Gutter) Mott, of Braintree, England, and she died in Hartford, Connecticut, in February, 1670. Children:

  1. Mary, married Rev. John Russell, June 28, 1649; died about 1655.
  2. John, married (first) Helena Wakeman, October 29, 1650; (second) Mary Cook, November 9, 1676; died July 23, 1688.
  3. Samuel, see forward.

(IV) Captain Samuel, son of John (3) and Dorothy (Mott) Talcott, was born about 1634-35, probably in Newtown (Cambridge), Massachusetts, died in Wethersfield, Connecticut, November 10, 1691. He was one of the original proprietors of the town of Glastonbury, Connecticut, and owned the lot purchased by his father in 1643, still owned, in 1876, by his descendants. He was graduated from Harvard in 1658, and was the scholar of the family, consequently his father bequeathed to him all his books, except his "Martyr Book," which he left to John. From these two sons, Samuel and John, are descended all of the Talcott name in America. Samuel was commissioner for Wethersfield from 1669 to 1684; deputy to the general court from 1670 to 1684, and was its secretary during the session of October, 1684. He was made lieutenant of Wethersfield trained band on May 12, 1677; lieutenant of the troop, October 14, 1679, and Eaptain of the troop of Hartford company, October 16, 1681. He married, November 7, 1661, Hannah, daughter of Hon. Elizur and Mary (Pynchon) Holyoke. Children:

  1. Samuel, born in 1662; married Mary Ellery; died April 28, 1698.
  2. John, born in 1663, died young, after 1691.
  3. Hannah, born in 1665, married Major John Chester, November 25, 1686; died July 23, 1741.
  4. Elizur, born July 31, 1669; married Sarah ————.
  5. Joseph, born February 20, 1671; married Sarah Deming, April 5, 1701; died November 3, 1732.
  6. Benjamin, born March 1, 1674, see forward.
  7. Rachel, born April 2, 1676: married Peter Bulkley, March 21, 1700; died November 22, 1702; no children.
  8. Nathaniel, born January 28, 1678; married Elizabeth ————, March 18, 1703; died January 30, 1758.

(V) Deacon Benjamin, son of Captain Samuel and Hannah (Holyoke) Talcott, was born in Wethersfield, Connecticut, March 1, 1674, died at his homestead in Glastonbury, Connecticut, November 12, 1727. He had removed to that place and built a house into which he moved on November 22, 1699, it being the farm inherited from his father, purchased of Samuel Sherman in 1643. The house was a large building on Main street, and was fortified as a place of refuge for the family from Indians. When taken down, in 1854, there were quantities of bullet marks in its walls. He married, January 5, 1699, Sarah, daughter of John and Sarah (Goodrich) Hollister, whose father had come from Bristol, England, and settled in Wethersfield in 1642, and was admitted freeman, May 10. 1643. She died in child-bed, October 15, 1715, at Glastonbury, Connecticut. Children:

  1. Sarah, born October 30, 1699; married Jonathan Hale, November 28, 1717; died July 15, 1743.
  2. Benjamin, born June 27, 1702; married Esther Lyman, August 26, 1724; died March 9, 1785.
  3. John, born December 17, 1704; married Lucy Burnham, in 1731; died August 25, 1745.
  4. Hannah, born October 16, 1706; married Benjamin Hale, January 30, 1729; died February 6, 1796.
  5. Samuel, born February 12, 1708; married Hannah Moseley, October 5, 1732; died September 26, 1768.
  6. Elizur, born December 31, 1709; see forward.
  7. Mehitabel, born July 17, 1713; married Hezekiah Wright, November 29, 1733; died April 20, 1781.
  8. Abigail, born October 10, 1715, died October 28, 1715.

(VI) Colonel Elizur, son of Deacon Benjamin and Sarah (Hollister) Talcott, was born at the homestead in Glastonbury, Connecticut, December 31, 1709, died there November 24, 1797. He was a man of wealth and note in his day, possessing lands in various localities, and a principal owner of the "Connecticut tract" on the Susquehanna river, which he lost through a defect in its title. He was the chairman of a meeting held in Glastonbury, which denounced the "Boston Port Bill"; held a commission as colonel of a troop of horse previous to and during the revolution, and served as such with the Connecticut forces on Long Island; was in New York when the British army marched in, but was taken home ill, on a litter. He married, December 31, 1730, Ruth, only child of Daniel and Elinor (Benton) Wright, a descendant of Thomas Wright, who came from England and was in Wethersfield in 1639. She died at the homestead, September 12, 1791. Children:

  1. Ruth, born October 17, 1731, died September 10, 1747.
  2. Prudence, born June 6, 1734, died October 18, 1752.
  3. Rachel, born August 1, 1736, died May 14, 1807.
  4. Elizur, born August 27, 1738, died February 16, 1750.
  5. Isaac, born August 29, 1740, died August 6, 1815.
  6. Daniel, born May 8, 1743, died February 12, 1748.
  7. George, born November 30, 1745, died February 22, 1750.
  8. Daniel, born July 27, 1748, died December 3, 1751.
  9. Elizur, born December 17, 1750, died November 28, 1831.
  10. Ruth, born May 11, 1753, died June 4, 1821.
  11. George, born September 30, 1755, see forward.
  12. Prudence, born December 2, 1757, died November 20, 1839.

(VII) George, son of Colonel Elizur and Ruth (Wright) Talcott, was born in Glastonbury, Connecticut, September 30, 1755, died there, June 13, 1813. He was a farmer and lived in the old homestead which descended to him from his grandfather, Benjamin Talcott. He served in the revolution and was present at the retreat of the American forces on Long Island. He married (first), March 16, 1777, Vienna, daughter of Jeremiah and Rebecca (Dart) Bradford. She was born November 5, 1757, died August 17, 1785, and by her he had his first four children. He married (second) Abigail, daughter of John and Abigail (Deming) Goodrich. She died in Glastonbury, June 22, 1854, and by her he had six children, making ten in all. Children:

  1. Harriet, born January 7, 1778, died October 9, 1839.
  2. Fanny, born January 8, 1780, died April 16, 1845.
  3. Rebecca, born March 1, 1782, died January 4, 1794.
  4. Julia, born May 9, 1785, died November 17, 1785.
  5. George, born December 6, 1786, see forward.
  6. Russell, born September 22, 1788, died September 26, 1818.
  7. Lavinia, born August 8, 1790, died February 13, 1857.
  8. Abigail, born July 7, 1792, died April 18, 1840.
  9. Jared G., born April 17, 1795.
  10. Andrew, born April 20, 1797.

(VIII) General George (2), son of George (1) and Abigail (Goodrich) Talcott, was born at the homestead in Glastonbury, Connecticut, December 6, 1786, died at his residence, No. 748 Broadway, Albany, New York, April 25, 1862.. He entered the United States army during the war of 1812, from New York, as a lieutenant, and was stationed on the islands of New York harbor; was almost immediately promoted to a captaincy in the ordnance corps, first commanding at the Albany arsenal (which later became district school No. 13), then at Charlestown, Massachusetts, and while there constructed the Watertown arsenal; thence went to Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, taking command of the Alleghany arsenal near there, whence he was ordered to the Watervliet arsenal near Albany, where he remained in command having been promoted to the brevet rank of major for ten years of faithful service; on the reorganization of the ordnance corps in 1832, was appointed its lieutenant-colonel, and shortly thereafter was made inspector of arsenals and armories; during President Van Buren's administration he was given charge of the Washington bureau as acting chief, holding that position until the death of Colonel George Bomford, March 26, 1848, when he was promoted to the full rank of colonel and chief of the ordnance corps. His commission as brevet brigadier-general "for meritorious services, particularly in relation to the Mexican War," was dated March 3, 1849. He married, November 17, 1810, Angelica, daughter of Isaac Henry and Cathlina Visscher (widow of Samuel Reed) Bogart. She died in Albany, September 1, 1861. Children:

  1. George Henry, born July 16, 1811; married Catharine J. Starke, November 9, 1843; died June 8, 1854.
  2. Sebastian Visscher, born November 24, 1812, see forward.

(IX) Sebastian Visscher, son of General George (2) and Angelica (Bogart) Talcott, was born in New York City, November 24, 1812. He entered Yale College in 1829, and left it in the sophomore year for a more active life, adopting the profession of civil engineer. He was employed in this capacity by the United States government on the survey of the boundary between the United States and Canada, and also was engaged on improvement work of the Hudson river near Albany. He made the primary surveys for the Erie railroad near its western terminal at Dunkirk, then on the government survey of the "northeastern boundary"; subsequently on improvement work at the mouth of the Mississippi, and an elaborate survey of the coast under Professor Hassler. Completing this work, he was appointed assistant superintendent of mineral lands on Lake Superior, and subsequently engaged in mercantile business, but relinquished it for his profession. Governor Horatio Seymour, in 1862, appointed him quartermaster-general of the state of New York, with the rank of brigadier-general. His residence was No. 748 Broadway, Albany, where he died November 10, 1888. He married, November 23, 1843, Olivia Maria, only child of Robert (born September 10, 1790) and Anna Maria (Sherman) Shearman, of Utica. She was born October 14, 1823, died January 29, 1888. Children:

  1. George, born October 6, 1844, died April 30, 1895; he was a lieutenant in the United States navy, 1876; married, June 23, 1870, Mary Isabel Hyde, daughter of J. J. Downing, of Erie, Pennsylvania; children:
    1. Winifred Downing, born April 17, 1880, married, October 30, 1895, Lucian D. Cabanne; children:
      1. Isabel Downing, born November 27, 1896, and
      2. Doris Talcott, born July 29, 1898;
    2. Gladys Frank, born August 29, 1884, died September 5, 1885.
  2. Angelica Bogart, born February 24, 1846; married, September 11, 1866, Clarence Rathbone; children:
    1. Albert Rathbone, born July 27, 1868, married Emma Maria Olcott, April 14, 1892; children:
      1. Grace Olcott, born December 9, 1893, and
      2. Anna Talcott, born August 17, 1897;
    2. Joel Rathbone, born September 12, 1869, married, October 18, 1894, Josephine Norwood; child, Norwood, born July 26, 1895;
    3. Angelica Talcott Rathbone, born March 13, 1871, married, December 31, 1899, Dr. Charles R. S. Putnam; child, Patrick;
    4. Ethel Rathbone, born December, 1877, married, March, 1907, in Paris, Jean Marty;
    5. Franklin Townsend Rathbone, born December 22, 1879.
  3. Robert Shearman, born October, 23, 1847; married, May 18, 1870, Mattie D., daughter of Dr. William H. Barclay, of Philadelphia.
  4. Anna Maria, born October 17, 1849.
  5. Sarah Gibson, born December 25, 1851; married Charles Lansing Pruyn (see Pruyn IX).

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