Nehemiah Royce House
Encyclopedia
The Nehemiah Royce House, also known as the Washington Elm House, is a historic home located at 538 North Main Street, Wallingford, Connecticut
.
He was born about 1636 in England, the son of Robert Royce (c1606-1676) and Mary. He may have been the Nehemiah Royce christened on May 30, 1637 at St Michael the Greater Anglican Church, Stamford, Lincolnshire
, England. There was only one Nehemiah Royce in all of England, coincidentally christened 1637, whose parents coincidentally are named Robert and Mary. He died on November 1, 1706 at New Haven
, Connecticut
and is buried in Center Street Cemetery, Wallingford
, Connecticut
Marriage and family
On Nov. 20, 1660, he married Hannah Morgan at New London
New London County, Connecticut
. They were the parents of nine children. She was born on July 18, 1642 at Roxbury
, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
and died on June 19, 1677 at Wallingford, New Haven County, Connecticut. She was the daughter of James Morgan and Margery Hill. He married as his second wife, Esther Moss in 1678.
Royce, a carpenter, joiner and blacksmith by trade, was one of Wallingford's original 38 proprietors authorized by the Connecticut General Assembly
in 1667 to purchase land from Mantowese and Sunk Squa, daughter of the Great Sachem of the Quinnipiac
s. On May 12, 1670, Wallingford was incorporated and about 126 people settled in the town. On May 11, 1693 Royce was elected deputy representing Wallingford to the Court of the Connecticut Colony
.
Descendants
Nehemiah Royce's descendants number in the thousands today. Some of his notable descendants include:
architectural style and is the oldest extant house in Wallingford. George Washington
visited the house in 1775, when he was on his way to take command of the Continental Army
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
(he passed through Wallingford again in 1789). He stopped in Wallingford to purchase gunpowder from a nearby mill and addressed the residents of the town in front of the house near the Elm.
The Royce family occupied the house for over 200 years. The house was moved to its current location in 1924. For a time it was a museum and then was used as a residence by Choate Rosemary Hall
, until the school donated the house to the Wallingford Historic Preservation Trust in 1999. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Architects Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
and J. Frederick Kelly
and other architectural historians assisted in the restoration of the house.
Wallingford, Connecticut
Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 43,026 at the 2000 census.- History :Wallingford was established on October 10, 1667, when the Connecticut General Assembly authorized the "making of a village on the east river" to 38 planters and freemen...
.
Biography of Nehemiah Royce
Early lifeHe was born about 1636 in England, the son of Robert Royce (c1606-1676) and Mary. He may have been the Nehemiah Royce christened on May 30, 1637 at St Michael the Greater Anglican Church, Stamford, Lincolnshire
Stamford, Lincolnshire
Stamford is a town and civil parish within the South Kesteven district of the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is approximately to the north of London, on the east side of the A1 road to York and Edinburgh and on the River Welland...
, England. There was only one Nehemiah Royce in all of England, coincidentally christened 1637, whose parents coincidentally are named Robert and Mary. He died on November 1, 1706 at New Haven
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and is buried in Center Street Cemetery, Wallingford
Wallingford, Connecticut
Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 43,026 at the 2000 census.- History :Wallingford was established on October 10, 1667, when the Connecticut General Assembly authorized the "making of a village on the east river" to 38 planters and freemen...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
Marriage and family
On Nov. 20, 1660, he married Hannah Morgan at New London
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
New London County, Connecticut
New London County, Connecticut
New London County is a county located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of 2010 the population was 274,055. The total area of the county is , including inland and coastal waters....
. They were the parents of nine children. She was born on July 18, 1642 at Roxbury
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868...
, Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Suffolk County has no land border with Plymouth County to its southeast, but the two counties share a water boundary in the middle of Massachusetts Bay.-National protected areas:*Boston African American National Historic Site...
and died on June 19, 1677 at Wallingford, New Haven County, Connecticut. She was the daughter of James Morgan and Margery Hill. He married as his second wife, Esther Moss in 1678.
Royce, a carpenter, joiner and blacksmith by trade, was one of Wallingford's original 38 proprietors authorized by the Connecticut General Assembly
Connecticut General Assembly
The Connecticut General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. There are no term limits for either chamber.During...
in 1667 to purchase land from Mantowese and Sunk Squa, daughter of the Great Sachem of the Quinnipiac
Quinnipiac
This article is about the Native American nation. For the university, see Quinnipiac University.The Quinnipiac — rarely spelled Quinnipiack — is the English name for the Eansketambawg a Native American nation of the Algonquian family who inhabited the Wampanoki This article is about the Native...
s. On May 12, 1670, Wallingford was incorporated and about 126 people settled in the town. On May 11, 1693 Royce was elected deputy representing Wallingford to the Court of the Connecticut Colony
Connecticut Colony
The Connecticut Colony or Colony of Connecticut was an English colony located in British America that became the U.S. state of Connecticut. Originally known as the River Colony, it was organized on March 3, 1636 as a haven for Puritan noblemen. After early struggles with the Dutch, the English...
.
Descendants
Nehemiah Royce's descendants number in the thousands today. Some of his notable descendants include:
- Jonathan BraceJonathan BraceJonathan Brace was a United States Representative from Connecticut. He was born in Harwinton, Connecticut. He was graduated from Yale College in 1779. He then studied law and was admitted to the bar in Bennington, Vermont in 1779 and commenced practice in Pawlet, Vermont. He moved to Manchester,...
, (1754–1837) was a United States Representative from Connecticut. He was born in Harwinton, ConnecticutHarwinton, ConnecticutHarwinton is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 5,283 at the 2000 census. The name of the town is a portmanteau of Hartford and Windsor, which is where its settlers came from.-Geography:...
and graduated from Yale CollegeYale CollegeYale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
in 1779. - Clint EastwoodClint EastwoodClinton "Clint" Eastwood, Jr. is an American film actor, director, producer, composer and politician. Eastwood first came to prominence as a supporting cast member in the TV series Rawhide...
, American film actor, director, and producer - Millard FillmoreMillard FillmoreMillard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
, (1800–1874) was the 13th President of the United StatesPresident of the United StatesThe President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, serving from 1850 until 1853 and the last member of the Whig Party (United States)Whig Party (United States)The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...
to hold that office. - Oliver Wolcott GibbsWolcott GibbsWolcott Gibbs was an American editor, humorist, theatre critic, playwright and author of short stories, who worked for The New Yorker magazine from 1927 until his death. He is best remembered for his 1936 parody of Time magazine, which skewered the magazine's inverted narrative structure...
, was an AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
editorEditor in chiefAn editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
, humorist, theatre critic, playwrightPlaywrightA playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and authorAuthorAn author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
of short storiesShort storyA short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
, who worked for The New YorkerThe New YorkerThe New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
magazine from 1927 until his death in 1958. - Hamilton JeffersHamilton JeffersHamilton Moore Jeffers was a noted astronomer.Jeffers was born in Sewickley, Pennsylvania, to Presbyterian minister William Hamilton Jeffers, and Annie Robinson Tuttle...
, (1893–1978) was a noted astronomer. - John Robinson JeffersRobinson JeffersJohn Robinson Jeffers was an American poet, known for his work about the central California coast. Most of Jeffers' poetry was written in classic narrative and epic form, but today he is also known for his short verse, and considered an icon of the environmental movement.-Life:Jeffers was born in...
, (1887–1962) was an American poet, known for his work about the central California coast. He is considered an icon of the environmental movement. - George B. McClellanGeorge B. McClellanGeorge Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
, Civil War general, Governor of New JerseyGovernor of New JerseyThe Office of the Governor of New Jersey is the executive branch for the U.S. state of New Jersey. The office of Governor is an elected position, for which elected officials serve four year terms. While individual politicians may serve as many terms as they can be elected to, Governors cannot be...
, Democratic opponent of Abraham LincolnAbraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
in the 1864 United States presidential electionUnited States presidential election, 1864In the United States Presidential election of 1864, Abraham Lincoln was re-elected as president. The election was held during the Civil War. Lincoln ran under the National Union ticket against Democratic candidate George B. McClellan, his former top general. McClellan ran as the "peace candidate",...
. - Frederick Law OlmstedFrederick Law OlmstedFrederick Law Olmsted was an American journalist, social critic, public administrator, and landscape designer. He is popularly considered to be the father of American landscape architecture, although many scholars have bestowed that title upon Andrew Jackson Downing...
(1822–1903) was an American journalist, landscape designer and father of American landscape architecture, famous for designing many well-known urban parks, including Central ParkCentral ParkCentral Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
House
Built in 1672, the Royce house is an example of American colonial saltboxSaltbox
A saltbox is a building with a long, pitched roof that slopes down to the back, generally a wooden frame house. A saltbox has just one story in the back and two stories in the front...
architectural style and is the oldest extant house in Wallingford. George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
visited the house in 1775, when he was on his way to take command of the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
(he passed through Wallingford again in 1789). He stopped in Wallingford to purchase gunpowder from a nearby mill and addressed the residents of the town in front of the house near the Elm.
The Royce family occupied the house for over 200 years. The house was moved to its current location in 1924. For a time it was a museum and then was used as a residence by Choate Rosemary Hall
Choate Rosemary Hall
Choate Rosemary Hall is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school located in Wallingford, Connecticut...
, until the school donated the house to the Wallingford Historic Preservation Trust in 1999. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Architects Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
Richard Henry Dana, Jr.
Richard Henry Dana Jr. was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts, a descendant of an eminent colonial family who gained renown as the author of the American classic, the memoir Two Years Before the Mast...
and J. Frederick Kelly
J. Frederick Kelly
J. Frederick Kelly was an American architect who has designed significant houses. Kelly was regarded as the leading architectural historian in Connecticut....
and other architectural historians assisted in the restoration of the house.