Jabez Huntington (August 7, 1719 – October 5, 1786) was a merchant and politician from Connecticut Colony. Jabez Huntington graduated from

Yale Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wor ...

in 1741, engaged in the

West India Western India is a loosely defined region of India consisting of its western part. The Ministry of Home Affairs in its Western Zonal Council Administrative division includes the states of Goa, Gujarat, and Maharashtra along with the Unio ...

trade, and amassed a fortune. After 1759 he was frequently a member of the legislature, speaker for several years, and also a member of the council. At the beginning of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

, he owned a large amount of shipping, and lost heavily by the capture of his vessels. He was among the most active on the committee of safety during the war; and in the September 1776 session of the Connecticut assembly he and

David Wooster David Wooster ( – May 2, 1777) was an American general who served in the French and Indian War and in the American Revolutionary War. He died of wounds sustained during the Battle of Ridgefield, Connecticut. Several cities, schools, and public ...

were appointed Major Generals. On the death of Wooster in 1777 Jabez was placed in charge of the entire Connecticut militia. His great exertions in the patriot cause and his heavy losses impaired his physical and mental powers, and he was thus compelled to resign his employments in 1779.

Family

Jabez was born on August 7, 1719, in Norwich, Connecticut, to Joshua and Hannah (Perkins) Huntington. He married first Elizabeth (January 20, 1741 – July 1, 1745), the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Tracy) Backus. They had two children, Jedediah in 1743, and Andrew who was born the month before his mother's death. He married his second wife, Hannah Williams (July 23, 1726 – March 25, 1807) of

Pomfret, Connecticut Pomfret is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,266 in 2020 according to the 2020 United States Census. The land was purchased from Native Americans in 1686 (the "Mashmuket Purchase" or "Mashamoquet Purchase ...

, on July 10, 1746. They had six children: Joshua, Hannah (died at age eight), Ebenezer, Elizabeth, Mary, and Zachariah.Huntington, pages=161-168 Jabez died on October 5, 1786, at Norwich.Huntington, p108 Jabez's son Jedidiah Huntington also served in the American Revolution, and after it was over was collector of customs at

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decade ...

, for many years. Jabez's son, Andrew Huntington (born June 21, 1745; died April 7, 1824) engaged in commercial pursuits, and in 1795 was a manufacturer of paper at the falls of Norwich. He was judge of probate in his district in 1813. During the American Revolution he was a commissary of brigade. Jabez's son Joshua Huntington (born in Norwich, August 16, 1751) began business with his father. After the

Battle of Lexington The Battles of Lexington and Concord were the first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War. The battles were fought on April 19, 1775, in Middlesex County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, within the towns of Lexington, Concord, ...

, he commanded a company of 100 men of the town, and joined Putnam's brigade. Subsequently, he was ordered by the Continental Congress to build a frigate of 36 guns, which was constructed in the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

at Gale's Ferry in 1777. Jabez's son

Ebenezer Huntington Ebenezer Huntington (December 26, 1754 – June 17, 1834) was an officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, and afterwards United States Representative from Connecticut. Early life Ebenezer was born on December 26, 1 ...

served in the American Revolution and then became a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Huntington, Jabez 1719 births 1786 deaths Yale University alumni Colonial American merchants Members of the Connecticut General Assembly Council of Assistants (1662–1818) Connecticut militiamen in the American Revolution Politicians from Norwich, Connecticut People of colonial Connecticut 18th-century American politicians