Captain Theophilus Yale (1675 – 1760) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

military officer,

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

, and one of the early settlers of

Wallingford, Connecticut Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, centrally located between New Haven and Hartford, and Boston and New York City. The population was 44,396 at the 2020 census. The community was named after Wallingford, in En ...

. His grandnephew, Dr. Lyman Hall, became one of the

Founding Fathers The following list of national founding figures is a record, by country, of people who were credited with establishing a state. National founders are typically those who played an influential role in setting up the systems of governance, (i.e. ...

of the United States, and a signatory of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...

. Yale was also a deputy of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature (United States), state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an ...

and

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for Wallingford. His daughter, Sarah Yale, became the great-grandmother of abolitionist Congressman

Sherlock James Andrews Sherlock James Andrews (November 17, 1801 – February 11, 1880), was an American lawyer and congressman. Life He was born in Wallingford, Connecticut to Dr. John Andrews and Abigail Atwater. He graduated from Union College, Schenectady, New ...

, who welcomed

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

at Cleveland during his presidential visit.

Biography

Theophilus Yale was born on November 13, 1675, to Capt.

Thomas Yale Thomas Yale (1525/6–1577) was the Chancellor, Vicar general and Official Principal of the Head of the Church of England : Matthew Parker, 1st Archbishop of Canterbury, and later on, of Edmund Grindal, 2nd Archbishop of Canterbury, during the E ...

and Rebecca Gibbards, daughter of William Gibbards, Esquire.Commemorative Biographical Record of New Haven County, Connecticut
J.H. Beers & Co, Chicago, 1902, p. 314-803Yale Genealogy and History of Wales
Rodney Horace Yale, Milburn & Scott Co., Beatrice, Nebraska, 1908, p. 123-126-138-143 He was a member of the

Yale family Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

, namesake of the future

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

, and descendant of the Princes of

Powys Fadog Powys Fadog (English: ''Lower Powys'' or ''Madog's Powys'') was the northern portion of the former princely realm of Powys, which split in two following the death of Madog ap Maredudd in 1160. The realm was divided under Welsh law, with Madog's ...

, Lords of Yale and

Dinas Bran Dinas may refer to: Places England * Dinas, an area of Padstow, Cornwall * Castle an Dinas, St Columb Major, an Iron Age hillfort at the summit of Castle Downs, Cornwall * Treryn Dinas, a headland near Treen, on the Penwith peninsula, Cornwa ...

.The History of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
Biographical, The American Historical Society, New York, 1920, p. 51-52 His father was one of the founders of

, and his grandfather, Capt.

, was one of the founders of

New Haven Colony The New Haven Colony was a small English colony in North America from 1638 to 1664 primarily in parts of what is now the state of Connecticut, but also with outposts in modern-day New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The history o ...

. Theophilus's brother, Thomas Yale Jr., was also one of the founders of the

Congregational Church Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

of Meriden, with Rev. Theophilus Hall, a

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 ...

graduate, as their pastor. Theophilus Yale is recorded among the early settlers and proprietors of the town of Wallingford, along with his father Capt. Yale. He became a

from about 1724, at 49 years old, to the end of his life in 1760, and occupied various offices in the city and the military. He was described as a "true servant of the people". Yale was made

of New Haven from 1727 to 1729, and performed 4 marriages, which under the

Puritans The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should become more Protestant. P ...

, could only be performed by a civil magistrate. On May 14, 1734, Yale is recorded as a witness for a concession of 75 aces, in the County of New Haven, to James Scoville of Scoville Hill in

Harwinton, Connecticut Harwinton is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 5,484 at the 2020 census. The high school is Lewis S. Mills. History The town incorporated in 1737. The name of the town alludes to Hartford and Windsor, Con ...

. In 1735, Yale is recorded as a Deputy of the

, representing Wallingford with Capt. Benjamin Hall, and would stay for most of his political career. The Assembly, presided by Gov.

Joseph Talcott Joseph Talcott (November 16, 1669 – October 11, 1741) was the 26th governor of the Connecticut Colony from 1724 until his death in 1741. Biography Talcott was born in Hartford, Connecticut, the son of Lieutenant-Colonel John and Helena Wakeman ...

and Deputy Gov.

Jonathan Law Jonathan Law (August 6, 1674 – November 6, 1750) was the 27th Governor of the Colony of Connecticut, serving in that office from 1741 to 1750. Biography Law was born in Milford in what was then Connecticut Colony to Jonathan and Sarah (Clark) ...

, had in attendance the other deputies such as Col. David Goodrich, Roger Wolcott,

Jonathan Trumbull Jonathan Trumbull Sr. (October 12, 1710August 17, 1785) was an American politician and statesman who served as Governor of Connecticut during the American Revolution. Trumbull and Nicholas Cooke of Rhode Island were the only men to serve as gov ...

, Thomas Fitch,

William Pitkin William Pitkin (April 30, 1694 – October 1, 1769) was a colonial governor of the Connecticut Colony. Biography Pitkin was born to a politically prominent family in Hartford (Now East Hartford) in 1694. He married Mary Woodbridge on May 7, 172 ...

, and many others representing different cities across the State. They elected a few lieutenants and captains to be in charge of the trainbands in various cities. Yale was among the deputies present for the re-election of Gov. Talcott in 1737. In 1739, he is appointed by the assembly to form a committee to hear the records of the acts of the assembly read off and compleated, with Capt. Isaac Dickerman, Capt. Benjamin Hall, Capt. John Riggs, Capt. Samuel Bassett, Capt. John Russell, and 5 others.The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut (1636-1776)
Charles J. Hoadly, Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co., Hartford, 1874, p. 1-2-79-283 He is reappointed

of New Haven County in 1736, a few times more in 1737, 1739, 1740, 1741, and once more in 1742 for the next year ensuing. In 1742, at a meeting of the Convocation of

New Haven County New Haven County is a county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 864,835, making it the third-most populous county in Connecticut. Two of the state's top 5 largest cities, New ...

, Theophilus Yale, as a member of the First Church of Wallingford, launched a complaint against

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

graduate, Rev. Philemon Robbins, pastor of the First Church in Branford.History of New Haven County, Connecticut
Volume 2, John L. Rockey, W. W. Preston & Co., 1892, p.48-50 The controversy concerned the Newlightism preaching of Rev. Robbins to the

Baptists Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compe ...

of Wallingford, whose group were not within his defined territory. His behavior, called disorderly and offensive in conduct to the laws of God, ended up in a trial, and Robbins was excluded from the council with criminal charges.Noyes-Gilman Ancestry; Being a Series of Sketches, with a Chart of the Ancestors of Charles Phelps Noyes and Emily H. (Gilman) Noyes
Library of Congress, Gilliss Press, New York, 1907, p. 284-285 Yale served as a magistrate until his death.

Personal life

Capt. Theophilus Yale married Sarah Street, daughter of Rev. Samuel Street, Harvard graduate and cofounder of Wallingford. Her grandfather Rev. Nicholas Street was a minister, colleague of John Davenport, and graduate of Pembroke College at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. Through his wife Sarah Street, Yale became the granduncle of Dr. Lyman Hall, one of the

of the United States. Dr. Hall was also a signatory of the

, a Yale graduate, and

Governor of Georgia The governor of Georgia is the head of government of Georgia and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor also has a duty to enforce state laws, the power to either veto or approve bills passed by the Georgia Legisl ...

. Capt. Yale's daughter Sarah became the great-grandmother of abolitionist Congressman

, who also graduated from Yale. Capt. Yale's brother-in-law, John Peck, was the nephew of Rev. Jeremiah Peck, a founder of

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Hopkins Grammar School Hopkins School is a private, college-preparatory, coeducational, day school for grades 7–12 located in New Haven, Connecticut. In 1660, Edward Hopkins, seven-time governor of the Connecticut Colony, bequeathed a portion of his estate to found s ...

, funded by Theophilus's granduncle, Gov.

Edward Hopkins Edward Hopkins (1600 – March 1657) was an English colonist and politician and 2nd Governor of the Connecticut Colony. Active on both sides of the Atlantic, he was a founder of the New Haven and Connecticut colonies, serving seven one-year t ...

of England. Among his descendants, number were involved in

seafaring Seamanship is the art, knowledge and competence of operating a ship, boat or other craft on water. The'' Oxford Dictionary'' states that seamanship is "The skill, techniques, or practice of handling a ship or boat at sea." It involves topics a ...

ventures; the grandson of his son Theophilus,

Sea Captain A sea captain, ship's captain, captain, master, or shipmaster, is a high-grade licensed mariner who holds ultimate command and responsibility of a merchant vessel.Aragon and Messner, 2001, p.3. The captain is responsible for the safe and efficie ...

Theophilus Yale, was involved in the

Old China Trade The Old China Trade () refers to the early commerce between the Qing Empire and the United States under the Canton System, spanning from shortly after the end of the American Revolutionary War in 1783 to the Treaty of Wanghia in 1844. The Old C ...

, dealing in

natural resource Natural resources are resources that are drawn from nature and used with few modifications. This includes the sources of valued characteristics such as commercial and industrial use, aesthetic value, scientific interest and cultural value. O ...

s, and died at sea in Valparaiso, Chile. Relatives included Dr. John Graham of Wallingford, seaman Joseph Yale, his brother-in-law the sea captain Thomas Davis Winship, capt. Joseph Winship and sea captain Samuel Freeman. Capt. Thomas Winship was captured when serving aboard the brig

General Armstrong ''General Armstrong'' was an American brig built for privateering in the Atlantic Ocean theater of the War of 1812. She was named for Brigadier General John Armstrong, Sr., who fought in the American Revolutionary War. War of 1812 ''General Arm ...

under commander

Samuel Chester Reid Samuel Chester Reid (24 August 1783 – 28 January 1861) was an officer in the United States Navy who commanded a privateer during the War of 1812. He is also noted for having helped design the 1818 version of the flag of the United States, ...

, who later helped design the

Flag of the United States The national flag of the United States, United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rect ...

. He served as a

Privateer A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, serving America, and operated a

whaling Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution. It was practiced as an organized industry ...

business with wholesale

grocer A grocery store (American English, AE), grocery shop (British English, BE) or simply grocery is a store that primarily retails a general range of food Product (business), products, which may be Fresh food, fresh or Food preservation, packaged ...

s Fitch Brothers & Co. of

Marseille, France Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern France ...

.19th Century Maritime Norwhich : Whaling, the War of 1812, the Civil War and Civil Seafaring
The Muse, Newsletter of the Slater Memorial Museum, Vivian F. Zoe, Summer 2012, p. 1 to 8

Death

Capt. Theophilus Yale died on September 13, 1760. His wife died at the home of her son-in-law named Joseph Hough, in Wallingford, on November 28, 1795, at 94 years of age. They had 7 children. *Elihu Yale (1703-1745), became a soldier in the Louisbourg Expedition against the French, and died at

Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (french: link=no, île du Cap-Breton, formerly '; gd, Ceap Breatainn or '; mic, Unamaꞌki) is an island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18. ...

, Nova Scotia. He was the father of Capt. Stephen Yale, the great-grandfather of Lt. Gov. William H. Yale, and served in the 10th Connecticut Militia Regiment during the Revolutionary War. *Samuel Yale (1711-1754), married

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

Susannah Abernethy and became a wealthy farmer, leaving a large estate; he was the father of Capt. Street Yale, a

Patriot A patriot is a person with the quality of patriotism. Patriot may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American Revolution * Patriot m ...

who fought in the Revolutionary War. His grandson Samuel Yale was also a patriot and became the first manufacturer in

Meriden, Connecticut Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 2020, the population of the city was 60,850. He was the patriarch of the

manufacturing dynasty of Connecticut.The Yales of Meriden and Wallingford, CT
Andrew F. Turano and Robert G. Smith, The Pewter Collectors' Club of America, The Bulletin, Winter 2006, p. 2 Members included merchant William Yale, Senator Charles D. Yale, General Edwin R. Yale, merchant Henry Clay Yale, Yale merchant William H. Yale, Yale spy William Yale, CIA Director of Finance Thomas B. Yale, and others. *Theophilus Yale (1714-1759), became the father of Capt.

Elihu Yale Elihu Yale (5 April 1649 – 8 July 1721) was a British-American colonial administrator and philanthropist. Although born in Boston, Massachusetts, he only lived in America as a child, spending the rest of his life in England, Wales and India ...

, a wealthy merchant who was among the first

bayonet A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...

manufacturers of Connecticut. Capt. Yale became the uncle of Canadian fur merchant

James Murray Yale James Murray Yale ( – 7 May 1871) was a clerk, and later, a Chief trader for the Hudson's Bay Company, during the late North American fur trade, as they were competing with the Montreal based Northwest Company and the American Fur Company of ...

, and grandfather of New York media magnate

Moses Yale Beach Moses Yale Beach (January 7, 1800 – July 18, 1868) was an American inventor, entrepreneur, philanthropist and publisher, who started the Associated Press, and is credited with originating print syndication. His fortune, as of 1846, amounted to ...

. Members of this branch included NYC's first subway builder

Alfred Ely Beach Alfred Ely Beach (September 1, 1826 – January 1, 1896) was an American inventor, publisher, and patent lawyer, born in Springfield, Massachusetts. He is most known for his design of New York City's earliest subway predecessor, the Beach Pne ...

, politician Arthur Yale, politician Moses S. Beach, inventor Frederick C. Beach, aviation pioneer Stanley Yale Beach, Yale Rev. Brewster Yale Beach, and others. *Sarah Yale (1716-1784), became the wife of Capt. Joshua Atwater, and the great-grandmother of abolitionist Congressman

, who was a graduate from Yale and the 1st President of the Cleveland Bar Association.Atwater, Francis
''Atwater History and Genealogy"
Meriden, CT: Journal Publishing Co., 1901, Vol. 1., p. 113-122-123-153 He was also the son-in-law of Congressman

John W. Allen John William Allen (August 24, 1802October 5, 1887) was an American lawyer and politician from Ohio. He served two terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1837 to 1841 and also served as the fourth Mayor of Cleveland. Early life ...

, Mayor of Cleveland, and was related to the

Griswold family The Griswold family () is an American political family from Connecticut and New York of English descent. The family's fortune originates from the 19th Century industrial and merchant pursuits. Family origins The Griswold family originates fr ...

and the

Clay family The Clays were an influential nineteenth-century U.S. political and business dynasty. The Clays are of English stock, and there are quite a few Clay families still in England, and also in other parts of the world.http://www.spanglefish.com/ClayOfPi ...

.Salisbury, Edward Elbridge (1892)
Family Histories and Genealogies
Press of Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor, Vol. 1, Part 1. p. 66-68-70 Divan Berry Yale, father of

Linus Yale Sr. Linus Yale (27 April 1797 – 8 August 1858) was an American inventor, manufacturer of bank locks, and 1st Mayor of Newport, New York. His patents were signed by President Andrew Jackson. His son, Linus Yale Jr., would later found the Prem ...

, of the

Yale Lock Company Yale is one of the world's oldest lock manufacturers, owned by its parent company, Assa Abloy. Over its extensive history, Yale has received patents for dozens of its products, and the company has distributed its products to more than 120 count ...

, was Capt. Theophilus Yale's great-grandnephew, being a descendant of one of his brothers. Members of this branch included inventor

Linus Yale Jr. Linus Yale Jr. (April 4, 1821 – December 25, 1868) was an American mechanical engineer, manufacturer, and co-founder with Henry R. Towne of the Yale Lock Manufacturing Company, which became the premier manufacturer of locks in the Unite ...

, railroad builder Julian L. Yale, Rockefeller partner

George W. Gardner George W. Gardner (1834–1911) was a grain dealer and the 28th and 30th Mayor of Cleveland, serving two terms as a Republican Party (United States), Republican. He was also co-proprietor with John D. Rockefeller and Maurice B. Clark of the firm ...

, abolitionist Barnabas Yale, golfer John Deere Cady, baseball owner William Yale Giles, and others.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yale, Theophilus 1675 births 1760 deaths Yale family Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives American justices of the peace People from Wallingford, Connecticut 18th-century Connecticut politicians American people of English descent