JOHN ELAM CASE, one of Simsbury's best-known
citizens, a descendant of one of the earliest pioneers of Hartford county,
the representative of a family who for almost two and a half centuries
has been prominent in the history of Connecticut, is now an extensive poultry
raiser and farmer. Incapacitated for many vocations by the loss of a limb,
in consequence of a desperate wound received in battle at Antietam, he
has nevertheless attained commanding prominence as a citizen and success
in business undertakings. Honored by his fellow men for his generous contributions
to the weal and progress of society, public-spirited and capable in the
management of affairs, Mr. Case has been an active and influential factor
in the history of his native town.
The Case family is one of the oldest and most
numerous in Hartford county. John Case, the founder of the American branch,
was a native of England, and emigrated to America in the early settlement
of the Colonies, coming to Windsor from the old family home at Aylesham,
England, where many of them now reside. They were a noted family as far
back as the time of Oliver Cromwell, and accumulated fortunes by furnishing
leather for his army, being tanners and farmers; they have held this contract
ever since. They hold all the lands around Aylesham, so that the town is
said to be "Cased" in, and are called a clan by them-selves there. Their
lands surround the possessions of Anne Boleyn, who became the wife of King
Henry VIII, and was afterward beheaded, and they are closely related to
the Boleyns by intermarriage. The records of Aylesham show that they came
from York to Alyesham in the year 1200, and members of the family in Connecticut
and Ohio have copies of their coat of arms.
John Case remained in Windsor until the spring
of 1669. He then came to Simsbury, and settled at Weatogue; was elected
the first constable of Simsbury Oct. 14, 1669, and about 1672 represented
the town at the General Court or Assembly. He died in Simsbury Feb. 21,
1703-4, and was buried there. He was a land owner and farmer, and a prominent
citi-zen. He married for his first wife Sarah, daughter of William Spencer,
of Hartford. She died Nov. 3, 1691, and for his second wife he married
Elizabeth (Moore) Loomis, who was born at Windsor in 1638, and died July
23, 1728; she was a daughter of John Moore, of Windsor, and the widow of
Nathaniel Loomis, of Windsor. The children of John and Sarah (Spencer)
Case were as follows: (I) Elizabeth, born in 1652, died in 1718, married,
in 1684 Joseph Lewis, who died in 1702, and for her second husband wedded
John Tuller, who died Oct. 9, 1718. (2) Mary, born June 22, 1660, died
in 1725, married (first) William Alderman, who died in 1697, and for her
second husband James Hillyer, who died in 1725. She had seven children.
(3) John, born Nov. 5, 1662, died in 1733. In 1684 he married Mary, daughter
of Thomas Olcott, of Hartford. She died in 1685, and he married, in 1693,
Sarah, daughter of Joshua Holcomb, of Simsbury. The three sons born to
John were Daniel, Jonathan and John. (4) William, born June 5, 1665, married,
in 1695, Elizabeth Holcomb, daughter of Joshua Holcomb, and their children
were Elizabeth, James (who married Esther Fithen). Joshua, Mindwell, Rachel
(who married Benjamin Adams), and Mary (who married Joseph Adams). (5)
Samuel, born June 1, 1667, died in 1725. He married (first) Mary, daughter
of Jonathan Westover, of Simsbury, and for his second wife Elizabeth, widow
of Samuel Thrall, and daughter of Josiah Owen. He had thirteen children,
the sons being Samuel. Nathaniel, Jonathan, Caleb, Azrikrim, Benjamin and
Pelatiah. (6) Richard, born Aug. 27, 1669. died in 1746. He married, in
August, 1701, the daughter of Philip Reed, of Concord, Mass. His sons were
Richard, Timothy and Edward. (7) Bartholomew, born in October, 1670, died
in 1725. He married, in 1699, Mary, daughter of Lieut. Samuel Humphrey,
and had nine children, his sons being Thomas, Amos, Isaac and Abraham,
(8) Joseph, born April 6, 1674, died Aug. 11, 1748. (9) Sarah, born
Aug. 14, 1678, died in 1704. She married Joseph Phelps, Jr., of Windsor.
Joseph Case, born at Terry's Plains, Simsbury,
April 6, 1674, married, April 6, 1699, Anna Eno, daughter of James Eno,
of Simsbury. The children born to Joseph and Anna Case were: One that died
in infancy; Joseph, bom Feb. 2, 1701, died Jan. 5, 1760; Jacob, born March
19, 1702; Josiah, born Feb. 1, 1715; Hezekiah, born April 26, 1719; Jacob;
Benajah; Daniel and Joel.
Joseph Case, son of Joseph, was born at Terry's
Plains, Simsbury, Feb. 2, 1701. He was a deacon of the church, and was
a farmer at Meadow Plain. He married Hannah Humphrey, and their children
were: Joseph, born Nov. 30, 1722, died July 29, 1742 (he married Mary Tuller,
who died in 1760); Hannah, born in March, 1725; Asiel, born March 23, 1729;
Hosea, born March 3, 1731; Jedediah, horn March 30, 1733; Solomon, born
March 11, 1735; and Benajah, born Aug. 10, 1738.
Jedediah Case, born March 30, 1733, died Jan.11,
1818. He was a farmer and a large land owner in Meadow Plain, where he
spent his entire life. He married, May 10, 1758, Mary Hart, of Farmington,
and his children were as follows: Jedediah, born July 13, 1759, died April
28, 1858; Elihu, born Jan. 15, 1761, died Jan. 13, 1822; Humphrey, born
Aug. 29, 1702; Phebe T., born Aug. 12, 1765, died Feb. 18, 1823; Hezekiah,
born March 11, 1769; Elizabeth, born Feb. 2, 1771 (married Elhu Tuller);
Horatio Gates, born Sept. 27, 1777, died in July, 1853 (the grandfather
of our subject); Ruth, born May 10, 1778, died March 15, 1838 (married
Asaph Tuller, of Simsbury). Jedediah, the eldest of this family, had a
son Nathan, born April 14, 1784, who was a lifelong farmer. He married
Lucy Moses, who was born June 9, 1786, daughter of Michael Moses, and died
in January, 1836. They had four sons, Jay, Nathan Lee, Emerson and Millner,
and Nathan L. became the father of Mrs. Franklin Alford, of Avon.
Horatio G. Case, the grandfather of our subject,
was born in Simsbury, and was an extensive land owner and farmer. He owned
and operated a large tract of land in Meadow Plain, where he built a fine
dwelling-house and made other extensive improvements. He was a large grower
of rye. He represented the town in the Legislature, was a prominent Whig,
and very active in politics. In middle life he lost his hearing, but aside
from that infirmity he retained all his faculties to a ripe old age. He
died on his farm, and was buried in Simsbury. He married in Simsbury, Hepzibah
Cornish, daughter of Sergt. Elisha and Hepzibah (Humphrey) Cornish, of
Simsbury. To Horatio G. and Hepzibah Case were born eleven children: Nelson;
Elam; Mary, who married Jury Wilcox; Samuel H.; John V.: Julia, who married
Elisha Case, of Canton ; J. Marcus, who lived on the old homestead; Cordelia,
who married James E. Brockett; and three who died young. The grandparents
were members of the Congregational Church.
Elam Case, father of our subject, was born
on the old homestead in the Meadow Plain District, and grew up on the farm.
When a young man he, like many other young men of his day, engaged in selling
clocks, traveling through the Southern States, principally in North Carolina.
After his return home he settled on a part of his father's farm, a tract
of 100 acres, where he spent the balance of his life, and where he died.
He was one of the first raisers of tobacco in that section, and also followed
general farming and dairying. In politics he was an Old-line Whig and later
a Republican. He was a member of the Congregational Church. He married,
in East Weatogue, Simsbury, Ruth Case, born in East Weatogue, daughter
of Philander Case, and to them were born five children: Nancy, who married
Henry C. Smith, of Fair Haven; Julia C., who married L. H. Chidsey, of
Avon, Conn.; Sarah R., who married George J. Case, of Canton; John Elam,
our subject; and Charles B., who is now on the homestead farm. The parents
died on the farm, and were buried in Simsbury. They were good Christain
people, faithful and sincere in every relation in life.
John Elam Case, our subject, was born April
16, 1841. He attended the district schools of Meadow Plain, and also Maple
Grove Academy and the high school of Avon, Conn., was reared on the farm,
and remained with his parents until August, 1862, when he enlisted at Simsbury
in Company E, 16th Conn. V. I, under Col. Frank Beach and Capt. Babcock,
and was mustered in at Hartford. He went to the front with the company,
and participated in the battles of South Mountain and Antietam; at the
latter engagement he was shot in both legs, Sept. 17, 1862, and was taken
home. The left leg had to be amputated at the thigh, Dr. Ellsworth of Hartford,
performing the operation, and after great suffering he recovered, but was
unable to perform any manual labor. Taking up the study of music, he became
proficient in the art, Batlett Tower, on Tallcott Mountain, town of Simsbury.
Removing to Fair Haven he obtained the position of contractor in a corset
factory, during which time he continued the study of music. He then returned
to the old homestead in Simsbury, in the Meadow Plain District, where he
has lived ever since, engaged in poultry raising, etc. He is the organizer
of the Case Orchestra, of which he is the teacher, and is one of the best
musicians in his part of Hartford county. He is a stanch supporter of the
Republican party, and has filled all the offices within the gift of the
people of Simsbury, having served as assessor, tax collector, member of
the school committee, of the school board, and as grand juror. He was elected
to the Legislature in 1872, just two hundred years after John Case, the
founder of the family in Simsbury, represented the town in the Colonial
Assembly, and was again elected in 1889. He was appointed to serve on the
committee on Cities and Boroughs, but on account of a deadlock no business
was transacted. Our subject also filled the office of door-keeper of the
Legislature for six years. He was appointed notary public of the State
of Connecticut by Gov. Lounsbury, and reappointed by Gov. Cooke. Mr. Case
is a member of Village Lodge, No. 29, F. & A. M., and Columbia Chapter
of Collinsville; is also a member of the Veteran Masonic Association of
the State: is now past commander of Capt. Joseph R. Toy Post, No. 83, G.
A. R., of Simsbury, and has filled all the the offices of the post except
chaplain. He was a member of Advance Grange, of Simsbury. In re1igious
connections he is a member of the Congregational Church of Avon, is chairman
of the church society, and a member of the society's committee.
Our subject was married, in 1875, at Bloomfield,
to Luretta Sophronia Humphrey, born in Bloomfield, a daughter of George
and Sophronia (Hamblin) Humphrey. Mr. and Mrs. Case have one child living,
John E., Jr., who was educated in the district schools of Meadow Plain,
and graduated from the West Middle District grammar school of Hartford,
in April, 1893; he also graduated from the Hartford Business College, and
is now a telegraph operator and ticket agent for the N. Y., N. H. &
H. R. R. Co., at Easthampton, Massachusetts.
The Humphrey family, of which Mrs. Case is
a descendant, dates back to one of the earliest colonists of New England,
Michael Humphrey, who was among the first settlers of Simsbury, and was
engaged with John Griffin there in the manufacture of tar and turpentine,
which was shipped by his brother, of St. Malo, France, to the British navy,
He came of a noted English family, who trace their ancestry back to Sir
Richard De Bohun Homfrey, a relative of William the Conqueror, by whom
he was knighted for bravery during the battle of Flodden Field. His great
seal is often found on ancient English records. He was also a descendant
of Sir John Homfrie, whose picture, on his charger, with coat of arms,
now hangs in the British Museum. Michael Humphrey's son Samuel married
Mary Mills. Their son Charles was born in East Weatogue, and was a farmer.
He married Hepzibah Pettibone, daughter of Samuel Pettibone. Their son
Abraham was born on the farm, and became quite a prominent citizen. He
married Eois Merrills, of New Hartford, who married, after her husband's
death, Benoni Humphrey. The children born to Abraham and Lois Humphrey
were as follows: Sophia, born in 1761; Abraham, born in 1763, married Mary
Case; Lot, born in 1764, died Jan. 8, 1835; Ralph, born March 4, 1766,
died in May, 1836; Lois, born in 1766.
Lot Humphrey, who was born in 1764, in Simsbury,
married, Oct. 1, 1784, Chloe Moses, a daughter of Michael Moses, of Simsbury.
She was born in 1763, and died May 5, 1829, in Bloomfield. Lot Humphrey,
at the age of sixteen years, served in the Revolutionary army, and he witnessed
the hanging of Major Andre. He died Jan. 8, 1835, in Bloomfield.
The children born to Lot and Chloe Humphrey were: Sarah, born in 1786,
married Robert Case; Mahala, born in 1788, died Aug. 1843; Persia, born
in 1790, married Calvin Caldwell; Lyman, born Feb. 22, 1792; Trumbull,
born in 1794, died July 30, 1797; Harriet, born in 1790, married Oliver
Burr; Melissa, born in 1798, married Orson Mills; Flora, born Oct. 15,
1803, died Aug. 12, 1869.
Lyman Humphrey, grandfather of Mrs. Case,
was born Feb. 22, 1792. in Simsbury. He married, Jan. 1, 1812, Hannah,
daughter of Select Francis, of West Hartford, born Jan. 23, 1794. They
settled in Bloomfield, where they resided through life, and celebrated
their Golden Wedding in 1862. They lived happily, were prosperous people,
and good Christians, the children born to Lyman and Hannah Humphrey were
as follows: Trumbull, born Oct. 12, 1812; Chloe, Dec. 18, 1813 (married
Moses Cassett); George, April 14, 1816 (father of Mrs. Case); Hector F.
and Mary Ann, Dec. 3. 1819; William. Feb. 15, 1821 (married Roxana A. Pratt);
Amelia, May 27, 1822 (died young); Laura Maria, Oct. 24, 1823 (died in
July, 1847); Goodwill Shcldon, May 18, 1825 (married Charlotte L. Pardee);
Cordelia, born April 28, 1827 (married Charles Walkins); Henry and Henrietta,
twins, born Nov. 19, 1828 (the former married Cornelia Augusta Hart, the
latter married Wilbert Reed).
George Humphrey, the father of Mrs. Case,
was born in Bloomfield, where he was educated, and engaged in farming all
his life. He was also engaged in the manufacture of doors, blinds and sashes,
and spent his entire life in Bloomfield. He married at Avon, Sept. 1, 1837,
Sophronia, daughter of Levi and Agnes (Hoskins) Hamblin, born July 22,
1818, at Becket, Mass. The children born to George and Sophronia Humphrey
were: Edward George, born Sept. 22, 1838, married Samantha G., daughter
of Chancey Holcomb; Luretta Sophronia, born March 31, 1849. married John
Elam Case, our subject; Harriet Marion, born Feb. 3, 1853, married Chester
Francis Goodwill; Franklin Waldo was born April 11, 1859. George Humphrey,
the father died in Simsbury, in 1895, and is buried in Bloomfield. The
mother made her home in Meadow Plain with Mrs. Case. She died Jan. 16,
1900, in Simsbury, and is buried in the family lot in Bloomfield.
Mr. and Mrs. Case have a pleasant home, and
wide circle of friends. The wife and mother is a lady of gentle manners
and refined taste; she is a member of Abigail Phelps Chapter, D. A. R.
Mr. Case adds to his popularity by his genial disposition and his fund
of accurate information.
Charles B. Case, the brother of our subject,
was born on the homestead in Meadow Plain Dec. 21, 1843, and received his
education in Maple Grove Academy and the high school of Avon. He is unmarried,
and devotes his life to farming on the old homestead, being engaged in
tobacco culture and in dairy and general farming; he is a director of the
Avon Creamery. In politics he is a Republican.
Commemorative
Biographical Record
of
Hartford County,
Connecticut
Illustrated
Chicago
J. H. Beers & Co.
1901
pgs 1093 - 1096
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