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Descendants of John Plant of Branford, Connecticut:

My Plant Family Ancestors

Based on Research and Manuscript by

Jacqueline Foulds Plant

Revised, edited & supplemented with personal recollections and photographs

by John David Plant III

March 2013

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Table of Contents

I. John Plant (1612 - ?)........................................................... 4

II. John Plant (1646 - 1691) .................................................... 5

III. John Plant (1678 - 1752) .................................................. 7

IV. James Plant (1716 - 1795) ............................................. 34

V. Solomon Plant (1741 - 1822) ............................................ 34

VI. David Plant (1783 - 1851) ............................................... 36

VII. John David Plant (1823 - 1860) ...................................... 39

VIII. James Chapman Plant (1853 - 1916)............................. 40

IX. John David Plant, Sr. (1888 – 1958) .............................. 43

X. John David Plant, Jr. (1929-2011) .................................... 43

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John Plant (1612 - ?)

John Plant born in England. He worked for the Saltonstall Company in

1630 (an international merchant company based in London). He emigrated to New England with the Saltonstall Company about 1639 and settled in

Hartford, Connecticut. He may have returned to England a few years later for the birth of his son, John. The name of his wife is, however, not known. It is

possible that his son, John, also worked with the Lord Saltonstall’s Company and came to the US on one of their ships.

John had at least one child:

(1) John Plant (1646-1691)

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I. John Plant (1646 - 1691)

John Plant and his wife, Elisabeth (Betty) Roundkettle (1650-1713), came from England, at least, by 1676, if not earlier and eventually settled in

the east part of Branford, Connecticut. Previously, we believed the date of emigration was about 1639,

because this is the date given in the book The Life of Henry Bradley Plant, by George Hutchinson-Smith (G.Putnam & Sons, 1898). But that may actually

refer to his father. John Plant volunteered his services as a soldier in the First Indian War

(1675 – 1676) (also known as the Narragansett War or King Philips War, being named after the main leader of the Native American side, Metacomet,

who was known to the English as "King Philip"). After the war, the Connecticut General Assembly in October 1696

bestowed on the “English Volunteers”, who volunteered in the struggle, a tract of land six square miles large to be divided amongst them in the

unsettled "Volunteer's Town", now Voluntown, Connecticut.

John Plant was granted Lot 59 of the Cedar Swamp Lots. However, he probably did not settle there but moved to Branford, since Branford town

records of January 21, 1677, show that he was granted a lot of two acres on condition that he should build upon it within three years. This is the earliest

reference to the Plant family in Branford (information based on W. K. Plant 1990).

Later, John Plant's name occurs in town records a number of times in connection with grants of land. On November 6, 1677, he was a witness on

the record of payment for a land grant, and on February 2, 1688 he was given six acres on the way hill. He was sworn in as a freeman in Branford,

April 8, 1690. An inventory of his estate was taken June 4, 1691, estimating the

value of his property to be £130.8s.9d (=130 pounds, 8 shillings and 9

pennies which is £130.44, today that would be worth about $10,000). Presumably, John Plant died early 1691 (although an internet source gives

1696). It is not known where he or his wife were buried. My Grandmother told me of some circumstances from John’s life. On

the journey across the Atlantic his parents died on board and were buried at sea. John was still young at the time and not wishing to be by himself when

reaching the New World, he decided to marry before landing. As it was, there was only a single marriageable woman on board, Betty Roundkettle.

She was a small, fat, redheaded woman. They were married on board before they reached the New England shores.

As a note, one internet source holds that John and Betty married in

England about 1676.

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John & Betty had three children:

(1) Elisabeth

She married John Couch of Branford on July 23, 1712. They had five children:

1. Sarah (born 1716). She married Sept 20, 1738, Eleazer Stent.

2. James (born 1718) 3. Elizabeth (born 1720). She married March 9, 1736, Jacob

Carter. 4. Mary (born 1923)

5. John (born 1926)

(2) John Plant (1678-1752) (see next page)

(3) Martha

She was enrolled as a member of the Banford church in 1704.

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II. John Plant (1678 - 1752)

John Plant may have been the only male child of John Plant and Betty Roundkettle. He was born in Branford, Connecticut and was baptized March

3, 1678. He married Hannah Whedon (1685-1754) of Boston. She was the daughter of Thomas Whedon and Hannah Barnes. The father of Thomas

Whedon Jr., Thomas Whedon Sr. came to New Haven with John Meigs and bought the lot on the corner of Chapel and Church Streets, where the Cutler

building stands. Thomas Whedon Sr. was an apprentice (tanner), married Ann Harvey in New Haven and moved to Branford by at least by 1676.

Thomas Whedon Sr. and Ann Harvey had five children. Their son Thomas Whedon Jr. (May 31, 1663 – 1692) married Hannah Barnes who was the

eldest daughter of John and Mercy (Betts) Barnes. John Plant became a member of the church in Branford, Sept 2, 1716,

and Hannah Plant Sept 21, 1729. His will is in the Probate Records in Guilford, dated Feb 29, 1752.

John Plant owned an estate in Branford and 100 acres of land in

Litchfield. The will of Hannah is also in Guilford, dated Nov 31, 1752.

John and Hannah were buried in Branford, Connecticut. Their gravestones are shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 1 Gravestone of John Plant (1678-1752), in Branford, Connecticut. The inscription reads: “In Memory of Mr John Plant who died Feb

ry the 10

th 1752 In his 74

th

Year”.

Figure 2 Gravestone of John Plant’s (1678-1752) wife, Hanna (Branford, Connecticut). The inscription seems to read: “In Memory of M

rs

Hannah wife of Mr John Plant died Nov y5th

in 1754 in her 69

th Year”.

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John & Hannah had at least 8 children, all were born in Branford,

Connecticut:

(1) Hannah. Born July 16, 1708. Baptized August 7, 1715. Married Abraham Whedon (died ca. 1762). They had eight children all were

born in Branford: Reuben Whedon

William Whedon Noah Whedon

Hannah Whedon Martha Whedon

Submit Whedon Sarah Whedon

Deborah Whedon

(2) John. Born September 19, 1711. Baptized August 7, 1715. Died

unmarried ca. 1788. His estate went to brother Benjamin.

(3) Jonathan. Born July 29, 1714. Baptized August 7, 1715. Died before February October 7, 1772, unmarried. Owned land in Branford,

Connecticut (land deed of 1755, Figure 3). Records show that he had cattle.

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Figure 3 Land deed of 1755 of Jonathan Plant. The boundary described as “Northerly by land of John Plant” probably refers to land owned by his father. (Deed in house of my parents, John and Jacqueline Plant, in Guilford, Connecticut).

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(4) James Plant. Born November 4, 1716. Baptized November 18,

1716. Died October February 7, 1795, in South Hill, Tompkins, New York. Christened in Branford November 18, 1716. Married Bethsheba

Page (Jan 25, 1716, - Jan 5, 1803) on September 22, 1740, daughter of Samuel and Mindwell Page of Branford.

He had a farm near the head of Lake Saltonstall and raised a family, most of whom left Branford. He drowned while crossing the

lake on the ice, and his farm was sold by John and Samuel Plant to

George Townsend, of East Haven. His widow seems to have passed the closing years of her life with their oldest son in the home he had made

in Stratford. James and Bethsheba had eight children:

1. Solomon Plant, born May 1, 1741; died May 20, 1812; married (I), November 16, 1769, Sarah Bennett, of Stratford, who

died September 15, 1815; married (2), November 19, 1816, Mrs. Esther (Frost) Botsford.

Four children of Solomon and Sarah: 1. Hannah Plant, born October 25, 1770; married, October

7, 1787, Asa Benjamin; born December 2, 1763. 2. Sarah Plant, born January 5, 1775; died August 14

1857; married, September 10, 1797, Daniel Judson; born November 2 4 1763; died October 4, 1847.

3. Cata Plant, born December 30, 1777; died January 16,

1778. 4. David Plant, born March 29, 1783; died October 18,

1851; married, December 5, 1810, Catharine Tomlinson, born October 9, 1787; died June 2, 1835.

2. James Plant, born September 10, 1742; living at

Southington, Connecticut, as late as June 15, 1813, when he deeded land to his son Ebenezer; married, January 9, 1772, at New Haven,

Lucy Judd, daughter of Joseph and Ruth (Thompson) Judd, of that place.

Children of James and Lucy: 1. Lucy Plant, born May 14 1773; died May, 1863.

2. Joseph Plant, born March 26,1775; died March 30,1803. 3. Rebekah Plant, born February 6, 1778; died September,

1862.

4. James Plant, born February 16, 1781; died March 13, 1806; residence, Harwinton. Litchfield records say that

he left a wife, Nancy, and an infant daughter, Laura. 5. Sally Plant, born April 14 1784; died May 23, 1874;

married, February 5,1803, Zephi Brockett, son of Amos and Lucy (Dutton) Brockett.

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6. Ebenezer Plant, born January 10, 1787; died April 30,

1821, at Southington, married, August 29, 1809, Lydia Neale, daughter of Jeremiah and Anna (Fuller) Neale, of

that place; born January 29, 1788; died February 21, 1857.

1. Harriett Plant, born May 29, 1810; died September 30, 1816.

2. Laura Ann Plant, born April 20, 1812; died January 4, 1871; married, June 28, 1831, Alfred A.

Hotchkiss. 1. Edwin P. Hotchkiss, a manufacturer at

Plantsville. 3. Amzi Perrin Plant, born July 2, 1816; died July 24,

1874; married (1), A. E. Shipman, who died April 3, 1849; married (2), March, 1850, Cornelia Dakin.

1. Adelia Plant, born June 12, 1843; died July

I, 1846. 2. Emily C. Plant, born May 4, 1853; died April

18, 1867. 3. William Perrin Plant, born February 8, 1857.

4. Ebenezer Howard Plant, born February 25, 1821; died January 12, 1891; married, September 28,

1843, Hannah K. Ives, daughter of Samuel and Abigail (Moss) Ives; born January 6, 1823; died

August 17, 1873. 1. Frederick Howard Plant, born November 15,

1859.

Both Amzi Perrin Plant and Ebenezer Howard Plant engaged in manufactures in the southern part of

Southington, which developed into large industries, giving

employment to many people. The village growing up about these establishments received their name, and is known as

Plantsville.

7. Vesta Plant, born March 23, 1791; died January 30, 1815.

3. Samuel Plant, baptized February 10, 1745; married, July

2,1769, Thankful Towner, of Branford. He was lost at sea. 4. Stephen Plant, baptized March 8, 1747; died before

February 3, 1808, when his estate was admitted to probate in Litchfield, Connecticut, and his widow Rebecca Plant was appointed

administratrix.

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1. Naomi Plant, born September 2, 1776.

2. Jerusha Plant, born May 17, 1778. 3. Orpah Plant, born July 2 4 1780.

4. Stephen Plant, born June 25, 1782. 5. Ruel Plant, born March 21, 1785; married (1),

September 18, 1807, Phebe Spinyer; married (2), October 30, 1842, Hutsah Williams. Children by the first marriage, and born

in Litchfield. 1. Isaac Plant, born August 13, 1808.

2. Maryan Plant, born February 7, 1811. 3. Hariot Plant, born March 10, 1814.

4. Stephen Plant, born January 31, 1817. 5. Jane Plant. born February 4, 1819.

6. David Plant, born January 30, 1821. 7. Phebe Plant, born September 1, 1823.

8. Charlotte Plant, born July 1, 1826.

9. Abigail Plant, born October, 21, 1828. 6. Rebecca Plant, born May 21, 1787.

7. Ammi Plant, born November 5, 1789; married, December 7, 1820, May Barney, of Litchfield, the service being

by Rev. Isaac Jones, of St. Michael's Church. 8. Isaac Plant, born March 31, 1793.

5. Lois Plant, Born March 24, 1748/49. baptized April 2, 1749;

died April 21, 1833, aged 84 at South Hill, Tompkins, Onondaga County, New York; married Obed Fellows, of Canaan, Connecticut.

Settled in Sheffield, Berkshire, Massachusetts. Their son, Ephraim Fellows, was the father of Lucy Fellows, who became the wife of

William Agur Plant. 6. Ebenezer Plant, born October 26, 1751; baptized December

15, 1751; died April or May, 1796; married, August 17, 1774 Esther

Bassett, daughter of Lieutenant John and Naomi (Wooster) Bassett, residence, Derby, Connecticut. Captain Samuel Plant, his son, died at

Norfolk, Virginia, in 1815. His wife was Dorothy Gorham, daughter of Isaac and Sarah (Atwater) Gorham, born February 22, 1775; died

August 4, 1832, aged 57. Their daughter, Sarah Atwatera Plant (born December 4, 1800, died June 16, 1880), married Nathaniel Jocelyn, of

New Haven (born January 31, 1796, died January 18, 1881). 7. Sarah Plant, born May 6,1754; baptized June 9, 1754.

8. Moses Plant, born March 17, 1760; supposed to have settled at Niagara, New York, and died there. He was in the Revolutionary

War, Sixth regiment, Connecticut line, Captain James Prentice, of New Haven; enlisted, April 20, 1777, for eight months; discharged, January

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1, 1778; also enlisted, February 21, 1778, in the regiment of Artificers,

from Branford, for three years.

(5) Elizabeth. Born August 1, 1720. Married Josiah Parrish (Sept 21, 1748) son of John and Hannah Parrish of Branford. Died 1799 in

Washington Co., New York. They had six children:

1. Josiah Parrish (born April 6, 1749) married Dec 25, 1770, Thankful Plant, perhaps the widow of Samuel Plant.

2. Elizabeth Parrish (born August 3, 1751) 3. Sibil Parrish (born March 28, 1753)

4. Hannah Parrish (born July 11, 1756) 5. Mary Parrish (born June 7, 1759)

6. John Parrish (born May 16, 1762)

(6) Timothy (Feb 4, 1723 born April 6, 1724, baptized May 17, 1724). He married Lucy Parrish (1722-?) in Feb 12, 1745 in Branford. They

settled in Branford, but may have moved away during their last years, because Saybrook became a home for their children. It is not certain

when Timothy and Lucy died. The deed of land made by Timothy Plant, Sr., to his son, October 7, 1772, is evidence that he was still living at

that time. They had five children:

1. Lucy Plant, born May 17, 1745; died February 26, 1825, aged 80, at Saybrook, now Westbrook, Connecticut; married,

December 2 4 1764, Daniel Dee, son of William Dee, of Saybrook; born about I 739; died August 23,1823, aged 84.

Their gravestone is in the old cemetery at Westbrook. 2. Hannah Plant, born March 15, 1747; married, at Saybrook,

Jared Baldwin, son of Jerjah Baldwin, of Milford, where they

afterward lived and are mentioned in the records, November 30, 1819, as occupying their house with their daughter,

Hannah Bassett. 3. Timothy Plant, born July 4, 1750; married, 1770, Mary Ann

Colberth, who died about 1788, residence, Litchfield, Connecticut.

He moved to Litchfield, Connecticut, about 1772, since on June 26, 1734, his grandfather. John Plant, bought from

Josiah Rogers of Branford a tract of one hundred acres of land in Litchfield on the west side of the Waterbury River. This land

remained undivided at the settlement of John Plant's estate, and passed in this manner to his six sons. Of these, Timothy

Plant sold his share of one sixth to his son Timothy, October

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7, 1772, for 17 pounds. A little later, January 13, 1773,

Timothy Plant, Jr., also bought the share of his uncle James, which had been previously sold to David Wooster. Then, May

23, 1774, he bought of Asa and Harris Hopkins two thirds of another tract of one hundred acres. He afterward sold both of

these tracts at a considerable advance on their cost. But having made his home in Litchfield, the family remained

there. In the Revolutionary War he entered the army March 2,

1777 in the Fifth regiment, Connecticut line, Captain J. A. Wright's company, and was reported missing at Germantown,

October 4, 1777. Tradition says that he was drafted, and that in the battle he was taken prisoner and confined in ”the old

sugar house” in New York, or in "the prison ship," and died there, no word having ever come from him to his family. The

birth of his children are registered in Litchfield, except of the

youngest, who must have bear born after he went to war. " Timothy, the son of John Plant, wed Lucy Parrish, settled

in New Haven, and was in the bookbinding business. Among their children were two sons. Timothy, born July 4, 1750, who

subsequently settled in Litchfield; and Joel, born March 25. 1753, who was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, and died,

or was killed, on Long Island in 1779, leaving a wife and two children in New Haven. A daughter, Margaret, afterward

married Bmoni Gleson and went to Vermont. Joel was born August 24, 1776; his mother died when he was twelve years

old, and at the age of fourteen he was bound out to work in the bookbindery that his grandfather had established long

before. Not liking the business, he ran away, at the age of seventeen, and went west to the banks of the Susquehanna

River, where he remained two seasons, returning to his Uncle

Tim’s in Litchfield and attending school in the winter, where he made the acquaintance of Mary Jordan, whom he married.

They lived two or three years in Worthington, Massachusetts, then moved to Benson, Rutland County, Vermont, and, in

1837, to Onondaga County, New York"

1. Margaret Plant, born December 11, 1771; married a Gleason.

2. Timothy Plant, born January 3, 1773 in Litchfield, Connecticut; died April 7,1836, aged 63 in New

Haven; married, January 3, 1795, Chloe Dickerman, of New Haven, daughter of Stephen and Eunice

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(Tuttle) Dickerman; born July 7, 1773; died May

17,1850; residence, Litchfield and New Haven. 1. Mary Ann Plant, born February 17, 1796;

died 1852; married, May 19, 1816, Samuel Westcott, of Providence, Rhode Island, died

January 28, 1814 1. Susan Westcott.

2. Mary Ann Westcott. 3. Henry P. Westcott.

4. George Westcott. 2. Benjamin Dickerman Plant, born February 8,

1798; married, November 6, 1828, Maria Kaigler, of South Carolina; born December 27,

1805. He was a bookseller in Columbia, South Carolina.

1. Caroline Elizabeth Plant, married

Sunnel Rumph; residence, Marshallville, Georgia.

2. George Benjamin Plant, married Laetitia McGchee; residence,

Marshallville. 3. Emily Maria Plant, married William I.

Gmne; residence, Fort Valley, Georgia. 3. Susan Plant, born September 19,1800; died

August 30, 1801. 4. Susan Plant, born October 21, 1802; died

January 20, 1831; married, November 6, 1828, Timothy McCarthy.

5. Caroline Plant, born January 27, 1806; died July 14, 1879; married, February 21, 1830,

Fordyce Wrigley, son of Edward Wrigley, of

England; born January 25, 1803; died October 1, 1846; residence, Macon, Georgia.

1. Benjamin Henry Wrigley, married, January la, 1864, Lucy Knott.

2. Julia Wrigley, married, May 10. 1866, D. H. Peden; residence, Griffin, Georgia.

3. Lucia Wrigley, married, October 31, 1888, A. W. Blake.

4. William Wrigley, married (1), November, 1866, Annie Mellard; married

(2), Ida McPherson. 6. Timothy Henry Plant, born February 1,

1808; died January 4, 1871; married, August

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28, 1834, Sarah Maria Peck, of Kensington,

Connecticut, born September 14, 1814. He and his brother, Increase Cook Plant, were together

at Columbia in the store of their older brother, and from there went to Augusta, Georgia, and

established a book business under the firm name of "T. H.

& I. C. Plant." 1. Augusta M. Plant, residence, Macon,

Georgia. 7. Ebenezer Plant, born April 28, 1810; died

November 26, 1876; married Adeline Gibbs Nye, of New Bedford, Massachusetts.

1. Ida Plant. 2. Lucy Plant.

3. Annie Plant.

8. A child born April 8, 1812, died young. 9. Increase Cook Plant, born February 27,

1814; died November 16, 1892; married (1), July 24, 1838, Charlotte Walker; married (2),

October 2, 1843, Elizabeth Mary Hazlehurst. Increase Cook Plant, son of Timothy and

Chloe (Dickerman) Plant (Timothy, Timothy, John, John ), born February 27, 1814, in New

Haven; died July 23, 1883, at Macon, Georgia; married (1), July 24 1838, Charlotte Walker, of

Leamingston, Vermont, who died March 12, 1839; married (2), October 2, 1843, Elizabeth

Mary Hazlehurst, daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Pettingale (Wilson) Hazlehurst, born

April 20, 1819, at Brunswick, Georgia; died

July 23,1883, at Macon. Increase Cook Plant began business in a

bookstore with his brother at Augusta, Georgia. He soon entered upon a banking

business, which he followed at Columbus and Brunswick, and finally at Macon, where his

name is held in honor not only as a banker but as an influential, public-spirited citizen.

Children of Increase Cook Plant and Elizabeth Mary Hazlehurst:

I. Mary Hazlehurst Plant, married, October 6, 1875, Marshall de

Graffenried; residence, Atlanta, Georgia.

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II. Robert Hazlehurst Plant, born

December 21,1847; married, July 25, 1871, Margaret Redding Ross, daughter

of John Bennett and Martha (Redding) Ross, of Macon. He succeeded his father

in the banking business, and has engaged in other enterprises, insurance

and manufacturing, which were highly prosperous.

III. George Henry Plant, married Minnie Leila Wood; residence, Macon, where he

was engaged in banking in the firm with his brother.

IV. Elizabeth Wilson Plant, married Alonzo D. Schofield; residence, Macon.

10. A daughter, twin of Increase Cook Plant, died young.

3. Lucy Parrish Plant, born November 6,1774; married

a Dickinson and went to the West. 4. Joel Plant, born August 24, 1776 in CT; died 1853, in

Meridian, New York. Married, November 27,1800, at Litchfield, Connecticut, Mary Jordan, of Woodstock;

born December 4 1776; died in 1846, at Peru, New York.*

*A tradition represents him to have been the son of Joel Plant , the brother of Timothy, but no records

confirm this view, while a number of points in his story seem to identify him with Joel, the son of

Timothy, born at Litchfield according to one entry

there, August 22, 1776, and according to another, August 14, 1776. The following account is from his

son. Mr. Lauren Plant, of Cicero, New York, December 25, 1897.

Children of Joel Plant & Mary Jordan: I. John Plant, born June 26, 1801; married twice; a

physician at Hyde Park, Pennsylvania. II. Lorenzo a Plant, born April 17, 1803; died July 2,

1836, at Orwell, Vermont; married (1), October 7, 1829, Louisa Hall, who died May 9, 1830, aged 21;

married (2), October 11, 1831, Harriet M. Cook; born December 29, 1812; died March 11, 1888, at

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Georgia, Vermont. (She married (2), February 13,

1844, Noah R. Parker.) 1. Azro Melvin Plant, born May 25, 1835; married,

November 27, 1864, Annie Fairchild, of Milton, Vermont, born March 27, 1846. He was Assistant

Surgeon, 14th Regiment, Vermont Volunteers in the war, and served in hospitals at Washington, after

which he was a druggist at St. Albans, Vermont. Residence, in 1898, Milton.

III. Alanson Plant, born March 28, 1805; died in 1844; married Betsey Hiscock, of Onondaga Hill,

New York; residence, Kenyonville, New York. IV. Althea Mariah Plant, born May 7, 1807; died June

27, 1862; married William M. Taylor (died December, 1850), who had previously married her

sister Mary, who died; residence, Dudley,

Massachusetts. 1. Mary P. Taylor, born August 11, 1839; died

July 2, 1843. 2. William A. Taylor, born about 1841; died

July 20, 1864. 3. Martha O. Taylor, born January 15, 1843;

died August 2,1848. 4. Mary A. Taylor, born November 2, 1844;

died October 19, 1871, Prentice, Norwich, Connecticut.

5. Helen Taylor, born July 27, 1846; married Henry Holt; lived in Hartford, Connecticut.

6. Hyram Taylor, born July 27, 1846; died July 21, 1863.

7. Annie Maria Taylor, born November 2, 1847;

died July 19, 1849. 8. Lorenzo P. Taylor, born December 1850;

died March 30, 1851. V. Almira Plant, born April 30,1809; died December,

1891; married A. G. Wheeler. VI. Mary Plant, born March 8, 1811; died 1837, at

New Boston, Connecticut; married William M. Taylor. VII. Lucy Plant, born June 26, 1813; died 1843, at

Peru, New York. VIII. A. Joel Plant, born May 15, 1815; died 1872, in

Cortland County, New York; married, 1845, Margaret Phillips, of Locke, New York.

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1. Adin Plant, residence. Binghamton, New

York 2. Leon Plant, residence, Binghamton, New

York. IX. Lauren P. Plant, born March 7, 1817, in Rutland

County, Vermont; died at Cicero, New York, January 29, 1898; married, February 25, 1836, Mrs. Sarah R.

Smiley, of that place, who died there December 5, 1877. He was a Republican in politics and held the

offices, at different times, of Town Clerk, Constable, and Deputy Sheriff.

1. Byron Plant, born April 29, 1839; married, September 15, 1861, Minerva Saunders.

2. Mary Elizabeth Plant, born January 18, 1842. at Sullivan. New York; died February 15,

18g1; married, April 11, 1867, Job Fuller, of

Syracuse. 3. Almira Plant, born September a, 1844, at

Cicero; married, October 6, 1886, John S. Botsford of Clay, New York.

X. Arunah H. Plant, born October 25, 1819; died September 5, 1873; married, April 19, 1848, at

Maumee, Ohio, Mrs. Amelia Lane. In 1866 he wrote to his niece in Vermont, "I have not accumulated

much of this world’s goods, but have a pleasant home and am contented."

1. Mary Sedate Plant, born December 31, 1848; married, Jan. 1885, J. M. McCann, of

Toledo, Ohio. 2. Helen M. Plant, born September 12, 1850;

marrried, September 1880, Elijah Lee Jaquis.

5. Avis Plant, born 1777; unmarried; resided in Richmond, Virginia, for some years and died there.

4. Joel Plant, born March 25, 1753. He is supposed to have died

young. 5. Ithiel Plant, born in 1755; named, November 20, 1783, at

Saybrook, Connecticut, Hannah Denison, daughter of George and Jemima (Post) Denison of that place; born October 25,

1758. The youngest son, Ithiel, or Ethel Plant, enlisted in the

Revolutionary army and afterwards was married in Saybrook. Ethel Plant is also enrolled as enlisting at New London, May

24 ,1778, in the Third troop of light dragoons, and is

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described as " a cooper, stature, 5 feet 8 and one half inches,

complexion light, eyes light, hair dark." On June 5, 1813, Ethel Plant made application for a

pension, Ethel, applied for a pension at Delhi, New York, June 5,

1813. It was allowed him because of the six years of actual service in the Connecticut troops. He was then sixty-three

years of age. This indicates that he moved from Connecticut to New York. No records are known of his having children.

(7) Abraham. born May 8, 1733; died April 4, 1755. aged 53.

Baptized Sept 23, 1727, in Branford. Moved to Vermont. First he married Hannah Hoadley, May (or March) 9, 1751, Hannah Hoadley

was the daughter of John and Lydia (Rogers) Hoadley. Later he married Tamar Frisbie, January 12, 1763.

He had nine children by second marriage, all born in Branford:

1. Eli Plant, born August 4, 1763; married July 8,1787, Sarah Stent.

2. Electa Plant, born September 27, 1765. 3. Lydia Plant, born December 10, 1767; baptized with the

younger children, May 2, 1784. 4. Abraham Plant, born August 3 or 4, 1770.

5. Anne Plant, born August 3 or 4, 1770, twin with Abraham 6. Hannah Plant, born March 14, 1773.

7. Elizabeth Plant, born October 12, 1775. 8. Rebecca Plant, born March 7, 1777.

9. Jason Plant, born August 11, 1782.

The will of John Punish, the father of Josiah

8) Benjamin (July 22, 1732-August 11, 1808, age 76). He settled in

Branford with his wife Lorana (Lois) Beckwith, whom he married April 5, 1768. She born July 13, 1736 in Lyme, Connecticut, as the daughter

of John Beckwith and Sarah Anderson. She died March 16, 1789 at the age of 53. Benjamin & Lois were both buried in Branford (gravestone,

Figure 4). He remarried June 17, 1790, to Abigail Palmer and again Dec 6,

1767 to Lois Frisbie. He had eight children:

1. Hannah Plant, born January 26, 1759; baptized April 25, 1759; married, June 30, 1779, John Russell.

2. John Plant, born December I, 1761; baptized January 17, 1762; removed to Seneca Lake, New York; was twice married but left

no children.

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3. Benjamin Plant, born October 1, 1763; died 1812; married,

1787, Lucinda Potter, daughter of Captain Stephen and Sarah (Lindley) Potter; born April 4, 1767, at Branford; died June 26,

1848. They removed to Utica, New York, about 1795. They had seven children:

1. Sally Plant, born 1790; died 1808. 2. Stephen Plant, died 1793.

3. Benjamin Plant, born April 28, 1794; died August 7, 1876; married April 7, 1823, Sarah Mason, daughter of Arnold and

Mercy Mason, 1798-1879. 4. James Plant, born June 16, 1798; died January 5, 1860;

married November 27, 1833, Hannah A. Mason, daughter of Arnold and Mercy Mason; born 1812.

5. John Plant, born June 16, 1789; died young. 6. Mary Eliza Plant, born June 9. 1800; died March I, 1886;

married September 9, 1820, Roswell Keeler, son of Timothy

and Luranay (DeForest) Keeler; 1791-1864. 7. Frederick Plant, born April 27, 1810; died January 31, 1884

4. Anderson Plant, born November 18, 1765; baptized November 24, 1765; He drowned in the Susquehanna River at the age of

about 25. He bought three acres of land in Southington, October 3, 1787, and sold them to Thomas Stow of Middletown, April 7,

1788. Witnessed by John Plant. 5. Lorana Plant, baptized August 30, 1767; married Henry Garret

and went to Trenton Falls, New York. Their son Orrin Garret was a printer, and one of the early missionaries to the Sandwich

Islands. 6. Peggy Plant, born May 26,1769; baptized June 4 1769 married,

March 23, 1793, Jonathan Frisbie. 7. Samuel Plant, born April I, 1772; baptized April 11, 1772; died

July 29, 1862, aged 80; married, February 11, 1795, Sarah

Frisbie; born May 15,1774; died August 25, I 841, aged 67. She was the daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Rogers) Frisbie; born

May 15, 1774; died August as, 1841, aged 67. They lived at Branford.

Samuel served in the Coastguard in the War of 1812. Their children:

1. Anderson Plant, born January 2, 1796; died October 27, 1826, aged 30; married, December 23, 1818, Betsey

Bradley, of Branford. Anderson Plant, son of Samuel and Sarah (Frisbie) Plant

(Benjamin, John, John I), born January 2,1796, at Branford; died there October 29, 1826; married,

December 23, 1818, Betsey Bradley, daughter of Levi and

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Lydia (Beach) Bradley, born August 28, 1799; died

January 20,1886, at New Haven. She married (2), Philemon Hoadley, born March 31, 1797, at Southampton,

Massachusetts; died January 28, 1862, at New Haven. Anderson Plant’s estate was in probate, June 13, 1827. Mr.

Samuel Plant was chosen and appointed guardian of Henry Bradley Plant, who with his mother, Mrs. Betsey Plant,

were the only heirs. Children of ANDERSON PLANT-BETSEY BRADLEY:

I. Henry Bradley Plant, born October 27,1819; married (1), September 25, 1843, Ellen E.

Blackstone, who died February 28, 1861; married (2), July 2,1873, Margaret Josephine Loughman,

only daughter of Martin Loughman of New York City. II. Eliza Ann Plant, baptized September 26, 1824,

died young.

2. Polly Plant, born October 16, 1798; died April 20, 1800. 3. Sally Plant, born September 17, 1801; married Judah

Frisbie, a merchant in New Haven. 4. John Plant, born May 19, 1806; died May 22,1881;

married Angelina Beach, daughter of Asher S. and Statira (Baldwin) Beach; born October 9, 1807; died January 13,

1883. He was a deacon of the church. John and Angelina had ten children:

1. Mary E. Plant, born October 13, 1826; died September 19, 1879; buried in Norwich, Conn.

Married, November 9, 1852, William Norton. 2. Anderson W. Plant, born March 21, 1829; died

June 22, 1847. 3. Sarah J. Plant, born July 24, 1831; died May 30,

1816.

4. George W. Plant, born March 12,1833; married, October 6,1857, Eliza E. Lane. of New Haven; born

November 16. 1832; she died March 17. 1895. 5. John B. Plant, born May 5, 1836; died December

28, 1836. 6. Angelina B. Plant, born December 24, 1838; died

July 20, 1841. 7. Angelina B. Plant, married, October 5, 1858,

Henry T. Swift. 8. Emily S. Plant, born August 9, 1842; died June

11, 1856. 9. Elizabeth R. Plant, baptized August 9, 1846;

married, July 12, 1871, Edward A. Anketelle.

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10. John A. Plant, born April 7, 1848; died

September 16, 1852.

8. Elias Plant, baptized August 7, 1774 in Branford; married (1), March 31, 1799, Ruhamah Hall, daughter of Elias and Ruhamah

Hall, and widow of Thomas Trowbridge; born January 16, 1776; married (2), November 10,1843, Lydia Linsley.

The children were by the first marriage: 1. William Plant, born January 4 1800; baptized with the

four younger children, September 30, 1810, in Branford; married Polly Beach (May 25, 1810 - Apr. 9, 1886),

daughter of Asher S. and Statira (Baldwin) Beach. All children were born in Branford:

1. Anna Louisa Plant. born February 14, 1832. 2. Alonzo Austin Plant, born October 27, 1834;

married, July 2, 1857, Elizabeth Mary Hough, of New

Haven. 3. Edwin Ezra Plant, born February 6, 1837.

4. Margaret Plant. 5. Lucerne Plant.

6. William Plant. 7. Albert Edwin Plant (Nov. 6, 1841 - Dec. 21, 1914)

married Bessie (Betsy) W. Upson (Apr. 4, 1850 - Sep. 4, 1910) of East Haven, Ct. Albert was born in

Branford, on the old Plant homestead on West Main street. He belonged to the First Congregational

church. He was a fruit and vegetable farmer until 1862, when he joined the boys in blue of Company

B, Fifteenth Connecticut Volunteer Infantry and served for three years. He returned to Branford and

was active in farming until retirement about 1910.

He won a wide reputation as one of the most successful fruit growers in the region. He started a

fruit and vegetable business with his brother Ray Upson Plant, called the A.E.Plant Son’s Company,

Incorporated. Albert was treasurer and Ray secretary. Their strawberries were in great demand

and they won fame for their tomatoes. His wife retained her maiden name.

They had two children: 1. Albert Beach Plant Albert C. Plant (Oct 4,

1872-Dec 21, 1914). Married Luelle Grace Russell from Seymour, Ct. May 12, 1904. They had one

child, Albert Morton Plant, a native of Branford.

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2. Mabel M. Plant.

3. Possibly, a third child: Ray Upson Plant (Feb 26, 1890 – July 11, 1966). He married Mildred

Valetta Hotchkiss (Jan. 22, 1890 - Oct. 20, 1985) of Guilford. She went to Guilford High School, and the

Guilford Institute, continuing her studies at Smith College in Northampton, Mass. She became a

teacher of mathematics in the Branford high school. She is a daughter of J. Henry and Anna (Pardee)

Hotchkiss of Guilford. Ray Upson Plant was a prominent farmer and

horticulturist of Branford. He was born on the old Plant homestead, which he later owned. He attended

business college in New Haven. Ray and Mildred had one child: Ray Upson

Plant (Jr.) (1918 - 1975), who married Anne

MacCready (1919 – 1996). Both are buried in the Branford cemetery.

2. Mary Plant, born September 3, 1801. 3. Thomas Plant, born April 14 1804; died about 1873;

married Sarah Chidsey. His will, dated April 4, 1867, proved June 26, 1873, appoints his brother James

executor, and bequeaths all his estate to his sister, Jane Marian Plant; residence Guilford.

4. Edward Plant, born September 8, 1806; married, September 13, 1831, Hamette Jennette Street, daughter

of Elnathan and Clarissa (Morris) Street; born July 8, 1807; died June 14, 1866.

Their children: 1. De Forest Edward Plant, born June 27. 1832; died

March 7, 1875; married, June 16, 1857, (by Rev. H.

W. Beecher at Plymouth Church in Brooklyn). Harriet Ely, daughter of C. H. Ely, of Hanover, New Jersey.

2. Harriet Evelina Plant, born January 18,1834; died January 13, 1837.

3. Marian Albertina Plant, born April I, 1839; died November, 1863; married James La Hon.

4. Ella Alexina Plant. born July 29, 1849; died 1864. 5. Jane Plant, born March 1, 1808.

6. James Plant, baptized April 28, 1811. 7. Harriet Plant, baptized May 23, 1813; married, February

28, 1839, James Morris. 8. Julianna Plant, baptized July 22, 1815; married, August

6, 1839, James T. Leete.

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9. Elias Plant, baptized June 27, 1817; married, December

31, 1848, Delia E. Beach. He died, and she married, November 2 4 1874, Henry Doolittle. Daughter: Jane

Frances Plant. baptized September 3, 1851. 10. Jane Maria Plant, baptized July 4, 1819.

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Figure 4 Right gravestone of Benjamin Plant (1732-1808), and wife Lorane, in Branford, Connecticut. Left: Gravestone of Anderson Plant (1794?-1825), spouse

Betsey Plant and daughters.

Figure 5 Gravestones of Samuel & Sarah Plant.

This lineage is the one that leads to Henry B. Plant (1819-1899)

(Figure 5), the railroad pioneer who became a millionaire, see map of the

Plant System of railroads, steam ships and hotels (Figure 6); grave monument, Figure 7). My grandfather told me several adventures of him

when he was forging the railroad through the swamps of Florida. In particular, the poisonous snakes in the swamps and encounters with Roosevelt before he

was president. Benjamin & Lois had 8 children.

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1. Benjamin Plant, born October 1, 1763 in Branford,

Connecticut; died June 26, 1848 in Utica, Oneida, NY; married Lucinda Potter 1787.

2. Samuel (April 1, 1772 – July 29, 1862), age 90. who married Sarah Frisbie (1774? - Aug 25, 1841) age 67.

Samuel and Sally had at least three children: a. Polly Plant (1798 - Apr. 20, 1800). age 1 year 6 months

b. Mary B. Plant (? - Oct., 1825), age 17. c. Anderson Plant (January 2, 1796-Oct. 29, 1826) (age

31?), who married Betsey Bradley (1796-1826). Anderson was a farmer in good circumstances.

Their children: i. Eliza Plant (? - Nov. 6, 1825). Age 11? Months

and seven days. ii. Their only son, Henry Bradley Plant (1819-

1899) was born in Branford, Conn. He married (1)

Ellen Elizabeth Blackstone (1842- Feb. 28, 1862). They had two children:

1. George Henry Plant (Jan 13, 1845 - Jun. 17, 1846), aged 17 months and 4 days

2. Morton Freeman Plant (August 18, 1852-1918). He married Nellie Capron, daughter

of Col. Francis Brown Capron, of Baltimore, Md. They had one son, Henry Bradley Plant,

Jr., born May 18, 1895. Henry Bradley Plant’s second wife was Margaret

Josephine Loughman, only daughter of Martin Loughman, of New York City.

Figure 6 Gravestone of Ellen Elizabeth Blackstone and George Henry Plant

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Henry Bradley Plant (October 27, 1819 - June 23, 1899)

(Figure 5) was the founder of the Plant System of

railroads and steamboats. Plant City in Florida is named

after him. The Tampa Bay Hotel he built is now the principal building of Tampa College. The Henry Plant

Museum is housed there. He achieved a national reputation in connection

with the Plant railroad system. He employed a multitude of people and was trusted and honored by them. Before

the civil war he was active principally in the South.

He became familiar with Florida in 1852 when, on doctors advice, he began taking his wife, who was suffering from tuberculosis,

to Jacksonville for the winters. During the years of his wife's illness and until her death in 1861 he established new express lines all

through the south for Adams Express Company, for which he was the southern agent.

At the close of the war, when measures were taken to reorganize the banking business at Macon, he rendered his personal assistance in

a manner which was substantial, as well as timely. Shortly before the Civil War, the Adams Express Company sold

all its holdings south of the Mason - Dixon line to Henry B. Plant to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Confederacy. He then

organized the Southern Express Company, setting up offices in Augusta, Georgia.

During the Civil War he became ill and went to Europe where he

remained until the war ended. He returned to America in April 1865 and organized the Plant Investment Company which, among other

things, bought distressed railroads. In June 1883, he acquired a railroad charter which allowed less

than seven months to construct a segment of railroad from Kissimmee to Tampa. To beat the deadline, he began constructions at both ends

of the line and joined eastern and western segments just hours before the charter expired.

Thus by 1883 a cross-state railroad from Sanford to Tampa, Florida, was completed. It runs through the heart of Plant City. The

Florida Railway and Navigational Company extended a north-south line through Plant City in 1889, establishing the City as a vital

transportation center. Plant City derives its name from Henry Bradley Plant, the founder of the city.

Toward the close of his life, and in connection with the

preparation of his biography, he took much interest in researches concerning the Plant family. In order to make these researches more

comprehensive he asked for the cooperation of Robert H. Plant, and it

Figure 7 Henry

Bradley Plant

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was under their joint patronage that the Plant Genealogy was

prepared.

Figure 8 Wall map of the Plant System of railroad, steam ship lines and hotels (in the private collection of John and Jacqueline Plant, Guilford, Connecticut). The

date of the map is not known. However, it must be between 1896 (when Henry M. Flager completed the railroad line to Miami, which is shown) and 1902 when the

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad acquired the Plant System.

Figure 9 Burial monument for Henry Bradley Plant (1819-1899), first wife, Ellen Elizabeth Blackstone (1842-1861) and their son George.

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Henry Bradley Plant’s son, Morton Freeman Plant (figure 8)

grew up a playboy with yachting as one of his famous pastimes. He was on one of his yachting trips when his father died in 1899.

Although he was president of his father's Southern Express Company Henry did

not want Morton, then 47, to run all of his businesses. He tried to insure this by skipping

the inheritance by two generations by willing his estate to his youngest and yet unborn

great grandchild when he reached the age of 21. Rather than settle for the yearly stipend

of $30,000 each, Morton and Henry's then second wife contested the will and won.

Morton now inherited two-thirds of his father's 22 million-dollar fortune, and with

this windfall Morton Plant spent lavishly.

He donated one million dollars to the Connecticut College for Women. He

developed hotels and farms, and created many of the roads in the Poquonnock area, as well establishing a

trolley line, the Shoreline Electric Railroad (that ran through southeastern Connecticut into Rhode Island). He is remembered fondly

in Groton for buying the town a 25-thousand-dollar town hall and at a later date erasing a debt of equal value. It had been reported that he

once drove by a church badly in need of paint. He gave the lady of the house his card and told the reverend to have the church painted and

to send the bill to him.

Figure 10 Morton & Nellie Plant before the Branford House.

Figure 11 Morton & Nellie Plant before the Branford House, and Plant’s steam yacht “Jolanda”, Groton, Connecticut.

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It is thought that Plant chose to build his summer "cottage" at

Avery Point for a number of possible reasons. Plant did not have an interest in being part of the social circles of Newport. He chose instead

to be in the remote, yet increasingly popular, Groton area. He wished to be a gentleman farmer and had a great interest in agriculture. The

undeveloped Groton area allowed him to build his greenhouses and farms in a way that he never could do in the already developed

Newport. With his love of the ocean, Avery Point's panoramic views of Long Island Sound surely may have drawn him here.

Figure 12 Part of the Plant Estate, Groton, Connecticut.

Figure 13 The Plant Estate by moonlight, Groton, Connecticut.

Named after the town where he was born, the Branford House

was designed by his wife, who had studied architecture at the

Sorbonne in Paris. English architect Robert W. Gibson carried out her plans. The exterior was done almost entirely in the Tudor style using

granite quarried from the grounds in order to harmonize with the estate's natural surroundings. The interior on the other hand was a

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melange of several different styles that Mrs. Plant wished to dabble in

including Gothic, Baroque, Renaissance, Classical, and even Flemish. Materials used for the interior ranged from rich woods such as

mahogany, oak, and walnut, to imported stone and metals such as onyx, marble sandstone, bronze, and iron. Plant required the services

of hundreds of European carvers to do the incredible ornamentation of fireplaces, pillars, and panels, each one being entirely different from

the next. In some cases the use of imported materials was not enough for the rich tastes of the Plants. In one case an entire room was

imported. It was dismantled from Cornwall, England, reassembled in the mansion, and became the Plant's music room.

By the time of this death, Morton had amassed around 50 million dollars. He was the director of numerous railroad, shipping, and

banking communities including the National Bank of Commerce in New London.

Morton Freeman’s son, Henry Bradley Plant, Jr., from East

Point, Groton, Connecticut, married Amy Warren of Brooklyn, New York in 1917.

Before going off to war that year, Henry was called “one of the richest young men in the country”.

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III. James Plant (1716 - 1795)

James Plant (Nov 4, 1716 to Feb 7, 1795) married to Bethsheba Page

(1716-1803) on Sept 22, 1740. She was the daughter of a Scotch Captain, her mother’s name was Mindwell Truesdale. James died after a fall from a

hay mow (in February, 1795) in Branford, but his burial place is unknown. After James died, Bethsheba went to live with their son, Solomon, to

Stratford where she is buried. The Plants of Plantsville, Connecticut, are said to be descended from James and Bethsheba.

James and Bethsheba had at least 7 children:

(1) Solomon Plant (1741-1832). Married Sarah Bennett (1747

[or 1745?] -1815). Settled in Stratford, Connecticut.

(2) James (born 1742). Married Lydia Judd of Southington,

Connecticut. They settled in either in Plantsville or Darby, Connecticut.

Their two sons, Amzi Perrin Plant and Ebenezer Howard Plant, began a manufacturing business in the southern part of Plantsville,

which proved successful and developed into large industries giving employment to many people and building up a prosperous

community. They harnessed the water power of the Quinnipiac River to operate a factory for the manufacture of carriage bolts. The Plants

Manufacturing Company, originally located on the west bank of the

Quinnipiac River north of Main Street, introduced several innovations to the carriage bolt industry.

(3) Lois. Married Fellows. Lois Plant-Fellows and her husband lived

in South Hill, New York.

(4) Samuel (born Feb. 10, 1745, died 1769). Married Thankful Towner.

(5) Stephen (born March 8, 1747).

(6) Moses. Settled at Niagara.

(7) Ebenezer. Bapt. Oct. 15, 1751.

IV. Solomon Plant (1741 - 1822)

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Solomon Plant (May 1, 1741 to May 20, 1822)was born in Branford

and died in Stratford, Connecticut. Solomon served in the “Old French War” in 1759.

He married Nov. 16, 1769 Sarah Bennett (daughter of Benjamin & Hannah Curtis Bennett). Sarah was born Aug. 5, 1747 and died Oct. 15,

1815. Solomon moved his family to Stratford in 1753. They were all afflicted with smallpox in March 1777.

“He was a wheelwright by trade and was well known throughout the country for his good workmanship, his spinning-wheels and sharp tongue”

(cited in Recollections of “My Plant Ancestors” by Sarah Judson Ogdon, 1886).

Solomon & Hannah had at least 4 children:

(1) Hannah (born Nov 25, 1770). Married Asa Benjamin.

(2) Sarah (1775-1857). Married Daniel Judson (1797).

(3) Cata (1777-1778).

(4) David Plant (March 29, 1783- Oct. 18, 1851). Married

Catharine Tomlinson (Dec 5, 1810).

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V. David Plant (1783 - 1851)

He was born in Stratford on March 29, 1783. Portrait, Figure 7. He

married Catharine Tomlinson, daughter of Pheobe Lewis & Dr. William Agur Tomlinson on Dec. 5, 1810. Catharine was born Nov. 9, 1787, died June 2,

1835. “David Plant was fitted for college at the Cheshire Academy, and

graduated at Yale College in 1804, studied law at the Litchfield Law School.”

“He was a classmate of John C. Calhoun. In 1819 and 1820 he was speaker of the House

of Representatives, and in 1821 was elected to the Connecticut State Senate, and twice re-

elected. He was Lieutenant-Governor of the State from 1823 to 1827, and from 1827 to

1829 he was a member of the Congress of the

United States. In politics he was a staunch Whig. Calhoun, when Secretary of the State, offered

him, for friendship’s sake, any position within gift, but David refused to hold office under the

dominant party. He was one of the most influential men in political circles in his day in

the state of Connecticut.” “Ex-Lieut. Gov. Plant, a man of stately

dignity and ruffled shirt”. Citations from a Memorandum by Hollon A.

Farr, curator of Yale Memorabilia, in the 1930’s.

Apparently, he was a very shy man. My Grandmother told me that once when he was to

receive a reward for his duties and services to

the state of Connecticut, he hid in the basement behind a barrel of apples to not be found.

David and Catharine had at least 5 children:

(1) William Augur Plant. William was born in 1811, in Stratford, Connecticut, and became a farmer in Syracuse, New York. died at

Syracuse, New York, January 29, 1898, at the age of 86. He married (1), April 29, 1831, Lucy Fellows, daughter of

Ephraim Fellows, and granddaughter of Obed and Lois (Plant) Fellows; she died in 1883, after a married life of over fifty-one years, and he

married (2), September 5, 1886, Abbie Healey.

Figure 14 Painting of David Plant (1783-1851) made from a miniature in 1937. (Private collection of John and Jacqueline Plant, Guilford, Connecticut).

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William was for several years of his early life he was in

mercantile business in New York City. At the age of twenty he removed to Marcellas, New York, and engaged in farming until 1872,

when he made his home in Syracuse, when he became a prominent member of the Brown Memorial M. E. Church. "He was a man of strong

character, honorable and upright, with clear intellect and much originality, fond of books, and well informed on the events transpiring

in his country and throughout the world." Some of his descendants include Linda S. Wheeler and her

sister, Cordelia Ronelle Sheild. Linda S. Wheeler has conducted much research on the early Plants in New England.

There were six children by his first marriage:

1. Charles H. Plant who died before his father 2. Mrs. W. R. Knowles, who died before her father.

3. Alfred D. Plant

4. Miss Ailda Plant, of Syracuse, 5. Mrs. I. W. Davey, of Marcellus.

6. Dr. William T. Plant. William Tomlinson Plant, the eldest of these, graduated from the University of Michigan in 1860, and

began practice as a physician in Ithaca, New York. Early in the war he entered the United States Navy as surgeon, and

continued till October, 1865, when he resigned, and in 1866 began the practice of medicine in Syracuse. This he followed

till about 1894, when paralysis compelled him to retire from active life. He has filled many positions of honor and

responsibility; has been on the medical staff of a large hospital, doing duty there four months in the year; was one

of the founders of the Medical College of Syracuse, in which he held the chair of Jurisprudence and Pediatrics, and has

contributed much to medical journals, having been the editor

of one such periodical. He had one son, John W. Plant, who is in graduating class

of the Syracuse Medical College in 1898.

(2) Catharine Tomlinson (1816-1905). Catharine married Captain John W. Sterling,son of David and Deborah (Strong) Sterling,

residence, Stratford, Connecticut. He was a lawyer in New Haven and made millions by representing Henry Rockefeller.

My Grandmother told me that he would serve as a personal body guard for Rockefeller when he was in town by sleeping on a cot-bed in

Rockefeller’s room at the Taft Hotel – to block the door at night. The marriage had no issue, and John donated over 10 million

dollars to the Yale University, the largest private donation to a

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university at that time. The main library building at Yale – the Sterling

Library – was named after him. A large portrait of John Sterling hangs inside the main hallway.

(3) Sarah Elizabeth. Married Lauren Beach residence of

Marcellus, New York.

(4) Henry Plant was born in 1821, and died June 17, 1895. He married Mary Bristol Chapman of Marcellus, New York. He was an

active business man in Rockford, Illinois, and in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In the latter place he was very active in Sunday school

work and Bible reading. (Information taken from The House of Plant of Macon, Georgia with Genealogies and Historical Notes, 1900, by G. S.

Dickerman.)

(5) John David Plant (1823-1860). John David Plant was born

October 16, 1823, and died 1860, at St. Anthony Falls, Minnesota. He married Eudocia Beach Chapman of Marcellus, New York. On account

of pulmonary illness he went to Marcellus at the age of eighteen, and in 1854 moved from there with his family to Wisconsin. His health was

never sufficient for active business, but on account of his large faith, genial disposition and love for humanity, his influence was felt

wherever he lived. Both he and his brother Henry were beautiful

singers. (Information taken from The House of Plant of Macon, Georgia with Genealogies and Historical Notes, 1900, by G. S. Dickerman.)

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VI. John David Plant (1823 - 1860) John David Plant (1823 - Feb 29, 1860) was born probably in Stratford

in 1823. He married Eudocia Beach Chapman. She was the daughter of

Huldah Beach & Simon Bristol Chapman. We know little of John David Plant, he died on Feb 29, 1860 in St.

Anthony’s Falls when he was only 37. We think they were living in Minnesota, although their son, James was born in Marcellus, New York.

John and Eudocia had 2 children:

(1) Catharine (1850-1930). Unmarried, buried in Branford, Connecticut.

(2) James Chapman Plant (1853-1916). Married, 1882, to Mary

Greenleaf (1855-1927).

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VII. James Chapman Plant (1853 - 1916)

My Great Grandfather (April 10, 1853-1916) was born in Marcellus,

New York (portrait Figure 13). He married Mary Elizabeth Kellam Greenleaf, daughter of Luther Leland Greenleaf, of Summerville, Massachusetts on Oct.

20, 1822. We have no evidence, but there must have been some humorous comments about a Plant marrying a Greenleaf.

Either James’ father JDP moved the family to Minnesota or James moved there, but all of his children were born there. James’ sister,

Catharine, and his mother Eudocia also lived with the family. Sometime after 1893 they all moved to Glen Carlyn, Virginia. In the

early 1900’s James and his family moved to New Haven, Connecticut, to take up the building of the Post Office. We think he was an architect. James

died in New Haven in Nov. 21, 1916, and Mary Elizabeth Greenleaf Plant died in 1927 in New Haven (gravestone, Figure 14).

James and Mary had 6 children:

(1) Leland Greenleaf (1885-1957). Married Patty Lou Moore, no children.

(2) Margaret (1886-1968). Married William Backus, 3 children.

(3) John David Plant, Sr. (1888-1958). Married Florence Mason, one

child.

(4) Dr. James Stuart Plant (1890-1947). Married Mildred Heller, 2 daughters, one was Mildred Elisabeth Plant (1923 – 1956) She was

my Aunt Maud?

(5) Edward French (1891-1892).

(6) Susan Blaisdell (1893-19791974). Married Frank Brunnell, and became

Susan Plant Brunnell, no issue. She was my Aunt Susan.

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Figure 15 Susan Plant Brunnell (Branford Cemetery)

Figure 16 James Chapman Plant (1853-1916), photograph taken in Providence, Rhode Island, 1876. (Photo Jacqueline Plant)

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Figure 17 Gravestone of James Chapman Plant and his wife, overlooking salt-water meadow in Branford, Connecticut.

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VIII. John David Plant, Sr. (1888 – 1958)

My Grandfather (July 3, 1888 – 1958) was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His family moved to Glen Carlyn, Virginia when he was a child.

He married Florence Mason (born Oct. 27, 1895) on Dec. 28, 1922. John died in 1958 (gravestone, Figure 15).

John and Florence had one child:

(1) John David Plant, Jr. (1929-2011).

Figure 18 Gravestone of John David Plant, Sr. and his wife Florence Mason Plant in Branford, Connecticut.

IX. John David Plant, Jr. (1929-2011)

My father was born in New Haven, Connecticut and married Jacqueline Foulds (Jan 24, 1929) from Seneca Falls, New York, in 1951.

They have seven children. I am the second oldest (John David Plant 3rd)