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

Connecticut Colony The Connecticut Colony, originally known as the Connecticut River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became the state of Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636, as a settlement for a Puritans, Puritan congregation o ...

. Jabez Huntington graduated from

Yale Yale University is a private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and one of the nine colonial colleges ch ...

in 1741, engaged in the

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

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

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

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

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

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

Family

Jabez was born on August 7, 1719, in

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic River, Yantic, Shetucket River, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River f ...

, to Joshua and Hannah (Perkins) Huntington. He married first Elizabeth (January 20, 1741 – July 1, 1745), the daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (Tracy) Backus. They had two children, Jedediah in 1743, and Andrew, who was born the month before his mother's death. He married his second wife, Hannah Williams (July 23, 1726 – March 25, 1807) of Pomfret, Connecticut, on July 10, 1746. They had six children: Joshua, Hannah (died at age eight), Ebenezer, Elizabeth, Mary, and Zachariah.Huntington, pages=161-168 Jabez died on October 5, 1786, at Norwich.Huntington, p108 Jabez's son Jedidiah Huntington also served in the American Revolution, and after it was over was collector of customs at

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the outlet of the Thames River (Connecticut), Thames River in New London County, Connecticut, which empties into Long Island Sound. The cit ...

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

Battle of Lexington The Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775 were the first major military actions of the American Revolutionary War between the Kingdom of Great Britain and Patriot (American Revolution), Patriot militias from America's Thirteen Co ...

, he commanded a company of 100 men of the town, and joined Putnam's brigade. Subsequently, he was ordered by the

Continental Congress The Continental Congress was a series of legislature, legislative bodies, with some executive function, for the Thirteen Colonies of British America, Great Britain in North America, and the newly declared United States before, during, and after ...

to build a frigate of 36 guns, which was constructed in the

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

at Gale's Ferry in 1777. Jabez's son Ebenezer Huntington served in the American Revolution and then became a member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

Notes

References

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