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. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

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 judi ...

, and one of the early settlers of

Wallingford, Connecticut Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, centrally located between New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford, and Boston and New York City. The town is part ...

. His grandnephew, Gov.

Lyman Hall Lyman Hall (April 12, 1724 – October 19, 1790) was an American Founding Father, physician, clergyman, and statesman who signed the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Georgia. Hall County is named after him. He ...

, became one of the

Founding Fathers The Founding Fathers of the United States, often simply referred to as the Founding Fathers or the Founders, were a group of late-18th-century American revolutionary leaders who united the Thirteen Colonies, oversaw the War of Independence ...

of the United States, and a signatory of the

Declaration of Independence A declaration 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 territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

. Yale was also a deputy of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with each ...

and Justice of the Peace for Wallingford. His daughter, Sarah Yale, became the great-grandmother of abolitionist Congressman Sherlock James Andrews, who welcomed

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

at Cleveland during his presidential visit.

Biography

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

, 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 literally ''Madog's Powys'') was the northern portion of the former princely realm of Powys. The princes of Powys Fadog would build their royal seat at Castell Dinas Brân, and their religious center at ...

, 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. Thomas Yale, was one of the founders of

New Haven Colony New Haven Colony was an English colony from 1638 to 1664 that included settlements on the north shore of Long Island Sound, with outposts in modern-day New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The colony joined Connecticut Colony in 16 ...

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

Congregational Church Congregationalism (also Congregational Churches or Congregationalist Churches) is a Reformed Christian (Calvinist) tradition of Protestant Christianity in which churches practice congregational government. Each congregation independently a ...

of Meriden, with Rev. Theophilus Hall, a

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 ...

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 Justice of the Peace 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 rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

, 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 New England town, town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 5,484 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut, Northwest Hil ...

. 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 T ...

and Deputy Gov.

Jonathan Law Jonathan Law (August 6, 1674 – November 6, 1750) was an American lawyer, judge, and politician who served as the governor of Connecticut from 1741 to 1750. Biography Law was born in Milford in what was then the Connecticut Colony to Jonathan a ...

, 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 go ...

, Thomas Fitch, William Pitkin, 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 Justice of the Peace 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 five largest cities, New Ha ...

, 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, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

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 are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

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 status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. 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 (U.S. state), Georgia and the commander-in-chief of the state's Georgia National Guard, National Guard, when not in federal service, and Georgia State Defense Force, State Defense Fo ...

. Capt. Yale's daughter Sarah became the great-grandmother of abolitionist Congressman Sherlock James Andrews, 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 List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, and first rector of

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 ...

, 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 skill, art, competence (human resources), competence, and knowledge of operating a ship, boat or other craft on water. The'' Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford Dictionary'' states that seamanship is "The skill, techniques, o ...

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. The captain is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the ship, inc ...

Theophilus Yale, was involved in the

Old China Trade The Old China Trade () was 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 China T ...

, 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. ...

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 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, often referred to as the American flag or the U.S. flag, consists of thirteen horizontal Bar (heraldry), stripes, Variation of the field, alternating red and white, with a blue rectangle in the Canton ( ...

. He served as a

Privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding 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 o ...

in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, serving America, and operated a

whaling Whaling is the hunting of whales for their products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that was important in the Industrial Revolution. Whaling was practiced as an organized industry as early as 875 AD. By the 16t ...

business with wholesale

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

s Fitch Brothers & Co. of

Marseille, France Marseille (; ; see below) is a city in southern France, the prefecture of the department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the Provence region, it is located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, ...

.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 (, formerly '; or '; ) is a rugged and irregularly shaped island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18.7% of Nova Scotia's total area. Although ...

, 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(s) or The Patriot(s) may also refer to: Political and military groups United States * Patriot (American Revolution), those who supported the cause of independence in the American R ...

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. The city is part of the South Central Connecticut Planni ...

in 1791. 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 Americans, British-American Colonialism, colonial administrator. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Yale lived in America only as a child, and spent the rest of his life in England, Wales, a ...

, a wealthy merchant who was among the first

bayonet A bayonet (from Old French , now spelt ) is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , now spelt ) is a knife, dagger">knife">-4; we might wonder whethe ...

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 factor#Mercantile factors, Chief trader for the Hudson's Bay Company, during the late North American fur trade, as they were competing with the Montreal-based North West Company ...

, and grandfather of New York media magnate

Moses Yale Beach Moses Yale Beach (January 15, 1800 – July 19, 1868) was an American inventor, entrepreneur, philanthropist and publisher, who founded the Associated Press, and is credited with originating print syndication. His fortune, as of 1846, amounted t ...

. 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, entrepreneur, publisher, and patent lawyer, born in Springfield, Massachusetts. He is known for his design of the earliest predecessor to the New York City Subwa ...

, politician Arthur Yale, politician

Moses S. Beach Moses Sperry Beach (October 5, 1822 – July 25, 1892) was an American newspaper owner, editor, inventor, and politician from New York. His papers were the Boston Daily Times and the The Sun (New York City), New York Sun. He ran the Sun through mo ...

, inventor

Frederick C. Beach Frederick Converse Beach (March 27, 1848 – June 8, 1918), was a New York patent attorney, editor and co-owner of ''Scientific American'', and editor-in-chief of the new ''Encyclopedia Americana'' in the early 1900s.Beach, StanleyArchives at Yal ...

, aviation pioneer

Stanley Yale Beach Stanley Yale Beach (1877 – 1955) was a wealthy aviation pioneer, who was an early financier of Gustave Whitehead, who claimed to have made powered controlled flight before the Wright brothers. He was among the first technically trained men to b ...

, Yale Rev.

Brewster Yale Beach Reverend Brewster Yale Beach (1925 – 2008) was an Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal Minister (Christianity), minister, vicar and renowned Jungian psychotherapist in Manhattan. He became deacon of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine ...

, and others. *Sarah Yale (1716-1784), became the wife of Capt. Joshua Atwater, and the great-grandmother of abolitionist Congressman Sherlock James Andrews, 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 lif ...

, 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. They tend to be Republican, but a few of them supp ...

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. Alphabetical list of American Cl ...

.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 (April 27, 1797 – August 8, 1858) was an American businessman, inventor, metalsmith, and politician. He was a founder of Lamson, Goodnow, and Yale, an American manufacturer of bank locks, and served as the first Mayor of Ne ...

, of the

Yale Lock Company Yale is a lock manufacturer and a subsidiary of Assa Abloy, except in the United States and Canada where the brand has been owned by Fortune Brands Innovations since 2023. The global company is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. Its initial p ...

, 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 businessman, inventor, mechanical engineer, and metalsmith. He was a co-founder with millionaire Henry R. Towne of the Yale Lock Company, which became the premier manu ...

, railroad builder Julian L. Yale, Rockefeller partner George W. Gardner, 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