Captain Thomas Yale (c. 1647 – 1736) was a

British American British Americans usually refers to Americans whose ancestral origin originates wholly or partly in the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland and also the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, and Gibraltar). It is prima ...

magistrate, politician and military officer. He was one of the founders of the town 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 ...

. He became Justice of the Peace, surveyor and moderator for Wallingford, and helped establish its first

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 ...

in 1675. He was also elected, for numbers of years, as deputy to the

Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. The ...

. His father, Capt. Thomas Yale, was the cofounder 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 ...

, and the first Yale to emigrate to the

Thirteen Colonies The Thirteen Colonies were the British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America which broke away from the British Crown in the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), and joined to form the United States of America. The Thirteen C ...

Early life

Thomas Yale was born in

around 1647, to Mary Turner and Capt. Thomas Yale, members 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 ...

, and future namesake of

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, ...

.Encyclopedia of Connecticut Biography
Vol. 7, Samuel Hart, American Historical Society, New York, 1917, p. 96 His father was one of the cofounders of New Haven Colony with his step-grandfather, Gov.

Theophilus Eaton Theophilus Eaton ( January 7, 1658) was a New England Colonies, New England colonist, politician, merchant and financier, who took part in organizing and financing the Puritan migration, Great Puritan Migration to America. He was a founder ...

, the colony's first governor, and his step-grand uncle, minister Samuel Eaton. His half-uncle, Samuel Eaton Jr., cofounded the

Harvard Corporation The President and Fellows of Harvard College, also called the Harvard Corporation or just the Corporation, is the smaller and more powerful of Harvard University's two governing boards. It refers to itself as the oldest corporation in the Western ...

in 1650, and his step-grand uncle,

Nathaniel Eaton Nathaniel Eaton (before 17 September 1609 − before 11 May 1674) was an Anglican clergyman who was the first President of Harvard University#Presidents of Harvard, Headmaster of Harvard, Chairperson, President designate, and builder of Harvard ...

, had been Harvard's first president designate and builder before being dismissed in 1639.Papers of the New Haven Colony Historical Society
New Haven Colony Historical Society, Library of Congress, New Haven, 1908, p. 12-13The American Genealogist vol. 88 no. 3 (July 2016). A Waggon Load of Eatons: The Great Budworth, Cheshire, Ancestry of Theophilus1 Eaton, Nathaniel1 Eaton, and Frances1 Low (Eaton) of New England (continued, part 3), by Scott G. Swanson, p. 222-235Biographical Sketches of Graduates of Harvard University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts
John Langdon Sibley, Volume I, 1642-1658, Charles William Sever, University Bookstore, Cambridge, 1873, p. 171-172Morison, Samuel Eliot. �
The Harvard Presidency
” The New England Quarterly, vol. 31, no. 4, 1958, pp. 435–46. JSTOR, Accessed 7 Mar. 2024., p. 436 Yale's uncle was 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 ...

, 2nd governor of Connecticut, and his other uncle, William Jones, was one of its early deputy governors.The Rise and Fall of the New Haven Colony
Charles M. Andrews, Tercentenary Commission, Yale University Press, Connecticut, 1936, p. 8

Biography

While initially born in

, Yale removed afterwards to

, with his first wife, and became one of its cofounders, signing the 1668 Wallingford Agreement.History of Wallingford, Conn., from its settlement in 1670 to the Present time, Charles H. Stanley Davis, Meriden, Connecticut, 1870, p 78-81-85-98-114-126-134-328-353-354-544 He was under the direction of the New Haven Committee. Yale became captain of the train-band, also known as the town's

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

, and gained influence in the colony. He became deputy to the

in 1684, 1687, 1688 and 1689. He was re-elected as deputy in 1690, 1692 and 1693, and once again from 1694 to 1697 and in 1702. In 1673, at a town meeting, Yale was given charge, with Mr. Moss, Lt. Merriman and Benjamin Lewis, to establish a

corn mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separat ...

with builder Lt. Fowler. In 1675, Yale assisted in the creation of the first

in Wallingford, and helped find its first ministers. He also held number of offices for the town, such as Justice of the Peace, surveyor, and moderator at public meetings. He was also in charge of keeping the town records and their proceedings for about 20 years. In 1692, Yale was given the command of the city's militia with Lt. Nath. Merriman, under Lt. Col. John Allyn, Secretary of

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 ...

. They were also given commissions by Gov.

Robert Treat Robert Treat (February 23, 1622July 12, 1710) was an English-born politician, military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Connecticut from 1683 to 1687 and 1689 to 1698. In 1666, he co-founded the colonial settlemen ...

, the great-grandfather of Founding Father

Robert Treat Paine Robert Treat Paine (March 11, 1731May 11, 1814) was a lawyer, politician and Founding Father of the United States who signed the Continental Association and Declaration of Independence as a representative of the colonial era Province of Massachu ...

. In 1697, Yale was attorney to Dr. John Hull in a lawsuit against Isaac Curtis. In 1698, Capt. Yale was appointed to lay out the grants awarded to Sgt. Merriman for his father's role in the

Pequot War The Pequot War was an armed conflict that took place in 1636 and ended in 1638 in New England, between the Pequot nation and an alliance of the colonists from the Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, and Saybrook colonies and their allies from the Na ...

. In 1710, Yale was in charge with John Merriam and Thomas Hall, to sell Indian lands to Bartholomew Foster. Yale died in

on January 26, 1736, at 88 years of age.The History of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
Biographical, The American Historical Society, New York, 1920, p. 51-52 His son, Thomas Yale Jr., married the daughter of Joseph Benham, and cofounded the first

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 ...

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 ...

, with Rev. Theophilus Hall as its first pastor.

Marriage

Gilbert Stuart - John Jay - Google Art Project

Yale married to Rebecca Gibbards, daughter of William Gibbards in 1667, by deputy governor William Jones, his uncle. He married secondly to Sarah Nash, daughter of John Nash, Esquire, and thirdly to Mary Beach of Wallingford. He had 8 children with his first wife, and no children with his second and third wives. His son, Capt. Theophilus Yale, also became a

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 ...

in Wallingford, and his great-grandson, 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 ...

, became one of the first manufacturers of

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 ...

s in Connecticut. His son, Nathaniel Yale, married the daughter of John Peck, Esquire, brother of Rev. Jeremiah Peck, a minister in Saybrook and cofounder 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. ...

. Nathaniel became the great-grandfather of

postmaster A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...

Ira Newell Yale, a wealthy merchant from Meriden, Connecticut. Ira was also the grandson of Deacon Nathaniel Yale, and the granduncle of Col. Ira Yale Sage, a wealthy railroad constructor. Capt. Yale's grandson, merchant Samuel Yale, 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 ...

Susanna Abernathy, stepdaughter of Sarah Doolittle, and daughter of Abraham Doolittle,

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

and Deputy to the Connecticut Colony Court.Early Families of Wallingford, Connecticut
Charles H. Davis, p. 7-333-334-335 Her step-uncle, Dr. John Brockett, husband of Elizabeth Doolittle, was a graduate from

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

, son of colonist John Brockett, surgeon and Deputy to the General Court of

. One of her brothers, Deputy Joseph Doolittle, was made captain and lieutenant of the train-band by Gov.

Gurdon Saltonstall Gurdon Saltonstall (27 March 1666 – 20 September 1724) was governor of the Colony of Connecticut from 1708 to 1724. He was born into a distinguished family and became an eminent Connecticut pastor and a close associate of Governor Fitz-John ...

. They were also members of the family of Sir John Brocket of

Brocket Hall Brocket Hall is a Neoclassical architecture, neo-classical English country house, country house set in a large park at the western side of the urban area of Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, England. The estate is equipped with two golf cour ...

, and politician

Dudley North Dudley North may refer to: *Dudley North, 3rd Baron North (1581–1666), English nobleman and politician *Dudley North, 4th Baron North (1602–1677), English nobleman and politician, son of the above *Sir Dudley North (economist) (1641&ndas ...

, the son-in-law of

, benefactor of

Yale Todd

Another descendant, Yale Todd, a veteran of the

American War of Independence 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 ...

, went in front of Congress under United States vs Yale Todd, regarding the constitutionality of the obtention of his military pension after being disabled by wounds, having served under Gen.

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 ...

's regiment. It was examined for the future case of

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before Presidency of John Adams, his presidency, he was a leader of ...

and

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...

, but was not used as a precedent, as the case was unofficial at the time. The case involved what is probably the first constitutional question presented to the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

. The case was under Hon. Chief Justice and Founding Father

John Jay John Jay (, 1745 – May 17, 1829) was an American statesman, diplomat, signatory of the Treaty of Paris (1783), Treaty of Paris, and a Founding Father of the United States. He served from 1789 to 1795 as the first chief justice of the United ...

, and Attorney General William Bradford. Yale Todd would be accorded his pension by

William Cushing William Cushing (March 1, 1732 – September 13, 1810) was an American lawyer who was one of the original five associate justices of the United States Supreme Court; confirmed by the United States Senate on September 26, 1789, he served until ...

, and Richard Law.Wilfred J. Ritz
United States V. Yale Todd (U.S. 1794)
15 Wash. & Lee L. Rev. 220 (1958), p. 220-231 This case, with another, gave rise to

Marbury v. Madison ''Marbury v. Madison'', 5 U.S. (1 Cranch) 137 (1803), was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court that established the principle of judicial review, meaning that American courts have the power to strike down laws and statutes they find ...

, a case originating from the rivalry between Presidents

and

.Miller, David Hunter. �
Some Early Cases in the Supreme Court of the United States
” Virginia Law Review, vol. 8, no. 2, 1921, pp. 108–20. JSTOR, Accessed 12 Mar. 2024, p. 120

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yale, Thomas 1640s births 1736 deaths Yale family People from Wallingford, Connecticut 17th-century American politicians 18th-century American politicians American Puritans People from colonial Connecticut People from New Haven, Connecticut 17th-century Puritans Military and militia personnel of the Thirteen Colonies