Collection Overview

Related Material

Scope and Content

Collection consists solely of Correspondence. The core of the collection is derived from three volumes kept by Jabez Huntington in which he kept his sons' letters. Jedidiah Huntington is the most prolific writer, and it is from that the supplied title proper is arranged. Other material added to the collection during subsequent accessions has been interfiled chronlogically.

Organization

1. Letters to Jabez Huntington
2. Francis Gilman Transcripts
3. Cedric Robinson Transcripts

Arrangement

Collection is constructed from three volumes of correspondence written to Jabez Huntington by his sons, the majority from Jedidiah. Jedidiah, being the most famous of the sons, had the collection named after him. Subsequent to the renaming of Jabez's material, other material, the provenance of Joshua or Jedidiah, was inserted in chronological order.

Biographical Sketch

Huntington began his military career in 1769 when he was appointed to ensign of the First Norwich Company. He quickly rose through the ranks and by the outbreak of the War was colonel of the 20th Regiment of Colonial Militia. He continued in the rank of colonel with the 8th Connecticut Regiment (1775), the 17th Regiment of Connecticut Infantry (1776), and the 1st Connecticut Regiment (1777). In May of 1777 Huntington was commissioned to brigadier general in the Continental Army, and by the war's end was brevetted as major-general.

Huntington was a member of the courts martial investigating the conduct of General Charles Lee, and appeared also in the Court of Enquiry to try the case of Major Andre. At West Point he was instrumental in organizing the Society of Cincinnati. He retired from the army in September of 1783.

On his return to Norwich, Jedidiah was appointed Alderman, and was drawn into many civic roles. He was appointed State Treasurer (1786), member of the Connecticut Assembly(1786), Sheriff of New London County (1788), and Probate for the district of Norwich. In 1789 he was appointed Collector of Revenues for the port of New London by George Washington, and with the first elections under the Constitution served as a Presidential Elector.

In less political roles, Huntington was deacon of the First Church of New London, a member of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, director of the Connecticut Bible Society and honorary member of the Massachusetts Humane Society.

His wife, Faith Huntington died shortly after witnessing the Battle of Bunker Hill on a trip to Roxbury to visit her husband. He married Anne Moore, daughter of a New York businessman shorty afterward.

Huntington died on September 25, 1818 in New London, his remains were interred in Norwich.