Reverend John Southmayd, I

Info from "Find a Grave" 8/27/14 http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=southmayd&GSf...

"John Southmayd was born on 23 August 1676, in Waterbury or Middletown, CT, the son of William Southmayd who was born on 12 September 1643, in New London, CT and was a sea captain and ship owner, and Esther Hamlin (daughter of Giles Hamlin and Esther Crow).

He married Susannah Ward; parents of:

• Esther SOUTHMAYD 1701 – 1777
• Susanna SOUTHMAYD 1703 – 1741
• Anna SOUTHMAYD 1706 – 1749
• JOHN SOUTHMAYD Jr 1710 – 1743
• Daniel SOUTHMAYD 1717 – 1754

NOTES from the Southmayd Family Website: "WILLIAM JR.'S OLDEST SON WAS REV. JOHN WILLIAM SOUTHMAYD, BORN AUGUST 23, 1767, IN MIDDLETOWN. HE WAS HARVARD EDUCATED IN THE CLASS OF 1697, AND WAS APPRENTLY MORE OF A HELL-RAISER THAN STUDENT WHILE AT HARVARD.

A PROFESSOR HEDGE AT HARVARD LOVED TO RECOUNT THE STORY OF JOHN SOUTHMAYD PREPARING A CHAIR WHICH WAS SO CONSTRUCTED THAT WHEN AN UNSUSPECTING PERSON SAT DOWN IN IT, IT SUDDENLY COLLAPSED. J.S. MADE IT A POINT OF INVITING EACH MEMBER OF AN INCOMING FRESHMAN CLASS AT HARVARD TO HIS ROOM AND OFFERING THEM THE CHAIR AS SORT OF AN INITIATION RITUAL. THIS STUNT GAVE RISE TO LINES OF POETRY THAT WERE REQUIRED TO BE MEMORIZED BY HARVARD FRESHMAN AS A REMINDER OF WHOSE COMPANY TO AVOID DURING THEIR TENURE AT HARVARD:

"BLESS'D IS THE MAN WHO HATH NOT LENT TO WICKED REED HIS EAR, NOR SPENT HIS LIFE AS COLLINS HATH NOR SAT IN SOUTHMAYD'S CHAIR."

REV. JOHN WAS MARRIED IN MIDDLETOWN, CN, IN 1700 TO SUSANNAH WARD, THE DAUGHTER OF WILLIAM AND SUSANNAH PHOEBE WARD.

PRIOR TO HIS MARRIAGE, ON NOVEMBER 2, 1699, THE SOCIETY OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, ENGAGED REV. JOHN TO PREACH IN THEIR COMMUNITY. REV. JOHN ONCE WROTE THAT HE COULD STAND IN HIS DOOR AND LOOKING SOUTHWARD SAY THAT HE OWNED ALL THE LAND LYING BETWEEN THAT DOOR AND THE NAUGATUCK RIVER (WHICH BASED ON THE MAP SHOWN ABOVE WAS QUITE A BIT OF LAND). IN 1738, REV. JOHN PURCHASED AND DONATED LAND TO THE NORTHBURY SOCIETY FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ITS FIRST CHURCH.

IN ADDITION TO SERVING THE RELIGIOUS NEEDS OF WATERBURY, REV. JOHN HELD NUMEROUS CIVIC POSITIONS. IN 1721, HE WAS CHOSEN TOWN CLERK AND TREASURER, AND FILLED THESE OFFICES FOR THE NEXT 34 YEARS UNTIL HIS DEATH. HE WAS ALSO CHOSEN TO REPRESENT WATERBURY IN THE CONNECTICUT GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN HARTFORD IN 1740 AND FOR EVERY SESSION THEREAFTER UNTIL HIS DEATH. HE WAS CHOSEN TO BE A JUSTICE OF THE PEACE FOR THE COUNTY OF NEW HAVEN AND PARTICIPATED IN ASSEMBLY COMMITTEES THAT, INTER ALIA, STUDIED THE OPERATIONS OF WORK HOUSES AND HOUSES OF CORRECTION AND INVESTIGATED THE NEED FOR AN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM IN THE COLONY.

REV. JOHN DIED NOVEMBER 14, 1755, AT THE AGE OF 79. HE HAD OUT-LIVED ALL OF HIS CHILDREN, EXCEPT DAUGHTER ESTHER. HIS ESTATE WAS VALUED AT MORE THAN 1,997 POUNDS. IT INCLUDED TWO SLAVES, SAMPSON AND FILLIS, WHO "...IF THEY BE FAITHFUL, CAREFUL AND INDUSTRIOUS IN HELPING TO BRING UP MY GRAND CHILDREN, WILLIAM, SAMUEL, ANNA, JOHN AND DANIEL SOUTHMAYD, TIL THE YOUNGEST BE TWELVE YEARS OF AGE, THEN THEY MAY BE FREE AND LIVE WITH ANY OF MY CHILDREN THEY SHALL CHOOSE, OR ANY OTHER PERSON..."

THIS WOULD SEEM TO BE THE END OF THE REV. JOHN STORY, BUT NOT SO. IN 1891, THE GRAND STREET CEMETERY IN WHICH HE WAS BURIED WAS RELOCATED AND REV. JOHN'S GRAVE WAS DUG UP AND HIS REMAINS REMOVED.

IN THE PROCESS, WALTER H. HOLMES, M.D., DECIDED TO WRITE A MEDICAL STUDY ON REV. JOHN'S REMAINS WHICH HAD BEEN IN THE GROUND AT THAT POINT FOR 136 YEARS. THE ARTICLE WAS PUBLISHED IN "THE BOSTON MEDICAL AND SURGICAL JOURNAL" OF JULY 23, 1891.

IN THE ARTICLE, DR. HOLMES DESCRIBES IN GREAT DETAIL REV. JOHN'S SKULL, AND COMPARES IT TO THE SKULL OF A PRIMATIVE "MOUND BUILDER" OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY (FORTUNATELY, REV. JOHN'S SKULL IS REPORTED TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE DEVELOPED AND IS DESCRIBED AS "LARGE AND MASSIVE"). REV. JOHN'S BODY WAS REINTURRED IN RIVERSIDE CEMETERY WITH A NEW HEADSTONE DONATED BY HIS DESCENDANT, MRS. LUCY BRONSON DUDLEY, BUT HIS SKULL WAS MISSING AT THE TIME OF REBURIAL AND HAS NOT, TO DATE, BEEN FOUND. THIS IS INDEED UNFORTUNATE INASMUCH AS REV. JOHN IN LIFE WAS APPARENTLY NEVER ONE TO LOSE HIS HEAD."