Titus Hosmer
Encyclopedia
Titus Hosmer was an American lawyer from Middletown, Connecticut
. He was a delegate for Connecticut
to the Continental Congress
in 1778, where he signed the Articles of Confederation
.
Titus was born in West Hartford, Connecticut
, attended Yale
and graduated in 1757. He read for the law, was admitted to the bar, and began a practice in Middletown, Connecticut
. He married Lydia Lord on November 29, 1761 in Middletown. Their son Stephen Hosmer
would also become a lawyer, and was the Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. Their other son, Hezekiah Lord Hosmer
(1765-1814) became a U. S representative in New York state. A grandson, also named Hezekiah Lord Hosmer
(1814-1893), became the first Chief Justice of the Montana Territory and authored several books.
Hosmer was elected to the Connecticut state Assembly annually from 1773 to 1778, and served as their speaker in 1777.
In May 1778 he became a member of the State Senate, and remained in that office until he died. Later in 1778, the joint state legislature also sent him one of their delegates to the Continental Congress. Titus died at Middletown on August 4, 1780 of undisclosed causes, and is buried in the Mortimer Cemetery there.
The Hosmer family is traced to Rotherfield
in Sussex
(and much earlier to Dorset
), where a certain Alexander Hosmer was native before a marian martyr
in nearby Lewes
and the family consequently moved to Kent
in the following generations. His colonial ancestor was a Roundhead
in the New Model Army
, who left Hawkhurst
in Kent for New England
upon the English Restoration
. He had a Whig
relative who fought and was mortally wounded in the Battle of Lexington and Concord against Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland
. There is a Hosmer Corner in Hampden County, Massachusetts
named for the family although the Hosmers are more renowned as founders of Hartford Connecticut
.
Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated as a town under its original Indian name, Mattabeseck. It received its present name in 1653. In 1784, the central...
. He was a delegate for Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
to the Continental Congress
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a convention of delegates called together from the Thirteen Colonies that became the governing body of the United States during the American Revolution....
in 1778, where he signed the Articles of Confederation
Articles of Confederation
The Articles of Confederation, formally the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement among the 13 founding states that legally established the United States of America as a confederation of sovereign states and served as its first constitution...
.
Titus was born in West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town was incorporated in 1854. Prior to that date, the town was a parish of Hartford....
, attended Yale
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and graduated in 1757. He read for the law, was admitted to the bar, and began a practice in Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown, Connecticut
Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, 16 miles south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated as a town under its original Indian name, Mattabeseck. It received its present name in 1653. In 1784, the central...
. He married Lydia Lord on November 29, 1761 in Middletown. Their son Stephen Hosmer
Stephen Hosmer
Stephen Titus Hosmer was an American lawyer and jurist who was the Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court in Connecticut from 1815 to 1833. He was born in Middletown, Connecticut and lived there all his life. He attended Yale University, graduating in 1782...
would also become a lawyer, and was the Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. Their other son, Hezekiah Lord Hosmer
Hezekiah L. Hosmer
Hezekiah Lord Hosmer was a United States Representative from New York. He studied law and was admitted to practice in the mayor's court of Hudson, New York. He was recorder of Hudson in 1793 and 1794, and was elected as a Federalist to the Fifth Congress, serving from March 4, 1797 to March 3, 1799...
(1765-1814) became a U. S representative in New York state. A grandson, also named Hezekiah Lord Hosmer
Hezekiah Lord Hosmer (judge)
Hezekiah Lord Hosmer was a lawyer, judge, journalist, and author....
(1814-1893), became the first Chief Justice of the Montana Territory and authored several books.
Hosmer was elected to the Connecticut state Assembly annually from 1773 to 1778, and served as their speaker in 1777.
In May 1778 he became a member of the State Senate, and remained in that office until he died. Later in 1778, the joint state legislature also sent him one of their delegates to the Continental Congress. Titus died at Middletown on August 4, 1780 of undisclosed causes, and is buried in the Mortimer Cemetery there.
The Hosmer family is traced to Rotherfield
Rotherfield
Rotherfield is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. It is one of the largest parishes in East Sussex. There are three villages in the parish: Rotherfield, Mark Cross, and Eridge.-Etymology:...
in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
(and much earlier to Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
), where a certain Alexander Hosmer was native before a marian martyr
Marian Persecutions
The Marian Persecutions were carried out against religious reformers, Protestants, and other dissenters for their heretical beliefs during the reign of Mary I of England. The excesses of this period were mythologized in the historical record of Foxe's Book of Martyrs...
in nearby Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
and the family consequently moved to Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
in the following generations. His colonial ancestor was a Roundhead
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
in the New Model Army
New Model Army
The New Model Army of England was formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War, and was disbanded in 1660 after the Restoration...
, who left Hawkhurst
Hawkhurst
Hawkhurst is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England. The parish lies to the south-east of Tunbridge Wells. Hawkhurst itself is virtually two villages...
in Kent for New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
upon the English Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
. He had a Whig
Patriot (American Revolution)
Patriots is a name often used to describe the colonists of the British Thirteen United Colonies who rebelled against British control during the American Revolution. It was their leading figures who, in July 1776, declared the United States of America an independent nation...
relative who fought and was mortally wounded in the Battle of Lexington and Concord against Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland
Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland
Lieutenant-General Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland, FRS was an officer in the British army and later a British peer...
. There is a Hosmer Corner in Hampden County, Massachusetts
Hampden County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 461,228 people, 175,288 households, and 115,690 families residing in the county. The population density was 738 people per square mile . There were 185,876 housing units at an average density of 301 per square mile...
named for the family although the Hosmers are more renowned as founders of Hartford Connecticut
Founders of Hartford, Connecticut
Here are the 163 men and women listed in the Book of Distribution of Land as being those who settled in Hartford, Connecticut before February 1640. Their names are on a monument in Hartford's Ancient Burying Ground....
.
External links
- Hezekiah Hosmer
- HOSMER, Hezekiah Lord, (1765 - 1814)
- Full text of "Bacon and Shakespeare in the sonnets"
- Montana Vigilantes and the Origins of the 3-7-77