Home > United States of America > Connecticut > Windham County > Danielson > Westfield Cemetery > Henry Hammond

Henry Hammond

Birth	:	15 Oct 1813 Pomfret, Windham County, Connecticut, USA
Death	:	3 Apr 1895 USA
Burial	:	Westfield Cemetery, Danielson, Windham County, USA
Coordinate	:	41.8177986, -71.8891983
Inscription	:	HENRY HAMMOND Born Oct. 15, 1813 Died Apr. 3, 1895 EMMA D. Wife of Henry Hammond Born Apr. 1, 1813 Died Nov. 14, 1890 HARRIET J. DANIELSON Their Daughter Born Sept. 23, 1843
Description	:	"At the age of seven, Henry Hammond was withdrawn from the influences of his home and placed in the family of a farmer, with whom he remained for several years. While there his opportunities for acquiring an education were confined to a few weeks each winter, and he went from the farm to Brooklyn, Conn., where he worked at the blacksmiths' trade for very small wages but very long [p. 4] hours, filling an apprenticeship of three years in the same place. The knowledge of the world, of which he had but an inkling, seemed from his earliest youth the... Read More	"At the age of seven, Henry Hammond was withdrawn from the influences of his home and placed in the family of a farmer, with whom he remained for several years. While there his opportunities for acquiring an education were confined to a few weeks each winter, and he went from the farm to Brooklyn, Conn., where he worked at the blacksmiths' trade for very small wages but very long [p. 4] hours, filling an apprenticeship of three years in the same place. The knowledge of the world, of which he had but an inkling, seemed from his earliest youth the one desirable attainment toward which he ought to strive, and after his day's labor in the shop he would sit before the hearth and pore over some book which added to his information and opened vistas of possibility. His tastes were truly remarkable even in those days, and he found enjoyment and profit in such classics as Homer, Virgil and kindred works. His propensity for study attracted the attention of Judge Robinson, of Brooklyn, who gave him access to the treasures of his library, than which no more lasting or beneficent favor could have been granted. This unexpected opportunity bore rapid fruit, and Mr. Hammond sought to instill into the other youths of the neighborhood an appreciation for knowledge in all its phases. He thus established a lyceum among the young people, the effect of which was far reaching in its results. "After leaving Brooklyn, Mr. Hammond lived for a time with his family in Dudley, Mass., and in 1840 opened a blacksmith shop in Pomfret Landing, continuing the same until 1851. The same year he removed to Danielson, his family coming two years later, and he was for two years employed as a bookkeeper in the store of William Humes. This practically ended the business career of Mr. Hammond. He had been a successful and capable blacksmith for twenty years, but he possessed talents and capabilities not required at the forge, or appreciated in the counting-room, and a discerning fate beckoned to a less peaceful and more strenuous activity. "While still in his teens, Mr. Hammond began to take upon his shoulders the cause of the oppressed Africans in the South, and he assisted in forming at Brooklyn, Conn., the first anti-slavery society in the State. After his removal to Dudley, Mass., he did not grow indifferent, but with his brother, Stephen W., founded another and very active anti-slavery society, in connection with which was maintained the best anti-slavery library obtainable at that time. During his stay in Dudley, himself and Rev. Joseph D. Merrill were sent as delegates to that memorable convention in Boston where was first agitated the question of a political anti-slavery plank; in this meeting all phases of the subject were exhaustively discussed, and such men as Rev. Mr. Phelps, who died in prison charged with assisting fugitive slaves to reach Canada, were among the forceful and impressive speakers. In 1840 Mr. Hammond organized the Windham County Liberty Association, the effect of whose undertakings is still discernible to some extent in that section, for anti-slavery became so firmly entrenched there that to politicians it was known as the 'Black Corner.' "In 1847 the first general National Anti-Slavery Convention was called at Buffalo, N. Y., to which Mr. Hammond and Sherman M. Booth were sent as delegates from Connecticut. This convention, about to enter upon a political crusade against the spread of slavery and against its existence in the territories, was constitutionally controlled by Congress, and sought to secure for its committee on Resolutions the wisest councillors, to place before the American people its principles, plans, and purposes. Mr. Hammond was selected as one of the members of the committee, and was thus associated with Salmon P. Chase, of Ohio; Garrett Smith, of New York; Mr. Stevens, of Pennsylvania, and others who became prominent in the final struggle against the slave owner. The resolutions adopted by this convention became the memorable Buffalo Platform. In Pomfret, Mr. Hammond's residence became known as one of the hotels on the line of the 'underground railroad,' where the fleeing fugitives found aid and shelter. He often addressed public audiences in different parts of the State, and wrote stirring articles which found their way into the anti-slavery papers of the east. "After the formation of the Liberty party, Mr. Hammond became very active in its affairs, and from the platform advocated its measures with rapt enthusiasm. As a debater he was cool and collected, methodical and argumentative, and convinced because of his firmness and sincerity. He cast his first presidential vote for Hon. James G. Birney, of Michigan, the candidate for the Liberty party, and afterward for Hon. John P. Hale and Martin Van Buren, candidates respectively of the Free Soil and Free Democracy parties, both outgrowths of the original Liberty party. At the demise of the Whig party at its convention in Baltimore in 1852, the American party was born, and its Southern leaders and managers sought to make it tributary to the slavery system and expansion. Mr. Hammond and his political associates entered that organization for the purpose of controlling it in the interests of anti-slavery.... "In 1854 Mr. Hammond was a member of the House of Representatives, and was appointed by Speaker Foster as chairman of the committee on [p. 5] Federal Relations, filling a position requiring the most consummate tact, judgment and firmness. In 1865 he was again a member of the House and served on the Railroad committee. Subsequently, for three successive terms, he was elected general railroad commissioner for Connecticut, and in 1862 his friends in and out of the State presented his name to President Lincoln for the office of United States Marshal for the district of Connecticut. When advised of these preliminary steps, Mr. Hammond hurried to Washington to prevent the consummation of the plan, but he was eventually induced to re-consider his decision, his particular fitness, added to his unquestioned loyalty, making him an especially desirable candidate.... "Mr. Hammond represented the Sixteenth district in the Senate during 1881–2, and he held the office of county commissioner for some terms.... In his own home district he ... was prominent as an active trustee of the Windham County Savings Bank, and he was for twenty-one years president of the First National Bank of Killingly. He was an active director of the Danielson Cotton Company, and was foremost in all attempts to improve the general tone of the community....He was a member of the Methodist Church, having joined that organization in Thompson when a young man.... "April 8, 1840, in Brooklyn, Mr. Hammond married Emma Dorrance, who was born in Brooklyn, April 4, 1813, a daughter of Samuel and Amy (Kenyon) Dorrance, and who died, Nov. 14, 1890. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Hammond were as follows: Charles Henry, born Dec. 12, 1841, who died Oct 9, 1842; Harriet J., born Sept. 23, 1843, who cared for her parents with rare devotion up to the time of their deaths, and who lives in Danielson; and Ellen, born June 12, 1848, who died Jan. 28, 1875...." —Commemorative Biographical Record of Tolland and Windham Counties Connecticut Containing Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens and of Many of the Early Settled Families, Chicago: J. H. Beers, 1903, pp. 3–5.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Henry Hammond's memorial?
Henry Hammond's memorial is located at: Westfield Cemetery, Danielson, Windham County, USA.
When did Henry Hammond death?
Henry Hammond death on 3 Apr 1895 in USA
Where are the coordinates of the Henry Hammond's memorial?
Latitude: 41.8177986
Longitude: -71.8891983

Family Members:

Parent

Eleazer Westcott Hammond

(1772 - 1855)

Ann Mercy Brown Hammond

(1783 - 1847)

Spouse

Emma Dorrance Hammond

(1813 - 1890)

Siblings

Stephen Waterman Hammond

(1806 - 1884)

Mary Tillinghast Hammond

(1808 - 1901)

Simon Hammond

(1810 - 1829)

Dr Ezra Hammond

(1819 - 1897)

Lewis Kingsley Hammond

(1822 - 1887)

William Pool Hammond

(1827 - 1901)

Children

Harriet Hammond Danielson

(1843 - 1925)

Ellen Hammond

(1848 - 1875)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Westfield Cemetery
Danielson, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8177986, -71.8891983

2. Holy Cross Cemetery
Danielson, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8153000, -71.8908005

3. Saint James Cemetery
Danielson, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8103070, -71.8856970

4. Hutchins Cemetery
Danielson, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8096123, -71.8807526

5. Day Cemetery
Killingly, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8418999, -71.8775024

6. High Street Cemetery
Dayville, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8436012, -71.8842010

7. Killingly Town Farm Cemetery
Dayville, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8464060, -71.8833240

8. Mashentuck Cemetery #2
Killingly, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8144417, -71.8494492

9. Mashentuck Cemetery #1
Killingly, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8153992, -71.8487167

10. Saint Joseph Cemetery
Dayville, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8485985, -71.8936005

11. Old Trinity Church Cemetery
Brooklyn, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8001410, -71.9244810

12. Young Cemetery #2
East Killingly, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8327980, -71.8485260

13. Burlingame Cemetery
Killingly, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8235741, -71.8411102

14. Allen Cemetery
Killingly, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8507652, -71.9122086

15. Warren Cemetery
Killingly Center, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8398972, -71.8485260

16. Brainard Cemetery
Killingly Center, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8424873, -71.8474045

17. Cleveland Cemetery
East Killingly, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8348274, -71.8395615

18. Young Cemetery #1
South Killingly, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8034058, -71.8376007

19. Breakneck Cemetery
Killingly Center, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8515053, -71.8537216

20. Mitchell Cemetery
Killingly Center, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8526306, -71.8506012

21. Slater Cemetery #2
Killingly, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8308334, -71.8302841

22. Fairmon Cemetery #2
Killingly, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7819519, -71.8506470

23. Chase Cemetery #2
East Killingly, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.8450546, -71.8374252

24. South Killingly Cemetery
South Killingly, Windham County, USA
Coordinate: 41.7928100, -71.8333300