Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

of Joseph and Sarah (Faxon) Weld, born
August 19, 1689, married, December 3,
1812, Elizabeth Child, scion of one of the
old families of Roxbury. Moses Weld,
son of John and Elizabeth (Child) Weld,
born March 27, 1722, moved in old age to
Cornish, New Hampshire, where he died
May 10, 1806. He married, December 6,
1748, Elizabeth Holbrook, born January
13, 1727, died July 11, 1763. Their second
son, Moses Weld, born January 15, 1757,
was a Revolutionary soldier, a noted
singer and chorister, many years deacon
of the Baptist Church of Cornish, and
also long clerk of the town. He died June
22, 1839, in Morristown, Vermont. He
married, May 17, 1781, Miriam Harding,
who died June 26, 1845. Their youngest
child, Matilda, born April 14, 1801, in
Cornish, became the wife of Moses Ter-
rill, as above noted. Moses Weld Terrill,
eldest child of Moses and Matilda (Weld)
Terrill, was born October 2, 1826, in Mor-
ristown, Vermont, and attended the public
school of his native town. As he was
not robust, he was sent to school at the
academy in Johnson, Vermont, for a year,
and had two terms of instruction in a
select school. He began his business career
in a general store at Morristown,
where he continued two years and was
next employed in a similar establishment
at Wolcott, Vermont. In partnership with
W. G. Ferrin he purchased the business,
which was sold out at the end of a year
and Mr. Terrill established a general store
in Morristown, which he conducted suc-
cessfully twelve years. In 1861 he took
an interest in the manufacture of a clothes
wringer invented by Rev. E. Dickerman
of Morristown and, in the same year, se-
cured a third partner in the person of
David Lyman of Middlefield, Connecticut.
The business was established in Mid-
dlefield, under the name of the Metropoli-
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
tan Washing Machine Company, later
called the Metropolitan Manufacturing
Company, with Mr. Terrill as president.
After the death of Mr. Lyman in 1871,
Mr. Terrill became treasurer, and continued
in both capacities until 1891, when
the concern became merged in the Ameri-
can Wringer Company, when he retired
from active business. In October of the
same year he became a large stockholder
in the Rogers Manufacturing Company
of Rockfall and was elected its president,
but did not take an active part in the management.
In 1892 he moved from Middle-
field to Middletown, where he died Sep-
tember 7, 1905. Mr. Terrill always strove
to perform his duty as a citizen and was
active in many progressive movements.
His first presidential vote was cast for the
Free Soil candidate and he was an earnest
supporter of Republican principles. In
1855-56 he represented Morristown in the
Vermont Legislature, and served in the
Connecticut Assembly in i860, 1867 and
1883. In Middlefield he acted as first
selectman, assessor, justice of the peace,
school visitor and member of the board of
relief. An active member of the Methodist
Church, he contributed generously to the
building fund in Middlefield, and was a
valued member of the church in Middle-
town. Mr. Terrill married, at Morris-
town, July 17, 1848, Almira Ortensia Ferrin,
born June 24, 1826, daughter of John
and Hannah (Jacobs) Ferrin, the former
a member of the Vermont Legislature.
She died March 6, 1896, in Middletown.
Willis Edward Terrill, second son of
Moses Weld and Almira O. (Ferrin) Ter-
rill, was a very active and useful citizen of
Middletown and Middlefield. He was
born June 16, 1851, in Morristown, and
was eleven years old when he went with
his parents to Middlefield. *With good
educational opportunities, he became
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