Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

youngest child of Nathan and Abigail
(Parsons) Coe, born in 1786, became the
wife of James Ward Tucker, as previonsly
related. Henry Tucker, eldest son of
James W. and Ruth (Coe) Tucker, was
born August 20, 181 1, in North Madison
and was bound out at the age of nine
years to Deacon Rossiter, with whom he
lived until eighteen years old. He had
limited opportunities for attendance at
the district school, and after leaving
Deacon Rossiter was employed as a farmhand
by Levi Fowler, at Northford, Connecticut.
Later he settled in Durham,
where he was joined by his sisters, Abbie
and Ruth, who kept house for him, and
worked as tailoresses at home. He was
economical and industrious, and with his
savings purchased a wood lot in the west
side of Durham, where for two years he
engaged in cutting wood and burning
charcoal. With the proceeds of this venture
he purchased a house and small farm
on Main Street, Durham, the second north
of the Congregational Church. Besides
his own land, he tilled other sections,
which he rented, and in time built a house
occupied as the Congregational parson-
age, in which he lived for a short time.
Subsequently, he purchased a farm of
three hundred acres, one-half mile east of
Durham Main Street, and engaged quite
extensively in agriculture and stock grow-
ing. He also operated a saw mill, driven
by water power. He died February 11,
1892, and his body was laid to rest in the
Durham Cemetery. In early life he was
a Whig, became one of the original sup-
porters of the Republican party, repre-
sented the town in i86g, and filled various
town offices, including that of first Selectman.
Active in the Congregational
Church, he was a liberal contributor to
its support, and often entertained the
clergymen of that sect at his home. He
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
married, March 19, 1838, Rosilla Riedell,
who was born April 7, 1817, in Thompson,
Connecticut, died March 28, 1895, and was
buried beside her husband.
Henry V. Tucker, eldest son of Henry
and Rosilla (Riedell) Tucker, was born
October 19, 1841, and settled in Westfield
section of Middletown, where he
engaged quite successfully in farming.
He married Clara Casey Bacon of Westfield,
daughter of Daniel Minor and Har-
166
riett Blake (Hall) Bacon of Westfield.
She now resides in New Britain. She is
a granddaughter of Benjamin and Lucy
A. (Wilcox) Bacon, mentioned at length
elsewhere in this work. Benjamin Bacon
built the house in which LeRoy Minor
Tucker now resides, about two hundred
years ago. He was a member of the
South Church of Middletown, very pious,
was formerly a Whig, and later a Republican.
He was the father of Daniel M.
Bacon, born January 7, 1799, died March
4, 1873. He attended the district school
and the Middletown city schools and was
a member of the North Church, a Repub-
lican in politics, captain in the militia for
a period of thirteen years, and was always
thereafter known as Captain Minor
Bacon. He married, August 2, 1826, Har-
riett Blake Hall, born August 2, 1805,
daughter of Jonathan and Catherine (Sav-
age) Hall, descendant of one of the
pioneer families of Middletown, which is
mentioned at considerable length elsewhere
in this work. The founder of the
family in this country was John Hall,
among the earliest settlers of Hartford,
later of Middletown, who was the father
of Richard Hall, born in England, in 1620,
died March 27, 1691, in Middletown. He
was a weaver, a large land owner and
lived between Court and College streets,
his land extending westward to High
Street. His wife, Mary, died March 30,