Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

egistrar of Electors, and on the Board
of Relief. He has served as assessor; in
1898 was elected to represent the town in
the Legislature, receiving a majority of
sixty-eight, the largest ever given to a
Republican candidate in the history of
the town. In 1902 he was elected a dele-
gate to the Constitutional Convention.
He is a member of Our Brothers Council,
No. 41, Order of United American Me-
chanics, in which he passed all the chairs.
During the existence of the Newington
Grange, both he and his wife were active
members. In 1914 he was again elected
to represent the town in the Legislature,
and served as a member of the committee
on corporations.
Mr. Churchill married, August 23,
1888, Anna M. Wickham, daughter of
William and Ann S. (Sanders) Wickham,
of Manchester, Connecticut. She is a
descendant of Thomas Wickham, the
American immigrant, from whom the
Connecticut families are descended, who
was born in England about 1624, and was
a Puritan. His name first appears with
the record of the birth of his eldest son at
Wethersfield in 1648. He became a freeman
in 1658, and died January 11, 1688.
His first wife, Sarah, was born in 1630,
in England, and came to Wethersfield
with her husband. He married (second)
June 11, 1672, Sarah Churchill, born November
11, 1657, daughter of Josiah and
Elizabeth (Foote) Churchill, of Wethersfield,
died there January 7, 1700. Her
husband is believed to have built the
first brick house in Wethersfield, and to
have been a tanner of leather. William
Wickham, born August 28, 1657, was the
first landholder in what is now Glastonbury.
He married (it is believed) Sarah
Long. Their son, William Wickham, in
1692, was an incorporator of the town of
Glastonbury, owned much land, one tract
three miles long, eastward from the Con-
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
325
necticut river. He died shortly before
1744. The family has resided in the same
town and the same part of the town to
the present day. Jonathan Wickham, son
of William Wickham, was living in 1723
when the second division of land in Glastonbury
was made, was born previous to
1714 (probably 1682), as land was given
him at that time. In 1739 he was a
school teacher, a founder of Eastbury (a
parish in Glastonbury) a deacon, clerk of
the parish and singing master. He died
after the year 1749, leaving a wife, Mary.
His son, Hezekiah Wickham, was born in
1725, married, about 1752-53, Elizabeth
; deacon for about twenty-six
years ; was a leader in the religious life
of the town ; was parish clerk and schoolmaster,
and died November 9, 1792. His
son, Hezekiah Wickham, was born in
1756, at Eastbury, was a farmer, a soldier
of the Revolution, a man of strong religi-
ous convictions, of most exemplary character,
and died October 2, 1800. He married
Elizabeth Perrin, whose son, John
Wickham, was born May 12, 1801, seven
months after his father's death. John
Wickham experienced many hardships in
early life, and after having established a
small household in Glastonbury, all his
belongings were destroyed by fire. In
time, however, he secured independence,
and became a responsible and useful citi-
zen, living to the age of sixty-four years.
He married Melinda Culver, daughter of
Benjamin Culver, of Hebron, Connecticut.
Their second son William P. Wickham,
was educated in East Academy,
Manchester, and became a farmer in that
town. He married, October 8, 1861, Ann
S. Sanders, who was born May 30, 1837,
in Windham county, Vermont, daughter
of Orin and Sally (Canedy) Sanders, the
youngest of their nine children. When
fourteen years old, Ann S. Sanders began
teaching school at a salary of one dollar