Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

acter, with a broad open brow, fair hair
and blue eyes. After the death of her
husband she managed the affairs of the
family with great prudence and judgment.
In 1643 she removed with her children to
Springfield, the journey consuming about
five days. A dwelling had previously been
constructed there by her sons, and they
were soon comfortably settled. Here
were people whom she had known in England.
She purchased a tract of land one
mile square in the south part of the town,
on what is now Main street, and border-
ing on the Connecticut river. She died
August 28, 1684, in Springfield, after residing
nearly fifty years in America. Her
second daughter, Mary, who became the
wife of Joseph Parsons, was a woman of
proud spirit and inherited much of the
ability of her mother. She was accustomed
to forcible speech, and her man-
ners were aristocratic, so that she in-
curred the jealous envy of some of her
neighbors. One of the most noted legal
cases in the early days of Springfield was
the suit of Joseph Parsons against Sarah
Bridgman for slander, the latter having
accused Mrs. Parsons of being a witch.
Mrs. Parsons was sent to Boston for trial,
and there secured from a jury a full ac-
quittal and returned to her home in
Northampton. Just after this event her
son Ebenezer was killed by the Indians,
and those who had been instrumental in
bringing her to trial said, "Behold, though
human judges may be bought off, God's
vengeance neither turns aside nor slum-
bers." After a period of eighteen years
she was again indicted, March 2, 1675, for
witchcraft. This was about the time of
the famous witchcraft delusions in Salem,
when the belief in witchcraft was widespread.
She was tried before Governor
Joseph Leverett and his assistants, Gen-
erals Gookin and Denison, whose superior
sense and judgment prevailed with the
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
404
jury, and she was again acquitted. Her
son, Samuel Parsons, was born January
23, 1652, in Springfield, and was one of the
company who left Northampton about
1709, with the Rev. Nathaniel Chauncey,
and settled at Durham, Connecticut. He
married (second) about 1691, Rhoda,
daughter of Robert and Thankful (Woodward)
Taylor. They were the parents of
Ithamar Parsons, born June 9, 1707, at
Northampton, and died at Durham, June
21, 1786. The family name of his wife
Sarah has not been ascertained. Their
son, David Parsons, was born May 31,
1735, baptized the following day at Durham,
removed to Granville, Massachu-
setts, about 1760, and his birth is recorded
in that town. He married, November 4,
1756, Rebecca Robinson, and they were
the parents of Joel Parsons, born October
31, 1768, in Granville, and died there August
4, 1837. There he married, Febru-
ary 10, 1793, Phoebe Robinson, born June
13, 1773, the daughter of Colonel Timothy
and Catherine (Rose) Robinson, of Granville.
They were the parents of Soph-
ronia Parsons, who was born October 20,
1795, and became the wife of Noah
Cooley, as previously related.
(VII) Francis Buell Cooley, the eldest
child of Noah and Sophronia (Parsons)
Cooley, was born June 21, 1822, in Granville,
Massachusetts. He was graduated
successively from the Granville Academy,
Westfield Academy and Albany Academy.
He began his business career as a
clerk in his father's country store in
Granville, of which he subsequently became
manager, and where he remained
until 1847. Then, at the age of twentyfive,
Mr. Cooley went to Chicago, where
he established the wholesale dry goods
house of Cooley, Wadsworth & Company,
subsequently Cooley, Farwell & Com-
pany. This was the beginning of the
large wholesale dry goods trade which