“In 1859 he emigrated to America, and the December after his arrival in this country he went to Windsor Locks, where his brother Augustus was already employed in the Medlicott Mills; and, as he had no pecuniary resources, he engaged as a cutter in the same establishment with his brother, remaining in that position for nearly two years.”1
Do I stop researching after a fruitless hour, the time suggested for #the100dayproject?
NO!
For three days last week, I dedicated myself to fact-finding for this post and neglected my business. Those facts are likely to be available, but their exact location is a mystery to me. I was certain the answer would be in the next source, and on and on.
During the years 1859 to 1862, where are the verification sources of Edward Newport’s travel, residence, and work?
It makes sense he would depart from Bremen and arrive in New York City in 1859, as did his father, Augustus and older brother, William had in 1850. However, I did not locate his name on a ship’s roster in any of my online genealogy sources. The biography reveals that he didn’t arrive in Connecticut until December 1859, with the 1860 census being his earliest documented presence in the United States.
Did he travel first to visit his father and brother, William? Augustus lives in Fremont Center3 and William is nearby in Manchester Township, making it highly probable that he made the 120-mile journey from the port of New York before settling in New England. Pure speculation, but he hadn’t seen either in nine years. Regardless of whether you traveled by stagecoach, horse, or wagon, it would take only a couple of hours to complete the ten-mile journey between the two farms. The methods of transportation in the mid-1800s included trains and canals; however, it is unlikely these would be available in such a rural area.
By the 2nd of July 1860, 23-year-old Edward is with the eldest Newport brother, August and his family in Connecticut.4 According to that 1860 census, August works at the “stockinette mill” and lives in Pinemeadow, a region of Windsor, that becomes Windsor Locks. However, Edward either hasn’t begun working there yet, or the enumerator didn’t ask him about his employment, because he is not the head of the household.
Medlicott Mills, mentioned in the 1891 biography of Edward, manufactured wool underwear for men, women, and children operating as a mill that specialized in stockinette fabric. However, it is unclear whether the mill had a different name in 1860. The biography mentions that Edward’s first job in the US was at the Medlicott Factory. The dates mentioned in the biography do not match the actual start of the factory as depicted in The Windsor Locks Connecticut Canal and Its History.5 According to the book, Medlicott Mills started producing goods in 1863. I have found no other records confirming the mill’s historical dates.
The row of factories lining the canal is evidence of a thriving business hub that harnessed water to power its machinery. The same book mentions the Wilmarth Thread Co. being at the same site until 1865. However, as we will see with Edward’s Civil War service and beyond, he did not work in either place after November 1862, when he joined the 25th Connecticut Infantry Regiment.6 Edward and his brother, August, both likely worked at the same mill for approximately 2 years, from 1860 to late 1862, whatever its name.
During my investigation, I stumbled upon a couple of things that caught my attention. One of them relates to how Edward met Ann Horton. Through a close examination of the map of Windsor Locks, I found E. Horton & Son Co., Patent Lathe Chucks, at Number 14, famously started by Anne’s father, Eli. Nearby, at Number 16, sits the Medlicott Co., Knit Goods. Edward’s brother had a long tenure at the Medlicott Co., Ann and Edward had likely met before marrying in their later years.
In addition, The Illustrated Popular Biography of Connecticut1 features a page that documents Edward’s life, with certain sections mirroring his obituary. Since the book biography provides more detailed information than the newspaper, I will follow it for writing about Edward from now on.
I was unsuccessful in finding the ship and residence of Edward, as well as verifying his workplace. We have plans to visit the Salt Lake City area soon. The Family Search Center houses the above source for land records and perhaps there is a city directory. While there, I plan to inquire about immigration records from the year 1859, also.
Citations:
- Spalding, J. A. “Illustrated Popular Biography of Connecticut,” 1891. https://www.cga.ct.gov/hco/books/Illus_Pop_Biography_of_CT.pdf.
- Google Maps. “Directions for Walking From Fremont Center, NY to Adams Road, Equinunk, PA.” Accessed February 29, 2024. https://bit.ly/3Tgpzyy.
- Old Fulton Postcards. “The Tri – States Union,” September 25, 1902. Accessed February 29, 2024. https://bit.ly/49QdW76.
- “United States Census, 1860”, , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MH5B-LGC : Tue Oct 03 13:58:48 UTC 2023), Entry for Augustus Newport and Mary A Newport, 1860.
- “Full Text of ‘THE WINDSOR LOCKS CT CANAL AND ITS HISTORY,’” n.d. https://archive.org/stream/THEWINDSORLOCKSCTCANALANDITSHISTORY/THE%20WINDSOR%20LOCKS%20CT%20CANAL%20AND%20ITS%20HISTORY_djvu.txt.
- “Brief History of the Twenty-Fifth Regiment, Connecticut Volunteers,” n.d. https://www.civilwar.com/resources/293-brief-history-of-the-twenty-fifth-regiment-connecticut-volunteers/148482-brief-history-of-the-twenty-fifth-regiment-connecticut-volunteers.html.
- O.H. Bailey & Co, and J. Knauber & Co. View of Windsor Locks, Conn. [Boston: Bailey, 1877] Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/79694190/.
- Family Search. “Search Results | Family Search,” n.d. https://libcat.familysearch.org/Search/Results?lookfor=865836000&searchIndex=Keyword&filter%5B%5D=availability_toggle%3A%22available%22&sort=relevance&view=list&searchSource=local.
Nancy Barber 