| General George McClellan | Union Commander-Civil War |
| John Pierpont Morgan, Jr. | Financier, philanthropist |
| John Pope | Civil War General |
| Benjamin Silliman | Scientist - Father of Geology |
| John Trumbull | Famous Early American Painter |
| Jonathan Trumbull, Sr. | Connecticut Governor - Confidant of George Washington |
| Jonathan Trumbull, Jr. | Second Speaker of the House of Representatives in US Congress - Senator - Connecticut Governor |
| William Woodbridge | Senator/Governor of Michigan |
| Related Links |
The Backus lineage of General George McClellan
is:
.. +Elizabeth 1610 - 1643 .... 2 William Backus II 1634 - 1721 ...... +Sarah Charles 1637 - 1664 ........... 3 John Backus 1662 - 1744 ............... +Mary Bingham 1672 - 1747 .................. 4 Mary Backus 1692 - 1770 ...................... +Joshua Ripley 1688 - 1773 ........................ 5 Mary Ripley 1715 - ............................ +Joshua Abbe 1715 - ............................... 6 Rachel Abbe 1745 - ................................... +Samuel McClellan 1745 - ...................................... 7 James McClellan 1775 - .......................................... +Eunice Eldridge 1775 - ............................................ 8 George McClellan 1805 - ................................................ +Elizabeth Sophia Brinton 1805 - ................................................... 9 George Brinton McClellan 1826 - 1885 |
The Backus line of John Pierpont Morgan, Jr. comes from his mother:
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"He was graduated at Yale, A.B., 1796, A.M., 1799; studied law with Simeon Baldwin: 1798/99; was a tutor at Yale, 1799/1802, and in 1802 was admitted to the bar, but in that year President Dwight, of Yale, proposed that he fit himself in chemistry and natural history and, as soon as he was prepared, that he accept a new chair at Yale. He studied chemistry with Prof. James Woodhouse at Philadelphia and in 1804 delivered his first lectures in chemistry. In 1805, he went abroad to study a year at Edinburgh and to buy books and apparatus. On his return, he studied the geology of New Haven, and in 1807 he examined the meteor that fell near Weston, Conn., making a chemical analysis of fragments, this report being the first scientific account of any American meteor. He delivered his first course of public lectures at New Haven in 1808, and in [p.371] 1811, while experimenting with the oxy-hydric blow-pipe, he reduced many minerals that previously had been considered elements. He examined one hundred coal mines in the Wyoming Valley in 1830; in 1834 delivered lectures in Hartford, Conn., and Lowell, Mass., and later in all the large American cities, delivering the first Lowell Institute lecture in Boston, 1838. He was made professor emeritus at Yale in 1853, but for two years continued his lectures on geology.
He was a vigorous opponent of slavery and a supporter of Lincoln's administration. He was the first president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and in 1863 was appointed by congress one of the corporate members of the National Academy of Sciences. He founded and for many years edited the American Journal of Science. The degree of M.D. was conferred upon him by Bowdoin in 1818 and that of LL.D. by Middlebury in 1826. He edited "Elements of Chemistry" by William Henry and "Introduction to Geology" by Robert Blakewell, and wrote Journals of Travels in England, Holland and Scotland (1810); A Short Tour between Hartford and Quebec (1820); Elements of Chemistry in the Order of lectures given at Yale College (1831); Consistency of Discoveries of Modern Geology with the Sacred History of the Creation and the Deluge (1867) and Narrative of a visit In Europe in 1351 (1853).
He was twice married: Sept. 17, 1809, to Harriet, daughter of Governor
Jonathan Trumbull (q.v.), and in 1851 to Mrs. Sarah Isabella Webb, daughter
of John McClellan of Woodstock, Conn. Harriet Trumbull bore him one son,
Benjamin (q.v.), and three daughters, one of whom married Prof. Oliver
P. Hubbard (q.v.), and another, Harriet Francis, married Prof. James D.
Dana (q.v.). Professor Silliman died in New Haven, Conn., Nov. 24, 1864."
Benjamin Silliman - Geology Began at Yale
Most colonial governors at the time of independence were "tory", or "pro-England". These governors were subsequently sacked by the revolution. Jonathan Trumbull is the only governor before the revolution who was a revolutionary and stayed on as governor through the Revolution.
He was a friend and confidant of George Washington, witness:
"1781 - While here, Washington visited Governor Trumbull's War Office, which stands on Lebanon Hill. Here Washington, John Adams, John Hancock, Israel Putnam, Nathaniel Greene, and Rochambeau conferred with the governor. About 1891 the War Office was deeded to the Connecticut Society Sons of the American Revolution. See Washington's Travels in New England - A Chronological Itinerary, by Charles Eugene Claghorn III.
Note, there are other references to the Backuses and Trumbull's in
George Washington's diary and journals, as well as lots of other name dropping,
if you're interested - interesting reading.
See the following sites for some interesting commentary about this
interesting fellow:
Jonathan Trumbull, Jr, is not a Backus descendant, but married one; Eunice Backus. So, he is progenitor of that branch of Backuses. By the way, Eunice is a "double" Backus, as she is a product of a cousin marriage.
He was a representative in the Connecticut legislature, and for several terms served as speaker of the house, and in 1775 he joined the Continental army as paymaster of the Northern department. On the death of his elder brother, Col. Joseph Trumbull, July 23, 1778, he resigned his office and devoted himself to the settlement of Joseph's public and private affairs. He was first comptroller of the U.S. treasury, under Roger Sherman's plan of organization in 1778; he was appointed secretary and first aide-de-camp to Gen. George Washington; was a Federalist representative in the 1st, 2d and 3d congresses, 1789-95, serving as speaker of the house in the 2d congress, and was U.S. senator as successor to Stephen Nix Mitchell (who resigned, April 13, 1794), serving until his resignation in 1796, to become lieutenant-governor of Connecticut. In 1798 he succeeded Oliver Wolcott to the governorship, remaining in office until his death, in Lebanon, Conn., Aug. 7, 1809."
The 20th Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, Vol.10, p.195
In addition, she is the product of this Backus line:
........ *2nd Wife of William Backus II:
............ +Elizabeth Pratt 1642 - 1730
.................. 3 Joseph Backus 1667 - 1740
...................... +Elizabeth Huntington 1669 - 1745
............................ 4 [1] Ebenezer Backus 1712
- 1768
............................ *2nd Wife of [1] Ebenezer Backus:
................................ +[2] Eunice Dyer 1727 - 1751
............................ *3rd Wife of [1] Ebenezer Backus:
1 William Backus I 1606 - 1661
.. +Elizabeth 1610 - 1643
.... 2 William Backus II 1634 - 1721
.... *2nd Wife of William Backus II:
........ +Elizabeth Pratt 1642 - 1703
........... 3 Joseph Backus 1667 - 1740
............... +Elizabeth Huntington 1669 -
1762
.................. 4 Samuel Backus 1693
- 1740
...................... +Elizabeth Tracy 1698
- 1769
........................ 5 Elijah Backus
1726 - 1798
............................ +Lucy Griswold
1726 - 1795
............................... 6 Lucy
Backus 1757 - 1817
................................... +Dudley
Woodbridge 1747 - 1823
...................................... 7
William Woodbridge, Governor 1780 - 1861
More Notable Backuses here: If you want more on your Backus famous relatives, or more on Backuses in general, I invite you to visit ancestry.com and search their databases, especially the Biographies of Notable Americans. A Backus search there shows 30 hits. A search of the DAR files at ancestry.com should also produce more on Jedidiah Huntington.
Return to the Backus Index at this Web Site
Copyright 1998 Norris Taylor