Rosewell Saltonstall was the only son of Rosewell and a grandson of Gurdon Saltonstall, Governor of the Connecticut Colony. His tombstone indicates he died at the age 56 years, but his biography states he was born 31 Aug 1728, indicating he would have been 59 years of age at the time of his death .
A very brief biographical sketch of this gentleman is featured within a footnote in the book, History of New York During the Revolutionary War: And of the Leading Events in the Other Colonies at that Period, Volume 1 (1879), page 297, written by Thomas Jones, and Edward Floyd De Lancey. It is now in the public domain and is transcribed below.
"Roswell [sic] Saltonstall, the only grandson of Gurdon, who was the eldest son of Sir Richard, lives upon a very valuable estate at Branford, in Connecticut, which he inherited from his father. He has also, by inheritance, an estate of some value at Pompfret, in Yorkshire. Roswell is now about 50 years of age, and perhaps one of the oddest men in America. I was acquainted with him in College, and being a prisoner in Connecticut during the war, I went in company with a friend to pay him a visit. I found him a steady loyalist. He was dressed in the following manner : coarse leather shoes, tied with leather strings, instead of buckles, blue yarn stockings, tied below the knees with some twisted flax. His breeches were woolen, and open at both the knees. His coat and waistcoat were of homespun, his shirt of coarse linen, and appeared to have been worn about a month. The sleeves were tied with twine. He had nothing about his neck, and from the looks of his hair, a comb had not seen it for six months. He kept a seraglio, consisting of six young women. He had seven children, all illegitimate. He never was married. He was sensible, chatty, and entertaining. He treated us with cider, apples, and nuts, and seemed extremely glad to see us. He damned rebellion, and wished success to his sovereign. When New Haven was plundered by the royal army in the summer of 1779, General Tryon had his head-quarters near Bradford. Upon this occasion Saltonstall had his beard shaved, his hair dressed, put into a bag, and powdered ; put on a new suit of black velvet, white silk stockings, a sword, and fine hat, and waited upon the General and asked him to his house; roasted an ox, six sheep, and four hogs, with which he feasted the British soldiers. When the army left Connecticut, he returned to his former dress, and his old method of living."
* Note: This interesting sketch is most important in the eyewitness report it provides of Rosewell Saltonstall (1732-1788). The details of the earlier history of the Saltonstall family that it provides are inaccurate. For example, Rosewell Saltonstall (1732-1788) was not the only grandson of Gurdon Saltonstall (Governor of the Connecticut Colony) and the governor was not the eldest son of Sir Richard Saltonstall, but rather was his great-grandson.)
Another sketch may be found in Biographical Sketches of the Graduates of Yale College: May 1745-May 1763 by Franklin Bowditch Dexter (1896), pages 267-278 (Class of 1751). It too is in the public domain and is transcribed below:
"Roswell SALTONSTALL, the only son of Captain Rosewell Saltonstall (Harvard 1720), of Branford, Connecticut, who was the eldest son of Governor Gurdon Saltonstall (Harvard 1684), by his second wife, Elizabeth Rosewell, was born in Branford, August 31, 1728. His mother was Mary Haynes, who was first the wife of Elisha Lord (Yale 1718), and who after Captain Saltonstall's death in 1738 married (February 5, 1741) Rector Clap, of Yale College.
After coming into possession of his large property he showed signs of mental incapacity, and in 1751 he was placed under guardianship and so continued until his death. He lived unmarried on his family estate at Branford (inherited from his great-grandfather, William Rosewell), on the eastern side of Lake Saltonstall, and there died, January 24, 1788, in his 60th year. President Stiles, who knew the family intimately, refers to him as "a singular character." His tombstone avers that "He was well acquainted with history; he was charitable and benevolent to the indigent and distressed ; solitude being his choice, he secluded himself from society, and spent his life in retirement upon the family estate in Branford."
Judge Thomas Jones (Yale 1750) visited him while in Connecticut during the Revolution, and reports that he found him "a steady loyalist." He adds: "He was dressed in the following manner: coarse leather shoes, tied with leather strings, instead of buckles, blue yarn stockings, tied below the knees with some twisted flax. His breeches were woolen, and open at both the knees. His coat and waistcoat were of homespun, his shirt of coarse linen, and appeared to have been worn about a month. The sleeves were tied with twine. He had nothing about his neck, and from the looks of his hair, a comb had not seen it for six months. He ... had seven children, all illegitimate."
A very brief biographical sketch of this gentleman is featured within a footnote in the book, History of New York During the Revolutionary War: And of the Leading Events in the Other Colonies at that Period, Volume 1 (1879), page 297, written by Thomas Jones, and Edward Floyd De Lancey. It is now in the public domain and is transcribed below.
"Roswell [sic] Saltonstall, the only grandson of Gurdon, who was the eldest son of Sir Richard, lives upon a very valuable estate at Branford, in Connecticut, which he inherited from his father. He has also, by inheritance, an estate of some value at Pompfret, in Yorkshire. Roswell is now about 50 years of age, and perhaps one of the oddest men in America. I was acquainted with him in College, and being a prisoner in Connecticut during the war, I went in company with a friend to pay him a visit. I found him a steady loyalist. He was dressed in the following manner : coarse leather shoes, tied with leather strings, instead of buckles, blue yarn stockings, tied below the knees with some twisted flax. His breeches were woolen, and open at both the knees. His coat and waistcoat were of homespun, his shirt of coarse linen, and appeared to have been worn about a month. The sleeves were tied with twine. He had nothing about his neck, and from the looks of his hair, a comb had not seen it for six months. He kept a seraglio, consisting of six young women. He had seven children, all illegitimate. He never was married. He was sensible, chatty, and entertaining. He treated us with cider, apples, and nuts, and seemed extremely glad to see us. He damned rebellion, and wished success to his sovereign. When New Haven was plundered by the royal army in the summer of 1779, General Tryon had his head-quarters near Bradford. Upon this occasion Saltonstall had his beard shaved, his hair dressed, put into a bag, and powdered ; put on a new suit of black velvet, white silk stockings, a sword, and fine hat, and waited upon the General and asked him to his house; roasted an ox, six sheep, and four hogs, with which he feasted the British soldiers. When the army left Connecticut, he returned to his former dress, and his old method of living."
* Note: This interesting sketch is most important in the eyewitness report it provides of Rosewell Saltonstall (1732-1788). The details of the earlier history of the Saltonstall family that it provides are inaccurate. For example, Rosewell Saltonstall (1732-1788) was not the only grandson of Gurdon Saltonstall (Governor of the Connecticut Colony) and the governor was not the eldest son of Sir Richard Saltonstall, but rather was his great-grandson.)
Another sketch may be found in Biographical Sketches of the Graduates of Yale College: May 1745-May 1763 by Franklin Bowditch Dexter (1896), pages 267-278 (Class of 1751). It too is in the public domain and is transcribed below:
"Roswell SALTONSTALL, the only son of Captain Rosewell Saltonstall (Harvard 1720), of Branford, Connecticut, who was the eldest son of Governor Gurdon Saltonstall (Harvard 1684), by his second wife, Elizabeth Rosewell, was born in Branford, August 31, 1728. His mother was Mary Haynes, who was first the wife of Elisha Lord (Yale 1718), and who after Captain Saltonstall's death in 1738 married (February 5, 1741) Rector Clap, of Yale College.
After coming into possession of his large property he showed signs of mental incapacity, and in 1751 he was placed under guardianship and so continued until his death. He lived unmarried on his family estate at Branford (inherited from his great-grandfather, William Rosewell), on the eastern side of Lake Saltonstall, and there died, January 24, 1788, in his 60th year. President Stiles, who knew the family intimately, refers to him as "a singular character." His tombstone avers that "He was well acquainted with history; he was charitable and benevolent to the indigent and distressed ; solitude being his choice, he secluded himself from society, and spent his life in retirement upon the family estate in Branford."
Judge Thomas Jones (Yale 1750) visited him while in Connecticut during the Revolution, and reports that he found him "a steady loyalist." He adds: "He was dressed in the following manner: coarse leather shoes, tied with leather strings, instead of buckles, blue yarn stockings, tied below the knees with some twisted flax. His breeches were woolen, and open at both the knees. His coat and waistcoat were of homespun, his shirt of coarse linen, and appeared to have been worn about a month. The sleeves were tied with twine. He had nothing about his neck, and from the looks of his hair, a comb had not seen it for six months. He ... had seven children, all illegitimate."
Rosewell Saltonstall was the only son of Rosewell and a grandson of Gurdon Saltonstall, Governor of the Connecticut Colony. His tombstone indicates he died at the age 56 years, but his biography states he was born 31 Aug 1728, indicating he would have been 59 years of age at the time of his death .
A very brief biographical sketch of this gentleman is featured within a footnote in the book, History of New York During the Revolutionary War: And of the Leading Events in the Other Colonies at that Period, Volume 1 (1879), page 297, written by Thomas Jones, and Edward Floyd De Lancey. It is now in the public domain and is transcribed below.
"Roswell [sic] Saltonstall, the only grandson of Gurdon, who was the eldest son of Sir Richard, lives upon a very valuable estate at Branford, in Connecticut, which he inherited from his father. He has also, by inheritance, an estate of some value at Pompfret, in Yorkshire. Roswell is now about 50 years of age, and perhaps one of the oddest men in America. I was acquainted with him in College, and being a prisoner in Connecticut during the war, I went in company with a friend to pay him a visit. I found him a steady loyalist. He was dressed in the following manner : coarse leather shoes, tied with leather strings, instead of buckles, blue yarn stockings, tied below the knees with some twisted flax. His breeches were woolen, and open at both the knees. His coat and waistcoat were of homespun, his shirt of coarse linen, and appeared to have been worn about a month. The sleeves were tied with twine. He had nothing about his neck, and from the looks of his hair, a comb had not seen it for six months. He kept a seraglio, consisting of six young women. He had seven children, all illegitimate. He never was married. He was sensible, chatty, and entertaining. He treated us with cider, apples, and nuts, and seemed extremely glad to see us. He damned rebellion, and wished success to his sovereign. When New Haven was plundered by the royal army in the summer of 1779, General Tryon had his head-quarters near Bradford. Upon this occasion Saltonstall had his beard shaved, his hair dressed, put into a bag, and powdered ; put on a new suit of black velvet, white silk stockings, a sword, and fine hat, and waited upon the General and asked him to his house; roasted an ox, six sheep, and four hogs, with which he feasted the British soldiers. When the army left Connecticut, he returned to his former dress, and his old method of living."
* Note: This interesting sketch is most important in the eyewitness report it provides of Rosewell Saltonstall (1732-1788). The details of the earlier history of the Saltonstall family that it provides are inaccurate. For example, Rosewell Saltonstall (1732-1788) was not the only grandson of Gurdon Saltonstall (Governor of the Connecticut Colony) and the governor was not the eldest son of Sir Richard Saltonstall, but rather was his great-grandson.)
Another sketch may be found in Biographical Sketches of the Graduates of Yale College: May 1745-May 1763 by Franklin Bowditch Dexter (1896), pages 267-278 (Class of 1751). It too is in the public domain and is transcribed below:
"Roswell SALTONSTALL, the only son of Captain Rosewell Saltonstall (Harvard 1720), of Branford, Connecticut, who was the eldest son of Governor Gurdon Saltonstall (Harvard 1684), by his second wife, Elizabeth Rosewell, was born in Branford, August 31, 1728. His mother was Mary Haynes, who was first the wife of Elisha Lord (Yale 1718), and who after Captain Saltonstall's death in 1738 married (February 5, 1741) Rector Clap, of Yale College.
After coming into possession of his large property he showed signs of mental incapacity, and in 1751 he was placed under guardianship and so continued until his death. He lived unmarried on his family estate at Branford (inherited from his great-grandfather, William Rosewell), on the eastern side of Lake Saltonstall, and there died, January 24, 1788, in his 60th year. President Stiles, who knew the family intimately, refers to him as "a singular character." His tombstone avers that "He was well acquainted with history; he was charitable and benevolent to the indigent and distressed ; solitude being his choice, he secluded himself from society, and spent his life in retirement upon the family estate in Branford."
Judge Thomas Jones (Yale 1750) visited him while in Connecticut during the Revolution, and reports that he found him "a steady loyalist." He adds: "He was dressed in the following manner: coarse leather shoes, tied with leather strings, instead of buckles, blue yarn stockings, tied below the knees with some twisted flax. His breeches were woolen, and open at both the knees. His coat and waistcoat were of homespun, his shirt of coarse linen, and appeared to have been worn about a month. The sleeves were tied with twine. He had nothing about his neck, and from the looks of his hair, a comb had not seen it for six months. He ... had seven children, all illegitimate."
A very brief biographical sketch of this gentleman is featured within a footnote in the book, History of New York During the Revolutionary War: And of the Leading Events in the Other Colonies at that Period, Volume 1 (1879), page 297, written by Thomas Jones, and Edward Floyd De Lancey. It is now in the public domain and is transcribed below.
"Roswell [sic] Saltonstall, the only grandson of Gurdon, who was the eldest son of Sir Richard, lives upon a very valuable estate at Branford, in Connecticut, which he inherited from his father. He has also, by inheritance, an estate of some value at Pompfret, in Yorkshire. Roswell is now about 50 years of age, and perhaps one of the oddest men in America. I was acquainted with him in College, and being a prisoner in Connecticut during the war, I went in company with a friend to pay him a visit. I found him a steady loyalist. He was dressed in the following manner : coarse leather shoes, tied with leather strings, instead of buckles, blue yarn stockings, tied below the knees with some twisted flax. His breeches were woolen, and open at both the knees. His coat and waistcoat were of homespun, his shirt of coarse linen, and appeared to have been worn about a month. The sleeves were tied with twine. He had nothing about his neck, and from the looks of his hair, a comb had not seen it for six months. He kept a seraglio, consisting of six young women. He had seven children, all illegitimate. He never was married. He was sensible, chatty, and entertaining. He treated us with cider, apples, and nuts, and seemed extremely glad to see us. He damned rebellion, and wished success to his sovereign. When New Haven was plundered by the royal army in the summer of 1779, General Tryon had his head-quarters near Bradford. Upon this occasion Saltonstall had his beard shaved, his hair dressed, put into a bag, and powdered ; put on a new suit of black velvet, white silk stockings, a sword, and fine hat, and waited upon the General and asked him to his house; roasted an ox, six sheep, and four hogs, with which he feasted the British soldiers. When the army left Connecticut, he returned to his former dress, and his old method of living."
* Note: This interesting sketch is most important in the eyewitness report it provides of Rosewell Saltonstall (1732-1788). The details of the earlier history of the Saltonstall family that it provides are inaccurate. For example, Rosewell Saltonstall (1732-1788) was not the only grandson of Gurdon Saltonstall (Governor of the Connecticut Colony) and the governor was not the eldest son of Sir Richard Saltonstall, but rather was his great-grandson.)
Another sketch may be found in Biographical Sketches of the Graduates of Yale College: May 1745-May 1763 by Franklin Bowditch Dexter (1896), pages 267-278 (Class of 1751). It too is in the public domain and is transcribed below:
"Roswell SALTONSTALL, the only son of Captain Rosewell Saltonstall (Harvard 1720), of Branford, Connecticut, who was the eldest son of Governor Gurdon Saltonstall (Harvard 1684), by his second wife, Elizabeth Rosewell, was born in Branford, August 31, 1728. His mother was Mary Haynes, who was first the wife of Elisha Lord (Yale 1718), and who after Captain Saltonstall's death in 1738 married (February 5, 1741) Rector Clap, of Yale College.
After coming into possession of his large property he showed signs of mental incapacity, and in 1751 he was placed under guardianship and so continued until his death. He lived unmarried on his family estate at Branford (inherited from his great-grandfather, William Rosewell), on the eastern side of Lake Saltonstall, and there died, January 24, 1788, in his 60th year. President Stiles, who knew the family intimately, refers to him as "a singular character." His tombstone avers that "He was well acquainted with history; he was charitable and benevolent to the indigent and distressed ; solitude being his choice, he secluded himself from society, and spent his life in retirement upon the family estate in Branford."
Judge Thomas Jones (Yale 1750) visited him while in Connecticut during the Revolution, and reports that he found him "a steady loyalist." He adds: "He was dressed in the following manner: coarse leather shoes, tied with leather strings, instead of buckles, blue yarn stockings, tied below the knees with some twisted flax. His breeches were woolen, and open at both the knees. His coat and waistcoat were of homespun, his shirt of coarse linen, and appeared to have been worn about a month. The sleeves were tied with twine. He had nothing about his neck, and from the looks of his hair, a comb had not seen it for six months. He ... had seven children, all illegitimate."
Inscription
Here lieth the Body of Roswell Saltonstall Esq. Son of Roswell Saltonstall Esq. and Grandson of Gov'nr Saltonstall. He received a liberal Education at Yale College; Where he graduated AD 1751. He was well acquainted with History. He was charitable and benevolent to the indigent and distressed. Solitude being his Choice, he secluded himself from Society, and spent his Life in Retirement, upon the Family Estate In Branford Where he died Jan 24th 1788 AEtat 56.
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