Son of Eliakim and Joanna (Curtiss ) Stoddard of Woodbury, Connecticut
Grandson of Rev. Anthony and Prudence (Welles) Stoddard of Woodbury, Connecticut
Great-Grandson of Rev. Solomon and Esther (Warham) Stoddard of Northampton, Massachusetts
Anthony Stoddard was born in Woodbury, Connecticut on October 21, 1734. He was likely born in the house owned by his grandfather, Reverend Anthony Stoddard, located at the north end of his parsonage home lot that his grandfather referred to as, "ye mansion." This was the second home built on Reverend Anthony Stoddard's home lot. The first, the original parsonage house located at the south end of the home lot, was built in 1701. The "ye mansion" house was likely built after the death of Reverend Anthony Stoddard's wife Prudence (Welles) Stoddard in 1714 and before the death of his second wife, Mary (Sherman) Stoddard, in 1721. He deeded this house and one acre of land to his eldest son and Anthony's father, Eliakim, in 1736.
Anthony's father, Eliakim Stoddard, suddenly died of illness on September 30, 1749. Anthony was just 15 years old at the time.
Anthony's mother, Joannah (Curtiss) Stoddard, was carrying a child at the time of her husband's death on September 30, 1749. She also had lost a son, Eliakim Jr., on September 13, 1749. Her mother had also died on September 1, 1749. It had been a rough month for Joannah. She quickly remarried Samuel Waller — out of necessity and to support her young children. She removed herself with the girls, son Seth and baby Eliakim to Kent, Connecticut in 1750. She then gave birth to daughter Comfort Waller on November 15, 1750.
The older Stoddard boys, John, Israel, Anthony and Abiram, were left to live at their father's family house in Woodbury. John Stoddard soon married Mary Atwood and removed to Waterbury. Israel received his father's house and an acre of land in the distribution of his father's estate and continued to reside in the home with his brothers Anthony and Abiram. Abiram supposedly relocated to Albany, New York where he died at age 19 in 1755. No record of his death has been verified. Anthony stayed living in the house with his brother Israel. Israel prepared himself to become a doctor. Anthony farmed the lands previously owned by his father and those of his grandfather, Reverend Anthony Stoddard, who lived in his parsonage house nearby.
Anthony received his share of land from his father's estate in a distribution made at Woodbury on March 31, 1752. He continued to reside with his brother Israel in the family home and farmed the land just as his father had done — under the watchful eye of their grandfather who lived nearby. He was forced by circumstances to mature into manhood at an early age.
In August 1757, Anthony served for seventeen days during the alarm for the relief of Fort William Henry (Lake George, New York) in Capt. Wait Hinman's company during the French and Indian War. Ultimately, the British troops at Fort William Henry surrendered to the French and their Indian allies with a promise of safe passage. Instead, the Indians ambushed and massacred the British troops. This event was later memorialized in the book, "The Last of the Mohicans."
Anthony's brother Israel married Elizabeth Reed (or Read) on July 4, 1759.
After his grandfather's death on September 6, 1760, Anthony received his portion of his father's inheritance as well as the following specified items found in the recording of Rev. Anthony Stoddard's Last Will and Testament dated November 4, 1760:
"I give and bequeath unto my Grandson, Anthony Stoddard, my silver Tankard and my Bible and one acre and a half of my East meadow on the South side, to run thro' from the lane to the hill; to be to him, his heirs and assigns forever."
Note: It is interesting to note that the inventory of Anthony's estate taken after his death at Lenox in 1785 included a "silver tankard" and a "Bible." It can be assumed these are the items he received from his grandfather. What happened to these items is unknown. It is shameful that the Bible of Reverend Anthony Stoddard has vanished.
Anthony then married his brother's wife's sister, Phebe Reed (or Read) at Woodbury, Connecticut circa 1760. The registration of their marriage was apparently overlooked due to the death of his grandfather Reverend Anthony Stoddard in September 1760 and the transition of the ministry to Reverend Noah Benedict.
Phebe Reed was born 25 November, 1740 in Lyme, Connecticut. Her parents are Jonathan Reed and Elizabeth Smith. Elizabeth Smith was the widow of Daniel Smith who died in 1729. They had one son together, Nathan Smith, who married Annis Hurd of Woodbury. Nathan and Annis had two sons together: Nathan Smith and Nathaniel Smith. Nathan became a U.S. Senator for Connecticut, and Nathaniel Smith became a judge of the Supreme Court of Connecticut. Nathaniel also married Ruth Benedict, the daughter of Reverend Noah Benedict who replaced Reverend Anthony Stoddard as minister of the First Congregational Church in Woodbury. This Smith relative is referenced in a letter from Amos Stoddard to his mother on June 16, 1804.
On October 26, 1762, Phebe gave birth to their first child, a son, Amos Stoddard, at the house in Woodbury, Connecticut. According to Amos in his autobiography, "I was so cross as to vix and even to tire the patience of my mother -and so extremely small as to weigh but six pounds at seven weeks old -and hence an old Aunt of mine, still living, used to say to her -"Let him die; He is not worth raising!" Thus you perceive that my stars at my birth were unpropitious; -nothing but parental care preserved me." The quote from his "old Aunt" was from Elizabeth (Reed) Stoddard, the wife of his father's brother, Israel Stoddard. The two families of Israel and Anthony resided together for some years in the house left to Israel in the disposition of their father's estate. Elizabeth Stoddard died in Ohio in 1824.
It is assumed that Anthony sold the land he received from his father and grandfather in Woodbury. Anthony removed from Israel's home in Woodbury in the spring or summer of 1763. He then purchased a 50-acre farm in New Framingham from Edward Hinman of Woodbury, the administrator of an estate in Framingham, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, "for a valuable consideration to me," on June 7, 1765. New Framingham was later renamed Lanesborough.
After just four years in Lanesborough, and for reasons unknown, Anthony sold his farm in Lanesborough on November 6, 1769 for £105 . In July 1772, Anthony purchased a 100-acre farm in East Hoosuck, Massachusetts for £120 (the town name later changed to "Adams" - probably for good reason) in July 1772 but within months he sold that farm for £180 (a nifty profit) in December 1772. Anthony then purchased a 100-acre farm in Lenox for £150 from Nathan Mead on February 19, 1773. He continued to live in this home until his untimely death in November 1785. There is no explanation for where Anthony lived after selling his farm in Lanesborough in November 1769 and buying the farm in East Hoosuck in July 1772. The purchase deed for the farm in East Hoosuck states that Anthony Stoddard was a resident of East Hoosuck when he purchased the farm...so it looks like he and the family had already moved to East Hoosuck before he purchased the farm. The distance from Lanesborough to East Hoosuck was only 10 miles. The distance from East Hoosuck to Lenox was 22 miles.
In any case, it appears Anthony found a home in Lenox and stayed settled there. Amos was 10 and Phebe 8 years old and they needed a good school nearby-and Lenox fulfilled that requirement. It is interesting to note that his Amos never mentioned these family relocations in his autobiography.
Anthony's brother, Israel Stoddard, sold the house and one acre of land in Woodbury to relative Peter and Damaris Gilchrist circa 1774. He removed his family to Judea (later named Washington) where he practiced medicine. He later returned to Woodbury where he died in 1794. He is buried at the South Cemetery in Woodbury.
Anthony's son Amos soon became distracted from his studies by the drum beat of war in the Massachusetts colony between 1775 and 1779. In his own words, he tells us of his thoughts and feelings during that period in Lenox:
"During the period of my school days, the war of our revolution commenced. The enthusiasm among the people at that time was great, and often led them into excesses -particularly in persecuting those whom they deemed Tories. My father was a strenuous Whig -he was in the war of 1758 -was in the battle of Bennington, and among the militia at the capture of Burgoine (sic). The aspect of the times drew my attention from my studies. The sounds of the alarm Guns, particularly of military music, led me to regret, that I was not a man -and at the same time induced me to throw aside my books, my writing and figures. The boys of my neighborhood formed themselves into a company -and nothing pleased them more than to be instructed in the exercise of their wooden muskets, and to be taught some simple evolutions. Of this Company I was chosen a fifer -and altho' Yankee Doodle was the only tune I pretended to play -yet with the dignity of my station I was extremely proud. Two or three years passed away in these amusements -and during this time I paid little or no attention to my grammar or other books."
"My father saw and lamented the turn of my mind. He was obliged to applaud the motive -but he thought my pursuits unnecessary -and often reprimanded me for neglecting my school. From a conviction, that my frame was too weak for labor, he aimed to prepare me for some other pursuit, and entertained a secret desire of making me a divine or physician. But my wayward inclinations soon blasted all his prospects. I ventured at last to tell him, that I wished to become a Soldier -and I shall never forget his reply, "Amos, one regular would drive a thousand of you!" He at last reluctantly consented, with this remark, "You will soon be sick of it.""
In the spring of 1779, Amos enlisted in the army at Lenox to serve 9 months. He was just 16 years old.
Upon their arrival at West Point, Amos and the other recruits were drawn up to be inspected by General Baron de Steuben. Fearing his undersize would cause the general to reject him, Amos gathered the dirt up under his heels. The general finally approached Amos, stood opposite him along the line and reviewed him and asked him several questions. Then he said, "Perhaps you may do" while at the same time putting the hilt of his sword under Amos' chin and saying, "You must learn to hold up your head!" The recruits were distributed amongst the troops and it was Amos' fate to be assigned to the 12th Massachusetts Regiment under the overall command of General John Patterson of Lenox.
After a short time in the infantry, Amos started feeling the effects of the extensive fatigue duty on his small, under-nourished frame. His father Anthony was obviously a caring and loving father. As another example of his attention towards his son, Amos provides us the following insight:
"The change of diet and the sleeping in tents on the cold ground, soon caused the dysentery, the usual disease in camps, and my frame sunk under it. In this situation my father paid me a visit. He furnished me with money and necessaries, and these probably prolonged my life."
Amos went on to serve for the duration of the War. It should be noted that Amos' brother Philo, who was two years younger, also enlisted in the 12th Massachusetts Regiment. However, his War record is largely unrecorded. Details of his life are also largely unknown.
American society was largely divided during and after the Revolutionary War. Anthony was described by his son Amos in his autobiography as being a "strenuous Whig." In otherwords, a patriot. However, there were British loyalists living among the patriotic men of Lenox. So, on May 12, 1782, Anthony Stoddard and other like-minded patriots of Lenox took action: they assembled in the night with their guns, broke into the houses and forced the families of Aaron Wood and Edward Martindale from their homes. Charges against Anthony and the other men were dismissed at Great Barrington on September 9, 1783. Perhaps this was an example of one of the "excesses" that Amos referred to in his autobiography?
Anthony died from smallpox on November 16, 1785 at his home in Lenox, Massachusetts. He is buried on the land of an adjacent farm that was owned by the Thomas Tracy family in Lenox (Thomas Tracy died of smallpox in 1776 or 1777). The location of his burial was identified in the East Street Book as "over north on the Stocking farm near a large rock." Such a large rock, or at least a large rock formation, was found in the western section of the old Thomas Tracy farm in November 2019 by the author of this biography. It is belived Anthony Stoddard is indeed buried near this location within this section of forested and undeveloped land northwest of the Anthony Stoddard farmhouse along East Dugway Road
A very thorough review of the land deeds from the time Anthony Stoddard purchased his farm and after the divided parcels were sold by Anthony Stoddard's heirs has resulted in the definative identication of a restored colonial-era home located at 129 East Dugway Road in Lenox as being the home dwelling of Anthony Stoddard and his family. This house is incredible in its construction with axe hewn wood beams throughout. There is a central firplace in the home with four hearths. There is a cooking fireplace in the kitchen with auxillery hearths in two adjacent rooms. There is a fourth hearth in the cellar or basement that the owners call the "dugout." According to the owners, this "dugout" is believed to have been constructed first and the two-stories above added later.
None of the deeds that conveyed the property from the original owner (David Pixley) to Nathan Mead in 1767 or from Nathan Mead to Anthony Stoddard in 1773 mentions a dwelling on the land. The first mention of a dwelling on the land was when Widow Phebe Stoddard sold her dower share of the estate that included "a house and a barn" in 1801. However, it is almost a certainty that Anthony did not build the house or clear the land. Anthony had a family that required a home and crops that needed to be planted. He did not have the luxury of time (or manpower) required to clear land, cut trees, build a house and plant his crops. He needed a "ready-to-go" farm. Nathan Mead paid £60 paid to David Pixley for the 100 acres land. Six years later he sold the farm to Anthony Stoddard for £150. This hugh increase in the price was probably due to the fact that Nathan Mead cleared the land and built the house. It is thought that David Pixley started the house after he received the land and built the "dugout"and Nathan Mead then completed the house.
Further, the research on the land deeds of the Anthony Stoddard farm land and adjoining farm lands has allowed for the identification of the boundaries of the ajacent Thomas Tracy farm at the time of Anthony's death and the likely area on the Thomas Tracy farm where Thomas Tracy, Anthony Stoddard and another unidentified man who also died of smallpox might be buried. The Lenox Historical Society is conducting a search as time allows to determine if the graves of these men might be found.
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Phebe Read Stoddard had a sister: Elizabeth Read married Israel Stoddard, the brother of Anthony Stoddard. Israel died in 1794 and is buried at Woodbury, Connecticut. The grave and headstone for Israel's wife Elizabeth Stoddard is believed to have been found in Huron, Ohio. It is known that Israel and Elizabeth's son, Asa Stoddard, was living at lower Sandusky (Huron County, Ohio) around the time of the War of 1812. Therefore, it is reasonable that Elizabeth died in Huron, Ohio on March 1, 1824 and the photo of her headstone on her memorial page belongs to her and marks her grave.
We do not know when Phebe died. We know that she married widower Samuel Benham circa 1788 after Samuel's wife died in 1787. In May 1804, Amos Stoddard wrote to his mother, "Mrs. Benham," from St. Louis as first civil commandant of upper Louisiana. Phebe Benham was living at Middlebury, Connecticut at the time. On March 28, 1813, Phebe's youngest son, Eliakim Stoddard, living at Boardman, Ohio at the time, wrote to his mother, then living at Camden, New York, to report on the status of his brother Major Amos Stoddard, "who passed through this town on 8th of January last, on his way to the army," so we know his mother Phebe Benham was alive and living in New York in early 1813. It is unknown when or where Phebe (Read) Stoddard Benham died. Her death and burial place has yet to be determined.
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Anthony's siblings are;
John 1730—1795; Israel 1732—1794; Abiram 1736—1755; Joanna 1738—1829; Prudence 1740—1828; Eliakim Jr. 1742—1749; Seth 1744—1828; Abigail 1747—1803; and Eliakim III 1749—1802.
Anthony and Phebe's children are:
Amos Stoddard 1762—1813; Phebe Stoddard 1764—1800; Philo Stoddard 1765—1848; Lavinia Stoddard 1768—1802; Anthony Stoddard 1769—; Curtis Stoddard 1771—1840; Simeon Curtis Stoddard 1776—1848; Lucy Stoddard 1782—1840; and Eliakim Stoddard 1784—1815.
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This biography is written from information derived from the book, "The Autobiography Manuscript of Major Amos Stoddard," research provided by the Berkshire Family Historical Association, and from information provided by the Lenox Historical Society.