Bishop family collection
2011-14-0
Scope and Contents
The Bishop family collection (2011-14-0, .42 linear feet) documents the families of Charles B. Bishop (1832-1913) and Jane Farnsworth Bishop (1829-1892) of Litchfield, Conn. A number of individuals are represented in the collection, including Charles, his father Charles Bishop (1791-1871), his grandfather John Bishop (1756-1848); Charles’s brothers James Ensign Bishop (1828-1903) and Theophilus Fenn Bishop (1820-1846); Theophilus’s wife Susan Amelia Pratt Bishop (1818-1848); several of Jane’s sisters, including Emily Farnsworth Sheppard (1827-1853), Mary Farnsworth Rogers (1835- ), Cornelia Farnsworth Barraclough (1842-1897), and unidentified Farnsworth family members. Charles and Jane Farnsworth Bishop had six children and some are represented in the collection, including Kate Bishop Prenctice (1864-1909), Mabel Bishop (1871-1951), and Charles Bishop Jr. (1872-[1944?]). Kate married Charles Prentice. Their son was Donald Bishop Prentice (1889-1971). In addition to those of family members, there are also items which relate to friends, associates, the First Ecclesiastical Society of Litchfield, and the Litchfield School Society. The collection primarily consists of correspondence; it also contains deeds, news clippings, legal and financial records, and other documents. Charles Bishop (1791-1871) moved to Litchfield, Conn., in 1838 and established a farm. He married Mary Bacon (1794-1884). Charles and Mary Bacon Bishop had three sons, Theophilus, who died in Saybrook, Conn., aged 26; James, a Thomaston, Conn., clock factory employee and later, a florist; and Charles, a prominent Litchfield merchant who co-owned a dry goods firm under the name of Bishop & Sedgwick and was an insurance salesman for over 40 years. Jane Farnsworth Bishop was a daughter of Benjamin Farnsworth (1799-1845) and Emily Raphel (1803-1860) of Hartford, Conn. Jane’s sister Lucy Farnsworth (1837-1902) married Theodore Sedgwick of Litchfield, who was Charles Bishop’s dry goods partner. Besides family correspondence, the collection contains several items regarding the First Ecclesiastical Society, including a list of subscribers for a new church building that records their pledge amounts, and a contract between Charles Buell and the Litchfield School Society for the construction of a new building, including its specifications.
Dates
- created: 1825-1918
- Other: Date acquired: 03/04/2012
Creator
- Bishop family (Family)
- Farnsworth family (Family)
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Extent
0.42 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Source of Acquisition
Donor unknown.
Method of Acquisition
Found in collection.
Existence and Location of Originals
multi-part note content
Other Descriptive Information
This collection was processed with support from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
Subject
- Farnsworth family (Family)
- Bishop family (Family)
- Title
- Bishop family collection
- Author
- Leith Johnson
- Date
- 10/01/2011
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Litchfield Historical Society Repository
7 South Street
P.O. Box 385
Litchfield CT 06759
860-567-4501
860-567-3565 (Fax)
archivist@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org