Litchfield enquirer., 1870-05-19

whom entered into professional life. two as clergymen and two as lawyers. His son the Rev. William Strong was father of the Hon. William Strong, of Pennsylvania, re- gently appointed an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Our Judge Martin Strong had been a member of the bar for several years, but had never made very high mark in his profession in fact he had never devoted himself very assiduously to the discharge of its duties. He owned large and valuable farm on town hill in Salisbury, and his principal business was to attend to that. When he came upon the bench he seemed to have a recollection of few plain legal maxims, but his method ofapplying them to cases was not always the most skillful. He was man of immense physical dimensions, and when he had taken his seat on the bench, he sat in perfect quiet, until the loud proc. lamation of the sheriff announced the ad. iournment of the court. He remained in office till 1929, when William M. Burrall, Esq, of Canaan. took his place.
 JUDGE WEIGH.
 The junior judge of the conrt was the Hon. John Welch of Litchfeld. He was a native of the parish of Milton and gradu. ate of Yale College in the class of 1778, a class which is said to have produced more eminent men in proportion to it's numbers than any other which ever graduated at that institution. Joel Barlow, Zephaniah Swift, Uriah Tracy, Noah Webster and the last Governor Wolcott, with many other distinguished men, were of the class.
 Judge Welch never entered either of the professions, but he lived to very great age. He was appointed 8 judge of the County Court in the place of Cyrus Swan, Esq, of Sharon, who had resigned his DO sition on the bench of the court in 1919. Judge Welchscontinued on the bench till he became disqualified by age in 1929. He made no pretentions to legal learning but his decisions were based on fair impartial view of the questions as they came up. He always gave reasons for the opinion he had formed, always made himself we'll under stood, and his candor, fairness and sound judgment were admitted by all
 JUDGES BuRRA11, WOODRUFF AND BoARDMAN. In 1929, when Judge Welch must retire on account of his age, it was deemed prop. CT by the legislature to make new appoint. ments of both associate judges. Judge Strong had been twelve years on the bench and in his place William M. Burrall, Esq. of Canaan was appointed senior associate judge, and General Morris Woodruff took the place of Judge Welch. The court con. tinued thus organized till the resignation of Judge Pettibone, when, not only with the consent but with the decided approval of both associate judges, David s. Board. man, Esq, of New Milford was taken from the bar and installed chief judge of the County Court, which as then constituted held high position in public confidence.
 HON. FREDERICK woLcoTT, CLERK.
 The Clerk of the Court was the Hon. Frederick Wolcott, who was appointed as early as 1791, and who retained the place till 1885, when he resigned, after service of forty four years. He was a son of the second, and a brother of the the late Gov. ernor of that name, afd undoubtedly cher. ished highly aristocratic feelings and had great amount of family pride. but his intercourse with the members of the bal was gentlemanly and conciliatory. He was of noble presence, large and manly in person, and always dressed in the best style of the ancient fashion of small clothes, white stockings, and white topped boots. His knowledge of legal proceedings in the County, ran back so far that no one eve, presumed to question his accuracy as te legal forms and precedents. When bis re- signation was accepted by. the Court, g minute, prepared by Judge Burrall, which referred to his long and faithful services. and which contained the statement that no judgment of the Court had ever been reversed on account of any mistake of the Clerk, was entered on the records of the County Court. He was member of the Governors Council under the Charte, Government, and was continued in the Senate for several years, under the Con stitrtion.
 l SHERIFF SEYMOUR
 Moses Seymour. IT,, Esq, was Sheriff of the County from 1919 to 1925, but the active duties of the office were performed by his deputy, his brother Ozias, who had been deputy of the old Sheriff Landon, and who had become we'll acquainted with the practical duties of the office as they were performed in our County. He open ed and adjourned the daily sessions, called parties to appear in Court as their pres ence was demanded, and. in fact, was the active Sheriff in nearly all the proceed ings.- He succeeded his brother as Sher- if in 1925, and held the office till 1884. UNCLE JOHN STONE, MESSENGER.
 Nor must we omit to mention here, the