Morning journal and courier., 1883-07-06

Something About the Tuttfe Family. To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND Cot RrER In your notice of the forthcoming Futile gathering there is an error or two that may as we'll be corrected. Will liam Futile came to America early in 1885 between two and three years before the arrival of Eaton and Davenport's company. He did not come to Quinnipiac with tine first party, probably on account of the sickness of his wife, but was here in time to sign the constitution of June 4, 1639. The number of his descendants, living or dead probably greatly exceeds fifty thousand. The family in many of it's branches is very pro- life. h New HaVe1 alone it is likely that his posterlty exceeds in number that of any other two of the original settlers. Of course the New Haven descendants are for the most part of other names than. Futile, for it must be borne in mind that in the aggregate of seven generations of descendants from 8 common ancestor those bearing othsr names than the original patronymic will out number the rest in the proportion of about sixty: four to one. This proportion is not stated as matter of fact, but as a calculR- ton based on general laws and averages. It is an Approximation to the actual fact as 8 rule
 There are a great many of your readers who are aware of their lineage from William Futile, and who would be interested in any facts relating to him. His first homestead included about two-thirds of the present square bounded by State, Grove, Orange and Wall streets. It fronted on State street, and the ground is now occupied by Henry Hooker's carriage factory and by other buildings The lot had been assigned to Edward Hopkins (afterwards Governor of Connecticut, who soon removed to Hartford In 1855 William Futile bought the home lot, house and barn of Joshua Atwater who re- moved to Milford, and afterwards to Boston. This lot included nearly two acres, on the corner of Chapel and College streets, now part of the college square. It is the spot where on almost any fine day during college sessions may be seen long rows of youths seated close together on the top rail of the fence, and looking ct a distance like some strange sort of fowl gone early to roost; the spot where the seniors perform their last fandangoes, where the class histo ries gre recited, the fence given away and where college songs resound in the evening twilight. The three southernmost buildings, including the old soua' middle, stand on it. William Futile res led on this lot about eighteen years and died there in 1873. His widow lived there until her death in Decem- Der, 1884; and the heirs sold the property next year to Hester Coster for e120. Mrs. Coster died in 1891, leaving the property by will to the Center church, which sold it in 1717 to Yale college. Connecticut Hall, the first college building, was erected on it and it continued for more than thirty years the only real estate owned by the college on the square Here g great-grandson of William Tuttle Jonathan Edwards, studied, and taught and achieved his "great and excellent historical renown." And two of his descendants, among the most honored in the list of presidents of Yale, ruled the destinies of the college for nearly one-fourth of the entire period of its existence It is Q curious fact that one in twenty of all the graduates of Yale to the present time are descended from or married descendants of William Futile.
 The next lot northerly on the square was bought in 1857 by Thomas Futile, son of William. and WAS held by him and his de- scendants for 133 years. This lot and that of his father occupied just half the front of the square between Chapel and Elm streets. Thomas Tuttle's lot extended back nearly to High street, and part of the college library stands on it. If the annals of this race were fully written I think it would be difficult to find it's parallel in America, in what might be called the romance of family history.
 GEORGE F. FUTILE.