Ellsworth American., 1908-09-23
GEnHl0eY Of THE nFTs
StnrdJ Stock From Which tho
nspuD Mean Candidate Springs


His Forebears Were Ministers,
Teachers, Lawyers and
Statesmen.
| In the last years of her life Mr..
Taft's mother, Mrs. Louisa M. Taft,
who died recently, devoted much OF
her time to compiling the history on
lthis side of the water OF the Taft
| family and Of her own family, the
Torreys. Mr. Taft's first ancestor In
New England. according to data gath
cred by his father, the late Judge
| Alphonso Taft, was Robert Taft.
Robert was housewright, who set
tied at Mention, Mass, In 1863, going
there from the province Of Braintree.
Joseph. one OF HIS i've sons, married
| Elizabeth Emerson, who was the
granddaughter OF the ilrst minister Of
Mention. Joseph's second son was
Captain Peter Taft, and his third son
was Aaron, who was born in 1743.
| He prepared for Princeton, but al
though he established q reputation as
q scholar, he had to leave college be-
fore he graduated. Aaron lived at
Uxbridge, Mass, and Townshend, VT,
and married Rhoda Rawson, the
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. OF Edward
Rawson, secretary of the Massachu-
sets Bay Colony from 1850 to 1885.
Peter Rawson, the third son OF
Aaron, was successively school
teacher, lawyer, Judge Of the COM
mon pleas. Judge Of the probate
court, Judge OF the county court Of
Windham County, was county COM
missioner and for many years men,
Der OF the Legislature. He removed
to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1841. where
he died and left one son, Alphonso,
the father of William H. Taft.
Alphonso Taft was born in Town
shend in 1910, and was graduated
from Yale In 1893. He taught In an
academy at Ellington, Conn, and was
. tutor ut Yale. Following his ad-
mission to the bar In 1898 he went to
Cincinnati. One Of his notable cases
was his appearance In the United
States Supreme Court, where he sue
cessfully argued the claim of the city
for beQuest, which was the nucleus
of the endowment fund for the Uni
versity of Cincinnati. He was United
States Minister to Austria and Russia,
Judge of the Superior Court Of Ohio,
Secretary OF War In Grants Cabinet
and an ardent abolitionist
Judge Taft's first wife was daugh-
ter of Judge Charles Phelps, of Town
shend, vt. When she died In 1851 she
left two sons, Mr.. Taft's half-broth-
ers. Charles Phelps Taft is the pro-
prietor of the Cincinnati Times-Star.
The other son, Peter Rawson, died in
1888. Judge Taft's second wife was
Louisa Maria Torrey, whom he mar
ried in 1853. Her first son died in
infancy. William H. Taft was the
second son, being born In 1857.
Henry Waters Taft, Of New York, is
the third child; Horace Dutton Taft
the fourth and the NTH Fanny Louise,
wife of DR.. William A. Edwards, OF
Los Angeles. Cal.
| In closing her notes, Mrs. Taft
wrote of her son william:
The fact that Secretary Taft
| throughout his. long and honorable
| public career his received promotion
continuously Is ample evidence of his
capability and reliability and Of the
sterling integrity of his character.
Mrs. Taft was direct descendant
from william Torrey, who went from
Somerset, England, to Weymouth
Mass, In 1910. He was long Z mem.
Der of the House of Deputies, and
was invariably chosen as clerk ot
that body. He was magistrate and
q captain In the militia. Mrs. Taft's
grandfather, william Torrey, was the
fifth william in the line of descent
He was = veritable son Of Anak, ira.
dition having 1t that he was six feel
seven inches tall, and proportioned
accordingly. Samuel Davenport Tor.
rey was Mrs. Taft's father. Her
mother was Susan Holman Waters
daughter Of Asa Waters, who founded
the village OF. Armory. She was !
granddaughter Of Colonel Jonathan
Holman, who raised 4 regiment dur.
ing the Revolution, and fought gal
lantiy at the Battle of SARATOGA
Mrs. Taft's father accumulated for
tune in the West Indian trade, and
retired in 1881. to Millbury, Mass.
i Mrs Taft delighted In tracing IL
William. and her other children, tn,
striking characteristics which hat
marked their ancestors. OF hel
mother, Mrs. Taft wrote:
MRS. Torrey was q woman of rRr,
endowment and character, well edu
Gated for the period, and her highes
interest was always in the world O
thought. She had an irresistible de
sire to know the best that had beer
written In literature and philosophy
and she had the courage to follow tn,
views Of truth. which her active ant
progressive mind attained, to thei
conclusions.
This was Mrs. Taft's estimation o
Mr.. Taft's maternal grandfather:
"Mr. Torrey will be long remem
bered as man of marked Individual
ity, OF thorough business methods
Of infiexible integrity, with decision
and type of character which left /,
lasting impression wherever he wa
known. 1t happened that he VA
called upon to assist at the burial o
many Of his juniors.
In green old age,
He seemed like an oak. worn but steady.
Amid the elements, whilst the younger tree
Fell just around him.
Belonging to the heroic age o
New England he never f0r n mounen