New Britain herald., 1918-02-08
OLDEST NEWINGT0N
 RESIDENT IS DEAD
John s. Kirkham Was First Town
 : Clerk There
" ENT " EST IN 1849
Was 9t Years and 10 Months Old and Had Been Member of NcWinGtOn Congregational Church Since 1Sf3- Judge I<irkhaIn q Son.


 John s. I<irkhan, NeWingtons old est resident, veteran town and state official, one time Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor and one of the few survivors of the California gold rush of lS4%, died at o'clock this morning at his home in the neighbOr- ing town of a general breaking down coincidcnt with old age. MT. Kirk ham was 9l years and 10 months old.
 The kirkham family is one of the oldest in this part of the state, and John $. Kirllham is the last of Il long line of the older generation of Kirk hams who resided in NcWingtOn, hay ing been the last of nine brothers and sisters. He was born in the house in Newington near the old Mill pond and in his bOyhood days attended the Cen ter district school there. At the ago of nine years he moved to Springfield with his parents, his father having taken a position as school teacher there. Subsequently, the family re- turned to Nowington where MT. Kirk ham attended the academy and later became a, school teacher there him. self. He also taught in Hartford and New Britain.
 Went to California in 1S49.
 
 in California, MT. Kirkham became for the Western El Dorado. So, with the late Harvey G. Brown, a former local grocer, and William Humason, other New Britain man, he set forth | in the late '40s. Instead of going by prairie schooner as so many of the l pioneers did at that time, these men | went by boat, sailing around Cape | Horn and thence up the west coast ] of South America to California They were six months in making the trip | and in his memoirs MT. Kirkham l makes particular mention of a, terri fic storm they encountered off the coast of Brazil. The search for gold did not result in any sudden wealth for the Connecticut men and they re- turned home a year or so later During his entire life MT. I<irkham devoted himself to agricultural pur- suits and was for many years a direc- tor of the Connecticut Agricultural society, being one of the few who SO successfully opposed the transfer of StOrrS college. He was also d mem Der of Newington Grange and at ono time belonged to the state board of agriculture and also the state dairy | mems association. MT. kirkham also i had a deep sense of the religious and l joined the Newington Congregational church in 1S43. He served as clerk l of the church for a great many years l and was deacon at the time of his 1 death.
 Prominent in Politics Politically, A-r. Kirkham was all ways affiliated with the democratic | party and was elected town clerk in 1 Newington, serving from 1870 to 1890 He was also a justice of the peace and town health officer. Higher political | honorS were also accorded to MT. IIlirkharn and he was elected to the general assembly in 1878, and in 1SS1 was elected to the senate, having en- joyed the distinction of being the only 1 democratic senator ever elected from his district. The distinction of hav- ing been the first town clerk of New l ington also went to MT. Kirllham as l he was first elected in 1871 when | NewingtO was set aside as a separate town from Wethersfield. In 1888, Mr. | kirkham was nominated on the dem- | ocratic ticket as lieutenant governor, | running with former Governor Mor- | riS.
 MT. Kir<ham was twice married and had four children by his ii at wife. But two of these children are now living. They are Thomas A. Kirk ham of Bridgeport, and Judge John | H. Kirkham of this city. He also leaves seven grandchildren. They arc l Paul Hine of Bridgeport, Harold HinC 1 with the U. s. army aviation corps at Fort Omaha, Neb., and Miss Grace 1 Jine of Deham, Mass, and Harriet A., Julia G., Frances K, and Laura | A. kellOgg, the last four being the daughters of Henry l.. Kellogg of NeWington. MT. Kelloggs second wife, who survives him, was a sister
 of his first wife and was, before her marriage Miss Mary K. Atwood.
 HEATLESS MONDAYS