Further Lines:From Thomas Blodgett to William Loami Blodgett William Loami , Nelson, Elihu, Josiah, John, Benoni, Thomas, Daniel, Thomas
The Blodgett family is of English origin, the first member of the family having come to America in 1635. Thomas Blodgett, a glover by occupation, left England on a sailing vessel, the "Increase" from London, with his wife Susan, aged 37 years, and his two sons---Daniel, aged four years, and Samuel, aged one and a half. They arrived in Boston in due time and he settled in Cambridg, Massachusetts. He was one of the original members of Rev. Thomas Shepard's Company who founded wht is now (1906) the "Shepard Memorial Church". His descendants were very numerous and spread through various sections of the country. One branch located in Hudson, New Hampshire, about 1710, when it was necessary for the white pioneers to live in a garrison as a means of protection against the depredations of the Indians, and a son of this family was the first white child born in the town. From thence they spread to Plymouth to the central part of New York to Lexington and Windsor Connecticut, and to many parts of New England. They were patriotic and brave in defense of the country of their adoptio. Many served in the French and Indian wars were present during the seige and capture of Louisburg and during the invasion of Canada. There are no less than one hundred and fourteen names of soldiers of the Revolutionary war who were members of this family. Many had honor and distinction conferred upon them in civil and military life. Samuel Blodgett of the fifth generation was particularly prominent in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. He was a friend and correspondent of Washington, and was called the Pioneer of Progress. His best known enterprise was the completion of a canal around Amoskeag Falls at Manchester, New Hampshire. A son of his Samuel Jr served on the staff of Washington, and when the national capítol was projected on the banks of the Potomac, he was chairman of the commissioners to further the project. He built the first house in that place and furnished the first money, ten thousand dollars, toward laying the foundation of the capítol and the president's house. In the eighth generation there have been a United States senator, a judge of the United States district court, a chief justice of the supreme court of one New England state, an eminent judge of the superior court of another state, a publicist, and statistician of national reputation, and a member of the New York chamber of commerce. In the ninth generation there has been a judge of the supreme court of a third New England state. The name has had various forms. The original immigrant wrote the name Blog,get and this form was used for a century, when Blodget was adopted. About one hundred vears ago the form was changed to Blodgett and this spelling seems to be in general use. This latter form was the one used in 1561, many years before Thomas the first immigrant arrived in this country. II Daniel Blodgett, son of Thomas and Susan Blodgett, was born in England in 1631 and came to this country with his parents in 1635. III Thomas Blodgett, son of Daniel Blodgett 2, was born in Chelmsford, Massachusetts in 1654 IV Benoni Blodgett, son of Thomas Blodgett 3, was born in Chelmsford, Massachusetts in 1690, and settled in Windsor, Connecticut V John Blodgett, son of Benoni Blodgett 4, was born in Windsor, Connecticut in 1724. VI Josiah Blodgett, son of John Blodgett 5 ,was born in Windsor, Connecticut in 1752. He married Rachael Crane, who died in 1823, and had children: Elihu (of whom see forward), Chester, Josiah, Theodosia, and Elisha. VII Elihu Blodgett, son of Josiah 6 and Rachel Crane Blodgett, was born in Windsor, Connecticut April 25, 1782.He died May 1862. He married Mary Loomis born in South Wilson, January 27, 1783. She died in 1858, and they had children: i Jeannette born October 8, 1803, married Nelson Osborne ,died January 20 1836. 2 Miranda born October 10, 1818, died 1903, unmarried 3 Nelson (see forward) VIII. Nelson Blodgett, only son and third and youngest child of Elihu 7 and Mary Loomis Blodgett, was born in Windsor, Connecticut, August 12 1820, died in January 1868. and is buried in Norwalk, Connecticut. He was a button manufacturer in his native state. He married January 27, 1861, Ruth Smith, born in Biddeford, Maine and had children: i William Loami (concerning whom see forward) 2 Mary Jeannette born February 23, 1865, died May, 1883 3 Evanah Isabel, born May, 23 1867, married March 19, 1866, Rufus J Smith and has one child, Frederick Nelson, born July 13, 1888 IX William Loami Blodgett, eldest child and only son of Nelson 8 and Ruth Smith Blodgett, was born in Broad Brook, near Hartford, Connecticut June 7, 1862. His education was acquired in Norwalk in the same state and he commenced his career in a shoe factory in Norwalk. He removed to Trenton, New Jersey in 1882 and accepted an offer made him by the Trenton Rubber Company and remained in their employ for four years.Genealogical and Personal Memorial of Mercer County, New Jersey By Francis Bazley Lee, Lewis Publishing Company
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