Jonathan Leavitt
Encyclopedia
Greenfield, Massachusetts
Greenfield is a city in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,456 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Franklin County. Greenfield is home to Greenfield Community College, the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Franklin County Fair...
attorney, judge, state senator and businessman for whom the architect Asher Benjamin
Asher Benjamin
Asher Benjamin was an American architect and author whose work transitioned between Federal style architecture and the later Greek Revival. His seven handbooks on design deeply influenced the look of cities and towns throughout New England until the Civil War...
designed the Leavitt House, now the Leavitt-Hovey House
Leavitt-Hovey House
Leavitt-Hovey House is an historic house located at 402 Main Street in Greenfield, Massachusetts.The house was designed by the noted architect Asher Benjamin in 1797 for Judge Jonathan Leavitt and added to the National Historic Register in 1983.-History:...
on Main Street, in 1797.
Judge Leavitt was born in Walpole, N.H., but was raised in Greenfield, where his father Rev. Jonathan Leavitt
Jonathan Leavitt (minister)
Rev. Jonathan Leavitt was an early New England Congregational minister, born in Connecticut, and subsequently the pastor of churches in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, both of which dismissed him from his posts. Several of Rev...
served as a Congregational minister. Leavitt attended Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
, taught school in New Haven, and then achieved early prominence as a lawyer in Greenfield. He subsequently served as Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas in 1812, and Judge of Probate from 1814 to 1821. Judge Leavitt used the west wing of the Leavitt-Hovey house for his business activities. He was a founder and first president of The Franklin Bank of Greenfield in 1822.
Judge Leavitt was also known for his legal writings, especially in probate law, as well as his "Summary of the Laws of Massachusetts, Relative to the Settlement, Support, Employment and Removal of Paupers", published in Greenfield in 1810. He also published two small volumes on religion.
Judge Leavitt married Emelia Stiles, daughter of President Ezra Stiles
Ezra Stiles
Ezra Stiles was an American academic and educator, a Congregationalist minister, theologian and author. He was president of Yale College .-Early life:...
of Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
, for whom today's Ezra Stiles College
Ezra Stiles College
Ezra Stiles College is a residential college at Yale University, built in 1961 by Eero Saarinen. Architecturally, it is known for its lack of right angles. It is adjacent to Morse College.-Origin:...
at Yale is named. Rev. Jonathan Leavitt, Judge Leavitt's father, was also a graduate of Yale and a native of Suffield, Connecticut
Suffield, Connecticut
Suffield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It had once been within the boundaries of Massachusetts. The town is located in the Connecticut River Valley with the town of Enfield neighboring to the east. In 1900, 3,521 people lived in Suffield; and in 1910, 3,841. As of the...
. Rev. Leavitt's wife was Sarah Hooker, great-great-granddaughter of the Rev. Thomas Hooker
Thomas Hooker
Thomas Hooker was a prominent Puritan colonial leader, who founded the Colony of Connecticut after dissenting with Puritan leaders in Massachusetts...
, New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
divine and chief founder of the Colony of Connecticut.
Members of the Leavitt family became prominent in nearby Charlemont
Charlemont, Massachusetts
Charlemont is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,358 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
and Heath, and were noted for their abolitionist activities. (Rev. Joshua Leavitt
Joshua Leavitt
Rev. Joshua Leavitt was an American Congregationalist minister and former lawyer who became a prominent writer, editor and publisher of abolitionist literature. He was also a spokesman for the Liberty Party and a prominent campaigner for cheap postage...
, born in nearby Heath, Massachusetts
Heath, Massachusetts
Heath is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 805 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
, was a member of this family.) Interestingly, Judge Leavitt's household had three African-American servants, and on the death of her father Ezra Stiles
Ezra Stiles
Ezra Stiles was an American academic and educator, a Congregationalist minister, theologian and author. He was president of Yale College .-Early life:...
Mrs. Leavitt inherited her father's two elderly slaves Newport and his wife Nabby.
Judge Leavitt died in Greenfield in 1830. He and the former Emelia Stiles had four daughters, including Sarah Hooker Leavitt, Mary Hooker Leavitt, Emilia Stiles Leavitt (later Mrs. E. T. Foote), and a son Jonathan, who died in 1821 while attending Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
, an event that threw his father into profound depression. In 1822 his sister compiled a memoir devoted to her brother entitled "Memoir of Jonathan Leavitt, a Member of the Junior Class in Yale College, who Died at New-Haven the 10th of May, 1821, Aged 18 Years." The book, whose author was described as "a sister", was published by S. Converse in New Haven in 1822.
See also
- Jonathan Leavitt (minister)Jonathan Leavitt (minister)Rev. Jonathan Leavitt was an early New England Congregational minister, born in Connecticut, and subsequently the pastor of churches in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, both of which dismissed him from his posts. Several of Rev...
- Leavitt-Hovey HouseLeavitt-Hovey HouseLeavitt-Hovey House is an historic house located at 402 Main Street in Greenfield, Massachusetts.The house was designed by the noted architect Asher Benjamin in 1797 for Judge Jonathan Leavitt and added to the National Historic Register in 1983.-History:...