Signers of the Declaration of Independence: Connecticut, Part 2

Delegates to the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The 56 delegates who signed the formal break from Britain are all considered Founding Fathers.   

Four delegates represented Connecticut. This week's profile features William Williams and Oliver Wolcott.

William Williams

Williams was born to the Rev. Solomon Williams and Mary Porter April 8, 1731, in Lebanon, Connecticut; he had 11 siblings. His father was the pastor of the First Congregational Church in Lebanon.

He studied theology and law at Harvard College and graduated in 1751 at the age of 20 with honorable distinction. Intending to follow his father into the ministry, Williams continued his theological studies under his guidance for about a year before he joined the colonial militia to serve in the French and Indian War with his cousin, Col. Ephraim Williams. He participated in the Crown Point Expedition and the Battle of Lake George in 1755, where his cousin was killed.

After witnessing his cousin's death and disillusioned by the British officers' treatment of colonial troops, Williams returned to Lebanon, where he became a prosperous merchant. He also began engaging in local politics that led to his role in the American Revolution. He was part of the Sons of Liberty and the Connecticut Committee of Correspondence, both of which were in resistance to British policies and taxation.

On Feb. 14, 1771, he married Mary Trumbull, daughter of Jonathan Trumbull Sr., the Colonial governor of Connecticut and the only Colonial governor to openly side with the Patriot movement during the Revolutionary War.

The couple had three children, Solomon, Faith and William Trumbull Williams, Williams served in the lower house of the Connecticut General Assembly from 1757 until 1776, when he was appointed to fill Oliver Wolcott's seat in the Second Continental Congress after he fell seriously ill. At the time, he was also a colonel in the Connecticut militia and resigned his commission to serve as a delegate. Although he arrived in Philadelphia after the vote for the Declaration of Independence, Williams signed the document July 28, 1776. He remained there until 1778, serving on the Board of War and signing the Articles of Confederation. He returned for a brief second term from 1783 until 1784.

During the Revolutionary War, Williams used his wealth to financially support key operations, including the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in 1775.

He returned to the Connecticut General Assembly in 1780, serving in the House of Representatives until 1784, where he held multiple leadership roles including speaker of the house. In 1784, he moved to the Governor's Council, where he served as an assistant and councilor for 24 years until 1803.

Williams' political service coincided with his judicial service, holding county and probate judgeships, and serving as a justice on the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors from 1784 until 1803.

Williams died Aug. 2, 1811, and was buried in the Trumbull Cemetery in Lebanon. His wife died Feb. 9, 1831, and is also buried there.

The William Williams House in Lebanon is designated a National Historic Landmark and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The house was purchased by the Rev. Solomon Williams in 1748, and he gave it to his son in 1755. Williams lived there for most of his life, and it remains a private residence to this day.

Oliver Wolcott

Wolcott was born Nov. 20, 1726, in Windsor, Connecticut. He was the youngest child of Roger Wolcott and Sarah Drake, and he had 14 siblings. His father was a major general who commanded the Connecticut militia during King George's War, a conflict between the British and French colonies, and was elected colonial governor of Connecticut in 1750, serving until 1754.

In 1747, he graduated from Yale College as a top scholar in his class. Before graduating, Wolcott was commissioned as a captain by the colonial governor of New York, George Clinton, to raise and command a volunteer militia company to defend the northern frontier bordering French-controlled territories during the French and Indian War. His service concluded at the end of the war in 1748, following the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, after which Wolcott moved to Goshen, Connecticut, to briefly study and practice medicine with his brother, Alexander.

When Litchfield, Connecticut, became the county seat of Litchfield County in 1751, Wolcott left medical practice, moved there and was appointed its first sheriff, a position he held for 20 years.

Wolcott married Laura Collins Jan 21, 1755. They had five children, including Oliver Wolcott Jr., who served as aide-de-camp to his father during the Revolutionary War and later became treasury secretary.

Wolcott served in the Connecticut militia during the Revolutionary War, rising to the rank of major general. In August 1776, he led a brigade of Connecticut militia to join Gen. George Washington and the Continental Army in New York City during the New York Campaign. When he reached Washington's camp, Connecticut Gov. Jonathan Trumbull appointed Wolcott commander of all Connecticut militia regiments in New York.

He also played a key role in the Saratoga Campaign, during which he raised thousands of militia volunteers to assist the Continental Army in defending the Hudson Valley and defeating British Gen. John Burgoyne in the Battles of Saratoga, which proved pivotal for the Patriots.

While serving as a delegate at the Second Continental Congress in 1776, Wolcott fell ill and had to withdraw temporarily. He recovered by the fall and returned to add his signature to the Declaration of Independence Sept. 4, 1776, along with other late signers Robert Henry Lee and Elbridge Gerry. Wolcott served until 1783, except in 1779 when he was not elected as a delegate. His attendance was sporadic because of his military responsibilities in the Connecticut militia.

Wolcott served as lieutenant governor of Connecticut from 1786 until 1796, when he assumed the office of governor when Samuel Huntington died Jan. 5, 1796. He was elected to the office in April 1796 and served until his death Dec. 1, 1797.

He was buried in East Cemetery in Litchfield. His wife, who died April 19, 1794, is also buried there.

The Litchfield home Wolcott built in 1753 on land his father gifted him, is designated as a National Historic Landmark. Today, the Oliver Wolcott House is privately owned by family descendants and is not open to the public.

The towns of Wolcott, Connecticut; Wolcott, Vermont; and Wolcott, New York, are named for him. The Oliver Wolcott Technical High School in Torrington, Connecticut, is also named in his honor.

This is the 18th installment in a series of articles about the men who signed the Declaration of Independence. The 56 delegates to the Second Continental Congress, representing the 13 colonies, are all considered Founding Fathers.