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James Thompson


Gender:
Male
Born:
March 4, 1767
Died:
August 18, 1844
Home Town:
Woodbury, CT
Later Residences:
Woodbury, CT
Durham, NY
Marriage(s):
Anna Humphreys Thompson (October 22, 1798)
Biographical Notes:
James Thompson was the son of Hezekiah and Rebecca (Judson) Thompson. His father was the first lawyer in Woodbury, CT. After leaving the Litchfield Law School, he returned to Woodbury, CT and praticed with his father for several years.

In 1794, he moved to the newly settled town of Durham in Greene County, NY. A few years later, Thompson married and he and his wife had four daughters and three sons. He was one of the first lawyers to open an office in this area.

Although his law practice had proven to be quite profitable, he left the law for the ministry. On July 2, 1813 he was ordained by Bishop Hobart. He had churches in Durham, Windham and Waterville, NY. Thompson later preached in Greenville and his churches ranged from ten to thiry miles from his home.

Thompson ...
[more]

Education
Years at LLS:
1790
Other Education:
Graduated from Yale College in 1790.

Profession / Service
Profession:
Lawyer; Religious Calling; Political Office
Admitted To Bar:
Woodbury, CT in 1791
State Posts:
State Representative (NY) 1805-1807

help The Citation of Attendance provides primary source documentation of the student’s attendance at the Litchfield Female Academy and/or the Litchfield Law School. If a citation is absent, the student is thought to have attended but currently lacks primary source confirmation.

Records for the schools were sporadic, especially in the formative years of both institutions. If instructors kept comprehensive records for the Litchfield Female Academy or the Litchfield Law School, they do not survive. Researchers and staff have identified students through letters, diaries, family histories and genealogies, and town histories as well as catalogues of students printed in various years. Art and needlework have provided further identification of Female Academy Students, and Litchfield County Bar records document a number of Law School students. The history of both schools and the identification of the students who attended them owe credit to the early 20th century research and documentation efforts of Emily Noyes Vanderpoel and Samuel Fisher, and the late 20th century research and documentation efforts of Lynne Templeton Brickley and the Litchfield Historical Society staff.
CITATION OF ATTENDANCE:
[We are currently working to update and confirm citations of attendance.]
Secondary Sources:
Dexter, Franklin Bowditch. Biographical Sketches of the Graduates of Yale College with Annals of College History, Vol. 4. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1907.

Loomis, Dwight and J. Gilbert Calhoun. The Judical and Civil History of Connecticut. Boston: The Boston History Company, 1895.

Cothren, William. History of Ancient Woodbury, Connecticut. Hartford, CT: Tiffany and Company, 1854.

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