No image available
William Ennis
Gender:
Male
Born:
Unknown
Died:
June 7, 1849
Home Town:
Newport, RI
Later Residences:
Newport, RI
Biographical Notes:
William Ennis was born in Newport, Rhode Island and graduated from Brown in 1819. There, he was a member of the Alpha chapter of Phi Beta Kappa with his friend, future Litchfield Law School student Horace Mann. After studying law under Attorney James Hazzard, he attended the Litchfield Law School in 1820. While in Litchfield, he wrote to Mann his appreciation for his legal studies and of life in Litchfield.
After leaving Litchfield, Ennis returned to Newport and practiced law until his death in 1849.
After leaving Litchfield, Ennis returned to Newport and practiced law until his death in 1849.
Quotes:
"There are ladies in abundance who are monopolized by the students."
To Horace Mann, March 4, 1821
(Massachusetts Historical Society)
To Horace Mann, March 4, 1821
(Massachusetts Historical Society)
Education
Years at LLS:
1820
Other Education:
Graduated from Brown University in 1819.
Profession / Service
Profession:
Lawyer
Training with Other Lawyers:
He studied law in Hazzard's office.
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:
Catalogue of the Litchfield Law School (Hartford, CT: Press of Case, Tiffany and Company, 1849), 17.
Secondary Sources:
Catalogue of the Rhode Island Alpha of Phi Beta Kappa. Brown University, 1904.
Contact Us
Do you have more information for the Ledger?
If you have family papers, objects, or any other details you would like to share, or if you would like to obtain a copy of an image for publication, please contact us at curator@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org.