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Wolcott Historical Society News - September 2026
By Florence Goodman
As I continue to share the history of the many patriots that left our town to fight for independence I can't help but think about what life looked like for those early settlers. In the year 1775 the parish trainband militia company consisted of forty-one men. For a half day each month the unit was compelled to practice the "art of Military discipline. Each man received the equivalent of one dollar compensation for that half day. This was Farmingbury's Colonial Militia" or "Minute Men." Although no records show that this group served together, we do know that approximately 102 men served in various theaters of action, extending from Montreal, Canada to Yorktown, Virginia. This month I will continue to share information about three more men who served.
John Jordan Kenea although not born in Wolcott, but he is listed as a revolutionary soldier from our town. John was born in Stratford on March 21, 1763. His father was a Scotsman and a sea captain. His mother's name was Jordan. John enlisted at the age of 15 in the revolutionary war. At the end of his service, he came to Farmingbury and learned the cooper's trade under the supervision of James Alcox (Alcott). He married Alcox's eldest daughter, Obedience on May 5, 1785. They had six children. John died in January of 1840 at the age of 77 and is buried in Edgewood Cemetery. John's grandson, Leverette Dwight Kenea of Thomaston wanted his grandfather's memory to be everlasting. He ensured this in 1916 by erecting our Soldier on the Green statue. The statue was dedicated on July 4th of that year. It was designed to honor veterans from the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. He presented the statue to the town in memory of his grandfather John Jordon Kenea who fought in the Revolutionary War as a soldier from Wolcott.
Our second patriot is Nathaniel Lane born in Killingworth, CT in 1764. His parents were Daniel and Mary (Griswold) Lane. They moved to Wolcott sometime after Nathaniel's birth. Nathaniel married Milicent Alcox and they live just north of the James Alcox homestead. They had one child, Anson Griswold Lane born in 1796. Nathaniel served as a private in Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Canfield's militia-regiment at West Point in 1781. He died on July 31, 1840, and is buried in Edgewood Cemetery next to his wife. The homestead where he and his family lived is still standing today. The Anson G. Lane House is located at 695 Spindle Hill Road and was originally owned by Issac Alcott. The original farmhouse and 54 acres of land was the home to three generations of Lanes. Millicent and Nathaniel Lane purchased the property from Alcott and lived in the house until the late 1700s when Anson Lane took over the property. Anson lived on the property until 1859 when he sold the farm to Albert Lane who lived there with his family through the early 1900s. Over the years the Lanes added over 250 acres of land to their farm, but over time was sold off. The Lane Farm was a dairy farm and Albert sold various dairy products to the locals. He also raised corn and apples, and in the winter sold ice. In 1939 the farm was sold to Mrs. Theriault and then in 1952, Alexander Churchill purchased the farm. In 1957 Marlene Churchill Tosun took ownership of the property. Later, Marlene's daughter Sylvia Tosun, took possession of the property and has completed a large addition to the home and renovations to the remaining barn.
Our third patriot today is Dr. John Potter was born in Wolcott June 6, 1760, to Captain Joel (John) Potter and Rhoda Woodruff Potter. In about 1780 he established himself as a trusted physician and citizen in the town. He married Lydia, the daughter of Deacon Aaron Harrison in 1783 and they had two children. Lydia died in 1796 and in 1797, he married widow Highly Clark and they had four children. Ancestry records indicate that he did serve in the revolution, but no dates or units are available. Dr. Potter was prominent in the church as well as holding important offices in the town government, but his most important mission in life was to serve as the town physician. He traveled the lonely roads of Wolcott on horseback visiting his patients in their far apart homes. He was concerned about smallpox that was affecting the health and killing many of his patients and he favored the use of a new discovery to inoculate residents to prevent the disease. Many conservative townspeople were against it, so a "Special Town Meeting" was held on October 27, 1800, where he put forth his ideas. Residents listened and a vote was taken. It was agreed upon by two-thirds of the members present which constituted a vote of confidence for Dr. Potter. He died on January 12, 1828, in Tallmadge, Ohio.
These three patriots had different backgrounds and experiences, but each felt the need to fight for that dream of freedom. Looking into their lives and the hardships they endured allows us a small view of life before and during those revolutionary years.
(Information for this article was taken from two brochures: one from the Wolcott Historical Society titled WOLCOTT In The French and Indian Wars, The Revolutionary War and The War Of The Rebellion; >1986 Historic Resources Inventory by J.P.Loether Associates; History of the Town of Wolcott (Connecticut) from 1731 to 1874 by Samuel Orcutt; and hours of research by Deb DuBois on Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com and other online research sites; early Historical Society notes about facts of Wolcott)
This statue was designed to honor veterans from the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. It was presented to the town in memory of Jordon Kenea, who fought in the Revolutionary War.
This tombstone of Nathaniel Lane can be found in the Edgewood Cemetery.
This is a 1900 photo of the Anson Lane barn and farm on Spindle Hill Road. This barn is still standing today.
This is a 1900 photo of the Anson Lane house located on Spindle Hill Road just up from the James Alcott House. The original house is still part of a much larger addition that was made to the house several years ago.
To view past installments of the Historical Society News, click here.
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