By Florence Goodman

This month I will continue with a discussion about another wonderful donation that the Wolcott Historical Society received from Ed Spataro. Ed's mother was related to the Alcott family and had a beautiful Alcott bible that belonged to Fred Alcott who lived on Wolcott Road. The spelling of the Alcott name has changed over the years from Alcock to Alcox to Alcott.

I'm always intrigued when I hear the Alcott name because John Alcock settled on Spindle Hill in the spring of 1731 on a 117- and 1/2-acre farm, which was the beginning of a very long history of Alcott's in our town. His first home was a log cabin, but he later built a larger framed home. John continued to add to his land estate eventually owning over one thousand acres. He and his wife Deborah Blakeslee Alcott had twelve children. He gave five of his sons a farm of about 100 acres of land in the vicinity of his home but retained his homestead until his death forty-seven years after settling on Spindle Hill. He died in 1777 eight days shy of his seventy-second birthday.

His eldest son, Captain John Alcox was born on Spindle Hill on December 28, 1731, and is believed to have been the first child born in the present territory of Wolcott. He married Mary Chatfield of Derby in 1755. They settled on a farm east of his father's home. He and his wife were among the 41 settlers who united to form the first church in Farmingbury parish. He was a man of stability and honor and a leading and substantial member of the church, but he was better suited for military service. In 1774 he was commissioned into military service and became the captain of the newly formed trainband in Waterbury (Farmingbury) Winter Parish in the 15th Regiment. The following fall when the colonists were seriously considering opposing rule by the mother country, he received a hand-written note from General Putnam explaining that the people of Boston were fired upon and asking for his support. Ten days later he received another letter from the Colonel of the Regiment, John Strong telling him to supply the men of his company with arms and ammunition and be ready to march at an hour's notice. That was dated September 13, 1774. Captain John Alcott served his country with great spirit and energy in the revolutionary war. A quote from Samuel Orcutt's book "The History of Wolcott..." states that, "It is said of him that on hearing some report, about the time of the commencement of war, he buckled on his Captain's sword and walked to New Haven, twenty-five miles, to see if his services were needed as a soldier." Three of his sons also served in the war. They were Solomon, Samuel, and John B. Captain Alcott's wife died in 1807 and he died in 1808, one day before his 77th birthday.

Amos Bronson Alcott was the grandson of Captain John Alcox and was born on Spindle Hill on November 29, 1799. The homestead of Joseph C. Alcox and Anna Bronson was near his father's home, and it was there that Mr. Alcott spent his boyhood. Amos Bronson's mother was instrumental in his early religious training and his educational development. "She was a lady of culture who brought to the Spindle Hill neighborhood a refinement of disposition and a grace of deportment that gave a more polite tone to the little community," States Orcutt. One of A. Bronson's daughters, Louisa May was the author of "Little Women," and many other books. Louisa May Alcott was not born, nor did she live in Wolcott.

There is something special in the genes of the Alcott family members. Hard work dedication and a desire to improve mankind seem to run through their veins. So now let me give you a brief history of Fred Alcott whose family bible now resides in the Center School History Museum. Fred was born August 8, 1883. He was the son of Abel Seward Alcott and Alice Marie Brightman Alcott. Fred's grandfather was Gaylord Alcott, an eighth generation Alcott and the son of Riley and Ruth Frisbie Alcott.

Fred built and lived in one of the two stone houses on Wolcott Road just over the town line in Waterbury. When Fred purchased the property in 1934 Wolcott Road or Route 69 as we know it today was called the Waterbury Bristol Road. The piece of property that he acquired was sandwiched between a house and property owned by relatives, Ida M. Alcott to the south and John A. and Lizzie Frisbie to the north.

Fred worked for The Shoe Hardware Company, a division of U.S. Rubber Company and retired after 20 years of service as a toolmaker. Fred died April 28, 1966.

(Information for this article was taken from Ancestry.com and was done by Deb DuBois; The History of the Town of Wolcott, Connecticut from 1731 to 1874; the Fred Alcott Bible; a scrapbook from the Fred Alcott family)

The Alcott Bible that was donated by Ed Spataro.

Fred A. Alcott, Abel Alcott and Robert Alcott, center.

The old homestead in Wolcott, Connecticut. Location and date are unknown. Aunt Ida Morris is seated and Great Grandpa Gaylord Alcott is standing.

From left to right: Fred A., Hubert, Eva, John and Raymond Alcott. Date unknown.

Picture of the home that Fred Alcott built in 1911 on Wolcott Road. Today it is part of an apartment complex on the corner of Wakelee and Wolcott Roads.

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