James Hammond Trumbull

James Hammond Trumbull

James Hammond Trumbull (born December 20, 1821 in Stonington , Connecticut , † August 5, 1897 in Hartford , Connecticut) was an American historian and linguist . He was mainly concerned with the early history of the Connecticut colony and with the indigenous American languages .

Life

Childhood and youth

James Hammond Trumbull was the son of Gurdon and Sarah A. Trumbull. He was related to Jonathan Trumbull Sr. , Connecticut's first governor.

Trumbull attended Tracy's Academy in Norwich (Connecticut) and studied at Yale University from 1838 to 1842 , but was unable to complete the course for health reasons. His scientific interest was in the natural sciences, especially zoology . As a corresponding member of the Yale Natural History Society (from April 1842) he participated in their zoological research, in particular in a catalog with molluscs .

Hartford career

In 1847 Trumbull moved to Hartford, Connecticut , where he lived and researched until the end of his life. He worked until 1852 as an assistant to the Secretary of State and dealt in this connection with the historical documents of the state of Connecticut. As a result of this activity, his scientific interest shifted to history and diplomacy. In the years 1850-1859 he published at his own expense an annotated edition of documents of the Connecticut Colony in the 17th century in three volumes ( The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut ). Yale University awarded him a Master of Arts degree in 1850 .

In 1852 Trumbull was nominated as Secretary of State, but he lost the election and declined further nominations (1853 and 1854). In 1854 he took over a newly created position as state librarian. From 1858 to 1861 he worked again as an assistant to the State Secretary. In 1861 he was elected State Secretary himself and held this office with annual re-elections until 1866. After the end of his tenure he was from 1867 officer of the Wadsworth Atheneum , the art museum in Hartford.

Scientific work

Trumbull played an important role in the Connecticut Historical Society , of which he was an elected member from 1847. From 1848 to 1863 he was the company's corresponding secretary and from 1863 to 1889 its president. In addition, he headed the library of the society, which had a considerable budget after the foundation of David Watkinson, who died in 1857. The Connecticut Historical Society endeavored to collect and publish records relating to the early history of Connecticut. These papers appeared in the Collections of the Connecticut Historical Society series . The relationships between the colonists and the Indians were also examined.

Trumbull was also active in other scientific associations. In 1869 he was a founding member of the American Philological Association (1874/75 President), from 1872 a member of the National Academy of Sciences and from 1874 a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . The indigenous American languages , on which he published several studies, became a research focus for him . One of his last works was a dictionary for the extinct language of the Natick, a group of the Massachusett (see Massachusett language ).

Trumbull was widely recognized for his scientific work. Yale University awarded him an honorary doctorate in law in 1871 and in 1873 gave him a teaching position for the Indian languages ​​of North America, which Trumbull held until 1883. Trumbull received further honorary doctorates in 1887 from Harvard University (Doctor of Laws) and Columbia University (Doctor of Letters).

Fonts (selection)

• The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut . 3 volumes, Hartford 1850-1859
• Extracts from the records of the United Colonies of New England . Hartford 1859
• Historical Notes on some Provisions of the Connecticut Statutes . 2 volumes, Hartford 1860–1861
• The Defense of Stonington (Connecticut) Against a British Squadron, August 9th to 12th, 1814 . Hartford 1864
• The Composition of Indian Geographical Names . Hartford 1870
• The Best Methods of Studying the Indian Languages . Hartford 1871
• The True Blue Laws of Connecticut . Hartford 1876
• with William I. Fletcher: Catalog of the American Library of the Late Mr. George Brinley . 5 volumes, Hartford 1878-1893
• Indian Names of Places, etc., in and on the Borders of Connecticut. With interpretations of some of them . Hartford 1881
• The Memorial History of Hartford County, Connecticut . 2 volumes, Hartford 1886
• Historical Notes on The Constitutions of Connecticut, 1639-1818. Particularly on the Origin and Progress of the Movement which Resulted in the Convention of 1818 and the Adoption of the Present Constitution . Hartford 1901
• Natick Dictionary . Washington 1903

literature

• Arthur W. Wright: Biographical Memoir of James Hammond Trumbull 1821-1897 . In: National Academy of Sciences. Biographical Memoirs . Volume 7 (1911), pp. 145–169 (with picture and list of publications; PDF )