| Origins of the Huntington Family Association |
The first meeting of the Huntington family was held at the First Church in Norwich Town, CT. on September 3, 1857, as a result of plans made in the previous December by several gentlemen of the Huntington name. An organization took shape from the gathering. Over 500 Huntingtons were present. The stated purpose of this meeting was for "grateful celebration of the precious memory of our departed, and in joyous congratulation with each other, over the past history and the present honorable position of the family whose name we bear".
Two things emerged from this reunion, namely, appointment of a committee of three to cooperate with Rev. E. B. Huntington in publishing the family history, including raising funds for the purpose; and a resolution to meet again in 50 years.
On September 3, 1907, the family met in the First Congregational Church, Norwich Town, CT. The program of the meeting was as follows:
- Organ Voluntary, by Miss Mary Avery.
- Reading from the Scriptures, by Rev. Henry S. Huntington.
- Prayer, by Rev. Henry S. Huntington.
- Address of Welcome, by Rev. George H. Ewing, Pastor of the Church.
- Soprano Solo, "The Lavender Girl", by Miss Louise Pratt.
- Reply to Welcome, by Rev. John T. Huntington.
- The Huntington Hymn, written by Mrs. John W. James, daughter of Ralph Huntington of Boston, and sung at the first Family Meeting.
- Reading of Psalm CXLVII.
- "English Ancestry of Margaret Baret", a paper by Mr. George S. Porter.
- Address, by Rev. George W. Huntington.
- Address, "Our Early Ancestors", by Samuel H. Huntington, M.D.
- "The Historic Homes of Norwich Town", a paper by Frederick Putnam Gulliver.
- Soprano Solo, "Absence", by Miss Louise Pratt.
- Address, "The Significance of Our Gathering", by Rev. Fr. James O. S. Huntington.
- Open discussion, and formation of the Huntington Family Association. The Committee of Arrangements for the meeting was authorized to appoint a Board of Control, or Executive Committee, having power to fill vacancies in its number, and thus to be self perpetuating. It was also voted to hold the next Family Reunion ten years later, but this was later changed to five years by a vote taken by mail.
The third Family Reunion was held on September 6th and 7th, 1912 in the First Congregational Church, Norwich Town, CT. There was a preliminary luncheon at the General Jabez Huntington House which was kindly placed at the disposal of the Committee as a headquarters for the meeting of 1912, by the owner Thomas Huntington, who resides in London, England. The afternoon session was held at 3 P. M. with the following program, the Rev. John T. Huntington, the President, presiding.
- Reading of the Scriptures, by Rev. George H. Ewing.
- Prayer, by Rev. George Wilson Huntington.
- Address of Welcome, by Hon. Frederick Jabez Huntington.
- Address, "The Preciousness of a Lasting Friendship", by Rev. John T. Huntington.
- Music.
- Address, "The Uses of Old Families in the Republic", by Hon. Huntington Wilson.
- Music.
- Address, "The Present Status of the Huntington Family", by Mr. Samuel Gladding Huntington, the Historian of the Family.
- Business Session for Appointment of Committees.
In the evening of the same day a banquet was held at the Wauregan House. Prof. John Bates Clark presided and made the opening address. Speeches, some of them quite informal, were also delivered by Rev. James O. S. Huntington, Henry Strong Gulliver, Secretary R. Thomas Huntington, Robert W. Huntington, Jr., and Prof. Ellsworth Huntington, and in conclusion one verse of Old Hundred was sung.
On Saturday September 7th, a business meeting was held at 9 am., Prof. Ellsworth Huntington presiding. Reports of committees were received, a constitution was adopted, and the following officers were elected:
- President, Rev. Fr. James O. S. Huntington
- First Vice President, Prof. John Bates Clark
- Second Vice President, Prof. Ellsworth Huntington
- Third Vice President, Hon. Huntington Wilson
- Historian, Mr. Samuel Gladding Huntington
- Secretary, Mr. R. Thomas Huntington
The business session having been concluded, the following program was carried out. Prof. John Bates Clark presiding.
- Prayer, by Rev. David Crosby Huntington.
- Historical Address, "Five Huntington Congressmen", by Rev. Henry Strong Huntington.
- Music, by Prof. Herbert Yerrington, Organist.
- Address, "The Fine Virtue of Clannishness", by Prof. George Huntington.
- Singing the Huntington Hymn.
The Association then adjourned to meet in 1917.
Following the adjournment, there was another very pleasant luncheon at the Gen. Jabez Huntington house. Many of the family also went on an excursion to New London by steamer, leaving at 2 pm.
To date, the Huntington Family genealogy is documented in four books. The first, Genealogical Memoir of the Huntington Family, was published in 1863 by the Rev. E. B. Huntington. A reprint of that material, as well as new information, was published in 1915 by the Huntington Family Association. Supplements to the 1915 Genealogical Memoir were published in 1962 and 1987. These supplements represent additional information on families already published, or information on newly discovered families.
The Huntington Family Association continues to hold a family reunion once every five years in Norwich, CT. Our most recent reunion was held in August 1996. We currently have 1876 families on our mailing list, 1019 with the name Huntington, 857 without. There are 349 Life members, 367 Annual members, and 5 Associate members.
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