Jarvis, William, 1796-1871.

Rev. William Jarvis was an Episcopalian clergyman in East Haddam, Hebron, and Chatham. He retired from the ministry after a severe illness. He lived in Portland until 1852 and then moved to Middletown until after the marriage of his daughter, Elizabeth Hart Jarvis to Col. Samuel Colt of Hartford. At that point he and his wife, Elizabeth (Hart) Jarvis moved to Hartford. They first lived in the United States Hotel and later with their daughter at Armsmear. The letters were written to his nephew, William Jarvis, who moved from Connecticut to Hartsgrove, Ohio, in the spring of 1836. He became the owner of 100 acres of land and the agent of the heirs of Maj. Richard W. Hart of Saybrook (father of Elizabeth (Hart) Jarvis), owners of large tracts of land in several surrounding townships. Rev. Jarvis' son, Richard W. H. Jarvis, was educated at Trinity College, where he served as a trustee, and at Yale University. After briefly practicing law, Richard Jarvis went to Arizona to represent the Colt company in its mining operations. Later he would become President of the Colt's Patent Fire Arms Manufacturing Company, a position he held for thirty-five years.