Ledyard Bill

Ledyard Bill
Ledyard Bill, 1867
Massachusetts House of Representatives for District 4, Worcester County
In office
1891[1]–1892
Massachusetts Senate for District 3, Worcester County
In office
1894–1895
Massachusetts Senate for District 3, Worcester County
In office
1896–1895
Personal details
Born(1836-05-14)May 14, 1836
Ledyard, Connecticut, U.S.
DiedOctober 6, 1907(1907-10-06) (aged 71)
Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
Resting placeHope Cemetery,
Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
PartyRepublican
SpouseSophia Rogers Earle (m. 1872–1907)
Children3
OccupationPolitician, book publisher, author, historian, farmer
1895

Ledyard Bill (May 14, 1836 – October 6, 1907) was an American politician, book publisher, and author. A successful book publisher in New York City, late in his life he served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives and was a Massachusetts Senator for two terms.

Early life, education and family

Ledyard Bill was born on May 14, 1836, in Ledyard, Connecticut.[2][3][4] His parents were Lucy Yerrington and Gurdon Bill. He was part of the prominent Ledyard family in Connecticut and Massachusetts.[5][6] For one grow season in childhood he worked on a farm, to learn the skills.[6] Bill attended prep schools at Norwich Academy and Suffield Academy.[6]

During the outbreak of the American Civil War, Bill moved to Louisville, Kentucky, and founded the Union League Club of Louisville.[7] He had to flee Louisville around a year later in 1862.[7]

Career and late life

Bill founded the Bill Publishing Company of New York City in 1862, at 75 Fulton Street.[6][7] He lived in Brooklyn for many years.[8] Bill was a corresponding member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society starting in 1867.[8]

Bill and Sophia Rogers Earle married in 1872, in Brooklyn.[6]

He moved to Paxton, Massachusetts in 1874 due to his declining health.[7] Bill served in the Massachusetts Senate (1894, 1895) and Massachusetts House (1891) for Worcester County, and was the chair of the Republican Congress District Committee.[2][3][4][7]

He and his brothers helped establish in 1867 the Bill Library in Ledyard, Connecticut.[9][10][11] It was moved into a new building at 718 Colonel Ledyard Highway that remains in existence.[9][10] In 1873, Bill donated an obelisk war monument next to the Bill Library.[12] Over the years the library building has been expanded.[9]

The Bill Memorial Library was built in 1890 in Groton, Connecticut, as a dedication to Eliza Bill and Harriet Bill by their sibling Frederic Bill (all relatives of Ledyard Bill).[6][13] When the Bill Memorial Library opened, Ledyard Bill donated an antique ball clock.[13]

Bill died at age 71 of pneumonia on October 6, 1907, in Worcester, Massachusetts.[14][7]

Publications

  • Bill, Ledyard (1864). Pen-Pictures of the War. Lyrics, Incidents, and Sketches of the Rebellion. New York City, New York.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Bill, Ledyard, ed. (1867). History of the Bill Family. New York City, New York.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Bill, Ledyard (1869). A Winter in Florida; or, Observations on the Soil, Climate, and Products of Our Semi-Tropical State (2nd ed.). Wood & Holbrook.
  • Bill, Ledyard (1871). Minnesota: Its Character and Climate. Wood & Holbrook.
  • Bill, Ledyard (1889). The History of Paxton, Massachusetts. Putnam Davis, and Co.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Recapitulation of Senators Elected". The Boston Globe. November 5, 1890. p. 10. Retrieved April 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 Annual Register of the Executive and Legislative Departments of the Government of Massachusetts 1891. Boston, MA. 1891. p. 1168 – via State Library of Massachusetts.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. 1 2 Annual Register of the Executive and Legislative Departments of the Government of Massachusetts 1894. Boston, MA. 1894. p. 1173 – via State Library of Massachusetts.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. 1 2 Annual Register of the Executive and Legislative Departments of the Government of Massachusetts 1895. Boston, MA. 1895. p. 967 – via State Library of Massachusetts.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ↑ "Ledyard Bill". The Boston Globe. June 10, 1894. p. 9. Retrieved April 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Avery, John (1901). History of the Town of Ledyard, 1650-1900. Noyes & Davis. pp. 105, 110–111.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Obituary for Ledyard Bill". New-York Tribune (Obituary). October 7, 1907. p. 7. Retrieved April 10, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 "Personal". The Brooklyn Union. May 7, 1867. p. 1. Retrieved April 10, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. 1 2 3 "Council Supports Plan For Dual Library Work". The Day. April 20, 1972. p. 17. Retrieved April 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 "Bill Library, Ledyard, Connecticut". The Library Card Museum (blog). July 3, 2021.
  11. ↑ "About Us". Ledyard Public Library.
  12. ↑ "Ledyard Bill Monument, Ledyard". Civil War Monuments of Connecticut. Connecticut Museum of Culture and History.
  13. 1 2 "An Elegant Building". The Day. June 17, 1890. p. 1. Retrieved April 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Ledyard Bill Dead. Prominent Worcester County Republican". Transcript-Telegram (Obituary). October 8, 1907. p. 7. Retrieved April 10, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
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