Derby History Quiz
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William B. Wooster
Derby and the surrounding Valley towns sent more than their
fair share of men off to fight in the "War of the Rebellion" as it was known
at the time. Many of them distinguished themselves as did William Burr Wooster while others
never returned home. The monument of the Derby Green pays homage to the men
of Derby and Huntington for their sacrifices and lists some of the battles
in which they fought.
Wooster was
a direct descendant of Derby's first
permanent settler and a local attorney when the war broke out, but he soon
became a Lt. Col in the 20th Connecticut with many other brave Derby men. He
commanded a regiment and was captured at Chancellorsville, but was exchanged
for southern prisoners and fought at Gettysburg. He is best remembered as
the Colonel of the 29th Regiment, C.V., Colored - the states black regiment
which was formed in 1864 with white officers in charge. They distinguished
themselves in several battles before the end of the war and proudly marched
into Richmond when it fell.
Following the war, he returned to his very successful law practice in
Derby. Prior to the war, he had represented Derby in the state legislature
as both a representative and also as a senator. He was very active in Derby
and was the First President of the Derby Gas & Electric
Company and first clerk and one of the directors of the
Birmingham Water Company.
At the time of his death on September 20,
1900, the Hartford Courant wrote, "His name has stood for
many years on Connecticut's roll of honor. He was a patriot
and a gentleman. He was Derby's first citizen."
Col. Wm. B. Wooster (L) with
three members of his impressive Derby law firm who went on to become judges -
William H. Williams, Chief Justice David Torrance, and Edwin B. Gager.
Picture courtesy of the Derby Historical Society
Our thanks
to Carolyn Ivanoff for her assistance on this
quiz. |
Correct
answers were received from:
Fred
Grant, Jack Vagnini,
Ann
Searles, Nick from
Terryville, Stephanie Anne D'Onofrio, Rick Schreiner,
Mary Suess,
Millie Fatterusso, Ken
Dupke, Jean
Malone, Jim
Bartlett,
James Allaire,
Marc J. Garofalo,
Gregory J.
Golski, ruth e. barnett, Joe Dedo, Pat Shelton,
Margo Bondi,
Joe
Melewski, John Whalen, Jenna, Kimberley Shelton, Ray Allen, Robert W.
DeForest, Doug Adamson, Jimmy Ryan, Eileen Krugel, Robert Pasquini, Bradley
Bowers, Bob Ahearn, Joseph Navin, Paul Comkowycz, and
Howard Bradshaw.
To see our earlier quizzes and learn more about Derby's unique
history, click here.
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