Ledyard Bill

Ledyard Bill
Ledyard Bill, 1867
Massachusetts House of Representatives for District 4, Worcester County
In office
1891–1892
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. His parents were Lucy Yerrington and Gurdon Bill. He was part of the prominent Ledyard family in Connecticut and Massachusetts. For one grow season in childhood he worked on a farm, to learn the skills. Bill attended prep schools at Norwich Academy and Suffield Academy.

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

Career and late life

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

Bill and Sophia Rogers Earle married in 1872, in Brooklyn.

He moved to Paxton, Massachusetts in 1874 due to his declining health. 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.

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

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). When the Bill Memorial Library opened, Ledyard Bill donated an antique ball clock.

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

Publications

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.