Todd, Timothy

The following data is extracted from Todd Family Genealogy.

Timothy Todd⁵, (Timothy⁴, Jonathan³, John², Christopher¹) born May 16, 1758, died Dec. 1, 1806, married Nov. 27, 1783, Phebe, daughter of Jehiel Buel of Killingworth, Conn.

"Timothy Todd was sergeant after the Lexington Alarm, served as coast guard 150 days. Enlisted May 15, 1780." He was a physician in Southern Vermont. Dr. Todd removed to Arlington, Vt., having previously seen Vermont while in the Continental army as he was engaged in the battle of Bennington. "He was active, resolute and Persevering, his professional reputation rising and he soon had an extensive medical practice."

He was a man of considerable literary taste and talent, and wrote many medical and other articles for the journals of the day, and on various occasions pronounced popular orations. A curious little memorandum book of his, still preserved, contains, in his own hand writing, "an abstract view of the miscellanious writings of Timothy Todd, the unfortunate."

The catalogue gives the titles of orations, contributions to magazines, poems and plays, some of which were acted, and some operas, most of them having reference to politics. He was a freemason and termed a noted mason. He joined the military and bore a captain's commission. Represented Arlington for at least five years in the General Assembly, and for three years he was a member of the Governor's Council, a body of twelve men which, under the old Colonial Constitution, took the place of the Senate. At the time of his withdrawal from public life he was on the point of being elected Governor.

A few months before his last child was born, the doctor moved from Arlington to Rutland, Vermont, which was then becoming a more important place. Here he secured for himself a home, and at once established himself in practice. But he had hardly done so, when an event occurred which at once overturned all his plans. A rich man in West Rutland, who had been taken very sick, sent his carriage in great haste for the doctor and for his lawyer. The two gentlemen were seated together, and were going down the mountain about five miles from home, when some part of the harness gave way, and the horses became unmanageable and ran, and the carriage was overturned and broken. Perceiving that it was going over, the doctor called to his companion, who was on the upper side, to jump out; but he, in his terror, delayed so long that there was time for but one to escape. Doctor Todd was caught, and the consequence is thus stated by himself: "My left leg was fractured and dislocated in a most shocking manner; the bones were forced through the integuments, and dragged four rods, grinding the earth, and broken into innumerable fragments." Terrible as this injury was, the doctor was wholly unconscious of it till his attention was called to it by his horror-stricken friend. The lawyer immediately hurried for assistance; but the country was thinly settled, and two or three hours elapsed before his return. In the meantime the wounded man crawled to a rock by the side of a run of water, in which he laved the wounds, and cleaning them from the clotted blood and the fragments of his stocking which had been impelled into them; and, taking his instruments from his pocket, with astonishing fortitude proceeded to take up a principle blood-vessel. When found by his friends, he was discovered with a pencil in his hand, with which he had just been writing.

Of this writing, the doctor thus speaks: "I sincerely offered the following ejaculation to the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, and afterward put it in metre" (probably seeking with this mental occupation to distract his attention from his pain), "that in case I should not survive my wounds, as there appeared no hope, my children and friends might know the sensations which then possessed me.

"'Great God, the day of thy power is dreadful indeed! Thy frown is death, and the blasts of thy nostrils crush us forever. Behold me in this hour of distress, through the sufferings of thy Son; Then shall mercy beam upon me, and open the gates of eternal day. I fell thy power; I own thy justice; and believe in thy word. Whatever fails, suffer me, O God, even if thou slayest me, still to trust in thee!'"

"You will judge," exclaimed his son, sixty years afterward, "of the character that could in those circumstances write that prayer."

Help at last arrived. A bier was brought from the grave-yard, and covered with feather-beds, and the unfortunate man was tenderly laid on it, and carried on men's shoulders to his home. The physicians who were summoned replaced the bones as well as they could, although he implored them to resort to amputation; and the result was, that eventually the limb was restored, so that the doctor could use it again without even a cane, and with very little halt in his gait; but this was only after much suffering and long use of crutches. He was confined to his bed for months.

As soon as prudent after this accident he with his family moved to Killingworth, Conn., where sometime afterward he died.

Children:
278. Abigail, b. June 23, 1786, d. Dec. 4, 1858, m. Asa Preston, of Middlebury, Vt. No children.
279. Elizabeth, b. Jan. 19, 1788, d. Sept. 2, 1864, m. (1) (???)Stannard; (2) Othniel Jewett, of New Haven, Vt., who had previously been married and had a family.
*280. William Christopher, b. Dec. 10, 1791.
*281. Mary Matilda, b. Nov. 29, 1794.
*282. Jonathan, b. Sept. 6, 1796.
*283. Charlotte, b. April 10, 1799.
*284. John, b. Oct. 9, 1800.

Source: Todd Family Genealogy

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