and on the verge of retirement from a successful banking career, when his youngest son, Arthur Kingsley, was born.4 Timothy H, as he was known, was the son of Deacon Timothy and Annie (Todd) Porter. He was born on 16 February 1826, at Waterbury, Connecticut. Both Timothy H and his brother, David Gustavus, studied at Yale University in New Haven. Both brothers were studious and applied themselves diligently to their work. David G went on to become a Professor of Latin at Rochester University and a renowned scholar of theology.
In 1852 Timothy H entered Yale Theological Seminary, but remained only a short time before completing his studies at the Union Theological Seminary.5 The newly ordained Reverend Porter then spent three years studying in Germany and France before returning home to Waterbury in 1859. He continued to preach occasionally at the Baptist Church in Stamford but his travels in Europe had brought about a change of heart, and his earlier plans to settle for a religious career were abruptly overturned. Timothy H suddenly turned his attention to more worldly matters and set about carving out a lucrative career in finance. Opportunities materialized when he was offered a position with the banking house of Soutter & Company in New York. By all accounts he made rapid progress and his ambitions for a comfortable lifestyle quickly came to fruition. In 1859 he married Agnes K. Soutter, daughter of his business partner, James. T. Soutter. The marriage did not last long, however, as his wife died two years later, on 27 December 1861, at the age of 27.6
Timothy H continued to work at Soutter’s and in 1866 he was promoted to senior partner with the firm.7 He then began to court the affections of another young socialite, Miss Maria Louisa Hoyt, the eldest daughter of the Stamford multimillionaire Joseph B. Hoyt. The Hoyt clan held a family gathering in June 1866 at Stamford that was attended by affluent members from all over the US.8 At this prestigious event, Louisa’s father was selected to represent the prosperous Connecticut branch of the family.
The Hoyts of Connecticut had long established their position at the top of the social pecking order over centuries of diligent work and astute investment. In the late nineteenth century, the United States was admitting large numbers of Europeans who sought to make their fortune in the land of opportunity. It was therefore paramount to the survival of the oldest families that wealth was not the only requirement for admittance to the highest social strata. The Hoyts fulfilled all the criteria for being one of the most influential families in Connecticut, by possessing great wealth but also having an old family tradition that no amount of money could buy.
5. Clockwise (left to right): Blachley Lodge, Noroton, Darien, CT;
Timothy H. Porter; Schuyler Merritt; Interior of Blachley Lodge.
Stamford Historical Society, from ‘Gracious Living in Stamford, Late 19th and 20th Early Centuries’, c. 1892.
Louisa was not only wealthy but was also highly educated, being one of the first women to study at Vassar College in New York.9 Louisa possessed every social grace and economic advantage that Timothy H could ever have dreamed of and, by wielding his considerable charm, he somehow secured the affections of both Louisa and her esteemed family. On 3 November 1870, Timothy H married Maria Louisa Hoyt at her parents’ residence.10 At the time of the wedding Louisa was aged 23 while her husband was 44, over twenty years her senior.
The Porters began married life at Blachley Lodge, located in the fashionable district on Noroton Hill, in Darien. Louisa’s sister, Frances, married the successful Stamford industrialist, Schuyler Merritt, in October 1879.11 The Merritts were neighbours of the Porters, also residing in a fine house on Noroton Hill. The Porters’ large timber-framed mansion occupied a superb location on a large estate.12 The interior photo taken at Blachley Lodge shows a cluttered room with a panelled ceiling, a large window, an ornate stairway, Victorian-style furniture, drapes, statues, paintings and hanging lamps.
The Porter’s first son, Louis Hopkins, was born on 10 March 1874, and Blachley Hoyt followed on 27 February 1876.13 When Arthur Kingsley was born on 6 February 1883, his father was preparing to retire from business. The family had no financial worries as Timothy H had had a lucrative banking career, while his wife, Louisa, possessed great wealth from the Hoyt family’s vast fortune.
Much of the correspondence between the young Kingsley, his parents and his brothers still remains. The letters show a surprising outpouring of love and affection between all of the family members. There was constant correspondence between the brothers, telling of school experiences and trips undertaken, and describing various leisure pursuits that included sports and hunting. The tone of the letters is one of intimacy and deep caring, conjuring up scenes of the brothers enjoying every moment outdoors during school holidays: searching for birds’ nests in springtime, swimming and boating in summer, and snow sledding during winter.
This feeling of affection is also present in the letters frequently exchanged between the parents. Louisa, in much of her correspondence, addresses Timothy H as ‘My Precious Husband’.14 As Timothy H spent weekdays residing in New York, there was usually daily correspondence between husband and wife, both relaying anecdotes about work and home. Louisa gave constant reports on how the children were progressing at home and school and of how she had spent her day.The following is a snippet of a typical letter that she sent to her husband each day: ‘I have washed and dressed the baby [Kingsley], settled the housekeeping for the day and am now waiting for Aunt Frank to come to lunch with us.’15
In the same letter, Louisa wrote that Louis was taking dancing lessons and learning deportment.16 She had just returned from visiting her sister, Fanny, and they had spent a pleasant time together. Louisa had even managed to make some free time to read Bradley’s lectures on Dean Stanley, recommended reading by Timothy H. Her letter is signed: ‘With fondest love, Your Louise’.
Timothy H was particularly imaginative and playful when writing to his children. In a letter to Blachley, he wrote: ‘This old Papa cat is feeling very lonesome to-night and he wants to see his little white kitty very much indeed. If he were only here the old papa cat would purr and sing to him and tell him ever so many stories.’17
In a letter to Kingsley, when Timothy H and Louisa were holidaying in California, the devoted father wrote:
Mine dear little Kingsley,
Papa wants to see his brave little boy very much, because
papa and mama love him ever so much. And we are
coming home on Saturday to see him and give him a
tight hug and a kiss. We have not had any little boy to
kiss and sleep with since we went far away in the cars.18
Timothy H also displayed great interest in the older boys’ education and was already setting high standards for his eldest son, Louis: ‘I was agreeably disappointed in Louis’ school report. It is no comparison with what his report will be this term, but I noticed that it was better – that it showed a higher term mark average than any one of the Hill boys.’19
6. Letter from Timothy H. Porter to Kingsley Porter, dated 15 July 1886.
Harvard University Archives, HUG 1706.114, Family corresponndence and papers of Porter Family 1885-86, Folder 1892-93.
This regard for excellence must have rubbed off on Louis as, in a letter to Kingsley, he praised his younger brother’s fine handwriting: ‘Dear King, I was very glad to get your letter and especially to see how well it was written. I wish you would always write as well as that. Between you and me the writing in your letter was better than that which either Blach or I write, and I hope you will keep on writing carefully like that.’20
It is also clear from the brothers’ early correspondence that Kingsley had a particular interest in drama. On 17 April 1892, Blachley wrote to the 9-year-old Kingsley, asking how his play was progressing and hoping