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Philip Sampson

A history of Waterbury published in 1896 includes a reminiscence about Philip Sampson, stating that he and his family moved to Waterbury from Cheshire in 1832 or 1837. Sampson "was noted for his size and strength. He weighed about 300 pounds, and the measure of his lifting power was said to be 1600 weight. He occasionally shouldered a barrel of flour and carried it home without assistance." Sampson worked primarily as a whitewasher.

The author believed that Sampson had once been enslaved, and quoted him as saying that "'The boss and I married out of the same family. If I ever saw Rufus come to want’ --referring to the son of the house-- ‘I should take him right into my own home!’”

Philip Sampson married Tamar Robins on November 15, 1827. They were both residents of Cheshire at that time.

The 1840 census shows Philip Sampson, his wife, a daughter under 10 and a daughter between the ages of 10 and 24 living in Waterbury. By 1850 the Sampson family had moved to Woodbridge, Connecticut, where they owned a small farm. The census data for that year reveals that Philip was born in New York in 1799.








 
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