Sociology, asked by shristimishra7626, 1 year ago

Thomas rotch contribution to human growth study

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Answered by nikh2
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The Rotches’ move to Ohio could be blamed on a germ. However, the fact that they were Quaker missionaries, the westward movement was at a high pitch and that Thomas Rotch actually had an itchy foot could have been additional reasons.

Charity, Thomas’ wife, caught spotted fever in Hartford, Connecticut, and recurring attacks were making her weaker and weaker. The famous Benjamin Rush of Philadelphia diagnosed her disease by letter and recommended treatments for her recovery- amongst which was change of climate, possibly to “westward Ohio.”

Thomas was born in 1767 in Nantucket and was the youngest son of William Rotch, Sr. and Elizabeth Barney; Charity, nine months older, was born in Newport and was the youngest daughter of Thomas Rodman and Mary Borden. In 1790 Thomas and Charity were married and in 1791 had their only child, Thomas Jr., who lived only a few months. Perhaps sadness caused them to move to New Bedford to join Thomas’ brothers in a business venture. Thomas, Sr. was at this time a little hard-up because of the Revolution and his new venture in Europe. But despite this, the Rotch family was a wealthy one. Whalers and all businesses connected with whaling, not only in New England but in England and the continent as well, brought them a comfortable living. Incidentally, the Boston Tea Party ship belonged to the Rotches; it was a Rotch ship bearing the first American flag that sailed up the Thames after the American Revolution.

Thomas and Charity lived only about eight years in New Bedford although they prospered well there. Having that keen Yankee ingenuity, Thomas was to prosper all his life. But even though they were happy in New Bedford, they moved on to Hartford. Thomas writes, “10 mo. 23rd, 1800: left our beloved friends and relatives at N. Bedford in order to reside in Hartford, Conn. 27th of the month we reached the place but our furniture not getting up the River, we did not get to housekeeping till 11th of the 11th mo.” Thomas said that he went to Hartford primarily as a missionary, but his address was: Thomas Rotch, Merchant, Hartford. Besides being a merchant and missionary, he had a woolen factory, a slitting mill, an oil mill, and a farm with pure-bred Merino sheep. He apparently was very active in Hartford, for in addition to the above-mentioned activities, he must have been connected with a school for some letters indicate his having hired a teacher; having been associated with Wadsworth, founder of the Atheneum; he also made a long religious journey to Nova Scotia.

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