William Yale

William Yale (1784-1833) was a tin ware merchant, politician, Justice of the Peace, and the largest manufacturer in Meriden, Connecticut. He was the oldest son of Revolutionary War patriot Samuel Yale Sr., founder of the Yale manufacturing dynasty of Connecticut. He also served in the Connecticut State House of Representatives from Meriden in 1825, and did business with the Griswolds. His entreprises were succeeded by his son, Gen. Edwin R. Yale, proprietor of the U.S. Hotel and Mansion House in New York. Early life William Yale was born March 13, 1784, to Samuel Yale and Enice Paine, members of the Yale family. His ancestor, Capt. Thomas Yale, was one of the cofounders of Wallingford in 1670. The Yales had imported skilled artisans from England following the end of the American War of Independence and the changes in taxes from America's separation from Britain, and took the lead in the manufacture of Britannia goods, selling them throughout the country through peddlers. Members of his family were also prominent as early settlers and leaders in Connecticut, and owned large tracts of land. William's father was the first manufacturer in the town of Meriden, Connecticut, starting manufacturing cut nails in 1791, and pewter buttons in 1794, from which he accumulated a large estate. He was the founder of the Yale manufacturing dynasty of Meriden and Wallingford, and had been a patriot during the American War of Independence, having enrolled under Colonel Canfield's militia regiment, a personal correspondent of George Washington.