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Melissa Hays Higley
Other Name:
Melissa Hayes; Melissa Hays
Gender:
Female
Born:
October 26, 1783
Died:
May 16, 1856
Home Town:
Granby, CT
Later Residences:
Granby, CT
Marriage(s):
Silas Higley (December 30, 1804)
Biographical Notes:
Melissa Hays Higley was born on October 26, 1783 to Seth and Mehetable Topping Hays of Granby, Connecticut. As a young girl she attended a one room school house near her home in Granby. In 1802 Melissa was sent to Litchfield, Connecticut, along with her two sisters, to study at Sarah Pierce's Female Academy. Two years after completing her studies she married Silas Higley, a lawyer of Granby, and the copule had four children. Melissa passed away on May 16, 1856.
Education
Years at LFA:
1802
Other Education:
Melissa attended a one room schoolhouse prior to studying at the Litchfield Female Academy.
Immediate Family (Why only immediate family?)
- Silas Higley
Husband - Mehetable Hays Church
Sister
LFA (1802) - Hilpah Hays Goodrich
Sister
LFA (1802) - Mehetable Topping Hays
Mother - Seth Hays
Father - Hipah Hayes Goodrich
Sister
Related Objects and Documents
In the Ledger:
- Flora by Melissa Hays Higley
- Floral Bouquet by Melissa Hays Higley
- House with Outbuildings by Melissa Hays Higley
- Pink and Blue Floral Bouquet by Melissa Hays Higley
- Litchfield Female Academy Collection
The Citation of Attendance provides primary source documentation of the student’s attendance at the Litchfield Female Academy and/or the Litchfield Law School. If a citation is absent, the student is thought to have attended but currently lacks primary source confirmation. Records for the schools were sporadic, especially in the formative years of both institutions. If instructors kept comprehensive records for the Litchfield Female Academy or the Litchfield Law School, they do not survive. Researchers and staff have identified students through letters, diaries, family histories and genealogies, and town histories as well as catalogues of students printed in various years. Art and needlework have provided further identification of Female Academy Students, and Litchfield County Bar records document a number of Law School students. The history of both schools and the identification of the students who attended them owe credit to the early 20th century research and documentation efforts of Emily Noyes Vanderpoel and Samuel Fisher, and the late 20th century research and documentation efforts of Lynne Templeton Brickley and the Litchfield Historical Society staff.
CITATION OF ATTENDANCE:
Melissa is listed as a felow student in Maryan Bacon's 1802 Journal (Litchfield Historical Society - Litchfield Female Academy collection).
Contact Us
Do you have more information for the Ledger?
If you have family papers, objects, or any other details you would like to share, or if you would like to obtain a copy of an image for publication, please contact us at curator@litchfieldhistoricalsociety.org.