Backus family.

James Backus was born in Norwich, Connecticut in 1764. He was one of the first settlers of Ohio and a founder of the town of Marietta. He returned to Yantic, Connecticut in 1791 to manage the family iron works and other businesses. He married Dorothy Church Chandler in 1793 and they had eight children. Backus died in 1816.

William Woodbridge Backus, son of James and Dorothy Chandler Backus, was born in Norwich, Connecticut in 1803. He owned a large grain and stock farm in Norwich and amassed a fortune through investment in stocks, bonds, and mortgages in Kansas and Nebraska. Backus endowed a hospital in Norwich and, at his death in 1892, bequeathed the rest of his estate to several Norwich charitable institutions.

From the description of Backus family papers, 1728-1893 (inclusive), 1782-1892 (bulk). (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 702165973