HOUSE AND GARDEN Uncovering a Bit of History Behind the Walls

Uncovering a Bit of History Behind the Walls

WRITTEN BY: CHRISTINA LEVERE

When my husband and I purchased our 1930s home on Orange Center Road in 2019, we were entranced. The stately brick Tudor sat like a grand beauty atop a steep hill.

My husband, Christopher D’Addio, who grew up in Orange remembered the home, with its copper gutters and slate roof, from his childhood. But — there’s always a but — like most folks who appreciate older houses, we knew we would spend a fair amount of time, effort, and money on restoration projects.

The 1,900-square-foot home had strong bones, as they say, but needed some minor — and yes, major — updates. The windows, which were original, let in chilly air in the winter, so much so that our youngest son thought we had sprayed white “frosting” on the insides of the windowpanes so he could create holiday scenes with his fingertips. Chilly air also blew in through most of the ankle-high sockets. Mice had made comfortable beds inside some of the electrical wiring and below the refrigerator. And under the kitchen sink. And in the eaves of the attic. Finally, the rec room in the basement needed to be demolished and rebuilt — but in doing so, we encountered the first clues about the previous owners.

DISCOVERING TREASURES

Behind a wall, we found a walking cane, two 1900s encyclopedias, and a damaged floppy disk. Maybe they weren’t clues, per se, but it got us wondering, “What else is lurking behind these old walls?”

A year or so passed without any discoveries. Then one day, after a night of heavy rain, we noticed the telltale signs of a water leak coming from the attic. The chimney flashing, or lack thereof, had failed. We climbed up to the attic and pulled back one of the wet floorboards. That’s when we discovered a bundle of discolored papers.

Could they be treasure maps? Valuable extra copies of say, the Declaration of Independence?

Not so much. The bundle was several judicial certificates for David Torrance, dating back to the 1800s. Mice, time, and water had gotten to them, but they were still in good shape. My father, always up for a little sleuthing, immediately took to Google.

TORRANCE’S BACKGROUND

As it turned out, David Torrance was a notable chief justice of the Supreme Court in Connecticut and had an interesting story, to boot.

Torrance was born in Scotland in 1840, but after his father passed, he and his mother, brothers, and sisters emigrated to Norwich, Conn. To help support his family, Torrance worked in cotton and paper mills. He received little formal education.

Photo: Christina Levere

Photo: Christina Levere

The house on Orange Center Road as it stood in the 1930s, which was built and occupied by David Torrance and his wife Eloise.

The house as it stands now, which is owned and occupied by Christina Levere and Christopher D’Addio.

Photo: Christina Levere

The judicial certificate dated April 29, 1885 belonging to David Torrance’s grandfather (also David Torrance), which was found under the floorboards of this Orange Center Road home.

He eventually enlisted in the 18th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry at the start of the Civil War and was commissioned as a captain in the 29th Regiment U.S. Colored Troops, commanded by William B. Wooster. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel before finishing his service in 1865 and, despite his lack of schooling, studied law under Wooster’s tutelage. According to the Derby Hall of Fame, Torrance is “said to have purchased his first law book on his way home from the service.”

In 1864, Torrance married Annie France; they lived in Derby, where he continued to study under Colonel Wooster, and had three children. He was admitted to the New Haven County Bar in 1868. That same year, they formed the law firm of Wooster & Torrance.

Over the next few decades, Torrance rose in rank and prestige. He represented Derby in the General Assembly in 1871 and 1872. A few years later, he was elected Secretary of State, serving until 1881. According to the Derby Hall of fame Torrance “was appointed a judge in the Court of Common Pleas in 1881 and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Errors in 1901. Yale University gave him an honorary degree in 1883 and he became an instructor in the Yale Law School in 1893 and was promoted to professor of the law in 1898 — not bad for someone who had not graduated from college himself.”

SETTLING IN ORANGE

I was curious to uncover how David Torrance figured into our house’s history. But before I even had the thought to go to Orange Town Hall, my father produced a hand-drawn Torrance family tree and print outs of various Torrance family members, including obituaries. (The Ancestry. com Christmas gift subscription paid off after all!)

Here’s what we (ok, he) found out. Judge David Torrance and his wife Annie France had three children: Margaret, Walter, and James. The middle child, Walter, and his wife Mary Ellen had three children of their own: Walter, Harriet, and David N. It was David N. and his wife Eloise (Gibbud) who built the home on Orange Center Road, during the Great Depression. The couple married when he was 37 years old and Eloise was 26. They had no children of their own but lived with a housekeeper. It appears he followed in his grandfather’s footsteps, serving in the military and as an attorney. According to United States Federal Census information and the Connecticut Death Index, David lived from 1895 to 1986, and Eloise lived from about 1905 to 1993.

My father and I were even able to locate some living members of the Torrance family; some in Connecticut, some not. I emailed a few and shared what I’d found. They told me they had fond memories of Thanksgivings in the house and how, even though David and Eloise had no children of their own, the home was full of antique dolls and toys.

They even shared that they have some pretty interesting keepsakes from Judge David Torrance too, including photographs and artifacts from the Civil War.

It remains to be seen if there’s anything else hidden behind these walls or floors. Something tells me that if there is, my trusty partnerin-crime will help me suss out its significance. 