Ellen Battell Stoeckel
Ellen Battell Stoeckel | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ellen Mills Battell March 10, 1851 Norfolk, Connecticut |
| Died | May 5, 1939 (aged 88) Whitehouse, Norfolk, Connecticut |
| Occupation | Philanthropist |
| Known for | Founder of the Litchfield County Choral Union and Norfolk Chamber Music Festival |
| Spouse(s) | Frederick Peet Terry, Carl Stoeckel |
| Children | Frederick Battell Terry died at 16 |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | Joseph Battell, grandfather Gustave J. Stoeckel, father-in-law; John T. Terry, father-in-law; Roderick Terry, brother-in-law |
Ellen Battell Stoeckel (1851–1939) was an American arts patron. Stoeckel had a long association with Yale University, music and her hometown of Norfolk, Connecticut. After her death her expansive estate, Whitehouse, was donated to the university to become a center for musical education.
Biography
Ellen Mills Battell was born in Norfolk, Connecticut in 1851. Battell's father, Robbins Battell, was the son of Joseph Battell, a prominent merchant and benefactor.[1] Robbins Battell was a philanthropist and composer.[2] Her mother, Ellen Ryerson Mills, died shortly after giving birth to her. As a child, Ellen Battell was trained in music, learning piano.[1]
Marriage and motherhood
In 1873 Battell married Frederick Peet Terry, son of John T. Terry. The couple had one son, Frederick Peet Terry.[3] Ellen Battell Terry was widowed the next year, and returned to Connecticut to live with her father. Ellen and John's son Frederick died in 1890 at age 16.[3]
Mrs. Carl Stoeckel and music patronage
Ellen Battell later married Carl Stoeckel, the son of Yale music professor, Gustave J. Stoeckel.[4] In 1898, Ellen Stoeckel founded the Norfolk Glee Club, to honor her late father's love of music.[5] In 1899 Stoeckel and her husband founded the Litchfield County Choral Union, which would later lead to the creation of the Norfolk Annual Music Festival.[6] The Norfolk Annual Music Festival hosted a number of America's and Europe's most prominent musical artists and performers, and commissioned new works.[1]
In 1906, Ellen Battel Stoeckel received an honorary music degree from Yale. In 1925, she donated the Haystack Mountain Tower and surrounding land to the community to become Haystack Mountain Park.[7]
Death and legacy
Stoeckel died at age 88 on May 5, 1939.[7] After her death, she gave her estate Whitehouse, to Yale University.[4] Yale established the Norfolk Music School on the property, where the university continues to host music education.[6] Today, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and the Litchfield County Choral Union continue to offer opportunities for music in Norfolk.
See also
- The Last Moments of John Brown, painting commissioned by Ellen Battell's father and later donated by Ellen Battell to the Metropolitan Museum of Art[8]
- Robbins Stoeckel House
References
- ^ a b c "Cultivating Music in America". publishing.cdlib.org. Archived from the original on 2024-12-03. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
- ^ "Robbins Battell | Hymnary.org". hymnary.org. Archived from the original on 2025-12-11. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
- ^ a b Terry, Frederic Battell (1890). Stories. New York: The De Vinne Press. Archived from the original on 2024-07-09. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
- ^ a b "Women worthies". www.yalealumnimagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2025-06-16. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
- ^ Moss, Andra (June 5, 2023). "Historical Society's New Exhibit Traces 200 Years of Art and Music in Norfolk". nornow.org. Archived from the original on 2025-12-11. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
- ^ a b "Brief History of Norfolk, Connecticut". Norfolk, Connecticut. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
- ^ a b "MRS. C. STOECKEL, PATRON OF MUSIC; Founder With Late Husband of the Annual Festival Held in Norfolk, Conn., Dies at 88 BUILT A HALL ON ESTATE Gave a Music Library to Yale, Aided Students--Donated Land for State Park (Published 1939)". 1939-05-06. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
- ^ "Thomas Hovenden - The Last Moments of John Brown - American - The Metropolitan Museum of Art". www.metmuseum.org. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
External links
- Portrait of Ellen Battell Stoeckel by George Augustus Baker Jr., at the National Portrait Gallery
- Ellen Battell Stoeckel (1851–1939), donor of the Norfolk Summer School of Music and Art, and her husband Carl, Yale School of Music Photographs of Events and Activities
- Battell family papers, Yale University Archives
- Litchfield County Choral Union