He was a son of Jabez Colton and his wife Mary, daughter of Captain Ebenezer Baldwin of Bozrah, Connecticut, and sister of Honorary He was born at Somers, Connecticut, January 8, 1785.
When he was about three years old, his father settled at Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and from that place he entered Yale College.
He served as President of Mississippi College. Simeon Baldwin of New Haven. He was absent teaching school during two winters of the College course, and immediately after graduating in 1806 took charge of the Monson Academy academy just founded at Monson, Massachusetts
He remained but one year, and thence went to Leicester Academy, of which he had charge for one year and a half.
In a little more than ten years he was dismissed at his own request, and for the next nine years was again principal of Monson Academy, which he succeeded in placing on a satisfactory basis. From Monson he went to Amherst, Massachusetts, where he had charge of an academy for three years.
After this he went by invitation to Fayetteville, North. C., January 1834, to be at the head of Donaldson Academy, an institution just founded under the care of the Presbytery. He held this situation until the close of 1839, when difficulties, produced mainly by the feelings aroused by the division of the General Assembly, caused him to resign.
He taught a private school in Fayetteville, until in 1846 he was called to Clinton, Mississippi, as President of the newly incorporated Mississippi College.
He then returned to North. C, and became Principal of a new Academy, called Cumberland Academy, founded by Fayetteville Presbytery, and located at Summerville, Harnett County. This situation was not favorable, and after five years of trial, he resigned in November 1853. The degree of Doctor of Divinity was conferred upon him by Delaware College in 1846.
As a teacher Doctor Colton was eminently useful.
He also performed much labor as a minister in the various places of his residence. She died at Palmer, July 14, 1821, leaving one daughter.
Mistress Colton died at Summerville, North. C., November 24, 1850.
He died at Ashboro", December 27, 1868, aged 84. This article incorporates public domain material from the Yale Obituary Record.
