New Haven's Farnam Family

The Farnams have been investing in New Haven’s future for nearly two centuries. 

It’s common to hear echoes of bouncing basketballs and sideline cheers in the gym at Farnam Neighborhood House.  After school and in the evenings, kids of all ages come from every New Haven neighborhood to participate in recreational, social and educational activities. Homework is finished before sports, drama and arts and crafts can begin. Trips are taken to the Neighborhood Music School, Creative Arts Workshop and the Eli Whitney Museum. In the mornings, little ones attend Farnam’s accredited pre-school.  Parents feel safe with the knowledge that their child is safe and happy.

“The kids are exposed to things they’d never be exposed to. Golf. Horseback riding. These are families that can’t otherwise afford such activities,” says Liz Gambardella, Executive Director. “The families are asked to pay a modest annual fee but our programs really run on donations, grants and volunteers. We have 25 basketball coaches—all volunteers. Many volunteers, including Board members, grew up at Farnam House. They have such great memories and want to make sure the next generation has the same.”

Henry Wolcott Farnam Sr.

Farnam Neighborhood House is the successor to Lowell House, the first social settlement built in New Haven and the second in the state of Connecticut. Lowell was based on a movement, originating in London, England, to make community-focused services available to inner-city working class families. In 1942, Lowell merged with another community-centered agency known as Neighborhood House. The merged facilities became the Farnam Neighborhood House; its name reflecting Neighborhood House and an early Lowell benefactor, Henry W. Farnam Sr., who was a Professor of Economics at Yale University and the first President of Lowell’s Board. In 1906, he gifted property and $23,000 to Lowell to help build a new facility. Thirty-three years later, he made another gift of property, thereby establishing the Farnam House Camp in Branford.

The Farnams have been investing in New Haven’s future for nearly two centuries. Henry’s father came to New Haven in 1825 to work on the Farmington Canal. He quickly became chief engineer and later made his money building the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroads. He supported Yale’s art school, library, and divinity school and subsidized the construction of Yale’s freshman dormitory known as Farnam Hall. He also financed the construction of Farnam Drive, which winds its way to the top of East Rock Park. In 1883, Henry’s father made a bequest of his family’s homestead on Hillhouse Avenue to Yale; the University would later take possession of the house in the 1930s. The home has served as the President’s house ever since.

Katharine Farnam Harvey

Philanthropy is clearly a family tradition. Each of Henry’s three children and two granddaughters entrusted their assets to The Foundation to achieve their philanthropic goals. Each created  individual funds—mostly through bequests. Daughter Louise established the Louise Farnam Wilson designated fund in 1955 to benefit the United Way of Greater New Haven. Louise was the first woman to receive a medical degree from Yale. Daughter Katharine established an unrestricted fund in 1969 to be used for broad charitable purposes. Katharine was a staunch supporter of the arts and the President of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra— the fourth-oldest symphony orchestra in the U.S.

Henry Walcott Farnam Jr.

In 1999 by bequest, Henry’s daughter-in-law created the Eleanor and Henry Farnam designated fund to benefit Trinity Church on the Green and Farnam Neighborhood House, where her husband, Henry Farnam Jr., sat on the Board. Henry’s granddaughters Louise and Elizabeth (Betty) first established a fund at The Foundation in 1965. It was named the Harvey Fund reflecting their  maiden names and created by residual money from their mother Katharine’s trust. The Fund serves as a memorial to their brother, Samuel, and supports the study, prevention and treatment of mental retardation, birth defects and related problems.

In 2008, Betty left a bequest to The Foundation that will add to the Harvey Fund and provide funding in perpetuity to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where her father Samuel Harvey Sr. was chief of surgery. Her bequest will also benefit the Farnam Neighborhood House, where she was the third generation of Farnams to serve on its Board. Betty’s fund will also make annual distributions to the New Haven Symphony Orchestra (NHSO). She served on the New Haven Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors for over a decade from the mid 1970s through 1988. Her board service encompassed terms on the Executive, Development, Legislative and Long-Range Planning Committees.

Betty Harvey sat in the same seat in  Woolsey Hall since she was a little girl in the 1920s for NHSO concerts.

“Betty was deeply committed to the NHSO and its mission to provide excellence in the performance of symphonic repertoire, service to its community through education and community programming, and serve as a cultural leader in New Haven and the region. Her endowment gift is especially significant in these times of economic crisis, as it provides an ongoing source of support at a time when multiple streams of contributed income are being significantly reduced or cut completely,” says Natalie Forbes, Executive Director of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. The Symphony has been responsible for bringing world-class musicians to New Haven such as Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Dizzy Gillespie and Artie Shaw among others.

Like the Farnam's, you or someone you know can create a lasting legacy through a permanent endowment that benefits the community for generations. To learn more, please contact Angela Powers at apowers@cfgnh.org or 203-777-7068.