Sarah Salzer, The Goshen Times | Though it has been nearly nine decades since philanthropist Ellen Battell Stoeckel — known widely as a “patron of music” — died in her Norfolk home, her life and legacy have endured through several avenues, including the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival.
Ellen Battell Stoeckel was born in 1851 to Robbins Battell and Ellen Ryerson (Mills) Battell, read “Cultivating Music in America: Women Patrons and Activists Since 1860.” After the death of her first husband, Frederick P. Terry, and son, Ellen Battell Stoeckel married Carl Stoeckel, according to her obituary in The New York Times.
Both the Stoeckel and Battell families had deep roots in music, particularly in Norfolk, Connecticut, and at Yale University.
Carl was the son of Gustave Stoeckel, the former head of the music department at Yale and a composer. Irene, sister of Robbins Battell, requested their brother, Joseph, fund an instructorship for Gustave Stoeckel in the 1870s, according to an article in Yale Alumni Magazine.
Described as an “expert flutist,” Robbins Battell established the Litchfield County Musical Association, which gave concerts in towns throughout the hills of northern Connecticut. He also sang in the choir of Norfolk Congregational Church for 40 years. Carl went to Norfolk to handle the affairs of Robbins Battell, read Ellen Battell Stoeckel’s obituary.