Geb. 10-12-1787, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Overl. 10-09-1851, Hartford He established the first free school for the deaf in the United States at Hartford, Connecticut, 1817.Geb. 10-12-1787, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Overl. 10-09-1851, Hartford He established the first free school for the deaf in the United States at Hartford, Connecticut, 1817.