USA > Connecticut > Middlesex County > History of Middlesex county, Connecticut, with biographical sketches of its prominent men > Part 19
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The following is a list of the settlers in Middletown from 1650 to 1700.
Adkins, Josiah, 1673; Allyn, Obadiah, 1670; Allyn, Thomas, 1650.
Bacon, Nathaniel, 1650; Barnes, Thomas, 1671; Bid- well, Samuel, 1614: Biggs, William, 1677; Blake, John, 1677; Blomfield, William, 1650; Boarn, John, 1677; Bow, Alexander, 1660; Brown, Nathaniel, 1655; Burk, Thomas, 1670.
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HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.
Cheney, William, 1655; Clark, Samuel, 1676; Clem- ents, Jasper. 1679; Cole, Henry, 1650; Collins, Nathan- iel, 1664; Collins, Samuel, 1665; Cooper, Thomas, 1696; Cornwell, William, 1650; Cotton, Samuel, 1697.
Doolittle, Samuel, 1693;, Durant, George, 1663.
Eggleston, Samuel, 1663; Elton, John, 1677.
Ferman, Thomas, 1679; Foster, Edward, 1670.
Gilbert, Jonathan, 1672; Gill, John, 1676; Goodale, Richard, 1671; Graves, George, 1650.
Hall, John, 1650; Hall, Richard, 1650; Hall, Samuel, 1650; Hamlin, Giles, 1650; Hands, Benjamin, 1678; Harris, Daniel, 1653; Harris, William, 1650; Higby, Ed- ward, 1667; Hill, Thomas, 1678; Hopewell, Thomas, 1662; Hubbard, George, 1650; Hulbert, John, 1669.
Johnson, Isaac, 1670; Jones, Francis, 1672; Jordan, John, 1678.
Kirby, John, 1653.
Lane, Isaac, 1664; Lewis, Thomas, 1687; Lucas, Wil- liam, 1667.
Markham, Daniel, 1677; Martin, Anthony, 1661; Mil- ler, Thomas, 1650.
Payne, John, 1676; Phillips, George, 1680; Prior, Daniel, 1696.
Ranney, Thomas, 1660; Roberts, William, 1680; Rock- well, Joseph, 1693; Rollo, Alexander, 1697; Russell, Noadiah, 1686.
Sage, David, 1662; Savage, John, 1650; Scovill, Ar- thur, 1671; Shepard, Edward, 1687; Smith, Joseph, 1675; Smith, William, 1650; . Southmayd, William, 1674; Starr, Comfort, 1673; Stanclift, James, 1686; Stocking, Samuel, 1650; Stow, John, 1667; Stow, Nathaniel, 1676; Stow, Samuel, 1651; Stow, Thomas, 1669; Sumner, William, 1687.
Tappin, James, 1662; Treat, Matthias, 1659; Turner, Edward, 1665.
Ward, John, 1664; Ward, William, 1659; Warner, An- drew, 1667; Warner, Robert, 1655; Webster, Robert, 1650; West, Benjamin, 1698; Wetmore, Thomas, 1650; White, Nathaniel, 1650; Whitmore, Francis, 1674; Wil- cox, John, 1654; Wright, James, 1690.
Of the earliest of these a majority located near the meeting-house which stood near the entrance to the old grave-yard, though several settled farther south, on Main street, and some others near the southern end of it. A portion settled in what is now Cromwell, then called the " Upper Houses."
MILL PRIVILEGE GRANTED TO THOMAS MILLER, 1655.
" MIDDLETOWN Jany 16th 1655.
"The agreement between Thomas Miller and ye Townsemen of Middle- towne in ye Townes behalff as ffolloweth:
"These are to certifie whom it may concerne that if ye said Thomas Miller engageth to builde a sufficient mill to grind the Townes Corne to have it fitt to Grinde with by the tenth of December next ensuing the date hereof and the Towne is to finde the stone worke and Mill stoncs fitt for ye mill that is to say one pairs of sufficient mill stones bedded ffitt to work and one spindle and Inke [Link] and six paire of iron hoops four for the shaft and two for the trundle heads and one thousand of double tenns and a sleadge and one dozen of mill bills and a mill chisel and two Gudgins and a brass for the spindle and foure boults for ye Cogg wheel to provide all these in seasonable time that is to say the nails and hoops and Gudgins by the twentie .fourth of June next ensuing the date hereof and the stones and the other part of the Iron worke specified by the - twentic nineth of September next ensuing ye date hereof, to bring all
in place for him and the said Thomas Miller engageth for ye Towne that in case ye mill faile and be insufficient by any apparent breack so yt he be discouraged or taken away by death in some short time so that he neglects the Townes work. If that any of these fall out within two years, then the houses and Irone workeremaine the Townes; and the rest of se mill they shall have Liberty to purchase as indifferent men shall Judge Reasonable between both; and he the said Miller is content for him and his to Ingage and doth by these presents ingage that if he see cause to sell the mill; the Towne shall have the first proffer, and Refusal of it as Indifferent Men Mutually Chosen shall Judge between both, or In case the Towne have Just exceptions, against his heirs, execu tors and admin- strators or assigns ye Towne shall have ye forfatcing of it as above mentioned and neither he nor any that shall succeed him, shall Leas ye Mill to any but such as the Towne shall accept of or give theyre Just Ground or Grounds to ye Contrary; and this Mill is to bee sett up on the South part Paincccha River thre or fouer schore rods above where the Rivers meet in one. In Witness Whereof ye parties above written have Sett to theyre hands ye day and year above written.
That this is a True Coppie of In ye nanie and ) THOMAS MILLER the first agreement between Behalf of ye Towne [ of Midletowne being [ his 7 Marke. their Townmen
Thomas Miller and the Towns
men of Midletowne, Respecting the Mill as is) JOHN HALLE JUNIOR. above specifyed according to the True Intent [ ROBERT WARNER. of both parties we underwritten the 24th day [ GILES HAMLIN. of the 10th month 66 Doe Testify
This is a True Record of the agreement \ WILLIAM WARD." December 4th 1728 Rockwell Town Clerk
GRANT TO GEORGE DURANT, TOWN BLACKSMITH.
"At a town meating the 16 of aprall 1663 the town having acsepted georg durant living in moldin an inhabitant of middelltown do grant to him a hows lot containing fiv acors which leyeth next goodman bows lot with five acors adition jeyning to it at the rear of it and allso two acors and a thurd of mddow leying in the long medow betwean samme- vell stockin and John curbeys, and also fowr acors of swamp leying at the rear of mr hambling, between sargant Cornall and goodman allin buting upon the weast riverrit and also won peac of bogey meddow lying betwean william warde and thomas cowchis meddow betwean the two creackes and allso six acors of the pond begining at mr stows lin with a slip of meddw lying by it on the weast sid of it, this six acors of pond and slip of medow lyeth on the east side of great river and on peace of upland containing twenty acors leiing on the east sid of the great river and allso won peace of upland liing on the hunting hill con- taining fifty or thre scor acors to be laid owt as the towns committy and goodinan dudurant shall judg fit for his conveneyenc withowt predijis to the town, which land is to be a part of his proportion of undevided upland.
" At the same town meating goodman harris, goodman wetmore, and Robert warner wear apointed to be a comittey with goodman deurant to do this worck.
"george durant allso doth ingadg himsellf to be hear resident the next micelmus, inseuing the deat hearof and allso to inhabit upon it and to do the towns worck of smithing during the tearm of four years befor he shall mac sale of it to any other.
" This commity being apoynted by the town have laid out to the said georg durant thre scor acors of grownd upon the hunting hill having the rockey river for the bownds northward runing from thenc a hun- dred rods southward and four scor and twelve rods the bredth bounded with thre marck treas at thre corners and the southeast corner with a stacke and stons laied by it.
"The town reserving a hors way to the mill in case of nead leaving the gate or bars as thay find them."
SKETCHES OF THE SETTLERS.
In a note to his Centennial Address, Dr. Field says of these early inhabitants:
" William Bloomfield was from Hartford, and it is said he returned thither; if he did he afterward removed to Long Island. Nathaniel Brown was from Hartford. He had five children born to him in Middletown, from 1661 to 1669, and it is probable that he died in the last mentioned year. His son, Nathaniel Brown 2d, lived in this place after him. George Graves was from Hartford and returned to that place: while here he was elected twice a representative to the General Court. William Markum removed to Hadley, Mass., and died there. What became of John Martin is not known. William Smith, who was from Wethersfield, removed to Farm-
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MIDDLETOWN-SKETCHES OF THE SETTLERS.
ington. Matthias Treat was also from Wethersfield and died before 1663, having a family which removed from this place. A man by the name of Joseph Smith died in Rocky Hill in Wethersfield in 1673, who may have been the same person who dwelt a while in the Upper Houses. Robert Webster was from Hartford, son of Gov. John Webster of Hartford, afterward of Hadley. He was the ancestor of the late Noah Wesbter, LL. D. While here he represented the town almost continually in the Gen- eral Court.
" Inquiries concerning the previous residence or resi- dences of Thomas Allen have not been pursued to a satisfactory result.
"Obadiah Allen was recommended by the elders of the church in Windsor, which renders it probable that he at least resided in that town for a time. This name is not always spelt with an e, Allen; in a town record book it has been spelt, Alyn and Allyn; on the old church records it is Allin.
" Nathaniel Bacon probably came directly from Eng- land. He was a nephew of Andrew Bacon, of Hartford. The family were from Stretton in England, county of Rutland.
" William Briggs was from Wethersfield.
"From whence Alexander B. and William Cheney came, it is not ascertained. The latter was a representative to the General Court in several instances.
" Jasper Clements was born in England, about 1614. He died here in 1678, aged 64, leaving property for sup- port of schools in the town.
" Henry Cole married in Hartford in 1646. He was not a land holder there, but may have been a resident. He moved from Middletown to Wallingford soon after 1670; Edward Higby purchased part of his property.
" Nathaniel Collins, the first settled pastor in Middle- town, and his brother, Samuel Collins, were from Cam- bridge, Mass., sons of Dea .- Collins.
" William Cornwall was an early settler in Hartford, and had five sons, three of whom, John, Samuel, and William, Jr., accompanied him to Middletown. It is said that he died in 1677 an old nian.
" George Durant had lived in Malden, Massachusetts, and probably came from that town to this place.
" Samuel Eggleston was from Windsor.
" Edward Foster; of his previous history I have no in- formation.
" John Hall had been in a family state many years before he left England, and was an early settler both in Hart- ford and Middletown. His three sons, Richard, Samuel, and John Hall, Jr., probably came to Middletown when he did. He died May 26th 1673, in the 89th year of his age. John Hall, Jr., was a deacon.
" Giles Hamlin is generally considered as coming here immediately from England. He was born about 1612. He was in the habit of crossing the Atlantic, and was en- gaged in foreign commerce, partly by himself and partly with John Pynchon, of Springfield, his brother-in-law, John Crow, Jr., who dwelt in Fairfield, and Elder Goodwin, of Hartford, afterward of Farmington. He died in 1689.
"William and Daniel Harris came to Middletown from Rowley, Massachusetts.
" George Hubbard was an early settler in Hartford, and had six sons, Joseph, Daniel, Samuel, George, Nathaniel, and Richard. The two oldest sons settled in Middle- town.
" This George Hubbard was a distinct person from the George Hubbard who resided in Wethersfield, Milford, and Guilford. The genealogies of their families show this. " Thomas Hubbard, who became a settler and proprietor in Middletown, is supposed to have come from Wethers- field, as there was an inhabitant early there of that name. He died in 1671, and whether he was related or not to either of the George Hubbards just mentioned is not known.
" John Hurlburt was from Wethersfield, son of Thomas Hurlburt, of that city.
" Isaac Johnson was from Roxbury, and recommended from the church there to the church in Middletown.
" John Kirby, one correspondent states, settled first in Boston, and it may be that he landed there and remained for a short time. Another correspondent says that his first child was born in Hartford, and a third that he had a child born or baptized in Hartford in 1646, but adds that he lived in Wethersfield, and had children born there in 1649 and 1651. From this town he removed to Mid- dletown. In 1654 he owned a house and land in Row- ington, Warwickshire, England, and the presumption is that he emigrated first from that place.
" Isaac Lane. I know not from what place he came.
" William Lucas. There was a William Lucas at Mar- blehead in 1648, who may have been the same person that came here. He died in 1690.
"Anthony Martin. There was an early settler in Wethersfield by the name of Samuel Martin; but the point has not been investigated, whether Anthony was from that town.
" Thomas Miller was recommended to the church in Middletown from the church in Rowley.
" Thomas Ranney is said to have been from Scotland. He was married to Mary Hubbard, the eldest child of George Hubbard, of Middletown, in 1659, and had five children, Thomas, John, Joseph, Mary, and Elizabeth. He died, January 25th 1713, and was the first person buried in the oldest grave-yard in the Upper Houses.
" David Sage is said to have been from Wales.
" John Savage married in Hartford in 1653, and may have resided there, though not a proprietor in that place.
" Samuel Stocking was from Hartford and a son of George Stocking.
"Samuel Stow, who preached to the people in Middle- town some years as a candidate for the ministry, I have very lately been informed by a friend, was not born in Concord, Mass., but in Roxbury, and that he did not live in Concord until after he became a candidate. The probability therefore is that his brother, Thomas Stow, if not his nephew, John Stow, were also born in Roxbury, Mass. Samuel Stow died May 8th 1704.
10
66
HISTORY OF MIDDLESEX COUNTY.
" James Tappin. There was a man named James Tap- pan, married at Guilford to Hannah Garrett, March 5th 1656. But it is doubtful whether this was the same per- son that settled in Middletown.
"Edward Turner was from Milford, and had two or three children baptized there. His wife was recom- mended to the church in Middletown, from the church in that place.
" John and William Ward are supposed to have been both from Rowley. The former was recommended from the church in that town.
"Andrew, Robert, and John Warner were sons of Andrew Warner, who emigrated from Hatfield, Eng., about 1630, who was at Cambridge in 1632, and at Hart- ford among the early settlers. He was a deacon in Rev. Mr. Hooker's church and an influential man in that town. He removed to Hadley in 1659, where he died in 1684, at an advanced age. The three sons in Middletown were farmers. Andrew Warner died January 26th 1682. Robert repeatedly represented the town in the General Court; he died April 10th 1690. John died in 1700. The Warners in Chester and Lyme are descendants of Daniel Warner, one of their brothers.
" Thomas Wetmore is said to have been from Wales. He married a daughter of John Hall, in Hartford, in 1645, and had two or three children baptized there. He died in 1681, aged 66.
" Nathaniel White was from Hartford, a son of John White, of Hartford and Hadley.
" John Wilcox was from Hartford.
FROM THE TOWN RECORDS.
The following extracts from the town records give facts relative to the early history of the town which can- not be learned elsewhere. The records which were made prior to 1652 are lost, but they are complete from that time to the present. The first recorded vote of the town, which is given in the history of the First Congregational Church, was for the building of a meeting house.
"March the 15, 1652. By reason of much disorder in and
speaking for the tuter preventing of disorders, it is agreed that one of thic selected townsmen whom thay shall apoynt among themselves to propound those things as are spoken at any publike metings of thair warning, to moderat men in speking, giving liberty to every one that shall desyer to speek.
" ffebru 6, 1653. It was ordered at a town meeting that no man shall fell any timber within in the bounds of the plantation to make sale of it to any one out of the towne, except that any man shall have liberty to ffaull any timber for his own usc or for the use of the towne or else who shall ffuly worke up such timber they get casks or pailes or such like. It is ffurther ordered that no man shall have liberty to ffell either tree or trees within the bounds of the town, but shall be bound to worke np such timber within 3 months after the ffeling of it, and if any man shall neglect to work up such timber within the time lim- ited all such timber shall be fforffeit to the town.
"We the inhabitants of Middletown being ffew & having come to- gethier with the mutuall aprobation of one another wee doe therefore promise one unto another that we will neither bny any ones whole alottments in the place without the consent of the towne or judgment of some court, neither will wee bring in any such inhabitant to suckseed us in ease God call any of us to remove our habitation, but they be such whom the towne shall have no just acception against, or shall have the aprobation of to magistrats and hereunto wee bind ourselves and our sucksessors upon forffeiture of twenty pounds unto the towne This order shall stand until the towne see cause to alter the same."
the whole to order comon occatyons of the towne according of any order of the town requires excepting in the casis following.
1. That they reseve no new inhabitant into the town without apro- bation of the body.
2. That they make no levie except it be for expended or to be expended about hearding and ordering of cattelle.
3. That they do not allow any highways already and laid out or lay out highways without the consent of the body.
4. That although they may according to the liberty given them by the body at a publike meeting call the persons and catelle belonging to any inhabitant for the servis of the wholle and increase the price any above the ordinary rates alowd in the - as they shalle see just cause provided - not 6d per day to any yet they shall not by vertue of this order the catelle of any -- employed in any servis be- longing to the - without the liberties of the townc except - un- dertake in the name of the body to return the catclle so employed in safty to the owners, beside a reasonable alowance for the higher of thic same.
5. The townsmen shall not be longer then 28 days mnost without a set and joynte meeting and oftener if need be of them alltogether to con- sider of and order the occupyons of the towne committed to them, and to agree upon a tyme or tyms to call the body together to consult and consent of other casis shall occur not left within thair power and if any of them fayll to meet at the tyme appointed hec shall not refuse to pay two shillings sixpence for every such default.
6. No one towns man shall require the servis of any person or cattle without the consent of some of the rest.
"April 27, 1653. It was agreed upon at this present mecting abovesaid that the townesmen for this present yearc insuing shall apoint the time and place of meetting, for all towne meettings warned by them, and at the end of this yeare or before to put it to indifferent men to judge whether it shall be constantly one the south side or whether it shall not be every third tim onc the north side."
"March the 10, 1654. It was agreed at a towne inceting that the medow ffenc should stand in the old place where it stood the last yeare. The proportions of mnen in the ffence comes to a dayes word and a quar- ter to an acre: the said ffence is to be sett up by the 25 day of this present month, the dayes works is to pay to the ffenc ar thoes.
Willi Cornwell on day Will Hariss one day
Mr. Hamlin on day
Mtres Martin on day
Henery Cole one day
Will Smith one day
Tho Allen half a day
Tho Miller one day and a halfe
Mr Goodwine 3 dayes Jo White 2 days
George Hubb one day Richa Hall one day
Natha Bacon 4 dayes an halfe Robb Webst Jokerby 4 days
Mr Browne 3 dayes George Graves one day
Willi Marcum on day Tho Wettmer halfe a day
Daniel Harrise halfe a day"
"The 14 of Desemb 1654. It is agreed that wee might come orderly together at our towne meetings according to God, that such as come not within an hower of the time appoynted shall fforfeit sixe pence un- lese they give satisfactory resons to the towns men and if them come not at all they shall fforfeite two shillings unles case of nessecity, or ab- solute mercy hinder them, the townesmen being satisfied with their resons. Thees fines shall be gathered up by the townesmen and if any shall neetlegt to bring in there fine within 28 dayes of the fforfeiture they shall forfeite to the towne the duble sume and soe to forffeite to shillings a month for not paying thees fynes shall be put the townes use."
"September 3. 1655. It is oded alsoe at the same meeting by the in- habitants concerning an agreement that they have made with william smith to keep the fery for the yeere insning to give him a days worke on a hundred pounds and soe through the towne to be required of ye several inhabitants by the townesmen when his is insufficient."
"November 24, 1656 at the same town meeting Thomas Allin was chosen to dige the graves, that is to say 5 foot deep and to have 3 sheel- lings a peese for them."
" March the first, 1657, or 1658. It was granted at the same towne meeting that the woods shall bec fired at the charge of the towne."
"November 26, 1657. at the sain meting the town grauted to thomas the Endyan to be an inhabetant among them if they agree on terms."
"ffebuary 3, 1758. Thomas Hopewell admitted an inhabitant. "
"Atatowne meeting November the 27, 1658, it was agreed betweene the towne & Thomas Allin about the buring place which is as folloeth. That the sayed Thomas Allin is to have the buring place for his uss ten years & at the end of which terme the sayed Thomas Allin douth ingage to leave a good sufitient fence ot post & rayle notabove ten years stand- ing & in the meene time to keep it from any damages donc by swine to the true performance hereof the sayed Thomas Allin douth lereunto set his hand provided that the towne have free liberty to bury theer dead and to visit by there graves"
"At a town meeting in Febbieary 9, 1658. theer was granted to the shoomecker eagellston a peas of meddow that was intendid for a shoo- mecker formerly, leying from creack to creack buting on the bogey
"At a meeting of the inhabitants of - November the 20, 1662. It | medow as allso a howse lot beyond goodman meller in cacc not by and is agreed that the townsmen for the tim being shall have the power of | if by then to give him upland answerabell to a howse lot and he ingag-
67
MIDDLETOWN-TOWN RECORDS.
ing to inhabit it seven yeer upon it as allso doth ingag to indeevour to sut the town in his tread for making and mending shooese."
" Feabarray 21, 1658 Att the same meeting John Hall jinier was chosene by the towne to be ordynary keepear and he is willing to ack- sept of it, uppon thows condytions that folow, that is to say, if the towns men according to the vote of the town can prevall with goodman barnard of harford for to forbare what he is in his det allready, and ad so much as may amownt to the sume of six pounds, the towne alowing goodman barnard for tlre forbarans of it for one yeare. otherways he shall take himself then at libourty from that place "
" February 21, 1658. Luke Hill of Winsor admitted an inhabitant.
" December 21, 1658. The towne agreede at a towne meeting with John Hall, Junyer to make a new fery canew 30 foote long and five foote broade within side to bee made of chessnut trees, and for which the towne agreede to give John Hall 4 pounds in coin, hee to make this canew by the latter end of next march and they then to make there pay."
"Oct 24, 1660. Mr. Martiu & Alexander Bow admitted inhabitants."
" this fourth of November 1661, the towne considering how needful it is to preserve the timber belonging to them doe therefor order amongst themselves that noc man shal make sale out of the towne any timber of any sort of rift or building or canoos of any sort gotten upon undevided land within foure miles of the mouth of the riveret without liberty from the towne upon forfiture of the same or the valow of it to the use of the towne."
" Feby 18, 1661. at the same town meeting the towne gave to Alax- ander bow two acors of swamp before the indian fort hill next to thomas hopewells land for on acer of medow."
" May 25, 1661. The inhabitants of Midletowne for ye eucouragemt ot ye designes of our much honoured governor m Jon Winthrop for ye discovery of mines & mineralls & for ye setting up of such works as shall be needfull for ye improveint of them, doe hereby grant unto our said much honoured governor any profitable mines or mineralls yt he shall finde or discover, upon any comon land witin ye bounds of our towns, & such woodland as may be convenient for ye same to ye value of 500 or 1000 acres as it may by so, yt it be not nearer then two or 3 miles trom ye present dwelling houses of ye towne as ye towne shall judge to be least prejudiciall to themselves for their necessary fire wood, pro- vided that ye towne shall free liberty of comonage as far as our towne bounds goe. untill ye improvers shall see good to impropriate ye same into inclosures, provided further yt the said governor & such as may be coimproovers with him will set upon ye worke to improove such mines & mineralls as he shall finde with these 5 years, and let us know whether he doth accept of this our grant wthin two yeares, & so it to be to him & his heirs & associates forever, from ye time of their setting up of such work else at two or 5 years end to be in ye liberty of ye towne to grant ye same to any other."
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