What was the first English settlement in Connecticut?
It is arguably the first English settlement in Connecticut and ultimately becomes the town of Windsor. Captain John Oldham establishes a settlement south of the Dutch in Hartford that eventually becomes the town of Wethersfield.
Why was Windsor the first settlement in Connecticut?
In 1633, Windsor became Connecticut’s first English settlement. This was due to its desirable location at the juncture of the Farmington and Connecticut Rivers, its rich and fertile soil, and, perhaps most importantly, to a 17th-century war between Native peoples of the region made complicated by new European interests in the fur trade.
Why did the Dutch fail to colonize Connecticut?
The Dutch concentrated their main settlement efforts on Manhattan Island and never made a serious effort to colonize Connecticut. The Connecticut Colony. The settlements that developed along the Connecticut River in the 1630s were the result of a search for fertile farmland more than a search for religious freedom.
What happened during the exploration and settlement of Connecticut?
Exploration and Settlement of Connecticut. In 1639, representatives from Hartford, Wethersfield and Windsor met to establish a government for the growing settlements. They drafted the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, sometimes cited as the first constitution written in America. The settlers emulated many of the practices used in Massachusetts,...
What was the first major settlement in Connecticut?
In 1633, Windsor became Connecticut's first English settlement.
Who originally settled in Connecticut?
Though the Dutch began exploring Connecticut as early as 1614, the English were the first Europeans to put down roots in 1636. Under the leadership of Thomas Hooker, a prominent Puritan minister, 100 colonists established a settlement—modern-day Hartford—called the River Colony.
When was Connecticut first settled?
1607Connecticut Colony / Date settled
What were some major colonial cities or settlements in Connecticut?
The four main communities were Hartford (established 1651), Windsor, Wethersfield, and Farmington. Together they had a total population of 2,163, including 541 adult males. Only 343 were freemen. That year, the New Haven colony was brought under the Connecticut colony's governance.
Who settled in Connecticut and why?
Thomas Hooker, a Puritan minister, left the Massachusetts Bay Colony and founded Hartford, Connecticut. Although a devout Puritan, he advocated the separation of religion from politics.
Who were the first settlers in Hartford Connecticut?
First settled in 1635 by Thomas Hooker, John Haynes, and a group of 100 followers from the Massachusetts Bay Colony, it is one of the oldest towns in the state. Over time, Hartford grew to be one of the most prosperous cities in the nation, and by the late-19th century, was the wealthiest city in the country.
What were the first three towns in Connecticut?
Wethersfield, settled as Watertown 1634; named 1637 from Wethersfield in Essex, England. Indian name, "Pyquag." 3. Hartford, Dutch trading house, "House of Hope," 1633; settled as Newtown in 1635; named 1637 from Hertford in Hertfordshire, Indian name, "Suckiag."
What is Connecticut settlement?
The first English colonists came from the Bay Colony and Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. Original Connecticut Colony settlements were at Windsor in 1633; at Wethersfield in 1634; and in 1636, at Hartford and Springfield, (the latter was administered by Connecticut until defecting in 1640.)
Why did colonists settle in Connecticut?
In 1636, the English arrived when a large group of Puritans from Massachusetts led by Thomas Hooker founded the Colony of Connecticut at the city of Hartford. They came looking for freedom of religion.
What are the major cities in Connecticut?
HartfordNew HavenStamfordBridgeportDanburyWaterburyConnecticut/Cities
What was Connecticut known for in the 13 colonies?
The Connecticut Colony, like other New England Colonies, was an exporter of rum. The Connecticut Colony colonists prospered in several different sectors including shipbuilding, whaling, fishing, timber, fur trading, livestock, and maple syrup. Whaling was important to the colonists as it provided oil for lanterns.
Who immigrated to Connecticut Colony?
Colonial settlers of Connecticut generally came from Great Britain and neighboring New England states. Many Irish and German immigrants began coming in the late 1840s. French-Canadian immigration began after the Civil War and continued through the rest of the nineteenth century.
What countries settled Connecticut?
The U.S. state of Connecticut began as three distinct settlements of Puritans from Massachusetts and England; they combined under a single royal charter in 1663.
Why did colonists settle in Connecticut?
In 1636, the English arrived when a large group of Puritans from Massachusetts led by Thomas Hooker founded the Colony of Connecticut at the city of Hartford. They came looking for freedom of religion.
What is the origin of Connecticut?
The name Connecticut is derived from the Mohegan-Pequot word that has been translated as "long tidal river" and "upon the long river", both referring to the Connecticut River.
What was the first English settlement in Connecticut?
Connecticut’s Oldest English Settlement. In 1633, Windsor became Connecticut’s first English settlement. This was due to its desirable location at the juncture of the Farmington and Connecticut Rivers, its rich and fertile soil, and, perhaps most importantly, to a 17th-century war between Native peoples of the region made complicated by new ...
What was the first town in Connecticut?
Today, Windsor takes great pride in being Connecticut’s first English settlement and is the home of the First Town Downtown movement, formed to preserve and protect Windsor ’s unique role in history and promote its reputation as a premier New England town center.
Why did the Indians send the Wahginnacut to the Massachusetts Bay colony?
In 1631 a war between the River Indians of the Connecticut Valley and the Pequot of the Thames Valley sent the River Indian sachem, Wahginnacut, to the Massachusetts Bay colony to elicit support from English settlers.
What was the original layout of the town of Windsor?
Plan of the Palisado , the original layout of the town of Windsor – Windsor Historical Society. Despite the challenges of claiming the area, which involved surviving bouts of small pox and troubled, even combative, relations with local Native Americans, the Windsor settlement began to thrive.
Where did Holmes and his party sail?
To get to the desired location, Holmes and his party sailed up the Connecticut River, past the recently discovered Dutch settlement. The English arrived just south of the Connecticut and Farmington River juncture and there established their trading post.
Who followed Wahginnacut back to the Connecticut Valley?
Winslow followed Wahginnacut back to the Connecticut Valley and, having witnessed its hospitable living conditions, decided in 1633 to have a settlement constructed in the area.
How long did the Connecticut colony exist?
The Connecticut Colony and New Haven existed as separate political entities until 1662 , when a charter was granted to the Connecticut Colony. It included a 73-mile-wide swath from Rhode Island to the Atlantic Ocean.
Where did the Bay Colony settle?
In 1638, they founded a settlement at New Haven on Long Island Sound, a community intended to be both a trading post and a Bible Commonwealth.
What colony was founded in the 17th century?
The Connecticut Colony grew over the years and by the middle of the 17th century incorporated Fairfield, Farmington, Middletown, New London, Norwalk, Saybrook and Stratford.
What colonies were in New Haven?
Security was a major concern of the four major New England colonies — Massachusetts, Plymouth, Connecticut and New Haven, all of whom refused to deal with independent-minded Rhode Island.
What river did the Dutch claim?
In that year, a small party from Plymouth also entered the Connecticut River. The Dutch asserted their claim to the lands, but the Massachusetts group, instead of retreating down river, sailed farther north and established a trading post at Windsor.
How many people moved from Massachusetts Bay to the West?
In 1635 and 1636, nearly 1,000 people moved from the Massachusetts Bay area into lands claimed by the Dutch in the Connecticut Valley.
Where did the Puritans settle?
A settlement was established at Hartford, followed later by villages at Wethersfield and Windsor, where a small Pilgrim community already existed. At this time, another group of Puritans set up a trading post at the mouth of the Connecticut. Fort Saybrook was the fruit of the labors of John Winthrop Jr., son of the Massachusetts governor.
Who was the first person to sail north up the Connecticut River?
In September of 1633, a party of men from Plymouth, Massachusetts led by William Holmes sailed north up the Connecticut River and past the Dutch fort with the framing pieces for a house on board. Edmund B. O’Callahan notes a date of September 16th in the 1855 edition of his History of New Netherland, Volume I; Henry Stiles says it was September 26th in the 1891 edition of his History of Ancient Windsor, Volume I, and Massachusetts Bay Governor John Winthrop recorded the group’s arrival in Connecticut in his journal when he received the news on October 2, 1633.
Where did the English settle in 1631?
In 1631, a delegation of sachems from the lower Connecticut Valley region traveled to the English colonies in the Massachusetts Bay area . They sought protection from the Mohawks (located west of the Hudson Valley) and the Pequots (located along Long Island Sound) in exchange for land. 1 The English were not interested in this offer until the Dutch established a trading post called House of Good Hope in the South Meadows area of what became Hartford sometime in the summer of 1633.
When did the Dorchester group arrive?
3 October 15th, 1635 , Governor John Winthrop noted that the Dorchester group had arrived safely.
What towns did the Massachusetts Bay colonists live in?
In the spring of 1636, several waves of settlers from Massachusetts Bay returned to populate what became the three river towns of Windsor, Hartford, and Wethersfield that joined together to form a colony.
When was Windsor founded?
Connecticut histories by Benjamin Trumbull (1797), J. Hammond Trumbull (1886), and Albert Van Deusen (1961) cite a fall of 1633 founding date for Windsor. The exterior of Connecticut’s State Capitol building includes a marble vignette depicting Holmes’s settlement of Windsor with nothing analogous for Wethersfield. We in Windsor base our claim as first English settlement on the fact that Windsor has been continuously occupied by English-speaking people since September of 1633.
How many men did the Dutch send to dislodge Holmes?
Shortly afterward, the Dutch sent a force of 70 men to dislodge Holmes’s men but proved unsuccessful. The Dutch then sent forces north of the Plymouth fort to work with Native peoples to establish a new beachhead for trade, and to box in the Plymouth traders.
What did the Dutch do to dislodge William Holmes?
Neither occurred. Shortly afterward, the Dutch sent a force of 70 men to dislodge Holmes’s men but proved unsuccessful. The Dutch then sent forces north of the Plymouth fort to work with Native peoples to establish a new beachhead for trade, and to box in the Plymouth traders. This effort also failed because of a devastating outbreak of smallpox that decimated the original inhabitants. 2
Why was Connecticut called the Provision State?
To George Washington, Connecticut was "The Provision State" because of supplies contributed to his army by Gov. Jonathan Trumbull - the only Colonial governor, incidentally, to support the cause of America’s independence from Great Britain.
What were the main activities of the 17th century colonists?
Agriculture and trade were primary activities of 17th century colonists, but because of limited land Connecticut people quickly turned to manufacturing.
When was Connecticut first settled?
While Connecticut was first explored by the Dutch, who founded trading posts, the first permanent settlements were made by English Puritans from Massachusetts, starting in 1633.
Who said "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes"?
It was General Israel Putnam at the battle of Bunker Hill who cried: "Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!". Patriot-spy Nathan Hale, as he was about to be hanged by the British, said: "I regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.".
What is East Hampton?
East Hampton, was Chatham, named 1767, from the importance of its shipbuilding in allusion to Chatham, England; incorporated from Middletown, Oct., 1767; name changed by act of General Assembly, May 4, 1915. 72.
What is the name of the Hebrew name for a plain?
63. Sharon, named and incorporated Oct., 1739, with the Hebrew name, sharon, a plain.
What is the meaning of the word "Hebron"?
41. Hebron, settled 1704; named 1707 from Heb. Hebron (derivation doubtful); "An association," "a league," and "confederacy," are meanings given this word by various authorities; incorporated May, 1708.
What is the Indian name for Stamford?
Greenwich, settled by the English and named, July 18, 1640, from Greenwich near London; N.Y. to Ct., transferred, 1656. Indian name, "Patuquapaen.". 11. Stamford, settled in 1641; named 1642 from Stamford in Lincolnshire. Indian name, "Rippowam.".
What did the white men use to name the landscape?
To add to the confusion, the white men continually applied Indian names to features of the landscape that were not at all in the Indian mind when they coined the word. Thus a word meaning a hill might be applied by the white men to all the surrounding territory and come eventually to mean a pond.
Why is Indian not a written language?
Because of mutilation of the Indian names by Colonial scribes and by the Colonial pronunciation it is frequently impossible to arrive at any definite conclusion with regard to the original meaning. The variety of dialects, even in the Algonquin tribe, varied greatly, even among those living within thirty or forty miles of one another. This added greatly to the complications of spelling Indian words in English.
What is the Indian name for Durham?
39. Durham, settled 1699; named May, 1704; from Durham, town and county in England. Indian name, "Cockingchaug," or "Coginchaug."
