When was the last person executed in CT?
Simultaneously, the drunken spectacles that often accompanied public executions became increasingly distasteful to the Victorian sensibilities of the emerging middle class. Consequently, the execution of Oliver Watkins on August 2, 1831, became the last public hanging administered by the State of Connecticut.
When did the first settlers arrive in Connecticut?
The first European settlers in the Connecticut area were the Dutch. In 1614, Adriaen Block explored the lands along the Connecticut River. Settlement did not occur until 1633, when a small fort was erected at the site of Hartford, then called New Hope. In that year, a small party from Plymouth also entered the Connecticut River.
When was the first permanent settlement in Connecticut made?
Early History. 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. From the first, Connecticut enjoyed a great measure of political independence, proclaiming in its Fundamental Orders of 1639 a democratic principle of ...
What was the reason for settlement in Connecticut?
W hat Is the Reason Why Connecticut Was Founded? The main reason Connecticut was founded and settled was for its fertile land. The Connecticut River was the first area settled in the 1630s. Thomas Hooker, a preacher from Massachusetts, led his congregation to the river in search of rich farmland.
See more
Who first settled 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.
What was the first colony in Connecticut?
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.
What is the oldest settlement in Connecticut?
1.Greenwich, settled by the English and named, July 18, 1640, from Greenwich near London; N.Y. to Ct., transferred, 1656. ... Stamford, settled in 1641; named 1642 from Stamford in Lincolnshire. ... Farmington, settled in 1640; incorporated and named, Dec.More items...
When was Connecticut settled?
July 4, 1776Connecticut / Date settled
Who settled in Connecticut and why?
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.
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 are the 5 oldest cities in the United States?
10 Oldest Cities in the U.S.St. Augustine, Florida (1565) ... Jamestown, Virginia (1607) ... Santa Fe, New Mexico (1607) ... Hampton, Virginia (1610) ... Kecoughtan, Virginia (1610) ... Newport News, Virginia (1613) ... Albany, New York (1614) ... Jersey City, New Jersey (1617)More items...•
What is the oldest settlement in the United States?
St. AugustineSt. Augustine, founded in September 1565 by Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles of Spain, is the longest continually inhabited European-founded city in the United States – more commonly called the "Nation's Oldest City."
What was the original name of Connecticut?
New Haven Colony, 1638-1664.
What were the first towns in Connecticut?
Experts have unearthed artifacts they believe date to the 1630s in Wethersfield, where town signs declare it the state's “most ancient,” founded in 1634. But a few miles up the Connecticut River to the north, Windsor boasts it is the state's “first town,” settled in 1633.
How old is Connecticut?
The Connecticut and New Haven colonies established documents of Fundamental Orders, considered the first constitutions in America. In 1662, the three colonies were merged under a royal charter, making Connecticut a crown colony.
What is a person from Connecticut called?
According to Webster's New International Dictionary, 1993, a person who is a native or resident of Connecticut is a “Connecticuter”. There are numerous other terms in print, but not in use, such as: “Connecticotian” – Cotton Mather in 1702. “Connecticutensian” – Samuel Peters in 1781. “Nutmegger” is sometimes used.
What was the Connecticut Colony called?
the Connecticut River ColonyThe Connecticut Colony or Colony of Connecticut, originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut.
How did the Connecticut Colony start?
The founding of the Connecticut colony began in 1636 when the Dutch established the first trading post on the Connecticut River valley in what is now the town of Hartford. The move into the valley was part of a general movement out of the Massachusetts colony.
What were the first towns in Connecticut?
Experts have unearthed artifacts they believe date to the 1630s in Wethersfield, where town signs declare it the state's “most ancient,” founded in 1634. But a few miles up the Connecticut River to the north, Windsor boasts it is the state's “first town,” settled in 1633.
What colony was founded in 1639?
Formation of New Haven Colony Milford and Guilford were established in 1639, and Stamford in 1640.
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.
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.
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 were the first Europeans to settle in Connecticut?
Various Algonquian tribes long inhabited the area prior to European settlement. The Dutch were the first Europeans in Connecticut. In 1614 Adriaen Block explored the coast of Long Island Sound, and sailed up the Connecticut River at least as far as the confluence of the Park River, site of modern Hartford.
What is the history of Connecticut?
Jump to navigation Jump to search. 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 Andros ignore Connecticut?
Since Andros viewed New York and Massachusetts as the important parts of his Dominion, he mostly ignored Connecticut. Aside from some taxes demanded and sent to Boston, Connecticut also mostly ignored the new government. When word arrived that the Glorious Revolution had placed William and Mary on the throne, the citizens of Boston arrested Andros and sent him back to England in chains. The Connecticut court met and voted on May 9, 1689 to restore the old charter. They also reelected Robert Treat as governor each year until 1698.
How many Connecticut troops were in Bunker Hill?
In 1775, in the wake of the clashes between British regulars and Massachusetts militia at Lexington and Concord, Connecticut's legislature authorized the outfitting of six new regiments, with some 1,200 Connecticut troops on hand at the Battle of Bunker Hill in June 1775.
Where was the Saybrook colony?
They funded the establishment of the Saybrook Colony (named for the two lords) at the mouth of the Connecticut River, where Fort Saybrook, was erected in 1636. Another Puritan group left Massachusetts and started the New Haven Colony farther west on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in 1637.
What tribes lived in Connecticut?
The Connecticut region was inhabited by multiple Indian tribes which can be grouped into the Nipmuc, the Sequin or "River Indians" (which included the Tunxis, Schaghticoke, Podunk, Wangunk, Hammonassett, and Quinnipiac ), the Mattabesec or "Wappinger Confederacy" and the Pequot-Mohegan.
How long ago did people live in Connecticut?
Evidence of human presence in the Connecticut region dates to as much as 10,000 years ago. Stone tools were used for hunting, fishing, and woodworking. Semi-nomadic in lifestyle, these peoples moved seasonally to take advantage of various resources in the area. They shared languages based on Algonquian.
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.
Where was the Plymouth Trading Post located?
This aerial view, looking south, shows the general location of the original Plymouth trading post at the confluence of the Connecticut and Farmington Rivers. The channel at the bottom of the photo was created much later. WHS collections 2003.41.62, photo by Philip F. Ellsworth Jr.
When did the Massachusetts Court grant the same liberties to the inhabitants of Dorchester?
These folks would eventually settle Wethersfield. On June 3, 1635, the Massachusetts Court granted the same liberties to inhabitants of Dorchester, who would eventually settle Windsor.
Who was the agent of the Plymouth Company?
From period accounts such as Winthrop’s Journal, William Bradford’s Of Plimoth Plantation, and the letters of Plymouth company agent Jonathan Brewster, we know that the Plymouth traders repelled the Dutch attack, farmed, assisted Native Americans suffering from epidemics, offered sustenance, canoes, and guides to Massachusetts men who eventually settled in all three river towns, and occupied this trading post continuously for four years before being bought out by settlers from Dorchester, Massachusetts in May of 1637.
When was the first Puritan catalog published?
It was published serially in five numbers beginning in 1846 and ending before 1852.
What states have genealogical dictionaries?
In late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, “genealogical dictionaries” were produced for the states of Rhode Island, [1] Massachusetts, [2] and Maine and New Hampshire (together). [3] .
When did the colonial government authorize the name of a town?
Until 1700 almost the only official action of the colonial government (General Court) in regard to town organization, was to authorize the town name, usually chosen by its leading man, from his home in England. In October, 1700, we find implied or quasi incorporation, such as exists to this day in the records.
Where was Windsor settled?
1. Windsor, settled by a company from Plymouth Colony, arriving with the frame and materials of a trading house on their vessel Sept. 26, 1633. This house was set up, 80 to 100 rods below the mouth of the Farmington River, on a tract previously bought of the original Indian proprietors.
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 was the name of the town in 1686?
30. Preston , incorporated 1686, named 1687, probably from the Preston in Suffolk in honor of the Thomas Parke family. 31. Woodstock, settled as New Roxbury, Mass., 1686; named March, 1690, from Woodstock in Oxfordshire; annexed to Conn., May, 1749.
What is the English township known as?
The churches, which moved bodily, with their pastors, from Massachusetts to Connecticut, proceeded to exercise the secular powers which we regard as those of the town, but the English township is known by its ecclesiastical name of parish.
When was Southfield established?
24. Suffield, "abbreviation of Southfield," established in Mass., 1674; annexed to Conn., May 1749.
Where did the name "Wellington" come from?
Willington, named "Wellington," May, 1725, from Wellington in Somersetshire (birthplace of Henry Wolcott, whose grandson Roger was chief purchaser, 1720), which gave title to the Duke of Wellington, but incorporated May, 1727, as "Willington.". 55.
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.
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.
What was the first European settlement in Connecticut?
Huys de Hoop , the first European settlement in Connecticut, was seized by the English later on. These events are recorded on the Biblical Timeline with World History during that time. [This article continues after a message from the authors] These Articles are Written by the Publishers of The Amazing Bible Timeline.
When did the Dutch settle in Connecticut?
In 1633, the first Dutch and English colonists settled along the banks of the Connecticut River. Although the Dutch got a head start by building the Huys de Hoop outpost in as early as 1623, the English settlers quickly caught up when they created two settlements ten years later. Huys de Hoop, the first European settlement in Connecticut, ...
What was the name of the Dutch outpost in 1623?
It would not be until 1623 that the Dutch West India Company sent men to build a trading outpost and fort there. The Dutch named the area Huys de Hoop (House of Hope) and used it as a base for the fur trade. It later expanded into a city and was renamed as “Hartford” when it was seized by the English.
What was the news of the fertile land along the banks of the Connecticut River?
The news of a fertile land along the banks of the Connecticut River and the chance to escape the conflicts of the colony seemed too good to be true. The possibility of benefitting from the fur-trade with the River Indians was an additional bonus. Oldham and his men saw that the land indeed was fertile.
What colony was created by the Dutch in 1636?
The three towns established an alliance in 1636 and created the Colony of Connecticut.
When was the English town of Hartford built?
The English town was built just beyond the Dutch fort in Hartford which was finished in 1633. The English also cemented their alliance with the displaced River Indians by bringing them back to the area. Around the same time, a settler named John Oldham left Plymouth with his men and explored the Connecticut River.
Who was the colonist who explored the Connecticut River?
After being banished from Plymouth Plantation, colonist John Oldham ventured out to explore the Connecticut River. War broke out between River Indians and Dutch-supported Pequot in 1631. To counter the Pequot, the River Indian chief Wahginnacut decided to make an alliance with the English settlers.
Overview
Colonies in Connecticut
Various Algonquian tribes long inhabited the area prior to European settlement. The Dutch were the first Europeans in Connecticut. In 1614 Adriaen Block explored the coast of Long Island Sound, and sailed up the Connecticut River at least as far as the confluence of the Park River, site of modern Hartford. By 1623, the new Dutch West India Company regularly traded for furs there and ten year…
First People
The name Connecticut is derived from the Mohegan-Pequot word that has been translated as "long tidal river" and "upon the long river", referring to the Connecticut River. Evidence of human presence in the Connecticut region dates to as much as 10,000 years ago. Stone tools were used for hunting, fishing, and woodworking. Semi-nomadic in lifestyle, these peoples moved seasonally to take advantage of various resources in the area. They shared languages based on Algonquia…
Territorial disputes
According to the 1650 Treaty of Hartford with the Dutch, the western boundary of Connecticut ran north from the west side of Greenwich Bay "provided the said line come not within 10 miles (16 km) of Hudson River." On the other hand, Connecticut's original charter in 1662 granted it all the land to the "South Sea" (i.e. the Pacific Ocean).
Conservatism
Connecticut was the land of steady habits, with a conservative elite that dominated colonial affairs. The forces of liberalism and democracy emerged slowly, encouraged by the entrepreneurship of the business community, and the new religious freedom stimulated by the First Great Awakening.
Yale College was founded in 1701 to educate ministers and civil leaders. After …
The American Revolution (1775–1789)
The conservative elite strongly supported the American revolution, and the forces of Loyalism were weak. Connecticut designated four delegates to the Second Continental Congress who would sign the Declaration of Independence: Samuel Huntington, Roger Sherman, William Williams, and Oliver Wolcott.
In 1775, in the wake of the clashes between British regulars and Massachusett…
Early National Period (1789–1818)
New England was the stronghold of the Federalist party. One historian explains how well organized it was in Connecticut:
It was only necessary to perfect the working methods of the organized body of office-holders who made up the nucleus of the party. There were the state officers, the assistants, and a large majority of the Assembly. In every county there was a sheriff with his deputies. All of the state, c…
Modernization and industry
Up until this time, Connecticut had adhered to the 1662 Charter, and with the independence of the American colonies over forty years prior, much of what the Charter stood for was no longer relevant. In 1818, a new constitution was adopted that was the first piece of written legislation to separate church and state in Connecticut, and give equality all religions. Gubernatorial powers were also expanded as well as increased independence for courts by allowing their judges to se…