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Early Settlers of Connecticut

Important Dates in the History of the Settlement of the Colony of Connecticut until Unification with the Colony of New Haven in 1665

• 1614: Adriaen Block, a Dutch explorer, sails along the Connecticut coast and up the Connecticut River.� He claims the area for the Dutch.� English Captain John Smith explores the northern Atlantic coast and proposes English settlements in what he called "New England."

• 1620: The Pilgrims arrive at Plymouth, Massachusetts.� A patent is issued "for the planting, ruling, and governing of New England in America."

• 1630: The Puritans establish a settlement at Boston, Massachusetts.

• 1631: Robert Rich, Earl of Warwick, purportedly prepares a document that has come to be known as the "Warwick Patent."� The patent is used to justify settlements within the present state of Connecticut.

• 1632: By this time the Dutch have established trading posts along the coast and along the Connecticut River for a short distance inland.

• 1633: The Dutch buy a parcel of land from the Indians, on what is the present site of Hartford, and build a fort/trading post known as The House of Good Hope.

• 1633: The English build a trading post in the area where the Farmington River empties into the Connecticut River.� This site later becomes the Town of Windsor.

• 1634: The English establish a settlement, under Captain John Oldham, south of the Dutch trading post at Hartford.� This site later becomes the Town of Wethersfield.

• 1635: The English establish a permanent settlement at Hartford under the direction of John Steel.�

• 1635: Saybrook Colony is established at the mouth of the Connecticut River.

• 1636: Other "Founders" of Hartford arrive, including the Rev. Thomas Hooker, Rev. Samuel Stone, and most of the congregation of the First Church of Christ of New Towne (now Cambridge, Massachusetts).

• 1636: Additional "Founders" of Windsor arrive.� By the end of April 1636 most of the congregation of the Dorchester, Massachusetts, church settles in what is now Windsor.

• 1636: The Towns of Hartford, Windsor and Wethersfield unite to form the Colony of Connecticut.

• 1637: The English defeat the Pequots in a brief but bloody war.

• 1638: A group of wealthy Puritans under the leadership of John Davenport found the Colony of New Haven.

• 1639: Henry Whitfield helps establish the Town of Guilford.� The towns of Fairfield, Milford, and Stratford are settled.

• 1639: The Fundamental Orders are adopted by the Colony of Connecticut.� They serve as the framework of civil government for the colony. John Haynes becomes Connecticut's first governor.�

• 1641: A dispute in the religious community in Wethersfield leads several families to resettle in the newly established Town of Stamford. �

• 1644: The Saybrook Colony merges with the Connecticut Colony.

• 1645: Matthew Grant, a resident of Windsor, begins a "Diary."� Entries will include transcriptions of sermons, a family register, rules for measuring land, and more.

• 1646: John Winthrop, Jr., establishes what will become the Town of New London.

• 1647: Alse Young, the first person to be executed for witchcraft in Connecticut, is hung in May.

• 1653: Samuel Wyllys begins his life-long service to Connecticut when the General Court votes that he be nominated as a magistrate.

• 1662 The Colony of Connecticut obtains a royal charter from Great Britain, which unites it with the New Haven Colony.� This charter serves as Connecticut's constitution until 1818.

• 1665: The Colonies of Connecticut and New Haven are officially united.

Sources:

Bixby, William. Connecticut: A New Guide [CSL call number History Reference F 92.3 .B59].

The Encyclopedia of Connecticut: A Volume of the Encyclopedia of the United States [CSL call number History Reference F 92 .E53 1994].

Roberts, Richard C. "The Early Exploration of the Connecticut River Valley." Newsletter - Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor. vol. XXV, no. 3, Spring 2008 [CSL call number F 104 .W7 N48].

���������������� . "The Connecticut - Massachusetts Boundary: A Chronology." Newsletter - Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor. vol. XXV, no. 2, Winter 2008 [CSL call number F 104 .W7 N48].

Van Dusen, Albert E. Connecticut [CSL call number History Reference F 94 .V3].

The World Book Encyclopedia. 1987 Edition, Volume 4 [CSL call number AE 5 .W55 1987].

Prepared by the History and Genealogy Unit, Connecticut State Library. Revised 2-04, 7-09.