THE HISTORY OF STRATFORD

Golden Hill Indians
The Housatonic
The Wepawaug
Cupheags and Pequannock
Weantinock
Goodyear's Island
Indian Slaves
Indian Remnants
Indian Troubles
New Indian Papers

THE HISTORY OF STRATFORD

Wm. Howard Wilcoxson

Stratford Indians

Trouble with the Indians

Establishing Title to the Land

Indian Deeds and Relics

White Hills Purchase

FORREST MORGAN

Lifestyles, Government, Religion and War

Indian Titles and Mohegan Land Troubles

Sowheag, Uncas, and Miantonomo

Owenoco, the Son of Uncas

THE HOUSATONIC

CHARD POWERS SMITH

The Promised Land
Heathen in the Land
The Lord's Scouts

The Land and The Lord

The Next Seven Tribes

ALEXANDER JOHNSTON

Connecticut Indian History

The Pequot War

Samuel Orcutt- The History of Stratford

New Indian Papers

General Court, February, 1640. It is ordered that Mr. Haynes, Mr. Wells, and Capt. Mason shall go down to Paquannucke to settle the bounds betwixt them and the plantations on both sides of them, according as they judge equal, as also to hear and determine the difference betwixt the inhabitants of Cupheag amongst themselves. They also with Mr. Ludlowe, are to require the tribute of the Indians about those parts that is behind unpaid, due by articles formerly agreed upon, as also to inquire out the particular Indians that are under engagement, within the limit of the ground belonging to them, and upon refusal, to proceed with them as they shall see cause. The next June the Court ordered that the magistrates shall send for the tribute of the Indians about Cupheag, Uncoway, and there about, and that another committee should survey between the two plantations. Again in General Court, 1648:It is ordered, that Capt. Mason shall go to Long Island and to such Indians upon the mayne as are tributaries to the English, and require the tribute of them, long behind and yet unpaid, and to take some strict and righteous course for the speedy recovering thereof, and it judged equall and allowed that he shall have the one-half for his payne.

Not only did the Indians neglect to pay their tribute, but they committed depredations in many ways and manifested so much hostility, from 1643 to 1645, that the plantations on different occasions kept soldiers on watch nights and Sundays, and at several times called out the militia. Also, the Indians made continued trouble by their demands for pay for their lands, for after the Court had given its decision, in 1656, the Milford Indians made a claim to some of the land within the Stratford territory. Ansantaway was chief then at Milford, and he gave a deed for all the land his people claimed on the west side of the Housatonic river, and leaves the English to give him whatever they should see fit, thus indicating that his claim had but little real merit.

In order to secure satisfaction among the Indians, and quiet to their English neighbors, the Connecticut colony made another effort to settle the matter among all parties, by the following order:

Hartford, March 7, 1658-59. By the Court of Magistrates. This court having taken into consideration the business respecting the Indians pertaining to the plantations of Stratford and Fayrfeyld and finding in the last agreement made with the Indians while Mr. Willis and Mr. Allin were down there, that those two plantations aforementioned are ingaged to asure and alow unto those respective Indians pertayinging to each town sufitient land to plant on for their subsistence and so to their heayres and sucsessors:

It is therefore ordered by this Court, and required that each plantation forementioned exercise due care that the agreement made by the magistrates be fully attended without unnecessary delay, that so the Indians may have no just cause to complayne against the English, but rather may be incouraged to attend and observe the agreement on their parts, that peace may be continued on both side; and further it is desired that the Indians may be allowed to improve theire ancient fishing place which they desire.

To the Constables of Stratford to be forthwith published and sent to Fayrfeyld to be published and recorded by the Register.

Three days after the above record the Court took further action:

March 10, 1658-59. This Court having considered the agreement with the Indians as also for other reasons as particularly that which the town of Fayrfeyld pleaded why their bounds should be enlarged was because they might provide for theire Indians which were many, do therefore order that the towne of Fayrefeyld shall forthwith attend the order as above sent from the magistrates, and alow and lay out unto theire Indians tht formerly did and now do belong unto that plantation, sufitient planting land for the present and future, that so there may be no disturbance twixt the Indians and the town of Stratford about any former improprieties which we find are renounced for the future by the last agreement. And the Court judges that the Indians that have for so many and several years been inhabitants of Fayrfeyld bounds shall now and for future be accounted as those that do properly belong to that plantation.

Mr. Camfield and the Deputies of Norwalk are appointed to see this elected by Fayrfeyld men or do it themselves.

Daniel Clarke, Secretary

About a month later a paper was recorded giving the agreement made between the two towns as above referred to.

The great hindrance in settling the boundaries between these two plantations and the Indians was the open or cleared land on the east side of what is now called Ash Creek, formerly Uncoway River. It was good soil, and probably much of it cleared besides the portion which the Indians had planted for many years, called afterwards the Indian field. This is revealed in pat by a paper from John Strickland, giving the reason that Fairfield wanted more room, and so desired the Indians pushed over east on Stratford territory, but the old line was retained while a tract of land was set off for the Indians on Golden Hill, and they retained their old field at the head of Black Rock Cove until 1681, when they sold it to Fairfield. There were probably, several hundred acres of partially cleared land, now constituting the western part of the city of Bridgeport and Sea Side Park, of which the Indian field containing about one hundred acres, with their fort formed the central part.

In the spring of 1659, the question of title or right to the land in the plantations of Stratford and Fairfield was brought before the General Court at Hartford and settled. The Indians agreed that if the English could prove that they had received the land by purchase gift or conquest, it should be theirs; whereupon a number of men gave their testimony in writing under oath on the subject, and the Court decided in favor of the plantations, and the affidavits were recorded in the town book, and they are here produced in foot-notes because of various items of historical interest. These papers are prefaced on the records with the statement: A record of several letters presented to the Court of Hartford, whereby together with other evidenced the town of Stratford proved, and the Court granted a clear right to their land in reference to Pawuannock Indians with whom they had to do.

The first paper is by the Rev. John Higginson, of Guilford, Conn., in which he states that the land was given to the Connecticut Colony in 1638, and gives the reasons why the Indians did it, namely for the security thereby obtained. These are corroborated by the fact that Towtanemow, Sagamore at Paugassett, gave to Lieut. Thomas Wheeler of Fairfield, about forty acres of land, what is now the southern part of Birmingham village, in Derby, if he would come and reside upon it, which he did some five or six years; then sold the land and improvements for two hundred pounds money.

This paper of Mr. Higginson informs that a convention was held with the Indians from New Haven to the Hudson river, at Norwalk in the last week in March (as we now reckon time), in 1638, he himself being interpreter, when the Indians gave this territory to Connecticut, reserving only room to plant, and the treaty was ratified with due solemnity at Norwalk and at Hartford, the council being held in Mr. Hookers barn at Hartford because the meeting house was not then completed.

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