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

THE HISTORY OF STRATFORD – WILLIAM WILCOXSON

INDIAN DEEDS AND RELICS

Samuel Orcutt- The History of Stratford

The Weantinocks

This local name belonged to the Indian settlement seated on what is now called, and ever has been by the English, Fort Hill, on the west side of the Housatonic, opposite the village of New Milford, and should never be used to designate the locality at Falls Mountain, two miles further down the river, the Indian name for Metichawan. Mr. J. Hammond Trumbull, of Hartford, whose knowledge of the Indian language and Indian history is not surpassed by anyone in the state, if in New England, in his recent work on "Indian names in Connecticut," says of Weantinock: It may, however, designate the place where the river "winds about the hill, Wean-adn-auke; or "land about the hill". This is the precise case in a very marked degree, for the river, for some distance on the west side of Long Mountain, runs due south , then turns around the end of Long Mountain, one of the most prominent heights in the township, and runs in an easterly direction across the valley a distance of half or three quarters of a mile, and then turns again directly south, or nearly so, leaving, leaving, thus, on the west side of the river and adjoining it, the plain always known by the name of Indian Field, on the west edge of which rises the bluff known as Fort Hill, an elevation about sixty feet above Indian Field. Upon this bluff is another plain, from twenty to thirty rods in width, reaching back to Guarding Mountain. This plain, on which the Indian Fort and Indian encampment were situated, bends around the northeast prominence of Guarding Mountain somewhat as the river winds around Long Mountain. The Indians cultivated this upper plain the same as the lower one, and hence had under cultivation, when the New Milford company settled here, about two hundred acres of land on the west side of the river, besides some on the east side. At some time the Indians, in separate families, if no other way, resided on the east side of the river, since burials took place there, which would not have been the case while all were residing on the west side. Hence, the locality, Weantinock, was not at the Falls, but in the valley at the southern end of Long Mountain.

Wannupee island is situated in the river at this place in the second bend of the river, or where it turns to go south. The name Wannupee means, “overflowed,” or “subject to overflow.” The Indians at Weantinock were once very numerous, or, if not, they were inhabitants here hundreds of years before the English settled in the place. At the time of this settlement in 1707, they were not very numerous, not numbering over four or five hundred in all, and these being accumulations during a number of years. In Mr. Griswold’s sermon it is stated that they numbered two hundred warriors; but, admitting this to be true, and it is very probable, et these two hundred were not all located here, but were, some at the falls, some at Potatuck in Newtown, some at the mouth of the Shepaug river, and some up the Housatonic, and there are evidences of their encampments beck from the river in various places, while the general headquarters were at Weantinock.

The first deed received by the New Milford company in 1703 contained seventeen Indian names, and conveyed the land which constituted the first township of New Milford, except a reservation of the Indian Field and the privilege of fishing at the Great Falls. In 1705, this Indian field, including the reserved land at Fort Hill, as well as the foot of it, was purchased by the New Milford company, and to this deed were attached thirteen names, three of them being those of squaws, --the Indians retaining the right to fish at the Falls, which right has never been given up. It is surprising that of these latter names only two probably represent persons who signed the first one, and neither of the thirteen is said to be Sachem, Sagamore or chief, although this land would seem to have been of great importance to them. The matter is inexplainable, but may indicate that if the tribe were numerous in 1703, they had rapidly removed to other places, and considered the location of little value, and deserted. The number of Indians who remained at the Great Falls was evidently quite small, since the graves in that vicinity were very few, and from several considerations it seems quite certain the removal of the largest part of the tribe was to Scatacook, in Kent, especially as all traditions represent the Indians as coming down from Kent, and stopping in the houses and barns of the early settlers, as well as those of later years over night, and proceeding on their way to fish at the Falls.

If now we look at the Indian burying-place on Fort Hill we shall be surprised more than at any other of the tracks of the red man in New Milford. These graves, or mounds, had been dug into, pillaged, and rummaged to a considerable extent before the present owner, Mr. Eleazer T. Brewer, took possession of the place by right of purchase and deed. He took it upon himself, be it said ever to his honor, to hunt up every mound that could be discovered, and put them in good repair, sowed grass seed on the newly-disturbed ground, which in a short time covered the entire locality as lawn. The place is now a beautiful grove of chestnut and oak trees, from six to ten inches in diameter. There are fifty mounds to be plainly seen, measuring from five to ten feet in diameter, consisting of rings made of the sandy earth, raised to eight and twelve inches high.