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THE HISTORY OF
STRATFORD
Golden Hill Indians THE HISTORY OF
STRATFORD
Wm. Howard Wilcoxson Establishing
Title to the Land FORREST MORGAN
Lifestyles, Government, Religion and WarIndian Titles and Mohegan Land TroublesSowheag, Uncas, and MiantonomoOwenoco, the Son of Uncas
THE? HOUSATONIC CHARD POWERS SMITH The
Promised Land ALEXANDER JOHNSTON
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THE HISTORY OF INDIAN DEEDS
AND RELICS In
fact it is now almost impossible, in many cases to define the exact
boundaries of the different purchases made from time to time. The Indians,
when selling their lands to the whites, were parting with that which had no
great value in their own eyes, and of which they had a superabundance; consequently
they did not haggle about a mile or so of territory, more or less, but
adopted in most cases some natural features of the country as the most
convenient landmark and boundaries. But
if this first purchase was made by Moses Wheeler in behalf of the Town, it
appears that the town allowed him to keep the land for twenty-five years, and
then began to lay it out into divisions among the early proprietors, without
regard for Moses Wheeler's right in it and without reimbursing him for his
expenditure, although he was one of their own number and one of the most prominent
citizens of the town. This little oversight on the part of the town was
brought to their attention by the General Court in October, 1684, by the following
profitable suggestion: - This Court do recommend it to the town of Stratford
to come to an agreement with Moses Wheeler Sr., about the purchase he made of
the Indians of a tract fo land with their bounds, and some of the townsmen
were required to appear at the next court and report the proposition of
settlement to be ratified by the Court, which they did by giving Mr.Wheeler
half of the land. A
little more than a year after the Court had rendered its decision in favor of
Stratford, a deed was given by the Indians to Bray Rossiter of Guilford, of
one hundred acres of land on ye west side of ye river yt, passeth up by
Stratford ferry: to begin at ye river and to take all ye breath betwixt two
small brooks and so backward until ye said sum be made up. The consideration
for this purchase was stated to be for a debt due. This act by one from
outside of the town seems to have set the ball rolling, or rather the Indians
crazy to sell the land they had just been told they did not own. (This sale
was later declared illegal.) In
the years 1660, 1661, and 1665 (and almost every year thereafter) until 1671,
the Indians of Stratford continued to sell various large tracts of land to
the townsmen and to various individuals. The
next year 1661, another deed was given by the Indians for land called by the
English ye Mohegan Hills and by ye Indians Ackqunnockquahou to Joseph Judson
of As
to the purchase of this large tract of embracing more than 5,000 acres, lying
between the two branches of the If you
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ALEXANDER JOHNSTON
SOUTHPORT Colonial History of Pequot Swamp COLONIAL INDIAN ARCHIVES Hon. Ralph D.
Smith David D. Fields Sarah Day Woodward Winthrops Journal |