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

THE WHITE HILLS PURCHASE

Having become tired of purchasing the soil by piecemeal, which they in fact already owned, the inhabitants of Stratford, in 1671, entered into an agreement to purchase all the claims of the Indians, within the Town, excepting the reservations at Golden Hill and Coram which had been previously established by order of the Court.

Too this end they brought the matter before the General Court by their Deputies Lt. Wm. Curtis and Mr. Joseph Hawley and the Court ordered a full settlement, by appointing the deputies to attend the execution of the matter and make report. The agreement with the Indians was made on May 17^th, 1671 in which it “is affirmed by about 20 of Pagassett and Paquannock Indians that Musquatt ye Sachem of ye Paquannock Indians is ye sole proprietor of all ye lands that are now or can be claimed by any Indians within ye bounds of ye township of Stratford.” By this agreement “Musquatt engageth doth acknowledge yt all ye lands that ye town of Stratford, hath contend within their bounds being twelve miles Northward into ye country in breadth from Fayrefield bounds to Stratford River Eastward” should be theirs forever and “ye said Musquatt engageth that a bill of sale of all ye land within ye bounds of Stratford being drawn in some convenient time” that he or any other person that should be thought necessary would sign it “that ye Town of Stratford might have a full title to all ye sd lands.”

In consideration of this agreement the Town agreed to pay “ye said Musquatt or his assigns ten coats and five pound of powder and twenty pound of lead, to be paid at or before ye first of October next ensuing.” The deed was duly execute on May 25, 1871 by wich they acknowledged all previous agreements and confirm all former sales of lands, “made over by our predecessors when ye English come first to sit down in these parts.” They restate the boundaries as follows;

“The line running from ye Southward to ye Northward twelve miles as it is now settled by ye Court, and from yt North line ye North end of it to runn away easterly to a Pine Swamp and so to a little river commonly called ye half-way river, and so to ye gt River called Stratford-ye North bounds being half way river east bounds Stratford River-and ye south bounds ye Sound or ye Sea- ye west bounds Fayrefeyld, as aforesaid.”

By this purchase was secured, or rather the Indians released from all further claims all lands in the Town of Stratford and much of the territory embraced in this purchases lying in the Northern part of the town upon some sandy hills of very light color, hence the name “White Hills Purchase” by which the territory was designated on the town records.

This purchase cost the town of Stratford over L40 according to the tax list made specially for this purpose. This tax list is interesting, not only as showing the proportion of each man’s proprietorship in lands, but the number of, and who were the inhabitants of the town at the time, it being just two years before the Woodbury Company removed.

This settlement seems to have quieted the Indian’s just thirteen years, when another squad of claimants had grown up, or at least made their appearance, and doubtless for a consideration confirmed the previous sale, thus:-, “We whose names are hereunto subscribed have had a full understanding of the contents of the above written bill of sales,-we do fully concur with those that formerly signed the same, and do approve thereof and do oblige ourselves and our heirs to stand thereto, Golden Hill as stated by the Court excepted.”

Thus ended apparently all Indian claims to Stratford lands, except the reservations at Golden Hill and Coram.

In the numerous deeds which had been given from 1659 to 1684 –25 years - more than fifty different names are to be found attached with their marks. Of these names of Ansantaway seems to have been important. Towtanemow was sachem at Derby and as such signed the deeds given in 1657, 1659, 1660, and in 1661, but seems to have died soon after for in 1664, Okenuck says he is “Sachem of Pagussett” yet Ansantaway’s name was also attached to it. The last deed that Okenuck signed was on April 22, 1678, although he lived until 1690 being then aged about seventy years.

Soon after the first sale of their lands in Stratford Village, the Indians had gathered under their chief Okenuck, at Pootatuck Village, where now stands the city of Shelton, until after the death of his brother Towtanemow and his father Ansantaway, when he (Okenuck) became the “sole Sagamore” of Paugassett, and made his residence on Derby side of the river. About 1680, or soon after the final sale of their Stratford lands the Indians on the lower part of the Housatonic made a considerable migration with their wigwams up the Housatonic river and concentrated first at Pootatuck in Newtown; then to Pomperaug in Woodbury and finally to Weantinock in New Milford.

Like the last rays of the setting sun, as they fade into darkness, so did the Indians disappear before the advance of a superior civilization. There is a sense of sadness connected with their leaving their ancient hunting grounds here at Cupheag, at Pequannock and at Pootatuck village. We may be sure that the Indian had an eye for beauty and a soul to appreciate the loveliness of nature. It is no wonder that they left this enchanted spot with sad and lingering footsteps. This place where their warriors had gathered during many generations to fish and to hunt, to decide the great questions of peace and war, and whence their wigwams and fort stood, perhaps for hundreds of years, and where also were buried a large number of their kindred ancestors.

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