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

ESTABLISHING TITLE TO THE LAND

In the spring of 1659, the question of the title or right to the land in the plantations of Stratford and Fairfield having been brought before the General Court at Hartford, was settled. The Indians apparently having 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 prominent men in the Colony gave their written testimony under oath upon the subject, and the Court decided in favor of the plantations. Their affidavits are recorded in the first volume of Stratford records. These papers are prefaced on he record with the statement:-

“May 14, 1660 A Record of several letters presented to the Court at Hartford whereby together with other evidence the town of Stratford proved, and the Court granted a clear right to their land in reference to Pequannock Indians with whom they had to do.”

In the first of these papers given by the Rev. John Higginson of Guilford, Conn., we are informed “That in the beginning of the year 1638, during the last week of March” he as an interpreter went with Mr. Edward Hopkins and Mr. William Goodwin, both of Hartford, to treat with the Indians from New Haven to the Hudson River, who assembled in convention at Norwalk. He states that the whole territory was given to the Connecticut Colony in 1638, “and in as solemn a manner as Indians used to do in such cases they did with an unanimous consent approve their desire of the English friendship, their willingness the English should come to dwell amongst them and professed that they did give and surrender up all their lands to the English Sachems at Connecticut and hereupon presented us with parcels of wampen the lesser the would give us for our message, the greater they would send as a present to the Sachems at Connecticut, it being not long after the English conquest and the fame of the English being then upon them.” The treaty was ratified wit due solemnity at Norwalk and later at Hartford, the council being hel in Mr. Hooker’s barn at Hartford, the meeting house being then not completed. The Norwalk Indian Council appears to having taken place about 15 days before the New Haven company landed at Quinnipiac.

The next testimony is that of John Strickland, then living at Huntington, Long Island, but formerly of Fairfield. His testimony deals principally with the difficulties respecting the boundary between Stratford and Fairfield as has been related in the preceding chapter. He informs us, that he “was deputed with some others to treat with Stratford men about the bounds of those towns and accordingly we met, we of Uncoway desired some inlargement of our bounds towards Stratford because we were burdened with many Indians, and to my best remembrance it was by Stratford men granted by us all concluded that we of Uncoway should keep our Indians upon our own bounds”.

Thomas Stanton, who was for many years he Indian interpreter at Hartford, also informs us that the Connecticut Colony conquered the Pequots and Pequannocks at the same time-1637- that many were killed at New Haven and Cupheag annd some of their women were held “as captives to this day” (1659) in Massachusetts. From this testimony it appears that the Pequots had conquered the tribes along the Sound west of Quinnipiac, and made them tributary before the arrival of the English, and he further states that the Pequannock Indians engaged with the Pequots, as their allies, in the fight at Cupheag and the Great Swamp fight on the western bounds of Fairfield. He also says “I can testify that the Indians at Pequannock did intreat Mr. Haynes and Mr. Hopkins (then Magistrates) that some of the English would dwell by them that so they might not be in fear of their enemies,” and that “the English should have all their land only providing them some place for planting” and he adds “which I think is but a reasonable request, and I hope you will attend rules of mercy in that case.” It is evident from this testimony that the title to the territory hereabouts passed from the Pequannock Indians to the Pequots; that the English having conquered them, acquired their lands also, for he states in closing, “the ancient Pequots, will prove it conquered land, and I never heard of other ground by which the English did possess it by Conquest and gift.” Hence the evidence would seem to be conclusive that Stratford and Fairfield territory was held as conquered or ceded territory and not by right of any formal purchase.

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