Proprietors of Killingly, Connecticut
The first white settler, as far as is known, came to Killingly in 1693.
He was Richard Evans from Rehoboth. He had purchased of the Reverend James
Pierpont a two hundred acre grant, for twenty pounds. Little is known of
him, and the bounds of his farm cannot now be identified. It was in what
was subsequently called the South Neighborhood of Thompson, and is now
included in Putnam. In those early days his establishment served as a
landmark, by which many other purchases were located.
In 1694 Reverend Noadiah Russel secured two hundred acres five miles
southeast of Woodstock, east of the Quinebaug, "lands that bound it not
taken up." In 1695 seventeen hundred acres, scattered about on Five Mile
river, southeast from Evans', were confirmed to James Fitch, Moses
Mansfield, Reverend Mr. Buckingham and Samuel Rogers. This was " the wild
land in Killingly," afterward granted by Major Fitch to Yale College.
Indian troubles interfered with further movements toward settlement, and
Evans was probably the only settler here before the close of that century.
When peace with the Indians was established, land speculation began here
again. This valley of the Quinebaug, extending from the Great Falls, now
in Putnam, to Lake Mashapaug, was then known as Aspinock, and had
attracted the attention of Woodstock men, who saw value in it. Turpentine
was gathered in large quantities from its numerous pine trees by that
enterprising trader, James Corbin.
While engaged in this work in his employ, Joseph Leavens, a young man, was
one day bitten on the thumb by a rattlesnake. There being no help near,
the young man coolly chopped off the bitten thumb with his axe, and then
killed the snake. His life was saved, but his thumb was lost, and in after
years the Indians gave him the nickname, " Old One-thumb." In 1699
Reverend Russel sold his land to Peter and Nathaniel Aspinwall, Samuel
Perrin and Benjamin Griggs, for twenty pounds. Lieutenant Aspinwall then
settled on the land, a mile southeast of the falls.
In 1703 Aspinwall bought of Caleb Stanley two hundred acres south of
Mashapaug lake. The land adjoining it westward and extending to the
Quinebaug was laid out to Thomas Buckingham, and sold by him to Captain
John Sabin of Mashamoquet, whose daughter Judith, married young Joseph
Leavens, and received this beautiful valley farm as her marriage portion.
James and Peter Leavens bought up land grants and also settled in this
vicinity. Other settlers soon followed. These settlers, the pioneers of
Killingly, located on or near the Quinebaug, mostly between the falls and
Mashapaug lake, on the land called Aspinock, at distances of three, four
and five miles from Woodstock. As details of the settlement of those parts
of original Killingly which are now included in Thompson and Putnam are
given in connection with the history of those towns, it will be
unnecessary to repeat them further in this connection. We shall therefore
confine our review now as far as practicable to the territory of the
present town of Killingly.
The first settler south of Lake Mashapaug was James Danielson, of Block
Island, who in 1707 purchased of Major Fitch "the neck of land " between
the Quinebaug and Assawaga rivers, for a hundred and seventy pounds. Mr.
Danielson had served in the Narragansett war, and his name appears on the
list of officers and soldiers who received the township of Voluntown in
recompense for their services. Tradition tells us that he passed through
the Whetstone country on an expedition against the Nipmucks, and stopping
to rest his company on the interval between these rivers, was so well
pleased with the locality that he then declared that when the war should
be ended he would settle there. Nothing more is known of him until thirty
years later, when he bought the land from the junction of the rivers, "
extending up stream to the middle of the long interval." Tradition adds
that he first traded with the natives, receiving for a trifle all that he
could see from the top of a high tree, but found that Major Fitch had
forestalled him, so then he bought out his claim. Mr. Danielson at once
took possession of his purchase, built a garrison house near its southern
extremity and was soon known as one of the most prominent men in the new
settlement. No other settler appeared in this vicinity for several years.
The land south from Acquiunk-the name given by the Indians to this
locality-was held by Plainfield proprietors, under their purchase from
Owaneco, and no attempt was made for many years to bring it into market.
The settlers in this locality were few in number, but their remoteness
from the seat of government and independent mode of settlement made the
organization of a town government very desirable. Their- deeds of land
transfer had to be recorded in Hartford, Plainfield and Canterbury. In
May, 1708, the assembly granted town privileges to the people here, the
patent of which set forth the bounds as follows: "Northerly on the line of
the Massachusetts Province (it being by estimation about) five miles from
the line between this Colony and the Colony of Rhode Island and the river
called Assawaug; easterly on the said line between the said colonies;
southerly, partly on the northern boundary of- Plainfield and partly on a
line to be continued east from the northeast corner bounds of Plainfield
to the said line between the said Colonies; the said northern boundary of
Plainfield being settled by order of the General Court, May the 11th,
1699, and westerly on the aforesaid river; the said township being by
estimation about eight or nine miles in length and five or six miles in
breadth, be the same more or less." The men named in the patent, as
representing the proprietors, were Colonel Robert Treat, Major James
Fitch, Captain Dan Wetherell, Joseph Haynes, Samuel Andrew, George
Denison, James Danielson, David Jacobs, Samuel Randall, Peter Aspinwall
and Joseph Cady.
Grantees now hastened to take up their lands and sell them to settlers, so
that population increased much more rapidly than in the richer
neighborhoods owned by corporations and large land-holders. The land north
of Danielson's, extending from the middle of "the long interval " to Lake
Mashapaug, was conveyed by Major Fitch to John, Nathaniel and Nicholas
Mighill; a farm east of the lake was sold to John Lorton; David Church, of
Marlborough, and William Moffat settled in the Quinebaug valley, adjoining
James Leavens. Many grants were bought up by Nicholas Cady north of
Rattlesnake hill, in the neighborhood of Richard Evans, and sold by him to
George Blanchard, of Lexington, Thomas Whitmore, William Price, John and
Samuel Winter, John Bartlett, William Robinson and others, who at once
took possession of this northern extremity of the town.
The claimants of lands within the bounds of original Killingly having
located, described and recorded their lands, the remaining lands within
the limits, were given to the proprietors in common, and on October 13th,
1709, the payment of forty pounds through the agency of Captain Chandler
having been made, a patent for the remaining lands was given by the
governor and company of Connecticut to the following proprietors: Colonel
Robert Treat, Major James Fitch, Captain John Chandler, Joseph Otis, James
Danielson, Ephraim Warren, Peter Aspinwall, Joseph Cady, Richard Evans,
Sr. and Jr., John Winter, Stephen Clap, John and William Crawford, George
Blanchard, Thomas Whitmore, John Lorton, Jonathan Russel, Daniel Cady,
William Price, William Moffat, James and Joseph Leavens, John, Nathaniel
and Nicholas Mighill, John Bartlett, Samuel Winter, Ebenezer Kee, Isaac
and Jonathan Cutler, Peter Leavens, Sampson Howe, John Sabin, John
Preston, Philip Eastman, David Church, Thomas Priest, Nicholas Cady, John,
Thomas, Matthew, Jabez and Isaac Allen. Nearly one-third of these
forty-four patentees were non-residents, so that Killingly probably
numbered at that date about thirty families. Only a small part of the
territory was inhabited, and that mostly in the Quinebaug valley and the
open country north of Killingly hill.
An extensive rise of land in the eastern part of the town was called
Chestnut hill. A broad open plateau lay upon the top of this hill, while
its steep sides were heavily wooded. This very desirable spot of ground
was included in the grants laid out to John and Joseph Haynes, Timothy
Woodbridge and Governor Treat; sold by them to John Allen; by him to
Captain John Chandler, who sold the whole tract-2,400 acres, for £312-to
Eleazer and Thomas Bateman, of Concord, Samuel and Thomas Gould, Nathaniel
Lawrence, Ebenezer Bloss, Thomas Richardson and Ebenezer, Knight, joint
proprietors. John Brown, Moses Barret, Josiah Proctor, Daniel Carrol,
Samuel Robbins, Daniel Ross and John Grover were soon after admitted among
the Chestnut hill proprietors. Home lots were laid out on the hill summit,
but the remainder of the land was held in common by them for many years. A
road was laid over the hill-top and carried onto Cutler's mill and the
Providence way. The remainder of Haynes' grant was laid out east of
Assawaga river, bordering south on Whetstone brook, and was purchased by
Nicholas Cady, who, in 1709, removed his residence hither. This tract,
together with Breakneck hill on the east, and much other land in this
vicinity, passed into the hands of Ephraim Warren, son of Deacon Jacob
Warren, of Plainfield, and who was one of the first settlers of Killingly
Centre. The Owaneco land in the southern part of Killingly, held by
Plainfield residents, was still unsettled and undivided, though many
rights were sold or bartered. Edward Spalding bought the rights of James
Kingsbury and William Marsh for £61, 10s. each. In 1708 Michael Hewlett
purchased Parkhurst's right for one pound. Jacob Warren sold his right in
this land to Nicholas Cady in exchange for land north of Whetsone brook,
southwest from Chestnut hill, in 1710. Thomas Stevens at the same date
sold his share to Ephraim Warren. John Hutchins bought out the rights of
Nathaniel Jewell and Samuel Shepard.
Previous to this time the north line of Killingly had been what was known
as Woodward and Saffery's line, then recognized as the boundary between
Massachusetts and Connecticut, which line crossed what is now the southern
part of Thompson. In 1713 this line was exchanged for a new one, six or
seven miles farther north, which has since been recognized. As the charter
of Killingly named the Massachusetts line as its north bound, the town now
claimed the enlargement thus created. This claim was, however, denied by
the government, by whom the north bounds of Killingly were declared not to
be above nine miles to the northwards of the said south bounds." But
Killingly was persistent in asserting its claims, which were recognized by
the courts, and this town continued to exercise jurisdiction over the
territory in question, and admitting the people living upon it to
ecclesiastical and civil rights in the town. In 1728 this territory was
constituted a distinct society. By the government that society was
regarded as independent of any town, but the society itself and the town
of Killingly regarded it as belonging to that town, and so continued to
exercise the ,conditions of such an association until the society became
an organized town in 1785. At that time the dividing line between
Killingly and Thompson was agreed upon as a due east and west line between
the Rhode Island line and the Quinebaug river, which line should run
through the middle of a certain "heap of stones about two feet south of
the garden wall owned by Mr. John Mason." The mansion house of Mr. John
Mason. near the garden wall spoken of, is that now owned and occupied by
Mr. William Converse, of Putnam.
The population of Killingly continued to increase. Daniel Cady removed to
the south part of Pomfret, Nicholas Cady to Preston; but others took their
places. Robert Day settled south of Whetstone brook in 1717. Nell-Ellick
Saunders-afterward called Alexander-bought land of the non-resident
Mighills in 1721, near Lake Mashapaug, which soon took the name of
Alexander's lake, which has since clung to it. Joseph Covill, Philip
Priest, Andrew Phillips and John Comins, of Charlestown, were admitted
among the Chestnut hill company. John Hutchins, of Plainfield, is believed
to have taken possession of the north part of the Owaneco purchase about
1720. In 1721 the town of Killingly laid out and distributed its first
division of public lands. About eighty persons received shares of this
land. No record is preserved of the terms and extent of this division.
During this year the train-band was organized. Joseph Cady was chosen
captain, Ephraim Warren lieutenant, and Thomas Gould ensign. Of the
progress of schools, roads and many public affairs at that time, no
knowledge can be obtained. A burial ground south of the Providence road
was given to the town by Peter Aspinwall at an early date.
Back to: Killingly, Windham
County, Connecticut History
Source: History of Windham County, Connecticut,
Bayles, Richard M.; New York: W.W. Preston, 1889 Back to: Windham County, Connecticut
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