| Notes |
- from:
The History of Middlesex County 1635-1885
J. H. Beers & Co., 36 Vesey Street, New York
1884
TOWN AND CITY OF MIDDLETOWN.
BY HENRY WHITTEMORE..
Pages 61-173
[transcribed by Janece Streig]
...
SETTLEMENT OF MIDDLETOWN.
... The following is a list of the settlers inMiddletown from 1650 to 1700.HALL, John, 1650, HALL, Richard, 1650; HALL, Samuel, 1650;HAMLIN, GILES, 1650; HANDS, Benjamin, 1678; HARRIS, Daniel,1653; HARRIS, William, 1650; HIGBY, Edward, 1667; HILL,Thomas, 1678; HOPEWELL, Thomas, 1662; HUBBARD, George,1650; HULBERT, John, 1669.
...
SKETCHES OF THE SETTLERS.
..."William and Daniel HARRIS came to Middletown from Rowley,Massachusetts.
...
FROM THE TOWN RECORDS. The following extracts from the town records give factsrelative to the early history of the town which cannot belearned elsewhere. The records which were made prior to1652 are lost, but they are complete from that time to thepresent. The first recorded vote of the town, which isgiven in the history of the First Congregational Church,was for the building of a meeting house.
..."March the 10, 1654. It was agreed at a towne meeting thatthe medow ffenc should stand in the old place where itstood the last yeare. The proportions of men in the ffencecomes to acomes to a dayes word and a quarter to an acre;the said ffence is to be sett up by the 25 day of thispresent month, the dayes works is to pay to the ffenc arthroes.
...
Daniel HARRISE halfe a day
..."The names of the proprioters of Middletown with theirestats, taken March 22th 1670.
...
Danill HARIS 102 10
...
William HARIS 200
...The list of the estate of the inhabitants of Midleton takenin 73.
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Leftnt. HARIS 139
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William HARIS 163
..."At a towne meeting November 18, 1679. The towne made choycof Capt'n Danill HARRIS & LEFTEN'nt Nath WHIT and ensineWilliam CHINY to take the wholl of the magesene of the town& pouches and pikes & despose of it in places in the townewhare they see most convenient for the good of the wholl &soe to keepe it, that theire may be an account given asneed shall require to the towne. At the same towne meetingit was voated be willing that a belle which is purchased byparte of the inhabitance of the towne and properly belongsto the purchasers theirof & their heirs after them, that ifthey be willing that the sayd belle shall be hanged up inthe meeting house, that now is belonging to the sayd townewhether the towne will as a towne defraye ye charge of thesuffisent hanging & fiting to suttable ringing of the saydbelle for the benefite of the towne and to pay yearly thecharge of ye ringing at all suttable seasons & so tocontinue soe longe as ye sayd purchers shall se cause. Thetowne voated excpted the same abovesayd."
"The proprietors of the bell are these underwritten...
Capt'n Danill HARRIS 00 16 00
...
Danill HARRIS junior 00 10 00
...
Thomas HARRIS 00 04 00
..."June 30, 1685. At the same towne meeting the towne madechoice of these mentioned as patentees for the towne toprocuer a patten for the towne according to the Courtorder. The men are Mr. Gills HAMLINE, Leftnt WHITE & EnsignWARD and Ensigne CHINY & Captn HARRIS and Deacon HALL andRobert WARNER & William HARRIS and Deacon ALYN.""Whereas the General court of Conecticut Colony haveformerly granted unto the proprietors, inhabitants of thetown of Midleton in the sayd Colony all those lands bothmeadows & upland with their uplane with their appurtenanceswithin these abutments following viz. On Weathersfield onthe North, & on Farmington bounds, & on the commons on theWest & on Hadam bounds on the South & on the wilderness onthe East, the bredth is from Wethersfield bounds on theNorth full fower miles south of the sayd meeting house ofMiddleton & to run the whole bredth on the west side ofConceticutt River five miles from the sayd North & Southlyne & on the East side of Conecticutt full six mile fromthe sayd river the whole bredth from Weathersfield boundsto Hadam bounds, The sayd lands having been by purchess orotherwise lawfully obtained of the Indian nativeproprietors & whereas the proprietors inhabitants ofMidleton in the Colony of Conecticutt, in New England havemade application to the Governor & Company of the saydColony of Conecticutt assembled in Court the 25th of May1685, that they may have a patent for confirmation of theafoarsayd landes to them so purchased & granted to them asafoarsayd & which they stood seized & quietly possessedoff, for many years last past, without interruption; nowfor a more full confirmation of the afoarsayd tracts ofland as it is butted & bounded afoarsayd unto the presentproprietors of the sayd township of Midleton. Know Yee.Colony That the sayd Governor & Company assembled inGenerall Court according to the Seal. Commission and byvertue of the power granted to them by our late soveraigneLord King Charls the second of blessed memouie in hisletters pattings bearing date the twenty third of aprill inthe fowerteenth years of his sayd Ma'ties reigne have given& granted, & by these presents, doe give, grant, ratify &confirme unto Mr. Giles HAMLIN, Liuetenant Nathaniel WHITE,Captn Daniel HARRIS ensigne Wm. CHEENY, Ensigne Wm. WARDE,Mr. Wm. HARRIS, Deacon John HALL Deacon Thomas ALLYN, Mr.Robert WARNER & the rest of the sayd present proprietors ofthe township of Midleton, & theire heires & assignesforever, & to each of them in such the same all thatafoaresaid tract of land as it butted & bounded togetherwith all the woods, uplands curable lands, meadows,pastures, ponds, havens portes, waters, rivers, islands,fishings, huntings fowleings mines, minerals, quarries, &precious stones, upon or within the sayd tracts of landwith all other profits, and commodities thereunto belongingor in any wis appertaining & doe also grant, unto the afoarnamed Mr. Giles HAMLIN, Liuetenant Nath WHITE Capt. DanielHARRIS, Ensigne Wm. CHEENEY, Ensigne Wm. WARD, Mr. Wm.HARRIS, Deacon John HALL, Deacon Thomas ALYN, and Mr.Robert WARNER and the rest of the present proprietors,inhabitants of Middletown, their heirs and assignesforever, that the afoarsayd tracts of land shall be foreverhereafter deemed reputed & be an entire township of itselfto have and to hold the sayd tracts of land & premises withall & singular their appurtenances, together with thepriviledges, immunities & franchizes, herein given &granted, to the sayd Mr. Giles HAMLIN L'nt Nath WHITE,Capt. Daniel HARRIS, Ensigne Wm. CHEENY, Ensigne WilliamWARDE, William HARRIS, Deacon John HALL, Deacon ThomasALLYN & Mr. Robert WARNER & the rest of the proprietors,inhabitants of Midleton, their heires. & assignes forever,& to the onely proper use & behoofe of the sayd, Mr. GilesHAMLIN, Livetenant Nathaniel WHITE, Capt. Daniel HARRISEnsigne Wm. CHEENY, Ensigne William WARD William HARRIS,Deacon John HALL, Deacon Thomas ALLYN, & Mr. Robert WARNER& all the other the present proprietors inhabitants ofMidleton their heires & assignes forever, according to thetenour of his Ma'ties Manor of East Greenwich in the Countyof Kent in the Kingdome of England in free and commonsoceage & not in Capittee, nor by Knights service, theyyielding & payeing therefore to our soveraign lord theKing, his heires & successors onely the fifth parte of allthe oare of gold & silver which from time to time & at alltimes hereafter shall be there gotten, had, or obteyned inlein of all rents, services, duties & demandes, whatsoeveraccording to charter.
"In Witnesse Whereof we have hereunto caused the seal ofthe Colony to be hereunto affixed this eleventh day ofMarch, in the years of our Lord one thousand six hundredeighty five; six and in the second yeare of the rigne ofour Soveraigne Lord James the second of England, Scotland,France & Ireland King, Defender of the Fayth &e,
"Robert TREAT Governor.
"Pr order of the Generall Court of Conecticutt signed pr
"John ALLYN Secrety."March 30, 1687, pr order of the Governor & Company of theColony of Conecticutt, signed pr.
John ALLYN Secyr.
...
"December 16, 1723. At the same meeting the town granted tothe south farmers the liberty of one acre of land for aburying place where it may be most conveniant between Capt.Wm. HARRISis & Jonathan STEADs land."
..."1677.-Midleton house lotts at 35s pr acre; improveduplands 20s pr acre; on halfe of their meadow at 40s, pracre, the other halfe at 20s pr acre."Daniell HARRIS is by this Court approued and confirmed tobe Captain of Midleton Traine-band, and Nath: WHITE,Leiutenant, and Wm. CHEENY, Ensigne of the sayd company,and Samuel STOCKIN, Sarjt.
..."May 1690.-This Court upon the request of Captain HARRIS ofMidleton doe release him from his commission of Captain,and grant the traine band priuiledg and liberty to choose anew captain for the s'd company.
...
CIVIL LIST.Representatives.-The town of Middletown has beenrepresented in General court and general Assembly by thefollowing-names persons. The abbreviations M. and O. areused to indicate the May and October sessions,respectively:
...Daniel HARRIS, 1678 O., 1684 O.; William HARRIS, 1687O.;
...William HARRIS, 1714, M.-1715 M., 1720 M.-1721 M., 1722O., 1728 O.;
...
http://dunhamwilcox.net/town_hist/middletown_hist.htmaccessed 3/25/2012
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