A Catalogue of the Names of the First Puritan Settlers of the Colony of Connecticut

Colefax, John, Wethersfield — died in 1681. His brother had his estate. He was a brother of the wife of Joseph Bidwell, and the wife of Henry Arnold. John, died at Windsor, in '76, and left no family. 12G Coleman, Thomas and John, signed the agreement to move to Had- ley in 1659. He was an early settler in Connecticut. Cone, Daniel, Haddam, 1004 — he then had a case in court con- cerning the ownership of a steer. The jury on trial disagreed. The court and jury then unitedly attempted to agree upon a verdict, but failing in so doing, the court advised the parties, to either divide the steer between them, or carry the cause to the General Court for trial. Daniel Cone, jr., was made deacon of Mr. Hosmer's church, in East Haddam, in 1704 — and died in 1725, aged 60 years. His son Daniel was made deacon of the same church in 1746 — he was also a justice of the peace — died in 1776. These were the ancestors of William R. Cone, Esq., of Hartford. Coit, John, was at Gloucester as early as 1648. Joseph was the first minister at Plamfield, in 1706. The name has been at Middle- town, Haddam and New London. At a later period, during the war of the Revolution, there was a Col. Coit, and three Captain Coits — Oliver, William, &c. Capt. William was the commander of the Col- ony ship, Oliver Cromwell, in the Revolution. It has been a minis- terial name — the name has been generally in New London county — not as early settlers as many others — but has uniformly been a name of respectability in the colony and State. Collier, Joseph, Hartford — died in 1691. He left all his estate to his wife Elizabeth, for life — the real estate to be distributed to his sons, and the personal estate to his daughters after the decease of his wife. His sons were, Joseph 23 years old, Abel 14, (died in '97) and John 12— daughters, Mary Phelps, 22, Sarah 18, Elizabeth 16, Abigail 9, Susannah Ann 9. His wife was sister to Zachary and Robert San- ford. She died in '95. Samuel Peck married Abigail in 1701. Collier, Samuel, removed from Hartford to Litchfield, and became a member of the church there, with Jacob and Comfort Griswold, Dorothy Pierce, Sarah Beach, Nathaniel Hosford, Ezekiel Buck, jr., Sarah Buck, Thankful Woodruff", John Gay, Benjamin Hosford, Na- thaniel Woodruff, Joseph Kilbourn, Elizabeth Collins, Daniel Allen and James Beebe, jr., before 1736. The Parish originated in May, 1717, by a compan}- from Hartford, Windsor, Wethersfield and Leba- non, under the direction of deacon John Buell, from Windsor, and John Marsh. The original name of the place was Bantum — and a pond there now retains the first name of the place. Their first min- ister was the Rev. Timothy Collins, from Guilford, who was ordained at Litchfield, in 1723, old style. He was dismissed at his own request in 1752. His salary the first four years, Avas £57 annually, and was afterwards increased to £80. The May after liis dismission, (1753) he was inade a justice of the peace, and practised medicine at Litch- field. He died there in 1776. Samuel, was the ancestor of the Hon. John A. Collier, of Binghampton, New York. Coke, Penfield, not accepted an inhabitant of Hartford, 1664. Cook, Nathaniel, Windsor, married Lydia Ware in 1647, and had children, Sarah, Lydia, Hannah, Nathaniel, Abigail, John and Josiah. Capt. Aaron Cook, owned land at Massico in '61, and resided there or at VVindsor. Samuel, left Middletown in '64. Cooly, Samuel, Hartford — in 1689, was made overseer, to counsel 127 and assist widow Newell in the distribution of her (then) late hus- band's estate, to his children. He was not one of the first settlers of Hartford. Conant, Exercise and Sarah, Windham, as early as 1G97. This name is first found at Windham — perhaps the name might have been at New London earlier. Cooper, John and Thomas, 1664. John was charged of high trea- son, by John Scott. Cordent, Richard, 1663. Cornwell, William, sen'r., Middletown — died in 1677 — and was old. Sons, John, William, Samuel, Thomas and Jacob — daughters, Sarah, (ynmarried) Hester Wilcox and Elizabeth Hall — wife, Mary. He had a large landed estate. Was a constable in '64. Cornish, James, was an appraiser of R. Marvin's estate in 1662. Cotton, John, New London, made free in 1660. Couch, Thomas, Wethersfield — died in 1687. Children, Susannah, aged 20 years, Simon 18, Rebecca 15, Hannah 13, Thomas 12, Mary 11, Sarah 8, Abigail 6, and Martha 3. He was an early settler at Wethersfield — one of the family moved to Fairfield. Crabb, Richard, (in No. 1) — removed first to Stamford, afterwards to Greenwich. In 1655 complaints were made to the General Court at New Haven, of the conduct of the people of Greenwich, that they permitted drunkenness, harbored runaway servants, and joined persons in marriage without lawful authority. Greenwich denied the juris- diction of New Haven over them, and refused obedience to their orders. The General Court therefore ordered, that unless they appeared before the Court, and submitted by the 25th day of June then next, viz. Rich, ard Crabb and others, who had been the most stubborn, they should be arrested and punished. They complied. Mr. Crabb had been at Hartford, one of the leading men in the colony. He resided for a time at Stamford. Craddock, Matthew, in 1637, was indebted to John Oldham's estate, £229. Crane, Benjamin, sen'r., Wethersfield — juror in 1664 — he died in '93. His eldest son was Benjamin — he had other children. John, of Wethersfield, died in '94. Jonathan, of Windham, '97. Crandall, George, New London, 1671, was suspected of opposing the government of the colony. Cross, Samuel, Windsor — died in 1707. He had sons-in-law, Ly- man or Simon Chapman, and was a cousin to John, Samuel and Jona- than Bates, also of Sarah Ketchum, Jonathan Jagger, Hannah Welch, James Picket, Mary Hoyt and Ephraim Phelps — all of whom shared in his estate. Crombe, Alexander, 1663. Crook, Samuel, 1664. Crow, Christopher, Greenfield, in Windsor — died in 1681. Chil- dren, Samuel 21 years old, Mary 18, Hannah 15, Martha 14, Benoni 12, Margaret 11, and Thomas 5. John Crow, was an early settler, as early as '39. He signed the agreement to remove to Hadley, in '59 — he did remove, and died there. Crowfoot, Margaret, widow, W^ethersfield — died in 1733. Chil- dren, Joseph, Ephraim, Elizabeth, Mahitabel and Sarah. 128 Culver, Edward — Roath, Sherman, Abell, Amos, Hough, Coy, Arm- strong, Breed, Elderkin, Bushnell, Lathrop, Brewster, Hendy, Water- man, Wade, Leffingwell, Gifford, Gagcr, Egerton, Caulkins, Bowers, Gookin, Fitz, Bingham, Backus and Adgate, and some few other names, appear to have come directly to the county of New London, and a few of these names are yet found in no other county in the State — as is the case with a few names in Fairfield county, which first came there, viz. Scofield, Sherwood, &c. Curtice, Thomas, Wethersfield— died in 1681. Estate £717.— Children, John, Joseph, James, Samuel, Isaac, Ruth Kimberly and Elizabeth Stoddard. Joseph, died in '83 — wife, Mercy — estate £271. Children, Joseph 9 years old, Henry 7, Sarah 5, Thomas 3, David one. Curtiss, Henry, Windsor, married Elizabeth Abell, in 1645, and had children, Samuel and Nathaniel, '77. Samuel married a widow, and had Hannah and Samuel. Hannah died in '80. Abraham and Daniel Curtiss, jurors at Stratford in 1730. Capt. William and Ens. John Curtiss, brothers, resided at Stratford, with their mother, in the early settlement of the town. The Curtiss and Beardslee families were, by tradition, from Stratford, upon Avon. The Curtiss family located at Wethersfield, in 1636-7. D. Davis, Philip, constable of Hartford in 1659 — was at Hartford in '45. John Davis, is supposed to be the sergeant Davis who, tradition says, cut the bow-string of an Indian, and saved the life of Major Mason at the battle of Mystic. The same who pursued them to a swamp in Fairfield, and cut his way into the swamp, which was the ambuscade of the fugitive Pequots. John, appointed to impound all swine over three months old, unwrung, in Hartford, in 1651. Davie, Humphry, Hartford — died in February, 1688. He was the son of Humphry and Sarah, of Boston, a particular friend of Governor Winthrop. He held land at Boston at his death, and a part of a pow. der mill at Dorchester ; also a small house with two acres of land near Beacon Hill, at Boston, with moveables there, and a large estate in Connecticut. He had a son John. Humphry was one of the persons pointed out in the will of Governor Winthrop, to settle any difficulty that might arise in the settlement of his estate. Dayley, Nicholas, made free in 1663 — supposed one of the de- scendants settled at Woodbury. Deming, John, with William Swain, Thurston Rayner, Andrew W^ard, Matthew Mitchell, &:c., were the principal settlers of the town of Wethersfield. Denslow, Henry, Windsor — died in 1676. Children, Samuel, his only son, and seven daughters, viz. Susannah, married John Hodge — Mary married Thomas Rowley — Ruth married Thomas Copier — and Abigail 21, Deborah 19, Hannah 15, and Elizabeth 11 years old. Denton, Rev. Richard, was from Yorkshire, in England, and had preached at Halifax before he left his native country. After his arri- val in New England, he preached for a time as an unsettled minister, at Wethersfield. At this time seven members constituted the church 129 tlicro, among whom a severe contest had arisen. The division was three and four, and it became necessary to make peace in the church — that one party or the other should remove. After some controversy, who should remove, the four members consented to yield to the minor. ity, viz. Matthew Mitchell, Thurston Rayner, Andrew Ward and Robert Coe, when they united witli Mr. Denton and others in purchas. ing the town of Stamford, in 1640. Mr. Denton soon organized his church, and remained in Stamford until '43 or '44, when he removed with a part of his church to Hempsted, L. I. lie appears to have been a pioneer in the settlement of many towns. Rev. Cotton Mather says of him, " he was small in stature, and blind with one eye — but was an Iliad in a nut-shell." He was educated at Catherine Hall, in England, in 1623.