The Newtown bee., 1905-08-11

Ond, King OF England, was on tn
throne. Many of his loving subject
had crossed the ocean to make TO
themselves homes in the new world
when John Winthrop, John Masol
and others petitioned his graciou
Majesty the King, in view of the fac
that they were so remote from tn
other English plantations in New
England that che would create ant
make them a body pollitique and cor
porate in fact and name, by the NAM
OF GOvernOur and Company of thu
English Colony of Connecticut in New
England in America" The petition
was granted, Empowering them in thu
name of the King and their successor
after them "to be able and capable il
the law, to plead and be implicated
to answer and be answered unto, tC
defend and be defended in all actions
matters and things of what kind anc
nature whatsoever, and to have, take
and possess and acquire lands, and tt
bargain, sell and dispose of, as other
our liege people OF this our realm Of
England, or any other body pollitique
within the same may lawfully do
That we may understand the manner
| by which our township passed from
! the ownership of the Indians to the
English, we must have recourse to the
Connecticut Colonial Records.
At the session of the General Court
holden in Hartford in October, 1867,
an act was passed appointing COM
mittee and empowering them with
liberty to purchase Pohtatuck and
the lands adjoining to be reserved for
further decreed "that whereas several
Inhabitants of Stratford have had
liberty to purchase Pootatuck for a
village or town, the aforesaid commit
tee with Mr. Sherman of Stratford are
hereby Empowered to order the plant
ing Of the same, II it be judged fit to
make plantations; provided if they do
not settle plantation there within
four years, it shall return to the
Courts dispose again."
In 1871 the General Court gave Glib
erty to certain men to purchase of the
Indians such land as they shall judge
convenient within the bounds Of the
Connecticut colony always provided
pose Of the General Court, and when
the land is disposed of by the court,
the committee shall have rational
satisfaction for their disbursement. v
In 1873 the court again appointed a
committee Ito view the lands Of the
Poo tatuckS and those adjoining
whether they may be fit for planta-
tiOn and to make return thereof how
they find it, at the next session; of the
General Court in October"
Again, In 1878 the General Court ap-
pointed another committee, the Hon
ored Deputy Governor, Major Robert
Treat, with three other prominent
men to view and buy convenient land
for plantation in those adjacent
places about Pootatuck, and when said
disposed as the Court shall see cause
and reason to order for the planting of
it," :.
We have followed the action of the
General Court in regard to the pur-
chase of the land from the Indians to
make clear that from start to finish
there is no evidence of any undue
haste or of intrigue, in getting posses
sion of their lands, and although the
price paid for the land when it was
sold, looks cOntemptibly small and
mean, it was a square deal and no
trouble came from the Indians after
ward in regard to the same.
On Page 48, Volume l, of the New
town Town Records is recorded the
deed given by Massumpus, Mauquash
nI1O GN uuA0 W0uh oCUAhk LII OOAo1A VI
the Pootatuckj tribe of Indians, to
William Jeanes and Samuel Hawley,
Jr., of Stratford, and Justis Bush Of
New York, of tract of country eight
miles long and six miles wide lying on
the west side of the Great River, now
called HOuSatOnic, and bordering on it,.
The consideration of the purchase
for the 48 square miles was flour guns,
four brOadclOth coats, two blankets,
four buffett coats, four kettles, two
shirts, ten pair of stockings, forty
pounds of lead, ten hatchetS, ten
pounds of powder and forty knives. "
AS the General Court had sole power
and control of purchasing Indian lands,
ual capacity exceeded their power, not
for that purpose, which act was con-
trary to the laws Of the colony, as the
General Court never intended that any
Indian lands should be purchased in
the interest of land speculation. The
deed of purchase bears date July 25,
1705, which corresponds to August 5,
New Style. At the October session of
the General Court holden in New Ha-
ven the same year of the purchase,
the following vote was passed:
"Whereas, there are some persons,
namely, William Jeanes, Samuel Haw-
ley, Junr., of Strattord, and Justus
Bush Of New York, who have, contra
ry to the laws of this colony, lately
purchased of the Indians some thou
sands of acres of land lying on the
west side of the StratfOrd river as ap-
pears by a deed of said purchase now
in the hands of the Court, this court
doth recommend it to the civil author
itv in the county Of Fairfield To take
care that the said offenders may be
prosecuted in due form of law for their
illegal purchase Of lands as aforesaid
and do order that a copy of the said
deed be transmitted to the said cOun-
ty court, that the said persons may be
thereby convicted, and likewise to or
der prosecution of any other persons
who shall be found to make or have
made any such illegal purchases of land
in said county"
At the May session of the General
Court, 1905, the following act was
| passed:
Whereas, Justis Bush of New York,
Mr. Samuel Hawley, Junr., and Will
liam Jeanes OF Stratford, have, with
out liberty fromithis corporation, pur
chased tract of land of some Indians
lying within this colony, for which
county court in Fairfield in June next
the said Jeanes Offering to this. court
to resign to this corporation his part
Of said purchase and to endeavOr thai
his partners shall do the like before OF
at this special COURT this court dc
therefore see cause to order, that i
the said Bush and Hawley and Jeanes
do, before, or at the said county court
| make a full, free and firm RESIGNATION