The Newtown bee., 1905-08-11
1905.

"
That Purchase Which William Jeane
purchased of We indians with bis asoti
ates in We boundaries of NewtOwn AND
to request Col Jonson and Capt
Miners assistance to declare to ye
indians what land we sd. indians sold
per ye Deed. Also to procure four
Gallons of rum to treate We indians
and to refresh themselves and Charge
We Town debter for ye rum and all
other charge and trebel necessary in
completing ye same"
After the organization Of the town
and the survey of the lands purchased
of the Indians had been made, it was
found that one Indian, Quiomph SO
called, claimed in his own personal
| right a strip Of land alongside the
Great River, and the town appointed
John Glover and Abraham Kimberly
and Jonat than Booth as assistants, to
buy Quiomph's land that he had laid
claim to, declaring himself to be own
er Of all the land not heretofore pur-
chased by the English. The price
paid him by the town agents was l6
pounds. 1t is described by the deed
as follows: "All ye land in We boun-
diaries of Newtown not purchased by
We English before We date of these
presents, except a corner, of lntervale
land lying by We River, and is bounded
easterly by ye River and on all ye
other sides by brook called by ye In
dams "HuckO," from ye River until
We Brook comes down between We hills,
and from ye said brook where 1t comes
down between ye hills, straight lire
direct to We River"
This is the only recorded sale of In
dian lands that was made after what
is known as "the first purchase,
though in order to meet any emer-
gency or dispute that might arts, it
was "voted at a town meeting held
January IL, 1713, that Captain Minor
of Woodbury., and John Glover and
Abraham Kimberly of Newtown, pur-
CHS ali ye land within ye bounds of
Newtown of ye Indians that is not
yet sold or purchased of them, and We
doe give said Captain Minor, John
Glover and Abraham Kimberly full
power and Authority to Purchis all We
Indian lands in ye boundaries afore-
said or as much as ye Indians will sell,
for We use of ye Town, ye Town Treas
urer to pay all ye Purchis money and
all ye Charge and trouble ye Purchasers
shall Be att.
In 1855 the Connecticut colony re-
ported to the Crown that there were
1000 Indians in the colony, nearly one
half dwelling in English families and
the balance in small clans in various
parts of the colony, and were peaceably
inclined, and the white population in
the colony was 10000.
In May, 1708, the Colonial Legisla-
ture gave town grant leaving it to
the people to choose between Preston
and NeWtOwn for name. In May,
I'LL, the town was given the right to
elect local officers, and town clerk,
constable, surveyor of highways,a field
driver and fence viewer were chosen.
These several officers were obliged to
60 to Danbury to take the oath of office.
In October, 171l, the town was in
corporated and granted the right to
elect tOwnSmen or Selectmen, and at
meeting held at the house of Daniel
Foote December 4, I'LL, Ebenezer
Pringle, Samuel Sanford and John
Platt were chosen selectmen, thus set
ting in motion the wheels of town
government which have continued re-
vOlving under varying conditions until
the present moment, as near an illus
tration of perpetual motion as we are
likely ever to discover.
Next in order of business came the
laying out of the township, which is
expressed on the town record in the
following terms: "All of that tract
of land lying on the west side OF Strait
ford or POhtatuck river, bounded east
erly on Stratford and part of Fairfield,
westerly upon Danbury and line rum
ming from the southeast corner of
DanburY parallel to the east line of
said town to Fairfield bounds, norther-
ly upon New Milford purchase and
Pohtatuck river shall be one entire
town known by the name of New
town."
A committee was then appointed
and authorized by the Legislature to
survey the tract Of land and consider
what number of Inhabitants it would
conveniently accommodate, determine
where the town plot SHOULD be, and
lay out a suitable numbe of home lots.
Esquire Joseph Curtis Of Stratford,
Capt Joseph Wakeman Of Fairfield,
Mr. John Sherman of Woodbury. and
Mr. Thomas Taylor of Danbury
comprised the legislative com,
land took place in March, ITO.
The allotment as recorded is lengthy
document, but the location of the land
can easily be determined from the rec
ords. 1t lay on the westerly side of
the new country road and bounded on
the west by the great pond and the
long meadow, which was the intervale
land, comprised in what we now call
Head of the Meadow district, and
bounded on the south by the deep
brook. This included the plain
stretching to the southwark of Mrs
Philo Clark's and the ridge Of land
that extends northerly from her house.
There were % proprietors who took
Sf1I ~, hi f,Cf oil o%y NJ
Ensign richard Hubbell, Daniel Bur
Junr, Captain Bur, Lieutenant Samuel
Hubbell, Mr. John Reed, Mr. Chauncy,
Eben Booth, John Miner, Captain
Hawley, theo Lake, Mr. Samuel Haw-
ley, Joseph Curtice Fairweather, Capt
Judson, jon Morris, VIM Jeanes, Jon
Beardsley, EbeneZer Pringle, Jeremia
Turner, Edward lewes, dan'll Jackson,
Benja. Sherman, Thomas Benit."
The document is signed by Joseph
| Curtice and Thomas Taylor, two OF the
committee appointed by the Colonial
each containing 20 acres. The record
is as follows: "An Count of Diyis-
ion of Land laid out March "a, ITO, by
the Committee for Newtown, each lot
Containing 20 acres,-Namely on the
Hill on the west side of the town l.
lots already laid out to- particularly
persons, named to wit, Josiah Burt
the north lott, A Abraham Kimberly the
south lot, only Kimberly's lot contains
but acres and is to have IL acres
more adjoying to the west side of MI
Sherman s farm to joint with We south
side of Mr. Sherman's farm, 60 acres
laid out to Mr. Glover in one piece be
ing for three allotmentS due to hin
| III, =, nd Of in We
| q ri Hi =, in lion of ua homo lot laued OIL