New Britain herald., 1921-02-07
NEW BRI7ALNNANES WHICH
 DATE FROM EARLYHZSTORY
Definitions Of Surnames Of City With A Brief Introduction Regarding Its Foundation
 Where The Houses Were
(By James Shepard.)

names and the fact that the bearers thereof resided here have been gleaned mainly from Alfred Andrews history ot the First church. while several names which could not have been thus identified have been supplied from a list of resident tax payers of New Britain in the year 1700. published at Vine land. New Jersey, by Frank D. Andrews, 1910.
 Andrews history of the church and Camps history of the town. both state that Sergeant Richard BeclSley was the first settler within the present town of Berlin. but neither of them spccifical- ly state who the first settler was within tho present town Of New Britain. We believe that it was stephen Lee; that his wife Elizabeth Royce Lee was the Queen Bride" of New Britain: that the Lee house stood here about three years before the house of the second settler was built, and about fifteen years before the third settler and house appeared.
 It is stated in Camps history that stephen Lee was married October l. 1600. and soon after moved into tho house which he had built on the west side of East street. This house was
 
 second house was built by Benjamin Judd on the west side of East street, not far north of Lees house. Judd married a daughter of John North Jan. IS. 1894. which is approximately the date of his settlement here.
 About 1TO5 Daniel Dewey erected our third house on the east side of stan ley street, near Ellis street. The southeast part of Old Pennington con tained so many inhabitants that 20 men petitioned the general assembly for the establishment of an Ecclesiastical So- ciety at Great Swamp, now KensinS- ton, in the year 1705. Six New BIi- tain men signed that petition. viz: Stephen Lee, Benjamin Judd, Danlel Dewey. Joseph Smith. Isaac Lewis and Anthony Judd The houses of the three men first named have been here inbefore located. Joseph Smith and Isanc Lewis were unmarried in 1705, and probably Anthony Judd was then a single man. Eventually the houses of the last named three men were scat tered about through the east part of the town southerly of stephen Lees. It thus appears that our pioneer ham let included the homes of the above named six petitioners of 1705, who bore five different surnames.
 The organization of the First church in 175S marked another milestone on the road to the City of New Britain. At that time we had 70 heads of families, bearing 21 surnames. The Judds were represented by families, Harts D, Smiths .. Stanleys f. woodruffs 4. Lees 2 with families each by the name of Andrews. Booth. Griswold. Kilbourn. Mather and Patterson. While the names Clark, Dewey. Gilbert, Hotch- kiss. were each borne by one family only. X reproduction of a map. giv- ing the location of our several faml- lies in the year 175S appears opposite page 126 in the 'One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the First ! Church of Christ. New Britain. Con- necticut, 170S.'
 By the year 1772 our heads of fami- | lies and number of surnames of 1IJs 1 had more than doubled. according to ! the tax list Of the New Britain society. as published on page 75 of Andrews | history of the First church. This list shows no taxpayers bearing ~ differ 1 ent surnames.
 The published list of taxpayers in New Britain for the year 1700. herein before mentioned. shows I'll taxpayers who were residents of the society. be sides the minister. pr. Smalley. whom the law did not tax although he was I ! large land holder. These parties bore l 66 different surnames. Harts were ] trumps for New Britain in the veal 17o9, the several taxpayers of thai name being IT. followed by Booth witf 12. Andrews II, Smith 9. Stanley s Judd 6. Belden :. Francis ,. Steele .. Clark 4. Lee 4. Mather 4. Church m 8. KiIborn ,. North 2 and Wood run 2. The names Bronson, Demlng Dewey. Eddy. Griswold. Gladden.. Hol lister. Lewis. Merrills. Osgood. Penfield Root, Sage. Shipman, Steadman whaples and Wells had two representa- tives each. The names Ames. Atkins Bartholomew, Bass. Bassett, Burritt Cone. Cornwall, Couch, Curtis, Daniels Doolittle, Goodrich, Gilbert, Hills Hotchkiss, Hinsdale. Lincoln, Ludding ton, Lusk. Pratt. Recor. Riley, Roberts Rugg. Seymour. Slater, Smailey Thompson. Webster and White wer represented by only one landOwne each. It appears by this list that 8 surnames out of the 100 which had be fore been borne here were not born here in the year 1709. The five sur names Lee. Judd. Dewey. Smith an' Lewis of our pioneer hamlet, hay