Richard Edgerton (1620-1692)
Richard Edgerton, one of the original proprietors of Norwich, was granted a house-lot, consisting of about six acres. Additional lands were assigned to him in later divisions, as noted in the Norwich Book of Grants. He was admitted a Freeman of the Colony of Connecticut on May 14, 1668. He served as Townsman (a.k.a. selectman) in 1678, and Constable in 1680. Like the majority of his counterparts, Richard probably earned his living as a farmer and planter.
As of 2000, the Richard Edgerton house was still standing and was at that time one of only three of the original Norwich dwellings still in use. In 1959, the house was moved due to highway construction from its original location near 130 West Town Street.
The photo shown on the left is Richard Edgerton’s house, as seen in October 2000.
FAMILY
Richard Edgerton married Mary Sylvester Edgerton (1628-1692) in 1653 in Saybrook Connecticut. They had nine children. Their children were :
1) Mary Edgerton (1655-1728) : Born in Saybrook Connecticut
2) Elizabeth Edgerton (1657-?) : Born on Christmas Day in Saybrook Connecticut
3) Hannah (a.k.a. Anna) Edgerton Wille (1659-1759) : Wife of Thomas Wille
4) John Edgerton (1662-1692) : Husband of Mary Reynolds Lathrop Edgerton the daughter of John Reynolds
5) Richard Edgerton Jr. (1664-1729) : Husband of Elizabeth Scudder Edgerton
6) Sarah Edgerton Reynolds (1657-1714) : Wife of Joseph Reynolds, the son of John Reynolds
7) Samuel Edgerton Sr. (1670-1748) : Husband of Alice Ripley Edgerton
8) Lydia Edgerton Backus (1675-1697) : Wife of Nathanial Backus Sr. the son of Lt. William Backus Jr.
9) Joseph Edgerton (1677-1735) : Husband of Experience Pratt Edgerton
Richard Edgerton died in 1692 and is buried in Founders Cemetery in Norwich.
Acknowledgements
The Richard Edgerton Genealogy Database
Geni.com
FindAGrave.com
Photo by Robert C. Wolfert, October 2000
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Richard Edgerton” in the SEARCH box.
John Gager (1620-1703)
John Gager was the only son of Dr. William Gager, who emigrated from England aboard the ship Arbella with Gov. John Winthrop in June 1630. They first settled in Charlestown Massachusetts.
John fought in the Pequot War (1636-1638), for which service the town of New London granted him a farm of two hundred acres on the east side of the river (now part of the town of Ledyard). By 1645, John Gager’s name was listed as an inhabitant of New London (at that point-in-time Ledyard was a part of New London). Evidently John Gager was well regarded by Gov. John Winthrop because he left Gager one of his finest cows, two goats and ten bushels of Indian corn in his last will.
John Gager moved from New London to Norwich and became one of the 35 proprietors in 1659. His house lot bears the date of the oldest surveys, November 1659. After moving there, he spent the remainder of his life in Norwich. Gager was made a freeman in 1675 and served as Constable in Norwich during the years of 1674 and 1688.
JOHN GAGER’S WILL
John Gager’s last will provided several interesting gifts for his family members. The cash included £49 16s (approximately $12,500 in 2020 $) and several other items. Some of the items listed were :
A) One Bible
B) One white-faced stag : It is believed that the stag was a family pet.
C) One snite : (a.k.a. snit) A candle snuffer in today’s vernacular
D) A peel : (a.k.a. peal) A peel is a large flat paddle used to draw bread from an oven
E) Two trammels : (a.k.a. trammills), an adjustable set of pot hooks that can be set into a fireplace
F) Tongs : Probably used for placing hot coals into warming pan
G) Andirons : A pair of metallic stands used to support wood burned on an open hearth
H) One warming pan : A wide, flat brass pan on a long handle, filled with hot coals for warming a bed
It was the custom in those days for men that had children who had arrived at maturity, to become, in great part, their own executors. They distributed their estates by deed and assignment before death, reserving only a needful portion for themselves, to be disposed of afterwards. This accounts for the seemingly meager inheritance that John Gager left for his family.
FAMILY
John married Elizabeth Gore Gager (1627-1705) and they had nine children. Their children’s names were :
1) John Gager Jr. (1647-1690) : Husband of Deborah Allyn Gager the daughter of Robert Allyn
2) Elizabeth Gager Allyn (1648-1674) : Wife of John Allyn the son of Robert Allyn
3) Sarah Gager Forbes (1651-1713) : Wife of Deacon Caleb Forbes
4) Samuel Gager (1654-1740) : Husband of Rebecca Lay Gager
5) Bethiah Gager Abell (1657-1723) : Wife of Joshua Abell
6) Willyam Gager (August 1660-September 1662) : Died at a very young age
7) Lydia Gager Huntington (1663-1731) : Wife of Simon Huntington III the son of Deacon Simon Huntington Jr.
8) Hannah Gager Brewster (1666-1727) : Wife of Daniel Brewster
9) Mary Gager Ripley (1671-1675) : Wife of Jeremiah Ripley
John Gager’s sister, Sarah, was married to Robert Allyn.
John Gager died in Norwich in 1703 and is buried in the Founders Cemetery.
Acknowledgements
“History of Norwich, Connecticut: From Its Possession From the Indians, to the Year 1866”, pp 174-175, by Frances Manwaring Caulkins
Geni.com
Sites.RootsWeb.com
Family History from Arthur H. Gager, 3rd
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “John Gager” in the SEARCH box.
Stephen Gifford (1641-1724)
When Stephen Gifford married Hannah Gore in May 1667 in Roxbury Massachusetts, he was about 17 years old. Later in 1659, when Norwich was first settled, he was about 19, thus being one of the youngest of all the original 35 proprietors. It is not conclusively known if Stephen Gifford was actually one of the 35 proprietors. Refer to Info Source 1 for details.
Evidently Stephen Gifford was well respected in Norwich. In 1681 he was made a freeman by the General Court of Connecticut. On October 5, 1685 the original 1659 deed to Norwich was reviewed, ratified, renewed and confirmed by Uncas’s son Owaneco, and his son Josiah. Upon this ratification a new deed was drawn up. Stephen Gifford was one of three witnesses of the signing of this “new” deed. The next year, in 1686, Stephen Gifford was chosen as one of the constables in Norwich.
Stephen Gifford’s house-lot abutted the Norwichtown Green and was between the chapel and Mediterranean Lane. Stephen and his family lived on the lot about 28 years before moving to the Great Plain in Norwich. He sold his lot, which included about six acres of land, his house, orchard, pasture and fences to the Town of Norwich. Two years later the lot was granted to Rev. Woodward and the land became known as the “parsonage lot”. After Rev. Woodward left Norwich and the new pastor’s arrived, the land was granted to Rev. Benjamin Lord.
Stephen Gifford was probably a farmer, like most of the Norwich first inhabitants. His original house-lot included pasture land and an orchard.
NORWICH OVOID CARVER
The headstones shown in the illustration on the left were all carved by the Norwich Ovoid Carver. Stephen Gifford, John Post and Simon Huntington IV are all buried in the Old Norwichtown Cemetery. Stephen Gifford and John Post were both members of the 35 original proprietors of Norwich.
Simon Huntington IV’s headstone is the 3rd oldest in the cemetery. He died at the young age of 21 from a rattlesnake bite that he suffered while mowing a nearby meadow. He was the grandson of Deacon Simon Huntington Jr.
Captain James Morgan's headstone was also carved by the Norwich Ovoid Carver. He is buried in Groton. And, yes he was the uncle of Captain Henry Morgan, the infamous pirate and privateer. Captain Morgan Spiced Rum was named for Captain Henry Morgan.
“Particularly in the old Norwichtown burying ground, but also in Windham, Groton, Preston, and Coventry, one finds a small number of large rude semicircular stones that are among the earliest carved stones in the area. They are not just the crude initialed carving found in many inland cemeteries. These stones have obviously been shaped and the fronts smoothed. There is no attempt at designs, but the lettering is deeply and boldly cut and has remained legible for over two hundred years, often without appreciable deterioration. The Groton stones are particularly clear, but may well have been recut. There is something appealing in the elemental cleanness and strength of these early stones. They give one the impression of a society determined to remember its founders forever with no nonsense about it.” From Info Source 2
The Ovoid Carver carved many headstones during the years of 1689-1724. Other ovoid headstones in the Norwichtown Cemetery include :
- Deacon Simon Huntington Jr.( d1706) the oldest headstone in the Norwichtown Cemetery
- Mary Adgate (d1713)
- Hannah Gifford (d1724)
FAMILY
Stephen Gifford married Hannah Gore Gifford (c1640- 1671) in 1667. They had two children. Their names were :
1) Samuel Gifford (1668-1714) : Husband of Experience Hyde Gifford and then Mary Calkins Gifford
2) Hannah Gifford Calkins (1670-1755) : Wife of Samuel Calkins, the son of John Calkins
Stephen Gifford married Hannah Gallup Gifford (1644-1724) in 1672 in Norwich. They had four children. Their names were :
1) John Gifford (1673-1747) : Husband of Martha Gallup Gifford (c1675-c1775)
2) Ruth Clara Gifford Fitch (1676-1756) : Wife of Capt. Jeremiah Fitch, the son of Rev. James Fitch
3) Stephen Gifford (1679-1711)
4) Aquila Gifford (1682-1755)
Stephen Gifford is an ancestor of Frank Gifford (1930-2015) member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and husband of Kathie Lee Gifford.
Stephen Gifford and his wife Hannah are buried in the Old Norwichtown Cemetery in Norwich.
Acknowledgements
“History of Norwich, Connecticut: From Its Possession From the Indians, to the Year 1866”, pp 175-176, by Frances Manwaring Caulkins
“The Colonial Burying Grounds of Eastern Connecticut and the Men who Made Them”, 1987, by James A. Slater
WikiTree.com
Geni.com
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Stephen Gifford” in the SEARCH box.
Lt. Francis Griswold (1632-Oct 1671)
Lt. Francis Griswold appears to have been a man of capacity and enterprise, and took an active part in the affairs of the Norwich. He served as Deputy for Norwich to the General Court of Connecticut for eleven sessions, beginning October 1664 and ending May 1671. He was one of three townsmen who tried cases locally that involved less than 40 shillings (about $300 in today’s dollars).
The Griswold Family Coat of Arms is illustrated on the left. The Griswold family originated in Solihull, England, where they lived for centuries as greyhound breeders, which were a favorite of King Edward I of England. The images of greyhounds are clearly evident in the family Coat of Arms.
FAMILY
Francis Griswold was married to Sarah, her surname is unknown. However, it is known that they had ten children. Their children were :
1) Sarah Griswold Chapman (1653-1692) : Wife of Robert Chapman
2) Joseph Griswold (1655-1655) : Lived for 8 weeks
3) Mary Griswold Tracy (1658-1723) : Wife of Lt. Jonathan Tracy the son of Lt. Thomas Tracy
4) Hannah Griswold Clark (1658-1687) : Second wife of Captain William Clark Jr.
5) Margaret Griswold (1660-1691)
6) Dorothy Griswold Crane (1661-1704) : Wife of Jonathan Crane
7) Lydia Griswold (1663-1664) : Died as an infant
8) Captain Samuel Griswold (1665-1740) : He married Susannah Huntington Griswold, the daughter of
Christopher Huntington in 1685. After her death he married Hannah Backus Bingham Tracy Griswold, the daughter of Lt. William Backus Jr in 1729.
9) Margaret Griswold Buckingham (1668-1752) : Wife of Thomas Buckingham. Thomas’s brother, Daniel, was the great-great grandfather of William A. Buckingham.
10) Lydia Griswold Bartlett Holmes (1671-1752) : Married to Joseph Bartlett in 1692 and to Joseph Holmes in 1705
In 1671 Francis Griswold died due to a sudden attack of a disease. He was between 38 and 39 years old. After his death, Deacon Thomas Adgate and John Post became guardians of his surviving seven children who varied in age from infant to 18 years.
He is buried in the Founders Cemetery in Norwich.
Acknowledgements
“History of Norwich, Connecticut: From Its Possession From the Indians, to the Year 1866”, pp 176-177, by Frances Manwaring Caulkins
Geni.com
WikiTree.com
FindAGrave.com
Griswold Family Organization
Thomas Howard III (1639-1675)
Thomas Howard III’s house-lot in Norwich was recorded the same date as those of Rev. James Fitch and Maj. John Mason. It is believed that he arrived in Norwich in the spring of 1660. A great deal of information about the life of Thomas Howard III is unknown.
In 1681 Thomas Howard was made a freeman by the General Court of Connecticut. This title gave him the privilege to vote on community matters. It is also known that he was an active member of the Norwich militia.
In 1675 the Norwich militia was called to arms in support of New England colonists and Mohegan efforts to protect themselves from a group of several Native American tribes from Rhode Island and Massachusetts that had banded together. Thomas Howard III was a part of that campaign and sadly he died on December 17, 1675 during the Great Swamp Fight of King Philip’s War. He was survived by his wife and five children under the age of nine years old.
KING PHILIP’S WAR
King Philip’s War, (a.k.a. the “First Indian War” or “Metacomet’s War”) was fought in 1675-1678 between New England colonists (and their Native American allies) and several Native American tribes that had banded together. The New England colonist’s allies included the Mohegan and the Pequots. The opponents allies were the Wampanoags, Narragansetts, Nipmucks, Podunks and others.
King Philip (a.k.a. Metacomet) was the Wampanoag Chief whose tribe lived in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The reasons for the war are many. Both sides believed that the treaty between the two groups had been violated. There were several armed skirmishes during the time period between June-November 1675. However, the war escalated dramatically in December 1675.
The Great Swamp Fight took place in mid-December near present-day West Kingstown Rhode Island. There were approximately 1,150 colonist militia and their allies fighting against approximately 1,000 Native American warriors within King Philip’s fort. The colonist militia decisive won the battle. Approximately 70 militia were killed and 150 more wounded. On the other side, approximately 100 warriors were killed, between 300-1000 non-combatants were killed and 300 more were captured. King Philip’s massive fort was burned. The battle has been described as “one of the most brutal and lopsided military encounters in all of New England’s history.”
The war lasted several more years and was won by the colonists and their Native American allies. By the end of the war in April 1678 there were more than 5,500 casualties. It was the greatest calamity in seventeenth-century New England history. Twelve towns were destroyed and many more were damaged. Rhode Island was hit especially hard and the Narragansett tribe was almost completely destroyed.
FAMILY
Thomas Howard III married Mary Wellman Howard in January 1666. They had four children. Their children were :
1) Mary Howard (1667-?)
2) Sarah Howard Geer (1669-1713) : Wife of Joseph Geer
3) Thomas Howard (1670-1745) : Husband of Margaret Willoughby Howard
4) Martha Howard (February 1672-March 1672) : Lived for 4 weeks
5) Benjamin Howard (1675-1750) : Husband of Mary Amos Howard
Thomas Howard III died in 1675 and is buried in the Old Norwichtown Cemetery.
Acknowledgements
The Great Swamp Fight, Wikipedia
Geni.com
“History of Norwich, Connecticut: From Its Possession From the Indians, to the Year 1866”, (pp 179, 104-115), by Frances Manwaring Caulkins
Capture of King Philip’s Fort, Harper’s Magazine, 1857
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Thomas Howard” in the SEARCH box.