| Notes |
- RESEARCH_NOTES:
1. Henry R. Stiles, "The History and Genealogies of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut," 1892, v. 2, pp. 621-622: "(Mr. Henry Porter Andrews of Saratoga, NY, has in press - 1891 - a 'Genealogy of the Descendants of John Porter from Warwickshire, England to Windsor, Connecticut, 1639, in the male and female lines,' a vol. of 830 pp., besides indexes. This work we have not seen. Mr. A. had previously (1882) pub. a genealogy of 'Descendants of Col. John Porter of Salisbury, Conn.,' from which we have used a few items, bracketed thus { }.)
'John Porter, Sr., came from Engl. and settled here in Windsor in 1639.' - O.C.R. According to statements furnished by Henry D. White, Esq., of New Haven, Conn., he came to New England with wife and nine children from Felsted, County Essex, England, probably in the ship 'Susan and Ellen,' 17 Jul 1638, and in company with his borther-in-law, Joseph Loomis - see 'Loomis.' In the Parish Register of Messing, County Essex, Engl, is the following rec. of mar.: '1620, Oct. 18. John Porter of Felsted and Anna White of Messing.' Anna, as we find from the Messing Parish Register, was bp. 13 Jul 1600 and was the dau. of Robert White of M., by his wife, Bridget (dau. of William) Allgar of Shalford, County Essex, and was probably the sister of Mary White of M., who m. Joseph Loomis, the emigrant ancestor of the Windsor family of that name (see 'Loomis,' p. 432). Another sister, Elizabeth White, m. 7 Nov 1616, William Goodwin of Hartford, and the three are thought to have been the sisters of Elder John White, though this is not yet proven. Both the Loomis and Goodwin marriages are from the 'Shalford Parish Register.'
He had land grant in Windsor (see page 164, Vol. I); was appointed constable, 1639/40; juror, 1640; grand-juror, 1643; deputy to General Court, 1646/7, and a prominent man in the community. He 'd. 21 and was bu. 22 April 1648.' (Windsor Records); left a large est. His will is given in Trumbull's 'Col. Rec. Conn.' 'John Porter, Sen'rs, wife' d. 1647. - O.C.R. Children (first 9 born England):
A. John.
B. James, a merchant, and colonial agent for Connecticut in London (see 'Trumbull,' 1, 406) {m. Sarah Tudor of Windsor}.
C. Sarah, b. 1626; m. 24 Oct 1644, Joseph Judson of Milford, Conn., and d. 16 Mar 1696, age 70.
D. Samuel, m. about 1659, Hannah (dau. Thomas) Stanley; settled Hadley, Mass.; became ancestor of the H. Porters, whose gen. is given in Goodwin's 'Genealogy Notes'; he d. 6 Sep 1689; she d. 18 Dec 1708.
E. Mary, m. 27 May 1658 Samuel Grant of Windsor.
F. Anne, m. 24 Feb 1644, William Gaylord of Windsor.
G. Joseph.
H. {Rebecca.}
I. {Rose}, probably the Rose who 'was buried 12 May 1648.' - O.C.R.
J. Nathaniel, b. 19 Jul 1640 in Windsor, bp. same year {m. Anna Groves of Stratford, Conn.}
H. Hannah, b. 4 Sep 1642 in Windsor; bp. same year {m. John Coleman of Deerfield, Mass.}"
2. From the booklet "The Settlement of Windsor, Connecticut," by Kent Avery, Donna Siemiatkoski, and Robert Silliman, reprinted 2002 by the Windsor Historical Society. The booklet contains various editions of a list of the "Founders of Ancient Windsor" with the latest and most accurate being amended and approved June 1996. The list names the heads of households in Windsor by June 1641. Family related ancestors included are as follows. ST=Saltonstall Party of 1635 (Lords and Gentlemen); D=Dorchester, Mass; H=Huit Party from England arrived in Massachusetts on the Susan and Ellen, 1638; *=Arrived at Dorchester on the Mary and John in 1630.:
Thomas Barber (ST. 1635)
William Filley (D. 1640)
Jeremiah Gillett
Jonathan Gillett (D. 1635)*
Nathan Gillett (D. 1635)*
Edward Griswold (H. 1639)
Matthew Griswold (H. 1639)
Joseph Loomis (H. 1639)
George Phelps (D. 1635)*
William Phelps (D. 1635)*
John Porter, Sr. (H. 1639)
The second and third generations of these founders intermarried children from many other names among the Founders. The booklet also gives some history of the founding from which I quote the following:
"The Connecticut River valley was first explored in 1614 when the Dutch explorer Adriaen Block sailed up the river as far as the Hartford area. However, the Dutch at New Amsterdam (now New York City) did not take advantage of the river valley until 1633 when they built a fort at the present site of Hartford.
The valley was also explored by the English, both Pilgrims from the Plymouth Colony and Puritans from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In April of 1631 representatives of the River Indians went to Boston and then to Plymouth to ask that each colony make settlements in the valley..." [The local Indians were seeking to preserve peace in the valley by protection from their more warlike enemies including the encroaching Pequots from the southeast and the Mohawks from the northwest.]
"...In 1633 groups from New Amsterdam, Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies explored and/or attempted to settle in the valley. During the early months of 1633, the Dutch were becoming apprehensive about the English colonies possibly settling on what they considered their land..." [The Dutch erected a fort at the present site of Hartford with two cannons and named it "House of Hope."]
"The Plymouth Colony decided to go ahead with their explorations in the late summer of 1633... under the command of Lt. William Holmes... This party landed on Sep. 26, 1633, at the junction of today's Connecticut and Farmington Rivers and immediately erected... a 'Palizado' or stockade fort.
"In the late summer of 1633 the Massachusetts Bay Colony decided to reconsider the possibilities of settling... A party led by John Oldham explored an overland route to Connecticut. They traveled westerly following an ancient Indian trail known as the Old Connecticut Path, then known as the Great Trail, until they reached the valley. His positive report encouraged the MBC to send their first party to settle the valley in 1634. Ten adventurers were the first settlers of Wethersfield. After this party of Puritans arrived in the valley, many more followed.
"At this time the MBC was ripe for a massive migration. The colony was established in 1628 by Puritans from England who were seeking to 'purify' the community's civil, economic and religious lifestyle in response to the abuses of church and state power in England. Led by Gov. John Winthrop, these Puritans felt called by God to attempt to live personal and public lives pleasing to Him in the unspoiled wilderness to form a model Christian society for the world to emulate. After a few years in the Massachusetts Bay, some of the colonists began to feel that Winthrop's version of the Puritan vision was too restrictive. He believed that God governed society through only a few select men. For these theological and political ideals as well as for the practical concern of the desire to move from the overcrowded seacoast to the new land along the fertile river, Puritans from the towns of Waterton, Dorchester and Newtown were eager to consider the possibilities opened up by Oldam's explorations in the valley.
"As a result, an advance party from Dorchester under the leadership of Roger Ludlow explored the Windsor area in the late spring of 1635 followed by a permanent settlement of 60 men, women and children in October. They probably moved just before winter to thwart the plans of yet another group of explorers, the 'Lords and Gentlemen.'
"This party of about 20 men under Francis Stiles was sent form England by Sir Richard Saltonstall. They claimed the right to settle the valley by a patent granted in 1631 by the Earl of Warwick to Saltonstall and other noblemen of England. The Stiles group arrived in Boston from England on June 16, 1635, and stayed in Boston for ten days before leaving for Windsor. They sailed up the Connecticut River..."
"All the land within the present borders of Windsor was legally purchased from these Indians [Podunk, Poquonocks, Sicaogs and Tunxis]."
"...disaster struck in the winter of 1633-34 when a smallpox epidemic spread through the River Indians tribes killing most of them..."
"The Pequots continued to conquer most of the tribes in Connecticut until they were finally stopped in the Pequot War in 1637 when the men in the river settlements united to fight after the Wethersfield massacre on April 23. After the Pequots were defeated, the River Indians, and the Englishmen were able to maintain a peaceful coexistence."
In regards to the Plymouth group "just one month after the trading post was completed... the Dutch governor at New Amsterdam sent 70 men to evict the Plymouth settlers from their trading post. When the Dutch force reached Windsor, they found the Plymouth settlers so well entrenched that after a few hostile demonstrations they returned to New Amsterdam. After this one attempt to dislodge the Windsor settlers, the Dutch took no further action against the settlement at Windsor... The trading post stayed undisturbed for nearly two years after the Dutch conflict until in 1635 two groups of settlers came form the MBC to settle on land in what is now Windsor."
"The Dorchester group who arrived in Windsor in 1636 was actually a Puritan congregation established by the Rev. John White in Plymouth, England, in 1630. Seeking a creative solution to the problems of political and religious oppression in England, the Puritans decided to emigrate to the New World to perform an 'errand in the wilderness,' to develop a model society under God free from the corruption of England. Rev. White encouraged 140 people to covenant with God and each other to live as a Christian community in the New World. Rev. John Warham and Rev. John Maverick were chosen as ministers. Others in company included... established gentlemen... William Phelps; and young, mostly single men such as... George Phelps. After a day of prayer, fasting and preaching, they boarded the Mary and Johnwhere they met together every day for worship and preaching during the ten weeks of their voyage. Landing in the New World, they established their new community in Dorchester under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Bay Colony headed by Governor John Winthrop."
"After a few years differences arose between Winthrop and some of the other ministers including Rev. Thomas Hooker, Warham and Maverick concerning the basis of authority in the government by a very few people whereas others saw that all the governed should have a voice in the government. Since these two ideas could not coexist, the problems of overcrowding the seaside colony and the inducement of a lucrative fur trade in the fertile inland valley helped the Dorchester group under Warham and the Newtown group under Hooker to decide to move west as congregations to develop their vision of the Puritan community under God."
"The Dorchester group traveled to the Connecticut River Valley following the Old Connecticut Path. It is debated whether the group continued all the way to Windsor on the Old Connecticut path or rather went through Agawam (now Springfield), Massachusetts, and traveled south along the Connecticut River until they reached Windsor. Most likely they took the Old Connecticut Path all the way since there were no known paths to Agawam large enough for a group of that size until the Bay Path was discovered in 1648."
"After walking for 14 days, the group reached Windsor at the end of October and settled on the east side of the Connecticut River across form the mouth of the Scantic River. For temporary shelter they dug into the sides of the low hills along the Connecticut River making homes that were enclosed on three sides by dirt, in front by posts and on the roof by wood and thatch."
"The unusually harsh winter came early that year freezing the river over by mid-November and preventing the ship laden with their possessions and provisions from sailing upriver from Long Island Sound. Some settlers traveled downriver, freed a ship and returned to the Bay Colony. Some returned to Dorchester overland through the snow. Still others decided to stay, subsisting through the winter on acorns, malt, grain and possibly receiving some food from the Indians and other groups of settlers. Undeterred from the harshness of the first winter, the Dorchester community renewed their determination to settle permanently in the Conn. River Valley. By the end of April of 1636 most of the congregation of the Dorchester church had removed to what is now Windsor, taking their church records with them and leaving a few townsmen remaining to reorganize a new church under the ministry of the Rev. Richard Mather who arrived from England a few months later."
"The land the Dorchester settlers started building on was owned by the Plymouth group. This piece of land was from a second land purchase from the Indians stretching from the Farmington River in the south to what is now Hayden Station in the north. The Dorchester settlers refused to acknowledge that the land belonged to the Plymouth group. The Plymouth group, who had not actually settled this second piece of land, was forced to stay in the Plymouth Meadow at the junction of the two rivers and eventually sold their land to Matthew Allyn. In 1640, two years after this sale, the Plymouth House and lot was declared to be within the jurisdiction of the orders of Windsor."
"In 1637 because of the threat of a Pequot attack, the Dorchester settlers constructed a palisade or fence of wooden posts on the higher ground north of the Farmington River. Here the settlers constructed more permanent homes. After the threat of Indian attack subsided and the homes of their families were completed, the settlers built their first meetinghouse for their church in 1639. The site of the meetinghouse in the center of what is now the Palisado Green is marked by a monument to the early settlers of Windsor."
"A few days after the Dorchester group reached Windsor, another group arrived...'The Lords and Gentlemen,' this group envisioned developing the Connecticut Valley into large manor-like estates upon which they would continue to enjoy the lifestyle to which they were accustomed in England. They claimed the right to settle under the Warwick Patent... giving them the right to settle anywhere in what is now Connecticut. This group included the Stiles brothers...as well as their servants and apprentices including... Thomas Barber..."
"Although the Stiles party wanted to settle the highland around the area that is now the Palisado Green, the Dorchester settlers allowed them to settle only in the northernmost part of Plymouth's second land purchase, the land just south of what is now Hayden Station..."
"In March 1636 the General court of Massachusetts established a commission of eight members to govern the river towns, including Agawam (now Springfield), for one year. Windsor's representatives were William Phelps and Roger Ludlow."
"Early in the following year the town of Dorchester changed its name to Windsor, Newtown to Hartford, Watertown to Wethersfield. The changes from Massachusetts names to wholly new names reflected the fact that the three towns were no longer under Massachusetts jurisdiction but constituted the separate colony of Connecticut."
"The three settlements in Windsor were merging into one identity with most of the Plymouth group leaving, the Dorchester group continuing to be the most prominent..."
"In May 1638 Rev. Thomas Hooker preached a sermon in which he propounded the theological basis of a democratic government. These beliefs were actually put into words by Roger Ludlow, a brilliant legal mind trained at Oxford University. Known as the 'Fundamental Orders of 1639,' this document expressed Rev. Hooker's belief that 'the foundation of authority is laid in the free consent of the people.' Thus, Roger Ludlow and Thomas Hooker were the primary contributors to the first written constitution in the world, which expressed the right of the people to govern themselves."
"Meanwhile, large-scale emigration into Windsor continued until about 1641 when it became a trickle, reflecting both the exodus of Puritans from England and the end of that Exodus when the Puritans finally secured political power there in 1641. In most cases people migrated first to the MBC then on to the Connecticut River Valley. One of these later groups which emigrated in 1638 form England to Massachusetts and then to Windsor was led by the Rev. Ephraim Huit, who then assisted Warham in his work. That group of immigrants, many of whom came over on the Susan and Ellen included John Porter and Joseph Loomis (who married the White sisters), John Bissell, Edward and Matthew Griswold and Daniel Clarke...."
3. On file with me (file 2656) are various maps of early Windsor, Connecticut that are copies of those found at the Windsor Historical Society. Included are:
A. "Plan of Ancient Windsor, 1640-1654." Also includes a blow-up of the Palisado. Ancestral "Heads of Households" shown on the plan include John Bancroft, Thomas Barber, William Filley, Jonathan Gillett, Nathan Gillet, Edward Griswold, Jos. Loomis, Wm. Phelps, Jr., Wm. Phelps, Sr., John Porter.
B. "Map of Windsor, 1633-1650." Shows many ancestral heads of households.
C. A map entitled "Southern New England in the 17th Century," which also shows the "Great Trail" leading from Dorchester, Mass. to Windsor, Connecticut.
D. Misc. other Windsor maps in the same time periods locating ancestral heads of households and their land.
4. NEHGS Register, Vol. 55, pages 22-31, 1901, see notes of Robert White for full transcript of article from which the following partial excerpt is taken:
"The children of Robert White of Messing, Co. Essex, England, Who Settled in Hartford and Windsor. By a Descendant.
...It is believed that three of his daughters came with their husbands to New England, namely: Mary White, wife of Joseph Loomis of Braintree; Elizabeth White, wife of William Goodwin of Bocking; and Anna White, wife of John Porter of Felsted.
Matthew Grant's Old Church Record (in Stiles's Ancient Windsor) records the death in 1647 of "John Porter, Sen's wife," and also the death in 1652 of "Joseph Loomis, Sen. his wife." This is valuable information, but it would have been more satisfactory had the record contained the Christian names of these wives. Nor does the entry in the Windsor Town Records of the birth of John Porter's two children, Nathaniel in 1640 and Hanna in 1642, give the mother's name. In the same town records is this entry: "John Porter, Sr., came from England and settled in Windsor in 1639." Mr. Porter was present as a member of the "Committee" of the General Court in Hartford, August 8th, 1639. He died in Windsor 21st April, 1648, leaving a will, an abstract of which is hereinafter given, and it is to be noticed that two of the beloved friends made supervisors of his will were "Mr. William Goodwin of Hartford and Goodman White of Hartford."
The marriage of John Porter of Felsted to Anna White of Messing, 18th October, 1620, is found in the Parish Register of Messing. The baptisms of their children, beginning with Anna, September 21, 1621, their first born, down to Mary, October 1st, 1637, the last one there baptized are recorded in the Parish Register of Felsted. They probably went to Messing soon after this date, as the baptism of their daughter Anna (who is supposed to have died in infancy), November 4, 1638, is there recorded. These facts, taken in connection with the information concerning his family contained in the will of John Porter dated April 20th, 1648, and also in the Town Records of Windsor, are regarded as good and sufficient authority for the statement that this John Porter of Felsted and John Porter of Windsor, Conn., were the same person. The names of his children in his will (omitting his two eldest daughters) are the same and in the same order of seniority as the baptisms in Felsted, except that in his will he names first all his sons, and then all his daughters. Two of his children, as already stated, were born in Windsor, Nathaniel in 1640 and Hanna (Anna) in 1642. His two eldest daughters were not mentioned in his will because he had given them their portions at their marriage, as appears from the report hereinafter given of the Committee to the Court in Hartford in 1650, recommending that their portions be made equal to the portions given to their younger sisters.
These two eldest daughters were Anna, who married February 24, 1644-5, William Gaylord; and Sarah, who married October 24, 1644, Joseph Judson. Matthew Grant's Old Church Record gives the death in 1648 of Rose Porter, who was buried 12th of May, 1648, doubtless that one of the younger daughters whose death is referred to in the report of the Committee. The burial of their first Samuel is recorded in the Parish Register of Felsted...
It deserves to be mentioned that family genealogies have been printed of all the members of Robert White's family who are known to have emigrated to New England, namely:
Elder John White and his descendants, in 1860.
The Loomis Genealogy, in 1875.
Loomis Genealogy, female branches, in 1880.
The Goodwin's of Hartford, Conn., in 1891.
John Porter and his descendants, in 1893.
Memorials of Roderick White and descendants, in 1892.
From these books some of the preceding facts have been taken, and to these genealogies the reader is referred for full and interesting memorials of these families...
Abstract of the Will of John Porter, dated April 20, 1648, proved 7 June, 1649. [Vol. LV. 3]
"I give to my eldest son John Porter 100 pounds, and to my second son Jeames Porter I give three score pounds, and to my other six children, to wit: Samuel Porter, Nathaniel Porter, Rebecca Porter, Rose Porter, Mary Porter, Anna Porter, I give to each of them thirty pounds apiece... My son Joseph Judson is to take twenty shillings of Thomas Thornton the next winter. Also I give fifty shillings to the poor of Wyndsor Church.
"My desire is that these my beloved friends would be the overseers of this my last Will and testament. Mr. Warham of Wyndsor, Mr. Goodwin of Hartford, Goodman White of Hartford, Matthew Graunt of Wyndsor. Witnesses, Henry Clarke, Abigaill Branker. [Signed] John Porter."
His two eldest daughters Ann and Sarah thought the portions given them by their father at their marriage should be made the same as their younger sisters, as appears from the following report of the committee appointed to consider the matter.
"March 7th, 1650.
"Upon the consideration of the business referred to our consideration touching the children of John Porter of Wyndsor, deceased, We finding some expressions of his that he would make the portions of his two eldest daughters as good as his younger; also we conceive the eldest were helpful to the estate and that the Lord hath taken away one the younger daughters and that the rest of the children are disposed of without damage to their portion; our apprehensions are (if the Court see meet) that the two eldest daughters portions be made up thirty pounds apiece. John Taillcott, William Westwood." Conn. Col. Rec., Vol. 1, pp. 475-6.
From the Parish Register of Felsted, Co. Essex, England.
Baptisms.
1621, Sept. 22, Anna, dau. of John and Anna Porter.
1622, Feby. 9, John, son of John and Anna Porter.
1624, Mar. 15, Sara, dau. of John and Anna Porter.
1627, Feb. 2, James, son of John and Anna Porter.
1630, Sept. 16, Rebecca, dau. of John and Anna Porter.
1632, May 26, Samuel, son of John and Anna Porter.
1633, June 24, Rose, dau. of John and Anna Porter.
1635, June 2, Samuel, son of John and Anna Porter.
1637, Oct. 1, Mary, dau. of John and Anna Porter.
Burials.
1632, July 15, Samuel, son of John and Anna Porter..."
5. The book "The Descendants of John Porter of Windsor, Conn., 1635-9," comp. Henry Porter Andrews (Saratoga Springs, 1893), vol. 1, pp. 1-2, 818-19:
"Among the early settlers of New England, in the great tide of emigration from England, subsequent to the granting of the charter for the colony of Massachusetts Bay, in 1628, came John Porter.
The records in England give his descent, in the sixteenth generation, from William de la Grand, a Norman knight, who came in the army of the Norman duke at the conquest, A D 1066, and that he acquired lands at or near Kenilworth, in Warwickshire.
His son Ralph (or Roger) became "Grand Porteur" to Henry first, A. D. 1120 to 1140, from which he derived the name Porter.
The Windsor church was formed in Plymouth, Eng., in March, 1630, by people from Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Warwickshires; the reverends John Maverick and John Warham being ordained, respectively, as pastor and teacher.
In 1630 they came to New England, settling at Dorchester, Mass., on the first settlement of that town. In the summer of 1635, the arrivals having become numerous, and the settlement "somewhat crowded, and hearing ye fame of ye Quinnitukut river,":a company was formed to make a settlement there, and on the fifteenth day of October they took their departure, carrying with them their church organization, under the Rev. John Warham, the Rev. Mr. Maverick remaining at Dorchester.
Trumbull says: "The journey from Massachusetts was made in about fourteen days' time; the distance being more than one hundred miles, and through a trackless wilderness. They had no guide but their compass, and made their way over mountains, through swamps, thickets and rivers, which were not passable but with the greatest difficulty. They had no cover but the heavens, nor any lodgings but those which simple nature afforded them. They drove with them one hundred and sixty head of cattle, and subsisted on the way, in a great measure, on the milk their kine."
"This adventure was the more remarkable, as many of the company were persons of figures, who had lived in England, in honor, affluence and delicacy, and were entire strangers to fatigue and danger." (See appendix, No. 1.)
This company reached the Connecticut river at a place called by the natives Matteneang, but to which the settlers gave the name of Windsor, many of their number being natives of the place of that name in England.
In 1639 the Rev. Ephraim Hewett, of Wraxhall, in Kenilworth, Eng., was called to assist Mr Warham, and it is probable that John Porter accompanied him, as at about that date his name first appears upon the public records.
John Porter's residence in Windsor appears to have been located near the "Little River," at its junction with the Connecticut, and between the residences of George Phelps and Joseph Loomis, and nearly opposite those of Henry Wolcott and Matthew Allyn.
He was for that period a man of considerable substance, as appears by his will printed in the public records of Connecticut. (See appendix, No. 3)
He died in Windsor April 22, 1648; his wife, Rose, having died in July, 1647, (See appendix, No. 2.)
Their children were (being of the second generation:)
-John Porter, born in England, 1620, married Mary Stanley.
-Sarah Porter, born in England, 1622, married Joseph Judson.
-Anna Porter, born in England, 1624, married William Gaylord.
-Samuel Porter, born in England, 1626, married Hannah Stanley.
-Rebecca Porter, born in England, 1628, died unmarried
-Mary Porter, born in England, 1630, married Samuel Grant.
-Rose Porter, born in England, 1632, died May 12, 1648.
-Joseph Porter, born in England, 1638, married Sarah Tudor.
- Nathaniel Porter, born Feb. 29, 1640, married Anna Groves.
-Hannah Porter, born Sep. 4, 1642, married John Coleman.
APPENDIX II:
Extract from a letter of Rev I. N. TARBOX, D.D.
Boston, Mass., July 17, 1884.
Henry Porter Andrews, Esq.
Dear Sir: I received your kind note this morning, and it occurs to me to say what perhaps I said to you by letter, some time since, though I am not quite certain.
Mr. John Porter seemingly had affinities with the Dorchester company, before it left England. He did not come over with it in 1630, nor did he join it while it remained in Dorchester, 1630-1636. He first appears at Windsor, Conn., with his wife and Children, in the year 1637, and was at once
treated as a man known an respected. He was put upon a committee in 1637, and was made a constable in 1639, then a high and responsible office. All the facts connected with him during his life at Windsor, indicate plainly that he was a man of substance and standing.
Many years ago I read his will, and wondered why his wife is not mentioned in it. I accepted the record of Mr. Stiles, that she died on the 12th May following, and so she would naturally have been named in such a document, but no trace of her appears in it.
...the present town clerk of Windsor ... John B. Woodford, Esq. ... was speaking … about John Porter's will, and the curious fact that his wife was not mentioned... he said that among certain errors which he had discovered in "Stiles," he thought there was one pertaining to John Porter and family... he showed... from the very early records that the Rose Porter, who was buried May 12, 1648, was the dau. of John Porter, and that his wife died in July, 1647.
I think that the dates I have given here, as to John Porter's arrival in this country, the date of his death, and those of his wife and daughter, will be found correct.
Very truly yours. Increase N. Tarbox."
APPENDIX: III.— Will of John Porter.
A particular courte in Hartford, Conn, June 7, 1649. This day was presented to this courte, the last will and testament of John Porter, late of Wyndsor, deceased, and the inventory of his estate, Anno 1648, Apl. 20.
Imprimis. This is the last will and testament made by me, John Porter, of Wyndsor. Although now weake and sick in body, yet perfect it memory, do bequeathe my soule to God that gave it, and my body to be buried, and my goods as followeth:
Item. I give to my eldest son, John Porter, one hundred pounds, and to my second son, James Porter, I give three score pounds, and to my other six children, to wit: Samuel. Porter, Rebecca Porter, Rose Porter, Mary Porter, Sarah Porter and Anna Porter, I give to them thirty pounds apiece, which is to raised out of my whole estate, as housings, lands, cattle and household goods, and is to be paid as they come to be twenty years of age, or sooner if my overseers see just cause, without whose consent I would not have them to manage; which if they do, it shall be in the power of my overseers to abate of their portions, and give it to the others that are more deserving.
And in case of any of my children die before they he married or be twenty years of age, their portion shalt he equally divided amongst the rest, unless the overseers see cause to abate it upon the eldest. In case my estate shall he found upon particular view, to rise to be more in value than these portions above given, or less than the sum, my will is that it shall be proportionally added or rebated to my children's several portions except my overseers see cause to abate my eldest son, that hath the biggest portion, or likewise my second.
The particular goods wherein each child shall have his portion paid out of my whole estate, I leave to the direction of my overseers. My son, Joseph Judson, is to take twenty shillings of Thomas Thornton, next winter.
Also, I give fifty shillings to Wyndsor church. My desire is that my beloved friends would be the overseers of this my last will and testament, Mr. Warham of Wyndsor, Mr. Goodwin of Hartford, Goodman White of Hartford, and Matthew Griswold of Wyndsor. JohnPorter
Witness, Henry Clarke, Abigail Branker."
6. FHL publication "The Skinner Kinsmen. The Descendants of John Skinner of Hartford, Connecticut," compiled by Mrs. Natalie R. Fernald (The Pioneer Press; Washington, D.C.) quotes TAG 29:723: "Pynchon-Brett-Porter:
"Thomas Brett, gent., of Terling, co. Essex, in his will dated 15 Jan. 1615/16, proved 13 Nov. 1616, not only named his sister Frances Pynchon and her eight children (including William Pynchon, the settler of Springfield, Mass.), but also bequeathed to his "cousin" (nephew) Mr. John Porter his tenement called Philles in the parish of Little Baddow, Essex, and made the said John Porter his residuary legatee and one of his executors.
It seems certain that this John Porter was the resident of Little Baddow and later of Felsted, Essex, who married at Little Baddow on 12 Sept. 1587 Sybil Vessey, dau. of Thomas Vessey of that place. They were the parents of John1 Porter of Felsted, Essex, and Windsor, Conn., who was, therefor, a cousin of the Pynchons of Springfield, See H.F. Waters, "Genealogical Gleanings in England, 2:855-6; "The American Genealogist, 16:50; 18:58."
7. The book "Dorset Pilgrims," 1989:
pp. 144-5: "The minority who arrived upriver direct from England consisted of two groups … The [second] group came in 1638 in the company of the Rev. Ephraim Huitt, John Warham's new teaching colleague of Windsor church … He and his family brought with them a party consisting of Warwickshire neighbours like Edward Griswold; Joseph Loomis and John Porter from Essex..."
p. 157: "Such mercantile activities were undertaken by a small number of the more substantial Windsor settlers … A few had the resources and enterprise to become fully fledged merchants with connections abroad. John Porter senior was a prosperous merchant who employed his son James as his agent in London, where he was to become agent for Connecticut."
p. 161: Concerning the various committees appointed by the Windsor community: "There was the committee to determine what cows should be put to the bull for breeding and the other (John Bissell and John Porter) to ensure that enough calves were reared for the supply of hides."
p. 166: "The constable was thus a key figure in the town [of Windsor]. Originally there was only one, the first being the elder Henry Wolcott … followed by the elder John Porter, both men of weight. However, because the constable was responsible for arresting, prosecuting and punishing his fellow townsmen and for extracting their taxes, it was scarcely a popular office and two came to be appointed at a time. It is not surprising that only one man in our period was ever persuaded to take on the job for more than one term."
p. 200: "The Loomis boys [Nathaniel and Thomas] had as a fellow trooper a first cousin, John Porter junior. His father had come from Felsted in Essex, a neighbouring village of the Loomis's town of Braintree. Porter and Loomis had married sisters and the two families emigrated together, probably with the Huitt party in the summer of 1638, and settled near each other on large home lots on the Island. Like the Loomises, the Porters were a large, established family of means. There were nine children and John Porter's initial land grant of 400 acres rated him almost in the top quarter of land ownership; and when he died, an elderly man, ten years later, he left a sizable estate of ₤in land and chattels. He was a prominent citizen in Windsor, following Henry Wolcott as the town's second constable and acting as grand juror and deputy to the General Court. He traded overseas and sent his second son James to London where, as we noted, he was to become a prosperous merchant and colony agent. The eldest son John had inherited the family homestead on the Island and was to live a long and prosperous life, dying in 1688 leaving twelve children and an estate worth nearly ₤. He does not appear to have followed his father into civic life and, apart from serving along with his peers as a dragoon in King Phillip's War, he was to achieve no active military standing."
9. The book "Colonial Ancestors. Four lineal genealogies of eastern Connecticut families…," by Bernice Andrews (Livingston) Rieg (Camden, Maine; Penobscot Press, 1991), pp. 183-87 [Note: I neglected to copy the source list.]:
"Some productive inquiries into the English origins of John White were made by one of his descendants around the year 1900. John is understood to be the youngest child of ROBERTA WHITE, yeoman, well-to-do, born possibly in Messing, county Essex; he died there in 1617. Robert married in Shalford, county Essex, 24 Jun 1585, BRIDGET ALLGAR, where also she had been baptized on 11 Mch 1562, the daughter of William Allgar. Robert and Bridget seem to have lived in her native town or parish, Shalford, most of their married life.[1]
Robert White was buried at Messing, 17 Jun 1617, less than three weeks after making his will, which provided for daughters Sarah (called the eldest; mar. James Bowtell), Mary (mar. Joseph Loomis), Elizabeth (mar. William Goodwin), Bridget White and Anna White, in that order; he then names sons Nathaniel and John, the latter being a minor and believed to be the youngest child; finally, he names his wife, Bridget, and his son, Daniel as joint executors.[2]
Subsequently, Anna White married at Messing, 18 Oct 1620, John Porter; and John White married at the same place, 26 Dec 1622, Mary (Lev).[3]
A sizeable portion of the White family moved from the Old World to New England in the Great Migration, and stayed near to one another in the new land.[4] Moreover, there clearly existed within the family, and with its in-laws, a sense of closeness, mutual support, and common interest. This is apparent from the respect and trust implied in assigned responsibilities, as illustrated in several legal instruments in which members of the family partook. For example, Robert White, wishing to assure sensible marriages for his children, Bridget, Anna and John, by his will conditioned receipt of their full inheritance upon approval of the intended spouse not only by his wife Bridget, but also by his "sonnes in law" Joseph Loomis and William Goodwin.[5] The father's high opinion of these two young men was well substantiated by their later careers as leaders in Windsor and Hartford in Connecticut.
In the same vein, it is worth noting that the White children tried to stay together when they settled across the Altantic: when Joseph Loomis and John Porter occupied adjacent home lots in Windsor in 1639, their wives, Mary (White) Loomis and Anna (White) Porter, became next door neighbors.[6]
The English shire of Essex was one of the prime centers for nonconformist preachers, and of course most of those who came to New England in the two decades after Robert White's death were following their inspiring preachers, often making the move as congregations. It's not surprising, then, to find in Robert White's will an early bequest for "...Mr. Richard Rogers preacher of gods word at Withersfield in Essex...,"[7] and study of the ecclesiastical jurisdictions of Essex discloses that the parish of Wethersfield adjoins that of Shalford, in the north central part of Essex. For Robert White to attend a lecture by Mr. Rogers, he may have had to travel no more than ten miles.
Out of this moderately wealthy English family, comfortably settled in the shire of Essex, but imbued with nonconformist fervor, came the hard working, well liked and increasingly respected man who was to become an early, founding settler of no less than three new towns: Newtown (later Cambridge, Mass.), Hartford, and Hadley."
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Chris & Julie Petersen's Genealogy
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