Samuel Whitehead, Hartford Founder

Compiled by Timothy Lester Jacobs, SDFH Genealogist

SAMUEL¹ WHITEHEAD, SGT., HARTFORD FOUNDER was born bef. 1613 in England, and died Sep 1690 in New Haven, CT. He married (1) _____ ______ bef. 10 Mar 1646/47 in New Haven, CT. She died aft. 20 Jan 1661/62 in New Haven, CT. He married (2) SARAH GREGSON 09 May 1676 in New Haven, CT, daughter of THOMAS GREGSON and JANE ______. She was born in England, and died 1697 in New Haven, CT.

The origin of Samuel Whitehead is unknown, but he had emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634, based on a grant of land at Cambridge on 5 January 1634/5. On 5 January 1634/5 he was granted two acres behind the pine swamp in Cambridge.

He was in Hartford probably in 1636, and certainly by 1637, as he served in the Pequot War of that year. He had land in Hartford assigned to him: a parcel of one rood and six perches on which his dwelling house stood with outhouses, yards and gardens located on the corner of the road from the Palisade to Centinel Hill and the road from the Meeting-house to the Mill, which lot he sold to Founder Richard Lord; another parcel of less than an acre abutting his house lot to the West, which he sold to Founder John Skinner; and two acres in the Neck of Land, which he also sold to John Skinner. His residence in Hartford was short, as he had removed to New Haven in time to be one of the original signatories to the Fundamental Agreement at New Haven on 4 June 1639.

In the New Haven Early List of Estates, compiled in 1640, he held an estate for two persons; eight acres in the first division; one and a half acres and sixteen roods in the neck; four acres of meadow; and sixteen acres in the second division. Over the years he went on to acquire and sell numerous pieces of land. On 11 May 1671 he was granted fifty acres for his service in the Pequot war.

In New Haven he was selectman 1652, 1653, 1656 to 1659, 1668, 1673, and 1674. He was Assessor in 1649, and Treasurer in 1672. He was fence viewer 1646, 1649, 1662, 1664, 1667, 1671, 1676 and 1677. He was surveyor of highways in 1666, 1667 and 1679. He was on the committee on the bounds between New Haven and Wallingford in 1673, and was on the petit jury 1665, 1670 and 1671.

He was chosen corporal of the New Haven train band in 1642, and was chosen sergeant in 1652. In 1654 he was selected as one of the officers from Milford in an expedition planned against the Dutch, and on 6 July 1665 the Connecticut General Court confirmed him as Sergeant of the New Haven train band. On 16 June 1673, upon his desire, being lame, he was freed from being sergeant.

The inventory of his estate was taken 11 November 1690.

Genealogy: N/A as he had only two sons, one of whom died without children, and the other had only one child, a daughter. The Whitehead family name in this line ceased after the third generation.