Thomas Blatchley, Hartford Founder

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Compiled by Timothy Lester Jacobs, SDFH Genealogist

THOMAS1 BLATCHLEY, HARTFORD FOUNDER was born abt. 1615 in England, and died bef. 09 Jun 1674 in Boston, MA (inventory). He married SUSANNAH BALL? abt. 1642 in Hartford, CT. She was born in England, and died Dec 1677 in Guilford, CT.

Thomas Blatchley is said to have emigrated to New England in the “Hopewell”, 28 July 1635, but Anderson in “The Great Migration” states that there is no evidence that the passenger of 1635 arrived in New England.

Thomas Blatchley had arrived in Harford by 1637, as he was a soldier in the Pequot War of that year. He was granted a lot in Hartford conditionally on 7 January 1639/40. There is no record of where that lot was located, but through a combination of analysis of abutments, sales and transfers from “Hartford Votes” and “Original Distrubution of Land” it is found that he held 12 acres on the east side of the Great River, which he sold to Thomas Burnham, and two acres of swamp in an undesignated location.

He removed to New Haven by 1643, where he took the Oath of Fidelity on 1 July 1644, and where on 6 October 1646 the court found that “Thomas Blatchley haveing formerly given the court some offence, & neglecting the imaege of God in magistrats, & goeing away soe irreverently and saying he would have justice in another place if he had it not here, wch now lyeing on his conscience, desirs to clear himselfe, wherewth the court was satisfied”. He was at Branford on 1 December 1645, but sold his land at Branford on 16 April 1653. On 30 October 1665 and on 20 June 1667 he signed the Newark, New Jersey covenant, but he probably never removed there. On 20 June 1667 he signed the covenant at Branford, but was admitted an inhabitant of Guilford 23 April 1668. He was elected Deputy to the General Court from Branford in May 1667, October 1668, and October 1669, but never attended these sessions. In May 1670 the General Court granted him 60 acres of land “where he could find it, on the usual terms” for his service in the Pequot War. Evidently a merchant, he died in Boston after 16 April 1673 (when he made a deed with William Maltby), evidently on a trading trip. His inventory was presented 9 Jun 1674.

Genealogy: “Blatchley Physicians and Pioneers: a Family History of Descendants of Thomas Blatchley 1635 – 1929”, Shirley H. Stebbings, Gateway Press, Baltimore, 1983 (It should be noted that this genealogy does not provide sources).

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