Thomas Stanton, Hartford Founder

Compiled by Timothy Lester Jacobs, SDFH Genealogist

THOMAS¹ STANTON, HARTFORD FOUNDER was born abt. 1615 in England, and died 02 Dec 1677 in Stonington, CT. He married ANN LORD bef. 1638 in Hartford, CT, daughter of FOUNDER THOMAS LORD and DOROTHY BIRD. She was born bef. 18 Sep 1614 in Towcester, Northampton, England, and died 04 Sep 1688 in Stonington, CT.

The parents and origin of Thomas Stanton are unknown: prior claims that he was the son of Thomas and Katherine (Washington) Stanton of Wolverton, Warwickshire have been the disproved in articles in “The American Genealogist” in Volumes 14 and 81 by Clarence Almon Torrey and Eugene Cole Zubrinsky respectively. In another article in “The American Genealogist”, Volume 18, also by Eugene Zubrinsky disproves prior claims that Thomas Stanton of Hartford was the 1635 passenger to Virginia on the “Merchant Bonaventure”, but rather that he had arrived in New England no later than 1635, settling first at Cambridge, Massachusetts, removing to Hartford in 1636, where he married in 1637 Ann Lord, daughter of Hartford Founder Thomas Lord.

In the Hartford land inventory of February 1639/40 Thomas Stanton held nine parcels: two acres on which his dwelling house stood with outhouses, yards, or gardens located on the north side of the Little River on the Road from the Meetinghouse to the Mill; two acres in the West Field; thirty perches in the Little Meadow; two roods in the North Meadow; four acres, one rood, and twenty-four perches also in the North Meadow; two roods and four perches on the east side of the Great River; seven acres in Hockanum; six acres and one rood in the Cow Pasture; and two acres in the Little Oxpasture.

Thomas Stanton was self-educated in the Algonquian languages of south eastern New England, and served as an Indian interpreter during the Pequot war of 1637, and further serving in the same capacity numerous times thereafter. As early as September 1644 the Commissioners of the United Colonies had hired him as their interpreter. He also acted as a trader with the Indians, and set up a trading post in Pawkatuck (later Stonington) in 1650.

He had removed to New London by 1650, and then to Stonington by 1653, maintaining residences in both towns between 1650 and 1658.

He served as Deputy for New London to the Connecticut General Court in 1651, and Deputy for Stonington to the General Court from 1666 to 1674. He was the Stonington commissioner to end small causes from 1664 to 1677, and was Stonington Selectman from 1658 to 1674.

He made his will 24 October 1677, died 02 December 1677, and his will was proved 20 September 1678.

Genealogy: “A Record, Genealogical, Biographical, Statistical, of Thomas Stanton, of Connecticut, and His Descendants”, William A. Stanton, Albany, 1891 (Although this is a dated genealogy, and also includes the disproved claim that Thomas Stanton was in Virginia in 1635, it is substantially valid, although in the early generations several dates are incorrect, and there is little data on spouses’ birth dates and places. And, as is typical of genealogies of this era, past the third generation it only follows male lines.)