Connecticut sub-project of United States Project: How to Join

Question

Connecticut Project

The overall goals of the United States Project are to create and develop profiles on WikiTree for those who lived in Connecticut and the other states in the union.

Connecticut has a rich history. Early in it's history it was three colonies, Connecticut, Saybrook, and New Haven. New Haven had jurisdiction over part of New York. Connecticut claimed most of Rhode Island until 1728. And parts of it were governed by Massachusetts as late as 1804. The border with Rhode Island has come under scrutiny as recently as 2004.

To Join:

• Read the project page.
• Follow the other steps in the "How to Join" section.
• Post an answer here requesting the US History badge.
• 

Connecticut Project

Comments

I already have Connecticut in my tags. My Ancestors , Simon Couch I and Mary Andrews settled in the Fairfield Area in the Early to mid 1600's. There is a Rich History involving the Couch Family. I would Love to be Part of this Project. Also, many of my Prince ( Le Prince ) Ancestors settled in Northeastern Connecticut, predominately in the Plainfield , Moosup area, so both sides of my Family have History in Connecticut.

 Thank You for Considering my Request.

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Hi Crystal, You now have the US History Project badge. All the states use the same one. You can add your name and interests to https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Connecticut_Sub-project_members.

The weather is pretty nasty right now in Northeastern Connecticut. My power went off twice trying to give you the badge. :)

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Thank You So Much, Anne. I Live in Hartford and it's  still rather nasty here as well.  I took some pretty cool photos of the Storm.  Please Be Safe in this Mess. I will add my name and do what I can to help.

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Just a point of correction, Connecticut and Rhode Island most recently corrected their border in the 1990s....

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I am a 7th generation descendant of Thomas Gunn (Gunn-14), one of the founders of Dorchester, Windsor, and Westfield.  He arrived in Boston Bay probably in May 1630, but no later than 1634 when a record shows he owned property in Dorchester.  I have been researching this line for over 20 years.  Name: James Gunn

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Re: Early Ct Colonies. You're brief summary explained a lot abt questions I was storing in my brain for a rainy day. Thanks!

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You're welcome Leigh Anne

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I was born in Norwalk, Connecticut!!

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Norwalk. One of those great coastal Connecticut towns.

Answer 1

I seem to be doing a lot of work on people, ancestors and those only peripherally related, who lived in Connecticut in the 17th and 18th centuries. So I'd like to join the US History and Connecticut projects, have the badge(s?), and ensure that what I contribute to the profiles adds to the whole.  Thank you

Comments

You now have a badge and are an official member. Thank you. Please feel free to add your name to the list of Connecticut members. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Connecticut_Sub-project_members

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Did any of you Connecticut ancestors drift down from Massachusetts? There are a lot of profiles in the Massachusetts Project that ended up there.

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I recall reading (sorry, but I forget where) that the Connecticut Colony was founded by dissatisfied members of the early Massachusetts Bay community;  They went off into the wilderness to establish their own version of a Puritan Utopia.  Since the main entry port was Boston (was there even a viable port for immigration in early Connecticut?), it isn't surprising that most new arrivals initially settled in Massachusetts Bay territory, before some migrated further, to the Connecticut Colony (Colonies?).  I would guess their reasons varied. Some, in the New Haven colony, migrated back into Massachusetts Bay territory to found Hadley, etc, not that long after the founding of New Haven.  So, the movement went both ways.

Are you thinking of doing something with migration patterns after the initial landings?

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The Dutch sailed up the Connecticut River to the Hartford area to set up trading posts, but colonization did occur overland from Massachusetts. And it was the Hartford/Wethersfield people who started Hadley.

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Thank you, Anne, for the corrections.  I had thought I remembered New Haven involvement in the Hadley operation, but I was obviously mistaken.

Do you happen to know whether any of the Dutch remained to mix with the colonizers from Massachusetts?  Whatever it was that I read didn't mention them.

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I can't say 100%, but my feeling was they packed up their boats and left, and that no one stayed behind to intermingle. There must have been a hulabaloo of some kind, but off hand I can't remember what it was.

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Susan, I'm the project coordinator for Massachusetts. I'm not planning on tracking migration, but it is a good idea. Anyway, in the course of working on Massachusetts profiles, I've found many that started in Mass. and ended up in Conn. There are some really great sources in Mass., so if you have Conn. ancestors that originated in Mass. that need birth and marriage records, the sources are out there. Let me know if you need any assistance.

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Thank you, Bob!  I may just take you up on that offer.  I should probably also join your Massachusetts project, since my efforts to clean up some of the relatives' family lines (bless endogamy!) lands me in your territory with fair frequency.

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Somers started as a satellite of Springfield. It was Massachusetts. They redrew the lines and it became part of Connecticut. It is still near Springfield and the families intermarried.

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Hi Bob,

 My Prince Ancestors came from France in 1666 and settled in parts of Canada. They were there until my Grandparents moved to New Bedford, Mass. From there they moved to the Plainfield / Moosup Connecticut area.

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And some migrated from Eastern Connecticut to Suffolk County New York in the 1640s.!   The Riverhead Courthouse has many  wills which have not been indexed or transcribed.  In my research (in Southold , Southampton, East Hampton) I’ve seen many names I Had seen before in Massachusetts and Connecticut.   Years ago I wrote Salt Lake to ask if they had any of these old records and they said no, they hadn’t filmed them at that time. I don’t know if it’s been done by this time.  William Hopkins was one f the names that Jumped out, and I think he has just been OKayed as a mayflower descendent.  There may be others.

Answer 2

Count me in!  My ancestors had deep roots in Connecticut; in fact, I've been sourcing for the past week and have LOTS more.

-Griswold, Tyler, Noble, Strong, Talcott, Loomis, Barber, Leete

Comments

Thank you for joining Janine. There's lots of Connecticut that needs sourcing. Please feel free to add your name to the list of Connecticut members. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Connecticut_Sub-project_members

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Did any of you Connecticut ancestors drift down from Massachusetts? There are a lot of profiles in the Massachusetts Project that ended up there.

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In general, lots of Connecticut ancestors went there after a short stop in Massachusetts

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My ancestors were in Massachusetts -- some lines started there after the Great Migration, and some lines, including desc. of William Leete, the first Colonial Governor, and John Talcott, also of Connecticut, a Gateway Ancestor.  The three Griswold brothers include Edward of Windsor, nMatthew of Lyme, and Michael of Wethersfield.

My Gould line goes back to Cape Cod, Massachusetts; from there, they went to New Hampshire where Lt. James Gould fought at the Battle of Saratoga.  His father had been killed in the French and Indian Wars.  My Kimball line and Lovejoy line also started in Massachusetts and moved to New Hampshire.

I have so many lines I cannot believe it.  I sure hope Wiki is an permanent fixture because loading, sourcing, and connecting is a big project.  

I hope this answers your question as best I can.  I can move step by step and try not to overload.  Ahh, coffee, friends, and many companions along the way.  Regards, Janine

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Janine, You might want to consider joining the Massachusetts project as well.

Bob

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Good to know about the Massachusetts project.  Who is the contact?

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Janine,

I'm the Coordinator For Massachusetts. To join, just add Massachusetts to the tags you follow on G2G.

Bob

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Hello Griswold Cousin!

Answer 3

I'm currently working through thousands of cemetery pictures, mostly from the Bridgeport area. I'm the contact for Connecticut for cemeteries. I've already got badges for US History & Cemeteries. And I just edited myself onto the Connecticut sub-project. So, I'm on board.

Here's an anecdote: Once upon a time, I found myself in the company of a young woman from Georgia, and an English fellow. We were talking about the weather, and the Georgian said "You Yankees are such wimps about summer heat." To which the Brit replied: "Yankee!?! You're the Yankee!!" This was before the days of the Internet, but we did have a big giant dictionary handy. According to said dictionary, Yankee originated as a New Amsterdam Dutch pronunciation of "John Cheese", used to describe English settlers in Connecticut. My assumption is that "John Cheese/Yankee" was not intended as a compliment, but I'm fond of the story nevertheless.

Side note: During the first few decades of colonization, before New Amsterdam became New York in 1664, Long Island was part of Connecticut.

Comments

Thank you for making yourself official. Love the anecdote

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Funny, but I've always thought that Yankee was the Indian word for English.

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Hello, I have came across lots of family in Connecticut during researching my Dad's DNA matches. One in particular... Lucy Deming b. c. 1747 in Southington, Hartford CT. supposedly married William Wiley Willie Grizzell/Grizzle b. 1754 VA... does anyone have any information on this?....I'd love to see where this leads! Thanks!

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I've heard that to people in England, Americans are Yankees.  People in other parts of the United States think New Englanders are Yankees.  Finally, people in New England think that players on a particular baseball team are Yankees.

I started life in New York City, then lived on Long Island as an adult, then moved to Virginia for 16 years before retiring and moving to Alabama.  My neighbors have clued me in about the difference between a yankee and a damn yankee - A yankee is a northerner who comes to visit and a damn yankee is one who stays.

Answer 4

US History Badge????

Comments

Hello Shelia, Since the Connecticut Project is a sub-project of the US History Project, it is the US History Badge, which you now have on your profile. Welcome. There are lots of Connecticut sources online, that you can use to prove your ancestry. Some are indexed at Family Search. Many of them are at Ancestry (which of course costs money). I have to admit I'd be a little skeptical of b. in Connecticut m. to someone from Virginia.

See https://www.gengophers.com/book.html#/book/34077?page=402&given=Lucy&surname=Deming&date=1747&startDate=1747

And https://www.gengophers.com/book.html#/book/9628?page=211&given=Lucy&surname=Deming&date=1747&startDate=1747

So although Willie Grizzell may have married a Lucy Deming, it's probably not the one b. 1747 in Connecticut.

Answer 5

My Paternal family roots lie in Strattford and Linchfield Counties in connecticut.  I would love to help with the Connecticut Project.

Comments

Hi Evelyn, Glad to have you join and helping. If your looking for something specific to do, there are unsourced Connecticut Profiles that need sources. "Good sourcing" for all wikitree profiles is the creditability of our profiles. Learning where and how to find sources and cite them properly is a great start to a successful genealogy.

Answer 6

I have quite a few ancestors that I'm researching who were early settlers of towns in Fairfield County. I lived in lower Fairfield County and know Fairfield, Westport, Wilton, Norwalk, New Canaan and Darien pretty well.

Comments

Welcome to the Connecticut sub-project of the US History Project. If you need any help please ask.

Answer 7

I am a Beckwith, and my grandfather was born in Deep River, Connecticut in 1928. I know that I have strong Connecticut connections, but I live in North Carolina. Am I able to join the project?

Comments

Absolutely. I will give you the US history badge a little later but I'm back on my desktop. Thank you

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Ok Lori, I've given you the US History Badge. Welcome to the project. If you need help let me know.

Answer 8

 us_history and connecticut I would like to please have the Hartford County Connecticut badge.  I grew up and went to school in New Britain and have many relatives that still live there in Hartford County. Thank you for considering me. 

Comments

Hello Andrea, I am happy to have you join the Connecticut sub-project of the US History Project. Connecticut doesn't have a separate member badge. It shares the US History Project Badge as do all the state sub-projects. You have a US History Project Badge already.

Thank you for joining and for your interest in Connecticut.

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Thank you so much for approving me to your sub project Anne.  .

Answer 9

Hi - I would love to join in and help. I don't have a preferred state, though I have done a lot of research in Connecticut, Maine, and New Hampshire lately (as well as Hawaii, but I don't see a coordinator).

Thanks for the opportunity!

Mindy

Comments

Welcome to the Connecticut sub-project of the US History project. Hop right in and help out, wherever you see the need.

Out and out plug: I see you're signed up for the source a thon. Do you need a team? Join the forget me nots. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Space:Team:_Forget-me-nots We're generic so you can work on anything.

Answer 10

I was born and raised in Connecticut. My father and brother were born in Connecticut. Connecticut is in my blood. My mother and her ancestors were from Rhode Island. I would like to join the Connecticut sub-project please and Rhode Island too. Thanks Anne  .

Comments

Thank you Dorothy for joining. Both projects use the same US History badge.

Answer 11

I am already a profile manager for a good number of pre-1700 Connecticut settlers and am descended from many myself.

I'd like to join the project and make sure my changes are in line with guidelines and suggestions.

Comments

Welcome, I've given you the US History badge and am sending you a message.

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Don't forget to add Connecticut as one of your G2G tags (the green things on the right side of your profile) and you can add your name and interests to the Connecticut Member List https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Connecticut_Sub-project_members

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I can't see the US History badge. Not sure if it showed up and then disappeared or what. Can you please try again.

Thanks

S

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It should be there now, sometimes I get waylaid and forget to push the buttons.

Answer 12

I already have the Connecticut tag and the History badge. Is there more? I have been working in Connecticut, mostly Somers with the Pomeroys living there for several generations. The North Cemetery in Somers is where they mostly are. I have been working on the cemeteries in that area. I have started looking at sources more.

Comments

You could add your name to the Connecticut member list.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Connecticut_Sub-project_members

Answer 13

Much of ancestry comes from Connecticut.  On my mother's side there are several founders of Hartford, New Haven, and Windsor,with some mysteries in New London and Lebanon.  On my dad's side there are some Middletown and Lyme families in the 1600s. Their descendants from whom I descend later settled in what was for a time called New Connecticut, i.e. Vermont.   I have an interest in CT and try to plan a genealogy trip there every year.   I would like to improve my own lines, and those who traveled with them, as I am very interested in the migrations the Nutmeggers made within CT, and then outside of CT.

Comments

Nice introduction Carolyn, I also have ancestors who were founders all over Connecticut, mostly New Haven Colony and it's offshoots

Answer 14

Lots of family history from Preston, New London CT and other CT areas.  I am interested in sharing what I have learned, and in learning more from you!

Comments

Hello Jesse, All the state sub-projects share the same US History Badge. You already have the US History badge, so I can't give you another one. I can however, welcome you to the Connecticut Project. You can add your name to the Member's list.

If you have questions, or are unsure about something please ask.

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Sorry, Hello Dennis!

Answer 15

Greetings. I'm interested in being a member of the Connecticut Project. I have many early Connecticut ancestors, incl. Treadwell, Dann, Hayden, Wheeler, Minor, Booth and many more. Researching for quite awhile and always happy to help! Cheers - Tim

Comments

Thanks Tim, always glad for the help. There are several people working on the Wheeler line. There's a Wheeler one name study if you're interested.

Answer 16

I would like to join the Connecticut sub-project of the US History Project.

My father-in-law's family immigrated from Sweden & Great Britain to Middletown. My husband's parents met while working at the Connecticut State Hospital in Middletown.

I also have some connections to early Connecticut settlers in my family.

Comments

Welcome to the Connecticut Project. I've awarded you the US History badge.

Answer 17

I have 77 ancestors who lived in Connecticut in 1600 and 1700 hundreds, including several of the founders of Kensington, Farmington, and Hartford. Gov. William Leete (1612 - 1683) - He was Commissioner of New Haven Colony (1655-1658), Deputy Governor (1658-1661) and Governor of the New Haven Colony from 1661 to 1664. After the consolidation of New Haven Colony and the Colony of Connecticut, he became Governor of the Colony of Connecticut from 1676 to 1683. He is the only man to serve as governor of both New Haven and Connecticut.^{[3] (Wikepedia)}  

^{I have him identified as my eigth-great grandfather.}  

^{I have the follwoing books in my library - "Families of Early Hartford, Connecticut by Lucius Barnes Barbour" and} 

^{"The Memorial History of Hartford County, Connecticut 1633 - 1884" by J. Hammond Trumbull.   I am a member of Connecticut Genealosits Society.} 

^{I would welcome the chance to be part of this project.}

^{James (Jim) Vincent}

Comments

Welcome, glad to have you.

Answer 18

I'm already a member of this project, aren't I?

Comments

Yes you are and have been a long time. I think you might have been the first member

Answer 19

I am interested in joining this project because I am a descendant of Col John Welch and have been researching his life, his participation in the Burgoyne Campaign and his involvement in the Sappers and Miners.  I think this is a fascinating time in our history.

Comments

Welcome, remember to Add connecticut to your G2G tags (green things on the right side of your profile. And add your name to the  Members list.

Answer 20

In researching my family line, I noticed that quite a few members seem to be from Connecticut! They seem to be concentrated in the Fairfield and Litchfield area. I'd like to contribute what I can! Thank you and look forward to collaborating on this topic with you all. I don't have the badge yet but I have started following the state tag.

Comments

Hi Caitlin, welcome to the Connecticut Project. I've given you our badge (it says US History). Let me know if your need any help

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Thank you so much, Anne!