Bissell Ancestors Who Were Early Settlers of New England
This section of the Bissell Family History website contains seven different pieces about the Bissell 3G generation's ancestors who settled some of the earliest New England towns. Not nearly every Bissell New England ancestor is found in the description of one of these towns, but most of the ones about which there is a significant amount of information are listed. (Don't forget that some information about each ancestor, in some cases quite a bit, and at least their location on the family tree, is found on or linked from the "Ancestor A-L" and "Ancestor M-Z" pages.)
More information on this painting by Michael Haywood is on The First Comers page.
More about the following selected towns is found in the Early Settlers of New England section of this website. Click on the link to get to a specific town or page.
The First Comers. These early settlers on the first four ships coming to Massachusetts between 1620 and 1623 (the Mayflower, the Fortune, the Anne and the Little James) included half a dozen Great-grandparents, including Henry Sampson who arrived on the Mayflower. The first winter of 1620-1621 saw the death of half of the settlers who had arrived on the Mayflower.
Settlers of Springfield. This page includes the story of 10th Great-grandfather Thomas Cooper who died helping save Springfield from an Indian attack during King Philip's War in 1676. The Springfield founders were also founders of nearby towns like Longmeadow, MA and what are now Enfield and Suffield, CT.
Settlers of Northampton. Great-grandparents Richard Montague whose house is pictured at right (and who was a witness in one of the early American witch trials) and Abigail Downing were founders of Northampton. Downing was from a well-known English family and her first cousin was John Winthrop, a leading figure in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Settlers of Windsor. The lives of three dozen Bissell great-grandparents (including Captain John Bissell, the ferry operator whose house is pictured to the left) intertwined to help each of the families survive the harsh wilderness conditions and thrive in the New World. Many Windsor ancestors were woodworkers, including 8th Great-grandfather Nathaniel Bissell who married Mindwell Moore.
Settlers of Hartford. Five Bissell Great-grandfathers were among the original founders of Hartford, listed on the Founders Monument in Hartford today. They included Captain John Culllick, who was a judge in the Witch Trial of Goodwife Bassett, and Andrew Warner, "ye Maulster Dr.", one of the Hartford group who left to form Hatfield and Hadley, MA.
Settlers of Scituate and Hingham. Many interesting ancestors were founders of these towns, including two of Scituate's most influential early ministers; Great-Uncle Timothy Hatherly, Father of Scituate and leader of the Plymouth "Merchant Adventurers"; Quaker sympathizers; and several ancestors who died in "Pierce's Fight" in 1676.
Settlers of Bridgewater. Among the several Great-grandfathers who were original founders of Bridgewater, this section of the Early Settlers page includes the story of John Haward (also spelled Howard) who arrived on a sailing ship in Boston at age 15 with his brother and lived in Duxbury with the family of the Plymouth Colony's leading military figure, Miles Standish (pictured at right).
A Note on Early Settlers Purchasing Land from the Native Americans
Here's a brief note about how some of the early settlers acquired land from the Native Americans living in Massachusetts, in this case describing the purchase of some of the land in the Connecticut River Valley in Massachusetts, in the Springfield area. It is from http://dunhamwilcox.net/source_files/stebbins.htm.
The promise of English protection may have encouraged the valley’s Native peoples to sign these documents [transferring land to the settlers]. All of these transfers were enabled by the patron-client relationships engendered through fur trade transactions, diplomatic interventions, and land use negotiations brokered by William and/or John Pynchon. Deeds were transacted to settle English towns on Agawam Indian lands in 1636 (Agawam), 1652 (Longmeadow), 1661 (Springfield), and 1662 (Agawam). The first Pojassic deed was signed in 1660 (Westfield). Deeds were transacted for Nonotuck Indian lands in 1653 (Northampton, Easthampton, and Westhampton), 1658 (Hatfield), 1660 (Hatfield and Williamsburg), 1661 (Hatfield), 1662 (Hadley), and 1663 (Amherst Belchertown, Pelham and Shutesbury). Many of these deeds reserved Native rights to hunt, fish, plant, and inhabit the lands supposedly sold, but there is no indication that the English intended to respect these rights. The site, commonly known as Mackin’s sand bank or gravel pit, is situated on a high sandy bluff on the west bank of the Connecticut River, in the town of Gill, Massachusetts, just downstream from a major set of rapids and falls across the river from the town of Turners Falls. It is suggested here that the most compelling historic and linguistic evidence for “Wissatinnewag” actually points westward, to the Mohican people commonly known as the “Housatonic.” In 1663, this well-documented group, closely connected to the Mohican of the Hudson River valley, was living in far western Massachusetts, along what is now known as the Housatonic River. In his journals and correspondence, John Pynchon often referred to the Housatonic Indian community situated west of Springfield and Pojassic, and over the Berkshire Mountains from Woronoco, as “Ausatinnoag.” Thus, when Bissell ancestor Anthony Dorchester ferried horses over the Connecticut River in 1661 and 1662, it was for an expedition that was going to Ausatinnoag.
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