Jonas Westover

Other Events:

• BAPM: 20 Sep 1664, Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut

Jonas married A.C. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

from a rootsweb site that had no citations:

Jonas was the emigrant to America that founded the Westover family of New England which spread throughout America. Jonas came from England. The family lived in Taunton, Somerset where he was born. The exact date of his arrival in America was not definitely determined as of a search performed in October 1961 in the New England records.

Early genealogical records give Jonas as a boy of 14 years of age arriving in Simsbury, Connecticut in the year 1654. This would give a birth date of the year 1640. Other dates give some substance to this date. He became a freeman in 1658, he received title to a lot in Simsbury and he was married in 1663 -- he became a freeman at the age of 18, a propertty owner at 21 and married at age 23.

Other sources state that a Jonas Westover was in Windsor in the year 1649 and assume this Jonas to be the Jonas from England born in the year 1620. These sources give this Jonas as the one who married Hanna Griswold in Simsbury. Further research may be needed to establish the correct birth date of the emigrant.

Jonas Westover entered America through Massachusetts Bay, as that was the most commonly used entry at that time to the New England area. He had relatives there when he arrived. One relative was Jane Westover who had married 20 November 1647 William Williams. Jane lived in the Simsbury area of Connecticut at the time of Jonas' arrival in Windsor.

After the birth of their first child they moved southward to a new settlement called Killingworth. The move was made with the father-in-law's family, the father-in-law having helped found the new settlement. There they lived for about eleven years and then moved back to Simsbury. Jonas and his family had been active members of the established First Church of Killingworth.

Jonas came to Simsbury, Connecticut, in New England before 1654 and died there in 1708/9.

Jonas married H. Griswold [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• BAPM: 26 Jul 1607, Wooten Wawen, Warwickshire, England

Notes:

Mr. Edward Griswold came to America at the time of the second visit of Mr. George Fenwick, at which date, also, came a large number of new settlers to the Conn. settlement. It was at a time when many of the gentry of England and wealthy persons connected with the Warwick Patent were intending removal hither; but the breaking out of the Scotch Rebellion compelled King Charles to call a Parliament, and they stayed at home to carry on their struggle with the King and Archbishop Laud. Mr. Griswold undoubtedly came in the interest of some of these patentees. He was attorney for Mr. St. Nicholas of Warwickshire, who had a house built in Windsor, and also a tract of land "impaled" (fenced), as had Sir Richard Saltonstall. The Rev. Ephraim Hit, who came, also in 1639, was from the same parish, as, also, the Wyllys family, who settled at Hartford.

His first location in Windsor is not known; but he had a grant of land in Poquonock, to which re removed, in 1649, accompanied by a few families, who there found an "outpost" settlement. His residence at Poquonock was on the site of the present dwelling of the heirs of the late Eliphalet S. Ladd, and who, on the female side, are Griswold descendants. The spot is a beautiful knoll which overlooks the brook on the west, and the Tunxis River on the south and east. As soon as he had fairly established his home, he began to take that active part i public matters which was natural to a man of his character. In 1650 he built the "Old Fort" at Springfield for Mr. Pyncheon; in 1656 he was a deputy from Windsor to the General Court, and continued, with the exception of one session, to represent the town until the reception of the charter from King Charles. At this time he was the principal promoter of a new settlement authorized by the court, called Hommonoscett, which lay immediately west of Saybrook, and to which, about 1663, he removed with his younger children, deeding to his sons, George and Joseph, who remained behind, his Windsor lands, reserving a small life annuity therefrom. The settlement was organized as a town in 1667 and received,probably from him, the name of his old English home Kenilworth, afterwards corrupted to Killingworth, and now known as clinton. He was the first deputy from Kenilworth and continued to be its magistrate and representative for more than 20 years, 1662 to 1678-89, and 2was succeeded by his son John.

The Colonial Records show him to have been a very active, influential member of the legislature -- pre-eminently one of those men who, in the first half-century, did so much to make the small colony of Connecticut so important a factor in American affairs. As a member of Sessions, he had the pleasure of meeting with his brother Matthew and his own son Francis; and there has, since that time, rarely been an Assembly of Conn., in which some of their lineal descendants have not been members. He was frequently a commissioner; and in 1678, was on a committee for establishing a Latin school in New London, and was first deacon of the Kenilworth church.

Edward married Margaret Hicks in 1628 in England. Margaret (daughter of Robert Hicks and Margaret Winslow) was born in 1609 in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England; died on 23 Aug 1670 in Killingworth, Middlesex County, Connecticut. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Name: Margaret

Notes:

** Question if this Margaret is in fact Margaret Hicks.
Requires further research

Birth:
ABT 1611

1609

Died:
Killingworth (now Clinton), CT

Other Events:

• Name: George Griswold

Notes:

Birth:
1574 england

6 Nov 1574

Died:
1623

28 Aug 1615

George married Dousabel Leigh. Dousabel was born in 1575; died in 1615. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Immigration: 11 Nov 1621, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts; from England on the ship Fortune

Robert married Margaret Winslow about 1610. Margaret (daughter of Edward Winslow and Magdalene Ollyver) was born about 1589 in Droitwich, Worcester, England; died about 1665 in Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Immigration: 1622, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts; From England on the ship Anne

Notes:

Married:
Plymouth, Plymouth, Masachusetts
(unlikely, before 1620. must be england)