Hartford, Connecticut Colony, 1640

Hartford in 1640, drawn by Wm. S. Porter, surveyor and antiquarian, in 1838.

In our post of 1 May 2018, we met Robert White, his wife Bridget Allgar White, and four of their children—John, Elizabeth, Mary, and Anna—who immigrated to America during the Puritan Great Migration.

This is a map of Hartford, Connecticut Colony,  in 1640—four years after its settlement. This version of the map has lot numbers and a legend added, which were apparently not on the original. Someone has also handwritten in pencil several of the street names of today (Main St., Pearl, Trumbull). On this map, east is up and north is to the right.

Running from top to bottom on this map, Little River and Little Creek do not exist today. They were known later as Hog River because pigs were kept on farms next to it. In the 1940’s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers buried it under the city.

Note these lot numbers:

  • 1—Goodwin Wm. elder
  • 3—Hooker Thomas, paster
  • 101, 105—White John

Lot 1 appears to be about where the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art and Burr Mall are located today in downtown Hartford.

Reverend Thomas Hooker led the group of about 100 Puritans that settled Hartford in 1636.


Elizabeth White (1591-1667) is  12th great-aunt of MKS in the Knight branch and the Watne branch.

William Goodwin (1567-) is husband of 12th great-aunt Elizabeth White.

John White (1597-1684) and Mary Levitt (1601-1666) are 11th great-grandparents of MKS in the Watne branch.

References:
[1] Hartford in 1640, Connecticut Digital Archive (map).