Jeremy_Adams

Jeremy Adams

Jeremy Adams

Early settler of Hartford, Connecticut

For the historian, see Jeremy duQuesnay Adams.

Jeremy Adams, also known as Jeremiah Adams (c.1604/5—August 11, 1683),[1] was one of the first settlers of Hartford, Connecticut. He was also the founder and first proprietor of Colchester, Connecticut, which was established on land owned by Adams, known as "Jeremiah's Farme".[2][3][4]

Quick Facts Born, Died ...

Arrival in America

Adams arrived in America in 1633, first arriving in New England at Braintree, Massachusetts—he was one of the original members of the company that came to the colonies with Rev. Thomas Hooker, probably arriving with Hooker in 1633.[5] He became a freeman in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1635.[6] In 1636, he moved with Rev. Hooker to Hartford, Connecticut, and was one of the original proprietors of the settlement.[7]

In 1639 Adams was the constable (cunstable),[8] and the official Innkeeper for the Colony. His Inn at Hartford was used as the meeting place for the legislative body of the colony, general court sessions, and for other public purposes. The Inn was said to have been "frequented by all of the great men of the colony".[9] It may be presumed that among these meetings, was the creation of the famous Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639), which was perhaps the western world's first written constitution.[10] The constitution was later hidden in the Charter Oak.[11][12]

On April 5, 1638, he was sent with Captain Mason on an expedition to the Warranocke Indians to trade for corn.[13] This service qualifies his descendants to become members of the General Society of Colonial Wars. He was: an Officer of the Court, a Tax Assessor, a collector for the town, a Juror, a Collector of Customs and traded with the Indians for the General Court of Connecticut. In 1660, he was the only resident of the colony allowed to sell wine or liquor.[6]

Some of the land he owned is now occupied by buildings of Harvard University, and another tract of land is now a part of the Campus of Trinity College, Hartford.

Tributes

A ridge named Jeremy's Back and a river called Jeremy's River are located near Colchester, Connecticut, and are both named after Jeremy Adams. His name is inscribed on the Founders Monument of Hartford at the First Church of Christ and the Ancient Burying Ground.

References

  1. [1]
    First Church of Christ (Hartford, Conn.), Historical catalogue of the First Church in Hartford. 1633-1885, Harvard University, page 12, 1885.
  2. [2]
    Colchester, CT (2011-08-08). "Colchester, CT - About Colchester". Colchesterct.gov. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  3. [3]
    "Was the Founder of Colchester: Jeremy Adams Started the Community and Was First Proprietor", The Day, New London, Connecticut, February 6, 1914, page 11.
  4. [4]
    http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/k/i/n/Joyce-A-Kintzel/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0860.doc [better source needed]
  5. [5]
    Anderson, Robert C. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633 Volumes I-III. pages 6-11
  6. [6]
    Love, William DeLoss. The colonial history of Hartford, Princeton University, pp 216–219, 1914.
  7. [7]
    "Society of the Descendants of the Founders of Hartford: Jeremy Adams". Foundersofhartford.org. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  8. [8]
    "Society of the Descendants of the Founders of Hartford: Jeremy Adams". www.foundersofhartford.org. Archived from the original on 2007-02-13.
  9. [9]
    Goodwin, Nathaniel. The Foote family, Press of Case, Tiffany and company, pp 298–299, 1849.
  10. [10]
    "The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. 1909-14. American Historical Documents, 1000-1904. The Harvard Classics". Bartleby.com. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  11. [11]
    Scott, Fred W. Clifton William Scott And Mildred Evelyn Bradford Scott Of Ashfield, Mass., iUniverse, page 416, 2004. ISBN 978-0-595-32871-0
  12. [12]
    "The public records of the Colony of Connecticut". Hartford, Brown & Parsons. 1850.
  13. [13]
    The public records of the colony of Connecticut, 1636-1776, Press of the Case, page 17, 1850.

Further reading

  • Adams, Arthur The Adams Family Atlantic County Historical Society, Yearbook, Oct. 1950, v. 1, n. 3, pp. 91–102
  • Anderson, Robert C., 1995 The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III. pages 6–11. Anderson shows that Jeremy Adams' parentage and ancestry is unknown and that the hypothesis he was a brother of Henry Adams of Braintree is unsupported.

41°35′18″N 72°23′05″W
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