Origins of Killingworth

The town of Killingworth experienced a little different beginning than most of the Connecticut townships. The area known as Hammonaset lay between the existing towns of Guilford and Saybrook. A stage road connected the Connecticut towns that bordered on Long Island Sound. Each community was required to maintain the section of stage road within its vicinity. Hammonaset represented a section where no one was available to improve and maintain the road. The stage road ran along what is now Main Street in Clinton. As a result the General Assembly sought to provided incentives for families to settle the township. Somewhat unique to Hammonasset, soon to be renamed Killingworth, was the idea of granting all of the property to the township to be distributed relatively free of charge. As the town grew it conducted on a yearly basis a division of the remaining property. We see references in the deed records to Lot 10 4th division etc. By the late 1700’s most of the available land had been granted. The pattern suggests that the original families, the Planters, were given some preferential treatment, but anyone who desired a home lot and made his point with the town council was granted property. Samuel Griffin must have received his lot in Clinton in this fashion. The deed records suggest an active trade in property once it had been granted. We would like to present here two documents. One is the original document calling for the establishment of Killingworth. The second document is from one of the land divisions. The Killingworth document starts” The determination and conclusion of the committee chosen by the general Assembly for the ordering of the settling of Hammonasset, Oct. 1663”. Some of the key features: Each person who applied to become a “Planter” must settle in Killingworth within two years. Once settled they must remain for four years or forfeit their property rights. The goal was to have thirty families settled as soon as possible. As a reminder of the role of the Congregational Church within the Connecticut Politic two provisions were added, One “That their be a convenient allotment reserved for the minister forever”. Two “That they shall settle an able Orthodox and Godley Minister free from scandal and with the advice of the major part of the Magistrates of Connecticut”. Among the names of the original Planters we recognize names that are common to the Blog, Rossiter, Hull, Kelsey, Meigs, and Buell. Click on documents to enlarge