taken in 1984Birth: March 10, 1624, Derbyshire, England
Death: 1714, Norwich, New London County, Connecticut, USA
Born "Croxhall"Son of Willian Leffingwell and Alice
Spouse: Mary White Leffingwell (1624 - 1711)
found on findagrave.com
Leffingwell House Museum
This sketch is from the museum and lists the address where it is located in Norwich.
Leffinwell Tavern, Norwich, Connecticut
This photo is from a post card view of the house
Leffingwell Inn - Norwich, Connecticut October 1997, Norwich, Connecticut
Inn operated by Thomas Leffingwell, where apparently George Washington stayed once.
Monument, Norwich, Connecticut
Leffingwell Inn, interior tavern room
THOMAS LEFFINGWELL 2010, Norwich, Connecticut
Founders Stone, Norwich, Connecticut.
Leffingwell House
The Christopher Leffingwell House is unique in illustrating the development from 17th century beginnings to a mid 18th century town house. Built as a simple two room house in 1675 by Stephen Backus, the house later belonged to THOMAS LEFFINGWELL. In 1701 Thomas was granted permission to keep an inn. Benajah Leffingwell, Thomas' son, was also an innkeeper.
The first additions to the original house were made to accommodate its use as an inn. The building descended to Christopher Leffingwell, a gentleman of utmost importance to the town and to the entire commonwealth. With his entrepreneurial skills and business connections he was invaluable as a supplier of provisions for the Revolutionary forces.
See link here:
http://www.leffingwellhousemuseum.org/history/
found on ancestry.com
About Thomas Leffingwell
from
http://www.angelfire.com/ny/chickened/leffingwellfamily.html
Trumbull, in his "History of Connecticut," says:
"Uncas, with a small band of Mohegan Indians, was encamped on a point of land projecting into the river, and there closely besieged by their most inveterate foes, the Narragansetts. Finding himself in danger of being cut off by the enemy, he managed to send to his friends, the English colony at Saybrook, the news of his extremity, with perhaps some appeal for help. Upon this intelligence, one Thomas Leffingwell, an ensign at Saybrook, an enterprising, bold man, loaded a canoe with beef, corn and pease, and, under cover of the night paddled from Saybrook into the Thames, and had the address to get the whole into the fort. The enemy soon perceiving that Uncas was relieved, raised the siege. For this service Uncas gave Leffingwell a deed of a great part, if not the whole of the town of Norwich. In June, 1659, Uncas, with his two sons, Owaneco and Attawanhood, by a more formal and authentic deed, made over unto said Leffingwell, John Mason, Esq., the Rev. James Fitch, and others, consisting of thirty-five proprietors, the whole lownship of Norwich, which is about nine miles square."
Thomas Leffingwell was afterwards lieutenant. In 1659 he removed to Norwich and had several grants of land there. His home lot was on the highway next to Joseph Bushnell's land. He became a prominent man in the town, serving as selectman, surveyor, and on important committees. He was deputy to the general court for fifty-three sessions, 1662-1700; and was also a commissioner. He divided his property among his children before his death, which occurred about 1714-15, when he was about ninety-two years old
found on ancestry.com
Thomas Leffingwell
Thomas Leffingwell was either married to a Mary White or an Indian named Mary. Note concerning this: About the year 1637, only a short time after the first settlement of New England, there appears among the forests of Connecticut a young hunter calling himself Thomas Leffingwell. The prototype, perhaps, of Cooper's "Deerslayer", he was even at that early day on friendly terms with the Mohegan Indians, and especially with their young chief, Uncas; nor is it improbable, that occasionally he lived among them, acquiring their language and sharing their adventures.
Born in White Colne, Essex, England and christened on March 1624, how did such a young men come to be hunting in the forest of Connecticut in 1637? The landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth had occurred only seventeen years before. Boston had been founded in 1630; Hooker with his little band of Puritans had pushed through the forests of Massachusetts and laid the foundations of Hartford in 1635; New Haven was settled in 1637, and Saybrook the same year. These are the earliest years of Connecticut history. If at this time, we find among these sturdy pioneers a youth, without parents, the more probable explanation would be that he had emigrated in charge of some older relative. He may have emigrated and come to Saybrook in charge of an older married sister, who may have died soon after, leaving the youth to make his own way.
Let us now turn from the region of speculation, to the story of his life. Our earliest witness is the record of the General Court of Connecticut under date of 20 March 1649/50. "Matthew Griswold and Tho. Leppingwell" had presented a "petition from the inhabitants of Saybrook," setting forth their reasons for feeling aggrieved and wrong by the previous action of the General Court. This first establishes that Thomas was residing with a citizen's right group in Saybrook, and second, being associated with Mattew Griswold, indicates the high position that he held so early in his career in his new home.The next public record which introduced him is that found in the same journal of the General Court under the date of 15 May 1651. It states that "John Dyer testified in Court that upon a time this spring, Mr Blinman and another of Pequett, being at Seabrooke, desired this deponent to carry them over the River in a canoe, towards Pequett, which he did; and that when he had set them ashore, it being wet weather, he tarried there awhile, in which time of his tarrying there came three Indians to him, and Thomas Leppingwell was with them, which said Indians desired this deponent to set them over in the canoe to Seabrook."The testimony shows that the Indians were in search of some one to take them over, from the east side of the Connecticut River to Saybrook, and the journal proceeds to show they were put on board a Dutch vessel for the purpose of obtaining clothing.Now a heroic story about Thomas Leffingwell from Dr. Trumbull's "History of Connecticut": "Uncas, with a small band of Mohegan Indians was encamped on a point of land projecting into the river, and there closely besieged by their most inveterate foes, the Narragansetts. Finding himself in danger of being cut off by the enemy, he managed to send to his friends, the English Colony at Saybrook, the news of his extremity, with perhaps some appeal for help. Upon this intelligence, one Thomas Leffingwell, an ensign at Saybrook, an enterprising, bold man, loaded a canoe with beef, corn, and peas, and under cover of the night paddled from Saybrook into the Thames, and had the address to get the whole into the fort. The enemy soon perceiving that Uncas was relieved, raised the siege. For this service Uncas gave said Leffingwell a deed of a great part, if not the whole of the town of Norwich." In Jun 1659, Uncas, with his two sons, Owaneco and Attawanhood, by a more formal and authentic deed, made over unto said Leffingwell, John Mason, Esq., the Rev. James Fitch, and others, consisting of thirty-five proprietors, the whole township of Norwich, which is about nine miles square.
Thomas was one of the first settlers of Norwich, and its representative in 1662. He was an active partisan for many years when he was a lieutenant in Philip's war.
found on ancestry.com
The first additions to the original house were made to accommodate its use as an inn. The building descended to Christopher Leffingwell, a gentleman of utmost importance to the town and to the entire commonwealth. With his entrepreneurial skills and business connections he was invaluable as a supplier of provisions for the Revolutionary forces.
See link here:
http://www.leffingwellhousemuseum.org/history/
found on ancestry.com
About Thomas Leffingwell
from
http://www.angelfire.com/ny/chickened/leffingwellfamily.html
Trumbull, in his "History of Connecticut," says:
"Uncas, with a small band of Mohegan Indians, was encamped on a point of land projecting into the river, and there closely besieged by their most inveterate foes, the Narragansetts. Finding himself in danger of being cut off by the enemy, he managed to send to his friends, the English colony at Saybrook, the news of his extremity, with perhaps some appeal for help. Upon this intelligence, one Thomas Leffingwell, an ensign at Saybrook, an enterprising, bold man, loaded a canoe with beef, corn and pease, and, under cover of the night paddled from Saybrook into the Thames, and had the address to get the whole into the fort. The enemy soon perceiving that Uncas was relieved, raised the siege. For this service Uncas gave Leffingwell a deed of a great part, if not the whole of the town of Norwich. In June, 1659, Uncas, with his two sons, Owaneco and Attawanhood, by a more formal and authentic deed, made over unto said Leffingwell, John Mason, Esq., the Rev. James Fitch, and others, consisting of thirty-five proprietors, the whole lownship of Norwich, which is about nine miles square."
Thomas Leffingwell was afterwards lieutenant. In 1659 he removed to Norwich and had several grants of land there. His home lot was on the highway next to Joseph Bushnell's land. He became a prominent man in the town, serving as selectman, surveyor, and on important committees. He was deputy to the general court for fifty-three sessions, 1662-1700; and was also a commissioner. He divided his property among his children before his death, which occurred about 1714-15, when he was about ninety-two years old
found on ancestry.com
Thomas Leffingwell
Thomas Leffingwell was either married to a Mary White or an Indian named Mary. Note concerning this: About the year 1637, only a short time after the first settlement of New England, there appears among the forests of Connecticut a young hunter calling himself Thomas Leffingwell. The prototype, perhaps, of Cooper's "Deerslayer", he was even at that early day on friendly terms with the Mohegan Indians, and especially with their young chief, Uncas; nor is it improbable, that occasionally he lived among them, acquiring their language and sharing their adventures.
Born in White Colne, Essex, England and christened on March 1624, how did such a young men come to be hunting in the forest of Connecticut in 1637? The landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth had occurred only seventeen years before. Boston had been founded in 1630; Hooker with his little band of Puritans had pushed through the forests of Massachusetts and laid the foundations of Hartford in 1635; New Haven was settled in 1637, and Saybrook the same year. These are the earliest years of Connecticut history. If at this time, we find among these sturdy pioneers a youth, without parents, the more probable explanation would be that he had emigrated in charge of some older relative. He may have emigrated and come to Saybrook in charge of an older married sister, who may have died soon after, leaving the youth to make his own way.
Let us now turn from the region of speculation, to the story of his life. Our earliest witness is the record of the General Court of Connecticut under date of 20 March 1649/50. "Matthew Griswold and Tho. Leppingwell" had presented a "petition from the inhabitants of Saybrook," setting forth their reasons for feeling aggrieved and wrong by the previous action of the General Court. This first establishes that Thomas was residing with a citizen's right group in Saybrook, and second, being associated with Mattew Griswold, indicates the high position that he held so early in his career in his new home.The next public record which introduced him is that found in the same journal of the General Court under the date of 15 May 1651. It states that "John Dyer testified in Court that upon a time this spring, Mr Blinman and another of Pequett, being at Seabrooke, desired this deponent to carry them over the River in a canoe, towards Pequett, which he did; and that when he had set them ashore, it being wet weather, he tarried there awhile, in which time of his tarrying there came three Indians to him, and Thomas Leppingwell was with them, which said Indians desired this deponent to set them over in the canoe to Seabrook."The testimony shows that the Indians were in search of some one to take them over, from the east side of the Connecticut River to Saybrook, and the journal proceeds to show they were put on board a Dutch vessel for the purpose of obtaining clothing.Now a heroic story about Thomas Leffingwell from Dr. Trumbull's "History of Connecticut": "Uncas, with a small band of Mohegan Indians was encamped on a point of land projecting into the river, and there closely besieged by their most inveterate foes, the Narragansetts. Finding himself in danger of being cut off by the enemy, he managed to send to his friends, the English Colony at Saybrook, the news of his extremity, with perhaps some appeal for help. Upon this intelligence, one Thomas Leffingwell, an ensign at Saybrook, an enterprising, bold man, loaded a canoe with beef, corn, and peas, and under cover of the night paddled from Saybrook into the Thames, and had the address to get the whole into the fort. The enemy soon perceiving that Uncas was relieved, raised the siege. For this service Uncas gave said Leffingwell a deed of a great part, if not the whole of the town of Norwich." In Jun 1659, Uncas, with his two sons, Owaneco and Attawanhood, by a more formal and authentic deed, made over unto said Leffingwell, John Mason, Esq., the Rev. James Fitch, and others, consisting of thirty-five proprietors, the whole township of Norwich, which is about nine miles square.
Thomas was one of the first settlers of Norwich, and its representative in 1662. He was an active partisan for many years when he was a lieutenant in Philip's war.
found on ancestry.com
Mr. Davidson's comment should be removed - it's an ad.
ReplyDeleteThere is a new biography entitled "Thomas Leffingwell: The Connecticut Pioneer Who Rescued Chief Uncas and the Mohegans." It is available at Amazon.com.
ReplyDelete