Theophilus Eaton

Theophilus Eaton (* 1590 in Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire, England; † January 7, 1658 in Hartford, Connecticut ) was an English settlers in America, traders, farmers and Puritans. He also was a colonial leader and co-founder and first governor of New Haven Colony.

Career

Theophilus Eaton, son of Richard Eaton (1569-1616), who was chaplain of Great Budworth, Chester, and his wife Elizabeth Shepheard (1569-1630) was born in 1590 in Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire, England.

For several years, Theophilus was a representative of King Charles I of England at the Danish court. He then worked as a trader in London. He was also one of the original patentees and president of the Massachusetts Bay Company. At that time, Eaton also developed due as Puritans great interest in colonial exploitation, so he finally decided to emigrate to New England. He arrived with his family and a group of other Puritans on board the Hector (ship) on June 26, 1637 Boston, Massachusetts.

Your group of colonists led by the religious leaders John Davenport. They wanted to establish their own settlement, probably due to Winthrop's role, which is also made responsible for ensuring that Rev. Thomas Hooker and others went away from there to found their own colonies.

In the spring, took off his group from Boston and reached on 14 April 1638 place which they called New Haven.

Those autumn Eaton led an expedition to the south and found a job at Quinnipiack on the northern shore of Long Iceland sound. On November 14, 1638, he and his entourage entered in accordance with the peace chief (also called Sachem ) Momauquin the country, which Quinnipiac the Indians in exchange for protection from their ancient enemies, the Mohawk and the Pequot, bartered. Momauquin would relinquish his title and claim of ownership in the interest of the country if both parties would predict that no feelings would develop such hostility, hatred or regret later. [ Cf. JW Barber, History and Antiquities of New Haven, (Conn. ) ( 1831) pp. 25-29 ].

The Mohawks and the Pequots were all destroyed except the New Haven Indians, but only 40 men survived, so that eventually Theophilus and his companions, by contract obligated to protect them, they attacked unjustly and staggered into fear. Eaton and his people did this for several reasons, mainly because they wanted to have for always enough land to grow something can, and that finally cleared the way to become accountable to them for their inflated claims to the land purchase that would: twelve coats of English cloth, twelve alchemy spoons, twelve hatchets, twelve hoes, two dozen knives, twelve cups, and four cases of French knives and scissors.

This contract was then signed by Momauquin and his advice, as well as by Theophilus Eaton and John Davenport and legally completed.

Some said that Theophilus eintauschte only thirteen coats at the local Indians for seven rural communities, but the fact is that in the following December 1638 he and his companions a large land area of ​​Monotowese, the son of peace chief of the Mattabesic acquired, 10 miles long and was 13 miles wide. He paid in accordance with the agreement Monotowese 13 coats and again gave the Indians the British plenty of ground for planting and hunting. Furthermore Monotoweses tribe consisted at that time of only 10 men with their wives and children. They assumed that the British would protect them also against the Mohawks and the Pequots.

On arrival in the new colony, Theophilus attempted to continue his craft as a businessman first. It failed him, as the colony was still too new to imports to afford, with the Indian fur trade with the Dutch outposts at Hartford was successful, so that he umsattelte on agriculture.

When the New Haven Colony was founded under his leadership, he was selected as one of the " seven pillars of the church ," represent as one of the seven council members, who previously formed the Confederation of the Freemen and the elected civilian officials.

Their names were: Theophilus Eaton, John Davenport, Robert Newman, Matthew Gilbert, Thomas Fugill, John Punderson and Jeremiah Dixon.

Theophilus was elected on June 4, 1639 for the first governor and re-elected until his death on January 7, 1657 or 1658 ( according to the Julian calendar) every year. He was buried at the park in New Haven, where later his remains were reburied at the Grove Street Cemetery in New Haven. One of his major achievements as governor was the creation in 1655 of the Penal Code written for the colony, as the Blue Laws of Connecticut became known later. Because of this and the fact that he was the first president of the Massachusetts Bay Company, he is sometimes thought by some to be the father of American law (English Father of American Law ).

Grave inscription of Theophilus Eaton

Family

Theophilus Eaton was married twice. The first time he married in 1622 a woman named Grace Hiller. They had at least one daughter ( Mary ) and a son ( Samuel ) ( according to some sources, they also had a son named James ).

Eaton married again after the death of his first wife in 1625, this time a widow named Anne Yale, daughter of George Lloyd, Bishop of Chester (some sources say that it is Anne Morton, daughter of Thomas Morton, Bishop of Chester, was ). The couple had three children together, Theophilus, Hannah and Elizabeth, with the budget included a total of eight children. In addition to its bargain, and Mary and Samuel, it concluded Anne, David and Thomas Yale from Anne's first marriage to Thomas Yale with a.

Theophilus ' younger brother Nathaniel Eaton (1609-1674) was after him, the then Governor of Massachusetts John Winthrop was defrocked in 1639, what some Massachusetts ' first witch trial were considered, the first schoolmaster of Harvard College. Another brother, Samuel Eaton (1597-1665), was a pastor who accompanied Theophilus to New Haven, but then returned to England to fight the anti- Puritan persecutions.

Thomas Yale, son of Thomas and Ann ( Lloyd) Yale, settled in the New Haven Colony down and signed on June 4, 1639 the Fundamental Agreement of the New Haven Colony. Anne Jr. married in 1631 Edward Hopkins, who later became Governor of the Colony of Connecticut. David married in 1641 Ursula Knight. They were the parents of Elihu Yale, the namesake of Yale College.

Mary Eaton married in 1647 Valentine Hill of Boston, where her uncle Nathaniel was then witness. Samuel Eaton married in 1654 Mabel ( Harlakenden ) Haynes. Both died in 1655 of smallpox. Hannah Eaton married in 1659 the Vice- Governor William Jones ( 1624-1706 ). Called Theophilus Eaton Jr. and Ellis, settled in Dublin, Ireland and married there a Anne King. Elizabeth died in March 1637 in London, shortly before their departure back to the colonies.