Connecticut Biographies Page 2

The Biography of John Plumb of Weathersfield [sic]/Branford,Connecticut John Plumb was born 28 July, 1594 in Great Yeldham, Essex, England, to Robert and Grace Crackbone Plume, one of at least nine children.  Around age 22 (about 1616) John married Dorothy Wood.  In 1634 they are found in Ridgewell Parish in County Essex, England (Parish records).  John, Dorothy and their family were living there in Ridgewell Hall, where most of their nine children were born (the only child born in New England was Dorcas, around 1636). John Plumb and his family were in Weathersfield, Connecticut no later than 1635 (among the earliest residents).  It is believed that John sold his holdings at Ridgewell, Essex, bought (or previously owned) his own boat (ship) and sailed for the New World.  He was a Magistrate there (Weathersfield) in 1637 (from F. M. Caulkins in her HISTORY OF NEW LONDON, derived from Connecticut Colonial Records, vol. 1, pg. 13).   He was the first ship-owner in the Weathersfield area, trading up and down the river with the Indians (Caulkins).  In 1664-5 he was appointed Inspector of the lading of vessels in   Weathersfield (Caulkins).   John was active in the life of Weathersfield for about 9 years.  It is possible that John's ship was one used in the attack upon the Indians at Pequot Hill (Mystic/Groton) during the punative campaign of 1637-1638; the result being total defeat for the Indians, and an overland pursuit.  John had a warehouse burned by the Pequots at Saybrook (Caulkins), so he had a vested interest in the final outcome of this conflict.  Another result of this overland pursuit of the Native Americans was an exposure of the Europeans to a new area of southeast Connecticut ripe for settlement.  It may be surmised that as a result of this excursion, John and Dorothy Plumb's oldest son Robert settled in Milford, where he lived out the remainder of his life. By 1644 John and Dorothy Plumb had sold most of their Weathersfield holdings and relocated to Branford, Connecticut, while retaining some property in Weathersfield.  John was elected Town Clerk of Branford, and held this office until his death in 1648.  The first Town Meeting was held in Branford 15 Dec 1645.  John died in Branford, and his wife Dorothy and son Samuel filed his probate, 1 Aug 1648.  Dorothy Plumb is thought to have outlived her husband by at least 21 years. (note:  Francis Manwaring Caulkins originally confused this John Plumb of Weathersfield/Branford (1594-1648) with John Plumb of Hartford/New London (1634-1696, biography elsewhere).  They were both from the same English county (Essex), and lived in the same area in Connecticut.  They were both mariners, involved in river and coastal trading.   However, John Plumb  of Hartford/New London did not arrive in the New World until 1659, nine years after the death of John of Weathersfield/Branford.  it is thought he may have been a nephew of this John Plumb.  This mistake is corrected in the 1860 version of Caulkin's HISTORY) [submitted by Chuck Plumb]

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