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Mattabesett Wangunk Tribe Is Finally in the Spotlight

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Mattabesett Wangunk Tribe Is Finally in the Spotlight N FIRST S OW ETT T LE LE R D S D I D E M S C f E o N Y D T A E N I C e T S M O S id NEWSLETTER of hethe SOCIETY of MIDDLETOWN FIRST SETTLERS DESCENDANTS CONNECTICUT, U.S.A. 1650-1700 Vol. 16, No. 1 www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ctsmfsd/Index.html Spring 2016 STUDENT RESEARCH AT WESLEYAN Mattabesett Wangunk tribe is finally in the spotlight, … which also shines on Middletown’s ‘first exploiters’ Course on colonialism tion lands in 18th century Middletown. and indigenous peoples The machinations of this effort are described later in this article. motivates research and New course encourages student prompts public programs research. In fall 2015, Wesleyan University offered an undergraduate By R.W. Bacon course entitled “Decolonizing Editor, The Middler Indigenous Middletown: Native As so many SMFSD members have Histories of the Wangunk Indian discovered in their research, the People.” The course was taught by ancestral home of Middletown, Conn. Kehaulani Kawanui, Associate has an undeniably rich history. That Professor of American Studies and history is so rich – maritime trade, Anthropology. Her multiple areas of Civil War contributions, development scholarship include colonial and of industry, waves of immigration, indigenous studies. Among many 20th-century labor strife, urban other projects she is the author of renewal, and more – that some Hawaiian Blood: Colonialism and the SMFSD members at our Triennial Politics of Sovereignty and Indigeneity Meetings have observed that the Above is the promotional poster for (2008). The course introduced earliest history of Middletown appears “Indigenous Middletown: Settler Colonial students to the new field of settler & Wangunk Tribal History” held on colonial studies and the rapidly to be of little interest or relevance to December 5, 2015 at Wesleyan University. current inhabitants. transforming field of critical indige- Well, your editor can confirm that in spotlight shines on the so-called “first nous studies. The course used the the last several months, the early settlers” for engaging in what appears indigenous Wangunk Indian Tribe – settlers of Middletown are front-an- to be a purposeful and systematic with its sparsely-documented history center in the spotlight – but not for effort to drive out the indigenous – as its study subject. any prideful reasons. In short, the Wangunk people from their reserva- continued on page 3 In this issue . Finding early Middletown family surnames The Wangunks in the Spotlight. 1 Early Middletown Family Surnames in Connecticut Revolutionary War records in Revolutionary War Records. 1 By R.W. Bacon Patriot’s Day challenge, though Member Notes & SMFSD News . 2 Editor, The Middler lightweight in comparison: Making More on Middletown’s Oldest Homes . 2 At this writing it is Monday, April sense of the sources for Revolutionary The Middletown 366 Blog . 2 18, 2016, which is Patriot’s Day, a War records in Connecticut. Profile: Samuel Collins (1636-1695/6) . 6 holiday in Massachusetts, and also Because many genealogy enthusiasts Feature Graphics: A Selection of Revolutionary War Records . 8 & 9 Boston Marathon day. Without the do enjoy cataloging the military Membership Information . 11 marathon on the agenda this year, it is service of their ancestors, this combing the perfect day to take on another continued on page 8 MIDDLETOWN NEWSLETTER of the SOCIETY of MIDDLETOWN FIRST SETTLERS DESCENDANTS he Mid e CONNECTICUT, U.S.A. CONNECTICUT, USA SMFSD NEWS After the intensity of last year’s Triennial Meeting activity, members turn back to work on quietly percolating projects • Members persevere on of early Middletown settler Daniel • NERGC 2017. Although a year privately percolating projects. Markham (1641-1712). Also respond- away, it is not too early to mark your Every SMFSD Triennial Meeting ing to the editor’s welcome of article calendar for the next New England involves more than a year of long- ideas was Mark Phelps (AM-283), Regional Genealogy Conference, distance planning. When your editor with a proposal for an article on Amos scheduled for April 26-29, 2017 in looked back at the email records, the Wetmore (1740-1808), an associate Springfield, Mass. The theme of the tally for planning the October 2015 and son-in-law of Hugh White (1733- conference: “Using the Tools of Today meeting topped 400 before the 1812), who led many Middletown & Tomorrow to Understand the Past.” counting stopped. Now it appears that families to remove to Whitestown, The conference is held every other members are in a period of quietude, N.Y. in the late 18th century. year. SMFSD has exhibited since 2007. with a few working on projects that • Welcome new members. • SMFSD Facebook page. Don’t may one day appear in the pages of SMFSD welcomes two new members forget that you can keep up with The Middler. In this very issue, for since the last issue of The Middler: SMFSD on our Facebook page at instance, is a profile of Samuel Collins Darla Treat Courtney, AM-361, https://www.facebook.com/Societyof (1636-1695/6) prepared by Jim Charles Town, W. Va. (1st settlers MiddletownFirstSettlersDescendants. Collins (AM-355). Another profile David Sage, John Kirby, & Comfort SMFSD’s Facebook presence was the quietly in the works is a collaboration Starr); and Rebecca Irene initiative of Cindy Nicewarner, who by Jack L. White (LM-292) and Spaulding, AM 362, Auburn, Kansas continues to maintain the page as well Kem Marcum (AM-356) on a profile (1st settler John Savage). as serving as the SMFSD registrar. N FIRST S OW ETT T LE Article on early homes of Middletown LE R D S D I D E M S C f E o elicits responses from near and far N Y D T A E N I C T S O S The fall 2015 issue of The Middler built on the outskirts of Middletown as 1650-1700 included a feature, with photos, about fortified safe houses in case of Indian some of the earliest examples of attacks during King Philip’s War. The domestic architecture remaining in watch house on Maple Shade Road M e Middletown. While in many cases your was re-purposed as a schoolhouse in he id editor never knows the reach or 1676. After an 1885 addition, the East NEWSLETTER of the SOCIETY of MIDDLETOWN impact of a given article, in this one Long Hill School was in use until FIRST SETTLERS DESCENDANTS the photos of the 21 homes selected 1919, when it became a private home. 1650-1700 – Middletown, Connecticut, U.S.A. from Middletown Preservation Trust (The watch house on Randolph Road www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ctsmfsd/Index.html records provoked numerous responses. included in the Middler article was Vol. 16, No. 1 Several responses called attention to converted into a house in 1719.) Spring 2016 a structure that was not included, the In my travels I have been fortunate Please send articles, letters, news items, oldest in Middletown: The 1675 stone to encounter history professionals and corrections to: “watch house” built during King who have visited the house, and they The Middler Philip’s War that is now incorporated have offered to arrange a tour or a c/o R.W. Bacon, Editor into a home on Maple Shade Road. viewing in the future. The hope is to P. O. Box 489 Newburyport, MA 01950 In fact, that very home was near the document the house with a photo in a (E-mail: [email protected]) top of my list on the day that I was future Middler issue. – R.W. Bacon SMFSD OFFICERS scurrying around taking photos. But as far as I could tell, without tramping Check it out, history fans: President . Margery Piersen Vice President . Sue Welles across private property and risking an The ‘Middletown 366’ blog Secretary . Laura Hobbs encounter with a frisky Doberman, that The Middletown history enthusiast Treasurer . Mike Campbell particular house is not visible enough is urged to gorge on the savory morsels Historian. Don Brock from the street to get a decent photo. Registrar. Cynthia Nicewarner contributed by our favorite history Middler Editor . R.W. Bacon The watch house on Maple Shade supporters at the “Middletown 366” Road was one of three stone structures blog!: https://mchs366.wordpress.com/ 2 MIDDLETOWN NEWSLETTER of the SOCIETY of MIDDLETOWN FIRST SETTLERS DESCENDANTS he Mid e CONNECTICUT, U.S.A. CONNECTICUT, USA Middletown’s ‘first settlers’ are in the spotlight for once, but according to new research, for all the wrong reasons continued from page 1 for common use. In contrast, the Among the readings for the class The property-based, indigenous peoples regarded the land was the two-part series published in commodified culture and its resources as belonging to The Middler in 2010, “Native everyone. They often moved season- Americans in Middletown: Who called of the newly-arrived ally in the practice of hunting, fishing, it ‘home’ before our ‘first settlers’?” white settlers at first or agriculture. Despite the agreement (Apparently this two-part series is on fostered settler and with Wangunk chief Sowheag that in the academic radar thanks to its native coexistence, 1650 brought new settlers to what is inclusion as a source in the Yale now Middletown on the west side of University Indian Papers Project.) but then expedited the Connecticut River, there was Because the course was also focused native departure. bound to be some land use conflict. on historiography and the craft of But the population was small, and the research, students researched primary area so vast, that a peaceful coexis- sources at the Middlesex County Dr. Ives summarized his insights tence was possible. While the Historical Society. In addition to on how the property-based, Wangunks lived on both sides of the students exploring individual research commodified culture of the newly- river, the east side, now Portland, topics, a group goal was the creation arrived white settlers at first fostered Conn., was preferred, as it was not yet of a dedicated Wikipedia page on the settler and native coexistence, but settled by the intruders.
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