Simon Wolcott

1625 - 1687  (62 years)

• Name	Simon Wolcott
  Born	11 Sep 1624/25	Gaulden Manor, Tolland, Somersetshire, England   [2, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 21, 22, 23, 25]
  Immigration	say 1635  [2, 6, 8, 12, 13, 22, 23]
  	Simon's parents emigrated to New England when he was about five. He, and his siblings were sent for within ten years after, but the exact time of their arrival we have not been able to ascertain. [19, 24]
  Residence	Oct 1636	Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut   [9, 10, 23]
  He was recorded as living in Windsor at this date.
  Occupation	say 1640	Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut   [2]
  He was a farmer.
  Freeman	1654	Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut   [12, 22]
  He was admitted as a freeman.
  Land/House	Apr 1661	Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut   [15, 24]
  He sold his place to the Saunders Brothers and moved to Simsbury.
  Married	17 Oct 1661	Hold   [6, 9]
  Land/House	1667 and 1668	Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut   [7, 24]
  He received with others a grant of land in Simsbury, then Massacoe.
  Offices Held	1668	Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut   [24]
  He was appointed by the General Court one of a committee who were empowered, with reference to grants in that place, "to further the planting of the same, and to make such just orders as they shall judge requisite for the well ordering of said plantation, so they be not repugnant to the public orders of this Colony."
  Offices Held	1671	Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut   [14]
  He was the Representative to the General Court from Simsbury.
  Occupation	12 Oct 1671	Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut
  The General Court granting him liberty, under proper restrictions, to "dispose" of alcoholic liquors, was evidence of public confidence in him and of his good social standing. [24]
  Military	11 Aug 1673	Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut   [9, 15, 24]
  The Committee for the Miltiæ do hereby appoynt Mr. Simon Woolcott and John Griffin to be those that shall command [Captain] the Traine Band of Simsbury for the present, and untill the Generall Court order otherwise, or the people there make their choyse."
  Offices Held	1674	Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut   [9, 24]
  He was elected a Selectman.
  Moved To	1675	Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut   [17, 19, 24]
  He and the rest of the settlers were driven from the place by the Indians, and his property was destroyed. It is said that on his flight from the place he filled a brass kettle with his plate, &c., and sunk it in the deep mud of the swamp, but was unable to find it afterwards.
  Residence	1680	South Windsor, Hartford Count, Connecticut   [24]
  After the loss of his place in Simsbury, he remained a few years in Windsor, and in 1680 settled on his land, on the east side of the Connecticut River, in the present town of South Windsor.
  Land/House	13 May 1680	South Windsor, Hartford Count, Connecticut   [24]
  "May 13, 1680. This Court grants Mr. Simon Woolcot two hundred acres of land for a farme, provided he take it up where it may not prejudice any grant to any perticular person or to any plantation."
  Land/House	1686	South Windsor, Hartford Count, Connecticut   [9, 24]
  In the Windsor Town List of 1686 his "Estate Rateable" is among the largest entered ; but it was involved, and there remained little at his decease.
  Died	11 Sep 1687	Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut   [2, 4, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 21, 23, 24, 25]
  According to Wolcott (1881) His death was hastened, according to his son's account, by gloomy anticipations of the oppression and suffering which awaited the colonists under the coming administration of Sir Edmund Andros. These fears, as the result proved, were not wholly groundless, and they were probably heightened in his mind by the tragic scenes which had recently been enacted in his native county in England. Somersetshire had been the principal seat of the unfortunate operations of Monmouth's fatal expedition, and the former neighbors of the family in England, and their families, had furnished some of the victims for the "judicial massacre" of the brutal Jeffreys during his Bloody Assizes. The reign of King James II., during the few years it lasted, was naturally an object of strong dislike and dread to the colonists. [13, 24]
  Buried	say 13 Sep 1687	Palisado Cemetery, Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut, U.S.A.   [4, 15, 24]
  	Gravestone of Simon Wolcott HERE LYES WAITING FOR Ye RESURECTION OF Ye JUST Ye BODY OF Mr SIMAN WOLCOTT WHO DYED SEPTEMr Ye 11th 1687 AGED 62 YEARS
  	A Memorial to Simon and Martha Wolcott
  	Inscription on the Memorial
  Complier's Note	1941  [9, 15, 24]
  According to Keatley (1941), he "was one of the few men in the Colony honored with the title 'Mister."
  Web References	2019
  Siblings	6 siblings
  1. John Wolcott ,   b. 1 Oct 1607, Tolland, Somersetshire, England ,   d. Before 1655, England  (Age 47 years)   2. Henry Wolcott ,   b. 21 Jan 1610/11, Tolland, Somersetshire, England ,   d. 12 Jul 1680, Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut  (Age 69 years) ▻ Sarah Newberry ,  m. 8 Nov 1640   3. George Wolcott ,   b. England ,   d. 12 Feb 1663, Wethersfield, Hartford County, Connecticut   4. Christopher Wolcott ,   b. England ,   d. 7 Sep 1662, Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut + 5. Anna Wolcott ,   b. 1620, Tolland, Somersetshire, England ,   d. 1677, Lyme, New London County, Connecticut  (Age 57 years) ▻ Lt. Matthew Griswold ,  m. 16 Oct 1646   6. Mary Wolcott ,   b. Abt 1622, Tolland, Somersetshire, England ,   d. 6 Sep 1689, Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut  (Age ~ 67 years)   7. Simon Wolcott ,   b. 11 Sep 1624/25, Gaulden Manor, Tolland, Somersetshire, England ,   d. 11 Sep 1687, Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut  (Age 62 years) ▻ Joanna Cook ,  m. 19 Mar 1657 ;  Martha Pitkin ,  m. 17 Oct 1661
  Person ID	I16566
  Last Modified	6 Aug 2020

  
  

  Father	Henry Wolcott, Esq,   c. 6 Dec 1579, Bishops Lydeard, Somersetshire, England ,   d. 30 May 1655, Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut  (Age ~ 75 years)
  Mother	Elizabeth Saunders,   c. 20 Dec 1584, Lydiard St Lawrence, Somersetshire, England ,   d. 7 Jul 1655, Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut  (Age ~ 70 years)
  Married	19 Jan 1606	Lydeard St Lawrence, Somersetshire, England
  Family ID	F930	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Joanna Cook,   b. 5 Aug 1638, Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut ,   d. 27 Apr 1657, Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut  (Age 18 years)  [1, 8, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 21, 22, 24]
  Married	19 Mar 1657	Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut   [1, 8, 12, 14, 16, 18, 24]
  Age at Marriage	He was 31 years - She was 18 years
  Last Modified	9 Mar 2020
  Family ID	F8440	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Martha Pitkin,   c. 12 Oct 1639, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England ,   d. 13 Oct 1719, East Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut  (Age ~ 80 years)  [1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25]
  Married	17 Oct 1661	Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut   [1, 2, 8, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18, 21, 22, 24]
  Pitkin (1880) wrote of this marrage thusly: She was a lady endowed with more than ordinary talent, improved by an excellent education. The reception she met with in the colony, was most flattering; her comely form and accomplished manner making the colonists anxious to retain her in their country. In the words of the Rev. Thomas Robbins. for many years the pastor of the church she attended, "this girl put the colony in commotion. If possible she must be detained. The stock was too valuable to be parted with. It became a matter of general consultation what young man was good enough for Miss Pitkin." Tradition says that so many young men wished to marry the accomplished beauty, that they cast lots for her hand, but fails to say what part Miss Pitkin was to take in the affair. The facts are, that the sons of Henry Wolcott, one of the first settlers of East Windsor, were well pleased with Miss Pitkin, and to avoid all question of strife or jealousy, it is believed it was decided by lot among themselves which one should sue for her hand. The lot fell to Simon Wolcott, the youngest son; at all events, he pressed his suit, and was successful. Her brother favored the match, and she became the wife of Simon Wolcott, and subsequently the mother of Governor Roger Wolcott, grandmother of Governor Oliver Wolcott, and great-grandmother of the second Governor Oliver Wolcott and of Governor Roger Griswold. Governor Ellsworth was also a lineal descendant. Her granddaughter married Governor Matthew Griswold. [3, 11, 13, 15, 17, 20, 21, 24] Issue: 1. Elizabeth Wolcott (1662-1707) 2. Martha Wolcott (1664-1687) 3. Simon Wolcott (1666-1732) 4. Joanna Wolcott (1668-1755) 5. Henry Wolcott (1670-1746) 6. Christopher Wolcott (1672-1693) 7. Mary Wolcott (1674-1676) 8. William Wolcott (1676-1749) 9. Roger Wolcott (1679-1767) [He became the Governor of Connecticut] [7, 11, 12, 14, 23, 24, 25]
  Age at Marriage	He was 36 years - She was 22 years
  Last Modified	9 Mar 2020
  Family ID	F8438	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 11 Sep 1624/25 - Gaulden Manor, Tolland, Somersetshire, England Residence - - Oct 1636 - Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut Occupation - say 1640 - Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut Freeman - 1654 - Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut Married - 19 Mar 1657 - Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut Land/House - Apr 1661 - Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut Married - 17 Oct 1661 - Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut Land/House - 1667 and 1668 - Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut Offices Held - 1668 - Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut Offices Held - 1671 - Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut Occupation - 12 Oct 1671 - Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut Military - - 11 Aug 1673 - Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut Offices Held - 1674 - Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut Moved To - 1675 - Simsbury, Hartford County, Connecticut Died - 11 Sep 1687 - Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut Buried - say 13 Sep 1687 - Palisado Cemetery, Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut, U.S.A.  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos

  Signature of Simon Wolcott

  
  

• Sources

  [S1158] Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, volume III (P-W), (Boston: New England Historic Genealogy Society, 1995), Secondary Source. [S1622] anonymous. "Memoir of Hon. Oliver Wolcott, Sen, Governor of Connecticut, 1796-7" , (Boston: The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume XXVI, January 1872), Secondary Source. [S1524] Dean, John. "Medfield's Contribution to Harvard College, 1678", (Boston: The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, volume X, 1856), Secondary Source. [S14] Find-a-Grave website, (http://www.findagrave.com), Secondary Source. Memorial ID 8275835 Simon Wolcott [S1234] Gibbs, George. "Memoir of Oliver Wolcott", (Boston: The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, volume IV, 1850), Secondary Source. [S241] Griggs, Dan. McNall Genealogy, (manuscript, 2003), Secondary Source. [S1620] Hinman, Royal R. Catalogue of Names of the First Puritan Settlers, (Hartford, Connecticut: Royal R. Hinman, 1846), Secondary Source. [S1884] Jackson, Joseph C. British and American Family of Wolcott: Origin, Lineage, Service, (New York: Joseph C. Jackson, 1912), Secondary Source. [S705] Keatley, Vivien Bulloch. The Cooley Genealogy, the Descendants of Ensign Benjamin Cooley, (Rutland, Vermont: Tuttle Publishing Co., 1941), Secondary Source. [S1193] Parsons, Samuel H. "Record of Marriages and Births in the Town of Windsor, in Connecticut" , (Boston: The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, volume V, 1851), Secondary Source. [S1880] Pitkin, Albert Palmer. Pitkin Family of America: A Genealogy of the Descendants of William Pitkin, the Progenitor of the Family in this Country, from his Arrival from England in 1659 to 1886 ... Also Additional Notes of the Descendants of Martha Pitkin, who Married Simon Wolcott, (Hartford, Connecticut: Case, Lockwood and Company, 1887), Secondary Source. [S1627] Rudd, Alice Böhmer. Wolcott Genealogy: The Family of Henry Wolcott, one of the First Settlers of Windsor, Connecticut, (Washington, DC: Guild Publishing Company, 1950), Secondary Source. [S1882] Salisbury, Edward Elbridge. Family-Histories and Genealogies, (New Haven, Connecticut: Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor, 1892), Secondary Source. [S956] Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May 1692 on the Basis of Farmer's Register, volume IV, (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1862), Tertiary Source. [S1881] Stiles, Henry Reed. The History and Genealogies of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut: Including East Windsor, South Windsor, Bloomfield, Windsor Locks, and Ellington, 1635-1891, Volume 2, (Hartford, Connecticut: The Case, Lockwood & Brainard Company, 1891), Secondary Source. [S1887] Stott, Clifford L. "Humphrey Blake (1494?-1558) and his Descendants in New England and South Carolina: Blake, Richards, Selleck, Torrey, and Wolcott", (Boston: The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 163, 2009), Secondary Source. [S1885] Talcott, Mary Kingsbury. "Notes on the Pitkin Ancestry in England", (Boston: The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume LXVI, 1912), Secondary Source. [S91] Torrey, Clarence Almon. New England Marriage Prior to 1700, (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1985), Secondary Source. [S1624] Trumbull, J. Hammond. The Memorial History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1884, (Boston: Edward L. Osgood, 1886), Secondary Source. [S1235] W, W. H. "Researches among Funeral Sermons" , (Boston: The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, volume XVII, 1864), Secondary Source. [S1625] Wolcott, Chandler. Record of the Descendants of James and Miriam Wolcott, (Rochester, New York: Chandler Wolcott, 1907), Secondary Source. [S1626] Wolcott, Chandler. Wolcott Genealogy: The Family of Henry Wolcott, One of the First Settlers of Windsor, Conn., (Rochester, New York: Genese Press, 1912), Secondary Source. [S1229] Wolcott, Frederick. "Genealogies - The Wolcott Family", (Boston: The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, volume I, July 1847), Secondary Source. [S1623] Wolcott, Samuel. Memorial of Henry Wolcott, One of the First Settlers of Windsor, Connecticut, and of Some of His Descendants, (New York: Anson D. F. Randolph and Company, 1881), Secondary Source. [S1231] Woodward, Ashbel. "Brief Memoirs and Notices of Prince's Subscribers" , (Boston: The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, volume IX, 1855), Secondary Source.