John Belding (also recorded as John Beldon or John Belden) (January 9, 1650 – November 26, 1713) was an early

settler A settler is a person who has human migration, migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a ...

of Norwalk,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

. He was a member of the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...

of the

Colony of Connecticut The ''Connecticut Colony'' or ''Colony of Connecticut'', originally known as the Connecticut River Colony or simply the River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636 as a settl ...

from Norwalk in the sessions of October 1691 and May 1705. He was most likely the son of William Belding and Thomasine Sherwood, although at least one record shows his father as John Belding of Wethersfield.The Ancient Historical Records of Norwalk, Connecticut
/ref>A Catalogue of the Names of the First Puritan Settlers of the Colony of Connecticut
/ref> He was the brother of Daniel Belden, the early settler of Deerfield,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. He is recorded as living in Norwalk as early as 1673. On April 30, 1690, he was appointed to a committee to fortify the meeting house. On January 16, 1694, he was appointed to a committee to replace the deceased Reverend Thomas Hanford as minister for the town. In 1708, he was one of the purchasers of Ridgefield, along with

Matthew Seymour Matthew Seymour (also Matthew Seamer, and Matthew Seamore) (May 1669 – 1735) was a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives from Norwalk in the sessions of October 1712, and October 1713. He was one of the founding settlers of Ridge ...

, Matthias St. John, and

Samuel Keeler Samuel Keeler (1656 – May 19, 1713) was a member of the House of Representatives of the Colony of Connecticut from Norwalk in the sessions of October 1701, October 1703, May 1704, May 1706, May 1709 and October 1709. He is listed as a foundin ...

. He died in 1713, and his widow, Ruth married John Copp, the town clerk.

Notable descendants

* Grandfather of Thomas Belden, member of the Connecticut House of Representatives

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belding, John 1650 births 1713 deaths American Puritans Deputies of the Connecticut General Assembly (1662–1698) Members of the Connecticut House of Representatives Politicians from Norwalk, Connecticut People from Wethersfield, Connecticut King Philip's War People of colonial Connecticut