Matthew Canfield (also seen as Matthew Campfield) (1604 – 1673) was a founding

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 ...

and

Newark Newark most commonly refers to: * Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States * Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area Newark may also refer to: Places Canada * Niagara-on-the ...

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. He served as a deputy of the General Court of the

Connecticut Colony 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 ...

representing Norwalk in the sessions of May 1654, May 1655, May 1656, May 1657, May 1658, May 1659, May 1660, May 1661, May and October 1662, October 1663, May and October 1664, May and October 1665, and May and October 1666. He was born in

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Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

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and baptized in Saint Andrews Church on February 27, 1604. He was the son of Gregory and Joan Camfield. He came to the

New Haven Colony The New Haven Colony was a small English colony in North America from 1638 to 1664 primarily in parts of what is now the state of Connecticut, but also with outposts in modern-day New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The history o ...

from England prior to 1637. He was a collector for

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1645. He served as an officer in the Cavalry Troop of Connecticut from 1650-66.Charles Lathrop Pack. ''Thomas Hatch of Barnstable & Some of His Descendants''. Newark, NJ: Society of Colonial Wars in the State of New Jersey, 1930, p. 285. In February 1652, Camfield sold his home lot in New Haven. That year, he moved to Norwalk, becoming one of the area's original settlers. He lived in Norwalk for fourteen years, becoming one of the settlement's and the colony's prominent citizens. He was a deputy of the Connecticut General Court from Norwalk in 1654.R. R. Hinman.
A Catalogue of the Names of the First Puritan Settlers of the Colony of Connecticut
'. Hartford, CT: Gleason, 1846, p. 122. In 1662, he was a magistrate and judge for the court in Fairfield. He was one of the 19 signers of the Petition to King Charles II for the Charter of the Colony. In 1666, Matthew removed to

Province of New Jersey The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1783. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherland but came under English rule after the ...

along with his brother-in-law

Robert Treat Robert Treat (February 23, 1624July 12, 1710) was a New England Puritan colonial leader, militia officer and governor of the Connecticut Colony between 1683 and 1698. In 1666 he helped found Newark, New Jersey. Biography Treat was born in Pitm ...

, where he was one of the founders of that town. His home lot was located at about the present north-west corner of Washington and Market Streets. Apparent his departure from Norwalk is based upon some dissatisfaction with the union of the

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

and Hartford colonies. Canfield Island in East Norwalk is named for him.Selleck, p. 24. He is listed on the Founders Stone bearing the names of the founding settlers of Norwalk in the

East Norwalk Historical Cemetery __NOTOC__ Established in , the East Norwalk Historical Cemetery is Norwalk's oldest cemetery, and many of the area's first settlers are buried there. The cemetery is owned and maintained by the Third Taxing District, formally known as the East Nor ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canfield, Matthew 1604 births 1673 deaths American Puritans Deputies of the Connecticut General Assembly (1662–1698) Deputies of the Connecticut General Court (1639–1662) People from West Northamptonshire District Politicians from Newark, New Jersey Politicians from New Haven, Connecticut Founding settlers of Norwalk, Connecticut History of Newark, New Jersey Lawyers from Newark, New Jersey