Thomas Hanford (July 22, 1621 – 1693) was a founding

settler A settler is a person who has 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 pioneer. Settl ...

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 capita ...

. He was the first minister in Norwalk, and continued in charge of the settlement's church for forty-one years, until his death in 1693. In addition to his spiritual leadership, he also served as the civic leader and school teacher of the settlement.

Early life and family

He was born in Fremington (near Barnstable),

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

shire,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, on July 22, 1621, the son of Theophilus Jeffrey Hanford and Eglin Hatherly.

Life in America

His mother, Eglin Hatherly Hanford, with Thomas' sisters, Margaret and Elizabeth, departed from

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

aboard the ship ''Planter'' on April 8, 1635. They arrived in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

on June 7, 1635. Thomas followed his mother at a later time in order to finish his studies in England. However, it appears that he did not finish in England, as he completed his studies in Massachusetts Bay Colony with

Charles Chauncy Charles Chauncy (baptised 5 November 1592 – 19 February 1672) was an Anglo-American Congregational clergyman, educator, and secondarily, a physician. He is also known as the 2nd President of Harvard. Life Charles Chauncy was born at Arde ...

, who later became the second president of

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

. By 1643, he was in Scituate, Massachusetts, which was founded by his mother's brother, Timothy Hatherly. He became a

freeman Freeman, free men, or variant, may refer to: * a member of the Third Estate in medieval society (commoners), see estates of the realm * Freeman, an apprentice who has been granted freedom of the company, was a rank within Livery companies * Free ...

of Massachusetts in 1650. In 1651 he went to Roxbury, to teach school. He taught for four months, but became discouraged by his students and quit in June 1652, citing ill health.New Haven Town Records: General Court for New Haven, November 14, 1651, November 17, 1651, March 11, 1651/2, and June 7, 1652.

Life in Norwalk

In 1652, Hanford, being "an orthodox and approved minister," was invited to join the settlement at Norwalk as the first minister of the First Congregational Church. He was ordained in Hartford on May 18, 1654. The town gave him a lot of four acres, and built him a house. He was also given an island by a Winnipauk Indian named Sagamore, which today is called Sheffield Island. 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:Hanford, Thomas 1621 births 1693 deaths Burials in East Norwalk Historical Cemetery Founding settlers of Norwalk, Connecticut 17th-century New England Puritan ministers People from North Devon (district) Settlers of Connecticut First settlers of New England