Jeremy Adams

Jeremy Adams
Born Jeremiah Adams
1604/5
England
Died (1683-08-11)August 11, 1683
Monuments Founders Monument of Hartford at the First Church of Christ and the Ancient Burying Ground
Residence Hartford, Connecticut, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Colchester, Connecticut
Occupation Puritan minister, Innskeeper
Known for Proprietor and founder of Hartford, Connecticut
Relatives John Quincy Adams, John Adams

Jeremy Adams, also known as Jeremiah Adams (c.1604/5—August 11, 1683),[1] was one of the first settlers of Hartford, Connecticut. He was also the founder and first proprietor of Colchester, Connecticut, which was established on land owned by Adams, known as "Jeremiah's Farme".[2][3][4]

Arrival in America

Adams arrived in America in 1632. He was one of the original members of the company that came to the colonies with Rev. Thomas Hooker, aboard the Griffin. He first arrived in New England at Braintree, Massachusetts with his brother Henry Adams (ancestor of later U.S. Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams).[5] Before coming to America, Adams was a Puritan minister of the Church in Chelmsford, Essex, England.[6] He became a freeman in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1635.[7] In 1636, he moved with Rev. Hooker to Hartford, Connecticut, and was one of the original proprietors of the settlement.[8]

In 1639 Adams was the constable (cunstable),[9] and the official Innkeeper for the Colony. His Inn at Hartford was used as the meeting place for the legislative body of the colony, general court sessions, and for other public purposes. The Inn was said to have been "frequented by all of the great men of the colony".[10] It may be presumed that among these meetings, was the creation of the famous Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (1639), which was perhaps the western world's first written constitution.[11] The constitution was later hidden in the Charter Oak.[12][13]

On April 5, 1638, he was sent with Captain Mason on an expedition to the Warranocke Indians to trade for corn.[14] This service qualifies his descendants to become members of the General Society of Colonial Wars. He was: an Officer of the Court, a Tax Assessor, a collector for the town, a Juror, a Collector of Customs and traded with the Indians for the General Court of Connecticut. In 1660, he was the only resident of the colony allowed to sell wine or liquor.[7]

Some of the land he owned is now occupied by buildings of Harvard University, and another tract of land is now a part of the Campus of Trinity College, Hartford.

Tributes

A ridge named Jeremy's Back and a river called Jeremy's River are located near Colchester, Connecticut, and are both named after Jeremy Adams. His name is inscribed on the Founders Monument of Hartford at the First Church of Christ and the Ancient Burying Ground.

References

  1. ↑ First Church of Christ (Hartford, Conn.), Historical catalogue of the First Church in Hartford. 1633-1885, Harvard University, page 12, 1885.
  2. ↑ Colchester, CT (2011-08-08). "Colchester, CT - About Colchester". Colchesterct.gov. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  3. ↑ "Was the Founder of Colchester: Jeremy Adams Started the Community and Was First Proprietor", The Day, New London, Connecticut, February 6, 1914, page 11.
  4. ↑ http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/k/i/n/Joyce-A-Kintzel/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0860.html
  5. ↑ "Henry Adams of Braintree". Henry Adams of Braintree. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  6. ↑ "Genealogy File: Jeremy Adams, Abt 1604 - 11 Aug 1683". Royalblood.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  7. 1 2 Love, William DeLoss. The colonial history of Hartford, Princeton University, pp 216–219, 1914.
  8. ↑ "Society of the Descendants of the Founders of Hartford: Jeremy Adams". Foundersofhartford.org. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  9. ↑ http://www.foundersofhartford.org/founders/adams_jeremy.htm
  10. ↑ Goodwin, Nathaniel. The Foote family, Press of Case, Tiffany and company, pp 298–299, 1849.
  11. ↑ "The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. 1909-14. American Historical Documents, 1000-1904. The Harvard Classics". Bartleby.com. Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  12. ↑ Scott, Fred W. Clifton William Scott And Mildred Evelyn Bradford Scott Of Ashfield, Mass., iUniverse, page 416, 2004. ISBN 978-0-595-32871-0
  13. ↑ https://archive.org/details/publicrecordsofc001conn
  14. ↑ The public records of the colony of Connecticut, 1636-1776, Press of the Case, page 17, 1850.

Further reading

  • Adams, Arthur The Adams Family Atlantic County Historical Society, Yearbook, Oct. 1950, v. 1, n. 3, pp. 91–102

Coordinates: 41°35′18″N 72°23′05″W / 41.58829°N 72.3848°W / 41.58829; -72.3848

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