B. about 1595 in England
M. about 1615 in England
Wife: Mary
D. before 1 Oct 1651 in Hartford, Connecticut
When John Wilcox became one of the first settlers of Hartford, Connecticut in 1636, the lot he was granted was at the bend in a small river that ran through the settlement. And though the river is no longer there, John’s land is a significant site today.
John was born somewhere in England in about 1595, but nothing else is proven about his origins. In about 1615, he married a woman named Mary, whose last name is unknown, but may have been Wilshire. They had at least three children together born between about 1616 and 1620; if there were other children, it’s likely they didn’t survive. John was said to make a living as a pail maker. He was also a Puritan, and during the early 1630s, his family joined the Great Migration to New England.
It’s likely that John and his family settled in Massachusetts before becoming part of a group that split off to form a new settlement on the Connecticut River. In 1636, 100 people led by Reverend Thomas Hooker trekked across the wilderness to find their new home; they chose a place where a smaller river (called Little River) curved west near an abandoned Dutch fort. This became the town of Hartford.
The people who arrived in 1636 were considered proprietors who were each entitled to tracts of land in the new settlement, and by 1640 early Hartford was laid out. There were about 150 houses organized on several roads with a bridge that crossed Little River, which bisected the town. John’s home lot was on a bend in the river. His land bordered the river on the west, and beyond it were fields and wilderness. In 1643 and 1644, John was named as a surveyor of highways, which meant that he helped to maintain the roads in town.
John was only about 56-years-old when he made out his will, which was dated July 24, 1651. He likely was in failing health and he left detailed instructions for the distribution of his possessions. From this it’s possible to imagine how he was living at the time. He mentioned his “old house” and a new one, with a “closet” in between; likely his original home had been expanded with a better house next door, and some sort of structure connected them. He bequeathed the old section to his wife Mary and the newer one to his son John. He ordered that crops harvested from his farm be used to support Mary, listing amounts of wheat, rye and corn to be left to her. His farm also contained two fruit orchards, along with cows, hogs, poultry, and bee hives. Two servants, a man and a woman, worked for him at the time.
The exact date of John’s death is unknown, but he likely passed away in about September 1651. The inventory of his estate was made on October 1st, so he was certainly deceased by that date. His wife Mary survived until 1668.
As an original settler of Hartford, John’s name is listed on the Founder’s Monument which stands today in the Ancient Burying Ground in Hartford. His land on the bend in the river transitioned to other usage over the years as the city of Hartford grew around it. During the mid-19th century, the land was absorbed into a public green space known as Bushnell Park, said to be the oldest publicly funded park in the United States. The Little River remained a feature next to the park until floods during the 1930s and 40s caused the Army Corps of Engineers to re-channel it underground. The section of the park where John’s home once stood now holds an outdoor stage, where summer concerts often attract large crowds.
Children:
1. Ann Wilcox — B. about 1616, England; D. 20 Jul 1673, Middletown, Connecticut; M. John Hall (?-1699), 1641, Hartford, Connecticut
2. Sarah Wilcox — B. about 1618, England; D. 15 Jun 1690, Hartford, Connecticut; M. John Bidwell (1614-1687), 1641, Hartford, Connecticut
3. John Wilcox — B. about 1620, England; D. 24 May 1676, Middletown, Connecticut; M. (1) Sarah Wadsworth (1626-1648), 17 Sep 1646, Hartford, Connecticut; (2) Katherine Stoughton (1622-1660), 18 Jan 1650, Hartford, Connecticut; (3) Mary Lane (1620-1671), 20 Apr 1660, Dorchester, Massachusetts; (4) Esther Cornwell (1650-1733), before 1672, Middletown, Connecticut
Sources:
The Memorial History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1884, James Hammond Trumbull, 1886
WikiTree
Bushnell Park Foundation (website)
