James Fitch (minister) facts for kids

James Fitch (born December 24, 1622 – died November 19, 1702) was an important person in the early history of Connecticut. He helped start the towns of Norwich and Lebanon, Connecticut. He was also the first minister in Saybrook, Connecticut. Fitch played a big part in talking with the Mohegan people during a conflict called King Philip's War.

Early Life

James Fitch was born in Bocking, England, on December 24, 1622. His parents were Thomas and Anna Fitch. When James was 10, his father passed away. His father's will left money for James to study at Cambridge University.

However, James did not go to Cambridge. Instead, a family friend, Reverend Thomas Hooker, helped him. James likely began studying to become a minister. He spent his youth learning different languages.

Moving to America

In 1638, when James Fitch was 16 years old, he sailed to America. He traveled with his brother, Thomas.

James finished his studies to become a minister in Hartford, Connecticut. He learned from Reverend Hooker and Reverend Samuel Stone. In 1646, a new church was built in Saybrook, Connecticut. James Fitch became its first minister.

Settling Norwich

A map showing the first land lots in Norwich, Connecticut, around 1660.

In May 1659, the church members in Saybrook wanted to start a new town. They asked the General Court in Hartford for permission to settle in Norwich. They received permission to do so.

In June, the settlers talked with three leaders of the Mohegan people. These leaders were Uncas, Owaneco, and Attawanhood. The Mohegan leaders sold them a large area of land, about nine square miles. Fitch went with his church members as their leader. Major John Mason also joined them.

Soon after arriving in Norwich, Fitch was asked to be the pastor of the Hartford church. This would have given him more influence. But he said no, explaining that he could not leave his "few poor sheep in the wilderness." He was very dedicated to his people in Norwich. They loved and respected him deeply.

Working with the Mohegans

Reverend Fitch learned several local Native American languages. He used these languages to teach Christianity to the native people.

The Connecticut General Assembly gave Fitch permission to help settle arguments between Native Americans and colonists. They also asked him to teach the Mohegan people about Christianity. Uncas, a Mohegan leader, wanted Fitch to take over from John Mason as guardian of the Mohegan people after Mason died in 1672. At first, Uncas encouraged his tribe members to listen to Fitch's lessons.

Over time, about 30 Mohegan people joined Fitch's Christian group. But Uncas often bothered them. Uncas had changed his mind about Puritan Christianity.

When King Philip's War started in 1675, Reverend Fitch was very important. He acted as a messenger and helped convince Uncas and the Mohegan and Pequot people to join the English side. They fought against King Philip's Narragansett tribes. Because Fitch dealt fairly with the native tribes, the English settlers on the frontier were kept safe.

After the war, Fitch also helped with the Native Americans who had fought with Philip. He helped them surrender near Shetucket.

The Rev. Mr. Fitch appears to have been a man of true philanthropy and of enlarged missionary zeal. He made early efforts to instruct the natives in the truth of the gospel. He took pains to acquire their tongue, and was a frequent visitor in their wigwams. He impressed them with his own sincerity and benevolence, so that others who like Uncas himself remained obstinate in their unbelief, accorded him their entire confidence and regarded him with affectionate respect. To their temporal, as well as spiritual wants, he was always alive. His converts were formed into a settlement by themselves upon lands which he partly presented and partly procured for them from the town.

—Bishop Lee's Discourse at Norwich Jubilee, p. 133. As quoted in Genealogy of the Fitch Family, page 11.

Founding Lebanon

The town of Lebanon started because settlers from Norwich, including Reverend Fitch, wanted more land. They wanted to expand beyond the "nine miles square" they had bought from the Mohegans. In 1666, Connecticut gave Fitch 120 acres of land. This land was next to his father-in-law John Mason's land, which was called Cedar Swamp.

In 1675, the Mohegan leader Joshua Uncas gave another six-mile strip of land to Mason's son, Captain John Mason Jr. Captain Mason Jr. shared this land with Fitch, his father-in-law. This area became known as "Fitch and Mason's Mile," or simply "The Mile." This was the beginning of Lebanon.

The white cedar trees in Cedar Swamp reminded Fitch of the famous Biblical cedars of Lebanon. These trees were used to build King Solomon's Temple. The Biblical Lebanon was a mountain with tall cedar groves. The words 'cedar' and 'Lebanon' are often found together in the Bible. Even though the North American white cedar is not the same as the true cedar of Lebanon, it was a meaningful connection for the Puritans. So, Fitch named the new settlement Lebanon. The General Court confirmed the name in 1697. Lebanon was the first town in the colony to have a Biblical name. The town of Lebanon was officially created by the General Assembly of the Connecticut Colony on October 10, 1700.

Family Life

In October 1648, Reverend Fitch married Abigail Whitfield. She was the daughter of Reverend Henry Whitfield from Guilford, Connecticut. James and Abigail had six children:

• James, born August 1649
• Abigail, born August 1650
• Elizabeth, born January 1651
• Hannah, born September 1653
• Samuel, born April 1655
• Dorothy, born April 1658

Abigail passed away on September 9, 1659. This was just before Fitch moved to Norwich.

Reverend Fitch married Priscilla Mason in October 1664. Priscilla was the daughter of Major John Mason. James and Priscilla had eight children:

• Daniel
• John
• Jeremiah
• Jabez
• Anna
• Nathaniel
• Joseph
• Ebenzer

In his later years, Reverend Fitch lived in Lebanon with one of his children. He died there in November 1702, at 79 years old. He is buried at the Old Cemetery in Lebanon.

Reverend Fitch's brother was Thomas Fitch Jr. (born October 14, 1612 – died April 14, 1704). Thomas Fitch Jr. was one of the first settlers of Norwalk, Connecticut. He served as a representative for Norwalk in the General Assembly of the Connecticut Colony in May 1673.