New Haven Colony facts for kids

Quick facts for kids New Haven Colony
1638–1664
Flag
Map of the Connecticut, New Haven, and Saybrook colonies
Status	English colony
Capital	New Haven
Common languages	English
Religion	Puritanism
Government	Constitutional monarchy
History
• Established	1638
• Merged with Connecticut Colony	1664
Currency	Pound sterling
Succeeded by Connecticut Colony Province of New York Province of Pennsylvania Province of New Jersey
Today part of	United States  ∟Connecticut  ∟New York  ∟New Jersey  ∟Pennsylvania  ∟Delaware

The New Haven Colony was a small English colony in North America. It existed from 1637 to 1664. Most of it was in what is now Connecticut. It also had small parts in today's New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.

The colony faced many challenges and problems. Its biggest issue was that it never had a charter. A charter was a legal document from the King of England. It gave a colony the right to exist and govern itself. The larger Connecticut Colony to the north did have a charter. Connecticut used its power to take over New Haven.

New Haven also had other weaknesses. Its leaders were mostly businessmen. But they struggled to build a successful trade business. The land was rocky, making farming hard. The colony was also far from other major settlements. New Haven's government only allowed church members to vote. This rule made many people unhappy.

Oliver Cromwell, a leader in England, suggested that New Haven colonists move. He thought they could go to Ireland or other lands he planned to conquer. But the Puritans of New Haven wanted to stay in their new home. Between 1662 and 1664, most New Haven towns joined Connecticut Colony. By 1664, the last three towns also joined. The area then became the city of New Haven, Connecticut. Many modern towns in the region later grew from this city.

How the Colony Started

In 1637, a group of merchants and their families from London moved to Boston. They planned to create a new settlement. The main leaders were John Davenport, a Puritan minister, and Theophilus Eaton. Eaton was a rich merchant who brought £3000 for the project. Both men had experience preparing ships for the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Their two ships arrived in Boston on June 26, 1637. They heard about the Quinnipiac River area from soldiers. These soldiers had been fighting in the Pequot War. Eaton sailed to see the area in late August. He thought the spot was perfect for trade. It had a good port between Boston and the Dutch city of New Amsterdam (now New York City). It also offered good access to furs from settlements like Hartford and Springfield.

Eaton went back to Boston. He left seven men behind to prepare for the others. The main group of about 250 settlers arrived on April 14, 1638. Some people from Massachusetts also joined them. Many early homes were caves or "cellars." These were partly underground and dug into hillsides.

The settlers did not have an official charter for their land. Some historians say they were "squatters" (people living on land without legal right). Others say they bought the land from local Native Americans before arriving. However, a written agreement was not signed until November 24, 1638. A second agreement for land north of the first was made on December 11, 1638. More land purchases followed in 1639.

Rules for Self-Government

On October 25, 1639, the colonists created their own rules for self-government. They called this the "Fundamental Agreement." This was similar to what the Connecticut Colony had done.

The agreement set up a court with 16 burgesses. These were voting citizens. They would choose a magistrate (a judge or official) and other leaders. Only "planters" who were members of approved churches could vote. This meant that servants and temporary residents could not vote.

The colonists also decided that "the word of God shall be the only rule." This meant the Bible would guide all government decisions. Theophilus Eaton was chosen as the first Magistrate. Since the Bible does not mention trial by jury, they did not use juries. The magistrate made all the judgments.

The leaders tried many business ideas, but they all failed. A lot of money was spent on a large ship sent to London in 1646. It carried £5000 worth of grain and beaver furs. But the ship never arrived. Minister Davenport was a very smart man. He started a grammar school called Hopkins School. This was a step toward building a college. Yale College opened much later, in 1701.

Forming the New Haven Colony

Soon, other Puritan groups from England started new settlements nearby. These independent towns were called "plantations." Milford and Guilford were founded in 1639. Stamford was founded in 1640. Southold, on Long Island, was also started by New Haven settlers in 1640.

On October 23, 1643, these towns joined together. This happened when the New_England_Confederation was formed. This group included Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, and Connecticut Colonies. They joined to protect themselves from Native American attacks. The New Haven Plantation, along with Stamford and Southold, combined with Milford and Guilford. They became the New Haven Colony and joined the Confederation. The town of Branford joined in 1644. Its residents had left Wethersfield, Connecticut, because they did not like its strict religious rules. Eaton served as governor of the new colony until he died in 1658.

Claims in New Jersey and Philadelphia

In 1641, the New Haven Colony claimed land in what is now South Jersey and Philadelphia. They bought this land south of Trenton along the Delaware River from the Lenape tribe. Communities like Cape May, New Jersey and Salem, New Jersey were later founded there.

The agreement with the Lenape tribe did not set a western border for the land west of the Delaware River. This became the basis for Connecticut's "sea to sea" claim. This claim meant they believed they owned all the land from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. This idea later led to the Pennamite–Yankee War about 150 years later.

In 1642, 50 families sailed with Captain George Lamberton. They settled at the mouth of the Schuylkill River to build a trading post. This area is now Philadelphia. But the Dutch and Swedes were already there. They burned the New Haven buildings. A court in New Sweden found Lamberton guilty of "trespassing." The New Haven Colony did not get help from its New England allies. Governor John Winthrop said the "Delaware Colony" failed due to "sickness."

The Mystery of The Phantom Ship

At first, the colony only had ships for coastal travel. Trade with England happened through the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1645, New Haven built an 80-ton ocean-going ship. It was captained by George Lamberton, a merchant from London. Lamberton had tried to settle in Delaware but was stopped by the Swedes. He was one of New Haven's founders.

Captain Lamberton and others built one of the first ships from New England for trade with the West Indies. The failure in Philadelphia and the loss of this ship weakened New Haven's future.

The ship disappeared in 1646. Its fate is the subject of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's 1847 poem, "The Phantom Ship." The poem says that an image of the ship appeared on the horizon. This happened after a June thunderstorm, six months after it vanished. People on shore said they recognized their friends on deck. Then, the ship's masts seemed to break. The ship rocked, and the passengers fell into the sea. The ship then sank. The poem ends by saying the vision was sent to help the town find peace.

A ship sailed from New Haven,

And the keen and frosty airs,

That filled her sails at parting,

Were heavy with good men's prayers.

"O Lord! if it be thy pleasure"—

Thus prayed the old divine—

"To bury our friends in the ocean,

Take them, for they are thine!"

But Master Lamberton muttered,

And under his breath said he,

"This ship is so crank and walty

I fear our grave she will be!"

Hiding the Regicide Judges

Eaton remained governor until he died in 1658. After him, Francis Newman led the colony. Then William Leete took over in 1660.

In 1661, King Charles II of England began looking for the judges who had signed his father's death warrant in 1649. Two judges, Colonel Edward Whalley and Colonel William Goffe, fled to New Haven. They sought safety from the king's forces. John Davenport helped them hide in the hills northwest of town. They supposedly hid in Three Judges' Cave. This is a rock formation in West Rock park. Today, it has a historical marker. Judge John Dixwell joined them later.

Joining Connecticut Colony

New Haven desperately needed a Royal charter. But the colony had angered London by hiding the regicide judges. New Haven and the larger Connecticut River settlements (like Hartford) had a tense relationship. New Haven published a full set of laws in 1656. These laws were still very focused on the church.

A big difference was that Connecticut Colony allowed other churches to exist. New Haven Colony only allowed the Puritan church. In 1662, Connecticut received a royal charter. This ended New Haven's time as a separate colony. Its towns were officially merged into the government of Connecticut Colony in 1664.

Many things led to New Haven losing its independence. These included the death of its strong governor, Eaton. Economic problems like losing its only ocean-going ship and the Philadelphia disaster also hurt. The case of the regicide judges also played a role.

Founding Newark

In 1666, a group of New Haven colonists moved to New Jersey. They were led by Robert Treat. They wanted to create a new community. They hoped to keep the strict Puritan religious rules they had lost when New Haven merged with Connecticut. Treat wanted to name the new place after Milford, Connecticut. However, Abraham Pierson suggested naming it "New Ark" or "New Work." This name later became Newark, New Jersey.

Images for kids

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  Map of the Connecticut, New Haven, and Saybrook colonies