Person:Joseph Stanton (2)

From Thomas Stanton of Stonington, Conn. An Incomplete Record of His Descendants

...settled on a great tract of land which his father had bought of a Narragansett Sachem, for a half bushel of wampum. In old records, at Boston, he is described as "Joseph Stanton of Squanicot, Narraganset County, King's Province;" and in a lease recorded there, he describes the land leased as "half the farm or neck named Quannecontauge, where I do now live." It seems to have been situated in what is now Charlestown, RI, which was formerly a part of Westerly. This lease was dated June 19, 1673.

... This second wife, Hannah Lord, was buried May 6, 1681. March 16, 1683, "Joseph Stanton's wife" was admitted to the church in Stonington. This was the third wife; but she seems to have been childless, for no other child appeared until 1691. Therefore, I conjecture that "Miss Prentice" was the fourth wife and mother of his next children.

He settled on a large tract of land which his father had bought from the chief of the Narragansetts for a half bushel of wampum. The chief's child has been a captive and was redeemd with the aid of Joseph's father Thomas Stanton. so the Indian sold the land as part payment of the price. In 1669 he was appointed Assistant Magistrate to hold court in New London. In the 1670 Census of Connecticut he is listed as Joseph Stanton 1669, freeman, head of household. In 1685 he leased land in Charlestown, Rhode Island, formerly a part of Westerly.

His father-in-law, William Mead, refers to him in his will as an undutiful husband.

From Savage's Genealogical Dictionary

JOSEPH, Stonington, younger br[other]. of the preced[ing]. was yet old eno[ugh]. to be propound[ed]. for freem[an]. 1669, may be, tho[ugh]. not prob[ably]. that s[on].-in-law of William Mead of Roxbury, in whose will of 1683 he is nam[ed]. "tho[ugh]. undutiful," for we can hardly doubt, that our Stonington man had some y[ea]rs. bef[ore]. m[arried]. Hannah Lord, or even third w[ife]. a Prentice. But no ch[ild]. is giv[en]. him.

From It's About Time

Thomas Stanton purchased "Quanacontaug" (the whole of Pawcatuck Neck and the small islands that lay near to it known as "The Hommocks") from a Niantic Indian sachem called "Cassawshett", alias Harmon Garrett, on 14 January 1659. According to one historian, the Indian's child was held captive, and was redeemed by the aid of Thomas Stanton, so the Indian, in gratitude, sold the land to Stanton for a half bushel of wampum. Thomas Stanton took immediate possession of the land and built a house thereon. Subsequently he learned that the title was imperfect. It was discovered that Harmon Garrett was not a sachem invested with the power to sell the tribal lands of the Niantic Indians. Upon consulting with the Commissioners of the United Colonies, Stanton found that the land in question had been purchased by the Major Humphrey Atherton Land Company (of which Thomas Stanton was an Associate Partner), from Ninegret, Suncquash and Scuttup, three Niantic sachems, on the condition that no associate member of the land company should sell out his share until he had given that company an opportunity to buy it. Stanton assured them that he would hold the land in question for himself and the company, with the result that they should regard it favorably to have his share of said company's land include his Harmon Garrett purchase. The company agreed to this, and Thomas Stanton retained possession of this land. The deed and the agreement was confirmed by the court in 1671 when Thomas Stanton gave the land to his son Joseph Stanton.

1. ↑ Researcher.

   Brian Bonner Mavrogeorge, Elaine Tillquist Pavone

2. ↑ Perley M. Leighton. COTTON: Ancestors of Lucius Storrs Cotton. (Privately printed Westbrook, ME 1984).
3. ↑ James Savage, Former President of the Massachusetts Historical Society and Editor of Winthrop's History of New England. Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's. (1860-62 and Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, MD, 1965; Corrected electronic version copyright Robert Kraft, July 1994)
   Vol. 4, p. 166.
4. ↑ prepared by John D. Baldwin of Worcester, Mass. STANTON: Thomas Stanton of Stonington, Conn - An Incomplete Record of His Descendants. (Tyler & Seagrave, No. 442 Main Street, 1882).
5. ↑ Compiled By William L Decoursey. It's About Time. (1735 - 19th Terrace Nw New Brighton, Minnesota 55112).