Place:Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States

IN PROGRESS.

History

First described by Englishman William Wood, in New England Prospects, when he visited in 1633. Later described by Johnson in Wonder-Working Providence, (1654). Much of the following is drawn from History of Sudbury, Massachusetts. 1638-1889, by Alfred Sereno Hudson (Town of Sudbury, 1889).

Given the propensity of early regulations concerning its use, the area was likely heavily timbered.

The "Old Connecticut Path" -- first made known to the colonists by the Nipnet Indians -- passed through this area, and was the major way used by the English to travel to the Connecticut river valley, including those groups who settled in Hartford and Wethersfield, Connecticut. Some believe that it was due to this path that the plantation at Sudbury was started.

First petitioned for settlement in 1637, which was approved by the General Court, who ordered that land be marked out sufficient for 50-60 families (about 5 miles square), later extended a mile. (Colony Records, Vol. I, p. 210)

Land was purchased from the Indian, Karte in 1638, by George Munnings and "the rest of the planters of Sudbury." Mentioned in the deeds related to Sudbury (which were finalized as late as the 1680s) include the names:

• Walter Haynes
• Hugh Griffin
• George Mannings
• Emmanuel Downing
• Ephraim Child
• Capt. Edmond Goodenow
• Lieut. Joseph Haynes
• John Goodenow
• John Brigham
• Joseph Freeman

Early Colonial (1638-1670)

Settled in 1638 out of Watertown by Englishmen seeking more meadow, and relief from increasing population -- although many initial inhabitants were not themselves of Watertown. (Bond: "Only a small proportion of the names of the early grantees of Sudbury are on the Watertown records; and some who went there returned.")

• Those below marked with (*) originated in Watertown.
• Those below marked with (c) came over directly from England on the ship "Confidence" which departed Southampton, England 24 Apr 1638.

Received its name in 1639, supposedly after the Sudbury situated near the parish of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England. It was the 19th town in the MBC, and second situated beyond the flow of the tide.

First group of commissioners included (Peter?) Noyes, (Brian?) Pendleton, (Edmund?) Rice, Walter Haynes, John Parmenter [Sr.?] and George Munnings. Their task included assigning social and economic status to every one of Sudbury's adult male inhabitants. (Puritan Village, p. 83.) See below for their numbering.

Earliest Settlers

These were Puritans in theory and practice, many educated. From early town record, the following 56 heads of household have been determined to have settled in Sudbury by 1638 or 1639. [Source: NEHGR 13:261 (1859) “Original Proprietors of Sudbury, MA” The Names of the original Proprietors of Sudbury to whom lands were assigned in 1640..."

Second Wave of Settlers

The following arrived soon after Sudbury was settled.

King Philip's War (1675-1677)

(The bulk of the following is extracted from History of Sudbury (1889).)

Supposedly, Sudbury contributed the most militia during King Philip's War, including the efforts of one Ephraim Curtis.

23 Feb 1675: Hugh Clark reported to the Council that he'd witnessed abandoned homes in Lancaster, Concord and Sudbury. Rev. Edmund Brown fortified his home and sent word to the Council that the enemy was near (listing many stories of dangerous encounters with them). A few months later (late in 1675) he wrote again complaining about the dismissal of the militia from Sudbury.

19 Dec 1675: Sudbury was represented in the famous Swamp Fight (in what is now Kingston, RI), under the command of Capt. Mosele, including Richard Adams, who was wounded.

Early 1676: The first approach of Indians to the town of Sudbury itself was in small bands. Sudbury residents sent requests for support, but the authorities felt that the Swamp Fight had crippled the enemy; Capt. Brocklebank requested dismissal from Marlboro because he had little to do.

10 Mar 1676 Indians attacked at or near Sudbury and many died.

27 Mar 1676: Netmus, a Nipmuc chief sought to capture anyone found outside the Sudbury garrisons. Intellegince of their presence had reached Sudbury. A "score" from Sudbury were joined by 20 from Marlboro in search of the Indians, taking them by surprise in the middle of the night.

21 April 1676: King Philip himself attacked Sudbury from the then-abandoned Marlboro with an army of anywhere from 1000 to 1500. Their numbers were this large apparently due to the presence of women Indians disguised as warriors. The English were warned of their presence early because the day before some Indians made small attacks and killed several inhabitants, including Mr. Boone, his son, and Mr. Thomas Plympton.' Sudbury families gathered at the many garrisons. On the morning of April 21, the Indians set fire to the abandoned homes west of the river and then began their attack on the garrisons. Haynes Garrison successfully routed the Indians, losing two to considerable loss on the part of the Indians. No garrisons were lost despite the lack of outside assistance and likely no more than 80 fighting men.

The east side of town was a bit more protected by the river, high at this season. Women and children were likely at the home stockade of Rev. Edmund Brown, at Timber Neck-- the junction of Mill Brook and the river. A petition sent a month later by the town of Sudbury indicated that their own forces routed the enemy, regained the town, including much of the property stolen from the homes to the west.

Meanwhile, men from Concord and Watertown were sent by the authorities in Boston. The Concord company, which included 12 "resolute young men," were ambushed and all but two slain, including:

Also

1. William Haywood of Sudbury
2. John How, son of John, a Marlboro petitioner; killed 20 Apr on road between Marlboro and Sudbury
3. Henry Axtel, proprietor of Marlboro; similarly slain as How above
4. Eleazar Ward, married Hannah Rice, lived in Sudbury; slain as above

The Watertown company was under command of Capt. Hugh Mason, then 75-years-old. They approached Sudbury from the east about noon and pushed about 200 Indians beyond the bridge and river. They then headed west to assist Wadsworth but were overwhelmed by the enemy and retreated to the Goodenow Garrison til evening when they went forth again but by this time the conflict was over. While no list exists of the specific men who fought from Watertown in Sudbury, the following were impressed from Waterbury the previous November:

In the meantime, Capt. Wadsworth had arrived with about 70 men at Marlborough the night before. Hearing that the the Indians had moved on to Sudbury, he did not stop for long, left about 40 young soldiers who were too exhausted to go further at the Marlboro garrison, but took about the same number with him from Marlboro, accompanied by Capt. Brocklebank (who had something to do now). The company took chase of a small group of Indians within the bounds of Sudbury, but was then ambushed by the main body of King Philip's army-- as many as 1,000 men. Wadsworth retreated his men up Green Hill from which they fought for several hours, losing five men. Philip set fire to the surrounding trees, forcing the English to relinquish their position and run for Hop Book Mill; only a few made it.

Roxbury men who died with Wadsworth:

Despite this victory, Philip retreated, and it has been assumed that his losses were great despite any real number of deaths. The Sudbury fight was his last major victory; afterwards, his company dispersed and he was killed by a fellow Indian the following August at Mt. Hope.

In October 1676, the town of Sudbury petitioned the Court for relief, including an account of losses by those affected. This list included:

US Revolutionary War

Sudbury militia participated in the Battle of Lexington and Concord, in 1775, where Sudbury members sniped on British Red Coats returning to Boston.(wp)

19th Century

20th Century

[From wikipedia] In August 1925, a Sudbury farm was the scene of a riot between local members of the Ku Klux Klan and Irish-American youths from the area. Five people were wounded by gunshots, and the State Police arrested over 100 Klansmen. Massachusetts officials cracked down on the group's meetings theafter, and the area Klan died out.

Sudbury was considered to become the part of the site for the headquarters of the United Nations, along with parts of Lincoln, Concord and Marlborough. Protests by townspeople and the Knights of Columbus caused the United Nations to choose a different location.

Research Tips

Sources

1. Sereno Hudson, Alfred The history of Sudbury, Massachusetts. 1638-1889
2. Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
3. LDS Family History Library Catalog
4. Wikipedia on Sudbury, Mass