Person:John Austin (20)

EAM Ref: pp 0, 1, 2, 3.

Was a tailor and an owner of land at Stamford. Among other properties he purchased 6 acres from William Hubbard called the "stoney lot" On 2 Jan, 1683, John Austin of Greenwich signed over to his (step) 'father' William Hubbert a 3 acre lot. Stamford, CT records: He was fined for breach of peace 13 Nov, 1683. Owned land at Stamford in 1688 and was a taxpayer there in 1697, owning land valued at 31 pounds. He was chosen surveyor for Rocky Neck and southward; drew lots 1698 and 1699;

From History of Stamford, CT p 39, William Newman sells to John Austin, "Taylor" of Stamford, some land 1678. Stamford Deeds Vol. B.: Mar 11. 1714/5-John Austin, Jr. buys from Samuel Seely of Stamford for L5 10s land south of Haeggweck Hill, 5 1/2 acres,bounded E by highway, W by Great Brook, N by Benjamin Hait, Sr., S by Obadiah Seely as laid out by ye comitie . Feb 28, 1716/7-Thomas Austin of Stamford sells for L4 to Isaac Weed of Stamford, land below Hegroech Hill, (2/3 rds. of parcel sold by Samuel Seely to John Austin, Jr., as the records said land lying in partnership between said Austin and Joseph Huntt, who owns the other 1/3), the whole tract laid out by Comitie, bounded East by highway, West by Great Brook, North by Benjamin Hait, Jr. and South by Obadiah Seely.

Ref: Savage, Early New England Settlers. XLV Greenwich, Ct Land Rec. 8 Jul, 1684. Duane H. Hurd, History of New London, Conn. p 364. Huntington, History of Stamford, Conn. American Geneologist Vol 19, p 188. H. T. August12, 1950 Reynolds of Watertown, Mass. p 45.

EAM Ref: p 170. John Astine appears on the town records of Greenwich, CT as one of the 27 proprietors (1672): listed with him are his son(brother?)-in-law Joseph Finch, William Hubbard, (2nd husband of Katherine), and Jonathon Lockwood.

Fairfield, CT Probate Records, Vol. 5, 1702,1750: John Austin late of Stamford, June 24 1699, letters of administration on his estate granted to his widow and their son, John Astan, p 48a. Inventory taken May 26, 1899 by Sam Hait, David Waterbury and Daniel Scofield and filed June 24, 1699 p 13.48a)

The Early Settlement of Stamford, Connecticut; 1641-1700; FHL Book #: 974.69/Sl.H2m Sometimes changes in men's boundaries were made to allow for better routes. A set of bars was placed in a strategic place where a side road entered, and it was maintained by a local landowner there. Since much land was being apportioned at this time and it was recognized by many that landowners, when given the opportunity, would stretch their holdings onto those lands designated as common, firmer laws were passed. In 1678 it was agreed that the land from the bridge by the mill to Hardy's Hole, bordered north by the cowpath and east by the river, was not to be disposed of without the consent of the proprietors. Another tract known as the Sequest common land was laid out across the north of the village from the Noroton River by the Country Road to the great rock at the Mianus River. It passed above the North Field and by Peter Ferris' wolf pit. (Wolves were a constant menace to livestock, and several men had established pits; the trapping of wolves could be profitable as they were subject to a bounty.) The Sequest was to remain common forever and any infringment on its boundaries would be subject to a fine at twenty pounds per acre. Setting up such an area so close to the village appears to us today as remarkable shortsighted; with all the expansion east and west, it would be inevitable that Stamford would expand northwards in a matter of time. Lastly, more fields and meadows were laid out to the proprietors. At first only those men who had original home lots, or their heirs, were termed proprietors. Later, men who had eight pounds or more in real estate were accepted. A home lot was valued at one pound ten pence so that a man would have to have accrued considerably more acreage than just his home lot to qualify. In 1677 a list was made of the "meadow men" who had drawn lots for various meadows, such as the newly cleared lands in Runkenheage to the far east or possibly for the land comprising the Oxpasture on the west. Both this land and the Horsepasture were laid out at this time. Fifty lots were drawn, as detailed in the following table. It has already been noted that details about the lives of Stamford's early inhabitants are meager at best. (There are a few unimportant references during the 1680s to several young men's being fined for drunkenness and disorderly conduct-John Austin.) So, too, when one turns to the colonial records of the Court in Hartford for any references to individuals from Stamford, aside from notations of the deputies to the Court, there is little else. Stamford, it seems, was far from the scene of action in the eyes of the central government of the colony. P.39: William Newman sells to John Austin, "taylor" of Stamford, some land, 1676.  !VITALS: Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut; PG:134/5; FHL Film #: 899,934 [112] Ye 13th of 9mo 83. There being a very great ( )urbanc & birch ( ) of ye colony by Joseph Turny & Jo Asten & oth( ) at midnight, shooting of may guns by wch hurt is do( ) is wounded ye sayd Turny & Asten being overcome wth d( )ye right use of reson it being in part confesed by ( ) by Jo Finch Junr & Tho Penoir & others: Ye above said ( )both found gilty of ye above sayd fact & are fined ten ( )ye publick treasurer of Fairfield. In the mid-1680s the Colony of Connecticut became increasingly aware of Sir Edmund Andros' efforts to enforce his authority over the colonies of New England. It was decided, therefore, by the Court at Hartford to issue patents to the proprietors of the individual plantations within its jurisdiction in order to formulize land ownership. Accordingly, on May 26, 1685 a patent was issued to ten men in Stamford who were the principal landowners and leaders. In 1686 Andros became governor of the Dominion of New England. He took up residence in Boston and systematically tried to force the individual colonial governments into his jurisdiction. In 1688 no meetings of the Hartford legislature were recorded as Andros' central control had superseded it. The only reflection of this situation in the Stamford town records is a statement in 1689: the corn that had been stored at Samuel Hoyt's by order of Sir Edmund Andros would now be distributed to the inhabitants who had gathered it; Hoyt was to recieve payments for his "damages." Very fortuitously the so-called Glorious Revolution in England took place at the end of 1688 with the abdication of James II. William of Orange and his wife Mary (daugter of James II) came to the throne. Immediately, New England acted; James righthand man, the "tyrant" Andros, was seized in Boston and cast into prison. Following a short stay, he was returned to England. Thereafter each colony was quick to restore its individual government. Hartford must have been particularly relieved as the legislators there had refused to give up their charter when Andros traveled from Boston to take it. (It was hidden, as was later told, in the famous Charter Oak.) All of the Connecticut towns must have rejoiced to have had the lowering clouds of suspicion and disfavor removed. PG:115: Other trades and crafts that developed in Stamford were concerned with clothes making. John Austin, Jr. was a tailor. These local industries lessened the dependence upon the importation of goods from Boston and England. PG:122: 1701 Tax List-- John Austin 34-4-0 Tailor; owner of land at Stamford, 1672; granted 4 acres on Clapboard Hill, May 23, 1673; Interstate * (Gr) deeds, Vol. 1, P. 90; property was divided among children 1684. * (Gr)  !PROBATE RECORDS: Fairfield, Connecticut; Vol.5, 1702-1750; John Austin, late of Stamford, June 24, 1699, letters of administration on his estate granted to his widow and their son, John Asten (p.48a) Inventory taken May, 1699 by Sam Hait, David Waterbury and Daniel Scofield and filed June 24, 1699. (p.13, 48a) Fined for breach of peace, Nov. 13, 1683 * (St); owned land at Stamford 1688, taxpayer there 1697. *(Gr); chosen surveyor for Rocky Neck and southward, April 7, 1686. *(St); drew lots 1698 and 1699 *(St); found "deprived of reason" by selectmen, March 7, 1701 *(Gr); releases all rights to brother, Thomas, and children on March 16, 1709, declaring himself first born *(Gr); cared for by nephew, Jonathan ________ after 1716 *(Gr).  !VITALS: Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut; PG:207; FHL Film #: 899,934 [155] Stamford, Apr( ) , John Austen doth present as bi( )salle to Samuell Dibbell, ye contnets is as folls. One house & home lott, and acres 1 1/2 more or less ye bound being as doth apeare p. a bill of sale under Danill Simkins had to ye sayd Austen & assigned from ye sayd Austin to Samull Dibbi). PG:209; ( )Austin Junr, Tho Austin, son; his eare mark is a step and side ye off ere & a slitt down ye top ye ( )e ere, entered the 4th December 1702. PG:270; 2ly By vote, the town, take ofe one length of John Astens fence on the west side of the north field for the benefit of a common highway and the town to mainta( ) that length of fence. PG:300; [67] A town meeting, orderly warned ye 7th April, 1680. P. vote are chosen for surwaiers, unsign, No Bates for ye North field & Northward, No Austen for Kochey Beck & Southward Clemont Baxton, for ye Southward & Westward ___ Seely for the east side & eastward. PG:348; [84] The town by vote doth impower the above sd Comitty to layout convenient highways for ye town knowledge & to bound them according to their discretion & to ey them out before any part & parsell of the forceed land be layed out. Ye Allotments. Jno Austin 5 PG:353; [ ] The names according as ye lotts was drawn ye 26 of December 1699. John Austin 54. PG:405/6; The town p. vote allowments the Reverend Mr. Davenport a liberty to setting up a fence close to Abraham Feeds lott & Jno Austins lot, taking in the Northern highway of open Kicke_____ & to leave out to ___ owr and in exchange two rods wide for an highway on the South side _____ ____ worker so chooseth.  !HISTORY: Fairfield County, Connecticut; PG:708; Freeholders of 1701. The following is a list of the freedholders of Stamford, as appears on the town records for the year 1701, together with financial condition of each: John Austin...........L.34 S.04 D.0 John married Hannah Hardy, daughter of Richard Hardy and Ann Husted, about 1680 in, Fairfield, Connecticut. Hannah Hardy was born about 1650 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts. , died on 28 Apr 1710 in Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut.

1.   Jacobus, Donald Lines. History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield. (New Haven, Conn.: The Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor Company, 1930-1932).

   William Hubbard bought land of his son-in-law John Austin 1683

2.   Greenwich Common Place Book
   p70.

   p 70 May 23 1673, Town Grant fower acres of land which is to be layd out about Cabboard Clapboard) Hill or somewhere East of the Mianos R.

3.   Estate of John Austin, in Fairfield Probate District Papers 1699
   No. 165.

   widow's name Hannah Asten, who gave the names and ages of their children (girls following the one boy, so not in strict chronological order) as:
   "John Asten [age] 23 november 1699" [therefore b. __ Nov. 1676]
   "hanah Asten [age] 27 year January 1699/1700" [therefore b. __ Jan. 1672/73]
   "Rebeca Asten [age] 18 year October 1699" [therefore b. __ Oct. 1681]
   "Abegel Asten [age] 14 year the 14 march 1698/99" [therefore born 14 Mar 1684/85