Person:Jonathan Rogers (1)

From the Montville Home page

Uncas gave other properties to children of Samuel Rogers, his son, Jonathon, living just north of Sawmill Brook which can be traded through several of his descendants until acquired by Uncasville Manufacturing Company for one of the early industrial sites.

Gradually more and more families moved into the Indian territory, and the colonial legislature finally recognized the situation by annexing the land between Sawmill Brook and Trading Cove Brook to the town of New London, including an area covering about half the present town of Salem. This action in 1703 was for the purpose of bringing such settlers under the laws of the colony. The Mohegan were considered a separate nation to be dealt with by treaty, but the settlers were supposed to be obeying the laws concerning attendance at church services and town meeting, paying taxes to support the ministry, the colony, schools, etc., and to train for service in the militia if needed.

By 1714 there were a sufficient number of families to petition the colonial government to allow establishment of another church parish, or society as they were called. There were delays, mostly in obtaining a minister, but in 1721 the General Court allowed establishment of the North Parish of New London, as it was called, and the Reverend Mr. James Hillhouse, a native of Ireland, had been engaged as minister. This would not appear to be a landmark step in the development of Montville, but things were different in the early 18th century. Establishment of North Parish was actually the first stage in separation of Montville from New London. The parish society did far more than provide for church services. Once parish officers had been elected and building a meeting house arranged, the problem of roads and schools were addressed.

This northern part of New London was an area of large family farms throughout the whole of the colonial period, and little of note seems to have happened here. Many men from the area were involved in the Revolutionary War, marching to the aid of Massachusetts at the time of the Lexington Alarm, and fighting at Bunker Hill among other places, but they are all attributed to New London regiments or as part of the New London militia. The center of town government remained in the main part of the settlement, and there was little to unite or consolidate the northern portion. Even the church was divided among the North Parish Society, Chesterfield Society and New Salem Society. There was no industry, as we would consider the term today. There were small mills scattered throughout the area, grist mills in several places, sawmills, cider mills or distilleries, oil mills where flaxseed was pressed to obtain flax or linseed oil, blacksmith shops, and fulling mills for the finishing of home-woven woolen cloth, each serving its own neighborhood, but for the most part everything needed was grown or made at home. In any event, England did not allow her colonies to manufacture, raw materials were to be sent to the mother country and the finished goods in turn sold to the colonists, so New London was probably simply typical of all the early New England towns. Any surplus from the farms was sold, and there was a lively export trade both with England and the West Indies. We do find mention of sea captains who made their homes in this northern part of the town, but for the most part a living was made by farming, or fishing along the river.

The name Montville is often said to mean a mountain village, and that it derives from the French. There is no tradition of French speaking residents in the area at the time, the Latin meaning of "villa" is a country house, and "mont" can mean anything from a small knoll or hill to a high mountain.

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999
   [1].

   Jonathan Rogers of New London, son of Samuel, formerly of New London
   Daughters: Dorothy, Elizabeth, Mary, Hepzibah, Lydia, Azuba, Sarah
   Sons: James, Joseph