Capt. John REED

Notes:

Name:
The immigrant Reed ancestor was Captain John reed, who was born in England in 1633. In the English revolution he was for some time an officer in Cromwell's army. Born and raised in the tumult of that upheaval in behalf of representative government it is not surprising that he caught the full force of its spirit, and at the earl age of sixteen he became a soldier, rendering important service to the cause.

A souvenir of this service which his descendants would hold priceless could they now recover it--the sword he wore--was preserved in the family for more than a century, but was finally lost sight of.

All traditions agree that he was eminent for the strong will and high-toned moral character for which Cromwell's officers were renowned. He was from Cornwall, England, and is supposed o have belonged to the large family of Reeds in Dorsetshire, one of whom, Col. John Reed, is mentioned in the parliamentary records as having held the Castle of Pool against the King's army.

It was well known that men who had been prominent in the Cromwell regime found England to be an unsafe place for such as they as soon as the throne was re-established in 1660, and this may have been what decided him to emigrate. Coming to this country in 1660 he settled first at Providence, Rhode Island, where he married Mrs. Ann Derby, a widow who had three children by her first husband, Francis Derby, and she became the mother of John Reed's five children.

He was doubtless a man of considerable means, and in 1684 he removed to Norwalk, Connecticut, having purchased a large tract of land there. In time the locality took its name from his family, and became known as "Reed's Farms." Establishing himself in the western part of the town he built his house on a favorable site a short distance easterly of the Five Mile River, a creek which forms the western boundary of the town. it stood on the north side of the old post road, and nearly two miles from Long Island Sound. the site is nearly four miles west of what is now the city of South Norwalk.

After the death of his wife, the date of which is not recorded, John Reed married again, this time also a widow, a Mrs. Scofield of Stamford, Connecticut. he died in 1730 at the age of ninety-seven, and was buried in his own field.

Family/Spouse: Ann ?. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Son of John Reed

Notes:

Name:
John Reed, eldest child of John, is supposed to have been born in Rhode Island. He Married, march 28, 1687, Elizabeth Tuttle, who was born November 19, 1666. He continued to reside in Norwalk, where he appears as a voter in 1694, and he seems to have been a citizen of some importance, for after that his name frequently appears in the records of the courts in Norwalk and Stamford. He studied law, and was admitted to the Bar October 7, 1708, and the records state that he was Attorney for the Crown, and Deputy for Norwalk. The inventory of his estate was filed at Fairfield, Connecticut, November 12, 1724, page 1146. He probably died that year.

John married Elizabeth TUTTLE on 28 Mar 1687. Elizabeth (daughter of John TUTTLE and Kathareen LANE) was born on 19 Nov 1666 in New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut, USA; was christened on 21 Nov 1666. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Will: 04 Jan 1752
• Will Proved: 13 Mar 1758

Thomas married Mary OLMSTEAD on 09 May 1694 in Norwalk, Fairfield, Connecticut, USA. Mary (daughter of John OLMSTEAD and Mary BENEDICT) was born about 1675. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]