| Notes |
- It has been reported that he was born out of wedlock.
William Hyde was one of the original proprietors of Norwich, New London, Connecticut, USA, in 1660, and a man of considerable importance among the settlers frequently elected as a townsman, or selectman. He died at Norwich, January 6, 1681. No information has been obtained as to his first Wife. He had two children by her, Samuel Hyde, born about 1637, married Jane Lee, and Hester Hyde, who married John Post. Title: "Florence Abell Stock and her Ancestry", by H. Thompson Stock, 1986.
Page: page 31, 44 Text: William Hyde was an important man in Norwich. He had been an original Proprietor of Hartford, Connecticut, USA, a Proprietor at Saybrook, Connecticut, USA, and then an original Proprietor of Norwich. He, his son, Samuel, and his son-in-law, John Post, and thirty two other Saybrook men and their families had found and had settled in Norwich, New London, Connecticut, USA in 1660.
William Hyde had probably come to Newe Towne (Cambridge) in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1633 with the Reverend Thomas Hooker's group. In 1636, he and his family were among those who walked to found Hartford, Connecticut, USA. His name is also on the monument in Hartford which honors that city's pioneers. Here he became a Proprietor in 1639. Later, he too went to Saybrook, where he acquired land. In 1660, he, his son, Samuel and his son-in-law, John Post, and thirty two other Saybrook men and their families founded Norwich, New London, Connecticut, USA. They were the original proprietors. In addition to owning their own home lots, they had an interest in the undivided parts of the tract of land that the group had purchased.
He was born in England. The name of his first Wife also is not known. By her he had these known children; Hester Esther; married John Post Samuel, born about 1637 in Hartford. William Hyde died at Norwich, 6 January 1682. Joanna, his second Wife, the widow of Robert Abell, died sometime after 1682. She was buried at Norwich, New London, Connecticut, USA.
The names of William Hyde Hide and his son Samuel are among those inscribed on a monument in the "Old Burying Ground" in Norwich, erected in 1871 in honor of the first settlers. A larger monument was erected in 1959 on the Town Green.
Title: Hyde Genealogy; From William Hyde, of Norwich, by Reuben H. Walworth, LL. D., 1864 Page: page 1-3 Text: William Hyde, the first, of Norwich, is not certainly known to have been connected with any of the Hyde families who came to this country from England.
His name first appears at Hartford, Connecticut, USA, in 1636. And his name is on the monument in the old Cemetery at that place as one of the original settlers; and he had lands assigned to him there. The time of his removal to Saybrook, is not ascertained, but he owned lands in Hartford as late as 1639. He probably went to Saybrook soon after that and his daughter was married there early in 1652. No information has been obtained as to the name of his Wife, or when or where she died.
On his removal to Norwich he sold his house and home-Lot to Francis BUSHNELL, and other property to Robert LAY. 3 He died Jan. 6, 1681-82. His age is not known, but he was styled "old Goodman HIDE" in 1679. [3 The sales are registered at Saybrook, with the following receipt: "I William HIDE of Mohegan do acknowledge to have received of Robert LAY of Six Mile Island the full and just sum of forty pounds which was the first payment specified in the agreement made 25th day of January 1659 for all the lands I had at Potapaugue. "Witness my hand 5th of May 1660. "William C C HIDE, his mark. "
Saybrook Land Records Book 1 Page 2
Land of Will HIDE
His house and home of two Akers more or less abuteing east to the land of John POST south west and north to highway
2. 12 Ackers in the planting field east to the lands of Arthur __ north to the lands of master James FFITCH south to the highway west to the land of Will BEAMAN.
3. 3 Ackers of meadow ajoyning north to the aforesaid land
4. his right in the towne Comons belonging to the estate of two hundred pounds
his Right in the ox pasture belonging to the estate of two hundred pound these above said lands now ___ to Ffrancis BUSHNELL as doth appear by a bill of sale bearing date the seventeenth of October 1660 and is Recorded to the said Ffrancis folio the 6th.
lll Akers of upland lying at poochake abuteing east upon the land of John POST South upon the sea west and north upon poochoak River
a parsell of meadow ajoining the upland aforesaid west abuteing east upon the aforesaid lands south to the sea west to the lands of Allexander CHALKER Robert BULL Tho. DUNK Will JACKSON north to poochook River The abovesaid land was bought by William LORD of
Bought of Robert WADE 26 ack and half of upland
Bought of Richard TOASLAND 3 ackers of upland and 3 akers of meadow
Bought of Tho ___ 9 ack of upland and 4 ack and half of meadow
Lands of ffrancis BUSHNELL bought of William HIDE October 27, 1660
bought of William HIDE his house and home lott of an acker and a half lying and being in Saybrook abuteing est to lands of John POST South west and north to the highway also twelve ack of upland in the planting field with three ack of meadow adjoining there to abuteing est to the land of Mr. James FFITCH south to the highway and west to the lands of William BEAMAN Also six pounds and five shillings in meadow yet to be laid out also a two hundred pound comonage in the towne Comons and a two hundred pound Right in the oxpasture all which house and parsells of land do more fully appear in a deed of sale given under the said his hand bearing date with this Record.
The original settlers in Norwich were of English origin. While some had been born in the New World, many had come from England. English settlement in Connecticut, USA had begun in the 1630s along the Connecticut, USA River, coming primarily from Massachusetts Bay Colony. Others came from Plymouth Colony or directly from England. In May 1659, settlers from Saybrook, Connecticut, USA petitioned the Connecticut, USA General Court for permission to start a settlement at Mohegan. Petition was granted quickly and in June, Mohegan leaders transferred the land to them. A small party constructed the first house and wintered over. In 1660, settlement began in earnest.
The leaders of this group were Major John Mason and Reverend James Fitch. Due to initially poor record keeping, a listing of original proprietors had to be constructed some years later in order for the Colony to comply with English law. Frances M. Caulkins in her History of Norwich provides the best listing available.
These settlers were:
Reverend James Fitch, Major John Mason, Christopher Huntington, Simon Huntington, Thomas Adgate, William Hyde, Robert Allyn, William Backus, William Backus., II, John Baldwin, John Birchard, Thomas Bliss, Morgan Bowers, Hugh Calkins, John Calkins, Richard Edgerton, Francis Griswold, Samuel Hyde, Thomas Leffingell, John Olmstead, John Pease, John Post, Thomas Post, John Reynolds, Jonathan Royce, Nehemiah Smith, Thomas Tracy, Robert Wade, Thomas Bingham, John Bradford, John Gager, Stephen Gifford, Richard Hendy, Thomas Howard, Thomas Waterman, John Tracy, Josiah Reed, Richard Wallis
The Hyde's were a noted family in England. Sir Nicholas Hyde was chief justice of the Kings Bench, and Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon, was lordchancellor at the restoration, and was grand Father to two queens in the English succession, Mary, the second, and Anne. The Hyde ancestry in America is equally strong in great men. Such was Hon. Matthew Griswold, chief justice and governor of Connecticut, USA; such the Hon. John M. Niles, USA senator and postmaster general in Van Buren's administration, such was the Reverend Edward Duran Griffin, president of Williams College; such the Hon. William Woodbridge, USA senator and governor of Michigan, USA. "
See Hyde genealogy: descendants in the female and male lines, from William Hyde of Norwich : 2 vols, 1864. Walworth, Reuben H.
Some sources have said that William was a cousin (unspecified degree) of Ann Hyde, the Wife of James ll of England while he was Duke of York. Ann was the mother of Queens Ann and Mary of England. He was chosen surveyor of Highway s in Hartford, 1641. He moved to Saybrook, then to Norwich in about 1660. "
"Opposite Post and Birchard, on the northeast side of the street, were the allotments of William Hyde and his son Samuel, extending back into the commons. The Hyde house stood a few rods back from the town street, upon the "highway into the woods, " as the lane was then called, near the present residence of Henry B. Tracy. The Father and son probably formed but one family. The Mansfield house, built by one of the later Hyde's, on a part of the old home Lot, has descended to the present owner by inheritance on the maternal side from the Hyde's, and has never been conveyed out the family. " (Frances M. Caulkins in her History of Norwich)
He was a widower and resident in the household of his daughter Hester and her Husband John Post at the time of his death.
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1600 - 1681 (81 years)
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