Information About William Newman, One of the Englishmen Who Signed Thomas Pell's Treaty on June 27, 1654

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This is the last in a series of four postings regarding four of the Englishmen who witnessed the signing of Thomas Pell's treaty on June 27, 1654. For yesterday's posting, see Thursday, November 1, 2007: Information About John Ffinch, One of the Englishmen Who Signed Thomas Pell's Treaty on June 27, 1654. For the second posting in the series, see Wednesday, October 31, 2007: Information About Richard Crabb, One of the Englishmen Who Signed Thomas Pell's Treaty on June 27, 1654. For the first posting in this series, which includes links to earlier postings dealing with the same topic, see Tuesday, October 30, 2007: Information About Henry Accorly, One of the Englishmen Who Signed Thomas Pell's Treaty on June 27, 1654.

"NEWMAN, WILLIAM, hath assigned to him by the town, in Oct., 1642, two acres marsh and three acres woodland. In 1659 complaints having been made to the court in New Haven respecting the 'sizing of shoes,' the court hearing that William Newman had an instrument which he had brought from England which 'was thought to be right to determine this question, did order that the said instrument should be procured and sent to New Haven, to be made a 'Standard' which shall be the rule between buyer and seller, to which it is required that all sizes be conformed.' Mr. Newman was evidently a man of note in the young colony, and once represented the town in the General Court. Savage supposes he may have removed to Narra- [Page 38 / Page 39] gansett after 1669. In 1676 William Newman, planter of Stamford, sells to John Austin, 'taylor' of Stamford some land. His will, dated 7.9. 1673, makes his legatees, his wife Elizabeth, and his children, Thomas, Daniel, John, -----, Elizabeth, and Hannah. It also mentions his brother John."

Source: Huntington, E. B., History of Stamford, Connecticut, From its Settlement in 1641 to the Present Time Including Darien, Which Was One of its Parishes Until 1820, pp. 38-39 (Stamford, CT: Published by the Author, 1868).

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Information About William Newman: A Witness to the Signing of Thomas Pell's Treaty with Local Native Americans on June 27, 1654

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Yesterday I published to the Historic Pelham Blog an item about "John Ffinch", one of the Englishmen who witnessed, and signed, Thomas Pell's "Treaty" with local Native Americans by which Pell acquired the lands that subsequently became Pelham and surrounding areas. I included in that posting a list of four other such postings I have published to the Blog about the various Englishmen who signed the Treaty.

Today's posting to the Historic Pelham Blog transcribes a reference to another of those Englishmen: William Newman. The reference also appears in "The Minutes of the Court of Sessions (1657-1696) Westchester County New York" published by the Westchester County Historical Society in 1924.

The reference relates to Newman's appearance as a witness in a lawsuit. It appears that the dispute was between John Archer and two other men: Anthony Gill and Robert Rose. It seems that Gill and Rose accepted money from Archer and that Archer took possession of a particular house and land. The dispute seems to have revolved around whether the transaction was an outright sale of the house and the land or whether the house and the land were merely security for a debt and that once that debt was repaid, possession would be returned to Gill and Rose. Newman testified as follows:

"march the 6th: 1659: the Testimony of william newman sayth that he heard John archare say that if Anthony gill & Robert Rose would pay the monys back again which the said archare had diburst then he would let them have their hous & ground Again"

Source: Fox, Dixon Ryan, ed., The Minutes of the Court of Sessions (1657-1696) Westchester County New York, p. 16 (White Plains, NY: Westchester County Historical Society 1924) (Publications of the Westchester County Historical Society Vol. II, Source Series, Vol. I).

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