| 8. | William Backus, Sr. was born about 1606 in England; died about 1661 in Norwich, New London, Connecticut. Notes:
William Backus, Sr. came from England and settled in Old Saybrook, Middlesex, Connecticut, by 1637. He died in 1661 in Norwich, New London, Connecticut, soon after relocating there. No record of his burial place has been found. Although it is accurate to consider him one of the founders of Norwich, he died soon after moving there, leaving his property to his son, Stephen. For this reason, his name does not appear on the records of the thirty-some original proprietors of Norwich, or on the Mason, or "Founders" Monument. The monument, located in the variously named: Mason Cemetery, Post Gager Burial Ground/Post and Gager Cemetery, Ancient Norwich Burying Ground, Norwich Founders('s) Cemetery, Founders Cemetery, etc., names only Ensign William Backus Jr and Stephen Backus, his sons. Although their names are included on the Mason, or Founders, Monument, no record of the burial place of either son has been found, so the Mason/Founders Monument must be considered a cenotaph for both Ensign William Backus, Jr and Stephen Backus, but not for William Backus, Sr., whose name is not included.
All of the known children of William Backus, Sr. were born to his first wife, whose name, place and dates of birth and death, are unknown.
The following is quoted from THE BACKUS FAMILIES OF EARLY NEW ENGLAND, by Reno Warburton Backus:
HISTORY OF WILLIAM BACKUS OF SAYBROOK, AND OF HIS DESCENDANTS
Factual details on the life of William Backus are few. He is usually said to have been born in Norwich, England, but clear proof of this is lacking. He was established in Saybrook, Connecticut, by 1637, shortly after the founding of that settlement in 1635, probably having entered America through a Massachusetts port. Whether a wife and family accompanied him, or whether he married after his arrival, is not known.
Several authors state that he came to this country on the sailing ship Rainbow, 250 tons burden, of which Captain Haskins was Master. Col. Banks, in his Topographical Dictionary gives a list of emigrants from various cities and villages in the several counties of England in that period; among those coming from the county of York appear the names of Francis and William Backus, but without place of origin or any other data. It is assumed that this William is the one who settled at Saybrook. But what relationship did Francis bear to William, - father, brother, cousin? We do not know.
In a memoir of LeRoy Manson Backus, Sr., of Seattle, in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, July, 1949, (the material having been submitted by Mr. Backus himself), an interesting reference to William Backus appears, his year of birth being given as 1589/90.* The present writer has been unable to find any confirmation of that date elsewhere in spite of repeated search. So, for solid ground, we again must return to Saybrook and 1637.
The story of Saybrook is that of a seacoast village, now old, still small, on the Connecticut shore of Long Island Sound, at the mouth of the Connecticut River. Barber gives a fine, succinct account of the settlement and its early history. The actual site of the settlement was a broad peninsula or lip on the west bank of the river, measuring about a mile in length, connecting with the mainland by a narrow neck. Convenient for defense against marauding Indians, it did not lend itself to large development.
Records of the early personal happenings at Saybrook are sparse indeed. There are accounts of John Winthrop, The Younger, first ?governor? of the settlement, and references to Lion Gardiner, the engineer engaged by Winthrop to construct fortifications. There are references also to the three chief patentees of the land grant, Lord Say and Seal, Lord Brook, whose names are commemorated by the town, and Colonel George Fenwick, who visited the settlement in 1636 and 1639 and remained several years on the latter occasion. Beyond these items, little remains of the early local history. In a town meeting of January, 1648, however, an account is given of plans for development of outlying lands around the original settlement. In this, William Backus is found among twelve men assigned land across on the east side of the Connecticut River, in that area which later became known as Lyme. Whether this was William?s homestead, or was in addition to a home in the town, is not indicated. There is no reference in the town records to his work, activities, station in life, or when or whom he first married, the dates or order of birth of his children, or when their mother died. Older accounts incorrectly show his first wife to have been Sarah Charles; but Jacobus has demonstrated clearly that Sarah Charles was the first wife of his son William, Jr., not of the senior William. By 1659 William, Sr., had taken as his second wife a widow, Mrs. Anne Bingham, variously recorded by earlier writers as Anne (Stenton) Bingham , or as Anne (Stetson) Bingham. She was the widow of Thomas Bingham, they having been married July 6, 1631, in Sheffield, England. ... Thomas and Anne (Fenton) Bingham had a son Thomas, recorded in Saybrook, Connecticut, also Norwich, and later Windham, where he was known as Thomas, Sr.. Curiously and confusingly, two children of this stepson of William Backus, Sr., later married grandchildren of William.
The records of Saybrook indicate that the shore-line soil was thin and unproductive. In time, some of the Saybrook settlers became desirous of moving to better ground. An opportunity to improve their lot came in the form of warfare between two of their neighboring Indian tribes. Mohegans under a sachem, Chief Uncas, occupied the valley of the Connecticut. To the east lived the Narragansetts, a related tribe, but one with whom they were frequently on bad terms. During this new conflict, the home stockade of the Mohegan was surrounded and placed under siege for some days. A plea to the English colonists from Chief Uncas for help against the Narragansetts caused a relief party to set out from Saybrook under Lieut. Leffingwell, breaking the siege and turning the tide of battle. For this act, the Mohegans later granted to the English a generous tract of land '''nine miles square''' around the head of the Thames River. A settlement, first occupied in the fall of 1659, was more firmly settled in the spring of 1660, and became the town of Norwich. Thirty-five families (or thirty-eight according to other authority) moved to the new location as original settlers.
William Backus, Sr., did not long survive the transfer, his share of the new land descending to his younger son, Stephen, presumably just coming of age, while his elder son, William, Jr., had a share in his own right. In this manner the two sons appear on the records among the thirty-some original proprietors of Norwich, but William, Sr., does not. Older accounts show him dying in 1664. Mary E. N. Backus in her excellent history of the family gives good reason for believing he died between June 12, 1661, the date of his will, and August 28 of that same year, since an official record of property transfer indicates that Stephen had already succeeded to his father's estate by the latter date. With the colony still in the early stages of governmental organization, legal matters sometimes suffered delay. It was June 2l, 1665, before the will of William, Sr., was allowed in the New London Court. A copy of the will is filed in the records of New London Town, Book 1646-66, pp. 143-4,...
The Norwich Vital Records (153, v.1, p. 8) list William's wife Anne, "Mother of Thomas Bingham, Sr." as dying in May, 1670.
Reference:
Backus, Reno Warburton. The Backus Families of Early New England, 1966, p. 4-9.
William + Elizabeth. Elizabeth was born on Yes, date unknown in England; died on 9 Feb 1643 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
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1717 - 1790 (72 years)