- Samuel, son of John of Windsor of Windsor, Conn., was born in England in 1626. He came to America, with his parents, in 1630 and settled in Dorchester, Mass. He moved to Hartford, Conn. in 1636 and from thence to Hadley. In 1659 he married Hannah Stanley, daughter of Thomas Stanley. She came from England in the ship "Planter" in 1635 and settled with her parents In Lynn, Mass.
Samuel and Hannah settled in Hadley in 1659 or 1660. While he was originally from Windsor, he might have resided for a short time, in Hartford, Conn., prior to moving to Hadley, Mass. Under the date of April 18, 1659 he, with others including Richard Montague, met in Hartford at the home of Goodman Ward. They entered into an agreement to remove from the jurisdiction of Connecticut to Massachusetts, at a place on the Connecticut River above Springfield, to be called Hadley.
There were fifty-eight names on this article of agreement of which thirty-five were from Hartford, twenty from Weathersfield and included Samuel Porter, from Windsor. It is not certain whether Samuel Porter moved to Hadley in 1659 or 1660. The first Town meeting was called Oct. 8, 1660 at which time Samuel Porter and Richard Montague are recorded as being present.
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One of the original 59 citizens that signed the agreement Apr 18, 1659 at Goodman Ward's home in Hartford to settle at Hadley, Mass.
Samuel Porter
Born
Died 1689 Sep 6
Father John Porter of Windsor, CT
Married
Hannah Stanley
Born
Died 1708 Dec 18
Father Thomas Stanley
Children
C1 Samuel
C2 Child
C3 Thomas
C4 Hezekiah
C5 John
C6 Hannah
C7 Mehitable
C8 Experience
C9 Ichabod
C10 Nathaniel
C11 Thomas
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According to Robert Charles Anderson (Great Migration Series) Thomas STANLEY (brother of Timothy and John) arrived in 1634. A Thomas STANSLEY was enrolled as a passenger on Planter in 1635, but no records of him in New England have been found. Anderson states that Savage attempted to connect Stansley with Stanley but he was incorrect. So, if Thomas Stanley arrived in 1634 and his daughter Hannah Stanley was born about 1640, then she was born in the USA and didn't arrive on Planter in 1635.
Contributor: Bill Stiles (49763244)?Baptized 3 June 1635 at Holy Cross Church, Felsted,Essex, England.
He was one of the Founders in 1659 of Hadley.
He was the father of 10 children.
The inventory of his estate can be found in Hampshire Probate Records, Box 117, No. 25,3-9.
The home lots of Hadley were laid out to contain eight acres. Each lot was eighty rods long and sixteen rods wide, on two sides of a street or road twenty rods wide and about a mile in length. This road lay on the east side of the Connecticut River. The meadow land was afterward purchased and laid out from time to time, the lots of which were divided and awarded by the drawing of numbers. The size of each lot was to be fixed as each settler drew the prize, by the amount he had subscribed at the time of the engagement in 1659. In the first drawing of the home lots, Samuel Porter drew lot No. 17, containing about four and one third acres.
Later more land was added and apportioned to the settlers at the rate of twenty-five and one quarter acres to the one hundred pounds subscribed. Samuel Porters subscription or engagement was one hundred and fifty pounds.
On July 14, 1684 the town of Hadley voted to build a bridge over Mill River, at the mill, by tressels or otherwise, as the Selectmen and Samuel Porter Sr. should judge best. So it appears at this time, Samuel was either a bridge builder, a carpenter, or both and a man whose judgement on such matters was of importance to the Community. He owned a set of carpenter tools and probably used them. His son, Hezekiah, was also a carpenter.
He also so appears on the school committee in 1686, and with three others of the committee, petitioned the County court at Springfield to straighten out the affairs of the school management, so that the grammar school might receive its just share from legacies left for that purpose by deceased citizens of Hadley.
That he took an active part in educational matters is shown by the fact that he supplied school books, primers, spelling books, (Dilworth's) bibles, psalm books etc. Probably the only book store in Hadley and the surrounding country at that time.
Samuel's son, Aaron a graduate of the Harvard College, taught the village school in 1708, and later was minister at Medford.
Samuel Porter was one of the Selectmen of Hadley In 1667-1672, 1677-1683 and 1689, the time of his death.
In 1676 he took care of most of the wounded soldiers and 'laid out much for their provisions and comfort'. This was in the war with the Narragansets.
In 1681-82, Samuel was the largest taxpayer in Hadley. In the rate levied for the building of the Fox River Bridge, in 1687, he was the third largest taxpayer.
Hezekiah, third son of Samuel Jr. was frequently mentioned as one of the Board of Selectmen Of Hadley up to 1704. Soon afterwards he moved to East Hartford, Conn.
The other sons of Samuel and their descendants as late as 1846, frequently appear as Selectmen, Town clerks, Representatives, Senators, Counselors and Sheriffs and were leading men in their time in Hadley and Hampshire County.
info from Find A Grave
contributor Rebecca Dodds #48326113 [3]
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The Duttons of New England
1635 - 1689 (54 years)
Has 4 ancestors and 8 descendants in this family tree.
[1] 
WHITE, Anna
Siblings
