Trails to the Past

Connecticut

Fairfield County

 

 

 

 

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Fairfield County was the home of many small, unconnected Native American tribes prior to the coming of the Europeans. From east to west the Wappinger steamships included the Paugussetts, Tankiteke, and the Siwanoy. There were also Paquioque and Potatuck inhabitants of Fairfield County. The Dutch explorer Adriaen Block explored coastal Connecticut in the Spring and early Summer of 1614 in the North American built vessel Onrust. The first European settlers of the county, however, were Puritans and Congregationalists from England. Roger Ludlow (1590–1664), one of the founders of the Colony of Connecticut, helped to purchase and charter the towns of Fairfield (1639) and Norwalk (purchased 1640, chartered as a town in 1651). Ludlow is credited as having chosen the name Fairfield. The town of Stratford was settled in 1639 as well by Adam Blakeman (1596–1665). William Beardsley (1605–1661) was also one of the first settlers of Stratford in 1639.

Fairfield County was established by an act of the Connecticut General Court in Hartford along with Hartford County, New Haven County, and New London County; which were the first four Connecticut counties, on May 10, 1666. From transcriptions of the Connecticut Colonial Records for that day:

This Court orders that from the east bounds of Stratford to ye bounds of Rye shalbe for future one County wch shalbe called the County of Fairfield. And it is ordered that the County Court shalbe held at Fairfield on the second Tuesday in March and the first Tuesday of November yearly.

The original Fairfield County consisted of the towns of Rye, Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk, Fairfield, and Stratford. In 1673, the town of Woodbury was incorporated and added to Fairfield County. In 1683, New York and Connecticut reached a final agreement regarding their common border. This resulted in the cession of the town of Rye to New York. From the late 17th to early 18th centuries, several new towns were incorporated in western Connecticut and added to Fairfield County, namely Danbury (1687), Ridgefield (1709), Newtown (1711), and New Fairfield (1740). In 1751, Litchfield County was constituted, taking over the town of Woodbury. The final boundary adjustment to Fairfield County occurred in 1788 when the town of Brookfield was incorporated from parts of Newtown, Danbury, and New Milford, with Fairfield County gaining territory from Litchfield County.

 
On Line Data

Cities, Towns and Villiages

Bethel (town)
Stony Hill
Bridgeport (city, former county seat)
Beardsly
Black Rock
Grover Hill
P.t. Barnum(P.T.)
Broadbridge
Brooklawn
Downtown
East End
East Side
Hollow
Lake Forest
Little Italy
Mill Hill
Newfield
North Bridgeport
North End
Trumbull Gardens (Terrace)
Ox Hill
South End
Marina Village
University of Bridgeport Campus
Seaside Park
Steel Point
Success
West Side
Brookfield (town)
Danbury (city)
Germantown
Mill Plain
Little Brazil
Darien (town)
Darien (Downtown)
Noroton
Noroton Heights
Tokeneke
Easton (town)
Aspetuck
Sport Hill
Fairfield (town)
Fairfield Center (Downtown)
Brooklawn
Southport
Stratfield
Greenfield Hill
Tunxis Hill
Greenwich (town)
Greenwich (Downtown)
Glenville

Byram
Chickahominy
Cos Cob
Millbrook
Sound Beach
Old Greenwich
Riverside
Back Country
Round Hill
Belle Haven
Mianus
Monroe (town)
Monroe Center
Stepney
Upper Stepney
Stevenson
New Canaan (town)
New Canaan Center
Silvermine (part)
New Fairfield (town)
Bigelow Corners
Candlewood Corners
Newtown (town)
Berkshire
Sandy Hook
Newtown (incorporated borough)
Dodgingtown
Botsford
Hawleyville
Hattertown
Palestine
Norwalk (city)
Central Norwalk (Downtown)
Cranbury (Norwalk)
East Norwalk
Rowayton
Silvermine (part)
South Norwalk (SoNo)
Spring Hill
Wall Street
West Norwalk
Redding (town)
Georgetown (part)
Redding Ridge
West Redding
Five Points
Ridgefield (town)
Branchville
Ridgebury
Shelton (city)
Downtown
Huntington
White Hills

Pine Rock Park
Long Hill
Sherman (town)
Stamford (city)
Belltown
Downtown
The Cove
Glenbrook
Newfield
North Stamford
Long Ridge
East Side
Shippan
Harbor Point
Shippan Point
Bulls Head
Springdale
Woodside
South End
Turn of River
West Side
Richmond Hill
Roxbury
Westover
Stratford (town)
Stratford Center
Hawley Lane
Lordship
Paradise Green
Putney
Oronoque
Success Hill
Trumbull (town)
Chestnut Hill
Daniels Farm
Long Hill
Nichols
Tashua
Trumbull Center
Weston (town)
Georgetown (part)
Westport (Town)
Greens Farms
Saugatuck
Wilton (town)
Cannondale
Georgetown (most)
Silvermine (part)

 

Adjacent Counties
Litchfield County (north)
New Haven County (east)
Westchester County, New York (southwest)
Putnam County, New York (west)
Dutchess County, New York (northwest)

 

 

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