Excerpt from A Statistical Account of the County of Middlesex, in Connecticut The several townships in Middlesex were purchased of the Indians, and in no case obtained by conquest. In selling their lands, they usually reserved certain portions for themselves, with the right of hunting and fishing where they pleased; on which they remained many years, and in several instances till within the memory of persons now living, raising upon them their corn, and obtaining other articles of food as they had previously done. No part of Connecticut was better adapted to their mode of life, Connecticut river and the Sound, with their tributary streams, furnishing them with an abundance of fish, and the forests back, with game. They were, therefore, very numerous in all parts of the county, excepting Durham, (which was used as an occasion al retreat for hunting much more numerous than the English, long after the English settlements commenced, and might in numberless instances have destroyed them, had they not been restrained by the merciful providence of God. The English realized their critical situation, and while they looked to God as their only all-sufficient protector, took various measures to se cure themselves in case of a sudden attack. But no evidence is transmitted to us of their having sustained any serious injury from them, except about the time of the Pequot war, an account of which will be given in treating of Saybrook, as there will be in treating of the several towns, of the names which they gave to places, rivers, &c. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

While Middlesex County is one of the most historic communities in the nation, some of its past is little known. Researchers found dinosaur tracks in Middlefield that date back 200 million years. The author of Dr. Dolittle, Hugh Lofting, lived in Killingworth, and a young Dr. Seuss spent summers in Clinton. Constance Baker Motley, the first female African American federal judge, resided in Chester. A Portland lake has water levels that fluctuate for no apparent reason. An Essex blacksmith shop was America's oldest continuously run family business. Local authors Robert and Kathleen Hubbard reveal these and many other unforgettable stories.

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