Groton, New London County, Connecticut Colony, New England

Tree: New England Hall Families Master Tree

Notes: Groton was established in 1705 when it separated from New London, Connecticut. The town was named after Groton, Suffolk in England. A hundred years before it was established, the Niantic people settled in the area between the Thames River and Pawcatuck River, but they eventually settled in Westerly, Rhode Island. The newcomers to the land were the Pequots, a branch of the Mohawk people who moved eastward into the Connecticut River Valley.

The summer of 1614 was the first time that the Pequots encountered white settlers. They started trading furs for the settlers' goods, such as steel knives, needles, and boots. In 1633, the Dutch bought land from them and opened a fur trading post. Meanwhile, the English bought land for settlement from the local tribes. The Dutch had unintentionally killed the Pequots' chief, and this prompted revenge by the Pequot tribe, and this escalated into the Pequot War (1636–38). On the night of May 26, 1637, the Colonial forces arrived outside the Pequot village near the Mystic River. The palisade surrounding the village had only two exits, and their leader Colonel John Mason gave the order to set the village on fire and block off the exits. Those who tried climbing over the palisade were shot; anyone who succeeded in getting over was killed by the Narragansett forces.

Rough times came to the Connecticut town of Groton when the French and Indian War ended and the Sugar Act of 1764 and the Stamp Act of 1765 were passed. Parliament closed down the port of Boston, crippling Groton's commerce.

On September 6, 1781, the Battle of Groton Heights was fought between a combined force of state troops and local militia led by William Ledyard and numerous British forces led by Benedict Arnold. No one at Fort Griswold had expected an attack, especially after six years of false alarms. At sunrise, a force of 1,700 British regulars landed on both sides of the mouth of the Thames River.

The British fleet had sailed from Long Island the evening before, and only a sudden shift in the wind prevented a surprise attack during the night; it was 9 a.m. the next day before the transports could come ashore to land the troops.

Across the Thames River in New London, Benedict Arnold was leading an 800-man detachment which destroyed stockpiles of goods and naval stores. Arnold had been unaware of the orders given to spare most of the town. He was also unaware that one of the ships docked in New London was filled with gunpowder. Upon ignition, the ship burst into flames and created an uncontrollable fire which destroyed 143 buildings in New London.

Meanwhile, a British force of 800 men moved towards Fort Griswold in Groton, which was garrisoned by 164 militia and local men. The British sent a flag of surrender to Fort Griswold but William Ledyard refused and returned the flag. The British then attacked, opening the bloody Battle of Groton Heights. After an initial repulse, the British succeeded in entering the fort and overpowering the small garrison inside. Lt. Col. William Ledyard realized that his men were overpowered and surrendered to the British—who proceeded to slaughter the Americans and murder Ledyard with his own sword. Jonathan Rathbun described the surrender this way:

...the wretch who murdered him [Ledyard], exclaimed, as he came near, "Who commands this fort?" Ledyard handsomely replied, "I did, but you do now," at the same moment handing him his sword, which the unfeeling villain buried in his breast! Oh, the hellish spite and madness of a man that will murder a reasonable and noble-hearted officer, in the act of submitting and surrendering!

A memorial for the Battle of Groton Heights was put up in 1830 for the 88 men and boys who were killed at the fort. Fort Griswold is the only intact memorial in town left from the Revolutionary War. The 135-foot-tall (41 m) monument has become the town's symbol and is now featured on the Groton town seal.

Birth

Matches 1 to 3 of 3

	Last Name, Given Name(s)	Birth		Person ID	Tree
1	Brintnall, Mary	26 Apr 1677	Groton, New London County, Connecticut Colony, New England	I16774	New England Hall Families Master Tree
2	Forsyth, Gilbert	13 Feb 1715/16	Groton, New London County, Connecticut Colony, New England	I18835	New England Hall Families Master Tree
3	Forsythe, James	1680	Groton, New London County, Connecticut Colony, New England	I18836	New England Hall Families Master Tree

Died

Matches 1 to 3 of 3

	Last Name, Given Name(s)	Died		Person ID	Tree
1	Bradley, Hannah	Aft 1725	Groton, New London County, Connecticut Colony, New England	I18839	New England Hall Families Master Tree
2	Lester, Andrew Jr.	3 Aug 1708	Groton, New London County, Connecticut Colony, New England	I18838	New England Hall Families Master Tree
3	Lester, Hannah	1769	Groton, New London County, Connecticut Colony, New England	I18837	New England Hall Families Master Tree

Married

Matches 1 to 1 of 1

	Family	Married		Family ID	Tree
1	Forsythe / Lester	9 Sep 1708	Groton, New London County, Connecticut Colony, New England	F8950	New England Hall Families Master Tree