They went from Salem, Mass., through a pathless wilderness to a place the Indians called Mishawam. They found a man by the name of Thomas Walford, a smith. They remained there until the next year, when they were joined by nearly one hundred people, who came with Thomas Graves, from Salem and laid the foundation of the town, which they named Charlestown, in honor of King Charles the First, June 24, 1629.

It is said that Walter Palmer built the first house in Charlestown on two acres of land that were assigned and set to him after it was organized as a township. He owned a considerable amount of real estate there, he received land in the first division in 1637 and again in the division of 1643.

He became acquainted with William Chesebrough, who lived at the time in Boston and Braintree, they both decided to remove to the Plymouth Colony, and so with their families and with some others, joined in the organization of the town of Rehoboth.

Walter Palmer was a prominent man when he lived in Massachusetts, and was admitted a freeman there May 18, 1631. He held several local offices in that colony, and enjoyed the confidence and esteem of his fellow townsman. So much so, that the first planters of Rehoboth elected him as their first representative to the General Court of Plymouth. They later re-elected him to that office and also conferred upon him repeatedly the office of selectman and other local offices. About this time he valued his estate at four hundred and nineteen pounds.

His friend Chesebrough, not relishing the way and manner in which he was treated by the General Court of the Plymouth Colony decided to look farther westward for a new home. He visited the then new settlement of New London, but it didn't meet his expectations, so he headed home and went through, the Wequetequock valley. He liked the look of it and decided to move there.
Mr. Chesebrough finished his house and moved his family in during the year 1649, and so became the pioneer English planter of the new town now called Stonington.

Thomas Stanton, the interpreter general of New England, was the first to join Mr. Chesebrough in the new settlement. He obtained a grant of six acres of planting ground on Pawcatuck River, from the General Court in March, 1650. He also was given liberty to erect a trading house with feed and mowing of marsh land, also giving him the exclusive trade of the river for three years.

William Chesebrough, invited his friend Walter Palmer, still living in Rehoboth, to come and join him in the organization of another new township. While Mr. Palmer was considering the proposition, Thomas Miner, who had married William's daughter Grace, and was then a resident of New London, was also invited to join the new settlement, which he did in 1652.

Walter Palmer came to Stonington in 1653. He bought land from Governor Haynes on the east bank of the Wequetequock River. His whole parcel of land totaled about twelve hundred acres. He and his friend Chesebrough lived within a stones throw of each other. Walter was very old when he removed to Stonington. He died there Nov. 10, 1661. Both lie buried in the Old Wequetequock Burial Place, with Thomas Stanton, the interpreter general of New England.

Walter Palmer along with William Chesebrough, Thomas Stanton George Dennison and his son-in-law Thomas Minor, were the founders of Stonington (Southington) Conn. Their descendents played leading roles in that town.

He was first married in England, before he came to this country. The name of his first wife has never been recorded. He M. 2d, Rebecca Short, who came to this country in 1632. They were married June 1, 1633. I descended from Walter three times from children of both of his wives.

CHILDREN BY FIRST MARRIAGE:

1. GRACE, b. in England, of whom it is traditionally said that she was of the same age as her husband, Thomas Miner, born in 1608.

2. WILLIAM, b. in England; the eldest son came with his father's family to New England, and lived with them in Charlestown, Mass. He remained with his brother John, in Charlestown, after his father removed to Plymouth, and continued to reside there until after his father's death. Soon after he sold the land his father gave him in Rehoboth, and came to Stonington, and stayed with his brother-in-law, Thomas Miner., nearly a year, when he left here and went to Killingworth, Conn., where he lived the remainder of his days. The time of his death in not known. His brother, Gershom Palmer, under date of March 27, 1697, entered on record the following Instrument: "Know all men by these presents, that, whereas, my brother , William, now deceased, did give and bequeath unto me his house, and all his lands in Killingworth, forever, I settling one of my sons thereon, and in compliance with my deceased brother's will, I do order my eldest son, Gershom Palmer, Jr., to settle in said house upon said land. I, the said Gershom Palmer, Senior, do give and bequeath the aforesaid house and lot, with all its privileges and appurtenances thereto belonging, to my eldest son, Gershom Palmer, to him forever, according to the tenor of the will of my brother, William Palmer, deceased." This will renders It certain that he left no wife or children.

3 JOHN, b. in England In 1615; came to this country in 1628. He was admitted a freeman of Massachusetts Colony In 1639, and d. Aug. 24,1677, aged 62 yrs. He left a will, giving the bulk of his property to his brother, Jonah and sister Elizabeth. He was never married.

4 JONAH, b. in England, m. Elizabeth Grissell.

5 ELIZABETH, b. in England, m. Thomas Sloan before 1663. He d. soon after, leaving no children of record. She m. for her 2d husband, William Chapman, Oct. 26, 1677. No children of record.

CHILDREN BY SECOND MARRIAGE Rebecca Short:

6 HANNAH, b. In Charlestown, June 15, 1634. She came with her parents to Stonington, and m. 1st, Thomas Hewitt April 26, 1659, m. 2d, Roger Sterry Dec. 27, 1671; m. 3d, John Fish, Aug. 25, 1681

7 ELIHU, bapt. (Charlestown church records), Jan. 25, 1636, and came to Stonington with his parents, via Rehoboth, and d. here Sept. 5, 1665. It Is not probable that he ever married, for no children can be traced to him. He left a will In which he gave his property to his nephews. His will was lost in the burning of New London, Sept. 6, 1781, and the only knowledge we have of it, Is from a deed on the Stonington records, where was set to his executor and vested in his nephews certain real estate in Stonington. If he had surviving children at the time of his death they would have been the subject of his bounty, but dying at the age of 29 years, and leaving such a will is proof positive that he had no offspring of his own.

8 NEHEMIAH, b. Nov. 2, 1637, m. Hannah Lord Stanton.

9 MOSES, b. April 6, 1640, m. Dorothy Gilbert.

10 BENJAMIN, b. May 30, 1642, in Charlestown, Mass., and came to Stonington via Rehoboth with his father and family and joined the church and subsequently became a large land holder. He m. and brought his wife home Aug. 10, 1681. All that is now known about his marriage is found in Thomas Miner's Diary. He does not give her name, where she lived, nor Is there any known record of his children, if any there were. He d. April 10, 1716, aged 74 yrs. In February before he died, he gave a deed of all his lands to two of his nephews, on condition that they should take good care of him during life and give him a Christian burial with headstones at his decease which care was administered, and the headstones mark his last resting place in the old Wequetequock burial ground.

11 GERSHOM, b. in Rehoboth, m. Ann Denison; 2d, Mrs. Elizabeth Mason.

12 REBECCA, b. in Stonington, m. EIisha Chesebrough), that family; 2d, John Baldwin, Baldwin family.

See Grace's direct line to my NY Terrys

See Nehemiah's direct line to my NY Terrys

Map of Stonnington with property lines in PDF