Stricker Family Tree - Matthew Grant, Windsor Town Clerk

Matthew Grant - Town Clerk for the Town of Windsor, Connecticut

Family Connection - 10th Great-grandfather of Roy Ellsworth Stricker

Matthew and Priscilla Brant Memorial in Windsor, CT

Matthew Grant was born in England on October 27, 1601. On November 16, 1625 he married Priscilla in England. Some suggest her maiden name was Gray, but it is not clear what the sources are for that fact. Matthew and Priscilla had five children:

            Priscilla            b. 1626            d. 1669

            Samuel             b. 1631            d. 1718

            Tahan               b. 1633            d. 1693

            Matthew           b. abt 1636      d. 1639

            John                  b. 1642            d. 1684

Matthew, his wife Priscilla, and their daughter Priscilla came to Dorchester, Massachusetts with the Mary and John fleet in 1630. Matthew was named Freeman in Dorchester on May 18, 1631. He served as the "Fenceviewer" in Dorchester, a job that we would call surveyor, and helped lay out lots for new residents. 

In 1635, Matthew and his family left Dorchester to settle in the new town of Windsor, Connecticut. His house lot is shown in the diagram above.  He became the Town Clerk and Surveyor. 

At the onset of the Pequot War in 1636 , Matthew and several other residents of the town gave away parts of their large houselots inside the Town Palisade to townspeople who lived outside the palisade so they could build houses within the protected area.

                                     

Layout of Windsor showing location of Palisades

The war ended in 1638, and Windsor was not affected. 

Matthew was known for his meticulous recordkeeping as town clerk, and for many manuscripts he wrote to document town events. He was a member of the Connecticut Grand Jury once, served in local juries 6 times, Petit Jury once, and Coroner's Jury once. 

Matthew's wife Priscilla died on April 27, 1644. He married Susan Capen Rockwell, a widow, on May 29, 1645. She died on November 13, 1666. Matthew and Susan had no children. 

Matthew Grant died on December 16, 1681. His net worth at his death was £118, of which £100 was real estate. In his will, he left nothing to his son Samuel, citing his son's satisfaction with gifts of land he had already given to him. He gave his son Tahan £5 plus the repayment of any outstanding debts to Matthew.  He gave all of the rest of his real estate and property to his son John. That included the  meadow, pasture, home lot, house and orchard. Matthew had been living with John and his family after the death of Matthew's second wife. Matthew bequeathed all of his clothing to his daughter Priscilla Grant Humphrey. 

The Windsor Historical Society wrote a great article about Matthew Grant - you can read it here:

https://windsorhistoricalsociety.org/founders-series-matthew-grant-diligent-documentarian/

Matthew Grant > Priscilla Humphrey > John Humphrey Jr. > John Humphrey III  > Susannah Humphrey > Elnathan Moses > William Moses > Elenora Moses > George Josiah Newland > William Henry Newland > Gertrude Myra Newland > Roy Ellsworth Stricker        Charts S-B and S-Main