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ELISHA PAINE was born at Eastham, in the Colony of Massachusetts, probably, March 10, 1658, and died at Canterbury in the Colony of Connecticut, Feb. 7, 1735-6. He married at Eastham, Jan. 5, 1685, Rebekah Doane, who was born at Eastham, May 12, 1668, and died at Canterbury, Dec. 19, 1758. She was a daughter of John and Hannah ( Bangs) Doane of Eastham.
Elisha Paine lived in Eastham until about 1688, when he went to Barnstable. In 1689 he and ten citizens of that town were granted a number of acres of land at Goodspeed’s River, and the benefit of the stream forever, on condition of setting up a fulling mill on that river,” and maintaining "the same twenty years, and full and dress the town's cloth on reasonable terms." His residence in Barnstable was not long, for he was back in Eastham in 1693.
About the year 1699 his attention was turned to new lands being settled within the boundaries of the Colony of Connecticut. The "Quinebaug Country" was the name given to the region on both sides of the Quinebaug River in the County of Windham, where the famous Major James Fitch settled in 1697, erecting the first permanent habitation in what is now Canterbury. The Indian name of the place was Peaqscomswek. Major Fitch had bought vast tracts in this region from the Indians, and was famous for his land operations. He named his plantation “Kent.” Here came Elisha Paine and his family about the spring of 1700 he having purchased two thousand acres from Major Fitch. The Adamses, Clevelands and Johnsons were other early settlers, all of them families after wards related in marriage with the Paines. Here Mr. Paine established himself as a planter, becoming a man of affluence and prominence in the Colony.
Agitation immediately began for the creation of a separate town for the inhabitants on the west side of the Quinebaug, where Paine and Fitch were living. An agreement was drawn to that effect with those living on the east side of the river, dated Dec. 24, 1702, and pursuant thereto a committee consisting of Elisha Paine and five others petitioned the General Assembly of Connecticut on May 13, 1703, for the erection of a separate town. In October of the same year, the legislature created the town and bestowed the name Canterbury upon it. Miss Larned, in her history of Windham County, say a of Canterbury at this period:
Canterbury, when endowed with town privileges, October, 1703, had but few inhabitants only ten west-side residents signing the Articles of Separation but their character and circumstance made amends for the smallness of their number. Most of them were men of means and position, accustomed to them management of public affairs and well fitted to initiate and carry on the settlement of the new township. Major Fitch, as 'lord-proprietor of much of the land, had probably the sole sway for a time, but Elisha Paine, the Adamses, Clevelands and Johnsons were men of energy and public spirit and soon assumed the reins of government. Their residences were ill the east of the town overlooking the Quinebaug Valley.”
From this time until his death, Elisha Paine was constantly in public life. He was the first town clerk, and as such exercised the powers of a justice of the peace. Mr. Paine and Major Fitch appeared before the General Assembly in 1705 on the boundary disputes, which Canterbury had with its neighbors and again in 1706. Elisha Paine was selectman during terms and with a colleague represented his town in the General Assembly of the Colony almost continuously from 1711 until 1734.
Upon the establishment of the church in Canterbury on June 13, 1711, the Reverend Samuel Estabrook, Harvard, 1696, who had been preaching there several years, Elisha Paine and five others signed the Covenant and were recognized as the "seven pillars" or constituent members of the church.
Elisha Paine and Samuel Adams, while representatives of Canterbury in the General Assembly in 1711, secured the appointment of a committee to settle division of lands. This was not completed, however, for several years When it was done, those heading the list to receive one and one-half shares as first settlers and planters were Major James Fitch and Mr. Elisha Paine.
There was much border warfare between the neighboring towns of Plainfield and Canterbury. Miss Larned also notes in her History of Windham Country:
"Nor were her (Canterbury's) settlers always at peace among themselves or obedient to the wholesome laws of the Colony. Even such prominent men and active church members as Elisha Paine and Obadiah Johnson were not exemplary in behavior, the latter complaining 'that Paine had struck him with a club, knocked him down and thrown a hatchet at him.' The complaint was not sustained and Paine recovered cost of prosecution."
An interesting commentary on the life of the times is the record that one Jabez Utter, the first white inhabitant of the neighboring town of Mortlake, was convicted of horse-stealing, and after lying in prison for a time was allowed to work out his fine in service of Elisha Paine at the rate of eight pounds a year.
"The Payne's of Hamilton" A Genealogy and Biographical Record by Augusta Francelia Payne White, Tobias A. Wright Publisher, Dated 1912
ELISHA PAINE was born at Eastham, in the Colony of Massachusetts, probably, March 10, 1658, and died at Canterbury in the Colony of Connecticut, Feb. 7 (or Feb. 4 according to The Genealogies of Mayflower descenants") , 1735-36. He married at Eastham, Jan. 5, 1685, Rebekah Doane, who was born at Eastham, May 12, 1668, and died at Canterbury, Dec. 19, 1758. She was a daughter of John and Hannah ( Bangs) Doane of Eastham.
Elisha Paine lived in Eastham until about 1688, when he went to Barnstable. In 1689 he and ten citizens of that town were granted a number of acres of land at Goodspeed’s River, and the benefit of the stream forever, on condition of “setting up a fulling mill on that river,” and maintaining "the same twenty years, and full and dress the town's cloth on reasonable terms." His residence in Barnstable was not long, for he was back in Eastham in 1693.
About the year 1699 his attention was turned to new lands being settled within the boundaries of the Colony of Connecticut. The “Quinebaug Country” was the name given to the region on both sides of the Quinebaug River in the County of Windham, where the famous Major James Fitch settled in 1697, erecting the first permanent habitation in what is now Canterbury. The Indian name of the place was Peaqscomswek. Major Fitch had bought vast tracts in this region from the Indians, and was famous for his land operations. He named his plantation “Kent.” Here came Elisha Paine and his family about the spring of 1700 he having purchased two thousand acres from Major Fitch. The Adamses, Clevelands and Johnsons were other early settlers, all of them families after wards related in marriage with the Paines. Here Mr. Paine established himself as a planter, becoming a man of affluence and prominence in the Colony.
Agitation immediately began for the creation of a separate town for the inhabitants on the west side of the Quinebaug, where Paine and Fitch were living. An agreement was drawn to that effect with those living on the east side of the river, dated Dec. 24, 1702, and pursuant thereto a committee consisting of Elisha Paine and five others petitioned the General Assembly of Connecticut on May 13, 1703, for the erection of a separate town. In October of the same year, the legislature created the town and bestowed the name Canterbury upon it. Miss Larned, in her history of Windham County, say a of Canterbury at this period:
Canterbury, when endowed with town privileges, October, 1703, had but few inhabitants only ten west-side residents signing the Articles of Separation but their character and circumstance made amends for the smallness of their number. Most of them were men of means and position, accustomed to them management of public affairs and well fitted to initiate and carry on the settlement of the new township. Major Fitch, as 'lord-proprietor' of much of the land, had probably the sole sway for a time, but Elisha Paine, the Adamses, Clevelands and Johnsons were men of energy and public spirit and soon assumed the reins of government. Their residences were ill the east of the town overlooking the Quinebaug Valley.”
From this time until his death, Elisha Paine was constantly in public life. He was the first town clerk, and as such exercised the powers of a justice of the peace. Mr. Paine and Major Fitch appeared before the General Assembly in 1705 on the boundary disputes, which Canterbury had with its neighbors and again in 1706. Elisha Paine was selectman during terms and with a colleague represented his town in the General Assembly of the Colony almost continuously from 1711 until 1734.
Upon the establishment of the church in Canterbury on June 13, 1711, the Reverend Samuel Estabrook, Harvard, 1696, who had been preaching there several years, Elisha Paine and five others signed the Covenant and were recognized as the "seven pillars" or constituent members of the church.
Elisha Paine and Samuel Adams, while representatives of Canterbury in the General Assembly in 1711, secured the appointment of a committee to settle division of lands. This was not completed, however, for several years When it was done, those heading the list to receive one and one-half shares as first settlers and planters were Major James Fitch and Mr. Elisha Paine.
There was much border warfare between the neighboring towns of Plainfield and Canterbury. Miss Larned also notes in her History of Windham Country:
"Nor were her (Canterbury's) settlers always at peace among themselves or obedient to the wholesome laws of the Colony. Even such prominent men and active church members as Elisha Paine and Obadiah Johnson were not exemplary in behavior, the latter complaining 'that Paine had struck him with a club, knocked him down and thrown a hatchet at him.' The complaint was not sustained and Paine recovered cost of prosecution."
An interesting commentary on the life of the times is the record that one Jabez Utter, the first white inhabitant of the neighboring town of Mortlake, was convicted of horse-stealing, and after lying in prison for a time was allowed to work out his fine in service of Elisha Paine at the rate of eight pounds a year.
"The Payne's of Hamilton" A Genealogy and Biographical Record by Augusta Francelia Payne White, Tobias A. Wright Publisher, Dated 1912
Elisha was a prominent man in Canterbury. Three of his sons were Newlight ministers. Decendnts scattered. The late Abraham Payne of Providence, R.I. was a decendent. Ref: "The Genealogies of Mayflower Descenants", page 355.
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