John Talcott (December 18, 1630 – July 23, 1688) was a politician and military leader in early colonial

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

Early life and career

John Talcott was born

Braintree, Essex Braintree is a town in Essex, England, and is the principal settlement of Braintree District. It is located north-east of Chelmsford, west of Colchester and north-west of Southend-on-Sea. According to the United Kingdom Census 2021, 2021 Cens ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

in 1630 to John Talcott and Dorothy Mott. In 1632 the family immigrated to

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

in 1632 and then moved to

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

in 1636. In Connecticut Talcott was elected as assistant magistrate in 1654 and then a deputy (representative, serving from 1660 to 1661. He then served as treasurer of the colony from 1660 to 1676.

Military Career and Service during King Philip's War

Talcott began service in the Connecticut militia as an ensign in 1650 and then was eventually promoted to captain in 1660, major in 1673, and then lieutenant-colonel. During

King Philip’s War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1678 between a group of indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands ...

, he commanded a joint militia force containing Pequots, Niantics, Mohegans, and colonists. From June 1676 through the fall that year Talcott pursued various Native Americans, including Narragansett women and children, throughout southern New England. He led his troops during several massacres and battles, including at Second Battle of Nipsachuck Battlefield where Queen

Quaiapen Quaiapen ( July 2, 1676), also known as Magnus, Matantuck, Old Queen, or Watowswokotaus, was a Narragansett-Niantic female sachem (saunkskwa) who was the last sachem captured or killed during King Philip’s War.

and

Stonewall John Stonewall John (also known as Nawham or Nawwhun and John Wall-Maker and Stonelayer John)Roger Williams to obert Williams? April 1, 1676, LaFantasie, Glenn W., ed. ''The Correspondence of Roger Williams,'' University Press of New England, 1988, ...

were killed in one of the few cavalry charges of the War. To reward his service, the General Court gave Talcott along with John Allyn 700 acres of land at Hammonasset (an area that is now the towns of

Clinton Clinton is an English toponymic surname, indicating one's ancestors came from English places called Glympton or Glinton.Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1988 Clinton has also been used as a given nam ...

and

Killingworth Killingworth is a town in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England, within the historic county of Northumberland. Killingworth was built as a new town in the 1960s, next to Killingworth Village, which existed for centuries before the new town ...

).Eric B. Schultz and Michael J. Tougias, King Philip’s War: The History and Legacy of America’s Forgotten Conflict (Woodstock, Vt.: Countryman Press, 1999), 63-64, 232-33.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Talcott, John 1630 births 1688 deaths American militia officers People from colonial Connecticut People of King Philip's War