Matthew Canfield (also seen as Matthew Campfield) (1604 – 1673) was a founding

settler A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a Human settlement, settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among ...

of Norwalk,

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. ...

and Newark,

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. He served as a deputy of the General Court of the

Connecticut Colony The Connecticut Colony, originally known as the Connecticut River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became the state of Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636, as a settlement for a Puritans, Puritan congregation o ...

representing Norwalk in the sessions of May 1654, May 1655, May 1656, May 1657, May 1658, May 1659, May 1660, May 1661, May and October 1662, October 1663, May and October 1664, May and October 1665, and May and October 1666. He was born in Harleston,

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...

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 ...

and baptized in Saint Andrews Church on February 27, 1604. He was the son of Gregory and Joan Camfield. He came to the

New Haven Colony New Haven Colony was an English colony from 1638 to 1664 that included settlements on the north shore of Long Island Sound, with outposts in modern-day New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. The colony joined Connecticut Colony in 16 ...

from England prior to 1637. He was a collector for

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

in 1645. He served as an officer in the Cavalry Troop of Connecticut from 1650-66.Charles Lathrop Pack. ''Thomas Hatch of Barnstable & Some of His Descendants''. Newark, NJ: Society of Colonial Wars in the State of New Jersey, 1930, p. 285. In February 1652, Camfield sold his home lot in New Haven. That year, he moved to Norwalk, becoming one of the area's original settlers. He lived in Norwalk for fourteen years, becoming one of the settlement's and the colony's prominent citizens. He was a deputy of the Connecticut General Court from Norwalk in 1654.R. R. Hinman.
A Catalogue of the Names of the First Puritan Settlers of the Colony of Connecticut
'. Hartford, CT: Gleason, 1846, p. 122. In 1662, he was a magistrate and judge for the court in Fairfield. He was one of the 19 signers of the Petition to King Charles II for the Charter of the Colony. In 1666, Matthew removed to Newark,

Province of New Jersey The Province of New Jersey was one of the Middle Colonies of Colonial history of the United States, Colonial America and became the U.S. state of New Jersey in 1776. The province had originally been settled by Europeans as part of New Netherla ...

along with his brother-in-law

Robert Treat Robert Treat (February 23, 1622July 12, 1710) was an English-born politician, military officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Connecticut from 1683 to 1687 and 1689 to 1698. In 1666, he co-founded the colonial settlemen ...

, where he was one of the founders of that town. His home lot was located at about the present north-west corner of Washington and Market Streets. Apparent his departure from Norwalk is based upon some dissatisfaction with the union of the

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

and Hartford colonies. Canfield Island in East Norwalk is named for him.Selleck, p. 24. He is listed on the Founders Stone bearing the names of the founding settlers of Norwalk in the

East Norwalk Historical Cemetery __NOTOC__ Established in , the East Norwalk Historical Cemetery is Norwalk's oldest cemetery, and many of the area's first settlers are buried there. The cemetery is owned and maintained by the Third Taxing District, formally known as the East Nor ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Canfield, Matthew 1604 births 1673 deaths American Puritans People from colonial New Jersey Deputies of the Connecticut General Assembly (1662–1698) Deputies of the Connecticut General Court (1639–1662) People from Northamptonshire Politicians from Newark, New Jersey Politicians from New Haven, Connecticut Settlers of Norwalk, Connecticut Lawyers from Newark, New Jersey