John Ellsworth

Lieutenant. First settler in Ellington. He was killed by the fall of a tree. CBW Notes

For many years it was thought that Lieut. John Ellsworth was the first settler in Ellington, Connecticut, but he wasn't. He was the second. The first settler was probably Samuel Pinney who owned land and settled on the West side of Ellington near the present area of Pinney St., and Windermere Avenue as early as 1717.
Lieut John Ellsworth was born to Josias Ellsworth and Elizabeth Holcombe, and baptized on October 15, 1671 in Windsor, Connecticut.
Several years ago, in the earlier 2000's, the land in Ellington, Connecticut, that had been owned by Lieut. John Ellsworth prior to his death on October 26, 1720, by a tree falling on him which he had been cutting down, was open to the public for HALLOWEEN-themed hayrides on weekend evenings and daytime hayrides on Sunday's. I went on a couple of those Sunday hayrides, and was fortunate to speak with the farm-owner at that time to find out the approximate location on the farm where my 7th great-grandfather, Lt. John Ellaworth, had been killed by that falling tree. J. E. Landers (6/17/2023)