Gaylords

Bristol’s Founding Families

In order to appreciate what Bristol is today, it is important to understand how Bristol began. Early settlers in Farmington began to branch out and found land along the Pequabuck River to be desirable. The town granted tracts of land to many prominent families. By 1672, the state’s General Assembly granted formal possession of the land to the Farmington proprietors.

Among the earliest settlers was Daniel Brownson in 1727. Brownson built a house in Bristol (then called the West Woods), but did not stay very long. The first permanent resident was Ebenezer Barnes, and other prominent settlers included the Matthews, Tuttle, and Manross families.

Another early family in Bristol was the Gaylord family. Elijah Gaylord, originally from Wallingford settled in the Fall Mountain area. He had many children, and his sons especially turned out to be successful farmers and hunters. Their names were: Benjamin, John, Elijah, Samuel, and Jesse.

Legend has it that Jesse Gaylord was out hunting in the Indian Rock area with another settler named Giddeon Ives. While hunting, they split up, when suddenly a local Native American named Morgan drew his bow and was about to shoot Ives. Gaylord shot Morgan and the two hunters buried his body in the swamp. Since this event occurred so long ago, there have been many versions of the story, including one where Ives was the shooter instead of Gaylord.

Jesse Gaylord ironically built his first home around the Indian Rock area, but later moved a mile south, where he built a large, red farmhouse that would be his family’s homestead for many years. Among the crops of the Gaylord family, were apple orchards. Jesse Gaylord was known to make a delicious apple cider!

Joseph and David Gaylord, two brothers arrived in the West Woods between 1740 and 1742. They were well respected men who were very involved in local affairs. David was one of the first deacons of the First Congregational Church, while Joseph assumed a prominent role at the Episcopal Church.

One Gaylord family member that has gone down in history is Aaron. In 1774 Aaron and his wife Katherine, along with their three children moved to Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania. Since this was around the time of the American Revolution there was a great deal of unrest. The Gaylords lived in a fort with other families, when word came that they were about to be attacked by British soldiers and Native Americans. Being severely outnumbered, Gaylord believed that it was not wise to fight. When others overruled him, Aaron replied “I will go, for I would rather die than be called a coward at a time like this”.

Prior to heading into battle, Aaron made a plan with his wife to ensure her escape if he should not return. He even gave her his wallet, with what little money was in it, and made sure that a horse would be ready for her and her children to use to flee.

The Wyoming Massacre, as it was called took the lives of all of the men, except one. This single soldier returned to the fort with the hat of Aaron Gaylord, and presented it to Katherine. The devastated young widow gathered up her children and immediately fled for safety back in Bristol. The four traveled under the cover of night, with the constant threat of being attacked by wild animals or Native American warriors. It was a long, treacherous journey, that Katherine feared would not be completed, especially when food ran low, or the feeling of being followed presented itself.

Katherine Gaylord and her children arrived safely back in New Cambridge and went to live with her father. She would go on to see 22 grandchildren, and live a long, meaningful life. The local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution would later be named for this courageous woman.

Our great city was built by many of the families mentioned above. Without their sacrifices, bravery, and willingness to persevere in a new land, the Bristol that we enjoy today would not be what it is.