Page 6 - Wallingford Magazine Issue 54 Late Spring 2025

by Bobbie Borne
Murder, Mayhem,

in Colonial Wallingford

and Madness
and Madness

THE STORY OF MERCY TUTTLE BROWN AND HER FAMILY

Remembering the original 1670 founders of Wallingford, the names Munson, Brockett, Merriman, and Doolittle
come to mind. These and 34 other families took a chance to expand their horizons and travel 12+ miles north from
New Haven to start a new town on a ridge overlooking the East River (Quinnipiac) and a sand plain. The name of one
of those pioneer families, Tuttle, rings a bell, as we have a road named after them on the western border of Walling-
ford: Tuttle Avenue. Simon Tuttle and brother-in-law Samuel Brown were proprietors of Wallingford and arrived with
Simon’s sister Mercy Tuttle Brown and brother David Tuttle.

MURDER ON MAIN STREET 12 children.They led a prosperous, re-
As they began to build their shelters spectable life, contributing to the af-
and settle into their new home, no fairs of the town and owning parcels
one could have imagined the trage- of land. William served as juror and
dies that would erupt in the midst of constable. He was assigned the posi-
this family, causing an indelible stain tion of Fence Viewer, one of the old-
on the Tuttle name. Even their illustri- est official governmental positions to
ous descendants who include Aaron inspect fences and property borders
Burr, Rev. Jonathan Edwards, and J.P . Around 1666 Tuttle and Eaton were
Morgan could not escape the taint. involved in a failed attempt to estab-
The fact that Wallingford was the loca- lish a separate colony on the Passaic
tion of part of this story is all but for- River in New Jersey. Both Tuttles were
gotten now. Does anyone know that a buried in the cemetery on the Green,
gruesome murder occurred on North their tombstones being later removed
Main Street in the 17th Century? I to Grove Street Cemetery.
didn’t think so! A second murder, in-
sanity, and an ugly divorce add to the Jonathan Edwards THE TUTTLE TROUBLES
notoriety of this story. ship, possibly souring him on Massa- STARTED WITH THE
CHILDREN
THE GREAT MIGRATION: chusetts. Though I found no mention of men-
THE TUTTLE FAMILY AR- In about 1639 William and Elizabeth tal illness, criminal behavior, or other
RIVES IN THE AMERICAN issues in the Tuttle parents, this suc-
COLONIES prepared for a new adventure and cessful, ambitious, devout family be-
In an attempt to understand these joined a group of 63 colonists led by gan to fall apart in the 1670s. This ar-
Rev. John Davenport and Theophi-
people, we will go back to the mid- lus Eaton moving south to found the ticle purports to tell the sad story and
1600s when the Puritans were flee- restore it to its place in Wallingford
ing England in large numbers. In New Haven Colony. William may have history.
1635 William and Elizabeth Tuttle left felt more accepted by these people
and became a valued member of the
their home in Ringstead, Northamp- THE FIRST MURDER:
tonshire, England for London and community. After several years he BENJAMIN TUTTLE
boarded The Planter, and along with acquired a house across from Daven- On November 18, 1676 William and
port’s home on the Green, and was
their three children, sailed to Boston. Elizabeth’s 28-year-old son Benjamin
Aboard this ship also were other Tuttle most likely a good friend as well. Wil- Tuttle, living in New Haven, visited his
siblings, cousins, and Isabel, William’s liam Tuttle profited from his associa- 34-year-old sister Sarah at her home
tion with these important men, being
elderly mother who died during the awarded the enviable title of “Mister”. in Stamford. Though he often criti-
voyage or soon after arriving in the cized his sister for her sharp-tongue
New World. For four years the Tuttles and dismissive manner, Benjamin, a
lived and worked near Boston though The Tuttle parents remained in New bachelor, was probably just looking
Haven and eventually had a total of
William was denied church member- for a little socializing and a hot meal.

6 WALLINGFORD MAGAZINE - LATE SPRING 2025