Editing New London County, Connecticut (section)

==History==
Southeastern New England was dominated by the [[Pequot people]] at the time of English colonization. They spoke the [[Mohegan-Pequot language]] and were one of the [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]]-speaking tribes in the coastal areas. After years of conflict, the Colonists and their Indian allies defeated the Pequots in the [[Pequot War]] of 1637, ending their dominance. Two descendant Pequot tribes are recognized by the state today, as are three other tribes.

New London County was one of four original counties in Connecticut that were established on May 10, 1666, by an act of the Connecticut General Court, which states:
:This Court orders that from the [[Pawcatuck River|Paukatuck River]] w<sup>th</sup>
:[[Norwich, Connecticut|Norridge]] to y<sup>e</sup> west bounds of [[Killingworth, Connecticut|Homonoscet Plantation]]{{Efn|The [[Hammonasset River]] still bears this Indian place name.}} shalbe
:for future one County, w<sup>ch</sup> County is called the County of
:N: London. And it is ordered that the County Court shalbe
:held at N. London the first Wednesday in June and the third
:Thursday in September yearly.<ref name="ccr">{{cite web|url=http://www.colonialct.uconn.edu/ViewPageBySequentialID.cfm?v=02&p=39&c=4&StartVolume=1&StartPage=1 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070428203240/http://www.colonialct.uconn.edu/ViewPageBySequentialID.cfm?v=02&p=39&c=4&StartVolume=1&StartPage=1 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 28, 2007 |title=CCR: Volume 02, Page 39 |access-date=June 17, 2008 }}</ref>

New London County in 1666 consisted of the towns of Stonington, Norwich, New London, and Saybrook. The "Homonoscet Plantation" was settled in March 1663, at first as Kenilworth, but was incorporated as the town of [[Killingworth, Connecticut|Killingworth]] in 1667.<ref>Frances Manwaring Caulkins, ''History of New London, Connecticut: From the first survey of the coast in 1612, to 1852'' (New Haven) 1852, p. 249: "New London County extended from Pawkatuck<!--Pawkatuck in original--> River to the west bounds of Hammonasset Plantation (Killingworth), including all the eastern parts of the colony".</ref> Several new towns were incorporated and added to New London over the next few decades: Preston in 1687, Colchester in 1699, and Lebanon in 1700. The settlements along the [[Quinebaug, Connecticut|Quinebaug Valley]] were placed in New London County in 1697, and incorporated as Plainfield in 1699. By 1717, more towns were established in northeastern Connecticut and added to New London County between the Quinebaug Valley and the Rhode Island border.

[[Windham County, Connecticut|Windham County]] was constituted from Hartford and New London counties on May 12, 1726, consisting of towns in northeastern Connecticut. New London County lost the towns of Voluntown, Pomfret, Killingly, Canterbury, Plainfield, and Lebanon to the newly formed county. In 1785, [[Middlesex County, Connecticut|Middlesex County]] was constituted, consisting of towns along the lower [[Connecticut River]] Valley, taking away the towns of Killingworth and Saybrook from New London County. Several additional boundary adjustments took place in the 19th century: the establishment of the town of Marlborough in 1803, the transfer of the town of Lebanon from Windham County in 1824, and the transfer of the town of Voluntown from Windham County in 1881.<ref>[http://historical-county.newberry.org/website/Connecticut/documents/CT_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm#NEW%20LONDON Newberry Library &ndash; Connecticut Atlas of Historical County Boundaries] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110043227/http://historical-county.newberry.org/website/Connecticut/documents/CT_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm |date=November 10, 2013 }}</ref>