Walter Hoyt
Deputy of the General Court
of the Connecticut Colony
In office
1658–1681
Personal details
BornSeptember 6, 1618
West Hatch, Somerset, England
Died1698
Norwalk, Connecticut
Spouse(s)
Elizabeth Susanna St. John
​
​
(m. 1638; died 1647)​

Rhoda Tinker
​
​
(m. 1649⁠–⁠1698)​
RelationsNicholas Hoyt (brother)
ChildrenZerubbabel, Elizabeth, John
Parent(s)Simon Haite
Deborah Stowers
Military service
RankSergeant (May 1659)
UnitNorwalk Trainband

Walter Hoyt (also seen as Haite, Hayte, Hoit, Haight) (September 6, 1618 – 1698) was a founding settler of Norwalk, Connecticut. He served as a deputy of the General Court of the Connecticut Colony from Norwalk between 1658 and 1662, and, when it was renamed, as a deputy of the Connecticut General Assembly between 1662 and 1681. He was a Norwalk selectman in 1672.

Early life

He was the son of Simon Haite (1595–1657) and Deborah Stowers. He came to America in 1628, with his father and brother, Nicholas Hoyt (b. 1620), at the age of ten.[1]

Career

In 1640, he was known to own about 64 acres of land in Windsor, Connecticut Colony. In 1653, Walter came to Norwalk, among the first settlers.[1][2]

He served in the General Court of the Connecticut Colony in the sessions of October 1658, May and October 1661, May and October 1667, October 1668, May 1670, May 1671, May 1672, October 1673, October 1674, May 1676, May 1678, and October 1681.[2]

In May 1672, Walter Hoyte was among those whose names were given to the General Court "for the beginning of a plantation neare the backside of Norwalke."

He, along with Ralph Keeler, was contracted by the settlement to cut the timber and build a house for Reverend Thomas Hanford.[3]

He voted in the town meetings in Norwalk, and was confirmed by the General Court as one of the proprietors of Norwalk in 1685.

Personal life

His first wife is unknown. After her death, he married Rhoda Tinker Hobbs Taylor (1611–1698) in 1653 in Windsor, Connecticut. He and Rhoda had one child, Zerubbabel Hoyt. His other three children were from his previous marriage.

Honors

Hoyt's Hill, named after Walter Hoyt, is the historical name of the hill in the Green at the northeast corner of East Avenue and Willow Street. The place name dates back at least as early as 1679.[4]

He is listed on the Founders Stone bearing the names of the founding settlers of Norwalk in the East Norwalk Historical Cemetery.

References

  1. ^ a b Norwalk v.1
  2. ^ a b Lake, Leslie (September 28, 2013). "Norwalk's Oldest Families: Hoyt and Betts make their mark on the settlement of Norwalk". The Hour. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  3. ^ An Historical Discourse in Commemoration of the Two-hundredth Anniversary of the Settlement of Norwalk
  4. ^ Malcolm Hunt, Names and Places of Old Norwalk
Preceded byRichard OlmstedMatthew Canfield Deputy of the General Court of theColony of Connecticut from Norwalk October 1658 With: Nathaniel Richards Succeeded byMatthew CanfieldJohn Gregory Preceded byRichard OlmstedSamuel Hales Deputy of the General Court of theColony of Connecticut from Norwalk May and October 1661 With: Matthew Canfield Succeeded byRichard OlmstedMatthew Canfield Preceded byRichard OlmstedMatthew Canfield Deputy of the Connecticut General Assembly of theColony of Connecticut from Norwalk May and October 1667 With: Richard Olmsted,John Gregory Succeeded byRichard OlmstedJohn Gregory Preceded byRichard OlmstedJohn Gregory Deputy of the Connecticut General Assembly of theColony of Connecticut from Norwalk October 1668 With: Richard Olmsted Succeeded byRichard Olmsted Preceded byJohn GregoryJohn Douglas Deputy of the Connecticut General Assembly of theColony of Connecticut from Norwalk May 1670 With: Thomas Benedict Succeeded byJohn GregoryDaniel Kellogg Preceded byJohn GregoryDaniel Kellogg Deputy of the Connecticut General Assembly of theColony of Connecticut from Norwalk May 1671 With: Richard Olmsted Succeeded byJohn GregoryJohn Bowton Preceded byJohn GregoryJohn Bowton Deputy of the Connecticut General Assembly of theColony of Connecticut from Norwalk May 1672 With: Daniel Kellogg Succeeded byNicholas HoytMark Sension Preceded byThomas Fitch Deputy of the Connecticut General Assembly of theColony of Connecticut from Norwalk October 1673 With: John Bowton Succeeded byJohn GregoryJohn Bowton Preceded byJohn GregoryJohn Bowton Deputy of the Connecticut General Assembly of theColony of Connecticut from Norwalk October 1674 With: Daniel Kellogg Succeeded byJohn GregoryThomas BenedictJohn Bowton Preceded byDaniel Kellogg Deputy of the Connecticut General Assembly of theColony of Connecticut from Norwalk May 1676 Succeeded byJohn BowtonMark Sension Preceded byJohn GregoryJohn Bowton Deputy of the Connecticut General Assembly of theColony of Connecticut from Norwalk May 1678 With: John Bowton Succeeded byMark SensionJohn Platt Preceded byJohn GregoryJohn Bowton Deputy of the Connecticut General Assembly of theColony of Connecticut from Norwalk October 1681 With: John Platt Succeeded byJohn BowtonJohn Platt
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