This story tells how determined our New England ancestors in Connecticut were to protect a tradition of democracy that they had secured under the Colonial Charter they had secured under King Charles II in 1662.  That charter provided for the election of citizens to provide for stable and secure government throughout their colony.  Twenty-five years later, in the succession of British royalty in 1687, King James II decided he needed to take direct control over the New England Colonies by joining them into a single dominion and revoking their existing charters.  To enforce this takeover, he sent an armed group to the capitol of each New England colony to collect and destroy their charters.

On October 31, 1687 the British Officers marched into Hartford to meet with the leaders of Connecticut in the upstairs room of Sanford’s Tavern.  Their goal was to collect and destroy the parchment charter.   It was nighttime and the meeting was tumultuous.  Suddenly the candles were all extinguished and there was a commotion in the darkness.  When the candles were relit, the charter was gone.  During the darkness someone in the room passed the parchment out a window to Captain James Wadsworth who ran immediately to hide the charter in the hollow of an ancient giant oak tree across the river.   The British were never able to find the charter and destroy it.  The Connecticut Charter remained hidden in the “Charter Oak Tree” until 1689 when the New England Colonies achieved the overthrow of the English Dominion.

This story is of special personal interest because our family are direct descendants of Captain Joseph Wadsworth.  Our grandfather was Francis Clay Barkey, and our grandmother was Belle Stanley Barkey.   Our ancestor John Stanley was a founder of Hartford Connecticut.  Our Stanley ancestor, Samuel Stanley married Joanne Goodman in 1754.  Joanne Goodman was a granddaughter of Captain Joseph Wadsworth.