04/08/2025
Odell Voweles connection to the Plumlee family:
Through Mary O’dell wife of Abraham Denton we have all of these noble lines. A very good gateway ancestor!
Richard Vowles, also known as Ffowls, moved from Fairfield to Greenwich around 1656. On June 29, 1660, Richard Vowles, along with his son-in-law William Odell Jr. and about a dozen other settlers, purchased Manussing Island (also known as Manursing Island) from the Indians. Manussing Island, located in Long Island Sound and bordering Peningo Neck, consisted of about one hundred acres of upland and an equal amount of sedge or salt meadow. The island village was named Hastings, likely after the famous seaport on the British Channel from which some settlers originated.
Historical archaeology has discovered traces of several dwellings on the southern part of Manussing Island, forming a cluster of homes, possibly including the ancient house of Richard Vowles. The recorded settlers of the island included Peter Disbrow, Richard Vowles, Thomas Applebe, John Coe, Samuel Ailing, Philip Galpin, Thomas Studwell, Robert Hudson, George Clere, John Budd, John Brondish, John Jackson, William Odell, Frederick Harminson, and Walter Lancaster.
On November 25, 1661, Thomas Bassett sold a dwelling house and homelot, previously owned by the late Thomas Beardsly, to Richard Vowells. The property included two and a half acres. Bassett confirmed the sale as the legal successor to Thomas Beardsly.
In January 1663, Richard Vowles joined the Hastings settlement and was chosen to go to Fairfield to be qualified as the first constable for the Hastings plantation. He appears to have been older when he joined the settlement, which consisted mostly of younger men, and was honored accordingly. On March 26, 1663, the inhabitants of Hastings sent a letter to the King, requesting recognized and empowered local governance due to their remote location. Richard Ffowles and his son-in-law William Odell were among the ten signatories of the document.
On April 28, 1663, a deed of sale was executed by Peter Disbrow, John Coe, Thomas Stedwell, and John Budd, conveying Manussing Island and the mainland (soon to be Hastings) to seven planters: Samuel Ailing, Thomas Applebe, Richard Vowles, William Odell, Philip Galpin, John Brondig, and John Coe.
On October 2, 1668, the inhabitants of Rye, including Hastings, petitioned the Governor and the General Court at Hartford. They expressed their concerns about John Budd, who had presented a document with several names for settling his neck or island. While initially intended for his family, Budd continued to rent out and settle people on the land without the town's approval, causing significant harm. The petition, signed by Richard Vowles, William Woodhull (William Odell), and seven others, requested that the land be returned to the town, offering to pay for it, including interest on the purchase from the Indians.
By 1690, the list of proprietors had increased to eighteen, known as "The Eighteen Proprietors of Peningo Neck," which included William Odell Jr. and Richard Vowles.
Richard Vowles served as a Deputy to the General Court on October 12, 1665. Three years later, on October 8, 1668, Rye sent two deputies to Hartford, John Budd and Richard Vowles. He was again chosen as a deputy in May 1669 under the name Richard Fowels. Richard Vowles was honored in the community, particularly as an older member among younger settlers.
