Sunsamon, Moses
Little is known of Moses Sunsamon, his early life or family. Records indicate that he, his wife Hannah, and family resided in the Preston/North Groton area from at least 1773-1804. The couple had number of children, suffering the death of three of them between April 1777 and March 1791. The documentary record points to the likelihood that James Sunsamon may have been one of their children that lived to adulthood.
That Moses Sunsamon held a leadership position within the community is evidence by a February 17, 1817, suit that he and Joseph Quocheets, “ Chiefs and Warriors of the Tribe of the Pequot Indians”, along with Overseers Ebenezer Morgan and William Williams, filed against John and Benajah Packer. The suit alleges that months earlier the Packers trespassed on tribal lands and removed timber, walnut trees, to the value of 84 dollars.
Eight years later, Moses Sunsamon was a signatory to a petition for the appointment of a new overseer in 1825. He, along with 18 others, petitioned the New London County Court for the discharge of Overseer Elisha Crary and the appointment of Erastus Williams in his stead.
From January 1821 until March of 1825 Moses Sunsamon appeared fairly consistently in the records of the State appointed overseers for the Tribe, receiving goods and services, sometimes with the mention of “his family”.
In June of 1826, Thankful Charles and James Guy are compensated for boarding Moses Sunsamon for a relatively short period of time, after which point he no longer appears in the historical record. Often instances of boarding such as this are associated with care and nursing after and/or during an illness. While overseer records for the years 1826-1829 are unavailable, it is possible, that he may have died at some point during that period.
Brown and Rose, Black Roots, 381; NLCC: PbS, Indians, Mashantucket Pequot
Tribes
Ethnicity