John Higley was born in England, the son of Jonathan Higley and his wife, Katherine Brewster. John's father, who was only forty years old, died in 1664 when John was fifteen. Katherine, his mother, sold him to a London glove maker, as an indentured servent. John Higley's master was a manufacturer and a hard taskmaster who often assigned difficult and heavy tasks, established hard-to-achieve quotas, and flogged those who did not achieve the goals he set. John's apprenticeship was for no less than seven years, and it quickly became apparent to the boy that the situation was unacceptable.

One Saturday evening, his master reprimanded him for not making his quota and promised he would receive a severe whipping on Monday morning. John had been dreaming about escape for a long time and had a plan. He ran away that night and went to the waterfront, where he sold himself to a ship's Captain in trade for passage to the new world. John's understanding with the Captain was that he would work aboard the boat, and when they arrived, the Captain would sell him to the highest bidder. It was indentured servitude again, but he decided his fate could not be worse than what he had left behind. The trip across the Atlantic was long and hard, but a little over seven weeks later, they turned up the Connecticut River and docked in Windsor. When they arrived, John submitted to his sale, and John Drake II purchased him.

John Drake was kind to the boy, taking him in as a family member. John Higley labored hard and quickly worked off the amount that his new master paid to the Captain. With that behind him, John Higley stayed with the Drakes as a paid employee. John Higley fit well into the Drake family. John Drake III was born in 1649, and his brother, Job, was born in 1651. John Higley and John Drake III were the same age, and Job was only two years younger. Perhaps more importantly, Hannah Drake was born in 1653, four years after John. On September 11, 1671, when Hannah was eighteen and John was twenty-two, they married in Windsor with the blessing of Hannah's parents.

John and Hannah are our ancestors. Click on the icon on the left to read theamazing story about a boy sold into indentured servitude who grew up to be a well educated town leader, a captain in the militia, a representative to the Connecticut Assembly, a judge, and one of the richest men in Simsbury..

Brewster Higley was born in Windsor, Connecticut, in January 1679/80 and was the third son and fifth child of John Higley Sr. and Hannah Drake. He was named after his father's maternal grandfather, Reverend John Brewster. In 1684, when Brewster was five years old, his parents moved their family to northern Simsbury, Connecticut, which was sparsely populated at the time and considered dangerous due to the threat of attack by natives.

On February 17, 1708/09, Brewster Higley married Hester Holcomb, the sixth child and third daughter of Nathaniel and Mary Holcomb. Hester was twenty-four, while Brewster was twenty-nine. Between 1709 and 1728, Brewster and Hester had eight children, four boys and four girls. In addition to being a land investor and farmer, Brewster was involved in manufacturing pine tar. He was also a cooper and a carpenter, and later in life, studied and practiced medicine. He also served as an officer in the local militia.

Brewster died on November 5, 1760. He is buried in old Simsbury Cemetery (Hop Meadow Cemetery.) Hester died on December 17, 1775. She is buried beside her husband in Simsbury

Click on the icon on the left to read about the lives of Brewster Higley and his wife Hester Holcomb..