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- From the book by Payne Kenyon Kilbourne: 'The family settled in Wethersfield, on the west side of the Connecticut River, six miles below the present city of Hartford, where the subject of this notice spent the remainder of his days, and where he was long a useful and prominent citizen. On the 24th of September, 1647, at the ageof 23 years, his name occurs for the first time upon the Wethersfield records - he having been appointed Collector of the Tax Rates at that date. His first record as a land-holder bears date May 20, 1649. On the 8th of March, 1654, Mr. Kilbourn was appointed a member of the committee to run the boundary line between Wethersfield and Mattabossett,or Middletown, and three years subsequently he was chosen a member of a new committee for the same work. On the 2nd of April, 1655, John Kilbourn and Thomas Wright were appointed 'to run ye line betwixt Hartford and Wethersfield upon ye second day of next week.'' In may, 1657, he was confirmed by the General Court 'to be Sergeant at Wethersfield,' and from that time forward he is almost uniformly designated upon the Town Records as 'Sergeant Kilbourn.' At the October Session of the General Court, 1660, Sergeant Kilbourn took his seat in that body, for the first time, as a Repesentative from Wethersfield. He was a member at seven staed and special session, during a most interesting period of our colonial history. In May, 1661, Sergeant Kilbourn being in attendance, an address to the King was presented to the Court for consideration by a committee previously appointed for that purpose. It was approved; and a committee was appointed to draw up aPetition to His Majesty, and to 'compile and methodize the address as they shall judge most convenient, provided ye substance be still attendedand retained.' The petition and address were perfected; Governor Winthrop was appointed the Agent Colony to present them to the King - and 500 pounds were set apart for the furtehrance of the great object contemplated. These measues resulted in procuring the famous Charter of 1662 - by far the most liberal and republican instrument of civil government that the world at that date had ever seen. Under its benign auspices, the people of Connecticut continued to live and flourish until the adoption of our present State Constitution in 1818 - a period of 156 years. Sergeant Kilbourn was a member of the Legislature during nearly every regular and special session, from the date of the first propositionfor the Address and Petition, to the time when the Charter arrived in theColony - September, 1662; and it is fair to presume that he was a deeply interested participant in those important measures that resulted in the comparative freedom of the colony in which he had laid foundations of a Home for himself. At the May Session of the General Court, 1662, Sergeant Kilbourn was appointed by that body a member of the Colonial Grand Jury - an office which he continued to hold until the organization of the counties, in May, 1666. He was subsequently often a Grand Juror of Hartford County; also of Particular Courts, and Courts of Magistrates. In May, 1677, he was on the 'Jury of Life and Death' at Hartford. In town affairs, our ancestor was conspicuous for a period of nearly 40 years. Besides being a Collector, Lister and Constable, he was a Selectman for eleven years between 1657 and 1681, inclusive. During this period, a by-law was in force, providing that no person should be elected to the latter office for more than two years in succession. He also served on many important committees. In October, 1675, in the midst of the general war with King Philip, John Kilbourne petitioned the Council of War to be released from the office of Sergeant, which he had held for 18 eyars; and it was ordered that when Major Talcott should procure a suitable person in his place, he should be released.
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1624 - 1703 (79 years)
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