By Mrs. Edith Vibert 
The Podunk Indians were part of a diverse group called River Indians or “Sequins.” Although known as brave and fierce warriors, they were not great in number. The Podunks lived principally between the Hockanun River in East Hartford and the Scantic river in South Windsor. The Podunk Indians, like many of the other river tribes, were under constant harassment by the Pequot Indians of the East and the Mohawks from the West. For this reason, in 1631, Wahquinnacut went to Boston to ask the Puritans and Pilgrims to settle in the land of “Quenticut, the great river.” In 1633, the Plymouth company accepted their offer and sailed from Plymouth up the Connecticut River to the Town of Windsor. The Podunks, like many of the other early Indians, were virtually eliminated by the whiteman’s diseases, small pox and measles. The settlers from Dorchester, arriving in Windsor in 1635, purchased the land of Nowashe on the East side of the Connecticut River, from the Podunk to the Scantic rivers. This purchase was made for the consideration of twenty cloth coats and fifteen fathoms of wampum. The Podunks agreed not to “disturb or molest the English inhabitants or their successors by settling down, planting or giving away.”
Please note that despite possible inaccuracies, we will include the description of each quilt square as published in the 1995 revised and corrected second edition booklet. This second edition was published in celebration of South Windsor’s “sesquicentennial” anniversary, 1845-1995, and was dedicated to the memory of Gail Woodard, who passed away in 1994. The revised edition was compiled by Charles E. Woodward in September, 1995, with the assistance of Doris Burgdorf who provided many historical corrections.