New Haven Colony | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1638–1664 | |||||||||
 Map of the Connecticut, New Haven, and Saybrook colonies | |||||||||
| Status | English colony | ||||||||
| Capital | New Haven | ||||||||
| Common languages | English | ||||||||
| Religion | Puritanism | ||||||||
| Government | Self-governing colony | ||||||||
| Governor | |||||||||
• 1639-1658 | Theophilus Eaton | ||||||||
• 1658-1659 | Francis Newman | ||||||||
• 1661-1664 | William Leete | ||||||||
| Legislature | General Court | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Established | 1638 | ||||||||
• Merged with Connecticut Colony | 1664 | ||||||||
| Currency | Pound sterling | ||||||||
| |||||||||
| Today part of | |||||||||
New Haven Colony was an English colony from 1638 to 1664 that included settlements on the north shore of Long Island Sound, with outposts in modern-day New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.[1] The colony joined Connecticut Colony in 1664.[2]
The history of the colony was a series of disappointments and failures. The most serious problem was that New Haven Colony never had a charter giving it legal title to exist. The larger, stronger colony of Connecticut to the north did have a charter. New Haven's leaders were businessmen and traders, but they were never able to build up a large or profitable trade because their agricultural base was poor, farming the rocky soil was difficult, and the location was isolated.[citation needed]