During the year 1631, Wahginnacut, an Indian sachem from the Connecticut River, visited the governors of Massachusetts and Plymouth colonies, in order to induce emigration to the Connecticut valley from both these colonies.  The reason the Indians asked the settlers to go into Connecticut was for protection and defense against their enemies, the Pequots, who made war with them.  So William Holmes was selected by the governor of Plymouth to build a trading house in Windsor.  He took with him the frame of the trading house all fitted and all the mateials which would be required to complete it.

    In June, 1635, the pioneers of the Dorchester company came to Ct. and prepared to settle near the Plymouth trading house.  The main body of the Dorchester people followed on the 15th of Oct. 1635.  They were organized as a church in England and came overseas together on a ship called "Mary and John" in 1630  Their household goods & provisions were sent around by water, and 60 persons, among whom were women and little children, began the slow & wearisome journey through the wilderness to the distant settlement.  They drove their cattle, horses, & swine before them, and the frosts & snows of winter were hard upon them ere they reached their destination.  The river was frozen over by the 15th of Nov., and the vessel containing their goods had not arrived.  The winter which followed was marked by great suffering.  They had insufficient shelter for themselves and their animals, and they could get but part of the latter across the river.  On the 26th of Nov. 13 of them resolved to return to Massachusetts.  One of them fell through the ice & was drowned; the rest reached Dorchester in 10 days.  Those who remained in Ct. suffered extreme destitution, being obliged to live on acorns, malt & grains.  Winthrop tells us that they lost nearly 2,000 lbs. worth of cattle.  Most of this first party returned to Dorchester in the small vessel “Rebecca”, which had providentially appeared.  But, nothing daunted, in the spring of 1636, they set out again with Mr. Warham, the junior pastor of the church, and a large part of its members.  With those from Dorchester there came others from Cambridge and Watertown.  
THE MEMORIAL HISTORY OF WINDSOR CONNECTICUT, by J. Hammond Trumbull