After the Revolutionary War, citing their well-established population and the inconvenient distance to attend town meetings in Stratford, they petitioned the Connecticut General Assembly for status as an incorporated town. After several denials, the legislature granted their petition in October 1797. On November 20, 1797, the first town meeting was held. The new town was named for Jonathan Trumbull, Connecticut governor during the Revolutionary War and a valued adviser to George Washington, who respectfully referred to him as "Brother Jonathan".Publications of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, Vol. VII Transactions 1900–1902, Boston, 1905, pp. 94–119
