The history of the name Forbes as in many cases vary. One is fanciful as traditions and legends are apt to be, other is more practical. The first is a story of Oconachar, a man of Irish descent, who came to Scotland to an area near Aberdeenshire. He found this area inhabited by several large bears; the presence of the bears had been enough of a threat to keep others who might have settled the area from doing so. Oconachar killed the bears and claimed the land as his own. Acquiring the name of Forbear. A variation of this story says that Oconachar was anxious to impress "Bess", a young heiress in a neighboring castle. To prove his courage and strength he presented her with the head of the bear he had killed, resulting in her hand in marriage. Thus the name Forbess. The Forbes crest shows three bears heads. Castle Forbes built in 1815 by the 18^th Lord Forbes stands on the land that was claimed by Oconachar. Another version is that the founder of the family was originally "Bois", a follower of an early Scottish King. The King rewarded "Bois" for exemplary service by presenting him with a grant of land. The king stating the grant was "for bois". The name could also of been derived from the Gaelic word "Ferbash or Ferbasach", meaning a bold man. It is a place or territorial name.

Clan Forbes is rated as one of earliest and strongest of the northern clans. The earliest record of the family is that of the marriage of Solvathius Forbes to Maravilla, daughter of King Gregory the Great, A.D. 870. Early in the 11^th century Duncan Forbois received from King Alexander a charter for the lands and heritage of the area called Forbois in Aberdeenshire. This charter being renewed though generations.

In 1262 Alexander de Forbes, the 5^th grandson of Duncan Forbois, was governor of Castle Urquart . Defending the castle against Edward 1 of England until 1304, when he was finally forced to surrender. On capturing the castle Edward 1 ordered every one within killed. The only person to escape was Alexander's wife who escaped to England were she delivered a son.

Sometime after 1436 King James II created a peerage and Alexander de Forbes descendant of Duncan Forbois became the first Lord Forbes.

At one point there were over 150 Forbes homes and estates though out the north of Scotland. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries Clan Forbes were at a constant state of war. Their neighbors The Gordon's, " The Earls of Huntley" were powerful and predatory neighbors. Using the excuse of religion, the Gordon's being Catholic and the Forbes Protestant, plus a general sense of self-importance. Tempers slowly mounted with consistent murders of both sides. Finally coming to a head after two battles in 1571 at Craibstone and Tilleangus. Closely following these battles, the Gordon's attacked and plundered Towie at Corgarff, the seat of Lord Forbes, murdering all 27 occupants. It eventually took two Acts of the Scottish Parliament to force them to lay down their arms against each other.

It is very difficult to trace the ancestry of our immigrant James Forbes. It is fairly certain that James came to these shores as an indentured servant, but how that came to be is uncertain. One theory is that James was a Captain in the Royal Scottish Army serving under Montrose. It is said that he was captured at the Battle of Philipbaugh near Selkirk, in 1645, and imprisoned in the Tower of London until transported in 1654. This is highly unlikely; all of the reports I can find on the Battle of Philipbaugh indicate that although Montrose escaped, all of his men that were captured where killed, leaving no survivors.

The second is that Forbes was captured during the Battle of Dunbar in 1650 and imprisoned in the Tower of London. This is a possibility as there were over 10,000 men captured by Cromwell and many of them were exiled, some sent to the colonies others to Barbados. The attitude of the Colonist at the time leaned more towards indentured servitude rather then slavery. The term of indenture was usually 8 years.

The latter is probable and falls in with what we know for sure of James Forbes. He is listed on a Census of Hartford resident in 1652. Governor Winthrop mentions him in his Medical Journal in 1658, where he writes about James Forbes, a Scotsman who was working on the farm of Mr. Goodwin. James is referred to as Captain James Forbes.

James probably settled first in Windsor, but on June 7 1658 he purchased 20 acres of land near the mouth of the Hockanum River. A map from the anniversary book of the "First Congregational Church" records of East Hartford shows James owning property there in 1660. On March 11, 1660 he purchased "A tract of land, 15 1/2 rods wide extending from "ye greate river to ye bounds," and 3 miles long". In 1661 he built a home in an Indian cornfield, a short distance north of Hartford Connecticut. In November of 1663 he sold his land on the Hockanum River.

I cannot find any reference where James took the Freeman's oath yet, according to Stiles, in the History of Ancient Wethersfield, James first settled in East Hartford in January of 1702, where he was considered a prominent citizen.

James died in East Hartford on March 27 1692.  His estate was valued at  £344-11-05.