A look back

We tend to use the holiday season as an excuse for many things — overeating, overspending. Today I am going to use it as an excuse to talk about a printed document, one that is not part of our project. Fear not! There is at least one tie-in.  It is also a time of year for looking back. So in the spirit of “Auld Lang Syne,” I bring you The Courant Almanac for 1880.

The Courant Almanac for 1880, Almanac collection, Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, Connecticut.

The Hartford Courant is the country’s oldest newspaper in continuous publication. This past fall the paper celebrated its 245th birthday. CHS’s Diana McCain, Head of the Research Center, and Rich Malley, Head of Collections, were on hand for the festivities. They brought with them an original copy of the Courant’s first issue (there are many reproductions available).

In the late 19th century the Courant published an annual almanac. Many local businesses advertised in the almanac, including Aetna Insurance Company, The Hartford Fire Insurance Company (which will celebrate its bicentennial in 2010), and The Travelers Life and Accident Insurance Company.  One advertisement in the 1880 edition is for Neptune Cord and Twine Mills. Back in January I processed, and created a record for, CHS’s Neptune collection.

One of several cotton and twine mills in the area, Neptune was originally known as Higgins and Card. It later became Card and Company, and finally Neptune Twine and Cord Mills (or Cord and Twine Mills). The business was handed down from Stanton Card to his son-in-law, Emory Johnson and then to his grandson, E. Emory Johnson. The company consisted of two mills, the upper and lower. The lower was built by Card and later renamed the Neptune. Johnson built the upper in 1862. Following E. Emory Johnson’s death in 1905, the company was sold out of the family. Most recently the land on which the mills operated has become a Connecticut State Park (Machimoodus State Park). Business records, primarily from the 1960s when the firm was owned by Raymond Schmitt, can be found in the boxes. The 155 volumes consist of Account Books, Blotters, Daybooks, Journals, Ledgers, Production Records, and Time Books. The volumes date from 1814 to 1956. The collection also includes some miscellaneous items, including the shipping account book of James Cone, likely a neighbor of the Card – Johnson family. (Ms# 95860)

Reading this almanac it is clear some things have changed in the past 130 years. The ad opposite Neptune’s is for a butter store. They boast the “finest alderney creameries,” certainly not something we see too often these days. In addition to advertisements, the almanac included a list of the state’s elected officials, stories, and monthly calendars. The illustration opposite the almanac’s January calendar, though, depicts the Instrument Room of the Storm and Weather Signal Service Bureau in Washington, DC. We certainly have not lost our obsession with weather watching!

A piece about camping, printed opposite the May calendar, offers the following advice. “Treat all with whom you come in contact with courtesy; the good-will of a dog is better than his ill-will. Leave all chronic grumblers, and those not willing to make the best of everything, at home. Exception — one such in a party will be found endurable as a butt.”

Among the stories we can read about the personification of oysters. Apparently they do not like the letter ‘R’ (middle of the right column, just above the Household Recipes).

This coming year CHS will celebrate its 185th year of inspiring and fostering  “a life-long interest in history through exhibitions, programs and Connecticut-related collections”. We hope you will join us!

Bald? Try Onions!

Dr. Howell Rogers medical receipts, 1801-1823, MS 59357. Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, Conn.

Howell Rogers (1774-1851) was a doctor in Colchester, Connecticut. Between 1801 and 1823, Rogers recorded medical receipts (recipes) in a small notebook. This notebook made its way to my desk for cataloging this morning and several of the treatments caught my eye.

A Relaxing Unquint calls for skunk cabbage root. A Whimsical Treatment for the Rhematism includes brandy and hogs hoof’s [sic]. There are cures for ringworm, dysentery, tooth ach [sic], and asthma. Some recipes, such as the West India Cordial, were not assigned to any specific ailment.

Apparently tumors may be cured with a little wild turnip.
Take – Wild Turnip,
Scabish-root &
Itch-weed-root, a a
p. ce. Ster in a little skunks
grease – untill the virtues of
the ingredients are extract-
ed, then strain and apply
to the tumor. – It either dis-
perses or brings them to sup-
puration – immediately. (p. 120)

My favorite, though is shown below. The cure for baldness (page 87) calls for onions and honey!

Cure baldness with onions and honey!

This account book, Ms# 59357/Account Books, is available for research. Come visit!

November in the Archives

There was no turkey coma in the CHS manuscript department this year. We have prepared another 145 records for the online catalog! All of these collections are open for research, so please stop by. While you are here, <shameless plug> do  some of your holiday shopping! We have several books for sale in our store (more choices in person than online), written by staff members, about Connecticut and our collections. This month we are offering special deals on books when you buy a membership. “Give the gift of history.” </shameless plug>

And now, the highlights:

Account Books – One of my favorite discoveries this month is the Retreat for the Insane account book. Opened in 1824, the Retreat is now Hartford Hospital’s Institute for Living. The account book lists patients from 1824 to 1853. Each patient’s entry contains their name, date of admission, date of discharge, residence, principal on bond, surety on bond, weekly rate for board and medical attendance and by whom payable (bondsman, state, or town), total board, total of other expenses, number of weeks and days spent at the Retreat, and remarks. Remarks included “discharged recovered”, “restored”, “much improved”, and “no improvement”. Additionally, some patients died while still admitted (Account Books/Ms 56441). Another interesting account book is that of Cooke & Hale. Unlike a typical account book, this one chronicles Oliver Cooke and Horatio Hale’s partnership from its beginning to its dissolution. The volume begins with the Agreement and Articles of Partnership signed and witnessed on March 9, 1816. It continues to list all of the property brought into the partnership by Oliver Cooke per the partnership agreement. There is also a section of balances due to and owed by the Cooke & Hale ledger, and notes due to and against Cooke & Hale. The volume ends with a final inventory and the disolution of the partnership.

Diaries – Rebecca Noyes kept diaries of everyday life. A single woman, Noyes lived with her brother and his family in Stonington, Connecticut. She wrote between 1801 and 1831 (Ms 49498). Albert Hills began writing his diaries at age 14. He writes of sleighing on Main Street, skating on the Little River at Trumbull Street, the election of Governor Buckingham, attending school and church, and activities such as playing ball and billiards. Most of the daily entries mention the weather (Ms 52506).

Maps – With help from Ann, one of our fabulous volunteers, Barbara made great progress cataloging manuscript maps. The highlights from these maps include a topographical Map of West Hartford. Drawn in 1916, this map shows roads, bridges and buildings in that portion of West Hartford bordered by Mountain Road on the west, Park Street on the south, Albany Avenue on the north and Steele on the east.  It was created under the direction of Captain J.H.K. Davis.  Soldiers’ Field was part of Hartford, now Riverside Park.  The land was allotted to 29 soldiers of the Pequot War, 1637, and the lots are laid out on the map with the soldier’s name and amount of acreage.  The Connecticut River and Little River are outlined in blue, and swamp land is indicated by green. The map was drawn in 1887. An 1806 map displays the portions of Hartford and East Hartford adjacent to the Connecticut River.  An interesting feature on the Hartford side is the footprint of the State House.  Additionally, it shows the Mill River, Pantry’s Pond, Ferry Street and a wharf (all three are Ms Maps Large)

Town Papers and Records – CHS maintains a number of town paper and record collections created by past staff members. This month the records for Canterbury, Franklin, Hebron, New Hartford, Stonington , and Winsted were created. Each collection generally contains material from several accessions, and items without accession information are often added. Many times the papers were sorted into categories such as Court Papers and Deeds. Perhaps the best word to describe these is, eclectic.

Mystery of the Month – Is anyone familiar with the shipping firm of Page and Banett? It is quite possible the second name is actually Barett, Barnett, or similar. The opening pages of their account book (Account Books/Ms 53887) list their location as Hebron. While there is a Hebron, Connecticut, it is landlocked and not a very plausible location for a shipping company.  Additionally, census data have not helped us place Ebenezer Page and Horatio Banett. Several of the other locations in the account book are in South Carolina and Georgia.  Any thoughts? Let us know!

Rose paper and a bottle of ink

My cataloging lately has involved many account books. There is often little to distinguish one from another, so many containing numerous entries for sales of corn, molasses, and rum. Today, the account books of Stephen Coit provided a pleasant surprise.

Stephen Coit was a merchant in Canterbury, Connecticut. We have four of his volumes in our collection, three account books and a day book. Like many merchants of the time, Coit sold a variety of dry goods and food items. Nails, tea, candles, and codfish are among the many items recorded.

As I opened the day book, my eyes settled on a familiar Connecticut name, Miss Prudence Crandall. Prudence Crandall has become our State Heroine for having the strength and courage to educate African-American girls in 1833 and 1834 (her house is now a museum). Not only does the day book demonstrate she routinely purchased from Coit, we also have the corresponding account book detailing her expenditures.

So, wondering what a school teacher in Canterbury, Connecticut purchases from a local merchant? The first time she is listed in the day book she purchased three yards of white flannel, one and three quarter yards linen diaper, three sheets wadding, two skeins black silk, 15 needles, and fine tape.  She spent $3.37 on these items. Other times she would buy ribbon, robe, and crackers. Crandall must have been doing some writing in June 1832. One day that month she purchased rose paper and a bottle of ink.

As late as June 1833, the last month the day book was used, Coit was still conducting business with Crandall. Once Crandall began teaching African-Americans many of the shopkeepers in the area refused to sell to her. There is no indication as to whether Coit was among those shopkeepers. Additionally, Coit left Canterbury at some point in 1833.

The Stephen Coit account books (Account Book collection/Ms. 55740) are open for research. Please come and learn even more about Prudence Crandall!

A messy divorce, 19th century style

Sometimes, our volunteers and interns have all the fun!  If you can call divorce fun.  In the papers of Augustine Harlow (Ms 68508), processed by Zac Mirecki, are a series of letters from Augustine’s sister Flora Barry who was living in Boston.  The letters date from 1872-1873,  and in them she details the actions of her husband, Charles A. Barry, in obtaining a divorce.

The first indication that all was not well is enclosed in a letter dated November 16, 1872.  He wrote: “I have fully resolved to make a change in my domestic affairs on the first of December next.  I am not happy here, and the expense to me in carrying on so large an establishment as this is greater than I can any longer than the first of December willingly meet.”  On December 4, he wrote again: “A few days before you went away from this City–on the 27th of November last–I made known to you that I could not continue to live as we have lived–in an expensive manner. You have been away from home–against my wishes–a large part of the time for several years.”  He tried to get her to agree to a separation, which she refused to do.  Flora was a singer and was on frequent concert tours  and she mentions trips to Maine, Nova Scotia, and Chicago.  Evidently Charles did not like her independent life style.  When he issued his ultimatum to move to a smaller house and stop traveling, she refused and he sued for divorce.  But not before punching her in the eye and cheek and publishing slanderous articles in the Boston newspapers.

The end of the story is that Flora finally filed her own divorce suit against Charles, and when he did not bother to show up, the divorce was granted.  These letters are intriguing in that rarely do we get to see the inner workings of a marriage in total failure.

The  Augustine Harlow papers are a study in contrasts.  The bulk of the collection consists of letters exchanged almost daily between Augustine and his wife, Ella, who had a very happy and loving marriage.  The less positive side of life is reflected in the letters of Emma Jean Ritner, Ella Harlow’s sister, in which she mentions local incidents of rape and sexual assault as well as instances of childhood injury.  Love, courtship, divorce, assault all in one collection.  The research possibilities are endless!

October in the Archives

October was a busy month for the CHS manuscript catalogers. As part of our NHPRC grant funded project, we completed over 120 entries for the online catalog! Here are some of the highlights.

Three of the entries pertain to the Hartford Bridge Company (Account Book collection/Ms 32203,32205,32206) . CHS has a number of items from the Hartford Bridge Company, so while these particular lists of stock shares and tolls collected may not be the most exciting information in our archives,  the company as a whole could make an interesting research topic.

In the spirit of Halloween I will mention the Boston and Albany Railroad Co. Surgeon’s record (Ms. 36423).  This is a record of incidents occurring on railroad property.  Each entry contained the name of the injured individual, their position with the company, what happened,and where they resided (if they survived). Injuries reported included fingers being crushed, ankles being twisted, and more gruesome occurrences, such as bowels being torn open.

What happened in 1802 that caused many members of the Turkey Hills Ecclesiastical Society of East Granby to leave the society and join the Episcopal church? Perhaps the answer is among the Society’s papers (Ms. 100769). Dating between 1737 and 1910, the papers include meeting minutes, treasurers’ accounts, a record of admissions, births, baptisms, marriages and deaths, correspondence, statements of admissions and withdrawals,  documents related to inviting or dismissing pastors, warnings of society meetings, financial records, sales of slips and pews, and documents related to disciplinary actions taken by the society, including complaints, responses to allegations, confessions, and testimony.

Upon her 1862 graduation from the Hartford Female Seminary, Annie B. Wadsworth’s mother gave her an autograph book (Ms. 46297). A precursor to today’s yearbooks, Annie filled the pages with photographs of her Seminary classmates and gathered their signatures.

In 1845 Sarah Coit Day and her daughter Catherine traveled to the Brattleboro (Vermont) Water-Cure for treatment. Day kept a journal (Ms. 47047), writing about taking tepid baths, walking, the view of the Connecticut River, and other people who were also at the facility. Though not mentioned in the journal, the Brattleboro Water-Cure was attended by many well-to-do people, including Harriet Beecher Stowe and her sister, Catharine Beecher.

Just a quick update to a previous post… Rich, our fearless Head of Collections, sent along this bit of information regarding Solomon Porter:  Solomon Porter also became surveyor and and collector of revenues for the port of Hartford in the 19th C.  He was also engaged in the West Indies trade. We have a nice miniature of him in the collection, as well as one or two portraits of his lovely daughter Rebecca Porter Conner. By the way, he married his first cousin!

This Satuday, November 7, is the first Saturday of month. Here at CHS that means FREE admission from 9am to 1pm. Come visit! And while you are here, become a member!!

Welcome home, Willie!

“…if I do get home alive I shall expect to see you in Hartford to see us when we land & when I come out to Manchester on the cars I shall expect to see you standing on the platform at Buckland with a little note for me with some little love message in it…”

Cpl. William L. Norton letter to Jennie E. Annis, March 25, 1863, MS 100767. Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, Connecticut.

Corporal William L. “Willie” Norton, Company B, 10th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, missed his sweetheart. Jennie E. Annis was home in Buckland (Manchester), Connecticut.  Willie was fighting in the South with the Union Army. Recently CHS acquired two letters written by Willie to Jennie. The first was written in March 1863 from Island St. Helena, South Carolina,  and the second was written from Seabrook Island, South Carolina in July 1863.

In March Willie wrote about the snakes and lizards living on the island, as well as an alligator that was recently shot. He missed Jennie, and having lost her photograph, requested a new one.  As indicated by the excerpt above, Willie longed for his homecoming. Additionally, Willie reminds Jennie to send him the results of the gubernatorial election.

When Willie wrote on July 6, 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg had ended three days earlier. “We have heard,” he wrote, “that [the Confederate troops] are within 15 miles of Philadelphia & that when the rebs advanced on Harrisburg the militia run without firing a gun! Shame on them.” He was obviously unaware of the entire story. He still missed Jennie, and continued to lament the loss of her photograph.

We do not know if Jennie was waiting at the Buckland platform, but Willie did return home to her. They married, and are listed on the 1880 census in Northampton, Massachusetts. When the letters returned to Connecticut last month they joined another item in the CHS collection, a history of Company B, 10th Regiment written by William L. Norton (MS 88894). Penned in 1884, the history contains extracts of letters from the Civil War years, including the two letters just acquired.

William L. Norton and Jennie E. Annis Norton are both buried at West Cemetery in Manchester, Connecticut. She died in 1885 at age 44. Willie lived until 1921, dying at age 79.

Learning from the Collections: UN Day Poster

Many times a collection will come into the archives with duplicate materials. While we would like to keep everything, that is not always possible or practical. Most of the time we will keep a couple examples of the item, and discard the remainder. To be more specific, if a collection comes in with 50 copies of the same poster, we will keep two or three. This allows us to study and learn from the piece, but also to conserve space.

Earlier this year I cataloged the records of the Greater Hartford Chapter of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) (MS 86607, 2.5 linear feet).  Incorporated in 1950, the papers reflect activity until 1965.  The collection contains papers and records compiled by the UNESCO officers, including the chapter’s treasurers, secretaries, and chairmen. Other items include membership lists, UN Day program material, a variety of UN/UNESCO publications, account books, and copies of the by-laws.

Since 1948 the United Nations has celebrated UN Day each year on October 24 (you may visit the UN’s web site to learn more about this year’s activities).  Posters were printed for one of the celebrations in the early 1950s. The Greater Hartford group had many left over, and they had been kept among the records over the past 50+ years.  As I alluded above, I kept a few of the posters, and discarded the rest. I also kept one for the bulletin board in my office.

UN Day Poster

The poster is very representative of life in the United States during the 1950s. World War II had brought patriotism to a peak. The flag in front of the family was something to be proud of. The men who had gone off to protect our country, were now back at home protecting their families. It was a time when everyone was thought to be the same. Families, such as the one in the poster, were buying houses in the suburbs and consumer products to fill the houses. Sadly, this was also a time of segregation. If a poster were printed today, promoting freedom, peace, and security of the United States, it is very likely the poster would feature the ethnic diversity of our nation. Obviously, the 1950s poster did not.

Are there any school children reading this? Here is a trivia question for you. How do we know, just by looking at the poster, that it was printed before 1959? Post your answer as a comment to this blog! Need a hint? Think about where President Barack Obama grew up, and where Sarah Palin was governor.

What are you working on?

This is a question I am asked routinely by family, friends, and co-workers. Admittedly, I often struggle to come up with something more profound than, “Uh…um…you know, stuff.” I encounter great material every  day, and it is so hard to remember all of it! The larger collections are usually easier to recollect, simply because they can be discussed more broadly. Many times, though, some of the most original pieces are found in the smaller collections.

Such was the case today as I started working on the Solomon Porter papers (MS 62050, 0.25 linear foot, 1 box). Solomon Porter was born in Windsor in 1753. He later moved to Hartford where, in 1782, he married Rebecca Dodd. The earliest papers date from 1783, when Porter was working as a merchant with his father, Nathaniel Porter. I found three pieces that were different than I have seen before.

A traveler, perhaps one of the Porters, journeyed to Boston and made several stops along the way. This piece demonstrates that not only did the traveler make multiple stops along the way, but he chose to stop at different places on the way home from Boston than on the way there.

The Porters sold a variety of goods, including musical instruments. Who knew that instructions for German flutes were so popular. The list suggests they had 48 copies! Most often I read of merchants selling staples such as wheat and sugar. Not too many are selling bassoons!

My favorite for the day is a 1792 order for a backgammon table, clothes, and “print of an angel descending with a child.” The buyer wants to make sure the coat binding they receive will match their clothes, and has therefore attached five samples to the letter, with wax.  There are so many things about this piece I enjoy, and if I were teaching, I think this piece could provide young students with so many lessons. Among other things, I would love to show the wax seals and refer to it as 18th century Scotch tape.

September in the Archives

In September 2008 CHS embarked on a two year, NHPRC grant funded, project to catalog a backlog of 900 manuscripts and account books. Today, 13 months into the project, we have been able to create and add more than 600 catalog records to our online catalog.

Some of the highlights from the past month include the Morgan-Geer-Gallup papers, the Thomas Knowlton account book, New Haven Woman Suffrage Association record books, and the Gennaro Capobianco papers.

The Morgans, Geers, and Gallups were families in the Norwich and New London areas of Connecticut. There was much intermarriage, and tracing the family lines became increasingly confusing! One interesting piece is a notebook filled with dance instructions. (Ms. No. 17964)

Captain Thomas Knowlton is considered the United States’ first intelligence professional. He was the namesake for Knowlton’s Rangers, a unit which made a significant contribution to intelligence gathering during the early Revolutionary War. This account book details information about the men serving with Knowlton. One young man sent half his pay home to his mother. (Account Book collection)

There are, in my opinion, far too few woman suffrage collections available. The New Haven Woman Suffrage Association records include the group’s constitution, membership lists, meeting minutes, and press clippings. (Ms. No. 55712)

Gennaro Capobianco was a newspaper editor, funeral home director, security guard, and advocate for all things Italian.  His papers are organized into eight series: Personal Papers, Family Papers, Italian-American Societies & Organizations, Connecticut/Hartford General Organizations, Historical Documents, Italian-American Culture, “Our Roots” Project, and Research Material.  This collection was processed over the summer by one of our fabulous volunteers, Robert. Robert volunteered at CHS for a year after graduating from college and before heading to Simmons College’s Graduate School of Library and Information Science. (Ms. No. 100476)

All of these collections are open to research.

Looking for something to do on Saturday October 3? Come to CHS for a Civil War reenactment!