Windsor Historical Society Names New Executive Director
Doug Shipman takes the helm at the onset of the Society’s next 100 years.
Volunteer Profile: Betsy and Gordon Kenneson
In this column, we are featuring not one but TWO of the invaluable volunteers who supplement and complement the work of our paid staff in so many ways. Gordon is a docent and regular lecturer [...]
Colonial Boozing
For the colonists of the 1600s and 1700s much of daily life was filled by tiring drudgery, but throughout the long hours of the work day, intoxicating beverages provided a dependable source of comfort. Drinking accompanied a diverse range of occasions that often took place in taverns, or during meals, work breaks, business meetings, weddings, funerals, trials, and legislative sessions.
Founders’ Series: John Hoskins, Paper Trail vs. DNA
When John Hoskins sailed to the New World, he was a middle-aged family man. The paper trail that establishes his English background is shaky, but has recently been fleshed out using advancements in DNA technology. Hoskins’s story is of interest not only to descendants, but also to anyone whose family research might benefit from similar genetic study.
Questions for the Future
2021 marks Windsor Historical Society’s centennial year, an exciting time as we plan how to move the Society forward. The “What is our purpose?” question is as relevant today as it was a century ago.
Chasing Toto: An Attempted Remembering of the “Windsor Indian”
According to legend, on October 4, 1675, Toto "the Windsor Indian" learned of a surprise attack on the city of Springfield being planned by King Philip’s soldiers. In response to this news, Toto ran 20 miles to sound the alarm, thereby saving the people of Springfield from a massacre. But the legend conjures up several questions for the historical record.
Hannah Hayden’s Work and Family Economy in Frontier New York
Hannah Hayden and her family moved from Windsor to Hartwick, New York in 1806. Her letters back home reveal a willful woman grappling with her new identity in the frontier. Her textile work and the burdens of caring for her brood of children and employees usually took center stage in her letters, while her focus on and longing for material goods and economic success remained subtle yet sharply detailed motifs.
Sarah Rowland Dudley’s Red Cloak
Do you ever wonder how objects end up in museum exhibitions? The cloak on view in our museum gallery arrived at the Society in a box. It had ripped seams, frayed trim, insect damage, and layers of dirt. But in its prime in the early 1800s, the bright red color was a fashion statement and a sign of the owner’s wealth.
Volunteer Profile: Elizabeth Parker
Last week, we lost one of our amazing volunteers, Libby Parker, who anchored our reception desk each Wednesday afternoon well into her nineties. She loved the Town of Windsor and its history with a passion and was truly an involved citizen. To honor her memory, we’re posting a volunteer profile originally published in our newsletter in 2012.
Founders’ Series: Frances Clark Dewey Phelps
Frances (unknown) (Clark) (Dewey) Phelps is one of the few women included on the Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor’s founders list, which only includes heads of household. Women in Frances’s era rarely show up in official records, but their circumstances can be partially deduced from their husband’s and other contemporaneous records.