Ella refers repeatedly to a number of people by first name (or abbreviation thereof). I've been able to identify most of them, I believe. This information is based primarily on the 1920 U.S. Census records, but also some other census years. Ella - the diarist, aged about 71 at the time the diary beings. Mark … Continue reading Ella Warner’s People
Connecticut
Introducing Ella Warner
In August, I purchased a diary at the Mansfield Flea Market. The seller told me it was part of a lot of paper items he'd recently bought at the Brimfield Antique Show. I paid him $1 and brought it home, and started reading about the everyday life of a rural housewife in 1923-1924. It's not … Continue reading Introducing Ella Warner
Research is not always fun (civil commitment)
Sometimes you just run across a tidbit, and you know the whole story is probably lost somewhere in that distant past, but you also know that whatever the details are, it's a sad story. Like this: At a Court of Probate holden at Danbury in and for the District of Danbury on the 2nd day … Continue reading Research is not always fun (civil commitment)
Census 1860 : State Prison : Details of the Women’s Cases
I was able to find mentions in The Hartford Courant (which is available online) of five of the twelve female inmates. Most of these were brief and sometimes tantalizing mentions. I was interested to notice that Jane M. Brown, the woman imprisoned in 1859 for adultery, was described by the paper on July 20, 1859 … Continue reading Census 1860 : State Prison : Details of the Women’s Cases
Census 1860: Wethersfield State Prison: Crimes
The last piece on the inmates of the Connecticut state prison at Wethersfield in 1860 discussed their gender and race; this piece discusses the crimes for which they were convicted. To repeat from before, there were 179 inmates, 12 of them female. The Census marshal also, in accordance with his instructions, reported the crimes for … Continue reading Census 1860: Wethersfield State Prison: Crimes
Census 1860: Wethersfield State Prison: Gender and Race
So I’m developing a new database from the 1860 U.S. Census for Connecticut, and last week I ran across the pages for the state prison, which was in Wethersfield at the time. Some of these data are interesting – at least to me – so here’s a post about them! Oh, and this is also … Continue reading Census 1860: Wethersfield State Prison: Gender and Race
Kristen Noble Keegan, Historical Geographer 