More on reading War of 1812 documents - even (especially?) in writing, these gentlemen had very nice manners. But that doesn't mean they couldn't cut to the bone with a few well-chosen remarks. Consider this July 14, 1812 letter from Secretary of War William Eustis to Lt. Governor John Cotton Smith (CT): The absence of … Continue reading Manners & the 19th Century
Connecticut
Politics & the War of 1812
The more I look into the War of 1812, the more I suspect that one of the reasons it's been neglected by historians is that it torpedoes the pleasant image of a post-Revolutionary nation that was happily united except for the slavery thing. Certain documents I'm examining indicate rather strongly that the states may have … Continue reading Politics & the War of 1812
Prenuptial agreement, 18th-century style
Listening to a program on the radio today reminded me of a 1789 prenuptial agreement that I ran across while doing a title search in Stratford a while back. Before I give you the transcript, though, I should make sure you understand why it's interesting. First, such agreements were rare. Second, the reason they were … Continue reading Prenuptial agreement, 18th-century style
Dog power
A lot of the really amusing things in the historical life turn up while doing research. As an example, Bill (my spouse) was looking for data about 19th-century industries in Hartford. So he opened up our copy of The Memorial History of Hartford County, Connecticut, Vol. I (a 700-page leatherbound tome printed in 1886) to … Continue reading Dog power
Americanization: Hartford, CT
One of my current research projects is the early 20th century Americanization movement. One of my period sources claims (in 1919) that the movement started in 1914, but I recently discovered this article from the February 23, 1903 Hartford Courant: HARTFORD'S EAST SIDE Everybody who is interested in the future of Hartford will be interested … Continue reading Americanization: Hartford, CT
Highway construction scandals
Last week I ran across a reference to scandals that arose out of the construction of the Merritt Parkway and the Wilbur Cross Parkway, both in Connecticut. The Merritt Parkway, now a National Scenic Byway and listed in the National Register of Historic Places, was built between 1934 and 1938, and also became a great … Continue reading Highway construction scandals
Kristen Noble Keegan, Historical Geographer 