Joseph O Goodwin

East Hartford: Its History and Traditions Joseph O Goodwin

This 1879 narrative contains a wealth of information for anyone interested in seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth century history and lifestyles. Beginning with histories of the various local Indian tribes, it continues with the early white settlement in 1635, recording the names of the settlers and the establishment of meeting houses and businesses. It describes voting, the care of the poor, the pest house and inoculation, public houses and sale of liquors, burying grounds, church history, industries, schools, forts, whipping posts, roads, bridges and ferries, military affairs, old houses, and customs and laws, including "bachelors not tolerated," "excess in apparel forbidden," and "a case of witchcraft." The author researched DeForest's History of the Indians of Connecticut, the published volumes of the Colonial Records of Connecticut, manuscripts and files of the State library, and records in the Town Clerk's offices in Hartford and East Hartford.