I grew up in Glastonbury in the 60s with tobacco growing on the farm behind our house. The tobacco gave way to feed corn about 1970 and then to houses by 1975. As kids, in late summer, when the plants were pushing up againest the netting, we used to climb on top of the netting and roll around. Glastonbury, I believe used to be the regional headquarters for Consolidated Cigar Corp. which produced the Muriel Cigars brand. My father grew up in Enfield and worked on tobacco farms as a kid in the 30s. When interstate 84 was put built in the Hartford area, it ran through tobacco fields from East Hartford to Vernon area. Now it is all shopping malls and houses. In the past few years cigars have been making a comeback in popularity, so it doen't surprise me that there is a demand for new sources of tobacco. Alan

There are still quite a few tobacco farms in CT. Tobacco is not a southern only crop. CT tobacco is mostly shade grown tobacco. As you pass the fields you know immediately what is grown there because the crop is encased in white netting as it gets past the early stages of growth. Many kids from CT grow up working on tobacco in the summer--I think as young as 14 years old is legal here.It is hot dirty work and many kids get a rash, similar to poison ivy when first exposed to the plants. No. I never owrked tobacco, but many of my friends did. As you leave Bradley International Airport in the summer here, you go by field after field of tobacco. It used to be everywhere, then urban development took over and many of the fields are gone. In the last 2 years, an upsurge in tobacco grwoth has begun, this time by smaller farmers. Apparently, tobacco crops bring more than sweet corn or silage corn, and many small farmers have started growing tobacco instead of corn. There is a small private dairy store about 2 blocks from my house and they have always grown corn for the dairy cows, which are actually kept in another location. This past summer, they shocked us all by growing a field of tobacco, in our totally residential area. It was fun at the end of the summer to see the kids picking the tobacco and putting it on the special trucks with the racks to hold the huge leaves of tobacco to go to the sheds for drying. I remember following those slow moving trucks as a kid 40 years ago, but my kids had never seen it! As other people have mentioned, Windsor and east Windsor were big tobacco areas--and still are although on a smaller scale that in the "good ole days". I live in East Hartford, and we seem to be going back to our roots lately--at least as far as tobacco growing goes. Barb

There were also tobacco farms in Portland, Conn. My father worked them in the summers when he was a kid, and when I was young (thirties, forties) the fields, barns, etc, were still there. There was a book, made into a movie, in the fifties based on the tobacco farms in Conn...someone wlse may be able to think of the title. -- Sheila Walsh Bankhead http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ranch/5163 "An Irishman has an abiding sense of tragedy which sustains him through temporary periods of joy." William Butler Yeats.

1. What I've always been told .... The significance of CT tobacco is not its quantity (small) but its quality: CT leaves are used for cigar wrappers, which are the best of all tobacco. 2. There was a film - pure Hollywood - set on the tobacco farms of CT. Probably made in the 60s. I saw it. No classic but OK. Now I can't remember title or any of the cast. Anyone else? Greetings from 'bacca land, Charles L. Dibble Post Office Drawer 1240 Columbia, South Carolina 29202-1240 SEARCHING: * NEW ENGLAND - DIBBLE, COMSTOCK, TROWBRIDGE, STARR, FYLER, WAKEFIELD -----Original Message----- From: Richard A. Stevens <rasteven@snet.net> To: GenConnecticut-L@rootsweb.com <GenConnecticut-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Friday, April 02, 1999 6:03 AM Subject: [GenConnecticut-L] tobacco farms >There are still quite a few tobacco farms in CT. Tobacco is not a >southern only crop. CT tobacco is mostly shade grown tobacco. As you >pass the fields you know immediately what is grown there because the >crop is encased in white netting as it gets past the early stages of >growth. Many kids from CT grow up working on tobacco in the summer--I >think as young as 14 years old is legal here.It is hot dirty work and >many kids get a rash, similar to poison ivy when first exposed to the >plants. No. I never owrked tobacco, but many of my friends did. > >As you leave Bradley International Airport in the summer here, you go by >field after field of tobacco. It used to be everywhere, then urban >development took over and many of the fields are gone. In the last 2 >years, an upsurge in tobacco grwoth has begun, this time by smaller >farmers. Apparently, tobacco crops bring more than sweet corn or silage >corn, and many small farmers have started growing tobacco instead of >corn. There is a small private dairy store about 2 blocks from my house >and they have always grown corn for the dairy cows, which are actually >kept in another location. This past summer, they shocked us all by >growing a field of tobacco, in our totally residential area. It was fun >at the end of the summer to see the kids picking the tobacco and putting >it on the special trucks with the racks to hold the huge leaves of >tobacco to go to the sheds for drying. I remember following those slow >moving trucks as a kid 40 years ago, but my kids had never seen it! > >As other people have mentioned, Windsor and east Windsor were big >tobacco areas--and still are although on a smaller scale that in the >"good ole days". I live in East Hartford, and we seem to be going back >to our roots lately--at least as far as tobacco growing goes. > >Barb >

I put up the first part of the West End Cemetery in Lowell, Maine tonight, I will be doing the second half tomorrow. here is my home page. go to it then through the door to my links page all the cemeteries that i did are there. and also listed on my Genealogy Links page. Hope they help someone. DanaRaehttp://members.tripod.com/~DanaRaePelletier/index.html

In a message dated 4/1/99 10:32:56 PM Eastern Standard Time, KLindsey6@aol.com writes: << East Windsor & South Windsor are two towns that have large tobacco farms. My Great grandparents came over and worked them around 1900-1910 or so. At that time, there was no South Windsor...it was called East Windsor Hill. East Windsor Hill is a historical area in South Windsor now. There are also little "sub-towns" in East Windsor...like Scantic (I think). When I visited the Windsor town hall, they knew all of them...maybe someone there could help more... Good Luck! If you find any info regarding tobacco farms in CT, please post to the list...I'm also stuck! Happy Hunting! Kelly (Palifka) Lindsey >> East Windsor is divided into smaller "sub-towns" they are 1.Scantic 2.Melrose 3.Broad Brook 4.Warehouse Point 5.Windsorville That area is referred to as the tobacco valley, I myself grew up in Broad Brook and spent my summer vacations working in the tobacco fields of Mulnite Farms. Hard work and hot too. My younger brother still owns a tobacco farm right outside of Melrose. If I can help with any question please ask and I will try to get an answer -Joe

Dear Pamela: You wrote: "Does anyone know if there WERE tobacco farms in CT? I thought it to be a southern crop. " East Windsor & South Windsor are two towns that have large tobacco farms. My Great grandparents came over and worked them around 1900-1910 or so. At that time, there was no South Windsor...it was called East Windsor Hill. East Windsor Hill is a historical area in South Windsor now. There are also little "sub-towns" in East Windsor...like Scantic (I think). When I visited the Windsor town hall, they knew all of them...maybe someone there could help more... Good Luck! If you find any info regarding tobacco farms in CT, please post to the list...I'm also stuck! Happy Hunting! Kelly (Palifka) Lindsey

http://members.tripod.com/DanaRaePelletier/TanneryCemetery.html Please sin my guest book thanks DanaRae

Hello: I am trying to confirm what info I have on my family group sheet of MERCY/MARCY PARKER who mar JONATHAN WOODWORTH 29 Oct 1767 Willington/New London, CT. Mercy bn 5 Apr 1743 Willington, CT, d 15 Jun 1820 Covert, Seneca Co., NY. I have NEHEMIAH PARKER bn Oct 1708 Barnstable, MA / BETHIAH (Bethel) BASSETT bn 10 Mar 1710/11 Sandwich, MA as her parents. Would like to talk to anyone searching PARKER, BASSETT, WOODWORTH.

Fellow researchers: The recent media blitz that states that Thomas Jefferson fathered Eston Hemings is misleading and inaccurate. It was deficient in historical information I had given Dr. Foster, as his assistant. You were denied crucial information. Please go to the following web page: http://www.angelfire.com/va/TJTruth You may wish to check the Wall Street Journal of March 11th (ltrs. to editor). We must not permit this misleading information to get into our children's history books and corrupt them. If you agree that this information must get to the popular media please inform them. You may see a live 2 1/2 program from Monticello on Fri. Apr 2nd at 9AM. You will also be given a chance to call in with your questions. The numbers will be listed early in the program. I encourage any scientists or historians to come forward and give this fiasco their careful study. Herbert Barger Jefferson Family Historian

Hello! I was told by the Vernon town clerk that there are 2-3 births with the surname of ZEHRER recorded in the town records. But, seeing that I don't know the given names, they would not send me the info. Would some kind soul who lives in the area please find these births for me? The name is unusual so I would think that any children found would belong to my ancestor August F ZEHRER. I would greatly appreciate your assistance. Thank you in advance. Karen Howard

Hello I would like to correspond with anyone interested in the COMBS family of Hartford, CT prior to 1800. The Connecticut ancestors that I know of are Ebenezer COMBS b. abt. 1775 and his wife Mary Ann Humison b. abt 1780. The line I am following emigrated to Trumbull County, Ohio after 1803. Ebenezer's son, Seth Newell Combs, was born abt 1803. Grandson, Seth N. Combs was born 16 Apr 1836 in Ohio. Ken Brown Researching: DYER/SWEET/ALDRICH/MATHEWSON/PHILLIPS/SMITH/WRIGHT /WILLIAMS/PECK/SOUTHARD Researching: Families from Smithfield and Glocester, RI who migrated to NY 1780 -1820 Offering: LOOK-UPS for any of the above. tiphys@ameritech.net

Hello - I have some letters that were written by members of my great-great-grandmother's family between 1857 and 1862 -- they lived in Unionville, CT. Everytime they mentioned Glastonbury, they spelled it "Glastenbury." Were they just mis-spelling it, or has the spelling if it changed over time? Thanks in advance, Diana mccordd@api.org

many births, etc. are listed here by town. http://www.erols.com/lptemple/ct.htm nancy Schott

There were many tobacco farms in CT way back and a few remain in operation in Windsor and South Windsor today, growing wrappers for cigars. Carolyn

Diane, The address you asked for is: William B. Coley, 384 Valley Brook Road, Orange, CT 06477 e-mail: wcuc79a@prodigy.com Hope this helps. Betty Gregory

I am sorry that I did not make myself clear when I offered to do "look-ups" in this book but I cannot send/post everything on the families. I will, however, be happy to look up a specific person and fill in dates, etc for anyone. If anyone is interested in complete families, please contact your locat library and request an InterLibrary Loan copy of the pages pertaining to that family or families and resource page for the citations The cost is usually nominal and you have a photocopy to refer to in the future. Alice

"We need to immediately stop whatever we are doing, especially if it is fun, and start worrying about the Millennium Bug. Experts tell us that if the Millennium Bug is not fixed, when the year 2000 arrives, our financial records will be inaccurate, our telephone system will be unreliable,our government will be paralyzed, VA Claims won't be paid, Congress won't answer emails, and airline flights will be cancelled without warning....... In other words, things will be pretty much the same as they are now."

I have some old Union Application Papers where my great great grand dad applied for a Union Pension and mentions some place which was called Manchester Green, CT. Manchester, CT the same? ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]

Hello everyone, Were the directories produced every year or every two years? Does anyone have access for look ups in the Hartford City Directories for the years 1888 - 1894 for me? Trying to fill in some gaps. Looking for Jabez LEE and Jabez LEE, Jr. I'm looking for instant results. I get so impatient when I have a new lead. I know I can probably get a microfilm from LDS here in Montana but it's almost a month wait. It's a huge favor to ask but would appreciate someone's efforts immensely. Need any look ups in Gallatin County in Montana? Thanks, Karen