Monthly Archives: March 2015

City Councilor Reports

Do you know what your City Counselor has done for the city lately? I know for a fact many of them are attending a meeting or an event or both multiple nights a week. Sadly, not everyone else  is aware of how busy they are and what they do to help individuals or specific areas of town.  I don’t specifically know who is meeting with whom, where or why but sometimes when I see them in the halls of City Hall they comment on their very booked schedule.

What if you are not a facebook friend or tweeter? How about a tiny five lines of a high point meeting in a newspaper? Back in the day, WICH/WCTY used to have a running report or commentary of what was happening about town.  Anyone interested in producing a local cable television show with the stars being the mayor, city councilors, department heads, or committee chairpersons?  

I am not asking for a report of names, dates and places or even a paragraph per council member.  I am only suggesting a short column with some of the things they are involved in or meetings they have attended. Just the very high points. A communication of sorts with the people that elect them.  A communication that tells me what is being worked on that benefits the City of Norwich.

But maybe its always been that way The Terre-Haute weekly express, 21 December 1870 — Page 1 wrote Judging from an incident mentioned in the Philadelphia Press, we conclude that the Yankee city of Norwich, Connecticut, is to be most heartily congratulated upon the truly meek and devotional aspect of her City Council chamber. So mild and loving is the character of their sessions that a youth out one night, in search of the Young Men’s Christian Association, stumbled into the chamber, though: as the desired place, and greeted the astounded body as “My dear brethren in the Lord,” utterly disconcerting their profound deliberations. Such a mistake does not seem likely to occur here, until lie Parke street controversy is settled.

Let’s change this. Let’s stop the secrecy. Let’s all start working together to make Norwich a place of communication. A place where people talk, and work together towards the creation of a future.

Email comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com

Happening Saturday March 28th

It is always nice to see groups actively do something in Norwich. The RISE committee is partnering with the St. Vincent de Paul Place and the Norwich area spiritual groups and organizations to pick up trash and debris from the streets, woods and parks around the community on the last Saturday of March from 9-11am.

I hope to see you on March 28th.  If you know of an area that could use some sprucing up please let Suzee Costa of Reliance House 860-887-6536 x228 know. It’s as if Norwich is leading the way for an Earth Day Celebration.

Earth Day is a name used for 2 similar global observances. While some people celebrate Earth Day around the time of the March Equinox, others observe the occasion on April 22 each year. Earth Day aims to inspire awareness of and appreciation for earth’s environment.

The original Earth Day, organized in 1970 was founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson, to promote ecology and respect for life on the planet as well as to encourage awareness of the growing problems of air, water and soil pollution.

In 1978, American anthropologist Margaret Mead added her support for a March equinox Earth Day, founded by John McConnell. She stated that the selection of the March Equinox for Earth Day made planetary observance of a shared event possible.

World wide, Wednesday, April 22 Earth Day will be celebrated with outdoor performances, where individuals or groups perform acts of service to earth. Typical ways of observing Earth Day include planting trees, picking up roadside trash, conducting various programs for recycling and conservation, using recyclable containers for snacks and lunches. Some people are encouraged to sign petitions to governments, calling for stronger or immediate action to stop global warming and to reverse environmental destruction.  Television stations frequently air programs dealing with environmental issues.

Best of all its an organized reason to go outside and clean up the debris of winter and meet friends and neighbors and check on what plants have survived the winter. Please join us on March 28th or April 22nd or any day you would like to make earth a better place to live.

Email comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com

Norwich Confidential

What are you doing on Wednesdays from 6 PM – 7 PM? I tend to be watching the news on a major television channel knowing full well I  can watch a new local cable television show at my leisure on You Tube. The Comcast television show seen locally on channel 14 called Norwich Confidential  has three hosts – Bonnie Hong, Ben Hong and Bob Farwell.

Each week is a completely different topic that may have missed your eye or it may be a topic that has a great impact on your family but you never have the opportunity to ask the questions you would like to.
The hosts of Norwich Confidential  ask the questions. The easy ones and the more difficult ones as well.  On occasion Bonnie and Ben bicker a bit as if they are home and having a discussion at the kitchen table.  Having a difference in opinion is fine by me because I know that there is more than one side to any issue and somewhere between the many sides  are the answers that make the most sense to me.
I have gotten to hear their guests explain in more detail than I have previously heard or seen how they arrived at their positions, what their thought process was or what the circumstances are that they are having to deal with. Details and explanations help us all understand an issue even if we do not agree with the opinion or the result.  
Abby Dolliver was a wonderful guest and gave some true insights into the considerations of the Norwich schools budget. Best of all, she was given the opportunity to explain her positions in detail.  Sgt. Camp of the Norwich Police Department discussed the militarization of local police departments.  John-Manuel Andriote spoke eloquently on the national media as a whole and bias in reporting and on another show the new international Trans-Pacific Partnership was discussed fully.
The best part of Norwich Confidential is that guests can return to discuss another viewpoint of an issue or perhaps a new issue entirely. If you have the opportunity, please watch Norwich Confidential Wednesday night at 6 PM on Channel 14 or subscribe to them on You Tube so you do not miss an edition.
Email your comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com

Norwich man made civil rights history

I came across this in the Indiana State sentinel, Volume 31, Number 29, 22 August 1883 issue

According to the article the issue was and is important because this case is the first attempt to enforce the penalty under the second section of the civil rights act which makes a violation of the law a misdemeanor, and it Is the first effort made to enforce the criminal provisions of the law in a territory where the Congress of the United States has exclusive and absolute legislative jurisdiction.

I have not changed the wording, spelling or punctuation of the original article. I have added clarification notes where I thought needed.  ” CIVIL RIGHTS. A decision Rendered against the Defendant in the Case of plaintiff. James Bell in Washington, on Aug. 18.

 A decision was rendered by Judge Miles in the Police Court to-day in the civil rights case of Rev. George H. Smith (colored), of Norwich, Conn., against James W. Bell, proprietor of a restaurant. [In Washington DC]  

The ground of the complaint was that Bell had denied the accommodation of his restaurant to the plaintiff on account of the latter’s color, and suit was brought to enforce the criminal provision of the act of March 1, 1875. 

The Court holds that under common law an innkeeper is bound to take in and receive all travelers and wayfarers, and that by the act of March 1, 1875, it is a made a misdemeanor to discriminate against a traveler on account of race, color, or any previous condition of servitude.  

A restaurant keeper has the right to establish certain regulations as to hours to meals and to regulate certain places or seats for customers, but such hours and seats must be the same for all, or if any discrimination be made it must be made upon some principle or for some reason the law recognizes as just and reasonable, and not on account of color of race or previous condition of servitude. 

All guests of the Inn or restaurant must be given equal privileges, and the places designated for them must be accessible to all respectable persons at a uniform rate. From these just principles it follows that the defendant in discriminating against the complainant Smith on account of his race and so or was guilty of a misdemeanor, and incurred the penalty prescribed by the second section of the equal rights act of 1875. Judgment is entered accordingly. 

This case is in some respects a novel one since it is the first attempt to enforce the penalty under the second section of the civil rights act which makes a violation of the law a misdemeanor, and it Is the first effort made to enforce the criminal provisions of the law in a territory where the Congress of the United States has exclusive and absolute legislative jurisdiction. “

From True Republican, 25 August 1883 — Civil Rights at the Capital “… he [the Judge] fined the defendant $500 or 30 days in jail, the lowest penalty under the law. Mr. Bells counsel noted an appeal.”

My friend Barbara found an advertisement for “Bell, James W Proprietor Bell’s International, a first-class meal for 25 cents, we make a specialty of 15 cent lunches, which are always ready, rooms fifty cents, no liquors.  349 and 351 Pa av nw and in another listing of “Eating Houses Bell, James W 343 Pa av nw.”

I checked the City Directory for 1882 and found a George H Smith, beds at 26 Franklin but no indication he was a clergy.

The Directory for 1883 was missing. 1884 and 1885 Did not list a George H Smith at all and in 1887 There was an E T Smith, Rev., 8 Eleventh St and an E F Smith Rev, ME Church 8 Eleventh .

So was George H Smith really from Norwich and was he a Reverend?

What’s in your neighborhood?

I attended an Eastern CT tourism “Summit” the other day. I won’t write about it but I was reminded of a few tourist tours that I have yapped about over the years but I admit I never followed through to develop.

Tourism is a fallback economic driver for our area. Even though we count on it, it is the extra income above what our residents bring to our local services and businesses. Tourists bring money, spend money and leave without burdening our resources.

The goal is to get people off of Rte 95 and off of Rte 395 and off of Rte 2 and onto the smaller roads and into the businesses that can be found there. What you present must be unique. Something that people can identify with yet not put them out too much.  

Most of us recall the American Revolution but thanks to the efforts of the National Park Service there is a portion of the National Historic Trail of Washington-Rochambeau marked here in Eastern CT. It is well marked with beautiful scenery and interesting local businesses along the way and with a quick Google of Rochambeau or the information provided in a brochure or web-link, a visitor has made a Connecticut connection with the past. But to stay on topic there is no tourist promotion so it remains just our little secret.  

How about examining the routes people, goods and services took over the years? Begin at the Custom House then follow the roads and turnpikes, (the Norwich-New London turnpike ) through the interior of CT. Complete the loop back to 95 by following a manufacturing tour with a stop or two at old and modern mills. Eat your way through Eastern CT by stopping at the many ethnic grocery stores that dot our region.  Make toddlers and teens happy with stops that intrigue and dazzle.

Spinning a Yarn, or Weaving a Story can be the title of a tour that combines stories of the old mills and visits to a winery or a fish ladder or places like Six Paca farm where you can pet a living alpaca and purchase their spun wool and while you are in the area you can also visit Blue Slope Farm museum in Lebanon taking a tour or spending an evening around a campfire or square dancing.

Let’s join together and encourage visitors passing by to get off the highways and to support our economy by traveling our by-ways and leaving a lovely trail of green behind as they continue on their way home where they might tell others what a great place have here to visit.

Email comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com

 

Fresh Air Nation

Are you an armchair explorer? Constantly reading National Geographic and Travel magazines to learn about foreign lands? Do you feel the need to feed at every new type of cultural  restaurant you come across? Have you heard new languages being spoken in stores and schools? Did you wonder who they were and where they were from? Maybe you have been working on your own genealogy and want to know more about where you came from? Then you are the perfect person to participate in “Fresh Air Nation.”

“Fresh Air Nation” is a developing program that allows and encourages immigrant neighbors to tell their own stories, told in their own homes to paying guests over home-cooked meals. In the Norwich area the families are from Peru, Cape Verde, Haiti, China and India.

Experience the cultures of the world in your neighborhood with an immigrant host family prepared to share their stories, language and food through managed gatherings in their homes. Their mission is to break down the walls of racial and ethnic division by increasing mutual understanding. Hosts are recommended by not-for-profit groups, schools and churches and at least one person present is fluent in English.

The first few evenings have been very successful allowing the new immigrants to tell their stories and creating an atmosphere of greater understanding of where the participants families came from and what life was like for them when they first arrived regardless of the era.

In their words you hear the story of the decision of which family member to send to the United States, their struggle to survive and save enough money for the next person.

The kickstarter.com campaign is to cover the initial legal costs, marketing, advertising, web development and host family coordination of the program. Donations of any amount are happily accepted with different and enriching rewards at different levels beginning at Five dollars through $10,000.

For more information please review https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1981010057/immigrant-host-families-to-create-living-museums-n or www. Freshairnation.com

email comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com

Hydrant Painting in Norwich

A few weeks ago I attended yet another meeting about the future of Norwich. The Mayor and NCDC invited the Southeastern Connecticut Cultural Coalition to moderate a lunchtime brown bag to discuss making the arts an economic driver of Norwich.

As you can imagine it was the same faces sitting around the arranged tables. The usual paper pad was brought out with a magic marker and everyone was asked “What are the problems that Norwich is facing” and the usual answers were given almost by rote. Then the assembled were asked “What are the strengths of Norwich?”  And again the answers were given almost by rote. What I am getting at is the same old questions were being asked and given the same old answers. OK so there was one new suggestion to light up events downtown with crime scene lighting so there would be fewer scary shadowy places for evil to lurk during public events. One other important event happened. Everyone attending was asked to give their name and the organization or reason they were there. Norwich Fire Chief Kenneth J. Scandariato  was there on his lunch hour because he likes the arts.

I passed Chief Scandariato (a native of Rhode Island) a very brief note outlining a project I had tried to bring to Norwich in the 1980’s and had been soundly rebuffed but I still have the presentation if he had time in his schedule to review it. On February 19th 2015 I received a phone call from Chief Scandariato that caused the tears to flow. I didn’t need to show him the presentation. He was from Rhode Island and familiar with the painted fire hydrants of Warren, Rhode Island. He had even checked with the Norwich Department of Public Utilities that own the hydrants that they were ok with it. Chief Scandariato just asked that they be kept in the loop as to what hydrants would be painted and when and that the movable parts remain movable should the hydrant be needed.

This spring as we recover from a very snowy winter please look around your neighborhood and note the locations of the fire hydrants in your neighborhood. Look at your fire hydrants from all angles and what it reminds you of. What fits into your neighborhood? Is there a theme to your neighborhood? Warren RI painted their hydrants for Americas Bicentennial in 1976. Our hydrants can copy their themes of colonial period or we can copy the hydrants of other cities, cartoons or anything your imagination  can see.

Painted hydrants becomes an economic driver when people want to see the fire hydrants and stop for lunch, or shopping, or to participate in any other activities of your neighborhood or city. It’s a great way for your group or organization to demonstrate commitment to an area of its choosing. Now do we know any artists interested in doing the actual painting? Not all of us have been blessed with artistic talent but there might be sponsors for those that are. Lets get started and don’t hesitate to call me for more information or to become a part of this project.

Email your comments on this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com         

War of 1812 Pension Records

Sometimes I just have to let people know that a research website is available to them and how the information on it gets there and why they may need to visit it more than once and over time before the information they are seeking appears. This is one of those times.

At the moment the focus of the Federation of Genealogical Societies is on the preservation and digitization of the 7.2 million pages of the very fragile Pension Records from the War of 1812 (known by some as Phase 2 of the American Revolution.)

The approximately 180,000 pension and bounty land warrant application files relating to claims based on service between 1812 and 1815 are some of the most requested documents at the National Archives. The files generally contain documentation submitted in support of a claim, such as the original application form, affidavits, and statements from witnesses.

There are limits to what can be digitized but the following information will be captured with the images and will be available to researchers when it exists in the file.

  • Veteran’s name
  • Age
  • Place of residence
  • Widow name
  • Service data & dates
  • Organization & rank
  • Widow’s maiden name
  • Acres Granted
  • Marriage date
  • Soldier death date
  • Widow death date
  • Year of BLM act
  • Warrant number
  • Additional names

You can access the pension files that have already been made searchable online free of charge on the Fold3 website http://www.fold3.com/

Just as a point of information, the Federation of Genealogical Societies has created a Preserve the Pensions page with Fold3, Ancestry and the National Archives to accept donations and provide information about the important historical treasures they are working so very hard to save.

And to learn more about how you can help this very important project  visit  http://familyhistorydaily.com/family-history/war-1812-pension-records-preservation-effort-free-access/#sthash.da1L8Rh7.dpuf

Email comments about this blog to berylfishbone@yahoo.com