Dusting Off Our Historical Books: Our (Digital) History

Our city is rich with history and now that we have come into the computer age, it isn’t surprising that we find our historical benchmarks online. Google Books offers these book for free and they are a fascinating glimpse into our past. And for those who are new to the city it is a nice introduction to this ancient and always evolving city.

Anyone who is interested in the history of New London should know the History of New London by Frances M. Caulkins (published 1852). And if you don't, now there’s no excuse. This historical collection of facts and stories comes by way of Google Books. So, if you need to know about the first fire truck in New London, you know where to look. When did the river freeze over? If you don’t know anything about the wreck of the Atlantic, one of the biggest maritime disasters of the day, then this is a good place to start. But wait, there’s more.

And if you're still hungry for more New London history, try out The Diary of Joshua Hempstead of New London, Connecticut by way of the publisher, the New London County Historical Society (circa 1901). The Hempsteads were involved in the early years of our community, and more importantly, they wrote down all the interactions in a diary. (I can't tell if this is the whole book or parts, but it looks complete.) That's old school documentation (1711-1758). The front cover describes it as:

“Valuable genealogical data relating to many New London families, references to colonial wars, to shipping and other matters of interest pertaining to the town and the time.”

It is a document of facts and observation, but doesn’t flow like The History of New London. It doesn’t read like a novel, but it is valuable in understanding day to day life way back when. Once you get into the flow, it is treasure trove of the life, hardships, and early social weavings of our city. One of my favorite parts involves some of the details of Sarah Bramble and her eventually lynching out at Gallows Lane.

You can also find Frances M. Caulkins History of Norwich (published 1866) in a rich volume that covers our northern neighbors.

It is nice to own antique books and historical artifacts, and it is fun to visit our societies and museums to learn more about history and the places we frequent. But it is the age of information and we have immediate access compiled by our historians of yesteryear. And it is right there on your desktops. By the way, you can’t key word search these documents (for those familiar with Kindle and E-readers) but, you can use the index and table of contents to find the information you are looking for.

Books Discussed

History of New London, Connecticut: From the first survey to the coast in 1612 to 1852, by Frances Manwaring Caulkins. Tiffany and Co. Hartford, CT, 1852.

History of Norwich, Connecticut: From its possession by the Indians, to the year 1866, by Frances Manwaring Caulkins. Casem Lockwood and Co. Hartford, CT, 1866.

Diary of Joshua Hempstead of New London, Connecticut, 1711-1758, published by The New London Historical Society, New London, Connecticut. Printed by the Journal of Commerce Co. Providence, Rhode Island, 1901.