Connecticut State Library Receives Grant for Newspaper Digitization Friday, July 26, 2013
Posted by kabery in Archives, digital collections, genealogy, history, New Resources @ CSL, newspapers.add a comment
The Connecticut State Library is pleased to announce that it has received an award of $274,034 from the National Endowment for the Humanities for a two-year National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP) grant to digitize historically significant Connecticut newspapers. The digital images will be included in the Library of Congress’ newspaper site: Chronicling America.
Following the NDNP guidelines, the $274,034 grant will allow Connecticut to add 100,000 pages, digitized from microfilm of newspapers published in the state between 1836 and 1922. An advisory committee consisting of an historian, journalist, educator, librarian, and archivist will select the newspapers to be scanned.
“This is a great honor for Connecticut – a state where newspapers have always been important,” said State Librarian Kendall Wiggin. Wiggin noted that while Connecticut boasts the nation’s oldest continuously published newspaper, the Courant, by 1875, there were 78 newspapers being published in the state, including 17 dailies and 51 weeklies.
This project builds upon the earlier Connecticut Newspaper Project (1991-2002) which inventoried the state’s newspaper repositories, cataloged the newspapers and preserved over 1,000,000 pages of 437 newspapers on microfilm. The State Library has already worked with digitizing newspapers through its Newspapers of Connecticut project. This has short runs of 86 titles from 1821-1929, for a total of 3,243 issues from 31 towns.
John N. Barry, Chair of the State Library Board noted that “This grant will allow the State Library to continue its work in providing easier access to the significant issues and events of our history. Connecticut’s newspapers are irreplaceable sources of obtaining knowledge, and this digitization grant will continue the modernization of preserving Connecticut’s rich history.”
State Library presents “The Life and Times of William Webb: An African-American Civil War Soldier from Connecticut” Tuesday, June 11, 2013
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CONNECTICUT STATE LIBRARY “3rd THURSDAY OF THE MONTH”BROWN BAG LUNCH SERIES
The Connecticut State Library will present Kevin Johnson as William Webb, an African-American Civil War Soldier from Connecticut at the Connecticut State Library, 231 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, Thursday June 20, 2013 from Noon to 12:45. Private Webb was an actual soldier, a native of Hartford. He was recruited in 1863 and served in the Twenty-Ninth (Colored) Regiment, Connecticut Volunteer Infantry in several battles in Virginia. Johnson’s portrayal of Webb is told from an emotional and exciting first-person perspective that vividly illustrates the struggle of the African-Americans in the Colored Infantry during the Civil War. He tells of his early life in Hartford, his recruitment and training, and the traumatic final battles of the Civil War. The presentation is based on extensive research in the collections of the Connecticut State Library and the Museum of Connecticut History.
Johnson’s presentation is part of the State Library and Museum of Connecticut History’s Third Thursday BrownBag Lunchtime speaker series which features a variety of speakers on various aspects of Connecticut history. All programs are free and open to the public. Attendees are welcome to bring and enjoy their lunch during the presentation.
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Noon – 12:45 p.m.
Connecticut State Library ~ Memorial Hall
About the Speaker: Kevin Johnson is an employee of the State Library’s History and Genealogy Unit. He has been presenting William Webb for more than twelve years and has given 506 presentations in schools, libraries, historical societies and other venues around the state.
About the State Library: The Connecticut State Library is an Executive Branch agency of the State of Connecticut. The State Library provides a variety of library, information, archival, public records, museum, and administrative services to citizens of Connecticut, as well as the employees and officials of all three branches of State government
2012-2013 Third Thursday at the State Library Brown Bag Lunch Series Monday, August 27, 2012
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The State Library is pleased to announce its 2012-13 Third Thursdays at the State Library brown bag lunch series. This year’s speakers will cover a wide range of Connecticut history. Please share this information with your patrons and watch for reminders about upcoming programs.
Third Thursdays at the
Connecticut State Library
231 Capitol Avenue, Hartford
12:00-12:45 PM
Memorial Hall
September 20 – Kim Silva, Coordinator of Amistad Tours for the Farmington Historical Society – A Sign of Freedom: Intertwined History of Amistad & the American School for the Deaf
October 18 – Chris Pagliuco, Historian and Educator – The Great Escape of Edward Whalley and William Goffe: Smugged Through Connecticut
November 15 – Richard Deluca, Historian and Transportation Engineer – Connecticut’s Post Road & Iron Horses: Transportation in Connecticut from Colonial Times to the Age of Steam.
January 17 – Peter F. Burns, Jr., Professor of Political Science at Loyola University New Orleans – Shock the World: UConn Basketball in the Calhoun Era
February 21 – Cynthia Goetz – John E. Cook, Conspirator: The story of a stone-cutter’s son from Haddam, Connecticut who became a Captain in John Brown’s army and helped light the spark that ignited the Civil War
March 21 – Linford D. Fisher, Assistant Professor of History at Brown University – An Indian Great Awakening? Rethinking Native Religious Change in Early America
April 18 – Mark Jones, State Archivist – Frederic Collin Walcott: Conservation Pioneer
May 16 – Jon Purmont, Professor of History at Southern Connecticut State University – Ella Grasso: Connecticut’s Pioneering Governor
June 20 – Kevin Johnson, Connecticut State Library, portrays –William Webb, an African American Civil War Soldier from Connecticut
More information is available at www.cslib.org or by calling 860-757-6510. Funding for this series is provided by the Connecticut Heritage Foundation.
State Library Recipient of the 2011-2012 Donna Holt Siemiatkoski Award Fund! Wednesday, March 7, 2012
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On a chilly but sunny afternoon in March, Janet Wallace, Olivia Patch, Nora Galvin, Robert Rafford, Sandra Slifka, and members of the Connecticut Professional Genealogists Council announced that the History and Genealogy Unit of the Connecticut State Library was chosen as the 2011-2012 recipient of books donated through the Donna Holt Siemiatkoski Award Fund! In a short ceremony, the members presented a copy of the recently published authoritative work “Connecticut Town Meeting Records during the American Revolution, Volumes I and II,” by Jolene Roberts Mullen. Several volumes that were on our ‘wish list’ will also be purchased and donated. Our staff is excited and very pleased by this generous gift and extends a very hearty thank you!
The “Crowbar” Governor: Life and Times of Morgan Gardner Bulkeley at the Connecticut State Library Monday, November 7, 2011
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CONNECTICUT STATE LIBRARY “3rd THURSDAY OF THE MONTH”BROWN BAG LUNCH SERIES
Morgan Bulkeley, who served as mayor of Harford, governor of Connecticut, and first president of the National Baseball League, will be the subject of a presentation by historian Kevin Murphy starting at noon, Thursday, November 17 at the Connecticut State Library. Murphy, author of Crowbar Governor: The Life and Times of Morgan Gardner Bulkeley will tell the story of one of Connecticut’s most colorful and notorious statesmen and provide a glimpse into Connecticut politics during the Gilded Age. While president of Aetna Life from 1879 to 1922, Bulkeley served four terms as mayor of Hartford, two terms as Connecticut’s governor, and one term as a United States senator. His friends and business and political acquaintances were a who’s who of the Gilded Age: Samuel Clemens, J. P. Morgan, Samuel and Elizabeth Colt, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Leland Stanford, Charles Crocker, Albert Spalding, General Sherman, Oliver Wendell Holmes, as well as every president from Ulysses Grant to Warren Harding. In 1874, Bulkeley formed the Hartford Dark Blues who soon joined the unruly National Association, antecedent of the National League. He served as the league’s first president for a year, and was later elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. It was during Bulkeley’s controversial “holdover” term as governor that he earned the nickname “Crowbar Governor.” He used a crowbar to remove a lock that had been placed on his office door after refusing to vacate the governor’s chambers on a technicality.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Noon – 12:45
Connecticut State Library ~ Memorial Hall
About the Speaker:
Kevin Murphy is an independent historian who lives in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. He is the author of Water for Hartford: 
The Story of the Hartford Water Works and the Metropolitan District Commission and Crowbar Governor: The Life and Times of Morgan Gardner Bulkeley. Fly Fishing in Connecticut: A Guide for Beginners is scheduled to be released by Wesleyan University Press April 1, 2012.
Kevin Murphy’s talk is part of the State Library and Museum of Connecticut History’s Third Thursday Brown Bag Lunchtime speaker series which features a variety of speakers on various aspects of Connecticut history. All programs are free and open to the public.
Hartford’s Old Burying Grounds Topic of Program at the Connecticut State Library Thursday, October 6, 2011
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CONNECTICUT STATE LIBRARY “3rd THURSDAY OF THE MONTH”BROWN BAG LUNCH SERIES
Ruth Shapleigh Brown, Founder and Executive Director of Connecticut Gravestone Network and a member of the Connecticut State Library staff, will present a thought provoking discussion filled with surprising tales and mysteries about the 3 earliest burying grounds of Hartford, Thursday, October 20, 2011 from Noon to 12:45 at the Connecticut State Library, 231 Capitol Avenue, Hartford. Shapleigh Brown’s illustrated talk will explain the beginnings of these three historic cemeteries mentioning some important local colonial residents and stone-carvers. She will also answer some common questions including: Do you know where Hartford’s second oldest burying place is? (Ruth will also share some photos of archeology projects involving two of those cemeteries!) Where is the first Mayor of Hartford interred? What about the ethical questions of what to do about those non-earth burials in crumbling crypts? Are there bones left to worry about? How about the unmarked graves?
Ruth Shapleigh Brown has been Founder and Executive Director of Connecticut Gravestone Network since 1993 and since worked in concert with the State Archeologist when possible to research and resolve many of the cases he comes up against involving Old Burying Grounds. There is no agency or commission in Connecticut that protects these historic grounds and many laws are difficult or impossible to enforce. Ruth has over the years received many awards for her advocacy and work including those from the State of Connecticut General Assembly and the Commission on Culture and Tourism’s Distinguished Advocates Award.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Noon – 12:45
Connecticut State Library ~ Memorial Hall
Shapleigh Brown’s talk is part of the State Library and Museum of Connecticut History’s Third Thursday Brown Bag Lunchtime speaker series which features a variety of speakers on various aspects of Connecticut history. All programs are free and open to the public.
Civil War Era Newspaper Digitization Project Friday, July 8, 2011
Posted by kabery in Archives, digital collections, genealogy, history, New Resources @ CSL, newspapers.add a comment
The Newspapers of Connecticut digitization pilot project is underway. It is a collaborative project between the Connecticut State Library, Library Connection and Connecticut History Online to digitize a sampling of historic newspapers in Connecticut. The collection will include newspapers covering the various regions, perspectives and topics of the Civil War era in Connecticut. Seven titles have been added to the collection including the Connecticut War Record from 1863-1865. More titles are being added on an ongoing basis.
The link for this collection is: http://cslib.cdmhost.com/custom/frontpage_newspapers.php
Gladys Bragdon Suffrage Interviews Notebook Available in Flickr Monday, April 18, 2011
Posted by capittsley in Archives, digital collections, genealogy, history, updates.Tags: archives, Connecticut, DigitalCollections, League of Women Voters, Little Black Book, suffrage
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The Connecticut State Library has just completed digitizing the Gladys Bragdon Suffrage Interviews Notebook, 1918, (RG 106) is now available online at our Flickr site. The notebook contains handwritten entries of interviews conducted with approximately 129 prominent men both in and outside local and state government about their position and views on giving women the right to vote. Bragdon recorded in the small black notebook the men’s names, job title or position in government, party affiliation, if they signed a petition,
interests, changed views, and if they supported the federal amendment. The interviews helped the Connecticut Woman Suffrage Association (CWSA) and the New Haven Equal Franchise League (NHEFL) gather information about who and who did not support voting rights for women.
On June 19, 1919 the 66th United States Congress passed the suffrage amendment, also known as the Susan B. Anthony amendment, and sent it to state legislatures for ratification. Tennessee became the necessary 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution on August 18, 1920. The Connecticut General Assembly, in a special session, ratified the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution on September 14, 1920. The passage of the amendment by three-fourths of the states guaranteed women the right to vote.
The (Mrs. R.) Gladys Bragdon Record of Suffrage Interviews notebook submitted on July 1, 1918 documents Connecticut women’s push for the right to vote. Some of the more prominent men’s names in the notebook include: former Governor Simeon E. Baldwin, Walter Camp, Robert O. Eaton, former New Haven Mayor Frederick Farnsworth, former New Haven Mayor David E. Fitzgerald, John Fitzgerald, former Congressman James P. Pigott, J. Henry Roraback, Isaac M. Ullman, and former Governor Rollin S. Woodruff.
The Gallant Sons of Erin: A History Through Song of an Irish-Brigade Regiment in the Civil War Thursday, June 10, 2010
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CONNECTICUT STATE LIBRARY “3rd THURSDAY OF THE MONTH”BROWN BAG LUNCH SERIES
On Thursday, June 17, 2010 from 12:00-12:45 pm in the Museum of Connecticut History at the State Library, 231 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT, The Gallant Sons of Erin will bring us a vision of American history through their unique collection of songs and stories. By focusing on the songs sung by and about the Irish immigrant soldiers of the American Civil War, the listeners are treated to a glimpse of the rich culture of the mid 19th century immigrant community as well as an enjoyable musical treat. Their CD, “No Irish Need Apply” was named the 8th best CD of 2003 by the Celtic Connections Radio Show presented by Emerald Productions in Middletown, Connecticut. It chronicles, through period music, the story of an Irish Brigade Regiment in the American Civil War. Rather than record a selection of popular Civil War “hits,” The Gallant Sons mined the archives to revive the songs that were written by, readily available to and embraced by the Irish immigrant soldier of the American Civil War, their families, supporters and friends. The Gallant Sons have played at Civil War reenactments throughout the Northeast, at historical venues including the Federal Arsenal in Springfield, Massachusetts and the Friends of Gettysburg visitor’s center in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and modern folk music venues such as the Sounding Board in West Hartford.
Gallant Sons of Erin
The Gallant Sons of Erin are:
Todd Bryda (vocals and bodhrán) is a history professor at Northwestern Connecticut Community College. His areas of interest include the Civil War and Irish history. He has been reenacting since 1991 and acts as the commanding officer of his unit (28th Massachusetts, Co. K, Irish Brigade). He has a B.A. in history and literature from the Univ. of Mass., Dartmouth, and an M.A. in history from the Univ. of Mass., Amherst.
Dave DeAngelis (banjo and vocals) is a School Library Media Specialist in Shelton Public Schools. He has been performing traditional American and Irish – English music for many years, and was a featured performer at the Mystic Sea Music Festival in 2001.
Mark DeAngelis (guitar and vocals) is an Assistant Professor in Residence at the University of Connecticut teaching Business Law. Mark uses songs about law as an integral part of his teaching method. Mark has been a Civil War living historian for 17 years.
Symposium on Collection Care Funding Opportunities Set for May 26, 2010 Thursday, May 13, 2010
Posted by jcullinaneatcsl in genealogy, history, updates.add a comment
The Connecticut State Library and Conservation ConneCTion are pleased to present a symposium, Collection Care Funding Opportunities: A Symposium for Museum and Libraries on Wednesday, May 26, 2010 at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford, Connecticut. This project is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services as part of the Connecting to Collections grant initiative. As a result, there is no charge to attend this program, although registration is required.
Finding funding in these difficult economic times is a challenge all museums and libraries face. It can be especially difficult to secure funding for collection assessments, training, supplies and conservation. This symposium will feature representatives from federal grant organizations which provide funding for collection care and assessments, including Heritage Preservation’s Conservation Assessment Program, the American Association of Museum’s Museum Assessment Program, and the Conservation Project Support Grant program from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. In addition, the following state agencies and organizations in Connecticut that provide funding for collection care and historic preservation will be among the presenters, including the Connecticut Humanities Council, the Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, the Peer Advisory Network, and the Historic Preservation Division of the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism. Museum professionals and private foundation administrators will also share their stories and insight on finding funding for collection care.
Participants will also have an opportunity to attend a “Meet the Funders” session following lunch, where they can discuss prospective projects at their institution with the speakers and representatives from the various federal and state agencies and receive information on the different grant programs.
To register or for any questions please email Kathy Craughwell-Varda, Project Manager for Conservation ConneCTion at conservation-connection@cslib.org .
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