DFAW 2011 SPRING LUNCHEON IS SATURDAY, MARCH 26

For our Spring Luncheon on Saturday, March 26, 2011, we return to the First Congregational Church of South Windsor. During the registration and social hour, our Registrar, Olivia Patch and our Genealogist, Edwin Stirckland, will be available to answer questions about the DFAW Lineage process.

Our morning speaker will be Al Boehm, presenting “The Story Behind the 1633 Plymouth Trading Post,” based on his research for the Windsor Exchange Club’s phone book cover art in 2008. He will follow Edward Winslow of the Plymouth Colony, who in early July 1632 led a crew exploring the Connecticut River by sail to determine the potential for trade and colonization. Following an amazing and unpredictable set of events during the 1630s, the site he selected near the confluence of the Connecticut and Farmington Rivers grew from a trading post to a town within the Colony of Connecticut.

Our luncheon buffet includes Tossed Garden Salad with House Dressing, Penne Pasta Marinara with Italian meatballs, ,Grilled Boneless Chicken with Lemon Butter Sauce, Mixed Green Beans and Carrots, Roasted Red Potatoes, Dinner rolls and butter.

Our afternoon program features a 45-minute presentation by Irene Lambert, who will offer basic information on the keys to understanding the handwriting strokes that reveal so much about the personality of the writer. The size of the writing, slants, and various strokes will be introduced and explained. These scientific analysis methods are proven to accurately reveal information about our ancestors. Emotions, thinking patterns, fears, and how we cope with our fears are a few of the areas that can be interpreted through handwriting analysis. This tool enables us to know and understand our ancestors and our heritage. The generic term for handwriting analysis is Graphology, which can be found in the Library of Congress in the Psychology Section. It has become widely accepted as a beneficial skill. Irene Lambert is Master Certified as a Graphoanalyst by the International Graphoanalysis Society and has been teaching and lecturing about handwriting analysis since 1987.

Following her formal program, attendees will have an opportunity for short (about 10 minutes) individual sessions with Irene. Bring a hand-written document and what you already know about the person who wrote it for discussion at the one-on-one. There will also be an opportunity to meet with our Genealogist, Ed Strickland, our Registrar, Olivia Patch, or our Membership Secretary Pam Roberts or to talk with Ruth Shapleigh-Brown about colonial gravestones and gravestone carvers.

NERGC Early Bird Deadline is February 15!

Don't miss the chance to register for the New England Regional Genealogical Conference (NERGC) before the Early Bird Deadline ends. Save $25 by registering before February 15th! At NERGC you'll find: Keynote Speakers: John Philip Colletta & Paul Milner; Over 60 other Speakers; Society Fair; Socializing & Networking; S...pecial Workshops; Special Interest Groups; Ancestors Road Show; and much more. See www.nergc.org.

DFAW Fall 2010 Program

For our Fall program and Annual Meeting on Saturday, September 25, we return to the Windsor Historical Society in “mother Windsor.” In the morning, we’ll gather for our Social Hour, Memorial Service, and program. Our speaker will be Dr. Kevin McBride, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of Connecticut and Director of Research, Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, who will give a talk on “The Memory and Legacy of the Pequot War.”

After more than 370 years, the Pequot War (1636-1638) remains one of the most controversial and significant events in the Colonial and Native history of North America. Dr. McBride’s lecture will provide a summary of a multi-year research project funded by the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program to identify and preserve battlefields and historical sites associated with the Pequot War. He will also discuss current results from fieldwork at Porter’s Rocks, where 77 English and 250 Narragansett and Mohegan allies spent the night before the attack on the Pequot fortified village at Mystic, and the site of the Mystic fort which was attacked and burned by the English and their native allies on May 26, 1637. For more information about the project and Dr. McBride, see page 3 of the Summer Newsletter.

In the afternoon, following our luncheon and business meeting, there will be opportunities to tour the Windsor Historical Society’s historic houses and galleries, use the WHS library, or visit with our genealogist, Edwin Strickland, who will be available to assist with the DFAW computer database.

Registration: $22.00 per person, including luncheon, or $5.00 per person, speaker only. For more information, e-mail DFAW1633@Yahoo.com.

2010 Spring Program Update

Our luncheon will be a served, sit-down meal featuring your choice of Stuffed Chicken, Baked Scrod, or London Broil w/Mushroom Gravy. All meals include a first course of Family Style Pasta, a second course of Garden Salad, plus Oven Roasted Potato, Mixed Vegetables, and Dessert.

After the luncheon, take an optional side trip to the nearby Connecticut Trolley Museum. The museum preserves over 70 pieces of rolling stock comprised of trolleys, railcars, locomotives, and railroad work equipment. The Museum doesn’t officially open for the season until April 2, but we’ve arranged for a special talk by Timothy Lesniak, the Museum’s Corporate Secretary, on the trolley era and the museum collections. There’s no set charge for this presentation, but we do need a headcount, and there will be a freewill “kitty” to support this non-profit organization.

Times: 9:30 - 10:15 Registration, coffee and pastries, and visiting.
10:15 – 10:30 Welcome and announcements
10:30 - 11:30 “Capt. Stephen Buckland’s Company of Artillery,” Lance Kozikowski.
11:30 - 12:00 Break.
12:00 - 1:00 Luncheon and visiting.
1:30 – 2:30 Optional side trip to the Connecticut Trolley Museum.

Places: La Notte Restaurant & Banquet Facilities, East Windsor, CT
Connecticut Trolley Museum, 58 North Rd. (CT Rt. 140), East Windsor, CT

2010 Spring Luncheon is Saturday, March 27

This year's Spring Luncheon will be held Saturday, March 27, 2010 at the La Notte Restaurant & Banquet Falicities, East Windsor. Our speaker will be Lance Kozikowski, who will be in the uniform of a soldier in Capt. Stephen Buckland’s Company of Artillery interpreting the life of a blacksmith who went off to the Revolutionary War and came home to find his shop in ruins and with no money to pay his taxes. The program will feature original documents and artifacts. Those who attended last fall’s program will remember Mr. Kozikowski for the outstanding overview he provided us at Old Newgate Prison. Watch for more details coming soon!

Hold the Date -- September 26, 2009

This year’s Fall program, on Saturday, September 26, takes us to East Granby. In the morning, we’ll gather at the East Granby Community Center for our Social Hour, Memorial Service, Business Meeting, and Luncheon. In recognition of the fact that East Granby was originally Turkey Hills Parish, our luncheon will feature a turkey dinner catered by Kane’s of Simsbury, including their famous Squash Bake.In the afternoon, join us on a tour of Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine at the group rate of $4.00 per person. Originally founded as a copper mine in the early 1700s, New-Gate was first used as a prison to house Tories and Loyalists during the Revolutionary War. It was the first State Prison in America. The Prison also held Confederate prisoners during the Civil War. In 1976, New-Gate Prison was declared a National Historic Landmark. Old New-Gate Prison is one of Connecticut’s leading tourist attractions. Visitors enter the prison yard through 12' tall walls. The brick guardhouse still stands and houses exhibits, but only ruins remain of the other prison buildings. A modern stairway provides access underground where air temperature is always in the 50's. The visitor center contains a gift shop.

2009 SPRING LUNCHEON IS MARCH 28

This year's DFAW Spring Luncheon will be held Saturday, March 28, 2009 at the Poquonock Community Church. Our featured speaker will be Agnes M. Pier, Windsor’s Town Clerk, who will provide an overview of the many historic records in her custody. Agnes has been Windsor’s town clerk since January 2006 and was Deputy Town Clerk from March 2002 to January 2006. Previously, she held positions with FleetBoston Financial, BankBoston Connecticut, and United/Bank/Fleet Financial Services. She holds a BS from St. Joseph College and a MSOB from the University of Hartford. She is active in Windsor’s League of Women Voters, Government Study Committee, Economic Development, Historic District Commission; the Windsor Historical Society; and the Windsor 375th Committee.

Our caterer will be Kane’s Market, and the menu includes Stuffed Chicken Breasts - breading, apples, sausage; Rice Pilaf; Green Beans; Squash Cassrole; Salad and Dressing; Rolls and Butter; and Lemon Mouse Cake.

Following a time of announcements, Richard Roberts will provide a brief introduction to the Connecticut State Library’s digital collections, including the Warwick Patent, the Matthew Grant “Diary,” the Samuel Wyllys Papers.