S TRATFORD H ISTORICAL S OCIETY U PDATE he T CUPHEAG CORNER Capt. David Judson House c. 1750 VOLUME II, ISSUE 2 NOVEMBER 2019 Catharine B. Mitchell Museum M A R K T H E DATES: NOVEMBER’S GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING Sunday, November 24th, 2:00 pm, Stratford Library Lovell Room, 2203 Main Street November’s Gen- eral Membership tratford Historical Society there’s enough to go around if we’ll Meeting: Sunday, S Presents: only learn to take care of it.” November 24th at Christopher Wigren as he discuss- Brown added: “Go out and keep 2:00 pm at the es Connecticut’s architectural your eyes open. Enjoy every bit of it, Stratford Library gems. whether it’s on somebody’s list or not. Governing Board Christopher Wigren doesn’t want And above all, guard it.” Meeting, Thursday, people to merely read his new Wigren dedicated his book to January 9th, 6pm, book, Connecticut Architecture: Brown, noting she had intended to Stratford Town Stories of 100 Places. He hopes write it. But after their decades of Hall, Room 213 we will go out and see for ourselves research together, she died in 2008. the state’s rich variety of sites and “I kind of inherited it,” Wigren says January’s General during our talk in his office at the Membership Meet- even discover some we never knew ing: Sunday, Janu- existed. Perhaps even some that Connecticut Trust for Historic Preser- ary 26th at 2:00 didn’t make it into the book. vation in Hamden. Wigren, an archi- pm at the Strat- While Wigren was working on this Christopher Wigren tectural historian, is the Trust’s depu- ford Library 304-page compilation, a project of ty director. He and his colleagues the Connecticut Trust for Historic work out of what was once a board- INSIDE THIS Preservation, he often thought of All meetings are free and open to ing house for Eli Whitney’s workers, ISSUE: architectural historian and preserva- the general public. Please bring a who walked across Whitney Avenue tionist Elizabeth Mills Brown. She to his factory. William Sam- 2 friend! Donations are gratefully uel Johnson wrote in one of her books: accepted. Foregoing from the Connecticut “Architecture is for everyone, and Magazine, October 22, 2019, by Dateline 3 Randall Beach. Stratford ________________________________ ____________________________ October- ◊ November “Historical training should begin not in town archives, advised a popular historian, 1954 but in the quaint old streets where men had lived.” Women’s 4 John Richard Green, Stray Studies from England and Italy (London, 1876) ________________________________ ____________________________ Suffrage News ◊ Shakespeare 5 Theatre Groundbreak- SOCIETY NEWS: FLORA AND MORE... ing We have much news to share The Society participated in the New Blue gram. Stratford Historical Society 5 from 967 Academy Hill Road. First town’s celebration of William Samuel Goose Inn will receive a $1 donation for every off, Flora’s silhouette has been trans- Johnson Day on October 7th. Addi- $2.50 Community Bag sold at Stop ported, as part of NPG’s Black Out Stratford 5 tional detail are available on page 2 of & Shop located at 200 East Main Suffrage exhibit, to Birmingham, Alabama. this newsletter. Street, Stratford, in the month of We’ll be traveling to Birmingham in The Society hosted members of November. We hope you can help Uncharitable 6 November to take pictures of the the Hawley family during their reun- support this fund raiser for the Soci- Town Select- exhibit. In the meantime, should ion the first weekend of October. ety. men you be so inclined, you may find The Society provided a tour of the Birmingham’s online description of museum, Judson house, and historical Francis Bren- 6 Flora and the Black Out exhibit at Stratford sites. But for the rain, it nan Followup https://www.artsbma.org/exhibition/ was an enjoyable weekend. blackout. The Society participated in the This newsletter has been printed, T-Day Foot- 7 Town’s Arts and Culture Festival the intentionally, in black and white. weekend of September 7th, and the We’re hoping to save a bit of money Great Pumpkin Festival on October Veep Visits 7 for the society on printing costs. 19th. We were able to meet a num- Stratford Should you wish a color copy of the ber of Stratford residents and make newsletter, you may download a some new friends for the Society. Remembering 7 copy at We’re once again participating in John Poole www.stratford.historicalsociety.info. Stop & Shop’s Community Bag pro- P A G E 2 WILLIAM SAMUEL JOHNSON OBIT Christ Church and the Town the bench. General literature and al and national, and “seeking held wonderful commemora- taste were, if possible, at a still peace in the spirit of peace,” he tion services for William Sam- lower ebb among the profession. was frequently the happy instru- uel Johnson on October 5th Mr. Johnson, gifted with every ment of conciliation between the and October 7th. The Society external grace of the orator, a jealousies and tears of the small- participated by opening the voice of the finest and richest er states, and the claims of the Judson House on October 5th. tones, a copious and flowing great ones. The most peculiar The Town’s ceremony, at elocution, and a mind stor•ed with and original feature of our gov- Town Hall, included a recount- elegant literature, appeared at ernment, is understood to have ing of Dr. Johnson’s life by the bar with a fascination of been suggested by him. He first State Senator Kevin Kelly, a language and manner, which proposed the organization of the reading of a town proclamation those who heared [sic] him had senate as a distinct body, in which by Mayor Hoydick, musical never even conceived it possible the state sovereignties should be numbers by the Stratford High to unite with the technical ad- equally represented and guarded, Chorus and Band, and a special dress of an advocate. while the weight of population flag raising lowering the Union At the same time, he rendered might be felt in the house of Jack and raising the US Coloni- a still more important service to representatives. William Samuel Johnson c. al flag of 1783. his countrymen, by introducing to On the first organization of the 1800. Photo from In We also located William their knowledge the liberal deci- new constitution, Dr. J. was elect- Pursuit Paradise by Lew- Samuel Johnson’s obituary sions of Lord Mansfield, the doc- ed a senator in congress, and in is Knapp. from 1819. trines of the civilians, and after- that station largely contributed to wards (as more general questions form those institutions and to lay Connecticut Courant arose) the authorities and reason- down those rules which were November 23, 1819 ings of Grotius, Puffendorf, and hereafter to give to the new gov- DIED—On Sunday morning, the other great teachers of natu- ern•ment its energy and direction. The Bridgeport Post Nov. 14th, at his residence in ral and public law. Among other acts of great October 8, 1954 Stratford, (Conn.) in the 93d year He soon rose to the highest public importance the bill for SERVICES HONOR of his age, WILLIAM SAMUEL professional reputation, and after organizing the judiciary establish- DR. JOHNSON, SON JOHNSON, L. L. D. late President passing with honour through ment of the U. S. was drawn up Services commemorating of Columbia College, &c. almost all the respectable elective by him in concert with his col- the birthday anniversaries of Dr. Johnson was the eldest son offices of the colony, was sent in league Oliver Ellsworth. This was the late Dr. Samuel Johnson of the Rev. Dr. Johnson, the first 1766 by the colonial legislature, not only a work of much labour, and his son, William Samuel President of the College of this to England, as their Agent Ex- but of some address, as it was Johnson, pioneers in educa- city, a man to whom the religion traordinary, for the purpose of necessary to form a system which tion, and former Stratford and learning of this country are arguing before the royal council, a might not only answer the great residents, took place yester• indebted for many important great land cause of the highest ends of public justice, but at the day in Christ Episcopal services. He was born at Strat- importance to the colony. He same time preserve a great uni- church, Stratford, and at the ford, (Conn.) in 1727, and was remained in England until 1771. formity in the mode of its admin- burial ground on Monument educated at Yale College, where ...During this period, the Univer- istration and maintain the author- place... he received the degree of A B. in sity of Oxford conferred, upon ity of the national government, 1744. He afterwards pursued him the degree of Doctor of Civil without encroaching upon the his studies for some time at Har- Law, and he was elected a Fellow state jurisdictions or rudely inno- vard University, where he was of the Royal Society, on the rec- vating upon their established admitted to the degree of A. M. ommendation of Sir John Pringle, forms of practice. in 1747, and his name has for who was at that time its presi- About this period Columbia several years appeared in the dent. College which had fallen into catalogue of that institution, as After his return to his native decay during the war, was reor- the oldest living graduate. He country, he again applied himself ganized and began to attract then applied himself to the study to his profession, and some time some share of public attention of the law, and his first appear- after was appointed one of the and patronage.