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# Simsbury Free Library

Genealogical Historical Research Library & Community Center

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [History of New Haven and Northampton Canal](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/historical-canal-presentation-with-carl-e-walter/) - Join canal historian Carl E. Walter for a fascinating presentation exploring the 19th-century history of New England's largest engineering project. Date: Wednesday, April 26 Time: 6:30pm - 8:00pm Registration: RSVP at simsburyfreelibrary@gmail.com or by filling out the google form linked below https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Bd8Amq56uJb-UNliN0aMM9Qk595bMYBQu9W3IMhjFO8/edit Free for members, $10 dollars for nonmembers
- [Paint and Sip with Deborah Leonard](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/paint-and-sip-with-deborah-leonard/) - Join us on Thursday, April 23 with Deborah Leonard as she gives a guided painting lesson. All are welcome! Register here: https://forms.gle/HbVi8DiM4ZfenPM28 Drop off cash or checks to Simsbury Free Library. Get them in before April 23rd so we can officially mark you as coming to the event. If you aren't able to drop off
- [Learn More About Simsbury's History](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/learn-more-about-simsburys-history/) - Register: https://www.vancoevents.com/us/events/landing/61591
- [Newsletter](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/newsletter-9/) - Volume 1 Issue 1 March 1994 Since our re-organization last May, the number of patrons has increased steadily. New books, microfilm, microfiche and other research materials are being added weekly. The co-operative efforts of the Board of Trustees, volunteers and numerous others have been of immeasurable help to your librarian. To continue our progress, we
- [Newsletter](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/newsletter-8/) - Volume 1 Issue 2 May 1994 You're Invited To... Visiting Days On May 19, 20, and 21, the library will have visiting days for the general public. Read the Full Article HereDownload
- [Newsletter](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/newsletter-7/) - Volume 1 Issue 3 October 1994 Autumn leaves behind a productive, successful summer. Many resources have been added. Visitors from California, Florida, Idaho, Texas, Utah, and Japan came to use our research facilities. We have also received queries from all over the country and Canada. In addition, our computer has proven to be a helpful
- [Newsletter](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/newsletter-6/) - Volume 1 Issue 4 December 1994 Read the Full Article HereDownload
- [Newsletter](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/newsletter-5/) - Volume 2 Issue 1 March 1995 Read the Full Article HereDownload
- [Newsletter](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/newsletter-4/) - Volume 2 Issue 2 May 1995 Genealogist to Speak Noted genealogist, Jonathan Shea, will be speaking on Saturday, June 10, 1995 at our library. The lecture, which begins at 2:00 p.m., will be on the use of naturalization and immigration records in genealogical research. Read the Full Article HereDownload
- [Newsletter](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/newsletter-3/) - Volume 2 Issue 3 August 1995 Read the Full Article HereDownload
- [Newsletter](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/newsletter-2/) - Volume 2 Issue 4 October 1995 You're Invited To... An Open House Read the Full Article HereDownload
- [Newsletter](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/newsletter/) - Volume 2 Issue 5 December 1995 Introductory Genealogy Course The Simsbury Genealogical and Historical Research Library will be offering an introductory genealogy course through the Simsbury School of Continuing Education. Read the Full Article HereDownload
- [Newsletter (and other stories)](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/newsletter-and-other-stories/) - Volume 3 Issue 1 March 1996 LET THERE BE BYTES... We have a new system up and running with 1 million bytes of memory (1 gigabytes to the true computer user). Designed and built especially to meet our specific research needs, it will allow us to search records especially census indexes in Compact Disc (CD)
- [Spring Open House May 11th 10 AM - 3 PM (and other stories)](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/spring-open-house-may-11th-10-am-3-pm-and-other-stories/) - Volume 3 Issue 2 May 1996 Dust off your genealogy research and bring it along to our Spring Open House. Read the Full Article HereDownload
- ["Making Sense of the Census" Seminar Offered](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/making-sense-of-the-census-seminar-offered/) - Volume 3 Issue 3 August 1996 A free Members Only Seminar will be held on Sunday afternoon, September 29th from 1 - 4 PM. The topic, Making Sense of the Census, will cover the uses of Federal and State Censuses. Read the Full Article HereDownload
- [Birthday Books (and other stories)](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/birthday-books-and-other-stories/) - Volume 3 Issue 5 December 1996 Among the treasures in the Simsbury Free Library Collections are two birthday books belonging to the members of the Winslow family. Birthday books kept track of the events in the lives of family and friends especially their birthdays in a small book that could be kept at one's desk.
- [The Search For Shamrocks in Simsbury (and other stories)](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-search-for-shamrocks-in-simsbury-and-other-stories/) - Volume 4 Issue 1 March 1997 A stroll through the old cemetery across from St. Bernard's Church in Tariffville is a step back in time to the days when ambitious emigrants from Ireland came to the Simsbury area in search of work and new home in America. Read the Full Article HereDownload
- [Spring Open House to Be Held (and other stories)](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/spring-open-house-to-be-held-and-other-stories/) - Volume 4 Issue 2 May 1997 Gather your charts and notes and bring them to Open House from 10 AM to 3 PM on May 10th. Librarian Stephen Simon will be joined by volunteers to help get beginners started and assist the more advanced genealogists with those thorny problems that can stall research. Read the
- [Miss Irene Welden Contributes Books](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/miss-irene-welden-contributes-books/) - Volume 4 Issue 3 August 1997 The Library's Board of Trustees are most grateful to Miss Irene Welden for her gift of about four hundred books. Miss Welden built her collection of genealogical books as she researched her own family history. The books, which generally cover subjects in the northeastern United States, have been catalogued
- [Simsbury DAR Chapter Donates Funds to Purchase New Microfilm Reader-Printer](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/simsbury-dar-chapter-donates-funds-to-purchase-new-microfilm-reader-printer/) - Volume 4 Issue 4 October 1997 The Abigail Phelps Chapter of the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution found itself in a unique position this year and able to fulfill the Library's need for a new Canon 90 Microprinter. Read the Full Article HereDownload
- [From the Librarian's Desk](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/from-the-librarians-desk/) - Volume 4 Issue 5 December 1997 What a great year! Membership is way up. The number of people using the library has increased drastically. Read the Full Article HereDownload
- [From the Chairman's Desk](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/from-the-chairmans-desk/) - Volume 5 Issue 1 March 1998 The Trustees of the Simsbury Free Library are delighted to announce the celebration of the Tenth Anniversary of the Simsbury Genealogical and Historical Research Library. Many of you have been with us from the start and lived through our growing pains, but let's do a quick review for new,
- [From the Editor's Desk](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/from-the-editors-desk/) - Volume 5 Issue 2 June 1998 I can remember the first day I walked in to the Simsbury Genealogical and Historical Research Library in 1992. New to town and looking to pick up the threads of my genealogical research, I had stumbled upon this marvelous facility. Dee Depuis was serving as Librarian and quickly oriented
- [Descendants By the Millions](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/descendants-by-the-millions/) - Volume 5 Issue 3 Fall 1998 "Some 30 million American can validly claim to be descended from the 23 families who lived through the first winter after the Mayflower landed." This intriguing statement, attributed to Mr. Tweed Roosevelt, can be found in the June/July issue of Civilization, the magazine published by the Library of Congress.
- [A Treasure-Trove from the 18th Century](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/a-treasure-trove-from-the-18th-century/) - Volume 5 Issue 4 Winter 1998-99 Extensive Research Project Begun Some of us at the Simsbury Genealogical and Historical Research Library have long been aware of the existence of numerous account books kept by Simsbury citizens in the 1700s. After analyzing one for a graduate school paper, I realized that these ledgers, written with quill
- [The Stanclift Legacy](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-stanclift-legacy/) - Volume 6 Issue 1 Spring 1999 Gravestones in Simsbury Center Cemetery One of the early gravestone carvers in Simsbury was James Stanclift Jr. His grandfather James Stanclift, who was born near the town of Halifax in Yorkshire, England, came to Connecticut about 1684. He eventually founded the Stanclift Brownstone Quarry. Read the Full Article HereDownload
- [William Phelps Eno Plaque Installed](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/william-phelps-eno-plaque-installed/) - Volume 6 Issue 2 Summer 1999 Symbol of the Eno Foundation for Transportation Something new has been added to the Simsbury Free Library building this summer. A five-foot square plaque is now attached to the southeast corner of the building facing the parking area. This impressive high relief sculptural piece depicts the seal of the
- [Locating Ancestors' Naturalization Records](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/locating-ancestors-naturalization-records/) - Volume 6 Issue 3 Fall 1999 And What You Can Expect When You Find Them For those with immigrant ancestry, the usual object of a genealogical search is to determine the place of birth. For the purpose of this discussion, an immigrant is one who arrived in the United States after 1789. Colonial immigration is
- [Some Services in 18th Century Simsbury](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/some-services-in-18th-century-simsbury/) - Volume 6 Issue 4 Winter 1999-2000 David Phelps Jr.'s Profitable Sidelines If a newcomer to Simsbury in 1775 had asked David Phelps Jr. what he did for a living in addition to farming, he would have told the man about the many enterprises that brought him extra income. "Oh, I do a lot of fetching
- [Francis Barnard of Simsbury (1719-1789)](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/francis-barnard-of-simsbury-1719-1789/) - Volume 7 Issue 1 Spring 2000 His Seven Sons Fought in the Revolutionary War Although not one of the very earliest families of Simsbury, that of Francis Barnard extends back over two and a half centuries in town, and few families anywhere can claim the distinction of having as many participants in the American Revolutionary
- [Elisha Cornish, 18th Century Man of Law](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/elisha-cornish-18th-century-man-of-law/) - Volume 7 Issue 2 Summer 2000 His Ledger Lists More Than Two Thousand Legal Services Elisha Cornish's account book shows the multiplicity of occupations that men often had during the late colonial and Revolutionary War periods, but his interest in all aspects of the law predominates. The account book, along with public records, reveals that
- [Fall Open House](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/fall-open-house/) - Volume 3 Issue 4 October 1996 Saturday November 23rd - 10 AM - 3 PM Jump start your lagging genealogical Project or get it organized for the long winter research period at our Fall Open House. Our Librarian and volunteers will be available to help you. Come see that the Library has been up to
- [Gifford Pinchot: Early Simsbury Connections](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/a-blacksmith-business-at-its-peak-2/) - Volume 7 Issue 3 Fall 2000 First U.S. Forester, Governor of Pennsylvania Was Born Here Gifford Pinchot was born on August 11, 1865 in his grandparents' summer home in the center of Simsbury. In front of that house on August 11 this year the Society of American Foresters, which Pinchot founded 100 years ago, dedicated
- [The Cornish Family in East Weatogue](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-cornish-family-in-east-weatogue/) - Volume 7 Issue 4 Winter 2000-01 Town Records Show Extensive Land Holdings At least seven generations of Cornishes lived and died in Simsbury. Elisha Cornish, whose account book was the subject of an article in the Summer 2000 issue of this publication, belonged to the fourth generation in Simsbury. The death of his great grandfather,
- [A Revolutionary Era Record](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/a-revolutionary-era-record/) - Volume 8 Issue 1 Spring 2001 John Owen's Seventh Account Book In February 1767 John Owen, Esq., of Simsbury opened a new leather-bound ledger and set his quill on the first of its unlined pages, each elegantly watermarked with royal symbols paying tribute to King George III of England. By the time Owen died sixteen
- [Goodwin & Bigelow](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/goodwin-bigelow/) - Volume 8 Issue 2 Summer-Fall 2001 A Mercantile Venture in Colonial Simsbury At the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford there is an account book that holds records for a general store and a sloop owned by Daniel Goodwin and his partner John Bigelow. The first page of the ledger states that the store opened on
- [Albert Carlos Bates (1865-1954)](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/albert-carlos-bates-1865-1954/) - Volume 8 Issue 3 Winter 2001-2002 His Contribution to Local Genealogical Resources Anyone who researches a family who lived in Colonial Simsbury, or one of the towns that sprang from it after the Revolutionary War, will inevitably encounter the name Albert Carlos Bates. Bates's book Simsbury, Connecticut: Births, Marriages, and Deaths Transcribed from the Town
- [A Hartford Blacksmith Moves to Simsbury](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/a-hartford-blacksmith-moves-to-simsbury/) - Volume 9 (misnamed as Volume 8) Issues 1-2 Spring-Summer 2002 Isaac Ensign (1747-1816), Grandfather of Ralph Hart Ensign In 1770 a committee appointed by the Proprietors and Town of Simsbury laid out a lot "for the Use and Improvement of a blacksmith." The "Blacksmith's Lot" was bounded "East on the Highway [now Hopmeadow Street] North
- [The Mitchelsons of Windsor and Simsbury](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-mitchelsons-of-windsor-and-simsbury/) - Volume 9 Issue 3 Fall 2002 William and Eliphalet, Tailor and Tavern Keepers Windsor town records suggest that William Mitchelson arrived in Connecticut early in the eighteenth century. The first mention of William is in Windsor's vital records, where his marriage to Mary Howard on April 26, 1713 is recorded. Land records show that three
- [The Terry Family Account Book](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-terry-family-account-book/) - Volume 9 Issue 4 Winter 2002-03 Business Records That Cover Almost a Century Two generations of men in the Terry family in Simsbury kept accounts in a single account book from 1739 to 1829. These men were members of the third and fourth generations of Terrys born in the New World. They were descended from
- [The Connecticut Historical Society and Its Collections](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-connecticut-historical-society-and-its-collections/) - Volume 10 Issue 1, Spring 2003 Part One: An Overview On May 25, 2003, the Connecticut Historical Society celebrated its 178th birthday. CHS is the seventh oldest historical society in the nation and it is believed to be the oldest in Connecticut. It is an institution that can take pride not only in its own
- [Genealogy and Historical Manuscripts](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/genealogy-and-historical-manuscripts/) - Volume 10 Issue 2 , Summer 2003 Second in the Series on the Connecticut Historical Society Collections The prize collection of the Connecticut Historical Society is the historical manuscript collection. It was instituted in 1839 when CHS established quarters over the store of Humphrey and Seyms on Hartford's Main Street and began actively collecting historical
- [The Connecticut Historical Society's Genealogy Collection](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-connecticut-historical-societys-genealogy-collection/) - Volume 10 Issue 3, Fall 2003 Third of a Three-Part Series on the CHS Collections Very early in his forty-seven year tenure as Librarian of the Connecticut Historical Society, Albert Carlos Bates had the foresight to recognize the significance of genealogy in the Society's library. In 1893 Bates implemented the purchase of the D.W. Patterson
- [Lockwood Migrations](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/lockwood-migrations/) - Volume 10 Issue 4, Winter 2003-04 Tracing One Lockwood Family Line When researching a family that came to the New World many generations ago, one inherent challenge is tracking its movements within this continent. This country's early settlers often settled in more than one place. Englishman Robert Lockwood and his descendants, who now have reached
- [Simeon Higley: Simsbury Cooper and Sawyer](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/simeon-higley-simsbury-copper-and-sawyer/) - Volume 11 Issues 1-2 Spring-Summer 2004 With Sketches Involving Some of His Customers Simeon Higley was eighteen in December 1769 when he began keeping his own account book, one of the rites of passage for many young men in colonial America. Before that, his labor was undoubtedly folded into the business dealings recorded in a
- [The Howards: Millers and Physicians in 17th Century Windsor](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-howards-millers-and-physicians-in-17th-century-windsor-2/) - Volume 11 Issue 3-4, Fall-Winter 2004-05 Ephraim Howard was One of the Investors in Simsbury's First Mills Mr. John Warham of Devon County, England was one of two Puritan ministers selected to be part of a company of about 140 prospective settlers who sailed for New England in May 1630 aboard the ship Mary and
- [Robert Pringle of Edinburgh and Simsbury](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-gift-givers-of-st-bernards-catholic-church/) - Volume 12 Issue 1, Spring 2005 Pioneer in the Automobile Business in the Farmington Valley Mary Pringle Mitchell has written this account of her father's arrival in this country almost a century ago and the life he made for himself and his family. My father, Robert Pringle, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1890 ,
- [The Gift Givers of St. Bernard's Catholic Church](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-gift-givers-of-st-bernards-catholic-church-2/) - Volume 12 Issue 2-3 Summer-Fall 2005 Nineteeth-Century Memorials in Stained Glass The radiant rays of the morning sun flowed through the stained glass windows, illuminating images of saints and symbols of the Roman Catholic Faith. Beneath these beautiful figures, my eyes rested on the names of the forgotten souls who donated the windows or who
- [Der Traum (The Dream)](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/der-traum-the-dream/) - Volume 12 Issue 4 Winter 2005-06 Finding Family Places in Baden and Bavaria, Germany With my trip to Germany in September 2005, I feel like I have completed the dream of every genealogist. I have walked in the villages, found many of the original homes still standing, entered the churches and toured some of the
- [By Subscription Only: The Union Library](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/by-subscription-only-the-union-library/) - Volume 13 Issue 1-2 Spring-Summer 2006 A Predecessor of the Simsbury Free Library Libraries did not begin with the idea that books would circulate. In ancient and medieval times a library's major function was to preserve scarce texts for the use of scholars; the fabled Egyptian library at Alexandria and the collection in the monasteries
- [The Simsbury Free Library](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-simsbury-free-library-6/) - Volume 13 Issue 3 Fall 2006 The Original Trustees Part 1 During the Winter of 1872 and 1873, there was organized among the middle aged and the young people of this village a social and literary club. This society, prompted by it's needs, agitated the matter of a public library. There had existed for some
- [The Simsbury Free Library](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-simsbury-free-library-5/) - Volume 13 Issue 4, Winter 2006-07 The Original Trustees: Part 2 Amos R. Eno appointed ten trustees in 1874 to manage the affairs of the Simsbury Free Library. the composition of the board remained the same for more than twenty seven years, demonstrating the wisdom of Mr. Eno's selection and the dedication of the men
- [The Simsbury Free Library](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-simsbury-free-library-4/) - Volume 14 Issue 1, Spring 2007 The Original Trustees: Part 3 Amos Richards Eno, founding benefactor of the Simsbury Free Library, was the son of Salmon Eno, a Simsbury native and a member of the fifth generation of Eno's in the New World. As a young man, Salmon Eno studied under the town's congregational minister,
- [The Simsbury Free Library](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-simsbury-free-library-3/) - Volume 14 Issue 2, Summer 2007 The Original Trustees: Part 4 When Amos Richards Eno was assembling a 10 member board of trustees for the Simsbury Free Library in 1874, it is not surprising that he looked to the staff of Toy, Bickford & Company, now Ensign-Bickford Industries. Two of the trustees he named had
- [The Simsbury Free Library](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-simsbury-free-library-2/) - Volume 14 Issue 3, Fall 2007 When the Board of Trustees for the Simsbury Free Library met for the first time on August 24, 1874, their first act was to elect Amos F. Eno president of the board in absentia. Five days later the board accepted Mr. Eno's written resignation from the post. He never
- [The Story Behind The Story](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-story-behind-the-story/) - Volume 14 Issue 4, Winter 2007-08 Footprints Across America from the Simsbury 1930 Census Electric lights were being installed on the west side of Hopmeadow Street from the Simsbury Free Library toward the north. The Simsbury Bank and Trust Company disclosed their "gaudy" earnings of $59,185 for 1929, which was about three times the amount
- [The Simsbury Free Library](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-simsbury-free-library/) - Volume 15 Issue 1, Spring 2008 Part 6: The Original Trustees Amos R. Eno wrote these words to be read in January of 1890 at the dedication of the Simsbury Free Library Building: My last teacher was a graduate of Amherst College, and I took my degree figuratively in the academy or the studio, about
- [Mysteries Surround East Granby's Smallpox Cemetery](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/mysteries-surround-east-granbys-smallpox-cemetery/) - Volume 15 Issue 2 Summer 2008 A Relic of an Eighteenth-Century Scourge Many themes and mysteries surround the disappearance of the headstones from the East Granby Smallpox Cemetery on Hatchet Hill: in the 18th century, a dreaded disease and a grandfather and his four grandchildren isolated on a hill - in the 20th century, an
- [Where'd They Go?](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/whered-they-go/) - Volume 15 Issue 3, Fall 2008 Finding Ancestral Migrations In Federal Records Unless you have a very unique pedigree, some of your ancestors moved somewhere at some point in time. Rarely did all of our ancestors live their complete lives in one place. Where they went, how they got there, and why they moved can
- [Melvin Hathaway Hapgood (1859-1899)](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/melvin-hathaway-hapgood-1859-1899/) - Volume 15 Issue 4, Winter 2008-2009 The Architect Who Designed the Simsbury Free Library A seventh generation descendant of Shadrach Hapgood who arrived in Massachusetts from England in 1656 at the age of fourteen, Melvin Hathaway Hapgood and his architectural firm designed several significant Simsbury buildings. Hapgood was born February 11, 1859, in a log
- [Melvin H. Hapgood and the Eno Family](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/melvin-h-hapgood-and-the-eno-family/) - Volume 16 Issue 1, Spring 2009 Intersections of Common Interests and Collaboration The last issue of this newsletter featured a brief biography of Melvin Hathaway Hapgood, the architect who designed the 1890 Simsbury Free Library building. The connections between Architect Hapgood and members of the Eno family are worthy of mention. Library donor Amos Richards
- [Lettie Dodge Montgomery](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/lettie-dodge-montgomery/) - Volume 16 Issue 2 Summer 2009 Witness to the Civil War and the Transcontinental Railroad One day in 1928 Lettie Dodge Montgomery welcomed to her grand summer home in Simsbury a writer and his wife. The man, Jacob R. Perkins, was close to publishing a biography of Mrs. Montgomery's father, Major General Grenville
- [Your Simsbury Ancestors in Town Reports](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/your-simsbury-ancestors-in-town-reports/) - Volume 16 Issue 3 Fall 2009 Supplementing Vital Records and Census Information If you're looking for information about an ancestor to add to the sketchy facts that vital records provide, you might be successful in town reports. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, town reports published by the Town of Simsbury listed
- [Simsbury History is Saved and Told](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/simsbury-history-is-saved-and-told/) - Volume 17 Issue 1 Spring 2010 The Town's First Three Histories A headline in the Hartford Courant in 1913 told this remarkable story: "STATE LIBRARY HAS ROLL OF MINUTE MEN, List of Simsbury Volunteers of 1776 Found in Dump Heap." The article explained that about thirteen years before Lucius W. Bigelow, who has a place
- [The Eno Family From Their Origins in France to the Present](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-eno-family-from-their-origins-in-france-to-the-present/) - Volume 17 Issue 2 Summer 2010 Part I: The Late Middle Ages to the Early 19th Century The first of this two-part series is taken verbatim from "The Eno Family and Reminiscences of Abigail Eno Ellsworth". This unpublished typescript of records compiled by Mrs. Ellsworth between 1940 and 1947 has bee donated to the Simsbury
- [The Eno Family from Their Origins in France to the Present](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-eno-family-from-their-origins-in-france-to-the-present-2/) - Volume 17 Issue 3 Fall 2010 Part II: Into the 20th Century In Part I, we shared the unpublished typescript of Abigail Eno Ellsworth's records compiled between 1940 and 1947. Her records, along with those of Henry Lane Eno, gave us the full story of the earliest recorded lives of the family as they
- [Memories of the Ketchins of Tariffville](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/memories-of-the-ketchins-of-tariffville/) - Volume 17 Issue 4 Winter 2010 Part I: Builders in Stone and Quarrymen Three generations of men in the Ketchin family worked on most, if not all, of the brownstone constructed in Simsbury and the surrounding towns from the 1850's through the 1920's. They built the Ensign -Bickford buildings in Simsbury and Avon, the Simsbury
- [Memories of the Ketchins of Tariffville #2](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/memories-of-the-ketchins-of-tariffville-2/) - Volume 18 Issues 1 & 2, Spring & Summer 2011 Part 2: The Early Years of A. J. Ketchin & Son In Part 1, excerpts from William Mansfield Ketchin’s memoirs told the Ketchin family history from their arrival from Paisley, Scotland, in 1821 to their eventual founding of stone masonry and monument businesses in the
- [Memories of the Ketchins of Tariffville #3](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/memories-of-the-ketchins-of-tariffville-3/) - Volume 18 Issues 3 & 4, Fall & Winter 2011 Part 3: Ensign, Bickford & Company Buildings and More The second installment of this series, based on the memoirs of William Mansfield Ketchin, told of A. J. Ketchin & Son’s monument business and its diversification into stone bridge construction and stone home building. On the
- [Memories of the Ketchins of Tariffville #4](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/memories-of-the-ketchins-of-tariffville-4/) - Volume 19 Issue 1, Spring 2012 Part 4: The Stone Construction Business Prospers In Part 3 in this series, William Ketchin '8 memoirs told about the first stone buildings that A. J Ketchin & Son built for Ensign, Bickford & Company in Simsbury and Avon and the quarries from which stone was taken. The memoirs
- [Memories of the Ketchins of Tariffville #5](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/memories-of-ketchins-tariffville-5/) - Volume 19 Issue 2, Summer 2012 Part 5: The Ketchins' Tobacco Business With their construction business growing, Andrew and William Ketchin had an increasing need for workmen. In his memoirs, William explained, "Here is where I got interested in tobacco as a business." He wrote this brief account of his cigar tobacco ventures: The firm
- [A Research Trip to England #1](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/a-research-trip-to-england-1/) - Volume 19 Issue 3, Fall 2012 Part 1: It Pays to Overplan When I dropped down into Street View at Google Maps to scout out a place to park at a remote country churchyard in Lincolnshire, I realized I just might be overplanning my spring 2010 trip to England with my husband, Harvey. But I
- [A Research Trip to England #2](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/a-research-trip-to-england-2/) - Volume 19 Issue 4, Winter 2012-13 Part 2: The Trip and Back at Home The trip itself began on an auspicious note. The volcano in Iceland erupted about the time we were boarding our plane in Newark, but our flight was released to many cheers after waiting on the tarmac for twohours. When we landed
- [John Case of the Fourth Generation in Simsbury #1](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/john-cas-fourth-generation-simsbury/) - Volume 20 Issue 1, Spring 2013 Part 1: In the Mid-1700s, a Young Man Begins an Account Book When he started making entries in his first ledger in 1739, John Case was a twenty year old bachelor. Beginning his own account book signaled that he was striking out on his own and that his earnings
- [John Case of the Fourth Generation in Simsbury #2](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/john-case-of-the-fourth-generation-in-simsbury-2/) - Volume 20 Issue 2, Summer 2013 Part 2: With Shoemaking Underway, His Tannery Opens The first installment of this article dealt with John Case’s shoemaking business, as reflected by entries in his first account book. He began his book in 1739 at the age of twenty and continued using it into the 1760s. His entries
- [John Case of the Fourth Generation in Simsbury #3](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/john-case-of-the-fourth-generation-in-simsbury-3/) - Volume 20 Issues 3-4, Fall-Winter 2013 Part 3: Farming for Self-Sufficiency and Profit John Case's first account book, in which he recorded transactions from 1739 into the 1760s, reveals the bounty of his fields, garden, orchard, pasture lands and woodlots. His farm produced most of the food that his family and their animals needed, fuel
- [A 1911 Trip Abroad #1](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/a-1911-trip-abroad/) - Volume 21 Issue 1, Spring 2014 The Alice Goodrich Eno Letters More than a hundred year ago, before the map of the world was changed by two world wars, twenty-seven-year-old Alice Goodrich Eno of Simsbury accompanied her aunt and uncle on a trip abroad. On February 4, 1911, the New York Times published an article.
- [A 1911 Trip Abroad #2](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/a-1911-trip-abroad-2/) - Volume 21 Issue 2 Summer 2014 From Constantinople to Home By the time Alice Goodrich Eno wrote to her sister, Polly, on February 27, 1911, the S.S. Arabic, with its towering party of six hundred Americans, had steamed from the Meediterranean Sea through the Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmara. Near the Bosphorus Strait, the
- [The Neighborhood House in Weatogue #1](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-neighborhood-house-in-weatogue-1/) - Volume 21 Issue 3, Fall 2014 Part 1: A Community Center with a Special Mission Simsbury's first social club that could boast of a building for its exclusive use was the Casino, which opened in 1898. It stood in the center of town on Hopmeadow Street where Eno Memorial Hall stands today.1 Over the next
- [The Neighborhood House in Weatogue #2](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-neighborhood-house-in-weatogue-2/) - Volume 21 Issue 4, Spring–Summer 2015 Part 2: Antecedents in the Work of Weatogue's Three Ministers The preceding part of this article dealt with the founding of Weatogue’s Neighborhood House in 1905, the moving and refurbishing of the donated building and a sampling of the dinners and cultural programs given in the house. This second
- [The Neighborhood House in Weatogue #3](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-neighborhood-house-in-weatogue-3/) - Volume 22 Issue 1, Fall & Winter 2015-16 Part 3: After Sixteen Years, the Mission Comes to an End At the time the Weatogue Neighborhood House was founded in 1905, the area was experiencing an influx of immigrants from Europe, drawn by hopes of a better life through employment on local tobacco farms and in
- [Bushy Hill Neighborhood House and Society](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/bushy-hill-neighborhood-house-and-society/) - Volume 22 Issue 2 Spring 2016 A Community Club Run by Member from 1911 to 1955 At the turn of the twentieth century, the Bushy Hill district in the southwest of Simsbury was fairly isolated from other parts of town. That area of small farms and unpaved roads had one public building, the elementary school,
- [Book of World War I letters written by Simsbury native](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/book-of-world-war-i-letters-written-by-simsbury-native/) - Thank you so much to Joe Hall (of Hall's Farm on Terry's Plain) for sharing his great uncle's World War I letters and allowing us to scan them. If you are a Simsbury or WWI history buff, stop in and have a look at our book of 44 letters that George L. Hall sent home
- [The Wicked Life of James Poisson](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-wicked-life-of-james-poisson/) - Volume 22 Issue 3, Summer 2016 An Eighteenth-Century Scoundrel in Simsbury James Poisson was not a nice man. Nor was he an honest man. He was a doctor, a merchant, a shopkeeper, an investor in mills and factories, a land speculator, a financial wheeler-dealer, frequently involved in lawsuits, a defaulter of loans, a liar, a
- [Farmington Canal Maps Published](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/farmington-canal-maps-published/) - In partnership with canal expert Carl E. Walter, the Simsbury Free Library (SFL) has just published nine maps of the Farmington Canal. The map series includes one for each of the towns through which the canal once ran: New Haven, Hamden, Cheshire, Southington, Plainville, Farmington, Avon, Simsbury and Granby. Each map notes the various features
- [Bibi Gaston will be back in June!](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/bibi-gaston-will-be-back-in-june/) - Bibi Gaston will be back at the Simsbury Free Library on Tuesday, June 27, 2017 to discuss her new book, Gifford Pinchot and the First Foresters: The Untold Story of the Brave Men and Women Who Launched the American Conversation Movement. Join us from 5:30 to 6:30 for wine and cheese and then we will
- [Carl Walter Wins Award for Canal Maps](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/carl-walter-wins-award-of-merit/) - The Simsbury Free Library is pleased to announce that the Connecticut League of History Organizations (CLHO) awarded Carl Walter an Individual Achievement Award of Merit for his work on the Farmington Canal Maps at their annual conference on Monday, June 5, 2017 in Meriden, CT. In their award letter, the CLHO wrote “The committee was
- [Welcome to Lost and Found](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/welcome-to-lost-and-found/) - In past issues of the Simsbury Free Library's Quarterly newsletter, we have included queries from our members. Do you have a question about the house you live in? A missing piece in your genealogy chart? A question about Simsbury history? An old picture of Simsbury you are trying to place? Send an email to programs@simsburyfreelibrary.org with
- [A Boyhood in Simsbury #1](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/a-boyhood-in-simsbury-1/) - Volume 22 Issue 4 Winter 2016-2017 Memoirs of Joseph Toy Curtiss, Part II In 1970, Simsbury observed its three-hundredth birthday with a series of parades, plays, speeches and concerts. The schools held special assemblies commemorating the past and men sprouted long whiskers as they competed in a beard-growing contest. It was a town-wide affair spanning
- [A Boyhood in Simsbury #2](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/a-boyhood-in-simsbury/) - Volume 23 Issue 1 Spring 2017 Memoirs of Joseph Toy Curtiss, Part II In 1911 the Joseph Toy Curtiss family moved from the Weatogue district to the center of Simsbury. The next couple of years must have been difficult ones. The father, Joseph Toy Curtiss Sr., died in 1912 in a car crash, and the
- [Canal Author Bob Madison Visit Planned](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/canal-author-bob-madison-visit-planned/) - Canal enthusiasts and history lovers, mark your calendars for Thursday, September 28, at 7:00 pm. Bob Madison, author of “The New Haven and Northampton Canal Greenway: Bike and Rail Trails Following the Historic Canal”, a rails-to-trails book whose roots originated from the longest canal system in New England, is scheduled to speak on September 28,
- [New Canal-Rail-Trail Book Available](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/new-canal-rail-trail-book-available/) - Bob Madison's new book, New Haven and Northampton Canal Greenway: Bike and Rail Trails Following the Historic Canal, is now available for sale at the Simsbury Free Library. This rails to trails book is a comprehensive guide which includes trail maps, trailhead descriptions, attractions, distances and a little history of each of the sixteen towns
- [Carl Walter to Give Canal Talk](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/carl-walter-to-give-canal-talk/) - Canal expert Carl Walter will be back at the Free Library on Thursday, October 19, at 7 p.m. This talk will focus on the Farmington Valley towns through which the canal ran: Farmington, Avon, Simsbury and Granby. Don't miss the opportunity to learn more about this fascinating piece of local history. To get a sneak peek at
- [First Place in Gingerbread Competition for Simsbury Free Library (Staff)](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/first-place-in-gingerbread-competition-for-simsbury-free-library-staff/) - The Simsbury Free Library is pleased to announce that our staff won first place in Simsbury Celebrates' Gingerbread Competition on Sunday, November 19, 2017. Congratulations to Tara Willerup's team of Sarah Neagoy, Laura Riley, Sarah Hart and Marilyn Giese for their beautiful gingerbread rendition of the Free Library. Come check out the 24 creative gingerbread houses!
- [Mark Your 2018 Calendar Now](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/mark-your-2018-calendar-now/) - We have lots of programming scheduled for the first half of 2018! Get out your calendar and jot down these great programs. Sign up by phone, (860) 408-1336, or email programs@simsburyfreelibrary.org. Free to members, teachers and students. $5 for non-members unless noted otherwise. January 24: Paint Night with Deborah Leonard $20 per person. RSVP required.
- [2018 MLK in Simsbury Celebration](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/2018-mlk-in-simsbury-celebration/) - 8th annual event is free & open to the public On January 15th, Simsbury will once again commemorate renowned civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by holding a special program at First Church of Christ at 2:00 p.m. This ceremony will celebrate Dr. King’s life and particularly his time in Simsbury during the summers of 1944 and
- [Second Paint Night Scheduled!](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/second-paint-night-scheduled/) - Our first Paint Night, with Debbie Leonard, was a huge success. Not only did we sell out, everyone had a great time. Check our our results: Back by popular demand...we scheduled a second paint night, this time with Catherine Elliott and we will be painting tulips. Don't miss this fun event on March 15th. RSVPs
- [Archaeology Talk: 1771 Colebrook Forge with Marc Banks](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/archaeological-investigation-1771-colebrook-forge/) - May 31, 2018 @ 7:00 p.m. Archaeology: An Investigation into the 1771 Colebrook Forge and Its Role in the Revolutionary War with Marc L. Banks Join us as Marc Banks details the 2007 archaeological investigation into the Richard Smith Forge in the Robertsville section of Colebrook. The forge was situated in an isolated location before
- [Drop In Book Club - Books Selected](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/drop-in-book-club-books-selected/) - This month’s book, A Woman in Business: The Life of Beatrice Fox Auerbach by Virginia Hale, tells the story of a self-effacing, diminutive woman from a retailing family who became the chief executive of the largest privately owned department store in the country. Her accomplishments were all the greater because she was a woman in
- [A Blacksmith Business at Its Peak #1](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/a-blacksmith-business-at-its-peak/) - Volume 23 Issue 3 Summer 2019 Isaac Ensign's Second Account Book When Isaac Ensign began his blacksmith business in Simsbury in 1770, he was a bachelor just shy of twenty-three years old. The town enticed him here with the offer of the "Blacksmith Lott" in the center of town just north of the "Burying Yard."
- [Irish Genealogy](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/irish-genealogy/) - Saturday, March 28, at 10:30 a.m. Do you have Irish ancestors? Are you looking for help with family history research on those ancestors? Tips and techniques on researching your Irish ancestors will be discussed at this class. We will review different sources for Irish research and discuss where to look from this side of the
- [Simsbury Free Library Open By Appointment](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/simsbury-free-library-open-by-appointment/) - Have you been stuck at home with a burning question that you know could be answered by visiting the Simsbury Free Library? We are now open by appointment only, to allow access to our vast genealogy resources. To make a reservation or for more information, contact Tara at (860) 559-8265 or simsburyfreelibrary@gmail.com.
- [Simsbury Free Library Open for Virtual Genealogy Help](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/simsbury-free-library-open-for-virtual-genealogy-help/) - Researching your family tree and don't know where else to look to find missing ancestors? Let genealogist Alison Watson Maston help. Alison has over 40 years of experience. She specializes in researching vital records, land records, immigration and naturalization records as well as probate records. She has particular expertise in New England, New York City
- [Simsbury Free Library Reopening on June 12, 2021](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/simsbury-free-library-reopening-on-june-12-2021/) - The Simsbury Free Library is pleased to announce they will reopen to the public with new hours beginning on Saturday, June 12, 2021. Our updated hours will be the second and fourth Saturdays of each month from 10 am to 2 pm and Thursdays from 11 am to 5 pm. We will also be available
- [A Blacksmith Business at Its Peak #2](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/a-blacksmith-business-at-its-peak-2-2/) - Volume 23 Issue 4 Fall 2019 Isaac Ensign's Multifaceted Occupation Although a major part of Isaac Ensign's business was shoeing horses and oxen, his customers probably never called him a farrier. He and the others in town in the same trade were designated in the early tax records only as "blacksmiths." However, the variety of
- [SFL Quarterly Indexes](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/sfl-quarterly-indexes/) - In an effort to assist our members in their genealogical research, we have completed an every-name index as well as an article index for what has appeared in the Simsbury Free Library Quarterly Newsletters. You may sort each index by subject or it is searchable by any column.
- [The Pinchot's: A Family Saga](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/the-pinchots-a-family-saga/) - Join us in welcoming David Patterson for a book reading and signing of his book The Pinchots - A Family Saga. Like the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers of America's gilded age, this book gives the Pinchot family its overdue recognition, and focuses on three generations of amazing Pinchots who served public good as champions of many
- [Happy Holidays! We will be closed on the following dates:](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/happy-holidays-we-will-be-closed-on-the-following-dates/) - Thursday, December 25, 2025 Saturday, December 27, 2025 Tuesday, December 30, 2025 Thursday, January 1, 2026

## Pages

- [Helpful Genealogy Links](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/helpful-genealogy-links/) - Genealogical Societies This is a list of local and regional genealogical societies that may be of interest. Genealogical Societies are membership based. ($) Multi-Database Record Search Companies Digital Books Digital books are online in various ways. Archive.org and Hathi Trust have thousands of books published prior to 1926 in their entirety because the copyright has
- [Book Store](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/book-store/) - Our on-line Book Store is currently being updated, please contact the library to purchase any of our large selection of books at 860-408-1336.
- [Farmington Canal Maps, Flat](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/book-store/farmington-canal-maps-flat/) - Flat maps measure approximately 22 inches by 17 inches and are suitable for framing or lamination. Each flat map costs $10.00 (plus 6.35% CT sales tax and shipping). Our store is currently being updated, please contact the library for purchase at 860-408-1336.
- [Farmington Canal Maps, Folded](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/book-store/farmington-canal-maps-folded/) - Folded maps measure approximately 4.5 inches by 8.5 inches.Each folded map is $5.00, or $40.00 for the set of nine maps (plus 6.35% CT sales tax and shipping). Our store is currently being updated, please contact the library for purchase at 860-408-1336.
- [Coast Manufacturing & Supply - STAFF](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/coast-manufacturing-supply-staff/) - Language: EnglishThe collection is open for research.The collection is in good condition. Web Finding Aid: Sarah Neagoy, 2026
- [Archive Collections](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/) - Select the collection for additional information and access to the collection's finding aid. EXHIBITS William Phelps Eno Exhibit (1858-1945)Ensign Bickford Archives Coast Manufacturing & Supply ARCHIVES Alice Goodrich Eno Cole (1883-1945)Alice Irene Welden (1903-2006)Antoinette Eno WoodAmos R. Eno (1810-1898)Carl E. Walter CollectionGeorge P. McLean" (1857-1932)Historical Pamphlets CollectionLocal Print Newspaper CollectionMary Louise Nason - Good Wives of
- [Coast Manufacturing & Supply](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/coast-manufacturing-supply/) - Donated by: Ensign BickfordManuscript Number: MS 004Series Arrangement:Series 1: Executive CorrespondenceSeries 2: FinancialsSeries 3: SecuritiesSeries 4: OperationsSeries 5: Photographs Series 6: Market Research Reports Coast Manufacturing & Supply, a branch of Ensign-Bickford & Co. based in Livermore, California, produced safety fuses. The collection primarily consists of business records of Ensign-Bickford presidents Henry E. Ellsworth (1935–1944)
- [Carl E. Walter Collection - STAFF](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/staff-carl-e-walter-collection/) - Language: EnglishThe collection is open for research. The collection is in good condition. Web Finding Aid: Sarah Neagoy 2025.
- [Carl E. Walter Collection](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/carl-e-walter-collection/) - Donated by: Carl E. WalterManuscript Number: MS 020Series Arrangement:Series 1: ExhibitSeries 2: DatabaseSeries 3: MapsSeries 4: Print Material The Carl E. Walter Collection consists of various maps and research materials created by Carl from 2006 to 2024. The collection focuses on the Farmington River Canal's location, construction and history. The canal was built in the
- [Amos R. Eno (1810-1898)](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/amos-r-eno/) - Donated by: Eno, Amos R. (Amos Richard) (1810 - 1898)Manuscript Number: MS 001 Series Arrangement:Series 1. Art WorkSeries 2. Architectural DrawingsSeries 3. Print MaterialsSeries 4. Photographs Amos R. Eno generously created the Simsbury Free Library and its Board of Trustees with an initial donation of $3,000 in 1874. Then, in 1887, Amos Eno made additional
- [Archive Collection Request Form](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/collection-request-form/) - Local Print Newspapers
- [Local Print Newspaper Collection](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/local-simsbury-papers/) - Donated by: Simsbury Public LibraryManuscript Number: MS 025 The Local Print Newspaper collection, donated by the Simsbury Public Library in 2018, contains eleven newprint and journal titles for the local area covering news from the years of 1941 to 2018. The titles include: Connecticut Life, Farmington Valley Herald, Farmington Valley Post, Farmington Valley Times, Simsbury
- [Local Print Newspaper Collection - STAFF](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/local-print-newspaper-collection-staff/) - Language: EnglishThe collection is open for research.The collection is in good condition. Web Finding Aid: Sarah Neagoy July 2022, updated November 2025.
- [Ensign Bickford Archives - STAFF](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/ensign-bickford-archives-staff/) - Language: EnglishThe collection is open for research.The collection is in good condition. Print Finding Aid 2000, Elise Miller, Kim Rutigliano, and Gail A. Syring. Web Finding Aid: Alison Watson Maston/Sarah Neagoy July 2022, Updated November 2025.
- [World War II Sound Recordings - STAFF](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/wwii-sound-recordings-2/) - The collection is not open for research.The collection is in fragile condition. Patrons may access recordings at: The Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/WWII_News_1945To order copies of sound recording see the National Archives Ordering Information: https://www.archives.gov/research/military/ww2/sound-recordings.html#45 and Order Copies of Moving Image and Sound Holdings | National Archives Print Inventory, Alexandra Geitz, July 2014, Web Finding Aid, Sarah Neagoy May
- [World War II Sound Recordings](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/wwii-sound-recordings/) - Donated by: UnknownManuscript Number: MS 030 Series Arrangement:Series 1. Jul 1943 - Jul 1944 Series 2. Aug 1944 - Dec 1944 Series 3. Jan 1945 - Jun 1945Series 4. Jul 1945 - Jul 1946 The World War II Sound Records Collection contains 72 - 33 rpm phonographic records in analog sound storage format. The albums
- [Amos R. Eno (1810-1898) - STAFF](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/amos-r-eno-1810-1898-staff/) - Language: EnglishThe collection is open for research. The collection is in good condition. Simsbury Free Library Quarterly Newsletter Cross-Reference:Summertime 1875 for the Eno Family," Volume 10, Issue 1, Spring 2003Mary Jane Springman, "Melvin Hathaway Hapgood (1859-1899): The Architect Who Designed the Simsbury Free Library Building," Volume 15, Issue 4, Winter 2008-2009Mary Jane Springman, "Melvin H.
- [Simsbury Probate Records](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/simsbury-probate-records-vol-25-148-1897-2003/) - Donated by: Town of Simsbury, Paul Knierim, Simsbury Probate Court Administrator, 2010Manuscript Number: MS 017 Series Arrangement:The collection is arranged chronologically in 4 series, a series being generally a 25 year span with some overlap as volumes are organized by the date when a case is closed.Series 1: 1897 - 1925Series 2: 1926 - 1950Series
- [Simsbury Cemetery Association](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/simsbury-cemetery/) - Donated by: Simsbury Cemetery Association, Joyce A. Cahill, Frank ZarembaManuscript Number: MS 013 The Simsbury Cemetery Association collection consists of architectural landscape blue prints produced from 1915 - 1974; Joyce A. Cahill's Simsbury Cemetery Gravestone Photos and Inscription research and notes, and Frank Zaremba's database on the subject. Series Arrangement:Series 1: Architectural BlueprintsSeries 2: PhotographsSeries
- [Orpha Amanda Eno Vail (1819-1894)](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/amanda-orpha-eno-vail/) - Donated by: Marion D. Griswold, June 3, 2003Manuscript Number: MS 005Series Arrangement:Series 1: Correspondence A collection of eight letters to Orpha Amanda Eno Vail, daughter of Jonathan Eno and Orpha Adams Eno. The letters are from the following Eno family members: Amos R. Eno, Lucy Jane Eno, Mary Eno Pinchot, and Antoinette Eno Wood. They
- [Messenger Family Civil War Records](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/messenger-family-civil-war-pension-files/) - Donated by: Alvin Messenger, February 2000Manuscript Number: MS 016Series Arrangement:Series 1: Civil War RecordsSeries 2: Pension Records This collection contains eight files which provide the photocopies of the Civil War records for the following Messenger family members: Horace, Harlow, Francis, Lorenzo, Eldridge, Emory and Watson Hayes. The proof of pension for Marietta Hayes, Watson Hayes'
- [Historical Pamphlet Collection](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/historical-pamphlets/) - Donated by: UnknownManuscript Number: MS 026Series Arrangement:Series 1: HolidaySeries 2: EnslavementSeries 3: MilitarySeries 4: CultureSeries 5: HistorySeries 6: Industry The Simsbury Free Library's collection of Late19th to Early 20th Century Pamphlets consists of thirty-two pamphlets covering a variety of subjects published between 1854 - 1930. Historically, pamphlets were print forms of speeches, orations, debates, sermons,
- [Antoinette Eno Wood (1842 - 1930)](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/antoinette-eno-wood-1842-1930/) - Donated by Fair Alice McCormick, delivered by Jackson F. EnoManuscript Number: MS 009Series Arrangement:Series 1: CorrespondenceSeries 2: Personal PapersSeries 3: PhotographsSeries 4: Print Materials A collection of photographs and documents regarding Antoinette Eno Wood (1842-1930), her husband Charles Boughton Wood (1822-1889), Antoinette's parents, Amos R. Eno (1810-1898) and Lucy Jane Phelps Eno (1818-1882) and other
- [William Phelps Eno (1858-1945)](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/william-phelps-eno-collection/) - Donated by: Eno Foundation for Transportation 1992, Eno Center for Transportation, 2019.Manuscript Number: MS 003 Series Arrangement:Series 1. Personal PapersSeries 2. PhotographsSeries 3. Print MaterialSeries 4. RealiaSeries 5. ArtSeries 6. Furniture William Phelps Eno (1858 - 1945) is known internationally as the "Father of Traffic Regulation." Early in his childhood he witnessed the chaos, death,
- [Alice Irene Welden (1903-2006)](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/alice-irene-welden-collection/) - Donated by: Alice Irene WeldenManuscript Number: MS 011Series Arrangement:Series 1: Personal PapersSeries 2: Travel MemorabiliaSeries 3: GenealogiesSeries 4: Photographs Alice Irene Welden was born in Simsbury, Connecticut on 21 December 1903. She was the daughter of Reuben W. Welden (1862-1926) and Alice Louise Bidwell Welden (1870-1959). She had one sibling, a brother, William B. Welden
- [Alice Goodrich Eno Cole (1883-1942)](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/alice-goodrich-eno-cole/) - Donated by: Richard Cole Anthony delivered by Jackson F. Eno from 2014 to 2016Manuscript Number: MS 007Series Arrangement:Series 1: CorrespondenceSeries 2: Personal PapersSeries 3: PhotographsSeries 4: Print MaterialsSeries 5: Realia The Alice Goodrich Eno Cole collection covers a time period from 1795 to 1980. Much of the contents relates to the extended Eno family. The
- [Ensign Bickford Archives](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/ensign-bickford/) - Donated by: Ensign-Bickford CompanyManuscript Number: MS 004 Series Arrangement:Series 1. AdministrationSeries 2. BookkeepingSeries 3. Corporate CommunicationsSeries 4. Corporate HistorySeries 5: CorrespondenceSeries 6: Financial AnalysisSeries 7: Product DataSeries 8: LegalSeries 9: MarketingSeries 10: OperationsSeries 11: Photographic MaterialsSeries 12: Print MaterialsSeries 13: Product DocumentationSeries 14: RealiaSeries 15: Technical Drawings The Simsbury Free Library is pleased to house
- [Alice Irene Welden (1903-2006) - STAFF](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/alice-irene-welden-1903-2006-staff/) - Language: EnglishThe collection is open for research. The collection is in good condition. Print Finding Aid: Allison Krug, 2007. Web Finding Aid: Sarah Neagoy 2022, updated 2025.
- [Historical Pamphlet Collection - STAFF](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/historical-pamphlet-collection-staff/) - Print Inventory: Alexandra Geitz, July 2014, Web Finding Aid by Sarah Neagoy, May 2022, updated 2025. Language: EnglishThe collection is open for research.The collection is in good condition.
- [George P. McLean (1857-1932) - STAFF](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/george-p-mclean-1857-1932-staff/) - Language: EnglishThe collection is open for research.The collection is in good condition. Print Finding Aid: Alexandra Geitz, July 2014, Web Finding Aid by Sarah Neagoy, May 2022, updated 2025.
- [George P. McLean (1857-1932)](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/george-p-mclean/) - Donated by: Donated by Jean Perrault, 07/23/03 and 2/12/2005Manuscript Number: MS 006Series Arrangement:Series 1: CorrespondenceSeries 2: Personal PapersSeries 3: PhotographsSeries 4: Print MaterialsSeries 5: RealiaSeries 6: Audio Recording A collection of research materials regarding George P. McLean (1857 - 1932) and his legacy, the McLean Fund. The McLean Fund supports the McLean Home, a healthcare
- [Messenger Family Civil War Records - STAFF](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/messenger-family-civil-war-records-staff/) - Language: EnglishThe collection is open for research.The collection is in good condition. Web Finding Aid: Sarah Neagoy, Nov 6, 2025
- [Antoinette Eno Wood (1842 - 1930) - STAFF](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/antoinette-eno-wood-1842-1930-staff/) - Language: EnglishThe collection is open for research.The collection is in good condition. Simsbury Free Library Quarterly Newsletter Cross-Reference:Simsbury Free Library Updates Vol. 21, Issue 3, Fall 2014 p.7 Web Finding Aid: Sarah Neagoy, 2025 Update
- [Orpha Amanda Eno Vail (1819-1894) - STAFF](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/orpha-amanda-eno-vail-1819-1894-staff/) - Language: EnglishThe collection is open for research. The collection is in good condition. Finding Aid/Web Notes: S. Neagoy, Finding Aid, Nov 23, 2024; A. Watson Maston, Load Date, Nov 23, 2024; A. Geitz, 2014, Print Inventory
- [Alice Goodrich Eno Cole (1883-1942) - STAFF](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/alice-goodrich-eno-cole-1883-1942-staff/) - Language: EnglishThe collection is open for research.The collection is in good condition.
- [Simsbury Probate Records - STAFF](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/simsbury-probate-records-staff/) - Language: EnglishThe collection is open for research.The collection is in good condition. Web Finding Aid: Sarah Neagoy 2022
- [Simsbury Cemetery Association - STAFF](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/simsbury-cemetery-association-staff/) - Language: EnglishThe collection is open for research.The collection is in good condition. Alexandra Geitz, Print Inventory, July 2014. Sarah Neagoy, Finding Aid 2022 & 2025 reload.
- [William Phelps Eno (1848-1945) - STAFF](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/william-phelps-eno-1848-1945-staff/) - Language: EnglishThe collection is open for research.The collection is in good condition.
- [Programs and Events](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/programs-and-events/) - Upcoming Programs and Events Past Programs and Events Photo Gallery
- [Directions to the Simsbury Free Library](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/about-sfl/directions-to-simsbury-free-library/) - We are located in the center of Simsbury at 749 Hopmeadow Street (Routes 10 & 202) next to the Simsbury Cemetery. From I-84: Exit 39 for Route 4 to Farmington. In Farmington take a right at Farmington Country Club onto Waterville Road (Route 10) through Avon to Simsbury (about 11 miles). We are on the
- [Contact Us](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/contact-us/)
- [Simsbury Free Library Quarterly Newsletter](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/simsbury-free-library-quarterly/) - The Simsbury Free Library Quarterly, which commenced publication in 1994, comprises over 150 articles and more than 8,000 name entries. This newsletter is a valuable repository of information pertaining to Simsbury families, the history of Simsbury, and the library itself. A significant number of these articles were meticulously researched and authored by Mary Jane Springman,
- [Photo Gallery](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/videos/gallery/) - [nggalbum id="5"] [nggalbum id="3"] [nggalbum id="2"] [nggalbum id="1"]
- [Gifford Pinchot](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/exhibits/gifford-pinchot/) - Gifford Pinchot one of the founding fathers of the global conservation movement was BORN HERE IN SIMSBURY. His grandfather was Amos R. Eno (founder of the SFL). His mother was Mary Jane Eno Pinchot. Pinchot was a friend and colleague of President Theodore Roosevelt who appointed him first Chief of the US Forest Service. He
- [About Simsbury Free Library](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/about-sfl/) - Established in 1874, the Simsbury Free Library (SFL) served as the public library for the Town of Simsbury. The designation “Free” was used to distinguish it from the subscription libraries that were common at that time. The building was designed by the well-known Hartford architect Melvin H. Hapgood, and donated by Amos R. Eno, a notable Simsbury resident.
- [Renderings](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/capital-campaign/renderings/) - Plans for the new and renovated areas are below. Lower Level Library Archives Lavatory Kitchenette
- [History of the Simsbury Free Library](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/capital-campaign/history-of-the-simsbury-free-library/) - In 1874, most libraries were paid subscription libraries. Recognizing the need for equal access to educational resources, Mr. Amos R. Eno, a Simsbury native and successful Manhattan real estate investor, sought to establish a "free" library for public use. He provided a sizeable endowment that a group of public-spirited citizens utilized to establish the Simsbury
- [Mission and Vision](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/capital-campaign/mission-and-vision/) - The mission of the Simsbury Free Library is to connect people through genealogical research, historical and cultural programming to foster community belonging. SFL envisions a community enriched, inspired, and unified by its heritage and cultural evolution. What We Do and Why the SFL Mission Matters The executive director, historical archivist, and a genealogical expert assist
- [Capital Campaign](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/capital-campaign/) - Since 1874 significant events have unfolded in and around Simsbury Center, with the Free Library consistently at the heart of it all. Throughout the years, the Library has welcomed townspeople, trustees, librarians, students, and patrons who have sought our services for genealogical and historical research, reading room facilities, art appreciation, lectures, and numerous social, educational
- [Simsbury Families Collection](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/family-collection/) - Ephemera and documentation for Simsbury Families.
- [Mary Louise Nason - Good Wives of Simsbury (1928-2018)](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/mary-nason-collection/) - This collection contains the 1985 term paper of Mary Nason, written while attending Trinity College as a graduate student. Nason's original paper discusses the lives of women in Simsbury, Connecticut in the 18th century. The rest of the collection is the research notes, bibliographic citations and other documents compiled by Nason between 1985 and 2012
- [Support The Free Library – Become A Member Today](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/donations/support-the-free-library-become-a-member-today/) - Would you like to become a member or renew your membership? For a modest $30 per year, you will help support our programs and our beautiful historic building, and be able to attend for free our expanding offerings of cultural and historical programs. You will have unlimited use of our library; assistance from our on-staff
- [Membership Payment](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/payment-2/) - Thank you for supporting the Simsbury Free Library.
- [Donations](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/donations/) - Your donation helps preserve this beautiful Historic Building that provides a great space for people to pursue local history, family genealogy, and other cultural programming. Please donate today; your help is very much appreciated. Print a DONATION FORM (PDF) here to pay by check, or use the form below to pay using PayPal.
- [Thank You](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/thank-you/) - Thank you for supporting the Simsbury Free Library!
- [Genealogical Resources](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/genealogy-resources/) - Our library has a wealth of information that is available for you to utilize while researching your family. We have a robust collection of family surnames, histories and genealogies as well as Connecticut town, county and other New England state histories. Our collection includes DAR lineage books and other hereditary journals. Our employees and volunteers
- [Simsbury Free Library Research Sources](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/) - The Simsbury Free Library maintains a wealth of information for you to explore. Our archives are a treasury of family and business history in Simsbury. We offer genealogical services and in-house resources not found elsewhere. Please explore and come to visit us. Archive Collections Genealogical Resources Helpful Genealogical Links Genealogical Research Request
- [Genealogical Research Request](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/genealogy-research/) - The Simsbury Free Library provides genealogical research for its members, using the materials in our library, free of charge. Membership is $30.00 per year, click here to become a member. For non-members, we ask for a non-refundable fee of $20.00. With that we will do a complete search of relevant materials in our library, and
- [William Phelps Eno](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/exhibits/william-phelps-eno/) - William Phelps Eno was the youngest child of SFL benefactor Amos R. Eno and his wife, Lucy Jane Phelps Eno. In 1867, at nine years old, he was struck by the total confusion he witnessed in New York City caused by snarled traffic. He later wrote, “That very first traffic jam (many years before the
- [SFL Quarterly Name Index](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/sfl-quarterly-name-index/) - Welcome to the SFL Quarterly Name Index! This is an every-name index to the SFL Quarterly from the first volume in March 1994 through Volume 24 - Summer 2022. The Quarterly has thousands of names relating to Simsbury families and Simsbury history. There is a filter option on the first row of the table that
- [SFL Quarterly Article Index](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/sfl-quarterly-article-index/) - Welcome to the SFL Quarterly Article Index! This is an index to the SFL Quarterly articles from the first volume in March 1994 through Volume 24 - Summer 2022. The Quarterly has 157 full articles regarding Simsbury families and Simsbury history. There is a filter option on the first row of the table that allows
- [Board of Trustees](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/about-sfl/board-of-trustees/) - James Flynn, Chairman Tara Willerup, Vice Chairman Laura Riley, Treasurer Richard Curtiss III TJ Donohue Arthur House Greg Jones Michael Paine Matthew Schoenhardt
- [Fair Alice McCormick](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/resources-at-the-simsbury-free-library/collection-finding-aids/fair-alice-mccormick/) - A collection of photographs and documents related to Amos R. Eno (1810 - 1898), his wife, Lucy Jane Phelps Eno (1818 - 1882) and their daughter Antoinette Eno Wood (1842 - 1930) and her husband Charles Boughton Wood (1822 - 1889) and the family's summer home in Simsbury, Connecticut, the Elisha Phelps House/Amos Eno House
- [Blog](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/blog/)
- [Videos](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/videos/) - Past Programs Living Histories History of Connecticut with Professor Tom Ratliffe
- [Events](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/)
- [Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Simsbury](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/exhibits/dr-martin-luther-king-jr-in-simsbury/) - His time in Simsbury was significant as it was his first experience outside the racially segregated South and it seemed to have a profound effect on his outlook. Also, it was here in Simsbury that he decided to enter the ministry. He attended Simsbury churches, sang with the choir, enjoyed drugstore milkshakes and attended movies
- [Historic Simsbury](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/about-sfl/historic-simsbury/) - Interesting sites relevant to the Eno Family Simsbury Cemetery The SFL grounds are adjacent to the historic Simsbury Cemetery, which has gravestones dating from 1688 to the present. It is the final resting place for Amos Richards Eno and his wife, Lucy Jane Phelps Eno, and many members of their family, including Antoinette Eno Wood,
- [Farmington Canal Maps](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/book-store/farmington-canal-maps/) - In partnership with canal expert Carl E. Walter, the Simsbury Free Library (SFL) has published nine maps of the Farmington Canal. The map series includes one for each of the towns through which the canal once ran: New Haven, Hamden, Cheshire, Southington, Plainville, Farmington, Avon, Simsbury and Granby. Each map notes the various features that
- [Key Events in Simsbury Free Library History](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/about-sfl/key-events-in-simsbury-free-library-history/) - 1872 Members of a Simsbury social and literary club begin to promote the idea of establishing a public library for the town and to give fundraising events. 1874 Amos R. Eno establishes a trust to fund a free library for the Town of Simsbury and appoints ten trustees. Thereafter, the SFL serves as Simsbury’s public
- [George Hall Letters](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/exhibits/george-hall-letters/) - 44 letters George L. Hall, a Simsbury native who served in World War I, sent home between August 11, 1917 and October 21, 1918.
- [Joe Hall's Farm](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/videos/gallery/joe-halls-farm/) - [nggallery id="4"]
- [Gingerbread and Lego Contest](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/videos/gallery/gingerbread-lego/) - [nggallery id="1"]
- [Student Art Show 2015](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/videos/gallery/student-art-show-2015/) - [nggallery id="2"]
- [Chick Austin House Tour](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/videos/gallery/chick-austin-house-tour/) - [nggallery id="3"]
- [Farmington Canal Tour 2016](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/videos/gallery/farmington-canal-tour-2016/) - [nggallery id="5"]
- [The Eno Family and Simsbury](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/exhibits/) - The Eno Family has influenced Simsbury since Colonial days and participated in the great events of the country’s history. In 1648, just 28 years after the Mayflower arrived at Massachusetts Bay, twenty-three year old James Enno departed London for North America, settling in Windsor. A descendent of French Huguenots who fled to England to avoid religious
- [Store Action](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/estore-action/) - This page has been created by WP eStore plugin. Please do not delete it. You can hide this page from your navigation menu.
- [The Architecture of the Building](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/about-sfl/the-architecture-of-the-building/) - The Simsbury Free Library is a remarkable example of the Colonial Revival architectural style that was popular in New England during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Additionally, it has many features inspired by the earlier American Renaissance and Federal styles. A pair of Palladian windows flanks a columned porch at the front entry,
- [Terms of Use](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/terms-of-use/) - to come
- [Privacy Policy](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/privacy-policy/) - to come
- [Sitemap](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/sitemap/)

## Events

- [Simsbury 250th Summer Scavenger Hunt](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/simsbury-250th-summer-scavenger-hunt/) - The Simsbury Free Library Presents the Simsbury 250th Summer Scavenger Hunt! Discover and learn about the rich history of Simsbury this summer and win prizes. All are welcome and encouraged to participate! Pick up the scavenger hunt form at The Simsbury Free Library or print the form at home using the link below. Follow us
- [History of New Haven and Northampton Canal](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/44153/) - Join canal historian Carl E. Walter for a fascinating presentation exploring the 19th-century history of New England's largest engineering project. Click here for the registration link. Free for members, $10 dollars for nonmembers
- [Paint and Sip with Deborah Leonard](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/paint-and-sip-with-deborah-leonard/) - Join us on Thursday, April 23 with Deborah Leonard as she gives a guided painting lesson. All are welcome! Drop off cash or checks to Simsbury Free Library. Get them in before April 23rd so we can officially mark you as coming to the event. If you aren't able to drop off your cash/check in
- [Martin Luther King Jr. Day Community Celebration 2026](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/martin-luther-king-jr-day-community-celebration-2026/)
- [We will be closed from Thursday 12/25/25 through Thursday 1/01/26](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/happy-holidays/) - Happy Holidays! See you on Tuesday January 6th, 2026 when we re-open.
- [Simsbury Open Studios Annual Holiday Show and Sale - November 22, 2025](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/simsbury-open-studios-annual-holiday-show-and-sale-november-22-2025/) - Join artists from around Simsbury as they showcase some of their latest works at the Simsbury Free Library. Light refreshments, good company, and stunning local art provided! Visit simsburyartists.org to explore the featured artists and their art.
- [Irit Schaffer Author Event](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/irit-schaffer-author-event/) - Irit is the daughter of Holocaust survivors, and has a gift of sharing personal insights into the reality of miracles. Come learn how your thoughts and experiences can directly affect your physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
- [Open Studios for local artists](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/open-studios-for-local-artists/) - Please come visit two local artists and view their talents. Art to peruse and purchase!
- [Abigail's Ghost: Based upon the Legend of Simsbury's Pettibone Tavern](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/abigails-ghost-based-upon-the-legend-of-simsburys-pettibone-tavern/) - Join famed local author Kara Labella as she discusses the research and other-worldly encounters that went into her newest book, "Abigail's Ghost."
- [We are closed Saturday June 28th.  Please visit us during our regular hours the remainder of the summer.](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/we-are-closed-saturday-june-28th-please-visit-us-during-our-regular-hours-the-remainder-of-the-summer/)
- [Irish Genealogy Day!](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/irish-genealogy-day/) - If you are interested in attending this event, please RSVP here or send us an email to let us know how much experience you have with genealogy so we can better assist you during your visit. simsburyfreelibrary@gmail.com
- [Author Presentation - April 10, 2025 @6](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/book-discussion-thursday-april-10-2025-6pm/) - Introducing Sarah Cody, author of Around Every Corner of Connecticut: 100 Towns to Explore Every Season. Come on down to the library on April 10th to hear some of Sarah's favorite things to do in Connecticut. Join us for a lively discussion about the most charming spots and activities in Connecticut for each season.
- [Hiking Archaeological Ruins in Southern New England](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/hiking-archaeological-ruins-in-southern-new-england/) - We are thrilled for the return of Nick Bellantoni, ready to inform and wow us with his extensive archaeologic knowledge! All archaeological ruins in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island have a cultural tale to tell. This presentation will offer an insider's look at places archaeologists have identified as available for trail hikers to visit, especially
- [Stay tuned for our fall 2024 Events coming soon](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/stay-tuned-for-our-fall-2024-events-coming-soon/) - Stay tuned for our fall 2024 Events coming soon | Simsbury Free Librar ...
- [Pass It Around Paint](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/pass-it-around-paint/) - Cost: $45 per person RSVP: simsburyfreelibrary@gmail.com
- ["Beyond Massaco" with Kathy Hermes](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/beyond-massaco-with-kathy-hermes/) - Beyond Massaco with Kathy Hermes on March 7th
- [Jason Scappaticci 'The Bow Tie Historian'](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/jason-scappaticci-the-bow-tie-historian/)
- [David Patterson Book Reading & Signing:  The Pinchot's - A Family Saga](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/david-patterson-book-reading-signing-the-pinchots-a-family-saga/) - Event will be held at Garmany Performing Arts Center - The Goodrich at McLean - 50 Sarah Lane Simsbury CT
- [Martin Luther King Jr.'s Enduring Legacy - 55 Years Later](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/martin-luther-king-jr-s-enduring-legacy-55-years-later/) - To commemorate the 55th Anniversary of the assassination of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, and the 60th Anniversary of his "I Have a Dream" speech, the State of CT MLK Jr Holiday Commission ( MLKJHC) invites you to attend a memorial service Tuesday April 4th at 2:45 at the SFL. This service will
- [Farmington Canal and Aqueduct Talk with Carl Walter to Celebrate New Aqueduct Exhibit](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/farmington-canal-and-aqueduct-talk-with-carl-walter-to-celebrate-new-aqueduct-exhibit/) - Join us for an information-packed talk on the Farmington Canal and the Aqueduct that carried the Canal over the Farmington River. Come check out our latest exhibit, a truly impressive 10 foot by 2 foot model of the Farmington Aqueduct that Carl Walter spent over 12,000 hours researching and constructing. Award-winning Canal expert will share
- [Simsbury Celebrates Gingerbread Competition is Back](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/simsbury-celebrates-gingerbread-competition-is-back/) - The Simsbury Free Library will once again be hosting the Gingerbread Competition as part of Simsbury Celebrates! The entries and winners of theses incredible works of culinary art will be on display from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm on Saturday, November 27th during Simsbury Celebrates. Because of the popularity of the Gingerbread Houses, we are
- [Genealogy Programming is Back at the Simsbury Free Library](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/genealogy-programming-is-back-at-the-simsbury-free-library/) - #post_contentgenealogy, research
- [MLK in CT Memorial Unveiling Drive By Event](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/mlk-in-ct-memorial-unveiling-drive-by-event/) - Join the Simsbury Free Library as we celebrate the Unveiling of the MLK in CT Memorial. Due to CDC guidelines, we can't have the public on site, but everyone can be part of the Drive By Birthday event that will pass in front of the SFL from 2:00-4:00 p.m. Tune in radio station 87.9 FM for
- [Sculpture Scavenger Hunt](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/sculpture-scavenger-hunt/) - Back by popular demand! And extended! The last Sculpture Scavenger Hunt was so much fun, we are offering it again. Visit all of the statues and answer the questions correctly for 3 chances to win one of our awesome prizes. Short on time, or just want to visit the statues on foot downtown? Answer at
- [Band of Brothers: Travel Guide to WWII Germany](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/band-of-brothers-travel-guide-to-wwii-germany/) - Come learn about Simsbury High School teachers Jeff Osborne and Jim Martocchio's 2019 trek through Germany, their travel tips and how their trip shaped their perspectives on how they teach topics related to World War II.
- [Rails and Trails: The Iron Horse in Simsbury, 1850-2016](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/rails-and-trails-the-iron-horse-in-simsbury-1850-2016/) - If you missed Bob Belletzkie's great talk, stay tuned. We filmed his talk and is now available on our Video page.
- [The Farmington Canal with Carl Walters](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/event/the-farmington-canal-with-carl-walters/) - If you missed Carl Walter's Farmington Canal talk on June 9th, it is now available on our Video page.

## Slides

- [About SFL](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/slides/about-sfl/)
- [Farmington Canal in Simsbury](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/slides/farmington-canal-simsbury/)

## Categories

- [Uncategorized](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/category/uncategorized/)
- [SFL Quarterly](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/category/sfl-quarterly/)
- [Simsbury History](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/category/simsbury-history/)
- [Lost and Found](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/category/lost-and-found/) - Looking for information on a local topic or family name? Send us your question and we will post it on our Lost and Found Blog.
- [SFL News](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/category/sfl-news/)
- [Genealogy](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/category/genealogy/)

## Tags

- [Farmington Canal Maps](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/tag/farmington-canal-maps/)
- [genealogy](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/tag/genealogy/)
- [ireland](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/tag/ireland/)

## Venues

- [Simsbury Free Library](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/venues/simsbury-free-library/)

## Categories

- [Genealogy](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/category/genealogy/)
- [Event](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/category/event/)
- [Current and Upcoming](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/category/current-and-upcoming/)

## Event Tags

- [event](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/tag/event/)
- [upcoming](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/tag/upcoming/)
- [booktalk](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/tag/booktalk/)
- [connecticut](https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/events/tag/connecticut/)