Staff – Alice Goodrich Eno Cole (1883-1942)

The Alice Goodrich Eno Cole collection covers a time period of 1795 to 1980. Much of the contents relates to the Eno family, descendants of James Enno (1625 – 1682), who emigrated from London, England in 1646 to Windsor, Connecticut. The founding benefactor of the Simsbury Free Library, Amos R. Eno (1810 – 1898) is a sixth-generation descendant and his father, Salmon Eno (1779 – 1842) is part of the New York Branch of Enos. Alice, for whom the collection is named, is donator Richard Cole Anthony’s grandmother. Jackson French Eno (1948 – 2015), also a donor and cousin of Richard, is a descendant of Chauncey Eno (1782 – 1845) who was Salmon’s brother and the branch from which the Simsbury Enos are descended. (Newbold LeRoy, “Genealogical Chart: The Eno Family: The Lines of Salmon and Chauncey Eno of Simsbury, CT,” 1989.)

Additional information on the Eno family history is published in the following Simsbury Free Library newsletters:

• Jackson F. Eno, “The Eno Family from their Origins in France to the Present, Part I: The Late Middle Ages to the Early 19th Century,” SGHRL, Vol. 17, Is. 2, Summer 2010, https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/2010-Summer-Volume-17-Issue-2.pdf.
• Jackson F. Eno, “The Eno Family from their Origins in France to the Present: Part II: Into the 20th Century,” SGHRL, Vol. 17, Is. 3, Fall 2010, https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/2010-Fall-Volume-17-Issue-3.pdf.

Alice Goodrich Eno Cole was the great-granddaughter of Salmon Eno. Alice’s mother was Ellen “Nellie” Salina Goodrich Eno and her mother’s sisters, Martha S. Goodrich and Juliette Goodrich McLean (Lucius G. Goodrich, “1870 and 1860 United States Federal Census, Ancestry.com, downloaded Jun. 14, 2022.) Alice’s Aunt Martha S, Goodrich married Chauncey Eno (1849 – 1926) and Alice’s Aunt Juliette was married to George P. McLean (1857 – 1932). Content created by or related to all of these individuals can be found in this collection. Of note are Red Cross Notebooks from the 1918 flu pandemic and Daughter’s of the American Revolution documents which provide great insight into the life and times of late 19th and early 20th century Simsbury.

Alice’s letters from her trip in 1911 to the Middle East and beyond with her Uncle Charles Julius Parker and his wife, her father’s sister, Aunt Sarah Cornelia “Nellie” Eno Parker can also be found in this collection. Information about Alice’s trip is vividly recounted by SFL board member Mary Jane Springman in two articles published in the Simsbury Free Library Quarterly:

• Mary Jane Springman, “A 1911 Trip Abroad: The Alice Goodrich Eno Letters”, SFLQ, Vol. 21, Is. 1, Spring 2014, https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/SFLQSpring2014.pdf.
• Mary Jane Springman, “A 1911 Trip Abroad: Part 2: From Constantinople to Home”, SFLQ, Vol. 21, Is. 2, Summer 2014, https://simsburyfreelibrary.org/a-1911-trip-abroad-2/.

The oldest documents in this collection were Earl D. Colton’s (1813-1896) school books. His occupation is listed as an axe maker in Canton in the 1850 census (Earl D. Colton, “1850 United States Federal Census” Ancestry.com, downloaded Jun. 14, 2022.) Perhaps these books came from the Colton House in Simsbury where Amos R. Eno and his siblings were born. (M.J. Springman, SGHRL, Spring 2007). Perhaps they were passed down through the Simsbury Eno line to Jackson F. Eno, who’s great grandfather Jonathan E. Eno (1878-1930) married Georgia Colton Francher (1878 – 1957). (Jackson F. Eno, Fall 2010) Georgia’s Aunt Jane “Jennie” Leavonica Colton, also represented in this collection, lived with Jonathan and Georgia at age 73 according to the 1920 U.S. Census (Jane L. Colton, “1920 United States Federal Census”, Ancestry.com, downloaded Jun. 14, 2022).

Regardless of the source for the individual items, the Alice Goodrich Eno Cole collection is rich with fascinating people and history passed down through the centuries via personal papers, photos, and more.