I had a lovely room in the Chimney Crest Bed and Breakfast. This is a mansion. To the right is the living room and at the end is the sun room. The hallway has rounded archways in the windows and the curtains are also rounded at the top. To the left is the formal dinning area. The hostess is very kind, friendly and helpful.
You almost feel like you have traveled back in time to another world. This house is the Barnes house. A prominent family in Bristol owned it. My room was comfortable. There was a desk and chair. It was lovely. The windows looked out on the circular driveway. The house is a Tudor style. It is along Woodland Drive in Bristol near Paige Park. It is lovely. Just look for the brick pillars before you go down the steep hill.
I told the hostess that I got up early and she provided a coffee maker with cream in the ice cooler with ice! Wow! How thoughtful.
The breakfast was wonderful and the conversation with my host Cynthia was a joy. She asked me questions curious about my genealogy research. Apparently this house was her father’s dream. It was a mess when he purchased it but it is lovely now! She has taken on his legacy. This was truly happy experience. Just lovely!
As usual I talked to much and had to head out on my quest for ancestors. My goal the Bristol Town Hall. Well I was told it was the white building but it was the building next to it!
Now for some reason my sense of direction was messed up in Bristol. I was having a terrible time with were things were. Hmmm….am I getting too tired?
Fortunately, I found the Bristol Town Hall. I was seeking records on my Barclay family (See the Barclay’s of Pine River my blog on this line of my family. It is listed on the right under blogs.)
The Town Hall is located on N. Main St. between Laurel and Center Street. I parked on the street and I believe it is a 2 hour limit?
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| The sign out in front of the Town Hall, Bristol, CT |
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| This is the Bristol Town Hall |
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| The entrance to the Town Clerk office in the Bristol Town Hall |
So far I have had no problems in Town Halls with security or restrictions. I had good experiences at the Enfield and East Windsor Town Halls. These two are in Connecticut and no problems in Massachusetts. Friendly and helpful people in all.
Well…In relating this episode I do not want to reflect badly on Bristol. It was a charming town and I enjoyed my stay there. So far everyone had been friendly, pleasant and helpful.
I knew about the privacy issues and the rules of becoming a member of various authorized genealogical or historical organizations. I investigated this before I came on the trip and decided I was within the law for the vital records and I would be okay. Well I was wrong!!!!!! I did not take into consideration that the indexes went beyond the legal requirements for birth into earlier than 100 years. I was going to look at births in the late 1800’s and deaths in the early 1900’s. I also brought my birth certificate, my dad’s information and my Barclay’s vital records to show that I was an appropriate relative.
An assistant town clerk approached me and I explained carefully what I needed. I explained I wanted to see births in the 1850 to 1900 time frame. Deaths in the 1915 to 1920 time frame. She asked if I had a card. I told her I was a professional genealogist but I was with the Association of Professional Genealogists. I believe she showed me a list for Connecticut. Of course APG is not on that list. I told her and showed her the papers I had brought about my appropriateness as a relative. She refused to look.
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Somehow I did get lead into the vault area where they keep the land record books after signing a form and showing ID and she asked me about what I needed. I started with the deaths and apparently that was okay for me to see. Apparently she misunderstood and reversed them thinking I wanted birth in the 1900’s. I repeated what I wanted.
I was brought an index and I found them in it. I asked for the books and found the death certificates for Mary J. Ford and Jerome Ford in the death records. I requested copies and was told that they would have to be certified. I told the clerk that I really didn’t need certified but that is apparently all they did and she said they “had to be certified” in a very strong tone. I said that I was just asking because some places give you a choice?
I left to get some more money because it was $20.00 a copy for a each vital record. I had forgotten to do so prior. I also needed to get my computer to try to pin the information down on births so they, the clerks, would not have to work so hard. The vital records are in the back area in another room locked away. They can only retrieve so many at one time and it is a bit of a walk.
Now I usually go into a vital records office prepared. I had my information on Mary J. Ford but not much on Jerome or their three girls. Even the obituary had not given me much to go on. It did reveal that the daughters had probably not been born in Bristol.
When I returned with my computer and money the books were gone. The first clerk said not to worry and brought them back. “We aren’t suppose to leave them out!” Now when I left I did tell her I had to go out. They had me wait for the certified copies before they came to help any further.
I then tried for birth records. Another clerk assisted me from in the other room “wondering what the controversy was about?” and pulled a index book and the first clerk yelled at me “I was not suppose to see them because I didn’t have a valid card!” Then she grabbed the book from me before I had even opened it. I was so perplexed I made a face and she threatened me with the Town Clerk saying “I can have the Town Clerk explain it to you!”
I took a deep breath and in as calm a voice as possible I explained that I didn’t live in Connecticut and didn’t know all the rules and was just trying to find out. She seemed to be a little better. I tried to remain calm and found it difficult. She was “stomping” around and rushing around. It was all very confusing.
Another clerk who was tall and very nice assisted me when the first clerk went on break and she was very helpful. I gave her my best guess on the births and she pulled an index. I was not suppose to see this because it went beyond the time limit. It had birth, marriage, and death and I found the marriage of one of the daughters Lizzie to a Frank E. Yale and asked for a copy. Again I had to wait.
This same clerk went in the back area of the large vault room and looked for births for Lizzie (Melissa) and others but didn’t find anything and announced this. I did not look at any books.
I decided that I had about all I could handle. I did get two death records and a marriage and eliminated many things. I may have the maiden name of my great grandmother Margaret. I knew so very little of her. I also found where a sibling of great grandfather George A. Barclay was buried.
After I left the Town Clerk’s office I leaned against the wall in the hallway to get my whits about me. I was still shaking when I returned to my car and it took a long time to calm down. I was not angry just befuddled and frightened at the anger thrown at me and the hostility from this person. The other two clerks were trying to help. When I was at the counter paying for the copies she asked me if I wanted a receipt and I said yes please. She was helpful and pleasant. The first clerk would not look at me at all. Something was very wrong in this office and it is not the laws of Connecticut!
It is difficult to share this experience because it reflects badly on a town hall and Connecticut. I have worked as a government employee and I know how hard it can be to work in this type of environment. Still, this is unacceptable to me to be treated in this manner.
If you are planning on doing research in vital records in Connecticut learn from this experience. Realize not all town halls will be like this, Enfield was wonderful. I was looking at records in the middle 1800’s however.
Recommendation: Join a Connecticut Society that is on their list that is acceptable no matter what and then you will not have this type of experience and if you do then you probably can really complain. It might cost $35+ but it just might be worth it. Here is the explanation and an approved list of societies: http://www.americanancestors.org/connecticut-vital-records/
While in the vault room of the Bristol Town Clerks office I found it to be a good sized room, very neat, orderly and clean. It had along the walls these cabinets that held all these land record books with numbers on the side. I wandered a round a little reading titles and was promptly asked by one of the researchers if he could help. I said no I am just looking. I did not pull anything I just observed. It was a wonderful room but hardly any tables to work on. There were several researchers who knew each other but didn’t even acknowledge me. I was tempted to photograph the room but the other researchers would hear the click. I didn’t wish at this time to push my luck or cause further trouble. I believe there is a finding aid to the land records.
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| Bristol Historical Society |
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| Amazing castle down the street from the society |
On my way out of Bristol I was driving up Center Road and I spotted the Bristol Historical Society so I stopped and took some photos. As I was walking around several people came out of the building and I asked when they were open and this nice lady approached and we started chatting. We discussed my research about the Barclays and the Fords and she told me she would take a look. I believe her name was Lillian and she was very nice. She knew about the Chimney Crest Manor belonging to the Barnes. It was a very nice exchange.
My very special goal was the Forestville Cemetery which was called the East Cemetery years ago. I was warned it was a big cemetery and was a little worried as to how I would find them.
I was looking for Mary J. Barclay Ford and Jerome B. Ford and there three daughters. I knew about Mary J. from the estate file of my great uncle Alexander Barclay. Mary and Alexander were siblings of my great grandfather George A. Barclay. I have been tracking her and it was exciting to know that I had an obituary for her and her husband. I need to study it all and do a post on my Barclays of Pine River blog. See link to the right of this blog under blog list.
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| Forestville Cemetery (formerly East Cemetery), Bristol, CT |
The Forestville Cemetery is on Circle Street in Forestville. I found it by going along W. Washington St. to Center and then to Circle. It is a very well kept cemetery and easy to get around on the paved roads which are numbered 1-4. The information I had obtained from the History room in the Bristol Library gave me other names on tombstones to use to try to identify my family. They have a cemetery book with listings done by rows although the rows are not identified you can tell by the page number approximately where the graves might be. You could call the Forestville Cemetery Association. Most cemetery jobs are part time so you do have to be patient. I didn’t do that but decided I could figure it out myself.
It took awhile but I did find them, actually I found first Frank Yale’s tombstone and Melisa M. Ford but she didn’t have a death date? A Tilton was buried with them?
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Frank E. Yale Dec 7, 1862 to Sept. 18, 1916
Melisa M. Ford Jan 19, 1871 to ?
Alvah L. Tilton Aug. 17, 1884 to Aug. 27, 1924 |
Jerome Ford and Mary J. Barclay Ford were buried over by the fence and right of road #3. It was good to see the graves. Next to them was their daughter Rozelia who died at 18 years old? In Mary’s obituary grandchildren are mentioned. If you are out there I want to meet you!
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Jerome B. Ford, Died July 5, 1817 Age 72 yrs.
Mary J. Barclay wife of Jerome B. Ford
Died Mar. 28, 1917 Age 75 yrs. 3 Mos. |
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Rozelia Daughter of Jerome B. & Mary J Ford
Died Feb 28, 1866 Age 18 yrs 8 mos. |
I finally had a picnic in a cemetery. The weather was okay, maybe a little misting? I ate my sandwich and cookies. My tenny runners were soaked and my socks were so wet it was difficult to remove them. I was getting ready to drive to Hartford when Jack stopped in his truck and asked if I needed help. That is when I proceeded to tell him about my problem with Melissa Ford and whether she was buried there. He went back to the office (near the entrance) to check to see if she was buried there but it appears she isn’t and only two are buried in this plot. I thanked Jack for caring about the records and the cemetery. He said he was learning but he was enjoying it all and liking the challenge of figuring things out about the burials.
It was time to move on. It took awhile to find my way. Boy was my direction meter messed up. Anyway I found Hwy 6 and headed East. HURRAH! I had to take South Street to get to Hwy 4 because I missed my turn. I was trying to get out of the way of a red car behind me on my bumper and almost hit another car on my right in my blind spot. I felt bad.
What is it about Connecticut drivers??? Why do they hang on your bumper? I did not have this problem in Massachusetts. AUGHH!
I headed up Hwy 4 and found Boulevard Drive. It was lovely. The houses were lined up on both sides and were large and beautiful. All different designs. The road was smooth and pleasant to drive. It was a kick looking at the all the beautiful homes. It calmed me down. I was still pretty wired because of the day’s events.
This road became Capital Ave. and I was back in the center of Hartford and driving past the State Library and I remembered it all from my first trip years back. The Capitol Dome is beautiful and gleams gold in the light.
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| Chester Bulkley House Bed and Breakfast |
I was looking for Wethersfield Steet but it was really Main St. Turning south I ended up on Franklin but then I used Prospect to go to Wethersfield St. I was in South Hartford. When I saw I was on Silas Dean Hwy I knew I was too far south but there was a sign to the historic district of Wethersfield and I took it. I think it was Wells Road and it became Main St in Wethersfield. I headed north again and doubled back finding the Chester Bulkley Bed and Breakfast on the east side of the road south of the main area of Wethersfield.
This area of Wethersfield is very lovely. It was like a little oasis near Hartford. I parked across from the Chester Bulkley B&B and rang the door bell. No one answered. It was about 4 pm so I was about 2 hours early. I was thinking of going to the Hartford City Hall for vital records but my experience at Bristol had made me rethink that idea. They had on their website that the records started in 1852 and that was really too late for my needs. Not worth it.
I tried the doorbell again but no one answered. So I wandered down the driveway on the south side and ran into puppy dogs and the owner who was surprised to see me. The dogs were okay and she gathered them up. She offered to call the B&B for me. I turned around and wandered back to the front of the B&B and the door opened up. I was greeted by the host and entered into the foyer.
He took me to my room, up some very steep stairs and down a hall way and up and over a small built up area with steps on both sides. Oh dear this was going to be hard to negotiate. The host did help me later after I had eaten. However, my room was delightful and had a little sitting area out in the hallway. Hmmm…no desk but there was Wifi.
My host told me that there were several restaurants north of the B&B just a few houses up and I could walk to them. So I parked my car in the driveway in the back parking area. I walked south first but I saw only shops and then turned north and over to some lovely Saltbox houses on the west side of the road. I spotted other buildings that looked interesting.
Wethersfield’s Historical District is a step back in time. The Wethersfield Historical Society was across the street. Silas Deane’s home was on the west side. Silas Deane, why do I know that name? I picked the Village Pizza Restaurant. It was pleasant. I spotted a cemetery in the distance? My dinner was good and simple. The teenagers behind me kept kicking their seats but finally settled down. My tummy was happy!
My room in the Chester Bulkeley B&B is on the second floor and I have a little sitting area with a TV. I miss my Dish!!! My hubbie is probably having fun watching what he wants. I did find NCIS but it is not my favorite. I found Criminal Minds. So I am content.
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| Sitting room area 2nd floor |
The sun finally came out and I could smell Spring in the air. I have a window and I watched the sun go down in Wethersfield over the spires of the building north of the B&B.
So I was having trouble posting.
Note: B logspot started to give me error messages and would not accept by edits.
Massachusetts Meanderings in search of Goss Family History 