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A2 • Friday, January 16, 2015
Villager Newspapers
Recently, a descendant of
Michael Grimshaw came to
the Killingly Historical Center
seeking some additional information
on Michael’s connection
to the former Danielson
Police Department.
Even after he left, several
of us continued to search, and
Lynn LaBerge unearthed a
brief summary of the department
in the files. Written by
Calista Backus Gardner, it
also had Gertrude Pradel’s
name on it.
According to the summary
the 1854 charter of the Borough
of Danielson provided that a
Bailiff should be elected “to
maintain and enforce the laws
of said Borough. On July 8,
1854, Mr. Nelson Titus was
elected the first Bailiff and
(was) re-elected in 1855-1856 at
which time he was also named
collector.” He was followed by
Hiram Murdock (1857), Henry
Card (1858), Joseph Snow
(1859-1864), Emmons Brown
(1864), Charles Goven (1865),
Asher Scranton (1866-1867),
and Henry Card (1868-1869). In
May 1868 a petition was sent
to the Connecticut General
Assembly asking to establish
a “Police Courtland Police
Force.” (No explanation of
this was given. However, the
following comment, made
later in the summary, may
provide the missing link). “As
early as 1869 Special Police
were appointed to assist the
Bailiff.” None of those names
were provided.
A quick scan of additional
names of bailiffs did provide
information that Michael
Grimshaw served from April
1916 to April 1919. Following
that time “John McFarland
was elected and held office
with the title of Chief and
Bailiff until 1935.”
Michael Grimshaw and local earthquakes
Killingly
at 300
MARGARET
WEAVER
A biographical sketch
of Michael Grimshaw in
Allen B. Lincoln’s “Modern
History of Windham County,
Connecticut,” revealed that
“he was an earnest republican
and took a keen interest
in the political activity
of his county. His fellow
townsmen appreciating his
worth and ability, called him
to various public offices and
for more than a quarter of a
century he filled the position
of constable in the town of
Killingly. He was also deputy
sheriff under Sheriff Sibley,
was game warden for the
state of Connecticut and was
deputy warden for the town
of Killingly. He also served
as fire warden and he was
a member of the Danielson
fire department. Moreover,
he acted as dog warden for
the town of Killingly held the
position of state humane officer
for Windham County and
served as police officer for the
Putnam division of the Shore
Line trolley lines.” (Vol. 2, p.
1620)
Many of you will remember
when the State of Connecticut
still had county officials and
may remember some of these
offices. Do share your memories.
“Until 1941, the Bailiff was
elected yearly by a vote of
the Citizens of the Borough.
At the January 1941 session
of the General Assembly an
amendment in the Charter
of the Borough of Danielson
concerning the Police
Department was enacted…At
this time the word Bailiff was
stricken from the charter and
the title Chief inserted in its
place” (Gardner).
Periodically people ask
where I get my ideas for my
articles. The recent magnitude
2.0 earthquake in the
northern part of Plainfield,
south of Danielson, caused
me to adjust the second half
of this column. The earthquake
(which Marilyn
Labbe’s husband Bernard felt
at their home in Plainfield)
called to mind the fact that I
had read and heard of other
earthquakes in Eastern
Connecticut and had recently
come across mention of one
when reading extracts from
Miles of Millstreams (Weaver,
Margaret and Geraldine &
Ray Wood) for 75 years ago
in 1940. On Dec. 25 of that
year an earthquake was felt
at 8:46 a.m. (extracted from
a Norwich Bulletin article).
Does anyone recall that earthquake
Connecticut has experienced
a number of earthquakes
since its colonial period.
Do you know which town’s
name is taken from an abbreviated
Native American name
referring to sounds associated
with the quakes The answer
follows.
“The cause of ‘rumblings’ in
the area near Moodus, a few
miles north of East Haddam
had been a matter of scientific
speculation for years. Native
American Indians called East
Haddam Morehermoodus, a
place of noises, and the town
name ‘Moodus’ derived from
the Indian word. The earth
noises, a peculiar type of
earthquake rumbling,
apparently have been occurring
in that region for years,
even prior to the advent of
Europeans.”
“Massachusetts shocks
in November 1727 and
November 1755 were
felt strongly by some
Connecticut citizenry. Both
were intensity VIII at their
epicenters, leaving behind
collapsed walls, flattened
chimneys, and other broken
reminders common to most
strong earthquakes.
“The most severe earthquake
in Connecticut’s history
occurred at East Haddam
on May 16, 1791. Describing
that earthquake an observer
said, ‘It began at 8 o’clock
p.m. with two very heavy
shocks in quick succession.
The first was the most powerful;
the earth appeared to
undergo very violent convulsions.
The stone walls were
thrown down, chimneys were
untopped, doors which were
latched were thrown open,
and a fissure in the ground
of several rods in extent
was afterwards discovered.
Thirty lighter ones followed
in a short time, and upwards
of one hundred were counted
in the course of the night.
The shock was felt at a great
distance. It was so severe at
Clinton, about 12 miles south,
that a Capt. Benedict, walking
the deck of his vessel, then
lying in the harbor at that
place, observed the fish to
leap out of the water in every
direction as far as his eyes
could reach.’”
In 1837 a tremor in Hartford
jarred bells. Alarmed residents
rushed from these
homes into the streets.
“An intensity V earthquake
in southern Connecticut
occurred on November 3, 1968
at about 3:30 in the morning.
Plaster cracked at Chester
and small items fell and broke.
Loud noises accompanied the
tremor. The Moodus noises
were noted once again at East
Haddam.”
For additional information
about Connecticut earthquakes
or earthquakes in general
visit the site earthquake.
usgs.gov/earthquakes/states/
Connecticut/ (from which the
above was extracted)or enter
earthquakes in Connecticut
in your search engine.
If you have felt earthquakes
here in Northeastern
Connecticut, please email
me or contact the Killingly
Historical Center. My guess
is that there have been a number
of smaller ones that have
not been recorded. Thank you.
Margaret M. Weaver is
the Killingly Municipal
Historian. Special thanks
to Lynn LaBerge, Bernie
Mitchell, and Marilyn Labbe
who unearthed the materials
on Michael Grimshaw used in
this column. For additional
information visit the Killingly
Historical Center Wednesday
or Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
(or by appointment), visit
www.killinglyhistory.org,
or call 860-779-7250. Mail for
the Killingly Historical &
Genealogical Society, Inc. or
the Killingly Historical Center
should be sent to P.O. Box
6000, Danielson, CT 06329.
Margaret Weaver may be
reached at margaretmweaver@gmail.com.
Note: Neither
the Killingly Historical Center
nor I have Caller ID. Please
leave your name and phone
number when calling. Thank
you.
CorePlus to host home buying seminar
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news briefs
inspections
CorePlus Federal Credit Union will host a Home
Buyer Seminar on Thursday, Jan. 29, from 5.30-7
p.m. The seminar will be held at CorePlus’ 202 Salem
Turnpike, Norwich branch. Light refreshments will
be served.
Led by Mortgage Team Leader Barbara
Zendzion, the seminar will feature a presentation
of ‘Home Buyer’ basics for first time home
buyers, people interested in downsizing or
expanding due changing a family situation, or
vacation home purchasers.
Topics to be covered are:
Who’s who in the buying process
Affordability and down payment strategies
Mortgage pre-qualification and pre-approvals
Financing programs
Benefits of home ownership
Also on hand will be local realtors, home
insurance providers and real estate attorneys
to answer additional questions.
RSVP to RSVP@coreplus.org, call 860-886-
0576, ext. 3171, or stop by any CorePlus FCU branch
to register. This event is free and open to the public.
Hair Cuttery Salon to Provide Haircuts
for the Homeless
DAYVILLE — On Feb. 2 and 3, Hair Cuttery will
host Share-A-Haircut for the homeless.
Every time an adult or child receives a haircut
at any of the Hair Cuttery salons in New England,
including the salon in Dayville, a free haircut certificate
will be donated to a homeless person in the
community. By partnering with local shelters and
community organizations, Hair Cuttery will work to
distribute certificates to those who need them most.
“Last year’s expanded Share a Haircut program was
an enormous success, to date the program has reached
more than 1 million people,” said Dennis Ratner,
founder and CEO of Hair Cuttery. “This year we plan
to continue that momentum, helping those less fortunate
the best way we know how, with a haircut. Our
stylists hope to help inspire confidence by giving back
in this way.”
This February alone, Hair Cuttery hopes to reach
35,000 homeless people in the communities it serves.
Haircut certificate donations since the inception of
the program are valued at $16.3 million.
Hair Cuttery has an established history of charitable
giving, supporting a range of local and national causes,
including St. Baldrick’s Foundation, American
Red Cross, The National Network to End Domestic
Violence, American Cancer Society, Susan G. Komen
for the Cure and Girls on the Run.
Villager Almanac
Sales, Service & Parts (508) 943-7474
Dealership Hours: Monday-Thursday: 8:00am-8:00pm
Saturday:8:00am-5:00pm•Sunday: 12:00pm-4:00pm
191 West Main Street • Dudley, MA 01571
• Only Minutes from Everywhere!
No appointment needed in our service department
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Villager Newspapers photo policy
As a community oriented family of newspapers, Villager Newspapers
welcomes photos from readers, business owners, and other outside sources
for publication in any of its titles. Any photos submitted for publication
become the property of Villager Newspapers, and may be displayed in our
newspapers, as well as on our Web site. They may also be made available
for resale, with any proceeds going to Villager Newspapers and/or the photo
re-print vendor.
Quotation of the week
“This is where I live, this is where I
work and this is where I love and I’m
excited to do an even better job for kids
and families right here in northeastern
Connecticut.”
- TEEG Executive Director Donna
Grant, commenting on being named to the
Commission on Children earlier this month.
At CT Audubon
Bird sightings at Connecticut Audubon Society Center
at Pomfret and Wyndham Land Trust properties for the
week of Jan. 5: Northern Harrier, Merlin, American Tree
Sparrow, House finch, Hairy Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied
sapsucker, Carolina wren, Cooper’s hawk, Great-horned
owl. Visit www.ctaudubon.org.
“Every Town Deserves
a Good Local Newspaper”
ConnecticutsQuietCorner