Granby Living Dec2018

More documents

Recommendations

Info

GRANBY HISTORY This Month in Granby History By Ken Kuhl GRANBY December 4, 1786 — In early America, the first Monday of December was Election Day. When Granby broke off from Simsbury in 1786, Dec. 4 at 10 a.m. was a special day. At that time, a new group of Granby citizens gathered, and the first order of business was to elect officers to the jobs needed to run a happy and harmonious community. The population of Granby in 1790 was around 2,500, and the number of men needed to fill the slate of positions was approximately 80 elected officials. A few of these offices remain into the 21st century, such as the selectmen, but modern commissions like Planning and Zoning, Inland Wetlands and Watercourses, Board of Finance and the Board of Education did not exist then. There was no assessor but there were Listers, as several men held this position each year. In place of the town attorney, each year a man was elected town agent and was responsible to represent Granby in court. The town collector was the official who collected town and state taxes (there were no federal taxes at this time). As I reviewed this curious list of offices, I noticed many we no longer elect. It seems that a discussion of them would help shed a little light on the everyday life of Granby in the 18th century. Justice was a very important matter to the early American who had recently removed himself from the shackles of life under a king. In the newly formed Granby, men were elected to three distinct law enforcement positions: the Constable, the Tythingmen and the Grand Jurors. As the chief law enforcement officer in the town, the Constable was similar to today's police chief. Meanwhile, the Tythingmen were citizens who led a small group of approximately 10 neighboring families (in early England this was referred to as a "tything") in what was an early form of community policing. If a citizen was accused of a crime, the Grand Jurors would determine whether there was enough evidence found that the accused had indeed committed the crime and should therefore be indicted and brought to a trial before a jury of his peers. Another important area of early Granby life was fairness and equity in the marketplace. Since currency was rarely used at this time and bartering was the way one purchased and sold a product, the job of the Packer was to certify the contents of containers marketed in town. The Sealer of Weights and Measures was the official elected to inspect and place an official seal on scales and other measuring devices to ensure accuracy and fairness. The Gauger was the official elected to ensure proper measurement of saleable items such as firewood, lumber and nails. In some years the position of Surveyor of Lumber was even a distinct office. The Sealer of Leather was the town officer who had authority to see that all sales of leather were made honestly as to quality and quantity. This sealer was authorized to put his seal or stamp of approval on items he inspected, tested and certified. Travel in the 18th century could be challenging. The Surveyors of Highways were officials elected to supervise the construction and repairs of roads in a district. A compulsory labor statute authorized financial penalties on those men who failed to meet their annual road work obligation of two days per year: “If any refuse or neglect to attend the service in any manner aforesaid He shall forfeit for every dayes neglect of a mans worke two shillings sixpence, and of a Teame, sixe shillings." Another office that is recorded occasionally is the Chimneyviewer. This position may have been held for a longer period of time because it does not appear as an office filled at each annual meeting. Before the days of the town building inspector, the chimneyviewer was elected to inspect chimneys for fire hazards. In my opinion, one of the most interesting aspects of everyday life in rural New England was the issue surrounding the care and husbandry of livestock. Two important officials elected in this regard were the Fenceviewer and the Howard or Key Keeper. The fenceviewers were elected to enforce the upkeep of fences in a district in order to prevent damage by errant livestock. They were also the "fence police." If there was a dis- Ken Kuhl is a board member of the Salmon Brook Historical Society in Granby. Recycle leftover paint? Yeah, we do that. Beman’s will recycle or dispose of your unwanted paint, stain & varnish, no charge. Beman TrueValue Hardware 20 Hartford Ave., Granby CT (860) 653-2598 www.bemanhardware.com $7 OFF Regal Select Coupon valid for $7.00 off retailer’s suggested retail price per gallon of up to 5 gallons of REGAL® SELECT. Redeemable only at participating retailers. Must present this original coupon to redeem – no copies will be allowed. Limit one per customer. Products may vary from store to store. Subject to availability. Retailer reserves the right cancel this offer at any time without notice. Cannot be combined with any other offers. Coupon expires 12/31/18. VALK YRIE EQUESTRIAN CENTER Boarding / Training / Lessons ENJOY RIDING WITH US 860-653-0288 175 Barn Door Hills Rd., Granby | vec.info@snet.net | www.ValkyrieEquestrianCenter.com 14 | DECEMBER 2018
pute between neighbors, this official, armed with his tools and measuring devices, would make a judgment on who was right and who was wrong. If your livestock escaped, the Howard (or Hayward), who kept the town pound in his district, would collect charges for damages done by stray animals. This position also had an official key, which would unlock the pound at any time of the day or night. How big of problem was this, you ask? The Granby town record is packed full of entries where citizens would report finding stray livestock. The practice may have been a type of finders-keepers in which the town became the official lost-and-found record for wayward farm animals. At the first town meeting, residents elected a Brander of Horses to register and brand the horses of town residents. With the population of horses in Granby today, this would likely be a full-time paid position! CONNECTICUT December 20, 1786 — Hannah Ocuish is executed at the age of 12 years and 9 months. Believed to be the youngest person legally executed in America for murder, she was hanged in New London. UNITED STATES December 26, 1786 — Revolutionary War veteran Daniel Shays assembles 1,200 men near Worcester, Massachusetts, and heads toward Springfield in what became known as Shays’ Rebellion. Gov. James Bowdoin then orders mobilization of a 4,400-man force. WORLD December 29, 1786 —The Assembly of Notables is convened, as King Louis XVI appoints a group of high-ranking men in France to be summoned as deputies in times of a national crisis. The ultimate outcome of this assembly leads to the French Revolution of 1789. Decoding the Body’s language so you may finally heal. Q A How is yoga therapy different from a yoga class? Yoga Therapy is intended to focus on the specific symptoms that trouble a client and identify methods to help him or her manage those symptoms. Examples include pain management, fatigue, insomnia, or anxiety. The therapist’s job is less about teaching yogic techniques and more about helping clients to overcome their challenges. Hence, the job of the therapist represents a different focus, a different type of education, and a different skill set. Contact me at KristalFiorentino.com for more info how yoga therapy could help you. WALK-INS WELCOME! We treat colds, flu, sinus issues, asthma, stomach bugs, skin infections, sprains, fractures and much more! THE DOCTORS TREATMENT CENTER Urgent Care and Occupational Medicine Avoid long lines at the Emergency Rooms | On-site X-Ray WE ACCEPT ALL INSURANCE PLANS WALK IN SCHOOL, SPORTS & DOT PHYSICALS Open 7 days a week Monday-Friday: 7:30am - 8:30pm Saturday & Sunday: 9am - 3pm 7 Mill Pond Rd., Granby 860-653-2382 Two Locations 240 East St., Plainville 860-747-4541 Coming Soon to Bloomfield Mini Mall BLOOMFIELD URGENT CARE www.urgentcarecentersct.com GRANBY LIVING | 15
Page 1 and 2: A Monthly Magazine Connecting Granb
Page 3 and 4: PUBLICATION TEAM Publisher | Anthon
Page 5 and 6: FEATURE STORY “The Granby communi
Page 7 and 8: REAL ESTATE LISTINGS RECENTLY SOLD
Page 9 and 10: Lori was troubled by the amount of
Page 11 and 12: BUSINESS PROFILE Business Name: Mer
Page 13: DECEMBER CALENDAR OF EVENTS MUSICAL

Granby Living Dec2018

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?