CHS has tools for researching your family tree

From the May newsletter of the Connecticut Historical Society:

"Developed under the direction of Charles Hale as a WPA project during the Great Depression, the Hale Headstone Index is immensely useful even today - more than 70 years later! This index, available in the Research Center on microfilm, consists of headstone transcriptions from all cemeteries in Connecticut. It can be used to find birth and death dates, to help determine familial relationships, and in some cases provide information concerning military service. Using microfilm for the first time can be daunting so stop by the Research Center and let our staff show you how to make use of this great resource!"

Love Google. Hate Google. Love Google. Hate Google...

Google Book Search has generated lots of controversy, but it's hard not to be impressed so far. Just do a search for "hartford, connecticut," and you'll turn up lots of diaries, family histories, and other historic documents. Many belong to Harvard University.

Tip of the cap to the New Britain Rock Cats

I cannot vouch for their authenticity, but Hartford Chiefs caps are available for $10 each at the merchandise store of the New Britain Rock Cats, at New Britain Stadium. I could not find them in the Rock Cats' online shop, so you'll just have to go to a game -- which will be fun, trust me. The hats are one-size-fits-all.

By the way, why doesn't the City of Hartford sell merchandise like this online? Doesn't it have a slight revenue problem?

The Chiefs were the Boston Braves affiliate in the Eastern League from 1947 to 1952, playing in Bulkeley Stadium. Before that, they were the Hartford Bees. Come to think of it, maybe this is a Bees cap. If anyone knows for sure, drop me a line.

Just cleaning out my in-box

Among the items:

1. A copy of the Hartford News, a free weekly that fans of Hartford history should love because the front page of each edition features a vintage photo of the city, under the headline, "Hartford ... Once Upon a Time." The most recent photos are courtesy of the Hartford Public Library's Hartford History Center. The April 9 issue has a great shot -- probably taken from the Capitol dome -- of Bushnell Park being torn up in the early 1940s in order to put the Park River in an underground conduit. As far as I can tell, the Hartford News has no online presence yet, though you can find copies in lot of local businesses. It's published by Southside Media on Franklin Avenue.

2. Speaking the library's Hartford History Center, you've got till Tuesday (great band, but never mind that) to view the "Rain of Parks" collection of vintage photographs taken at city parks.

3. Anyone who's serious about researching anything having to do with Hartford needs to bookmark iconn.org, a state-funded and -operated search engine (or "RE-search engine" as it's advertised.") All you need to use it is your local public library card. This site is absolutely indispensable for tracking down newspaper articles, demographic data -- you name it.

'Antiques Roadshow: Hartford' airs Monday, May 11

When public television's "Antiques Roadshow" stopped at the Hartford Convention Center on August 23, thousands turned out to have their stuff appraised. Now the episode is set to air at 8 p.m. on Monday, May 11, according to Connecticut Public Television.

The highlights will include appraisals of "a signed watercolor painting by Katherine Hepburn, a set of 200-year-old Wedgewood pottery buttons, and a Chippendale rocco table valued at a quarter of a million dollars or more," CPTV says.

Saturday, May 2: Tour of Asylum Hill churches

Four historic churches on Asylum Hill, each with its own unique architecture, will be the focus of a Hartford Preservation Alliance walking tour: Asylum Hill Congregational Church, Asylum Avenue Baptist Church, Trinity Episcopal Church, and The Cathedral of Saint Joseph.

The tour, sponsored by the Women's Spirituality & Fellowship Committee of the Asylum Hill Congregational Church, will begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 2, from the parking lot of the Asylum Hill Congregational Church, at 814 Asylum Avenue. (Directions)

The tour will be given by Professor Dorothy Bosch Keller, chairperson of the Department of Fine Arts and Performing Arts at Saint Joseph College in West Hartford. The fee is $10.

For further information, contact the Hartford Preservation Alliance at 860.570.0331 or info@hartfordpreservation.org.

Thursday, May 7: Walking tour of the Ancient Burying Ground (and more)

Suggestion to Connecticut Landmarks' Butler-McCook House & Garden & Main Street History Center: Shorten your name.

That said, the mustard-colored house at 396 Main Street, opposite Capitol Avenue, will host some great events in conjunction with the next First Thursday:

-- A walking tour of the Ancient Burying Ground led by Ruth Shapleigh Brown, executive director of the Connecticut Gravestone Network. The Burying Ground, located near the corner of Main and Gold streets, is Hartford's oldest historic property. The tour will depart promptly from the Butler-McCook House at 3:15 and return by 4:30. It's a short walk.

-- A stone carving demonstration by Ty Tryon, board member of the Ancient Burying Ground Association and coordinator of conservation projects for historic gravestones. The demonstration will take place in the Victorian garden of Butler-McCook from 4:30 to 5:30.

-- A "history happy hour" from 5:30 to 7:30, featuring an exhibition of Ancient Burying Ground photographs by Hartford-based photojournalist Nick Lacy. Every stone in the graveyard was photographed for the exhibit, called "Stories in Stone." The happy hour will also feature Spanish, Latin, and classical music by guitarist Lorena Garay.

Everything is free, with donations suggested for wine and light refreshments.

Don't miss the history happening around you

Of course, how can you NOT be a witness to it when they close off your street to hold a parade? I refer, of course, to Sunday's parade through downtown by the University of Connecticut women's basketball team, which went 39-0 on its way to a national championship.

Maybe we ought to hold one of these every weekend until the hard times are over. ("We made it through another week!")