1. John Lewis, a housewright and millwright from Suffield, was hired to supervise the framing of Oliver Phelps northerly addition on the house now known as the Phelps-Hatheway House. Lewis worked for five days. What do you think he was paid?
a. One gold piece
b. Three gallons of rum, cake and one cheese
c. A cow and some hay
2. William Pynchon (1590-1662), founder of Springfield, Mass. aligned himself with the Massachusetts Bay Colony instead of the closer Connecticut colony because
a. Captain John Mason and Thomas Hooker, founder of the Connecticut colony, intimidated and mistreated Native Americans.
b. The Bay Colony offered more protection from King Philip, the Native American, who angered by the colonists’ encroachment on the land, attacked colonists and burned towns.
c. He married the daughter of John Winthrop, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony
3. What was the Dominion of New England?
a. A religious organization that advocated the end of Puritanism and adoption of the Catholic faith.
b. It was an administrative merging of British colonies in the 17th century.
c. It recognized the dominance of New England over the 13 colonies prior to the American Revolution.
4. One food item that may have been given to the colonists by the Wampanoag Indians is called King Phillip corn. Is the seed still around today? Yes or no.
5. Unappreciated fruit trees and shrubs grow wild along Connecticut’s roadside ditches and streams. Native Americans used them for medicine, to craft tools, create musical instruments and dried the berries for food. Select all the plants which apply.
a. Staghorn sumac
b. Elderberry
c. Chokeberry
6. 2024 marks the 275th anniversary of an important date in Suffield history. What happened 275 years ago, in 1749?
a. A Baptist Church, in a rare accommodation from the colonial legislature which regarded the Congregational Church as the sanctioned church, was built in Suffield, the first in Hartford County.
b. It marks Suffield’s involvement in the French and Indian Wars when Phineas Lyman of Suffield became the Commander of the Connecticut militia.
c. Suffield was annexed to Connecticut in 1749 after being settled as a Massachusetts township in 1670.
7. A U.S. President’s wife had roots in Suffield. She was descended from Nathaniel Harmon, her great-, great-, great-, great-, great-grandfather, who was a first settler of Suffield. Three generations of her Harmon family lived in Suffield until they moved to New York State. Who is she?
a. Edith Carow Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt’s wife
b. Caroline McIntosh Fillmore, Millard Fillmore’s wife
c. Frances Folsom Cleveland, Grover Cleveland’s wife
8. “Brother Jonathan” is an historical term used to personify the United States in the early days of the American republic. Who is the Connecticut figure that the character is reportedly based upon?
a. Jonathan Trumbull, Connecticut Governor
b. Jonathan Edwards, Minister
c. Jonathan Belcher, Colonial Governor
9. Reverend Walter Scott, a principal of Suffield School (now Suffield Academy) was responsible for getting an important Connecticut statute legislated in 1921. What did the statute do?
a. Teachers’ retirement fund established
b. Number of weeks required for public schools to be in session
c. Required each town to establish a high school or pay tuition for a student to attend high school in another place.
10. Why was East Street named Feather Street in Suffield’s early days?
a. One early settler said that the air quality was so good near the river that it made him feel “light as a feather”.
b. People collected the feathers of wild geese who frequented the river.
c. Many people who lived by the river were related. They called themselves “birds of a feather who flock together”.
Answers:
1. b. Three gallons of rum, cake and one cheese
2. a. Captain John Mason and Thomas Hooker intimidated and mistreated Native Americans.
3. b. It was the administrative merging of Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, New York and New Jersey, all governed by Sir Edmund Andros. The chief aim was to prohibit trade with countries other than Britain. The colonists declared the merge unacceptable because it deprived them of self-control. John Pynchon, who founded Suffield, lost favor because he supported the Dominion.
4. Yes. The corn was grown for generations by the Wampanoags. 19th century farmers obsessively improved it because of its superior taste. The improved strain survives today but it cannot compete with modern agriculture subsidies and growing methods so it nearly became extinct. Today, a handful of small patch farmers continue to grow it in New England.
5. If you selected all, you are correct.
6. c. Suffield was annexed to Connecticut in 1749 after being settled as a Massachusetts township in 1670.
7. c. Frances Folsom Cleveland
8. a. Jonathan Trumbull. He was a governor of Connecticut during the American Revolution, and a friend and supporter of George Washington and the colonists. Connecticut supplied many men and provisions for the war. Trumbull’s father was born in Suffield.
9. c. Required each town to establish a high school or pay tuition for students to attend a high school in another place.
10. b. People collected feathers of wild geese who frequented the river.