1. In September 1674, Thomas Granger (d. 1730?) was granted forty acres of land in Suffield and a home lot on High Street, near the present-day Suffield Academy. Thomas was a selectman and held other town offices. On September 21, 1722, the town voted “That Thomas Granger, Sr., do take the second pew for his seat”. What did that mean?
   1. Granger’s seat was in the back of the meeting house.
   2. Granger was awarded a prominent seat in the front of the meeting house, but behind another more worthy parishioner.
   3. Granger was a “second” to the minister. He acted as a lay minister in case the minister was sick or absent.
2. Were all colonial men who resided in a town allowed to vote? Yes or no.
3. At one time during colonial times, there were five Samuel Grangers living in Suffield. What was the customary way of distinguishing them?
   1. By their military rank, i.e., captain, lieutenant…
   2. By their birth order, i.e., ye first, ye second…
   3. By their official town or church title, i.e., surveyor, deacon…
4. Joseph Pomroy (1672-1712) lived in Northampton, Mass. but in 1699 Suffield officials gave him 40 acres of land if he would come to live in the town. Why was he asked to come to Suffield?
   1. He was a blacksmith.
   2. He was a teacher.
   3. He was a minister.
5. From 1908 to 1942, Sears sold more than 70,000 house kits in North America, shipped to buyers via the railroad. More than 370 designs were offered in a wide range of styles and sizes and most included central heating, indoor plumbing, telephone, and electricity. At least one Sears house was built in Suffield. On what street is this house located?
   1. Main Street
   2. Taintor Street
   3. Mapleton Avenue
6. There is no official count of the exact number of historic barns in Suffield, Conn., but the Historic Barns of Connecticut Project lists approximately how many Suffield barns?
   1. 200
   2. 75
   3. 145
7. There was a map, perhaps made in 1795, which showed a route from Brewers, Maine to St. Mary’s, Georgia. Suffield is noted on the route. What did the map depict?
   1. A mail route.
   2. George Washington’s route through the states in 1789.
   3. An Indian path which eventually became the basis for Route 1.
8. In early America, postage rates until about 1827 were determined by
   1. Distance and number of sheets of mail.
   2. Distance and weight of mail.
   3. Distance and the particular charge established by each post office.
9. The Presidential campaign of 1800 when Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican Party opposed John Adams’ Federalist Party was a time of fierce debates and sometimes violence. In Suffield, on December 20, 1798, a political meeting was followed by a riot. In the midst of it was Gahazi Granger and three other young men. Immediately after the riot, what happened to the four?
   1. They were tarred and feathered and imprisoned.
   2. They successfully swayed the vote to Jefferson’s party.
   3. They fled to the West that night, but first married their girlfriends.
10. Why did Gideon Granger, the second U.S. Postmaster who served under Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, resign in 1814? Choose which answers are correct.
    1. Granger was a friend of DeWitt Clinton who was Madison’s opponent in the 1812 Presidential election.
    2. Granger wrote a pamphlet in 1809 which opposed the impending War of 1812 which Madison promoted.
    3. Granger nominated a Madison opponent to be the postmaster of Philadelphia.

Answers:

1. b. Granger was awarded a prominent seat in front of the meeting house. Pews were allotted to Freemen who were ranked by wealth, age, and official offices.
2. No. In colonial times, an adult male who had the right to vote and hold office was called a Freeman. Freemen also evinced good character, owned property and were church members.
3. Perhaps all three answers are correct, but the one cited by “The Genealogy of Lancelot Granger of Newburyport, Mass. and Suffield, Conn.” cites answer b. By their birth order, i.e., ye first, ye second….
4. a. He was a blacksmith. He was the origin of the many Pomroys or Pomeroys who lived in Suffield years afterward.
5. b. The house is at 136 Taintor Street. Michael and Margaret Leahey bought the kit and erected the house in 1914. Michael Leahey was born in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and, in 1907, at about age 28, he married Margaret Sullivan in Suffield, who had come to the United States in 1894, at age 16, from Ireland. Their sons were John and Francis.
6. c. 145
7. a. A mail route. 100 post offices were noted on the map. The mail left from Brewers and St. Mary’s every Monday morning. The trip from end to end took six weeks and three days over the 1,799-mile route. [Historical Sketches by Jabez H. Hayden, Windsor Locks, 1900. pg. 54]
8. a. Distance and the number of sheets of mail. Letters were usually written on sheets 7 ¼ x 16 inches. However, when a longer letter was written, residents used foolscap which measured 17 x 13 ½, marking it with a cross and the words “single sheet” written in red so as to avoid an extra charge. [Historical Sketches, pg. 57]
9. c. They fled to the West that night, but first married their girlfriends. Gahazi’s second wife’s son, from an earlier marriage, was Stephen A. Douglas, Abraham Lincoln’s opponent.
10. All three answers are correct and contributed to Granger’s fallout with Madison. Madison forced him to resign.