Suffield Trivia

1. Major General (Retired) Thaddeus J. Martin was inducted into the Connecticut Veterans Memorial Hall of Fame in January 2023. Which of the following statements are correct?
   1. He was Adjutant General of the Connecticut National Guard.
   2. At one point in his career, he was the most senior adjutant general in the United States.
   3. He successfully fought against closing the Bradley Air National Guard base.
2. When did the PMC Kids Ride in Suffield start and for what institution does it raise money?
   1. It started in 2012 and raises funds for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
   2. It started in 2012 and raises funds for the Jimmy Fund.
   3. It started in 2012 and raises funds for the Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
3. Were any Civil War Battles fought in Connecticut? Yes or No.
4. Frederick G. Williams (1787-1842) was born in Suffield although he and his immediate family did not stay in town. However, he has his own Wikipedia page. What is his claim to fame?
   1. He was an early leader of the Latter-Day Saints movement.
   2. He was the founder of the Hartford Times.
   3. He founded the first Owenite utopian socialist community which advocated equality, shared work and communal living.
5. Did President Dwight Eisenhower visit Suffield? Yes or No.
6. Was Armistice Day, now called Veterans Day, the official end of World War I? Yes or No.
7. Andrew Carnegie gave a gift of $10,000 to something in Suffield. For what was the money given?
   1. To build the old Kent Memorial Library on High Street.
   2. To rebuild the Town Hall when a fire destroyed the previous one.
   3. To renovate the Connecticut Literary Institute, now called the Suffield Academy.
8. According to Hezekiah Sheldon, Suffield supplied men to the 29th Regiment Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, Connecticut’s first regiment of African-American soldiers, which was formed in 1863 and fought in key battles like the Siege of Petersburg and was the first Union regiment to enter Richmond. How many men were enlisted from Suffield?
   1. 12
   2. 37
   3. 28
9. Attending a town meeting in early Suffield required strict decorum with fines levied on absentees and people who spoke without permission. According to Hezekiah Sheldon, what was the fine for those who were absent, for those absent without a valid reason and those who spoke without permission?
   1. Absent – 6 pence: Absent without a valid reason – 1 shilling, 6 pence; Speaking without permission – 3 shillings for each breach.
   2. Absent – 1 shilling, 5 pence: Absent without a valid reason – 3 shillings, 6 pence; Speaking without permission – 4 shillings for each breach
   3. Absent – 5 pence: Absent with no valid reason – 2 shillings, 6 pence; Speaking without permission – 5 shillings for each breach.
10. On the face of it, Connecticut’s early government appeared to be democratic. From 1639 and beyond, a General Assembly, court system and governor were elected by freemen by paper ballot. In actuality, the government was controlled by the aristocracy until 1819. With the Federalist Party in control of the State from 1789 to 1819, every man from Connecticut elected to the United States Congress, Senate and the upper house of the Connecticut General Assembly belonged to that conservative and elitist political party. Federalists feared the “mob of democracy” and in 1801, voted in the “stand-up law.” What was this law?
    1. It was a voter registration block which required voters to be educated beyond rudimentary schooling and own a certain amount of property.
    2. Voters were required to raise a hand or stand up to record a vote.
    3. Voters had to be educated beyond rudimentary schooling, own a certain amount of property and raise a hand or stand up to record a vote.
       

Answers:

1. a., b. & c are correct statements.
2. a. and b. The funds received by the PMC Kids Ride, including the one in Suffield, goes to Dana-Farber to support the Jimmy Fund.
3. No but also yes. No major battles were fought in Connecticut but smaller skirmishes like the “Battle of Charcoal Run” when Confederate sympathizers attacked Union soldiers in Danbury.
4. a. He was an early leader of the Latter-Day Saints movement serving in the First Presidency of the Church and was a counselor and confidant of prophet Joseph Smith.
5. No, but he was so close. Following the Flood of 1955, he met in a hangar at Bradley Field with the New England governors.
6. No, the official end of the war was in June 28, 1919 when the Treaty of Versailles was signed.
7. c. In 1906, Andrew Carnegie gave $10,000, the final amount needed to fulfill a $50,000 campaign chaired by Charles C. Bissell to renovate the Connecticut Literary Institute.
8. b. 37. Probably some of the 37 men who enlisted were from other towns.
9. c. Absent – 5 pence; Absent with no valid reason – 2 shillings, 6 pence; Speaking without permission – 5 shillings for each breach. Half of the money collected went to the poor of the town.
10. b. Voters were required to raise a hand or stand up to record a vote.