Hartford Turnpike

Through the hundreds of documents and maps that were sifted through while researching our home, the one lingering (of many) facts there were hard to find was our home's prior addresses.  It seems that addresses back in the 18th century were more of common knowledge of those that lived here.  Meaning, until the advent of the postal system, a person's address was more of, "o'er yer yonder", or perhaps, "a quarter mile on the right past the ol' tree".

The only potential address information I could find were street names.  I obviously know what street I live on now, but asking Town Hall of prior street names was like asking my wife's cat where he hid our sock.  

We searched through dozens of maps from online sources and the local libraries.  Eventually, I came across a map that showed a turnpike running the route of where our street is today.  The map was from the middle of the 19th century.  Apparently, it was also a major thoroughfare from Hartford southward towards Middletown.  The map titled the route the Hartford-Middletown Turnpike.  But, it was the only map to show such a route that I've ever come across.

While at Town Hall questioning her sanity, my wife met a knowledgeable police officer who knew of a stone tablet on our street that he said depicted our street's original name.  When he told her this, the snow covered land was prohibiting any such search for this tablet.  Though each time we passed around that area in our cars, we did a quick look where he had suggested, but hadn't seen it.  I kept imagining this marblesque horizontally laid, square placard chipped away by years of neglect, partially covered by overgrown grass, perhaps even cut in two like so many old tombstones in forgotten cemeteries.  

Today, we found it!  And, I was completely incorrect with the visual description.  I must say, it is in a state of great preservation and well maintained by the owners of the contemporary home which was built near it.

Hartford Turnpike, Mile 6, Runs to Saybrook, 35 Miles, Granted 1802

This monolithic stone epitaph stands approximately three to four feet tall with a bush behind it and mulch directly surrounding it.  It's located roughly a quarter mile from the border of Rocky Hill and Wethersfield on the East side of Old Main Street.

Well, there you have it, our official "Street Sign".

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Touring My Home - Possible Addition

This past month I had the pleasure of being taken on a tour of my own home by Edward Sunderland of Sunderland Period Homes.  Mr. Sunderland was showing me my home, yes, I was the tourist.  Nearly every room was visited by our tour group of two as Mr. Sunderland showcased the details of each room to his pupil.  And there were lots of details.

Before Mr. Sunderland's arrival, my wife and I were contemplating an addition, containing a garage and new kitchen with a wrap around driveway, all in the appearance of 18th century architecture.  I had received an advertisement from Sunderland Period Homes, generically, and decided to contact them for suggestions for our home.  Being a full design/build firm located in Connecticut and specializing in the restoration/recreation of colonial period homes I thought who better to give us insight.

On the Sunderland Period Homes' website, there is a video (seen here:  Collect This) hosted by MSN giving an introduction to their work.  Mr. Sunderland gives a tour of some of his client's homes.  It was at the end of the video that the twin hosts (literally) became a little cocky, joked and asked Mr. Sunderland about the costs of the homes which they toured.  The answer was between 1 and 1.5 million dollars.  After hearing that, I was fearful that this particular contractor was way out of my price range.  Let alone willing to offer free advice.  I figured it couldn't hurt to try.

I drew up a sketch of an idea (albeit, over-ambitious) and emailed it to Mr. Sunderland.  The response I received was not what I was expecting.  He personally responded and said (and I am paraphrasing) that my sketch is not historically accurate and began to dive into the why.  Basically, my Ell's conceptual window fenestration was incorrect, as was the placement of the chimney.

Rear Existing Elevation - As Is (No Addition)
Not to Scale

Proposed Side Elevation of Ell Addition
Not to Scale

It was in that same communication that he suggested a visit to our home.  Why not, I thought.  Perhaps he needed an idea for his next project and besides, I would love to pick his brain, a quid pro quo.  We scheduled for a late Tuesday afternoon.

Tuesday came.  I was so excited, like a little schoolboy.  We cleaned our home as best as we could in the days prior.  The day of, I rushed home and eagerly awaited his arrival.  I hate to make this sound like I was waiting for the President to arrive (or some hot model), we rarely "show off" our home, especially to those in the "know".  He arrived exactly on time in an old Subaru that's seen a couple of construction sites.  Quite different from the image one receives of a business owner who builds million dollar homes.

With no delay, after introductions were made, we toured the James Warner House.  The first thing I noticed was Mr. Sunderland feeling my walls.  I'm not trying to be cute.  He actually felt the paneling of my dining room. Seeing the bewildered look on my face, he said he was feeling for the imperfections made by the craftsmen as they planed the surface flat.  Unfortunately, according to Mr. Sunderland, most homes have had their woodwork sanded flat in preparation for painting in recent years.  Mine, sadly, are painted an awful green.  The sanding removes the subtle groves left by the craftsmen 200 years ago, a lost character of the home.  Come to think of it, it wasn't until the previous owner that the home's interior was painted.  Imagine that, 250 +/- years of being unpainted, then one careless owner (or deranged interior decorator) paints nearly everything AND wallpapers whatever wasn't!

With glances around each room, Mr. Sunderland was able to tell me which details were original, or not.  Thankfully, we have many original details throughout our home.  One in particular which stands out is our guest room.  Though our home's records date to around the middle of the 18th century, Mr. Sunderland looked at the details in our guest room and said that it is a transitional and a "newer" room, decorated in the Federal style.  The molding around the windows combined with the mantle points to the Federal period.  Also, the firebox seems to have been modified into a Rumford fireplace.  So, although the house was built circa 1760, the guest room was later modified to the fashion of the times, perhaps closer to the 1800 to 1810 year range, in my uneducated guess.

Circa 1800 Rumford fireplace.

Rumford fireplace, at an angle showing how shallow the revolutionary design was.

Fascinating... Warning, history lesson to follow:

Benjamin Thompson, a.k.a. Count Rumford
(1753 - 1814)

Count Rumford (born Benjamin Thompson in 1753, in Woburn MA, Count of the Holy Roman Empire after his defection to England and deeds for the Bavarian court) was a loyalist during the beginnings of the American Revolution. He left the American colonies after the signing of the Declaration in 1776. Between 1796 and 1798, he published a new method of fireplace construction. It became widely popular throughout Europe and crossed the 'pond' quickly. Along with many homes, the Rumford fireplace was installed in our home during a Federalist period decorating endeavor.  The new design lessens the depth of the firebox, making it quite shallow compared to a "regular" fireplace.  The height was increased and the throat that connected the firebox to the chimney was made more narrow as well.  The sides of the box were also made less square, angling towards the center.  This made the fire in the fireplace closer to the center of the room producing more heat and less smoke with a better draft from the narrower throat.  Better fire, more heat, no smoke, who could complain about that?

From Wikipedia.com

Moving past all the little details, towards the end of our two and a half hour tour, Mr. Sunderland and I discussed the addition. He asked a basic question: "What do you want?" Our most simplistic answer:  A larger kitchen.

We discussed modifying the galley kitchen that we have now and that really ended up simply moving cabinets around.  We were still left with a galley kitchen.  As we reached the rear of our home, Mr. Sunderland entered our enclosed porch and standing in the center, did a 360.  "Here" he said, "I would place the kitchen right here." He added he would remove the ceiling, install beams over head, a few windows, enclose the walls, put in a foundation with decorative stone to match the rest of the house, new wide plank flooring, widen the doorway to the keeping room or remove the wall all together."

Pricing was not discussed.  Well, it was asked, but Mr. Sunderland was hesitant to give forth a number without researching it first.  I'll have to wait and see what he'll come up with, though I fear my piggy bank isn't large enough for the level of detail that Mr. Sunderland is capable of.

Loosing a three season porch for a new huge kitchen... we would need to weigh the pros and cons.  We do love the porch as its shady and cool during the hot summer months. Though a new kitchen designed by someone who's familiar with 18th century architecture is quite enticing.   Another negative, though quite minor, is that I would loose my work area.  That is until I build my barn/garage.

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Stone Wall.

Sometimes I get bored.  I'll start one project and become frustrated with how long it is taking to finish, switch to another and at some point in the future, return to the first project (sometimes not).  So when I started to take apart one of our retaining walls, my wife gave me a scared look.  Call it "deer-in-headlights".

My plan for this past Sunday was to take it easy, what with my squished foot.  Thinking of easy tasks, I ventured into the back yard.  On my way out, I passed one of our sad looking field stone walls.  The previous owner, by her own volition, wanted an o'natural look to everything which basically meant a lack of property maintenance.  She loved climbing ivy plants, the type that root into and damage wood and masonry.  This rear entrance retaining wall was covered in ivy, so much so, that it actually hid the collapsed section of the wall.  It was an eyesore.  So I spent the entire day "restoring" it.  My legs, back and every other muscle in my body can attest to it.  There's no "taking it easy" when working with stone.  I am an idiot.

Before:
Mound of English Ivy.  You cannot tell from this photos but there's a beautiful stone wall hidden underneath.

I tore out as much of the rooted ivy plants as I could.  In doing so, I was also removing the stones.  Those ivy plants dug in deep and with the wall a bit disheveled and leaning outward, eventually, I just tore apart then entire south end of the wall.

Rebuilding:
Bit by bit, I reorganized the pile of stones.  Finding the right stone to fit the corner, or face, is not so difficult, just heavy. Basically, the larger flat sided stones are for the face of the wall and any stone that has two flat faces next to each other make a corner.  All other stones are filler, either for leveling the larger back-breaking stones along the face or within the wall to add mass.  Stone dust is a wonderful filler to fill the voids.  It's similar to sand in that it's a fine material, however, it is more coarse and compacts nicely.  In the photos, the stone dust is the grayish colored "sand".  Luckily, it's the same material used to level the brick walkway.  A surplus amount of it was left around the area.  

Layer by layer, large flat faced stones were placed around the perimeter.  Behind the large stones, smaller pebbles and rocks were stuffed in.  Some stone dust was shoveled around the pebbles until the layer was flat (or as flat as came be).  I hand tamped the stone dust to get it compacted and repeated this process for the next layer.

After trial and error, I eventually got the stones to fit just right.  The shear weight of some of these stones made it difficult to continually place, rotate, remove, etc., especially as the wall grew in height.  Now since this wall was already established, I used the bottom most rows and my eye as a guide to keep the wall straight.  Though, if I were to start this wall from scratch, I would've used a reference line.  Two stakes with a string tied between them makes a great guide for laying the first stones.

I ran out of the free stone dust and was about eight to twelve inches short of the walkway elevation.  I used earth for the rest of the fill and it actually worked out pretty well. I threw some grass seed on top to help curb any soil erosion.

After:

A vast improvement to the Before images.  Notice that the stones are now leaning slightly in as oppose to out, making the wall more stable.

I am pleased with the outcome.  It was honestly my first attempt at a field stone wall.  We have another much larger wall that will need some repair in time.  I would also like to install a small two to three foot high wall along the front of our property.  Done correctly, it will last a lot longer than a rickety fence.  I just love the strength and appearance of a stone wall, don't you?

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Brief Visitor, Squished Foot.

A couple weekends ago, I was clearing a brush of poison ivy, a couple trees and other manly landscaping tasks when a Mercedes convertible pulls into my driveway.  Normally, when that happens, the driver is lost and is making a U-turn.  This driver actually got out of the car.  Perhaps this person needs directions?  I mentally put on my "thinking cap".

Speaking in a rather quick pace, the driver introduces himself (and for the life of me I cannot remember his name). He's in a hurry to go somewhere but felt compelled to stop by as he saw me outside.  He knew my name and said that he was from a few houses down (a home that my wife and I had visited while it was on the market at the same time as ours was).  His home is an 1850's blue colored Italianate styled house.  I knew it rather well.  He goes on to say that he was the new owner of it and started to list what he had done recently to it.

I am still in shock that he knew my name and cannot recount all the details of that conversation.  Except one. He pointed to my roof and said that I needed to try this spray that will remove the black algae, lichen and moss that was growing on it.  Bewildered by his sudden appearance and knowledge of me, I began recounting some stupid story regarding my roof, like a bumbling fool.  "He knows my name, who is this guy?" I kept thinking.

Still in shock, he quickly leaves just as he had arrived.  

As I return to my manly duties, I was trying to remember what the product he was explaining was.  Something about "set it and forget it", like that TV infomercial at three in the morning.  My brief visitor proclaimed that the product will help remove the organic growth and save my roof.  I "google-d" what I thought he was talking about in order to help me recall what he had called it.  I saw the name finally and I remembered.  Spray and Forget.

As I wanted to take his warning of roof peril seriously, I visited my local hardware store and searched for the Spray and Forget display.  There really wasn't one, but I eventually found it with an employee's help, hidden in the paint section.  I saw the price and proclaimed an expletive.  Around $40 for a 32 oz spray bottle that you hook to your garden hose. I suppose that if you use it, and it saves you from having to replace your roof prematurely, then $40 is a small price to pay.  I purchased it with that concept in mind and ventured home.

Today, I took out my monster Little Giant Model 26 ladder.  It's a beast and weighs 54 pounds!  Getting it to work just right without reading directions is like poking a stick into a bees' nest.  You know you're going piss someone off... and it's probably yourself.  

I extended the ladder to it's max height to allow myself to reach the roof.  Then, I realized that I put the ladder in the totally wrong location.  Again, not reading the directions, I had to retract the ladder and pulled the side pins to condense the 54 pounds of aluminum.  That's when it happened.  The ladder slipped, and like a ram rod, fell on my foot.  Though I was wearing boots, steel toed in fact, the ladder's pin-point mass hit just below the tongue and behind the steel toe.  A couple of colorful four letters words were spoken, then I managed to hobble inside.  

My loving wife procured pain killers, an ice pack, some food and water.  I sat on the floor cradling my swollen foot, popped one Advil, ate and drank while holding that iced foot.  I sat there for an hour until I manned up, and after watching a 5 minute video from Little Giant's website, tackled the ladder's relocation and sprayed that damn Spray and Forget roof treatment.

There really is no point to this post except that I felt compelled to share my pain.  I plan on reviewing the Spray and Forget later on, when it's had time to work.  For now, I lay in bed, cradling my gimp foot hoping I haven't broken it.

My hairy foot, 12 hours, one ice pack and 3 Advils later, after being hit by 54 pounds of aluminum.

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Reference Book: Early Domestic Architecture of Connecticut

Here's another exciting reference book that I've come across.  Early Domestic Architecture of Connecticut by J. Frederick Kelly.  The previous owner had left it for us in the home though I don't believe she used it much, more like she kept it around as a coffee table book.  Regardless, this paperback book is an in-depth look at 17th and 18th century architecture.  Written initially in 1924, with reprints in the 60's and later decades.  For any true colonial home owner, this book is a must have.  

Inside this wonderful collection of photos and drawings are formal descriptions similar to a thesis in language.   However, getting past it's formality, the information contained herein is vast.  You want to know how clapboard was made and installed or perhaps why windows were made a certain way in a home of the 1600's versus the late 1700's.  Perhaps it's the interior paneling that you are seeking, or even still, the entire frame work of our homes including the different joint types.  If you're a lover of these homes, the information within is thought tantalizing.

As of this post, Amazon.com is selling Early Domestic Architecture of Connecticut for around $23 (and qualifies for free shipping).  Google books has a sampling of pages with several images, check it out here. 

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The Perfect Fire Starter.

We've had our wood burning stove for a year now.  Although I'd like to claim that I'm all knowing, I've been guessing at how to start the fire in our stove given the quick intro by the salesman as well as years of watching my father burn everything he could to start his little stove.  It would take me an hour or more before it reached a temperature hot enough to actuate the on-board blower.  Never realizing that I could be at fault (how could I be?) I was assuming that maybe there was a downdraft in the chimney or some other excuse.

That was until I searched online for hints at starting a fire.

Generally speaking, fire needs three things to exist.

1.  OXYGEN.

2.  HEAT.

3.  FUEL.

Seems simple enough until you follow that recipe without much to show for it.  I would stick a couple of twigs, lots of old newspaper and two small logs into our stove, light the paper with a lighter and wait for one, sometimes two hours before feeling any real heat emanate from the stove.  I had the heat from the lighter, the newspaper and wood bits for fuel and finally, oxygen was there as I kept the door open.  It didn't make sense to me why our stove wasn't working very well.

Several weeks ago, I discovered something.  There are more details to this three ingredient recipe.  And no, I don't mean add a gallon of gasoline, that's just insane.  It's more about how everything is physically arranged and the amount of oxygen being brought into the stove that matter.  It's not so much a 1:1:1 ratio.  The more O2 that can be given to the fire, the stronger it burns.  If you randomly stick a bunch of paper into a stove with some wood and light it, the paper will burn quickly sucking up most of the O2 and not allow the wood to catch on fire.  The twigs that I used as kindling were not large enough to produce the necessary heat to ignite the larger logs.  This left me with lots of smoke and no heat.

How you arrange the kindling, the type and size of it and the stages of burn will either help you or burn you.... (yes, the pun was intended).  So, after a long winded introduction, here's my secret recipe to get a large stove working quickly:

1.  Make your own kindling.  Our local grocery store sells a bundle of kindling for $6 per a pack of 16 sticks of dried wood.  You already have dried wood from your wood pile.  Why waste the money?  Use a hatchet or an ax/maul and split the already dried wood into slivers.  Each sliver should be no bigger than an inch square.  They do not have to be perfectly shaped.

2.  The night before you plan on making a fire, bring some wood from your storage pile indoors.  The coldness of winter will make it harder for the log to ignite if left outside.  It's core is too cold to catch fire.

3.  Collect a few sheets of newspaper.  Never use shiny, wax or plastic-like paper.  Take one sheet at a time and fold it in half, then crumple it into a tube and twist it to make it as dense as possible, like a cigar.

4.  In a clean stove (doesn't have to be perfect), place three bits of kindling across the bottom.  Place the pieces of twisted newspaper between each piece of wood kindling.

5.  Make a second layer similar to the first with the wood rotated 90 degrees to the first layer.  Place the twisted roll of newspaper in-between the kindling like the first.

6.  Now a third layer like the first layer.  This one should be 90 degrees turned to the second layer or parallel to the first layer.  No newspaper is required from here on wards.  A fourth layer of kindling may be added if you have a large stove.

7.  Pick a small split log and place on top.  If there is bark on it, make sure that the bark is facing away from the kindling.

Four layers of kindling, three sticks per layer, 12 sticks used.  Cost?  Pennies, if that.

8.  Light one of the bottom twisted newspaper rolls.

9.  Slightly close the door on the stove leaving about an inch open.  Make sure the damper and air control are fully opened.

Top Arrow (pulled out) - Damper fully open.
Bottom Arrow (pushed in) - Air control fully open

10.  Wait and watch.  Within a few minutes, you'll have a bonfire.  With my massive stove, in less than 30 minutes, I was at operating temperature.  Notice the door is slightly open.

Fire Start Time:  8:29 AM (T = 0 Minutes)

T = 5 Minutes.  Note the thermostat sensor is the gray colored plate on the bottom left of the stove.

Blower On, 8:51 AM (T = 22 Minutes)

Once the fire becomes established, poke and add more logs, close the door and damper   Allow the fire to grow and adjust the air intake to control the fire.

Now you're probably thinking, "Gee, 30 minutes to start a fire is a long time."  Yes, I agree.  The time is more for the thermostat controlled blower to actuate.  The fire was well established after 5 minutes as the above photo attests to.

I am not too keen on the thermostat for the blower.  As far as I can tell, there's no adjustment for it.  It turns the blower on well after the fire has established, yet stays on well after the air leaving the blower is cold.  I'll have to figure that one out in time.

Either way, there you have it.  A sure-fire way (haha) to have a strong fire producing heat.

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Oven/Range Repair

My wife and I had a pretty rough weekend when our little one was ill.  After getting home from the doctors, having not eaten much since dinner the previous night, we were scrounging around our empty refrigerator for lunch.  We found a box of "Frozen Fish Sticks" in the freezer and salivated due to our hunger.

While my better half was taking care of our little one, I went to the kitchen, preheated the oven, got the rack out and loaded the frozen "mystery meat" and french fries (everything tastes better with french fries) onto the pan and into the oven.  Within 20 minutes, the oven was smoking.  I thought perhaps a fry had fallen and burned, nothing more.  We ate our food and that was that.

Dinner time came and my wife wanted to make turkey and stuffing... love it.  I'm working on our computer in the neighboring room while my wife slaves over the stove.  She has the oven pre-heating while preparing the raw turkey.  That's when I hear, "STEVE! THE OVEN IS ON FIRE!"

"Holy S&#T!"  I ran into the kitchen to see an orange glow turning bright white emanating from our oven.  Sparks were flying about.  I turned off the oven and the glow subsided for a few seconds but continued to spark.  I stupidly thought, "Gee, that would make a cool picture...", not really thinking of an electrical fire being serious.

Baking element sparking, notice the upside-down metal measuring cup used as a support, courtesy of the previous owner.

Once my momentary stupidity gave way to reason, I ran into the cellar and hit the breaker for the oven.  The glow went away and the sparks ceased.

Side note:  The reason for the sparking continuing after I turned off the oven was because the electrical heating element is powered by two wires.  Each wire provides 120 volts to the baking element.  When the oven is turned on, the element receives power from both wires, equating to 240 volts.  When it is off, the element still receives power but from only one wire, being 120 volts.  Hence, why it was necessary to shut off the power at the electrical panel.

Back when we had our closing on our home, the owner at that time gave us a letter where she wrote us, among other things, that one of the stove's burners no longer work.  Being a glass top cooking surface, she was told that she'll have to replace the entire stove/range unit.  We were initially annoyed by this but have been living with it since our move in.  After all, three out of four isn't so bad.  Now with the baking element ruined, and we haven't the funds to spend on a new stove, I began looking into fixing the 15 year old appliance.  

I went to my local "big box" store looking to find advice and parts but I was told that it is IMPOSSIBLE to replace an element on a glass top stove; that we would have to replace the entire glass top and it's extraordinarily expensive.  The reason being that, according to the sales associate, it's a "sealed unit".

LIES!  Yes, the glass top by itself is expensive, but the burner elements are far more affordable in comparison.  My stove is a late 1990's Maytag Magic Chef model 5889VV, a smooth glass top electric stove.  The following is how I managed to avoid buying a brand new stove and make cost effective repairs instead.

I take responsibility for my own actions, not yours.  Electricity is nothing to play around with.  It should be respected as should your wallet.  If you do not feel comfortable with electrical repairs, please hire a professional.  Always make sure the appliance is unplugged or the breaker is OFF when working on any electrical component.

I did some digging online.  I found a few videos and a couple of write ups, nothing that matched my exact style of oven/range but they did give me some insight to the procedure.  Most of the videos stated that there are two screws securing the top frame holding the glass surface to the main body.  These two screws are located under the front lip accessed by opening the oven door and looking beneath the controls.  Once removed,  the top frame can be opened like a car's hood.

My stove had two screws just as the generic video described.  Unfortunately for me, these two screws did nothing to allow the top to come off.  So I did what any frustrated manic "handy man" does.  I took a pry bar and pried the cover off.  I was gentle, I promise.

The top was re-movable if pried; I was cautious as it is glass.  I used a lever braced along the front edge of my counter and gently pulled the top towards the front.  I tried this on both sides.  Eventually, the top was now about a half inch from it's starting position.  I took a flashlight and peered in the gap between the top and the body.  There were two metal clips holding the top down.  I gently pried again on one side, loosening the clip on that side, then again on the opposite.  The top was now free to open.

It wasn't until after I had opened the glass top that I realized how it was installed.  For a technician to remove the top, he/she would've had to pull the entire stove forward away from the wall, accessing the rear panel.  On the top of the rear, at each corner were two recessed screws that secured the top in place (THAT'S where they are!).  I also noticed that my particular stove was built into the cabinets, taking it out would've been impossible without destroying what the previous owner claimed were "custom cabinets".  Luckily, I did not damage the stove or the particle board "custom" counter top in my macho move to open it up.

After detaching the power feed and ground, the cover is off, on the floor upside-down.  Each element casing is exposed with all applicable wiring view-able   

I unscrewed the two screws securing the known faulty element, turned it over and discovered why it wasn't working.  Seems that the coil had broken as the dark burnt spot testifies.

Now, if I can get this far, with the detached element in my hands, why can I not simply buy a replacement?  So I did.  I searched for a few hours to find the most affordable price.  One vendor had a steal of an asking price, but asked for my first born in shipping.  Continuing my search, I eventually came to PartsDr.com.  Their pricing was the most cost effective for us (taking into account their shipping of course).  And as usual, no, I have not received any monetary discount for having their company on my blog.

We needed two parts:  The Bake Element and the 6 inch Surface Burner Element for our Magic Chef.

The parts cost us:
Bake Element                  $16.99
6 inch Surface Burner Element $44.99
                   Subtotal:  $61.99
                   Shipping:   $6.99
                   Total:     $68.97

Delivery was rather quick as well as I received both components three days after ordering.  Once in hand, both parts are a simple plug 'n play installation.

The element has a series of wires connected to a ceramic module extending from the side.  Each wire's terminal is labeled a specific number.  I unplugged one wire at a time, to ensure I was connecting it to the correct terminal on the new element.  Though both elements looked exactly the same, they were not.  The numbers on the module were in a different location on the replacement element.  Matching 1a to 1a, 2a to 2a... etc. was critical.

Once all the wires are connected to the new surface burning element, I cleaned up the area with a vacuum, secured the element onto the top frame and reassembled the top onto the stove.  Next, the oven's baking element.

This one was much simpler to install.  Ensure the power is off, open the oven and remove the wire shelves.  There are two screws securing the baking element to the rear of the oven.  Unscrew them and gently pull the element towards the front of the oven.  As you pull, the connected wire will become visible.  Use a pair of needle nose pliers to gently rock the wires off the element.

Here are the two baking elements side by side.  The new one is on the left (notice the standard supports for the element on the left compared to the recycled metal bowl on the right):

Installation is reverse of the removal.  Ensure both wires are firmly connected to the baking element and screw in the two screws to the rear of the oven.  Head to the breaker box and switch the oven on and test.

DONE!

Side note:  Do not assume that fixing the oven (like new) on your wife's birthday as a birthday gift will make her happy.  Appliances and wives' birthdays do not mix.

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Dining Room Table

Moving from an apartment under 800 square feet to a colonial that's just over 2100 square feet, we were definitely lacking furniture.  With money being what it is... scarce.... purchasing a brand new dining room set was not on the list of "Things to Do."  However, Christmas was coming and my wife wanted to have a formal style dinner, at a table (not that a coffee TABLE isn't, so I thought), with her parents present. 

I would hate to purchase a temporary set only to buy another grand set a few years later... not only is money wasted on the temporary set, but time is later wasted on getting rid of it.  Purchasing a brand new reproduction set of high quality is certainly out of the question.  Money would be better spent on other items for the home.

Our solution?  Craigslist.org.  Yep, used furniture.  We've managed to purchase and sell several things on the site:  old furniture, old car, new car, baby clothing, etc.  So, for a week, my wife and I perused the various listings finding mainly the crap other people are trying to get rid of.  I say crap because most of it is a bargain bin special:  beaten up, poor quality, or just flat out "f-ugly".  On occasion, the quality products are there, and the owners know it with their asking price reflecting it.

We came across this one set that the seller described as a Windsor Chair Set, two end chairs, four side chairs and a trestle style tavern drop leaf table.  My ears perked, I love the style of the Windsor, it reminds me of the stereotypical 18th century dining room.  I called the gentleman and arranged for a viewing.  His asking price was $1,000 (firm, he had already come down from $1,500). 

L.E. Partridge branding on the bottom of each chair.

After studying numerous pieces of furniture, both online and at a reproduction store, I feel I am able to tell the difference between hand made and everything else.  The little details of imperfection give proof of the hand of man. I couldn't help but question the owner of his claim of the set being hand made.  You really cannot trust everything you read online.  When I saw the set in person, I knew it was the Real McCoy!  The seller told me his wife's family purchased the set new sixty-four years prior.  Handcrafted circa 1958, these six chairs were made by L.E. Partridge, a reproduction chair maker from the mid-20th century in Connecticut who inspired the founder of the D.R. Dimes Company.  

Wait, D.R. Dimes saw L.E. Partridge's work and said, "I have to build that!"?  Now that's saying something.

The little details of hand made craftsmanship. 

I weighed the cost in my head.  $1,000 is a lot of money for us. So I had to be technical about it.  If we were to purchase hand made furniture from a retail store, how much would it cost us?  I know that D.R. Dimes' furniture is quite pricy at $700+ per chair, so, let's simply cut that value in half.  So, say roughly $300 a chair and six chairs brings us to $1,800.  We're already beyond the asking price and haven't even considered the table.

Handmade Windsor Chairs are expensive because of the amount of time required to construct each one.  It's really quite impressive actually.  If the reader is interested, there are several sites dedicated to just the Windsor Chair, as well as furniture companies.  Here is a four minute video for a quick artsy view on making the chair.  

Our L.E. Partridge Windsor Chair Set in our home!

In our dining room, the set is on the small size, as we could easily accommodate another two to four chairs, but for our needs at this time, it's perfect!  The table is actually not original to the set.  It's design, as mentioned previously as a trestle tavern table with drop leaf sides, makes the table quite narrow when not in use.  This feature allows the dining room table to become a side table.  The table can be placed off against the wall and the chairs surround the room, allowing for an open floor.

When not in use, the table and chairs can be placed along the perimeter of the room, giving plenty of space to walk through. 

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WPA Photo

This past weekend I visited the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford, CT.  My purpose was to discover more information about the previous owners of our home.  I did not find much except a few tax records which, honestly, did not reveal any new information.  It was towards the end when I asked them if they had any WPA photos.

WPA stands for the Works Progress Administration   It was implemented during the Great Depression, putting to work unemployed photographers, as well as other professions.  I wanted to know what this house looked like before it was touched during the remodel of the 1960's.  The idea was given to me by a fellow blogger, seen at the Enos Kellogg Homestead, where photographers were hired to document historic houses.  WPA workers took an overall assessment of each home, sometimes making blueprints and venturing inside.  Most of the time they took a photo.  These photos are now available online from the Connecticut State Lilbrary - WPA Collection.  Except, mine had no photo.  Nothing but a quick description.  Thinking I was one of the few unlucky owner's who's home was not photographed, I moved on disappointed.

The Connecticut Historical Society kindly retrieved all the files they had from the WPA program for my town.  Flipping through each one was déjà vu.  Yep, seen that one... yea, neighbors house, ok, next.... and so on.  Until, that is, I came to this one photo and froze.  I stared at it and I actually shed a tear of joy:

Photo courtesy of the Connecticut Historical Society

I did not even have to look at the description.  I knew this was it!  My home :)

The Historical Society of Connecticut is a non-profit group.  They have a wonderful staff who are all willing to help.  And believe me, being helped with this sort of research (previous owners, city directories, maps, etc) is worth it's weight in gold.  You could spend days in a Town Hall's vault and find nothing, spend a few hours with these delightful people, and strike gold.  As I said above, with exception to the photo, I did not find much new information.  Having said that, what I did find, was a repeat of what took me hours... if not days to decipher from other sources by myself.  Mrs. McCain and her staff gave me 1-on-1 attention.  They do charge a small entrance fee into the Research Center.  The fee is nominal and can be found here.  The museum and library are separate.  A free museum pass is available at most town libraries, however, this pass does not normally apply to the Research Center.  The reason for the fee is because of the attention and support they give to you.  It can be invaluable.

My thanks to the Society for their assistance.

On a side note, the Connecticut State Library is a vast archive of information which exceeds that of the Historical Society.  A trip to the State Library is in the works.

Bibliography:

Rocky Hill Historic Building 043. 1935-1942. Connecticut Historical Sociey, Hartford, CT. By W.P.A. Federal Writers Project, State of Connecticut

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Home History, Part III

From a prior post (see Part I and Part II), I was able to deduct that our home's name sake, James Warner, was not the builder, simply one of many owners our home had.  He was the most prominent owner under the current township which we reside in, Rocky Hill.

Rocky Hill is a township incorporated in 1843, located directly south of Wethersfield.  Prior to 1843, Rocky Hill was apart of Wethersfield.  The area was called Stepney Parish and locals would refer to the rocky area that dominated Stepney as "Rocky Hill."  The name stuck and by the summer of 1843, Rocky Hill became official.  However, since our home was built prior to the switch from Wethersfield to Rocky Hill, if we want records prior to 1843, we would need to visit Wethersfield.

Side note:  Going to Town Hall can be a tad frustrating, like going to the DMV.  The various departments within Town Hall seldom speak to one another in regards to records acting seemingly autonomous. What one department has, the other does not, and neither knows what the other has.  Forget about two different Town Halls speaking to another.  Trekking to one's Town Hall requires one to be utmost polite, as the saying goes,  "you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar." Be patient and eventually, you'll get what you'll need.  Just don't count on them being always polite back to you, that's not their job.

My lovely wife made this journey over several days last summer as a favor to me.  She started her research in Rocky Hill's Town Clerk's office which resulted in Part I of our home's history.  The records she uncovered were a mixture of owners.  She eventually ended up in Wethersfield's Town Clerk's office viewing records dating back to the 17th Century.  Due to time, her efforts ceased.  However, I was able to make a one day visit to validate her findings and continue where she left off.  As it turns out, not only was James Warner not the originator but nor was Part II's focal person, Rev. Burrage Merriam.  The following are our combined discoveries of previous owners:

Summary

Detail - lots of it, you've been warned!
Shall we start at the beginning?

It seems everything started in the later half of the 17th century where a blacksmith named Jonathan Deming (1661-1727) moved from the Middletown area to Wethersfield where he was originally from.  His father had passed down land and likewise, he had purchased, been gifted and inherited land from others.  By 1709, he is recorded as being married to Abigail Fyler (1683-1754).  It was his second marriage and her first.  With her, he had two sons, Daniel (1709-1748) and Charles (1714-1780).  When he passed away in 1727, his entire estate was valued at 1,500£.  A legal battle resulted in the lands being divided up amongst several parties leaving a few parcels to his wife and sons.

Charles Deming (1714-1780), the younger of Jonathan's two sons, had moved to Saybrook, CT by 1738.  He was busy selling any lands he had in the Wethersfield area for he no longer lived in there.  In a deed dated May 23, 1746, he writes:

To all People to whom these presents shall come Greeting. Know Ye that I, Charles Deming of Saybrook in the County of New London and Colony of Connecticut in New England, for the consideration of the sum of seventeen pounds money or bills of credit of the old Tenor received to my full satisfaction of my Brother Daniel Deming of Wethersfield in the County of Hartford and the Colony aforesaid Have bargained and sold and by these presents Do give, grant, bargain, sell and confirm unto the said Daniel Deming and to his Heirs and Assigns for ever one there part of two acres of land more or less lying in Wethersfield aforesaid at a place commonly called Demings Plain which said two acres was divided and set out to the said Daniel and Charles Deming as the whole of thier Right to a certain Tract of Land containing fifteen acres formerly granted by the Town of Wethersfield to Jonathan Deming, the said two acres is bounded as followeth.  East and West on Common and undivided Land, North on Land of John Moreton, and South on Land of Stephen Riley ... In Writting whereof I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal the twenty third Day of May in the nineteenth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Ruler of Great Britain and King.  Annoque Domini 1746.

Signed Sealed and Delivered in presence of Ephraim Willard and Lydia Willard,

Charles Deming

Daniel Deming (1709-1748) thus now owns the lands that his brother inherited from their father, Jonathan.  According to to the Deming Genealogy, Daniel Deming lived in Stepney Parish and owned a large amount of land which he inherited mainly from his mother, Abigail and grandfather.  He married Mehetabel Russel in 1729 and had four children (one boy and three girls).

According to Mehetabel's diary:

My husband departed from his own house March 25, 1748.  April the 9th day he sailed out of New London, and died April the 23d day.  July 24 news came of his death.

As told by those on board, he died of consumption (aka Tuberculosis or TB).  His Will was read August 3, 1748, in which he states that his widow shall receive his "riding mare" and his "great silver cup" (lucky gal!) and his son, Jonathan (1730-1799), his home and house-lot.  The total value of Daniel's estate was 3,871£ in 1748.  Pretty impressive if the conversion to today's approximate dollars is true at ~$790,000 (converter found here:  University of Michigan)

Daniel Deming's only son, Jonathan Deming (1730-1799), married the daughter of Captain Jacob Williams in 1763.  Her name was Jerusha Williams (1736-1815).  Together, they lived in the "old homestead" of his father and raised their six children.  Jonathan served in the Connecticut Militia, first becoming an Ensign of the 9th Company, 6th Regiment in May of 1772.  He then became a Lieutenant of the 8th Company, 6th Regiment in May of 1774.  He was receiving a pension from the government for his services during the Revolutionary War.  Since the pension system was not in effect until 1818 by an Act of Congress, individual States gave pensions to wounded soldiers or their survivors.  As Jonathan Deming passed away in 1799, I can only assume he was wounded during the War.  In his Will of March 16, 1795, his home is left to his only son, Daniel with the stipulation that as long as Daniel's sisters remained unmarried, that one room shall be reserved for their use.  Daniel had four sisters, with the youngest, Lydia, unmarried at the time of Jonathan's death.  She would not be married until 1808.  In 1799, Jonathan Deming's estate was valued at 3,893£ (~$800,000 today) at the time of his death.

Daniel Deming (1765-1849) was the only surviving son of Lt. Jonathan Deming (1730-1799).  Daniel married in 1795 to Fanny Callender (1770-1847).  According to the Deming Geneology, he was known as Captain Deming, but this may have been simply a nick-name and not a rank associated with military service.  He relocated his family in 1806 to Sheffield, Ma, selling the property against his father's Last Will and Testament.  Prior to Daniel's youngest sister, Lydia, getting married in 1808, the property was sold in 1806, to Asahel Merriam (1771-1808), the son of the second Reverend of Stepney Parish.  In the deed, the following was recorded:

Know Ye That we, Daniel Deming and Jerusha Deming (Daniel's mother) both of Wethersfield in the County of Hartford of the State of Connecticut for the consideration of two thousand and five hundred and sixty six dollars and sixty six cents Received to our full satisfaction of Ashel Merriam of said Wethersfield Do give, grant, bargain, sell and confirm unto said Asahel Merriam and to his Heirs and assigns forever and contain a peice if Land, Situated and being in the Parish of Stepney in said Wethersfield Containing twelve acres (illegible) more or less with a dwelling house and barn and all buildings standing thereon, bounded East partly by Land of William Griswold and in part on a highway, North on Land of William Griswold in part on Land of Elijah Robbins and the heirs of Richard Robbins, West on Land of Asahel Savage, South on a highway, reserving to the said Jerusha Deming during her natural  life the use and improvement of the South front Room, the South Midroom in the Shed, and a priviledge in the Cellar, a place to lay her wood, with a priviledge of passing and repassing to and from said premises ... In Witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals the 28th day of March Annon Domini 1806.

Signed sealed and delivered, in presence of Elisha Gallenger and Joseph Buckley,

Daniel Deming

Jerusha Deming

Asahel Merriam (1771-1808), during this time period, is seen purchasing multiple tracks of land.  It seems fashionable that one's "wealth" is derived by the quantity of land that one possesses.  He purchase the Deming land for $4,566.66.  Perhaps out of guilt or even trying his best to follow his father's Last Will, Daniel Deming arranged for his mother, Jersuha Deming, to remain in the family home until her death in 1815.  Asahel, perhaps having no use for the home, gives the dwelling to his mother, Hannah Seldon (now re-married after her first husband, Rev'd Burrage Merriam's death in 1776).  I personally believe that Hannah Seldon and her second husband, Ezra Seldon, were not comfortable with the living arrangements of Jerusha being in the home, but this is just speculation.  A couple months after receiving the property, it is sold back to Asahel for $500.  Asahel marries Hannah Robbins and together they have six children, with the only male being name Burrage (1798-1829).  Soon after buying the property back, Asahel passes away at the age of 36.

Hartford Currant, August 27, 1827

At the age of 10, Burrage Merriam (1798-1849) inherits the home after his father's death in 1808 (I am unsure of the direct ownership since no records have been found as of yet).  Jershua continues to reside in the property until her death in 1815.  Burrage grows up, becomes the town's Tax Collector and marries Harriet Williams in 1829.  Burrage sells the property to his mother, Hannah Merriam (formerly Hannah Robbins) in 1827, for $4,616, which includes several parcels of land totaling 27.75 acres.  The deed also sees the transfer of a one-third stake in the Grist Mill that Burrage's grandfather, the Reverend Merriam built with two other men in 1775.  For the record, the Grist Mill was located on Middletown Road (today's Main Street) but was dismantled in 1880. More information can be found from Wethersfield's Historical Society here. Burrage dies in 1849, childless.

Hannah Merriam (d. 1845) was the wife of Asahel Merriam being married to him in 1795.  As mentioned previously, she was born Hannah Robbins and with Asahel, bore six children.  Other than Burrage, of her remaining children, only two outlived her, Hannah and Delia.  In a deed dated January 26, 1842, she writes:

I, Hannah Merriam of Wethersfield, in the County of Hartford for the consideration of the love and affection which I have and entertain for my daughter, Hannah Merriam, of said Wethersfield, do give, grant, and confirm unto the said Hannah Merriam, my daughter, One equal undivided half of my home lot and all buildings thereon standing in common with my son Burrage - - Said lot containing ten acres be the same more or less and is bounded Northerly by land of William Web.  Easterly and Southerly by highways.  Westerly by land of Jason Boardman.  Reserving to myself the use and improvement of the said described premises during my natural life said described premises being situated and lying in said Wethersfield, parish of Rocky Hill.  In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hands and seal the 26th day of January Annon Domini 1842.

Signed, sealed, and delivered, in presence of Benjamin G. Robbins and William Robbins II,

Hannah Merriam

Smith's 1855 Map of Hartford County, Connecticut - Library of Congress

The mother of Burrage Merriam passes away in 1845, Burrage passes on in 1849, leaving Hannah now the owner of the property.  

In 1855, E.M Woodward published Smith's Map of Hartford County.  It is the very first and only map that I have been able to find which depicts the home owners for my area.  All prior maps that I have come across of the same style are of Wethersfield proper, not showing the southern territory now Rocky Hill.  The map is massive at five feet in height with a huge amount of detail.  On it, Hannah Merriam is show where our house resides today, shown as "H. Merriam".  I've been able to find this map on sale at auction for sums in excess of $2,500.  The Library of Congress has it in their collection and has thankfully digitized it.  The image to the right is of the full map, scaled down in size.  However, if you'd like to view the map in it's full detail, go to the Library of Congress.

Closeup of Smith's Map

This is map proves that the line is stable whereas we know that James Warner purchases the home from Hannah Merriam in 1859.  So finding this map dated 1855 with "H. Merriam" on our home's location is concrete evidence that we're on the right track.

James Warner (1822-1899) was a farmer, like many in the area.  He purchased the home and lands in 1859 from Hannah Merriam for $3,000 with Hannah being listed as one of three recipients of the money.  The house lot comes with 11 acres.  Hannah becomes a personal loan officer (not officially) giving James a 3% interest rate on his mortgage.  Hannah releases James from the mortgage on June 5, 1863.  James Warner becomes a representative to the Connecticut State Legislature in 1864 and 1865 for Rocky Hill Township.  He marries Martha Griswold-Warner in 1849 and has two sons.  The eldest is James H. Warner (1851-1929).  In 1899, James Warner passes away from a "paralysis of the brain".  I assume this to be a stroke in his 76th year of life.

James H. Warner (1851-1929) inherits the home upon his father's death.  He also followed his father's footsteps to become a representative to the State Legislature in 1882.  He marries Jennie C. Elmore in 1875 and has five children.  The eldest is Carl G. Warner (1876-1967).  Carl becomes the executor of his father's estate in 1929.  The home does not change hands until 1932 when Carl sells the home to his sister, J. Grace Warner.

J. Grace Warner (1881-1956) was a school teacher in the Hartford School System.  She never married and likewise never had any children.  In the 1950's, her sister, Emma, a widower, moves in with Gracie (as she is known).  The townsfolk began calling the house the "Warner Sisters Home" (perhaps these are the two women that a couple of mediums saw in our home, story here).  Carl, their brother, lived next door in a home that was demolished in 1997 (there are currently three "cookie-cutter" homes there now).  His home turned into a multifamily.  Former renters recalled that Carl Warner would collect bushels of apples from the farm behind the properties and, with a horse and carriage, bring them to the rear of the neighbor's home (our home) directly into the basement through a rear entry for storage.  Our home sits on a sloping back yard with access into the basement.

When Gracie died in 1956, Carl was once again the executor.  He sells the home to Dorothy Waters Mell (1919-2001), the daughter of Emma and his niece for $10,000.  Emma moves in with her brother next door.

In 1968, the home leaves the Warner family for the first time in 109 years when Dorothy sells it to the Venzia family.  During the Venzia's ownership, I believe they modernized the home replacing the old nob and tube electrical system and may of updated the kitchen.  I believe that Mr. Elphege Venzia was in the construction buisness or at least a handy-man for many records in Rocky Hill's town hall indicates a construction firm linked to Mr. Venzia.  There's also an old rickety work bench that was constructed of 2x4's under the kitchen possibly dating to the 1960's or 1970's.  The slab under the kitchen "ELL" where the work bench was has a peace symbol and the year 1973 inscribed in children's writing.  The Venzia's lived for a short period in the home selling it in 1979, to the Tinney family.

The Tinney's were active in the local historical society.  I do not have much information on them with the exception that Henry Tinney died in 1988, and his wife, Doris, in 2002.  She was known as "Danny" to the Historical Society whom spoke fondly of her.  Danny sold our home to Deloris Dion in 1992.  Mrs. Dion, a divorcee, lived in this home for 19 years making many cosmetic changes/upgrades to the home (perhaps a bit unwisely as well).  Mrs. Dion, at the age of 80, sold the home to ourselves in 2011 for $275,000. 

This home's history is quite long and unending.  All the information above is a combination of facts from historical records and assumptions when a lack of records was apparent.  I shall, overtime, modify this one post when new information comes to light.  Future visits to other state and private agencies are planned to enlighten myself on the extreme details of what is currently called the James Warner House.

The following are general sources of information (I plan to make a full citation page at some point):

Rocky Hill Town Hall

Rocky Hill Historical Society

Wethersfield Town Hall

Connecticut Historical Society

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