The Fire Lands Pioneer, Volume 1, Number 1
Sandusky, OH: Published under the supervision of the Fire Lands Historical Society by H.D. Cooke & Co., 1858.
First Edition. 48 pp, in original sewn wrappers. Moderate foxing and staining throughout, especially to the last 10 pp. Good. First issue (June 1858) of this periodical dedicated to preserving the history of the western part of the Connecticut Western Reserve (i.e., north central Ohio). The area was known as both the "Sufferers' Lands" and the "Fire Lands" (or "Firelands") because resale of the land was intended as financial restitution for residents of the Connecticut towns of Danbury, Fairfield, Greenwich, Groton, New Haven, New London, Norwalk, and Ridgefield, where many homes had been burned by British forces in 1779 and 1781. By the mid 1850s, the ranks of the early settlers of the region were thinning, and those who remained decided to organize a society to preserve the heritage of the pioneers before it was too late. One of the first actions of the new society, which was officially formed in 1857, was to create a journal to publish the histories of the early settlements and their citizens. This first issue includes the Historical Society's constitutions, speeches on the need for and establishment of the Society, memoirs of the townships of Norwalk, Peru, and Groton, and details of the forthcoming issue, with a plea for subscribers. The latter was evidently a success, as the journal was published for several decades.
Item #20855
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