“River History” by Dr. Eileen Fielding. Simsbury, CT: The Farmington Watershed Association, 2014.
Dr. Fielding, Director of the Farmington Watershed Association, gave a presentation on the history of the Farmington River in 2014. She was kind enough to export that presentation on a disc for future use. Dr. Fielding provides facts on what types of fish live in the Farmington, and also the relationship the natives had with the Farmington River who lived alongside or near it.
Banks, Marc and Lucianne Lavin. Archaeological Site Sensitivity Analysis of the Town of Simsbury. Simsbury, CT: Simsbury Planning Department, 2002.
Banks and Lavin write a summary of an archaeological survey of Simsbury. Included are old maps, copies of deeds from the natives, and descriptions of finds based chronologically. What might be extremely useful are maps of Simsbury that indicate what locations had finds, and which locations might have the most finds if excavated. This source might tell us the most specifically about the Massacoes that lived here for thousands of years.
Wilcox II, U. Vincent. “The Lewis-Walpole Site of Farmington, Connecticut: A Preliminary Report”. ASC 35 (1967): 5-48.
Wilcox gives details on the finds at the Lewis-Walpole Site in Farmington, Connecticut. The author lists all finds, and describes how many of each item was found.
Banks, Marc. “Aboriginal Weirs in Southern New England”. ASC Bulletin 53 (1990): 73-83.
Bancs writes a brief, yet informative essay about what fishing weirs are, how they were used, and how they were built in pre-contact and post-contact times. The essay provides details on known locations of old weir sites, what natives might have caught and the complexity of finding the ruins of an old weir today.
Trocchi, Jim. Connecticut Indians. Windsor Historical Society.
Trocchi writes informatively about the natives of the Farmington Valley, and in Connecticut. Included are details about types of food, housing structure, language, individual tribes and possible sites in the Northwest corner on Connecticut.
Stiles, Henry R. The History of Ancient Windsor. Vol. 1. Hartford, CT: Press of the Case, Lockwood, and Brainard, 1891.
Stiles’ lengthy work includes not only the history of Windsor, but also the histories of all areas that surround Windsor in the Connecticut River Valley. Stiles includes important and useful quotes from letters and court decisions related to the settlement of Simsbury, and the natives in that territory.
Gay, Julius. “The Tunxis Indians: An Historical Address.” Address, Annual Meeting of the Village Library Company, Farmington, CT, September 11, 1901.
The author’s address presents the details of how Farmington was founded through deeds with the natives. Gay proceeds to talk about the legacy of the Farmington Indians up until the 1700’s.
Trumbull, James Hammond. Indian Names of Places, etc., in and on the Borders of Connecticut. Hartford, CT: Brown & Gross, 1881
Trumbull provides a lengthy list of native place names used within Connecticut. The author includes place names such as Congamuch, Massaco, Tunxis, Wheataug and several others whose use he claims was by natives of the Farmington Valley.
Huden, John Charles. Indian Place Names of New England. New York, Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, 1962.
In his work, John Huden compiles an extensive list of native place names that he was able to collect within New England. Huden additionally provides English translations or extensive explanations of the terms, along with general modern day location and what tribe most likely used the term. Included in this list are place names, such as Massaco, Manahanoose, Tunxis, Wepansock, Pautonk and many more.
Lavin, Lucianne. Connecticut’s Indigenous Peoples: What Archaeology, History, and Oral Traditions teach Us About Their Communities and Cultures. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2013.
Dr. Lavin provides an important source of ancient Native American history based largely on archaeological finds. Although Simsbury is not specifically mentioned, Lavin discusses in length about finds in Farmington, Windsor, South Windsor and other surrounding towns that give clues to what life must have been like for the indigenous peoples over the course of thousands of years up until contact. Specific finds, such as food and tools, suggest what the natives in the Farmington Valley ate, and how the acquisition of complex tools through development and trade led to an evolving lifestyle.