Category Archives: Simsbury Historical Society

Mathias Spiess

Spiess, Mathias. The Indians of Connecticut. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1933.

Mathias writes about Connecticut natives in pre-contact times in relation to dominating outside tribes, and then describes the history behind the different English settlements in the Connecticut and Farmington River Valleys. The author tries to connect each tribe, and is one of the only authors so far who have claimed the Massacoe had absolutely nothing to do with the Tunxis natives.

John W. DeForest

DeForest, John W. History of the Indians of Connecticut. Hartford, CT: WM. Jas. Hamersley, 1852.

DeForest tells the history of the natives in Connecticut. Along with giving a greater historical context to the surrounding Farmington Valley region, DeForest includes important facts and speculations about the Tunxis and Massacoe tribes. This includes population and relationship between the two.

Simsbury, 1670-1970

Simsbury, 1670-1970. Simsbury, CT: Chamber of Commerce, 1970.

This small booklet was produced to commemorate Simsbury history over three hundred years. Although short, it does provide a brief overview of Simsbury history, and also gives some general information about natives in Connecticut at the time of English settlement.

Mark Williams

Williams, Mark. The Brittle Thread of Life. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2009.

Williams’ book is an important historical work about Salmon Brook, once a part of the original Simsbury. The author gives a history of the settlement of Simsbury, and eventually how the settlement of Salmon Brook came to be. Additionally, the fate of the Massacoes is discussed, with Williams suggesting massive death by disease and departure from the area.

William M. Vibert

Vibert, William M. Three Centuries of Simsbury: 1670-1970. Simsbury, CT: Simsbury Tercentenary Committee Inc, 1970.

Vibert covers almost all areas of Simsbury and Massacoe history. He gives details on Massacoe territory, villages, burial grounds, food, weapons and native legends.

Noah A. Phelps

Phelps, Noah A. A History of the Copper Mines and Newgate Prison at Granby, Conn., also, of The Captivity of Daniel Hayes, of Granby, by the Indians, in 1707. Hartford, CT: Tiff & Burham, 1845.

Phelps recounts the history of Newgate Prison and the copper mines in Granby, and also tells the story of Daniel Hayes. The story of Hayes capture and eventual return to Granby is the most related part of the text to the research. After harming a native’s dog in Weatogue, Hayes is captured and brought to Canada. Perhaps the most interesting part of the text is that Phelps includes the assertion that the problems with natives had ended long before this incident.

Lucius M. Barber

Barber, Lucius M. A Record and Documentary History of Simsbury 1643-1888. Simsbury, CT: Abigail Phelps Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, 1931.

Barber writes a lot of estimates of native population in Connecticut at the time of settler-native contact. Along with this, the author goes into great detail about why and how Simsbury was settled. The deeds to Simsbury are discussed in length.

Marc Banks and Lucianne Lavin

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.

Lucianne Lavin

Lavin, Lucianne. “The Morgan Site, Rocky Hill, Connecticut: A Late Woodland Farming Community in the Connecticut River Valley”. ASC 51 (1988): 7-22

Dr. Lavin does not provide information on Simsbury or the Massacoes in this essay, but does give insight into finds at a comparable site along the Connecticut River. This work is important because Lavin provides comparisons between inland finds and coastal finds.