***Andersen, Ruth O.M.
From Yankee to American: Connecticut 1862-1914
. Chester, Connecticut: Pequot Press. 1975.
Andersen explains post-Civil War Connecticut industry as the effect of immigration and urbanization. Capital was available, transportation established, hardships of immigrants discussed in context of late nineteenth century.
*****Baldwin, Irene. “Georgetown and Its People.” Unpublished M.A. Diss. Danbury State College, 1965.
Somewhat like Thomas Farnham’s book on Weston in its intent, but certainly not objective. It is more of a personal expose of a native area.
Bishop, J. Leander.
A History of American Manufactures from 1608 to 1860
. Vol. II. Philadelphia: Edward Young and Company, 1864.
This history is a year by year accounting of American manufacturing through the Civil War. Much attention paid to the tariff issue in the nineteenth century. Includes meticulous listing of patents granted and very good charts of manufactures of 1850.
*****Carlson, Einar W. and Howell, Kenneth T.
Empire Over the Dam
. Chester, Connecticut: Pequot Press, 1974.
Valuable information of dams and waterwheels. Good chapter on the decline of a mill area (N.W. Connecticut) when mill owners generally didn’t move from water to steam power.
Clark, George L.
A History of Connecticut: Its Peoples and
Institutions. 2nd Edition. New York: G. Putnam’s Sons, 1914.
In regard to this topic, Clark stresses two points: (1) Manufacturing in 1800s was natural to Connecticut; (2) Because of diversions prior to 1800s, manufacturing couldn’t develop until this time.
Day, Clive.
The Rise of Manufacturing in Connecticut:
1820-1850. Tercentenary Commission of the State of Connecticut, Publication No. 44. Yale University Press, 1935.
Day sees Connecticut’s growth in industry based upon cheap labor and enthusiastic marketing techniques. He sees 1850 as turning point in Connecticut life with shift from agriculture to industry.
Dwight, Theodore.
The History of Connecticut
. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1841.
Emphasizes influence of Embargo and War of 1812 on growth of manufactures in Connecticut. His contrasts beliefs of Ms. Fuller.
+ Farnham, Thomas J.
Weston: The Forging of a Connecticut Town
. Canaan, New Hampshire: Phoenix Publishing, 1979.
Farnham furnishes a good description of the emergence of a town. Emphasizes that the demise of Weston in late 19th due primarily to factors beyond that town’s control. This study is done by a professional historian.
+ Fuller, Grace P.
An Introduction to the History of Connecticut as a Manufacturing State
. Smith College Studies in History. Northampton, Massachusetts, 1915.
A Master’s thesis covering use of Connecticut manufacturing from 1818-1845. Chapters III and V are analyses and projections of the manufacturing environment in 1818 and 1845.
Grant, Ellsworth Strong.
Yankee Dreamers and Doers
. Chester, Connecticut: Pequot Press, 1974.
Concentrates on techniques of manufacturing, resource availability and marketing practices of early peddlers. Grant goes into depth on leading manufacturers and inventors. Places great importance on the Yankee character and spirit of ingenuity and inventiveness.
Hindle, Brooke, ed.
America’s Wooden Age: Aspects of its Early
Technology. Tarrytown, N.Y.: Sleepy Hollow Restorations,1975.
*** Hindle includes valuable illustrations on several different kinds of water wheels. Specific information on upkeep, technical use and dimensions of water wheels.
+ Kissinger, Henry.
White House Years.
Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1979.
First chapters give Kissinger’s views on historical perspective. Tacit statements on applicability of history to our contemporary lives.
Knowles, Phillip H. and Miller, Raymond C.
The Gilbert and
Bennett Manufacturing Company: 150th Anniversary. Georgetown Connecticut: The Gilbert and Bennett Manufacturing Co., 1968.
This is an account of the life of Gilbert and Bennett. Useful as both a social and commercial history of a mill.
McConnell, Campbell R.
Economics: Principles, Problems and Policies
. 5th ed. New York: McGraw Hill, 1972.
This is a very understandable economics text for a history teacher. It should be consulted for any project with macroeconomic implications.
+ Morgan, Forrest, ed.
Connecticut as a Colony, and as a State Or One of the Original Thirteen
. Vol. III. Hartford: The Publishing Society of Connecticut, 1904.
Connecticut was behind commercial development of Massachusetts in 1800. The State was hurt by poor farming conditions and attraction of frontier. No population growth between 1790 and 1810. Morgan sees development of manufactures during War of 1812 as important stimulant.
+ Morse, Jarvis Means.
A Neglected Period of Connecticut History
1818-1850. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1933.
Morse emphasizes that the people with ambition, initiative, intellectual curiosity left Connecticut in their youth. Connecticut became a leading industrial state because of 1) inventors, 2) establishing industries with few resources (nat.), 3) rapidly getting a corner of markets.
+ North, Douglas C.
The Economic Growth of the United States
:
l790-1860
. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 1961
North has written an excellent background on industrialization as a concept. More geographic and economic emphasis on certain key factors of linkage and factor endowments. He looks at national implications of even smallest 19th century mills.
+ Osborn, Norris Galpin, ed.
History of Connecticut in Monographic Form
. Vol. IV. New York: The States History Co., 1925.
Osborn traces Connecticut’s industrial development from Connecticut’s ship building and commerce. He discusses availability of initial capital as well as interesting useful chapters on uses of power.
Pease, John C. and Niles, John N.
A Gazeteer of the States of Connecticut and Rhode Island: Written with Care and Impartiality from Original and Authentic Materials
. Hartford: William S. Marsh, 1819.
This is a good breakdown of local towns at 1810 Census. It consists of charts, short narrative including population breakdown, nature of society and geographic facts.
Roth, David M. Connecticut:
A Bicentennial History.
New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 1979.
Conservative nature of Connecticut politics 1818-1850 regardless of which party was in power comes through consistently. Roth details interesting comments on state’s policy.
Todd, Charles Burr.
The History of Redding, Connecticut
.New York: The Grafton Press, 1906.
Todd’s effort is a valuable study of Redding but of little value for overall understanding of Redding’s role in U.S. History. Some information on local mills.
Trecker”Janice Law.
Preachers, Rebels and Traders: Connecticut 1818 to 1865
. Chester, Connecticut: Pequot Press, 1975.
The author looks at impact of early industry in Connecticut on laborers. She sees the effects as very negative. Laborers were oppressed, especially women and children.
Thompson, Wilbur. Georgetown file folder. Wilton Historical Society. Wilton, Connecticut, 1923.
Notes certain information on earliest references to village of Georgetown. Discusses mills existing on Norwalk River compared to those in existence in 1923.
+ Tyler, Daniel.
Statistics of the Conditions and Products of
Certain Branches of Industry in Connecticut for the Year Ending October 1, 1845.
Hartford.
Includes data on individual state towns as well as information on county and state-wide level. Useful if compared with statistics at other periods of 19th century.
VanDusen, Albert E.
Connecticut
. New York: Random House,1961.
+ VanDusen deals with period 1818-1850 from a political perspective. This is useful. Chapter on trade and industry deal with topic from pre-Revolution to 1960. Discusses major industries of state during 1818-1850 period.
Government Documents
6th Census of the United States 1840
8th Census of the United States 1860
9th Census of the United States 1870
10th Census of the United States 1880
11th Census of the United States 1890