6/18/09 Doug Roberts interviewed by Ken Feder on the Barkhamsted Lighthouse Baskets

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Coni Dubois

4/11/10 Barkhamsted Lighthouse Baskets made around 1817 - Photo taken by Coni Dubois — 4/11/10 Barkhamsted Lighthouse Baskets made around 1817 – Photo taken by Coni Dubois

Tape 1:

Talk about straw baskets (the basket with bundled straw coils).

Feder: “How did these all come into your possession?”

Baskets came down to Doug Roberts through his “grandparents.” When the Lighthouse people got kicked out from “down below,” the ones left, including Sol Webster, ended up on Hart’s Hill. They lived “next door, through the woods” to Doug’s “grandparents.” Living between the present Rte 20 and the old Rte 20. Became quite friendly. And “the lady” did housework for Doug’s grandmother. The “lady” would, quite often, on Monday morning, come in with a black eye. Then Doug refers to his great-great grandmother paying the Lighthouse cleaning lady twice a week (the husband knew only about the end of the week payment, which he took for alcohol whereupon he would beat her).

Talks about Fresh Air Fund girls brought to Barkhamsted from Brooklyn (Union Settlement). Lived in a group house and taught to make baskets. Doug showed us a photograph of the girls. In front of them was a bunch of raffia and cane. Could some of Doug’s baskets be from the Fresh Air Fund girls?

Doug talks about the Lighthouse diorama. He states that Mister Lund (?) claimed to have built it, but Doug says it was him and his older brother. Farmington River was varnish. Golden rod in green paint for elm trees. He then claims that the original diorama was destroyed, but later, the state found the individual elements of the diorama (the trees and such) and then they rebuilt it. So the current diorama is, according to Doug, a copy with some of the original bits incorporated. Walt’s kids from Regional school rebuilt it based on a postcard photograph. “A poor imitation” says Doug.

Lighthouse cemetery. When they dug into several graves when they dug the ditch for the fence. Then they moved those bones and set up a separate stone to mark their location.

Tape 2:

Hiram Goodwin ran for senate on woman’s rights platform. Elected. First women’s rights laws. Troubles out there they’d tell her about their troubles. And that’s how baskets are involved? Roberts implies that Lighthouse community women would complain to his great-great grandmother about physical abuse at the hand(s) of their husband(s). And I guess, as a result of their friendship, they’d give Roberts’s great-great grandmother baskets as a token of their appreciation. (?)

Lacy: “Have you collected the baskets over the years or were they all given to you at the same time?”

Doug: No they came from two different places out there. Most of them were up there in my mother’s and father’s attic. The others came from (unintelligible) down there in Pleasant Valley, out there. The lady had the family place that she and her sister used as a summer home. And there, the baskets that got from the LIghthouse tribe. And one of the older families in town, out there, Emiline Jones. She had….

Lacy: “Were these used in the Lighthouse, for a while?”

Doug: Probably, They were new baskets when the two families got them.

Lacy: Do you know if anything else survived from the village?

Doug: No, I don’t.

Doug talked about the house jointly occupied by Hitchcock and Alford, in Riverton. Mrs. Alford moved in in 1835 and had a “nine-year-old girl from the Lighthouse lived with there and had her run errands for her. The kid went to grammar school in Riverton. Doug doesn’t know her name.

One of “them” married a “colored family” and moved to Winchester (Mercy and Isaac Jacklin). Doug says they’re buried up there.

One of them married a Green from Sharon. Doug says she went back to Sharon and the she’s buried in the cemetery on the road to Amenia. She, the family, and the kids.

Talks about one of the Lighthouse descendants living in Sands Lake in NY, passing for white, changed his name.

Lacy: Do you plan on doing anything with these baskets?

Doug: Well, eventually, I’ll probably give them to the historical society.

Lacy: Now do you know if the people who made these baskets at the Lighthouse, did they sell them?

Doug: If they could get money for them.

Esther Alford:

Second child died in childbirth. A Dr Steele from Winsted brought in a 2- or 3-day-old baby for Esther to serve as a wetnurse. Doug thinks the baby may have been a daughter of Mercy and Isaac. The baby was raised by the Alfords. Questionable.

There’s lots more stuff in the two tapes, but not much if anything related to the Lighthouse.

Category: Coni Dubois

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Coni Dubois

I’ve been a family Genealogist/Native American Researcher for over 30+ years and have traced over 65,000+ people for my research - My main area of research is in MI, IN, CT, NY, RI, PA, MA, VA, VT, NJ, OH, KY, Block Island & Long Island areas - dealing with many of the colonial people & tribes in these locations.

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December 2012
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Drew Shuptar Rayvis & I

5/13/13 @ Hewitt Home – Rona Sullivan (Barber Descendant) & Mary Hewitt discussing Chief Sodney (Photo taken by Jim Goodwin)

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Decemeber 2011 edition - Squire Tavern Quarterly Newletter

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Barber Rd

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5/13/13 @ Barber Homestead Pauline (Polly) Goodwin, Lenny Barber, Coni Dubois & Beulah Barber (just turned 96) – Both Beulah & Lenny still live at Homestead – Photo taken by Jim Goodwin

Barkhamsted Historical Society vice president Paul Hart, Drew Shuptar-Rayvis of Brookfield, a descendant of the Accomac/Pokomoke people of Virginia, Coni Dubois of Louisiana, who organized a reunion of Barkhamsted Lighthouse descendants, and anthropologist Kenneth Feder pose before a tour of the Lighthouse Village Friday.

4/11/10 Barkhamsted Lighthouse Baskets made around 1817 – Photo taken by Coni Dubois

5/13/13 Research talk hosted at Hewitt Home in Hale Michigan R2L starting with me, Rona Sullivan, Diane Allen, Ron Allen, Terry Allen, Jerry Hewitt, Polly Goodwin & my Husband Jay Dubois – beside me is Mary Hewitt (Photo taken by Jim Goodwin)

Kevin McBride, Ken Feder & Coni Dubois looking at the map of area

And those I met along the way~

Byron Brown, Chief Sun Rise of the Wiquapaug Eastern Pequot tribe and a descendent of Lighthouse founder James Graughham, walks in the Barkhamsted Lions Parade Saturday

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Drew Shuptar-Rayvis of Brookfield, a descendant of the Accomac/Pokomoke people of Virginia, dressed in the fashion of an Algonkian man during a reunion of Barkhamsted Lighthouse descendants Friday.

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10/19/13 Author John A Strong signing my book – The Montaukett Indians of Eastern Long Island – He signed: For Coni, Keep up the good work on the Montaukett heritage – John A Strong Oct 19, 2013 and along with that he has granted me permission to use any of his work in my research (has several books out) was a honor to finally meet him (I have most of his books) Photo taken by Veronica Hawkins

Author/Researcher Jean Bell – I received a signed copy of her book: Hale & Up the Tracks (bought for me by Ron & Terry Allen) Photo taken by Rona Sullivan

5/13/13 Cookout in Hale Michigan – Hosted by Jerry & Mary Hewitt – Prayer given by Jerry Hewitt – L2R Me, My husband Jay Dubois, Terry Allen his wife Diane Allen, Mary & Jerry Hewitt – Rona Sullivan, Polly Goodwin & Ron Allen (Photo taken by Jim Goodwin husband of Polly)

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5/13/13 Me at Chief Sodney’s tombstone at Esmond Evergreen Cemetery (Photo taken by Jim Goodwin)

5/14/13 – L2R Wendy Dishaw, Coni Dubois, Lynn Barber, Kathy Woods – Donate by Kathy Woods

8/14/14 2nd appearance on tv show – The Senior Chat Hour L2R: Jo-Ann Schmitt & Lorraine Hart (Hosts) Veronica Hawkins, Greg Fisher & Coni Dubois —ctv13 at Charter Communications in Winsted CT

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L2R: Veronica Hawkins, Jessica Vandebogart & her Mother Betty (Ellis) Vandebogart, Donna Ellis (Photo taken by Keith Brown)

L2R: Coni Dubois, Kevin McBride, Ken Feder & Veronica Hawkins

My cousin’s Melissa Renyolds (left) Veronica Hawkins, Polly Goodwin, Me & Laurie Lamarrie with Jim Goodwin at the Institute for American Indian Studies Museum & Research Center

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10/19/13 L2R: Dr. Craig Miller (Dept Head of Science, Humanities and Visual Communications at Pennsylvania College of Technology) Dave Naumec (Research Consultant of The Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center) in the research lab (off limits to public – was given a special tour arranged by Kevin McBride (Archeologist & head of the Research Center) – photo taken by Veronica Hawkins

Manissean Villiage Stone

Coni DuBois of Louisiana, who worked 10 years to coordinate the reunion, was made honorary marshal of the July 4 Lions Club parade and other descendants marched in the traditional event.

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Coni at the Barkhamsted Light House cemetery.

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SInger/Songwriter Glenda Lucks CD – Manissee

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Taken by Abby Tabor of the Daily Comet

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Tantaquidgeon Descendants – Photo taken by Naomi Carolyn — at Tantaquidgeon Indian Museum located @ 1819 Norwich-New London Turnpike, Uncasville, CT 06382 More info: http://connecticuthistory.org/gladys-tantaquidgeon-preserves-the-states-native-past/

L2R: Coni Dubois, Ken Feder, Tonia Allen Gould (Coni’s Sister) & Butch Robinson

5/13/13 Hill Township Cemetery – most of the bodies were removed to Oak Grove Cemetery – L2R – Polly Goodwin, Coni Dubois, Terry & Ron Allen

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I appear on Senior Chat Hour on ctv13/Winsted CT show will appear on 10/22/13 at: www.ctv13.net/ L2R Back: JoAnn Schmitt, Lorraine Hart, Allan Lawson (Hosts) (not sure next gentleman will get his name) and on the end is Christopher Valli (Public Access Coordinator & one that put it all together for us) Bottom: Coni Dubois, Keith Brown of the Wiquapaug Eastern Pequot & Veronica Hawkins We had an Awesome TIME with this crew and I can’t thank them enough for inviting me!

Also on the front with President Obama

Jason Mancini – Sr. Researcher @ Mashantucket Peqout Museum & Research Center & Coni Dubois

Coni Dubois & Allan Madhabee

5/13/13 Polly Goodwin & I discussing genealogy (Photo taken by Jim Goodwin)

I appear on Senior Chat Hour on ctv13/Winsted CT show will appear on 10/22/13 at: www.ctv13.net/ L2R: JoAnn Schmitt & Lorraine Hart (Hosts) Coni Dubois (not sure next gentleman will get his name) and on the end is Christopher Valli (Public Access Coordinator & one that put it all together for us) Keith Brown of the Wiquapaug Eastern Pequot & Veronica Hawkins also appeared on the show with me – We had an Awesome TIME with this crew and I can’t thank them enough for

Photo taken by Sheryl Robinson – My 1st time at the site and Indian Cemetery

Coni Dubois stands next to a banner welcoming everyone to the Barkhamsted Lighthouse Reunion.

10/10/13 St. Matthew’s Episcopal School

I was able to meet with Lucianne Lavin & have my book signed – was a wonderful meeting~ More on Lucianne: http://anthropology.as.nyu.edu/o…/anthroalumni.luciannelavin

Anthropologist Kenneth Feder, a professor at Central Connecticut State University, discusses archaeological work done at the Lighthouse Village Friday during a tour of Lighthouse descendants.