Carmelina Como Kanzler’s New London: A History of Its People provides a comprehensive exploration of the diverse groups that have shaped New London’s history, beginning with the Native Americans and continuing through subsequent waves of settlers. Written with contributions from local authors and experts, the book reflects Kanzler’s extensive involvement in the community and her dedication to preserving its heritage. Despite challenges in gathering information on certain groups, Kanzler’s final work offers a well-rounded narrative, enriched by art, historical documents, and personal remembrances, making it accessible to New Londoners today.
Table of Contents
- Chapter I The Indians; Natives of This Land, p. 1
- Chapter II The Yankees, p. 15
- Chapter III Strangers in a Strange Land: New London’s Colonial French Connections, p. 27
- Chapter IV African Americans In New London: A Short Perspective, p. 35
- Chapter V The Italians, p. 49
- Chapter VI The Irish In New London, p. 65
- Chapter VII From Generation To Generation: A History Of The Jews In New London, p. 77
- Chapter VI. The Poles In New London, p. 87
- Chapter IX The Hellenic-Greek History In New London , p. 97
- Chapter X History Of The Lebanese In New London, p. 105
- Chapter XI The Dutch At New London, p. 109
- Chapter XII Hispanics in New London, p. 113
Introduction
My expectations for this book were clear from the beginning. I had a theme running in my head and a vision in mind’s eye. However, I must admit that the end result was far more than I envisioned.
The history was to be about the different people that lived in New London beginning with the Native Americans who first inhabited this land, and continuing with those that arrived later. It was to be a history that present day New Londoners could relate to.
I had not expected to write this entire book; there was not enough time. My plan was to lend my expertise, provide resources (often written papers), be on call for consultation and, lastly, have complete license to edit. Having lived an active life in this area for over 30 years with service on many boards and agencies, i.e. political, economic development and, especially human services agencies, I realized that I had tremendous resources right there in my head, and also a roomful of friends to call upon.
I selected 15 subjects and set out in search of the authors. Publicity in The Day attracted some volunteers and I had my first two writers. The others were ‘pressed’ into service by me. However, in finalizing this book, I found that three groups could not be included. With the time planned for research, we could not find sufficient material to warrant inclusion in this book.
The Indian history had been previously published as a supplement in The Day and the author had the difficult task of cutting it down for this book. The watercolors used in this chapter had also been used in the supplement, and with the permission of the artist, Dennis O’Brien, we were able to reproduce them here.
The Huguenot history was written as a research paper funded by the Connecticut Humanities Council. It has been reproduced in its entirety.
For the African American history, I searched for a writer that would tie in the ‘remembrances’ of local people with history dating back to the mid-1600s. Thus, I chose Dr. Stacey Close, a history professor who has lectured in this region. Brian McCarthy offered me the use of the 1795 document used in this chapter.
When I could not find an author of Polish descent to write the history of the Poles of New London, I asked a non-Pole to write this history. I am sure you will agree that he has done a splendid job.
As for the rest of the authors, they were all tied in one way or another to the group they were writing about.
When the first four manuscripts were turned over to me, I began to breathe easier. They were fascinating! My expectations for a book that could be read and enjoyed by everyone who shared a love for New London was beginning to be realized.
Source
Kanzler, Carmelina Como, New London: A History of its People, New London : City of New London 350th Anniversary Celebration,1996.