The time is a few years in the future, after the implementation of President Barack Obama’s health plan:A man suddenly developed severe stomach cramps and sought relief at the nearest medical health center. Upon entering the building, he found himself in a hallway with two doors. One was marked “Men,” the other “Women.” Naturally, he entered the door marked “Men.”He found himself in a room with two doors. One was marked “Over 21,” the other “Under 21.” Since he was 43, he entered the door marked “Over 21.”He found himself in a room with two doors. One was marked “Serious illness,” the other “Minor discomfort.” Since he was doubled up with pain by this time, he staggered through the door marked “Serious illness.”He found himself in a room with two doors. One was marked “Democrats” the other “Republicans.” Since he had voted a straight Republican ticket all his life, he entered the door marked “Republicans” and found himself out on the street.Back in the days when Albert Einstein was a professor at Princeton, a man had cause to meet with him, and in the course of the conversation, Einstein had to look up some material in the next room. The visitor just happened to be having a new addition built on his home, and thus had been looking at blueprints, something that he had developed a fondness for. As it happened, there was a large blueprint lying on Einstein’s desk, and on the spur of the moment, he unrolled a small part to see what it was. It appeared to be blank, which puzzled the man, so he unrolled it some more in order to read the scale. Finally he had exposed enough that the lower right-hand corner became exposed, and there he saw printed: “One inch equals 100 million light years.”[This is a true story]: During World War II, the country literally sprouted innumerable plants for the production of war materials. In one such machine shop, which was working around the clock trying to maintain three shifts and having a hard time of it due to the scarcity of skilled workers, most of whom were in the service, a bright-looking fellow showed up one day and was shown around the plant by an employee. They happened to stop near an experienced tool maker, who was busy turning out a small part not much longer than a finger. Most of the procedure consisted of working with a lathe, which required frequent measurements using calipers. The tool maker wasn’t consciously listening to the conversation between the two men, but after a short time, he became aware that the applicant was being asked a series of questions as to what experience he had had with tools. Every single one the fellow replied that he was thoroughly familiar with it. He had done it all at one time or another. The busy tool maker thought to himself: “I’ve been a tool maker all my life, and I have to admit that I am pretty good, but I never heard of anybody with this guy’s experience.”Naturally, the applicant was hired on the spot and assigned a bench next to our friend the tool maker. He spent the rest of the day fiddling around with one single part. At the end of the shift, the supervisor came by and realized that there was no production at this fellow’s bench; as a matter of fact, he was still tinkering with the first part that he had worked on all day. Picking up the calipers, he measured the part, looked at the guy and asked: “How many thousandths in an inch?” “Oh golly,” said the new hire, “there must be a million of ’em.”He was immediately fired.Another story that is told as the truth, but perhaps is not, is the story, again set during World War II, when a machine shop in Springfield, Vt., which had recently undergone a major enlargement, was being visited by some military brass on an inspection tour.After inspecting the original plant, which certainly wasn’t small by any means, a set of double doors was opened, and the new addition, with its row upon row of benches and machines, all attended by workers, was revealed. One admiral, amazed by what he saw, exclaimed: “My goodness! How many people are working here?” “Oh, about half,” replied the plant manager.Automobiles have been around for well over 100 years now, and I doubt that they have provided anywhere the number of jokes that horses did. Not just in the New World; Europe provided many as well. There was a famous story set in Russia during the 19th century. A rabbi who lived in the city of Minsk had urgent business to be conducted in Pinsk, a city some distance away. He sought out a teamster who had a fine wagon and made arrangements for the trip. It was in the springtime, and the mud lay deep in all directions, but the rabbi couldn’t postpone the trip; it was of the utmost importance. The trip started out without problems, but soon they arrived at the foot of a long, low hill. The horse began having a hard time, so the teamster got out and walked through the mud to the summit, and then got back in for the descent on the other side. Miles went by, and eventually they were confronted by another hill, this one higher than the first. The horse started up, but the mud was even deeper here, and both the teamster and the rabbi had to get out and slog through the soup all the way to the top, where once again they got back in and proceeded down the mountain.More miles went by, and Pinsk wasn’t all that far away now; only one more mountain stood in their way. The mud was not only deep, it was sticky and clung to everything it touched. The horse was in big trouble, and in order to reach the summit, both the teamster and the rabbi had to get out and put their shoulders to the wagon and slowly inch their way to the top, from which Pinsk could be seen in the distance.When they finally arrived, covered in mud from head to foot, the rabbi said to the teamster, “My friend, why I went from Minsk to Pinsk, I know. Why you went from Minsk to Pinsk, I know. But my friend, tell me something — why did we bring the horse?” Bob Grigg is the town historian in Colebrook.
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One systemic consequence of slavery is the loss and obscuring of the histories of those who were enslaved. Records were often not kept about where Africans had been stolen from or who they were related to. Families were torn apart, leaving nothing but the faintest traces of the past. The delineation point, where genealogists can no longer trace histories back, is refered to this as the “document wall.”
Today, 250 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence and more than 160 years since the Emancipation Proclamation, there is a growing effort to restore some of the history stripped from enslaved people and their descendants. Among the leaders of these efforts is Mills, president of the Alex Breanne Corporation, a nonprofit organization that works to identify previously anonymous Black Americans from history and connect them with their living relatives.
The work began with Mills’ sister, who started digging into their family’s past in the 1990’s and introduced him to this emerging world of genealogy. Through that process, the Mills family discovered their great-great-grandfather, Ned Mills, who had been enslaved in Texas. His last name came from his final enslaver and remains the family surname. Through their research, they found that the document wall directly affected their ancestor, who learned of his liberation on June 19, 1865, now commemorated as Juneteenth.
“For the first time,” Mills writes on his website, “American slavery wasn’t something that had happened to anonymous people in a history book. It had happened to my family.”
The discovery gave Mills a familial pride he had been missing for years. That pride fueled his desire to help others find their own history. In 2023, Mills received his certificate in genealogical research from Boston University. He has used his expertise to help descendants of enslaved people uncover histories they never dreamed of learning.
To do this, he uses a process called “reverse genealogy,” identifying a person from the past and working forward to discover their descendants. Along the way, Mills has found some remarkable people who fought for freedom on American soil, some of whom were never freed.
Pay Bill for Robin Starr’s service in the Continental Army.Courtesy the Alex Breanne Corporation
At the Cornwall Historical Society event, Mills will present the stories of four Connecticut families: Job Lathrop of Norwich, the son of Pirmus Armes, about whom Mills has published a book; Prince Mortimer of Middletown, also the subject of a book by Mills;, the three sons of London Wallace of Simsbury; and Robert “Robin” Starr of Danbury, who later lived in Cornwall and Sharon.
A few years ago, Cornwall Consolidated School social studies teacher Will Vincent reached out to Mills for research guidance on a local history project his students were undertaking. Together, they learned about Naomi Freeman of Cornwall. After purchasing an acre of land on Great Hollow Road in 1828, Naomi Freeman became the first Black female landowner in Cornwall.
The students petitioned the town to rename a road after the historic Cornwall resident In April 2025, Great Hollow Road was officially renamed Naomi Freeman Historic Road. U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes joined Mills and the Cornwall Consildated School students for a presentation of their research.
Since then, Mills has guided the students in their quest to learn more about Starr’s story. Starr was a Revolutionary War soldier who joined the Continental Army to earn enough money to buy his own freedom, receiving the Badge of Merit in the process. The stories of his descendents’ services are equally worthy of their own books.
In recognition of Mills and the students’ work, First Selectman Gordon Ridgway proclaimed Feb. 8 as Robin Starr Day.
Preregistration is required for the event at the Cornwall Historical Society. To learn more about Mills’ work, visit
alexbreanne.org.
John Mills speaking at Quinnipiac University.Courtesy the Alex Breanne Corporation
Stephanie Saetta runs Charlie Chicken Bones, a sanctuary in Salisbury.
Dogs have been at the center of Saetta’s life since childhood. She remembers going to the library to research different breeds and trying to convince her parents the family needed a dog. She had her heart set on an Irish Wolfhound, but she was more than happy when her mom brought home a West Highland terrier.
After college, she adopted Charlie as a puppy from a rescue on Long Island. He was a hound-shepherd-Rottweiler mix who suffered from intense seizures. Some veterinarians recommended euthanasia, but Saetta wasn’t ready to give up on him.
When Charlie would have an episode, she would sit with him, nose to nose, talking him through it. She learned to look for the moment he began to come around — when he could smell her again and his tail started to wag.
“You only get one or two of these soul connection dogs, so I do this in his honor,” Saetta said. “I like to think that all the dogs that come through are going to have that person that they connect with just the same.”
Through a network of women working to rescue animals in Texas, she learned about the desperate situations facing many dogs.
With limited space, some public pounds euthanize even healthy animals to make room. Limited access to veterinary care leaves sick dogs or unvaccinated puppies especially vulnerable.
Saetta saw that reality firsthand with a puppy named Gus, a Labrador mix she fostered who has since been adopted. Gus and his sisters had been dumped beside a road, where they were living under an abandoned car. People would leave food for them, but no one would take them to the pound.
“Even the people who rescue animals down there were like, ‘sadly, the best place for them to be is on the side of the road,’” she said. “That’s safer. Someone might actually help them that way.”
Saetta knows that there are far more dogs than any one person can save, but she also knows that helping one dog means one fewer on the street.
Stephanie Saetta,with her rescue dog George and Blue (left), a shepherd mix awaiting his forever home.Madi Long
Charlie Chicken Bone Sanctuary operates entirely through foster homes, a model that Saetta believes is best for the dogs and the humans hoping to adopt them.
Rather than moving directly from a difficult environment into a permanent home, the dogs have a chance to settle into a quieter setting. They can learn what it’s like to live with a family, sleep somewhere comfortable and receive affection without fighting for attention. Fostering also allows the rescue to really get to know each dog.
“As fosters, we’re honest,” said Saetta. We’ll tell you everything that’s been bad, everything that’s been good. What their temperament is and how they’ve responded to all the things they’ve experienced.”
A successful adoption is not just about finding a dog a home; it’s about finding the right home where the dog and family can thrive together.
Saetta is looking for more people willing to open their homes to foster dogs. She understands that the thought of growing attached and eventually saying goodbye can feel daunting. But she sees that goodbye a little differently.
Fostering means being part of a dog’s journey, even if only for a short time. It gives dogs a safe place to rest, the chance to trust again and the love they have gone without for much of their lives. And when the time comes for them to leave, it is not really a loss. It is the reward of knowing they are moving on to a forever home.
Blue, Saetta’s current foster, is hoping to find his perfect home.
Blue, a 7 year-old Shepard mix, is waiting for his forever home. Madi Long
Now around 7 years old, Blue spent most of his life wandering the streets of Texas. People sometimes left food out for him, but his mangy, dirty coat kept them from stopping to pet him. Today, he has a chance to experience something different.
Blue is still waiting for his forever home. Saetta believes he would do best as the only dog in a household or alongside another senior dog. He will need someone willing to continue working with him on his training and understand that a dog with his history needs patience.
But what he gives in return is a whole lot of love.
“He’s so enthusiastic, he’s so excited for life, he’s so friendly, and he’s got such a good heart, and he loves to cuddle,” Saetta said. “He’s a good, good, good dog.”
For more information on adopting Blue or how to foster, visit ccbsanctuary.org.
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