It’s time once again to have a look back in time and realize just how fast it slips away from us.10 years ago — 2001: We were already into our new century and had experienced our first national election, which saw George W. Bush sworn in as our 43rd president; our fifth-grade students at the Colebrook Consolidated School were being born; Colebrook was building a new firehouse in the Forge District; and George Wilbur ceased producing milk from his once large herd of Brown Swiss cows, ending the era of small farms in what since Colonial times had been the backbone of our economy.20 years ago — 1991: Ronald Reagan became president; Gulf War breaks out as U.S.-led alliance with sanction of U.N. invades Kuwait and Iraq, expelling Iraqi forces from Kuwait; war begins in Yugoslavia, changing forever the political makeup in the Balkans.30 years ago — 1981: Egyptian President Sadat assassinated by Islamic fundamentalists; first U.S. space shuttle, Columbia, makes successful flight; Voyager II flies by Saturn; the ’80s ushered in the era of proliferation of the personal computer, where the average individual could constantly communicate and interact with any other computer in the world.40 years ago — 1971: People’s Republic of China admitted to U.N. in place of Taiwan; civil war in Pakistan between East and West Pakistan; East Pakistan becomes the independent nation of Bangladesh; U.S. astronauts continue manned exploration of the moon’s surface; U.S. satellite Mariner 9 orbits Mars.50 years ago — 1961: John F. Kennedy elected president; U.S. breaks diplomatic relations with Cuba; Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba by anti-Castro Free Cuban forces supported by United States fails; East Germany builds the Berlin Wall; our flag had 50 stars.60 years ago — 1951: Libya becomes an independent nation; Gen. MacArthur relieved of command in Korea for advocating use of atomic weapons; peace treaty signed with Japan; first transistors developed for commercial use; Chrysler introduces power steering for automobiles; transcontinental television broadcasting begins in United States.70 years ago — 1941: In May, British forces in North Africa are driven back to the Egyptian frontier by German army commanded by Rommel: On Dec. 7, Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, plunging United States into World War II; aerosol spray containers introduced; first Jeeps are produced on designs developed in 1940.80 years ago — 1931: Japanese troops occupy Manchuria; DuPont introduces Freon.90 years ago — 1921: Women have the right to vote for one year; Irish Free State created within the British Empire; our flag had 48 stars.100 years ago — 1911: Italo-Turkish war results in Italian victory and annexation of Tripoli from the Ottoman Empire; Amundsen reaches South Pole; our flag had 46 stars.110 years ago — 1901: Queen Victoria dies after more than 63 years on the British throne; Commonwealth of Australia formed; President McKinley assassinated; Vice President Theodore Roosevelt becomes president; Marconi transmits first wireless signals across Atlantic; oil discovered in Texas; our flag had 45 stars.130 years ago — 1881: James A. Garfield became president; the first summer camp in the United States for city children is established at Squam Lake, N.H.; our flag had 38 stars.One hundred fifty years have passed since Abraham Lincoln was elected president; also in 1861, the U.S. Civil War began; the U.S. flag contained 34 stars.170 years ago — 1841: William Henry Harrison was elected president, although he died in office after having served for only one month. He was succeeded by his vice president, John Tyler; the Sawyer Cotton Mill in Colebrook River was beginning its first full year of operation, which was to extend to 1890; the first ever picture of the moon was taken; our flag had 26 stars.210 years ago — 1801: Thomas Jefferson was elected president; four-tined dinner forks came into common use, before that they had either two or three tines; our flag had 15 stars.230 years ago — 1781: the War of Independence was winding down to its conclusion. On Sept. 5, the British fleet was forced out of Chesapeake Bay by the French; on Sept. 8, New London, Conn., was seized and burned by the British under the command of Benedict Arnold; on Oct. 19, Cornwallis surrendered his army at Yorktown, Va.; our flag had 13 stars.And so it goes: The years recede into the past, and only the highlights are remembered by the man in the street. Perhaps the most common occurrence in these 10-year windows is the prevalence of wars. As a species, it seems that we should make greater efforts to avert the causes of these destructive cycles before one overwhelms us. Bob Grigg is the town histoiran of Colebrook.
Latest News
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.
Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.
