The story of Mariann Wolcott and Ralph Earl captures much of the complexity the Revolutionary War brought to the lives and interactions of ordinary citizens.
Eventually taking the name the "Hartford Wits," influential figures of the 18th century got together to write poetry that documented the state of the times.
Benedict Arnold of Norwich was one of the great Continental army heroes of the American Revolution before committing treason and joining the British army.
East Haven's Amos Morris helped supply Americans with salt (essential for preserving food) during critical shortages brought on by the American Revolution.
Oliver Wolcott served in military in the Seven Years' War and the American Revolution, but was also a popular member of the Continental Congress and governor of Connecticut.
Loyalists in Connecticut, often acting on beliefs tied to relegion, proved particularly prominent in Fairfield County. Many of them fled to Canada rather than face imprisonment at New-Gate.
Caleb Brewster—Fairfield, Connecticut’s resident member of the Culper Spy Ring during the Revolutionary War—was also an active participant in the African Slave Trade.
Ideals advanced during the American Revolution inspired many of the state’s religious and political leaders to question and oppose slavery in the late 1700s.
Lemuel Haynes was a father, husband, pastor, and patriot—he is widely considered to be the first Black man in America to be ordained by a Protestant church.
Hannah Bunce Watson was one of the first female publishers in America and helped the Hartford Courant survive one of the most challenging times in its history.
Silas Deane was a politician and diplomat credited with successfully soliciting the foreign aid the colonies needed to defeat the British during the Revolutionary War.
