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Patriotically,
Stephen Shaw

Compatriots,

Four of us made some great progress last Saturday on the riverside of the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse property. We cut down the underbrush and tree saplings, so they won't block the river over time.

Helping for the day were:

Cliff Van Dyke
Bradley Gehan
Daniel Gehan
Stephen Shaw

We have a long way to go. If you would like to help this Saturday the 14th, we will be starting at 9am again. Plan to bring lopers, hand saws, pruners and some good boots for the steep hill.

Patriotically,

Stephen P. Shaw

Dear Compatriots of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR,

I would first like to thank the 10 CTSSAR members who came out and marched in the BIG 3 last Saturday.
Besides 1 member from VTSSAR (Geoff Colby) and 1 member from NHSSAR (Roger Floyd) we were the ONLY SAR representation at these 3 important commemorations in Massachusetts.

1) Pole Capping & Ceremony, Bedford, MA.
2) Meriam's Corner Parade/Ceremony, Concord, MA.
3) Paul Revere Capture Site Parade/Ceremony, Lincoln, MA.

Peter Benton (11th CT Regt)
Wayne Bickley (11th CT Regt)
Lee Gerlander (11th CT Regt)
Todd Gerlander (11th CT Regt)
Randy Gerlander (11th CT Regt)
Norman Gilman (11th CT Regt)
Harry Orcutt (11th CT Regt)
Robert Rivard (Huntington's Regt)
Frederick Rivard (Huntington's Regt)
Russell Wirtalla (11th CT Regt)

Geoffrey Colby (VTSSAR)
Roger Floyd (NHSSAR)
---------------------------------------

Our next event will be:

Monday, April 16, 2007

1)Patriot's Day Parade, Concord, MA.
Parade Form Up: 8:00 AM Parade Step Off: 9:00 AM

2)Patriot's Day Parade, Lexington, MA.
Parade Form Up: 1:00 PM Parade Step Off: 2:00 PM

We are planning to arrive in Concord around 7:30 AM at the Alcott School Parking Lot. PARKING FILLS UP FAST SO PLAN TO ARRIVE AROUND 7:30 AM, otherwise you will have to find street parking, or park downtown and walk to the parade start at the Armory. Roads begin to close at 8:00 AM.

Car-Caravan: If anyone is interested in car-caravaning to Concord, Let me know. We will leave from the Commuter Lot at Exit 68 off of I-84 at 5:30 AM SHARP! Otherwise I will see everyone in Concord.

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd L. Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

Compatriots,

Last Saturday was great at all three of our revolutionary museums. Thank you so much to everyone who helped to cleanup the museums so they look their best for the summer season.

War Office - Lebanon
Bob Rivard

Nathan Hale Schoolhouse - East Haddam
George Grieder
Tricia Herel
Colin Herel
William Herel
Nicole Walden

Nathan Hale Schoolhouse - New London
Tyler Smith
Stephen Marshall
Stephen Shaw

In New London, Stephen and I tore down the chimney to the base of the second floor. We had a major leak in the roof around the chimney and we found that there should be a fireplace up there as well. After removing it we found that the original was much smaller. The details keep adding up.

Today was incredible in New London, when the cruise ship Maasdam came to port for the day. Dian Locke and I had 328 visitors from 9am to 4:30pm.
Great people from all over the country. We have two more ships coming in during the month of Sept and Oct.

Patriotically,

Stephen P. Shaw

Compatriots,

I want to give a big thank you to the color guard members who helped with a great program at the schoolhouse on Friday June 1st. We had 100 3rd graders from East Haddam and about 20 adults all morning. They were able to learn from the colonial doctor, flags of the time, musketry, Governor Trumbull and then Nathan Hale in the schoolhouse.

Thanks again to:
Todd Gerlander
Lee Gerlander
Randy Gerlander
Mike Juhase
Bob Rivard
Russ Wirtalla

Patriotically,

Stephen P. Shaw

Compatriots of the Connecticut Line,

The Connecticut Line had a great BUNKER HILL DAY today commemorating the 232nd Anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, the first major battle of the American Revolution, June 17, 1775.

We received great publicity, and we were able to see the NEW Bunker Hill Museum.

We also placed a wreath at the Connecticut Gate on behalf of the Connecticut Society SAR, and we fired a musket salute to the heroes of Bunker Hill.

This was our 11th year participating in these ceremonies at Bunker Hill.

I would like to thank the following members for
participating:

Bonnie Burke - Camp-Follower
Lee Gerlander - 11th Conn.
Todd Gerlander - 11th Conn.
Randy Gerlander - 11th Conn.
Norm Gilman - 11th Conn.
Bob Rivard - Huntington
Fred Rivard - Huntington
John Towle - 11th Conn.
Russell Wirtalla - 11th Conn.

We were also joined by Geoffrey Colby and his wife Liisa from VTSSAR.
The newly reformed MASSAR Color Guard also had a good showing of members.

Huntington's Regt. has a Grave Marking Event next Saturday, the 23rd. We also have the Columbia Independence Day Parade, Wednesday, July 4th. We also have our GRAND ENCAMPMENT of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR July 14 & 15 at the Wadsworth Stable in Lebanon. I expect to see a great turnout of members from EVERY Detachment.

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd L. Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

I hope everyone is having a safe and happy 4th of July.

We had a great time as usual at our cookout at the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse in East Haddam. There was so much food. 35 members and family attended with a few visitors to the schoolhouse too. Ted Nelson was the grillmaster once more and everyone brought great food for all to enjoy.

Our president Jerry Carroon was here and was able to catchup on signing membership certificates for our most recent members. The Rivard's made it after marching in the Columbia Parade earlier in the day. Even our long time Chancellor, Jay Jackson was able to join us this year.

Bud Hall rang the church bell 13 times at 2pm as is tradition around the country. And the rain did hold off.

We'll see you next year.

Patriotically,
Stephen Shaw

Dear Compatriots of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR,

I would like to thank all the compatriots who came out this weekend and supported the CTSSAR Living History/Color Guard unit, "The Connecticut Line" at it's first annual GRAND ENCAMPMENT. As we discussed at our February Meeting, this is YOUR encampment.

11th Regiment Connecticut Militia (8)

01) Wayne Bickley - 11th Conn. Regt.
02) Michael Chuckta - 11th Conn. Regt.
03) George Crede - 11th Conn. Regt.
04) Lee Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
05) Todd Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
06) Randy Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
07) Stephen Marshall - 11th Conn. Regt.
08) Russell Wirtalla - 11th Conn. Regt.

Wolcott's 6th Connecticut Militia Brigade (0)

Huntington's Connecticut Regiment (3)

09) Michael Juhase - Huntington's CT. Regt.
10) Robert Rivard - Huntington's CT. Regt.
11) Frederick Rivard - Huntington's CT. Regt.

9th Regiment Connecticut Militia (1)

12) Tom Goran - 9th Conn. Regt.

Camp-Followers (1)

13) Barbara Crede

X-tra Special THANKS to Sergeant Michael Chuckta for providing the dinner saturday evening. THREE HUZZAHS for an AWESOME dinner! Also a GREAT breakfast!

John Towle from the 11th Conn. Regt. and Camp-Follower Bonnie Burke also stopped by for a visit Saturday evening.

We also met a new member, Bruce Cunard, who will be joining us in the field soon.

I was very happy with member turnout, 3 out of the 4 Connecticut Line Detachments were represented. Good Show!

We held the event as part of the Town of Lebanon's "Second Saturday" activities.

The encampment took place on the grounds of the Governor Jonathan Trumbull, Sr. House/Wadsworth Stable in Lebanon, CT., which is owned and maintained by the Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution.

The members of the Connecticut Line were very happy with the event and location, and we will be returning again next year.

I have included some photos, and I will post more on our website:

www.ConnecticutLine.org

For the CONNECTICUT LINE's first solo encampment, it was a good show!

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd L. Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

Compatriots,

What a great weekend for the Sailfest and the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse in New London. The weather was perfect.

The schoolhouse had over 650 visitors during the weekend making it the best of the last three years.

Thank you so much to:

Dian Locke
George Greider & Gayle
Burt Chapman

With just a handful of docents, we had a great time.

Patriotically,

Stephen P. Shaw
www.ConnecticutSAR.org

On July 25th, 75 members of FISA stopped to visit the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse for their lunch break. This group plus 10 support people were near the completion of rowing the entire Connecticut River from New Hampshire to Old Saybrook, CT.

These rowers from 17 different countries were not competing, but were on vacation. I understand from many other them that in the US the sport is very different by being competitive and typically solitary. In the rest of the world rowing groups of five per boat are very common and tours of different waterways are a regular occurrence.

They enjoyed the river views and the history of the first school that our state hero taught at.

On Sunday morning the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse in East Haddam was visited for the start of a ride for the CT-RI Moto Guzzi National Owners Club (MGNOC).

The twenty riders toured the schoolhouse before heading off towards Vanilla Bean in Pomfret. On the way they will go by nine other little schoolhouses in the Northeast corner of Connecticut.

Thanks to all who participated in the Lebanon Fair encampment this weekend:

Lt-Colonel Frederick Rivard
Major Russ Wirtalla
Surgeon Bob Rivard
Lt. John Towle
Pvt. Bruce Cunard
Pvt. Mike Juhase
Camp follower Bonnie Burke

Although we were in kind of a remote spot, we did get a number of interested people that stopped by to learn about history and observe the musket firings.

Bob & Fred Rivard

Dear Compatriots of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR,

Today the Connecticut Line CTSSAR was at Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park in Groton, CT Commemorating the 226th Anniversary of the Battle of Groton Heights, September 6, 1781. The unit served as Color Guard for the ceremonies. The CTSSAR also provided the wreath. I would like to thank the following Compatriots for
attending:

01)Wayne Bickley - 11th Conn. Regt.
02)Bruce Cunard - Huntington's Conn. Regt.
03)Lee Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
04)Todd Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
05)Randy Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
06)Thomas Gorin - 9th Conn. Regt.
07)Robert Rivard - Huntington's Conn. Regt.
08)Frederick Rivard - Huntington's Conn. Regt.
09)John Towle - 11th Conn. Regt.
10)Russell Wirtalla - 11th Conn. Regt.

11)Bonnie Burke - Camp-Follower
12)Christine Coutant - Camp-Follower
13)Arlene Rivard - Camp-Follower

It was also good to see several members of the CTSSAR in attendance.

Our next event will be this Thursday, September 6,
2007 in Hartford marking the 250th Anniversary of the Birth of the Marquis de Lafayette. Plan to arrive at 2:00 PM. I will e-mail details again this week.

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd L. Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

Dear Compatriots of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR,

I would like to start out this report with a note from our President Jerry Carroon, who ran a GREAT ceremony for the Marquis de Lafayette's 250th Birthday today in Hartford.

-----------------------------

Dear Todd and the Color Guard

Thanks so very much for turning out in such great fashion, and numbers, to honor the great Marquis de Lafayette. You all did us proud and the French Consul was most impressed. Thanks and three huzzah's for a job well done!

Cheers

Jerry Carroon
CTSSAR President

----------------

I would like to thank the following members of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR for participating and honoring the 250th Anniversary of the Birth of the Marquis de Lafayette.

01)Wayne Bickley - 11th Conn. Regt.
02)George Crede - 11th Conn. Regt.
03)Lee Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
04)Todd Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
05)Randy Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
06)Robert Rivard - Huntington's Conn. Regt.
07)Stephen Shaw - Huntington's Conn. Regt.
08)John Towle - 11th Conn. Regt.
09)Russell Wirtalla - 11th Conn. Regt.
10)Bonnie Burke - Camp-Follower

I believe the Society of the Cincinnati and the Sons of the American Revolution held the only ceremony today in the State of Connecticut honoring the Marquis de Lafayette. Once again we are at the forefront of Revolutionary War activity in the State.

THREE HUZZAHS!!!

We will conclude our commemoration to Lafayette on Saturday at our WAR OFFICE in Lebanon. We will set up a display on Lafayette which will include a copy of the letter that Lafayette wrote to General Washington while staying at Governor Trumbull's House in Lebanon, July 23, 1780. The display will run from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd L. Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

Dear Members of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR,

Today at the WAR OFFICE we set up a display in honor of the 250th Birthday of the Marquis de Lafayette. The WAR OFFICE was a great location for the display since Lafayette visited Lebanon and met with Trumbull in July of 1780.

We had the WAR OFFICE open from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
A little more then two dozen people visited the War Office today. I will bring photos to the State Meeting on the 29th, of both the ceremony and the Display.

I would like to thank the following members for
participating:

Lee Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
Todd Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
Randy Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
Robert Rivard - Huntington's Conn. Regt.
Russell Wirtalla - 11th Conn. Regt.
Arlene Rivard - Camp-Follower

Our next CONNECTICUT LINE event is Wednesday, September 19, 2007. The Connecticut Day Parade at the BIG E in West Springfield, Massachusetts.

I have ONE free ticket left, we now have 11 marchers.
After that ticket is gone, you will have to pay admission to march. Let me know ASAP.

Put your Faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

Compatriots of the Connecticut Line,

The Connecticut Line marched in the Connecticut Day Parade at the BIG E in West Springfield, MA yesterday.

This was our second year marching, and it was also our last. We will return to just having a regiment day there as we did in years past.

I would like to thank the members who participated:

01)Bonnie Burke - Camp-Follower
02)Lee Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
03)Todd Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
04)Randy Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
05)Mike Juhase - Huntington's Conn. Regt.
06)Robert Lasprogato - 9th Conn. Regt.
07)John Towle - 11th Conn. Regt.
08)Russell Wirtalla - 11th Conn. Regt.

I also mentioned yesterday the Connecticut Line Contest that will be run annually starting this year.

Some of you have noticed that all my reports lists the names and Detachments of the members that have participated. At our annual meeting in Jan/Feb 2008 awards will be presented to Detachments for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. These awards are for member/Detachment participation at Connecticut Line events, the events that each of you vote on at our annual meeting. I will post the current results shortly. This will hopefully fuel some friendly competition between the branches/Detachments of the Connecticut Line.

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd L. Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

Compatriots of the Connecticut Line,

Our 2007 Calendar of Events is rapidly coming to a close. We only have a few events left. Our member turnout this year is pretty good, and I am seeing a lot of enthusiasm at our events. I will be e-mailing details on this Sunday's Annual Massing of the Colors this week. We also have the Big Veterans Day Parade in Hartford coming up on November 4th and the Boston Tea Party on December 16th. I need to pre-register everyone for the Boston Tea Party, so if you have not signed up yet, please contact me ASAP.

I would like to thank Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick Rivard for commanding the Detachment at Stark's Muster this year. THREE HUZZAHS!!!

And I would like to thank all the members who participated in CONNECTICUT LINE EVENTS over the past two weekends. THREE HUZZAHS!!!
------------------------------
8th Annual Stark's Muster - Fort #4
Charlestown, NH.
October 6 - 7, 2007

Wayne Bickley - 11th Conn. Regt.
Lee Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
Todd Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
Randy Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
Stephen Marshall - 11th Conn. Regt.
Travis Marshall - 11th Conn. Regt.
John Towle - 11th Conn. Regt.

Frederick Rivard - Huntington's Conn. Regt.
Robert Rivard - Huntington's Conn. Regt.
Stephen Shaw - Huntington's Conn. Regt.

Richard Wright - Member At Large

Bonnie Burke - Camp-Follower
Gina Gerhard - Camp-Follower
Arlene Rivard - Camp-Follower
----------------------------------

Fall Festival/Time-Line Encampment
Willimantic, CT.
October 13 - 14, 2007

Wayne Bickley - 11th Conn. Regt.
Lee Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
Todd Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
Randy Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
Stephen Marshall - 11th Conn. Regt.
Travis Marshall - 11th Conn. Regt.

Bruce Cunard - Huntington's Conn. Regt.
Frederick Rivard - Huntington's Conn. Regt.
Robert Rivard - Huntington's Conn. Regt.

Arlene Rivard - Camp-Follower

-------------------------------------------

Put your Faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd L. Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

Compatriots of the Connecticut Line,

I would like to thank the members who marched with the colors at todays Annual Massing of the Colors in West Hartford, CT.

The Color Guard with CTSSAR President Jerry Carroon marched in with both the National and SAR flags. I would like to thank the following members:

Wayne Bickley - 11th Conn. Regt.
George Crede - 11th Conn. Regt.
Lee Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
Todd Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
Randy Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
Robert Lasprogato - 9th Conn. Regt.
Clark Selnau - Wolcott's 6th Brigade
Stephen Shaw - Huntington's Conn. Regt.

It was also a very good turnout of CTSSAR at the event.

Our next scheduled event is on Sunday, November 4th in Hartford, CT. The Annual Veterans Day Parade. I would like to see a GREAT turnout of members since this will be the first time the CTSSAR marches in this one. I will e-mail details soon.

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd L. Gerlander
Colonel Commanding
The Connecticut Line CTSSAR

Exciting news for Connecticut's State Hero. Warner Bros. Pictures has picked up the option to produce a film about Nathan Hale. The new book is being written by M. William Phelps and is due to be released in Fall 2008.

The storyline covers Hales last three years from 1773 to 1776. When he graduated from Yale College in September 1773, he took his first job as a teacher in East Haddam and then a second teaching job in New London. The Connecticut SAR owns and operates both schoolhouses as museums.

You can read more at:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117961660.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=news&id=9474
http://www.pmalitfilm.com/hale.html
http://www.pmalitfilm.com/patriot.html

Dear Compatriot Members,

The Connecticut Line marched today in the Veterans Day Parade in Hartford, CT. It was a GREAT parade and I think we all had a GREAT time. Following the parade there was free food set up for us at the City Steam Brewery Restaurant on Main Street. GIANT sandwiches and Hot wings, the food was GREAT!!! This parade will be a new annual event for the Connecticut Line.

I would like to thank the 12 Compatriots who marched:

George Crede - 11th Conn. Regt.
Lee Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
Todd Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
Randy Gerlander - 11th Conn. Regt.
Norm Gilman - 11th Conn. Regt.
Mike Juhase - Huntington's Conn. Regt.
Jim Klaneski - Wolcott's 6th Brigade.
Bob Lasprogato - 9th Conn. Regt.
Bob Rivard - Huntington's Conn. Regt.
Fred Rivard - Huntington's Conn. Regt.
Stephen Shaw - Huntington's Conn. Regt.
Russell Wirtalla - 11th Conn. Regt.

Our next and last scheduled CONNECTICUT LINE event for the year will be the Boston Tea Party reenactment on Sunday, December 16, 2007.

This will also be the last chance for Detachments to earn points for the 2007 Connecticut Line Participation Awards, to be presented at the CT Line's Annual Meeting early next year at J. Timothy's Tavern.

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd L. Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

The Connecticut Line CTSSAR
www.ConnecticutLine.org

Compatriots,

I'm amazed at how much we accomplished today.

With eight volunteers for six hours, we just tore through one project after another. We did things which we hadn't even planned on yet, but were due to be completed.

Accomplished on the 1st floor:

Remove nails leftover from second layer of flooring.
Scrape pealing and cracked paint from ceiling and walls.
Remove nails and cleanup the basement stairwell.
Reopen all windows.
Remove old weights from windows.
Scrape paint from windows.
Remove unneeded hardware from windows.
Remove old unused lock from front door.

Accomplished in the basement:

Loaded old flooring into truck to haul away.
Removed old spacer boards from ceiling.
Load new beams into basement, which will be used later.
Brace up floor as needed.

The great volunteers for the day were:

Stephen Marshall
Stephen Shaw
Tim Jacobs
Harding Dies
Jim Klaneski
Bill Fredericks
And from the Coast Guard Academy
Cadet Lelea Littlefield
Cadet Sullivan

Everyone worked so hard.

The next stages are for Stephen Marshall to repair the posts and beams for the flooring structure and send out paint samples so we can determine the original colors. He will then put down the new flooring on the first floor.

Once that is done, then we will need volunteers to cleanup the walls and ceiling before the painting begins.

Patriotically,

Stephen P. Shaw

Dear Compatriots of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR,

Attached is a photo of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR in front of J. Timothy's Taverne today.

Below are the details and orders passed at the Annual Meeting/Luncheon of THE CONNECTICUT LINE, Living History - Color Guard Unit of the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, Inc., held today in celebration of General George Washington's Birthday.

Members Present: 27
(01) Wayne Bickley (11th Conn. Regt.)
(02) Ken Buckbee (Wolcott's 6th Brigade)
(03) Bonnie Burke (Camp-Follower)
(04) Jerry Carroon (Wadsworth's Conn. Regt.)
(05) Russ Cashman (Wolcott's 6th Brigade)
(06) Geoffrey Colby (11th Conn. Regt.)
(07) George Crede (11th Conn. Regt.)
(08) Damien Cregeau (Wadsworth's Conn. Regt.)
(09) Bruce Cunard (Huntington's Conn. Regt.)
(10) Paul Everett (Wolcott's 6th Brigade)
(11) Lee Gerlander (11th Conn. Regt.)
(12) Todd Gerlander (11th Conn. Regt.)
(13) Randal Gerlander (11th Conn. Regt.)
(14) Norman Gilman (11th Conn. Regt.)
(15) Pamela Hall (Camp-Follower)
(16) Michael Juhase (Independent Conn. Co.)
(17) James Klaneski (Wolcott's 6th Brigade)
(18) Bob Lasprogato (9th Conn. Regt.)
(19) Stephen Marshall (11th Conn. Regt.)
(20) Stephen Messier (11th Conn. Regt.)
(21) Cece Messier (Camp-Follower)
(22) Robert Rivard (Huntington's Conn. Regt.)
(23) Frederick Rivard (Huntington's Conn. Regt.)
(24) Clark Selnau (Wolcott's 6th Brigade)
(25) Stephen Shaw (Wadsworth's Conn. Regt.)
(26) John Towle (11th Conn. Regt.)
(27) Russell Wirtalla (11th Conn. Regt.)

MEETING HIGHLIGHTS:
----------------------------------------------------
Meeting Called to Order: 10:50 AM.
----------------------------------------------------
Invocation: Rev. Paul Everett.
----------------------------------------------------
Pledge of Allegience: Geoffrey Colby.
----------------------------------------------------
Member/Detachment Introductions.
----------------------------------------------------
Around the Table: Member Highlights of the 2007 Campaign.
----------------------------------------------------
Color Guard Business:

* Treasury concerns were resolved.

* CT Line CTSSAR Membership numbers verified. CTSSAR Color Guard Membership stands at 47 active members.

* The 2008 Liability Insurance was discussed.

* 2008 Approvals and Permits were also discussed.

* 2008 NRA Black Powder/Muzzleloader Certification:
The course basics were explained, and a date in April/May 2008 is being investigated. Members firing muskets will be required to complete this course.
-----------------------------------------------------
Bylaws: Todd Gerlander, Michael Juhase, Bob Rivard, Stephen Shaw, and Russell Wirtalla volunteered to be on the Color Guard bylaw committee.
-----------------------------------------------------
2008 Calendar of Events: The proposed 2008 Campaign calendar was handed out. The calendar was discussed, additions were added, and unanimously approved. (A final corrected version of the calendar will be posted soon).
-----------------------------------------------------
Old Business/New Business:

Stephen Shaw announced that the Colonel Jeremiah Wadsworth Branch CTSSAR has formed the "Colonel Wadsworth's Connecticut Regiment" Detachment.
Compatriot Damien Cregeau will hold the rank of Captain.

Also mentioned, the Captain Nathan Hale Branch CTSSAR is in the process of forming a Detachment in the near future.

----------------------------------------------------
The following 2008 Field Officers of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR were elected:

Colonel (Commander) - Todd Gerlander

Lieutenant-Colonel - Russell Wirtalla

Major - Michael Juhase

Field Officers are ordered to wear RED or PINK cockades. If epaulets are worn, 2 silver epaulets are to be worn to designate Field Rank.
-----------------------------------------------------

Commander Gerlander thanked everyone for their continued support of the CTSSAR Color Guard and its activities. He was happy to see ever increasing CTSSAR Color Guard membership, and enthusiasm, keeping Connecticut the largest and most active SAR Color Guard/Living History Unit unit in New England.
-----------------------------------------------------
Benediction: Rev. Robert Carroon, CTSSAR President.
-----------------------------------------------------
Meeting Adjourned: 2:00 PM.
-----------------------------------------------------
Annual Connecticut Line CTSSAR Group Photo outside the Taverne.
-----------------------------------------------------

Todd L. Gerlander
Colonel Commanding
2/23/2008

Dear Compatriots of the Connecticut Line,

The CT Line marched today in the St. Patrick's Day Parade in New Haven, CT. I would like to thank the following members for participating:

Bruce Cunard
Lee Gerlander
Randy Gerlander
Norman Gilman
Howard Greene
Bob Lasprogato
Frederick Rivard
Robert Rivard

Todd Gerlander - Colonel
Russell Wirtalla - Lt. Colonel

Upcoming events, March 29 - Reenactor Tag Sale, and in April, the BIG 3 & the PATRIOT'S DAY Parades. Details soon. . .

Todd L. Gerlander, Colonel Commanding

Hello,

With six volunteers yesterday, we accomplished so much as we continue to restore the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse in New London.

We did the following:

Removed remaining hardware from all the windows.
Scraped more chipping paint from the walls and ceiling.
Mopped all wall and ceiling surfaces.
Patched cracks and holes in the plaster.
Removed the incorrectly sized mantel.
Removed the plaque above the fireplace.
Painted all wall and ceiling surfaces with a primer coat.
Moved the new wood flooring into the building for installation.

Many thanks to the following for giving up a Sunday:

Bruce Cunard
Tim Jacobs
Steve Marshall
Ted Nelson
Frederick Rivard
Stephen Shaw

The next two restoration/painting sessions are:
March 23rd, 9am Sunday - East Haddam - Prep work (won't take long) April 5th, 9am Saturday - New London - Prep work and painting

If you can help let me know.

The repainting is being partly funded by a generous grant from the Connecticut Humanities Council.

Patriotically,

Stephen P. Shaw
Property Steward

Compatriots and Docents,

Another great day of prep work to get ready for repainting the interior of the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse in East Haddam.

This will all look great when our season opens on May 1st and our new permanent exhibit opens on June 28th in East Haddam.

We accomplished a lot with just three of us in just over an hour.

Boxed up most items for storage.
Removed everything from the walls and display area.
Removed all hooks, nails and hangers.
Brushed down all walls, ceiling and floor.
Mopped all wall surfaces.

Thanks to:

Tricia Chapman-Herel
Timothy Jacobs
Stephen Shaw

The next work days are:

April 5th, 9am Saturday - New London - Prep work, painting April 6th, 9am Sunday - East Haddam - Painting

If you can help on either day, let me know as we can use more hands.

Patriotically,

Stephen P. Shaw
Property Steward

Compatriots,

We had another great weekend of work at the two schoolhouses.

In New London on Saturday, we prepared more of the surfaces with primer, sanding, plaster, wood filler and so on. We even had six visitors.

Our volunteers were:
Harry Clarke
Bruce Cunard
Tim Jacobs
Stephen Marshall
Stephen Shaw

In East Haddam on Sunday in the cold, we gave all the wall surfaces a fresh coat of paint. We have no idea when it was last painted, but we think it was in the late 60's when the museum was last rehabbed. This schoolhouse is now ready to be opened for the season and waiting for the new exhibits.

The volunteers were:
Damien Cregeau
Pamela Hall
Stephen Marshall
Frederick Rivard
Thomas Smith
Stephen Shaw

I can't tell you how proud I am of the dedication of our volunteers to help us preserve our Revolutionary War history for future generations.

On Sunday, April 13th and April 20th at 9am in New London we have a lot of painting to do. So far we have eleven volunteers which include cadets from the Coast Guard Academy. This is the final two days to be ready for May 1st. If you would like to help, please let me know or just stop by.

Patriotically,

Stephen P. Shaw

Compatriots,

The painting is looking wonderful at the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse in New London. With everything all cleaned up the room just seems so much bigger.

With the help of nine volunteers, we put a final coat on the ceiling and the walls and put a primer coat on the windows and trim.

The paint colors are now historically correct. The multiple paint samples which were sent out for analysis resulted in an off white color for the walls and a light grey on the trim.

Thank you so much to our members and the Coast Guard Cadets who helped:

Cadet Katie Colella
Bruce Cunard
Daniel Davis
Tim Jacobs
Cadet Mike Haas
Steve Marshall
Cadet Lauren Power
Stephen Shaw
Thomas Smith

Sunday April 20th will be our last day of major painting. We will likely have a minor day of fine tuning and cleanup on April 27th.

Patriotically,

Stephen P. Shaw

Compatriots of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR,

We had a GREAT day in Bedford, Concord, and Lincoln, Massachusetts yesterday. We were dry in Bedford and Concord, and it was not until we were ending the parade in Lincoln that it started to POUR!

Three Great Events honoring Patriot's Day, and the SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION were announced at each of them.

THREE HUZZAHS FOR THE CONNECTICUT LINE!!!

I would like to thank the following members for marching with the Connecticut Line CTSSAR:

Wayne Bickley
Geoffrey Colby
Gina Gerhard
Lee Gerlander
Todd Gerlander
Randy Gerlander
Bob Lasprogato
Fred Rivard
Bob Rivard
Russell Wirtalla
Richard Wright

Allan Van Wert (becoming a dual member w/CT)

THREE HUZZAHS!!!

Our NEXT event will be the PATRIOT'S DAY PARADES at Concord and Lexington, Massachusetts on MONDAY, APRIL 21, 2008. I will e-mail details tomorrow.

Put your Faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd L. Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

Compatriots,

The Nathan Hale Schoolhouse is getting so close. The restoration of the first floor is almost complete and will be ready to be opened on April 26th when 700 Coast Guard Cadets parade up State Street.

Twelve of us did more and more detail work. It's amazing how many little items can take a chunk of time; such as filling in the holes where the pulleys had been for the old rope and weight windows (eleven of them) and the trim work on the new mantel which needed to be scribed into the stone fireplace. Tom Smith is a tremendous painter.

We touched up the ceiling and wall paint, put a second coat of the paint on the windows and chair rails and corner casements, a primer coat on the baseboard and mantel, a final coat on the walls and stairs of the stairwell, cleaned out the basement, swept and vacuumed the first floor, moved the larger furniture from the second floor to the first, sanded the stair rail and table top and much more. It's amazing how much you can get done with the help of six Coast Guard Cadets. And we found out that Cadet Higbie and Cadet Schwartz are both SAR members in other state societies.

I wish to thank the following for all the help:

Bruce Cunard
Daniel Davis
Cadet Mike Gordon
Cadet Mike Higbie
Tim Jacobs
Stephen Marshall
Cadet Shae Quinn
Cadet Kaelon Russell
Cadet John Schwartz
Stephen Shaw
Thomas Smith
Cadet Adam Tanner

We will be at the schoolhouse again on April 27th at 9am to finish things off. If you can help, please let me know.

Patriotically,

Stephen P. Shaw
Property Steward

Compatriots of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR,

Another year of Patriot's Day Parades is over, and once again the Connecticut SAR marched in ALL 5 Parades commemorating the start of the American
Revolution:

Liberty Pole Capping Parade/Ceremony, Bedford, MA.

Meriam's Corner Parade/Ceremony, Concord, MA.

Paul Revere Capture Parade/Ceremony, Lincoln, MA.

Patriot's Day Parade, Concord, MA.

Patriot's Day Parade, Lexington, MA.

I think that deserves FIVE HUZZAHS!!!!!

This was my 11th year marching in Concord, 4th or 5th in Lexington (I will have to look back to check that), and I can honestly say that this was our BEST year yet. I thought we really looked GREAT yesterday! The crowds were large, particularly in Lexington. I heard so many comments from the public as we marched, "GO CONNECTICUT", "Those are the Sons of the American Revolution", "They look Great!", just to name a few.
GREAT job everyone!!!

I would like to thank the Compatriots who marched in Concord and Lexington yesterday:

Wayne Bickley
Geoffrey Colby
Lee Gerlander
Todd Gerlander
Randy Gerlander
Howard Greene
Fred Rivard
Russell Wirtalla
Richard Wright

Camp-Followers:
Liisa Colby
Gina Gerhard

and I would like to thank everyone who marched in the
5 Parades, keeping the name of the SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION ALIVE!!! at these important historic commemorations. Once again CONNECTICUT has answered the LEXINGTON ALARM:

Wayne Bickley
Geoffrey Colby
Lee Gerlander
Todd Gerlander
Randy Gerlander
Howard Greene
Bob Lasprogato
Fred Rivard
Bob Rivard
Allan Van Wert
Russell Wirtalla
Richard Wright

Camp-Followers:
Liisa Colby
Gina Gerhard

I will try to e-mail some photos tonight.

On to BUNKER HILL in remembrance of the 200 CONNECTICUT men who fought under the Command of General Israel Putnam and Captain Thomas Knowlton . .
. .

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd L. Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

Compatriots,

Thanks to so many people the painting of the first floor in New London is complete.

On Sunday, April 27th, we had ten volunteers including three more Cadets from the Coast Guard Academy. We put the final coats of paint on the baseboard, mantel and doors, scraped all the windows, washed all windows on the inside and some on the outside with the help of a tall Cadet and touched up the paint here and there. We even had enough extra hands to remove the hardware from the windows on the second floor.

Many thanks to:

Bruce Cunard
Robert Herel
Tim Jacobs
Cadet Luke Mayotte
Cadet Gregory Ostrov
Frederick Rivard
Donna Samulenas
Stephen Shaw
Thomas Smith
Cadet Cameron Welicka

I am so impressed with some many members and non-members who have helped to make this happen. The schoolhouse looks so good and is ready for the new exhibits which will be installed in June.

Patriotically,

Stephen P. Shaw
Property Steward
Connecticut, Sons of the American Revolution

Dear Compatriots of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR,

2 Reports:

1) 5-26-2008 - Memorial Day Parade, Westport, CT

2) 5-24-2008 - Flag Placing Ceremony, New London, CT

First, I would like to report that the CT LINE CTSSAR marched today in the Memorial Day Parade in Westport, CT. It was a nice parade followed by patriotic ceremonies on the Town Common. We then walked/drove to the local VFW for a GREAT lunch!

We had a lot of nice comments from the event organizers, Town, and the public. Special Thanks to Compatriot Bob Lasprogato for arranging the invitation.

Three Huzzahs to:

Lee Gerlander - Putnam
Todd Gerlander - Putnam
Randy Gerlander - Putnam
Norman Gilman - Putnam
Michael Juhase - at Large
Robert Rivard - Huntington
Frederick Rivard - Huntington
John Towle - Putnam
Russell Wirtalla - Putnam

Bonnie Burke - Camp-Follower
---------------------------------------------

(Second)

Colonel,

It is my honor to report that the 7th Connecticut and Huntington's Regiments participated in a Flag Placement Ceremony in Cedar Grove Cemetery, New London, in honor of our Patriots. It was a great ceremony on a beautiful morning with about 40 people from the SAR, DAR, Girl Scouts and general public in attendance.

We honorably placed flags at the graves of our patriots followed by a short ceremony where all 72 names were read allowed. A prayer was lead by the branch Chaplain and a Musket Salute.

Those mustered were as follows.

Harry Clarke Pvt. 7th CT
Bruce Cunard Capt. 7th CT
Daniel Davis Sgt. 7th CT
Gregory Peck Lt. 7th CT
Frederick Rivard Capt. Huntington

Christine Coutant - Camp-Follower

Respectfully submitted,

Capt. Bruce Cunard

------------------------------------------------

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd L. Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

Compatriots,

Despite the rain on Friday the students had a great time at the School Day in East Haddam. We had just over 100 3rd grade students from the town with a dozen or so chaperons.

Many thanks to everyone who helped:
Sue Beecher
Jerry Carroon
Mike Juhase
Fred Rivard
Bob Rivard
Dana Rusconi
Stephen Shaw
Russ Wirtalla

A belated report for the Spring Food Stroll in New London. It was a perfect evening with about a 1,000 people on the stroll. The schoolhouse set a record for the stroll with almost 80 visitors.

Our Color Guard members were doing musket firing demonstrations on the Parade and ended up on Fox 61 News as part of their segment on tourism.

Thanks to:
Bruce Cunard
Fred Rivard
Stephen Shaw

Upcoming Events:

June 14th - CT Open House Day at museums around the state and our three.
The Color Guard will have a Flag Display at the War Office and Mike Nigro of the SAR will have his historic flag collection at the Schoolhouse in New London.

June 21st, 1pm - Grand Opening of the new Nathan Hale exhibit in New London.

June 28th, 1pm - Grand Opening of the new Nathan Hale exhibit in East Haddam.

Patriotically,

Stephen P. Shaw

Dear Compatriots of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR,

Today the CONNECTICUT LINE participated in the annual Bunker Hill Day Ceremonies commemorating the 233rd Anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, First Major Battle of the American Revolution (June 17, 1775).
This was our 12th year participating in the Bunker Hill Day Ceremonies, and again this year, we were the largest Colonial unit present. HUZZAH!!!

The Connecticut Line CTSSAR, along with the Charlestown Militia Company, fired the musket volley to the Heroes of Bunker Hill. We also placed a wreath at the Connecticut Gate on behalf of the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.

Following the ceremonies, we walked into Boston and had lunch at the Green Dragon Taverne.

Attached are 2 photos, one from the ceremonies, the other from the Green Dragon. Note: we found a new recruit at the Dragon.

Our next event will be at the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse in New London on Saturday.

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

Compatriots of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR,

The Regiment just returned from the encampment, and I wanted to say that it was a GREAT success. The weather was great, and we had a great turnout. From what I was told, it was a very successful 2nd Saturday. We have been asked if we would like to return again next year, and from everyones comments, it looks like a done deal.

22 Members showed up in uniform this weekend to support the CONNECTICUT LINE CTSSAR's 2008 Second Annual Grand Encampment at the Governor Jonathan Trumbull, Sr. House/Wadsworth Stable in Historic Lebanon, Connecticut. I believe I have everyone listed, but, if I forgot someone please let me know ASAP.

I would like to thank the following members for participating. THREE HUZZAHS!!!

Wayne Bickley - Putnam
George Crede - Putnam
Damien Cregeau - Wadsworth
Bruce Cunard - Hale
Dan Dudley - Putnam
Lee Gerlander - Putnam
Todd Gerlander - Putnam
Randy Gerlander - Putnam
Mike Juhase - At Large
William Lang - Huntington
Stephen Marshall - Putnam
Travis Marshall - Putnam
Stephen Messier - Putnam
Robert Rivard - Huntington
Frederick Rivard - Huntington
Jim Rothgeb - Hale
John Towle - Putnam
Russell Wirtalla - Putnam

Bonnie Burke - Camp-Follower
Barbara Crede - Camp-Follower
Pam Hall - Camp-Follower
Cece Messier - Camp-Follower

I have started to post photos at:

www.ConnecticutLine.org

Then click "Annual Grand Encampment". If you have great photos from the weekend, e-mail me.

Again, Great Show! and it was the largest encampment of Connecticut SAR members, 22.

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

Compatriots,

The ship Explorer of the Seas visited New London on Friday with a full load of 3,100 passengers and 1,200 crew.

The Nathan Hale Schoolhouse had over 650 visitors with good donations and great sales. So many people now can read the new exhibit panels and learn so much more.

The schoolhouse was on both Fox 61 News and WTNH Channel 8 last night. You can still watch to video on their web sites.

Thank you very much to the docents who helped for the day:

Bob Herel
Bob Lasprogato - Color Guard
Matt McDonald
Stephen Shaw - Color Guard

We have six more ship visits this year with the next ones in September.

Patriotically,

Stephen P. Shaw

Today the Regiment took part in the 227th Anniversary Commemoration of the Battle of Groton Heights (September 6, 1781) at Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park in Groton, CT. We served as the Color Guard and provided the wreath. This marked our 12th year participating. I would like to thank the following Color Guard members:

01) Wayne Bickley - Putnam
02) Harry Clarke - Hale
03) Lee Gerlander - Putnam
04) Todd Gerlander - Putnam
05) Randy Gerlander - Putnam
06) Mike Juhase - at Large
07) Bob Rivard - Huntington
08) Fred Rivard - Huntington
09) Russell Wirtalla - Putnam

Next event: The Durham Fair, September 26, 27, 28, 2008

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd L. Gerlander, Colonel Commanding

Compatriots of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR,

Well, it is over, and I am glad for that. I am talking about the Durham Fair, or as those who attended will call it, the Durham Mudfest.

Connecticut Line members manned the encampment/CTSSAR recruitment table for THIRTY FOUR HOURS on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We met a lot of people, particularly on Saturday night and all day Sunday, we handed out a lot of recruitment information. Friday and most of Saturday was RAIN. On Sunday morning at 9:00 AM we held the CTSSAR Ceremony for the Patriots of Durham, CT.

Special Thanks to the following members who manned the camp with me for the 34 hours the fair was open, and all the additional hours helping me set up and take down the camp Thursday morning and Sunday night, and getting there an hour early each morning to get ready for the public:

Lee Gerlander
Randy Gerlander
Michael Juhase

I would also like to thank the following members for coming out this weekend and help man the camp during the following days:

George Crede - Putnam (Sunday)
Norm Gilman - Putnam (Friday & Sunday)(Thursday Set-Up) Bob Lasprogato - Sherman (Sunday) Bob Rivard - Huntington (Saturday Fred Rivard - Huntington (Saturday) Jim Rothgeb - Hale (Sunday) Stephen Shaw - Wadsworth (Friday)

I would also like to thank Michael Juhase and his wife for helping us take down Sunday night, it was an AWEFULL mess, and the mud was only the start of the problems with this fair.

I am glad to say that the tenting campaign has ended for the year. We have STARK'S MUSTER this weekend at Fort at No. 4 in Charlestown, NH. as our next event, and I will be sending out another e-mail reminder about that soon.

See everyone this weekend at Fort #4,

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd Gerlander, Colonel Commanding

Compatriots of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR,

Stark's Muster at the Fort at Number Four in Charlestown, New Hampshire was a great success. This was the units 9th year participating at the Fort. Stark's Muster has been added to the Fort's 2009 schedule for the weekend of October 3rd and 4th, 2009. It will be the events 10th anniversary, and we should plan on doing something special to commemorate the event.

I have started to post photos on the website, both on the "Stark's Muster Page" and on the "Colonial Cooking" Page. If you have Great photos, please e-mail them to me. Photos can be seen at:

www.ConnecticutLine.org

I would like to thank the following Connecticut Line CTSSAR members and Detachments for participating this year:

Wayne Bickley - Putnam
Geoffrey Colby - Putnam
Bruce Cunard - Hale
Dan Dudley - Putnam
Lee Gerlander - Putnam
Todd Gerlander - Putnam
Randy Gerlander - Putnam
Michael Juhase - at Large
Robert Rivard - Huntington
Frederick Rivard - Huntington
Stephen Shaw - Wadsworth
Russell Wirtalla - Putnam
Richard Wright - Putnam

Liisa Colby - Camp Follower
Gina Gerhard - Camp Follower

Our next scheduled event is the Veterans Day Parade in Hartford on Sunday, November 2, 2008.

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd L. Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

The Connecticut Line CTSSAR
at the forefront of SAR Living History
1993 - 2008

Compatriots of the Connecticut Line,

Just wanted to report on todays VETERANS DAY PARADE in Hartford, Connecticut. It was a Great day! We had a good showing and great weather.
I would like to thank the following members for participating and also to recognize Captain Bruce Cunard for his first time commanding the Connecticut Line in the field. Huzzah!

01) Wayne Bickley - Putnam
02) George Crede - Putnam
03) Damien Cregeau - Wadsworth
04) Bruce Cunard - Hale
05) Lee Gerlander - Putnam
06) Todd Gerlander - Putnam
07) Randy Gerlander - Putnam
08) Bill Hayes - Putnam
09) Mike Juhase - at Large
10) Bob Lasprogato - Sherman
11) Stephen Marshall - Putnam
12) Bob Rivard - Huntington
13) Fred Rivard - Huntington
14) Jim Rothgeb - Hale
15) Russell Wirtalla - Putnam

16) Pamela Cregeau - Camp-Follower

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd L. Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

Compatriots,

What a great day to move out all of the contents of the Nathan Hale Schoolhouse in New London. Nice and sunny but in the twenties with lots of wind.

We go it done in so little time because so many SAR members and Coast Guard Academy Cadets came out to help.

Now everything is stored safely in a storage unit behind the train station, so that the schoolhouse can be moved in a few weeks to our new location. In a couple of months we’ll move everything back in.

The Day newspaper was there to cover the event and their article can be read at:
Click Here to view article

Thank you so much to the following:

Bob Herel
John Kendall
Fred Rivard
Stephen Shaw
Thomas Smith
Tyler Smith

Cadets:

Garrett Borrosh
Nicholas Giancola
Michael Gordon
Sven Johnson
Lelea Littlefield
Matthew Malacaria
Sean Newmeyer
Erin Nolan
Jarrod Owens
Jacob Scritchfield
Joshua Scritchfield
Jay Shiney
Stephen Spotty
Christopher Wall

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.

Patriotically,

Stephen P. Shaw
1st VP, Technologies Manager, Property Steward, Etc
Connecticut, Sons of the American Revolution
www.ConnecticutSAR.org

Compatriots,

For those who didn't see the news last night.

http://www.wfsb.com/video/18054456/index.html

Patriotically,

Stephen P. Shaw
1st VP, Technologies Manager, Property Steward, Etc
Connecticut, Sons of the American Revolution
www.ConnecticutSAR.org

A curator from Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia has collaborated with a Charlestown historian to determine the site where one or two dozen British soldiers were buried. They wish to use ground-penetrating radar to inspect a number of sites stretching down Concord Street from Monument Square. Families living over the sites, however, are conflicted about the discovery, and the possible problems further research will create for them.

You can read more details in the Boston Globe at www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/08/bunker_hill_dead_may_lie_under_gardens/?s_campaign=8315.

Dear Compatriot Members of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR,

I received a phone call this morning from Major Mike Juhase that WE, the
SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION won FIRST PLACE as BEST reenactment unit in
the St. Patrick's Day Parade yesterday. HUZZAH!!! Everyone knows that their
are a lot of units in this parade, and it is Connecticut's largest St.
Patrick's Day Parade. The news was posted in this morning's New Haven
Register.

The Connecticut Line had a GREAT day marching in the St. Patrick's Day
Parade in New Haven, Connecticut yesterday. 20 members came out to march! I
would like to thank the following members for attending:

Wayne Bickley - Putnam
Mike Chuckta - Putnam
Geoffrey Colby - Putnam
Damien Cregeau - Wadsworth
Bruce Cunard - Hale
Lee Gerlander - Putnam
Todd Gerlander - Putnam
Randy Gerlander - Putnam
Mike Juhase - Putnam
Jim Klaneski - Wolcott
Bob Lasprogato - Sherman
Bob Rivard - Huntington
Jim Rothgeb - Hale
Tom Smith - Hale
John Towle - Putnam
Russell Wirtalla - Putnam

Bonnie Burke - Camp-Follower
Liisa Colby - Camp-Follower
Christine Coutant - Camp-Follower
Pam Hall - Camp-Follower

GREAT Show!!! A lot of compliments from the public. HUZZAH!!!

Upcoming Events:

Saturday, March 28, 2009 - Musket Safety Course (contact me to sign up)

Saturday, April 4, 2009 - Reenactor Tag Sale, Lebanon, CT.

Saturday, April 11, 2009 - The BIG 3 - Parades at Bedford, Concord, Lincoln,
MA.

Saturday, April 18, 2009 - CTSSAR Patriot's Day Meeting, Hamden, CT.

Monday, April 20, 2009 - (2)Patriot's Day Parades, Concord & Lexington, MA.

MORE details to follow . . .

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd L. Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

Dear Compatriots of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR,

I would like to thank the 19 members who came out and marched with the
Connecticut Line CTSSAR in the parades yesterday commemorating PATRIOT'S DAY
in Concord and Lexington.

I would also like to give a HUZZAH!!! to all the members, particularly those
who were on the road as early as 3:30 AM in order to make these parades
yesterday.

We looked sharp! Well Done!!!

It is GREAT to see the SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION active marching in
BOTH parades commemorating the start of the AMERICAN REVOLUTION.

Although no Connecticut militia actually took park in the skirmishes at
Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. In the days immediately following,
Four Thousand Connecticut Militia did respond to the LEXINGTON ALARM, and
"marched for the relief of Boston".

It was in one of these eyewitness accounts, a letter written in
Wethersfield, Connecticut on April 23, 1775 that reads,

"We are all in motion here, and equipt from the Town yesterday, one hundred
young men, who cheerfully offered their service, twenty-days provision and
sixty-four rounds per man. They are well armed and in high spirits. My
brother has gone with them and others of the first property. Our neighboring
towns are all arming and moving. Men of the first character shoulder their
arms and march off for the field of action. We shall by night have several
thousands from this Colony on their march . . . . . We fix on our Standards
and Drums the Colony Arms, with the motto "Qui Transtulit Sustinet", round
it in letters of gold, which we construe thus; 'God, who transplanted us
hither, will support us.'"

Once again . . . Connecticut answered the call and helped to commemorate
those men who "Nob'ly Dared to be Free".

Huzzah!!!

Wayne Bickley
Geoffrey Colby
Dan Dudley
Lee Gerlander
Todd Gerlander
Randy Gerlander
Howard Greene
Dylan Greene
Bob Lasprogato
Harry Orcutt
Bob Rivard
Fred Rivard
John Towle
Allan Van Wert
Russell Wirtalla
Richard Wright

Bonnie Burke
Liisa Colby
Gina Gerhard

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd L. Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

Chairman, Revolutionary War Graves Committee:

With thanks to Mr. Peter Marteka of the Hartford Courant, the following information and attached article are submitted for addition to the SAR Graves Register.

Patriot: ROLLO, John Nolton
Died: 20 Mar 1777, age 26
Buried: Hebron, Tolland Co., CT
Directions: Route 66 to Jennifer Drive, about 1.5 miles from the Hebron-Marlborough line. Follow Jennifer Drive until you reach a stop sign. Take a left at the stop sign. Follow Blackman Road until it curves north. At the start of the curve is a dirt parking area. Follow the path from the parking area for about a quarter mile. The grave is on the left.

Read the full article from the May 24, 2009 edition of The Hartford Courant

Bruce C. Lyon, LtCol, USMC (Ret)
CTSSAR Treasurer
NSSAR #148842
Willington, CT

Photo by a member of the Nathan Hale branch

Photos from the ceremony organized by the Capt. Nathan Hale Branch of the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution were published in The New London Day's May 24, 2009 edition by Tim Cook: See the photos

Dear Compatriots,

A great dedication to signer Lyman Hall was made possible by the restoration of the site of Hall's birthplace and childhood home by Boy Scout Troop 4 Chris Farrell for his Eagle Scout project.
CTSSAR Wadsworth Branch members William Bone, his Uncle Charles Lewis and Damien Cregeau were joined by Bill's wife, Kathy (DAR), and Damien's wife, Pamela Hall, at the Lyman Hall Monument Dedication. Also in attendance were several ladies from the DAR, the president of the CTSCAR, Wallingford's Mayor Dickinson, the Wallingford Historical Society, a member of the Wallingford Town Council, and other residents and Boy Scouts .
The dedication, which took place on Saturday, May 23rd at the site of Lyman Hall's birthplace and childhood home in Wallingford, CT, celebrated the life of Hall, who as a representative of Georgia, was a signer of The Declaration of Independence. I believe it was Mayor Dickinson who made the excellent point that Lyman's roots as a New Englander formed the basis for his willingness to risk his reputation and life in signing The Declaration.

Patriotically, Damien Cregeau
President, Col. Jeremiah Wadsworth Branch, CTSSAR

--------------

The Town of Wallingford held a rededication ceremony of the Lyman Hall Monument on May 23, 2009. Boy Scout Troop 4 (St . Paul's Church) recently landscaped the existing monument area. Some of the new improvements include a brick walkway, sign, shrubs and a bench. They also painted the flagpole and wrought iron fence. This project was part of Chris Farrell’s Eagle Project. The monument is located directly across from Pat Wall Field (next to 355 South Elm Street) in Wallingford.

More information about the event.

Dear Compatriots of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR,

For the 13th year now, members have participated in the annual ceremonies commemorating the First Major Battle of the American Revolution, Bunker Hill. Wreaths were placed, and once again the Connecticut Line fired the three volley musket salute in honor of the Heroes of Bunker Hill. HUZZAH!!!

I would like to thank the following members for participating:

Wayne Bickley
Geoffrey Colby
Dan Dudley
Lee Gerlander
Todd Gerlander
Randy Gerlander
Bob Lasprogato
Russell Wirtalla
Jim Witham
Richard Wright

This past weekend we set up a small camp, including the Liberty Pole, and day tripped the Norwich 350th Anniversary Encampment, because of the wet weather. I would like to thank the following members for participating:

George Crede
Bruce Cunard
Lee Gerlander
Todd Gerlander
Randy Gerlander
Mike Juhase
Tom Smith
Russell Wirtalla

Our next events are the Independence Day Parade in Columbia, CT on the 4th of July; and then the 230th Anniversary Battle of Norwalk encampment/reenactment on July 10-12, and Bruce will command a Detachment on the 10th at Fort Griswold during Riverfest.

More details soon,

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd L. Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

Dear Compatriots of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR,

Today the Connecticut Line once again marched in the 4th of July, Independence Day Parade in Columbia, Connecticut. We received the Blue Ribbon, First Place for Best Marching Unit in the 2008 Parade. We had previously won the Red Ribbon for Second Place in the 2007 Parade. That deserves THREE HUZZAHS!!!

I would like to thank the following members for marching:

Lee Gerlander
Todd Gerlander
Randy Gerlander
Bob Rivard
Tom Smith
Russ Wirtalla

Just a reminder, the 230th Anniversary of the Battle of Norwalk is next weekend, Friday thru Sunday. Info and schedules are posted at the website previously mentioned regarding the event. We can still use more members for the event.

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd L. Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

The Roger Sherman Branch #5 in Norwalk, the Norwalk-Village Green Chapter of the DAR, Crystal Theatre, and local officials participated in the reading of the Declaration of Independence on the Green along with the tolling of the bells, as part of "Let Freedom Ring", at 2 pm, followed by a patriotic program by the NHS at Mill HIll, with a program about the Battle of Norwalk, July 11, 1779 and a musical performance by Crystal Theatre. The event was hosted by the Norwalk Historical Society.

We all had a great time, learned a lot, were entertained, and - importantly - had about 400+ guests participate.

Please remind all our compatriots (and any friends and neighbors) about:

Celebrate The Past, Inc.& Sheldon's Horse, 2nd Light Continental Dragoons Present:

The Reenactment of The Battle of Norwalk
July 11, 1779

Free to the Public
July 11 & 12, 2009
Calf Pasture Park / Taylor Farm Calf
Pasture Beach Rd. / Canfield Ave. Norwalk, Connecticut

(Free Parking at Marvin School)

By JESSE LEAVENWORTH, The Hartford Courant, July 10, 2009

Dear Compatriots of the Connecticut Line CTSSAR,

Just returned from the 230th Anniversary Commemoration of the Battle of Norwalk Weekend in Norwalk, Connecticut.

It was a great weekend, 2 beautiful days, it was just Saturday night where we had strong winds and rain, but we survived, and went home Dry!!!

My compliments to the members of the Line. We looked good on the field in both Saturdays "Burning of Norwalk" scenario and in Sundays "Battle of the Rocks" scenario. We received many compliments from the Continental Field Commander. HUZZAH!!! Great opportunity to burn a lot of powder on the field fighting British regulars. Good Show!!! I would like to thank the following members for attending the entire weekend:

Michael Chuckta
Dan Dudley
Lee Gerlander
Todd Gerlander
Randy Gerlander
Bob Lasprogato
Russell Wirtalla

We have ONE more encampment this year, Our "Grand Encampment" on Saturday,  September 12 - Sunday, September 13, 2009 at the Gov. Trumbull House/Wadsworth Stable in Lebanon, CT. Since Fort #4 is cancelled, I expect more members to be in Lebanon. I will be posting more details in the weeks ahead.

Put your faith in God and keep your powder dry,

Todd L. Gerlander
Colonel Commanding

The following announcement was written by the Daughters of the American Revolution:

After nearly a decade of scanning, indexing, and other behind-the-scenes work by DAR members and employees, the Daughters of the American Revolution is pleased to announce the availability of the DAR Genealogical Research System on our public website. Here are the direct links:

http://www.dar.org/library/online_research.cfm or www.dar.org (and click on the Library button at the top, then the second tab in the left-hand column).

The GRS is a growing collection of databases that provide access to many materials collected by the DAR over the past 119 years. Included in this collection of databases is the GRC National Index which has been available to researchers for the past few years. There are still some kinks we're working out here and there.

When you go to the link above, you will find several tabs that will enable searching in the various databases:

Ancestor - established DAR Revolutionary War Ancestors and basic information about them with listings of the applications submitted by descendants who joined the DAR [updated daily]

Member - limited access to information on deceased/former DAR members - not current members.

Descendants - index of generations in applications between the DAR member and the Revolutionary War ancestor. There is much eighteenth and nineteenth-century information here. [ongoing indexing project]

GRC- everyname index to 20,000 typescript volumes (some still being indexed) of genealogical records such as cemeteries, Bibles, etc. This index is not limited to the period of the American Revolution at all.

Resources [In particular, the digitized DAR Library Revolutionary Pension Extract Card Index and the Analytical Index Cards.

Other information sources will be coming in the near future, mostly relating to Revolutionary War service, bibliographies, Forgotten Patriots (updates), etc. Read the introductions to these to learn why these are both important genealogical indexes. For example, the Rev. War pension index includes the names of people mentioned in those pensions that were abstracted (not just the pensioner or widow)!!!!]

Library Catalog - our book, periodical, and manuscript holdings

Each of these has interrelated content, and a description of each is given more fully on the website. You will notice restricted information in many search results. This is the result of a concerted effort to protect the identity of our members while providing historical genealogical information to researchers.

The national numbers of members (without the names of living members) given in the search results are needed to order copies of applications and supplemental applications. They do not lead online researchers to any other information about the member.