How many Foote’s are in a yard. ..it depends on how many show up. There were 63 Foote’s in attendance for Conference 2005 in Cromwell, Connecticut on June 9 -11.
Fifty-three adults and ten children traveled to Cromwell from 11 states. ..as far away as New Mexico. ..and began gathering in the hospitality suite at the Courtyard by Marriott which was open throughout the weekend for registration, visiting, and the opportunity to buy some of the new Foote family memorabilia from the FooteShoppe.
Friday was a fun filled day for the 22 Foote relatives who ventured into Native American Territory on the biennial bus tour for a walk through the history of the Mohegans with Sandy Pineault, one of the Mohegan tribal officers, and the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center.
Old acquaintances were renewed and new friendships formed at the traditional Friday Night Get-Together at the hotel.
Saturday provided the opportunity for reunion-goers to participate in one of three car-pooling trips, spend time in the hospitality room, and cap of the day at the Reunion 2005 Banquet.
A cocktail hour, followed by a sumptuous meal, fun awards, a raffle, and the general meeting which included the election of officers for the coming two years provided fun for all.
Our speaker for the evening was First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln, as played by Historian Sally Mummey, who amused and educated everyone about what it was like to be the First Lady during the Civil War.
Ed Strickland, Foote Family Genealogy Book Editor, was available at various times throughout the reunion to talk about the book and the two preliminary reports, drawn from work on Volume 3 which were available at the reunion.
2005 Conference Bus Tours
June 10 and 11, 2005
Mohegan and Mashentucket Pequot Museums
Twenty-two Foote relatives set out bright and early for Native American Territory on Friday, June 10, 2005 on the Biennial Reunion Bus Tour to visit the Mohegan and Mashentucket Pequot Museums.
Sandy Pineau It, one of the Mohegan tribal officers, met us at the bus and gave us a guided tour of the burial grounds, the Mohegan Church and the Tantaquideon Museum. It was fantastic and Sandy told us many stories of the history of the Mohegan Tribe.
Sandy led us through Shantok: The Village of Uncas. Uncas was a warrior, statesman, leader and founder of the Mohegan Tribe. He broke with his father-in-law, Pequot Schem Sassacus, after repeated disagreements over tribal policy toward the English. Uncas (1598 -1683) made peace with the first English settlers in the seventeenth century.
The Shantok Burial Ground has been in continuous use for more than 300 years. It was returned to the Mohegan Tribe in May of 1998 after a payment of $3 million was made to the State of Connecticut.
Tantaquidgeon Indian Museum
The Tantaquidgeon Indian Museum was the next stop on the tour. It is the oldest Indian-Run museum in America, and was founded on September 29, 1931 at the height of the Great Depression by John Tantaquidgeon.
With the help of his two children, Gladys and Harold, he overcame the adversity of blindness in one eye and being forced to navigate with the aid of crutches, to build his dream.
One of the exhibits is a photo gallery “Wall of Fame”. The fascinating story about the wall of fame is that 98% of the tribe descended from the five people shown there.
The Mohegan Church (a Congregational Church) was built in 1831 and is located on Mohegan Hill. As part of their heritage, there is a cross in the church with peace feathers hanging over it. Traditionally, only Indians can have eagle feathers.
The membership of the church is now about 50 with half being Mohegans. A number of artifacts are on display at the church as well. The funds for its upkeep come from the Mohegan Sun Casino.
In 1978, the tribe applied for federal recognition from the Bureau of Indian Affairs and finally achieved that goal in 1994.
Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center
The next stop on the bus tour was for lunch and a tour of the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center.
The museum is like taking a journey through time, beginning 18, 000 years in the past when the land was covered with glaciers, through an evolving cultural history of a proud people, their heritage and their land.
Through the use of multisensory dioramas, films, videos, interactive programs, archival materials, and commissioned works, the exhibits offer an experience that is both educational and entertaining.
The Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center is the nation’s largest and most innovative Native American educational resource. Its four levels include:
- A research library that houses vast print and electronic materials devoted to preserving and reclaiming the cultural heritage of the Tribe and other Native peoples in the U.S. and Canada.
- A children’s library with an impressive collection of books, CDs, filmstrips, audio and videotapes.
- A large auditorium, gallery.
- A restaurant where a menu including a variety Native American selections may be enjoyed.
A good time was had by all, and all were returned safe and sound to the hotel.
A Visit to Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Home
One of the Saturday Car-Pool Trips – By Pat Kenney
Harriet Beecher Stowe was delighted to meet us! She asked about the small footprint on our T-shirt and was overcome with excitement from meeting members of the Foote family! After all, her mother was a Foote. Then she introduced us to the rest of her family present -her sister, Mary Perkins, her half sister, Isabella Hooker, and her daughter, Hattie -and to some of the Center’s employees.
I also met William Gillette who was there to help celebrate Harriet’s birthday. The birthday celebration not only included free admission, but we had a carriage ride, cake and lemonade, and music. We toured Harriet and Calvin Stowe’s home which was typical upper-class Victorian. Later we toured Mark Twain’s home which is across the green from Harriet’s. Although Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe were friends and fellow writers, he was actually the age of Harriet and Calvin’s children.
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s most famous book was Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which showed the hardships of slavery; however, she wrote over thirty books, some with one of her sisters. Several of the books were full of household hints -one commentator said that she was the Martha Stewart of her age.
Foote FamiIy and Genealogy Volume 3 Preliminary Reports
By Ed Strickland
At the 2005 reunion, two reports were made available for the first time. Two preliminary reports drawn from work on “Volume 3”.
They will cover the Foote immigrant ancestors and 3 generations of their descendants in lines which have been claimed in the files submitted for the update.
In addition to information taken from volumes 1 and 2 of Abram Foote’s Foote Family History and Genealogy, other family and local histories have been consulted. When possible, verification of data has been made from abstracts of vital, church and cemetery records.
I have also made an effort to correct places given to the historically correct civil jurisdiction in which the cited events took place. The first report covers the descendants of Joanna (Foote) Kellogg of Farmington, CT and Hadley, MA and the descendants of Nathaniel Foote of Wethers field, CT (99 pages).
Joanna and her nine children are not directly covered in Foote Family History and Genealogy Her daughter Joanna is mentioned indirectly, as she married Deacon John Smith, and as her son Martin, married secondly Sarah (Dickinson) Lane, both of whom are grandchildren of Nathaniel Foote of Wethersfield. Of Joanna (Foote) Kellogg’s great-grandchildren, 34 are not previously covered.