Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor, Inc.

06/22/2026

06/17/2026

🇺🇸 Windsor 250 Event Spotlight 🇺🇸

Did you know that one of the architects of the United States Constitution called Windsor home?

Join us on Thursday, July 10, from 12:00–1:30 PM at the Oliver Ellsworth Homestead, Matthies Hall, 778 Palisado Avenue, for The Story of Oliver Ellsworth, presented by acclaimed biographer Michael Toth.

A Windsor native, Oliver Ellsworth helped shape our nation as a Constitutional Convention delegate, U.S. Senator, author of the Judiciary Act of 1789, and the third Chief Justice of the United States. His influence can still be seen today in the structure of our federal government and court system.

As part of Windsor’s celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, this special presentation offers a unique opportunity to learn about one of the most important figures in the nation's founding — and his enduring connection to Windsor.

📅 July 10, 2026
🕛 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
📍 Oliver Ellsworth Homestead, 778 Palisado Avenue, Windsor

To RSVP: https://windsorct250.org/event/the-story-of-oliver-ellsworth-presented-by-michael-toth/

06/12/2026

Eighteenth century New England gravestone carvers tended to have trouble carving realistic-looking faces, but few carvers could top Ebenezer Drake when it came to absolutely bizarre faces. This stone, located at Palisado Cemetery in Windsor, Connecticut is typical of his later work, and it features a face that can only be described as resembling the aftermath of a botched cosmetic surgery procedure. It is made of sandstone, and it was made for Reuben Ellsworth, 1785, who hopefully did not bear any resemblance to the face on the stone.

Faces aside, though, Drake was actually a reasonably competent carver. His lettering left something to be desired, but his borders and other design elements are beautifully done, if somewhat surreal in their own way.

06/12/2026

06/07/2026

Save the date! DFAW will have a tent at the Vendor Fair.

06/05/2026

Listen as Crista Cowan shares the story of Windsor’s Alse Young, who was the first person in the colonies who was hanged after being accused of being a witch in 1647 in Hartford. Alse is Crista’s 8th great grandmother.

[VIDEO DESCRIPTION HERE]📝 Ready to start discovering your own fam...

05/16/2026

At the Windsor Shad Derby Festival.

05/12/2026

It's Up and it's gorgeous! The Oliver Ellsworth sign has been restored, pole painted and new hardware installed. It is one of our America250 projects . . . just in time for our visitor season starting this Saturday. Thank you to everyone who contributed to the restoration, and to our husbands who master-minded the re-hanging process. Be on the lookout for some additional fun videos.

05/03/2026

Local tradition claims that this house in Windsor, Connecticut was built in 1670 for William Phelps, Jr., the son of one of Windsor’s founders. As a boy, the younger William had immigrated to the American colonies in 1630 along with his father, settling first in Dorchester, Massachusetts before moving to Windsor. The elder William built a house here on East Street along the banks of the Farmington River, and, according to some accounts, William, Jr. later built this house nearby.

If accurate, the 1670 date would make this house among the oldest homes not just in Windsor, but in all of Connecticut as well. However, there seems to be significant doubt as to the accuracy of this date. The saltbox-style design of the house did not become common until the first half of the 18th century, long after William Phelps’s death, and there is little in the home’s exterior appearance to suggest that it is from the 17th century. The documentation that accompanied the top photo, taken the 1930s as part of the WPA Architectural Survey of historic homes in Connecticut, indicates that the house was probably built after 1700, and it identifies the first owner as William Griswold, while also stating that it was known as the Mather House.

In 1961, this house was the subject of a proposal to dismantle it and rebuild it on Palisado Avenue. However, this house was never moved, and it survives with few changes from the first photo, aside from the installation of historically-appropriate windows. It is probably not as old as the traditional 1670 date, but it is undoubtedly still very old, most likely dating back to the early or mid-18th century, and it stands as one of the few remaining saltbox-style homes in Windsor.

Historic image courtesy of the Connecticut State Library.