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  Our Line

This site is dedicated to my grandfather, Arthur Hatch Sturdevant. A man that I never had the pleasure of knowing, as he died a few years before my birth.  However, I did have the pleasure of working from a family tree prepared by him in the 1940s, and handed down to me through my father Jesse. It is a large document, 32 inches by 40 inches in size, containing over a hundred names and dates detailing our family tree. All in his neat and precise hand lettering. I have unrolled it many times in the last few months while preparing this site. It brought me great satisfaction to feel that I know a part of him through his work. I hope he would appreciate what I have done here; using the internet and the world wide web to expand his research and publish his efforts for the world to see.

Credits

None of this could have been done without the efforts and input of others. I truly appreciate all those who have contributed to this site. All of my research has been done through the internet, and I have found a community of those interested in genealogy that is extremely helpful, knowledgeable, and resourceful. Thank you all.

First and foremost, I have to acknowledge the contributions and effort of Barbara Wehman of Litchfield County, Connecticut. I originally contacted her through Headstone Hunters at headstonehunter.com as a volunteer to take pictures of headstones for those researching their family lines. She went way beyond that though, not only getting pictures of my ancestors stones, but pictures of their houses, obituaries, and copies of articles about them. Through our correspondence I found much information I did not know, and a great lady in the bargain. Thank you Barbara, and Merry Christmas to you and yours.

Others who have contributed to this site include:

• Elaine Sturdevant, a descendant of William's through his grandson Nathan, who provided a missing link in our line, John Sturdevant II.
• Jeanette, who provided the information on the different spellings of our name used on the introduction page.
• Eugene H. Beach Jr., who provided the information about the builder of  9 Hearths, and the birth and death dates of Mary Sturdevant.
• Dot, from the GenConnecticut-Litchfield county list, who provided some information about Eli.
• Lynne Tann-watson of Leceistershire, England who provided the information on the origin of our name.
• Finally, Olive Esther Mindwell Rogers Betts, whose manuscript of Reminiscences Stories and Traditions that I found on the web, provided a glimpse of Eli and John Sanford in their daily lives. I still have not found the person responsible for posting that manuscript, but thank you. It is stories like this that make the web come alive.

Sources

Information from the following published sources were used in this site:

• Landmarks of Bridgewater, published by Bridgewater Historical Society, 1958. Two articles," The John Sturdevant House" by Barbara M. Southworth, and "The Sturdevant House" by Dorothy L. Camp.
• History of New Milford and Bridgewater, Connecticut by Samuel Orcutt
• New Milford Gazette, May 25, 1894, and August 5, 1904.