The Deacon John Grave House is a story of one man’s family–their living and dying, their joys and sorrows– their continual struggle to make ends meet in a constantly changing society. Through the family’s original account books, we learn of George Grave who left his native England in 1636, risking his life and well-being to bring his family across the ocean in a small ship to seek a new life in a hostile land. For seven generations his descendants lived in the Deacon John Grave House, one of the oldest houses in Madison, Connecticut.
The Grave Family Account books, now in the possession of the Connecticut State Library, spell out in great detail the days of their lives. Together with church and estate records, we learn of their births, marriages and deaths and how each affected the lives of families and their finances.
They were farmers, haulers, innkeepers, shoemakers, and weavers, and were active in the community of Madison as Justices of the Peace and deacons of the church. In time of war they served the colony and the state; in time of peace they trained with the militia. The women managed the household, reared the children and took over the men’s responsibilities when they were called away.
You will find they had much in common with those of us living here in the 21st century. They acquired real estate, worked daily at their jobs, paid their bills, participated in the varied life of their community, and raised their families.
Celebrate America’s 250th birthday with a special stop at the Deacon John Grave House, 581 Boston Post Road, after Madison’s Fourth of July parade.
On June 13th, townsfolk and local dignitaries gathered for a ceremony in front of the Madison Historical Society’s exhibition hall and administrative offices at the old Lee’s Academy.
Join us in celebrating Connecticut Open House Day on June 13, 1-5 p.m.
On May 16th, the Grave Foundation in collaboration with the Madison Historical Society orchestrated a bicentennial celebration of Madison’s incorporation.
The Deacon and Historical Society welcomed dignitaries and townsfolk to witness the horseback delivery of a message from Connecticut’s General Assembly, approving the establishment of Madison as a town separate from Guilford. As of 1826, the town would no longer be known as “East Guilford”. Thereafter, it would be known as “Madison”!
The unseasonally cool weather this April did not discourage the second-grade classes from this year’s visits to the Deacon’s House.
