Thomas Jefferson Farnham (1804–1848)

This is an interesting work of local history, well-researched and without a strong nostalgic tone. Farnham describes many eras (spanning several centuries, not just the '70/'80s Sheff v. O'Neil period) in which residents were concerned with an influx of 'outsiders' of various flavors (New Yorkers, immigrants, people from Bridgeport, African-Americans, Jews). He also doesn't pull any punches describing Roger Ludlow, a particularly unsavory person to have as a Founder. Not that I would expect something different from an academic historian, but this definitely isn't vanity press (although commissioned and published by the Fairfield Historical Society).

Local history often describes the intransigent continuity of local communities. 17th century farmers balked at paying to maintain the local church and schools, and residents in the 1990s (at the dawn of the baby boomlet) balked at the Board of Ed budget. In the 1800s, residents were preoccupied with "outsiders" using their beaches (I think I read the same letter to the editor last week in the Westport News). Fairfield and Bridgeport have been squabbling since 1833. There is something amusing about knowing that the hysteria you encounter in local politics will endure far longer than the individual participants.… (mais)