Totoket Historical Society

10/14/2026

10/14/2026

Tombstone Tuesday

North Branford Congregational Church Cemetery

Issac Bartholomew 1664-1727

Mr. Bartholomew was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1664. He moved with his father to Woodstock, CT and then to Branford. He was a highly respected farmer. He married Rebecca Frisbie, having 10+ children. One of his daughters was named Freelove. He passed away in North Branford at the age of 63.
This was the oldest stone in the cemetery but with environmental factors and it being made from brownstone, it may no longer be there.

thetotokethistoricalsociety.org

Photo credit to Michele M.

10/07/2026

Tombstone Tuesday

New Northford Cemetery

Dr. George Henry Gidney 1849-1907

Dr. Gidney was a Dentist who practiced in New Haven just 6 doors down from Orange Street. He advertised a full set of artificial teeth starting at only $5.00.
An interesting note was he spelled his last name Gidney with an i but other family members spelled it with an e as in Gedney.

thetotokethistoricalsociety.org

Photo credit to Jan Franco for the tombstone
And to Ben Zuber Swanson, Jr, DDS, MPhil

10/07/2026

thetotokethistoricalsociety.org

Visit the Totoket Historical Society’s new display at Atwater Memorial Library!

Take a look back at North Branford’s dairy farming industry. Our new display features vintage milk bottles, photographs and information about how local dairies and the industry have changed over the years.

Stop by the Atwater Library and discover a piece of North Branford’s agricultural history.

10/04/2026

More information to come!

09/30/2026

Tombstone Tuesday

George Beebe (1839-1900)

Mr. Beebe joined the Union Army in April 18, 1861 for 3 months. He was in the first battle at Bull Run. There is a Grand Army of the Republic marker on his grave. Below is an explanation about the GAR.

Overview of the GAR
• Founding: Created on April 6, 1866, in Decatur, Illinois, by Benjamin Franklin Stephenson.
• Membership: Limited strictly to honorably discharged veterans of the Union Army, Navy, Marine Corps, or Revenue Cutter Service who served during the war (1861–1865).
• Core Principles: Built on the pillars of fraternity (friendship and preserving memories), charity (aiding disabled veterans, widows, and orphans), and loyalty (upholding the U.S. Constitution and equal rights).

thetotokethistoricalsociety.org