Page 6 - Wallingford Magazine Issue 55 Summer 2025

Diary of by Bobbie Borne
Elizur Clinton
Elizur Clinton

Wallingford Farmer: 1847-1902

In the year 1877 five Excelsior Diary: 1877
eclipses were visible: You may be wondering what’s
three of the sun and the big deal with 1877. I am
two of the moon. Queen focusing on that year because
Victoria was proclaimed of a small, fragile journal I
Empress of India. discovered in the archives of
Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake the Wallingford Historic Pres-
debuted in Moscow. The ervation Trust. The title page
first Wimbledon Tennis reads, “Excelsior Diary: 1877”,
Championship kicked with an illustration of two
off in London. Grecian ladies. It belonged

You only had to shell to Wallingford farmer Elizur
Clinton (his name is written
out three cents to send on the inside cover). Accord-
a letter anywhere in the ing to A.I., “Excelsior” was a
38 states. A staunch ab- popular brand for diaries and
olitionist, Rutherford B. journals, particularly in the
Hayes was in his first year of the presi- Community added the production of late 19th and early 20th centuries. They
dency. The Compromise of 1877 ended tin-plated spoons to its product line. were commonly pocket-sized, bound in
the Reconstruction Era. Thomas Edison The town was growing quickly as these leather or cloth, with gold-edged pag-
invented the phonograph; and the Gild- and other industries flourished. Suc- es, and used for recording daily events,
ed Age began. The first Westminster cessful businessmen built large houses notes, and personal reflections. You can
Dog Show was held in New York City fea- on North and South Main Streets; and still purchase an Excelsior Diary from
turing mostly hunting dogs: setters and a diverse population composed of im- vendors online.
pointers. Sitting Bull escaped to Canada, migrants and old local families helped
and Chief Crazy Horse surrendered to form the community that has evolved In the front of Elizur Clinton’s leather di-
U.S. troops. The Great Railroad Strike of into today’s Wallingford. Industry was ary (3” w x 4.5” h) are pages devoted
1877 resulted in violent protests around mostly located in the town center. But to an almanac, interest tables, principal
the country. in the surrounding rural areas, farm- events in American history, population
ing continued to be pursued by many
In 1877 Connecticut’s population was hearty farmers. On the east side of town data, presidents of the U.S., postage
fees, etc., and space for notes. There
about 537,000; Hartford was consid- were, among others, Young’s Orchards is a handy little pocket on the cover to
ered the insurance capital of the world; and the Cook, Hall, and Williams fami- hold calling cards, and a gusseted pock-
the Goodspeed Opera House opened in ly farms. Also in 1877, farmers tended et in the back that might once have
East Haddam with a production of “Turn their fields in the area of today’s Clin- contained coins and stamps. These days
Him Out”; Richard D. Hubbard was the tonville Road, abutting North Haven. many people keep their calendar on
Governor of Connecticut and advocated their phones. As much as I love my own
for women’s property rights; the world’s phone for its many functions, I don’t use
first telephone exchange was opened in it as my calendar; I just love the look and
New Haven. feel of a full month spread out before
me, boxes full of events and appoint-
Wallingford in 1877 ments—sometimes too many—written
Meanwhile, in our quiet little burg of in pen and pencil. So Elizur Clinton and I
about 4000 folks, the year 1877 wit- have that in common.
nessed the continuation of a robust
silver manufacturing industry with the Hoping to find some amazing happen-
development of companies such as R. ing or historically significant occur-
Wallace & Company and International rence, I gently paged through the tiny
Silver Company. The H.L. Judd Company book. Clinton’s handwriting was some-
built a plant in town and manufactured times neat, and sometimes sloppy as if
metal hardware and small ornamen- he dashed an entry off quickly on the
tal metal banks.That year the Oneida way to milk the cows. And yes, he had

6 WALLINGFORD MAGAZINE - SUMMER 2025