By Mrs. Vivian Briggs
The First tobacco seeds are believed to have been brought to South Windsor from Virginia in the year 1640. Tobacco has played an important part in the development of the Town. It was customary in the early days for the Town to appoint an Inspector and Presser of Tobacco at the yearly Town meeting. Many of our historic family names- Wolcotts, Ellsworths, Bissells, Stoughtons, Grants, Talcotts, to name a few, grew tobacco for commercial purposes. Significant advances in the raising and curing of tobacco were made here in South Windsor. In the year 1901, Marcus Floyd grew the first shade grown tobacco on Rye Street. The shade-grown variety produced a thinner, smoother leaf with smaller veins that was more suitable for fine cigar wrappers. Mrs. Proust, a resident of Town is credited as being the first person to roll a cigar in the United States.
Please note that despite possible inaccuracies, we will include the description of each quilt square as published in the 1995 revised and corrected second edition booklet. This second edition was published in celebration of South Windsor’s “sesquicentennial” anniversary, 1845-1995, and was dedicated to the memory of Gail Woodard, who passed away in 1994. The revised edition was compiled by Charles E. Woodward in September, 1995, with the assitance of Doris Burgdorf who provided many historical corrections.