Francis Manwaring Caulkins

Frances Manwaring Caulkins (1795-1869) could trace her lineage in New London back to 1651. Frances was educated in Norwich but often spent time at her Uncle Christopher Manwaring’s home in New London, from where she saw the British blockaders in 1813-14. After many years of teaching in Norwich and New London, she settled permanently in New London in 1842 and began to write fulltime while engaging in religious and philanthropic work. Her best-known works, History of Norwich, Connecticut (1845) and History of New London, Connecticut (1852), are thoroughly researched and well written, as is her account of her trip to research the Battle of Stonington. This carte-de-visite photograph was taken about 1861. (New London County Historical Society, Giles Bishop Album 779 N461 66B)