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To Western Massachusetts residents, the names of early European settlers are somewhat familiar to most and very familiar to some: William Pynchon, Samuel Chapin, Jehu Burr, Elizur Holyoke. Yes, there’s an impressive statue of Deacon Samuel Chapin on the corner of State and Chestnuts streets, but although the Deacon was certainly instrumental, he was “lured” to what we know today as the Connecticut River Valley by the infamous William Pynchon. Businessman, adventurer, investor, trader, and powerful man of substance, William Pynchon was certainly a force to be reckoned with. And for good reason. Hear the story of his tremendous successes and his profound and stunning downfall. Did you know that without Pynchon, we’d be living in Springfield, Connecticut?
Presented by Dave Robison, professional genealogist, Old Bones Genealogy of New England