A History Class Brings Dignity To Murdered Hartford Woman Ada Brown

Connecticut Public Radio | By Lucy Nalpathanchil,

Carmen Baskauf

Published May 25, 2021 at 8:39 AM EDT

Photo of Ada's headstone in Hartford, Connecticut. The inscription reads "Ada, Wife of William S. Brown, Died October 20, 1884, Age 32" — Photo of Ada's headstone in Hartford, Connecticut.

Part of an October 21, 1884 Hartford Courant article reporting on Ada Brown's murder. The headline says "Murder in Sheldon Street: Ada Brown, a Depraved Woman, Stabbed To Death" — Part of an October 21, 1884 Hartford Courant article reporting on Ada Brown's murder.

In 1884, a young Hartford woman named Ada Brown was murdered in her home. It made national news, but Ada’s story faded into obscurity. This hour, we learn why a history class at University of Saint Joseph spent the past semester digging into her story, 136 years later.

And we learn what it meant to one of Ada’s descendants.

Black and white photo of tenemant buildings alongside the Park (Hog) River in Hartford, circa 1895. Laundry hangs on clotheslines across the river in front of ramshackle tenemant buildings. — Photo of tenement buildings alongside the Park River (Hog River) in Hartford, circa 1895. Ada Brown lived in tenement housing near where this photo was taken. Today, this section of the Park River has been buried underground.

Sepia photo of Elena Brown as a young woman. She holds her hands up beside her face. — Photo of Elena Brown, the daughter of Ada Brown, as a young woman.

GUESTS:

Jennifer Cote - Associate Professor of History at University of Saint Joseph
Lily Stilson - 2021 graduate of University of Saint Joseph, where she majored in history
Eileen Newman - descendent of Ada Brown

Cat Pastor contributed to this show.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Protect Connecticut Public