There are 24 towns named Hartford in the world, and 20 of them are in the United States. It has been a very popular town name over time. All of the Hartfords are well populated communities and spread far and near. It is safe to say that more than 200,000 people live in a town named Hartford. For some unknown reason many of the Hartfords are in the American Midwest. Many of them were named after Hartford, Connecticut, the largest town with this name and a capital city Ruth and I have visited.
In the southern US there are Hartfords in Alabama, Arkansas, and Georgia. The Hartford in Alabama is near Dothan and has been around since 1896. There are 4 people from this Hartford, a town of more than 2,500 people who have gone on to a type of fame like Early Wynn, who had a great name for a baseball player. A right handed pitcher of note, Early is in the Baseball Hall of Fame after playing for 3 major league teams between 1939 and 1963. Hartford, GA is a town of equal size to Hartford, AL but is unincorporated. Hartford, AR is a town of only about 600 people near Fort Smith. Ruth & I have visited Fort Smith too and found a lot to do there. It’s across the river from Oklahoma, which has some fairly impressive mountains in this part of the state.
The Hartford in CT is a city of about 122,500 people and is known as an insurance capital. Mark Twain lived there after 1874 and had a major house and museum in this city. Another great attraction is the art museum known as the Wadsworth Atheneum. Noah Webster and Harriet Beecher Stowe were also Hartford residents. Noah Webster created the first practical dictionary and was from this city. Ruth & I were shocked to find that 45,000 of Hartford’s citizens are African American. Visit it and be amazed.
The states in the Midwest with Hartfords include Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. Lewis and Clark wintered in Hartford, IL in 1803-04. The Hartford in Ohio was named after the Hartford in Connecticut. There’s a Hartford City in Indiana south of Fort Wayne. The Hartford in Iowa is near Des Moines. The Hartford in Wisconsin was home to an early car manufacturer. The people who contribute to Wikipedia, if they can be believed, uncovered an interesting story involving a horse, some settlers, and some Native Americans. A group of Indians living north of Hartford, WI were not watching a horse they owned, and it got loose and wandered into a cornfield owned by a settler. The horse was shot and killed and the Native Americans vowed revenge. The story got out of hand as it became exaggerated, and 5,000 Indian warriors formed a war party to kill settlers. This threat got out of hand and got fictionalized. Fear was created in all concerned. Hartford is near Milwaukee and has a population in excess of 15,000.
There are Hartfords in the New England states of Maine and Vermont. The Hartford in Maine is near Auburn-Lewiston and 1,200 people live there. The Hartford in Vermont is on the border with New Hampshire and home to about 10,000 people, which is a large population for Vermont.
There are Hartfords in Missouri in the form of a town near Milan. The Hartford in New Jersey is big enough to have a college. The Hartford in South Dakota was named for the Hartford in Connecticut as was the Hartford in Ohio. About 2,200 people live in Hartford, NY. The Hartford in Michigan is not too far from Lake Michigan.
Hank
Security Conscious 