The Town of Bristol Historian has the following in the archives at the Town Hall. The list is a partial list of the holdings. This is such a tremendous resource, I hope many of you will take advantage, and submit a look-up request or stop in. Because the holdings are large and various, kindly be as specific with your query as possible. Names, dates, places, and specific questions will be very helpful in searching through the Archives.

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The Ganyard family arrived in Bristol around 1799 when Festus was four years old. By 1817 the family moved on with many other Bristol pioneers to Granger, Medina County, Ohio. Ganyard Hill Road and a cemetery off South Hill Road where a tombstone of Peter Ganyard is located are all that remain of the name in Bristol. That four year old year old boy left a story of his trip to and early life in Bristol. We can not know unless we have hiked along the Appalachian Trail what a trip from New England to Bristol at that time might be like. The motto "Do not be scared before you are hurt" helped move these people on despite crossing frozen lakes with ice cracking and breaking under the bays. On the way to the Genesee country grown men were singing about their "Genny House". They traveled in late winter in order to sleigh and cross frozen streams easier and arrive in time to plant crops. On the way they joined other groups going to Bristol. When they arrived they spent the first night with John Codding's family. How well the young children played together. Next morning after an eight Mile trip they reached Grandfather Hatch's. Here they found old friends Allens, Wilders, and so on. Father bought 90 acres in East Hollow with an eight foot square log cabin less chimney. The house was as open as a barn and the March breeze and smoke were almost suffocating. Mother would sit and weep while he lay his tiny hand on her knee and say "Mama what makes you cry"? The only answer was soft tears running down her cheeks. As Winter ended and birds sang folks were busy at work and spirits rose. Family life was very happy there at the new home in the forest. He describes the cabin as follows. "The cupboard, so called, was two pins driven into the side of the house and a board laid on them. A set of tea dishes and dinner plates, knives and forks put on the boards. A set of wooden plates called trenches were for common use. A large iron kettle, dish kettle, dinner pot, spider and tea kettle, two chairs, two stools for the little boys, a high bed and bedstead, under this a trunk bed, thus I close the picture of the home." The happiness is in the mind not the place. All the neighbors lived the same simple life. Babies were born and families prospered in the new country.

History by Helen Corser Fox, Bristol Town Historian
-From the Bristol Historian Archives-