Editor’s Note: This is the first installment of a monthly column on East Lyme history.

What a wonderful town we live in, and what a rich history she bears. Our town may be called East Lyme but, depending where one draws the line, most of us are either from Niantic or Flanders.

Everyone has a story, and mine began with my great grandparents. They arrived in New York City in 1910 and, according to a letter written by my great aunt, her parents owned a tavern in the city. It was hard work and eventually her dad became so ill that his doctor advised him if he continued it would be the death of him.

William saw an advertisement in a New York newspaper for a farm for sale in East Lyme. He sold the tavern, got a bike and went to East Lyme to buy the farm.

I’m not sure about the bike part, but the farm is still there though no longer in the family, and a few cousins still call this town home.

The East Lyme Historical Society maintains a vast archive dedicated to preserving the town’s history. For information, visit eastlymehistoricalsociety.org. East Lyme Historical Society membership forms are available on the website or follow the nonprofit on Facebook.