While it is the youngest town in Connecticut, only incorporated in 1921, West Haven was a village unto itself from the time of its settlement as part of New Haven. Thus much of this small history is also the history of New Haven. This volume is also a unique sort of history. While the author presents many facets of the town's story, the title itself reveals a focus on religious aspects.... One theme running through the book is the challenge to the Congregational Church by the Anglicans. A chapter describes the effect of the "New Lights" on the old church; the theme of church authority recurs throughout. But there is plenty of other political and cultural detail, in particular the blow-by-blow account of the British attack on 5 July 1779. In an appendix on "Officeholders, 1640-1798," the author analyzes the social status of those who ran the town and includes his list of 603 men who held office, a nice lode for genealogists to mine. Clearly the author, a life-long West Haven resident, has a great love of his subject. It is a book well worth reading from cover to cover for anyone interested in New England history.

Helen Schatvet Ullmann New England Genealogical and Historical Society