Research & Links

Where to find more information about the cemetery, Cheney family history, and notable family members.

Cheney Brothers National Historic District Commission
planning1.townofmanchester.org/index.cfm/boards-and-commissions/cheney-brothers-national-historic-district-commission
The commission co-sponsors bus tours with the Manchester Historical Society and advocates on behalf of historic preservation of the area.

Ruth Sears Bacon painted by JS Sargent
Ruth Sears Bacon painted by John Singer Sargent, 1887, Wadsworth Atheneum, gift of Mrs. Austin Cheney (Ruth Sears Bacon)

Cheney Genealogy
Family genealogist Edward Little completed the 4th edition of the Cheney Family Tree in 2002, which includes 14 generations and some 1500 names. The manually produced tree was digitized and now resides on Ancestry. Access by establishing a free account on Ancestry. Contact the CCA at info@cheneyancestry.org to add to the tree. The source material for the tree is at the Connecticut Historical Society in Hartford.

Connecticut Fireman’s Historical Society, Inc.
thefiremuseum.org
The Society operates a museum housed in the old Cheney Brothers firehouse at Pine and Hartford Road.

Connecticut Museum of Culture and History
connecticutmuseum.org
The museum houses a large collection of Cheney family furniture, clothing, photographs and other memorabilia, as well as the records assembled by Edward Little in conjunction with the genealogy. Most recently the museum digitized the Horace B. Cheney photography collection.

Connecticut History Online
connecticuthistory.org
A photo collection collaboration of the Connecticut Historical Society, the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center at University of Connecticut, and Mystic Seaport Museum, including over 60 photographs of Cheney Brothers.

Cheney Hall & Little Theatre of Manchester
cheneyhall.org
Cheney Hall, restored to its original beauty (including the organ), is the home of the Little Theatre of Manchester. This first-rate community theater group mounts a full schedule of productions every year at Cheney Hall. Cheney Hall is available for private functions.

Cheney Homestead
manchesterhistory.org/MHS3_Home.html
The Cheney family ancestral home built around 1785 is now operated as a museum by the Manchester Historical Society. The Homestead Committee of the Manchester Historical Society oversees the programs, collections and upkeep of the Cheney Homestead.

Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce
manchesterchamber.com
The Chamber of Commerce website provides lists of hotels, restaurants, attractions, etc. for Cheneys visiting the ancestral town.

Manchester Historical Society
manchesterhistory.org
The Manchester Historical Society operates the Cheney Homestead, Cheney School, Keeney Schoolhouse, Old Manchester Museum, and actively collects and displays items associated with the history of Manchester. The old Cheney Brothers machine shop serves as its primary location—an active site for displays, a research library, offices and public spaces.

Mary Cheney Library
library.townofmanchester.org
Named for philanthropist Mary Cheney, the library contains a collection of paintings by Russell Cheney on display in the reading room.

Office of the State Historian of Connecticut
cthistory.org
The State Historian is appointed by the University of Connecticut and is a faculty member in the Department of History. In addition to serving on boards and commissions, the State Historian promotes, preserves, and makes public historical research. The Office of the State Historian hosts lectures and programs and teacher seminars throughout Connecticut.

University of Connecticut Library, Archives & Special Collections
located in the Dodd Center for Human Rights on the Storrs campus
lib.uconn.edu/location/asc
Holds an extensive collection of the Cheney Brothers Silk Company Records. Selected resources from the collection can be found in the Connecticut Digital Archive

Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art
thewadsworth.org
This Hartford, CT, museum has an extensive collection of fabrics, clothing and related items, many made by Cheney Brothers. Gifts from the Cheney Family on display include Dewing’s “The Days,” a Stanford White sofa, Sargent’s portrait of Marjory Bacon Cheney as a little girl, and a massive sterling silver punch bowl given to Ward Cheney by the American Silk Association.