 My great-great-grandfather was the overseer of the poor, an elected position, in Linden from 1900 to 1912. He and his family lived on the farm, and some aspects of life there are described in my great-uncle's book, A Vermonter's Way. It paints a brighter picture, no mention of cells. My grandfather was overseer of the poor in East Haven, probably during the 1940s. It was a role he took seriously and with pride of helping people."