Con Man Or Count? Vernon's Hans Munchow Studied In Upcoming Program

VERNON, CT — Was he on the level or just a sweet-talking heel who conned his way into a life of luxury at Vernon's Valley Falls Farm? An upcoming lecture at the Vernon Historical Society dives into the lift of the controversial Count Hans Bonhart Munchow.

Local historian and avid researcher Jon Roe will share his notes on the purported "Baron" of Vernon. The program is scheduled for Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. at the Vernon Historical Society.

Local historical records have the Count coming to Hartford from Germany in 1910 to work in "the booming automobile industry." He "wooed" and married Henrietta Cassin, a Southern heiress from Selma, AL, who was 25 year his senior, according to local history. She financed the purchase of Valley Falls Farm, where he built the unique European style stable and farm buildings that adorn the property.

For three years, Munchow lived the life of what Roe described as "a wealthy aristocrat" who commuted daily to an office in Hartford. Roe also described him as being "a charismatic man."

Style didn't necessarily mean substance, and by 1913 Munchow was deep in debt, according to historical records. One night, he fled town with his young secretary, leaving Cassin to sell Valley Falls Farm and pay off his debts before returning home, history tells us.

Vernon Historical Society President Jean Luddy said it was all over the news backthen. A 1913 headline in the Rockville Journal blasted out a scathing headline:

"For a hundred years, the rest of their lives was a mystery. Rumor had it that he went to California to make movies. But did he?" Roe said. "Through online newspapers and census data we have pieced together the rest of his life."

The Count eventually settled in New York City, where "he returned to conning fellow immigrants while raising a family with his former secretary," local historians said.

"Equally fascinating is the life of Henrietta Cassin. Was she the victim we thought or did she
know exactly what she was doing?" Roe quipped. "Through these colorful people we also get a look at the early 20th Century when Hartford was the center of the automobile industry and the South was recovering from the Civil War."

Roe has lived in Vernon for more than 60 years. After 30-plus years as an engineer at
Pratt & Whitney, and 15 years publishing a magazine on holistic health, he became interested in
local history. His focus has been on the southern part of town and the many interesting people, many now lost to history, who lived in the Tankerhoosen River Valley.

For 10 years he has also been facilitator of the Vernon Volunteers Collaboration and helps to promote their activities on his Tankerhoosen website. His goal now is to document his research, beginning with the recently published "David Allis and the Birth of Vernon."