Historical Wyoming County Jan 1980 - Old Fulton History

Once in a while, we come across a packet
of yellowed pages that lift the lid on the past
and afford us a glimpse into the lives of those
who have gone before. A glimpse of their
thoughts, their dreams, their loves, their heart
aches. Sometimes the thoughts on these faded
pages evoke a familiar response in our hearts.
The individuals who wrote them become alive
to us again - not just names on gravestones
but living souls capable of the same emotions
that we can feel.
Such a person was Philena Keith Fisher.
Who was Philena Keith Fisher? A faded obituary
tells us the simple story of her life but
the poems that she wrote tells us more. This
Charles Fisher Cobblestone House, 1840's
The Old Stone House
On The Hill
John and Mary Wilson
obituary and a copy of her poems was brought
to us by Tom Maimone who had previously
purchased them at Mrs. Merle Webster's auction
in Warsaw a few months ago.
Philena was born in Wyoming in 1831, the
daughter of Daniel & Louise Holland Keith.
Daniel and probably his wife came from Aberdeen,
Scotland and had settled in Wyoming when
it was a hamlet of only six houses. It was here
that Philena grew up. Because it was there
and because of the refinement of her writing,
she probably attended Middlebury Academy. The
Keiths were Presbyterians and her obituary
reveals that she was a fine musician with a
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