By C. Kihm Richardson Walking from Strykersville ... - Fulton History

VOL. XXIV
NO. 4
Cheesebox and Barrel Factory on Richardson Road. Phototaken about 1885.
Walking from Strykersville into Buffalo and back
around 1850 was not such an unheard of thing as it
would be today, especially if a tub of butter were
being carried on the head. When I travel now at 55
miles an hour over hard-surfaced roads all the
way and go the thirty miles to Buffalo in threequarters
of an hour, many thoughts turn over in my
mind of the changes between then and now. Much
of this change I know of from written information,
but some I have come by from incidents handed
down by my family, for both my father's and
mother's families lived in the area for several
generations. It is this close contact with actual
events that stirs my interest and gives me a different
feeling of the past than just something read
from a book.
It was my maternal grandmother (Lena Sloand
Kihm) who related that her mother, Margaret
Hyman Sloand, would take a tub of butter on her
head and start out for Buffalo at 2 o'clock in the
morning in order to get a few extra cents for it in
Buffalo.
By 1850, the United States had more than made
By C. Kihm Richardson
APRIL 1978
WARSAW, NEW YORK
up the 100 years by which they were reported to
have lagged behind Europe in 1800. The gap had not
only closed but the United States economy was progressing
at a rapid rate. The United States had been
instrumental in the development of the high pressure
(30 psig) steam engine and boiler in lieu
of the atmospheric steam engine invented and used
in England. This opened up the possibility of its
use for mobile equipment such as boats and railway
engines since it was much lighter. A railroad ran
from Buffalo to Attica by 1843, to East Aurora by
1867 and on to Olean by 1872. Atoll road, completed
in 1849, plank on one side, ran from Buffalo to East
Aurora. This was protected by the state against any
parallel road until 1900 and was in existence until
1904. In its earliest years it must have had much
traffic from the hauling of produce, hay, grain,
butter, cheese, etc., for the original cost was paid
off in two years. The railroad probably caused it
to fall on hard times because in later years bonds
were sold just to maintain it and these were never
paid off.
(continued on page 86)

PAGE 86
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Memories of Java and Strykersville (continued)
However, this progress had not raised the standard
of living of the imigrants who had little or no
money to start with and were trying to pay for land
as well as raise a family, which was the situation
with my great-grandparents on my mother's side.
My grandmother told also of remembering her
parents cutting, hauling and burning trees to clear
land and then some peddler would come along and
barter with some needles or other small items they
needed in exchange for the ashes. Ashes were
leached with water, the water boiled off to get a
more concentrated lye solution often used in homemade
soap. Meat was not on the daily diet, except
maybe for a little on Sunday. I suspect that they
did not consume a great deal of dairy products
themselves as this was needed to bring in some
cash.
On the other side of the family, things at that
time were different. My great-great grandfather,
Charles Richardson, had paid off some purchase
agreements and gotten title to some of his land but
was paying on some more. The books of the
Farmers Loan and Trust Co. (successor to the
Holland Land Co.) now in possession of the Genesee
Co. Historical Society, show that he made payments
of 7 or 8 dollars every 6 months on a purchase
contract. The records show this was sometimes
in cash and sometimes in cattle. From what I
have heard, life was much easier for him, as it
was for many who had gotten an earlier start and
maybe had some financial help from their families
who settled earlier in New England or some
other parts of the country.
ABOUT MY GRANDMOTHER
To get back to the reason that I think some families
did not live too well, my maternal grandmother
had her teeth out at an early age, early twenties.
Now this wouldn't have been because of too many
sweets, for the large scale refining of sugar hadn't
APRIL 1978
come about by that time, and it wasn't some thing
that would have been purchased anyway. She related
having her teeth pulled in the 1870's with
only a couple of shots of whiskey which the dentist
suggested that she had better take. She told how
she kicked her feet on the chair and after he had
pulled about half the teeth he stopped and went at it
again and pulled the rest. Whether they had nothing
better than alcohol to deaden the pain of pulling teeth
or whether nothing else was used in order to save
money, I do not know. The use of ether had been
discovered in the 1840's for making patients insensitive
during operations and dental work. In
later years Dr. Moore came to Strykersville one
day a week from Holland. In 1931 he was still practicing
in Holland using a foot peddled drill.
As with many young and not very well educated
girls, my grandmother worked in East Aurora doing
housework and cooking and later married Peter
Kihm who was a woodworker, more specifically, a
wagon-maker or wheelwright. At that time (about
1875) many, probably most villages had a place
where wagons and buggies were made but it was
changing fast and they were being made in larger
quantities in cities. It was necessary to change to
something more in vogue, railway passenger cars
for the Pullman Co., for whom he worked prior to
his death in 1889 at an early age, leaving a wife
and six children, one still unborn. He had worked
up to the time he was so ill that the boys had to
draw him to work in their wagon. Had he been
working for such a company in this day and age,
he would have been covered by disability and life
insurance by the company, as well as by Social
Security for the six children, and life would have
been fairly easy. At that time there was no income
from any source except what they could earn doing
the most menial tasks. Things were rough for
about 10 or 15 years until her oldest boy Charles
was able to support her and then later her youngest
son, Peter. With all this struggle to raise her
family alone, she lived to be 103 years old. Her
last years were hard when she lived with my mother
Ida Kihm Richardson, because she could no longer
do anything for I truly think that she liked to work.
When it became necessary to send a message
from Strykersville to Buffalo in 1888 of the death
of Lewis Sloand, there was no simple means even
though the telegraph became a reality by 1848 and
the way to make a telephone had been discovered
by 1875. I have a copy of the telegram delivered
by the Buffalo telegraph office which indicates
that it was sent from the Arcade Western Union
office. Actually it says from Strykersville via
Arcade. I find no reference to any telegraph office
at Strykersville and speculate that the closest
telegraph from up the Perry Hill Road would have
been North Java at the Attica and Arcade railway
station. The railroad had been completed in 1880
and an item in a local newspaper of 1885 makes reference
to a telegraph operator there; he was not
necessarily the first operator. On this subject of
(continued on page 87)

APRIL 1978
Memories of Java and Strykersville (continued)
communication a system of four telephones is reported
to have connected Strykersville, Java, Wales
Center and Portageville in 1894.
If a farmer back around 1890 had boys or girls
of working age it was considered a big help. Of
course they had to be fed, but they did not spend
as much time as now going to school or watching
television and were considered an asset. Shortly
after my grandmother was widowed with three
boys old enough to work and had been moved back
to Strykersville, some man stopped and asked her
to marry him. She told him to get out and threatened
to throw boiling water on him if he bothered
her anymore. As I remember hearing this, he
didn't even get off his wagon to make this proposal,
but the boiling water incident suggests that he must
have been off the wagon.
Because my mother's father died when she was
only seven years old, life may have not been much
easier than for her mother, but I think she did get
more education and worked for someone when she
was sixteen to learn tailoring. At seventeen, she
did housework in Strykersville and later in East
Aurora. My father, Charles Gilbert Richardson
got to go away to the equivalent of high school in
the winter. Some of the time it was at Perry where
he could stay with an aunt. He never said much
about the school part but he had to go with his girl
cousin or cousins to dancing class. I can't believe
it was the dancing that he compained about, just
who he had to take because he later loved to dance,
driving quite some distances around the area.
MY FATHER'S FAMILY
When I worked on the history of Java for the
Bicentennial, I copied from the histories of several
families and did some interviewing on others but
did not put in about the Richardson who came to
Java, Strykersville area around 1820. This was
partly because I didn't want it to sound too personal
and partly because I didn't know very much about
them. Charles Richardson apparently articled land
where Leonard Holmes now lives and built the front
part of that house.
From what I read in Beers and old deeds he
also had his hand in other businesses such as the
grist mill at Java Village. As happened so much in
those times, his wife died young and he returned
two more times to New England to remarry. From
what Leonard Holmes' father told him, there was
evidence in the front center part of the house that
there had been three fireplaces downstairs and
two upstairs. This was probably the only means of
heating the house at that time. At the southeast
corner was a wing for processing milk, later
moved out back for storage. He must have articled
land running on north up into Strykersville in the
town of Sheldon as he donated land for the Baptist
Church, and as he sold off lots along the road, he
retained a strip of land so that he could walk to
PAGE 3
church on his own land. Sounds as though he were
a little something or other but that is what the
old deeds say.
His oldest son, Charles H. Richardson, was born
in 1823 (supposedly in that house). He apparently
was in business around Java Village. Either he
and/or his father had land other than the homestead
because some of his children were born in other
towns in the area.v He had married Mary Balcom
in 1845. They had 13 children born between 1846
and 1868. When his father died in 1867, he took
over the homestead farm. Since he had this large
family, I would assume that at that time, the large
addition was made at the rear but it could have been
earlier because his father liked to have meetings
of religious and political groups. In any case, when
the house was remodeled, probably around 1860
or 1870, apparently fireplaces were not the up-todate
thing to have, and all five were torn out and
also the chimneys so that the front area could be
used for a hall and a stairway to the second floor.
Leonard related that when he was doing some
remodeling, he found a letter in a partition written
in 1826. Someone was dunning my great-great
grandfather for money overdue on a mortgage or
note.
My grandfather, Fayette Richardson, also ran
the farm for a time before it was sold to Ernest
Holmes, but most of his life he had run a cheesebox
and barrel factory at Java Village in partnership
with his father and/or his brother. My father
operated the mill for the last several years before
it was abandoned. The last year that it amounted to
much was 1914. There were two or three reasons
that it was no longer practical to operate. It was
an old mill and was equipped to do the special
operations to make parts for cheeseboxes and
barrels. To just saw lumber wasn't economical.
A second reason which has always been a drawback
for the area was that although there was
still a market for cheeseboxes not being on a
railroad was a disadvantage and it wasn't possible
to compete with mills better located. Third, the
barrel business had all but disappeared for the
apple buyer wanted apples packed in baskets, not
barrels.
DOCTORING IN THE EARLY DAYS
At one time when he was young, my father had a
job driving for Dr. Fromholtzer in Strykersville.
As I remember, the doctor had two teams so that
with bad roads and a lot of territory to cover, they
could spell the horses. The doctor had a driver so
that he could get some rest between calls. What a
doctor could do to help people then seems small because
they had practically none of the many drugs
now available. As late as 1931, I remember a second
cousin died in his home of a certain type of influenza
for which the doctor had no type of treatment.
It was the later 30's when the drugs that really
gave the doctors some weapons came into use.
(continued on page 88)

PAGE 88 APRIL 1978
Memories of Java and Strykersville (continued)
In 1909 my father's leg was broken when he
jumped from a buggy because the horses were
running away. Both bones below the knee were
twisted off. I had always assumed that he was taken
to a hospital in Buffalo because that is what would
have happened anytime in the last 50 years. I discussed
this with Dr. Anthony Sloand who was born
and raised in Java. He thinks they would have set
this locally because the transportation to a hospital
would have been difficult under any condition
and especially with a brokenleg. Itwouldhave been
by horse drawn vehicle to East Aurora and then by
train to Buffalo. He feels that even if he had been
in Buffalo, they would not have used X-ray. It had
been discovered in 1895 but was not used very
much because of the expense at that time. Only
the large bone ever mended. Had this happened
even 20 years later it probably would have been
medically possible to handle this problem.
WELLS AND PUMPS
At the house on the north edge of Java where
my grandmother lived for many years there was
a dug well, walled up with stone. This was in the
woodshed and had a wooden pump over it. One
time her boys came home and found the pump
frozen so they pulled it up and took it in and put
it on the top of the kitchen stove to thaw. Such a
pump was made from a square piece of wood about
6"x6" with about a 2" hole. Itstoodup about 4 1/2'
and probably extended down 6 or 8'. If this was not
deep enough to reach water a pump log was added.
They were joined by a male and female taper as was
a wooden check valve at the bottom. Kenneth Suttell
tells me that the checkvalve at the bottom was a
piece of weighted leather in a wooden housing. The
handle worked a wooden plunger wrapped with
leather. By the early 1900's the sucker rod going
to the plunger may have been steel but on the first
wooden pumps it was probably wood. On this pump
the outlet screwed to the side of the pump was
cast iron but earlier would have been wood. There
was another early type of pump with a crank which
was made of steel. A sprocket at the top engaged a
chain with a series of disks about 2" in diameter
which were pulled up through a cylinder which
could be wood or metal. This sytem required no
check valve and ran down after each time that it
was used; in fact the crank flew backwards and
hit you if you weren't careful. This pump was
housed in a wooden box about 5"xl5"x4' high.
THE HORSE THIEF
There have always been people who coveted
other people's property and sometimes took it.
Before the time of the car thief, there was stealing
of horses. There are stories of stolen horses
being dyed, etc. Sometime around 1915 a man who
had been imprisoned for stealing horses, escaped
or was released. When it was heard that he was
out of prison and headed back to the area, two
fellows moved a team of horses from a barn on
the west side of Route 78 near the Congregational
Church in Strykersville to a little used barn on the
east side of the road. Only one man saw them do it
and he didn't say anything to anyone. The news
spread like wildfire that the horse thief had struck
again. When it dragged on and the horses were
not found, the two fellows who had moved the
horses became quite worried because horses can
not go for as long periods without water as some
other animals.
STORIES MY FATHER TOLD
Life was harder in some ways 75 years ago than
today, but there was less traveling about and more
sitting and talking. One true story that my father
told always gets a laugh. The fellows were sitting
around talking at a store, blacksmith shop or what
have you. They were talking about having carbuncles
and how painful they were. One of the fellows
who was known for not sticking to the facts said,
"You can't tell me anything about how painful they
are, I had one right here on my arm and it was
terrible." He pulled up his sleeve and looked at his
arm top and bottom^ then said, "It must have been
the other arm," and after looking at that arm he
said, "Come to think of it, it was my brother Joe."
Another story my father told of his uncle who
had a rather sour outlook on most things, was regarding
his razor strop. This was after my grandfather
moved down to run the homestead farm. His
youngest brother stayed on there as he had before
his father died. It seems the boys didn't have a
razor strop or one as good a one as their uncle's,
so they borrowed his. Not being very experienced
yet at stropping a razor, they cut a nick in it.
When George noticed this he flew into one of his
spells and cut the strop in 2 or 3 pieces. Well, the
boys couldn't let it go at that so they cut the whole
strop in pieces about a half inch long and one
eighth inch wide (now we should say 13milimeters
long and 3 milimeters wide) and they put some in
every pocket of every piece of clothing he had.
THE ARMY WORMS
When army worms got started back in 1914 and
devoured one field after another, there was apparently
no way to stop them until their cycle ran
its course. All they left of a field of grain was a
stalk here and there. They marched across a dirt
road until there were no wagon tracks left, only
thousands of their tracks. Apparently this was not
solved for some time for I learn they struck as
late as 1963 up on Perry Hill Road. Farmers have
problems now but have not had that one for several
years, thanks to modern chemistry.
THE COMING OF THE AUTOMOBILE
(continued on page 89)

APRIL 1978 .
Memories of Java and Strykersville (continued)
I was born in 1908 but I don't remember even
seeing an automobile until about 1914. Some automobiles
had ventured out to the Java area before
that but roads into Buffalo had only recently been
hard surfaced, side roads were not even good
gravel. Moving of materials such as gravel onto
roads had to be accomplished with horse and wagon.
Such things as auto agencies, gas stations, garages
were practically non-existent in the country. Sears
Roebuck had earlier sold automobiles by catalog;
this was a buggy wheel type delivered by railway
car to the local area. The first gasoline pump I
remember was a one gallon piston and cylinder
type. The garage mechanic had rigged up a rod to
push a ball bearing over into a hopper on each
stroke so there could be no mik up on the amount
pumped. Another early pump had a glass container
of 5 to 10 gallons on top of the pump where the
gas was pumped and measured, then drained into
the automobile tank.
Gasoline was used for stationary gasoline engines
before automobiles madetheirway into this area, so
gasoline and kerosene were delivered by horse
drawn vehicles. The various different shaped one
gallon cans had not yet been produced. Syrup cans
were avilable at any hardware store, in fact, made
at Java Village. This resulted in their being used
for many purposes such as lubricating oil as it was
called then rather that motor oil. This resulted in
some problems, one I know of when syrup was inadvertently
added to the crankcase of the first
small dump truck bought by the town where I lived.
As soon as the syrup and oil mixture was heated,
the syrup candied and after the engine had been
stopped and allowed to cool the pistons were stuck
solid. Only by steaming the disassembled engine
was it possible to use it again. Of course the cause
of the trouble was not known until they had this
engine all torn to pieces and the problem was traced
back to the syrup.
Automobiles were not nearly so dependable as
in later years. Broken axles were not uncommon,
engines were overhauled every 3 or 10 thousand
miles; did they need it? I have always had a question
in my mind. After being overhauled they were
towed because the rings, pistons and bearings were
set up so tight. Bearings were of babbeted type,
scraped to fit.
The automobile manufacturers by 1912 began
experimenting with methods of starting other than
by crank. There were other methods than with an
electric motor, such as compressed air and a
combustible gas stored in a cylinder. The cheap
cars did not go in for this added feature for some
years but for one well known make you could buy
a rachet and a cable that could be pulled from
inside the car to give the engine a quarter turn,
this would have been in the 20's. 1912 saw the
start of enclosed cars, but open cars with their
side curtains continued to predominate for many
years.
PAGE 89
Headlights were probably originally oil but the
first I remember were acetyline supplied from a
cylinder on the running board. The first electric
lights that I remember ran off a magneto, and if
the lights were too dim, you released the clutch
to let the engine speed up to give a burst of light.
Tires were a problem, I mean really a problem,
until they started making what they called cord
tires about the time of the first World War; even
these left some thing to be desired. The cemented
fabric type that woulci heat and fail because the
layers were not vulcanized to each other continued
in use for a time after that. Earlier cars were advertised
as equipped with a tube patching outfit. A
trip of any distance like 50 miles was expected to
include patching tires.
In the early 20's a great achievement with a car
was being able to go up a hill such as the one to
Java Center in high gear. This was what is now
called Pitt Road, at that time the only road to
Java Center. The new road was built in about 1928
following some of the route that had been planned
for the electric railway of about 1900.
Pictured is Mrs. Lena Kihm the maternal
grandmother of the author. '
The four wheel brakes and actuation by hydraulics
came along in the 20's. Of course when they first
came out there were those who argued that having
brakes on the front wheels would never work out.
Automobiles have improved since the 20's with
higher compression, better tires, lower suspension
because of better roads, but the advancement
there has been small compared with the airplane,
television, travel to the moon, electronics,
etc. These have all made greater and greater use
of fossil produced energy in lieu of the sweat of the
human brow or animals to raise the standard of
living. Who knows how long this will last?
(continued on page 90)

PAGE 90
Memories of Java and Strykersville (continued)
FOOD MEMORIES
It is indeed unfortunate that by the time a man is
able to afford to buy and eat anything his heart
desires, he can't afford the calories. I don't know
that I was ever terribly hungry after eating a meal,
but I could always have eaten more up until I was
about 30 years old. I doubt if this was a situation
peculiar to myself only. Some of the memories
related to food in my younger years were visiting
a farm at lunch time and having a full dinner with
more ham than I could eat, my mother buying a
basket of grapes or peaches from a man with a
hayrack full of fruit he had picked up from the
fruit country (about 1924) watching my grandmother
stand at the wood stove finely chopping hash while
it was frying, a stick of hard summer sausage in
the cupboard of her pantry, sliced roast beef sandwiches
on bread made by my aunt, a wiener from
the meat wagon, and beef soup made by my mother
with rice and a small amount of meat, the pork
sausage given us in the fall when the neighbors
killed a pig. The wiener from the meat wagon was
remembered more for the lesson learned from it
than for the food.
THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME
For a week or two each summer in my early
teens I would visit my grandmother and uncle in
Strykersville, and among other things go on the meat
route a couple of times. This started out from the
market near the small creek that crosses Route 78
in the center of Strykersville with a box on the back
of a Model "T". After we had gone a distance, my
uncle Peter Kihm asked me if I wanted a wiener.
The first time this happened I said, "I don't care."
My uncle said, "Well, if you don't care (and he
knew I did) you don't get one, if you want one, say
so." He only had to tell me that once.
In conjunction with these visits there were also
trips into Buffalo to pick up meat. Atone time meat
sold in Buffalo was generally grown locally and
slaughtered in Buffalo. Then in the late 1840's
herds were being driven in from the west and in
the late 1860's meat was being shipped in refrigerated
cars from Chicago. So in the 1920's Buffalo
had only a trace of stockyards and slaughter
houses. There was a slaughter house behind the
meat market in Strykersville which until the advent
of reliable automobiles and tires had been used to
slaughter much of the meat sold at the market.
Going back to before my uncle's time the butcher
made sausage.
There was also an icehouse behind the meat
market for storing ice for the meat cooler. At the
time of my visits there was an occasional slaughtering
of a cow. Of course this meat from an old
cow did not compare with the young beef slaughtered
in Chicago. The cow was killed by tying its
head down, shooting it, cutting its throat, putting a
APRIL 1978
spreader between the hind legs and hauling it up in
the air with a hand operated windlass, skinning
it starting at the hind legs, as it was raised by
degrees. When the hide was off the head was cut
off, it was gutted and was left hanging overnight
to cool off. This was in the summer and there was
no protection from flies.
Ice was taken every few days from the ice house
to resupply the meat cooler. Sawdust was removed
from over the ice and the amount to be used was
removed and the sawdust replaced. After the ice
was washed off, it was raised to the top level of the
cooler again with a hand windlass and put in place
through a door near the top. I never was present
when the ice house was being filled but I have been
told ice was cut by hand from the mill pond down
Mill (Sanders) Road and hauled by horse and sleigh
to the ice house. I can imagine what a hard task
this was to lift, haul and raise all this ice up into
the ice house. The blocks were all separated by
and covered with sawdust.
At an earlier date some places, on a railroad,
made a business of cutting ice and storing it for
shipment into cities in the summer. They were
put out of business by large ice making plants
in the cities. Of course, they in turn became obsolete
with the development of the modern refrigerator
for the home operated by gas or electricity.
WATER POWER
The last water power used in Java Village was
probably sometime between 1904 and 1915. A gasoline
engine had been installed in the grist mill
there in 1904 but I believe this only supplemented
the water power at that time. The flume for bringing
water to that mill from up Beaver Meadows
Creek was removed for the lumber in the early
1920's, reported to be in excellent condition and
used for building silos. The sawmill and grist mill
at Strykersville on Sanders Road (or Mill Rd.)
operated with water power until about 1929. In
fact, I can remember seeing them build a new
concrete dam to replace the wooden dam. This
would have been about 1922. Unwashed gravel was
used for this but a greater problem seemed to be
that the dam did not go far enough into the banks
and down into the stream bed, and water washed
around it; Buffalo Creek really gets quite wild
when there is a cloud burst or fast thaw. Electricity
came to the area about 1926 and an electric motor
was installed in the grist mill. The mill burned
about 1932.
Electric refrigerators did not come to the area
until about 1930. This made it necessary to use
different foods and to store them differently. Ice
boxes were not as common as in the cities; more
use was made of cellars. A cellar to me is different
from the modern basement with its concrete
walls and floors. Cellar to me in those days meant
stone walls and no cement floor. This made for a
cooler and probably damper environment and was
(continued on page 91)

APRIL 1978
Memories of Java and Strykersville (continued)
used for storing foods for short periods and was
especially good for storing vegetables and potatoes
for long periods.
MEMORIES OF MY YOUNGER DAYS
As a youngster one of the most exciting things I
remember was the traction engine usually drawing
the threshing machine. The sound of the steam and
the rest of the machinery from this was more interesting
than the railway train, perhaps because
I could get closer to it without feeling any fear.
These engines were also used to run portable sawmills.
The use of portable sawtmills operated in the
winter gets back to the difficulty of transportation
and because of this transportation problem there
would, many times be a camp near the mill where
the men could stay and stable their horses, because
to go home and back was a problem. One of the men
would be the cook and probably helped at other
things also. He might not be a real experienced
cook and know that beans swelled up when soaked
and cooked, so in order not to get ribbed about
preparing too many, the beans could be disposed
of under the floor of the cook house where no one
would spot them.
An operator of such an engine retired it in about
1918. He had a gasoline or kerosene fueled internal
combustion engine for a time before that.
Blacksmith shops were always interesting. Within
my memory there was one at Java Village and
two at Strykersville. They were more interesting
than a garage for there was the forge, hot rods
being pounded, animals being shod, the heating and
shrinking of iron rims on wheels. There might
even be a celebration of the end of World War I
in the center of the road by putting some gunpowder
in the hole of an anvil with a trail of powder
running out to the side by which it could be exploded
with a long rod, red hot the end. It made a
loud noise because a second anvil had been placed
over the first, confining the powder.
A stove in my grandmother's woodshed used for
summer cooking that burned kerosene was something
I grew up with and was taken for granted
by me as something not worth mentioning until I
found out how much that had impressed my daughter
who was used to an electric or gas stove. I
rather imagine that the outside plumbing was sort
of a surprise too but she didn't specifically mention
it. These oil stoves for cooking usually had 3
burners. They had a round wick, a steel chimney
coated with colored ceramic material and a door
with isinglass for lighting and observing the flame.
The supply tank holding about a gallon was inverted
over a second tank and when the level in the lower
tank reached the desired level tofeed the wicks, the
outlet of the upper tank was covered and since no
air could get up into the tank, no more kerosene
came down until the burners required more.
INTERVIEWS
PAGE 91
I talked over what I had written with Helen
Sloand and Alton Hyman. Her father spelled the
name Schlund early in his life; his grandfather
spelled his name Heimann. Helen feels that people
in earlier times had more confidence that they
could sope with any opportunity that was offered
them; had more nerve to tackle things and not
appeal to the poormaster. On the farm they had to
work hard but they had most of the food they
needed and through drying, salting, smoking, etc.,
little went to waste and they had the food they
needed throughout the year. Every so often a pig,
a calf, or cow, was killed. They churned butter and
did many other tasks such as pumping water for
cattle. Maple syrup, butter, eggs, etc. were bartered
at the store for clothing and shoes. Milk was
taken to the creamery but they kept plenty for
themselves.
They were glad to see a drummer come along
and to look at what he had to sell because life was
not that full of the extra ordinary events.
They had very little store candy. Sometimes
Mr. Foster, in a store where the laundromat is located,
would give them candy on a break from the
two-mile walk home from school. Helen showed
me a book written in German that belongs to
Margaret Sloand Marzoff dating back to the 1840's.
She believes her first ride in an automobile was
in 1913 with Charlie Dehlinger to East Aurora and
remembers how her father hung on to the side of
the seat ready to jump out if necessary. Also how
in 1919 they had their own car and went to Hamburg.
There were many stops for water and to fix tires.
She was very glad to get home.
She also noted that the doctors at Strykersville
following Dr. Fromholtzer were Byrnes, McCall,
Faller and then Valente. The town supported a
veterinarian called Doc. Paul, and also a shop for
repairing harnesses.
Chub Hyman, now 82, could remember workingon
the first concrete road between Java Village
and Strykersville when he was sixteen years old.
He had to' be at work by 7 a.m. and with an hour
off at lunch time he had to feed and rest his
horses, then worked until six o'clock for fifty cents
an hour for the team and horses. That was $30.00
a week for six days of work, 60 hours. (I remember
when I first worked in Buffalo, it was 9 hours
for 5 days and 4 hours on Saturday). There was
no being late or quitting early or taking it easy
on that road job. He said the supervisor was tough
and rode a horse to cover all parts of the job
There was no union or grievance committee. Wagons
were loaded by hand and the driver had to dump
his own load.
The story that came down to him similar to the
one about my great grandmother carrying the tub
of butter, as told by his grandmother (Elizabeth
Hyman), same generation as my great-grandmother,
is that she also had a basket of eggs in
(continued on page 92)

PAGE 92 APRIL 1978
Memories of Java and Strykersville (continued)
each hand. He recalls that Watson who had a store
at the corner of Route 78 and Mill Rd., also had
an early car, maybe as early as 1910. "He would
get some people in for a ride to Java Village.
They would get about as far as Shearings and it
would quit so they had to push it back. Sim Petz
had a blacksmith shop across Route 78 from
Mill Rd., Brass had one about in the center of town
(those I remember), but he also remembers
another further north. He expanded on the ice
house information, hotels, the creamery, the
brewery and some individuals who had ice houses.
There would be work for a couple of months during
the winter filling them. They might get as
many as three cuttings on the ponds that they
used for ice.
He believes that the dam on Mill Rd. was rebuilt
with concrete about 1921. When that went
out, or even before, about 1929, the sawmill was
abandoned. Electric power was installed in the
feed mill when electricity came to the area in
approximately 1926.
The horse thief mentioned earlier was remembered
as being Bubby Roe who had previously
stolen 2 or 3 teams. In the case of the army worms
that I remember occuring at Java Village in 1914
also occured up on Perry Hill as late as 1963. He
recalls that they would hear the whistle of the Java
Village Mill up there on Perry Hill. When the mill
was abandoned, my father saved the brass whistle
and an injector for the steam boiler. When I was
in my teens I foolishly gave or loaned the whistle
to a friend for a fountain. I wish I had it now to
give to the museum.
This was not intended to be and isn't a complete
history of the area but more of the things that
were of interest to me and that I thought I could
weave into something of interest to others.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR - C. KIHM RICHARDSON
Mr. C. Kihm Richardson is a retired engineer
who spent much of his early childhood in the Java
Village-Strykersville area.
Although he moved away in later years, he and
his wife still maintain a summer residence in
Java Village.
Mr. Richardson is a member of the Java Historical
Society and enjoys writing articles on local
history.
He was a contributor to the Town of Java History
published in 1976.
NECROLOGY
J. Earl Blakeley, 83, of Arcade, died in Batavia
on February 14, 1978. An Arcade native and a Navy
veteran of World War I, he was employed for 27
years by Arcade Central School in several capacities.
Calvin (Tap) Haggerty, 44, of Curriers, died at
Warsaw on January 9, 1978. He was self-employed
as a carpenter and was a member of the Curriers
Community Church. In recent years at Easter
time, he directed an ecumenical choir made up of
singers from many choirs in the southwest part
of the county.
Hayden H. Dadd, of Attica, chairman of Wyoming
County Board of Supervisors, 1961-68, died February
28, 1978, at Wyoming County Community
Hospital. He was 69 and served as County Attorney
from 1961-1977, and received the New York State
Bar Association award for outstanding contributions
in the field of civil rights in 1962. Active in
Wyoming County politics for many years, he will
be rememberd among other accomplishments, for
creating the current weighted voting systems
adopted in 1976 by the County Board of Supervisors.
His son, Mark, is Wyoming County District
Attorney.
Thomas E. Hess, 79, Bliss Fire Chief for twenty
years, died February 8, 1978. He was honored at
Wyoming County Fair in 1977, for his fifty-eight
years are volunteer fire fighter of Eagle Hose
Company, the oldest active member.
Roland G. Wise, 69, Attica Publisher, died February
8, 1978. He founded the Attica Penny Saver and
operated the Wise Press and Stationery Store.
George W. Blodgett, 86, Perry Civic leader, died
January 28, 1978. He was mayor of the village
1941-1942; past president of the Board of Education
and Rotary Club; former chairman of Wyoming
County Republican Committee and operated the
George W. Blodgett Bean Company of Perry Center
for fifty years.
CORRECTIONS FOR ST. JOSEPH CEMETERY
PUBLISHED JANUARY 1978 ISSUE
ALLEN
Margaret M. Roche, 1900-1971
CONAWAY,
Blake S., 1903-1960 (instead of CONWAY)
FAY
Catherine, 1853-1907 (omitted)
ROCHE
William G. 1868-1932
TWOHIG
Jeremiah A., 1888-1976 (omitted)
Pebble R., wife, 1890-1977, mother of Marion L.

APRIL 1978
THOUGHTS ON
PIONEER LIVING
AND THE ROLE OF THE
PIONEER WOMAN
...By Robert M. French
PROLOGUE
For many years I have marvelled at the hardships
suffered by the early settlers, and particularly
at the work demanded of their wives and daughters
in the early days of Pike and the Holland
Purchase area. One New England author, Alice
Morse Earle, in her "HOME LIFE IN COLONIAL
DAYS" gives us many interesting details of pioneer
living in the places where our settlers originated;
other accounts I relate have come from John
Minard of Hume, an Allegany county surveyor, and
from Julia Tarbell Merrill's "RUSHFORD CEN-
TENNIAL." I also rely on personal recollections
of stories told by my grandparents.
What the historian Earle recounts, however, is
predicated on a colonial way of life as it was in
Massachusetts about a hundred years after the
arrival of the pilgrims. The soil there had been
cleared around the cabin many years before, so
that in most cases each home had a garden patch
well cultivated for their needs.
EARLY PIKE FAMILIES
Not so for the first settlers of the Holland Purchase.
They had virgin soil to tame, and it was
conceded to be the work of the housewife to do it.
The first housewife in Pike was the wife of
Asahel Newcomb. The Newcombs had at least two
grown children when they arrived, Asahel Jr. and
Susannah. Susannah soon married another early
settler, Eli Griffith. Eli built a log cabin on the
site of Pike's first town hall. Griffith started one
of the first saw mills and also a grist mill. Perhaps
the first in the Holland Purchase. Many were
built about the same time.
The Newcombs lived nearby in a "shanty." (Our
first Pike historian, Carlos Stebbins sketched it
about 1835. This sketch has been mounted and can
be seen in the Pike Library).
FIRST FRAME HOUSE
Perhaps the first Griffith child was born in the
cabin, but Griffith with the aid of his saw mill
erected one of the first planked frame houses in
PAGE 93
Wyoming County Pioneer House built around 1808
by Eli Griffith located at Wyoming County Fair
Grounds. Now in process of restoration.
the Holland Purchase, which still rests on its original
site. This house, being gradually reconstructed
by the Wyoming Fair Association, is now the gateway
to the Wyoming County Fairgrounds. It is a
showplace to recreate pioneer living for the benefit
of thousands of fairgoers every summer. Eli
Griffith later became one of the first judges in
Allegany County. (Pike was in Allegany Co. until
1846).
According to Minard, v "the first settlers in Hume
walked five miles every week to get their bread."
They were bachelors, and had to go to the Griffith
house where Susannah did the baking. It is futile
to speculate whether she could have used a yeast
starter or made salt rising bread. In the absence
of a local brewery, either one required the same
labor. It is probable that it was part rye and part
cornmeal bread. Early wheat plantings did not
always ripen well.
Without doubt the pioneers brought with them
from New. England various seeds and probably
seed potatoes. These when planted the first season
insured food for the year ahead also. The settlers
might be thirty miles or more from a store or
civilization. After the seeds were planted the
family must wait three months or more for harvest,
meanwhile living on fish and game, Indian
fashion.
The garden was in a clearing close to the house.
Women, as a rule, had a minor role in clearing
the land, but my great grandmother, Clarissa Lord
Thornton, often pulled one end of a two-man
cross-cut saw when other males were unavailable.
There were "log-rollings" often at one farm or
another, at which time neighborhood women got
together for chats and served communal meals.
Kettles were hung on cranes in the open fireplace,
such as the one you can see at Fair-time
in the old Griffith house. When apples were avail-
(continued on page 94)

PAGE 94
Thoughts on Pioneer Living (continued)
able, women would have "apple paring" bees. The
apples were cooked in brass kettles, sour apples
on the bottom and sweet apples on top. Sometimes
quinces were added for flavor. Molasses, boiled
with apples, made pungent "apple molasses" and
was stored in the cellar.
In the earlier days, butter and churns were
rare. When milk and cream were available, the
buttermaking was always left to the good wife.
Even women of wealthy families expected to take
over the churn.
The apple was used in countless ways by the
pioneer housewife. There was apple slump, apple
chowder, apple tarts, apple pies, apple puff and
poached apples. House-pies used the leavings of
the apples and was given to the children. Some
apple pies in country places were made of apples
neither peeled nor cored. Apple pies were served
throughout the year. When fresh apples were no
longer to be had, the dried ones took over. It was
the evening meal for children. The crust of these
pies, however, was "something else." It was said
that the crust "could be broken only if a wagon
wheel went over it."
Pumpkins were plentiful and easy to keep in
dried form. Yet the pioneers did not welcome
this item with relish. According to one account,
"we have pumpkins at morning, pumpkins at noon.
If it were not for pumpkins we should be undone!"
Pumpkin bread made of Indian meal was not recommended
for its flavor. The Indians dried pumpkins
and strung them up for winter, as did the
settlers.
Squash was likewise a native vegetable. Beans
were grown abundantly. The Indians baked them
in earthenware pots, as we do now. Peas, parsnips,
carrots, huckleberries, blackberries and
wild strawberries were seasonal delicacies. Always
at least one berry was left on the stem for
natural seeding. Grapes also, were found wild.
Apple trees were always planted as soon as the
family settled, as well as pears and quinces.
Mill Stone in Pike located in front of the Wyoming
County Pioneer House.
OLD TIME UTENSILS
APRIL 1978
From Merrill's account in the RUSHFORD
CENTENNIAL: "The housewife worked under many
difficulties; pancakes were baked in a spider with
legs three or four inches long. Bread and johnnycakes
were baked in an iron bake kettle or brick
oven. To bake in these ovens, they would build a
fire, and when the stones or bricks were hot, they
would rake out the coals, sweep out the oven, then
put in their meat, bread or cake, and shut it up.
A crane with its hooks adorned the fireplace.
Meat hung from iron hooks, with a dish underneath
to catch the "drippings."
"Brooms were made of swamp birch or hickory;
the piece of wood cut into splints, the splints turned
up and tied, then turned down and tied again. Often,
however, hemlock or pine branches were used.
For a mop, a piece of board was utilized, about a
foot in diameter, hewn down at one end, through
which auger holes were bored and rags tied thru
them - the other end of the board shaped at the end
for a handle.
"In place of soda, or saleratus for use in baking,
the housewife burned corn cobs, poured hot water
over the ashes and used the lye to raise her bread
and cakes. Money was scarce, and about the only
way of obtaining it was selling black ashes. Trees
were felled, piled and burned; then from the ashes
a lye was made, until it crystallized into a hard
substance called black salts - or later, pearl ash.
"Sap troughs were used as cradles for babies,
and small wooden troughs used in place of dishes
on the table. Many times there would not be enough
stools for all to sit down; the children would stand
around the table, taking their rye bread or johnny
cake, and dip into the central dish of venison, or
whatever it happened to be.
"The first potatoes were brought to Rushford
by Holton Colburn in a pair of boots slung over his
shoulder. They were blue potatoes, and considered
a fine variety for many years
"Many times when the larder was nearly empty,
a circuit rider stopping in for the night had nothing
to eat but stewed pumpkin and milk. When blackberry
bushes sprang up the settlers were much
pleased, as they enjoyed the fruit.
DEER WERE PLENTIFUL
"Venison formed the chief article of diet, but
some men were not good hunters. David Vaughn
(of Rushford) was a "mighty hunter," and often
neighbors, when hard pressed for meat, would
get him to go hunting for them. All he asked was
that they work on the farm in his place The
deer were so tame they were often seen near the
houses, and at the "deer licks" sometimes a long
line of them could be seen. The skins of deer were
used for whiplashes and for clothing.
"When the settler owned a cow he was well off.
The cows were pastured on common ground and
(continued on page 95)

APRIL 1978
Thoughts on Pioneer Living (continued)
usually wore a bell so they could be found. To
churn the butter, the cream was put into a large
bottle or jug and shaken, until they had butter.
Neighbors who owned cows would put their milk
together to make cheese. It was pressed into a
four quart or peck measure according to size,
and for a press it was placed under a log.
"It was often a long time before a barn was
built, and some men would get up nights and chase
their cows around so they would not freeze."
SPINNING AND WEAVING
"Nearly all cabins raised a small patch of flax.
The women spun and wove it into cloth for clothes
and general use. Sheep were soon bought, and then
woolen clothes were also made, but wolves were so
numerous that at first it was difficult to keep
sheep.
"Women spun tow (flax), wove it and then made
into bags, for which they received twenty-five
cents each. They also braided whip-lashes; David
Vaughn bought a horse for sixty dollars and paid
it all by selling whip-lashes.
"Deer hides were made into braided lashes of
six or seven strands each. A settler's daughter
braided and sold enough whip-lashes to buy a silk
dress.
"A Mrs. Weaver made a coat for a neighbor, receiving
one dollar for it. She bought a bushel of
wheat with it; her husband cleared off enough land
to sow the whole of it that year.
"The washboards of early years were simply
pieces of boards. With a paddle, called a "battle,"
they pressed out the dirt.
' 'The time of day was told by cutting notches on
the door sill if it was on the south side of the house.
This would answer well when the sun shone so they
could keep track of the shadow."
RECREATION - SOCIAL LIFE
We must not think of the pioneers as being discouraged;
they were doubtless as happy as we are
today. Their social life combined healthy exercise
with fun; log-rollings, husking bees, spelling
schools, barn or house raisings, besides evening
visits. We are told that after log rolling, when
supper was over they would sing hymns and songs
and sit and visit. Their nearest neighbor might be
three or four miles distant; they had no conveyance
but an ox team and sled; no roads but blazed
trees, yet they would go for the evening. Oftimes
there was little to offer a guest, but they did not
worry; they had as good as their neighbors, sometimes
only potatoes and salt.
Mrs. Chapman Brooks often told of the first
time she was invited out to tea; it was at Samuel
Persons' who then lived where Dr. Bixby's house
now stands. The Persons family were considered
well-to-do and had the best things of any around.
PAGE 95
wmmmm .nj*
Miss Kathy Rice of Perry working at old loom
in Wyoming County Pioneer House in Pike.
Thelma Robinson of Castile copking up a stew for
Fair visitors in the Wyoming County Pioneer
House.
They had wooden plates and wooden forks and
some pewter dishes. For supper, there were
johnnycakes, sage tea and fried pork. The pork
was fried, cut in small pieces and put on the
pewter platters in the center of the table. There
was no butter. Each would reach over, take a
small piece of pork as a relish for the johnnycake.
A lump of (maple?) sugar was suspended by a
string and hung over the table. Each in turn would
take a bite as it swung to and fro.
Cowcabbage, called poor-man's cabbage, was
cooked and eaten. Sometimes they had little else.
The first hen on record here (Rushford) was
brought by a woman on the Centerville Road.
Someone had given her the hen and fifteen eggs.
She set the hen and raised the first chickens in
Rushford.
RELATIONS WITH INDIANS
The Indians of the Holland Purchase that
came into contact with the settlers, were usually
amicable. Under the terms of the Pickering Treaty,
the Indians agreed to move into the various reservations
in New York State, but could move from
(continued on page 96)

PAGE 96 APRIL 1978
Thoughts on Pioneer Living (continued)
one reservation to another at will to hunt and fish.
This treaty permitted the Indians to visit their
cousins without paying border fees.
In this early period^ if an Indian happened to
be enroute to another reservation and was stranded
by darkness, he could pull the latch string
and enter the log cabin and lie down next to the
banked fireplace as the settler slept. Of course
the Indian stayed for breakfast. We have the story
that one Indian did not wait for breakfast. He
started to lift the stewpot, whereupon the pioneer
matron grabbed her butcher knife and made the
Indian sit down and wait his turn.
My forebear in Hume started to erect a frame
house. He hired two Indians from the Caneadea
Reservation to help raise the frame. After the
raising, the settler offered cash for their help.
The Indians refused. No! No! The Indian plucked
at Aaron's wedding shirt. So Aaron gave them his
two shirts, and the Indians danced with glee.
THE "IMMORTAL" MARY
Finally, we have the story of the most famous
pioneer woman of our area, Mary Jemison, from
the pen of Dr. James Seaver. Mary's life was one
long recital of hardships, and she always lived
close to the land. With her Scotch-Irish background,
she had the foresight, when the 1798treaty
was being negotiated, to demand that her land
(the Gardeau Reservation) was to include all of her
"potato patches."
Mary was a diligent farmer. Along the "Grand
Canyon of the East," after the spring flood had
run off, Mary and the squaws went down to the
damp ground along the river to plant their crops.
No iron hoes - with crooked sticks they punched
holes in the soft ground, dropped in the seeds
and closed the hole with their heels. These garden
spots extended here and there along the river, and
when the reservation was surveyed these potato
patches extended in places for twenty miles.
The canyon being 600 feet deep, Mary's
patches escaped the killing frosts of the "year
without a summer." The spring following, (1817),
my great grandfather, Obed Thornton, and others,
were glad to walk for miles to buy her seeds. Her
thrift and foresight saved many from starvation
that year.
Many episodes regarding the work of pioneer
women must necessarily have escaped recorded
history for lack of a contemporary reporter.
From these fragments that have been handed
down to us, however, we must conclude that
those who survived were a hardy breed, and
have left us a goodly heritage.
PHOTO CREDITS
Front page: courtesy of Java Historical Society
Page 89: courtesy of C. Kihm Richardson
Page 95: courtesy of Java Historical Society and
Bonnie Sheer
Page 101: courtesy of Harry Douglass
MILESTONES
L. Erwood Kelly, Perry supervisor and Wyoming
County Board Chairman, was elected fourth vicepresident
of the State Association of Towns at
their annual meeting in February. He was the only
Western New York official elected to office at this
meeting. In January, Mr. Kelly started serving his
eleventh term as chairman of the County Board of
Supervisors. Congratulations, "Woody!"
Miss Gertrude Copsey, a charter member of Attica
Historical Society, celebrated her ninety-ninth
birthday quietly at the home of Rev. and Mrs.
Addison Conrad in Attica in February. She came
to this country from Lowestoft, England at the age
of three. She had her own dressmaking shop in
Attica, where she was known for her "fine" work;
later, she switched to a career as librarian at
Stevens Memorial Library until her retirement
at the age of eighty-eight.
A 32,000 acre tract including all of the town of
Bennington and parts of Attica, Sheldon and Orangeville,
has received tenative approval for designation
as Wyoming County's fourth agricultural district.
It has been described as some of the best
agricultural land in Western New York and particularly
suited to dairy farming. The area will
include 122 farms. Wyoming County's three other
agricultural districts include about 72,500 acres.
According to the Federal Environmental Protection
Agency, the results of a recent study shows
that Wyoming County stands alone among 10
Western New York counties for clean air. The
other counties, Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua,
Erie, Genesee, Livingston, Niagara, Orleans and
Steuben under study showed air containing more
than the minimum amount of pollutants.
The Arcade Area Chamber of Commerce gave
Wyoming County Republican Chairman Robert Bentley
the "Citizen of the Year Award" at their
February meeting. He was honored "in recognition
of his long years of service to the community
in government, business and social affairs." His
former boss, State Senator Majority Leader Warren
Anderson presented Mr. Bentley with the
stool on which Bentley had sat in the State Senate
Chambers behind the senators, for whom he had
been legal counsel for 30 years. Bentley began
his law practice in Arcade in 1944 and has been
county Republican chairman for 15 years. He became
legal counsel in Albany in 1947 for state
Senator Austin W. Erwin.

APRIL 1978
AMONG OUR SOCIETIES
THE CASTILE HISTORICAL SOCIETY had one
of the largest turnouts in years at their March
meeting. One hundred members and guests enjoyed
the tureen dinner at the Masonic Temple meeting
rooms. The program was given by John Morgan of
Pike, on the subject of old decorated stoneware. He
brought along with him many handsome examples
of this art which flourished during the early days
of the Erie Canal, and explained how they were
made.
Paul Schroeder conducted the business meeting
in the absence of the president, Jay Carmichael.
Reports were made by Ruth Schroeder, secretary,
and Mildred Anderson, treasurer.
Mr. Morgan told of the new building to be erected
at the Wyoming County Fairgrounds adjacent
to the Pioneer house, which will provide space for
antique agricultural implements and other collections
of historical interest, whether as gifts
or loans. It will be fireproof and provide maximum
security. Owners of collections are invited
to display them when the building is completed.
If you happen to be going by, stop in and see our
Historical Display. We chose for our theme two
facts about the early history of Castile - its Spanish
name and early transportation before the automobile.
Martha Reed, and her son Roger left
Easter Sunday for Old Castile, Spain. They will
take with them one of our Anniversary booklets
which tells why Sally Gilbert Hurd wanted us to
have a Spanish name. Part 1 of our display is in
the Living Room, Part 2 is in the Office. Children
love the dolls that just came from Guatemala,
showing how the people there dress. The oxen
are Castile oxen belonging to Byron Fuller. Incidentally,
our staff is getting a stiff course in
Spanish history, Harriett Scott is back after having
been away since before Christmas. And A1
Ogden just loves to do the research necessary.
We understand Spain will have elections sometime
in the next few weeks - the first in 41
years. We are making a study of the Celts who
were around 3000 years before Christ and started
to make real history 700 B.C. Nothing to do with
us? How about Hallowe'en? There are people in
England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales that are
proud of their Celtic ancestry. Katharine Barnes
THE MIDDLEBURY HISTORICAL SOCIETY was
invited to the first program of the newly organized
WYOMING GASLIGHTERS YORKER CLUB, at Wyoming
Central School recently. Mrs. Bertha Nicolazzo
entertained with folk songs accompanying
herself on the zither. Mrs. Norma Spencer and
Donald Parmele are advisors; Cheryl Richardson
is president and Robin Kaczmarek is secretary.
This would appear to be the first Yorker Club in
Wyoming County.
THE ARCADE HISTORICAL SOCIETY recently
PAGE 97
received letters from Mr. Wilson McKerrow of
North Carolina and Mrs. Charlotte Wilson Orser
of Ohio containing extensive recollections of their
homes and families, and their West Main Street
neighborhood while they were growing up in Arcade
in the early 1900's. These letters will complement
the society's research into the buildings and neighborhoods
of Arcade. Many of the architectural
items were researched by Mr.Arthur Prey, using
title abstracts obtained from the owners or from
the County Clerk's office.
The society in March viewed a movie about the
Alaska pipeline, and in April, Mrs. Arietta Slocum
discussed and displayed her collection of American
glass candy containers.
THE ATTICA HISTORICAL SOCIETY held their
spring meeting and dinner at St. Paul's United
Church of Christ on March 7th.
After a delicious dinner served by the ladies of
the church, a short business was conducted by the
President, Mrs. Carrie Beaumont. John Wilson,
County Historian, explained the projected "Heritage
Resource Team," apossibleC.E.T.A. project.
Angelo Corcimiglia, Attica Mayor, was introduced
and responded with a few words as did
August Petri, Attica Supervisor.
Following the meeting, the President introduced
Dave Dyviniak, of Alden, a free lance photographer,
who presented a very interesting slide show.
His slides covered a wide range of subjects from
art forms to visits to historic museums. The program
was greatly enjoyed by a large group.
THE JAVA HISTORICAL SOCIETY will have its
museum open to the public every Wednesday evening
throughout the summer months. Hours will be
from 7-9 p.m.
Regular meetings will be held the first Wednesday
of the month. Visitors are welcome to come
and browse. There will be members of the Society
present to assist anyone wishing to do research
and students are encouraged to come if help is
needed on school related history projects.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Pingetore will be back
with us in the near future to present a candlemaking
demonstration. Guest speakers will discuss
various topics of historical interest.
The Town of Java History Books are still available
at $5.00 per copy. You may send to Mrs.
Ronald Sheer, 2081 Perry Road, North Java, N.Y.
14113. Please make checks payable to Java Historical
Society and include 30? for postage.
THE WARSAW HISTORICAL SOCIETY has sent,
a progress report to their members outlining the
renovation work now going on at the Gates house
as a result of a CETA grant received in the amount
of $8,700. The "blue" room and the main meeting
room have been redecorated and some repairs
made throughout the two-story building. Eventually
(continued on page 100)

PAGE 98
Waite house in Java Village located across from
|Mill on Route 78 and old bandstand in rear 1909. Hogan's.
- - - : "MMBBI
Cheese Factory and Creamery that burned in 1891
Strykersville in 1907.

APRIL 1978 PAGE 99

PAGE 100
Among Our Societies (continued)
all the windows will be scraped and painted, the
roof reshingled and the other three sides of the
building are to be painted if funds permit. This
should put the historic old Gates house in prime
condition before the end of summer.
A similar project was planned to extend to other
historical society properties throughout the county,
but finally has been postponed because of lack of
funding.
The Warsaw building renovation project has
been under the supervision of Stewart Gay, president,
and Kenneth Cole, trustee; assited by John
Bracken, Mitchell Alegre, James DeAmnesy and
the curator, Lewis Bishop. Th^ museum housed
by the building has been the result of years of
dedication on the part of Mr. Bishop, who is both
Town and Village Historian.
THE COVINGTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY is
planning a "Springtime Supper" to be held May 4.
Mrs. Ruth Cromwell of LeRoy will show slides of
her trip to Peru at the April 15th meeting.
AT THE OFFICE
It has been a busy winter at the office. Hardly a
day goes by without a new genealogy search
reaching our desk. Along with these tasks we have
prepared a booklet containing the Perry Center
Cemetery records which is for sale at $2.00 per
copy. Also we have been working on name indices
for HISTORICAL WYOMING. We now have for
sale indexes for Volumes 21,22,23 at $1.50 per
copy. If you are binding the issues by volume,
these indices are indespensible for reference
work.
Our thanks go to Francis Hoy, Town Historian
for Orangeville for his valued help in preparing
these indices.
It may make us appear to be a book store but
there is still a good supply of the Beers reprint
of the HISTORY OF WYOMING COUNTY available
at the office. We also have available some reprints
of HISTORICAL WYOMING VOL. XI No. 2,
January 1958, which contains the story "The
Immortal Mary Jemison." Whether it is to purchase
something or just to visit, do stop by the
office.
APRIL 1978
WYOMING COUNTY
NATIVE WAS FAMOUS
ASTRONOMER
From an unknown source in Craig, Colorado,
comes a clipping from the ELPASO TIMES, dated
June 16, 1976, bringing to our attention another
distinguished native of Wyoming County hitherto
unrecognized, to join the ranks of "Famous Sons
and Daughters."
The clipping is titled: DISTINGUISHED AMER-
ICAN WOMEN, and is about Sarah Frances Whiting,
(1847-1927) who pioneered in the study of both
physics and astronomy:
"Born in Wyoming, N.Y., her interest in experimental
science began when she helped her
teacher father in preparing demonstrations for
his science classes. (Middlebury Academy)
"Graduating with an A.B. from Ingham University
in 1865, she was advanced in Greek, Latin
and Mathematics. She taught at Ingham and later
the Brooklyn Heights Seminary, where she attended
lectures and visited labs of new equipment.
"When the founder of Wellesley College, Henry
F. Durant, was looking for a teacher of physics
for the all-female faculty in 1875, he chose her,
one of the few trained women in the subject. He
had her attend classes at MIT to learn lab methods.
"Miss Whiting then set up a lab at Wellesley,
purchasing and installing the equipment herself.
She sometimes 'found it nerve-wracking to be in
places where women were' really not expected to
be, and to do things which women had not done
before.'
"Thus in 1878 she opened the second undergraduate
physics lab in America. In 1879 she was
chosen to view applications of physics to astronomy,
including the use of the new spectroscope
in investigation of stellar spectra.
"She introduced the study of astronomy at
Wellesley in 1880, teaching it for two decades.
In 1900, Whitin Observatory was completed from
her plans, and enlarged in 1906.
"From 1896-98 she spent sabbatical years
abroad at Edinburg University, bringing back the
beginnings of modern physics. One of her famous
pupils was the famous Harvard astronomer, Annie
Jump Cannon.
"Miss Whiting retired from Wellesley in 1912 to
devote herself to astronomy, then retired as director
of Whitin in 1916. - CMV"
EDITOR'S NOTE: To make it more mysterious,
the name of John Deja, Oakfield, N.Y. is written
across the top of the newspaper clipping.

APRIL 1978 PAGE 101
A HISTORICAL SKETCH
of the
MERLE FAMILY
READ AT THEIR FIRST REUNION,
AUGUST 22, 1925
...By William J. Merle
Zion Evangelical Church, South Attica. Built 1869,
closed in 1970.
The Merle-Marley families represented at our
Reunion today are the descendents of John George
and Anna Maria Merle, who came to America 81
years ago.
Our family history is full of interest and even of
peculiar and singular events. To us who believe in
the Providence of God, we may see his guiding
hand in the various events of our history.
In tracing our history we shall go back nearly
300 years and begin with the religious persecutions
in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Before we speak of these persecutions in their
possibly remote connections with our family history,
we want to ascertain the national or racial
origin of our name.
In the Geneological Department of the Grosvenor
Library of Buffalo where I spent several hours in
making a search for the origin of the name Merle,
I found a volume written in the French language in
which no less than 17 families were given under
the name Merle with a description of their "coat
of arms." Not being able to read French I was
unable to translate these descriptions.
"Merle" is the French name of a blackbird, so
several of the coat of arms had the ensign or insignia
of a blackbird.
The coat of arms was a tunic that was formerly
worn by the order of Knights over their suit of
armor. To belong to the order of Knights was a
title of honor. It was a military order of the ancient
nobility.
In connection with the foregoing, let me refer
to a noted author and professor or church history
in Geneva, Switzerland by the name of Jean Henri
Merle (1774-1872). He wrote a History of the
Reformation in Europe in the French language. His
ancestors were French Protestants. His History of
the Reformation in 5 volumes has raised a monument
to his name. It has been translated into the
German, English and other languages. (I have the
5 volumes of his History in my library. The first
volume contains a well executed portrait of the
author).
In those days the custom was common in Geneva
and in many French provinces to join the wife's
family name to that of herhusband. In harmony
with this custom Jean Henri Merle affixed his
mother's family name - D'Aubigne (do-been-ga)
to his name. As an author he is known to us as
"Merle D'Aubigne." The family name of his ancestors
was Merle. This, with the geneological
record found in the Grosvenor Library in Buffalo
would prove thatour name was of French origin.
Another question we shall try to answer is this:
what connection, or relation has the history of the
Merle family with the persecutions and the dispersion
of the Huguenots of France in the 16th
and 17th centuries? The answer may be found in
the fact that our ancestors migrated from Holland
to Germany, probably a century of more before
their coming to America.
I remember well of hearing grandmother Merle
tell that the ancestors of grandfather Merle came
from Holland to Germany. Now there is a strong
presumption, although we cannot offer actual proof,
that our ancestors were descendents of the Huguenot
refugees who fled to Holland during the religious
persecutions in France.
We may assume, or claim as an historical fact,
that during these persecutions our ancestors with
thousands of others fled to Holland.
It may be of interest to us if our attention is
called at this time to two great occurrences in
France which caused the persecuted Huguenots to
flee to all parts of Protestant Europe. They found
refuge in England, Holland, Germany and Switzerland.
The first persecutions began with the terrible
massacre of St. Bartholemew's night, August 24,
1572 when 12 to 13 thousand Huguenots perished
in Paris alone, and in the whole of France from
(continued on page 102)

PAGE 102
A Historical Sketch of the Merle Family (continued}
70 to 100 thousand.
The second persecutions followed the Revocation
of the Edict of Nantes in 1585. (The Edict of Nantes
gave religious freedom to the Huguenots. It was
signed in 1598 by King Louis the XIV). A century
later (1685) this Edict was revoked. It was the
death-knell of the Huguenots in France, when upwards
of 300,000 refugees fled from France to
save their lives, and to be able to worship their
Creator according to the belief of the reformed
religion.
A home was offered to the persecuted Huguenots
in every part of Protestant Europe, especially in
Holland.
France lost more than a half qiillion of her most
industrious and trust worthy citizens.
It has been stated on authority that when the war
between Germany and France broke out in 1870
there were in the German army no less than 34
generals and 65,000 soldiers of Huguenot descent.
Coming back to our family name we know further
that the name "Merle" is not racially connected
or derived from the native family names of Holland.
It also remains a fact, based on grandmother
Merle's statement that the Merles were originally
not from Germany. What the motive was which led
our forefathers to emigrate from Holland to
Germany we do not know. Nor do we know how long
they lived in Holland. They may have lived a century
or longer in Germany before grandfather
Merle's time. During their residence in Germany,
they of course, intermarried with the Germans, so
that the larger percentage of our immediate ancestry
became racially German. Grandmother
Merle's maiden name was Kurtz -- a purely German
name. Physically our forefathers were tall of
stature and of robust strength. Uncle George was
the tallest of the seven brothers, and grandfather
Merle, as I remember him was at least as tall as
Uncle George.
Grandmother Merle used to relate an incident
about the physical strength of some of our ancestors
in Germany: A barn hard been filled with
hay. Several loads were still to be moved away,
but there was no room in the barn. Then two
Merle brothers succeeeded in putting all the hay
that remained in the barn.
Grandfather Merle's given name was John
George. He was born April 12, 1799 in Dietterschaussen,
Kreis Ziegehnain, Hesse Cassel. Grandmother
Merle was born in March 2, 1799. Grandfather's
property in Germany consisted of 50 acres
of land which made him a man of considerable
means in those days.
In the year 1844 - - 81 years ago - - they came
to America. The family at the time theyemigrated
was composed of one daughter, Mary, and seven
sons -- Walter, Henry, William, John, George,
August and Jacob. Aunt Mary, the eldest was about
20 years old. Uncle August, the youngest, was
about 3 years old.
APRIL 1978
They took ship from Hamburg, a seaport town of
Germany and landed at New York City, where for a
brief time they stopped with relatives by the name
of Losokomm. Mr. Losokomm was a tailor by trade.
One of the grandfather's boys -- Uncle John -about
12 years of age remained with the Losokomm
family where he learned the tailors trade. Uncle
Walter -- about 18 years old -- also stayed in New
York for a short time.
Grandfather with the rest of the family, after a
parting "Lebemohl," started on his journey for the
west. Their railroad tickets were purchased to a
place in the state of Ohio. But how often our plans
miscarry, "Man proposes, but God disposes."
Oftentimes "Our disappointments are God's appointments."
Before the train arrived in Batavia,
grandmother Merle was taken seriously ill, so
that she had to be taken off the train at Batavia.
We may imagine the difficult and perplexing dilemma
in which they were placed. Strangers in a
strange country - - unable to speak English - - no
home, no place to go, grandmother sick, with a
large family depending upon a mother's care.
Grandfather Mele walked the streets of Batavia,
not knowing where to go or what to do, when he
met a German by the name of Merkle, who told
him a place where there was a German settlement
in South Attica and Orangeville. Mr. Merkle was
the father of Joseph Merkle of South Attica, and
grandfather of Henry Merkle also of South Attica.
On hearing this welcome news, grandfather and
a man by the name of Miller, who with his family
came with them from Qermany started for South
Attica. It was in the month of August. Farmers
were harvesting their grain. Grandfather was favorably
impressed with both land and people. He
bought the farm now owned by Peter Schlenker. As
soon as grandmother was able to travel they came
from Batavia to Orangeville. The dwelling house
not being vacant, they moved for a few weeks into
a barn owned by Adam Clor at the Dutch Flats.
Let us remember that this was in the year 1844.
It seems a strange co-incidence that 81 years later
in the month of August, three generations -- the
second, third, and fourth -- are having their first
reunion on the 22nd day of August.
Grandfather, probably did" not live more than 3
or 4 years on the farm in Orangeville.Duringtheir
residence there, Aunt Mary was married to Uncle
George Werner. Soon after their marriage Uncle
Werner decided to go west. Grandmother became
homesick for her only daughter. She had no rest
until grandfather sold his farm and followed Uncle
Werner to the state of Illinois, where they settled
in a section known at the time as ' 'The Queen Ann
Prairie," northwest of Chicago.
Uncle Walter, who was married about that time,
or soon after, did not accompany them. During
their residence in Illinois, gold was discovered
in California in 1848.
One of the sons - - Uncle Henry - - was induced
by a Gold Mining Company to go to California, as
(continued on page 103)

PAGE 103 APRIL 1978
A Historical Sketch of the Merle Family (continued)
a gold miner, probably about 1850. He never came
back, but died there, the result of an accident.
After living a number of years in Illinois, Uncle
Werner returned to the State of New York. He
bought the farm in 1853 now owned by August
Richert and William Eastman. My father
William -- also returned with Uncle Werner.
The following year, probably in the fall of 1854,
grandfather sold his farm in Illinois and returned
to the town of Attica, where he bought in 1855 the
north end of the farm, then owned by Uncle Werner
-- now in possession of William Eastman, whose
wife is a granddaughter of grandfather Merle.
Grandfather owned a valuable team of horses on
his farm in Illinois, that he would not part with,
so Uncle John drove the team from Illinois to Attica,
a distance of over 600 miles. The home that
grandfather bought on his return from the west,
became the "Old Homestead" for his children and
grandchildren. Here he died on the 24th of March
in 1863 at the age of 63 years 11 months and 12
days. At this home, grandmother Merle continued
to live with her three younger sons for a number of
years. Here her children and grandchildren came
for their oft-repeated visits to see "grandma."
Some of us still remember those visits to see
grandma. We shall always remember grandmother's
"Kuchen" and the fine cut "noodles" she
used to make.
When the Civil War broke out in 1861 Uncle
George enlisted and served three years in defense
of his country, and the Preservation of the Union
of States.
After the three younger sons were married,
grandmother made her home with Uncle Jacob at
whose home she died on December 14th, 1879 at
the age of 80 years 8 months and 23 days. Here I
would mention that the date of her death on her
tombstone is incorrect. She died in 1879 and not in
1880, the date on her tombstone.
Of the first generation Aunt Barbara is the only
one left, who is with us today. We are glad that
she is with us at this reunion. While Aunt Barbara
is the oldest, and only remaining member representing
the first generation, Mary Louise Flagler
of Buffalo is the youngest member of the fourth
generation present at this reunion.
Had it been possible for all to be present at our
reunion today, the attendance would have been
over 200.
This historical sketch would not be complete
unless we would answer the oft-repeated question,
"Why do some give their family name as Marley,
and others as Merle?" Who changed the name
from Merle to Marley, and which is correct? It is
both embarrassing and unfortunate that we have
two ways of writing our family name. Before attempting
to answer these questions, I shall give
the rule for transferring family names from one
language to another. The rule is that family names
are not translated, but transferred, retaining the
same letters are were used in the original name,
that is, the spelling of the name should remain
unchanged. For example, the family name "Zimmerman"
should not be written Carpenter when
transferred from the German to the English
language. A man by the name of Koch does not
become an English Cook when he comes to America.
The rule is to write family names in any
language with the same letters that were used in
the language of the country in which they originated.
The original spelling of our family name was
"Merle." Grandfather always wrote his name
Merle. In the baptismal certificate that father
brought from Germany the name is written Merle.
Uncle Walter, the eldest of the family, always
wrote his name Merle. So we ask again, who
changed the name from Merle to Marley? The
change came about in this way: the three younger
sons -- George, Jacob and August, were of school
age, and attended the Public School. Mr. Carmi
Lindsay was their school teacher. He apparently
was ignorant pertaining to the rule governing
family names when transferred to another language.
Mr. Lindsay changed the name from Merle to
Marley. He changed the German e to an English a
and added a y to make two syllables in the name.
We shall forgive him, for we believe he did it
ignorantly and "without malice aforethought," but
it was a most unfortunate occurrance. Everyone
fell in line and began to write their name Marley,
except Uncle Walter. This continued until about 40
years ago, when a large number changek their
names from Marley to Merle. In so doing they
simply corrected an error that had been made in
the spelling of our name.
The change was made and started by cousin
Henry and myself at the time we entered the ministry
of the Evangelical Church in 1886. Today the
majority have gone back to the original spelling of
the name.
It is also a fact worthy of notice that on every
tombstone, marking the last resting place of our
departed relatives you will find the name Merle.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Rev. Wm. J. Merle, eldest
son of Wm. Merle who prepared the historical
sketch of the family, which you have just read,
entered the ministry of the Evangelical Church
in 1886 and continued in this work until his death
in 1930, at which time he was serving the Tonawanda,
N.Y. Church.
EXCERPT FROM JULIA TARBELL MERRILL'S "OLD TIME
CUSTOMS" IN RUSHFORD CENTENNIAL, (1908), pages 36-40:
Concert for Wolves - "A young man by the name of WiIson
living at Caneadea came to Rushford to see a Freeman girl
whom he afterwards married. He was a fiddler and often ployed
for dances. Going home one night after a dance he was chased
by wolves; he took refuge in a deserted old hut and the wolves
followed. Wilson began playing, and was obliged to play until
daylight, when the wolves slunk away."

PAGE 104
SUPPLEMENT TO THE
ORIGINAL MERLE-MARLEY
FAMILY HISTORY
It is nearly one hundred years since the first
Merles came to Attica. The first German settlers
came to this section in about 1843. As you have
heard in the previous talk, Mr. and Mrs. John
Henry Merle, my great-grandparents, came to
America from Germany in 1844 with their family
of one daughter and seven sons. It was with some
difficulty that they obtained permission to make
the trip to this country. The boys were nearing
the age of conscription - military training in
Germany being then, as now, compulsory. Germany
would, of course, feel the loss of many
families of this size. Therefore, they gave as their
reason for leaving Germany that they wanted to
visit relatives in America; so leave was granted
by the German authorities.
Although two of the boys learned "trades" after
coming to America, all the children in the second
generation, with the exception of Henry, eventually
became farmers in this locality; and Mary, the
only daughter married a farmer. (Rev. Merle
considered this the first generation). Here it is
considered the second. Let us note where they
settled in and around Attica.
Mary married George Werner and they bought
the farm now owned by August Richert on Exchange
Street.
Walter Merle, who married Magdalena Bauer,
purchased the farm known as the Kropp Farm,
which is near Peter Schlenker's home.
William Merle, a shoemaker by trade, worked
for a time for the late Andrew Krauss and also
for Mr. McCabe of Bennington Center. He married
Ellen Meeder and lived for a time on Exchange St.
Road, near the present Lydia Eastman farm. He
later purchased the farm now owned by Floyd
Merle, his grandson.
John Merle, a tailor by trade, worked for a time
for a man by the name of Losokomm in New York
City. He, too, came to Attica; married Elizabeth
Meeder, sister of Mrs. William Merle; and bought
the farm now owned by Robert Eck.
George Merle served in the Civil War in the
160th infantry, Company G, as a sergeant, from
August 30, 1862 to November 1, 1865. After the
war he married Barbara Glor and purchased the
farm now owned by his sons, Elon and Robert
Merle.
Jacob Merle married Emma Hacker. He, too,
bought a farm, part of which is now owned by
APRIL 1978
August Richert and Mrs. William Eastman, a
niece.
August Merle, who married Margaret Richert,
purchased a farm now owned by Mrs. William
Eastman, his daughter. Later he purchased the
farm now owned by Frank Marley, his son.
This accounts for all of those in the second generation
whose occupations were principally farming.
Henry, who was also of this generation, went
to California with several others, at the time of
the gold rush in about 1848, making the trip with
a team of oxen. He was the only one of the children
who didn't marry. He died as the result of an
accident, suffering a broken neck, when he fell
from a load of hay.
Starting with the third generation, there were
many who took up professions other than farming:
the Rev. William J. Merle, eldest son of
William who prepared the historical sketch of the
family, in the foregoing article, entered the ministry
of the Evangelical Church in 1886 and continued
in this work until his death in 1930, at which
time he was serving the Tonawanda, N.Y. Church.
Henry, son of John, entered the ministry at the
same time, and, while he has retired from active
service, he is still serving as a supply pastor at
the Batavia, N.Y. church.
Otto, son of August, also studied for the ministry,
but died before he could complete his training.
The three entering the ministry went out from
the Zion Evangelical Church at South Attica. At the
time the church was built in 1869, several of the
children of John and Anna Kurtz Merle, who as
stated previously came to America in 1844, donated
much of their time, as well as lumber from
their own farms in the building of the church.
In the nearly 71 years the church has been built,
the name Merle has been on the membership record,
and at the present out of the total membership
of around 45, about 17 are Merles.
When both William and Henry entered the ministry,
their sermons were given in German. Gradually
they gave up the German preaching, but for those
of the older generation who still wished it, they held
a German Service besides the service in English
every Sunday.
Elizabeth Merle, daughter of George, studied
medicine and is at the present time practicing in
Rochester, N.Y. (1940)
Julius, son of John, is a practicing dentist in
Detroit, Michigan.
Clor Merle, son of Rev. William Merle, was a
practicing dentist in Batavia until the time of his
death during the flu epidemic in 1918.
Others in the Merle-Marley family have fitted
themselves for teachers, nurses, undertakers and
for secretarial positions. However, there are still
many Merles and Marleys in the third and fourth
generations who are engaged in farming. Of the
farms purchased by the men of the second generation,
two are still owned by their children and one
by a grandson.
(continued on page 105)

APRIL 1978
Supplement to the Original Merle-Marley
Family History (continued)
It seems to be characteristic of the Merles and
Marleys to stick pretty closely together. Take for
example, the Exchange Street Road. From Peter
Merle's home to the Village of Attica, a distance
of 4 1/2 miles, there are thirteen families, who
are either Merles or Marleys now, or were before
their marriages.
At the present time there are 28 direct descendants
of John Henry and Anna Merle in the third
generation living. Of these 23 are now living in or
near Attica; while the fourth generation have 53
members of the family, in the firect line, living
in this locality. In the fifth there are about 23 and
in the sicth, there are two - Beverly Ann Brei
and Judy Gay Clor.
The committee on historical data of the Attica
Historical Society has prepared a chart showing
our family through the fourth generation.
As prepared by:
Frances Merle Dresser - March 1940
QUERIES
Livingston County American Legion is searching
for the grave of William E. Hart, d. Nov. 1874,
Civil War Medal of Honor winner who was born
in Rushville, N.Y. He married Irena Flint, sister
of George Flint, both of Gainesville. Irena Hart's
death reported in the WESTERN NEW YORKER
under Gainesville News Jan. 23, 1913, but place
of burial not given.
Descendants of John Maxon, veteran of War of
1812, would like to know his relationship to Joel,
(d. April 26, 1833) and Lucretia Maxon, (d. Mar.
16, 1825). They are listed in Maxon Cemetery,
Attica. Joel was a Revolutionary War soldier
from R.I. The story goes that John was commissioned
by his dying "buddy" on the battlefield,
to deliver a ring to his wife. John later
married the widow, Lydia Sweet.
Information requested concerning Lewis Vosburgh.
He was thought to be either a Baptist or
Methodist minister living in or near Warsaw
in 1913. Help would be appreciated in order to
trace the family. His first wife was Katherine
Christman.
An Alden resident would like information regarding
Horace Kyser. It is believed that he was
born in Pike, N.Y. May 18, 1824. He died April
10, 1880 and is buried in Elma, N.Y. Can anyone
furnish the names of his parents.
PAGE 105
A Warsaw correspondent requests help with
research on the Barber family, who lived in Allegany
and Wyoming Counties. Her great-great
grandfather John had seven children: Sarah Louise,
born April 1864- m. Charles Waterman; William,
born 1865- m. Nettie Belle Colley; Julia Ann, b.
1853- m. Fred Howard; Frances, m. Joseph
Meyers; and John, Emma and Frank. Any information
regarding the above will be appreciated.
EARLY LETTERS FROM JAVA
The two following letters, written in 1833 and
1835, contain some of the earliest known descriptions
of life in Java, and are contributed by Harry
S. Douglass. They were written by Jacob Morse,
to his friend, Capt. Artemus Stevens, who was the
Great Grandfather of Mr. Douglass. Apparently
Jacob was a shoemaker and did farming to supplement
his living. Morse was a former neighbor
of Capt. Stevens in Massachusetts. Capt. Stevens
came to Java in 1835, and resided there until his
death in 1877. Isaac Friend was a boyhood friend
of Capt. Stevens in Dracut, Mass. The former
came to Java in 1821, and was a very successful
farmer, owning at one time 1000 acres in the
area. (The spelling has been modernized and
corrected and punctuation added.)
JACOB MORSE, JAVA, JULY 6th, 1833, TO CAPT.
ARTEMUS STEVENS, SUNCOOK, NEW HAMP-
SHIRE.
Dear Friend,
JAVA, July 6th, 1833
I now take my pen in hand to write a few lines
which I ought to have written to you before to you
as I promised to do. But I hope you will receive
these few lines in friendship and forgive me in my
neglect in not writing before.
My family is all well at present and been ever
since I have been here and I hope these few lines
will find you and family enjoying the same blessing.
I am myself rather lame but still on the gaining
hand. You wrote I should write to you what the
prospects would be here for you; for my own
part I think if you can get here with 200 hundred
dollars that you will be better off than you are now.
Mr. Friend thinks you will do well to come here as
farming can be run with one half of the Labor than
you can with where you are as they do any of their
plowing with one yoke of oxen and their plows is
heavier than yours are. It is more work to clear
the land here than it is with you as we have all our
brush to pile before we can burn it up, but a man
can chop 1 acre in a week and chop it up in one
(continued on page 106)

PAGE 106
Early Letters From Java (continued)
week fit for loging and then 4 hands and 1 yoke
of oxen will lay up one acre in one day. The land
is generally of good quality; there is but very
(little) waste land here. It is excellent for grass
and any other thing that you want to put on it, it
being so new a place that it looks rather hard to
a new commer but several have been to Mishagun
and Ohio and have come back and purchased here
for they say that they think it is a better country
here than it is there.
The winters here is much milder here than they
are with you but the summers is cool night but
warm days which makes better for wheat but it is
not country for corn. Fruit does well here and it
will be very plenty here as everyone is trimming
to see which one is first. According to the look
now there will be some Swenmure kind this season,
on trees that have been set out more then 3 years
hung full. They don't pretend to keep any of th. . .
cattle but they have oxen and horses and there is
none of them that keep more than one yoke of
oxen; most of them keep 3 or 4 horses, some keep
4 cows, some 8 and some 12, and young stock in
preportion and one-half of them keeps on brouse
through the winter. The grass and s . . . starts in
the very early in the Spring. They turn their young
cattle in the woods by the first of April and let
them run till they get their fields clean of their
crops. There is all kinds of roots and herbs over
in the woods here Sometimes there is a
flock of wolves come along that make the woods
ring with their howling but they don't stay but a
little while with us as there is no ledges here for
them to burrow in and the Indians here
about till they go off, and the owls give us a little
musick in the evening so that we are not without
musick if we are in the woods.
The Indians come round to visit us once in
awhile but they are very peaceable. Mr. Friend
(Isaac) has got to be pretty forhanded; he has
200 hundred and 20 acres of land and 100 hundred
under improvement, and keeps 60 head of horned
cattle and 5 horse .... and 80 sheep and lambs
and 10 hogs and he milks 12 cows and he presses
his cheese in a 1/2 bushel every day. He killed 20
hogs. Last Fall he told me that he turned off 300
hundred dollars worth of sheep last fall for which
he took part cash and part term in towards his
land, and he says he can turn off this Fall 500
hundred worth of sheep and have enough left for
his own use. My land lays joining him on two sides
within forty rods of his house. He is a man that is
much set by here in this place. The probability is
that he will cut 100 hundred tons of the first rate
of hay this season as there is now other kinds cut
here. Wheat is coming in very heavy this season
and there is gravel on the ground. Corn is rather
low now but it has a good color so I am in hopes
that we shall have a good crop yield.
APRIL 1978
I have not room to write no more on this sheet.
I have wrote to John Osgood and Murthuey Goutt
and I want you should put your letters all together
and sit down together and read them and one then
some of you write to me as soon as convenient.
Give my best respects to your family and Mr.
Linevag (?) and Mr. Chandler. This from your
friend,
JACOB MORSE
Artemas Stevens
Little is known of his family or of his personal
history. Capt. Artemas Stevens, native of
Dracut, Massachusetts, came to Java in 1835,
and resided there until his death in 1877. Isaac
Friend, a neighbor and friend of Capt. Stevens
in Dracut, moved to Java in 1821, died there
in 1883, and was progeniture of a numerous
family, some of whom still reside in the town.
JACOB MORSE, JAVA, N.Y. LETTER WRITTEN
JANUARY 5th, 1835, TO CAPT. ARTEMAS STE-
VENS, SUNCOOK, NEW HAMPSHIRE, LETTER
HAS BEEN EDITED.
Java - January 5th, 1835
Dear Friend,
I now take this opportunity to write a few lines
to inform you that I received your letter this day,
dated November the 2, and I received it with so
much pleasure as I should 5 dollars in money as
I began to think that you had all forgotten me. We
are all in good health at present hoping these few
lines will find you enjoying the same blessing.
I am getting along here as well as can be expected
considering how I came here. I have had a
good run of Customers this winter at Shoemaking.
1 have made 42 pairs of -boots and 53 pairs of
shoes in 3 months so you may guess whether I have
worked or played. I have let out 2 1/4 acres of
timber to chop this winter and have paid for it in
shoemaking. I have made boots for one dollar and
25 cents . . . some made for 1 dollar and some
have been one dollar and 50 cents. I bought
(meadow?) land last Fall and give 15 dollars and
then I took a job clearing 3 acres of land after it
was chopped and burnt for 15 dollars and I done it
in 13 days, and split the rails and put up 24 rods
of fence on the same and I have bought four sheep,
2 of paid in shoemaking at 1 dollar and 50 cents
per head. 2 I paid for in (geese?) that I raised last
summer. And I have got 3 shotes. I have got 6
acres cleared on my place and 2 acres of wheat;
(continued on page 107)

APRIL 1978 PAGE 107
Early Letters From Java (continued)
have the rest of it sowed with wheat and oats and
rye. Last Spring I have got 51 apple trees sat out.
It is (a) great place for trees in this place although
we had no fruit last season on the account of a lot
of frost. Our crops was very good last season except
potatoes which were light in some places.
You wanted I should write to you about the climate
and production of the place and I will try to inform
you as well as I can. The soil is as good as in any
other place; it will produce from 20 to 25 bushels
of wheat per acre on new land, and on old land we
don't have what it will produce but I think
it will be first rate of land for wheat when the
stumps get rotten out so we can plow it well; corn
in good seasons will yield on new ground from 25 to
40 bushels to the acre and on old ground considerable
more. Oats from 40 to 60 bushels per acre;
potatoes from 3 to 4 hundred bushels to the acre;
grass from one to 2 tons per acre. The climate
differs from yours; our summers are not so very
hot and our winters not for all it set in about the
first of November and continues till the middle of
March. . . . have never known the ground to freeze
more than 4 inches deep. Since I have been here
we put our potatoes in a pile of 50 to one hundred
bushels and then put on a little straw and then put
on 4 or 5 inches of dirt and they will lay all winter
without freezing.
Wheat is worth 1 dollar with the farmers; oats
18 to 25; apples when plenty from 13 to 18 per
bushel; corn 50 cents. Salt in buffalo 150 cents
per . . . which has 5 bushels in Tea 50
cents per pound; maple ; molasses 62 1/2
cents per gallon; shirting 10 cents ... the land is
uneven here it has been selling for 3 1/2 per acre
on 4 years credit. We expect it will come down to
2 dollars this spring. It is very healthy here, the
water is as good as it ever was then and a plenty
of it. I want you to be sure to come here before
you go any further. We have a good market at
buffalo which is 28 miles from us; we can get the
cash for any that we have to sell at some price or
other, potatoes are selling at 34 cents; oats at 26
cents; pork at 3 1/2 and 4 1/2; beef at 3 1/4 and
Dale Cemetery Association was
organized November 29, 1873 with
the following trustees: Isaac Chase,
Zadock Nichols, Howel Jones, Charles
Thomson, E.S. Smith and Orrin
Smith. A right-of-way leads from
the Pflaum Road to the cemetery
grounds. It is less than a half mile
from the Dale Pioneer Cemetery,
which is on the main Dale Road.
The present directors are: Elmer
DALE CEMETERY
Bagg, president; Frank Kessler,
Lewis Gay, Velma Thomson, Wayne
Dersam, Bernita Wombwell, and
Mildred Belt. We sire indebted to
Lewis Gay, secretary, for up-dating
these records, which include the
1955 records compiled by Charles
Pflaum. Some interments from the
Pioneer Cemetery in Dale have been
removed to the present cemetery.
ANDREWS
4 dollars; poultry fetches a good price at any time
of the year; butter various prices, cheap grade 8
cents.
I have nothing more that I can enclose here.
Tell Esq. Goult that if he goes to the west to be
sure to come here before he goes any further.
Give our best respects G. . . and family; give
our best respects to J. H. Osgood & Mr. Morgan
& Mr. Leanon, Miss Parker and all other . . .
friends. This from your friend,
A, StEVENS J. MORSE
Note: I think that if you are prudent that you can
come here for about 50 or 55 dollars with your
family if you come in the way I did.
MOTHER SHIPTON'S PROPHECY
East Aurora, May 2
Carriages without horses shall go
And accidents fill the world with woe.
Around the world thoughts will fly
In the twinkling of an eye.
Water shall yet more wonders do,
Now strange, yet shall be true.
The world upside down shall be
And gold be found at root of tree.
Through hills man shall ride
And no horse or ass be by his side
Under water men shall walk
Shall ride, shall sleep, shall talk.
In the air men shall be seen,
In white, in black, in green.
Iron in the water shall float
As easy as a wooden boat.
Gold shall be found 'mid stone
In alland that's no unknown
Fire and water shall wonders do,
England shall at last admit a Jew,
And this world to an end shall come
In eighteen hundred and eighty-one.
These lines are said to have been published in
England in 1486.
Gus, no dates
ATWATER
Eugene, 1850-1923
Rosetta J., 1852-1929
ARMSTRONG
Thomas, 8/24/1797-7/18/1853
Betsey, 1804-1897
Sylvester, 1820-9/22/1901
Sophia, 4/21/1825-12/30/1900
James, 1850-4/24/1936
(continued on page 108)

PAGE 108 APRIL 1978
BROWN
DERSAM
Dale Cemetery (continued) Gordon, 1893-1966
George, 1904-1972
Ella Whaley Armstrong, 1884- BURNHEIMER DOTY
6/25/1927 Olive Van Buren, d. 1953 Mary, d. 7/5/1926
Sophronia, 1811-1897 BUSH George, d. 1/7/1928
AUSTIN Norman, 1913-8/5/1975 DRING
Stanley, 1901-1929 CARLTON Mabel, 1860-1954, wife of Henry
Fred, d. 1927 Albert E., 1849-1932 Henry, 1868-1957
Ora Lindsey Austin, 1874-1961 De-Elsie-Ona Carlton, 1853-1941, Forest, 1913-1971
Charles, 1872-1950 wife of Albert DUSING
Burnis, d. 1931 CARMODY Reginald, 1904-1975
BABBITT Patrick, 1839-1924, of Co. C, 61st DUTTON
Catherine, 1870-1939 N.Y. Inf. Willie, 1878-1879, son of Phillip
Nora, 1878-1953 Catherine, 1848-1923 & Libbie
Henry, 1875-1967 CARTER Harley, 1888-1895, son of Phillip
Lloyd, 1887-1919 Frederick, 1909-1/31/1948 & Libbie
John, 1836-1928, son of Nathan & CHAFFEE Phillip B., 1850-1911
Sophronia Halloway Nellie, 1873-1944 Libbie, wife of Phillip, 1853-1928
Emma Adell, 1841-1929 George, 1868-1934, son of Charles Alanso, 1843-1911
Carrie A. Babbitt, 1862-1930, dau. Chaffee Louisa, 1850-1933, wife of Alanso
of John CHASE Lessie, 1872-1894, wife of Walter
Alice, 1858-1922 Leander, 1852-6/1/1930 Judd
Emma, 1854-1873 Almeda, 1853-1942 Pearl, 1880-1896
Amelia Slater Babbitt, 1832-1886, Mary, 1846-1924, wife of Oscar Irving, 1876-1953
wife of Jerome Oscar, 1838-1910, son of Issac & Alice, wife of Irving, 1880-1964
Jerome, 1823-1906 Sally Edwin E., infant, 1900-1901
Carrie, 1841-1859 Esther Hixon Chase, 1879-1949 Pearl, 1898-1899
David - no dates Ray, 1878-1946 Erwin, 1895-1896
Sophronia, 1810-1887 Isaac, 1811-1885 Rosabelle, 1860-1923
Nathan, 1808-1890 Sally, wife of Isaac, 1813-1865 Edwin, 1856-2/6/1936
BAKER CHOATE Amos, 1800-6/7/1881
Jacob, 1852-1880 Rowley D. d. 6/25/1930 son of Louise, d. 10/9/1885, aged 66y 7m
BAUER Horis Choate 27d, wife of Amos
Laverne, 1910-12/9/1976 Margaret, d. 5/3/1929, dau. of EASTLAND
BECKER Howel Jones Lewis, d. 1913
Maude Kelly, 1896-1917 Wallace M., 1848-1910 Ora, no dates
BENCHLEY Rosetta, d. 1929 Roy, 1884-1943, brother of Ora
E. Augusta, 1849-1939 CLARK Delia Spaulding, mother, no dates
Merritt, 1847-1925 Marvin S., d. 3/7/1946 ELY
Mary L., 1812-1892 Alida M., 1869-12/1944, wife Fannie, 1881-1972
Nathan, 1809-1865 Irving, d. 12/28/1949 EWELL
BEY Earl, 1888-1966 Albert,.1844-1923
Harold, 1905-1906 Schuyler, d. 3/24/1900, 35y9ml4d Phidenia Miller Ewell, 1840-1915
Fanny, 1876-1960 CLEMENSHIRE Clayton, 1874-1965
William, 1876-2/12/1945 Charles, 1843-1932 Dora, 1873-1926
BIDLACK Phena, his wife, 1856-1908 A.E. no date
Margarette, 1830-1912 Alanson, 1878-1955 FILKINS
BLAKESLEE Elizabeth, his wife, 1880-1967 Lester,-1813-1897
Amzi, 1889-1965 CLOR Lorinda Mead, 1830-1899
BOOTH Kevin, infant son of Arthur & Nellie, d. 1935
Charity, 1830-1906 Eileen Clor, 1970-1971 Almira, d. 1927
Ambrose, 1833-1910 COFIELD Elvira, d. 1927
Fred, d. 1920 Rosetta Perkins (Coefield), 1874- Samuel Mead, 1791-1885
Paul, 1931-4/13/1932, son of Grant 1941 FIRMAN
Booth George Cofield, 1866-1948 Emma, 1858-1938
BOOTHE Elizabeth, wife of P.H. Cofield, FOGARTY
Gaity (Guitry), 1835-1924 1829-1887 Delia, 1882-6/21/1949
James, 1835-1924 John, 1915-1971, son of George FREEMAN
Getta, d. 1924 Clifford, 1901-7/3/1974, son of Edith Shattuck, 2/27/1909-6/7/
Webster, d. 1928 George 1977
Flora W., 1869-1905 COLLARD FULLINGTON
Otto P., 1876-1954 Nettie, 1856-1899 George, 1883-1950
BOVENSKI COMSTOCK Jane, 1878-1919
Agusta, 1903-1970 Doris, 1903-1970 GAY
BOYKI Beverly, 1927-9/6/1948 Elisha Gay, 12/15/1835-12/4/1913
David, 7/1944-1960 (by drowning) CROSS son of Samuel Gay
BROTHERTON Ralph, 1897-1971 Harriet Smith Gay, 4/27/1833-9/
Lucy, mother of Walter J. Spauld- DAVIS 29/1911
ing, 1827-1902 Ina, 1883-1910 (continued on page 109)

APRIL 1978 PAGE 109
Dale Cemetery (continued)
Carl, 1/31/1871-11/1/1947
Mary Embt, 7/23/1875-6/5/1958
Elmer, 1/5/1862-7/7/1926, son of
Elisha
Lena Sikes Whaley Gay, 7/7/1876-
2/12/1962
GESSINGER
Elic, d. 1905
GOETZ
Emma, 1857-1886
GORMAN
J.N. 1815-1901
GREEN
Cassius, 1900-2/8/1977
GUERMONPREZ
Emile, 1868-1952
Jenny, 1871-12/30/1945
GUSSETT
Gottlieb, 1866-1947
Ella M. 1871-4/23/1932
HAIN
Susanne, d. 1876
Edna, 1976-6/2/1976, daughter of
Henry N.
Charles, 1914-1959
HAMMOND
Elizabeth Dutton H., 1853-1928
HAWKINS
Vance, 1900-1965
Gladys, 1902-
Giles, 1847-1903
Alice Judd H., 1850-1908
Leon, 1874-1/3/1948
Melody, 1949-1965
Annabel, 1879-1968
HAY
Delos, d. 1914
HAYES
Margaret, 1829-7/20/1934, aged
104y
HERON
Mabel Kelly H., 1888-1966, wife
of Richard
Richard, 1886-1964
Richard, infant, d. 5/20/1915
H1GGINS
Sophronia, 1811-1897
Adelia, 1826-1909
Clinton, 1831-1909
Francis, 1864-1904
Edith - no dates
L.L. Higgins, 1/25/1832-5/6/1914
Abbie, 3/29/1832-12/21/1892, wife
of L.L.
Leora, 1873-1875
Harlow, 1856-1887
Smith, 1824-1888
Adell, 1836-
HILL
Mary, d. 1970
HOGLE
John, 1804-1888
Polly, 1809-1883
Susann, 1848-1891, dau. of John
& Polly
HOWARD
Rufus - no date
Kathy Ann, 1817-1897
Elias, 1806-1888
Elizabeth, 1875-1958
Alvin, 1870-9/14/1948
Jennie - no dates
Harriet - no dates
HOWES
Ezekiel, 1827-1904
Elizabeth F&rrer H., 1829-1867,
wife of Ezekiel
Frank,1855-1926
John V., 1858-1926
Emma C., 1857-1945
George M., 1852-1936
JENKS
Ralph, 1903-1953
JOHNSON
Emily Swan J., 1833-5/13/1885;
wife of William
JONES
Samuel, 1806-1896
Rachel, 1818-1900
Catherine, 1794-1882,wife of Wm.
William, 1797-1854
Rowena Smith, wife of Howell,
1832-1918
Howell, 1831-1888
Fannie, 1871-1874, dau. of Howell
& Rowena
Sarah, 1841-1892
John, 1839-1913
William, 1811-1878
Elizabeth, 1806-1878
J. Arthur, 1875-1937
Barbara Kebler J., wife of J.
Arthur, 1872-1911
Paul, 1902-1922
JUDD
Caroline, 1835-1909,wife of Stephen
Stephen H., 1832-1910
Charles, 1856-10/3/1926
KEEBLER
Ina Smith K., 1864-1904
Frank, 1863-1933
Kate, 1841-1902, wife of John K.
John, 1839-1910
George, 1873-1893, sot of Kate
& John
KELLEY
Russell, 1813-1891
Rhoda,1818-1896
William H., 1860-1883, sonofRussell
KELLY
Judson, 1830-1906
Betsey, 1825-1910, wife of Judson
Orlando, 1801-1889
Rhoda, 1803-1887
Clara Smith K., 2/27/1860-6/7/
1914
Edwin O., 1860-1946, sonof Judson
Otis, d. 6/22/1923, son of Russell
Simeon, 1886-1915
Simeon O., 1843-1915
Eliza Jane, 1845-1895, wife of
Simeon O.
KENT
David, 1806-1869
Susie, 1802-1888
Adelia, d. 1/18/1893; age 53y
KEPLER
John, 1893-1977, husband of Julia
of Tonawanda
Julia. 1893-1976
KEPPEN
Helen,1852-1905
William, 1850-1908
Amanda, 1890-1921
KESSLER
Hazel, 1902-12/8/1918
Lawrence, 1906-11/26/1935
Emma, 1876-6/15/1920
Frank, 1877-1943
KORNOW
W. 1912-1959
LANE
Luana, d. 1913
LARMORE
Burt T., 1872-1908
LESTER
Flora, 1883-1946
LOOMIS
Dora L., 1853-1883, wife of H.M.
Loomis
Herbert M., 1856-1938
J. Morrill, 1828-1904
Mina M., 1828-1905
LYON
Frank,1853-1946
Jane 1851-
MALLISON
Alden, d. 1932, son of Solomon M.
Catharine, 1820-1902
---wife of Alden, d. 1926:daughter
of Anson & Sarah Miller Cole
Solomon M., 1818-1887
Harriet, 1823-1897
George, 1827-1912
Clarissa, 1826-1903; wife of George
C. Leon, 1882-1917
Frank,1856-1920
Alida Marie, 1832-1907
John R., 1831-1914
Marybelle, 1870-1938
Fred E., 1862-1952
P.M., d. 4/18/1932
---wife of P.M., 3/18/1932
H.W., no dates
MATTERN
Thomas, 1899, Easter Sunday 1944
(flag)
MAURER
Peter, 1876-1896
Kate, 1859-1940
George, 1855-1941
Elizabeth, 1839-1914 ~
Phillip, 1826-1887
Linda, 1872-4/23/1938, wife of
Philip J.
Philip J., 1865-1941
Anna May Mallison, 1892-1970
Clarence H., 1890-1949
MEAD
Samuel, 1791-1885
MEEDER
Hugh, 2/24/1913-3/2/1965
MERTZ
(continued on page 110)

PAGE 110
Dale Cemetery (continued)
Lawrence, 1918-1965
MC CADDEN
Mary, d. 1913
MC CAFFERY
Ruth, 1898-1950
MAC DONALD (MC DONALD?)
William, 1844-1922
Sarah, 1843-1916, wife
MILLER
Pearl, 1910-1972
Wilber, 1863-3/20/1934
Hattie, 1870-1950
Alanson, 1830-1915
Mrs. A., d. 9/2/1875, wife of
Alanson
Ralph, 1900-1969
Clara Nichols Miller, 1/31/1869-
9/12/1960
Dwight, 1867-9/9/1948
Russel, 1825-1908
Eliza, wife of Russel M., d.
12/28/1927
Mary S., 1834-1924, wife of Russel
M.
Elva, 1852-1955
Floyd, 1876-1956
Lewellen, 1856-1927
MONROE
Milo, 1887-1898
Sidney, 1804-1884
George, 1863-1945
Sarah Thomson M., 1834-1914, wife
of Edson B.
Edson, 1833-1916
Harriet Kemp M., wife of Sidney,
1812-1900
MULLEN
Marion (Dutton), 1907-1969,dau. of
Irving & Alice D.,wife of Warren
ren
Warren, 1906-1976, husband
NICHOLS
Samuel, 1820-1913
Fidelia D., 1819-1896, wifeofSamuel
Eugene S., 1855-1907
Samuel, d. 1914
Julia, 1830 - 7/1 /1884,wife of Zadock
J. Henry, 1826-1907
Zadock, 1824-1893
Lewis, d. 1897
Clarence, d. 1900
Calista, 1822-7/21/1839, dau. of
Zadock & Malina Marvin
Louisa, wife of J.Henry, 1837-1926
NESBITT
Henry,1882-1950
Merle, 1909-1939
OTT
Grace Weber 0., 1877-1969
Orrin, 1880-1955
Barbara O., infant 1963
OWENS
John, 1868-1910
Mae Fettis O., 1884-1960, wifeof
John
PARMENTER
Juliette, 1839-1910
Julius, 1875-1887
Rufus - no dates, buried about 1900
Mary - no dates, wife of Julius O.
PAQUETTE
Yvonne, 1898-1976
Bertha, 1893-1974
PECK
William B. 1806-1877
Permelia, 1802-1879
PERKINS
William, 1828-1898, his wife 1828-
1918
PFLAUM
Edwin, 1897-1969 children
Clara, 1892-1963 of August Pflaum
Lilly, 1863-7/17/1937, wife of
August
Christof, 1824-1900
Johanna, wife of Christof, d.
11/15/1885, age 59y 7m 13d
Eva, 1889-1918, step. dau. of John
Pflaum twins, buried 1911
Carl, 1890-10/28/1975
Bessie P., wife of Carl, 1892-
1/24/1975
August, 1863-1/31/1945
Mary S., no dates, wife of John
Henry, no dates, stepson
(Mrs. P.), d. 7/20/1927
John Pflaum, d. 1/4/1931
PHILLIPS
Levi, 1807-1879
Sarah, 1812-1879, wife of Levi
Adelia, 1842-1884, dau. of Levi
& Sarah
John, no dates
PLOWE
Elizabeth, 1904-1937
Fred, 1872-1945
Katherine Fay, 1932-1953
Margaret, 1870-1946
George, 1896-1965
POSTE
Charles W., 1900-1932, son of
George G. & Kate (Dutton)
George G., 1872-1936
George A., 1899-1971
Katie D., 1874-1935, wifeof George
G.
Infant, died 1944
Charles W., d. 1954
QUALE
James, 1787-1853
Mercy, 1788-6/21/1860, wife of
James
Moses, 1828-1836, son of James
& Mercy Q.
Marianne,1845-1862,dau. of James
& Mercy
Julia A. Moore, 1816-1889
John W., 1812-1892
Merritt H., no dates
RAUH
John d. 1949
RAUPP
Infant son of Gary & Dorothy Raupp
RIX
Lewis, 1849-4/12/1881
APRIL 1978
Elizabeth, 1853-1883, wifeof Lewis
R.
Mabel Smith Rix, d. 1962, dau. of
Loren Smith
Carl, 1876-1944
RONAN
Margaret, 1900-1952
RUTHERFORD
Frank,1909-1970
SCHENCK
Lee, 1882-4/16/1947
SCHNECKENBURGER
Ruby Meade S., 1894-1971
Ruby GayS.,2/25/1858-11/17/1938
dau. of Elisha Gay
John, 1858-12/17/1922
Ray S., 1891-1919 twin children
Roy S., 1891 -1892 of John & Ruby
SCHRANZ
Mrs. (?), d. 2/8/1946
SCHREIBER
Mary Smith, 1873-
SHATTUCK
Orrin M., 1830-1909
Cora Webster,10/9/1857-1/1/1937
Artemus, 10/7/1853-12/25/1932
George Webster, 1883-1909
Lysander, 1828-1886
Anna, 1830-1909
SHAY
Maude Cross, 1886-1966
Kenneth, 1878-6/2/1935
SHEPHERD
Infant son of Henry Shepherd,d. 1971
SMITH
Curt and Baby, children of Romanzo
Smith
John, 1868-1905
Charles, 1865-1939
Mary A. 1839-1926
Lamont, 1827-1906
Warren-1817-1904
Caroline, 1819-1906
Artie, no dates
David, no dates
Lovel E., 1874-1920
Henry, 1870-3/13/1873, son of J.
Monroe"& Frances
Fanny, d. 3/16/1884, age 76y, wife
of Hawley Smith
Mary L. Schreiber, 1873-?
J. Monroe, 2/12/1831-1915
Frances Johnson, wifeof J. Monroe
Lydia, 1806-1/19/1882, wife of
Henry, mother of J. Monroe
Henry, 1801-1867 (both were removed
from old cem. 11/1874)
Charlotte, 1852-12/1/1930, dau. of
M. Loomis
Edgar, 1850-4/13/1932, son of Orrin
Smith
Allie Vader Smith, 1858-1923
Loren,1853-1923
Orrin, 1824-1884
Lucinda, 1836-1889
Irving, 1861-1864 (moved from old
cem. 11/1874)
Edwin,1835-1920
(continued on page 111)

Dale Cemetery (continued)
Elizabeth, 1838-1919, wife of Edwin
Fanny Bailey Smith, 1808-1884,
wife of Hawley
Hawley, 1806-1884
Bert, son of Francis S.
Francis, 1845-1936, 18thN.Y. Battery
d. 2/24/1936, son of J. Monroe
& Frances J.
Rosavil Austin S., 1848-8/6/1907,
18th N.Y. Battery Y
Frank E., 1858-1941, son of Edwin
Ida Bolton S., 1858-1960
Franklin R. Smith, (moved from
old cem. in 1874)
Rettie, 1858-1940
Charles W. 1858-8/24/1931
George W., 1826-11/12/1888
SMYTHE
Don, d. 1968
Mildred, 1898-1962, wife
SPAULDING
Walter, 1848-1917
SPINK
Arthur,1882-1963
Rosabelle Weber, 1884-1959
STARR
Rev. L.B.1822-8/18/1875,husband
of Mary B. Starr
STONES
Miral Burdette, 1902-7/15/1931,
veteran of WWI, Hdq. Co. 108 Reg.
Inf.
Lawrence, d. 1956
SWAN
Clara Benchley, 1883-1977
Merton, 1866-1955
Lucy Chaffee S., 1845-1920 (wife
of Joseph)
Joseph B., 1839-1926
Eliza Chaffee Swan d. 4/2/1876,
age 71y
Alonzo, 1823-1907
Emeline, 1826-1890
Amos, 1801-1875
William, d. 11/16/1911
Eliza Chaffee Swan, wife of Amos S.
Charles, 1870-1924
Frances, 1844-1921
Henry A., 1842-1902
C. Milan, 1878-1961
Alberta, 1912-1913, du. of Clara
Swan
George H., 1883-1918
Elizabeth, 1885-1965
Clifford, 1903-1905
TABOR
Charles H., 1843-1916
Alice Loomis Taber, 1849-1924
Roy, 1884-1968
George, 1853-1944"
Minnie Tabor Perry, dau. of George
T. 1880-11/19/1947, wife of Charles
Perry
Ida Tabor, 1859-1924
Bertha, 1885-
TAKACH
Stella, 1888-1960
John, 1888-1964
THOMSON
Charles D. Thomason, 2/12/1837-
4/14/1907
Art Eliza Spring Thomson, d. 4/2/
1929
Edward Thomson, 10/6/1859-1/8/
1896, son of Charles & Art Eliza
S.P.
Isabelle Miller Thomson, wife of
Edward T., d. 1894
Florence Gay T., dau. of Elisha
Gay - no date
George, 2/17/1879-9/25/1961
Clarence, 2/5/1882-6/15/1975
Grace Bush Thomson, 11/28/1886-
1965
Jeffrey Thomson, infant - 1970
Everett T., son of Ray, 4/24/1912-
1/29/1953
Elsie Danforth T., 7/30/1887-1965
C. Ray Thomson, 5/16/1885-10/
26/1974, son of Edward
Ithai, 6/9/1832-12/20/1921
TIEDE
Mrs. Katherine 1912-
Henry, 1910-1969
UNDERWOOD
Flora Smith Underwood, 1865-
8/30/1938, wife of George
George .Underwood, 1862-1921
Minerva L. Clark, d. 6/25/1883,
age 57y 9m 47d, wife of Schuyler
VADER
Flora, 1860-1941
Frank, 1860-1926
Floyd, 1881-1918
Julia Ann, 1830-1914
Julius, 1830-1918
VAN ALLEN
Lutte (Swan) VA, 1826-1894
VAN BUREN
Florence, 1901-1965
VANDERHEYDEN
Daniel, 1833-1913
Chloe, 1839-1921, wife of Daniel
VORMONG
Lois, 1877-12/13/1949
WALDRON
Katherine. 1856-1940
William, 1860-1947
WEBER
Glenna,1891-1959
Edwin, 1891-1967
Frank,1/9/1888-9/3/1888
George P., 1858-1893
Harvey, 1875-10/26/1948
Florence, 1874-8/14/1946
Henry, 1847-3/1919
Infant son of Henry W. (no date)
Wilhelmina, 1834-5/1/1890, wife
of George
George,1828-4/30/1890
Irving, 1876-1961
Irma. 1881-1960
Lillian, 1915-1962
Charles, 1817-1901
Catherine, 1818-1888
Charles, no date
Arthur, 1884-1965
Ruth, 1918-1961
WEBSTER
Jane Smith W., 1824-1874
John M. d. 1874, both moved from
old cem. in 1874
Grant & Elmer, twin sons of Jane
S. & John, d. of scarlet fever
(Grant 5/30, Elmer 7/5/1875)
Adelia Shattuck W., 1846-1876
Eulalia J., dau. John M. & Sarah
Jane, d. 8/1/1856, age 12y lm
WHALEY
Charles M., 1822-1888
Eunice, 1818-1890, wife of Charles
Melvin, d. 1938
William, 1816-1878
Emma E., 1851-4/7/1915
Remington, 1851-1885
George, 1826-1875
Jane, 1825-1904, wife of Simeon
Hiram B., 1835-1896
Nettie Miller, 1864-1941, wife of
Hiram, parents of Bessie W.
Pflaum
Mary Ruth, 1890-1947 dau.
George B., d. 4/30/1890, age 62y
WHEELER
Bertha Smith Wheeler, 1877-1957,
wife of Henry
W. Henry Wheeler, 1878-1958
Monroe Wheeler. 1912-1922, son of
Bertha & W. Henry W.
Edith, no dates
Forest, no dates
WIDMER
Alvine (Alaime ?), 1887-1904
WILKIE
Albert, 1906-1969
Infant daughter of Ida and Albert
Wilkie - no date
WINCHESTER
Charles W., 1856-1927
Luella R., 1856-1932
Kate, 1880-1921
Noel, 1883-1939
Leon, 1881-1927
Evaline, 1906-1927
William, 1875-1958, Spanish Am.
War Veteran
Dora Schenck W., 1880-1962
Alice Shattuck W., 1883-1/22/1974
WINNEY
Lewis B., 1850-1925
Rose Judd W., 1858-5/3/1933, wife
of Lewis
Emily, 1828-1898
Henry, 1818-1875
WILSON
James, 1903-1976
WOLCOTT
John, 1851-1919
Mary, 1856-1932, wife of John
Mary, 1886-1886, dau. of John &
Mary W.
Florence, 1910-
Harry, 1888-1942

PAGE 112
SUBJECT INDEX TO VOL XXIV
Attica Historical Society. 40th .75-76
Avery, Susan Look 57-64
Ayer, Oliver, Missionary Journal 19
Barber, Raymond 80
Barnes, Katherine 97
Bennington, Bee Hive 7-8
Bishop. Lewis H 40-41,44-49
Bliss, Rural Delivery. 11
Castile Historical House 97
Castile Historical Society, 25th 38-39
Civil War Letters, Java 77-80
Cemeteries
Dale, newer 107-111
Restoration 9,42-43
St. Cecilia's 20-28.49-50,80-81
St. Joseph 80-84,92
Varysburg 53-56
Colton, Rev. Chester, Missionary Journal. . .18-19
Covington
Schoolhouse 1, 65
Historical Society, 25th 36-38
County Historian's Office 9-10, 39, 80.100
Danley's Corners 7
Douglass, Harry S.
Early Rural Schools 1-7
Early Letters from Java 105-107
Foote, Glenn 11
French, Robert M 93-96
Griffith Pioneer House, Pike 93-95
Hillside, Avery Family 59.62,64
Photos 70-71
Historical Societies
Arcade 8.97
Attica 8,75.97
Castile 38,75,97
Covington 1, 36, 100
Java 8,97
Middlebury 8, 64, 97
Holland Purchase Journal 18-20
Indians
APRIL 1978
Iroquois Myths; 51-52
Medicinal Plants 12,17
Java, Memories of 85-92
Jemison, Mary, pageant 38
Jeffres, Thomas 75
Kirk, Jane 57-64
Lyon, Florence 17
LaGrange
Baptist Church 1, 65-69
Schoolhouse 1 -7, 74
Merle, Rev. William 101-105
Middlebury, Amzi Wright's Tavern 12
Hillside 59. 70-71
Milestones 11 -12, 76. 96
Moag, Imogene 36-38
Mother Shipton's Prophecy .107
Murphy, Mr. & Mrs. J.L 75
Necrology 8-9,39,77,92
Oatka, Settlement (Warsaw) 29-36
Baptist Church 29-31
Paddock, Earl 72-74
Pike, Pioneer Living 93-95
Portageville Flood 9
Queries 10,-77,105
Richardson, C. Kihm 85-92
Schools, District & Early Rural 1-7,13-16
Smallwood, Estelle L 51-52
Spencer, Norma C 29-36
Steel, Samuel, of Java Village 80
Strykersville, Memories of 85-92
War of 1812 40-41,44-49
Welker, A.B 7-8
Whiting, Sarah, Wyo. Co. Famous Astonomer. .100
Wyoming County, 1st Saw Mills 76-77
Fair 17
District Schools 1 -7,13-16
Pioneer House 93-95
Wright, Amzi; Daybook 12
Wyoming Gaslighters Yorker Club 97