Guilford News and Views

2011-04-07T12:58:00.000-04:00

Had a wonderful 3 day vacation attending the Association of Public Historians of NY State conference in Elmira. Tom was recognized by the many historians of different counties and townships of the state for his work on projects and publications. So the Guilford Township Historian was surprised with the award and thanks to APHNYS and the hosts in Elmira for a great 3 days.

Sibley Family Mysteries

2011-02-14T22:16:00.007-05:00

David Ebenezer Sibley

Possibly Reverend Charles Sibley

Sometimes there are mysteries that one is doing everything, including a blog, to solve. I could also do Facebook but, this is better and we're linked anyway. The Sibley family in Guilford begins with David Ebenezer Sibley who lived in Rockdale, Town of Guilford. He was born in Jamaica, W.I. His father was Charles Sibley born in England. He went to Jamaica and became a preacher. Reverend Charles Sibley was married three times and had 2 children by the first wife and had 9 by the second and 7 by the third. He outlived the first two wives. The older children were David E., Robert and Agnes. Charles also had a son William Peto Sibley. Also his children were Mrs.Barron (Emma Isabel), and Mrs Hannah Elizabeth Turner. He had a sister that was the first wife of Rev. George Richard Henderson (Emma Elizabeth Sibley). Charles went with them to Jamaica. His son William Peto was also a minister and died in Jamaica. Is there anyone out there that may have more information on the Sibley families? We now have some of the answers to some questions written above. Who were the parents of Charles has been answered (Robert and Elizabeth Sibley)but what was Elizabeth's maiden name?. They were still in England. Maybe this blog will reach Jamaica and England and someone there has the answers. By the way, they were Baptists and I know from "The Annual Report of the Jamaican Baptist Union for 1901" that the Reverend Charles Sibley died in Jamaica April 11th, 1901 leaving a wife and 6 little children.

The Civil War

For 2011 GHS would like to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War. One of our members, Bruce (last name with held) has spent hours researching the Albany Library for men who were born in Guilford, NY, or lived here, or enlisted her, or died here or buried here. These men with those connections will be honored in some way within the four years commemoration. It does not matter what regiment they served in. In fact we had one man who went to Georgia on business and was conscripted by the Confederates. he bought his way out and the Confederates conscripted him again. With no money left, he served. In fact a piece in the local paper years later talked about a clothes line where two uniforms were airing out hanging side by side, one blue and one gray. His Uncle wore the Blue. If anyone has information of the families of these men or pictures we would love to scan the pictures and include some family information on the sheets we are making for each one. I should say our member Bruce is doing.

Comments please!!

2010-11-20T21:02:00.001-05:00

Everyone has a story, so they say. We know you have one too! I have the GHS stories here for you to read and it is linked to Facebook so you get a shot one way or another. What I am wondering is, don't any of you have a comment to add? It would be nice to know if you are enjoying what you read and maybe you have some suggestions of what you would like to see on the blog. You may even have something to share that I can put on here. "This blog's for you". Just click on the comment box at the bottom of each article and a box will open for you to type in. It's free and easy.

Going the Extra Mile

2010-11-05T19:32:00.002-04:00

Family history has it rewards, not only the research one does that brings to light an ancestor of your own, but helping someone else find theirs is just as rewarding. I recently had the experience of helping a family find a fellow who had been killed in an explosion of a steam boat, Jenny Lind, in California in 1853. His body had been returned to Guilford a few years later. John Bradbury, Caleb Winsor and Benjamin Twitchell were all out there and had been buried out there. Ben's wife Sophia decided she wanted her husband returned home for burial and paid to have all three brought back. Newspaper articles were a great source of this information. The researcher, I'll call her Claire, of the Bradbury family had no idea that John had died in that explosion. I just had to let her know and tell her where he ended up. Since then so much more has happened as a result. Claire finds more information everyday as to where they were interred in San Francisco and more articles that describe the explosion. Now one good turn...well Claire was in touch with a Becky. Becky had purchased a musketball 10 years ago on ebay. The musketball had the following attached inscription:
"This iron ball within must be very old - Charlton and a carpenter found it embeded into a timber when they were working on the Mickle farm house (upon the hill) from Mt. Upton. They found it years ago."
Claire gave Becky our email and Becky donated it to the historical society. If this ball could only talk!!

Here's a photo of the farm from whence it came.

Rockwell Mills Cerificate

2010-10-16T11:29:00.000-04:00

Here is the certificate. It took over 3 years to get all the research done. Many hours at the county office building researching deeds but look what has happened. The first historic district for the Town of Guilford. Congratulations to GHS and the Town!!!

Facebook-We are there too!

2010-09-29T11:15:00.000-04:00

Be sure to check us out on facebook.http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=336708831980&ref=ts
We are anxious to gain friends and members. Help us to gain 250 members by the end of the year.
Just print and fill out the attached membership form and mail to Guilford Historical Society
Box 201

Guilford, NY

Hamlet of Rockwell Mills on the National Historic Register

2010-09-29T10:54:00.000-04:00

Guilford Historical Society and the Town of Guilford are proud to announce that the hamlet of Rockwell Mills is now the first historic deemed district for the Town of Guilford. The entire project took over three years to complete with researching deeds and the history of the mill and the area in general. Tom Gray, Guilford Town Historian, took on a great deal of the research and with the help of a $2000 grant from the Preserve New York Grant Program part of the Preservation League of New York State, Jessie Ravage was hired as a consultant to complete the nomination documentation. On the 13th of September a letter was received by GHS from the New York State Office of Parks and Historic Preservation that as of August 30th Rockwell Mills was declared an historic district on the State and National Register of Historic Places. The National Register is the nation’s official list of properties worthy of preservation.
Such a designation recognizes the importance of these properties to the history of our country and provides them with a measure of protection. In addition, owners of income producing property may qualify for federal income tax benefits. Properties owned by municipalities and not-for-profit organizations are eligible to apply for state historic matching grants.
With this announcement, GHS is celebrating the above at our annual dinner and you are cordially invited to attend on Oct. 7, 2010, 6 PM at the Old Mill Restaurant on Route 8.
Dinner Menu: Cheese and Crackers, Salad Tray and Assorted Rolls. You also have the choice of the following entrees: Chicken Old Mill, Coconut Shrimp, Honey Mustard Pecan Chicken, Broiled Haddock, Ham with Pineapple. Your waitress will ask for you choice of entrée. No need to indicate your choice before the dinner. Dinner includes dessert, coffee and tea. Other drinks separate.
Following the dinner there will be short presentations highlighting this great designation for a hamlet of the Town of Guilford.
Please reserve your place by calling (607) 895-6532, email: tgray002@stny.rr.com or call (607) 334-4155. We request your response by October 4th, 2010.

Rockwell Mills-today looking East on Rt. 8

An older view of the hamlet when rt. 8 was a dirt road

The State and National District Map

The Old Mill Restaurant

Rare Photos to be Displayed at Fun-Fest

2010-08-10T22:32:00.002-04:00

by Tom Gray Town Historian

A number of rare photos of businesses that existed in the hamlet of Guilford will be on display at Guilford’s Fun-Fest Day Aug. 21st from 9 AM to 3 PM by the Guilford Historical Society in the large tent on the lawn on Main St. For over five years committee members have been researching the growth of the hamlet and the other hamlets of the town collecting photos shared by residents and others to add to the town’s archives.

The first business to open on Main St. was Dibble’s Tavern in 1808. This was expanded to be the Guilford House, a tavern and hotel in the 1850’s. A glass negative from the Civil War period that has been digitally converted captures this time period. Other interesting old photos on display reflect the present buildings that remain on Main St. such as the Bunnell estate, the Episcopal and Methodist Churches, Dr. Clark’s residence, the old Town Hall, the Merchant and Cable properties to name a few. Other photos include the Sherwood, Totman, Scolfield, Drachler and Burlison general stores.

It was Niram Merchant and Andrew Bradbury who formed a partnership in 1845 and opened the first foundry on Furnace Hill Road. The growth of the “Iron Works” and its inventions and resulting US Patents issued propelled the growth of new enterprises that never existed before “iron came to Guilford.” Metal waterwheel gearings, plows, stoves etc. made in machine shops and sold in stores on Main St. were now available. New farm machinery resulted as well as new wagons; sleighs and cages were just a few of these new products that produced area economic development.

With the arrival of the railroad in 1870 other businesses grew. Clothing and drug stores lined the busy Main St. and two hotels welcomed guests that now arrived by train. The milk and dairy industry grew as well as the feed and coal businesses, as the O & W trains arrived to transport Guilford’s products throughout New York and other states. These changes can be seen in the photo collections that will be on display. Also included in the society’s displays will be rare photos of old farms that were the backbone of Guilford’s growth throughout the centuries.

Stop by our tent on Aug. 21st and share with us our fascinating history. If you have any old photos, bring them along. We will have a scanner available so you can keep your treasures but, know you added to our town’s history. One mystery that has not been solved concerns the Guilford Iron Works. Only a sketch in an old newspaper shows the building that contained a two story machine shop and adjacent to it the “Furnace” structure where the crude iron was processed. The first photographer of Guilford was Purley Merchant, brother of Andrew Merchant who owned the Iron Works after his father died. Purley made the glass negatives of Main St in the 1860’s but where is the photo of his family’s business? The Iron Works endured until 1919 but no photos of it have surfaced. If you have a photo of the foundry, bring it with you to share with us and you will be the first one who solved the mystery and bring home a free gift from our society.

Sorry, Computer malfunction

2010-02-11T09:58:00.008-05:00

Walter Cronkite

Fred and Portland Allen

Leo Carrillo...AKA Poncho

The Old Mill Restaurant

Rockwells Mills

I feel really bad that I haven't updated since last August. I haven't been able to get on the blog. I could bring it up but not sign into our account. So, today I am on the laptop. Hurrah!! Access.

Now for the update.

What do Leo Carrillo, Fred Allen and wife and Walter Cronkite have in common?

Answer: They all came and ate at the Old Mill Restaurant. In fact Fred and Portland helped lay the corner stone when an addition was added to the building. How cool is that? You may ask how do you know that? They signed the guest book and photos of Fred and Portland were taken with the divider stones which appeared in local papers. Of course only us oldsters would remember those famous people, but we know the Old Mill in Rockwell's Mills. And speaking of Rockwells Mills, the GHS received a grant to help put the hamlet of Rockwells Mills on the NYS historic register. It's a tedious process. We have been researching deeds to provide information of who may have owned the homes before the Civil War up until the mill closed in the early 1900's. Then a comparison to be done of the names of those folks who owned the property to who may have been mill employees. So, if and when you may be or live in the area stop at the Old Mill Restaurant. They will be open in April. As you enter, you are entering the portion that was part of the original mill. Then begin to reminisce of days gone by. If your not a history buff and even if you are you will still be delighted with the delicious meal and the excellant service, just as the old timers above were. To learn more of this history contact us about a book "The Mill and the Mansion" written by Tom Gray, Guilford Town Historian. GHS, Box 201, Guilford, NY 13780.

Guilford Community Fun-Fest Aug 22, 2009

2009-08-04T21:33:00.005-04:00

This could be Yours!!

Fun-Fest

Some of the photos of Farming to be displayed at the Klee House by GHS

Guilford Community Day is back with a new name. Now known as the Guilford Community Fun- Fest, it is hoped that this year is bigger and better than ever before. You won’t believe all that is in store for you August 22nd from 9:00 in the morning all the way through until 10:00 pm. Yes that’s right! 10:00 at night. However, most of the activities take place from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Included in that time frame are: Number One: House tours. There will be approximately 5 or 6 homes to tour. There is a charge. Meet at the Methodist Church at 10:00 am to begin a fantastic voyage through some of the beautiful homes of Guilford.

Number 2 on the list are Crafters and Vendors lining Main St. and the Methodist Church. Get your Christmas shopping done early with wonderful hand crafted items including jewelry, wood crafts and Indian crafted items and much more. Along the same line at the Methodist Church the Church Ladies have organized a White Elephant sale, basket extravaganza and home made candy sale. There will also be a quilt show there. So, bring your hand crafted quilts or antique quilt and description and/or history thereof and be eligible for a prize for the most favorite quilt.

It’s not without saying, that the Guilford Garage/Lawn sales play an important part in the usual community day events and this year is the same. So be prepared to wander the streets of Guilford and be sure to pick up a map of where they are located at the Methodist Church or the Klee House next to the stone church. Anyone who is having a sale and wish to be on the map contact Elaine Pikul at (607) 895-6325.

We are now up to number 3. A cancellation stamp has been designed for the day. Take your letters and cards to the Guilford Post Office window to receive the special Community Day Fun-Fest cancellation stamp. Hours are 8:00-12:00.

The fourth item, not to be missed, is at the Klee House-next to the stone church. The Guilford Historical Society is sponsoring a great display of Guilford Farming. The display is intended as a salute to the farmers of yesterday and today with photos depicting some of the old and new farming technologies. It is an on going project for GHS and we are still in the process of collecting farming photos. If you have any old and/or new photos, please bring to the Klee House for us to scan. The GHS will also be selling the Guilford Crocks and Guilford history books. There will also be raffles during the day. There is a 50-50, a jewelry box, 3 beautiful hand-made afghans and a calf. Yes, that’s right a real calf. The tickets for these items will be available at the Klee House and the Methodist Church. The GHS also would like to help in supporting the Klee House as it is a great place for many groups to meet. There will be a novelty table set up with many unique (antique and new) items for sale to support the Klee House overhead.

During all the activities you may feel hunger pains and have we got a deal for you. Stop in at the Guilford Firehouse for their famous BBQ Chicken and the Methodist Church for your salads and baked beans. If you prefer hot dogs, hamburgers or sausage, those too are available at the Methodist Church. Also, be sure to check out the Farmers market for home-grown produce.

Now last but not least, is the reason for the 10:00 pm close of the day’s events. For a donation of a non-perishable food item as admission, box or canned good, you may enter the Methodist Church at 6:00 pm and attend a dance. The dance will be emceed by our very own Guilford DJ, none other than Scott Parsons. From 6:00 to 10:00 you can dance the night away to all your old favorite tunes and feel your youth come back, at least for awhile, and know you had the best time at the Guilford Fun-Fest and who knows, you may take home a prize or two besides all the goodies you bought.

Haynes Hotel by Tom Gray

2009-02-09T21:33:00.004-05:00

Milk Can
Shelton's hardware sign
2nd floor rooms
When Paul and Betsey lived there
Haynes Hotel 1900

In January at our regular monthly meeting, Guilford Town Historian Tom Gray presented the following history with photos using power point.

History of the Haynes Hotel
Jan. 2009

The Haynes Hotel lasted for 70 years from 1840 to 1910.It was sold to Mr. Richards who sold to Ralph Shelton in 1918. Ralph made the hotel into a Hardware Store buying goods from Frank Yale.

When it was hotel, the first floor had an entryway and to the right was the barroom. There was also a parlor with a piano. A milliner from Norwich came in the spring and fall to display her hats etc. on the piano. The second floor had 10 guestrooms. The third floor had 5 smaller guestrooms and appears from the construction there were at one time dormers for each room. Around 1900 an addition was added to the back of the hotel with more rooms to accommodate an increase in business. There was also a carriage house in the back of the hotel that later served as a garage. An acetylene generator in the back of the hotel supplied lighting for the hotel. The gas was piped into the hotel rooms using two inch copper pipes. In the hotel were many large scenic and historic paintings elaborated framed. There was also a framed painting of an Indian that was perhaps used as a tobacco sign.

The rooms on the second floor were converted into small apartments in the early part of the 20th Century. Ruth and Glenn Trip rented one apartment. Glenn was the O&W station agent at that time. The second apartment was rented by Earl and Nettie (Kniffen)) Murray. Earl worked for the town and was also a clerk in Totman’s Store.

Ralph Shelton had his Hardware Store from 1918 until his death in 1966. His son, Paul Shelton then took it over and continued the hardware business. When County Route 35 was being completed through Guilford in 1971 the building was moved back by Dexheimer Movers and the back section of the hotel was demolished. The hardware store closed around 1975. Since then and until the death of Paul and his wife Betsy it was kept as a residence. As of 2009 it was up for sale.

In the summer and fall of 2008 I was invited by the family to tour the building and take photos. As a result, Fred Shelton, son of Paul and Betsy, donated a number of artifacts to the Guilford Historical Society.

“Great Graves” Topic of Guilford Historical Society Social

2009-01-28T10:28:00.002-05:00

Join the GHS for a great presentation by author Chuck D’Imperio on the “Great Graves of Upstate New York”. It all takes place on Saturday, February 14th at the Guilford United Methodist Church at 12:00 - 3:00. There will be socializing and luncheon from 12:00 to 1:00 with the presentation beginning at 1:00. The program highlights Chuck’s research for his book and his presentation of the subject is sometimes funny although the topic seems grim. As we know, many people, as we have done, actually enjoy strolling through a cemetery. There are few spots as peaceful and well kept, and they can lend the visitor a sense of the past and thoughts of eternity. They can also teach about history and biography. It's amazing who you can meet there (in a manner of speaking).

Chuck D'Imperio has visited cemeteries large and small across upstate New York. His quest (he refers to it as a hobby) began after the interment of his 99-year old grandfather at Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira, just down the path from Mark Twain. Soon Chuck was plodding through small country graveyards and leafy, expansive memorial gardens across upstate New York to find the notable as well as those noteworthy but forgotten. His book “Great Graves of Upstate New York” tells about seventy legendary individuals, from actresses Lucille Ball (buried in her hometown of Jamestown) and Helen Hayes (in her adopted community of Nyack) to industrialists George F. Johnson (Endicott) and Andrew Carnagie (Sleepy Hollow), writer Rod Sterling (Interlaken), aviator Glenn Curtiss (Hammondsport) and abolitionist Harriet Tubman (Auburn).

Some of the persons profiled by D'Imperio had obvious ties to New York, like author James Fenimore Cooper (Cooperstown) and Governor Samuel Tilden (New Lebanon). But there are also many whose New York connection is not often appreciated. The Wells Forgo stagecoaches opened America's western frontier and the company is still headquartered in San Francisco, but William Fargo (Buffalo) and Henry Wells (Aurora, close to the campus of Wells College, which he founded) started their business with a delivery route between Albany and Buffalo.

“Big Chuck” D’Imperio (who is alive and well and living in Oneonta) is a broadcaster and writer. He and his wife Trish also operate Cooperstown Walks providing guided tours of that historic village.

The author spent a decade touring upstate cemeteries to write "Great Graves of Upstate New York.”. So join us February 14th at 12:00 noon to 3:00 at the Guilford Methodist Church for a free luncheon, socializing, raffles-valentine cake and more, displays and GHS sale items.

Report on the Wreath Project

2009-01-06T10:11:00.004-05:00

At last nights meeting Tina showed photos of the wreath laying. Betsey Murray was chair person of the project,Tina Cemetery Committee chair, Scott president of the society, and Dave Hubbard, Veteran project chair. Thanks to them for enduring the cold to place the wreaths that Betsey collected. A great project with a lot of meaning. The following is a report from Scott and Tina.
Scott's Report:
As you all know, our latest project was inspired by the national Wreaths across America program. The program’s goal was to place a wreath on as many veterans’ graves as possible on Saturday, December 13, 2008 at 12:00 pm. Since this was pretty much an impossible goal, GHS decided to place the wreaths on the gates of the major cemeteries within both Guilford and Mount Upton.
GHS was first introduced to the project at our November, 2008 meeting when Doris Camp, President of the VFW Post 1371 Ladies Auxiliary, gave a brief presentation. Immediately after the presentation, Betsy Murray volunteered to start collecting donations. Tom Gray prepared a letter to take to local businesses asking for donations, and the group did obtain two wreaths from Pires Flower Basket in Norwich. Wilma wrote an article to put in the local papers to increase project awareness. The group set a date of December 10 as the cutoff point for donations, although there were more after that. It was stressed in the article that anybody who wanted to participate was welcome to do so, and if they desired to place a wreath on a grave of a loved one, that too was encouraged.
As November moved along, Tina, who is head of the GHS Cemetery Committee, indicated that she would like to participate in the laying of the wreaths at the cemeteries. She actually set our itinerary because she’s familiar with all the local cemeteries.
As head of the GHS Veterans Committee, David Hubbard also became involved in the project. He became aware of a wreaths sale at Lowe’s, where he works, and made us aware of it. Through him, we purchased five wreaths total for the project.
By December 10, the project had seventeen wreaths to place at local cemeteries. Two of the wreaths were made by Ruth Tompkins, and five came from Lowe’s. The main source for wreaths however, came from a trio of friends, Joanne Gray, Michelle Gray, and Helen Ritchey. Their contribution to the project was a total of eight wreaths, all homemade!
A few days before Wreath Day, as I called it, Betsy brought up a very important point. She thought that it would be a good idea to identify the wreaths as having come from GHS. As a result, Mary Ellen Parsons, Shirley and David Hubbard created an identification tag to attach to the wreaths. David created the cards and printed them out, while Mom, Shirley and Betsy put them on the wreaths. Betsy’s idea was to put the tags in little sandwich bags and then seal them, thereby keeping them dry. Once they figured out how to put them all together, the three ladies went to work just like an assembly line!
By the arrival of Saturday, December 13, 2008, the Wreaths Committee met at 9:30 AM to begin our journey. Tina’s excellent summary describes our trek out into the cold and snow to go to the main cemeteries around Guilford and Mount Upton. Fortunately, Tina and David both took their cameras, thereby enabling us to take pictures at each spot where a wreath was placed. It was truly an exciting and humbling experience to honor our local veterans. David had to leave us shortly after noon because he had to go to work, so Tina, Betsy and I carried on with the project, but we didn’t finish it completely. After our fun, we returned back home, and all thawed out with hot chocolate and cookies. It was a perfect end to a picture perfect day.
Tina's report:
On December 13, 2008 the Guilford Historical Society celebrated their first Cemetery Wreath Project. Modeled after the Wreaths Across America concept we
decided to honor our deceased veterans as well as our historical cemeteries this holiday season. In 12 degree weather on an icy Saturday morning, GHS president Scott Parsons, veteran David Hubbard, cemetery chair Tina Pabst, and GHS member and project head Betsy Murray set out on their mission. Armed with 19 wreaths, they spent 4 1/2 hours and traveled 45 miles to accomplish their goals. Wreaths were placed in the Guilford and Mt. Upton parks, as well as Sunset Hill, Gospel Hill, Yaleville, Yale, Cooper, Ives Settlement, East Guilford, Maplewood, Lady Upton, North Guilford, Godfrey, Guilford Center,and Dorman cemeteries. It was both a lot of fun and a time for reflection. The cemeteries were beautiful with the sparkly snow and ice encrusted tree branches. In a small way we acknowledged the huge sacrifices of our ancestors, pioneers, and current veterans.
Thanks to all who donated wreaths and their time. It was much appreciated.

Be sure to view the following video and click on the sound to turn on and you can view it full screen. Many thanks to Tina for the photos. This may be the first year for the project and hopefully will continue as a yearly event.

Wreath Laying

2009-01-05T20:16:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year from the Guilford Historical Society

2008-12-30T11:44:00.006-05:00

This is an actual Christmas Card received from Marlene O'Connell and her sister and mother. I think it is very reflective of our society and our area. What do you think? Also, we wish to express a hearty welcome to Marlene and her family as lifetime members! We also welcome Diana Heeman as a new member. Our membership is growing and local members are doing wonderful things to record the history of Guilford. Even those members that are a distance away (Many thanks Bruce) from Guilford participate when they can not attend meetings as they live too far away. We have collected many genealogies of which the last was the Sherwood ancestry. Many thanks to Lynn for the research and providing it. This was a great find as a few years ago we had another from the same family that provided photos so connecting the dots was exciting to put the two families together.

Another newly joined member had her ancestry on the Internet. As a result of a contact with her, a relative they joined also. Thanks Louise for sharing and adding Mr. & Mrs. Pearsall to our membership list.

Speaking of our membership list. Many of you do not realize how many are from other states. We have members from Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Washington, Delaware, Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois, Arizona, Virginia, California, Florida, D.C., Utah, Michigan, and South Carolina. Many of you have contributed your genealogy to our files and also contributed photos of ancestors. I truly love the photos of the past residents of Guilford and they are really beneficial to our cemetery research.

Cemetery research and the committee headed up by Tina have done a great job. You saw the last piece on collecting cemetery wreaths to remember our veterans. Well, Betsy collected 17 wreaths, wow! That was terrific and thanks to all who contributed. At our January meeting we will find out how the placement of the wreaths went. Without all these volunteers on the special project committees we would never be able to produce such great results for our community.

So everyone contributes in some manner one way or another. Many thanks to all. We wish everyone a Happy New Year.

Guilford Historical Society Honors Veterans on December 13th

2008-12-02T09:57:00.003-05:00

With praise for a successful Memorial Day this year, the Guilford Historical Society is still in "the mood". Therefore, this small non-profit organization has under taken the project Operation Christmas Wreaths. It was decided to memorialize our Guilford deceased veterans by placing Christmas wreaths on the Town of Guilford major cemeteries, one per each this year. At least eleven are needed to place on the gates or fences of these cemeteries with two at each of the Memorials in Mt. Upton and Guilford.
GHS realizes the sacrifices of our veterans and their families and this is a small way to express our appreciation. However, we need help from our community and area communities and individuals with donations of wreaths or a donation to purchase a wreath. The wreaths or money may be donated in the name of an individual family member you may wish to remember.
The cemeteries scheduled at this time are Maplewood in Mt. Upton, Sunset Hill in Guilford, Godfrey Cemetery, North Guilford Pioneer Cemetery, Cooper Cemetery, Yaleville Cemetery, Ives Settlement Cemetery, East Guilford Cemetery, and Guilford Center Cemetery. There are 22 cemeteries in Guilford and with more wreath donations we can include some of the smaller family cemeteries.
GHS would also like to invite you to attend the wreath laying on December 13th at each or one of the locations. We welcome all veterans and veteran organizations and families to attend. Anyone wishing to place their own personal wreath on a loved ones grave is also invited to do so at this time. For more information and to donate please call (607) 895-6131 or (607) 895-895-6660 by December 10th. All are welcome who wish to participate in the day’s event.

GHS Oldest Member Celebrates 101 years

2008-11-19T18:20:00.003-05:00

Can you imagine the changes in history that Wilhelmina Greene Henley has seen. Born on November 10th, 1907, she has lived through World War I through the present day war and just imagine the changes in innovation and inventions not to mention changes in society. Fondly known as "Willie" by many Guilford residents, she was a teacher in Guilford Central School and later in the Bainbridge -Guilford elementary school in Guilford. She retired in 1972.

Willie graduated from Oneonta Normal School and obtained her teaching degree from Albany while teaching in Troy, NY. On July 31, 1933, in a small chapel in Los Angeles, California, Miss Greene married Raymond H. Henley. They came back to reside on Main Street in Guilford where Willie had moved with her parents when she was 9 years old.

In 2003 Wilhelmina and Raymond Henley celebrated their 70th anniversary of marriage. As a special request, the Guilford town board made a special proclamation to honor Ray and Wilhelmina's 70th wedding anniversary. Ray had been employed in the engineering field with several local businesses, retiring from what was General Laboratory Associates (GLA), now Unison. The G.L.A. company began in Guilford and Ray was one of the early engineers of that company. He retired in 1968. Ray sadly passed away a little over a year after their anniversary in November of 2004.

Thanks to Willie’s caretakers and friends a 101st birthday celebration took place at her home on Monday night, November 10th. It was a wonderful evening and Wilhelmina Henley was amazed at the number of people who came to help her celebrate her 101st birthday.

Willie has been a great source of information on the early 1900's history of Guilford. She has told us of some of the memories she has of some of the people, including her parents that lived here in the 1890's through the 1900's and shared photos and scrapbooks. She let us record her on a cassette recorder going up and down all the streets and told us who she could remember living in each house. She has been a great asset to the historical society and we wish her 100 more years!!

Thanksgiving Blessings of the Guilford Historical Society

2008-11-08T21:13:00.005-05:00

Thanksgiving gives us a time to reflect on all the things we are thankful for. Sometimes, for a few of us we tend to just use this time only to reflect. Everyday we should be thankful and count our blessings and not just the one day. Perhaps this sounds like a sermon. It is, however, a lead in to a GHS thankful reflection.

We are thankful to all our members for supporting the GHS through their membership and donations of money, time and talents. Many in the area are faithful to the cause, whatever project of their interest. Many local members are trustees and chair persons of projects that just wouldn't get done without them. Others contribute by donating their time to our events and help with the projects. Some love to do research and presentations of their findings at society meetings. We have a treasure in our dedicated officers,past and present, that keep the everyday organization tasks in order. We have a wonderful organization that encourages us to protect the past and preserve it for future generations.

We also have members that live farther away and their support through membership and praise for what is being done, gives us the boost to know we are on the right track. Their contributions come in family history and photographs that help us search the past and put the pieces together of the past. As an organization, how can you beat this?

I am including a Thanksgiving vintage postcard on this post. It is a Currier and Ives Thanksgiving. We have done genealogy on the Ives family and there is a relationship to James Merritt Ives of the Currier and Ives fame to our Ives of Guilford. The Guilford Ives have put their talents to fame too and here is a short piece on Ives' Cream and the famous Ives of our time.

"Farming has been an Ives family tradition in our area for almost 200 years, beginning with Abraham and his sons Samuel and Lyman. Samuel and Lyman came from Cheshire, Connecticut and settled in Guilford in 1796. In 1800 their father, Abraham and his wife Eunice followed, after Abraham’s ailing father Nathaniel passed away. All three combined owned many acres of land and endeavored in subsistence farming in the area, which became the hamlet of Guilford known as Ives Settlement.

Albert and Judy Ives in partnership with Terry and younger son Alex, still own and operate one of the original family farms now called Greenview Farms. Alex and his wife Katie have taken the family farm tradition to a new level. Milking 100 cows, they began to think outside the box for an alternative way to market their milk. Low milk prices and high production costs produced a concern of keeping the family farm operating and preserving it for future generations. Therefore, they saw the need to diversify as a way of maintaining the business. Starting in 2004 they began production of Ive’s Cream at the Morrisville Dairy Incubation Lab. The wonderful creamy ice cream product was marketed throughout the area in over 30 stores. In addition, the couple, attended many area events such as the State Fair, County Fairs, Colorscape, Oneonta Farmers Market, to name just a few. At the events they gave out free samples and sold Ives Cream to many attendees. Now, they have expanded on their marketing techniques with the newly developed Ives Cream Parlor and Gourmet Coffee Shop in Norwich. What is really unique is the many different flavors of ice cream that are made in the downstairs area of the 10 South Broad Street store."

So without the help of others we would not have discovered the great history of this family and many others of Guilford. Members and non-members alike have shared so many stories, photos and genealogy that brings all of our history to life. "Fleshing out the Bones" is an expression that says it all. Thanks to all the members for their contributions for without you there would not be a Guilford Historical Society that has grown like it has.

We wish you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving and many blessings today and always.

Solving Histories Mysteries of the Town of Guilford

2008-11-01T21:30:00.007-04:00

Can you identify any of these students?

Above and below... Contact us at tgray002@stny.rr.com

With Halloween over, I now have sometime to get back to history. If you want to see what we did go to http://memasmoments.blogspot.com. So now back to history.
It is truly amazing how the GHS is growing. We have over 150 members and they stretch, maybe soon, all the way to the UK! As folks contact the historian for information we also email the membership form and most are glad to apply. I'll attach it here and with a double click to enlarge and a right click you can copy and print it out and send it with payment to GHS, Box 201, Guilford, NY 13780.
Other members and some guests are providing us with great photos of everything to hamlets, people pictures and Guilford schoolhouse photos. We were lucky to get 4 negatives scanned with the help of the Chenango County Education director. Were we surprised at the results. I believe we have district #10 Guilford Center.
Other than that take a look at Lathams Corners and the O&W Whistle stop station. It was dated about 1930 from the owner of the photo and it looks like it was abandoned a few years earlier. We have about three photos of this hamlet now. I would like to thank the contributors of which two are new members. It was amazing that we never knew there was a whistle stop in Lathams Corners and in the photo of the sleigh you see Helen Pearsall on the way to Mt. Upton School and in the background is the church. These are just a few of the finds that give us a great view of the past and the folks who lived then. We are so fortunate to have so many folks willing to share photos and family histories that help us solve some of "histories mysteries". Thanks to all.

Guilford, NY History is Everywhere

2008-10-25T22:49:00.007-04:00

Bumps Corners and Garage at the lake

These look like Halloween Photos (postcards)
BA Fleming with mask...joke
For Val!!

Pretty Suggestive Postcards?

Today we had visitors from Sidney, NY. They had a wonderful photo album just filled with photos and postcards of Guilford, NY. He allowed us to scan so many wonderful photos from that book and brought some other artifacts relating to schools. I think I mention Tom and I are working on a new book "The Schools of Guilford" which will highlight the one room school houses and then follow into the Central Schools of Guilford and Mt. Upton. We are still seeking information on Ives Settlement, Roots Corners, Trestle and New Virginia Schools. If any one has any information please contact us in the comment section of this blog. So, today I want to share some of the silly postcards and I'll add a few of the reality ones for those blog followers who prefer them. A very Happy Halloween to All. ...If you double click on the photos you can enlarge them.

2006 Flood Photos of the Guilford Hamlets

2008-10-09T18:49:00.003-04:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Many members contributed other photos of the areas in the hamlets of Guilford where they live. Most of the hamlet residents were not able to travel far from their home as many roads were closed. The Old Mill Restaurant shown first suffered a lot of damage. The remaining photos are along Rt. 8 river hamlets. The East Guilford waterfalls and the Rt. 8 bridge washout and the Guilford Town Hall in Guilford Center are also featured. Thanks to all who contibuted.

Guilford Flood of 2006-photo's by Dave Hubbard

2008-10-09T16:49:00.002-04:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Many of you wondered about the October 6th meeting presentation. Here is most of it in a slide show. It took me all day to figure out how to do it. Thanks to a phone call to San Diego and talking with my professional blogging daughter, Stefany, we got it for all of you to view!! So, take a trip into the past..short past and see how it was in 2006. If you see an open door, that is the Methodist Church and the water is flowing out the door!!

Guilford, NY Web Page

2008-10-01T19:04:00.003-04:00

POSTCARDS FROM the TOWN OF GUILFORD

Many are not aware that the Township of Guilford has a web page. If you go to http://www.guilfordny.org/ , you can research the history of the towns hamlets. There may be some changes coming up with town elections and Tom hopes to add a little more history at the same time. I hope he includes our blog address. That would certainly increase our reach and perhaps increase our membership. Hope you enjoy the postcards from Guilford. This is just a small sample of the cards that are out there on the market. Many are like the photo of Mt. Upton showing scenes but, I thought you would enjoy the unusual ones that were scanned.

By the way, we love comments on this page. It's this easy. After each posting there is a small written "comments" Double click here and a page will open up. You can leave your comments in the box provided and read others comments too! If you want, sign your name at the end of your comment. Then click anonymous and click publish. No need to sign up to the google, blogger etc. I'd like to hear what you think of our new way to communicate which is more than our twice a year newsletter..you get it as it happens and photos are in color.

It Only Takes an Article

2008-09-28T10:53:00.006-04:00

Heartwarming to know we can make a difference. Sometimes the smallest things can make a total difference in the lives of our residents and past residents. Such is true for a sister of a deceased military man killed when his plane crashed in Korea. Floyd Gunner Nelson was honored as the military person of the day on Memorial Day 2008. His children, spouses and sister were also honored at a reception for all veterans, in wartime and peace time. Floyd was a graduate of Guilford School and is still remembered by many. Here is an excerpt of the speech I made to honor him on Memorial Day.

In 1941, Gunnar Nelson bought a home on Mechanic Street. It was here where Floyd lived when he graduated in 1947 from Guilford High School. Shortly after graduating he became an apprentice draftsman at General Electric in Schenectady, NY. Then in 1948 he enlisted in the United States Navy. In 1950 Floyd received a congressional appointment to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis. He graduated in 1954 as Ensign Floyd Gunnard Nelson. This same year he married Patricia Porter from Altoona, Pennsylvania in a full military wedding. After their honeymoon he reported for duty in Pensacola, Florida. Here he began flight training school. Later he was stationed in Texas and then on to San Diego, California. While stationed in Seattle, Washington, August 15, 1955 Floyd became the proud father of a bouncing baby boy, James Gunnard Nelson and on November 25, 1956 Floyd’s precious daughter Susan Patricia was born.

During his service, Floyd experienced deployments to Europe, South America and even had a trip across the United States. There were two deployments to Iwa Kuni Naval Base in Japan. On this final deployment he was due to come home in a few months, but had to complete a final endurance training flight of 14 hours. On April 9th, 1959, the Navy Patrol Squadron 50 with a crew of ten, 3 officers and 7 enlisted men, in a US Naval seaplane piloted by Floyd crashed into the side of Mount Seju on Chejudi Island. The island lay midway between Japan and the Korean Peninsula. Many newspapers reported on the Navy’s seemingly unending search for the crash site.

Finally on April 11th, the site was discovered and arrangements were made for Floyd’s body to return home. It was an agonizing month for his wife, father and sister Millie until Floyd’s body arrived at the Erie Railroad Station in Binghamton from San Francisco on Mother’s Day May 8th. The funeral was held in Guilford with burial in Sunset Hill Cemetery.

Those who remember are still saddened and have not forgotten the farm boy from Guilford, the son of a carpenter, who started out as an enlisted Naval man, and proudly became a Lieutenant. Floyd accomplished all these things by the age of 29. Herein today, lies a village, the village, that was saddened and numbed by the death of this great young man.

I wrote articles for the local newspapers and also placed a piece on "You News" a section of WBNG. Com. As a result, a man contacted the television station to find out a phone number of who posted the article. He was in Nelson's squadron and was going to Korea and planned on placing a memorial on the mountain where Nelson's plane crashed. He wanted to contact the sister of Floyd. You can read Arturo's comments on the comments section of the following page. Just double click on this. http://www.wbng.com/younews/19073029.html. So you never know what can come of an article that produces the best Memorial Day that Guilford has seen in a few years.

GHS Celebrates 10th year Anniversary

2008-09-26T21:03:00.004-04:00

Wow, what a great night!! The dinner was great, which always is, at the Old Mill Restaurant. The new/old, I mean returning officers were sworn in by president of the Bainbridge Historical Society (also GHS member) Mary Drachler. They are Scott Parsons president, Wilma Felton-Gray VP, Sharon Donahe secretary and Karen Todd treasurer. Awards were given out to the Grays, and Todds, Carneys, and Alton Doyle for outstanding performance, and a life time membership was presented to out going president Gertie Pierce-Boyd. 67 people attended which includes members and guests.

The evening also consisted of a power point presentation by Tom Gray on the 10 years of the Guilford Historical Society and the accomplishments of the society. It was also announced that we now have a new book published by author/member Helen Donahe. The book "One Room School" was donated to the GHS with the proceeds to go to the school house restoration project. The book is available to members at $8.00 and non-members at $10.00. It's a wonderful little book for a great cause.

Each guest received day books and the officers received yearly planners which were donated by the Mead Corporation of Sidney.

Thanks to everyone that attended and to the committee that planned the evening. A special thank you to Donna Ford, owner and chef of the Old Mill (also a GHS member) and all the staff of the restaurant for making our dinner celebration the best.

GHS Goes Back to School..for a picnic

2008-09-23T11:22:00.007-04:00

The Guilford Historical Society members got together for a picnic at the Roots Corners Schoolhouse on the 21st of September. It was a beautiful day for a picnic and the food was fantastic. Ken and Kathy did a great job of arranging the event and I am sure there were some others that helped. Many had not seen the improvements made and were delighted at the progress. We even had fellow members Jim and Linda visiting us all the way from Michigan! They were in the area researching ancestors of the Hutchinson family just in time for meeting with local members. We have a school house fund that if anyone wishes to contribute to can mail to the GHS address of Box 201, Guilford, NY 13785. Of course any hands available in the area are also appreciated. We still would love to hear from those that may have attended the school or have family that attended. The school operated until 1929. Any photos would also be appreciated of the children and teachers which we can scan and return to you. We know there were some Oxford children that went there as well as Guilford children as the school district was on the border of both townships.

It was a great day and many thanks to all for coming and celebrating the return of Root's Corners School.

Histories Mysteries

2008-09-16T20:49:00.004-04:00

1855

1863 1875
Shelton Farm

Thomas McLagan Home-Look on map to the very top. One map lists McLane, not McLagan.

Any one who has done ancestry research has at least one mystery. Try doing a whole township with 8 hamlets. One of the GHS projects is called the "Housing Project, Then and Now". It is an ongoing project and may never be completed but we do have a great start. Genealogy is a help in some cases. Deeds definitely add the the pool. Wills sometimes contribute and maps help the most. Word of mouth and written documents including those small items in the newspaper can also help.

However, even with these resources it is easy to get stuck. Do we really have proof that a house was built when the land was purchased and/or was there an existing house on the property at the time the deed was signed? Also, if there was a structure, is it the same one. Fires destroyed many homes and then they were rebuilt. Another resource, as part of the project helps greatly, and that is an early photograph. At least this gives us an idea especially if we know what year the photo was taken and/or who is in it. We also know that many homes were not rebuilt after a disastrous fire and now the land lies vacant. Putting in a new road, like Rt. 35, also took homes and structures which one house was moved up to Gospel Hill Road. Anyway we need those photos to help in our research. Please let us know if you have any we can scan.

Now back to the maps. 1855, 1863, and 1875 maps show names of people who owned the land. There are also schools, cemeteries, churches and some businesses on these maps. We have found that not all the names of folks appear at that particular time the map was finally published, but it still is a great resource.

A Day at the Chenango County Historical Society Antique Show

2008-09-01T21:54:00.005-04:00

On the 31st the GHS had a display at the CHS annual antique show. Many referred to some of us as the antiques!! Thanks to all the volunteers and a beautiful day we had a good time and earned a little money, to boot. This was the first time historical societies were invited to attend and Guilford and Sherburne were the only two to take them up on it.

Don't forget the GHS annual dinner on Wednesday night the 24th of September at the Old Mill Restaurant.
The cost per dinner is $16 and includes salad, eight- selection salad and relish tray, home made bread and rolls, potato and two vegetables, dessert, and beverage, as well as tax and gratuity. We will have 4 dinner choices including Chicken Old Mill, broiled ham steak, shrimp in beer batter, and beef burgundy. Reservations are needed by September 20th. Call Tina Pabst at 895-6131 or email at stonecroft@citlink.net or call Gertie Pierce Boyd at 895-6475. Please pay at the door with cash or check made out to the Guilford Historical Society. At the same time, it is a good opportunity to renew your membership or join GHS. Dues are $10 single, $15 family.

This is a special occasion as it marks our 10 years as a society. Please try and attend. Our presentation will reflect highlights of the past decade with a Power Point slide show.

Wading through the Wades

2008-08-26T07:54:00.006-04:00

Eddy E. Wade

Eddy E. Wade at Bainbridge Feed Store

Calvin Wade Almon Hoag Ben Phetteplace

To complete a family history is a challenge and as most genealogists know it is never done. We try to collect as much family history of Guilford as we can to help others searching for the same lineage. A Mr. Scott has been interested in the Wade family and gave us an insight to one of the first Wade families in Guilford as well as a Ms. Shampang. This past week more Wade information came by way of a member and his son a neighbor. If you have Ezek or Isaac Wade in your family you may tie into Guilford. We have begun to think all families. at one time or other, tie in some place here form the information we have collected in the past 10 years!

We have also had some of the best information come from our secretary as she purchased some eBay albums of several Guilford families. Which I mentioned this before with the Cornell post. But, at the time we were still in the process of scanning and saving the information, and what a find it was! There were treasures of letters as well as many labeled photos and, of course those unknowns. This collection of photos included many other family links as the Hoags and Phetteplace family. More than once we have discovered "we are all related" somehow.

Coon, Cornell and Delavan...Oh My!

2008-08-19T20:41:00.005-04:00

Dr. Lewis Coon

George Henry Delavan's Blacksmith Shop

Ardie (Ives) Fleming Cornell

Charles Daniel Cornell Family

Since Tom is the town historian, we get many visitors to our house, emails and phone request for genealogy information. We learn from the seekers as well as trading information we have with them. This past week a fellow came by seeking the name Coon. We did not have much to help him and thought maybe the historian in Gilbertsville could. He came back to show us what he obtained from searching all the way to Sodus, NY. What we learned from him, gave us a new resident doctor. Dr. Lewis Coon was in training with Dr. John Yale of Mt. Upton and our seeker obtained, on his week long quest, a diary to prove it. Was he ever lucky and we actually drooled over his findings.

Also this week has proven to be quite eye opening as we have obtained some great photos through ebay. Our secretary is ever on the alert and helped us and the Bainbridge Historian get a couple of photo albums and misc. materials of the Edgar Leroy Cornell descendants plus others. His son married Ardie (Ives) Fleming and the family trickles down from there.

Today a couple stopped in to the house by the name of Delavan. Tom was truly in historian ecstasy when shown a photo of George H. Delavan's blacksmith shop on Merchant St. I was thrilled to receive the genealogy of the Delavan Family and some group family photos. Life as an historian can't get any better than this.

Roots Corners School House update

2008-08-18T14:05:00.003-04:00

It's beginning to look real nice, thanks to Ken Carney, Doug and Karen Todd, John Warner, Joel and Bruce Scott , Tina and Ed Pabst and anyone I might have missed for this new progress. Maybe it will be done in time for this semester? Only kidding. But, Tom has his lessons ready so I guess we will have to find some children or those who pretend to be kids again..see photo.

Cemetery Book Covers

2008-08-18T11:56:00.009-04:00

Godfrey Cemetery back cover

Here are the book covers of the cemetery books and I have included Whispering Stones which gives history and directions to each cemetery.

Fleshing Out the Bones

2008-08-18T10:41:00.006-04:00

One of the GHS projects has been to read all of the stones of our 22 cemeteries (23 with Lady Upton the famous race horse). Once the data has been collected the plans were to publish a data base of each including some history of the cemetery and the people who rest there. We have collected over a thousand photographs of residents who once lived in each area. That includes all of the 8 hamlets of the Town of Guilford. We have included some of photos of people in each book. To date we have printed Guilford Center Cemetery-Guilford Center, Sunset Hill Cemetery-Guilford, Maplewood Cemetery-Mt. Upton, Yaleville Cemetery-Yaleville and the latest is Godfrey Corners Cemetery. The historical society offers these at $20.00 each-$15,00 for members. If interested you may send a check to GHS, Box 201, Guilford, NY 13870. Note: Maplewood Cemetery is currently being updated to include more genealogy information. All proceeds go to the Historical Society to help preserve the history of the Town of Guilford.

Family Histories to Share

2008-08-13T09:09:00.006-04:00

Daniel S. Dickinson

As Tom is Guilford Town Historian we get a lot of requests for genealogy information of past residents of the Township of Guilford. Many folks do not realize how large the township really is and sometimes confused with the change in names. Guilford was once part of Oxford until 1817. It was once called Fayette and Eastern. So, if family history mentions these names it is still the Town of Guilford, Chenango County. The other problem occurs with the 8 hamlets within the township; Mt. Upton, Rockdale, Rockwell Mills, Yaleville, Latham's Corners, East and North Guilford, and Guilford. Mt. Upton, Rockwell Mills, Rockdale, Latham Corners and East Guilford are the river hamlets. Located by the Unadilla River these hamlets ,usually referred to as in the Town of Guilford, can sometimes be confusing as the hamlets extended across the river. Once across the river, depending which hamlet you were in could be the Town of Butternuts, Otsego County or the Town of Unadilla. But, folks back in the early days didn't have the boundaries marked out as today.

Our biggest problem associated with research of the early residents is that, as in most of New York State, town records of birth, death and marriages began 1883. So, resources before that year rely on early church records, deeds, maps, wills and books such as Smith's History. We now have created a database that we are inputting information as we find it to be able to eek out some of the information of the early settlers. Cemetery data bases have also been created, another source. The GHS has read all of the stones of the 22 cemeteries of Guilford and are publishing books of the data bases with early history and some photos of the folks buried there. At a later date I will list what has been published and include photos of some of the cemeteries and our early residents.

The GHS has worked really hard at researching and preserving our history. Obituary books have been created for each cemetery to go along with the data bases. 15 scrapbooks have been donated or copied and indexed. Church records are still being sought. We also have over 30 genealogies donated by various individuals that we have helped "dig up" their roots. We have a computer library of photos of many early residents, including the river hamlets and are still adding to it. Our biggest project is collecting photos of the early houses and businesses of Guilford. Preserving the Root's Corners School is also a major project establishing our dedication to the preservation of the history of the Town of Guilford.

Ye Old Schoolhouse

2008-08-10T08:53:00.000-04:00

GHS committee chair, Ken Carney, members Doug Todd, John Warner, Bruce and Joel Scott, Tom Gray and others have been diligently working to restore the Roots Corners School House-Dist #15. Herman (Jim) Carney has been financially supporting the project and has helped when in the area. The Carney brothers mother went to this school when a young girl. Other fund raising as a bake sale at our Summer Social earned some funds to also help with purchasing materials. Member Ken Ryan of Canal Street Hardware in Oxford also has donated materials. We have recently had an identification of a 1910 photo that being the Roots Corners School. Tania Benkovitz donated the school about 3 years ago and work had been slow up until now. Here are some photos. The 1910 photo, before work and during work. If you would like to donate funds, work or materials contact Ken Carney at kcarney95925@roadrunner.com. We still are looking for photos of children that went to the school. The school was abandoned in 1929. So, there should be some.

Guilford Historical Society 10th Year Anniversary

2008-08-09T12:56:00.000-04:00

Happy Anniversary to the Guilford Historical Society. We have over 150 members now from all over the United States. I hope to keep members posted on this blog. A news letter goes out 2 times per yesr but there is never enough room to include everything. Members also receive the monthly minutes but, Tom and I and other members are constantly researching geneaology and other history of Guilford that may be of interest and here we can share photos with you. So, this is the first entry.
Come one and all and invite guests:

The Guilford Historical Society’s annual dinner will be held on Wednesday evening, September 24, 2008, 6 p.m. at the Old Mill in Rockwell’s Mills. The cost per dinner is $16 and includes salad, eight selection salad and relish tray, home-made bread and rolls, potato and two vegetables, dessert, and beverage, as well as tax and gratuity. We will have four dinner choices including Chicken Old Mill, broiled ham steak, shrimp in beer batter, and beef burgundy. Reservations are needed by September 20. Call Tina Pabst at 895-6131 or e mail at stonecroft@citlink.net or call Gertie Pierce Boyd at 895-6475. Please pay at the door with cash or check made out to the Guilford Historical Society. A the same time, it is a good opportunity to renew your membership or join GHS. Dues are $10 single, $15 family.

This is a special occasion as it marks our 10 years as a society. Please try and attend. Our presentation will reflect highlights of the past decade with a Power Point slide show.