CONCORD JOTTINGS

LATE FALL 2003

HAPPY THANKSGIVING AND

JOYOUS HOLIDAYS!

The transition from Summer to Fall has been made and we’re into the busy season before the Holidays. Right now we have so many things going, it’s going to be hard to know where to start. By the time you receive this letter the Museum will be decorated for Christmas and SAGE is scheduled to make the Lucy Bensley Library equally as festive.

Our Annual Christmas Cookie Sale will be Dec. 6th at 9 A.M.. Please don’t forget to Bake and Buy! This is one of our big events of the year.

AT LONG LAST!

If all goes as planned, we will be the new owners of the Martin property behind the Museum on Franklin Street, in the new year. We do appreciate Sylvia’s making the purchase possible. This is something we have hoped for for years and now our dream can come true. Just think – parking area, flower gardens, access to Spring Brook and a whole new area to plan for! Thanks to everyone that has helped us with this undertaking.

We are also involved with the transfer of the small M&T Park at the corner of Main and Mechanic Streets. The Bank has already given the land to us and the M&T tower will be taken down. Then, when those negotiations are all completed, we will in turn donate the Park to the Village and they will maintain it. A large clock is also being discussed to replace the one that dominated that location many years ago.

VISITORS

Our visitors from afar this year included Julie VanCamp from Lopez Island, Washington. Julie was researching her Foster ancestors that owned much of the Townsend Road area in 1811. Doris Biscup welcomed her to their new home, which is in the general vicinity of Ichabod’s cabin and orchard. We thank the Biscups for their hospitality. Julie was thrilled to walk on the land. She has physically traced Ichabod’s trip from Whiting, Vermont. Her complete family narrative will cover 11 generations of her family.

Our next visitor was Bill Crawford from Austin, Texas who is writing a book about Pop Warner. We spent the good part of a day with him and he was another delightful visitor.

Our own Lucy’s great niece, Connie Bensley Hume and husband Jack from Schenectady also came to visit. Connie was pleased to see how much we had done in the Library. They took copies of our Concord book for her family members who are scattered hither and yon.

Earlier this summer relatives of Archie Warner came to do genealogy and were both surprised and delighted to find that we had Archie’s diaries. Sounded like they found some family secrets! They enjoyed our Library so much that they joined our Society! Nice people!

And when we say "nice people" that can well apply to all that come to visit. It seems that everybody that comes to do genealogy or any type of research are great. Research people are such fun and we are so lucky that many local people drop in too!

OUR BOOK

Our "Concord" book is selling well. The six hundred copies that we ordered are all paid for and we’re now into profits. Don’t forget to get some for Christmas presents. The response and the comments we have received are "music to our ears".

 

Everyone is asking about Book II. It’s a good possibility, so look up your favorite pictures, we’ll need your help.

SOME RECENT ADDITIONS TO OUR SOCIETY INCLUDE:

Copies of "Our Town" by Gloria Wilson from Shirley Perkins.

A copy of Randy Grimes’ picture of the Springville Depot and a copy of Edith Palmer’s Mothers’ Genealogy, including the Lewis family and the Curran family from Ireland from Edith Palmer.

We were also given the Gantz Family Bible and other family articles from Betsy Davis, a niece.

Alan Manchester and Mark Steffan were successful in getting the original copy of the ‘Petition to State Legislature for Charter to Establish the Springville Academy’. It was signed by 62 pioneers in 1827. This was obtained off the internet and is now in our Museum files. This represents a real piece of Springville history.

PARTNERING WITH THE HIGH SCHOOL

On Oct. 13, our newest member Tom Geelan, along with Gertrude and Margaret met with Karen Lesinski, Principal, the Guidance Counselor and the Librarian, at the High School.

Tom is a retired teacher from City Honors School and has volunteered to take on the position of coordinator of the project linking us with the high school. We have great hopes of establishing an ongoing relationship with one or two selected students from school who will work with our Curator at the Museum.

OUR LIBRARY

Our Library work will never be completely finished but we are beginning to see "light at the end of the tunnel". We would really like to photograph all the family records in each of our Bibles. This would save many trips up the ladder to search out family names.

INTERNET

Don’t forget to check out our web page put up for us by Glenn Cooley. You’ll not believe how many people read it.

Go to WWW.TownofConcordNYHistoricalSociety.Org for all the latest news.

GREG KINAL

You don’t know what you missed if you weren’t at Greg’s program in October. He really gave us all the test, but it sure was fun to see him give the ex-teachers a bit of trouble! Who WERE all those people in the pictures from the National Gallery in Washington?

RESOLUTIONS

One more thing that we really want to do in 2004 is to interview and tape more people, especially Senior Citizens. We can’t afford to lose all the valuable history they can tell us about.

CALENDAR

Dec. 5th Grand Light Up for Concord Country Christmas with G.I. Musicians at

the Museum at 6:00 P.M. Refreshments

Dec. 6th Our Annual Christmas Cookie Sale at the Lucy Bensley Library at 9:00

A.M. until ?

Dec. 10th No regular Meeting

Jan. 14th Regular Meeting and Election of Officers at Lucy Bensley Library at

7:00 P.M. Please try to make this meeting.

Quote: "I WILL HONOR CHRISTMAS AND TRY TO KEEP IT IN MY

HEART ALL THE YEAR" Charles Dickens

Season’s greetings to all!

From Margaret & Lee.