S.A. Cook & Co. in Medina is shown after the fire a week ago.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

Illuminating Orleans, Vol. 2, No. 36

MEDINA – The red-brick structure on East Avenue in Medina now stands roofless and forlorn.

A recent fire has prompted calls for demolition of the 70,000-square-foot complex.

Built in 1911 to house the expanding S.A. Cook & Co. factory, the building once housed the largest industrial maker of rockers and chairs in the northeast.

Employing as many as 600 workers at one time, the company could rightly claim in a 1913 advertisement that “it was responsible in no small degree for the growth and advancement of Medina.”

(Editor’s Note: The 70,600-square-foot manufacturing site has been sold multiple times through the property tax auction, including in 2016 when it only fetched $100. The current owner – Open the Windows of Heaven, Apostolic Ministry – doesn’t have insurance on the building. The church group also doesn’t have the resources to make extensive repairs or to demo the site, village officials said. Medina is seeking state and federal funding to assist with the demolition of the three-story site.)

The plant’s location, adjacent to the railroad, facilitated the delivery of lumber and other raw materials as well as the shipping of finished products. The plant had its own boiler and drying kilns.

S.A. Cook & Co. furniture factory building plans

Over 5,000,000 feet of lumber were cut and used in the manufacturing process in 1912 and seventy-five carloads of coal were burned. It was estimated that one finished product was produced every 45 seconds and that the entire annual production would fill 564 freight cars. (Atlas of Niagara and Orleans Counties, 1913)

S.A. Cook & Co., 525 East Ave., Medina, 1920s view

S.A. Cook & Co., 525 East Ave., Medina, late 1930s view

Furniture sales declined drastically during the Depression. S.A. Cook survived this period but production and empoyment declined. The impact of World War II further affected sales.

In 1965 J. Michaels Inc. of New York city purchased  S.A. Cook & Co. to manufacture furniture for its stores. Production increased and employment rose to about 100. But the business model for the industry changed. North Carolina became the new center of furniture production and the cost of shipping lumber and raw materials to the northeast became prohibitive.

The company employed skilled upholsterers and craftsmen.

The Dunlap Tire & Rubber Co. of Buffalo introduced latex foam for use in seats and cushions in the 1930s.

The company had its own delivery trucks boasting S.A. Cook’s products as “hygienic upholstered furniture cushioned with Dunlopillo – life’s lasting luxury.”

Later delivery truck

Furniture manufactured at the plant is still in use in homes across the country as it was of high quality.

The Medina Historical Society continues to receive requests each year for information about the company’s distinctive version of the Morris Chair. Patented for the company in 1901 by George A. Bowen, it had an adjustable back rest and featured carved griffin’s heads on the arms, turned spindles and claw feet.

Twenty-five employees were laid off when the S.A. Cook & Co. closed in August 1984, having been in operation for almost 90 years.

A series of colorful posters created by graphic artist Lester Beall was used to promote the Rural Electrification Administration. The images featured in this article are from the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs collection, www.loc.gov. The poster at left shows farmers organizing to arrange for power.

‘Electric power proved to be our greatest assistance to modern living. It gave us light, pumped our water supply into our homes enabling us to enjoy a bathroom, it preserved our food from spoiling, heated water and cooked our food.’

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

Illuminating Orleans, Vol. 2, No. 34

As previously mentioned, a 160-mile-long electrical power transmission line, which stretched from the Niagara River to Syracuse and traversed through Orleans County, went into service on July 7, 1906.

However, it was quite some time before area farmers had access to electricity, since running wires to far-flung farms was an expensive proposition. By the 1930s only 10% of rural America had electric power. Those who did have power had arranged for it themselves by forming local co-operatives, an involved and costly process.

The Medina Daily Journal of May 10, 1924, noted that:

“The people of Millville are to have electric lights and power. Since they were unable to secure sufficient subscribers on Maple Ridge, they will connect with the electric line which comes within a mile of the village on the east.”

Homer L. Waldo of the Town of Barre remarked in a 1983 Oral History interview that:

“At that time, you had to provide the right of way for the electric company to put their poles down. You had to get signers for the right of way for them. You had to guarantee them $70 a month for every mile they extended the line.”

Some farmers were reluctant to join, Waldo mentioned that they had to convince a reluctant farmer on Pine Hill Road to join.

J. Howard Pratt also recalled the difficulty of getting the required number of signers to co-operate. Acquiring the right of way to pass wires overhead was also an issue. His own family’s access to power was delayed two years on account of recalcitrant neighbors who would not co-operate. His home was finally supplied when the power company set up their poles along another farm to bring the desired current to the Pratt household.

(Left) A farmer uses an electric power sharpener. (Right) A woman is content while sitting her home.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Rural Electrification Administration in 1935. A year later, the Rural Electrification Act made provisions for a lending program to fund the formation and operation of not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperatives. The loans were to be re-paid within 30 years.

In 1935, the Niagara, Lockport and Orleans Power Company announced plans to bring service to over 1,400 rural customers in Orleans County and parts of Niagara and Monroe counties. The minimum monthly charge to customers was to be reduced from $7 to $2.

Power company officials noted that the success and speed of the program would depend on how soon rural customers would wire their homes and equip them with fixtures. To this end, they collaborated with agencies such as the Farm Bureau.

On January 13, 1936, over one hundred people braved icy roads and bitter winds to attend a program about electrifying their farms. The session which was held in Albion, was arranged by the Farm Bureau and the Rural Electrification Committee of Orleans County. Committee members included Harry DeLano of Barre Center, H.G. Butler of Kenyonville, Miles Luttenton of Albion, J. Stanley Pratt of Gaines, Mrs. William Blackburn of County Line and George Snaith of Medina.

C.N. Turner of the Cornell Agriculture Engineering Dept. advised farmers on wiring plans for the home, yard, barn, poultry house and other buildings, the correct type of wire to use, how to figure the load of current and determine the size of wire and fixtures.

Miss Orilla Wright of the Home Economics College advised on home lighting, outlet locations, convenience outlets and direct service wires. Farmers were advised to request service plans from Power Company agents and to stick to those plans regardless of what contractors might suggest.

By the 1950s, over 90% of rural homes had access to electricity.  Finally, rural Americans could enjoy the benefits of electric power.

J. Howard Pratt remarked in Memories of Life on the Ridge:

“Electric power proved to be our greatest assistance to modern living. It gave us light, pumped our water supply into our homes enabling us to enjoy a bathroom, it preserved our food from spoiling, heated water and cooked our food.”

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

Illuminating Orleans – Vol. 2, No. 31

Sharon Kerridge

Sharon Kerridge, who was recognized as a Legendary Local of Orleans County in 2011, passed away at her home in Ocala, Florida on July 14, 2022. The listing of Legendary Locals was compiled by Hollis Canham and Andrew Canham.

Though her name may be unfamiliar, Sharon was a true unsung heroine, a pioneer in the field of online genealogy research. She devoted countless hours behind the scenes to input, verify and organize cemetery listings for the Orleans County GenWeb site.

Sharon’s interest in cemetery records began in the early 1990s, when she was assisting her sister, Donna, on a family research project which involved diligently deciphering headstones in the Town of Gaines and Town of Carlton cemeteries. Her interest coincided with the advent of online technology.

The USGenWeb project was established in 1996 by a group of genealogists who wished to provide free online resources for research. Online access to cemetery records and census information fueled a huge interest in family research.

The Orleans County GenWeb site went online in June 1997 and soon was the envy of many researchers from other areas who did not have access to such a resource. It was maintained by unheralded volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to input content and update information. Sharon was involved from the beginning and continued in her role as coordinator even after her move to Florida.

“In the early days, Sharon spent many hours photographing headstones,” said her sister, Donna Miller Gordon. “She devoted countless hours to working on the website, it was her passion. She did not look for accolades or acknowledgement. She had a good heart and felt empathy for the families of those whose information she was entering, particularly for the families of those who died at a young age.”

The homepage at www.orleans.nygenweb.net is familiar to any person who has searched for information on deceased Orleans County residents. It is a portal to an absolute treasure trove of information: census records from 1830 – 1930, military records, family histories.

It also provides access to cemetery listings for Orleans County cemeteries – pure gold for any family researcher. As an added bonus, the site does not require registration, login or passwords.

Using information supplied by cemetery staff and local funeral homes, Sharon continued to update the cemetery listings until shortly before her death. Colleague, Jim Friday, has indicated that the site will be continued. We very much hope so.

‘Inter-species nursing’ is well documented

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

Illuminating Orleans – Vol. 2, No. 30

“WOMAN NURSES CAT ON PLANE”

This headline caused a minor media sensation recently and elicited reactions of incredulity and derision. But perhaps we should not condemn quite so quickly.

Lansing Bailey was one of Orleans County’s early settlers. In 1811, he bought land “lying one mile west of where Albion now stands” from the Holland Land Company. He moved to the area in 1812. The following incident occurred shortly thereafter. It is included in the Arad Thomas book Pioneer History of Orleans County which was published in 1871.

“When we went to the Five Corners to fetch our kettle, while the snow crust was hard on our return, our dog barked earnestly at a large hollow tree that had fallen down. On looking into the hollow, we saw two eyes, but could not tell what animal it was within. My brother went after an ax and gun, while I watched the hole.

“After filling the hollow with sticks, we cut several holes in the log, to ascertain the character of the animal. Soon, however, she passed one of the holes and we knew it was a bear. We then removed the sticks and put in the dog. The bear seized the dog, and my brother reached in and pulled the dog out. The bear presented her head at the hole, and I killed her with the ax.

“On searching the log, we found a cub, which we took home with us. It could not bite but would try.

“A Mrs. Adams, who had recently lost a babe, took it and nursed it, until it got to be quite a bear, and rather harsh in its manners.”

The concept of “inter-species nursing” has indeed been documented. This photograph is from the Library of Congress collection. It appeared in the 1921 book Wild Brother: Strangest of True Stories from the North Woods by William Lyman Underwood which describes how the wife of a logging camp cook in Northern Maine nursed an orphaned newborn bear cub along with her own daughter in the early 1900’s.

“Mr. Underwood took this picture of Ursula and Bruno and me with my consent and I am glad to have him use it in his book. Bruno’s Foster Mother”

Bruno, as the bear was named, thrived and lived for many years. We hope the cat that was nursed on the plane does too.

Dr. Charles E. Fairman will be featured at tours of Lynhaven Cemetery on Aug. 19, Aug. 21

Illustration from the Historical Album of Orleans County, 1879.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

Illuminating Orleans, Vol. 2, No. 29

LYNDONVILLE – Several fine Italianate houses grace Main Street in Lyndonville. Our illustration, which is contained in the Historical Album of Orleans County, 1879, depicts one, the home at 55 South Main Street. The house was owned by Dr. J.D. Warren in the 1870s and subsequently by his daughter Louise and her husband, Dr. Charles E. Fairman, until his death in 1934.

Charles E. Fairman gained renown as a young man as the youngest graduate of the Yates Academy, where both of his parents were teachers. Subsequently, he was the youngest person to receive a degree from the University of Rochester. Having earned his medical degree at Shurtleff College, Illinois, in 1887, he returned to Lyndonville where he practiced medicine for many years, using as his office the distinctive small building to the north of the main house.

Active in village affairs, he was elected first President of the Village in 1903. The first meeting of the newly incorporated Village of Lyndonville was held in his office in 1903.

His true passion was mycology, the study of fungi. He specialized in the study of Pyrenomycetes and was recognized as an expert on the topic. He amassed a collection of over 23,000 fungi and published articles in many journals. He collected specimens for the New York Botanical Garden and for the Herbarium at Cornell University.

Dr. Fairman is buried at Lynhaven Cemetery. He is one of the many cemetery “residents” who will be mentioned on the upcoming tour of Lynhaven Cemetery, which will be held at 6 p.m. on Friday, August 19 and Sunday, August 21.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

Illuminating Orleans – Vol. 2, No. 27

MILLVILLE – Can you identify the building shown in this 1915 postcard?

It is in Western Orleans, on a main route. We tend to pass it by (at the legal speed limit of 40 mph, of course), intent on getting to somewhere else.

At one time it was the hub of this rural hamlet, strategically located at a crossroads. Sturdily built of local limestone, it still stands at the intersection, basically unchanged, apart from the front porch which is now concrete.

The T.O. Castle & Son Mercantile operated in the Town of Shelby hamlet of Millville from 1849 to 1933. Located at the intersection of Maple Ridge Road and the East Shelby Road, it served the surrounding rural community as well as the staff and students of the nearby Millville Academy.

Though fortunate in its location, it seems that the character and personality of its owner, T.O. Castle, played a part in its success. We do not have a photograph of this enterprising gentleman, but we can glean a good deal of information about him from various sources.

T.O. (Thomas Oliver) Castle was born in Parma, Monroe County on April 2, 1826, the son of Jehiel and Nancy (Willey) Castle. He taught school for two years. In 1846 he moved to Shelby Center in Orleans County. He worked at the store owned by his uncle, Reuben S. Castle. He then worked in Buffalo for two years as a supervisor of salesmen at the George M. Sweeney store.

According to the U.S. Army Mexican War Enlistments Records 1847-49, he had hazel eyes, sandy hair and was 5’6” tall. He married Mary Timmerman, daughter of Catherine Timmerman, in December of 1850.

The store’s signs and advertising refer to 1849 as the year of establishment, though the deed recording the purchase of the property is dated March 20, 1851. It is interesting to note that the property transfer was made to Mary Ann Castle.

T.O. Castle was Postmaster from 1853 to 1857 and later from 1878 to 1897. He was a Justice of the Peace and served as a Justice of Sessions. He was secretary of the Board of the Millville Cemetery Association. He was on the fundraising committee for rebuilding the Congregational Church.

According to the 1862 IRS Tax Assessment List, he is listed as a Retail Dealer. He owned one horse and carriage. In 1866, his carriage was valued at $80. He also owned a melodeon valued at $125 and a gold watch valued at $100.

At that time, the Medina newspapers published local news items from the surrounding towns. T.O. Castle’s business, community and personal activities were frequently mentioned in the reports from Millville:

• “T.O. Castle visited his daughter, Kittie, living in Syracuse.” – Medina Tribune, Feb. 26, 1874
• “T.O. Castle has threshed forty-one bushels and a half of wheat to the acre, being ahead of his neighbor Homer Sherwood one- and one-half bushels.” – Medina Tribune, Aug. 6, 1877
• “T.O. Castle nominated as Justice of Sessions at the Democratic Convention held at Albion.” –Medina Tribune, Oct. 18, 1877
• “T.O. Castle served on the Refreshments Committee of the Arrangements for the Re-Union of the 28th Regiment.” – Medina Tribune, May 13, 1880
• “T.O. Castle has been remodeling his store on the inside, having repapered it, ceiling, and all, put in new shelves, and is now painting all of it which is a great improvement. He has also given notice to those who have been hanging around that it must be stopped.” – Medina Register, Feb. 18, 1892
• “Pneumonia is prevalent in the county. The family of T.O. Castle has been especially stricken. Two members, Mrs. Castle and her mother, succumbed within twenty-four hours.” – Buffalo Morning Express, Feb. 6, 1897
• “T.O. Castle suffering from severe attack of arthritis.” – Medina Tribune, July 30, 1903.

His obituary in the Medina Daily Journal of March 30, 1910, noted that “he was widely known and esteemed.” Following his death, the store was taken over by his son, George D., who operated the store until his death at the age of 81 in 1933.

Daniel Hurley, the present owner, has a genuine enthusiasm for this building and its past. He hopes to restore it to the point where people will want to stop and enter rather than just speed on by.

‘For desserts, there are many things, but beware of articles that will not bear traveling without looking dejected and sullen. Candied fruits with macaroons, sponge or pound cakes are about the most agreeable of all the sweets which are adapted to journeys.’

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

Illuminating Orleans, Vol. 2, No. 25

This menu is from “Queen of the Household” – a popular household guide published in 1891.

A Summer Picnic! It sounds so carefree and restful. However, arranging a summer picnic in the 1890s was far from carefree or restful by our standards.

A copy of “Queen of the Household”, a popular household guidebook by Mrs. E.M. Ellsworth published in 1891, was recently donated to the Orleans County Dept. of History.  It includes the following directives on picnics:

On location:

There should be a stream or spring of pure water, materials for a fire, shade intermingled with sunshine, and a reasonable freedom from tormenting insect life.

On clothing:

A woolen dress that is not too heavy nor yet too new, or a cotton one that is not too thin, with short trim skirts, solid easy shoes that have a friendliness with the feet because of prolonged intimacy with them, pretty, but not too fine or thin stockings, a hat with a broad brim, a large sun-shade, at least two fresh handkerchiefs, some pins and needle and thread, easy gloves with ample wrists, a jacket to wear when returning home.

On equipment:

Two or three hammocks, a few folding camp chairs, a rug to spread on the ground, two or three books that have brief, bright poems in them. Forget not the napkins, forks, spoons, and the luncheon cloth. Also carry tumblers, plates, salt, pepper, sugar and a bottle of cream or can of condensed milk. Cups with handles, but no saucers, are desirable for tea or coffee.

On food:

Supply at least double the quantity which would be served at home for the same number of people and then be sure to add a little more.

When the appetite is appeased at mid-day, it frequently renews its strength and comes back again around 4’o’clock in the afternoon and is as exacting as if it had not been appeased for a whole week.

The best and most convenient of all out of door edibles is the sandwich. The best of all sandwiches are made ready when they are wanted. To make sandwiches that leave none but pleasant memories, always grind the meat or chop it up to very near a pulp when cold. Make a thick mayonnaise and mix it with the meat until it is about the consistency of marmalade. Store or carry in a covered dish or closed jar.

For desserts, there are many things, but beware of articles that will not bear traveling without looking dejected and sullen. Candied fruits with macaroons, sponge or pound cakes are about the most agreeable of all the sweets which are adapted to journeys.

For drinking, tea that has been made, seasoned while hot and then bottled directly is delicious, as is coffee.

If ice must be carried, select a clear, solid piece, and wrap it in a heavy flannel. Carry an ice pick with it, so that it may be broken up when needed, with as little waste as possible.

Despite the effort involved in organizing this picnic, Mrs. Ellsworth advised the housekeeper or housemother to arrange a picnic once a week during the summer, to escape the burdens of the formalities and paraphernalia that consumed their energy every day of their lives.

Enjoying the advantages of portable coolers, ice that does not require an icepick, paper plates, store-bought mayonnaise, not to mention less restrictive clothing, we should certainly take her advice. Pass the bottled tea please!

Kendall location by lake hosted bare-fisted boxing, ‘rum-running’

Postcard view of the quiet beach at Troutburg in Kendall.

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

Illuminating Orleans, Vol. 2, No. 24

KENDALL – The Lure of the Illicit!

The Troutburg beach area, in the northeast corner of the Town of Kendall, was a popular destination for city-dwellers seeking relief from the heat of the summer months. The factors which contributed to its popularity as a summer resort: quiet secluded cove, rural area, proximity to transportation, also made it an attractive location for more nefarious activities.

Bare-fisted prizefighting was an illegal but popular sport in New York State from the pre-Civil War days until 1920 when the Walker Act legalized professional boxing.

On the night of August 23, 1885, two steamers carrying a contingent of fight enthusiasts, left the Port of Rochester and set out for Oak Orchard to attend a fight between Patrick Slattery of Rochester and William Baker of Buffalo.

However, when they arrived at Oak Orchard there was no sign of activity. Acting on a tip-off, Sheriff Howard of Albion had arrested both men. They were arraigned in Albion on a charge of conspiracy to engage in a prize fight but were released on $400 bail.

Undaunted, the organizers regrouped and soon set off aboard another steamer with the two hundred or so men who had each paid $5 to see this fight. Their new destination was Troutburg, where a tent had been hastily erected at Cady Grove. The fighters stepped into the ring at 4:48 p.m. that afternoon and the fight began. It lasted six rounds. Slattery was declared the winner on a controversial decision. Once the fight was over, the crowd quickly scattered.

Baker and Slattery were later arrested, fined $500 each and sentenced to a year in the Monroe penitentiary by Judge Morgan. Their counsel, Mr. Chamberlain, requested clemency and said that the men had been “tools in the hands of others.”

During Prohibition, “rum-running” was a regular activity along the mostly isolated south shore of Lake Ontario as enterprising men sought to profit from quenching the thirst of their clients. Boats laden with Canadian beer slipped in and out undetected, under cover of darkness.

Six Men Held in Two Liquor Hauls: Troopers Find Goods Reported Landed at Troutburg

This headline, which appeared in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle of July 7, 1924, summarized the events which unfolded after Troop A State Police in Batavia received word of the landing of a boat in Troutburg. The boat had been unloaded and had left by the time the State Police arrived, but they 2,000 cases of Canadian ale valued at $40,000, hidden in a barn in a farm in Morton. Two trucks loaded with ale, which were about to be driven to Rochester, were also seized. Four Rochester men were arrested in connection with this haul. They were held at the Genesee County Jail in Batavia on charges of transporting intoxicating liquor.

Another dramatic event occurred in Troutburg later that summer. The Democrat and Chronicle reported that in August, two musicians who were employed for the summer at the Ontario Hotel left one Sunday afternoon with two 17-year-old girls from Brockport. A search was quickly organized, a reward of $200 was offered. The four were located in Detroit a week later. The two musicians were charged with corrupting the morals of minors. “Friends of the girls expressed the belief that they had eloped with the musicians while their mothers claimed they were abducted.”

Why not take a drive to Troutburg and savor the history in the air?

This quiet beach scene in Troutburg was once the site of much activity.

By Eric Neace, guest contributor

Illuminating Orleans, Vol. 2, No. 22

ALBION – Local history matters. Many major international events may seem on the surface to have little connection to our rural communities but when the evidence is explored it becomes clear that many impactful individuals have called Orleans County home.

One such individual was Charles Moore Burrows Jr., an Albion veteran who helped shift momentum in the favor of the Allied Powers against Germany at the end of the First World War.

Charles Burrows Jr. was born on July 10th, 1895 in Albion; son of Dr. Charles Burrows Sr. and Florence Merrick. Charles and his family resided in the Village of Albion at what was “126 Main Street” at the time, which is the plot of land immediately north of the Episcopal Church on South Main Street. Charles attended Albion High School and graduated in 1915 as captain of the varsity football team and vice president of Albion High’s Student Congress.

Burrows Jr. remained in Albion for two years post-graduation before enlisting in the 106th Field Artillery Regiment of the New York Guard in July of 1917. About a week after Charles enlisted, the 106th Regiment was federalized into the United States Army with orders to report to Camp Wadsworth in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Provided photo of Charles Burrows Jr.’s grave at Mount Albion Cemetery.

After reporting in September of 1917, Burrows and the rest of the 106th Regiment practiced drills, marches, horse care and operating their artillery. After months of training in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Burrows was rewarded with a promotion to the rank of corporal and rumors began swirling throughout the 106th that they would be deployed to France in the near future.

These rumors became reality and in June of 1918, the 106th Regiment arrived in Western France with orders to remain in Bordeaux until further notice, hundreds of miles from front lines in Eastern France. Corporal Burrows remained busy that summer as he attended the Saumur Artillery School where he studied military tactics, mathematics, engineering, and the French language.

This summer vacation ended abruptly on September 7th as the 106th Regiment moved under orders from Bordeaux to the town of Bar-de-Luc, where they were stationed temporarily before moving to the front lines at Verdun, France, on the Meuse river, home of arguably the bloodiest battle of the First World War where there were hundreds of thousands of casualties resulting from trench-based warfare.

From September 23rd-25th, Cpl. Burrows and the 106th Regiment faced scattered enemy artillery fire as they established a position on a knoll near the hamlet of Chattancourt, overlooking the Meuse River in preparation to support an impending French offensive into German-held territory.

Early in the morning of September 26th, 1918, Cpl. Burrows and the 106th Regiment fired about 2,500 rounds from their position at their German targets. It is reported that the objective of the 106th Regiment during this engagement was to fire far behind enemy lines, targeting strategic German positions such as ammunition stockpiles, supply hubs and communication infrastructure. This offensive proved to be a major success with French infantry forces using the support to drive back the German army, helping shift momentum toward the Allied forces late in the war.

After this major engagement at Verdun, Cpl. Burrows and the 106th Regiment provided artillery support in several other skirmishes along the Western Front, helping liberate towns such as Reville, Eraye and Crepion, remaining in pursuit of the waning German military until their surrender on November 11th, 1918. After Germany’s surrender the 106th Regiment remained in France until March of 1919, drilling and tying up loose ends before they were sent back to the United States. A few years following his service Charles Burrows was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Field Artillery Reserves due to his graduation from training at the Saumur Artillery School while deployed in France.

Upon returning to civilian life in the United States Charles Burrows Jr. remained in Albion for a few years before moving around the Northeast United States while he worked as a traffic engineer for the American Telephone & Telegraph Company, where he remained until his retirement in 1960. Charles passed away in 1967 in Plainfield, New Jersey where he resided, leaving behind a widow and extended family. Charles is buried at Mount Albion Cemetery, where his grave can be found at 1596 Park.

Individuals such as Charles Burrows Jr. have proven over time that Orleans County has had a sizable impact on major historical events far beyond our small communities.

All resources used to create this article can be found at the Orleans County Department of History.

(Editor’s Note: Eric Neace is a 2017 graduate of Lyndonville High School. He attended SUNY Cortland and is graduate student in History and Social Studies Education at Brockport.)

By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian

Illuminating Orleans – Vol. 2, No. 21

MURRAY – June 10, 1933. A quiet Saturday night on Route 104 in rural Sandy Creek, in the Town of Murray.

Francis McAllister and his friend John W. Irvine Jr. sat inside McAllister’s gas station, chatting. Shortly after 11 p.m., a car traveling east pulled in and stopped. There were four occupants, two men in front, two girls in the back.

McAllister filled the tank with seven gallons of gas as requested and walked to the driver’s window for payment. Unbeknownst to him, the occupants had already bilked two gas station owners of payment for gas and cigarettes that evening on their joy ride in a car which they had stolen in Niagara Falls. The driver started to drive off as McAllister approached but he jumped on the running board and hung on. A shot rang out and McAllister fell to the road with a bullet in his lung.

John Irvine, seeing his stricken friend, gave pursuit, leaped onto the rear of the departing automobile and hung on precariously.

“McAllister was one of the best friends I had and I wanted to do something to catch the person who had shot him.”

He hoped to be able to signal a passing motorist for assistance. But the occupants of the car became aware of his presence. Three shots were fired through the rear window, the third hit him in the shoulder and he fell off.

Alfred J. Hackett, who was traveling toward Rochester came upon Irvine who told him about his injured friend. They went back to the gas station and brought McAllister to Arnold Gregory Hospital in Albion, where he died shortly after admission.

McAllister was survived by his wife, Helen and six children: John (9), Lorraine (8), Francis (7), Robert (5), Helen (3) and Mary (2). He was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Holley.

Just fourteen years previously, on Sunday, June 1, 1919, six members of McAllister’s family had been killed in a horrendous automobile accident. They were returning to their Holley home from their farm on Ridge Road when they were struck by a high-speed B.L. & R. interurban car on the Fancher-Brockville railroad crossing. All of the occupants of the car were killed: McAllister’s parents, John (48) and Jennie (44), siblings: Vincent (15), Mary (13) and Sullivan (8) and his paternal aunt, Letitia Irwin (44).

An inquiry determined that the motorman of the trolley car was not at fault for the accident. Francis McAllister (21) and his brother John (18), who had both been in Buffalo that evening, were the only remaining members of the family.

Following the Sandy Creek shooting, police immediately mounted a determined search for the four occupants of the car. It was soon located in a garage in Niagara Falls. On June 28th Officer John Hagerman arrested the two girls Dolores Jean Klodiziek (18) and Sophie Czernowinski (17) in Niagara Falls. Based on information given by Klodiziek, the two men, Lorne Lally (18) and Angelo Presicci (21), were arrested on June 29th, also in Niagara Falls. The four were brought to Albion on June 30th, accompanied by Lieut. John Dietz and Officer John Hagerman and a police motorcycle escort.

They were arraigned before Willis Brightly, Justice of the Peace for the Town of Murray and were held at the Albion jail under the supervision of Sheriff Sydney Treble. Though court would not resume until early November, District Attorney William Munson chose not to summon a special grand jury or a special term of county court for the case, citing the expense to the county. Much to their dismay, the two girls were also held thorough the summer, as material witnesses. Judge Harcourt had set their bail at $10,000.

Lally, who had previously served time at the Elmira Reformatory for stealing an automobile in Niagara Falls, was charged with first degree murder for the fatal shooting of Francis McAllister. The trial was held before Supreme Court Justice Thomas H. Noonan in Albion on November 1, 1933. Since it was the first first-degree murder in Albion since the Stielow case in 1915, it attracted a large audience. Lally was represented by Milton J. Whedon and Russell Scharping of Medina. William Munson was District Attorney.

When questioned, Lally admitted to carrying the .32 caliber revolver with which McAllister was fatally wounded and Irvine injured but he denied that the shooting was premeditated.

“I shot without thinking much about it and I meant to hit him in the arm, though I couldn’t see him very good.”

When questioned about shooting Irvine, Lally said:

“I didn’t want to be caught in a stolen car and that was why I shot him.”

The jury found in favor of the lesser charge of second-degree murder, which spared him a possible death sentence.

When sentencing on November 4, 1933, Judge Noonan told Lally that he seemed to be a boy who had done little with the opportunities that had been given him. The judge imposed a sentence of not less than 20 years to life for the murder and 10 years additional for the use of the pistol. Lally was taken to Attica Prison.

The trial of Angelo Presicci on the charge of first-degree assault of John Irvine was held in Albion on November 14, 1933, before County Judge Bertram E. Harcourt. Testimony introduced by District Attorney William Munson charged that Presicci slowed the car so that Lally could get a better aim at Irvine. Presicci was represented by DeSilver and Edna Drew of Buffalo. He was found guilty and sentenced to 4 to 8 years at Attica Prison.

Orleans County supervisors had offered a reward of $500 for information leading to the arrests. This was divided between Officer George Hagerman of Niagara Falls who arrested the two girls on June 28th and Lieut. John J. Dietz, also of Niagara Falls who assisted. Dolores Jean Klodiziek was also included in the reward as she provided Hagerman with the information which led to the apprehension of Lally and Presicci.

Following Lally’s sentencing, his mother was heard to question the release of the two girls, saying “Are they going to be turned loose to ruin some other mother’s son?”

Information sourced from the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle and the Buffalo Evening News, 1933, www.newspapers.com.