Volume 2, Issue 5

ALBION – George W. Ough, pronounced “Uff”, was born on Feb. 12, 1827 at Cherry Valley, NY. As a child, he worked on the family farm in Otsego County until he reached the age of 14, when he moved north to Fort Plain, New York to work as a store clerk.

Following a short stay in Lockport, Ough later moved to Albion where he operated a crockery store, which he later sold to purchase the furniture business formerly owned by George M. Pullman. Ough’s eldest daughter, Jennie, later married Cassius M. C. Reynolds who would eventually take over the business located in the Ough Block on North Main Street.

By the late 1890s, Ough had the distinction of being one of the longest tenured members of the Albion Board of Education, of which he was a founding member. After he was elected to his first term as President of the Village of Albion, he resigned his position on the Board of Education. Following his second term as Village President, he moved into a position as assessor for Albion.

His time in office was brief, remaining in the position for two terms. Ough was active in numerous local organizations serving as a member of the Swan Library Association and Chief Engineer of Albion’s Fire Department. Following years of public service, he retired to a large farm located in Kent, one that was regarded as one of the best orchards in the Western New York fruit belt. He was also active in horse racing, quite frequently leasing the race track at the county fairgrounds.

After a contested horse race in 1900, Fred Parker of Elba and the National Trotting Association brought a suit against Ough and his bay gelding named Doctor H. Parker claimed that Ough purchased the respected racehorse Tally-Ho from Michigan and changed its name to disguise the horse’s race times. The Trotting Association determined that Doctor H was in fact Tally-Ho and that Ough’s winnings, totaling over $200, should be forfeited. In addition to this forfeiture, Ough was suspended until he paid for an official change of name.

Ough’s unscrupulous practice with horseracing was not his first questionable scandal. In the mid-1880s papers across New York ran front-page news about an absolute divorce suit filed against Annie Ough by her husband. Wed in 1875, George had his eyes set on Annie Cummings, a youthful and wealthy widow from Shelby.

The honeymoon phase was short-lived and issues began to surface in the relationship. Annie stated that George demanded immediate control over the wealth from her previous marriage. When she refused, she claimed that he forced her and their daughter Georgia out of the home. Naturally, George asserted that this was untrue and that his wife was adulterous in their marriage.

When news broke that Ough named several prominent men from Albion and Medina as co-respondents in the suit (men he claimed his wife had extramarital affairs with), the story spread like wildfire and “scandal-mongers” throughout the county took to spreading gossip about the couple. Among those named in the suit were the prominent entrepreneur and land owner, Charles H. Moore of Albion, proprietor of the Albion House, Marvin Warner, and the prominent and well-respected Medina attorney, Stanley Filkins.

The case was one of the first for the newly seated Judge Lambert. Represented by Hon. John Hull White, president of the Albion Board of Education, the case was delayed on numerous occasions until the judge finally issued a nonsuit, which Ough quickly appealed. Annie Ough was assisted in her defense by Stanley Filkins, the same man named by Ough in the original suit. The accusations were so damaging that Filkins’ own wife filed for divorce shortly after the case hit the papers.

Despite this scandalous dispute, Ough was regarded as one of Albion’s most prominent and well-respected citizens.

This image, taken the morning after the accident occurred, shows the crowds gathered at the wreckage of the Steamboat Express. Nearby residents assisted in pulling corpses and wounded passengers from the wreckage into the early morning.

Volume 2, Issue 3

At 9:48 p.m. July 27, 1883, Orleans County experienced one of the most devastating disasters in local history.

The excursion train “Steamboat Express” was traveling eastbound on the Rome, Watertown, and Ogdensburg Railroad with a load of passengers bound for the Thousand Islands. On this particular evening a terrible storm had developed in the region bringing rain, lightening, and terrible gusts of wind.

The train departed the Lewiston station approximately 20 minutes behind schedule, departed Lyndonville’s station nearly 30 minutes behind schedule, and then proceeded on the four-mile journey to Carlyon’s station.

The train reached speeds of 25 miles per hour, normal pace for fair weather travels, and progress was on schedule despite the delay in departures from the previous two stops. As the engine steamed past the station at Carlyon, Fireman McCarthy opened the furnace door to feed the fire; the flash of light from the fire temporarily blinded Boynton.

As the engineer regained his sight, the vision of a stationary freight car appeared just a short distance in front of the engine. Boynton threw down the brakes and placed the engine in reverse but to no avail. With a full head of steam, the passenger train slammed into the freight car positioned on the main track.

The engine rolled on its side, throwing the engineer and fireman around in the cab. The heavy sleeper cars at the rear of the train pressed the light passenger cars into the engine, smashing them to pieces, and pinning passengers throughout the wreckage.

The terrible noise attracted a large crowd to the scene of the wreckage. Dr. Samuel Cochrane of Albion was dispatched to the scene as coroner and the station’s depot was temporarily turned into a triage center for wounded passengers.

The mangled corpses of 17 individuals were pulled from the wreckage that night and laid out on the station platform. The grotesque and devastating nature of the tragedy was something that local residents would recall for decades to come. Newspapers throughout New York, Pennsylvania, and Michigan covered the story, highlighting gross negligence on behalf of the RW&O Railroad.

Following the disaster, Carlyon’s Station Agent W. A. Barry fell under heavy scrutiny for the events of that evening. It was his responsibility to have the freight car moved from the main track to a section of track adjacent to the main line.

Barry insisted that he relocated the car and firmly set the brake. Investigators scoffed at the idea that even the most violent of wind gusts could blow a freight car with an engaged brake over 185 feet onto the main track.

The coroner’s inquisition gathered testimony from Albert Perry, the track watcher that evening, who claimed that just 30 minutes before the train came through, the track was clear of any obstructions.

There was no resolution to the question of who was responsible for the wreck. Barry insisted that he was not negligent in failing to set the brake on the car, instead suggesting that a group of malicious persons pushed the car onto the track.

The wreck attracted attention for years following the incident and appeared in newspapers throughout New York even 50 years later. Numerous individuals and family members of deceased passengers initiated civil suits against the RW&O Railroad, claiming that their loved ones were stripped of personal belongings, money, and one family cited the company’s refusal to allow for an open casket identification of the body.

Note: The Carlton railroad station was located on Yates-Carlton Townline Road between Ashwood and Alps Roads. The hamlet’s name was later changed to Ashwood.

Volume 2, Issue 2

ALBION – Last week’s article on Noah Davis sparked a few questions from the community regarding some of the other men in the photograph. Joseph Cornell, Julius Royce, Charles H. Moore, and Norman Field were all active members of the Albion community, involved in local politics, and respected businessmen in their professions.

This image is of Charles Henry Moore, a native of Manlius, New York who moved to Albion in 1843 at the age of 25. Initially he engaged in the mercantile business for approximately two years before he decided to pursue a career in engineering related endeavors. Moore was responsible for building the central road through Orleans County and was responsible for widening the Erie Canal in the Albion area.

Moore’s activities with the Erie Canal involved a partnership with George Pullman that allowed the men to profit from the relocation of roughly 20 buildings, all moved to make way for a wider canal prism. It was this partnership that drove Pullman and Moore venture out to Chicago. Moore followed Pullman to the “Windy City” in 1857 where both men worked together on various engineering projects.

The most notable project involved raising entire buildings to make room for the installation of a city sewer system. Built on marshland, the building foundations were dangerously close to the water table and prone to flooding. With a series of screwjacks and timbers the partners would raise the buildings over an extended period of time, usually several inches per day, until the buildings were elevated an average of six feet above the water table.

For a short period of time Moore and Pullman both tested their luck with mining in Colorado, dealing in gold dust before Pullman refocused his efforts on his Palace Car Company. Charles Moore also took an interest in railroad related ventures, involving himself with the Great Western Railroad in Canada and various railroads throughout Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri.

Along with Julius Royce, Moore served for a period of time as a director of the Niagara River and New York Airline (Railroad) and with Joseph Cornell, served as a trustee of the Albion Union School to which he was a charter and lifelong member. Moore was heavily involved with local politics and was elected as Village President and Trustee for several terms; he also served as a commissioner of Mt. Albion Cemetery.

Charles Moore was a devout Episcopalian and staunch Democrat who also engaged locally in land speculation. The Poles in Albion purchased the land for St. Mary’s Church from the Estate of Charles Moore, which encompassed a large portion of land on the east end of the village – the origin of Moore Street.

It is worth noting that Charles Moore was the uncle of Henry Moore Harrington who was killed with Gen. Custer at the Battle of Little Bighorn (vol. 1, issue 23).

Seated (l-r): Joseph Mason Cornell, Judge Noah Davis and Norman Spafford Field. Standing: Charles Henry Moore and Julius Heath Royce.

Volume 2, Issue 1

Taken sometime in the early 1880s, this image shows five of Albion’s most prominent and well-respected citizens. Heavily engaged in commercial interests and local politics, we would consider these men as the “movers and shakers” of their time.

Seated center is the Hon. Noah Davis, one of the most notable attorneys and politicians from Orleans County. Born Sept. 10, 1818 to Noah and Freelove Davis in New Hampshire, Noah was brought to Orleans County at a very young age and received his early education in the public schools of this area.

After studying at the Genesee Wesleyan Seminary at Lima, NY, Davis studied law for a brief time in Lewiston before his admittance to the bar in 1841. Several years of practicing law at Gainesville and Buffalo concluded his endeavors in that region and he soon returned to Albion.

Following his return to Orleans County, Davis initiated a partnership with Sanford E. Church in 1844 starting a highly respected firm that would exist for nearly 14 years. The end of this enterprise concluded when Davis received an appointment from Gov. John King to the 8th District New York Supreme Court bench in 1857.

Resigning that position in 1868, Davis served a shortened term as a U.S. Representative during the 41st Congress before resigning that post to accept a position as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York on July 20, 1870.

The appointment of Noah Davis as New York State Supreme Court Justice in 1872 led to his resignation from the post provided to him by President Grant and started perhaps the most illustrious 14 years of his legal career. Almost immediately after taking the bench the case of Edward Stokes was brought before him; Stokes was accused of murdering the well-known financier Jim Fisk. Davis delivered a stay of execution of Stokes’ sentence of death, allowing for an eventual third trial that would find Stokes guilty of manslaughter, not murder.

Even more noteworthy was the case of William “Boss” Tweed, a case that represented a culmination in the battle against the Tammany Hall political machine in New York City. Through a series of court cases, Tweed’s first trial ended with a hung jury and the second resulted in convictions on 204 counts, leading Davis to quip, “more counts than in a German principality?” The court affixed a $12,750 fine and sentenced Tweed to twelve years in prison.

Finding that Davis operated beyond the reach of his power in determining the sentence, it was reduced to one year and Tweed was released following the completion of his sentence. Shortly after, New York filed a civil suit attempting to recover over $6 million in embezzled funds leading Davis to assign bail at $3 million, an unprecedented amount that Tweed was unable to pay.

Davis was considered a strong but impulsive man who was often criticized by members of the bar, even though so many applauded his efforts in bringing about an end to the Tammany Hall machine. At the conclusion of his term, Judge Davis practiced privately in New York City. Davis was an intimate friend of President Grant for many years, serving as his personal attorney before his election to the White House. Grant’s chair and desk were two of his most prized possessions, which he kept in his office at New York City.

In his later career, Davis took an interest in medico-legal questions and became a student of forensic medicine, serving as an officer of the Medico-Legal Society. Judge Noah Davis died on March 30, 1902 and his body was returned to Albion for interment at Mt. Albion Cemetery.