Volume 1, Issue 38
KNOWLESVILLE – The eldest son of Benoni Grover, Lysander was born Jan. 22, 1802 at Deerfield, Massachusetts. Lysander’s father was a farmer in his early life, forced to adopt a new profession after a horrible milling accident cost him his leg. It was after this accident that he married his wife, Thankful Smith, and raised several children including Lysander.

When Lysander was all but five years of age, his father moved the family to Phelps, New York, where he attended schools and worked on area farms. Despite his rugged family genes, young Lysander’s body could no longer take the physical strain of manual labor and he was forced to establish himself in a profession that was more manageable.

Attending an academy at Geneva, Lysander attained a teacher’s certificate and proceeded to teach in the local school districts for several years. Finding the profession of a teacher quite bothersome, he sought out a new vocation. Deciding that he was neither pious enough for ministerial work nor confident enough to practice law, he decided that the occupation of physician would suffice.

Studying with Dr. James Carter of Geneva, Lysander spent the next four years learning the specifics of the medical profession. With six cents in his pocket, the eager Dr. Grover travelled to the village of Alloway in the township of Lyons where he borrowed enough money to start a medical practice.

His first year of practice in Alloway was marked by much health amongst the population of the village as he wrote, “nobody would get sick to accommodate me, or test the efficiency of my drugs, or my ability in prescribing them.” With patience and due diligence (and eventually patients), Dr. Grover established a successful practice in Wayne County.

In 1844 Dr. Grover relocated to a farm in Alexander, New York where he spent less than one year before exchanging the land for a farm located at Knowlesville. He remarks in his short autobiography in Arad Thomas’ Pioneer History of Orleans County that, “I practiced medicine but little, keeping a drug and book store, and superintending my farm.” He also writes that he operated both an ashery and distillery in the area for a portion of his time in Orleans County.

Dr. Grover died before his grandson, Dr. Edward L. Frost, graduated from the University of Buffalo’s Medical School in 1892. The son of Cecilia Grover and William H. Frost, Edward later served as an Instructor of Obstetrics at the University of Buffalo’s Medical School from 1893 to 1897.

Dr. Frost was one of four physicians who testified at the trial of Olive Sternaman, Canada’s Black Widow who was accused of poisoning her two husbands with arsenic in Cayuga, Ontario. Dr. Frost’s son, Carl Grover, attended the University of Michigan where he earned his medical degree in the specialty of Ear, Nose, and Throat.

Volume 1, Issue 37 supplement

(Editor’s Note: This week’s column for Old-Time Orleans is a supplemental issue connected to last week’s piece on the St. Mary’s Athletic Club baseball team.)

On occasion, my weekly column flushes out a piece of related local history. New photographs, documents, records, and even artifacts have surfaced thanks to the willingness of the Orleans Hub and Batavia Daily News to publish the column every week.

I greatly appreciate the feedback, both positive and negative, regarding the content of each piece and hope that the community continues to provide these responses.

Following the publication of my most recent article, I received several photographs from Clarendon Town Historian Melissa Ierlan of several baseball uniforms. The pieces were loaned to her by Larry and Brenda Swanger, who graciously allowed the uniforms to be cleaned and displayed in Clarendon.

Without a doubt, the uniforms are the exact style worn by the players from last week’s photograph so I thought it would be fitting to not only share images of these amazing artifacts, but provide some additional insight into the formation of the St. Mary’s Athletic Club in Albion.

In 1912 a local Polish Roman Catholic Union branch was established in Albion thanks to the diligent work of Frank Turski of Buffalo and Rev. Charles Mioduszewski of St. Mary’s Assumption Parish in Albion. It was on Sunday, Dec. 1, 1912 that a delegation of PRCU members from Buffalo including Turski, Antoni Kazmierczak, Frank Andrezjewski, and Jacob Graczyk arrived in Albion to install the organization’s newest branch in Western New York.

Established at Chicago in 1873 by Rev. Teodor Gieryk and Rev. Wincenty Barczynski, the PRCU was active in developing social programs aimed at supporting widows, orphans, and the needy. Nearly a decade later the organization developed an insurance program, similar to the Knights of Columbus, and led the way in promoting gender equality in fraternal organizations. Many branches, including Albion’s Branch 654, promoted local sporting events and sponsored teams throughout major cities such as Detroit, Chicago, and Buffalo.

We can see that one uniform is marked St. Mary’s P.R.C.U. A.C., representing the St. Mary’s PRCU Athletic Club, the precursor to the officially established St. Mary’s Athletic Club now located on Moore Street in Albion.

Both shirts include a patch on the left sleeve, a gold circular patch with crossed flags, a heart, and shield. The patch, the crest of the PRCU, contains a Polish flag and United States flag crossed with the Sacred Heart and Polish Falcon. The crest shows the assimilation into American society that many Poles sought while retaining their religious and cultural heritage. The St. Mary’s Athletic Club officially established itself in 1924 as a men’s social club, strange considering the height of prohibition at the time.

The organization existed as an extension of the local Polish Catholic Church until the 1940s when the Athletic Club cut ties with the Parish. Expressing distaste for the debauchery and poor behavior of those drinking at the club, some parishioners voiced a concern that many men would consume alcohol at the St. Mary’s Club, stagger uptown, and draw unwanted and unwarranted attention to the church.

The organization continues to support baseball programs locally and until recently, provided death benefits for “regular” members who could claim Polish lineage.

Vol. 1, Issue 37

ALBION – In the spring of 1934, the St. Mary’s Athletic Club players posed for this team photograph on opening day at the club’s home field on Moore Street in Albion.

The 1933 and 1934 seasons would be some of the worst seen by the team in the two decades prior, bringing about an end to their run as league champions.

Mayor Jacob Landauer threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

The organization was established just 10 years prior in February 1924 amidst the height of Prohibition. It was in the spring of the same year that the club’s first baseball team was organized and consisted of Chester “Chisep” Avino, Frank “Peppy” Avino, Ted “Charcoal” Avino, Tony Button, Stanley “Flip” Furmanski, Ed “Wimpy” Furmanski, Casimer “Guz” Friday, John Lewandowski, Max Lubawy, John Mager, Max “Showboat” Mager, Stanley “Panama” Radzinski, Joe “Crow-foot” Rice, Stanley “Sandy” Sadowski, Casimer “Spizek” Stucko, Stanley “Sea Dog” Telga, John Wieczorek, and Stanley “Kuba” Wieczorek. Many of these men remained with the team when this photograph was taken.

It was in 1926 that the organization took home their first championship and following another league victory in 1929, the club rewarded themselves with the new uniforms seen in this image.

Volume 1, Issue 36

MEDINA – On July 4, 1817, New York State embarked on a crusade to complete the greatest feat in the history of modern engineering; a 363-mile ditch from Albany to Buffalo aimed at connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes.

Eight years later this expansive project was completed and welcomed a vast number of packet boats and mule teams to its tow path. Improvements focused on repairing leaks and widening the canal began almost immediately in order to accommodate the flood of shipping traffic.

It was in 1903 that New York State authorized the redevelopment and massive expansion project that would turn the Erie Canal into the “Barge Canal.” Starting in 1905, this massive undertaking required 13 years to complete and cost New York taxpayers nearly $100 million.

The 82 locks located along the miles of canal prism covering 565 feet worth of elevation shifts represented an outstanding accomplishment for State engineers, but the expansive projects undertaken as part of Contract Number 65 in the western section of Orleans County was one that could easily rival any prior achievements.

This image, taken on April 26, 1915 from the Laurel Hill Bridge, shows the Medina Canal Terminal looking west towards downtown. In the foreground, the newly completed aqueduct and retaining walls stand as a testament to the hard work of both man and machinery. One of the more noticeable landmarks, the White Hotel, stands in the background to the right.

This portion of the 1905-1918 expansion was completed in 1914-1915 and represented 76 percent of the total project covered in Contract No. 65. A 1.5 cubic yard Hains mixer with a 300 cubic yard gravel bin mixed the concrete, which was then transported by one of three steam locomotives to sites as far west as Glenwood Avenue.

Nine guy derricks were used to pour the concrete into wooden frames and set in layers to prevent the weight of the mixture from collapsing the framework. This system was responsible for pouring the nearly 57,000 cubic yards of second grade concrete and more than 1,600 cubic yards of reinforced concrete used to build the retaining walls, waste weir, and aqueduct.

More impressive is the fact that all of this concrete was set during the off-season to prevent any disruptions to traffic. This meant that special precautions were put in place to ensure the mixture did not freeze while setting. Paired with the inability to block or divert the Oak Orchard Creek during the construction of the aqueduct, this span of the Canal would have proven quite difficult to complete. New York State spent a total of $776,670 to complete the work that year, mostly between the Prospect Street and Laurel Hill Bridges (now Bank Street).

The Orleans County Department of History has nearly 500 photographs of the Erie Canal in Orleans County taken between 1913 and 1930 showing various aspects of the contracts. Approximately 100 of these can be seen at www.orleanscountyhistorian.org/erie-canal and more will become available in the coming weeks.

MEDINA – Taken in early 1912, this image shows the construction of the new Monitor Clock Works factory in Medina. At that time the business was located on Rock Avenue, which was later renamed to Glenwood Avenue. The company began advertising their plans to construct this new 30,000-square-foot facility in early December of 1911.

The history of the Monitor Clock Works dates back to Daniel Azro Ashley Buck, a native of Vermont who spent time as a jeweler and watchmaker in Massachusetts, then in Connecticut. It was in this area that he patented the long spring Waterbury Watch in the 1880s. Buck became well known for manufacturing small, mechanical items and received numerous patents during the 1880s and 1890s.

Buck received patents for watch parts, portable clocks, musical toys, kaleidoscopes, coin operating vending machines, and even an 1887 camera. It was the completion of the world’s smallest steam engine that earned him greater notoriety; a 150 piece engine that was built atop a gold coin. After his arrival in Medina, he became the president of the Medina Manufacturing Company, a position he held until his death on April 6, 1904.

In that year, the company became The Monitor Company and began the production of clocks and engaged in the made-to-order woodworking business. It was in 1907 that the company transitioned into the Monitor Clock Works. It is cited that the failure of the National Bank in Medina indirectly led to the eventual sale of the company to B. A. Chubbuck.

It was in October of 1913 that the Daily Journal published an article stating, “the goblins have secured one of our factories, for the Monitor Clock Works has decided to move its entire plant to Brockport” Chubbuck, along with Brockport native Frank LeVan, decided to move the company to Brockport with plans to expand their operations.

It was during this time that the company continued to engage in the manufacture of mantel and tall clocks in the Mission style for sale in Chicago and New York City, as well as through mail-order catalogs.

So it was only a short period of time after constructing this new building, located in the vicinity of the A. L. Swett Iron Works that the company removed to Brockport, effectively becoming the Brockport Clock Works. On December 18, 1913, the Brockport Republic so proudly boasted, “we consider the recent removal of the Monitor Clock Works to this place as one of our most fortunate acquisitions”

Unfortunately for the company, talk of bankruptcy began to surface as early as 1916 as Syracuse companies began to call in unpaid loans. The company involuntarily filed for bankruptcy in 1918.

This building, still in construction, was later used as a storehouse by the Swett Iron Works. In 1914 it was deemed a dangerous fire hazard and relocated 100 feet south of this location.

MEDINA – Clarendon can stake her claim to Joseph Glidden, a one-time resident of the town who is credited with perfecting barbed wire – made quite a bit of money from it, too! Medina can stake her claim to Orrin J. Wyman, a man who set out to build a better farm gate.

Pictured on the far right is Orrin Wyman standing alongside his patented “O.K. Farm Gate.” Filing the patent on July 17, 1911, the patent was provided nearly five months later on Dec. 12, 1911. This patent states that Wyman’s “novel” farm gate was newly designed and was “bracedto prevent sagging of the outer or free end of the gate.”

This was not Wyman’s first patent, nor his first attempt to redesign the all-important device essential for farms throughout Orleans County and the United States. Orrin received his first patent on Feb. 20, 1906, when he and several other men perfected a “Barrel-heading Press;” yet another important implement for our region.

This device was used to evenly press the head of a barrel down, holding it in place while the head was secured. A rather simple gadget but one designed to make shipping fruits easier and more convenient.

After this, Wyman spent the next five years perfecting his farm gate design, receiving patents in 1907 and 1908 before creating a system that prevented lateral farm gates from catching on “snow, garbage, or other obstructions” located along the ground. This patent was granted on April 6, 1909 and paved the way for the O.K. Farm Gate seen in this image.

Orrin Wyman died on October 14, 1913 in Shelby having little time to amass any potential wealth from his invention. I would suspect that such an invention would have proved useful to Orrin’s brother-in-law, Dr. Robert Flowers, who established himself as a veterinarian in Denison, Texas.

By Matthew Ballard, Orleans County Historian

ALBION – This image shows Mrs. Jennie McGuire Leonard standing in front of her millinery located on North Main Street in Albion. The beautiful building constructed of brick was designed in the Federal style, often referred to as the Classical Revival style.

This type of architecture pre-dates the Greek Revival style that is often seen throughout Orleans County and structures of this type would have appeared as late as 1840.

Prior to serving as a place of business for Mrs. Leonard, the building acted as the law office of the Hon. Gideon Hard. Born April 29, 1797 to Philo Hard and Currence Hawley, Gideon was one of 15 children who descended from prominent lineage in Arlington, VT. Although his maternal great uncle, Seth Warner, was a respected captain with the Green Mountain Boys during the American Revolution, his father’s family were hardened Loyalists.

Attending Union College in Schenectady, Hard graduated in 1822 and immediately began the study of law. After his admittance to the bar in 1825 he traveled to Orleans County where he would establish himself as an attorney prior to moving his wife to the area the following year.

Although lost within our local history books, Gideon Hard should be regarded as one of our more notable founders. Hard became Orleans County Treasurer in 1827 and was said to have motioned to change the name of the village from Newport to Albion.

It was in 1833 that Hard was elected to the United States House of Representative for the 23rd Congress running on the Anti-Masonic ticket and serving as the 1st representative from the newly established 33rd District. He was again elected to the 24th Congress, this time running on the Anti-Jackson ticket.

Hard’s days as a politician were far from over and within five years of ending his career as a U.S. Representative, he was elected to the New York Senate, the last from the 1st District Class 3. After his term concluded in 1847 he was appointed to the position of Canal Appraiser in 1849 and later served as First Judge and Surrogate for Orleans County.

The late 1850s proved difficult for the Hard family. Gideon suffered from personal illness, making his engagement in political and community fairs extremely difficult.

Around 1861, Gideon’s wife Adeline became gravely ill and suffered for nearly three years before she passed. Her illness and subsequent death caused great grief within the family and Gideon was destined to live out the remainder of his life with his children and later his sister before his own passing on April 27, 1885 at Albion.

CARLTON – This image shows the old “Two Bridges Hotel” located in Carlton near the Oak Orchard River and Marsh Creek. Residents of the area may recognize this building as it stands today as “Narby’s Superette and Tackle.”

The hotel area of the structure was located on the west end. Two doors are located on the front end of the building, one marked “Bar Room” and the other marked “Hotel Entrance.” A sign outside of the main doorway shows that oysters were being offered in the dining room.

Along the west side of the building, “Two Bridges Hotel” is painted between the windows on the second floor and the name of the hotel is again depicted at the peak of the building on the front side. The two bridges that gave the area its name are shown; the covered bridge spanning the Oak Orchard River and the bridge crossing Marsh Creek.

Located on the east end was the general store and postmaster’s office. Prior to the advent of rural delivery, Carlton’s post office was located at this site. Further to the east was a stable for horses. These two pieces were later removed.

The earliest hotel on this site was a brick structure built prior to 1870. When that building burned, this structure replaced it. The hotel had a long list of proprietors starting with R. R. Tenant in its earliest years and later falling under the ownership of Whaley & Palmer, Wyland & King, George Gunther, George Root, Ashley Blake, Philip Podgers, Charles Conley, and Benjamin Bamber.

The store also had a lengthy list of owners who often doubled as postmaster during their tenure. Benjamin Fowler, who was likely the owner of the store when this photo was taken, and James Waldron were two of the earlier proprietors of the business before Ben Bamber took control.

The hotel was the center of community events during its heyday. Proprietors frequently held parties for New Year’s Eve, Washington’s Birthday, Independence Day, and other patriotic celebrations. The store was one of the few local spots where residents could purchase dry goods and other necessities such as medicines.

In 1937, the area ceased to exist as “Two Bridges” when the name was inadvertently changed to “The Bridges” with the addition of the Rt. 18 span over the Oak Orchard River. I suppose with the removal of the Oak Orchard River Road Bridge, we can once again call the area “Two Bridges.”

ALBION – This image likely taken in the 1890s shows the horse-drawn bus that was responsible for transporting patrons of the Orleans House around Albion. Most commonly the bus was used to carry passengers from the railroad station at Clinton Street to the hotel on East Bank Street.

After the turn of the century, the proprietor of the Orleans House experimented with the method of transportation by offering rides to Point Breeze during the day. The image was probably taken in the vicinity of Platt and East Bank Streets and depicts a time in Albion’s history when dirt streets were the norm.

The Orleans House was a popular meeting space for many prominent groups in Orleans County including the Orleans County Bar Association, which adopted their bylaws and constitution at the site on September 13, 1877. The 151st New York Infantry and the 17th New York Light Independent Artillery frequently held reunions at the hotel.

The drivers of this bus seem to have experienced a number of misfortunes, as a quick scan of the local papers reveals a team of horses that were frequently skittish.

On one such occasion on March 15, 1895 while passing over the canal, the horses were frightened by a steam shovel causing the team to “take off,” damaging the carriage. On a similar occasion, a frightened team pulled the bus into the canal.

A closer look at the bus reveals a decorative paint job and two oil lanterns centered at the front of the carriage for driving at night. An animal-skin blanket is draped over the seat, likely to make the hard, bumpy ride a little more comfortable.

Dr. Henry Dwight Bliss was later stricken by tuberculosis

HOLLEY – Born June 27, 1854 and a Kendall native, Henry Dwight Bliss was the son of Edwin and Mary Seymour Bliss. Receiving his earliest education from the one-room schoolhouses of Kendall, Henry moved to Holley as a young man where his father was to take over as manager of Luther Gordon’s newly constructed lumber and coal yard.

Bliss grew up around the construction and lumber business so it was only natural that he would attend the Rochester Business School after assisting his father with accounting and bookkeeping duties at the yard. Henry decided quickly that the merchant business wasn’t for him and he left the business school in Rochester after one year.

Bliss redirected his focus towards bigger and better things, starting in 1876 when he enrolled at Cornell University. Three years later, he transferred to the University of Rochester where he graduated in 1880.

Shortly after, Bliss enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania’s Medical Department earning his M.D. in 1883. Immediately after his graduation from Pennsylvania, he removed to Brooklyn where he served as resident physician at St. John’s Hospital in that vicinity. After a year of service at that institution, Dr. Bliss opened his own private practice at 1568 Fulton Street, Brooklyn.

From the eulogies delivered by fellow physicians following his death, they all spoke of Dr. Bliss’s dedication to research as an informed physician, his gentlemanly character, and the lucrative practice he built up while living in Brooklyn.

The life of Dr. Bliss was plagued by ill health for a large portion of his time spent outside of Orleans County. In 1891 he was forced to take a leave of absence from his practice in the hopes of restoring his failing health. Attempting to travel to Europe aboard the S.S. Dubbeldam, stormy seas wrecked the ship, requiring the crew to dock at Plymouth. Severe seasickness landed Dr. Bliss in the hospital, forcing him to recuperate in the U.S.

As the story was told, he had contracted tuberculosis from a patient and was never able to fully regain his health. After attempting numerous times to regain his strength and physical wellbeing, he was forced to sell his practice in 1898 and returned to the home of his parents in Holley.

After a short stay in an area sanitarium with little to show for his efforts, Dr. Bliss returned to Holley to live out the last days of his life surrounded by family. He died on April 12, 1900 at the age of 46, leaving a widow and three young children.

Photos by Matt Ballard – The monument to Col. Patrick Henry O’Rorke features a bas-relief set in granite. Standing over eight feet tall, the marker rests atop the spot where O’Rorke was killed. His nose is polished as a result of visitors rubbing it for good luck, although he had little luck himself that day.

HOLLEY – A recent article in the Orleans Hub centered on Assemblyman Hawley’s 8th annual Patriot Trip to Washington D.C. and other important national landmarks, including the Gettysburg Battlefield.

I had the pleasure of visiting Gettysburg for the first time in nearly 10 years, a trip I last made as a senior in high school. Naturally, a new perspective and better understanding of the historical events of July 1st through the 3rd left me with a different impression of the site.

Upon Little Round Top rests a large monument dedicated to Col. Patrick O’Rorke, the site where New York’s 140th Volunteer Infantry made a valiant and daring charge down upon Hood’s Texans. Gen. Gouverneur Warren is often regarded as the “Hero of Little Round Top,” but one might argue that Col. O’Rorke and the 140th are the unsung heroes of Little Round Top.

At this point in time, we know of several soldiers from Orleans County who were with Col. O’Rorke on July 2nd at Gettysburg. Herbert Charles Taylor, one of those men, is believed to be the only county resident to die during that battle.

Looking down towards Devil’s Den from the summit of Little Round Top. Pvt. Herbert Taylor and the men of the 140th would have experienced this view as they reached the peak of Little Round Top. Without hesitation they advanced upon the Confederates with great fury and bravery.

As the regiment of New York men marched towards Sickle’s 3rd Corps, Gen. Warren intercepted the 140th in a desperate effort to defend Little Round Top. Knowing O’Rorke, Warren shouted, “Paddy, give me a regiment!”

With no time to dress the regimental line, O’Rorke led his men including Taylor and Graham Reed Scott of Orleans County to the top of the hill. Reaching the precipice O’Rorke dismounted his horse, threw his reins aside and shouted, “Down this way, boys.”

The 4th and 5th Texans released a volley of fire, sending bullets into the 140th, including a bullet that pierced O’Rorke’s neck killing him instantly. With every step, the men stumbled and tripped along the face of the rocky hill. Coming within close distance of the enemy line, many Confederates chose to surrender rather risk the possibility of death from Union gunfire and bayonet. The sudden fury of Union bayonets halted the Texans dead in their tracks.

Photo by Tom Rivers – Herbert Charles Taylor is buried at Hillside Cemetery. This photo shows his grave, which is in the historic section of the cemetery and includes a veteran’s marker with an American flag.

O’Rorke’s death and the subsequent attack made by the 140th New York upon the advancing Confederates was regarded as one of the most daring acts of bravery during the entire battle. Surely without the aid of the exhausted and winded men of New York, the outcome of July 2nd could have been far different. It was during this act of bravery that Pvt. Taylor of Holley was killed.

Upon his death, Joseph Gile of Holley wrote a piece for the local papers:

“Oh, that is ever a cruel blow,
However it falls in the strife,
Which stops the beat of a manly heart.
And the hopes of an honest life.”

He concluded with, “few who have fallen in the cause of the Union will be more sincerely regretted.” Dying on “the field of victory” at Gettysburg, Taylor’s body was returned to Holley and interred at Hillside Cemetery.

Editor’s Note
Taylor will be featured during a Ghost Walk today at Hillside Cemetery that begins at 7 p.m. with proceeds from the event used for restoration for the cemetery chapel.

This image shows John D. Brush, Sr. taken in 1916 as a senior at Albion High School.

ALBION – The son of Dwight M. Brush and Eva Gill, John D. Brush was born at Albion on Nov. 5, 1897.

His father and grandfather, John E. Brush, engaged in the Pop Manufacturing and Bottling business on Moore Street in the 1880s and early 1890s. His father took control of the lease for the Exchange Hotel at 123-125 North Main Street around the time of John’s birth, operating that business until his untimely death in December of 1906. It was for this reason that John was forced to provide for himself starting at the age of nine.

John Brush graduated from Albion High School with the Class of 1916 and eventually completed studies at St. Lawrence University in 1922. He attended the Theological Seminary at St. Lawrence University, graduating in 1923.

In 1918, John enlisted with Company C of the 338th Tank Battalion but saw no service overseas due to the Armistice of November 11th of that year. Following his short time in the service and his studies at St. Lawrence University, John began his ministerial service.

Rev. Brush spent several years as the minister of the Church of Good Tidings in North Weymouth, Massachusetts and the Universalist Church of Norwood, Massachusetts before returning to Western New York in 1930.

It was the intention of John Brush to explore business opportunities in Rochester, to which he approached his brother-in-law, Willard Punnett, about engaging in safe box manufacturing. Punnett had already inherited a successful business from his father, Byron Punnett, and a partnership was established under the name of Brush-Punnett Co. in 1931.

Formulated around the concept of a safe produced with stamped parts to cut down on production expenses, Brush and Punnett delved into the manufacturing business amidst the Great Depression. Income was nearly non-existent and orders had all but dried up when Punnett called it quits, turning his part in the company over to Brush.

Two years later, a timely order from Vassar College for 2,200 wall safes provided enough business to allow Brush a weekly salary of $10. By 1937, he was making roughly $50 per week, which amounted to a salary equivalent to that of his ministerial wages.

The 1930s proved to be a time of great difficulty, sacrifice, and hardship. It was thanks to the commitment of his wife that the family was able to pull through the tribulations of the ’30s. A large order from Eastman Kodak in 1943 paired with the conclusion of the Second World War meant that the hardships of the last 10 years were now behind him.

With the eventual entrance of his sons John Jr., Richard, and Robert into the business, the company developed into the John D. Brush & Co., Inc. in 1955.

Operating under their flagship brand SentrySafe, John’s grandsons Doug and Jim would later purchase the controlling interest in the company. In July of 2014, the company was purchased by Master Lock Co. for a staggering $117 million, bringing an end to one of Rochester’s better-kept secrets.

ALBION – Taken in May of 1933 by Frank S. Nayman, this image shows the Village of Albion’s sewage disposal facility located on Densmore Street near Butts Road. The plant used a “trickling filter” system where sewage was continuously sprayed over crushed stone.

Residents of Albion were forced to suffer from the pungent odors and pressured the village on numerous occasions to pursue other waste treatment options. Prior to this, sewage flowed directly into the West Branch of Sandy Creek that runs through the village. Residents clamored for improvements to the sewage disposal system as early as the 1880s, knowing that their current means of waste removal was unsanitary.

In the left half of this panoramic image, we see the houses that line Knapp and Joseph Streets with Sandy Creek running between them and the treatment plant. In the right half are a number of village laborers standing around a Ford Model T truck and a team of horses.

For those with 20/20 vision, you can catch a glimpse of the steeples of both the Presbyterian Church and St. Mary’s Assumption Church.

This past week I had the pleasure of visiting the Fredericksburg Battlefield Park in Virginia and Gettysburg Battlefield Park in Pennsylvania, both with connections to local soldiers from Orleans County.

Each visit was a moving experience and I thought perhaps I would share several stories of local men from our area over the coming weeks.

The top image shows the gravesite of Pvt. Charles McOmber (misidentified as McCumber), burial number 2296.

Charles McOmber was born in 1844 at Carlton – his uncle Col. Calvin Otis was in command of the 100th New York Infantry and a noted architect in Buffalo. His father Van Rensselaer later enlisted with the 8th New York Cavalry at the advanced age of 54 and his brother Otis would serve with the 76th New York Infantry, spending 9 months at Andersonville Prison. Another brother Lorenzo would enlist with Orleans County’s 17th Light Independent Artillery, dying from typhoid fever in the summer of 1864.

Charles enlisted in April of 1861, responding to Lincoln’s initial call for 75,000 volunteers after the bombardment of Ft. Sumter. As a member of the 23rd New York Infantry, Charles was present for the battles of Bull Run and Antietam before accompanying the regiment to Fredericksburg in December of 1862.

This image depicts Fredericksburg National Cemetery. The taller grave markers indicate identified burials – shorter markers are labeled with a number, indicating the site contains unidentified remains. The gravesite of Pvt. McOmber rests near the statue of Gen. Humphrey.

On December 12, 1862, Abner Doubleday began to position his division across the Richmond Road under the cover of fog to prevent a Confederate advance into the city. Situated atop Prospect Hill and overlooking this maneuver was Jeb Stuart and his horse artillery under the command of John Pelham. As the fog began to lift, Pelham’s artillery delivered direct fire upon the forces of Doubleday’s division.

Charles McOmber was struck by fragments from an artillery shell prior to the official start of the battle. Cpt. William Cole of Company B later wrote that he witnessed Pvt. McOmber’s death, having been hit by a shell and expiring within two hours. Prior to his death, Charles sent his monthly pay to his mother Angela in Ohio to help support both her and his youngest brother and sister. Angela was forced to apply for a “widow’s pension” as a dependent mother following his death.

When the Fredericksburg National Cemetery was established in 1866, the battle had concluded nearly 4 years prior and many interments were misidentified or unidentified. Fewer than 3,000 of the more than 15,000 burials in the cemetery are identified, including the grave of Charles McOmber.