Book about Fort Covington

Jack Boyle’s book, Sunset on the Tracks: A memoir of family, friends, and special times in 1950’s Fort Covington will be an enjoyable read for any current or former residents of the area. We have the book in our Country Store and the cost is $30.00 plus tax.

Eliakim Briggs of Fort Covington

Larry Gooley has a great article on a 19th century Franklin County Inventor over at the Adirondack Almanack blog: 

http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2011/12/franklin-county-inventor-eliakim-briggs.html

Check it out!

Teacher Examinations

From a March 1864 issue of the Malone Palladium:

Fort Covington Presbyterian Church

From the 8-29-1867 Malone Palladium:

Plank Road from Ft. Covington to Malone

From January 1850 Malone Palladium

click to enlarge

Damages for sheep killed by dogs

From the 1853-1867 Minutes and Account Book of the Franklin County Board of Supervisors (forerunner of the Board of Legislators) in the collection of the Franklin County Historical and Museum Society (1984.118.1):

The following list appears in the minutes of November 11, 1863:

"The following claims were presented before the Board for damages to sheep killed by dogs.

Luther D. Green        Burke
William Woods            "
Henry Mallon               "
David Bush                  "
Josiah T. Barnum         " 
Sarah Percy                "
Mary Bingham             "
Mathhias Emerick        "
David Crippin              "
B.O. Neil                     "
M. Hurlbut              Constable
Francis Graves              "
Jacob Lanks                  "
Richard Cunningham      "
John L. Rogers              "
Norman Cook         Chateaugay
William A. Joslin            "
Samuel Stuart                "
E.A. Silver                    "
Jel Sunderland              "
Patrick Nolan               "
R.D. Whitehead            "
Ransom Ives                 "
B.B. Reynolds         Bombay
George Davis              "
Emery Howes             "
Edmond Cotter           "
John Burke                 "
M.H. Sanders             "
Abial Frye                  "
Nelson Wiley            Westville
David M. Freeman        "
Ira D. Martin                 "
George P. Poor             "
Edward Stinson             "
Philemon Berry              "
David Craig                   "
John Lahy                 Fort Covington
A.M. Cushman                  "
Patrick Dunovan                "
Mrs. James Summerfield    "
R.N. Cushman                   "
Cornelius O'Keefe              "
James Costelo                    "
John G. Keefe                   "
J. White                  Constable
Royal G. Hascall      Malone
Dan Avery                   "
Homer Berry           Bombay
Fisk B. Platt            Constable"

1853 Franklin County Board of Supervisors

From the 1853-1867 Minutes and Account Book of the Franklin County Board of Supervisors (forerunner of the Board of Legislators) in the collection of the Franklin County Historical and Museum Society (1984.118.1):


"At the annual meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Franklin County held at the court house in the town of Malone on the 11th day of November 1853
Supervisors Present -
 
Joseph Eldred         Bangor
William Weed         Bellmont
George Russell        Bombay
Jason Baker            Brandon
Elisha Marks           Burke
Thomas Bennet       Chateaugay
Joseph Hastings       Constable
Peter Whitney          Dickinson
James Duane            Duane
Chandler Ellsworth   Fort Covington
John N. Merrill         Franklin
Wiliam F. Martin      Harrietstown
Henry S. Brewster    Malone
Simon D. Stevens     Moira
Philemon Berry        Westville
 
On motion, James Duane was unanimously chosen chairman of the Board.
 
Adjourned, on motion, to the house of C.M. Gifford in Malone."

Shell Gasoline Stations

From the June 29, 1962 Malone Evening Telegram:

click image to enlarge

Cold Then, Cold Now

The very ... wintry winter we are having just now in Franklin County makes some folks rejoice and some folks grumble.  In the collection of the Franklin County Historical and Museum Society (1968.573.5) is a day book belonging to Charles W. Wilson of Fort Covington, NY that he used in 1914 to record his personal finances and other events of his daily life such as the weather.

Since the warmth of summer tends to erase our memory each year of what North Country winters are like and we are surprised anew at snow and cold, we present Charles Wilson's record of the winter of 1914 as a sort of commiseration as well as perspective that winter comes every year...

A sampling of entries:   [editor's comments in italics]

January 6:  Cold east wind.  The wind has been in the east for 6 days & changed to-night

January 9:  I was at home all day.  Nothing doeing [sic].  It has snowed a part of day to-day.

January 10:  It snowed all last night & all day to-day.  I have shovelled [sic] twice to-day the walks.  I drew 800 out of Bank to-day for to use by my own check.

January 11:  Sunday. Verry [sic] cold.

January 13:  The Coldest this morning of any so far.  Anywhere from 30 to 38 degrees below zero.  I shovelled [sic] out Billings walk. 

January 20:  Stormed Snow all day & pretty much of last night.

[sound familiar?]

January 21:  Verry [sic] Cold.  I shovelled [sic] out the walks & shovelled [sic] the walks for the corporation 15 minutes.

January 22:  12 degrees below zero this morning & roads verry [sic] heavy. 

January 24:  It has rained & thawed most all day & turned cold at night.

January 25:  Sunday.  4 below zero to-day.

January 31:  It hailed & Snowed all day & all night.  Not verry [sic] cold but windy.  Bad to be out. 

[perhaps February will look up?]

February 2:  Candelmas day.  Sun Shone bright a part of day & part cloudy.  Warmer to-day.

February 3:  A nice warm day & thawed a good deal. 

[nope]

February 7:  I Shovelled [sic] Billings walk, Mrs. Laws & my own.  About 3 inches of Snow fell last night.  It thawed most all day & turned cold & windy & blustering.

February 8:  Sunday.  Pretty cold & clear.  I had my eyes tested & a new pair of glasses.

February 11:  A Cold day.  20 degrees below zero this morning & the same to-night at 6 o'clock at night.

[Perhaps the weather will have pity on Mr. Wilson for his birthday...  or not]

February 12:  My birth day - 67 years old.  Last night & to-day terrible cold.  Anywhere from 20 to 30 degrees below zero.  Verry [sic] Clear.  I paid Kelsey for coal delivered on the eleventh - 30.50 lbs of coal by check [$]10.93.

February 15:  Sunday.  Cold & clear.  We are on the sick list.  None went to church.

February 18:  A Real Nice Day.   I went up to my place & up to Eliza's & back home.  I gave Eliza her last year's card for the 2 cords of wood she sent to the Church.

February 19:  Another nice day.  I split wood here.

++++

February 1914 turned nice eventually and we suppose so will ours in 2011.  Get out there and split some wood. 

First Baptist Church Sunday School Records

Recently donated to the Franklin County Historical and Museum Society:

Two Sunday School record books from First Baptist Church of Malone covering the years 1917-1929. 

The First Baptist Church Sunday School was begun in 1833.  (Click here and here for an article on the 100th anniversary celebrations in 1933.)  The Sunday School movement in America was well-organized and by the turn of the 20th century, many local churches - including the Malone First Baptist Church - made use of ledgers and materials in accordance with the inter-denominational International Sunday School Convention guidelines. 

The 1918-19 Sunday School year was rough for First Baptist, in which they had to briefly close Sunday School for both a fire and the great 'flu epidemic:

and, of course, when one of the towers collapsed:

Article from May or June 1918 Malone Farmer. Click on images to enlarge

The Franklin County Sunday School Association met annually during the first half of the 20th century at churches around the county and drew its officers from the county's Methodist, Baptist, Congregational, and Presbyterian churches.  According to articles in the Malone Farmer, the association met in Moira in 1900 and reported 60 Sunday Schools in the county, with a total membership of 5640; in Ft. Covington in 1901; in Malone in 1911 at which Dr. Harwood gave an address "Alcohol of little or no value as a medicinal remedy"; in North Bangor in 1914 and reported 61 Sunday Schools in the county, with a total membership of 5493 and the Methodist churches in the county taking the top three spots for attendance; in Chateaugay in 1920; in Brushton in 1923; and in Bombay in 1927.

Additional Resources:
1918 Report of the International Sunday School Association Convention
1911 Report of the International Sunday School Association Convention  (Includes section on movement history)
The Sunday School movement 1780-1917

Franklin County men in Civil War prison

In the collection of the Franklin County Historical & Museum Society (1970.46.2) is a medallion, once belonging to Franklin County resident Mose Burrell, declaring him a member of the National Society of Andersonville Survivors.  Camp Sumter in Andersonville, GA was a Confederate prison (Feb. 1864-April 1865) notorious for its overcrowding and inhumane conditions.  According to the National Park Service, which now maintains the site as a National Historic Site: "During the 15 months during which Andersonville was operated, almost 13,000 Union prisoners died there of malnutrition, exposure, and disease; Andersonville became synonymous with the attrocities which both North and South soldiers experienced as prisoners of war."  

Mose Burrell's obituary appeared in the Tupper Lake Herald on April 25, 1919:

This January 23, 1969 Tupper Lake Free Press and Tupper Lake Herald article announced the donation of the Mose Burrell's medallion to the Historical Society:

Many other Franklin County natives were imprisoned at Andersonville, and a quick search of the Northern NY Library Network's Historical Newspaper database (available for free at: http://news.nnyln.net/) revealed articles on at least six other Franklin County men, including this tribute in the Ft. Covington Sun of April 21, 1910: 

1916 School Superintent's Report

click on images to enlarge

From the collection of the Franklin County Historical & Museum Society, 1976.192