New York Genealogy

The highway bridge was dismantled during the summer of 19 50. Livingston County owned one half of the structure, as the center of the river was the boundary line between the two counties. The entire bridge was given to Livingston County as compensation for its demolition by the county’s highway department. The population of St. Helena dwindled fast after the school was closed in the early 1920’s. The once busy valley had succumbed to the urge of progress and the young folks sought new fields. The river remained a good place for a cool swim on a hot summer day…

Mr. C. Scott De Golyer has been very helpful in giving us the following information about the recording gauge installed at St. Helena to check the water stage of the river. This station was established by George M. Brett and Charles E. Allen on August 14, 1908. It consisted of a standard Geological Survey chain gauge attached to the lower chord of the first left-hand panel of the middle span of the highway bridge. It was converted to a recording gauge station by W. G. Hoyt and C. S. De Golyer on August 24, 1911. The first recording gauge was…

Nearing the turn of the century there were only a few families owning property in St. Helena. They were John Piper, John Streeter, George E. Piper, Lucy Wallace, Thomas E. Marsh, A. Alcott, Herman Piper, John Orsburn, and Fred Marsh. L.aura Piper was there until 1902. The southern end of Water Street was no more. The school was still kept at this time. The river had moved closer and closer to the west side of the valley. The George Teeple family left St. Helena and moved to Nunda in the early 1920’s, when the river destroyed their farm. Soon afterward,…

Genesee Timber February 24, 1895: “John Chaffee, who lived one and a half miles below St. Helena, drew to the yard of the Elitsac Company, a mammoth cottonwood log, sixteen feet long and three feet through at the top and four feet through at the butt, scaling 1,024 feet. The log was cut on the east side of the river near the county line of Wyoming and Livingston, several weeks before. It was put on the bobs and drawn as far as the river, where it tipped over. Six horses were then hitched to the log and it was drawn…

During the more quiet season of the Genesee River, it was a source of pleasure, not only to local people, but to the Rochester Canoe Club, as well. From the Castilian of May 31, 1897, we take this item: “The Rochester Canoe Club, on its annual cruise down the Genesee River, made up of the following members: H.M. Stewart, Cort Avery, Al T. Brown, Wm. Patterson, Lee Rishwood, Col. C. H. Moody, Frank L. Dodgson, L. P. Newton, H. Cliff Shaw, Dr. F. R. Smith, P. P. Dickenson, Frank P. Crouch, H. B. Squire, Jas. K. Hand, Chas. B. Wolters,…

As the years went by, the valley folk had to depend more and more on farming, as the mills were silent, the timber mostly cleared away. Many moved away and the earlier settlers dropped out, one by one. Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel K. Barton moved to Castile, followed by the Johnson family, and then the John W. Piper family. The river had done great damage to the Johnson farm. The Castilian of May 25, 1894, published this item: “It is getting to be quite common to have a flood during the months of May and June, and this year we…