Nichols

St Helena, ghost town of the Genesee, 1797-1954

Flood Dangers at St. Helena New York

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 […]

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St Helena, ghost town of the Genesee, 1797-1954

St. Helena Hospitality

St. Helena was host to many a traveler, and its people were kind to the unfortunate. One figure familiar in the town was “Aunt Eban Noddy,” somewhat demented but entirely harmless. She made annual pilgrimages over the country on foot, dressed in fanciful attire. She was the mother of “Sol Noddy” who made his home at St. Helena and Castile for more than forty years. He, like his mother, made trips over the countryside and was given shelter by many good people when he needed it. Sol died July 2, 1895, at the Wyoming County Home at Varysburg. His mother,

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St Helena, ghost town of the Genesee, 1797-1954

Social Activity in St. Helena, New York

The little village’s ministers were paid a small salary and by donations. The February 14, 1879, Castilian states that a very successful “donation” was held at the St. Helena schoolhouse. The goodly sum of seventy-five dollars was raised for Rev. Campbell. Well done for so small a community! The donation was an annual event, held in the schoolhouse on an autumn evening when the harvest was in. The gifts were all kinds of fruits, vegetables, meat, baked goods, and money. The affair was such a social success that the guests generally ate many of the donations! The older people visited

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The St. Helena School in 1893, when Miss Ida Bennett was teacher.

St. Helena’s School Life

When homes began to be established in St. Helena, the need for a school arose, naturally. The exact date of the building of the first schoolhouse cannot be learned. However, it is known that the structure was located in the valley on the west side of the northern highway leading toward Castile. The building was used later for a barn. The school district was Number Four, at first, but later was changed to Number Ten in Castile Township. Since the village’s plans were made about 1820, it would appear that the schoolhouse was included. The first school building was used

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St Helena, ghost town of the Genesee, 1797-1954

Early Settlers of St. Helena, New York

In 1826, Mr. and Mrs. Parker Nichols emigrated from Vermont and settled in St. Helena, where on September 25, 1827, a daughter, Fanny, was born to them. She could remember seeing Mary Jemison at St. Helena. An abundance of timber and water power for their mills drew the early settlers to the valley. During the early 1800’s, an English surveyor, Stewart by name, laid out the plan for the village. Divided into three sections, residential, business, and manufacturing, the little town began to grow. In 1832, Asa Willey Gifford purchased land there. Asa was born in Vermont in 1798, son

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New Vernon Cemetery, Middletown, New York - FM

New Vernon Cemetery, Middletown, New York

New Vernon Cemetery, also known as the Old Baptist School Cemetery, surrounds the Old Baptist School Church at New Vernon, Sullivan County, New York, near the County line separating Sullivan County from Orange County. Many of those interred here actually lived and died in Orange County. The 604 entries have been transcribed as accurately as possible from the original listings, but have been changed to an alphabetical listing to make it easier to find people.

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Talcott Hale Camp

Camp Genealogy of Jefferson County New York

The Camp family is of English origin, and bore its coat of arms as early as 1597, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The founder of the American branch of the family was Nicholas Camp, who immigrated in 1630. Its representatives in Jefferson county have been among the most intelligent, upright and useful citizens. Their American ancestors have distinguished themselves in civic affairs and in the war for independence. Among these, the names of Camp, Hale, Hitchcock, Hull and Talcott are the most prominent.

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Adams Rural Cemetery

Adams Rural Cemetery – N O Surnames

Adams Rural Cemetery is located on the west side of of South Main Street 1)NYS Route 3 at the southern edged of the Village of Adams. The cemetery is very well maintained. Stones, for the most part, are in excellent condition and readable. 2)Description of Rural Cemetery. Due to the large size of this cemetery I have had to spread it out over multiple pages. You can find the main page here: Adams Rural Cemetery – Includes Map This section contains the interments whose surnames begin with the letters N and O.   Footnotes:[+] Footnotes: ↑1 NYS Route 3 ↑2

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