Sherman Stiles Leavenworth, 18, a farmer, was five feet, ten inches tall with hazel-colored eyes. He enlisted as a private in Company B, 56th Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry, at Newburgh, New York, on August 17, 1861, to serve three … Continue reading
A couple weeks ago I was contacted by a descendant of C.C.P. and Effa VanTuyl Eldred. She wanted to share some documents and photos from her family. What a wonderful surprise that one of the documents was for the 1831 … Continue reading
I know of no place that seems pleasanter to me or agreed more with my health than Lumberland.* —Abby Smith, Nov. 1854. In 1854 Abby and Laurilla Smith from Glastenbury,** CT, visited Hannah Eldred and her daughter Mary Ann Austin … Continue reading
In 1867 a one-roomed school house was built in Barryville. Behind the school house were falls known at one time as Fish Cabin Falls. Grades one through eight were taught there from 1867 until 1949. The building is still in … Continue reading
Several people commented on the Methodist Church photo (shown here) in The Mill on Halfway Brook, 1800–1880 as looking so stark. I recently found the photo with August 1908 written on the back—I think by Aida Austin. I learned later … Continue reading
Town of Highland Occupations Boarding houses were the main “industry” in the area, but there were still sawmills (belonging to Harry Wormuth, John Love, and others) and bluestone quarries which needed workers. The Erie Railroad employed many men. The Barryville … Continue reading
This post is a little late in wishing Mom (a major player in the Halfway Brook Books) a Happy 90th Birthday on this site. My three siblings expertly planned what was hoped to be a surprise (and it was) weekend … Continue reading
To the left are two of the pages I referenced for “The Mill on Halfway Brook” regarding the arrival of the Eldreds in what would become Eldred, New York. The pages were copied by my great-aunt Aida Austin from what … Continue reading
