You say tomato, I say tomahto. I was talking with someone interested in our town and she asked me a simple question - how is the name of our town pronounced? Now why I hadn't ever thought about that before, I'll never know.
The short answer is that phonetically we pronounce it "Sip-ee-oh."
I have heard it said as "Skip-ee-oh: too, and I think that is because of the way we pronounce the name of the man who our town was named for.
He was Scipio Africanus, a great Roman General who defeated Hannibal (another nearby town) in the Second Punic War in 202 BC. You can read all about him online at Wikipedia or any of a dozen other websites.
Our town of Scipio was town #12 of the original Military Tract, an area of about 1.75 million acres that includes portions of the present NY counties of Onondaga, Cortland, Cayuga, Seneca , Oswego, Schuyler, Tompkins, Yates and Wayne.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Monday, September 1, 2008
New York State Fair
I wrote about the "Big 5" and the "Big 6" - both 4-H Fairs where children showed handmade or raised items and animals in competition for ribbons and prizes. The best of the best was selected to go on to the NYS Fair in Syracuse, NY.
As long as I can recall the State Fair is held at the end of August, and today is the final day of this year's State Fair.
I didn't attend this year, but when I do I always visit the 4-H areas; the buildings with horses, cattle, pigs, chickens and rabbits; vegetables, flower arrangements, baked goods, and so much more.
A lifelong Scipioite and former 4-Her, now retired, recently shared a copy of the 1890 NYS Agricultural Society Catalogue with me. At a price of ten cents, it is the catalogue of entries for the fiftieth annual Cattle Show and Fair of the NYS agricultural Society at Syracuse, held on September 11, 12, 12, 15, 16, 17 and 18 of 1890.
The booklet is stamped H. Wait Cigar and News Room, Leland Hotel, Syracuse, NY and was created by the press of Moser, Truax and DeGolia of 216 Clinton Street, Syracuse. According to the booklet, the Leland was located at Fayette and Franklin Streets, opposite the NYCRR Depot.
There is an ad for the West Shore Railroad, describing their buffet drawing room cars with revolving chairs as a special feature. West Shore trains ran for the NYS Fair at Syracuse; excursion tickets ran folks directly to the entrance and included admission.
The contents of the Catalogue are amazing. Prizes were awarded from fifty cents to a few hundred dollars, in subdivisions of categories ranging from watercolors or painting on porcelain to various livestock, poultry, farm produce, art & domestic departments and implements and manufacturers.
So far I have only found a few mentions of Scipio. In the section on Percheron horses, for stallions 4 years or older I find Elwood S. Akin, of Scipio, with Favori. If I am reading this correctly, Favori was a gray Percheron stallion, 16.2 hands and 7 years old.
A John Akin showed in the same category a black Percheron stallion named Tongleur, at 16.2 hands and 6 years of age. And Howell & Slocum of Scipio showed Brin D'Or; a black, 17 hand 4 year old.
Elwood and John must have raised Percherons; we find them again in the 3-year old stallion section with Joseph and Aristida respectively. In the 2-year old stallion section, they are showing Harod and Joyeux, while Howell & Slocum offer up Planton. Elwood also shows against one other fellow a one year old stallion named Emett, then he and John show L Amie and Angele in the Percheron Brood Mare with foal at foot section. They continue to show in fillies and foals, French coach stallions and Farm or Draft sections.
There is a surname index, making it easy to find someone if you know they showed that year. If you want to check a name, post a comment!
As long as I can recall the State Fair is held at the end of August, and today is the final day of this year's State Fair.
I didn't attend this year, but when I do I always visit the 4-H areas; the buildings with horses, cattle, pigs, chickens and rabbits; vegetables, flower arrangements, baked goods, and so much more.
A lifelong Scipioite and former 4-Her, now retired, recently shared a copy of the 1890 NYS Agricultural Society Catalogue with me. At a price of ten cents, it is the catalogue of entries for the fiftieth annual Cattle Show and Fair of the NYS agricultural Society at Syracuse, held on September 11, 12, 12, 15, 16, 17 and 18 of 1890.
The booklet is stamped H. Wait Cigar and News Room, Leland Hotel, Syracuse, NY and was created by the press of Moser, Truax and DeGolia of 216 Clinton Street, Syracuse. According to the booklet, the Leland was located at Fayette and Franklin Streets, opposite the NYCRR Depot.
There is an ad for the West Shore Railroad, describing their buffet drawing room cars with revolving chairs as a special feature. West Shore trains ran for the NYS Fair at Syracuse; excursion tickets ran folks directly to the entrance and included admission.
The contents of the Catalogue are amazing. Prizes were awarded from fifty cents to a few hundred dollars, in subdivisions of categories ranging from watercolors or painting on porcelain to various livestock, poultry, farm produce, art & domestic departments and implements and manufacturers.
So far I have only found a few mentions of Scipio. In the section on Percheron horses, for stallions 4 years or older I find Elwood S. Akin, of Scipio, with Favori. If I am reading this correctly, Favori was a gray Percheron stallion, 16.2 hands and 7 years old.
A John Akin showed in the same category a black Percheron stallion named Tongleur, at 16.2 hands and 6 years of age. And Howell & Slocum of Scipio showed Brin D'Or; a black, 17 hand 4 year old.
Elwood and John must have raised Percherons; we find them again in the 3-year old stallion section with Joseph and Aristida respectively. In the 2-year old stallion section, they are showing Harod and Joyeux, while Howell & Slocum offer up Planton. Elwood also shows against one other fellow a one year old stallion named Emett, then he and John show L Amie and Angele in the Percheron Brood Mare with foal at foot section. They continue to show in fillies and foals, French coach stallions and Farm or Draft sections.
There is a surname index, making it easy to find someone if you know they showed that year. If you want to check a name, post a comment!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Cayuga County 4-H Clubs
Not only did we have a "Big 5" Picnic in 1938; in April of that same year the Cayuga County 4-H Clubs held a Dramatic Festival on Friday, April 29 at the Fulton Street Auditorium and on Monday May 2 at the Emily Howland Central School.
A donated copy of the program from someone's scrapbook shows us that the County Agent that year was Francis R. Sears. Our Judges were Miss Dorothy Burns, Miss Esther Edwards, Mrs. Mabel Smith and Mr. Andrew Smith.
The Friday evening program at the Fulton Street Auditorium included the following activities:
"Orville's Big Date" by the 4-H Hill Climbers, Mrs. Leonard Jordan, Leader
"L'il Black Heliotrope" by the Owasco Wideawakes, Mrs. Grace Chase, Leader
Tumbling Act by Marjorie Bodine
"Midnight in Goose Hollow Graveyard" by the Conquest Hard Workers, Mr. R. H. Sears, Leader
Reading: "A Little Girl's Secret" by Marjorie Hoagland
"Incurable Optimist" by the Conquest Happy Homemakers, Mrs. Aldice Clary, Leader
Reading: "Here Comes the Bride" by Rosemary Williams
"Seeings Believing" by the Friendly Cloverleaf Club f Fair Haven, Miss Flora Alexander, Leader
Reading: "A Mortifying Mistake" by Gertrude Cooper
"Two's Company" by the 4-H Hill Climbers, Mrs. Leonard Jordan, Leader.
On Monday evening at Emily Howland Central School, there was a different and much abbreviated program:
"Mrs. Magician's Mistake" by the Scipio Rainbow Stars, Miss Helen Mullally, Leader
"Alien Note" by the Knights of Art, Miss Jane Foley, Leader
"Buddie Buys an Orchid" by the Barbers Corners 4-H Club, Mrs. Ray Alexander, Leader.
I'm sure everyone practiced and practiced; wouldn't you love to know who got the blue ribbon for their performance?
A donated copy of the program from someone's scrapbook shows us that the County Agent that year was Francis R. Sears. Our Judges were Miss Dorothy Burns, Miss Esther Edwards, Mrs. Mabel Smith and Mr. Andrew Smith.
The Friday evening program at the Fulton Street Auditorium included the following activities:
"Orville's Big Date" by the 4-H Hill Climbers, Mrs. Leonard Jordan, Leader
"L'il Black Heliotrope" by the Owasco Wideawakes, Mrs. Grace Chase, Leader
Tumbling Act by Marjorie Bodine
"Midnight in Goose Hollow Graveyard" by the Conquest Hard Workers, Mr. R. H. Sears, Leader
Reading: "A Little Girl's Secret" by Marjorie Hoagland
"Incurable Optimist" by the Conquest Happy Homemakers, Mrs. Aldice Clary, Leader
Reading: "Here Comes the Bride" by Rosemary Williams
"Seeings Believing" by the Friendly Cloverleaf Club f Fair Haven, Miss Flora Alexander, Leader
Reading: "A Mortifying Mistake" by Gertrude Cooper
"Two's Company" by the 4-H Hill Climbers, Mrs. Leonard Jordan, Leader.
On Monday evening at Emily Howland Central School, there was a different and much abbreviated program:
"Mrs. Magician's Mistake" by the Scipio Rainbow Stars, Miss Helen Mullally, Leader
"Alien Note" by the Knights of Art, Miss Jane Foley, Leader
"Buddie Buys an Orchid" by the Barbers Corners 4-H Club, Mrs. Ray Alexander, Leader.
I'm sure everyone practiced and practiced; wouldn't you love to know who got the blue ribbon for their performance?
Thursday, August 14, 2008
The 4-H in Cayuga County
I was looking through some donated items at the Town Hall and found some old 4-H programs.
One is from the 10th annual Big 5 Picnic at Enna Jettick Park held n Wed., August 3rd, 1938. The "Big 5" were the Grange, Farm Bureau, Home Bureau, 4-H Clubs and Dairyman's League.
A farm kid anticipated this event all year long. We practiced our baking, gardening, animal husbandry, sewing and other skills with an eye on the blue ribbon prize for first place. And a lucky few were selected to go on and compete at the NYS Fair in Syracuse. Heady stuff.
There is probably not a 4-her out there who doesn't have a story about how the angel food cake refused to rise or the jersey cow balked at show time.
The general program was a 10:00 a.m. judging of homemaking exhibits and livestock. At 11:00, the county horseshoe pitching tournament was held, followed by a concert by the Meridian Band.
At noon, everyone had a picnic lunch brought from home. 4-Hers certainly didn't go out to restaurants.
Sports and other contests were held starting at 1:00 p.m. and at 2:00 was the horse pulling contest. There were some real workhorses entered, and the loads they could draw amazed the crowds.
Then at 4:30 (with a repeat at 6:00) was the entertainment. In 1938, it was Les Kimris and his Aerial Act.
The Enna Jettick Park, nowadays known as Emerson Park, had several exhibits. They were on the verandah of the Pavilion and included fruit, vegetables, baked goods, crafts and other items from the 4-H, Juvenile Grange, Home bureau and Farm Bureau. After placing their items on display, an anxious 4-her would look over all the other exhibits to see how theirs stacked up against the competition.
Several local merchants and individuals are mentioned in the program for their contribution to this yearly event. Sears, Penney's, the GLF, Harry's Tire Shop, Langhams's, Fred Rondina and many others made it possible for so many to have such great times and memories of days gone by.
One is from the 10th annual Big 5 Picnic at Enna Jettick Park held n Wed., August 3rd, 1938. The "Big 5" were the Grange, Farm Bureau, Home Bureau, 4-H Clubs and Dairyman's League.
A farm kid anticipated this event all year long. We practiced our baking, gardening, animal husbandry, sewing and other skills with an eye on the blue ribbon prize for first place. And a lucky few were selected to go on and compete at the NYS Fair in Syracuse. Heady stuff.
There is probably not a 4-her out there who doesn't have a story about how the angel food cake refused to rise or the jersey cow balked at show time.
The general program was a 10:00 a.m. judging of homemaking exhibits and livestock. At 11:00, the county horseshoe pitching tournament was held, followed by a concert by the Meridian Band.
At noon, everyone had a picnic lunch brought from home. 4-Hers certainly didn't go out to restaurants.
Sports and other contests were held starting at 1:00 p.m. and at 2:00 was the horse pulling contest. There were some real workhorses entered, and the loads they could draw amazed the crowds.
Then at 4:30 (with a repeat at 6:00) was the entertainment. In 1938, it was Les Kimris and his Aerial Act.
The Enna Jettick Park, nowadays known as Emerson Park, had several exhibits. They were on the verandah of the Pavilion and included fruit, vegetables, baked goods, crafts and other items from the 4-H, Juvenile Grange, Home bureau and Farm Bureau. After placing their items on display, an anxious 4-her would look over all the other exhibits to see how theirs stacked up against the competition.
Several local merchants and individuals are mentioned in the program for their contribution to this yearly event. Sears, Penney's, the GLF, Harry's Tire Shop, Langhams's, Fred Rondina and many others made it possible for so many to have such great times and memories of days gone by.
Stoker Family Reunion 2008
It has been a busy, busy summer so far. Last weekend was our 100th Stoker family reunion. As secretary, I was very involved in planning and execution. I am so happy to report that we all had a wonderful time!
The day was one of those beautiful summer days on Owasco Lake. People were busy renewing acquaintances with each other, and our group picture will be something to see as our guest book showed 115 signatures, from NY, PA, CA, NC and FL to mention a few states. Our family tree stretched out 16 yards long along the porch.
After we ate, we shared games and prizes and updated our family information. All the hard work was worth it.
If you do a google search for "(your family name) reunion" you may find that there is one nearby. If not, maybe enough of your family lives near enough to start the tradition yourself.
The day was one of those beautiful summer days on Owasco Lake. People were busy renewing acquaintances with each other, and our group picture will be something to see as our guest book showed 115 signatures, from NY, PA, CA, NC and FL to mention a few states. Our family tree stretched out 16 yards long along the porch.
After we ate, we shared games and prizes and updated our family information. All the hard work was worth it.
If you do a google search for "(your family name) reunion" you may find that there is one nearby. If not, maybe enough of your family lives near enough to start the tradition yourself.
Friday, August 1, 2008
NYS Archives Visit
I am so pleased to share this information. I wrote an application for the Larry Hackman grant for local Historians last month. Yesterday, I received notice I had been successful.
What this provides is 4 expense paid days in Albany NY and the help of a research assistant at the NYS Archives for a project for Scipio.
I will be reviewing the tax and assessment rolls for Scipio and surrounding towns for 1799 - 1804 and I can't wait! The only records we have from those early years are the Town Meeting notes, and while they are invaluable there is so much more I'd like to learn.
I will also be researching Military Patent records and applications for land grants and if I have time, the records from the War of 1812.
I have visited the Archives before, and the NYS Library which is housed in the same building. I copied the 1892 census for Scipio while I was there last time, you can see them at the Town Offices.
You can get an idea of the vast amount of information available by visiting the Archives website at http://www.archives.nysed.gov/, or the Library at http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/.
What this provides is 4 expense paid days in Albany NY and the help of a research assistant at the NYS Archives for a project for Scipio.
I will be reviewing the tax and assessment rolls for Scipio and surrounding towns for 1799 - 1804 and I can't wait! The only records we have from those early years are the Town Meeting notes, and while they are invaluable there is so much more I'd like to learn.
I will also be researching Military Patent records and applications for land grants and if I have time, the records from the War of 1812.
I have visited the Archives before, and the NYS Library which is housed in the same building. I copied the 1892 census for Scipio while I was there last time, you can see them at the Town Offices.
You can get an idea of the vast amount of information available by visiting the Archives website at http://www.archives.nysed.gov/, or the Library at http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/.
Stoker Reunion
What a busy month this has been! Summer this year has been filled with friends and family and time spent outdoors - in between the raindrops. A week from this Sunday the Stoker family reunion will be held. It is our Centennial celebration - 100 years of reunions.
We are planning a few special activities, and there are games and prizes especially for the children. I created a Stoker family tree last night using Family Tree Maker and was amazed to find how much information we have gathered through the years. And every year it seems we learns something new. For example, through the use of www.fultonhistory.com, I found out in a newspaper clipping that Joseph Stoker, a brother of my ancestor, had spent over 40 years in California, returning about 1904 to Homer, NY. I had no idea! The fulton website is a wealth of information.
We are planning a few special activities, and there are games and prizes especially for the children. I created a Stoker family tree last night using Family Tree Maker and was amazed to find how much information we have gathered through the years. And every year it seems we learns something new. For example, through the use of www.fultonhistory.com, I found out in a newspaper clipping that Joseph Stoker, a brother of my ancestor, had spent over 40 years in California, returning about 1904 to Homer, NY. I had no idea! The fulton website is a wealth of information.
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