The Town of Ledyard was formed off from Scipio January 30, 1823. Many of our early families were born in Scipio but died in Ledyard. Often, I find information listed for Scipio by checking Ledyard records, so I am always curious when I read something about the history of that town.
I read about a reorganization meeting of the Friends or Quakers Cemetery association, in the Town of Ledyard, in the local paper a few years ago, and since my maternal great-great-grandparents are buried there I decided to go to that meeting. It was exciting when I saw a copy of the original incorporation papers – there was my great-grandfather Fred Peckham’s signature!
The church associated with the cemetery is no longer standing. Originally known as the Scipio Meeting House, it was built in 1810 on Poplar Ridge Road near Dixon Road. The earliest known burial is that of 16-year-old John Winslow Jr. in 1829. A few of the stones are repaired from the association’s meager funds every year, in hopes that no more will be lost to the elements. Many of the names on those tombstones that are still standing and legible are familiar local ones even today: Searing, Haines, Howland, Hoxie, Mosher, and Slocum to name a few.
I decided to take a closer look at the Peckham family buried in this cemetery. Daniel Peckham and his second wife Sally Mosher had six children. I started with two of my great-grandfather Fred’s brothers: Job and William Peckham. Quakers as a rule abstained from active military service, but since Fred had served in the 111th, I thought I would see if any of his siblings had served as well. I used online resources such as ancestry.com and footnote.com, as well as information found on the Cayuga County Rootsweb site, and learned a lot about Fred’s brothers.
William had enlisted in the 75th NY, a group of mostly Cayuga County boys, when he was 22 years old. William saw a lot of action in Louisiana and Virginia with the 75th including that fateful battle at Cedar Creek. He was captured that day, and held prisoner for several months. He was made a Corporal upon his release, and eventually mustered out with the 75th in Savannah, Georgia in August of 1865. William’s health was likely compromised while he was held prisoner, and in 1887 at the age of 47 William died.
Fred’s brother Job also enlisted in Company D of the 75th four days after his brother William, but after only six months service he was discharged for disability at Fort Pickens, Florida. The Ledyard Town Clerk’s Book of Civil War Service tells us that he was in ill health in 1866, and then in 1867 Job died when he was only 32. Fred, who is buried elsewhere, was also discharged early for disability, although he lived on to the ripe old age of 73.
Despite the Quaker policy of peacefulness, these three brothers felt strongly enough about the issues that brought about the war to participate in military action. How difficult it must have been for their family to not only wait for their safe return, but to see the broken and disillusioned men who returned from the battlefields and prison camps.
William’s gravestone at the Friend’s Cemetery has been repaired, as has his father Daniel Peckham’s. Descendants of other families who are glad to see this once overgrown cemetery get cleaned up and improved have also had gravestones repaired or cleaned. The change in the last 5 years is remarkable.
If you would like to join the Friends Cemetery Association on their yearly walk through as they decide what is the most urgent need to work on this year with their limited funds, join us on Wednesday July 20, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. If you can’t be there, you can check out some photographs of the gravestones by visiting the cemetery section at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nycayuga/.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Sunday, May 1, 2011
share APHNYS Award
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This link will take you to the Sunday May 3 2011 Citizen newspaper article written about my recent historian's award, and a workshop on Civil War nurses. I am actively seeking information about any woman with a Scipio connection who was active in the Civil War, and hope to hear from anyone with news to share.
This link will take you to the Sunday May 3 2011 Citizen newspaper article written about my recent historian's award, and a workshop on Civil War nurses. I am actively seeking information about any woman with a Scipio connection who was active in the Civil War, and hope to hear from anyone with news to share.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Publishing The Blog
I visited the blog this morning, and checked to see what the visitor count was. Another milestone - it had reached 12,000 even! So I want to thank you all for reading, commenting and otherwise sharing in this journey. Scipio has so many great people and places, I will never run out of things to say. I wish there were more hours in the day (or perhaps, that Scipio would finally have access to a high speed connection!).
To commemorate this milestone, I have ordered a paperback book of the blog from inception in October of 2007 through December of 2008, using Blog2Print.
It was easy to create a book, and the cost, while not cheap, is also not prohibitive. Once it arrives, I will let you know how it looks - I hope to have each calendar year printed out and available at the town offices for all to read.
To commemorate this milestone, I have ordered a paperback book of the blog from inception in October of 2007 through December of 2008, using Blog2Print.
It was easy to create a book, and the cost, while not cheap, is also not prohibitive. Once it arrives, I will let you know how it looks - I hope to have each calendar year printed out and available at the town offices for all to read.
Another Scipio Milestone
I celebrated Easter yesterday with some of my family in Rochester, NY. Tradition is what builds our family history, and what better way to add to it than by spending a soggy but sunny afternoon playing "Bunny Rabbit Ring Toss" and "Slingshot Egg Launch" with family old, new and honorary? It gave us a chance to exclaim over a new engagement, and to discuss a new piece of information on our Civil War ancestor who fought so bravely with Ellsworth's Avengers, the 44th NY.
My generation recalled out loud our fondest Easter memories, especially those of the family photo shoot every year followed by worship at Sand Beach Dutch Reformed Church in Fleming, then home to a delicious dinner and too many chocolate eggs.
I looked across the picnic table at my teenage nieces and nephews intently watching the animation in their grandmother's expression while she talked about what Easter was like with our parents when she was a child, just post-World War II, and realized that this day would also be a memory for them to share and pass along to their own children and grandchildren someday.
Oral history is such a special way to share your family history. I hope you take a little time today to tell someone else about one of your own traditions. Happy Easter!
My generation recalled out loud our fondest Easter memories, especially those of the family photo shoot every year followed by worship at Sand Beach Dutch Reformed Church in Fleming, then home to a delicious dinner and too many chocolate eggs.
I looked across the picnic table at my teenage nieces and nephews intently watching the animation in their grandmother's expression while she talked about what Easter was like with our parents when she was a child, just post-World War II, and realized that this day would also be a memory for them to share and pass along to their own children and grandchildren someday.
Oral history is such a special way to share your family history. I hope you take a little time today to tell someone else about one of your own traditions. Happy Easter!
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
More about Gordon Robert Stewart, World War II Casualty
Here is an excerpt from the Tuesday, March 23, 1943 Citizen of Auburn NY found on www.fultonhistory.com:
Eleven Auburn and Cayuga County men are members of the First Marine Division the entire personnel of which has been cited by President Roosevelt for bravery in the heavy battling of Guadalcanal and the Solomons.The eleven, who went forth to battle with the Fifth Company of the First Marine Division are: ....Gordon Stewart of Cortland, formerly of Auburn and Raymond Maassen of Aurora.
Of the eleven, Gordon Stewart and Raymond Maassen have made the supreme sacrifice while ...(4 others) have been wounded.
I have found some interesting articles on Raymond Maassen and will talk about him soon.
Eleven Auburn and Cayuga County men are members of the First Marine Division the entire personnel of which has been cited by President Roosevelt for bravery in the heavy battling of Guadalcanal and the Solomons.The eleven, who went forth to battle with the Fifth Company of the First Marine Division are: ....Gordon Stewart of Cortland, formerly of Auburn and Raymond Maassen of Aurora.
Of the eleven, Gordon Stewart and Raymond Maassen have made the supreme sacrifice while ...(4 others) have been wounded.
I have found some interesting articles on Raymond Maassen and will talk about him soon.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Gordon Stewart Obituary
I know that some folks only read the blog, and do not look at the comments left by other readers. I am putting this comment on the face of the blog, contributed by an alert and helpful follower. Thanks, Roger!
Sandie, here is Gordon Stewart's obituary from the Old Fulton New York Post Cards website.
"Marine, Former Moravian Is Killed In Solomons - PFC Gordon R. Stewart, 18, of the Marine Corps and son of Mr. and Mrs. Orville J. Stewart, 126 Groton Avenue, Cortland, was killed in the Solomon Islands fighting, according to word received by the parents from Lt. T. Holcomb, USMC. Father of the marine is manager of the Lehigh Valley Railroad freight office in Cortland. The family formerly had resided in Moravia. The young marine was born May 9, 1924. Accompanied by a cousin, John S. Bunn, he enlisted January 12, 1942 in Syracuse and they both received basic training at Parris Island, S. C., and additional training at New River, N. C. PFC Bunn went to Northern Ireland while PFC Stewart went to the Solomons. He had written to his parents of landing first at Tulagi Island and then crossing to Guadalcanal where he was killed September 26, according to the War Department communication. Surviving besides his parents are a brother, Lt. O. J. Stewart, Jr., attached to the supply battalion, Fort Benning, Ga., and a sister, Mrs. Joseph Titus, 317 Kellogg Street, Syracuse."
-- Moravia Republican-Register, Moravia, Cayuga Co., NY, Thursday, 5 November 1942
Sandie, here is Gordon Stewart's obituary from the Old Fulton New York Post Cards website.
"Marine, Former Moravian Is Killed In Solomons - PFC Gordon R. Stewart, 18, of the Marine Corps and son of Mr. and Mrs. Orville J. Stewart, 126 Groton Avenue, Cortland, was killed in the Solomon Islands fighting, according to word received by the parents from Lt. T. Holcomb, USMC. Father of the marine is manager of the Lehigh Valley Railroad freight office in Cortland. The family formerly had resided in Moravia. The young marine was born May 9, 1924. Accompanied by a cousin, John S. Bunn, he enlisted January 12, 1942 in Syracuse and they both received basic training at Parris Island, S. C., and additional training at New River, N. C. PFC Bunn went to Northern Ireland while PFC Stewart went to the Solomons. He had written to his parents of landing first at Tulagi Island and then crossing to Guadalcanal where he was killed September 26, according to the War Department communication. Surviving besides his parents are a brother, Lt. O. J. Stewart, Jr., attached to the supply battalion, Fort Benning, Ga., and a sister, Mrs. Joseph Titus, 317 Kellogg Street, Syracuse."
-- Moravia Republican-Register, Moravia, Cayuga Co., NY, Thursday, 5 November 1942
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Gordon R. Stewart and Raymond H. Maassen
I received a gift of some wonderful older yearbooks from a Scipio man last week. They are the 1939 and 1943 issues of The Echo from Emily Howland Central School (EHCS). Now known as Emily Howland Elementary, this school has been in operation for many years in the Town of Scipio.
Some of the same teachers that I saw in their later years were in those pages, fresh-faced as the students. I found two of my father’s sisters in the grade school photos - Nancy Stoker Goodnough and Isabelle Stoker Mason. Younger versions of my aunts smiled back at me along with many other familiar faces. I have already placed the yearbooks in Scipio’s History Corner and hope you find some time to come flip through the pages and reminisce.
By 1943, the United States was involved in World War II. The 1943 “Echo” opens to a full-page photo of classmate Gordon R. Stewart, accompanied by a moving tribute to his sacrifice for his country.
Gordon R. Stewart was a Scipio boy who became a Marine Corps Private, and he was awarded the Purple Heart. September 25, 1942 is given as his date of death. His name is inscribed forever on the Tablet of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery.
From the American Battle Monuments Commission website at http://www.abmc.gov/home.php I learned that the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines occupies 152 acres on a prominent plateau, visible at a distance from the east, south and west. It contains the largest number of graves of our military dead of World War II, a total of 17,202. Most of them lost their lives in operations in New Guinea and the Philippines. The headstones are aligned in 11 plots forming a generally circular pattern, set among masses of a wide variety of tropical trees and shrubbery.
On rectangular piers are inscribed the Tablets of the Missing, containing another 36,285 names. Gordon R. Stewart is one of them.
There is also an Editorial in the 1943 Echo by Patricia Keogh. She describes the two flags displayed that year at EHCS; one, the American Flag and the other the service flag. Each blue star on the service flag stood for a boy or girl from EHCS gone to the war. Each gold star stood for those who in Patricia’s words “have died that we might live.” The service flag had two gold stars that year.
Raymond H. Maassen was a second Scipio boy who was awarded the Purple Heart for his brave service to his country in World War II. His name is inscribed alongside that of his classmate on the Tablet of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery. A Private in the US Marine Corps who was present at Guadalcanal, his date of death is given as 26 September 1942.
I searched World War II battle dates on the internet, and found that the Battle of Guadalcanal was fought between August 7, 1942, and February 9, 1943, in the Pacific theater of World War II. The fighting took place on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the southern Solomon Islands.
The first U.S. Marine operation and attempt to attack Japanese forces west of the Matanikau River, conducted between September 23 and September 27, 1942, by elements of three U.S. Marine battalions, was repulsed by troops under Akinosuka Oka's local command. During the action, three U.S. Marine companies were surrounded by Japanese forces near Point Cruz west of the Matanikau, took heavy losses, and barely escaped with assistance from a U.S. Navy destroyer and landing craft manned by U.S. Coast Guard personnel. It would seem likely that this is the battle that cost these Scipio men their lives.
Both these men from our small town of Scipio served their country during World War II and their honorable service resulted in them never seeing Scipio again. I'm grateful their country recognized this sacrifice and awarded them the Purple Heart. I will share a photo of Gordon from the 1943 yearbook on this blog, just use this link: https://picasaweb.google.com/sandie.gilliland/1943YearbookPhotos?authkey=Gv1sRgCOH2r4eIkq93&feat=directlink
I invite you to stop by Scipio to see the rest of these yearbooks. Maybe you have a memory to share of Gordon or Raymond, or someone else from Scipio. I would enjoy hearing from you.
Some of the same teachers that I saw in their later years were in those pages, fresh-faced as the students. I found two of my father’s sisters in the grade school photos - Nancy Stoker Goodnough and Isabelle Stoker Mason. Younger versions of my aunts smiled back at me along with many other familiar faces. I have already placed the yearbooks in Scipio’s History Corner and hope you find some time to come flip through the pages and reminisce.
By 1943, the United States was involved in World War II. The 1943 “Echo” opens to a full-page photo of classmate Gordon R. Stewart, accompanied by a moving tribute to his sacrifice for his country.
Gordon R. Stewart was a Scipio boy who became a Marine Corps Private, and he was awarded the Purple Heart. September 25, 1942 is given as his date of death. His name is inscribed forever on the Tablet of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery.
From the American Battle Monuments Commission website at http://www.abmc.gov/home.php I learned that the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines occupies 152 acres on a prominent plateau, visible at a distance from the east, south and west. It contains the largest number of graves of our military dead of World War II, a total of 17,202. Most of them lost their lives in operations in New Guinea and the Philippines. The headstones are aligned in 11 plots forming a generally circular pattern, set among masses of a wide variety of tropical trees and shrubbery.
On rectangular piers are inscribed the Tablets of the Missing, containing another 36,285 names. Gordon R. Stewart is one of them.
There is also an Editorial in the 1943 Echo by Patricia Keogh. She describes the two flags displayed that year at EHCS; one, the American Flag and the other the service flag. Each blue star on the service flag stood for a boy or girl from EHCS gone to the war. Each gold star stood for those who in Patricia’s words “have died that we might live.” The service flag had two gold stars that year.
Raymond H. Maassen was a second Scipio boy who was awarded the Purple Heart for his brave service to his country in World War II. His name is inscribed alongside that of his classmate on the Tablet of the Missing at Manila American Cemetery. A Private in the US Marine Corps who was present at Guadalcanal, his date of death is given as 26 September 1942.
I searched World War II battle dates on the internet, and found that the Battle of Guadalcanal was fought between August 7, 1942, and February 9, 1943, in the Pacific theater of World War II. The fighting took place on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the southern Solomon Islands.
The first U.S. Marine operation and attempt to attack Japanese forces west of the Matanikau River, conducted between September 23 and September 27, 1942, by elements of three U.S. Marine battalions, was repulsed by troops under Akinosuka Oka's local command. During the action, three U.S. Marine companies were surrounded by Japanese forces near Point Cruz west of the Matanikau, took heavy losses, and barely escaped with assistance from a U.S. Navy destroyer and landing craft manned by U.S. Coast Guard personnel. It would seem likely that this is the battle that cost these Scipio men their lives.
Both these men from our small town of Scipio served their country during World War II and their honorable service resulted in them never seeing Scipio again. I'm grateful their country recognized this sacrifice and awarded them the Purple Heart. I will share a photo of Gordon from the 1943 yearbook on this blog, just use this link: https://picasaweb.google.com/sandie.gilliland/1943YearbookPhotos?authkey=Gv1sRgCOH2r4eIkq93&feat=directlink
I invite you to stop by Scipio to see the rest of these yearbooks. Maybe you have a memory to share of Gordon or Raymond, or someone else from Scipio. I would enjoy hearing from you.
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