Month: October 2010

19th Century Divorce, Shakers Subject of Author Talk

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Ilyon Woo, author of The Great Divorce: A Nineteenth-Century Mother’s Extraordinary Fight against Her Husband, the Shakers, and Her Times (2010), a new work of popular history set in the Capital Region, will discuss the book at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, October 21, 2010, in the Shaker Meeting House, 25 Meeting House Rd, near Albany International Airport. Earlier that same day at 4:15 p.m. the author will present an informal seminar in the Standish Room, Science Library on the UAlbany uptown campus. Sponsored by the New York State Writers Institute and the Shaker Heritage Society, the events are free and open to the public.

Ilyon Woo’s first book is a highly-praised work of popular history set in the Capital Region. Eunice Chapman is compelled to seek custody of her three children after their 1814 abduction by her estranged, alcoholic husband James, who elected to become a member of the Shaker community. James, who had sold the family home in Durham, New York, absconding with the money and leaving his family destitute, first brings the children to live at the Watervliet Shaker Settlement, located near what is now the Albany International Airport, before taking them into hiding at another Shaker site in New Hampshire. Much of the action also takes place at sessions of the New York State Legislature, where Eunice is compelled to use &#8220feminine wiles,&#8221 and a previously untapped talent for public speaking, in order to win lawmakers over to her cause.

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Debby Applegate called the book &#8220masterfully written, deeply suspenseful, and filled with fascinating facts and insights,&#8221 and National Book Award winner Nathaniel Philbrick said, &#8220Woo brings the past to life in all its wonderful strangeness, complexity, and verve…. This is what history is all about.&#8221 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner in nonfiction, John Matteson said, &#8220A writer of extraordinary empathy and great resourcefulness, Ilyon Woo has transformed a neglected historical record into a vivid evocation of an era and an amazing tribute to a remarkably tenacious woman, Eunice Chapman. Meticulously researched and compellingly narrated, &#8216-The Great Divorce’ will stand beside the work of Laurel Thatcher Ulrich in the pantheon of American women’s history writing.&#8221

A graduate of Yale and Columbia, Ilyon Woo has been interested in the Shakers since girlhood. In 2000 she starred in a short film directed by celebrated African American film pioneer Charles Burnett about the inter-generational divide between a young Korean American woman and her grandmother, set against the backdrop of a Little League baseball game. In recent days, she has been working on dramatic readings of portions of &#8220The Great Divorce,&#8221 which have been staged at Harvard University’s Fruitlands Museum and other venues.

For more information contact the New York State Writers Institute at 518-442-5620 or visit www.albany.edu/writers-inst.

Adk Museum Receives NEH Planning Grant

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The Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake, New York has been awarded a grant in the amount of $40,000 by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The funds will be used in the planning and development phase of the museum’s new long-term exhibition &#8220Mining in the Adirondacks,&#8221 scheduled to open in 2013.

NEH has designated the Adirondack mining exhibit a National Endowment for the Humanities &#8220We the People&#8221 project. Support comes in part from funds the agency has set aside for this special initiative.

The goal of the &#8220We the People&#8221 initiative is to encourage and strengthen the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture through the support of projects that explore significant events and themes in our nations history and culture, and advance knowledge of the principles that define America.

The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency created in 1965. It is one of the largest funders of humanities programs in the United States.

The Endowment accomplishes its mission by providing grants for high-quality humanities projects in four funding areas: preserving and providing access to cultural resources, education, research, and public programs.

NEH grants typically go to cultural institutions such as museums, archives, libraries, colleges, universities, public television and radio stations, and to individual scholars.

Photo: Garnet miners at Barton Mines, North River, N.Y.: ca. 1915.


Troy Newspaper Transcriptions Now Online

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In 1935, the Philip Schuyler Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), located in Troy, New York, documented the death and marriage records that were printed in various Troy newspapers during the years 1812 to 1885. This project, which was funded by the Works Progress Administration (renamed during 1939 as the Work Projects Administration- WPA), was the largest New Deal agency employing millions to carry out public works projects.

The Rensselaer County Historical Society in Troy, New York provided the Troy Irish Genealogy Society (TIGS) access to their copies of these extensive records to develop this searchable online database. These records will be of great interest to genealogy researchers since much of the information in this collection predates the 1880 New York State law requiring the reporting of death and marriage records.

Newspaper records transcribed so far include the Troy Post (1812-1823), the Troy Weekly Whig (1834-1839), the Troy Daily Press (1833-1834), and the Troy Sentinel (1823-1832). Volunteers are currently transcribing the Troy Daily Whig covering the years 1834 to 1873. To volunteer on this project send an email to [email protected].

You can view all these records by going to the Troy Irish Genealogy website. Click on PROJECTS and then TROY NEWSPAPER PROJECT. It should be noted that these records, like most of the TIGS data series, cover the general population in the area and are NOT restricted to Irish surnames.

Preservation League to Present Awards

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On November 9, 2010, the Preservation League will present its most prestigious tribute, the Pillar of New York Award, to two honorees whose commitment to historic preservation is reflected across New York State.

Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLP of New York City will be celebrated for the firm’s role as one of America’s premier authorities on historic preservation, and for their work on some of New York State’s most iconic and best-loved historic buildings and important historic areas. Matthew Bender IV’s name is virtually synonymous with philanthropy and leadership in historic preservation, particularly in upstate New York, where has served on the New York State Commission on the Restoration of the Capitol since its creation in 1979.

Each year the League presents The Pillar of New York Award to those who have demonstrated a keen understanding of the value of New York’s historic resources by taking extraordinary actions to protect, preserve, and promote those assets.

The Pillar of New York Gala will be held on November 9, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. at the Hilton and Empire Rooms of the Waldorf=Astoria in New York. Tickets start at $600 for individuals, and tables of 10 are available starting at $10,000.

For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Preservation League at 518-462-5658 x11.

This Weeks Top New York History News

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Each Friday morning New York History compiles for our readers the previous week’s top stories about New York’s state and local history. You can find all our weekly news round-ups here.

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Tractor Fest at The Farmers’ Museum This Weekend

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The Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown will hold what it hopes will be an annual Tractor Fest on Saturday and Sunday, October 9 and 10, from 10:00 a.m. &#8211 5:00 p.m. Tractor Fest will offer visitors an opportunity to see classic tractors from John Deere, Ford, and other manufacturers &#8211 representing the growth of farming technology from the 1920s until today. The Museum provides an ideal setting where visitors can learn about the world of tractors and how they powered America’s farms.

Families will find Tractor Fest to be an appealing weekend destination. Kids, ages 7 and under, can compete for prizes in a Kiddie Pedal Tractor Pull contest on both Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. There will be wagon rides around the Museum’s Historic Village &#8211 pulled by a Ford Golden Jubilee Tractor on Saturday and Sunday morning from 10:00 a.m. &#8211 12:00 noon. See a &#8220hit and miss&#8221 engine powering a grinding wheel and Mr. Whipple operating his steam engine near the Blacksmith Shop. There will also be thrashing demonstrations, rides provided by Cooperstown Carriage Rides, The Empire State Carousel, craft demonstrations and more.

Discover classic and modern tractors throughout the Museum’s grounds. Springfield Tractor will display compact tractors with backhoe & front-end loaders and Cazenovia Equipment will demonstrate satellite controlled farm tractors.

For those with a deeper historical interest in tractors, Syracuse University history professor, Milton Sernett, will give a talk titled How the Ford Tractor Changed the American Family Farm: 1920 – 1940, on Saturday, October 9 at 12:30 p.m. in the Cornwallville Church located on the grounds of the Museum. This lecture is free and open to the public. It is made possible through Speakers in the Humanities, a program of the New York Council for the Humanities. Speakers in the Humanities lectures are made possible with the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the New York State Legislature, and through funds from the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.

Tractor Fest is sponsored in part by Northern Eagle Beverage. Admission to the event: $12 adults (13+), $10.50 seniors (65+), $6 children (7-12), children 6 and under and members of the New York State Historical Association are free. Admission to the lecture is free. Food and beverages will be available throughout the day. Please visit our website at FarmersMuseum.org/tractorfest for more information and a full schedule of events.

Photo by Frank Forte.

Saratoga: 233rd Anniversary of Surrender Week

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The week of Sunday October 10 to Sunday October 17, 2010 is Surrender Week in the Town of Saratoga marking the 233rd Anniversary of the American Victory at Saratoga. There are a series of events planned to call attention to the siege period of the Battles of Saratoga (October 10 – 16) and the Surrender of British General Burgoyne’s complete army on October 17, 1777.

On Friday, October 15 at 10 AM, the anniversary commemoration of the Sword Surrender of British General Burgoyne to American General Gates will take place at the bandstand at Fort Hardy Park, The ceremony location overlooking the Hudson River is where the British troops surrendered their weapons to the Americans. The ceremony includes patriotic songs from the Schuylerville Elementary School 4th grade students.

On Saturday, October 16 from 6 to 9 pm, visitors can feel the welcome of the warm, soft glow of candlelight as Old Saratoga Historical Association members in period costume, park staff, and park volunteers guide visitors through General Philip Schuyler`s 1777 country house. Light refreshments and period music follow the tours.

&#8220We plan a whole week of events to commemorate the seven days the British Troops under General Burgoyne were under siege by the Americans in Old Saratoga (now the Schuylerville area),&#8221 according to Saratoga Historian Sean Kelleher. &#8220We have a great partnership made up of the various levels of government including the Saratoga National Historical Park, Schuylerville Public Library, Town of Saratoga, Village of Victory, and non-governmental partners including the Fort Hardy Committee, Heritage Hunters of Saratoga County, and Old Saratoga Historical Association.&#8221

The American Victory at Saratoga was considered the “turning point in the American Revolution”. France and other European countries entering the war as a result of the American Victory at Saratoga.

The schedule includes:

Sunday, October 10
Saratoga Monument and the Schuyler House Open &#8211 9:30 am &#8211 4:30. pm

Monday, October 11
Walking tour of Siege Lines (through along the Champlain Canal) at 3 pm meet at the Old Saratoga Town Hall on Ferry Street.

Tuesday, October 12
Researching your American Revolution Ancestor with Deputy Historian Pat Peck at the Schuylerville Public Library 10 am

Wednesday and Thursday, October. 13 and 14
Voices of the American Revolution &#8211 a program for pre-schoolers at the Schuylerville Public Library 10 am

Thursday, October 14
Stories from the Saratoga Battlefield with storyteller Joe Doolittle at the Saratoga Town Hall 12 Spring Street, 7:30 pm

Friday October 15
233rd Anniversary of the American Victory at Saratoga Ceremony Commemoration at the Fort Hardy bandstand 10 am The ceremony includes the 4th grade students from the Schuylerville elementary school singing songs and commemorations by the Daughters and Sons of the American Revolution.

Saturday, October 16
Heritage Hunters Fall Genealogy Conference at the Saratoga Town Hall 12 Spring Street, from 8:45 am until 3:15 pm. Lisa Alzo is the featured speaker in a series of programs on researching family history. Registration is $30 for members and $35 for all others and includes the workshops, exhibits, coffee breaks and hot lunch. For information, contact Joan Cady at 518-587-2978 or email: [email protected].

Saturday and Sunday, October 16 & 17
Saratoga Monument and the Schuyler House Open 9:30 am &#8211 4:30. pm

Saturday, October 16
Candlelight Tour of Schuyler House 6 &#8211 9 pm

Sunday, October 17
Walking tour of Surrender Field at 10 am meet at the Old Saratoga Town Hall on Ferry Street.

For more information search Old Saratoga Historical Association on Facebook or twitter: oldsaratogahist or call (518) 698-3210 or e-mail [email protected]

Illustration: Surrender of General Burgoyne by John Trumbull, 1822- The original painting hangs in the United States Capitol Rotunda.

This Weeks New York History Web Highlights

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Each Friday afternoon New York History compiles for our readers a collection of the week’s top weblinks about New York’s state and local history. You can find all our weekly round-ups here.

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Exhibition: The Ground Beneath Our Feet

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On the occasion of The Grinnell’s 100th birthday, members of the Grinnell Centennial Planning Team have mounted an exhibition of more than 50 photos, prints, maps, and documents that tell the story of the half-acre triangle of land numbered 800 Riverside Drive, from the Native American Lenape people who inhabited northern Manhattan when Dutch settlers arrived in the early 17th Century through The Grinnell’s co-oping in the late 20th Century. The exhibition explores the individuals who have owned this unique half-acre during the last three centuries, and examines the political and economic events that inserted a triangle in the midst of the rectangular grid pattern that dominates New York’s street plan.

A slide presentation accompanying the exhibition highlights newsmakers who have lived at The Grinnell during its hundred year history, including operetta prima donna Christie MacDonald (a favorite of Victor Herbert who wrote “Sweethearts” for her)- actress, playwright, and novelist Alice Childress- architect Max Bond- artist Ademola Olugebefola- Lucy McDannel, the first woman to graduate Yale Law School- and Catherine Phelan, a housekeeper who earned The Grinnell unwanted national publicity in 1934 when she murdered her employer Douglas Sheridan in his Grinnell apartment.

“The Ground Beneath Our Feet” is open to the public free of charge. There are three dates left:

Sunday, October 10th: 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Tuesday, October 12th: 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, October 17th: 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Photo: The Grinnell in 1950 when it appeared on the cover of Grace Magazine. At the time, the evangelist Sweet Daddy Grace owned 800 Riverside Drive.