Fall 1996

About this Issue

Note from the Editors

This issue begins with Donovan A. Shilling's The Glory Days at the Driving Park. Don tells the history of Rochester's horse-racing track and some of the events that occurred there. In issue 72, Don wrote about John C. Lighthouse, "The Horse Collar King," who developed and marketed the "Eclipse" and the "Maud S." halters, the second named for the famous trotter who set a world record at the Driving Park on August 11, 1881. Don lives in Penfield.

Richard Palmer introduces the letters of Dundee Civil War soldier Edgar D. Haviland relating his experiences at the battle at Gettysburg. In issues 96 and 97 Dick Palmer presented A Newspaper Editor's View of Gettysburg featuring the search for the body of Andrew J. Grover who was killed July 1, 1863, in the first infantry fight at Gettysburg. Sergeant Haviland mentions Major Grover in his letters. Richard Palmer lives in Tully.

Barbara Chapman reports on a project of the fourth-grade students at the Wheatland-Chili Central School in Scottsville, New York. The students first located the gravestones of the early residents of Wheatland, and during the school year studied the lives of the pioneers. In June this year the children presented a program about the first settlers. Mrs. Chapman is an active member of the Wheatland Historical Society, and lives near Scottsville.

We continue selections from the Autobiographical Sketches of F. G. Greene in this issue. His daughter, Mrs. G. E. Kindig of Pittsford, supplied his memoirs and family pictures.

Don Shilling, the chronicler of The New Society of the Genesee tells about Thomas Swinburne and his song The New 'Genesee' that was dedicated to the original Society of the Genesee. Don writes also the New Society's visit to the museum of the Hartsville Historical Society, Call Hill Farm, in Hartsville, New York.

David D. Robinson asked the Univ. of Rochester for a picture of T. Swinburne, but none could be found. Karl Kabelac, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Rush Rhees Library, U. of Rochester, did send Dave a copy from the Nov., 1951, Rochester Review of a tribute to Tom Swinburne by John R. Slater, Emeritus Professor of English. Dave Robinson sent it on for use here.

The next issue will begin Grace L. Fenno's story of her mother, Sara Perry Fenno's "Life Adventure" from her birth in Altay, New York, in 1857 to her death there in 1945 after many years teaching and writing on public speaking and physical culture. The next issue will also contain Robert V. Anderson's discussion of 1834 election politics, and continue F. G. Greene's account of his life and the local activities around Rogersville, New York.

CLR Blog | Site Map | Contact CLR