Mellvina Dean, the last survivor on the legendary Titanic has died at the age of 97. She was only a child on that fateful night in 1912 when so many perished.
Mellvina Dean 1912-2009
Many may ask what does this have to do with a small Erie canal village in Upstate, NY?
Surprisingly many upstate families had ties to passengers on the Titanic. Port Byron was no exception. A man named Sidney Clarence Stuart Collett was a Titanic passenger and in route to Port Byron, NY when the ship floundered.
Here is Collett's entry on the Carpathia's ship passenger logs of people rescued from Titanic (see middle entry where it shows Port Byron, NY):
His parents were living here in 1912 where his father was serving as a minister at the Baptist Church.
Read more about Sidney Clarence Stuart Collett
The passing of Mellvina Dean brings the end of the survivors aboard the Titanic. Rest in peace Miss Mellvina.
Welcome to the History Corner!
Celebrating the rich history of Port Byron, New York, an old Erie Canal village in the Town of Mentz. This site is dedicated to the legacy and heritage of our community as well as a variety of regional historical tidbits. I hope you enjoy your visit and will stop by again.
Showing posts with label National History. Show all posts
Showing posts with label National History. Show all posts
Monday, June 1, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Oregon Trail Links
For readers who are interested in the materials on the Oregon Trail story, you can see a map of the ranch owners from 1864 by visiting the following book:
Massacre along the Medicine Road
You can read the actual 1865 Diary by visiting:
1865 Diary
This is solid proof that even unrelated families can help one another.
Massacre along the Medicine Road
You can read the actual 1865 Diary by visiting:
1865 Diary
This is solid proof that even unrelated families can help one another.
Labels:
National History
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Washington Monument
Did you know Port Byron has connections to the Washington Monument?
The Washington Monument was a broad effort of many people. It was a joy to discover that Finlay M King and his wife Frances were involved in raising funds for its construction.
Finlay was born at Port Byron in 1821. His connection to Philip King (1761-1854), the first white settler of Mentz, took some digging.
After careful research, it was proven that Finlay was the son of Jeremiah B. King (1792-1836) and a grandson of Philip mentioned above. Jeremiah was listed in local papers as an Esquire and several of his sons would follow his profession. His son Chauncey P King would become a member of the bar from the state of Wisconsin. Augustus E King was a Counsellor of Law in New York City. Finlay once had a law practice with General Hugh and even ran a law office from Port Byron under the name of King & Gillipsie.
Finlay was appointed a Notary of the Republic by Gov. John Alsop King, a son of Rufus King, one of the signers of the U.S. Constitution. To date, it appears these two King families are not related. If they are, it would have to be in a much earlier generation.
Before I get to Finlay's connection to the Washington Monument, I do want to pay tribute to some of his local contributions. Finlay was one of the original board of trustees of the Free School and Academy at Port Byron which operated from 1858 until it was lost to fire in 1898. He later moved to Syracuse where he would become a member of the Bar and was also President of the Franklin Institute Library. His daughter Annie Kathleen King was a manager of the morning musical shows at Syracuse. She was also a member of the Salon Musicale and Morning Musicals Inc, and was manager of the Wieting Opera House in Syracuse.
Many people can associate Finlay to the Eastern Star Chapter of Port Byron, which was named after him. He became very involved in writing masonic laws and published a mason publication from Port Byron. However, few know that he and his wife were involved with the Washington Monument. Their involvement with the monument was due to their high ranking connections with the Masons, where Finlay was a Grand Master for New York State.
In 1859, at the Richmond House in Chicago, a National convention of masons was held where Mrs. Finley M King of Port Byron, NY was elected President of the Woman’s Washington National Monument Society. Finley was on the Mason's building committee and his name is also mounted on a plaque at the Washington Monument in Washington, DC.
To see an image of the plaque:
http://sirismm.si.edu/saam/scan1/S78230053_b.jpg
To read more on the history of the plaque:
http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?uri=full=3100001%7E!373485!0#focus
Finlay and members of his family are buried in the historic Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse, which the cemetery is listed on the register of historic places.
The Washington Monument was a broad effort of many people. It was a joy to discover that Finlay M King and his wife Frances were involved in raising funds for its construction.
Finlay was born at Port Byron in 1821. His connection to Philip King (1761-1854), the first white settler of Mentz, took some digging.
After careful research, it was proven that Finlay was the son of Jeremiah B. King (1792-1836) and a grandson of Philip mentioned above. Jeremiah was listed in local papers as an Esquire and several of his sons would follow his profession. His son Chauncey P King would become a member of the bar from the state of Wisconsin. Augustus E King was a Counsellor of Law in New York City. Finlay once had a law practice with General Hugh and even ran a law office from Port Byron under the name of King & Gillipsie.
Finlay was appointed a Notary of the Republic by Gov. John Alsop King, a son of Rufus King, one of the signers of the U.S. Constitution. To date, it appears these two King families are not related. If they are, it would have to be in a much earlier generation.
Before I get to Finlay's connection to the Washington Monument, I do want to pay tribute to some of his local contributions. Finlay was one of the original board of trustees of the Free School and Academy at Port Byron which operated from 1858 until it was lost to fire in 1898. He later moved to Syracuse where he would become a member of the Bar and was also President of the Franklin Institute Library. His daughter Annie Kathleen King was a manager of the morning musical shows at Syracuse. She was also a member of the Salon Musicale and Morning Musicals Inc, and was manager of the Wieting Opera House in Syracuse.
Many people can associate Finlay to the Eastern Star Chapter of Port Byron, which was named after him. He became very involved in writing masonic laws and published a mason publication from Port Byron. However, few know that he and his wife were involved with the Washington Monument. Their involvement with the monument was due to their high ranking connections with the Masons, where Finlay was a Grand Master for New York State.
In 1859, at the Richmond House in Chicago, a National convention of masons was held where Mrs. Finley M King of Port Byron, NY was elected President of the Woman’s Washington National Monument Society. Finley was on the Mason's building committee and his name is also mounted on a plaque at the Washington Monument in Washington, DC.
To see an image of the plaque:
http://sirismm.si.edu/saam/scan1/S78230053_b.jpg
To read more on the history of the plaque:
http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?uri=full=3100001%7E!373485!0#focus
Finlay and members of his family are buried in the historic Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse, which the cemetery is listed on the register of historic places.
Labels:
National History