GAR Display at Heritage Days July 31st

Lorraine Orton and members of the Woman's Relief Corps, the official auxiliary of the G.A.R., will be joining us on July 31st to display G.A.R. artifacts.

The Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) was an early veterans group formed by soldiers of the civil war.  The G.A.R. became a strong political force and with their endless efforts, the Grand Army Pension Bill became law in the year 1900 securing pensions for the soldiers of the civil war.

To read more about the G.A.R. and Port Byron's Lockwood Post #175 G.A.R., read my article:

Lockwood Post #175

To learn more about the Woman's Relief Corps:

http://www.suvcw.org/WRC/index.htm

The Center of Action

When people think of Port Byron, NY, they easily find reference to our Erie Canal History.  What most people are not aware of is that Port Byron was also the meeting place for many political conventions.

On October 15, 1856 at 2 PM the 25th Congressional District Convention was held here for the purpose of nominating a candidate for representation in Congress.

The committee consisted of:

N. Drake
C. D. Lawton
Wm Bell Jr
C.H. Richmond
Wm Fosgate

Early Preachers

In Port Byron's early history, it seems many lifestyles were ahead of the times.  I recently found an article from the 1850's, where one of our woman had completed clergy training.  When you look at the role of woman for this time period, most were not employed especially outside their own households or the business of their husbands.  It is always a pleasure to be reminded that things were just a bit different here:

"Mrs. Linda Jenkins of Port Byron, N.Y. has commenced preaching, after a regular course of study, and is now fully entitled to the appellation of "Reverend." 

Herkimer Co. Journal, Little Falls, NY August 13, 1857