Otselic History
The Cox Reminiscences Continued
by Frank E. Cox
The DeRuyter Gleaner, March 1,1 1943
You will remember that I began my business career at the Burg in October, 1878, although quite intimately connected with it for five years, from October 1873. In fact born and raised within sight of it, and in fact I have always lived within sight of good old Tallett Hill, where the two Tallett boys, Henry and Dudley settled on adjoining farms, after marrying the Church sisters, Glycera and Anna, in the 1830s. A sister of the boys, Polly, married James Myers, and lived just over the hill a mile north with farms joining.
Henry, Dudley and Polly were children of John Tallett, the Hessian soldier, who was in Burgoyne's army. Others of his children settled in our township or near. But you ask, "who were the Hessians." They were soldiers hired by King George III of England, from the Grand Duchy, ruler of the State of Hesse, Darmstadt, to fight with his English soldiers in subduing the American colonies, 1776 to 1783. It was quite common in those days to hire soldiers. the price agreed upon with the English king for the 22,000 German soldiers was 3,000,000 pounds, nearly $15,000,000. At the close of the Revolutionary war, 1783, many of the Hessian soldiers had to remain, settle in the colonies. No provisions had been made for their return to their native Germany.
Many settled in Pennsylvania, some parts of which use the German tongue even now, 150 years afterward. My Great-grandfather, John Tallett, with others of his army, settled in Madison county, Town of Brookfield, right close to the Columbus line. I have been there and seen the location, though no buildings, just a clump of trees and bushes and the building near that was once the Tallett postoffice, and the Tallett brook is still there, of course, on which he had a dam for water power to operate his mills.
Well, soon after locating and opening my little store, Whit Ames began urging me to write items for The Gleaner. It was not entirely a new business to me, for while yet a boy at the farm home, I had sent items to the Chenango Telegraph, at Norwich. A boyish fancy to see my writings in print I suppose. I liked Whit, had an acquaintance with him at DeRuyter institute in 1870, and others of the seven or nine boys of the Ames family. I knew Frank best for we were nearer of an age and he seemed to like to look after my welfare, I being a stranger in a new place to me. Our rooms were near in the building. By the way, Whit had the Otselic Center school, on the Turnpike, for the winter of 1870-71.
Well, again, here we are. I began early in 1879, sending local happenings to Whit's Gleaner under the "Pseudonym" of T.R.U.E. or Fickle, and sometimes semi-occasionally. So now I am recording for you oldsters and possibly some younger ones, selections from my old 1879 scrapbook.
March 22: Milan D. Tallett, of Minneapolis, Kansas, visiting old home friends and relatives (he was my cousin and school chum).
Zachariah Taylor, the Sioux Indian, (he lived in Georgetown) gave a lecture in the M.E. church. Attendance light--receipts light.
"Uncle Jimmy" Hicks, age 87, died from effects of stroke of apoplexy.
Vernes Miner, aged 21, a fine young man, in perfect health, died after a two weeks' battle with pleu-ro-pneumonia.
Johnny Lamb was badly injured by a fall from a load of hay. A fork tine entered his body; also a severe injury to his back.
The Sunday morning audience met with quite a surprise, at the Baptist church when Mr. William Cook and Miss Mary Kenyon, walked up to the altar and were united in marriage.
The statistician, Mr. Woodal Eastman, informs us that over ten feet of snow has fallen during the winter, measuring each fall separately. No wonder it still lingers upon the face of the earth.
April 7: Johnny Lamb is improving. So he can sit up a short time every day. (Johnny followed in the footsteps of his father, George Lamb, and learned blacksmithing, and then migrated to a western state for his life's work).
Doctor James Stanbro of Upper Beaver Meadow, buried the 6th inst.
The hotel barns at North Otselic burned Friday night.
April 21: Maple sugar making is still going fine. Some farmers have already made 800 and 1,000 lbs.
April 20: Another foot of snow (now eleven feet) sleighing again. Many sleighs in town Friday.
Prof. J.M. Seaman, the wonderful man-fly and gymnast, gave an exhibition of his wonderfulness on Saturday, performing on a rope stretched across the principal street, walking on the underside of the rope and then on top.
September 8: Grasshoppers, dry weather and frosts.
Mr. Lester A. Warner returned to his studies at Brockport State normal School on Monday last.
Myron M. Perkins has rented half the storeroom now occupied by J.E. Parce in the new Parce Block, and will put in a stock of hardware, boots, shoes and notions.
Our fall school under the supervision of Miss Theresa Smith, opens today.
Many of our young people have disappeared to the hop yards to revel in the luxuries of dances, hop wishes, caterpillars, etc. Perhaps more later.
Good-bye again.
South Otselic, March, 1943
Frank E. Cox at 87-1/2
Well, soon after locating and opening my little store, Whit Ames began urging me to write items for The Gleaner. It was not entirely a new business to me, for while yet a boy at the farm home, I had sent items to the Chenango Telegraph, at Norwich. A boyish fancy to see my writings in print I suppose. I liked Whit, had an acquaintance with him at DeRuyter institute in 1870, and others of the seven or nine boys of the Ames family. I knew Frank best for we were nearer of an age and he seemed to like to look after my welfare, I being a stranger in a new place to me. Our rooms were near in the building. By the way, Whit had the Otselic Center school, on the Turnpike, for the winter of 1870-71.
Well, again, here we are. I began early in 1879, sending local happenings to Whit's Gleaner under the "Pseudonym" of T.R.U.E. or Fickle, and sometimes semi-occasionally. So now I am recording for you oldsters and possibly some younger ones, selections from my old 1879 scrapbook.
March 22: Milan D. Tallett, of Minneapolis, Kansas, visiting old home friends and relatives (he was my cousin and school chum).
Zachariah Taylor, the Sioux Indian, (he lived in Georgetown) gave a lecture in the M.E. church. Attendance light--receipts light.
"Uncle Jimmy" Hicks, age 87, died from effects of stroke of apoplexy.
Vernes Miner, aged 21, a fine young man, in perfect health, died after a two weeks' battle with pleu-ro-pneumonia.
Johnny Lamb was badly injured by a fall from a load of hay. A fork tine entered his body; also a severe injury to his back.
The Sunday morning audience met with quite a surprise, at the Baptist church when Mr. William Cook and Miss Mary Kenyon, walked up to the altar and were united in marriage.
The statistician, Mr. Woodal Eastman, informs us that over ten feet of snow has fallen during the winter, measuring each fall separately. No wonder it still lingers upon the face of the earth.
April 7: Johnny Lamb is improving. So he can sit up a short time every day. (Johnny followed in the footsteps of his father, George Lamb, and learned blacksmithing, and then migrated to a western state for his life's work).
Doctor James Stanbro of Upper Beaver Meadow, buried the 6th inst.
The hotel barns at North Otselic burned Friday night.
April 21: Maple sugar making is still going fine. Some farmers have already made 800 and 1,000 lbs.
April 20: Another foot of snow (now eleven feet) sleighing again. Many sleighs in town Friday.
Prof. J.M. Seaman, the wonderful man-fly and gymnast, gave an exhibition of his wonderfulness on Saturday, performing on a rope stretched across the principal street, walking on the underside of the rope and then on top.
September 8: Grasshoppers, dry weather and frosts.
Mr. Lester A. Warner returned to his studies at Brockport State normal School on Monday last.
Myron M. Perkins has rented half the storeroom now occupied by J.E. Parce in the new Parce Block, and will put in a stock of hardware, boots, shoes and notions.
Our fall school under the supervision of Miss Theresa Smith, opens today.
Many of our young people have disappeared to the hop yards to revel in the luxuries of dances, hop wishes, caterpillars, etc. Perhaps more later.
Good-bye again.
South Otselic, March, 1943
Frank E. Cox at 87-1/2
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