Town of Catlin, Chemung County, New York

State of New York County of Chemung

TOWN OF CATLIN 1448 CHAMBERS ROAD BEAVER DAMS, NEW YORK 14812 607-739-5598

2013 ANNUAL HISTORIAN’S REPORT

TOWN OF CATLIN, CHEMUNG COUNTY, NEW YORK

Prepared by Mark Claypool, Catlin Town Historian on 1/29/2014

Activities for 2013:

Records Organization:

In 2013, I completed sorting through all of the many boxes of historical documents I inherited from past historians, and have organized all of that information into a indexed file system, including an alphabetical surname file.

Cemetery Records:

During 2013, with the help of visiting genealogist Jim Brown, we pinpointed with GPS coordinates the exact location of the Miles Cemetery on Buck Mountain in Catlin. We also marked the gravesite with visible surveyor's tape.

After discovering a reference in an old diary, I have also determined the approximate location of the missing Carter's Hill Cemetery.

Inquiries & Research:

During 2013, I received several inquiries for local historical information which I researched & responded to. Surnames investigated include Riley, Golden, Mower, Scriven, McConnell, Smith, Warburton and Woolsey.

I scanned a series of old photographs and articles pertaining to Catlin School #1 and gave them to the Full Gospel Church of Catlin for their anniversary celebration. This church sits on the site of the old schoolhouse.

I scanned a series of articles and photographs pertaining to Pine Valley, and shared these with Mary (Golden) Mower who is building a historical exhibit of Pine Valley. Mrs. Mower also gave me several pieces of historical information which I will add to my own files of that area.

Current Events:

During the year, I documented several events occurring within our town which may have historic value into the future. These include:  Photo-documented the historic flash-flooding that occurred in Catlin in August that destroyed or severely damaged several roads throughout the town.

 Wrote a document covering the proposed windmill project coming to Catlin.

 Wrote a document recording the numerous changes in personnel within Catlin's town government this past year.

Town Maps:

I have completed the extraction & transcription of all of the Catlin residents listed in the Chemung County Compass Map & Directory published in 1938. This has created a searchable directory listing residents names, which road they lived on, and exactly which house they resided in. This is the first step in creating a true cadastral map of Catlin for 1938, which I hope to have completed in an electronic format in 2014.

Catlin History Project:

I finally started my biggest project for the town this past year. I am working on a consolidated history for Catlin, combining information from several historical reference books & articles into one organized and up to date electronic resource. This will be a living document, and I will augment it with foot-noted information from old news articles, notes and diaries as I discover more historic tidbits into the future.

Grant Received:

During 2013, Catlin received a grant for $500 from the Millennium Pipeline folks as part of their community give-back program. The grant will eventually be used to fund a digital camera copy stand which will allows us to begin to digitize our numerous old journals and other historic documents.

Activities Planned for 2014:

Records Organization:

In 2013, I received another box of old documents from the Town Clerk who had just finished culling out files from the town vault. In 2014, I plan on merging these into the new file system I created last year.

I am still looking to obtain & scan old photos from around the town, as we currently have very few. If anyone has anything to share, I would be happy to look at them!

Cemeteries:

During 2014, with the landowner's permission, I hope to visit and pinpoint the old Carter's Hill Cemetery site. This is thought to be the first cemetery in the town (near Martin's Hill).

Town Maps:

Complete the 1938 cadastral map of Catlin that I started in 2013.

Consolidated Town History: I will continue to build and organize the consolidated town history throughout 2014. What I have to date has already proven very useful.

Eva Kimble's Funeral Book:

I have begun reading and absorbing The Funeral Book, a series of handwritten articles compiled by past historian Eva Kimble. Her notes document in great detail many prominent funerals that she attended over the years within our town. The stories are interesting and very descriptive. As I get through it, I will determine if it might be worth transcribing and perhaps even publishing.