The Quarterly OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION glmrc, ii~tcrtsrunatd @gllcusb.rtwg RAIL ROAD. I The Shodest and most Direct Route lo all poinls East, / / 'I'llc III~I~III~IIC oI'll~ie 1~11:111 r1111' 1~0111I~uIIIc 10 OgdellMblll-g, (1libl:111cc142 ~~~ilc*r.l111ru11;11 011cill;l. O~!YC.;O. .J1*llbr6011111111 St. L:I!Y~CIICC L(rllltlt,i~~.It II:IYll~reo I:I~,IIIV~I~~~.:IS 1'11l!u!v$: Ou~vc~o to 1~1~111~111d,C?!l 11iiIt-9,) \Va~lcrtt~\vpk10 ('i~pc\'111ec11t, ('2.5 III~~L,~,)Drliulb J~~aellooto I'o1udn111 J111rcllu11, i.2: ~nilvs.) THREE EXPRESS PhSSENGER TRAINS LEAVE ROME DAILY, TWO EXPRESS PASSENGER TRAINS LEAVE OGDENSBURG, :III~.L'\VII P:I+SCIIL'C~ Tritills 1e.a~~I'II~SC~:IIII .JIIIIC~~OI~ all11ClpoYi~~cc~~t. dnil . cot~ncclili: ;1\ l:ic,~,:\~ic\coy owtyo.,:,~!ci :It ~<nl~wwitit ~<sl)rcsscrr~~i~~s t11e {or~c CCII~F:I~ I<:iilru:~tllbr .ILL 1'01S I h EAST ASI) \\'I<S'?'. .\I.io nt Snlldy Crcck JIIIIC~~~IIfor S)r::ct!sc 111111:,]I poiuls \Yc>t. Sleeping Cars Run between Watertown 6 New York, WITHOUT CIIANOE. Tlll:0i.'C 11 TICII-ISTS cnll bc procarcd :11 tllc priocijlal ofliccs on thia Line t6 rill l'riocipnl I'oi11ls East nucl West. FARE AS LOW AND TIME AS QUICK AS BY ANY OTHER ROUTE, B,IGG:fG E CHII:C:HED TIIROUGII. GEN B:ILAIA OFP'ICES : (;c~~rr;~lS~~l~cri~:tcadc~~l's Ofllcc, - - - - - \t1:'stcrtow~~,N. Y. Sccrct~~ry:~ud Trcns~trct's Oflice, - - - - - - IVutcrtown, N. Y. ~:t!l~cr;~ll'icl;ctO~Ico,- - - - . - - - \V:~tcrtow~~.N.Y. l:cncrnlI.'rci~l~tOflicr. - - - - - - - - Watcrtow~,N.Y. 0h'Li'ICl~:ItS : P? \VIIII Strccl. Nnw York \V:~lcrtowli N Y. \\'ilrcrtuw~i' N: Y. \\':~terto!v~~'N. Y. \~:~tcrtowa'N. Y. \~:~tcrtown,'N. Y. ONCE UPON -4 TIME . , . The Quarterly Official Publication of The St. Lawrence County Historical Assn ASSOCIATION OFFICERS I CONTENTS JANUARY 1963 VOL. 8 NO. I President LAWRENCE G. BOVARD OOdensburp THE CIVIL WAR IN HERMON First Vice President By Rebecca C. Brunet 3 EDWARD F. HEIM Canton THE OLD CLIFTON RAILROAD Second Vice President By Willianl E. Dodge 4 MILES GREENE Massena DANCES OF ST. I,A\VRENCE COUNTY Corresponding Secretory By Hoer!ard :M.Snzith 6 MRS. EDWARD BIONDI Ogdensburg HISTORY OF ST. PACL'S CHURCH Financial Secretory MRS. HAROLD JENKINS From Vestfly Records 8 RD-2, Potsdam FRANKLIN'S O\YN EPITAPH Treasurer DAVID CLELAND By tlze Late Benjavzilz Franklin IO Canton Editor, The Quortcrly ANNUAL MEETING MASON ROSSITER SMITH By Mary H. Biondi 16 Geuvem~ Assistant Editor HOW GOUVERNEUR BECAME A VILLAGE MRS. BETTE MAYHEW Canton I7 Committee Chaimten COVKTY HISTORICAL ACTIVITIES Program MRS. DONS PLANTY Edited by Bette Mayhezv 18 Ogde~burg Museum LIGHTING OUR \I'AY WRS. MARGUERITE CHAPMAN By Doris Rowland 19 Potadam Nominutions EDWARD F. HEIM COVER-Time was when the railroads in these parts were out after business Canton - not pushing it away as in the current 60s. This ad appeared in the St. Law- Audit rence County Business Directory for 1873 - and in those days the railroads HENRY HORN Canton welcomed passengers as well as freight! See advertising for competing rail- Cwnty Fair road on Page 4. HAROLD STORIE Oouveneur Promotion MRS. EDWARD BIONDI Ogdembuw Mr. David Cleland, Treasurer, St. Lawrence County Historical Association THE QUARTERLY is published Canton, N. Y. in January, April, July and October each year by the St. Lawrence Coun- ty Historical Association, editorial, Dear Mr. Cleland : advertising and publication office 40- 42 Clinton street, Gouverneur, N. Y. Enclosed find $2.00 in cash, check or money EXTRA COPIES may be obtained order to cover my dues, from Mrs. Nit.a W. Smithers, St. I I Lawrence County Historian's Office, Please send The Quarterly to me at this County Building, Canton, N. Y. at 50 address : cents each. NAME . .. ADVISORY BOARD STREET and NUMBER or RURAL ROUTE . a Mrs. Betty Mayhew, Canton . Miss Elizabeth Baxter, Ogdensburg Leonard Prince, Massena , MAIL THIS HANDY COUPON WITH CHECK - - TODAY ! Mrs. Doris Planty, Ogdensburg Harold Storie, Gouverneur Page Three By Rebecca C. Brunet In writing this story of the Civil War, I discovered contact the "rebs", which was a relief to all. It was how little I really knew of the hardships and grief it soon after this that the group retreated. They were brought to so many in this entire county and to small forced beck by part of Lee's army in one of the hardest villages as far north as Hermon. marches the regiment ever made. In one of our cemeteries is mute testimony of the In September 1863 this regiment was on retreat and sorrow and suffering brought to the Billings family who didn't know of Lee's advances. According to the history lost four sons in the war. the retreat showed the battle scars. The companies had to No one living now seems to remember the effect rebuild their railroads and after the battle of Mine Run the book "Uncle Tom's Cabin" had on the people of the and Locust Grove went into winter quarters. In May the North, but the history teachers and the author Irving battle resumed; this regiment, though, was held in re- Wersterin in his book "The Many Faces of the Civil serve. The loss was very severe to the Army of the War" all seem to agree that it was one of the main Potomac and at Spottsylvania. at the battle of Cold causes of the war. Harriet Beeche r Stowe, author Harbor, we lost 92 men. of "Uncle Tom's Cabin", depicted slavery at its worst. During this time the band only went up to the front This made the North oppose slavery and their at- once after dark and the same night could hear the enemy's titude was reflected in the churches; because of this band playing. At this time the regiment started to retreat they were more determined than ever to uphold the Union. and with great haste, and according to Pvt. Fuller it was Lee Fuller, whose father, Pvt. Lewis Fuller, a member a miracle that any got away alive. of the 106 Infantry wrote "The History of the 106th". The buildings at Mt. Crawford and within five miles has supplied me with a great deal of information. were ordered burned by General Sheridan. To the soldiers Pvt. Fuller also kept a dairy and the final muster roll it was a grand sight. Pvt. Fuller was within a few feet of his company. 1 had copies of all three made for the from the front and remarked in history that the picture town and others for the county. represented by the verse "Sheridan's Ride" was not In the regiment Mr. Fuller was a private in Company overdrawn as he wold never forget General Sheridan A. This was formed at Ogdensburg as a St. Lawrence and his black horse as they led the way to the front. county regiment, but later received replacements from He was cheered by the boys and although he was ordered other parts of the state. This company had a number of back refused to do so. He drove the enemy back, re- recruits from Hermon and Russell. Pvt. Fuller was detailed capturing all they had lost and 32 pieces of artillery, as company clerk following the surrender of Lee. 200 wagons, ambulances, and 5,000 prisoners. This regiment was ordered South in August 1862; they They wintered in City Point and on April 2, started received guns and ammunition along the way. They were fighting again. Many members were taken prisoners all inexperienced troops and were relieved that there April 6th. General Lee surrendered to General Grant on was no fighting. Sunday, April 9th. The men were happy on both sides and There was a Colonel Judd who imbibed too freely took many long marches, but knowing it was a homeward and would get the regiment out in line to fight off the march and the last review made it more bearable. Indians that he thought had surrounded the camp. The regiment was given a grana reception at the Eagle Pvt. Fuller was a member of the 106th Regiment band Hall on its arrival in Ogdensburg. They received their back organized at this time. pay and discharge papers on July 1, 1865. In the spring of 1863, Capt. H. W. Day joined the As for the diary, one of the most common mementos troops. There are many who remember Capt. Day as a were the letters Pvt. Fuller received from home. On many small but very impressive man on his horse leading days this was all that was written and gave me the im- the parade on Memorial Day until his death. pression that to most servicemen at that time or today The group was ordered to battle, but never seemed to (Continued on Page 17) Page Four 5 I I I 372 ST. LA IIRENCE COUhTY B Z-SINESS DlllECI'OR Y. 'II NEW YORK CENTRAL, I) &: What I write of the old Clifton railroad is entirely from :.;I :.;I -- , Borne, Watertonn & ~[densbarp;,and New York & OSIEII, memory, and it is a far cry backto the Civil war days, but such is the fact in this matter. The road began at a point ?,?I ' of the Rome- Watertown and Ogdensburg railroad (as the ~$1i LND OSWECO MtDLANb XAlLROADS, =-1 ' northern branch of the New YorkCentral railroadwas then RUNNINC called) in the vicinity of East DeKalb, ran in a southerly tl; 8 direction to the Clifton iron mines, something like thirty --;.