Essex County NY Genealogy – Access Genealogy

Biography of Eugene F. Skinner

EUGENE F. SKINNER. – Eugene F. Skinner, whose name is a household word throughout the length and breadth of Lane county, located in June, 1846, the Donation claim on which Eugene City, named for him, now stands. He was born at Essex, Essex county, New York, September 13, 1809, and is the youngest son of Major John Joseph Skinner of East Windsor, Connecticut, and a brother of St. John B.L. Skinner of New York, who was an influential officer in the Postoffice Department at Washington City, District of Columbia, under President Lincoln, and first assistant postmaster-general under President Johnson. Having … Read more

Biography of Matthew Hale

MATTHEW HALE A MAN of fine legal attainments and of high personal character, who has been a steady resident of Albany for the past twenty-two years is the Hon. Matthew Hale, On the 20th of June, 1829, in the little town of Chelsea, in the state of Vermont, this well-known jurist first saw the light of day. His ancestry is in every respect a notable one – including admirable combinations of intellectual, moral and religious principles. His father, Harry Hale, was a descendant of one Thomas Hale, an English yeoman, who immigrated to this country in 1638, and settled in … Read more

Crown Point, Lake Champlain

It would be hard, gazing upon Crown Point today, to realize the storms and terrors it let loose upon the English colonists not quite two hundred years ago. Girt by the smiling waters of one of America’s most beautiful lakes, overtopped by a verdant mountain, and gazing out upon green fields in the shade of majestic woodlands, all of the atmosphere of the place is one of peace and aloofness from the pain of human suffering. Yet the name ” Crown Point ” was a sinister thing in the early days of the English colonists, particularly in the northern provinces. … Read more

Biography of J. W. Towner

J. W. Towner the subject of this sketch, now Judge of the Superior Court of Orange County, is a native of Essex County, New York, born in 1823, in the town of Willsboro. When he was fifteen years old his father moved to St. Lawrence County, same State. His education was only that of the common school except one term, in 1841, at the Malone Academy, Franklin County. In 1844, he and an older brother went to Cleveland, Ohio, where he remained until 1854, when he went to West Union, Fayette County, Iowa, remaining there until August, 1861, when he … Read more

Biography of Jesse L. Conant, M. D.

The subject of this sketch is a worthy example of the large class of well read, careful and honorable physicians who are dear to their fellow townsmen wherever their lot may be cast. They are near to the people in sickness and trouble and grow very near to them in all relations of life, and become, many of them, the most influential men in their communities. Doctor Jesse Lyman Conant, mayor and prominent physician and druggist of Genesee, Idaho, was born in Birmingham, Essex County, New York, May 31, 1831, and is descended from an old Norman family which went … Read more

Biography of Elverdo Draper

ELVERDO DRAPER. – To the leading and prominent citizen, whose name initiates this paragraph, we are pleased to accord a representation in this volume because he has manifested during the years in which he has been domiciled in Union county ability of a fine order, and because he has materially assisted in the progress of the county and substantially aided in its upbuilding, while he has developed its resources and augmented its wealth by his enterprising endeavors in his private business; and during all this commendable course there has not only been displayed a praiseworthy sagacity and integrity but a … Read more

Biography of Isaac G. Perry

ISAAC G. PERRY AN architect of high standing and great popularity in his profession is Isaac G. Perry, the regular capitol commissioner, whose official residence is now in Albany. Born in Bennington, Vt., of Scottish ancestry, on the 24th of March, 1822, he passed his earliest days amidst the grand, patriotic scenes of the Green mountains, breathing pure, invigorating air and laying the foundation of a strong constitution. His father, Seneca Perry, a native of White Creek, Washington County, N. Y., and a carpenter and joiner by trade, died in 1868. His mother, whose maiden name was Martha Ann Taggart, … Read more

James Wilson Genealogy

I. The ancestor of the Daniel2 Wilson family came from Tyrone, Ireland, in 1737, with the famous Scotch Irish emigrants. These emigrants were a hardy, industrious, long-lived, honest and sturdy race of people. A great proportion of New Hampshire’s most distinguished sons are found among their descendants. One of these emigrants was James1 Wilson. The history of Peterborough gives his name as WILLIAM. Later researches favor JAMES, but we are not positively sure of the name. Nor do we know who was his wife. They brought with them from Ireland a son, Robert2, and a daughter, Lettuce2. In this country … Read more

The Forest Theater, Ticonderoga, New York

Near the shore of Lake Champlain stands a beautiful pine and hemlock grove, the site of an ancient Indian village. Here, every August, is held an Indian pageant based on the lives of famous Six Nation Chiefs and warriors. This Indian pageant has grown from a handful of actors to a cast of as high as a hundred and twenty five. Thousands of people travel many miles to see these pageants. As they watch the actors they are taken back to the days when the Six Nations held sway over the beautiful Ticonderoga Region. The festival owes its birth and … Read more