Merry Christmas

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Big Sugar conspired to conceal health risks

Holy shit! Shit, shit, shit! Who can you trust? You can't do the research yourself... I guess, back to meat and green leafy veggies only. Crap... I'm heading out for a salad.

For decades the sugar industry paid off researchers to downplay the health effects of sweets and pin the blame for increased heart disease risk on saturated fat and cholesterol, a new study reveals. Combing over documents that date back half a century, a University of California, San Francisco researcher discovered that a trade group called the Sugar Research Foundation commissioned a 1967 Harvard review to discredit emerging claims about the harmful effects of sugar. Industry executives dictated what research would be included in the review and then controlled its findings, which were published in The New England Journal of Medicine, reports The New York Times. Ultimately, the review criticized studies linking sugar and heart disease and emphasized the harmful effects of unhealthy fats. In return, the Harvard researchers were paid the modern equivalent of about $50,000—a conflict of interest that was never disclosed publicly. For the next 50 years, millions of Americans opted for low-fat, sugary foods now associated with obesity and heart disease. “They were able to derail the discussion about sugar for decades,” says study author Stanton Glantz. “By today’s standards, they behaved very badly.”

Taken from the September 30, 2016 of The Week Magazine.

Calcium pills linked to dementia

Not sure why I didn't publish this when I wrote it back in October. Glad that the percentage of older adults with dementia is decreasing.

Crap, crap, crap. I know too many women who take calcium supplements not to be scared by this. Man, I just wish I could make good decisions in real time so that I don't need pharmaceuticals later in life! Dementia is so very scary!

Calcium supplements are widely used to ward off age-related bone loss, but a new study suggests that for some women they also bring a significantly higher risk for dementia. Researchers in Sweden tested the memory and thinking skills of 700 older women and tracked their use of calcium supplements. Women with a history of stroke who took calcium were seven times more likely to develop dementia within five years than were women who had suffered strokes but didn’t use the supplements. Among the women with signs of cerebrovascular disease, a disorder that affects blood flow to the brain, those who took calcium were twice as likely to develop dementia as the women who didn’t. These findings don’t prove that calcium supplements increase the risk for dementia, but researchers say they warrant further investigation. “People have a tendency to assume that dietary supplements are automatically innocuous,” neurologist Marc Gordon, who was not involved in the study, tells LiveScience.com. But “high levels of supplementation as opposed to just dietary intake [of calcium] could conceivably have some deleterious effects.”

Taken from the September 9th edition of The Week Magazine.

Pessimism linked to heart disease

Oh, crap.

Pessimists tend to expect the worst and never see the silver lining in bad news. New research suggests that this gloom and doom could increase their risk of death from heart disease. Finnish researchers followed 2,267 middle-aged and older men and women for 11 years and evaluated their outlook on life. Over the course of the study, the researchers found, those who scored highest on the pessimism scale were more than twice as likely to have died of heart disease as those who ranked lowest. “Your personality traits can make physical health worse,” the study’s lead author, Dr. Mikko Pankalainen, tells The New York Times. “If you’re pessimistic and have some health issues, then it’s even more important to take care of your physical health.” It’s not known why this association exists, but researchers suggest pessimism may increase inflammation and other factors that negatively affect heart health, while also making people less proactive in pursuing healthy habits.

Taken from the December 9, 2016 edition of the Week Magazine.

Dementia Rates Decline

Strong reason to control blood pressure and sugar intake. As I look back on my posts, I see so much which talks about sugar. We all need to cut it out, but crap it is hard... especially at this time of year.

The percentage of older people with dementia is on the decline, even though a cure for this devastating condition remains elusive, The New York Times reports. Based on surveys of 21,000 older adults, University of Michigan found the dementia rate among older Americans fell from about 12 percent in 2000 to roughly 9 percent in 2012. That translates to about 1 million fewer Americans suffering from the condition. The reasons for this unexpected drop aren’t clear. Scientists speculate that more people are receiving effective treatment for conditions linked to dementia, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, both of which can impair blood flow to the brain. It’s also possible that a climb in the average education levels of older adults plays a role: Previous studies suggest that higher learning creates more complicated connections between nerve cells, which may help protect the brain against cognitive decline. But while the risk for dementia may be decreasing slightly, study author Dr. Kenneth Langa warns that the total number of Americans with dementia will continue to climb as the massive baby boomer generation moves into its 60s, 70s, and 80s. “This is still going to be a top-priority issue for families, and for health policy, now and in the coming decades,” Langa says.

Taken from the December 9, 2016 edition of The Week Magazine.

Emma Morano turns 117

We met Miss Emma here when she became the oldest living person.

Pray. Eat raw eggs. Stay single. Those are the keys to a long life, according to Emma Morano, who celebrated her 117th birthday this week. As the world’s oldest person—and the only person alive to have been born in the 1800s—Morano is a national treasure in her native Italy, where her birthday celebration was broadcast live on state TV. Journalists, relatives, and well-wishers crowded into her cozy apartment in the northern town of Pallanza, where Morano received plenty of gifts and cheek kisses. She only interrupted the festivities once, to ask, “Is there anything to eat here?” After the party, Morano took a well-deserved nap.

Taken from the December 9, 2016 edition of The Week Magazine.

It wasn't all bad...

Ed Moseley is proof that it is never too late to learn something new. The 86-year-old Atlanta man taught himself to knit after his assisted living facility challenged residents to create warm hats for the preemies at a nearby hospital. ­After getting a knitting kit from his daughter, Moseley spent hours making 55 colorful caps for the infants. He even held classes for other residents, and with the help of his caretakers, friends, and family, delivered more than 300 hand-­knitted caps to the neonatal unit. “Now I’ve graduated to large caps,” Moseley said. “I’m doing caps for all my ­grandkids.”

Taken from the December 2, 2016 edition of The Week Magazine.

I love it; what a wonderful story.

Star Wars Costumes at the Denver Museum of Art

Taken from here.

Like a twit I missed this exhibit while I was in Denver. This exhibit, of course, is perfect for this blog, as it is about fiber and sewing - and costuming. I found this press release here. I was seeking information about where the exhibit will be next, as perhaps I can catch it someplace else. Alas, TBD after Denver.

It would have been really fantastic to have read about how the designers go about determining the costumes - and maybe to have learned about production, too. I mean, look at that dress there on the left - beautiful. And then to know that it goes on Natalie Portman; she has a fabulous, fit body. How did this two dimensional sketch translate to three dimensions on a woman who has an admirable body, but is not a runway model. It would be fun to see.

Fingers crossed that it will come to a town near me and I won't be such a nit-wit.

I got this photograph from the Smithsonian website, here.

Iconic costumes from “a galaxy far, far away” are presented in the Smithsonian traveling exhibition, Rebel, Jedi, Princess, Queen: Star Wars and the Power of Costume. The exhibit will begin a 12-city national tour at EMP Museum in Seattle, Wash., where it will be on view Jan. 31 through Oct. 4, 2015.

taken from here.

Culled from the collection of the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, Rebel, Jedi, Princess, Queen: Star Wars and the Power of Costume is a partnership of the museum, the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and Lucasfilm. George Lucas imagined and created a fantastical world filled with dynamic characters who told the timeless story of the hero’s journey. The costumes shaped the identities of these now famous characters, from the menacing black mask of Darth Vader and the gilded suit of C-3PO, to the lavish royal gowns of Queen Amidala and a bikini worn by Princess Leia when enslaved by Jabba the Hutt.

“Craftsmanship and artistry in costume design are valued creative components in the Star Wars Saga,” said Lucas. “The detailed precision of a design can be as bold a measure of storytelling as words on a page, leading to truths at the core of a character, situation or shared history. From initial concept drawings to complex physical constructions, the costumes featured in this exhibition serve to further define crucial aspects of worlds created to move, educate and entertain us—to inspire the imagination.”

Presenting 60 of the finest, hand-crafted costumes from the first six blockbuster Star Wars films, the exhibition uncovers the challenges, the intricate processes and the remarkable artistry of Lucas, the concept artists and costume designers. The costumes reflect an eclectic mix of cultural, historical and mythical sources that add rich texture to the story. Through nine presentational “chapters”—Introduction: Dressing a Galaxy; Jedi versus Sith: Form, Function and Design; Concept and Design for Royalty and Beyond; Symbolism and Military Power; Outlaws and Outsiders; All Corners of the Galaxy: The Galactic Senate; After the Throne: Padmé’s Journey; Darth Vader; Iconic Villain; and Droid™ Design: C-3PO and R2-D2—visitors will explore the creative process from Lucas’s vision through concept drawings by artists such as Ralph McQuarrie and Iain McCaig, to the final costume designs of John Mollo and Trisha Biggar, among others.

Featured costumes include the:

• Monk-like robes of Jedi masters Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker
• Intimidating suit and complex breathing apparatus of Darth Vader
• Military-influenced uniforms of the Imperial Stormtrooper, Senate Guard and TIE Fighter Pilot
• Yak hair and mohair costume of the towering Wookiee Chewbacca
• Intergalactic outfits of Senators Bail Organa, Mon Mothma and Mas Amedda
• Fierce armor of mercenary bounty hunters Jango Fett, Boba Fett and Zam Wesell
• Elaborately detailed gowns of Queen Amidala, Queen Jamillia and their handmaidens

Short films in Star Wars and The Power of Costume provide a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process and include interviews with artists, designers and actors. The visitor experience will be enhanced by interactive flip books featuring sketches, photographs and notes that capture the creative team’s inspiration and vision.

If more information is sought, and where I found this information, go here: Jennifer Schommer (202) 633-3121; schommerj@si.edu
Media website: http://newsdesk.si.edu

Happy Thanksgiving

I know I haven't been writing much, but I did want to take the time to put out to the universe that I wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving and I hope we all work towards peace and that we are kind to one another.

One swab from the surface of your smartphone can tell scientists all about your lifestyle

This article was first published in the Washington Post, but I read it in the Denver post several days later. Though the article I read did not mention how our finger prints might reveal our password, that's what I thought of immediately, not that we leave chemicals behind which can tell the story of our lifestyle.

I should imagine this is analysis way too expensive to use in every day crimes.

So why do I include this in my blog? Not sure really. Just I guess as another tool with DNA for crime and how we leave our mark on the world.

I found this article here.

Just how dirty is the typical smartphone? Dirty enough that a sample swab from the surface of a phone can accurately predict people’s lifestyle choices, all the way down to how much beer they drink, a new study suggests.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of California at San Diego School of Medicine and the Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, uses chemical analysis from molecules lingering on phones to determine basic lifestyle choices of the owner. Personal routine clues such as diet, cosmetic or makeup use, clothing, and medication could be gleaned from the wide-reaching analysis, as well as environmental clues such as ocean and sunscreen molecules that could point toward locations the owner recently visited.

The method draws on an understanding that the outermost layer of human skin carries chemical components drastically affected by the body’s inner chemistry and external, environmental factors. Researchers were able to capture the skin molecules present on these personal items and match them to a vast array of environmental and biological factors, quickly processing and crosschecking databases using a supercomputer.

Some of the molecules found on phone surfaces had lingered for some time. Researchers found traces of DEET on one participant’s phone even though that person had applied the mosquito repellent nearly five months before the study.

“We thought about what objects that we most frequently interact with that has the highest chance of demonstrating our proof of principle, that so much could be determined from a sample of these molecules,” Dorrestein said. “The phone is very obvious. Most of us spend so much time on our phones, so there are lots of molecules from your hands being transferred to the object itself at all times.”

Dorrestein and Bouslimani say the applications of this type of broad chemical analysis are vast. They cited possible medical applications that monitor the effect of medication on a patient. The effects of using cosmetics and skin-care products can also be monitored. They also mentioned potential law enforcement uses, where officials could analyze samples from phones, car keys, handbags or other personal items left at a crime scene to determine the profile of a suspect.

But just how different is this method from other means of collecting chemical data? For example, medication effectiveness can be measured through blood samples. On the law enforcement side, police officers already have access to forensic analysis tools that can determine the presence of illegal drugs or explosives on objects found at crime scenes, and the addition of lifestyle information might not be particularly useful to narrowing down a subject.

“The problem is [these lifestyle profiles] are not very discriminating things — if you were to find a particular brand of cosmetic it is not really going to narrow down for you who you would be looking for,” said John Bond, an associate professor in criminology at the University of Leicester in an interview with the Guardian.

But Dorrestein claims that the full profile of information gleaned from these samples, rather than targeted analysis of traces of illegal drugs, for example, makes the methodology useful to law enforcement. “The hardware that is used are not any different than what the FBI uses,” Dorrestein said. “It’s the thought process of the data that comes out. We can learn more from this swab than just an illicit molecule from this information. We can actually learn about the lifestyle of an individual.”

By Karen Turner, The Washington Post

Paleo People Downed Carbs

Ahhhh, carbs taste delicious... that's the problem... we eat too many of them. Our bodies didn't eat that much through time - it was easier to eat leaves and meat. See this earlier post. Or this one, too. Now I need to go downstairs and eat that salad waiting for me with steelhead so I can get my naturally occurring omega 3s.

The idea is that early humans weren’t as prone to weight gain, cancers, diabetes, heart disease, and other ills that plague the postagricultural world. But as it turns out, cavemen liked their carbohydrates, too. Long before farmers outnumbered foragers, Paleolithic hunter-gatherers painstakingly collected wild oats and used stone tools to make a type of flour, a new study reveals. Paleontologists unearthed an ancient stone from a cave in southeastern Italy that dates back 32,000 years to the Gravettian culture, and to their surprise found residue from wild oats, suggesting the artifact served as a pestle for grinding. The researchers say the flour produced by this process was probably mixed with water to make porridge or flatbread, which would be easier to transport and store during winter. The belief that prehistoric people didn’t eat grain “is just wrong,” the University of Leicester’s Huw Barton tells NationalGeographic.com. “People ate what they could get their hands on. Eating is surviving.”

Another oldie, but goodie. This one also from October of last year - October 9, 2015 edition of the Week Magazine. See what I do for my readers? I save magazine pages for over a year. I guess it also illustrates how I haven't been blogging regularly.

A Freakin' Coincidence

I was doing a search on the New York Times between the years 1908 and 1911 for a certain family name. I found what I was looking for - an obituary to confirm the death of a cousin/uncle. I turned away quickly, but in doing so, something caught my eye. The next obituary was written for a person with the last name Van Houten. It was a woman, and her maiden name and parents' names were given in the small blurb.

I have a brick wall with the Van Houten name so I thought to myself, let me take a few minutes and see if I can find her husband and his family. Maybe I can climb a few branches and find the name I am looking for. Maybe this will lead me to sources which I can explore more fully. This family seems to be involved with the Dutch Reformed Church and there is a very large family group in Passaic, New Jersey. I had been led to both places previously, but have not found what I was looking for.

Plenty of wiggling leaves enticed me on the newly created tree. I finally got to one hint which led me to Findagrave... (I love Findagrave; I love the quietness of walking in the cemeteries; I love the possibility of helping someone find their missing relative; I love seeing beautiful statuary... I just think it is all a great way to spend some time... kinda like golf, I imagine.... a beautiful day in the sunshine taking a slow, purposeful walk.)



When I clicked on her husband what did I find? I found that in 2013 I had created his memorial on the web site; that I had uploaded the photograph! Bi-Zarre. I don't remember that at all.

And, with that being said... I may have just realized a huge mistake on my part. This tombstone does not suggest he is dead, just that he was the husband of Anna Carter Laffey Van Houten who is buried here with her parents. She clearly died young. I can not find another Willard Van Houten on Findagrave which matches the Vital Statistics of this man. And, I gotta tell you, I don't recall wandering through this graveyard... so perhaps I am mistaken. Yikes. So, do I delete the memorial I just found? That's probably the safe thing to do. Let someone else find him again if he is there.

Orphaned Sisters Reunited

How fortunate they are to have found one another. What a wonderful, crazy story. (I wonder what their tree looks like...)

Two orphaned sisters who were separated in South Korea more than 40 years ago have been reunited after they coincidentally started working at the same hospital in Sarasota, Fla. Holly Hoyle O’Brien, 46, born Pok-nam Shin, and Meagan Hughes, 44, born Eun-sook, struck up an instant friendship while working as nurses on the same shift pattern, and began to suspect they might be related because of similarities in their stories. Both had “abandonment” listed on their orphanage papers, and both had been adopted by American families. The pair took DNA tests, which confirmed their kinship. “My first reaction was like, ‘Oh my God,’” said Hughes. “I have a sister.”

I have been carrying this story around with me for a while meaning to blog about it... Taken from the October 23, 2015 edition of the Week.

Cranfield Nano Membrane Toilet

I am fascinated by this stuff. I like that it can charge a mobile phone, so when I am living off the grid I can power my emergency phone with my own poop. Brilliant.



Around 2.3 billion people around the world are living without access to safe and sanitised toilet facilities, so scientists in the UK have designed a new cheap, waterless, and energy-producing toilet, and it's been scheduled for trials in Africa later this year.

The environmentally friendly and easy-to-maintain Nano Membrane Toilet has secured backing from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and has been three years in the making. If initial trials go well, the technology could be used everywhere from military vehicles to luxury yachts.

At the core of the toilet's operation is a nanotech membrane, which separates vapourised water from the rest of the waste after some initial sedimentation. This process cleans it up for household washing or field irrigation by removing pathogens while the liquid is in a vapourised state. Nano-coated beads lead to the formation of clean water droplets on the other side.

An Archimedean screw system then kicks into gear to send the leftovers into a second chamber where they can be incinerated and turned into ash and heat. While the details of this second part of the process are still being finalised, the designers say it should be able to produce enough energy to power the whole operation, with some leftover to charge small gadgets such as mobile phones.

The remaining ash can be used as a fertiliser, while the closed lid and a special rotating mechanism (which replaces the flush) will prevent any unwanted odours from escaping.

That last point is important - the squalid state of many toilets in developing nations can lead to people opting for the great outdoors, which brings its own set of hygiene and safety issues.

The makers of the toilets are planning to distribute them through a rental system, which would bring costs for users down even further. Ghana has been earmarked as a potential location for the first trial run.

The Nano Membrane Toilet is being developed by researchers at Cranfield University, and was recently announced as a finalist at the Cleantech Innovate showcase.

"We are delighted to see this innovative solution gaining national recognition through Cleantech Innovate," said one of the team, Elise Cartmell. "The Nano Membrane Toilet has the potential to change millions of lives by providing access to safe and affordable sanitation."

Though I first read about this in the UK Guardian newspaper, I actually copied this article from here.

And I think I am learning a little bit about including videos in my blog. Small victories.

Calcium pills linked to dementia

Crap, crap, crap. I know too many women who take calcium supplements not to be scared by this. Man, I just wish I could make good decisions in real time so that I don't need pharmaceuticals later in life! Dementia is so very scary!

Calcium supplements are widely used to ward off age-related bone loss, but a new study suggests that for some women they also bring a significantly higher risk for dementia. Researchers in Sweden tested the memory and thinking skills of 700 older women and tracked their use of calcium supplements. Women with a history of stroke who took calcium were seven times more likely to develop dementia within five years than were women who had suffered strokes but didn’t use the supplements. Among the women with signs of cerebrovascular disease, a disorder that affects blood flow to the brain, those who took calcium were twice as likely to develop dementia as the women who didn’t. These findings don’t prove that calcium supplements increase the risk for dementia, but researchers say they warrant further investigation. “People have a tendency to assume that dietary supplements are automatically innocuous,” neurologist Marc Gordon, who was not involved in the study, tells LiveScience.com. But “high levels of supplementation as opposed to just dietary intake [of calcium] could conceivably have some deleterious effects.”

Taken from the September 9th edition of The Week Magazine.

Happy wife, healthy life

Aaah, isn't this a no-brainer? I know I am more loving in general when I am happy. I have more energy to cook for my husband... and as any reader would know, I have a certain philosophy about food choices.

New research adds credibility to the old saying “Happy wife, happy life,” suggesting that men and women with happy spouses are not only happier but also healthier. For the study, researchers analyzed data compiled on nearly 2,000 middle-aged, heterosexual couples whose happiness and physical health were tracked for 6 years. They found that those whose spouses had a positive outlook were 34 percent more likely to be healthy, exercise regularly and eat healthfully, and have positive outlooks themselves. Those with a pessimistic partner, on the other hand, had more health issues and were less physically active. Why? The researchers speculate that when one member of a couple adopts good lifestyle habits, that person encourages his or her spouse to do the same. Spouses with a positive outlook also cause less stress in the relationship, the study’s lead author, William Chopik, tells Time.com. “Simply having a happy partner,” he said, “may enhance health as much as striving to be happy oneself.”

I found this in the same October 14th edition of the Week Magazine.

How to slow brain aging

Crap - I guess this means I need to do more exercise.... As it is now I meet with a trainer but I do my best to talk with him to distract him from having me do more exercise....

Rigorous exercise may do more than protect the heart, trim the waistline, and keep bones strong. New research suggests strenuous physical activity can slow brain aging by as much as 10 years, the Los Angeles Times reports. Scientists followed 876 older adults for five years, tracking their physical activity and testing their memory and thinking skills. MRI scans also enabled researchers to assess their brain health. Repeat tests conducted five years later revealed the participants’ brain function was closely tied to how physically active they were. Those who opted for moderate to strenuous exercise, such as running and aerobics, had the highest scores and lowest risk for memory loss and decline in executive function. Less intense activities, including walking and yoga, produced only modest benefits. The brains of those who were sedentary, on the other hand, looked a decade older than the brains of their very active peers. They also had higher blood pressure and signs of undetected ministrokes. Rigorous exercise, researchers say, improves vascular health and increases blood flow to the brain, keeping it healthier into old age.

Taken from the Week Magazine... can't remember which edition. Oops.

Family boosts longevity

Yikes. I thought it was friends. Our society is screwed, as we all move further and further away from our families. Dang, I need that tribe!

However, I have to say I have had fun connecting with far-flung relatives this four weeks. I have met probably a dozen or so second cousins on two different branches of my tree. Some people I knew their names, some I didn't know... and I found some aunts and uncles born in the middle of the 19th century, too... and they need a little exploration.

It’s become conventional wisdom that having lots of friends is essential to happiness and longevity. But a new study at the University of Toronto suggests that family bonds are far more important to adult well-being than friendships. Researchers surveyed some 3,000 people between 57 and 85, asking about their closest relationships, health, and well-being, and found that those who felt “extremely close” to several family members had a 6 percent risk of dying within five years. By contrast, people who lacked close family ties had a 14 percent mortality risk over the same period. Even those who weren’t close to their relatives had lower odds of death than people with little or no family. “Because you can choose your friends, you might expect that relationships with friends would be more important for mortality, since you might be better able to customize your friend network,” study author James Iveniuk tells WashingtonPost.com. “But it is the people who in some sense you cannot choose, and who also have little choice about choosing you, who seem to provide the greatest benefit to longevity.”

Taken from the September 9th edition of The Week Magazine.

The baby with three biological parents

I wonder how this might effect the DNA testing we are now doing to find family. And how would one express this in a family tree? Will cousins of the donor egg show up in the DNA testing?

A baby boy with genetic information from three parents has been born with the help of a controversial new in vitro fertilization technique. The procedure, called mitochondrial transfer, was created to prevent women with genetic mutations from passing along devastating diseases to their children. The first beneficiaries were a Jordanian couple who had lost two previous children and four pregnancies to Leigh syndrome, a fatal disorder that affects the developing nervous system. To enable them to have a healthy baby, New York–based fertility specialist Dr. John Zhang took the nucleus from one of the woman’s eggs and inserted it into a healthy donor’s egg that had had its own nucleus removed. The resulting egg contains the donor’s mitochondria but genetic information from the mother that will determine traits like eye and hair color; it was then fertilized with sperm from the father. About 99.9 percent of the embryo’s DNA came from his mother and father, with a tiny percentage from the donor mitochondria. The boy, now 6 months old, is healthy, but his birth has sparked criticism, since three-parent embryo techniques are banned in the U.S. because of fears they might lead to genetic abnormalities. Zhang performed the procedure in Mexico, and tells New Scientist he was justified in what he did. “To save lives is the ethical thing to do,” he said.

Taken from the October 14th edition to the Week Magazine.

The power of pomegranates

Everyone is getting pomegranate syrup for Christmas this year, this settles it. I guess I better find some recipes that use pomegranate syrup to wrap with it.

Pomegranates have been hailed as a “superfood” that could help protect against inflammation and cancer. New research shows this Middle Eastern fruit also contains powerful substances called ellagitannins that may slow the aging process, reports Science​Daily​.com. Throughout our lives, cells recycle worn-out mitochondria—the tiny powerhouses that provide them with energy. This process, known as mitophagy, slows down and malfunctions over time, resulting in weaker muscles and age-related frailty. In a study on worms and mice, scientists found that when consumed and broken down by gut bacteria, ellagitannins produce a compound called urolithin A that helps restore this mitochondrial clean-up process in cells where it has become inactive, significantly improving muscle strength and endurance. The worms’ life span also increased, by 45 percent. “It’s a completely natural substance, and its effect is powerful and measurable,” says the study’s co-author, Patrick Aebischer. Researchers caution that it’s not been determined that ellagitannins affect people in the same way. Human trials are currently underway.

Taken from the July 29th edition of the Week Magazine.

Healthy heart, sharp mind

Also taken from the April 8th Week Magazine.

We are toast...

Americans are constantly advised to lead “heart healthy” lives, and for good reason: Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S. But cardiovascular health is also a boon to the brain, new research reveals. The study examined the habits and lifestyles of more than 1,000 people who were an average age of 72. Specifically, they assessed how many of the American Heart Association’s goals the participants achieved—keeping physically active; maintaining a healthy weight and eating regimen; not smoking; and keeping blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels under control. The participants also completed cognitive tests when the study began and again six years later. As it turned out, people who more closely adhered to a heart-healthy lifestyle showed fewer signs of age-related mental decline, reports TechTimes.com. University of Miami neurologist Hannah Gardener, who led the study, suggests more research is needed to pinpoint the age ranges during which cardiovascular-friendly behaviors “may influence cognitive performance and mitigate decline.”

History Lessons - thoughts on the history of the Uighurs

I've been reading Peter Frankopan's new book entitled 'The Silk Roads: a new history of the world' and it had gotten me thinking a lot.  (I had written a previous post, but am still struggling with this Blogspot App, and I deleted it!)

Anyway, the current chapter is called 'The Road to Hell' and in it the reader is introduced to Genghis Khan. Mr. Frankopan's talks about the importance of the Uighurs. That their culture was so highly developed that Genghis Khan married one of his daughters to the Uighur ruler so that he might gain access to the Uighur scribes and bureaucrats. 

The only reason I bring this up is because the Uighurs have been in the news recently because they are being crushed by the Chinese. 

Do you think that the world would be a better place if we Americans (Westerners in general) understood the glorious history of other cultures? This 'tribe', or ethnic group, was highly organized and efficient, such that they were sought after, not crushed in the 12th century. Now we know nothing of them, other than being oppressed Muslims in China. (Wait, or is it just me who knows nothing about them?)

It's humbling to think about all the knowledge that is out there but is unavailable to me because I don't speak the language. Clearly our scholars are getting better at realizing and correcting for this deficiency...

I guess I am horribly naive. Glad somebody is doing the research and understanding the ebbs and flows of nations and empires. 

Americans’ unhealthy habits

Taken from the Week Magazine, April 8th edition.

Noce of these lifestyles take their toll until most people have had children, so all this does is make unhealthy babies... At least that is what is coming to mind for me. I wonder what this means for future generations and genealogy.

Pretty scary that we know what we should do, but so hard to do it.

To remain healthy, doctors say, you have to eat well, exercise regularly, avoid smoking, and keep body fat in check. But new research shows that only 2.7 percent of Americans are actually adhering to all four healthy habits. Researchers came to that surprisingly glum conclusion after examining national survey data on more than 5,000 people, compiled by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Only 47 percent got 150 minutes a week of moderate to vigorous exercise, only 38 percent had healthy diets, and only 10 percent had proper body-fat levels. Only 16 percent met three of the four criteria. “This is sort of mind boggling, to have so few people maintaining what we would consider a healthy lifestyle,” study author Ellen Smit of Oregon State University tells ScienceDaily.com. “There’s clearly a lot of room for improvement.”

The surprising benefits of thumb sucking

Just another example of what we have done to ourselves by being too clean. When I was a child, it was never a discussion about germs - it was a discussion about giving yourself buck teeth. Is that an old wives' tale?

Kids are often urged to stop biting their nails or sucking their thumbs because their fingers are teeming with germs. But new research suggests these “bad” habits could actually reduce children’s risk of developing allergies, reports The Washington Post. The findings support the “hygiene hypothesis” of allergies, which contends that exposure to microbes early in life educates and strengthens the immune system; when kids aren’t exposed to enough germs, that “priming” process doesn’t occur and their immune systems overreact to new substances. Researchers in New Zealand put this theory to the test by monitoring the oral habits of more than 1,000 ­children from birth to adulthood and conducting skin-prick tests to identify those who suffered from allergies. They found that 49 percent of those who weren’t thumb-suckers or nail-biters as kids eventually developed allergies to things like pets, grass, and dust mites. But allergies were found in only 31 percent of those who both bit their fingernails and sucked their thumbs when they were younger, and in 38 percent of those who did one or the other. The study’s author, Malcolm Sears, says that doesn’t mean parents should encourage kids to bite

Taken from the July 29th edition of the Week Magazine.

Averting a post-antibiotic apocalypse

An antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria

700,000 people a year! Shocking!

I wish we would stop using antibiotics in farm animals as a way to fatten the animals and as a prophylactic.

I also wish I could connect to the video put out by Harvard where you can see bacteria create a mutant that can overcome the antibiotics almost immediately. It's amazing to watch. You can see it here.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria could become a bigger killer than cancer by 2050, unless drastic action is taken to curb the excessive use of existing drugs and spur the development of new ones. That’s the stark conclusion of a major two-year review of antimicrobial resistance. The dwindling arsenal of effective antibiotics could make minor infections and routine surgeries like C-sections life-threatening. The report estimates that drug-resistant superbugs, which already kill 700,000 people a year, could claim as many as 10 million lives each year by the middle of the century. Just this week, researchers reported finding a “superbug” resistant to antibiotics of last resort in a Pennsylvania woman, suggesting that such untreatable bacteria may become prevalent in the U.S. The study’s authors, who were commissioned by the British government, make several proposals. They advise governments to set strict limits on the use of antibiotics in agriculture and to provide significant financial incentives for pharmaceutical companies to develop new antibiotics. They also recommend launching a global awareness campaign to increase understanding of antimicrobial resistance. “We need to inform in different ways, all over the world, why it’s crucial we stop treating our antibiotics like sweets,” study author Jim O’Neill tells BBC.com. “If we don’t solve the problem, we are heading to the dark ages, [and] we will have a lot of people dying.”

THE WEEK
June 10, 2016

Another book/story idea...

I started this post back in June while I was reading that book on Race and The Americanization of Louisiana. I was flabbergasted by the idea of kidnapping one's pesky, embarrassing relatives and shipping them off to The New World. One contributor - forgive my lack of reference - indicated that: "By 1719, deportation to Louisiana was considered a convenient way of getting rid of troublesome neighbors or family members " (p. 62)

I thought one might use that scenario as a basis for a pretty interesting story line.

Which of course makes me think about that recent article about there only being 6 different emotional arcs in story lines:

The six basic emotional arcs are these:

A steady, ongoing rise in emotional valence, as in a rags-to-riches story such as Alice’s Adventures Underground by Lewis Carroll. A steady ongoing fall in emotional valence, as in a tragedy such as Romeo and Juliet. A fall then a rise, such as the man-in-a-hole story, discussed by Vonnegut. A rise then a fall, such as the Greek myth of Icarus. Rise-fall-rise, such as Cinderella. Fall-rise-fall, such as Oedipus.

So, what story would we create? I imagine Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire... Brad Pitt was pesky... and then I imagine a prostitute made good... I imagine these people being second sons of landed gentry... I imagine emptied prisons.... shall we pick a Jean Valjean character and a new story-line? Set with Jazz and oysters? I don't know... a creative individual could come up with something.

Recent Irish Immigrant buys real estate - Thomas L. Wright

Gosh, so pathetic.... I did this research a while ago, but never put anything into context. I remember being delighted while searching through the dusty tomes in the Troy City Hall or Recorder of Deeds or some such place - see, sad, I don't even know where I was. What a terrible researcher I am.

I know from directories of the time that he lived at 301 4th Street. Here is an image from Google maps of the house as it appeared when the Google car went through the neighborhood.



In book 139, page 497 I took the following notes:

Thomas and Jane Wright
sold for $1,700
West side of 4th Street between Adams and Jefferson
certain map of the south part of the city of Troy made by Jared S. Weed for the Warren Farm Company - 11.17.1847
as lot 67
25' wide
120' long



I see that Prospect Park was not given to the city of Troy until 1902, so should we assume that the Warren Farm Company owned that land where the Park currently exists? Was the Warren Farm Company also the Warren Family, as mentioned at the Prospect Park website?

Prospect Park is a city owned park centrally located within the City of Troy. One of three major parks in the City. The park consists of approximately 80 acres of land conveyed by the Warren Family to the City of Troy by deed dated December 23, 1902. Prospect Park opens each season in early April and remains open through early November.

I found an extensive biography of the Warren Family of Troy here. Obviously very well-to-do. They sound a bit like that other Oliver Lee mentioned in a previous post here.

What a time to live, eh? Obviously it was not easy, but don't these stories make it sound like it *was* easy to make a fortune?

More notes, though with less information...

Book 60, Page 129 (so isn't this an earlier purchase of property?)
Thomas Wright with
Francis M. Mann, John P. Cushman Jacob

(What could that mean? I think I may have looked those people up in the Troy directory and I *think* they were lawyers or some such, so maybe Thomas *did* hitch his wagon to other up and coming people in town.)

Book 111, page 165
Thomas L. Wright
West side of 4th street between Adams and Jefferson
Lot 67
boarded by an alley

What was I telling myself? My notes don't seem helpful, do they? Argh!

La Crepe Nanou - A little promotion of an adorable restaurant outside of the Quarter

I started this post ages ago, too. Like after dining there... So much for being on the ball. I bring it to you now.

We were delightfully surprised with the find at 1410 Robert Street in New Orleans. We will go back in a New York minute. I have absolutely no recollection of what I ate, but I was delighted. The atmosphere was charming and the service attentive.

La Crêpe Nanou is a romantic neighborhood
French Bistro and Crêperie established in 1983 and voted best French Bistro by New Orleans Magazine.
Our notable menu items include:
Crêpes (savory and sweet!), PEI Moules Frites,
Escargot and Local Whole Grilled Fish, Grilled Lamb Chops
Brunch Highlights: Crêpe Lorraine,
Omelette au Crabe, Croque Monsieur and Madame.
Additionally, we offer vegetarian, dairy-free and
gluten-free choices; as well as numerous Specials du Jour.

Just putting it out in the Universe about this bistro.

A Little Exploration in to Thomas L. Wright

My knowledge of the Civil War is significantly limited. Only as I research family does small snippets come into focus. I am Googling places and battles and maps as I am reading the discombobulated memoirs of Thomas L. Wright. I hadn't realized, for example, that he signed up almost immediately after the shelling of Fort Sumter. Thomas must have felt very strongly about it. The man was a recent immigrant from Northern Ireland. The man was middle aged! (No disrespect intended.) So what was it that he felt strongly about? Keeping the nation together? Or was he more about Civil Rights and the abolition of slavery? What motivated the man?

His memoirs are very discombobulated, but he writes:

From Washington we march on Monday to Brightwood in Md. There we encamped for three weeks. We received orders about 2 o’clock P.M. to march for Bulls run, when within a short distance of that place we met the retreating forces from that disastrous battle. They informed us that the Union forces had met with a serious defeat.  

I know that Thomas registered (is that the right word?) in April 1861. He was mustered in in June 1, 1861, in Troy, NY. Obviously, he made his way with the 30th NY Infantry to Washington, DC. How long did that take? I don't know where Brightwood, Maryland is... but there is a Brightwood neighborhood in DC. And then it seems to be about 13 hours of continuous marching to get to Bull Run, VA.

So, time in upstate NY with his new regiment. A week? That brings us to June 8th or something. Marching to Washington? Wagons? Trains? Trains, probably. (Maybe there will be a clue if I just keep reading.) So, in Washington by the 15th of June? At which point he marches to Brightwood and trains for 3 weeks... That chronology brings us to the first week in July, which makes sense. I wonder why it was important enough to him to mention that orders came at 2 pm? Does that mean they marched through the night?

I took this blurb from here, the website for the Civil War Trust.

Though the Civil War began when Confederate troops shelled Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, the war didn’t begin in earnest until the Battle of Bull Run, fought in Virginia just miles from Washington DC, on July 21, 1861. Popular fervor led President Lincoln to push a cautious Brigadier General Irvin McDowell, commander of the Union army in Northern Virginia, to attack the Confederate forces commanded by Brigadier General P.G.T. Beauregard, which held a relatively strong position along Bull Run, just northeast of Manassas Junction. The goal was to make quick work of the bulk of the Confederate army, open the way to Richmond, the Confederate capital, and end the war.

The morning of July 21st dawned on two generals planning to outflank their opponent’s left. Hindering the success of the Confederate plan were several communication failures and general lack of coordination between units. McDowell’s forces, on the other had, were hampered by an overly complicated plan that required complex synchronization. Constant and repeated delays on the march and effective scouting by the Confederates gave his movements away, and, worst of all Patterson failed to occupy Johnston’s Confederate forces attention in the west. McDowell’s forces began by shelling the Confederates across Bull Run. Others crossed at Sudley Ford and slowly made their way to attack the Confederate left flank. At the same time as Beauregard sent small detachments to handle what he thought was only a distraction, he also sent a larger contingent to execute flanking a flanking movement of his own on the Union left.

Spectators at Bull RunFighting raged throughout the day as Confederate forces were driven back, despite impressive efforts by Colonel Thomas Jackson to hold important high ground at Henry House Hill, earning him the nom de guerre “Stonewall.” Late in the afternoon, Confederate reinforcements including those arriving by rail from the Shenandoah Valley extended the Confederate line and succeeded in breaking the Union right flank. At the battle’s climax Virginia cavalry under Colonel James Ewell Brown “Jeb” Stuart arrived on the field and charged into a confused mass of New Yorkers, sending them fleetly to the rear. The Federal retreat rapidly deteriorated as narrow bridges, overturned wagons, and heavy artillery fire added to the confusion. The calamitous retreat was further impeded by the hordes of fleeing onlookers who had come down from Washington to enjoy the spectacle. Although victorious, Confederate forces were too disorganized to pursue. By July 22, the shattered Union army reached the safety of Washington. The Battle of Bull Run convinced the Lincoln administration and the North that the Civil War would be a long and costly affair. McDowell was relieved of command of the Union army and replaced by Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan, who set about reorganizing and training the troops.

I guess we know that the 30th NY Regiment was not the New Yorkers mentioned above.... And the safety of Washington, is that Arlington Heghts, mentioned by Thomas?

President Wilson appears before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

I took this summary of a bit of history from the History Channel.

On August 19, 1919, in a break with conventional practice, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson appears personally before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to argue in favor of its ratification of the Versailles Treaty, the peace settlement that ended the First World War.

The previous July 8, Wilson had returned from Paris, France, where the treaty’s terms had been worked out over a contentious six months. Two days later, he went before the U.S. Senate to present the Treaty of Versailles, including the covenant of the League of Nations, the international peace-keeping organization that Wilson had envisioned in his famous “Fourteen Points” speech of 1917 and had worked for so adamantly in Paris. “Dare we reject it?” he asked the senators, “and break the heart of the world?”

The 96 members of the Senate, for their part, were divided. The central concern with the treaty involved the League of Nations. A crucial article of the league covenant, around which much debate would center in the weeks to come, required all member states “to respect and preserve as against external aggression the territorial integrity and existing political independence of all Members of the League.” This principle of collective security was thought by many to be an obstruction to America’s much vaunted independence. At least six Republican senators, dubbed the “Irreconcilables,” were irrevocably opposed to the treaty, while nine more were “Mild Reservationists” whose most important concern about the treaty, and specifically the League of Nations, was that American sovereignty be protected. Some three dozen Republicans were uncommitted as of yet. While most Democrats publicly went along with Wilson, many privately thought more along the lines of the Mild Reservationists.

So things stood on July 31, when the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, headed by the Republican Senator (and Wilson’s nemesis) Henry Cabot Lodge, began six weeks of hearings on the Versailles Treaty. Lodge’s Republicans had a majority of only two in the Senate, and Wilson could conceivably have won over the moderates among them—the Mild Reservationists and those undecided—to his side, thus building a coalition in favor of ratification, by accepting some reservations. Wilson was absolutely unwilling, however, to accept any degree of change or compromise to the treaty or to his precious League of Nations. His mental and physical health already deteriorating over that summer, Wilson broke tradition to make a personal appearance before the committee on August 19, making it clear that he continued to stand firm on all points.

Four days later, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted on the first of many amendments to the treaty—the reversal of the award to Japan of the Shantung Peninsula, and its return to Chinese control. Furious, Wilson decided to take his case directly to the American people. On September 2, 1919, he began a whistle-stop tour across the country, sometimes making as many as three speeches in one day. The strain of the trip destroyed his health; suffering from exhaustion, he returned to Washington in late September, and the rest of the tour was canceled. On October 2, back at the White House, Wilson suffered a massive stroke that left him partially paralyzed; he would never effectively function as president again.

He continued to influence the proceedings on the treaty, however, all the way from his sickbed. The treaty made its way through the Senate all through October and part of November, as a total of 12 amendments were defeated by Democrats and moderate Republicans. Lodge marshaled most of the Republicans together, and their votes were enough to attach a number of reservations before assembling a vote on ratification—the most crucial was attached to Article X, saying the U.S. would not act to protect the territorial integrity of any League member unless Congress gave its approval. Wilson, on his sickbed, remained determined; when told of the reservation, he said “That cuts the very heart out of the treaty.” After Wilson expressed his vehement opposition to ratification on these terms, the Senate took a vote on Lodge’s motion. It was defeated by a combination of the majority of the Democrats, loyal to Wilson, and the Republican Irreconcilables, who opposed ratification in any form. A last-ditch effort by moderates to find a compromise came close to succeeding—against Wilson’s best efforts to block it—and when the Senate voted on March 19, 1920, on a new ratification resolution, 23 Democrats voted in favor, and the resolution passed. It failed to win the necessary two-thirds majority, however, and the Senate consequently refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles.

Though Wilson, the newly anointed winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, bemoaned the rejection of the treaty, he never admitted any doubts about his resolute unwillingness to compromise. Though the United States later signed separate treaties with Germany, Austria and Hungary, it never joined the League of Nations, a circumstance that almost certainly contributed to that organization’s inefficacy in the decades to follow, up until the outbreak of the Second World War.

Credit Cards and Oliver Lee

I wanted to pull out another section of the previous blog post - another same shit, different day issue... This article was written in 1884. The author is talking about buying things on credit. Our modern day credit cards which allow a consumer to spread their liability around, rather than in this circumstance when one knew the proprietor of the general store.

About that time there was a large amount of lumber from the south east towns of this county and from portions of Cattaraugus County being hauled here for a market. There were several parties here paying cash for lumber most of which went to New England. Many of the parties who came here with lumber left half or three-forths [sic] of their receipts for it with the merchants for goods. At that time we had no rail road connection with Buffalo so that every woman that was in need of a calico dress or two or three spools of thread and a paper of pins could not very conveniently go to Buffalo to shop. Then four or five general stores were better supported and had a larger trade than one or two now have. Hence the system of doing business at that period was quite different from the present. Then every farmer and every man of any business who was regarded as any responsible was allowed to run a bill at the stores. It is a well known fact that many people are prone to purchase articles they do not require or could get along without when they can be bought on time. They do not appear to appreciate that a pay day is coming at some future period and may come when they are least prepared for it.

[Emphasis mine.]

This Oliver Lee was a shrewd businessman, wasn't he? As I was reading this account all I cold think of was the HBO show "Deadwood" and the guy who owns the tavern/bordello, Al Swearengen. From the television show's website, they describe him thusly:

The proprietor of The Gem Saloon was six months ahead of everyone else in Deadwood, and he runs the town like a corrupt riverboat captain. He knows every move that every person in town makes, anticipates problems and eliminates them. His girls aren't exactly the class of the town, but he controls the most successful bar and whorehouse in all of Deadwood—bringing in $5,000 a day in 1876—and anybody that threatens his sources of income may well end up fed to Mr. Wu's pigs.

How would we view Oliver Lee? I mean one hopes he was a kind and generous man who helped everyone, but what if he were more like Al Swearengen? History is written by the victors... could this article, being written 50 years after the circumstances, be written by a beneficiary of Oliver Lee's legacy? Man, do I have a pernicious mind? To think ill of people... maybe I should imagine that everyone is sweetness and light... A cheery attitude makes for a much rosier picture.

I mean, at what interest rate? Did Mr. Lee have thugs to break the legs of those people who couldn't pay when the bill came due? (Ok, I have to confess, I am writing this blog as I read the article. I see that perhaps I hit the nail on the head... wouldn't you say that there is a bit of a defense going on in this next paragraph? This just makes me laugh out loud!)

Mr. Lee was always liberal in giving credit to his customers. He generally gave them to understand that at the end of six months or at least once a year that their account must be settled up, and then if they were unable to pay and the party was responsible, a note on interest was taken. When customers paid no attention to the notice that their accounts must be settled, the accounts were generally placed in the hands of a collector. From this fact some of this class endeavored to create the impression that Mr. Lee was severe on those who were not in condition to pay, when in fact all he required was for them to live up to their agreement or the conditions under which they obtained credit. It is a fact that cannot be denied that it would be far better for all parties if the system of credit was entirely wiped out and all parties were compelled to pay for what they purchase on the receipt of the goods.

Hahahaha! Collector - that's a polite term, right? Severe? Hahahaha, he was probably a cruel brute! Live up to their agreement! Yes, the law is on his side. I reemphasize: Same shit, different day!

Follow Up to Mr Lee's story

I pulled these paragraphs from the article from August 15th. Man, same shit, different day... They were not Syrian or Iraqi in 1835, but groups of migrants moving from one location/country to another for a better life... getting charged all sorts of fees so they can get on transport.

There are but a few people of today who realize [sic] the great revolution railroads have created in travel and traffic, but even fifty years ago travel by lake steamers, especially in the spring, was immense. At that period there was no railroad running west of Utica in this state. The canal was the great artery through which the travel passed up through the state to Buffalo. There it was changed to lake steamers. Whenever steamers were prevented by ice from leaving Buffalo until after the opening of the canal, that city soon became full to overflowing with strangers, all anxiously waiting to proceed on their journey westward.

There were three or four spring seasons between 1835 and 1840 when Buffalo bay became packed with ice so that it completely blockaded that harbor until long after the opening of the canal. At each of these periods boats from western ports came as far as this place where they remained, two or three days or long enough to pick up a number of passengers for their trip west. As soon as it was known in Buffalo that there were boats here waiting for passengers the crowd would start. Animals that could hardly travel and vehicles of every description were brought into requisition for the purpose of conveying passengers and baggage from Buffalo here.

All prices were charged, from three dollars to ten dollars a person, in accordance with style of conveyance and the person’s amount of ready cash. Some individuals who had remained in Buffalo until their funds were nearly exhausted were compelled to make the distance on foot and often those who had paid a high price for conveyance were compelled to walk a large portion of the way or be left alongside the road. They were compelled to be content with having their baggage brought through safely. As soon as one crowd got away from Buffalo their places were usually taken by newcomers. This tide of excitement and travel was kept up for two or three weeks. During the time it made business lively here at this end of the route.

All italics and bold lettering are mine. It just seems to parallel some experiences going on in the world today - though on a much smaller scale. I should imagine the anxiety and frustration and fear are all the same.

Oliver Lee - but not our Oliver Lee

There is no reason to believe this Oliver is my Oliver or even an ancestor of my Oliver, but what a wonderful story about another man with the same name. I was searching the Albany Evening Journal when I came across information about an Oliver Lee & Co. in 1852. Well, that piqued my interest... another Oliver Lee? 1852 is waaaay too early for my branch of the Lee family in Upstate New York. Though I have spent a fair amount of time researching another Lee family in the Penn Yan area of Upstate, NY, because Oliver and his father James were in Upstate New York for a while working as laborers and there was another Lee family there and I wondered if they were cousins of some nature. I mean, why would they have gone to that area? I don't believe there is any connection, but again, I have no idea why James and Oliver went to take area to work in the 1880s.



Note Lee Place by the outcropping....



I copied this story from The Chautauqua County, NY web site.

Oliver Lee in Silver Creek
By Grove L. Heaton, 1884
Transcribed by Douglas H. Shepard, 2014

The Fredonia Censor 30 July 1884, Early History of Hanover, And Biographical Sketches Of Early Settlers -- Resumed.

Oliver Lee was born in or near the city of New London, Conn., in 1792. When not over 19 or 20 years of age he became impressed with the idea of obtaining a home where land was less expensive than about his native town. At that period the mail stage was the only mode of public conveyance and for those who were on long journeys was quite expensive. Young Mr. Lee had decided on having a look at the western part of this state, also of the country through which he passed. With this in view and his wearing apparel in a pack upon his back, he started on foot and walked the entire distance from his native place up through the state of Connecticut. Crossing the Hudson river at Albany, he then walked through this state to the town of Orange, Genesee Co., where he purchased a farm or tract of wild land and at once set out with energy and determination to clear himself a homestead and build a comfortable habitation.

While engaged at this the order came for all able bodied men of specified ages to immediately report in person to the General commanding the United States forces at Black Rock for the defense of the frontier. Oliver Lee was one of the first in the vicinity where he resided to respond to this call. He with three or four others started the same evening after receiving the notice and at the close of the second day reported at headquarters at Black Rock. He was at once placed on guard duty, in which service he continued for some weeks. About this time the expedition against Fort Erie, across Niagara river, was being planned, but it was well known to all the officers of the army that they could not compel the militia which had been called out to the defense of the frontier to go into the enemy’s country, but they thought the men had sufficient pride and patriotism so that when called upon they would not hesitate.

When the night came for this expedition to the move the militia were formed in line and told what was expected of them and from their patriotism it was hoped they would all volunteer to join the expedition. When the order was given for volunteers to step two paces to the front Oliver Lee was one of the first and most prompt to move. The way this heroic band crossed the Niagara river and assaulted the stronghold of the British in Fort Erie has many years since passed into history and is well known to every schoolboy. Oliver Lee went with them and was in the midst of the hottest part of the contest but was fortunate in not receiving any serious injury and in returning to this side of the lines.

After this he remained at Black Rock on duty for some time until the militia were discharged, when he returned to his home in Genesee county; where he resumed the clearing of his land. As soon as he had fifteen or twenty acres cleared suitable for raising grain he gave his attention to building a small, comfortable house. When this was completed he returned to New London and shortly afterward was married to Miss Eliza Downer, a native of the same county. Not long after their marriage this young couple started with all their worldly effects in an ordinary farm wagon, hauled by an ox team, for their new home in the far off western part of the state of New York.

Very soon after settling on his farm Mr. Lee commenced to take rank with the first men in the county. By hard work, industry and economy, he commenced to accumulate property. He was soon appointed deputy sheriff, which position he filled with honor and credit. He was also a hotel keeper in Warsaw, Wyoming county, for a short time. About 1822 he commenced the mercantile business in the town of Sheldon in the same county. Two years after he moved his family and stock of goods to Westfield, this county, where he continued the business.

In the fall of 1827 he sent a stock of goods to Silver Creek. At that time there was no regular store here, it being very soon after the failure of Ezra Convis’ Farmer’s Store. He employed John M. Cummings to take charge and occupied the same building that had a short time previous been occupied by Rogers & Cummings. Early in the spring of 1828 Mr. Lee had purchased the property of John E. Howard, which consisted of over 350 acres. In June of the same year he moved his family here, occupying the house which Howard had kept as a tavern so long.

Mr. Lee had not been here over a week before he commenced arrangements for putting up a brick building for a store. A place was selected for making the brick, and work commenced at once. Everything progressed as rapidly as could be expected, so that in less than three months from the time the first brick was moulded [sic] the walls for a building large enough for two stores were up nearly ready for the roof, when a heavy wind storm from the west came up during the night time and laid the front wall level with the ground. Mr. Lee was in New York at the time for goods to replenish his stock and fill up his new building. He had employed Mr. Jacob Burns of Westfield to take charge and superintend the construction of this new building. With his energy and perseverance it was not long before Mr. B. had the walls up again and roof on so that before cold weather set in they had the store fully completed and stocked with the largest and best assortment of goods that up to that time had ever been brought to the town of Hanover.

The same fall Mr. Lee arranged with Maj. C. C. Swift of Batavia to come here and take an equal interest in the mercantile business with him. The arrangement was for Maj. Swift to have a general supervision of the store while Mr. Lee devoted his attention to outside interests. Major Swift was a young man in the prime of early manhood. He had been fully educated to the mercantile business and understood it in all its various branches, so that the senior member of the firm had full confidence in entrusting that portion of his interest to him.

Although the name of the post-office here had been changed to Silver Creek in 1825, the village had continued to go by the name of Fayette; but soon after Mr. Lee settled here he consulted with some of the leading citizens and it was decided that the village should be called Silver Creek as well as the postoffice. Also the present Main street as it now runs had not been opened. At the point where Mr. Augustus Day now resides the street turned towards the lake and ran through where Mrs. Young now resides, thence through the present park into what is now Howard street. Mr. Lee had been here but a few weeks before he arranged to have Main street opened from the point where it diverged down past where the Silver Creek House is now located and past the works lately erected by McNeil & Spaulding.

He also arranged with the town authorities for building a bridge across Silver creek at the east end of Main street and a road was cut through the steep bank of the east side of the creek. This bridge was kept up by the town for many years and all travel crossed the creek there. At that time there was not a single building with the exception of the John E. Howard house standing east of the Day property. As we have stated in a previous article, what little business there was transacted here was done in the vicinity of the crossing of Walnut creek. The locality each side of the creek was regarded as the business center but after Oliver Lee commenced in the summer and autumn of 1828 it became evident that he was about to make an effort to bring the business to his locality.

He had Dunkirk street surveyed out and opened to the west line of his property, which was some distance beyond the crossing of the Lake Shore railroad. He also had Jackson street opened to the lake. The flats through which both these streets pass were covered with immense large black walnut and oak trees, and to show how little value was placed upon black walnut lumber at that time we have only to state that these trees were cut down and burned up to get them out of the way.

Mr. Lee was a sagacious and far-seeing person as regarding business operations. He at once saw the great advantage a harbor or pier where boats could stop, discharge and take on freight and passengers, would be to the village that was just then starting. Nature had done considerable to assist in this project by forming quite a bay with a high bluff extending some distance into the lake on the west side. An examination was made but it was ascertained that piles could not be driven on account of the smooth rock bottom of the lake. It was determined to build a pier by forming cribs of timber and filling them with stone and sinking them. Contracts were immediately let for the delivery of a large amount of square hewn timber and for quarrying an almost unlimited amount of stone from the high bank or bluff on the west side of the bay. Men were also set at work preparing the timber and getting the cribs ready to put together. Nearly everything seemed to favor the project.

Soon after the 1st of December there came good sleighing, which was of great advantage in hauling the timber. Also ice formed in the lake quite early, and long before Christmas it had become of sufficient strength so that men and teams could work upon it with perfect safety. A point was selected, about 350 feet from the shore, where the water was of sufficient depth to float the largest sail vessels or steamboats of the day. Some twelve or fifteen teams were employed in hauling stone on the ice and fifty or more men were kept constantly employed in framing and putting the cribs into position and sinking them. This work was continued until after the middle of March next spring, before the workmen were compelled to stop by the breaking up of the ice in the lake. They succeeded in sinking cribs for about 150 feet of pier running toward the shore, with an L portion of about 75 feet on the outer end running down the lake. This was all planked over and notwithstanding communication with the shore had to be made with a small boat, business very soon commenced.

The steamboat Pioneer, which was then running regularly between Barcelona and Buffalo, commenced to stop here for freight and passengers. The next winter work on the pier was resumed and continued until communication was made with the land so that teams loaded with wood, lumber and farm products, could be driven to the outer end. Also at the land end a large building was put up for storing goods and products received or for shipment. The locality fast assumed a business appearance. Several buildings were erected for family uses and th[r]ee or four years after the pier was started, a hotel was erected for the accommodation of those coming here or going from here by boat.

The village also became quite a point for the purchase of lumber brought from the south-east towns of this county and from portions of Cattaraugus county. This lumber was nearly all bought for an eastern market and most of it went to New England states, consequently was shipped from here by water. It was no unusual affair for two or three of the largest size of sailing vessels to be lying at our pier at the same time, taking in cargoes of lumber or discharging cargoes of grain, which at that time frequently came here by the vessel load.

The business increased so rapidly and became so great that Mr. Lee was compelled to put an addition to the pier. This was done by extending the principal part 75 or 100 feet farther into the lake, then adding on another L portion, which formed a slip where vessels could lie and discharge or receive freight in all weather. Through the influence of Mr. Lee about the year 1833 or 1834 government made an appropriation for the erection of a building for a beacon light at the outer end of the pier, and the year following an appropriation was made for the erection of a lighthouse on the outer end of the point. Both these lights were sustained by the government for quite a number of years, and we believe the one on the point was not abandoned until after the Lake Shore railroad commenced running through to Erie.

There are but a few people of today who realize [sic] the great revolution railroads have created in travel and traffic, but even fifty years ago travel by lake steamers, especially in the spring, was immense. At that period there was no railroad running west of Utica in this state. The canal was the great artery through which the travel passed up through the state to Buffalo. There it was changed to lake steamers. Whenever steamers were prevented by ice from leaving Buffalo until after the opening of the canal, that city soon became full to overflowing with strangers, all anxiously waiting to proceed on their journey westward.

There were three or four spring seasons between 1835 and 1840 when Buffalo bay became packed with ice so that it completely blockaded that harbor until long after the opening of the canal. At each of these periods boats from western ports came as far as this place where they remained, two or three days or long enough to pick up a number of passengers for their trip west. As soon as it was known in Buffalo that there were boats here waiting for passengers the crowd would start. Animals that could hardly travel and vehicles of every description were brought into requisition for the purpose of conveying passengers and baggage from Buffalo here.

All prices were charged, from three dollars to ten dollars a person, in accordance with style of conveyance and the person’s amount of ready cash. Some individuals who had remained in Buffalo until their funds were nearly exhausted were compelled to make the distance on foot and often those who had paid a high price for conveyance were compelled to walk a large portion of the way or be left alongside the road. They were compelled to be content with having their baggage brought through safely. As soon as one crowd got away from Buffalo their places were usually taken by newcomers. This tide of excitement and travel was kept up for two or three weeks. During the time it made business lively here at this end of the route.

Since the completion of the railroad through to the west there has been no such delay to travel. Now it does not require many more hours than it did at that time days to go from Albany to Chicago. Mr. Lee engaged in several enterprises outside of the mercantile line, all of which were an advantage to the village as well as to the surrounding farmers. One business which has now become entirely obsolete in this section of the country was the purchase of the wood ashes coming from the clearing up of the land and made by families, and converting them into pot or pearl ashes, which were shipped to New York and were regarded as near a cash article as any product of the country. At this age it might appear that the ashes resulting from burning the timber from 15 or 20 acres of land would be a small matter but half a century ago it was quite an item to the young farmer who had just commenced to clear up a new farm. They often made their ashes pay for the sugar, tea and many other necessaries their families required during during [sic] the year.

To show that there were frauds and deceits practiced at that time as well as now, though perhaps on a much smaller scale, we must relate a trifling fraud perpetrated upon Mr. Lee’s ashery. At that time there was an old log house in quite a dilapidated condition standing some distance back from the road a short distance below where Mrs. Dr. Ward now resides. This house was occupied by an elderly widow woman and her son, a lad of 14 or 15 years of age. This house had what was known to the early settlers as a Dutch chimney or fire-place, which was nothing more than a hole in the roof for the smoke to pass out and some stone piled up at one end where a fire could be built of logs and wood from ten to twelve feet long. A short distance from this building there had been an ashery some ten or twelve years previous and near by there lay large piles of ashes that were leached and thrown out years before and were perfectly worthless for using again.

Not long after Mr. Lee had his ashery going, this old woman’s son appeared at the store with a ticket from the superintendent for a couple of bushels of ashes he had delivered at the ashery. This ticket was good for 38 cents in goods at the store. This was taken in snuff and tea. In a day or two the young man appeared at the ashery again with two or three bushels more of ashes. This was also traded out at the store and before the end of the week he came again with a still larger amount. It soon became evident that there was something wrong. The young man had already delivered more ashes than twenty cords of wood would make and it was a pretty sure thing that they had not burned one-tenth part of that amount.

The man who had charge of Mr. Lee’s ashery set to work to investigate and found the lad was digging down into the piles of old ashes and getting those that showed least the effects of the winds and storms and placing them in their old Dutch fire-place with a large fire burning over them for ten or twelve hours and during the time stirring them thoroughly, they had all the appearance of fresh burned ashes. As soon as this discovery was made, the goose that laid the golden egg for this old woman and her son was strangled. This was a small fraud but was a complete one.

Mr. Lee also established a distillery, which business was carried on at that period in all sections of our country. The product of this institution was what was known as high wines and was shipped to New York for a market, where it stood next to pot or pearl ashes as a cash product. This distillery made a market for all the surplus product of grain grown by the farmers of this section. In fact, this section did not furnish one-half the grain consumed by the distillery, when it was running at its full capacity, and Mr. Lee had several cargoes brought here from the west by sail vessel during a season of navigation. The distillery also made a market for a large number of hogs and cattle. These were bought of the farmers and fed upon the slops from the distillery until suitable for pork or beef, when they were driven east to market. Mr. Lee also engaged quite extensively in the commerce of the lakes and in vessel building, some account of which we will give in our next article.

The Fredonia Censor 13 August 1884, Early History of Hanover, And Biographical Sketches Of Early Settlers -- Resumed.

As stated in our preceding chapter Oliver Lee was engaged quite extensively in the commerce of the Lakes and in ship building, which industry was carried on quite largely for several years. Between the years of 1828 and 1844, there were some fourteen or fifteen different sail and steam craft built and put afloat at this [p]ort]. As stated in a previous chapter Holom and John Vail were the pioneers in vessel building here and the schooner Victory was the first sail craft that floated from our Creek. From the best information we are able to obtain, we are quite sure that Mr. Lee was a part owner of the schooner Liberty as early as 1826 or 1827 which was previous to his coming to Silver Creek. The Liberty was a schooner of about 125 tons burden and was at the time mentioned commanded by Captain Jack Spears a sharp, enterprising social, wholesouled, first-class seaman. The Liberty was engaged in the coasting trade between Buffalo and Ashtabula, Ohio.

At that time these coasting schooners were the principal medium by which all merchants near the lake shore obtained their goods from the canal which ended at Buffalo. Captain Spears being well known to all the principal merchants along the lakes and being very popular with them, his vessel was very successful in getting both up and down freights where other equally as good vessels had to remain for days and weeks waiting for a cargo. For this reason the Liberty was making money for her owners while other vessels were running their [sic] in debt. Mr. Lee was a stock holder or part owner of several different vessels that was [sic] built here, he furnishing a large amount of the capital to build them.

Within a short time after Mr. Lee erected his store building the principal business centered in that locality. Dwelling houses and buildings for business purposes were erected and all things indicated that that point was to be the leading part of the town. A hotel was very much needed to accommodate not only the traveling public but all who came here to transact business with the Lee interest. In the summer of 1830 Mr. Lee arranged for building the Silver Creek House which was very soon afterwards commenced and was completed and occupied by Mr. Yale in the spring of 1832, who kept the house two or three years when it was purchased by Jonathan Keith who was its proprietor for many years and during a large part of the time it was what was known in those days as a Stage House and was one of the leading hotels between Buffalo and Erie.

In October 1832 Mr. Lee disposed of his interest in the mercantile business of Lee & Swift to Col. John Barbour and the business was continued under the firm name of Swift & Barbour. Mr. Lee was then enabled to devote his entire attention to his other interests which had become quite large and extensive. In the Autumn of 1833 he decided to engage in trade again. He was owner of an unoccupied store building adjoining the one occupied by Swift and Barbour. He also arranged with Mr. William Van Duzer who had been doing business at what was known at that time as Dibble’s Bay, some ten or twelve miles east on the Lake Shore; to come here and take charge of his new enterprise. Mr. Van Duzer had formerly been a merchant and was a person of considerable business experience and regarded by all who knew him as being a very upright and reliable business man. About the first of November 1833 the new store was opened and ready for business. It became evident in the start that this venture would prove a success.

About that time there was a large amount of lumber from the south east towns of this county and from portions of Cattaraugus County being hauled here for a market. There were several parties here paying cash for lumber most of which went to New England. Many of the parties who came here with lumber left half or three-forths [sic] of their receipts for it with the merchants for goods. At that time we had no rail road connection with Buffalo so that every woman that was in need of a calico dress or two or three spools of thread and a paper of pins could not very conveniently go to Buffalo to shop. Then four or five general stores were better supported and had a larger trade than one or two now have. Hence the system of doing business at that period was quite different from the present. Then every farmer and every man of any business who was regarded as any responsible was allowed to run a bill at the stores. It is a well known fact that many people are prone to purchase articles they do not require or could get along without when they can be bought on time. They do not appear to appreciate that a pay day is coming at some future period and may come when they are least prepared for it.

Mr. Lee was always liberal in giving credit to his customers. He generally gave them to understand that at the end of six months or at least once a year that their account must be settled up, and then if they were unable to pay and the party was responsible, a note on interest was taken. When customers paid no attention to the notice that their accounts must be settled, the accounts were generally placed in the hands of a collector. From this fact some of this class endeavored to create the impression that Mr. Lee was severe on those who were not in condition to pay, when in fact all he required was for them to live up to their agreement or the conditions under which they obtained credit. It is a fact that cannot be denied that it would be far better for all parties if the system of credit was entirely wiped out and all parties were compelled to pay for what they purchase on the receipt of the goods.

During the years 1838 and 1839 the question of banking facilities was discussed here to considerable extent. At that time there was but one bank in the county, which was the Chautauqua County Bank located at Jamestown. The Legislature of this state had a year or two previous enacted a new law in regard to banking on a different system from the former Safety Fund system. Mr. Lee decided that it would not only be advantageous to himself but to other business men in the village to have a bank of issue here. In the summer of 1839 he arranged for establishing the bank of Silver Creek with a nominal capital of $100,000 with Oliver Lee as President and Chancy Smith as Cashier. Very soon after the organization the bank commenced to do business and had an exceeding successful career from its birth until its affairs were wound up about 1876.

This pace was altogether too limited for Mr. Lee’s business abilities; about the year 1841 or 1842 he opened a Banking Office in the city of Buffalo where he continued to do a successful Banking business. In 1844 he with a few other parties established Oliver Lee & Co.’s Bank of Buffalo with Oliver Lee as President. About this time he resigned as president of the Bank of Silver Creek and George W. Tew Esq., who had been Cashier for the Bank for several years, was appointed in his place. Major C. C. Swift was at the same time elected Cashier to fill the vacancy made by the promotion of Mr. Tew. Mr. Lee continued the mercantile business here with Mr. Van Duzer as general Superintendent and manager until the summer of 1840 when his oldest son Charles H. Lee became of age; he then made him an equal partner and the business was continued under the firm name of Oliver Lee & Son, Mr. Van Duzer continuing in the employ of the new firm.

Our friend Charlie, as he was familiarly known by all, he having been raised here from boyhood, at once took his place behind the counter and gave the business that his father had so successfully established his personal and entire attention. He demonstrated at once that he was going to follow in the footsteps of his successful progenitor as far as accumulating property. His pleasant face and genial nature as well as the popularity of his assistant Mr. Van Duzer, which had long be established, brought the new firm many new customers.

We must here relate an incident that occurred late in the fall of 1841, in which our friend Charlie was one of the principal actors, that at the time created considerable amusement among those who were cognizant of the fact. Among their customers was a person whom we will call a Mr. Blank that resided some four or five miles from this village, near where the village of Farnham in Erie Co. now is. This person had been in the habit of visiting the store quite often and at times remaining quite late in the evening. He had often asked for credit for a short time for small amounts but each every time had been refused, for Mr. Van Duzer had known him formerly and had no confidence in his honesty or ability to pay.

The time in question was on a Saturday afternoon about the middle of November. Mr. Blank came to the village and lounged around in and out of the store all the afternoon but finally late in the evening he came into the store and seated himself alongside of the stove. This was situated some thirty or forty feet back from the front door, near the middle of the store, with but little space or room each side of the stove between that and the counters for people to pass back and forth. On the west side of the counter was a row of kegs of nails on top of which was a box cover. These were used for seats by parties who wished to sit and chat and warm themselves but when occupied there was no room for another person to pass between those seated and the stove. The night was quite cold for the time of the year and the evening had slipped away. Their cash had been balanced, the books up to that evening had been all posted up, and Mr. Van Duzer had retired to the society of his family, still Mr. Blank lingered seated there on one of the nail kegs along side of a good warm stove. Finally Charlie observed that it was getting late and he must see if the back doors were all secure &c.

At the back end of the building was a room where all rough articles were kept and it was into this room where Charlie had to go to ascertain if the outside door was locked. It was quite dark in the back room but the light burning in the store proper, gave him a view through the doorway of all that was going on there. As he returned from locking the outside door he saw Mr. Blank step to the back end of the counter on the side of the room where he was seated where there was a large wooden bowl filled with rolls of butter, and deliberately take off his hat which was a fur one of the large bell crown Uncle Sam pattern that were sometimes worn by antiquated people of that age, and put a roll of butter into it, then place it on his head again. Then Mr. Blank very silently and quietly resumed his seat again along side of the stove.

Our friend Charlie immediately determined upon his plan of action. He carelessly walked back into the store as though he had not seen anything wrong and going to the front of the stove on the opposite side from where Blank was seated observed that it was going to be a very cold night, opened the stove door and filled it with dry wood, then seated himself alongside of Blank between him and the front door of the building so that he knew his customer could not get past him to get out unless he went around on the opposite side of the stove.

As Charlie seated himself he slapped Blank quite familiarly on the knee and said, “I must tell you the scrape I got into when I lived in Westfield.” Then he commenced to relate an imaginary [sic] story which he knew would detain Blank until the atmosphere in his immediate vicinity would be somewhat heated. In a short time Charlie again observed that it was going to be a cold night and he was afraid the potatoes in the back end of the store would freeze and got up and filled the stove a second time with dry wood, this time using several box covers that were handy. As he was about to reseat himself Blank rose up and said that it was getting late and he must be going, but Charlie was quick enough to step into the passage way and stopped him saying, “no, I cannot let you go until you hear the remainder of my story, and crowded him back into his seat.

In a short time it began to get quite warm and Blank endeavored to get away but there was no seat futher [sic] from the stove that he could get. Soon the perspiration started and he out with his red bandanna and mopped the sides of his face at the same time observing, “you keep it awful hot here.” Charlie replied by saying he was afraid their potatoes would freeze before Monday morning and again replenished the stove with dry wood.

Soon a greasy substance began to trickle down the sides of the face of Mr. B. -- then out came the red bandana again and the face took another good mopping. Still it grew warmer and warmer and the greasy perspiration ran almost in streams down the man’s face and trickled in large drops all over his coat collar from the ends of his long, unkempt hair. His bandana had been used until it had become perfectly saturated with melted butter and greasy perspiration.

As our friend was about to replenish the stove the fourth time Mr. Blank made a break. As he went out the front door his persecutor said to him, “Look here Mr. Blank, the next time you attempt to steal butter try and procure something better than your hat to carry it home in.” In his long walk home over the rough roads that cold November night Mr. Blank had an opportunity for reflection and undoubtedly became a wiser if not a better man. He was never seen at the store of Olive Lee & Son again, and within six or eight weeks afterwards left the town of Brant with his family for some point in the far west, no doubt hoping to find some place where he could steal butter under more favorable circumstances.

The firm of Oliver Lee & Son was continued until the spring of 1844 when Oliver Lee transferred all of his interest in the business to his second son, James H. Lee. From that time the business was conducted under the firm name of C.H. & J.H. Lee until in the spring or summer of 1845 they associated with themselves Noah D. Snow, Esq, who had been a partner of their father in the distilling business for some years previous.

Colonel Snow continued an active partner in this firm until the fall of 1849 when he was elected sheriff of this county. From this event it became necessary to make a dissolution. However C.H & J.H. Lee continued the business until the spring of 1856 when they disposed of their entire stock of good[s] to Ephraim R. Ballard of this village who continued the business as their successor. About this time Charles H. Lee was elected one of the directors of the Buffalo and State Line Railroad. He was afterwards elected vice-president of the road and on the death of Mr. Richmond, the president, was some time acting president of the same. At the next election of directors the position of president was tendered him but on account of ill health he felt it his duty to himself to decline the honor which if accepted would necessarily impose upon him much mental labor and confinement. He has always continued to make this village his home and is now a resident—a retired capitalist.

After the establishing of Oliver Lee & Co.’s Bank in Buffalo and his assuming the presidency of it this with other large interests he had through the state took him away from home so much that it could hardly be claimed that he was resident of Silver Creek, although his family continued to reside here until the summer of 1844, when Mr. Lee, deciding that it would be more conducive to his comfort and beneficial to his younger children, transferred them to that city.

His interest in that part of the state took him to Albany quite frequently, the modes of travel at that time being very different from the present day. Then they had no luxurious parlor or sleeping cars, in fact there was no continuous line of railroad like the Great Central of to-day, consequently a continuous journey through to Albany was tiresome and quite fatiguing.

In the early part of the summer of 1846 soon after reaching Albany Mr. Lee was taken seriously ill but with the attention of a good physician he was soon about again and in a few days was able to return to his home in Buffalo but was stricken down again a few days afterwards and died very suddenly on the 28th of July 1846. His remains were brought to this village an interred here. Very soon afterwards the family returned to their homestead here which continued to be the home of Mrs. Lee the remainder of her life, her demise taking place in the summer of 1882.

Mrs. Lee was one of the noble women of the country. Although an invalid and a great sufferer for a number of years during the latter part of her life, she was ever ready to assist in acts of charity and help the needy. The Presbyterian church of this village received much assistance and many noble gifts from her.

From 1830 to the time of his death Oliver Lee was one of the most prominent and leading business men in the state. From his first start to the close of his business career he was successful in all his principal undertakings. He was honorable in his deal and ever ready to pay the full amount of his indebtedness. It is believed that there was never a time during his long business experience that he was not ready to pay one hundred cents on the dollar of any indebtedness due against him. This village was greatly indebted to him for its start and growth from 1828 to 1844 or from the time he came here until he left.

It is not at all probable that there would ever have been a harbor or a pier built here had not Mr. Lee settled here. Without a pier there never would have been any lake commerce which gave the place the start it received about 1835 and 1836. And had that growth not occurred at that time it is not probable that the manufacturing interest would have settled here that did some years later, which makes it to-day one of the most enterprising, lively and smartest villages in Western New York.—In our opinion Oliver Lee should have great credit for it.