Port Byron's History Corner: July 2012

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Appreciation of Home

Paul Hahn with the Class of '76 shares a mural he created in Mrs. Drummond's art class in honor of the bicentennial.

Thank you for sharing with us Paul!

Little do we realize how important it is to capture what is around us. Two structures shown here from recent times are now gone. The church we lost to mother nature in a bad storm and the old fire house and bell tower is now a vacant lot.

The mural measures approximately 6 ' x 4 '

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Woman's Relief Corps No. 207

The Lockwood Post GAR #175 of Port Byron once had an auxiliary but little is known about it as an organization. In searching newspapers, I have found an entry that confirms they were indeed part of our community:

AUBURN WEEKLY BULLETIN. FEBRUARY 1, 1901

PORT BYRON, Jan. 29

The Lockwood Post Woman's Relief Corps, No 207 will hold a rummage sale in the vacant store of Mrs. James V White commencing tomorrow.

We know that this auxiliary was no longer functioning as of 1916 when the auxiliary for the R.R. Stillwell Sons of Veterans was formed. To date, newspaper coverage listing the officers for the W.R.C. No. 207 of Port Byron has been hard to locate.

If anyone in your family belonged to the Lockwood Post G.A.R., the R.R. Stillwell Sons of Union Veterans, or any of their auxiliaries, please email me so I can update the members list.

Partial Lockwood Post GAR List

I will be creating a similar list for the auxiliaries but need your feedback to help tabulate the lists. I look forward to hearing from anyone that had ancestors or relative that belonged to these organizations.

To learn more about the Woman's Relief Corps, click (here)

Sons of Veterans Auxiliary No. 10

Syracuse Journal January 11, 1916

Sons of Veterans New Auxiliary Instituted

Sons of Veterans Auxiliary, No. 10, taking an old number, was instituted last evening at Port Byron by the division president, Mrs. Winnie F. Durst of this city, assisted by members of General Sniper and Merriam Camp's auxiliaries.

Mrs. Minnie S. Root, wife of Commander Root of Lockwood Post, G. A.R., is president of the new auxiliary, and its other officers are: Vina Tuller, vice president; Laura Woodford, chaplain; Alice Warren, treasurer; Ella E. Emmons, secretary; Jennie Godfrey, patriotic instructor; Freda Nye, guide; Ruth Nye, assistant guide; Bessie Stillwell and Marjory Ware, color bearers; Louise Sweet, inside guard; Eliza Ames, outside guard; Nanna Lockwood, press correspondent; Margaret Clapp, Jennie Ward and Addie Warren; trustees; H. R. Warren, judge advocate.

Auxiliary No. 10 is organized for Stillwell Camp. No. 17. and will also be attendant upon Lockwood Post, which is without a Relief Corps. Division President Durst will next endeavor to organize auxiliaries at Clyde and Oneida.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Civil War Soldier Nathan Munger

Having a State Representative of the Grand Army of the Republic from Port Byron was indeed a special find. It promoted me to learn a little more about Nathan's military service. I hope you will agree, our soldier deserves an additional post so that we may share his service record:

Courtesy of Ancestry.com

Nathan was born at Fredonia, NY about the year 1840 and mustered in on December 8, 1862 at Oswego, Co. I 110th NY Infantry at the age of 22. In August of 1863 he would become detached from this regiment to serve on assignment as clerk at General Andrews Headquarters.

On September 25, 1863 he was promoted to Co. B, 12th Regiment "Corps De Afrique". The pension index shows his unit was Co. B. with the 12th Louisiana C.D.A. Regiment of Infantry. This unit provided Garrison Duty at Port Hudson, LA. The unit would later be re-designated as the 84th United States Colored Troops in 1864, in which Nathan remained with Co. B. He served as a Second Lieutenant in both units. The 1890 veterans census indicates he was discharged on or about Nov. 28, 1864.

Nathan by trade was a harness maker. The call of service to the Grand Army of the Republic would prompt the move of his family to Albany, NY where his occupation in the 1900 census was recorded as Assistant Adj General GAR.

Many advertisements can be found showing he continued to list himself in directories at the corners of Main and Rochester Streets in Port Byron. It appears his time in Albany was limited, for he died at his Port Byron home in 1909.

Nathan applied for a soldiers pension in 1881, which converted to his widow Amanda Munger upon his death in 1909. Both are buried at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Port Byron.

Nathan Munger

G.A. R. APPOINTMENTS.

Colonel Anson E. Wood, State Department Commander, Names his Staff Officers.

Col. Anson E. Wood, State Department Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, while in this city yesterday made appointments to his staff as follows:

Assistant Adjutant General, Nathan Munger, Post No. 175, Port Byron, Assistant Quarter Master General, Jared W. Wickes, Post No. 151, Syracuse, Judge Advocate General, Thomas B. O'Dell.Post No. 103, New York, Inspector General, Frank Z. Jones, Post No. 47, Rome, Senor aid de camp, J . J . Perkins, Post No. 116; Schuylerville.

The appointment of Mr. Munger as Assistant Adjutant General relieves George H. Lester of this city from further duty. His friends were hopeful of a reappointment for him.

The Rome Daily Sentinel, Wednesday Evening, May 16, 1900

Debate Club

For anyone that has participated in the Port Byron speech and debate team, you may be interested in knowing that it dates back to 1884 per the following newspaper article:

ROCHESTER DEMOCRAT AND CHRONICLE
Friday February 10, 1893

Last Wednesday evening the Students Debating Club of Port Byron gave its ninth annual banquet at the hose house parlors. Members and guests to the number of about one hundred were present. Those who took part in the program were Robert L. Smith, Leslie Tanner, E. H. Kearns, Robert Takel Jr., Clyde Mitchel, Harry S. Vaughn, Fred J. Tanner, C. W. Armstrong, P. W. Grim, Frank Seymour, William Weston, S. V. Henry and Principal W. L. Harris of the academy.