Edward P. Buyck - request for info

Unfinished self portrait of Edwin P. Buyck (1888-1960)  (Albany Institute)

A friend of mine is doing some research about Slingerlands artist Edward P. Buyck.  I hadn't really heard of Buyck before. Come to find out he was known for his portrait work (he painted FDR from life) and his horse portraits (like the famous Man O' War.) He was married to Mary Willard Vine who was herself known for her work as the NY State director of the WPA arts program. They lived at 400 McCormack Road in a fancy house called Highfield Hall.

Buyck created this poster about 1918 (Albany Institute) 

But what really captured my attention is this painting of Mary. What is that in the background? 

A painting of Mary Willard Vine Buyck (1888-1973) by her husband
Edward P. Buyck (Albany Institute)

Is that a person riding a frog?  What is it? I want to know!   It is so silly next to this elegantly composed woman.

One article I found said the couple's home was full of antiques and Buyck used many of them in his work. I am guessing this whimsical frog was just one many such items.

The article closed with Buycks's personal code:

Art is teaching the world the idea of life.  The man who believes that money is the thing is cheating himself.

Any way - Bob Mulligan would like you to give him a shout if you have any memories or stories about the Buycks.  Email rempundit@earthlink.net or call 518-439-3802. Thanks!



"

Elmwood Cemetery Tour

I was scheduled to give a tour of Elmwood Cemetery.  As you can guess given the current Covid situation, it has been cancelled. But that doesn't mean I can't share some favorite stories about the people buried there. So here goes...

First, pop over here http://bethlehemelmwoodcemetery.com/index.html for some lovely pictures and a good overview of  the cemetery's history. Did you notice the weird website name? Formally, the cemetery is Bethlehem Rural Cemetery. That's what its incorporation records and official documents say. Informally, it is known as Elmwood Cemetery. That's what you'll find on the entrance gates. The name Elmwood helps distinguish it from Bethlehem Cemetery over in Delmar.

One family I return to again and again during the walk is the Niver family.  I've written* about Garret Niver, aka Garret Van Allen, whose memorial reads "Killed in the Custer massacre on the Little Big Horn in Dakota,  June 25, 1876, Ages 30 years, 4 months, 25 days."  And also about his brother, Conrad Niver, aka John Eddy, who went west to seek his fortune. He returned to Bethlehem with a new name and without his right arm which he lost to an amputation due to being shot by a desperado in Cheyenne, Colorado.  Other Bethlehem Nivers include  David Niver (a Revolutionary War veteran who was present at the surrender of Gen. Burgoyne at the battle of Saratoga, October 25, 1777), Charles D. Niver (town supervisor from 1910 to 1923) and David M. and Charles A. (both town clerks - David M. 1856-58, Charles A in 1884.)

This is the only mausoleum at Elmwood. 

A favorite spot is Veeder circle.  The circle has a central monument with individual plots laid out around it like wedges of a pie.  That center monument has several Veeder names inscribed including Margaret Niver Veeder (1820-1886) wife of Christian Veeder (he was born in 1814, but I wasn't able to determine when he died - it is not on the marker - as of the 1900 census he was still alive.) On the tour we talk about the distinctive marker for their children who died very young, John, Johnny, Kitty, Harry and Maria.** We also talk about the story of Edith Veeder (about 1839-1889) who as a small child suffered severe burns and was not thought to survive.  But she did, living the rest of her life with her family.  One census identified her as a dressmaker.

Veeder Circle

Coeymans News Herald, October 16, 1889

Edith Veeder's marker is on the left. 
The distinctive monument to her five siblings is on the right.

Another interesting monument is the one for David S. Russell.  I only noticed it because it has a kind of a weird double urn on top and a lot of writing on it.  Much of the writing is now illegible. But what is there is intriguing. He died August 2, 1859 in his 26th year, 6 months and 2 days a "Fearful railroad casualty"  You see why I had to find out more?

The front of David Russell's monument.

The back.

Below is a newspaper clipping about the story. The whole thing is three columns of very small type. Basically, the bridge collapsed when the train was just about across.  The engineer "hit the gas" causing the locomotive to jump forward breaking the coupling with the rest of the train.  The tender and passenger cars all went down with the bridge.

Albany Morning Express, August 4, 1859

The eye catching monument for the Irwins has a marble figure on top.  This mourning woman is the only sculptural figure in the cemetery (except for a whole bunch of draped urns and eternal flames).  I couldn't find out why the Irwins have one. But their personal history is kind of fun.  W. Hartwell Irwin, 1875-1956, was an elevator man, first with Otis and in 1921 he opened Irwin Elevator Company. A newspaper tribute published when he was 73 and still working said he was the oldest elevator man in Albany.  Irwin was quoted as saying he would rather "wear out than rust out." Olive Eiseman Irwin, 1886-1968 was an instrumental part of the establishment of Irwin Elevator, serving as treasurer and secretary of the company until her husband Hartwell's death in 1956.  She then managed the company until it was sold in 1959.

A clip from the long Albany Times Union, March 4, 1948 article.  It mentions that he
 "takes personal charge and climbs the shafts himself with the agility of a man half his age." 

This is just four of the families I talk about.  Other folks on the tour include: the Baker family, owners of Grand View Farm; the Welches, famous Hudson River light keepers; the Wilkies,  regular farmers with a very prominent monument; the Selkirks, hamlet namesakes; the Dickson's whose son Peter served in the Civil War; the Heaths of Heath's Shady Lawn Dairy; and the Beckers, the most famous being Albertus who has a school named after him.

Phew - this cemetery tour is a lot of  walking and talking - but at this point - I feel like these folks are my family too and I so enjoy sharing their stories.***


NOTES

*Shameless plug, read more about John Eddy/Conrad Niver in my book Bethlehem People and Places.  The article is called "Two Niver Sons and the Wild West." The book is available here  BuyMyBook or at I Love Books in Delmar.

** We often talk about how many children didn't make it out of infancy, and how if one did make it past toddler-hood, one was just about as likely to make it to old age as today. Just about anyway.

*** I scheduled dates for cemetery tours way back in January.  Who knows if they will happen.  Check back with me or the Bethlehem Parks and Recreation Department.
May 15 and September 26: Elmwood
June 27 and October 3: Bethlehem

**** All color photos were taken by me on Thursday afternoon May 14 about 4 pm, a lovely and peaceful  afternoon for photos.

Slingerland Stories: Civil War Service

Civil War Service

John H. Slingerland (1844-1914, buried here) and his cousin William Slingerland were veterans of the Civil War having served with the New York’s 177^th Infantry Unit. Both enlisted in October of 1862 when they were 18 years old. While assigned to different companies, both marched to the Albany train station on December 15 to begin their journey to New Orleans. Headquartered at Bonnet Carre, the 177^th took part in skirmishes at McGill’s Ferry, and Pontchatoula, and saw action at the siege of Port Henry. The 177^th, including the cousins, mustered out of service at Albany on September 10, 1863.

John, the son of William H. and Elizabeth Slingerland, worked with his father as a civil engineer. He married Alice Preston about 1873 and they had four children, William, Edward, Bessie and Florence. In the late 1880s he and his family moved to New York City where he was a masonry inspector. After her husband’s death, Alice and daughter Florence moved back to Slingerlands.

William Slingerland (1844-1928) was the son of John I. and Sally Slingerland. He and his wife Ellen Van Wie had seven children and lived their entire lives in Slingerlands. For many years he was an Express Manager with American Express Company.

New York State Military Museum, Stenzel article

Read more about the 177th at the websites below.

First, and excellent overview of NY in the war:  https://exhibitions.nysm.nysed.gov/civilwar/

The New York State Military Museum has excellent resources.  Browse the ones for the 177th here  https://dmna.ny.gov/historic/reghist/civil/infantry/177thInf/177thInfMain.htm

and especially the article here  https://dmna.ny.gov/historic/reghist/civil/infantry/177thInf/177thInf_Article_Stenzel.pdf

and the unit roster here
https://dmna.ny.gov/historic/reghist/civil/rosters/Infantry/177th_Infantry_CW_Roster.pdf

For miscellaneous odds and ends check out these sites:

https://militaryimages.atavist.com/uniforms-history-spring-2018

http://readme.readmedia.com/An-Albany-County-Soldier-at-the-Civil-War-Battle-of-Port-Hudson-is-topic-of-free-talk-on-February-8/16873859

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/177th_New_York_Volunteer_Infantry NOTE: This wiki page is pretty scant, but it has a couple of intersting looking books cited at the bottom.

https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-battle-units-detail.htm?battleUnitCode=UNY0177RI

https://history.altamontenterprise.com/wikiHilltowns/index.php?title=177th_Infantry

https://militaryimages.atavist.com/uniforms-history-spring-2018 has this picture along with the description "Members of the 10th Regiment, wearing the 1862 dress uniform, lined up in an upstate New York field for this group portrait"  Also as the website notes, "The 10th served as a federal volunteer regiment, renumbered the 177th New York Volunteer Infantry."

New York State Military Museum, Stenzel article

Here are John H. Slingerland and William Slingerland's obituaries.  Both emphasized their Civil War service.  Also clippings of the 177th's various reunions.

The Albany Argus, December 25, 1914

Hudson Evening Register, December 29, 1914

Altamont Enterprise, November 9, 1928

Hudson Daily Star, June 6, 1863.  Included in this long article is this quote: THe 2nd Duryee Zouaves and the 177th New York made a desperate onset and were met by a rain-storm of bullets."

The Albany Argus, September 14, 1890

The Knickerbock Press, September 14, 1921

And finally, Abram M. Carhart. Wish I had pictures like this of John and William Slingerland.

Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/item/2010648986/

From the unit roster:

William H. Slingerland and the Assembly Ceiling

Slingerland Stories

William H. Slingerland from the book
New York State Men

The Assembly Chamber of New York’s new capitol building was dedicated in 1879. Shortly thereafter, the elegantly vaulted ceiling began to crack.  Stone chips and dust sprinkled downward.  Engineer William H. Slingerland was hired to investigate the safety of the structure.  As early as 1881 he reported that it was unsound. It was not until 1888 that the stone was removed and a new coffered oak ceiling installed. That effort was soon mired in controversy as low-cost paper mâché was substituted for solid oak panels – a move that was not approved by the legislature.  During the epic 1911 Capitol fire, the paper mâché panels came in handy as they soaked up the water sprayed by firefighters slowing the progress of the flames.  Today, the oak ceiling remains in place.

The Assembly Chamber c.1887 showing the William Morris Hunt murals that were covered by the new oak ceiling. (Cornell University Library)

The chamber circa 1887 (Cornell University Library)

The chamber circa 1910.  The oak ceiling can be seen at the top of the photo. (NY State Archives)

Here are some links for more information on the New York State Capitol and the Assembly Chamber.

https://nyassembly.gov/Tour/?sec=achamber

http://www.archives.nysed.gov/education/assembly-chamber-new-york-state-capitol-c-1900

https://www.albany.edu/museum/wwwmuseum/statestreet/thecapitol.html

https://www.albanyinstitute.org/new-york-state-capitol.html

The east facade of the NY State Capitol about 1911 (NY State Archives)

There was much newspaper coverage of the Assembly Ceiling Debacle.  Go to https://fultonhistory.com/Fulton.html and search on "Assembly Ceiling" for a wide assortment.  Many of them are very long and hard to cut and paste here.  Below are some snippets.

Albany Express, February 4, 1888

Albany Express, February 4, 1888

Albany Express, March 25, 1887

Steuben Currier, 1887-1890 (no date on page)

Also, check out this book.  It has a whole chapter called "The Case of the Unfortunate Ceiling."

And of course, the website for the Slingerland Family Burial restoration project.
https://www.slingerlandvault.org/

Our Towne Bethlehem May 2020: Journals and Diaries

I hope you are writing in a journal/diary and will share it with me one day!

On March 16, 1902 John R. Adams of Adamsville (aka Delmar) wrote in his journal “Sunday cloudy & rainy a sour disagreeable day. Russ & self cleaning up in onion cellar. put up a few things for market perhaps tomorrow. Louise @ church in a.m.” On that same day 118 years later, I started my own journal to record the historic moment we are currently experiencing with the advent of the Covid-19 virus. My first line is “So, I’m starting a plague journal.”

Daily writing in journals and diaries has a long history. One of my favorites from ancient history is that of Michitsuana no Haha. Written around 974, Kagero Nikki, The Gossamer Years, was composed by a woman only identified as the Mother of Michitsuana. She described her loneliness and joys while navigating the Japanese Heian court as a lowly second wife to Fujiwara no Kaneie. She expressed her observations and feelings through daily writing as well as memoir and poetry creating a classic of Japanese literature. 

Here’s a snippet from her pilgrimage to Hasedera

“Starting out again at dawn, we reached the Uji estate about noon. It was very quiet, and the surface of the river sparkled pleasantly through the trees… after lunch, the carriage was loaded onto a ferry … the waterfowl moved me strangely. It was perhaps because I was traveling alone that I was so taken with everything along the way.”

The writer herself speculated that her writing would be as ephemeral as "the diary of a mayfly or the shimmering heat on a summer's day." And here we are 1000+ years later reading her words

Another favorite from more recent history is the writing of Charles Darwin.  Manuscripts, journals, diaries, letters, etc. are all available online at http://darwin-online.org.uk/.  In his journals, Darwin often focused on recording his observations of natural life.  I like this one from March 17, 1826. "Found a star fish spawning also found an animal nearly three feet long, of a green coulour with numerous feet on ton each side."

For a much more local view, in the collection of the Bethlehem Historical Association is a small, black diary, no bigger than 2 inches by 3 inches. Each page has two sections filled with the childish scrawl of Andrew Ten Eyck. For example, on March 16, 1898 “a lot of rams went down on the train today.” There are many entries along the lines of “went to school today” and “went to church today.” Most fascinating are the entries that begin “the united states talk of war.” The one from Saturday, March 12, 1898 is particularly intriguing: “the united states talk war” then the words “50000 million” then words I can’t read. It turns out that in the spring of 1898, the United States was ramping up towards the Spanish American War and on March 9 had allocated fifty million dollars to build military strength. That must be what Ten Eyck is writing about.

My research indicates that Andrew Ten Eyck was born in Selkirk or Coeymans on August 3, 1888, the son of Helen Huyck and Barent Ten Eyck. Just from reading the journal written by his ten-year-old self, I was not at all surprised to learn that Ten Eyck had a long and distinguished career with the U.S. Army Airforce, retiring with the rank of Colonel in 1952. He published a memoir, Jeeps in the Sky, about his service during World War II. Ten Eyck died in 1961and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery alongside his wife Doris Boomer Ten Eyck (1898-1996). She donated the diary to BHA in 1978.

But just what is a diary and what is journal? Sadie Holloway in her February 26, 2018 blog post on feltmagnet.com wrote that a diary is a book to record events as they happen and a journal is a book used to explore ideas as they take shape. Perhaps this is a useful distinction, especially in our age of therapeutic journaling, but the two concepts overlap tremendously. The historic diaries/journals I have read mostly record day to day events with here and there a bit of self-reflection. The diaries/journals I like the most provide insight into how lives were lived in the everyday and ordinary with the occasional intrusion of historic events.

Which brings me back to John R. Adams’ journals. They are a wonderful combination of diary and journal in the modern sense as described by Holloway. The Thursday, May 1, 1902 entry is a perfect example. It starts with the weather “fair, windy, cool.” Continues with a rundown of items purchased at Van Olinda’s, a sow for 16.50, 5 bushels of wheat at 79 cents each. Reports that Sam, Martha and Grace McCulloch came to call in the evening. And then the last poignant lines: The 44^th anniversary of our wedding - a great change then we were young & strong now seem to be going downhill pretty rapidly – both Louisa & myself – but such is Life.

John R. Adams (1834-1905) married Louisa Haswell (1837-1912) in 1858. They had two children Grace and Jessie. Their lives were intertwined with the growing hamlet of Adamsville/Delmar. The set of five journals (or diaries) he wrote between July 2, 1900 and August 13, 1903 came to the Historian’s office through his descendant, great, great granddaughter Carol Carnes.

In the days and weeks ahead, I suggest you too keep a diary or journal, using it to record how Covid-19 has impacted and transformed your life. Personally, I am writing with an eye to someone else reading it, trying to keep the emotions somewhat at bay, and recording what a trip to town hall or a trip to the grocery store is like. One day, I will place it on file with the Town Historian’s Office. Perhaps you will do the same, and imagine what readers 100 years from now will think of Bethlehem today.

John and Louisa Adams not too long after their wedding in 1858.