Other Features of the Property

This section explores past and present features of the Mills’ Home property, including the Civil War Belt and the Old Oak, as well as an exploration of the stone foundation and its possible builders.

The Civil War Belt

The Lattins shared photographs of the “Civil War Belt”, found in the walls of Mills’ Home, in a space directly above the front door frame, as Larry was installing a new door.

The Stone Foundation

I have speculated elsewhere that William Benton Wolcott, a carpenter by trade, who was the first owner of record of Mills’ Home, may have had a direct hand in the construction of the dwelling (see Deeds and Other Past Owners), and that Reverend Garrett Mandeville’s grandson John L. Mandeville may have initially surveyed the property after it was divided from the lower grist mill lot (see The Mill Race Bridge and The Barn).

Mills’ Home sits on a stone foundation, that, as I will demonstrate, is the original stone foundation of the home that William Benton Wolcott built. At the home, on 10 Jan 2024, I consulted with Terry Jones, a local stone mason, to explore the foundation and answer several specific questions I had about its construction and features, that I hoped might help me identify the stone mason who worked for William Wolcott.

Terry was impressed by the excellent condition of the foundation given its age, stating that it has held up as well as any stone foundation he has seen. In particular, he pointed to how square the corners were on both the inside and outside, and that the walls were plumb and true, vertically straight, as shown in the following photographs of the southwest corner of the foundation.

(Also note in the photos of the external corners immediately following, chisel marks on a middle stone that will be explored later.)

The marks on the middle stone will be explained further below.

Now, the southwest corner of the foundation from inside the basement:

I have not been able to visually confirm the placement of the cornerstone of the foundation:

At some point in the past, a concrete floor was poured that may obscure the cornerstone. It may also be in the northeast corner of the basement nearest the bulkhead door, which is presently obscured by a stone platform. Terry could not add anything further on the subject.

Terry speculated that the stones may have been sourced from nearby Six Mile Creek and that the work involved may have taken months to complete. Terry believes the mason was a skilled craftsman, who took his time and took pride in his work, based on the skill displayed on the hand hewn embellishments on the faces of some of the stones.

The examples above are from the souther/front face of the foundation, to the west of the main entrance. Terry also pointed that most of the stones have manual chisel marks on them, and that some, like the following that he described as “pock marks” that may indicate someone working with the master mason was just learning how to work with stone.

Markings like these can be found on many stones, and the same pock mark pattern can be seen in the photographs further above of the southwest corner of the foundation.

There is one stone in particular that has always caught my attention: when I first saw it, I thought that it almost looked like letters, and as time passed, I became more convinced that they were in fact letters. The stone is on the southern/front face of the foundation on the east side of the main entrance.

The face of the stone in question is approximately 19 inches wide by 5 inches high. I have attempted to create rubbings of this stone with various types of paper, which proved challenging because the surface of the stone is not itself flat. The following is the best I have yet been able to do, using Pellon fusible midweight interfacing (931TD) and a black beeswax square crayon block, which unfortunately, does not seem to do much to clarify the writing.

I showed this stone to Terry Jones and he agreed with me that the markings were intentionally made, and that it indeed appeared to be letters.

Close-up photographs of two of the characters with some of the chisel marks highlighted:

The markings appear to spell out “Marsh”.

I find only one man named Marsh nearby at that time, and he is the co-brother-in-law of William Benton Wolcott, the first owner of record of the property.

Edward C. Marsh (23 Nov 1836 to 25 Jun 1907) was born in Danby and was still living there at the start of the Civil War. (Town Clerks’ Registers of Men Who Served in the Civil War, ca 1865–1867. Microfilm publication, 37 rolls. New York State Archives. Albany, New York.) Edward was First Lieutenant in Company E of the 64th Infantry Regiment, mustering in 10 Sep 1861 and mustering out 16 Dec 1862.

By 1866, Edward Marsh is listed in the “Mott’s Corners Business Directory” of the 1866 Photographic Atlas of Tompkins County by Stone & Stewart:

The first entry, “E. C. Marsh…Grocery and Provision Store” is almost certainly a reference to the J. Shurter Store. Josiah Shurter is Edward Marsh’s father-in-law, and presumably his employer. As indicated in the 1865 New York State Census for Caroline, Edward and his wife Harriet “Hattie” (Shurter) Marsh (1848? to 10 Apr 1917) were living in the “Shurter House”, the home of Josiah Shurter, which at that time was located between the store building and Six Mile Creek.

As the census indicates, William Benton Wolcott (06 Oct 1832 to 25 Feb 1911) who married Josiah Shurter’s daughter Ellen A. (Shurter) Wolcott Aldrich (07 Sep 1843 to 21 Apr 1928) was also living in the Shurter House alongside his co-brother-in-law Edward Marsh and his wife. William Wolcott was a carpenter and carriage maker who likely worked for Josiah and/or Josiah’s son Willis Shurter (1840 to 17 Jan 1914) at what was at one time known as Willis Shurter’s Wagon Shop in Mott’s Corners, later known as “The Brewer Barn”, behind Mills’ store. William Wolcott was also the first owner of record of Mills’ Home. Edward Marsh, William Wolcott and Willis Shurter all fought in the Civil War in the years immediately prior.

Both Josiah and Edward Marsh are identified as millers, and the Shurter family also owned the lower grist mill at that time. Edward is also listed with the occupation “miller” in Registers of Officers and Enlisted Men Mustered into Federal Military or Naval Service during the Civil War. Series A0389 (6 volumes). New York (State). Bureau of Military Statistics. New York State Archives, Albany, New York, ancestry.com.

Edward Marsh’s other occupations recorded in the census:

So, there is nothing I have seen that would indicate that Edward Marsh was a stone mason specifically, but obviously, this doesn’t rule out the possibility. Likewise, although I had always assumed that William B. Wolcott, as the first owner of the property as its own lot, was the person for whom the house was originally built, and that he also had a crucial role building it, especially given that he and his brothers were carpenters. However, I have to also consider the possibility that the property was actually originally built for Edward Marsh, and that this is the reason his name (presumably) is etched in the stone.

The first deed for the home is dated 22 May 1869, and yet, the real estate listing that I responded to said that the house itself was constructed in 1865. I am trying to verify the 1865 date to better understand these earlier years and get clarity on the home’s origins. I began with Edie Spaulding who was a real estate agent for many years and still lives in Brooktondale. Edie was working for RE/MAX as the selling agent when the Lattins sold 475 Brooktondale Road to Andrea Talmadge.

And indeed, I found the 1865 construction date from the Tompkins County Assessment database. I inquired about finding the original physical documentation of this presumed fact.

I am following up with the Town of Caroline’ Assessment records.

I also asked Edie if she had photographs of 475 Brooktondale Road from the time she sold it in the early 1990’s. Unfortunately a plastic bin of old photographs from her days as an agent was kept in her basement and eventually sustained water damage and had to be discarded.

Edward Marsh moved his family to Ithaca approximately 1883, and he eventually became a city constable.

DEATH REMOVES TWO CITIZENS

A SOLDIER AND A MERCHANT ENTER INTO REST

Edward C. Marsh, a Civil War Veteran and Bennett Lieberman, a Well-known Business Man Join the Great Majority–Mrs. Rebecca English.

Edward C. Marsh, a Civil War veteran, whose death was announced in yesterday’s Journal, was born in Danby, November 23, 1836. He is survived by his wife, Harriet and three children, Mrs. John McGillivary of 1333 East 46th street, Los Angeles, California; Emmett and Ellen Marsh of this city; two brothers, Fred J. Marsh of this city and Robert Marsh of Danby; two sisters, Mrs. Lucy M. Stevens of Caroline, and Mrs. Francis Seeley of Danby.

He was a member of Sydney Post G.A.R., which will have the funeral in charge. Mr. Marsh enlisted on September 10, 1861 under Captain Wm. Glenny of this city. He went to Elmira where the company joined the Sixty-Fourth regiment of the New York volunteers.

Mr. Marsh was chosen by the company as first lieutenant and served as such during his connection with the regiment. He was with the company through McClellan’s Peninsular campaign, and participated in the battle of Fair Oaks, where he was taken sick and was sent home. He later returned and took command of the company at Harrison’s Landing, after Captain Glenny was wounded. He participated in the battles of Bull Run, Antietam and Chantilla, in which he commanded the company.

About twenty-four years ago Mr. Marsh moved to this city. He was one the police force during the administration of John Barden and since that time has been connected with the city as a city constable.

The funeral will take place Thursday afternoon at 3 o’clock at his late home 439 North Geneva street, Rev. R. T. Jones officiating. Interment will take place in Coddington cemetery.

Mrs. Harriet Marsh.

Mrs. Harriet Marsh, aged 69, widow of the late Edward C. Marsh, died at Colton, Col., Sunday, April 1. She is survived by a son—Emmett B. Marsh and two daughters—Mrs. F. D. Deuel of this city and Mrs. John McGillivray of Colton, Col.; a sister— Mrs. George Aldrich of Brookton.

The funeral was held Tuesday, April 3.

The stones immediately below the Marsh stone show more examples again of different styles of chisel strikes.

And there are other stones that almost look like they could have lettering.

It should be kept in mind that as I am writing this, the pushed out section of the dining room that includes the side entrance by the driveway, as well as the entire rear addition, hides from view large areas of the exterior stone foundation that I have never seen. So, there may be other interesting clues on the stones that are hidden from view, waiting to be rediscovered.

Perhaps Edward Marsh, a documented carpenter, was more likely involved in the construction of the frame structure, and not the foundation, where he may have only contributed his name. Remember that the home was part of the lower grist mill property, owned by Josiah and Willis Shurter, so Was Edward the first occupant of the home, even if he wasn’t

Supposing the mason is not Edward Marsh, who else could it be?

Assuming the stone mason was more likely to have lived near the Wolcott Lot, I started with the 1865 New York State Census, looking for variations of “mason” and “stone mason”. Again, I can’t say for certain that every stone mason in the area is accounted for in the census, but several are identified:

The census splits the Town of Caroline into two “districts” at this time: the “First Election District” focuses on Speedsville and Caroline Center and includes some easily recognizable names, including William B. Hallock, a distant relative of Edward H. Mills, as well as Nathaniel Tobey and Peter Webb. “Election District No. 2” focuses on Slaterville and Mott’s Corners, and starting with approximately page 21 of the second district (each district was numbered separately, so this is page 38 sequentially), many recognizable names begin to appear, such as those shown on the Mott’s Corners map published in the 1866 Photographic Atlas of Tompkins County by Stone & Stewart, as well as the founders of the Congregational Church just a few years later.

It is among the recognizable names of residents of Mott’s Corners that Alonzo B. Northrop (28 Dec 1821 to 20 Jun 1906) appears, and among the stone masons recorded in the 1865 Census, he is uniquely listed on the 1886 Stone & Stewart Atlas. The Atlas shows “A. B. Northrop”, between the upper bridge over Six Mile Creek and the hill where Brookton (formerly Quick) Cemetery sits, at what is presently 231 Lounsbery Road, near the intersection with the section of Brooktondale Road formerly known as Back Road, or “Easy Street”.

Also notice that the census seems to consistently distinguish the occupations of “mason”, “stone mason”, and “brick layer” and that Alonzo Northrop is by far the nearest “stone mason”, and he is listed in the Census directly following Jacob Vandemark, who owned the woolen (carding) mill as well as the lower grist mill next to it, known today as Dalebrook Apartments. Wikipedia provides a possibly relevant explanation:

In 1870, Alonzo was still living in Mott’s Corners, working as a stone mason according to the Federal Census that year, completely encompassing the window in which the foundation and dwelling were built on the Wolcott Lot. Alonzo was married to Clarissa (Personius) Northrop (04 Apr 1821 to 24 May 1876). They became members of the Congregational Church of Mott’s Corners.

Clarissa was first cousins with William Krum Personius (10 Feb 1811 to 25 Apr 1887), as they share the common grandfather James Jacobus Personius (11 Jun 1747 to 14 May 1836). William Krum Personius was the father of Walker Voorhis Personius (1836 to 1914), dry goods merchant, postmaster and justice of the peace, and Charles William Personius (1840 to 02 Feb 1924), who owned the lower grist mill at the time that it was divided to create the Wolcott Lot, the future Mills’ Home. Both Walker and Charles were Civil War veterans and founding members of the Congregational Church of Mott’s Corners.

Therefore, if Edward Marsh is excluded, and in the absence of any other specific evidence to the mason’s identity, it seems most probable that he was Alonzo B. Northrop. (Although obviously, multiple stone masons may have worked together on jobs.)

ALONZO B. NORTHRUP

The death of Alonzo B. Northrup at the advanced age of eighty-five years, occurred yesterday afternoon at three o’clock at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Willard Mowry, 522 North Albany street. Mr. Northrup was born on ship board in the Atlantic ocean. His parents came from Newton, England, and settled in Bethel, Connecticut.

About sixty-five years ago Mr. Northrup came to New York state and lived in different places in this county. He was a stone mason by trade. He married Miss Clarissa Personius, whom he survived some years. He had resided in this city for about twenty years. He was a member of the Congregational Church of Brooklyn.

The surviving relatives are two sons, Charles D. Northrup of Etna, James H. Northrup of this city, two daughters, Mrs. Willard Mowry and Mrs. Rachel Granger, both of Ithaca; two sisters living in Bethel, nine grand-children and three great-grand-children. The funeral will be held tomorrow morning at ten o’clock, Rev. E. A. George officiating, and interment will be in the Quick cemetery at Brookton.

OCTOGENARIANS’ MORTUARY RECORD.

Six Old Residents Combined Ages Five Centuries.

Alonzo B. Northrup and Mrs. Almira Norton, whose deaths occurred yesterday, had lived a combined period of 170 years. It was a singular coincidence that their initials, A. N., were the same and they were each born in December 1821, besides dying on the same day.

Six octogenarians have passed away during the past three weeks, who have been long residents of the city of Ithaca. The six persons referred to lived an aggregate of 503 years. They were Fanny K. Massey, aged 86; Sarah Stephens, aged 84; John M. Cratlsey, aged 88, Eliza Vail, aged 85, Almira Norton, aged 85, Alonzo B. Northrup, aged 85.

FUNERALS

ALONZO B. NORTHRUP.

The obsequies of Alonzo B. Northrup, who died Wednesday at the age of eighty-five, were held from the residence of his daughter, Mrs. Williard Mowry, 522 North Albany street, at ten o’clock this morning, Rev. A. E. George officiating. Interment was in the Quick cemetery.

With the notable exceptions of Alonzo’s obituary and death notices (I have not found the same for Clarissa) and Clarissa’s grave stone, the family name appears to be most commonly written as Northrop with a “o” and not Northrup with a “u”.

Clarissa’s grave in Brookton Cemetery is marked with a stone that is broken as I write this, and which shows clear evidence of past repair attempts. I did not find a marker for Alonzo, and consulting with cemetery caretakers could not verify his exact burial location.

CLARISSA

WIFE OF

Alonzo B. Northrup,

DIED

May 24, 1876,

AGED

55 yrs 1 mo, 20 ds.

Weep not she is not dead but sleepeth.

Descendants of Alonzo and Clarissa are also buried at Brookton Cemetery, under the family name Morey.

Another interesting possibility for the identity of the Mills’ Home stone mason is William Gale, who is listed as a stone mason in the 1870 census in Mott’s Corners. He is living with his second wife, Harriet (Cutting) Gale (12 Aug 1838 to 08 Feb 1904) in the home of her mother Betsey Elizabeth (Holmes) Cutting (16 Apr 1810 to 07 May 1881) who married Sewell Cutting (09 Oct 1808 to 26 Feb 1848) on 17 Apr 1840 in Southbridge MA. The 1866 Stone & Stewart map shown above corroborates what the 1870 federal census in Caroline indicates, that “Mrs. B. Cutting” lived directly to the west of Walker V. Personious and his dry goods store.

Previously, in the 1855 New York State Census, William and his first wife Jane are living in Mendon NY, a suburb of Rochester, and although it is a little difficult to read, it appears son Lewis is a month old:

By 1860, they are in Iowa, and interestingly, Lewis’ birthplace is recorded as Iowa.

Jane’s maiden name appears to be Bemis, as the 1855 census presented above indicates that Harriet Bemis (possible identity), who was born in Portugal, is her mother, which corresponds to this 1850 census entry in Greece NY, another suburb of Rochester:

It isn’t clear when exactly William Gale and his family moved from Iowa to Caroline. Presumably, Jane died sometime between 1860 and 1870. And in the 1865 New York State Census for Caroline, Harriet Cutting is still unmarried and living with mother Betsey in Mott’s Corners:

So, I don’t know if William Gale was living in Mott’s Corners when Mills’ Home was constructed.

William Gale is better remembered as the owner of a “tin shop” on the site where Brookton’s Market is presently, and in later census entries, he and son Lewis identify themselves as “hardware merchants”.

An Early Photograph of Mott’s Corners

On the left is a grist mill which burned in the 1850’s. To the right of the mill is a small building thought to have been a tin ship owned by William Gale. This shop was in the same location as the current store and likely still exists as the back part of the store.

William Gale purchased the tin shop lot in 1871 from Willis Shurter, William B. Wolcott’s brother in law (Caroline Deeds 3, p74). William Gale purchased several properties that year, and in 1873, William sells the tin shop lot to his son Lewis.

CAROLINE.

William G. Gaie to Lewis W. Gale. Lot and shop, Mott’s Corners, consideration $500.

In the 1875 New York State Census for Caroline, Lewis Gale is listed at the Cutting residence as a “tinner”, and William Gale is still listed as a “stone mason”, although his location at that moment is also indicated as the “tin shop” (see Second Election District, p8).

The 1880 United States Federal Census for Caroline corroborates that the tin shop was between the grist mill and the woolen mill. Lewis and Ellen were married earlier that year, and I do not find William Gale accounted for in this census.

However, it was at this time that the Gale family fell onto financial difficulty. In 1873, William Gale purchased land near the Baptist Church from Walker V. Personius with a mortgage from John L. Mandeville. By 1879, John Mandeville foreclosed on the mortgage and the property was sold at a public auction.

In 1881, Calvin Holmes Quick (10 Mar 1856 to 16 Jan 1901), acting as assignee of Lewis Gale, sold the tin shop lot to Sextus B. Landon (Caroline Deeds 4, p76). A few years later, Lewis moved his family to Missouri and eventually Iowa, but as the following news item shows, he returned to Brookton occasionally to visit family.

BROOKTON.

Coasting is a favorite sport of the young people here at present.

W. Graham has given the operators of his knitting machines a month’s vacation.

A number of the young people of this place attended the Christmas tree at Slaterville last Monday evening.

Our school, under the efficient management of Mrs. Davenport and Jessie Campbell, is having a vacation of one week and one day.

Rev. Mr. Merrill, a former pastor here, preached at the Baptist church last Sunday. It is announced that Mr. Woodworth is to resume his labors next Sunday.

C. A. Lull, although running his mill to its fullest capacity, is unable to fill the orders for blankets. There is strong talk of doubling the force of operatives, and running the mill both day and night.

The party at the rink last Thursday evening was a decided success. Upwards of fifty couples assembled to “trip the light fantastic toe” to the music of the Brookton orchestra. A number from Ithaca were in attendance.

All enjoyed the Christmas tree at the Congregational church on Christmas eve. Before distributing the gifts an entertainment was given consisting of recitations, singing and responsive readings. The recitative powers of Ara Gass were, as usual, the wonder and admiration of all.

Among those who are spending the whole or a part of the holiday vacation with friends or relatives here are: Miss Myrtle Ault and Mr. Kent, both of the Cortland Normal School; Mr. and Mrs. James Piatt, of Towanda, Pa.; Mr. Frank King and bride, formerly of Binghamton; Mr. and Mrs. Will Fish, of Danby; Rev. Mr. Merill, of Deposit, N.Y.; Miss Eleanor Mackey, of Lycoming, N.Y.; Mr. Lewis Gale, a former resident of this place, now for several years a resident of Missouri; and Geo. Richardson, Jr., weighing nine pounds, and now a week old.

William Gale’s burial site is presently unknown to me, but Harriet and daughter Minnie are buried in Brookton Cemetery:

HARRIET E. CUTTING

GALE

AUG. 12, 1888

FEB. 8, 1904

MINNIE L. GALE

Jan. 12, 1873

March 18, 1873

GALE

HARRIET E. CUTTING

GALE

AUG. 12, 1888

FEB. 8, 1904

MINNIE L. GALE

Jan. 12, 1873

March 18, 1873

William and Harriet Gale’s daughter Mary J. (Gale) June (1869 to 1959) is also buried in Brookton Cemetery. William and Harriet’s son Lewis Gale (1855 to 1916) and wife Ellen A. (Allen) Gale (Oct 1861 to 21 Jun 1950) are buried in Iowa.

Mrs. Susan Vandermark

Mrs. Susan Vandermark, 89, widow of Thomas Vandermark, died at 5 o’clock this morning at the home of her son, Jay Vandermark at Brooktondale.

She had been a member of the Baptist Church at Brooktondale for more than 70 years, and was the daughter of Otis and Betsy Cutting who were among the pioneer settlers of the Town of Caroline, and early in the last century when the town was known as Mott Corners built the home where the family has since resided. She is survived by her son, Jay Vandermark, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

The funeral will be held at the family home Thursday at 2 p. m., the Rev. Leon Northrop officiating. Interment will be made at Quick Cemetery. Brooktondale.

The Old Oak

A large white oak tree stands on the hill above Mills’ Home in Brooktondale. Although mostly hidden from view in the Summer months, it can be easily distinguished when the trees are bare. And yet, the massive trunk of the tree can only truly be appreciated when you are near it on the hill. Its incredible size led me to wonder if it could be old enough to date back to Emily’s lifetime, and perhaps even Edward’s.

The following describes the character of the oak well:

I occasionally find acorns in the yard, presumably carried down by squirrels or other animals.

The oak is noted on survey maps for the property going back to 1972, when it was already estimated to be 4 feet in diameter.

In November 2022, I attempted to measure the oak tree, to verify the estimated diameter indicated on the surveys, and to have some basis for estimating its age, described further below. I used a polyester rope which resists stretching, and wrapped it around the tree to measure its circumference. Although I have seen recommendations to measure the trunk approximately 4.5 feet above the ground, this was challenging for two reasons: the severe slope of the hill on which it is growing, and the fact that the oak splits partway up. So, I chose a height just under where the split expands the trunk, and later measured my marked rope to be 178 inches, which, when divided by pi (3.14), results in 56.69 inches in diameter, or 4.72 feet in diameter, an unsurprising approximation given the estimates on past surveys.

From my research, it seems that even the most accurate method of determining a tree’s age–counting growth rings–is difficult to do accurately, and of course, accessing growth rings cannot be done non-destructively. Instead, I applied Mitchell’s Rule, named for botanist Alan F. Mitchell, with an annual growth rate of 5 inches, a figure corroborated by multiple sources. Multiplying the diameter in inches that was derived above by the growth rate yields an approximate age of 283.45 years. This is the approximate average age of white oaks according to the source quoted above.

If this estimate truly approximates the oak’s age, then it obviously predates the Mills family’s arrival in Mott’s Corners, and it was already a substantial tree by that time.

Obviously, there are many variables affecting the growth of the oak over time, and both my approach to measuring the tree and the application of Mitchell’s Rule are not precise either. I will point out however, that the hill slope that the tree stands on is southern facing, and anyone familiar with the home and land around it will know that the tree had ample access to water. In the Spring, a shallow stream on the surface of the ground would form to the east of the oak. In other words, the growing conditions in this area seem favorable.

Even if we assume that the diameter of the tree is closer to 4 feet, mitigating the measurement complications I mentioned, and use a much more conservative growth factor, say 3, this puts the approximate age at 144 years, which from the year I write this, 2023, would put the tree’s germination at 1879, the very year the Mills moved to Mott’s Corners.

The oak is on a part of the hill that is actually angled more toward Mills’ Store than the home.

Looking down on Mills’ Store and Mills’ Home from just beneath the oak:

As the photos indicate, another tree has fallen and presently still rests across the oak, and one of the oak’s main limbs (as well as a smaller one above it to the east) has also broken off and still lies on the slope below. I didn’t witness either event, nor did I hear them, but one day in the early 2010’s, Debbie Todi stopped by one day to tell me she had heard a very loud commotion on the hill that compelled her to come outside to see what had happened. I don’t recall which of the two events she was referring to.

It makes sense that this would be the first of the main branches to break. The hill is southern facing, and as the photographs will show, the branches are all reaching out over the slope for more light. The broken branch is the southern-most branch coming off the main trunk and the severity of its curve further testifies to the pressure it endured.

The broken branch rests on the ground beneath the oak. Although it has come to rest some distance down the slope away from where it initially broke, the perspective of the following two photos may give the impression it is farther away from the tree than it seems to be when you are actually looking at it.

More photos of the oak in various seasons.