Rochester, Monroe, NY Democrat & Chronicle Sat May 31, 1902 AT PALMYRA Memorial Day was appropriately observed in Palmyra yesterday and there was a large crowd in town all day. The morning was devoted to decorating the soldiers' and sailors' graves at the village cemetery under the auspices of Comrade W. W. WILLIAMSON, George RAY, Joseph TRUAX, W. BUSHNELL and C. H. VEDDER. In the afternoon the services began promptly at 2 o'clock, when the large parade, composed of the G. A. R. Post, the Hook and Ladder Company, the Sexton Hose and the Steamer and Hose Company, a delegation of school children, the members of the village board of trustees, the town board, the clergy and other prominent village officials, headed by the Palmyra Military Band, marched to the cemetery, where a short service was held by the G. A. R. Post. The procession then marched back to the Opera House, where the Memorial Day address was delivered by Hon. Amasa PARKER of Auburn. The Opera House was crowded with spectators and the speaker's address was listened to with a good deal of attention. ** AT SODUS The heavy rain yesterday depressed the old veterans in Sodus, but they donned their rubber coats and boots and visited the various cemeteries in town. The members of A. D. Shaw Post, of Alton, sent delegations to the cemeteries in the eastern part of the town; and the cemeteries in the western part of the town were decorated by committee from Dwight Post, No. 109, G. A. R. The exercises in Sodus village were conducted at the opera house, Colonel Samuel McAULIFF, of Rochester, delivering the address. The house was well filled, and handsomely decorated. At Alton the exercises were held in Rowland Hall, the speaker being Colonel Anson WOOD, past department commander of the state Grand Army of the Republic, of Wolcott. The Sodus Point band furnished the music. A short literary and musical programme was rendered. It was the first observance of Memorial Day under the direction of A. D. Shaw Post, which was instituted last fall. There was a scarcity of flowers this year. ** HURON AND WOLCOTT Keesler Post, of Wolcott, had charge of the exercises at both Huron and Wolcott villages. At the former place the exercises in the morning were as follows: Music; prayer, by the chaplain; address, commander; reading or orders, adjutant; music, address, Rev. Charles T. SHAW, pastor of the Wolcott Presbyterian Church; singing, "America;" benediction. At Wolcott the following programme was rendered at 1:30 P. M., in the First Methodist Episcopal Church; Singing, male quartette; prayer, Rev. G. E. HUTCHINGS; reading of orders, adjutant; music; address, Hon. S. Nelson SAWYER, County Judge and Surrogate; singing, "America;" benediction, Rev. Charles T. SHAW. Exercises at the cemeteries were carried out under difficulties because of the rain. ** AT CLYDE Snedaker Post, No. 173, G. A. R., of Clyde, carried out its programme for the observance of Memorial Day in full and the old soldiers turned out in goodly numbers to honor the memory of their dead comrades. The G. A. R. was joined by the Sons of Veterans and Spanish war veterans who lent their aid in celebrating the occasion. A parade was given at 1:30 P. M., the order of march ending at the Baptist Church where the Memorial Day address was made by Rev. Matthew GAFFNEY, of Williamson. After the exercises the line re-formed and marched to the G. A. R. Hall on Columbia, where a banquet was spread by the ladies. ** LIVINGSTON Parade and Music, Baseball and a Patriotic Address at Dansville Decoration Day was appropriately observed in Dansville yesterday. A committee of old soldiers, appointed by the G. A. R., went to Greenmount cemetery and decorated the graves of the deceased boys in blue. This committee left at 10 o'clock in the forenoon. After dinner the soldiers collected on Main street in front of their rooms and, led by Jenks's martial Band, marched to the soldiers' monument on Ossian street, where services were held by the ritual. Thence the column marched back to Main street, up Main street, to Exchange street, and from there to the Heckman Opera House, where a long programme was rendered. The Dansville Orchestral Society, which has just been organized, furnished the instrumental music in the opera house. It was organized by Alonzo JENKS, the director, and has a membership of twenty-one. The vocal music was furnished by the male chorus. This is composed of fourteen members and was organized for the occasion. In the afternoon the Dansville Gun Club held a short, and immediately following the exercises in the opera house a game of ball was played between the Corning High School baseball team and the team of the Dansville High School. In the evening at the exercises held at the M. E. Church Hon. A. J. WHITEMAN delivered a patriotic address. ** AT LIVONIA Decoration Day was celebrated in Livonia with earnestness, spirit and patriotic loyalty. The E. S. Gilbert Post, G. A. R., had all the details so fittingly arranged that the detail work took less time than usual, making the special services unusually interesting. Headed by the Castile Band the Civil war veterans marched from their headquarters, followed by Protective and Hook and Ladder Fire companies to Trescott Hall, where a packed audience awaited them. Seated on the rostrum at the head of his little company, Commander Harvey B. STEDMAN called on Adjutant Gerald BLAKE to read the general orders received from Albany, and then, after reading the balance of the opening exercises, called on Rev. Mr. SEARLES, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, to invoke the Divine blessing. The event of the day was the address by Rev. M. CROCKER, pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Livonia Center. After dismissal the companies formed in line of march through the village to Union cemetery where fifty-four graves were suitably and reverently decorated. Committees of the post had already visited eight other burial places situated in five different towns, honoring the resting places of 164 fellow heroes in all. The day was cold and cloudy with no rain. ** AT SPRINGWATER The Memorial Day programme, as previously arranged, was carried out in detail at Springwater, and with fine weather a large crowd was in attendance. The exercises were held in Concert Hall, the interior of which had been beautified with flags and an abundance of wild flowers and potted plants. Promptly at 1:30 o'clock in the afternoon William B. Hazen Post, G. A. R., No. 518, filed from their hall and marched to Main street, where they met the local lodges of Odd Fellows and Knights of the Maccabees, who had turned out of their respective lodge rooms at the same time, and were to attend at the invitation of the G. A. R. From the four corners the line passed to the Empire House, where the speaker was met and escorted to the hall. The post, with nearly a full membership present, occupied seats on the platform, while the fraternal orders took front seats in the body of the hall. After a short ritual service by the G. A. R. and prayer by Rev. P. p. SOWERS, the commander, Robert H. WILEY, announced that their intended orator of the day, Hon. J. M. STULL of Rochester, had been unable to present, and introduced in his stea? Eugene DWYER, also of Rochester. Mr. DWYER held the close attention of this large audience for the space of an hour, delivering a strong and one of the most interesting discourses which the people of Springwater have heard on a similar occasion in years. At the conclusion of the services in the hall the parade was formed on Mill street and moved to mount Vernon Evergreen cemetery, where the impressive memorial service of the G. A. R. was carried out and the graves of their dead comrades suitably strewn with flowers and marked by a new flag, and a plot was marked by a wreath and flag as usual for the dead in unknown Southern graves. Committees of veterans had previously visited thirteen outlying cemeteries coming under the jurisdiction of this post and similarly decorated the graves of about 115 soldier dead, among which are those of one Revolutionary soldier and two who served their country in 1812. ** Find ALL of the News Abstracts for Monroe Co., NY at http://www.newspaperabstracts.com/NY/Monroe/index.html -- GjS