I am searching for any info on James Merton b. abt 1894 in Ontario, Canada. Sometime after world war 1 he moved for a time to Niagara Falls, New York where he at least 2 children that I know of. Some time after this he moved back to Ontario. I am trying to find out who his birth parents were. He was taken in at some point by his uncle an Arthur Mutton. I know that he had at least 1 sibling living in I believe the Niagara area. Any info would be appreciated. thanks ... dawn

Sounds grand to me. Just a word of advice, do it during the warm summer months if at all possible. We did our dedication in Nov, probably for Veterans Day, and it was cold enough to--------- well use your imagination and the wind blew so loud you couldn't hear the speakers even though they had a speaker system in place. Everyone was just glad to get inside for refreshments and get out of the wind. Ruth At 8:53 PM -0500 3/5/04, Vee L. Housman wrote: >Dear Folks, > >This is an update on the progress of my veterans project. I've just >recently updated the list of our Town of Porter veterans that now includes >1,077 name. I burned the list onto a CD and this past Tuesday I took the >CD over to the Youngstown Village Clerk's office because Mayor Riordon was >anxious to see the list because he has plans for a veterans memorial of >some sort during the village's sesquicentennial celebration this year. I >explained to the Village Clerk that the list encompasses the entire Town >of Porter and that there was no way to extract only those names who served >with a Youngstown connection. She realized that it might prove to be a >problem but she went along with it anyway and would print out the entire >list as the mayor had requested. > >I then took a duplicate CD of all the information and went to the Town of >Porter Supervisor's office at the Town Hall and gave him a long overdue >update on the project. I told him that I felt that an all-name list be >displayed at the Town Hall in some fashion but due to budget restraints, I >knew that the town couldn't afford a very expensive "Vietnam Wall" sort of >display on the front lawn of the Town Hall. My only low-budget suggestion >was a simple listing of all the names and what wars they served in and >displayed on a number of framed panels to be hung conspicuously in the >entry hallway of the Town Hall. The Town Supervisor is all for it. > >Now here's where it gets a bit interesting. Mayor Riordon called me today >to thank me for the information that I had provided him with and to let me >know what he intends to do with the entire list of veterans. First of all >he described to me what he and the village are planning as a proper >veterans memorial and dedication. There will be a large boulder placed >conspicuously in Veterans Park in Youngstown with a proper bronze plaque >on it dedicated to all our veterans. There will be a 40-foot flagpole >erected that will be flood-lit 24/7. In addition there will be a >three-sided kiosk that will list ALL the names from my Town of Porter >veterans list. > >On the day of the dedication of the memorial, there will be a ceremony >that will start out at our 1812 Cemetery near Old Fort Niagara. There >will be a bugler to play the national anthem and taps. In addition there >will be a Highland Regiment of bagpipers to play Amazing Grace. Wreaths >will be laid. At the end of the ceremony at the cemetery there will be >military vehicles to transport those veterans who attend the ceremony >(note: the Army will also throw in a tank!) back to Veterans Park. The >entourage will meet up at the park where the dedication ceremony of the >memorial will take place. > >After the ceremony, the entourage will continue on to the VFW Post a >couple of blocks away where refreshments will be served while the >bagpipers continue to wail away! > >Now if that ain't a proper salute and acknowledgment to all the local >veterans who served in any war since the history of our country, I don't >know what is. > >vee -- Ruth Barton [email protected] Dummerston, VT

Dear Folks, This is an update on the progress of my veterans project. I've just recently updated the list of our Town of Porter veterans that now includes 1,077 name. I burned the list onto a CD and this past Tuesday I took the CD over to the Youngstown Village Clerk's office because Mayor Riordon was anxious to see the list because he has plans for a veterans memorial of some sort during the village's sesquicentennial celebration this year. I explained to the Village Clerk that the list encompasses the entire Town of Porter and that there was no way to extract only those names who served with a Youngstown connection. She realized that it might prove to be a problem but she went along with it anyway and would print out the entire list as the mayor had requested. I then took a duplicate CD of all the information and went to the Town of Porter Supervisor's office at the Town Hall and gave him a long overdue update on the project. I told him that I felt that an all-name list be displayed at the Town Hall in some fashion but due to budget restraints, I knew that the town couldn't afford a very expensive "Vietnam Wall" sort of display on the front lawn of the Town Hall. My only low-budget suggestion was a simple listing of all the names and what wars they served in and displayed on a number of framed panels to be hung conspicuously in the entry hallway of the Town Hall. The Town Supervisor is all for it. Now here's where it gets a bit interesting. Mayor Riordon called me today to thank me for the information that I had provided him with and to let me know what he intends to do with the entire list of veterans. First of all he described to me what he and the village are planning as a proper veterans memorial and dedication. There will be a large boulder placed conspicuously in Veterans Park in Youngstown with a proper bronze plaque on it dedicated to all our veterans. There will be a 40-foot flagpole erected that will be flood-lit 24/7. In addition there will be a three-sided kiosk that will list ALL the names from my Town of Porter veterans list. On the day of the dedication of the memorial, there will be a ceremony that will start out at our 1812 Cemetery near Old Fort Niagara. There will be a bugler to play the national anthem and taps. In addition there will be a Highland Regiment of bagpipers to play Amazing Grace. Wreaths will be laid. At the end of the ceremony at the cemetery there will be military vehicles to transport those veterans who attend the ceremony (note: the Army will also throw in a tank!) back to Veterans Park. The entourage will meet up at the park where the dedication ceremony of the memorial will take place. After the ceremony, the entourage will continue on to the VFW Post a couple of blocks away where refreshments will be served while the bagpipers continue to wail away! Now if that ain't a proper salute and acknowledgment to all the local veterans who served in any war since the history of our country, I don't know what is. vee

Evelyn, My Mom used to say this also. Although I never, thankfully, had any first hand knowledge of them they are apparently real. My dictionary says they are small, wingless, biting insects that infect beds. It doesn't say what they are but I assume they are some sort of louse. I recall a young lady telling of going on her honeymoon in the mid 50s and the first night they stopped at some cabins in rural NH and when they got into bed the bedbugs bit so they had to get up and move on to another place to spend the night. Quite the wedding night!! Ruth At 8:45 AM -0800 3/4/04, evelyn b cooper wrote: >Good Morning Folks, > >The other evening an E-mail friend sent me a cute note on which she added >"Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite". This brought me back to my >childhood, so I wrote back how I remembered as a small child being told >that at bedtime. Mom or dad would pull the covers way back making sure >there were no bed bugs before I climbed into bed. During the winter >months mom would place a hot water bottle there so as to warm up the end >of the bed. But I wouldn't put my little feet down there, no way - warm >or not. I didn't want those bed bugs to bite my toes. Maybe that's how >I learned to sleep in the near fetal position. Hahaha! [Note: Now days >its flat on my back with multiple pillows under my knees] You see I >actually saw those yucky bugs on occasion, so they were a real danger, >not the monster under the bed like children believe today. > >Anyway I wrote that perhaps it was because the house my family lived in >(from 1940 the year I was born to1951) was over a hundred years old. An >old two story farmhouse heated by a coal furnace, with a cistern in the >dark spidery basement. No modern improvements as I recall because there >was a well pump outside the kitchen door, and a pump for the kitchen >sink; one of those big wood burning cook stoves (where mom placed a >round, galvanized tub on two kitchen chairs at bath time), an icebox (but >not in the kitchen), and a two seater outhouse. Maybe my bed was that >old too - yikes!! Bugs!!! > >Perhaps some of you remember those "bed bugs". Wonder what kind they >really were, and if they did bite. Ooh, shutter, shiver!! > >Even with these childhood memories, looking back I view them with much >warmth. > >Have a wonderful day > >Evelyn in Colorado > >________________________________________________________________ >The best thing to hit the Internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! >Surf the Web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! >Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! -- Ruth Barton [email protected] Dummerston, VT

Dear Folks, I'm really bleary eyed right now but I'll make a last ditch attempt to finish up the job I started earlier this evening. It had bugged me that I still had leftovers to file that I inherited as the new Town of Porter Historian last year in January. So I sorted it all out filed everything as best as I could but I came across some newspaper articles that have nothing to do with Town of Porter. They concern Niagara Falls and I would guess they were all vintage WWII. None of the clippings have dates on them. So before I throw them in the trash (gasp!) I want to share the basic information with you in the event that you would want me to send you the clippings. So here goes. Marriage of Barbara L. Abbott, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harland E. Abbott to John Edward McLean, son of Mrs. Charles McLean. Wounded Sergeant Returns. Master Sgt. Lenton Taylor, 49, of Niagara Falls is among 600 wounded soldiers to arrive here from Euroe Captain Robert R. Scott, son of Frederick W. Scott and husband of Mrs. Stuart Scott promoted to Captain. Six in Family Serving Country, children of Mr. and Mrs. John Carlo. They are Carmela, Samuel, Dominick, Orlando, Ubaldo and Olympio. This has a Wilson, NY, connection. Mr.and Mrs. Elton Armstrong of Wilson observed their 25th wedding anniversary. If anyone would like me to mail any of the clippings off to you, let me know. I'll hold on to them for a limited time. Say goodnight Vee! vee

Dear Evelyn, et al: I remember that saying, too, but I never saw the creepy things myself! I loath bugs of any kind, but spiders don't bother me that much. When we had a nice warm spell a week ago, the box elder bugs came out, my cat had fun chasing them. He'll try and catch flies, too! We had a pretty nice house back in the 50's, but whenever we went to visit my mom's parents in Kansas, they had the pump in the kitchen sink, and there was a pump outside, but no outhouse, tho. Grandpa used to tell us kids stories about the days of outhouses, he was in one at one time, and my uncle pulled a prank on him and tipped the outhouse over! Needless to say, someone went to bed without dinner that night! Kim

Hi Penny - You just described my house! We don't use the pump outside, and we do have a real refridgerator. :-D We replaced the furnace with hot water heating, but there isn't any way to get rid of that cistern. I think the house might fall down if we did! I think the root cellar holds up the front porch... Kathy <<Not sure how old our farm was but know that it was bought by my great grandmother. We had a coal furnace, cisten in the cellar with a root cellar as well where My Grandmother kept all the veggies in dirt and all the canned goodies on shelves that were so full of everything you could think of. The well pump outside, pump in the kitchen, icebox in the kitchen. We were one of the lucky families with an indoor bathroom. >>

Hi Evelyn, I too alos remember abt bed bugs. My grandmother always said that at bed time and I for some reason did the same to my children. How old habits die hard Not sure how old our farm was butn know that it was bought by my great grandmother. We had a coal furnace, cisten in the cellar with a root cellar as well where My Grandmother kept all the veggies in dirt and all the canned goodies on shelves that were so full of everything you could think of. The well pump outside, pump in the kitchen, icebox in the kitchen. We were one of the lucky families with an indoor bathroom. Altho to get to the cellar had to go through the bathroom. What great memories. We never locked our doors, I could play outside way after dark. Things you wouldn't here of today. Penny NY

Evelyn, The description of your childhood home sounds very much like our house in Michigan. It was at least 100 years old when we lived in it. We had a cellar with a cistern, rows of canned goods on the wooden shelves, a bin with apples on one side and potatoes on the opposite side. The apples each had to be wrapped in newspaper so they'd last all winter. I decided, as a teen ager, I wanted my bedroom painted instead of wallpapered. I began scraping off a small section of wallpaper, layer after layer until I finally reached the wall. When there, I had to paste the wallpaper back over the section as the plaster was crumbling underneath. The only thing holding up the plastered walls was the multiple layers of wallpaper! Faith

Evelyn, I used to hear that too! And maybe it why I used to dream that there were spiders in my bed!! Ugh! I still say that to the dogs when I say good nite to them......Ah, old habits die hard.............. :-) Jo in Michigan ----- Original Message ----- From: "evelyn b cooper" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, March 04, 2004 11:45 AM Subject: [FOLKS] Bed Bugs > Good Morning Folks, > > The other evening an E-mail friend sent me a cute note on which she added > "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite". This brought me back to my > childhood, so I wrote back how I remembered as a small child being told > that at bedtime. Mom or dad would pull the covers way back making sure > there were no bed bugs before I climbed into bed. During the winter > months mom would place a hot water bottle there so as to warm up the end > of the bed. But I wouldn't put my little feet down there, no way - warm > or not. I didn't want those bed bugs to bite my toes. Maybe that's how > I learned to sleep in the near fetal position. Hahaha! [Note: Now days > its flat on my back with multiple pillows under my knees] You see I > actually saw those yucky bugs on occasion, so they were a real danger, > not the monster under the bed like children believe today. > > Anyway I wrote that perhaps it was because the house my family lived in > (from 1940 the year I was born to1951) was over a hundred years old. An > old two story farmhouse heated by a coal furnace, with a cistern in the > dark spidery basement. No modern improvements as I recall because there > was a well pump outside the kitchen door, and a pump for the kitchen > sink; one of those big wood burning cook stoves (where mom placed a > round, galvanized tub on two kitchen chairs at bath time), an icebox (but > not in the kitchen), and a two seater outhouse. Maybe my bed was that > old too - yikes!! Bugs!!! > > Perhaps some of you remember those "bed bugs". Wonder what kind they > really were, and if they did bite. Ooh, shutter, shiver!! > > Even with these childhood memories, looking back I view them with much > warmth. > > Have a wonderful day > > Evelyn in Colorado > > ________________________________________________________________ > The best thing to hit the Internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! > Surf the Web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! > Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! > >

Good Morning Folks, The other evening an E-mail friend sent me a cute note on which she added "Sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite". This brought me back to my childhood, so I wrote back how I remembered as a small child being told that at bedtime. Mom or dad would pull the covers way back making sure there were no bed bugs before I climbed into bed. During the winter months mom would place a hot water bottle there so as to warm up the end of the bed. But I wouldn't put my little feet down there, no way - warm or not. I didn't want those bed bugs to bite my toes. Maybe that's how I learned to sleep in the near fetal position. Hahaha! [Note: Now days its flat on my back with multiple pillows under my knees] You see I actually saw those yucky bugs on occasion, so they were a real danger, not the monster under the bed like children believe today. Anyway I wrote that perhaps it was because the house my family lived in (from 1940 the year I was born to1951) was over a hundred years old. An old two story farmhouse heated by a coal furnace, with a cistern in the dark spidery basement. No modern improvements as I recall because there was a well pump outside the kitchen door, and a pump for the kitchen sink; one of those big wood burning cook stoves (where mom placed a round, galvanized tub on two kitchen chairs at bath time), an icebox (but not in the kitchen), and a two seater outhouse. Maybe my bed was that old too - yikes!! Bugs!!! Perhaps some of you remember those "bed bugs". Wonder what kind they really were, and if they did bite. Ooh, shutter, shiver!! Even with these childhood memories, looking back I view them with much warmth. Have a wonderful day Evelyn in Colorado ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the Internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the Web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!

Vee: That sounds like quite an undertaking. While I do have veterans in the Civil War, I don't have any who lived in the Town of Porter. And I agree that vets haven't been properly acknowledged as they should be. What a great piece of history that would be when finished! Kim

Faith: That could be, but she did mention once about going somewhere in a sleigh, how fun would that be? And when she lived on Staten Island in 1860, she took the ferry to New York several times. Kim

Ruth: You can do it! There were many days when I didn't want to read anymore of Phoebe's diaries, it seemed there were so many infant deaths, I didn't want to hear of another, but I kept going, thanks to the encouragement of Vee and everyone else on this list. I'm also on that Saratoga CO list, and I agree with you about them being name only lists. There were times when I felt sad that I never met Phoebe, I would have really loved to have known her. Phoebe's brother, Fitzer was a Capt. in the 2nd Mounted Rifles, and he was killed in I believe June, 1864. All three of Phoebe's brothers were killed one after the other in the Civil War. Kim

Ruth, I would really appreciate receiving a picture of the monument. Also if you can tell me how many names are on it I'd be interested in that also. Thanks vee ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ruth Barton" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, March 01, 2004 11:19 AM Subject: Re: [FOLKS] My veterans project > Vee, This sounds like a real project. In the neighboring town of Putney, > VT, which celebrated it's 250th last year, they got together the names of > all the veterans of all wars and now have a large granite monument on the > front lawn of the Town Hall with all the names on it. I'll have to take a > picture of it and send to you. This town had had a wooden plaque with WWII > names on it but nobody knows what happened to it, probably somebody used it > for firewood at some point. I don't know how much info they collected > about these veterans, if it was just names or more info, I'll have to ask. > Ruth > > > > > At 1:11 AM -0500 3/1/04, Vee L. Housman wrote: > >Dear Folks, > > > >I know that I had mentioned to you over a year ago in November around > >Veterans Day 2002 that I was determined to collect all of the names of the > >veterans who had ever served in the military in any war or peace time > >whatsoever and the only criteria is that at some point they either resided > >or now reside or were eventually buried in the Town of Porter, Niagara > >Co., NY. What I wanted was to have an all-name list of those of us > >veterans who had served from the Revolutionary War up to those who are > >still on active duty. > -- > Ruth Barton > [email protected] > Dummerston, VT >

Keep going Ruth. I know what you mean by mourning the loss of Luther. I've had those feeling a number of times. Hang in there kid. You owe it to Luther. vee ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ruth Barton" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Monday, March 01, 2004 1:57 AM Subject: Re: [FOLKS] Civil War Letters > I am about a third of the way through transcribing the letters. Mr. Ayer > very kindly sent be a bunch of info about Luther and his Regt, which he was > obviously very attached to. Mr. Ayer inadvertantly rather spoiled things > for me by telling me that Luther was killed in May 1863, when the last > letter is dated. I had purposely not read ahead as I had the feeling > Luther was killed and I really didn't want to know. Today I have been > feeling rather down, I think I am mourning the loss of Luther. Somebody > give me a kick in the pants to get me started again will you. > > I subbed to the Saratoga list but I think it is one of those dead, in name > only, lists as I haven't heard a peep from them all day. I will just have > to search and see if Saratoga Springs has a Historical Soc and library and > go over and see for myself. If you want it done right you have to do it > yourself, I guess. Ruth >

On Mon, 1 Mar 2004 07:18:20 -0700 "Faith Hutchings" <[email protected]> writes: > Charles says "no snakes." That's one thing we know about here in > Arizona, > too. If folks here have horse barns, they keep several cats living > in and > around them. That keeps the rattlers away! > > Faith > > > I understand that early Arizonans had many cats to help get rid of the scorpions because cats weren't affected by scorpion bites. While I lived in the Phoenix area with my indoor cats, I was told this by the maintenance man. A bit reassuring since every so often I'd find one of those creepy guys in my apartment. Evelyn in Colorado > ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the Internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the Web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!

Vee, This sounds like a real project. In the neighboring town of Putney, VT, which celebrated it's 250th last year, they got together the names of all the veterans of all wars and now have a large granite monument on the front lawn of the Town Hall with all the names on it. I'll have to take a picture of it and send to you. This town had had a wooden plaque with WWII names on it but nobody knows what happened to it, probably somebody used it for firewood at some point. I don't know how much info they collected about these veterans, if it was just names or more info, I'll have to ask. Ruth At 1:11 AM -0500 3/1/04, Vee L. Housman wrote: >Dear Folks, > >I know that I had mentioned to you over a year ago in November around >Veterans Day 2002 that I was determined to collect all of the names of the >veterans who had ever served in the military in any war or peace time >whatsoever and the only criteria is that at some point they either resided >or now reside or were eventually buried in the Town of Porter, Niagara >Co., NY. What I wanted was to have an all-name list of those of us >veterans who had served from the Revolutionary War up to those who are >still on active duty. -- Ruth Barton [email protected] Dummerston, VT

Charles says "no snakes." That's one thing we know about here in Arizona, too. If folks here have horse barns, they keep several cats living in and around them. That keeps the rattlers away! Faith

Re: Traveling distances in Phoebe's time. Phoebe might not have traveled by horse and wagon/carriage. I think the canal was completed at the time of Phoebe's diary, right? If so, she may have traveled via the Erie Canal. Otherwise, there were more trains in those days. Many of those trains and tracks have disappeared today. Faith