Pat, It's entirely possible that my grandmother's parents had a cottage at Stony Island. I don't think my grandmother really talked about her childhood all that much with her children - they only know little stories here and there. It seems strange to me that my mother and her siblings never really asked her about her life as a little girl, but I guess it was considered intrusive back then. (They don't even know how their parents met!) My aunt came across the photographs of my grandmother entirely by accident - no one had ever seen them before. Do people swim in Lake Ontario? My grandmother was only 11 or 12 in the photos - I can't imagine her fishing, but you never know!! Do you know how far Stony Island is from Syracuse (where my grandmother grew up). I live down south and am not familiar with place locations in New York. Thanks! Shannon ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

on 23/06/2007 09:24 AM, Foon123@aol.com at Foon123@aol.com wrote: > Pat, > > It's entirely possible that my grandmother's parents had a cottage at Stony > Island. I don't think my grandmother really talked about her childhood all > that much with her children - they only know little stories here and there. > It seems strange to me that my mother and her siblings never really asked her > about her life as a little girl, but I guess it was considered intrusive back > then. (They don't even know how their parents met!) My aunt came across > the photographs of my grandmother entirely by accident - no one had ever seen > them before. > > Do people swim in Lake Ontario? My grandmother was only 11 or 12 in the > photos - I can't imagine her fishing, but you never know!! Do you know how > far > Stony Island is from Syracuse (where my grandmother grew up). I live down > south and am not familiar with place locations in New York. > > Thanks! > Shannon > > Stony Island sounds like it might be one of the ³1000 Islands² at the NE corner of Lake Ontario and extending down the St Lawrence River. If so, Stony Island would be approximately 70-100 miles from Syracuse. Not exactly a day trip from Syracuse during that era, but certainly possible as an extened stay (2 ­ 4 weeks, longer?) As for peple swimming in Lake Ontario, Yes! It has many thousands of camps and other public beaches along its shores. HTH. Regards, Arnold <><><><><<><><><><><><> Arrowhead Images <aepalmer@a-znet.com> <><><><><<><><><><><><> My family crest is a shield with a crossed knife and fork over a dinner plate.

Hi Shannon, Sure, people swim in Lake Ontario! There is Westcott Beach State Park on the shore just south of the Sacketts Harbor area in Jefferson County. http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=161 It has changed very little since I was a kid. I grew up in North Syracuse in Onondaga Co., and my family used to go there for weekend daytrips, picnics, and swimming back in the 1960s. Little did I know that in looking out into the water I was gazing toward the Galloo Islands offshore, where my great-great-grandparents lived 1869-1880. I never knew that until I started doing genealogy in the 1990s. Their story, at my website (see "Island Life"): http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mstone/lewishroberts3.htm People lived, fished, and vacationed all over the shoreline and islands of Lake Ontario. My bunch on the Big Galloo ended up in Watertown, NY (Jefferson Co.), and subsequent generations circulated between North Syracuse and the Watertown/Sackets Harbor area all the time (train travel between these places was so common back then). People in North Syracuse in earlier generations loved to go fishing all the time "up north." Many would rent "cottages" (rustic shacks) up there for their vacations, with the lucky ones wealthy enough to own their own cottages. I have old family photos over two or three generations documenting fishing/swimming trips to Sandy Pond (still a recreational area:) This website gives you a nice look at the area: http://www.sandypondresorts.com/ In the 1920s car travel became popular and my great-grandparents and their friends from the neighborhood and the Taft Grange began going to the north woods to fish and swim in car caravans of old Model As and Franklins instead of taking the trains. Hot stuff! Depending on what crowd you ran with, it seems life in Onondaga Co. certainly could include an intimate and familiar relationship with the local lake/island culture, including Lake Ontario, Oneida Lake, and all the way to the 1,000 Islands and the Adirondacks (I also have photos of g-grandparents' fishing trips to Moon Lake in St. Lawrence Co.). Of course, the nearest to Syracuse was Onondaga Lake, used for both industry (producing salt, and the home of the Solvay Process Company) and recreation (including 1900-era resorts/amusement parks like White City and Long Branch). By the 1960s that lake was so polluted nobody dared go into it anymore, but I think they have cleaned it up some since. Just some general history from a personal slant. --Michelle Foon123@aol.com wrote: > ... > > Do people swim in Lake Ontario? My grandmother was only 11 or 12 in the > photos - I can't imagine her fishing, but you never know!! Do you know how far > Stony Island is from Syracuse (where my grandmother grew up). I live down > south and am not familiar with place locations in New York. > > Thanks! > Shannon > > > >

----- Original Message ----- From: "M. Stone" <mstone@fisherstone.com> To: <nyononda@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, June 24, 2007 5:18 AM Subject: [NYONONDA] Fishing at Stony Island/area lake culture > Hi Shannon, > > Sure, people swim in Lake Ontario! There is Westcott Beach State Park on > the shore just south of the Sacketts Harbor area in Jefferson County. > http://nysparks.state.ny.us/parks/info.asp?parkID=161 > > It has changed very little since I was a kid. I grew up in North > Syracuse in Onondaga Co., and my family used to go there for weekend > daytrips, picnics, and swimming back in the 1960s. Little did I know > that in looking out into the water I was gazing toward the Galloo > Islands offshore, where my great-great-grandparents lived 1869-1880. I > never knew that until I started doing genealogy in the 1990s. > > Their story, at my website (see "Island Life"): > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~mstone/lewishroberts3.htm > > People lived, fished, and vacationed all over the shoreline and islands > of Lake Ontario. > > My bunch on the Big Galloo ended up in Watertown, NY (Jefferson Co.), > and subsequent generations circulated between North Syracuse and the > Watertown/Sackets Harbor area all the time (train travel between these > places was so common back then). > > People in North Syracuse in earlier generations loved to go fishing all > the time "up north." Many would rent "cottages" (rustic shacks) up there > for their vacations, with the lucky ones wealthy enough to own their own > cottages. I have old family photos over two or three generations > documenting fishing/swimming trips to Sandy Pond (still a recreational > area:) > > This website gives you a nice look at the area: > http://www.sandypondresorts.com/ > > In the 1920s car travel became popular and my great-grandparents and > their friends from the neighborhood and the Taft Grange began going to > the north woods to fish and swim in car caravans of old Model As and > Franklins instead of taking the trains. Hot stuff! > > Depending on what crowd you ran with, it seems life in Onondaga Co. > certainly could include an intimate and familiar relationship with the > local lake/island culture, including Lake Ontario, Oneida Lake, and all > the way to the 1,000 Islands and the Adirondacks (I also have photos of > g-grandparents' fishing trips to Moon Lake in St. Lawrence Co.). Of > course, the nearest to Syracuse was Onondaga Lake, used for both > industry (producing salt, and the home of the Solvay Process Company) > and recreation (including 1900-era resorts/amusement parks like White > City and Long Branch). By the 1960s that lake was so polluted nobody > dared go into it anymore, but I think they have cleaned it up some since. > > Just some general history from a personal slant. > > --Michelle > > > > > > Foon123@aol.com wrote: >> ... >> >> Do people swim in Lake Ontario? My grandmother was only 11 or 12 in the >> photos - I can't imagine her fishing, but you never know!! Do you know >> how far >> Stony Island is from Syracuse (where my grandmother grew up). I live >> down >> south and am not familiar with place locations in New York. >> >> Thanks! >> Shannon >> >> >> >> > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > NYONONDA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >