Goose Island

It's not on the map anymore.  In 1802, it became South Lima, New York.  At one point it was called Hamilton Station, that's when there was a train up to Rochester running through. It's near Bronson Hill, which is technically in Avon.  It's all so confusing because New York state was just getting started. Nobody knew what to call anything. The Seneca had their names for places, and some of them stuck. Conesus. Geneseo. Canandaigua. 

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OK we're still underground. Worm's eye POV.  Notice that the soil feels extra moist. This area used to be swamp. Geese loved it here. We're bumping into other worms, chunks of old glacier, composted vegetation, here a potato, there a carrot, then smack dab into an extra large onion. The size of root vegetables grown in this neck of the woods became postcardworthy. They owed it all to goose dung, the magic ingredient. 
 
Henry Osborne raised children as well as potatoes.  By 1871, the year my great-grandfather entered the picture, Henry had seven children already. He was in his fifties. He'd been farming his 3.5 acres for 30 years. Three daughters were still living at home. So was his wife.  So was the mother of my great-grandfather, not his wife.

Mucking about in the past

In 1852, Henry Osborne had been living in Goose Island, a village founded on goose dung (muck, as they called it), for at least 12 years. Then the Erie railroad built a depot there.

He was farming the right place at the right time. Goose Island (later Hamilton Station, later South Lima) became the heart of the local economy. "More carloads of produce were shipped from South Lima in a year than from any other place between Rochester and Elmira." (Livonia History)

In old newspapers at FultonHistory.com, I've found one mention of Henry.

Henry Osborn of Livonia Center raised 71.5 lbs of White Star potatoes from 1 lb. of seed. Good!

                 The Mount Morris Union, Thursday Oct 18, 1883

"Good!" I love that. Short and sweet.

Onions were the main crop until 1894. Then they went to town with celery. The details of root vegetable cultivation in South Lima NY in the 19th century are pretty fascinating, and not entirely off the subject. I've been curious about how Henry supported all those children, his sickly wife, his mother, and a "mistress" on 3.5 acres of land in a house the size of today's garage.

It was the local dirt.

When they went to town

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In the 1850's, when the railroad came to Livonia, it missed the center of town. Therefore, the town of Livonia moved closer to the train. Thereafter, Livonia Center, no longer the center of town, was known as Livonia Center and the business end of town was Livonia.

Looks like car day.

Where Commercial Street crossed Big Tree Street, we lived down the hill three houses. I remember because I was learning to count. I had the run of the neighborhood, which I enjoyed because everyone adored me. Everyone knew me because they knew my father, my grandfather, my great-grandfather, and my great-great-grandfather. I was Livonia royalty. 


Here's our car in front of our house on our street.

Conesus Lake

As regional manager of the Rochester Ice Company, my grandfather, Harry Osborn, peddled ice to homes all around Conesus Lake. He also owned a farm at the foot of the lake, in Lakeville, NY. The Lakeview Fur Farm. He raised mink, turkey, my father, and my aunt.

This is the house that Harry built. He had help from his brother-in-law, Harold Harvey. This was my first home.

That would be Harry, mowing off to the left. Supervising, his daughter Rae and his first grandchild, Charles Thomas.

When they went to the fair

For four generations, from 1840 to 1950 Henry's sons, grandsons, a great-grandson, and a great-great granddaughter lived between Conesus and Hemlock, the two westernmost Finger Lakes.

Hemlock was once known as Slab City, which was mercifully changed to something lovelier that celebrated trees. It was a happening little village at the north end of Hemlock Lake, south of Livonia Center. It was regionally famous for its World's Fair.

My father, Charles, was born in this house in Hemlock on June 30, 1917.