The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
COMBING THROUGH HISTORY
Madison County Historical Society begins cataloging items from closed group home
ONEIDA, N.Y. >> Though the Hazel L. Carpenter Adult Home has closed its doors, its history still remains, and is being uncovered by the Madison County Historical Society.
After more than 136 years assisting seniors of Madison County, the Hazel Carpenter Home started the process of closing its doors last year.
Eileen Kinsella, secretary of the board of managers, said to the Dispatch at the time that the Hazel Carpenter Board was working with the Madison County Historical Society to look at the records and documents kept over the years, some dating back to the late 1800s. On Wednesday, Aug. 7, historical society executive director Sydney Loftus came by to take a look.
“Ei leen has gone through a lot of this and there’s well- documented information in the minutes about the home itself and its residents,” Loftus said. “The Hazel Carpenter Home is an important part of this community’s fabric. They existed for senior
residents to come and live here. For us, this is valuable information for individuals wanting to learn about them.”
There is a lot of information to go through, Loftus said. “We’ll pour through these documents and arrange them in a way that will be readily available for researchers coming in. This will be a wealth of information for future generations.”
And current generations, as well. Kinsella said she received a call from a woman in Skaneateles who was doing genealogy research and was looking for her great-great-grandmother, whom she discovered was a resident of the Old Ladies Home of Madison County. “She knew the date of her death but didn’t know where she was buried,” Kinsella said. “I was able to find out when she came in and when she died. They had a funeral here in the parlor and that the body was released to a family in Georgetown.”
With that information, Kinsella said the woman was able to locate her grandmother’s grave.
Besides helping others, Kinsella said she has earned quite a bit going through old documents.
“I’ve gone through a lot of these books of minutes looking for certain items and getting a feel for how things were developed,” Kinsella said. “It’s very impressive when you think how these women from all over the county would have a monthly meeting in Oneida, faithfully attending without telephone or email. Looking at the minutes, they were very dedicated and I don’t even see where they canceled a meeting. It must have been just Herculean that these ladies were driven to do this.”
Among other items Kinsella had been looking at included a book containing the memorial gifts made by people in the community.
“They start in 1889,” Kinsella said. “This in itself is interesting. There’s a whole story here.”
In the book, Kinsella made a startling discovery about the Hazel Carpenter’s home namesake.
“I had always thought Hazel Carpenter was just a beloved board president, but she had some assets and was a major contributor,” Kinsella said. “It gives me a whole different perspective. Shewas a lot more than a beloved board president, she gave a lot.”
Carpenter had left around $170,000 to The Old Ladies Home of Madison County in the 1970s when she passed. The name was changed to the Hazel L. Carpenter Adult Home in 1981. Carpenter was board president for several years and was involved in several key advancements and changes through her tenure.
Loftus said there are a lot of documents the Historical Society is excited to have and even just a placard for a room dedication can raise interesting questions. “Furnished by the Main Street Luncheon Club and John Maxwell, they furnished rooms,” Loftus said as she examined the contents of one box. “The local community was very supportive.”
“‘The King’s Daughters’ Circle’,” Loftus read aloud, examining a placard. Loftus said she had no idea who the King’s Daughters’ Circle was. “I find that fascinating and would like to know who they are,” she said.
Included in one box was a cut-out of a Dispatch article dating Dec. 20, 1961 with the headline “Residents knit mittens for needy at Christmas.”
“Miss Edith Lawrence, a resident of the Old Ladies Home of Madison County, has been knitting mittens for the Family Service Agency for over 10 years,” the article read. “She has averaged 60 pairs of mittens each year and so far this year she has made 61 pairs... The mittens Miss Lawrence knits are distributed to volunteer workers of the Family Service Agency, who in turn give them to children of needy families.”
Other documents included the board constitution and by-laws, tax information, minutes and more that Loftus said offer interesting insights into the history of the Hazel Carpenter Home and the time.
Among other things Loftus is interested in include the time capsule interred upon the home’s original building. In 1914, a box containing the names of the board of managers, building committee, building subscribers and present residents was put inside the structure of the reception room’s fireplace and sealed behind a marble hearthstone.
Kinsella said she is currently looking into finding a professional who can remove the stonework and access the time capsule behind the hearthstone.
Until then, there are weeks worth of documents to go through and history to catalog.
“As we get into this collection more and more, we may come across more things that tell of the people who lived here,” Loftus said. “Being able to tell that story, that’s what history is all about.”