December 30, 2016 A Word About Sources

A good historical article will hopefully share new insight into some facet of history but also where the information originated. In preparing the Snippet items for this blog, I was fortunate to have many wonderful resources. Today, as an additional lead-in to the 2017 series, I’d like to highlight a few of them. References to these sources will also be a part of the individual snippet items.

Before I begin discussing the different sources, let me remind everyone that these sources are open to the public. If you spot something in a Snippet that inspires you to do more of your own research, please contact me or a volunteer at the Interlaken Historical Society so we can help you find out more or add a photo to your project.

If, on the other hand, you realize that in your attic, basement, closet, you have items that “should be somewhere useful” again, contact the Society as we are always seeking to add to the collection. Who knows, that batch of photos from a 1950 event may fill in a gap that others can use.  [museum@interlakenhistory.org]

Between the Lakes, A Newsletter of the Interlaken Historical Society, first published in January 1975. The quarterly newsletter includes information on the upcoming program, local events, and historical features. I’ve found many wonderful articles or ideas for articles in these old volumes. Several people have kept all of their issues, often in a binder or folder, with their families passing them on to the Society.

Between the Lakes, The History of South Seneca County 1976 A Town of Covert Bicentennial project. For the nation’s bicentennial, Mr. Patterson (as some of us will always call him with great respect) created this volume, collecting and editing many articles about the history of our area dating from the “beginning of time” or at least the settlement of this area. Dates, photos and ideas have been drawn from here. In a few cases, “the rest of the story” will hopefully bring background or follow-up on something discussed.

Early History of Covert Seneca County, compiled by Wayne E. Morrison, Sr., (1983.) This book on the Town of Covert gives ideas to be used, or in at least one case, was used by others, and I’ve tried to add a bit more to the story. This volume also has pictures that can’t be found in other collections.  

Paper Files, Interlaken Historical Society Many years ago members began collecting newspaper articles for the Society. These articles were placed in folders with headings so that they could be reviewed. As time went by the need to better preserve these items became apparent, and the paper file project took off. Ann Buddle and others spent many hours creating an index to the articles, placing each item between sheets of acid free paper, or copying the items onto acid free paper. Today, these files are housed in two file cabinet drawers, and there is a database to make searching easier. Some items have dates on them while a few do not, which means research time is needed to correctly date and note the original source (Interlaken Review, Ovid Gazette, etc.). That process can be enjoyable and frustrating at the same time.

Town of Covert Board Meeting Minutes and Village of Interlaken Board Meeting Minutes. These items can be searched either at the respective offices, or via microfilm at the Interlaken Public Library. Indexes to at least part of the minutes are also available. Extracts from these minutes were used to highlight several of the Snippet items.

The Interlaken Review, Ovid Gazette and Trumansburg Free Press are the main local weekly newspapers, dating back in one form or another to the early 1820s. These were microfilmed many years ago, and then for several summers high school youth read the Farmer Review and Interlaken Review, and later other volunteers read the Ovid Bee and Independent and Ovid Gazette, creating indexing worksheets. Another young lady, also working through the summer work force development program, input the data (mostly births, deaths, marriages, and a few other highlights) into a database. There are printed copies of the indexes in the local library and at the South Seneca School libraries.

Going one step further, Tom Tryniski of Fulton, NY, created www.fultonhistory.com, and the Interlaken Historical Society was invited to have our microfilms for the Review and Gazette scanned and placed in the collection of on-line newspapers. Not only does this make all of those newspapers available through the web, but the software also searches for the words to help find the little pieces which the Historical Society index can’t do.

Photograph Collection of the Interlaken Historical Society. There are over 2,300 photographs in the Society collection. Mostly black and white photos, and yes, some were duplicated within the collection. They have been indexed both as paper cards and as a searchable database. The Society has enjoyed an excellent working relationship with the Seneca County Work Force Development program; one of our projects was to scan the collection at 200 dpi as a ready reference. You will see many of these photos, re-scanned at 600 dpi used throughout the series.

Glass Plate Photographs Arch Chadwick and others took photographs on glass, and there are 1,100 of these glass plate negatives in the Society collection. They were saved from destruction and a project completed in 2016 scanned them for preservation. Work is being done to also restore the photographs through the use of digital touch-ups, and a few of these will also be included in Snippet items. Some of these glass plates have been previously printed and are included in the regular photograph collection.

The largest source of inspiration and information are the artifacts and archive items within the Historical Society collection. Clothing, walking sticks, quilts, paper documents covering a multitude of topics, the list goes on. Some are newly found with others shared in the past in a newsletter article and looked at anew to share a special piece of history through the blog.

Dewitt's Diary  Saturday December 30, 1972

Temperature 32, cloudy—rain predicted

Worked in the woods after filling the grain bin with wheat for the chickens this morning. Around the house playing lazy this afternoon.

Warming up to 40 tonight. Snow mostly gone. Corn picking mostly at a standstill. Too wet and not frozen enough. Many ears of my corn moldy inside the ear.

Took Tim [Dewitt’s dog] out for coon. Got one in the east-woods on Lantos [land]. Could not get Tim to come in at 11 o’clock so left him out. Got up at 4 and he was barking in the old Miller wood down east so went down there at 4:30 shot another. Snow gone, strong south wind and 52 at 5:30 this morning (Sunday morning).