Discover our history in local book collections

By Gwen Chamberlain The year-long celebration of Yates County’s Bicentennial and Dundee’s 175th Anniversary will officially begin in a few days, and special events will be held recognize our local history.

The Yates County Legislature has adopted a resolution that says, in part, “It is fitting and proper that the full year be commemorated with historical, educational, artistic, joyful events, and parades in all areas of the county in keeping with this rare and important County of Yates anniversary.”

This column is to extend my gratitude to a number of people who have kept our history and culture alive through their pens and keyboards. Because of them, a wealth of sources on local history and color are available in libraries, stores, and history centers. Some of the early books are also available online at books.google.com.

Whether you are looking for a deep dive into your family roots, a collection of short stories or photographs; or if you prefer an entertaining novel set in the area, there are scores of options.

Many are already familiar with Stafford C. Cleveland’s two-volume

History of Yates County, published in 1873 and reprinted in 1976. This book is illustrated with sketches of prominent citizens.

Lewis Cass Aldrich edited the History of Yates County, which was published in 1892. Aldrich’s book also includes illustrations and biographical sketches of some of the prominent men and pioneers.

Walter Wolcott’s 1895 book, The Military History of Yates County includes a vivid description of a celebration of the end of the Civil War in Penn Yan on April 14, 1865, when the parade included a slave whipping post “carried as in triumph, on a cart in the middle of the procession.”

Photographs first appear in William Stork’s 1898 The Student’s Handbook of Yates County, which includes Journeys in Yates County, intended to introduce students and teachers to areas they may not be familiar with.

In 1912, Miles A. Davis published History of Jerusalem which offers a closer look at the stories of that township and its early settlers in addition to geological and natural information.

In 1958, Adelaide Eddy Sunderlin published Bonnie Dundee, dedicated to Dundee and the people who dwell therein. It is an illustrated story of businesses in Dundee.

More contemporary works bring general local history to life, notably the writings of former Yates County Historian Frances Dumas, who penned Changes & Returns Chapters in Our County’s History in 1998 for the county’s 175th anniversary. Among her other interesting works, Dumas has published a book and series of pamphlets about the history of the Keuka Outlet Trail as well as several newspaper columns focused on Yates County History.

Richard MacAlpine is another prolific writer who has brought much of our history to the pages of his well-researched and written books, including Admiral Frank H. Schofield: A Portrait of an American Navy Family, published in 2016; Steamboats on Keuka Lake, which he co-authored with Charles Mitchell, and

YatesCountyChronicles, published in 2014. The latter is a collection of stories from Penn Yan, Keuka Lake, and the Heart of the Finger Lakes. MacAlpine and Mitchell have also published other historical photograph books in the Images of America series.

Paul B. Moyer is among the authors who have penned books or articles about the Public Universal Friend. Moyer’s book The Public Universal Friend: Jemima Wilkinson and Religious Enthusiasm in Revolutionary America was published in 2015.

Leona Jensen has added photographic works with Caught in Time Again (2002) a republication of Fred Amsbury’s Caught in Time photographs from the 1890s paired with more recent photos of the same subject. In 2007 she compiled a pictorial history of the Cascade Falls area on the Keuka Outlet Trail, which has more recently been transformed from an industrial site to a natural, scenic park-like setting along the Keuka Outlet.

While Arch Merrill’s books don’t focus exclusively on Yates County, the man known as the Poet Laureate of Upstate New York often touched on themes close to our hearts.

Don’t forget the work of local fiction authors who set their stories in Yates County, and of course Alex Andrasik and Bethany Snyder, local publishers of Bluff & Vine Literary Review, are recognized for their work to elevate the local written word.

The fact is there are hundreds of stories — factual and fictional; but all informative and entertaining - about the Yates County and Finger Lakes area. I hope you take some time this year to immerse yourself in the variety of literary work available right in your back yard.

Do you have feedback on this or a suggestion for a future column? Feel free to email me at gchamberlain27@gmail. com.

Discover our history in local book collections

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