Painted As Figure Of Fun, Susan B. Anthony Went On To Make History
Editor’s Note: Here is The Freeman’s Journal Feb. 9, 1855, account – in prose and poetry – of Susan B. Anthony’s appearance in Cooperstown, to be commemorated with a State Historical Marker that has just arrived at the village’s First Presbyterian Church. The tone marks the flippant attitude in some quarters at that time.
Mr. Editor:
Your readers should be apprised that last Friday was a great and eventful day in the history of human events. It was one of these epochs whereat Time pauses to set down a stake from which after generations may measure his further flight.
Henceforth, let it be noted in Phinney’s calendar that the 9th day of February, 1855, was the day when the memorable “Woman’s Rights Convention” was held at Cooperstown! – and let the mothers of Otsego, in all coming ages, teach their children to revere its anniversary, as the day when “the strong-minded women” gave the horn of liberty such a rousing blast among the echoing hills of our county.
…A gentleman was called to the chair, and a secretary and two vice-presidentesses were appointed. The president, after a few appropriate remarks, introduced to the audience, Miss Susan B. Anthony, who took the rostrum.
• Her theme – the wrongs that patient woman bears; To sew, to spin, to mop and darn her lot; To do the drudg’ry, while man takes the pay. She all the pangs of Eden’s curse endures, While man her pleasures shares, but not her pains. Give woman but the right of suffrage, she Will soon have equal laws, and what is wrong Will speedily set right.
•
And so it begins.
Day one of the new Democrat majority in the state Senate began, in many ways, as expected.
A new leader was elected (from just outside New York City) and immediately outlined the policies the Democrats would be pursuing in the coming year.
This is how a change in majority works, and I take no issue with that. However, I was deeply concerned on several fronts.
I have consistently voted for a permanent property tax cap, and I was pleased to hear the new leader mention that as a priority. The problem was that no other Upstate concerns were detailed, and that is a major disappointment.
Economic development is lagging behind in many counties outside of the five boroughs of New York City, but that fact is being swept under the rug by the new leadership regime.
I have previously outlined New York State’s population loss, and the news is filled with stories about Upstate businesses closing their doors.
We need to focus on policies that will cut taxes, eliminate burdensome government regulations, and lower the cost of doing business across the state. Those are the steps needed to create an environment conducive to job creation.
My Republican colleaguesand I have advanced a number
of initiatives in recent years to address our state’s economic shortcomings. We will continue to
In a run-up to Martin Luther King Day, local historian Tom Heitz discusses slavery in Otsego County with a CCAL class at First Presbyterian Church, Coopertown. Behind him are two just-approved State Historic Markers, one commemorating the church’s 1827 celebration of the end of slavery in New York State, the other Susan B. Anthony’s visit to Otsego County.
2 Historic Markers
Commemorate Freedom
By JIM KEVLIN
COOPERSTOWN – Just in time for Martin Luther King Day, two state Historical Markers commemorating the United States’ march toward freedom – and Otsego County’s – have arrived at First Presbyterian Church here.
One marks Susan B. Anthony’s Feb. 9, 1855, appearance in a building where the church’s chapel is now. During her visit, she formed a local committee to advocate for the women’s right to vote.
The second commemorates July 4, 1827, when about 60 blacks gathered in the church, “with music and banners flying,” to celebrate the end of slavery in New York State.
The markers will be unveiled to the public at the church’s MLK Day celebration at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 21, at 25 Church St. and erected on the front lawn in the spring.
These were little-known events until
In Governor Cuomo’s Dec. 18 CFA announcements, Otsego County entrepreneurs did just fine.
You may have noticed that Dec. 15 piece in the New York Times, “The Hard Truths of Trying to Save the ‘Rural’ Economy.” In it, reporter Eduardo Porter wrote: “I’ve lived most of my life in big cities. I don’t pretend to understand what it’s like to live in a small town or a family farm, or how it feels when all the jobs in a community seem to be fading away.”
You might expect what follows: It sounds like one of those stories Times reporters periodically transmit from Timbuctoo or some similarly exotic locale. All impressions. As if rural economic development – the War on Poverty, if you will – is all about feelings.
Here’s a more concrete objection: Porter equates Upstate New York – criss-crossed by four lanes, peppered with international airports, abounding with excellent colleges and universities, a couple of hours from the largest metropolitan economy in the country that also happens to be the center of the financial universe – with Harrison, Neb., wherever that is.
Compiled by Tom Heitz and Sharon Stuart, with resources courtesy
of The Fenimore Art Museum Research Library
200 YEARS AGO
Information Wanted. In the year 1814, a young man of the name of Carlos L. Mallory, a native of Woodbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut, and then resident with David Woodward, of that place, as an apprentice to the tanning and currying and shoemaking business, left his home, and has never been heard of by his friends since that period. He is now, if living, 24 years of age, about six feet high, black eyes, and of a dark complexion. The object of this notice is to obtain information of his present situation. Any person, therefore, who can communicate anything relative to the fate of this young man, will do an act of humanity, which will be remembered with lasting gratitude by his afflicted parents and relatives, by addressing letters to Mr. Nathaniel Mallory, Newton in Fairfield County, Connecticut. January 1, 1819. Printers in the United States will sub-serve the interest of society, by giving the above one or two insertions.
January 18, 1819
175 YEARS AGO
Found Dead – A man named John B. Taylor was found dead by the
State Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, presented the Liberty Medal to John Heller’s parents at his funeral on Friday, Jan. 4.
ALBANY – The state Senate today passed a resolution bestowing its Liberty Medal, the upper house’s highest honor, on John D. Heller, the former Oneonta firefighter who saved five lives before dying in a Dec. 29 arson at 5 Walling Ave.
State Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, who introduced the resolution, noted it is given for “meritorious action against hostile odds.”
“John Heller was that type of individual,” he said. “John displayed great courage in saving the lives of his fiancé and four young nephews, and he made the ultimate sacrifice. His final act on earth was one of bravery, valor, heroism, and love for others.”
Similar to the national Congressional Gold Medal, the Liberty Medal is bestowed upon individuals for exceptional, heroic, or humanitarian acts and achievements on behalf of their fellow New Yorkers.
Senator Seward previously presented the Liberty Medal to John Heller’s parents John and Gayle Heller and fiancé Amber Roe during a memorial service Jan. 4 in Oneonta.
PITTSFIELD – Edward John Van Beers, 84, who for years operated Pittsfield Plumbing & Heating, passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 11, 2019.
Edward was born on March 5, 1934 in Paterson, N.J., a son of the late Charles Vincent Sepione and Kathryn Viedas.
Edward was an avid coin and stamp collector. He enjoyed tending his vegetable gardens, walking his land, watching a Yankees’ game, a good game of horseshoes, and reading anything non-fiction. Most notably; he was a jack of all trades and loved to work.
Right up until recent times, he still had plans for building projects and improvements around his home. At Pittsfield Plumbing, he provided area homeowners with supplies and well-appreciated guidance.
He is survived by
We have long known that, when it comes to many things, we can undoubtedly be classified as a first-class dinosaur. This is particularly true when it comes to current technology. We will admit to being able to send and receive email. We can also, to a certain extent, manage to look things up on the Internet.
However, we made the decision long ago to abandon Facebook. And we must admit that we are clueless about exactly what is what when it comes to social media. So we decided that perhaps a bit of research on the subject just might be in order.
We started with a definition of social media which read: “websites and
applications that enable users to create and share content or to
participate in social networking.” That leads us to wonder just what the websites and applications might be.
So far, except for 2 1/2 layoffs at the USDA Farm Service Agency, there appears to be no local impacts from the longest U.S. government shutdown in history, now in its fourth week.
Approximately 125 Otsego County residents work for the federal government, but most work for the U.S. Postal Service, which is exempt from the shutdown, said Christian Harris, state Labor Department analyst, Southern Tier Region.
The three Farm Service Agency employees – two full-time, one part time – are at the Soil & Water Conservation office, were furloughed, as was Dana Razzano, an FDA food inspector, formerly of Cooperstown, who now works out of Albany.
“We’ve only missed one paycheck, so we’re doing okay,” she said. “But if we miss a second one, it could be a problem.”
She spent the first week filing for unemployment and trying to work with her mortgage and credit card companies to get assistance with payments. “I’ve never filed for unemployment before,” she said. “It’s embarrassing. I’m stressed. My co-workers are
stressed.”
