Welcome to the Cazenovia,
Fenner, and Nelson
Q u e s t i o n
a n d A n s w e r P a g e
Last revised 11/3/1999
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Here are some of the answerable questions that I have received.
If you have a question about the History of Cazenovia,
Fenner, Nelson, Madison County, or Central New York or any other
topic that I might know something about (see my CV
for topics that I have studied) then drop
me a line and I'll see what I can do about answering it to the best
of my knowledge.
I am an historian and archaeologist (pre- and historic) with a pretty
good background in architecture, historical geography, landscape architecture,
geology, natural history, etc., so don't hesitate to ask anything within
these realms.
This section is for recent local history writings.
I will not address genealogy questions here unless they would
be of interest to the whole community.
The Question (from
DV 8/31/1998 and MY 3/6/1999)
I have an old bottle that is embossed "Dr.
Foord's Pectoral Syrup, Cazenovia, NY." Who was
this Dr. Foord and what did he do? Are there other bottles by him?
Click here for =
Dan's
Answer
The Question (from
RS III 12/2/1998)
I recently found an
old book published in Cazenovia
at an antique show and wondered if anyone can tell me about it. It was
printed in Cazenovia, NY, by Henry Baker & Co. in 1839. It is titled
Mental and Practical Arithmetic and was written by Charles Davies.
What can you tell me about this book - what other books were printed in
Cazenovia?
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Dan's
Answer (Updated 4/22/1999!!!!!!)
The Question (from
an annonymous student 10/21/1998)
My Teacher told me that if
you were to draw an outline of all the churches in Cazenovia it would form
a witchcraft symbol - is this true?
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Dan's
Answer
The Question (from
EGW Jr. 7/16/1998)
What is some history of the
road networks about town? You
mentioned a lot of good stuff in your Tinsley
Hill paper, what about the rest of the town? How did they develop?
Did the follow Indian Trails? Are the original roads the same as
today?
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Dan's
Answer
The Question (from
Bennett 6/22/1998)
What happened at Nichols
Pond? I know about Nichols
Pond as being the location of an Onondaga Indian camp that was burned
by Samuel Champlain in 1615. The signs say that the battle at this spot
was important because it helped anger the Indians against the French and
they then made friends with the English. You say it is wrong too? What
is wrong about it and if it wasn't at the park, where did Champlain go
to fight the Indians? What is at the park if it wasn't an Indian Village?
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Dan's
Answer
The Question (from
Tom C. 6/14/1998)
What is the story of the
American Soldiers under Capt. Walter Vrooman that were captured at Canaseraga
on October 23, 1780? The monument at the
location of the "Turtle Tree" on Chittenango Creek says there was a fort
there and a lot of men were caught there after destroying the British boats
while the British were making a raid on the Mohawk Valley. Is this true?
I'm told that some of the survivors came back and lived on Indian lands
when the war was over. Where did they live?
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Dan's
Answer
The Question (from
KEC 1/6/1998)
Who were the Indians that
lived near the Lake? Where
did they live? Did they interact with the tribes around Syracuse?
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Dan's
Answer
The Question (from
EGW Jr. 11/27/1997)
Could you tell me about the old grave
yards in the Cazenovia area? I'm working on my
Eagle Badge for scouts and need to do some research on cemeteries.
Are there some really old ones that would be interesting to look at?
I especially like the old stones and the ones that aren't in use any more.
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Dan's
Answer
The Question (from
SG 11/5/1997)
I live on Tinsley Hill Road
in the Town of Nelson (just northwest of Erieville) and
I know that my area has a lot of history. I was wondering of the
origin of the name Tinsley and any interesting facts of the outlying areas.
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Dan's
Answer
The Question
(from MA 10/2/1997)
I am looking for some history on Cazenovia
Lake. We have several questions. So let me begin: around
the Civil War the lake itself was apparently sold off or divided somehow
so that people owned to the "middle of the lake." Our first question is
how does someone determine the "middle?" A second thing we need information
on is WHY would someone divide the lake? It seems to be something that
isn't done very often.
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Dan's
Answer
The Question (from
DC 8/17/1997):
One subject that has always intrigued me is the source
of Chittenango Creek. Surely there must be some point
at which Chittenango Creek "begins." Does Chittenango Creek feed
Cazenovia Lake? I know that the Creek exits Cazenovia Lake, but is it defined
"above" the lake, or does Chittenango Creek start at Cazenovia?
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Dan's
Answer
The Question
(from CST in the
Cazenovia Republican 5/1/1902)
I would like to know something of the
Etymology
of the word Owahgena, that is the name of Cazenovia
Lake. Is it a true Indian Name, or the Fanciful Creation of The White Man?
It is a pretty one and worth preserving, if correct. Although the name
is common today, a number of local histories and public documents refer
to the both the lake and Chittenango Creek as "Canaseraga."
Click here for =
Dan's
Answer
If you have a question about the
history of Cazenovia, Fenner, Nelson, Madison County, or Central New York
drop me a line!