On January 26, Mr. and Mrs. Easton Trowbridge Kelsey and their son of Fairport, came to Ogden to present Gay Lenhard, Ogden town supervisor and Ogden/Spencerport Historian Carol Coburn with 30 books, some written by Mr. Kelsey's great, great uncle, John T. Trowbridge. Other books included are a copy of the "Cottage Bible" and schoolbooks from Ogden as well as "Lives of the Presidents" by Robert W. Lincoln dated 1836. These books have traveled around the world to places like Toronto, Portugal, and Brazil with John Trowbridge's family. Born in 1827 in Ogden, son of the town's first tax collector, Winthrop Trowbridge, John T. Trowbridge resided on land that is now designated by a historical marker on Nichols Street, Route 31, in the Town of Ogden. This donation is significant because Ogden's own John T. Trowbridge became a magazine editor, poet and famous author of adventure novels that were enjoyed by the young men of the day. Mr. Kelsey notes that some have said that only because Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain) had better publicists, did he become more famous than Mr. Trowbridge. John Trowbridge also wrote under the name Paul Creyton. Some of the titles received are: "Neighbor Jackwood" 1857, 1884 and 1895, "Farnell's Folly" 1885, "The Lost Earl, with Other Poems" 1888, "The Book of Gold" 1878, "Cudjo's Cave", "The Drummer Boy" 1863. Today there is a building on Lyell Avenue in the Village of Spencerport called the Trowbridge Apartments. That building was the "Trowbridge School" in the Spencerport Central School District until the 1980s. It had been the first school in the consolidated school district. This is Mr. Kelsey's second significant gift to the Ogden/Spencerport Historian's Office. In 2003, Mr. Kelsey turned over Winthrop Trowbridge's very first tax records of the Town of Ogden. This is an especially important gift to the town because many of the old tax records were lost in a fire many years ago. These tax records have been restored and preserved and are available for public perusal at the historian's office at the Ogden Town Hall. Historical items can be given to the historian or historical society in the city, town or village in which the items originated. You will be helping to preserve the heritage of their home community. Please feel free to make an appointment to come to the Historian's Office to view these and other important pieces of our great local heritage. by Carol Coburn Ogden-Spencerport Historian February 5, 2006 |
