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HISTORY OF STEUBEN COUNTY, NEW YORK. 



B. B. St. John. 



J. Dean Hawley. 



J. Oakley Vanderpool. 



Alexander Stewart. 



Gen. C. W. Sanford. 



Rt. Eev. Bishop Hughes. 



Rev. D. Weston. 



Robert B. Minturn. 

 Rev. Morgan Dix. 

 Martin Grover. 

 Smith Ely, Jr. 

 Frederick Juliand. 

 Thomas Stephens. 



Great interest was manifested in carrying out this project, 

 and handsome and most liberal contributions were offered 

 by Governor Morgan, Mr. Lenox, the late Mr. Wolfe, of 

 New York City, and others. The work would, undoubt- 

 edly, have been carried forward, and the Home then erected, 

 had not the trustees, upon canvassing the State, in order to 

 learn how many inmates it would then be necessary to pro- 

 vide accommodations for, discovered that there were but 

 few soldiers or sailors whose friends would allow them to 

 become inmates of an asylum. Obtaining this informa- 

 tion, the trustees folded their arms, believing that the time 

 had not then arrived when a Soldiers' Home was needed. 



SECOND EFFORT. 



The second eiFort was made by the Grand Army of the 

 Republic, which organization annually sent a committee 

 from its encampment to the Legislature, askihg that some 

 action be taken in regard to this matter. 



In the year 1872, through the personal efforts of Gen. 

 Henry A. Barnum, then commanding the Department of 

 New York, G. A. R., the Legislature passed an act incor- 

 porating the " New York Soldiers' Home," which provided 

 that said institution should be created and maintained by 

 the State. The following are the persons named therein as 

 trustees of said Home : 



Henry A. Barnum. 

 Jno. C Robinson. 

 Henry W. Slocum. 

 Wm. Johnson. 

 James Jourdan. 

 John H. Martindale. 

 Clinton D. McDougal. 

 Timothy Sullivan. 

 Jno. C. Carmichael. 

 Joseph Forbes, 

 Edmund L. Cole. 



John Hammond. 

 James McQuade. 

 Wm. F. Rogers. 

 John B. Murray. 

 Wm. M. Gregg. 

 David C. Stoddard. 

 J. B. Kiddoo. 

 Adolphe Nolte. 

 N. M. Curtiss. 

 James E. Jones. 



The act, however, failed to provide any appropriation, 

 and none was made. On account of the diversity of opin- 

 ion as to where the institution should be located, and from 

 other causes, — although each annual encampment of the 

 G. A. R., in the years 1873 and 1874, sent a committee to 

 the Legislature for that purpose, — no appropriation was 

 ever made, and the trustees became discouraged. 



It was at this time that a feeling became manifest among 

 a few of the members of the G. A. R., of appealing direct 

 to the people for aid to build and establish a home for the 

 disabled soldiers and sailors who were or might be debarred 

 the privilege of entering the homes provided by the Na- 

 tional Government. 



With this object in view, E. C. Parkinson, of Brooklyn, 

 procured subscriptions of one hundred dollars each from 

 the following persons : 



John B. Norris. 

 John F. Henry. 



A. S. Barnes. 



B. B. Hagerty. 



C. P. Dixon. 

 Wm. C. Kingsley. 

 J. S. T. Stranahan. 

 Philip S. Crooke. 



all citizens of Brooklyn, — the first having been obtained 

 Jan. 4, 1875, and the others within a few days thereafter ; 

 said subscriptions having been made upon the condition 

 that at least ten thousand dollars should be pledged before 

 payment thereof would be required. 



At the annual encampment of the G. A. R., Depart- 

 ment of New York, held at Rochester, Jan. 20 and 21, 

 1875, in accordance with a recommendation made by E. C. 

 Parkinson, Department Inspector, in his annual report, a 

 conimittee of fifteen comrades was appointed to consider 

 the feasibility of establishing a Soldiers' Home, and to 

 report at the next semi-annual encampment, the following 

 persons having been appointed such committee : 



John B. Murray. 

 Stewart L. Woodford. 

 Henry W. Slocum. 

 Geo. H. Sharpe. 

 Wm. F. Rogers. 

 E. Jardine. 

 E. C. Parkinson. 

 T. J. Qilin. 



M. S. Hicks. 

 L. W. Fiske. 

 E. J. Loomis. 

 B. A. Willis. 

 E. L. Cole. 

 James E. Curtis. 

 John Palmer. 



The report of said committee was that one hundred and 

 eighty-eight acres of land, lying on Lake Keuka, would be 

 donated by the citizens of Penn Yan and vicinity. No 

 positive action was taken upon the report of the committee, 

 and it was discharged. At the annual encampment of the 

 Grand Army of the Republic, Department of New York, 

 held at Albany, Jan. 25 and 26, 1876, the following per- 

 sons were appointed a committee, with power to add six 

 additional names, having full power to take such action as 

 in their judgment might seem proper in regard to the es- 

 tablishment of a Soldiers' Home, and to fill vacancies, etc. 



Seymour Dexter. 

 William F. Rogers. 

 Frank H. Sheppard. 

 J. A. Lewis. 

 E. L. Cole. 

 J. H. Curtis. 

 E. B. Gere. 

 A. H. Nash. 



E. C. Parkinson, 



B. F. Finly. 

 Willard Bullard. 

 L. W. Fiske. 



C. R. Becker. 

 M. F. Sheppard. 

 R. L. Fox. 



On the day of their appointment the members of the 

 committee met in Albany, and proceeded to effect an or- 

 ganization. Mr. J. H. Curtis and C. R. Becker declining 

 to serve, John Palmer and S. P. Corliss, of Albany, were 

 appointed to fill the vacancies. 



The following committee was appointed on organization 

 and plan : Seymour Dexter, Willard Bullard, and R. L. Fox. 



A committee on location was also appointed. The bill 

 of incorporation was drafted by Hon. Seymour Dexter, of 

 Elmira, presented in the Assembly by Hon. Eugene B. 

 Gere, of Owego, and taken charge of in the Senate by 

 Hon. L. Bradford Prince, of Queens County. The bill 

 was duly passed and signed by the Governor, Samuel J. 

 Tilden, on the 15th of May, 1876. 



By the terms of the bill of incorporation the above com- 

 mittee of fifteen, with six other gentlemen to be by them 

 selected, together with the Governor and Comptroller of 

 the State, and the Commander of the Grand Army of the 

 Republic of the State of New York, formed the first Board 

 of TrUvStees. A meeting for the selection of the six addi- 

 tional trustees, and the or anization of the board, was held 



