Stray Thoughts: Reading an Old Book

Popular Natural History by Rev. J. G. Wood

“I have been reading an old book.”
Coon, Burton. Trail’s End Farm Notes. p. 354.

My first observation was that Charles Hesselgrave of Ogdensburg, NY. stamped his name and address five times in the first three pages of Popular Natural History dated 1885. As I continued to read, I found many more such stamps. Who was Charles Hesselgrave? A quick search reveals that a man of this name and location attended Ogdensburg Free Academy, graduated from Middlebury College in Vermont and was the first college graduate in his family. Charles married Susie Frances Wilder, another Middlebury graduate.

Hesselgrave Family

Although I am fascinated with a total of five hundred vintage illustrations, I am including only a few from the chapter entitled “Mammalia”. After scanning the images and reading the vivid descriptions, I find myself desiring yet another visit to the Bronx Zoo.

Shall we dub him “Farmer With a Hoe”?

“When brought to a colder climate than that of its native land, the animal covets warmth, and is fond of wrapping itself in any woollen clothes or blankets that it can obtain. On board ship it has been known to rob the sailors or passengers of their bedding, and to resist with much energy any attempt to recover the stolen property” (Wood 14).

Group of Spider Monkeys– This sketch captures the liveliness and various facial gestures-

“The mode by which Spider Monkeys walk on level ground is rather singular and difficult to describe, being different from that which is employed by the large apes. They do not set the sole of either paw, or hand, flat upon the ground, but, turning the hinder feet inward, they walk upon their outersides. The reverse process takes place with the fore-paws, which are twisted outward, so that the weight of the animal is thrown upon their inner edges” (Wood 31).

The Lion– This stately lion possesses the ruler’s demeanor with the crossed paws of a gentle house cat.

“The color of the Lion is a tawny yellow, lighter on the under parts of the body, and darker above. The ears are blackish, and the top of the tail is decorated with a tuft of black hair. This tuft serves to distinguish the Lion from any other member of the Cat tribe. The male Lion, when fully grown, is furnished with a thick and shaggy mane of very long hair, which falls from the neck, shoulders, and part of the throat and chin, varying in tint according to the age of the animal, and possibly according to the locality which it inhabits” (Wood 51).

After reading parts of the chapter entitled “Mammalia”, I recall the prose and vintage images included in the Thornton Burgess books. Although fictional, Burgess inspired my love of the animal kingdom and the natural world.

What are your childhood memories of animals or nature?

Image in header:

Barn at Trail’s End Farm in Shookville, NY. Built in ~ 1865. In 1939, Burton Barker Coon described his father William’s building of the barn, “The land had to be cleaned and cleared of stumps and stones and some of it ditched and drained. The stones were dumped into ditches, or laid into stone walls, and what could not be used that way were piled into great heaps on rocks or some out of the way place. These heaps of stones are in evidence today and are mute witnesses to the industry and perseverance of the pioneer. The basement wall of the barn at Trail’s End is 9 feet high and 100 feet long. That represents a lot of labor, besides the unnumbered loads of stones which it took to fill in behind it – perhaps a thousand in all. Where did they all come from? Who picked them up? How were they conveyed to their last resting place? All I know is that my father laid the wall and it stands today in almost perfect alignment. That was 75 years ago.”

Milan 50 Years Ago

In our mission to keep local history alive, we are posting each volume of the Milan Community Association Newsletter dating from 50 years ago in its entirety.

Bonnie Wood supplements these original MCA newsletters with her “More About History” column.

“More About History” Excerpts

Supplement to 11/1968 issue:

Shookville Church on Shookville Road remains a Milan landmark. For photos, Burton Coon’s history of the church, and additional details see Shookville Church on our local churches page.

In Stone By Stone, I reminisced in the Foreword …

As I walked from the Shookville Methodist Church along the stone wall erected from the surrounding fields, I paused to reflect on how this wall stood as a testament to my ancestors’ tenacity. As I stood beside it, I found a place to contemplate how the land might have appeared before any inhabitants. I imagined how my ancestors, descendants of Palatine immigrants, first stood here on soil that seemingly only grew rocks. Yet, they began by moving one stone. Stone by stone, these mighty souls persevered. Stone by stone, they overcame each burden. Stone by stone, they cleared the land. Stone by stone, they built a farm and a family.

and included Burton Coon’s paraphrasing of his father William Coon’s heart-wrenching diary entry:

The next year (1865), in September, diptheria invaded this quiet hamlet. The little daughter of Philip and Charlotte Coopernail was taken with it. She was about five years old and a great favorite with my father’s daughter, Jemima, who went down to see her. There was no quarantine in those days and disease must have been of a malignant type, for they both died, one on the 4th and the other on the 7th of September.

And they are buried inside the iron fence in the old Shookville cemetery, the little one at the feet of the older one. So they are together there in death. At the top of the little one’s stone is the figure of a broken rosebud, and underneath her name and age are the words: “Go with me.” Her friend went…

Supplement to 1/1969 issue:

Can You Identify?
Local musician, Ferris Jackson (far left) and local writer, Burton Coon (second from left)…? Who are the other men in the photo?

Ferris Jackson, an African American who lived with his sister Emma, served as organist of the Church and would arrive early every Sunday to provide beautiful music as the congregants arrived. Ferris also served as Church Treasurer and sang in the choir with his rich bass voice. Ferris and Emma were strict observers of the Sabbath. They walked to Church every Sunday so the horse could rest. At Church dinners, he would be the last to sit down – he would wait until he was sure everyone else had a seat. Ferris Jackson died in February 1940. His funeral was held in this Church on a day with a heavy snowstorm. Even with the storm, so many people attended his funeral that the Church was standing room only.

From Ryan Orton’s History of the Rowe United Methodist Church – Written for the 175th Anniversary Celebration 1838-2013

Check out “More About History” in the Milan 50 Years Ago blogs.

	Bonnie's Research on Stories of the Past: Shookvill…
	Bonnie's Research on Stories of the Past: Shookvill…
	BONNIE ODELL FULMER on Stories of the Past: Shookvill…
	Jeff Shook on Stories of the Past: Shookvill…
	Jeff Shook on Stories of the Past: Shookvill…
	Bonnie's Research on Stories of the Past: Shookvill…
	Bonnie Odell Fulmer on Stories of the Past: Shookvill…
	Bonnie's Research on Stories of the Past: Shookvill…
	Johnny Walsh on Stories of the Past: Shookvill…
	Bonnie's Research on Vintage Recipes: From a Farm S…
	Mary Emma Allen on Vintage Recipes: From a Farm S…
	Bonnie's Research on Vintage Recipes: From Auntie…
	John Kelleher on Vintage Recipes: From Auntie…
	Dave S on Research
	Dave on Research

Popular Natural History by Rev. J. G. Wood

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