Memorabilia
Members of both my parents families participated in the settlement of Red Rock and I want to record whatever early history of Red Rock I can remember before those memories fade away. My focus will be on 19th century Red Rock (mostly).
I have some old family photos, papers, and other memorabilia my folks kept over the years, some of it going back almost 200 years, relating to both family's histories in the Red Rock area. I plan to use these documents and memorabilia as a focus and a jog to memory, then add a bit from other sources.
This is a long-term project so, if interested, you might want to check back now and again for updates. jhc
Areas of Interest
- The Home Farm
- The Coxon Family
- The Goodrich Family
- Red Rock Memorabilia
- Columbia County Memorabilia
What I call here The Home Farm is the farm where I grew up, originally about 210 acres, located at the intersection of Clark Road and Columbia County Rt. 9, in the Town of Chatham, Columbia County NY. This farm was known to previous generations as the Goodrich Place, or Farm or Homestead. It was also earlier known as the Stewart Farm, the only appellation known to me until I started researching the history of the farm.
Originally settled by "old John Clark", most likely before 1786, and after passing through several hands it was bought by Jesse Goodrich Jr. in 1837. The farm remained in Goodrich family hands until my folks slowly parceled it off, beginning about 1950.
I picked up almost no history of the Coxon side of my family from Dad. Grampa Jim Coxon married Iva Howes and her side of his family Dad talked about a bit more.
Somewhere I picked up the idea that Grampa Coxon (or was it Great Grampa Coxon - I’m not sure now) and his brother came over to the states from England together and that the brother soon returned to England never to be heard from again. I don’t remember specifically where I heard this but it must have come from Dad. Finding The Letter amongst Dad's affects turned out to be a valuable clue to researching the Coxons here and in England.
My Mom kept her family photos and genealogical information which has been useful to me in piecing together her side of my family history and the farm where I grew up. Some of that I present here.
Ancestors on both my Mom's Goodrich side and Dad's Howes side participated in the early settlement of the Red Rock area. Researching their family histories has turned up some interesting stories about the Red Rock community where they lived and thrived. I've collected some of them here.
"RED ROCK is the name applied to an extended settlement along the creek, in the southwestern part of the town. The locality was formerly known as Pilfershire, but in 1825 a huge rock along the roadside was painted red, and crowned with a wooden column, to commemorate the change of name. In 1860 a marble shaft was placed on the rock by the inhabitants and former citizens of the place, and dedicated with imposing ceremonies. It bears the time of erection, and the date of 1750, as the time of the settlement of the place."
"The place contains several mills and churches, and numbers about one hundred inhabitants. The store and post office is kept by James J. Powell. Other merchants were Cyprian Powell, Daniel G. Thorpe, and J. W. Vincent."
Transcribed from History of Columbia County New York, pg. 325, by Captain Franklin Ellis, 1878
Some early papers I found amongst my dad's pile have gotten me researching the history of the settlement of Columbia County a bit. Archived Columbia County newspapers are proving to be a goldmine for online research.
— revised 2024-07-16 jhc