Publication-L. R. DOTY, M. H. MILLS, R. S. TAINTOR. Finance-J. R. STRANG, William Carter, Herbert Wadsworth. Membership-H. D. KINGSBURY, J. B. ABBOTT, A. D. COE. Necrology-S. E. HITCHCOCK, C. K. SANDERS, GEO. A. SWEET. Livingston County Historical Society TWENTIETH ANNUAL MEETING. HE TWENTIETH annual meeting of the Livingston County The meeting was opened with prayer by Rev. Dr. Boynton, of Mr. Brodie then made the following remarks: Mr. President, Members of the Livingston County Historical Society and Friends: "It seems to me eminently fitting that the dedicatory ceremonies of this plain and unpretentious reproduction of the homes of the early settlers of Western New York should be of the simplest kind. "No more appropriate introduction to these ceremonies could there be, than a recognition of the Father above, in whom the hardy pioneers of this wilderness of one hundred years ago so fully trusted, and whose faith has left its imprint upon the character of this generation. "The erection of this log cabin has been the dream of its friends for years, and they are to be congratulated upon its realization, and especially to Mr. Joseph D. Lewis, who has labored so faithfully for its accomplishment, do we extend our congratulations and thanks. "These relics of 'ye olden time' which surround us here, have at last found a resting place in keeping with their character, and we rejoice with their generous donor that such is the fact. To you, Mr. Lewis, more than any other man, do we owe the erection of this structure, but the record would not be faithful to fact, did we not on this occasion give one word of praise to Hon. L. R. Doty, who anford Collection has labored so untiringly to secure the ways and means for its accomplishment. "With these simple remarks introductory, the act of dedication— lighting the council fire in the large, open fire place for this 20th annual meeting of the Livingston County Historical Society-will be performed by the Hon. Isaac Hampton, one of the pioneers of Livingston county, and one of the oldest living ex-presidents of this Society." At the close of Mr. Brodie's remarks, Hon. Isaac Hampton started the first council fire in the cabin with flint and steel, and thus the cabin was dedicated. The President then delivered his annual address. The following report of the Secretary and Treasurer was presented and read, and on motion of Dr. Mills, the same was duly accepted and adopted: REPORT OF SECRETARY AND TREASURER. To the members of the Livingston County Historical Society:-I submit herewith my report as Secretary and Treasurer for the year 1895. The financial statement for the year is as follows: GENERAL FUND. 1895, Jan. 15, Balance in hands of Treasurer.... Received for initiation fees as per last annual report....... Amount drawn from Entertainment fund... Dr. $ 17 34 55 00 11.00 40 86 postage for meeting, 1896.... 4 02 66 66 to Bunnell & Oberdorf for printing proceedings, 1895. Livingston Democrat, printing... The dues received by me other than those which appear in the proceedings of 1895 came from the following named members: A. Ayrult, M. W. Brooks A. L. Dalrymple, O. D. Lake, S. Rockefellow, Dr. James Marshall ($5), Hon. Lewis E. Smith. I beg to report that I now have a complete file of the proceedings of this Society from the beginning, and they will be bound at once and placed in the library of the Society. Members will confer a favor by sending to the Secretary any volumes of the annual proceedings, which they can spare, to furnish duplicate numbers for the use of the Society. I have complete files of all the County papers except the Springwater Enterprise for the years 1894 and 1895. These are partly bound and the remainder are in the hands of the binder. I hope that the Society will continue its practice of authorizing the Secretary to have these bound at the end of each year. I ask the co-operation of all the members in securing for the Society as complete files as possible of all County papers. I have received bound and unbound early files of some of the county papers, and it is hoped that this collection will continue to grow. The Cabin has progressed to a point where the business meeting of this year can be held in it with a moderate degree of comfort. On account of the advanced winter season it has been impracticable to complete the building in tlme; but little remains to be done, however, upon it, and this will be attended to early in the spring. The arrangement of the interior has been necessarily delayed by the same conditions, so that there is presented simply a temporary arrangement of the collection in order to give a little more cheerful appearance to the building during the progress of this meeting. It is intended by the committee to provide suitable shelving, cases, etc., to make a proper and effective arrangement of the articles which will be placed in the Cabin, and also a safe place for the deposit of articles of special value. I beg to recommend that a Log Cabin committee be continued with the same powers which the present committee have, under the resolution of the last annual meeting, with power also to provide rules and regulations for the government of the Cabin, and also that they may draw upon the entertainment and subscription funds for such amounts as they may require in the proper arrange ment and conduct of the Cabin. It is hoped that every member will feel a sufficient interest in the Cabin to assist in making the collection as valuable and interesting as possible; and it might not be inappropriate to suggest that this interest can be very acceptably manifested by endowments. The committee have endeavored to construct a building which will be suitable so far as arrangement is concerned, and while preserving the characteristics of a Log Cabin, yet be pleasing in architecture. It is contemplated that the grounds about the Cabin will be improved, some grading will be done, and eventually it will be a very attractive portion of the village, and the Society will have reason to be proud of its home. The contract price of the Cabin was $400. This has been all promised, and I am hopeful that I will secure additional subscriptions, so that it will not be necessary to draw on any of the funds other than the subscription fund, except for the interior arrangement. My report would be inadequate, indeed, if I did not, in a general way, attest the indebtedness of the Society to all who contributed to the success of the enterprise, which yielded so generous a return to the Society in aid of the erection of the Log Cabin. I have secured the portraits of nearly all of the Presidents of the Society; and hope that the collection will shortly be complete. All of which is respectfully submitted. Dated Geneseo, N. Y., February 18, 1896. LOCKWOOD R. DOTY, Secretary and Treasurer. An original poem was read by Mr. Hampton. On motion of Mr. Bunnell, the thanks of the Society were extended to Mr. Hampton for the poem and the excellent manner of its delivery. Reports from town committees were called for. Mr. Abbott, of Geneseo, made a verbal report. Mr. Sears, of Leicester, made a verbal report. An historical sketch, relating to the origin of the name Nunda, was received from Mr. Bennett, of Portage, and referred to the committee on publication. The following named persons were on motion duly elected town committeemen of their respective towns for the ensuing year: TOWN COMMITTEES. Avon-J. A. Dana, Caledonia-W. S. McKenzie, Leicester-F. H. Moyer, Livonia-S. T. Short, Mt. Morris-Rev. Dr. Cornelius Parsons, Nunda-Rev. Dr. James Marshall, Portage-John Fitch, Springwater-W. E. Humphrey York-A. D. Newton. |