HomeMy WebLinkAboutSherer, LydiaLYDIA ANN (CRAWFORD) SHERER
Lydia was born in 1820 in New York State to David and Lucinda Crawford. She had a younger
sister Rachel (b. 1825).
In 1845 at the age of 25, Lydia married William D. Sherer (33) who was born December 1812 in
Orange County, New York. William was a Shoemaker. They had one child, Lucinda (“Lucy”) V.
Sherer, born August 1846. By 1850, William and his small family were living adjacent to Lucy’s
parents. William had established himself as a shoemaker in the town of Enfield, working from
his home.
Lydia died 8 November 1855 from unknown causes. She was buried in Harvey Cemetery
located on Buck Hill Road (Hector/Enfield Town Line Road) on the Hector side of the road. The
cemetery lies between Harvey Hill Road and Enfield Center Road and is named for the large
number of Harvey family members located in the western part of Enfield. Her gravestone
carries this eerie epitaph: “Remember as you pass by, As you are now, so once was I. As I am
now, so you must be. Prepare for death and follow me.”
Following her death, daughter Lucy (14) began living with her Crawford grandparents and her
father William moved to the household of Bradford L. Almy also a Shoemaker. The Almy
household was located on the northern Town Line Road (Ulysses/Enfield). Bradford Almy’s son
also named Bradford (15) would later in life become a Tompkins County Judge.)
Grandfather David Crawford died of consumption (tuberculosis) on 12 May 1863 and was
buried in Harvey cemetery. His widow Lucinda and granddaughter Lucy then moved in with
Lucy’s aunt Rachel who had by then married James Durling. The Durling home/farm was
located in the NW ¼ of Section 58, three miles west of Enfield Center, on the Hector/Enfield
Town Line Road across from the Harvey cemetery. Grandmother, Lucinda Crawford (69) died 6
September 1864 of Bloody Dysentery a week after her grandson Bower L. Darling (3) died of the
same malady. Although her name does not appear on the Harvey Cemetery listings, she is
more than likely buried there with her husband. No obituary or death notice was found in the
local newspapers.
Lucy went on to marry Oliver Perry Swick (b. 1844, Hector) in 1868. By 1870 they had a little
farm on Town Line (Buck Hill) Rd. north of the Mecklenburg Road. Meanwhile, her father was
now living with his wife’s sister Rachel and her husband James Durling.
In 1880, William (the father) was living with Lucy and Oliver and their two sons Frank and
Howard on a farm in Catherine, Schuyler County. By this time, William had given up his trade as
a Shoemaker.
The family later moved to North Hector (Valois) in Schuyler County where William died on 21
September 1893. He was two months shy of being 81 years of age. His obituary from a local
paper reads:
“DIED. At North Hector, NY, September 21, 1893 William Shearer [sic], aged 80 years
and 10 months.
Mr. Shearer was born in Orange County, and removed to this county many years ago,
and worked the trade of shoemaking.
He was an honest, kindly man, and although for many years a partial invalid—lost to the
active world—yet he will be greatly missed in the home circle. He had for many years
lived with his only child, Mrs. Perry Swick [Lucinda/Lucy], from whose house the funeral
was held. The interment was in Harvey Cemetery.”
Oliver Swick died in 1913 and his wife Lucy (Sherer) Swick died in 1917. Both are buried in
Laurel Cemetery near Odessa, Catherine, Schuyler County.