HomeMy WebLinkAboutBroom Corn Project Sue Thompson 2003 NL ArticleEnfield History
Sue Thompson, Enfield Town Historian (272-6412, sdt1@cornell.edu, 487 East Enfield Center, Ithaca, NY 14850)
Broom Corn Project
If we ever dig out from the snow, the Junior Grange will be learning about Broom Corn – planting, harvesting, and making brooms. I thought this might be an interesting project because
of the “Rumsey Broom Business” which was operated here in Enfield by the Rumsey Family before 1922. Some people say that the family raised their own broom corn and some say that they
bought the broom corn to make their brooms. In 1922 the barn and house, located on Woodard Road burned stopping all production of broom making. According to the 1914 Agricultural Directory,
Alonzo and Elmer Rumsey were broom makers. Mary and Eric Rumsey, currently of Enfield, said they had a testimony from Benjamin Franklin Rumsey Sr. (Eric's grandfather), Alonzo Rumsey
went into the broom-making business in 1866 with a man named Bagordis/Bagardus/Bogardus. Alonzo was Ben Sr's grandfather. Ben Sr. was born in 1892 and he remembered this business and
Mr. B.
If anyone has additional information on this business, I would like to hear about it. We’ll let you know how the project goes in the fall. It will be a learning project for everyone.
Cookbooks
I would like to add to the historian's collection local community cook books. We have a few already. These cookbooks were prepared by such organizations as parent-teacher groups, church,
grange, social clubs, or historical societies as fund-raising projects. They document an important aspect of the lives of families, women and men in the region, as well as ethnic groups
and their adaptations of traditional foods.
If you would like to donate any cookbook please contact Sue Thompson, Enfield Town Historian.
Requests to the Historian
I have received the following requests from various sources, if you have any information regarding these requests please contact Sue Thompson:
Looking for information on the original Jonathan Rolfe Farm. Also the Obediah and Sally Chase Family.
Looking for Miller family information relating to: Glenn Howard son of Joshua S. and Ella Priscilla Wortman Miller. Joshua Miller son of Jonathan L. and Cyren Gould Miller.
Looking for the parents of Lawrence Tompkins (died March 23, 1826).
Historian’s Collection
Thank you Howard Stamp of Ithaca for a copy of the 1920 photo of Mecklenburg Road here in Enfield. Thank you Lynne Slagle of Florida for the genealogy showing that Abigail Maria Wilbour
(1845-1929), wife of Edwin Noble (1837-1891) both of Enfield descended from John and Priscilla Alden of the Mayflower.
Index to Deeds in Tompkins County
Part of the Tompkins County New York Genealogical Web site (www.rootsweb.com/~nytompki/) is dedicated to the listing of the Index to Deeds in Tompkins County 1817 and up). They do
not list the actual Deed record. One of the groups they do not have listed are the families starting with R. I thought you might find the names interesting, so I went to the Tompkins
County Clerks office and copied some of the “R’s” from the Index. This is only a partial listing.
The first name is the Grantor and the second name is the Grantee, then the Deed Book Number and the page where the deed may be found.
1860-62:
Rumsey, Isaiah to S. Rumsey – 1:12
Rolfe, Jonathan to Sarah Queal – 1:18
Rolfe, Elam S. to Andrew E. Best – 1:20
Rumsey, Isaiah to Philip Fish – 1:52
Rolfe, Reuben to Obadiah Chase – 1:62
Robertson, Smith Sheriff – Wm. Thatcher – 2:5
Rumsey, John P. to Henry Hill – 2:5
Rumsey, John B. to B.J. Doolittle – 1:1
Rockwell, Charles to M.K. Trotter – 1:30
Rightmire, Daniel to A.M. Trotter – 1:30
Rolison, Isaiah to J. Lanning – 1:31
1862 – 64:
Rumsey, Oliver to D.M. Burdick – 1:20
Rumsey, James to J.R. Bowen – 2:53
Rolfe, Joseph to O. Chase – 1:96
Rolfe, Samuel to H. Cowens – 1:12
Rockwell, Hannah – J. Langdon – 2:31
Rolfe, Eben to E. Babcock – 2:21
1864 – 66:
Rumsey, Edwin to L.E. Brown – 1:128
Rightmire, Daniel to Adam Gray – 1:133
Rightmire, Daniel to Geo. W. Budd – 1:145
Rockwell, Charles to H.V. Bostwick – 1:182
Rolfe, Chester to A.A. Snow – 1:199
Rockwell, Charles to Ezra Chase – 1:152
Rolfe, Jonathan to L. Goodwin – 1:194
Rumsey, Edwin to M.A. Marshall – 1:206
1866-68:
Rumsey, Oliver to Susan Drake – 1:240
Rumsey, Ross to Wm. Wallenbeck – 1:299
Rolfe, James to S.T. Theall – 2:148
Rolfe, Margaret to Simeon Rolfe – 2:150
Rockwell, Mary to W. Pierson – 1:31