for Page 1 of his diary which reads:"At the Burg one night in Church Imade up my mind to join the army. Igot an application to join an aviationband...". Alas, he never did get tojoin that band since there were noopenings available. However, whenhe returned to civilian life followingthe war, he fulfilled that dream andbecame a member and drummer forThe Adirondack Pipes & Drums,Inc. (Still in existence, this is a NYState not-for-profit corporation toprovide education and promotecultural awareness of the traditionsand music of Scottish HighlandBagpipes and Drums.)According to his diary just prior tohis Army enlistment Joseph wasworking at the WarrensburghWoolen Company. Upon hisdischarge in May 1919, he returnedto work there while "paying $20 perboarding at Mrs. Bibby’s". In theyears following, his extensive jobhistory included working at NiagaraMohawk as a meter man and somenighttime work at the Feeder Damfor NIMO. At one time he alsoworked for the NY State HighwayDepartment. During the WWII yearshe worked at the mine site atTahawus, NY (located in the HighPeaks Region of NY where iron oreand wrought iron were produced;during WWII National Lead openedthe mine for processing the titaniumthat was found there.)He had two sisters living inWarrensburg at the time of his

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Warrensburgh Historical Society QuarterlyVolume 13 Issue 3 Fall 2008

THE DIARY OF A WWISOLDIER

"IDENTITY REVEALED"

by Rita Ferraro

Joseph Adelbert Aiken born April14, 1889 in Glens Falls; diedFebruary 26, 1968, age 79 inWarrensburg; buried West GlensFalls Cemetery, Glens Falls. Hisparents, both born in the USA, wereLester B. Aiken, born 1862 andEdith R.(maiden name unknown)born about 1865. Lester once owneda pool hall in Glens Falls.Joseph was the WWI soldier I wroteof in our Summer 2008 QuarterlyNewsletter, whose handwritten 1-year diary of his wartimeexperiences in Italy and France fromApril 8, 1918 to May 1, 1919captivated my interest and respectwhile transcribing it for theMuseum’s archives. I have sincediscovered that the Museum’scollection also includes Joseph’sWWI Army uniform. It has beencarefully preserved and packed bytwo of the Museum’s dedicated,ongoing volunteer workers, PhyllisJacobs and Liz Sebald.In researching Joseph, I learned thathe was very well thought of by thosewho knew him. He was described asa generous, hardworking man whoalso liked to hunt and fish, especiallywith his friends, Ray Hayes andMarcus Branch. He also did a littleboxing and was a professionaldrummer, which probably accounts

In This Issue:

Plymouth Rock to W’burg ………1

Diary of a WW I Soldier …….…1

Society Page ……………………..2

Sticky Wicket ………………….…4

Sayings & Customs ………………6

Wheeler Negative File ………….. 8

PLYMOUTH ROCKTO

WARRENSBURG

By Roscoe Hastings

They say everything changes for thegood. Sometimes I am not so sure.Long gone are the days when schoolchildren read and memorized poetry. Iam reminded of Longfellow’s poem“The Courtship of Miles Standish.” Iwonder if Standish actually sent JohnAlden to propose to Priscilla Mullins?Do you think she really said,”Prithee,John, why do you not speak for your-self?”Now my mind wanders to Warrens-burg and I remember Alden Avenue. Iwonder where it got its name? Couldit be from Samuel Rice Alden whosettled in Warrensburg in the middle1800s? Could Samuel Alden be re-lated to John Alden?With a little research I have been ableto answer the last question. Now Ihave one more question. Are thereany descendents of John Alden stillliving in Warrensburg? I will referyou to our favorite librarian, SarahFarrar for the answer.

Continued on page 3)

Page 2 SOCIETY PAGE

Contributors to this issue:Roscoe Hastings

Rita Ferraro

Quarterly Editor:John T. Hastings

jthastings@roadrunner.com

We welcome comments, corrections,articles, pictures, reminiscences, andletters to the editor. Send to :

Quaterly EditorWarrensburgh Historical Society

PO Box 441Warrensburg, NY 12885

Board of DirectorsDelbert Chambers- President

Rosemary Maher – Vice PresidentJackie Leonbruno - Treasurer

Rita Ferraro - SecretaryPaul Gilchrist,

John Hastings, Marilyn Hayes,Dennis Martinez, Steve Parisi,

Lenore Smith, Peter Wood

The Board of Directors meets at theSenior Center, 3847 Main Street, at6:30 PM on the 2nd Tuesday of eachmonth. Society members welcome.Call Delbert to confirm at 623-3514.

NOTICEThe recording of history is an interpretive and ever changing study. Therefore,the Warrensburgh Historical Society or its Board of Directors or members shallnot be held liable for the accuracy or authenticity of the material herein. We wel-come and encourage corrections, comments and additional information.

Membership InformationStudent $8.00 Individual $12.00 Family $25.00 Senior (62+) $8.00

Contributing $50.00 Business $50.00 Institutional $100.00Life (Individual only) $250

Membership is on a calendar year basis.

If you would like to join and receive the Quarterly by mail, please send check for theamount of the membership classification, with name, address and phone number to:

Warrensburgh Historical Society, PO Box 441, Warrensburg, NY 12885.

NEW E-MAIL

The Society has recently obtainedan email address. If you want tocontact us directly, send youremail to:

whs7396@yahoo.comWarrensburgh Historical Society Quarterly

Copyright 2008. All rights reserved

PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

The Sticky Wicket Croquet Games and Pic-nic were again a great success; again wewere blessed with a beautiful day. Thankyou to all who supported the event. Thankyou to the many businesses and organiza-tions for your donations. Besides youryearly dues these are the folks that help tomaintain our fiscal stability. We ask thatyou patronize these businesses. Thank youto our Board of Directors and a few othersthat see to it that all the “behind the scenes”work is readied for the pleasure of ourguests. A special thank you to Brian Engle,touted “Chef Extraordinaire,” and his assis-tants, for his wonderful barbeque chickenand such. And thank you to those who at-tended the twelfth annual Sticky WicketCroquet Games and Picnic. We are pleasedand honored that you joined us for this spe-cial event. There were many familiar facesand some new ones as well. I understandthat the most distant that anyone came fromwas California but New Jersey was also rep-resented. Our surrounding communitieswere well represented by guests comingfrom Glens Falls, Queensbury, Brant Lake,Chestertown, North Creek and Indian Lake.The picnic included a wide variety of saladsand deserts brought by many of the at-tendees. Board games and raffles and so-cializing continued under the pavilionthroughout the afternoon. Many took advan-tage of the spectator tent to watch the cro-quet competition. And then there were thosewho competed in the tournament. Last yearI waxed poetic about the genteelness of theevent and expounded on the competitive-ness of the last half hour of play. I noted thecamaraderie and the fun that was had by,seemingly, all participants. Friendships aremade and re-kindled out on the fields. Noless so this year. This year we had a tie atsecond place being just one point out of firstand third place was just two points underthat. Another exciting finish to the competi-tion. First place was taken by RICHARDSTONITCH with a very respectable thirtypoints. Richard was a first year competitor,a rather quiet and reserved player, perhapsthat was his strategy.

Congratulations Richard!

Delbert Chambers

UPCOMING EVENTS

Sept. 28 Artifacts Nite & Tea,Sr. Citizen Center 4:00 pm

October 23 Luncheon with theDead at Griffin House 12Noon

October 24 Graveyard Walk &Dessert at CornerstoneVictorian 7:00 pm

October 26 Dinner w/ the Dead atGriffin House 6:00 pm

October 31 Graveyard Walk &Dessert at Maher’s (2 CloverLeaf Dr) 7:00 pm

Nov. 13 David Pitkin @ GriffinHouse “Ghost Stories”7:00 pm

The next Quarterly Deadline isNovember 1st

+ 4. i. Seth Alden. He was born on 23May 1863 in Warrensburg, Warren, NewYork, USA [2]. He died on 24 Nov 1931in Warrensburg, Warren, New York,USA [2].ii. John Samuel Alden. He was born1864 in Warrensburg, Warren, NewYork, USA. He married Ella LouiseHuntly. They were married on 25 Dec1886 in Warrensburg, Warren, NewYork, USA [3].iii. Nellie Jane Alden. She was born on15 Mar 1869 in Warrensburg, Warren,New York, USA. She married GeorgeWashington Farrar. They were marriedon 01 May 1890 in Warrensburg, War-ren, New York, USA [3]. She died on 17Mar 1958 in Warrensburg, Warren, NewYork, USA.iv. Emma C. Alden. She was born 1871in Warrensburg, Warren, New York,USA. She died 1876.v. William Harvey Alden. He was bornon 12 May 1885 in Warrensburg, War-ren, New York, USA [1]. He marriedAnna. Laura Bennett. They were marriedon 26 Nov 1908. He died 1964.Generation 516. Samuel Rice Alden is the son ofJesse Alden and Sarah Rice. He wasborn on 07 May 1793 in Cornish, Sulli-van, New Hampshire, USA [4]. He died1874 in Warrensburg, Warren, NewYork, USA.17. Eliza Gibson. She was born 1805.She died 1852. Samuel Rice Alden andEliza Gibson. They were married on 22Dec 1827 in Grafton, Windham, Ver-mont, USA [4]. They had 6 children.i. Harriet Alden. She was born 1829.ii. Mary Alden. She was born 1830.+ 8. iii. Albert A. Alden. He was bornon 31 Aug 1835 in Whitehall, Washing-ton, NY, USA [1]. He died on 09 Nov1904 in Warrensburg, Warren, NewYork, USA [2].iv. Martha Alden. She was born 1838.v. Emeline F. Alden. She was born on15 Jul 1842. She married Sela S. Fuller.They were married on 20 Mar 1859 inBolton, Warren, New York, USA. Shedied on 04 Nov 1872 in Glens Falls,Warren, New York, USA.vi. Alzina Alden. She was born on 04Aug 1846. She married Sidney Fuller.They were married on 04 Oct 1866 inBolton, Warren, New York, USA. Shedied 1916 in Glens Falls, Warren, NewYork, USA.

18. John Stone.19. Jane Herrick. John Stone and JaneHerrick. They had 1 child.+ 9. i. Cynthia Stone. She was born on08 Sep 1844 in Warrensburg, Warren,New York, USA [2]. She died on 14 Jul1919 in Warrensburg, Warren, NewYork, USA[2].Generation 632. Jesse Alden is the son of Daniel Al-den and Jane Turner. He was born on 30May 1762 in Stafford, Tolland, Con-necticut, USA [4]. He died on 02 Apr1813 in Claremont, Sullivan, NewHampshire, USA [4].33. Sarah Rice. She was born on 09 Feb1764 [4]. Jesse Alden and Sarah Rice.They had 9 children.+ 16. i. Samuel Rice Alden. He wasborn on 07 May 1793 in Cornish City,Sullivan, New Hampshire, USA [4]. Hemarried Eliza Gibson. They were mar-ried on 22 Dec 1827 in Grafton, Wind-ham, Vermont, USA [4]. He died 1874 inWarrensburg, Warren, New York, USA.ii. Amanda Alden. She was born on 14Mar 1795 [4]. She died on 05 Dec 1840[4].iii. Sarah Alden. She was born on 09Jan 1797 [4].iv. Jesse Alden. He was born on 26 Nov1798 [4].v. Harvey Alden. He was born on 07Jan 1801 [4]. He died on 09 Jul 1835 [4].vi. David Alden. He was born on 06Mar 1804 [4]. He died on 17 May 1806[4].vii. Hannah Alden. She was born on 31Jul 1805 [4]. She died on 21 Mar 1832 [4].viii. Betsey Alden. She was born on 31Jul 1805 [4].ix. Mary Alden. She was born on 30 Jan1808 [4].Generation 764. Daniel Alden is the son of DanielAlden and Abigail Shaw. He was bornon 05 Sep 1720 in Bridgewater, Ply-mouth, Massachusetts, USA [4]. He diedon 18 May 1790 in Lebanon, Grafton,NH, USA [4].65. Jane Turner. She was born on 30Mar 1725 [4]. She died on 06 May 1817in Lebanon, Grafton, NH, USA [4].DanielAlden and Jane Turner. They were mar-ried 1747 [4]. They had 12 children.i. Hannah Alden. She was born 1750 [4].ii. Abigail Alden. She was born Oct1750 [4]. She married Jude Converse.They were married 1772. She died May1814 [4].

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Alden GenealogyGeneration 11. Julia Cecilia Alden is the daughter ofAlbert Cornelius Alden and Nina CeciliaKelleher. She was born on 05 Aug 1922in Warrensburg, Warren, New York,USA [1, 2]. She died on 22 May 1924 inWarrensburg, Warren, New York, US[2].Generation 22. Albert Cornelius Alden is the son ofSeth Alden and Julia C. Burke. He wasborn on 20 Oct 1896 in Warrensburg,Warren, New York, USA [1]. He died on16 Aug 1936 in Warrensburg, Warren,New York, USA [2].3. Nina Cecilia Kelleher. She was born1899 in Palmer, Saratoga, NY [3].Albert Cornelius Alden and Nina CeciliaKelleher. They were married on 23 Nov1920 in Warrensburg, Warren, NewYork, USA [3]. They had 1 child.+ 1. i. Julia Cecilia Alden. She wasborn on 05 Aug 1922 in Warrensburg,Warren, New York, USA [1, 2]. She diedon 22 May 1924 in Warrensburg, War-ren, New York, USA [2].Generation 34. Seth Alden is the son of Albert A.Alden and Cynthia Stone. He was bornon 23 May 1863 in Warrensburg, War-ren, New York, USA [2]. He died on 24Nov 1931 in Warrensburg, Warren, NewYork, USA [2].5. Julia C. Burke. She was born 1868.She died 1946. Seth Alden and Julia C.Burke. They had 1 child.+ 2. i. Albert Cornelius Alden. He wasborn on 20 Oct 1896 in Warrensburg,Warren, New York, USA [1]. He marriedNina Cecilia Kelleher. They were mar-ried on 23 Nov 1920 in Warrensburg,Warren, New York, USA [3]. He died on16 Aug 1936 in Warrensburg, Warren,New York, USA [2].Generation 48. Albert A. Alden is the son of SamuelRice Alden and Eliza Gibson. He wasborn on 31 Aug 1835 in Whitehall,Washington, NY, USA [1]. He died on 09Nov 1904 in Warrensburg, Warren, NewYork, USA [2].9. Cynthia Stone is the daughter of JohnStone and Jane Herrick. She was born on08 Sep 1844 in Warrensburg, Warren,New York, USA [2]. She died on 14 Jul1919 in Warrensburg, Warren, NewYork, USA [2]. Albert A. Alden andCynthia Stone. They had 5 children.

STICKYWICKET

2008

Page 4

RICHARD STONITCH , 2008 StickyWicket winner, accepts the trophy fromWHS President, Delbert Chambers

Delbert goes over the rules…..

Paul Gilchrist, Pete Wood & Brendan Hanleysize up their shots

The raffle prizes..

Page 5

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iii. Ebenezer Alden. He was born on 04Jul 1755 [4]. He married Sarah Bass.They were married Apr 1787 [4]. He diedon 16 Oct 1805 in Randolph, Norfolk,Massachusetts, USA [4].iv. Infant Alden. He was born on 08Apr 1761 [4].He died on 09 Apr 1761 [4].+ 32. v. Jesse Alden. He was born on 30May 1762 in Stafford, Tolland, Con-necticut, USA [4]. He died on 02 Apr1813 in Claremont, Sullivan, NewHampshire, USA [4].vi. Samuel Alden. He was born 1768 inStafford, Tolland, Connecticut, USA [4].He died 1842 in Hanover, Grafton, NewHampshire, USA [4].vii. Isaac Alden. He was born on 11 Feb1770 in Stafford, Tolland, Connecticut,USA [4]. He died on 25 Aug 1845 [4].ix. Sarah Alden.x. Daniel Alden. He was born 1753 [4].He died on 27 Jan 1817 [4].xi. Mihetable Alden.xii. Mary Alden.Generation 8128. Daniel Alden is the son of JosephAlden and Hannah Dunham. He wasborn on 29 Jan 1690 in Bridgewater,Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA [5]. Hedied on 03 May 1767 in Stafford, Tol-land, Connecticut, USA [4].129. Abigail Shaw. She was born Abt.1694 [4]. Daniel Alden and Abigail Shaw.They were married 1717 [4]. They had 11children.i. Joseph Alden. He was born on 20Nov 1718 [4]. He married Susanna Pack-ard. They were married 1742 [4]. He diedon 02 Jan 1768 in Worcester, Worcester,Massachusetts, USA [4].+ 64. ii. Daniel Alden. He was born on05 Sep 1720 in Bridgewater, Plymouth,Massachusetts, USA [4]. He married JaneTurner. They were married 1747 [4]. Hedied on 18 May 1790 in Lebanon,Grafton, NH, USA [4].iii. Abigail Alden. She was born on 03Dec 1722 [4]. She married Eleazer Whit-man. They were married 1742 [4].iv. Zephaniah Alden. He was born on13 Sep 1724 [4].v. Hannah Alden. She was born on 23May 1726 [4]. She died on 02 Jul 1726 [4].vi. Hannah Alden. She was born on 17Dec 1727 [4].vii. Mehetable Alden. She was born on23 May 1729 [4]. She died on 13 Jul 1729[4].

viii. Barnabas Alden. He was born on10 Sep 1732 [4].ix. Ebenezer Alden. He was born on 11Aug 1734 [4]. He died Jul 1755 [4].x. Mary Alden. She was born on 12May 1737 [4]. She died on 06 Mar 173[4].xi. Mary Alden.Rebecca Curtis.Daniel Alden and Rebecca Curtis. Theyhad no children.Generation 9256. Joseph Alden is the son of JosephAlden and Mary Simmons. He was born1667 in Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachu-setts, USA [4]. He died on 22 Dec 1747in Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachu-setts, USA [4].257. Hannah Dunham. She died on 13Jan 1748 [4]. Joseph Alden and HannahDunham. They were married 1690. Theyhad 10 children.+ 128. i. Daniel Alden. He was born on29 Jan 1690 in Bridgewater, Plymouth,Massachusetts, USA [5]. He married Abi-gail Shaw. They were married 1717 [4].He died on 03 May 1767 in Stafford,Tolland, Connecticut, USA [4].ii. Joseph Alden. He was born on 24Aug 1693 in Bridgewater, Plymouth,Massachusetts, USA [5]. He died on 19Dec 1695 in Bridgewater, Plymouth,Massachusetts, USA [4, 5].iii. Eleazer Alden. He was born on 27Sep 1694 in Bridgewater, Plymouth,Massachusetts, USA [4, 5]. He marriedMartha Shaw. They were married 1720[4]. He died on 30 Jan 1773 [4].iv. Hannah Alden. She was born on 01Feb 1696 in Bridgewater, Plymouth,Massachusetts, USA [5]. She marriedMark Lothrop. They were married 1722[4].She died 1777 [4].).v. Mary Alden. She was born on 10Apr 1699 in Bridgewater, Plymouth,Massachusetts, USA [5]. She marriedTimothy Edson. They were married1719 [4]. She died on 14 Feb 1782 [4].vi. Joseph Alden. He was born on 05Sep 1700 in Bridgewater, Plymouth,Massachusetts, USA [5]. He died Oct1700 [4].vii. Jonathan Alden. He was born on 03Dec 1703 [4]. He died on 10 Nov 1704 [4].viii. Samuel Alden. He was born on 20Aug 1705 [4]. He married Abiah Edson.They were married 1728 [4]. He died1785 [4].ix. Mehetable Alden. She was born on

18 Oct 1707 [4]. She died on 11 Apr1737 [4].x. Seth Alden. He was born on 06 Jul1710 [4]. He married Mehetable Carver.They were married 1741 [4]. He died on06 Sep 1784 [4].Generation 10512. Joseph Alden is the son of JohnAlden and Priscilla Mullins. He wasborn Abt. 1627 in Plymouth, Plymouth,Massachusetts, USA [6]. He died on 08Feb 1697 [4].513. Mary Simmons. She was born Abt.1641 [6]. Joseph Alden and Mary Sim-mons. They were married Abt. 1660 [6].They had 5 children.+ 256. i. Joseph Alden. He was born1667 in Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachu-setts, USA [4].He married Hannah Dun-ham. They were married 1690. He diedon 22 Dec 1747 in Bridgewater, Ply-mouth, Massachusetts, USA [4].ii. John Alden. He was born Abt. 1676[4]. He died on 29 Sep 1730 [4].iii. Mary Alden. She married SamuelAllen. They were married 1700 [4].iv. Elizabeth Alden. She married Benja-min Snow. They were married 1691 [4].She died 1705 [4].v. Isaac Alden. He married MehitableAllen. They were married on 02 Dec1685 [4].Generation 111024. John Alden. He was born 1599 inSouthampton, Hampshire, England. Hedied on 12 Sep 1667 in Duxbury, Ply-mouth, Massachusetts, USA.1025. Priscilla Mullins. She died Abt.1651 [6]. John Alden and Priscilla Mul-lins. They had 10 children.i. Elizabeth Alden. She was born Abt.1624 in Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachu-setts, USA. She married WilliamPabodie. They were married on 26 Dec1644 in Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachu-setts, USA [6]. She died on 31 May 1717in Little Compton, Newport, Rhode Is-land, USA [6].ii. John Alden. He was born Abt. 1626in Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts,USA[6]. He married Elizabeth Everil.They were married on 01 Apr 1660 inBoston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, USA [6].He died 14 Mar 1701/02 [6].+ 512. iii. Joseph Alden. He was bornAbt. 1627 in Plymouth, Plymouth, Mas-sachusetts, USA [6]. He married MarySimmons. They were married Abt. 1660

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EVER WONDER WHERE SOMEOF TODAYS’ SAYINGS ANDC U S T O M S O R I G I N A T E D ?MAYBE THESE WORDS OFWISDOM WILL STOP YOURWONDERING, BELIEVE IT ORNOT!

by Rita Ferraro

BACK IN THE OLD DAYS...Most people were married in the monthof June because they took their yearlybath in the month of May and stillsmelled pretty good by June. However,they were starting to smell, so bridescarried a bouquet of flowers to hide thebody odor. Hence the custom we stillhave today of carrying a bridal bouquetwhen getting married.

Annual baths consisted of a large tubfilled with lots of hot water. The headof the household had the privilege ofthe nice, clean, hot water first, then thesons, then the women and finally thechildren. Last of all put into the tubwere the babies. By then the water wasso dirty you could actually lose some-one in it. Hence the saying, "Don’tthrow the baby out with the bath water".Many houses had thatched roofs - thickstraw piled high with no wooden baseunderneath. It was a good place for ani-mals to keep warm, so lots of cats,mice, dogs and bugs lived in the roof.When it rained the roof became slipperyand sometimes the animals would slipand fall off. Hence the saying, "It’s rain-ing cats and dogs".

The thatched roofs posed a real prob-lem..all sorts of things would fallthrough. It was really a problem in thebedroom where bugs and other drop-pings could mess up a nice clean bed.Hence, a bed was devised with fourlarge posts and a sheet flung over thetop which afforded some protection andgave way to the existence of the cano-pied bed.

Page 6

It was common among the poorerfolk that floors were made of dirt.Hence the saying, "Dirt poor". Thewealthy sometimes had slate floorsthat became slippery in the winterwhen wet, so they would spreadthresh (straw) on the floor to keeptheir footing. As winter wore on,more thresh was added until, whenthe door was opened, the threshslipped outside. A piece of woodwas placed in the entranceway toprevent this. Hence the term,"threshold".

A diet of meat could be scarce in theold days and when pork was avail-able it made the people feel quitespecial and fortunate. When visitorscame by, they would hang up theirslabs of bacon proudly. They wouldcut off just a little to share withguests and then all would sit aroundand "chew the fat".A loaf of bread was divided accord-ing to one’s status. Workers wouldget the burned bottom of the loaf, thefamily would get the middle, andguests would get the top, or "the up-per crust".

Cups made of lead were primarilyused to drink ale or whiskey. Thiscombination of lead and liquorwould knock out the imbibers, some-times for days, falling into thestreets. They would be assumeddead, picked up and prepared forburial at home. They were laid outon the kitchen table for a couple ofdays and the family would gather‘round eating and drinking, waitingto see if they would wake up. Hencethe custom, "holding a wake"

In some small rural towns, the localfolks would run out of places to burypeople. So, they would dig up cof-fins from older graves and take thebone remains to a bone-house in or-der to reuse the grave. It was ratherbizarre when at least 1 out of 25 cof-

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[6]. He died on 08 Feb 1697 [4].iv. Priscilla Alden. She was born Abt. 1630[6]. She died Aft. 1688 [6].v. Jonathan Alden. He was born Abt. 1632in Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts,USA. He married Abigail Hallett. They weremarried on 10 Dec 1672 in Duxbury, Ply-mouth, Massachusetts, USA [6]. He died 14Feb 1696/97 in Duxbury, Plymouth,Massachusetts, USA [6].vi. Sarah Alden. She was born Abt. 1634[6]. She married Alexander Standish. Theywere married Abt. 1660 [6].vii. Ruth Alden. She was born Abt. 1636 [6].She married John Bass. They were married03 Feb 1657/58 in Braintree, Norfolk, Mas-sachusetts, USA [6]. She died on 12 Oct 16[4].viii. Mary Alden. She was born Abt. 1638[6]. She died Aft. 1688 [6].ix. Rebecca Alden. She was born Abt. 1640[6]. She married Thomas Delano. They weremarried 1667 [6].x. David Alden. He was born Abt. 1642 [6].He married Mary Southworth. They weremarried Bef. 1674 [6]. He died 1719 [4].Sources1 Warrensburg Birth Records, Warrensburg,NY Town Clerk's Office.2 Warrensburg Death Records, Warrens-burg, NY Town Clerk's Office.3 Warrensburg Marriage Records, Warrens-burg, NY Town Clerk's Office.4 Ebenezer Alden, Memorial of the Descen-dents of the Hon. John Alden (Randolph,MA, 1867).5 Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850.6. Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Mi-gration Begins (Boston, MA: New EnglandHistoric Genealogical Society).

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enlistment. (In my research I couldonly find the name of one, JennyRichards, but if any reader can tellus the name of his other sister, andany other information, please writeand tell us). It was his two sisterswho saw him embark onto the train,off to war. He took with him apackage personally delivered tohim by "Mrs. Dr. Cunningham",containing a Red Cross comfort kitand khaki bag from the W.C.T.U.(Women’s Christian TemperanceUnion.)Joseph was 29 years old when hearrived at Camp Crane, PA June 8,1918 for basic training. Four dayslater on the 12th, he received atelegram from home stating that hisfather was very ill and he left campwith a five-day pass. His father’shealth deteriorated rapidly whileJoseph visited and he telegraphedhis commanding officer for anextended pass. His request wasnever acknowledged therefore hereturned back to camp on the 17th.It was that date on which hereceived another telegram fromhome that read "Father is dead".Joseph was married twice. In 1907at the young age of 18 he wedBertha A. McElroy. They had onechild who unfortunately died at 6months of age. Bertha was thedaughter of James and EllaMcElroy. The photo included hereis of Bertha and Joseph posing forthe camera on Horicon Avenue. (Icould not find any written recordspertaining to Bertha’s year of birthor the cause and date of her death.)The 1915 NYS census recordsshow Joseph living on Oak Streetin Warrensburg.His second marriage in 1924 was toRuth Elizabeth Potter and they hadtwo children, a daughter, JosephineF. (once married to Clifton JamesDavis, maternal uncle of John T.Hastings, Quarterly Editor), and ason, Lester M. The NYS 1930census shows Joseph and his family

February of 1968, Joseph passedaway.In his 1-year diary Joseph neverskipped entering a daily account, nomatter if he was soaked to the skin andfreezing after holding guard all dayand night in the cold, pouring rain orthe many days when he helped carrythe thousands of wounded while inambulance service. Sometimes itwould only be one short line, "Raintoday. Again!" The WarrensburghTown Museum is so fortunate to haveJoseph Aikens’ writings. Somedayperhaps an exhibit will be created atthe Museum showcasing the diary ofan exceptional north country citizen

(The writer wishes to thank thefollowing who were helpful inobtaining some of my research forthis article: Warrensburg TownHistorian; Warrensburg LibraryDirector; NYS Census Records;Cliff Davis & John T. Hastings.)

living on Warren Street inWarrensburg where they ownedtheir own home, valued at that timeat $1,000.Indeed, Joseph was a hardworkingman not only in civilian life, but ashis diary indicates, he was anexcellent and dedicated Americansoldier who earned an honorabledischarge signed by WWI GeneralPershing (this document iscontained within Joseph’s diary file,along with other very interestingpapers and writings by Joseph). Itseems he always found time to enjoyhis passions for his family, music,fishing and hunting.

Joseph’s later years were tranquillyspent with his wife Ruth workingtheir small farm in a little hollow onRoute 9 in the town of Caldwell(Lake George) just opposite towhere Brunetto’s Restaurant is now.This peaceful existence for theAikens’ came to an end whenprogress reared its head in the mid1960's and the new Northwayconstruction overtook much of thesurrounding land where Joseph’sfarm was thereby leaving Josephand Ruth to give up the rural lifeand move into the town ofWarrensburg. A few years later, in

Joseph Aiken and his first wife Bertha

1956-1970F.K.Wheeler, WarrensburgNegative File “Guess Who”

Call John at 798-0248 with your answers or e-mail jthastings@roadrunner.com

31. ___________________ 32. _________________ 33._________________

Page 8

The photos in the last Quarterly were:28. Tom Pratt 29. Ron Dorrance 30. James Smith

Correct answers were received from Sarah Farrar and Carolyn Dorrance

WarrensburghHistorical Society

2009 Calendarwill be mailedto all membersalong with this

Newsletter.Additional copiesmay be obtainedfrom the SocietyOr at one of the

followingWarrensburg locations:

Glens Falls National BankJack Toney’s

Nemec’sRichard’s Library

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fins were found to have scratchmarks on the inside and it was real-ized that people had been buriedalive. A plan was then devisedwhere a string was tied on the wristof the "corpse", led through the cofinand up through the ground where itwas tied to a bell. Someone wouldbe assigned to sit out in the grave-yard all night (the graveyard shift) tolisten for the bell. Thus, someonecould be "saved by the bell", or wasconsidered to be a "dead ringer".

BERT MURRAY DVDA limited number still available.One hour of 16 mm footage shotbetween 1927 and 1931 by WarrenCounty’s first highway superinten-dent $5.00/$6.50 with postage.Call 623-2207 or write the Societyat P.O.Box 441, Warrensburg, NY12885.This is an excellent film showingWarrensburgh and the surroundingarea. Includes plowing snow, road-building, work at Westmount Infir-mary, ship wreck on Lake George,camping on Lake George, views ofWarrensburgh and much more.

HELP WANTEDPersons interested in helping to or-ganize and preserve the collectionin the museum. All skills are use-ful but training can be provided.Rewards: personal satisfaction andcamaraderie with like-minded peo-ple. Contact Steve (623-2207) orvisit the museum at 3754 MainStreet on Wednesdays 10-4 pm.

Warrensburg BicentennialLogo Contest

The Town of Warrensburg will becelebrating the 200th anniversary of itsestablishment in 2013. As the firststep in organizing this celebration, aBicentennial Logo Contest has beenannounced. The contest is open to allresidents of the Town of Warrensburg.Application forms with rules andregulations are available from theTown Clerk’s office at the Town Hallor on the Town website;townofwarrensburg.net. The submis-sion deadline is Friday, October 31,2008. Entry is free.The designs will be judged on overalleffectiveness, creativity, practicalityand aesthetics. The winner will beannounced at the December 10thTown Board meeting.The winner will receive $100 and aplaque. All entries will receive a Cer-tificate of Participation. The name ofthe winner will be published on theTown website, in local newspapersand announced on the radio. The willdesign will be used on all Bicentennialpromotions.