Charles L. Sylvester and Elvira Smith House, Cold Street, Cummington

2021-157

Charles L. Sylvester and Elvira Smith House, Cold Street, Cummington

Houses and Barns

Black and white photograph of the home of Charles L. Sylvester (b. July 10th, 1838, Steuben County, New York) and Elvira Smith (b. October 17th, 1837, New York). Rev. Moody does not include Elvira's given name in the record for this house, found via Family Search. Charles' father was Joseph Sylvester (b. 1812, Otsego County, New York) and he also had a brother named Philander. Charles and Elvira married on January 1st, 1861 and had two children living as of 1905 - Nellie Sylvester Stone and Minnie Sylvester Cross. The Sylvester's purchased the home from George Ferguson who had acquired it from his father. Rev. Moody writes that 'they had it thirty years' and that George's mother (Lizzie Geer) was Austin Geer's aunt. He also shares that the Sylvester House had been a tavern, kept by Joseph Farr in 1771 and 'supposed to have been the first house built.' A WHS member later interprets this statement as claiming the Sylvester House the first house built in Worthington. In 1905, the property consisted of 240 acres and the Sylvester's kept five cattle, one horse, 40 hens, and cut twelve tons of hay. The house is featured in The South Worthington Parish by Rev. George Reed Moody (1905), page 85, #12.

Still Image

5 x 7 in

Howes Brothers

1900/1933

Marion Sweeney, South Worthington

2021-05-27

Box 17

Glass

Worthington - other unspecified

Featured in The South Worthington Parish by Rev. George Reed Moody (1905).

NS (2021-05-27)

Bates/'The Heritage'

Still Image - Black and White Glass Plate (negative)