Introduction

The Society has a small collection of family papers. If you find an item of interest, please stop by the Historical Society Room during open hours or contact us to make other arrangements.

Clark-Metcalf Family Papers

Collection: FAM-001 | Finding Aid
Dates: 1825 - early 1900s
Description: The Clark-Metcalf collection includes letters, diaries, and ephemera related to the founders of the Westmoreland Malleable Iron Works and their descendants.
Scanned: Yes
Transcribed: Partially
Indexed: Partially

Burgett Diary

Collection: FAM-002 | Name Index
Dates: 1882
Description: Written by life-long Westmoreland resident William S. P. Burgett (1816-1899), the diary begins in July of 1882 and ends with Mr. Burgett's sixty-sixth birthday on December 18 of that year. Topics include grief at the loss of family members; life in the George Frieberger home where Mr. Burgett boarded; church activities and thoughts about religion's role in his life; berry picking; visits from neighbors and family members; and more. For additional information about Mr. Burgett, please see Diary Author W. S. P. Burgett
Scanned: Yes
Transcribed: Yes
Indexed: Yes

Foote Family Papers

Collection: FAM-003
Dates: 1848 - 1926; bulk early 1920s
Description: The Foote Family papers document the Foote family’s Westmoreland property transactions that occurred between 1848 and 1926. The items include (but are not limited to) deeds; wills; probate documents; stock certificates; chain-of-ownership notes for property; and correspondence regarding the collection of mortgage payments for property sold by the Foote family. Of note is a boarding agreement that details the use of a room on a Westmoreland farm without an obligation to do farm work.
Scanned: No
Transcribed: No
Indexed: No

Wishart Family Papers

Collection: FAM-004
Dates:circa 1868 - 1945
Description: The Wishart Family Papers document property transactions, probate proceedings, and births primarily related to William and Jane (Maw) Wishart of Westmoreland, New York, and their descendants. Items include deeds, 1868-1945; probate records, 1898-1906; and a handwritten page that lists births 1808-1846.
Scanned: No
Transcribed: No
Indexed: No

Mary (Plunkett) Donovan Diary

Collection: FAM-005
Dates: 1902 - 1906
Description: The Mary (Plunkett) Donovan diary, written between January 1902 and May 1906, includes single-line entries that document work activities with notations such as “work in factory corn” and record day-to-day activities such “made dress shirt waist.” The diary names Mary’s husband and children and a few others, perhaps employers. The inside front pages include three photographs, perhaps of Mary and a daughter.
Scanned: Yes
Transcribed: No
Indexed: No

Funeral Cards

Collection: FAM-006 | Index
Dates: 1987 - 2008
Description: The current collection (20 July 2024) contains thirty-four funeral cards for former Westmoreland residents. These memorial cards generally include the decedent’s name, birth date, and death date, along with an image, often a nature scene, and a poem or other text.
Scanned: No
Transcribed: No
Indexed: Yes

Plunkett Family Births, Marriages, and Deaths

Collection: FAM-007
Dates:Early 1800s - 1912
Description: This is a single page that appears to have been removed from a book—perhaps from a dictionary as the reverse side is an etched portrait of "N Webster." The page lists birth, marriage, and death dates for Patrick Plunkett and Mary McCarthy, their children, and some of their grandchildren.
Scanned: Yes
Transcribed: No
Indexed: No

Clara E. Rauscher Papers

Collection: FAM-008
Dates: circa 1960s - circa 1980s
Description: The Clara E. Rauscher Papers include newspaper clippings, hand-drawn maps, local history research notes, and ephemera. The newspaper clippings cover Pope Paul VI’s death, local stories related to people and events, and general interest. The hand-drawn maps focus on Westmoreland and vicinity and show the locations of homes and businesses. Some may have been traced from Beers’ 1874 Atlas of Oneida County New York. The research notes summarize eighteenth-century events related to Oneida County towns, and include biographical information on James Dean, lists of local businesses, and more. Ephemera includes a 1969 Otsego County publication with an article about the New York State Historical Association’s new library; Clara’s 1966 National Grange twenty-five-year membership certificate; and Clara’s 1980 New York State Traffic Safety Commendation Award.
Scanned: Yes
Transcribed: No
Indexed: No

Henry J. Lane Scrapbook

Collection: FAM-009
Dates: 1893 - 1905
Description: The Henry J. Lane scrapbook contains items that document the personal interests, business endeavors, and family relationships of Herkimer native Harry Lane who married Alice Elizabeth Munn in Westmoreland in 1901. The scrapbook contains booklets, brochures, and other ephemera related to topics such as baseball, cycling, machinery, music, social events, telephones, and travel. It also includes letters related to business, family, and friends. In 1902 Harry owned one of the few telephones in Westmoreland.
Scanned: No
Indexed: No

Schieferstein Family Scrapbook

Collection: FAM-011
Dates: circa 1950 - circa 1962
Description: This scrapbook features newspaper clippings focused on marriages, deaths, and local history events.
Scanned: Yes
Indexed: Yes | View Index

Small Black Scrapbook

Collection: FAM-012
Dates:1946 - 1950
Description: This scrapbook was created by an unknown compiler who glued newspaper clippings to lined three-ring binder paper. The clippings include social news columns for Westmoreland and Bartlett; birth and marriage announcements, obituaries; articles of local interest on topics such as military discharges, high school graduations, and church activities; and articles of then-current interest such as ”Truman flour” and “hamless Easter.” The scrapbook also includes a Westmoreland Central School Baccalaureate Service program from 23 June 1946.
Scanned: Yes
Indexed: No

Tall Brown Scrapbook

Collection: FAM-013
Dates: circa 1909 - circa 1932
Description: This scrapbook was created by an unknown compiler who glued newspaper clippings into a book that had been used for other purposes. The pages begin with handwritten recipes, a list of spelling words, and an account page that mentions items such as a cultivator, scythe, and churn. It ends with poetry and essays that were probably copied from elsewhere. The newspaper clippings are of two types: general interest, e.g., poetry; household tips, and recipes, and news articles, e.g., local events including marriages and deaths.
Scanned: Yes
Indexed: Indexing in Progress | Marriage Index

Howard Storey Scrapbook

Collection: SBK-014
Dates: 1918 - 1944; bulk circa 1943
Description: This scrapbook preserves military-related items, most of which are probably associated with Howard Storey’s service. However some items, such as a 1918 Christmas Greetings booklet from Camp McClellan, Alabama, were created when Howard was a child, and his name is absent from some of the later documents. The scrapbook includes a 1938 composite photo of Company “G” 26th Infantry, Plattsburg Barracks, New York; a 1943 Thanksgiving Dinner menu from Battery “A” 287th Coast Artillery Battalion; Christmas Greeting from the 287th Coast Artillery Battalion in Fort Miles, Delaware; a 1943 memo on the reorganization of 52nd Coast Artillery; a 1944 “GI Bill of Rights”; Coast Artillery Officer Candidate School regulations and “Rating Scale for Officer Candidates”; a booklet of “practical French and German phrases; an “Outline of Procedure for Trials Before Courts-Martial, U.S. Army”; a “Footlocker & Clothes Display,” and more. One of the items has a hand-written “Lt. Storey” on top.
Scanned: Yes
Indexed: No

Spellman Family Scrapbooks

Collection: SBK-016
Dates: circa 1950 - circa 1962
Description: This collection includes six volumes probably compiled by Evelyn M. Sawner who was born in Whitesboro in 1917; married Edward J. Spellman in Clark Mills in 1937, and died in 2006. Evelyn belonged to the Church of the Annunciation and the Clark Mills American Legion, and ran Utica Oxygen Service with her husband. These associations are reflected in the scrapbook contents. The first volume begins with Evelyn's school memorabilia including certificates, athletic awards, a diploma, and a 1936 Westmoreland High School graduation program. Later volumes include newspaper clippings, invitations and announcements related to births, marriages, deaths, and anniversaries; and ephemera such a 1968 dedication program from R. Kirk Parkhurst Post 1448; a poem written to honor Ed Spellman's twenty-five-year membership in the Clark Mills American Legion; a 1975-1976 list of Oneida County American Legion officers; a 1976 Town of Westmoreland Directory of Organizations; and a 1983 Church of the Annunciation seventy-five-year celebration program.
Scanned: Yes
Indexed: No

Law Family Scrapbook

Collection: FAM-017
Dates: circa 1940 - circa 1960
Description: This scrapbook is a compilation of newspaper clippings focused on births, marriages, deaths, and local history events, most related to Bartlett. Some clippings are attached to scrapbook pages, but many are loose. The book also includes a 1944 Hampton Lodge booklet listing officers and members, and William O. Law's World War II mileage ration coupons.
Scanned: Yes
Indexed: No, but the loose clippings are scanned and the files are named by year, month, and article title. PDFs of the scrapbook and the loose clippings are, to some extent, searchable.

Banner Image: Example documents from the Clark-Metcalf Family Papers.