West Holdridge Story Gaylord Family Gallery

The West-Holdridge/Story-Gaylord
Family Gallery

Contributed by Sylvia Story Magin

 

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  1. Lester Bailey West, the bearded gentleman seated in the second row near the center of the picture, is Sylvia's great-grandfather.  His wife, Sara Lord West, is the lady in stripes next to him.  They had eleven children and they are surrounded by many of them with spouses and children.  The young lady standing behind Lester and off to the side, with a man's hand resting on her shoulder, is Sylvia's grandmother Jennie West Holdridge.   Four of Lester and Sarah West's eleven children married four Holdridge siblings.  Although not in proper birth order, they and their siblings are as follows:

     
    • Jennie Elizabeth West married William Newcomb Holdridge.

    • Clara Delilah West married Charles Holdridge.

    • Minnie Florilla West married Martin Luther Holdridge.

    • David Osmer West married Etta Holdridge.

    • Sarah Grace West married three times, outlived all three husbands, and 
      survived to the age of 98.  Her spouses were: 1) Jerome Crandall, 2) his 
      brother Howard Crandall and 3) Martin Garvey.

    • Nelson Burdette West married Jean Garvey.

    • Luella Ruth West married Lyman McGlashen.

    • Lucelia Caroline West married Mark Osborn

    • Laura Ann West married George Wilson Woodruff.

    • John Lester West married Ida Coons.

    • Ruth West married Michael Decker.

  2. Standing, left to right, are Clara West, who married Charles Holdridge, then Sarah Grace West, standing next to her first husband, Jerome Crandall,  then Lillian Holdridge Story in the dark dress and her parents, William N. Holdridge and Jennie West Holdridge. In front, seated, are three granddaughters of Lester Bailey West and Sarah Lord West.  Left to right, they are Pearl and Ethel (last names unknown), and Minnie Holdridge, who married Seymour Hand.  The name of the child Ethel is holding is not known.
    3.    Celia, Ruth, and Jennie West (seated in front)
    4.    This is Fletcher Story's grocery store on Main Street in Catskill. He lived 1845-1906; Sylvia's father's grandfather.
    5.    David West and his wife Etta Holdridge with her famous button collection. An article about this collection appeared in newspaper: 
    An extensive collection of well over 3,000 buttons, many of them rare and of historical value, has just arrived at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Holdridge in Woodstock.  Mr. Holdridge, a former resident of Catskill, is a nephew of William Holdridge, Landon Avenue.  The collection is an inheritance from his aunt, the late Mrs. David West of East Jewett, Greene County. Mrs. West, who had been a partial invalid until her death five years ago at the age of 82, had spent many years assembling the collection, meanwhile carrying on a wide correspondence and exchange of buttons with other collectors throughout the country. Buttons of every conceivable size and shape, from miniature crystal stars to black jet medallions larger than silver dollars.  In one of the groups are a choice variety of tiny calico buttons, said to be highly prized by collectors for their rarity and quaint charm.  In another group are the brass military buttons, some of them from Civil War uniforms.  Even a Pullman conductor's uniform button has been included. There are several exquisitely wrought filigree buttons, oriental and character and one with a loop attached was probably once worn as a necklace. "I'd like to wear that one for a pendant," said Mrs. Holdridge, and it would indeed add an unusual highlight to a gown. "Sorry, my dear," said Holdridge, "this is a unique collection, and we hope to keep it intact just as it was given to us." Along with the collection are several ribbons and certificates which Mrs. West received as awards from various hobby shows.  She won honorable mention at the Greene County Hobby Shop in 1945, first prize at the Mountain Top Hobby Show at the Knights of Pythias Hall in Tannersville in October, 21948. Mr. and Mrs. Holdridge extend an invitation to anyone interested to come to their home on Tinker Street, Woodstock, to view the collection.  
    6.    David, Nelson and John Lester West, sons of Lester Bailey West and Sarah Ann Lord
    7.    Sarah Lord West, East Jewett, NY. She's likely the woman in the dark dress and white top.

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  1. Sylvia's grandfather, William Newcomb Holdridge (1877, Pleasant Valley, Dutchess Co, NY-1955, Catskill). He is the man with his hands on his knees; sitting on the running board of this lovely old car.  I'm guessing it was taken around 1918

  2. Sylvia's great grandmother Mary L. Newcomb 1840-1926, who married Joseph Holdridge.  Sylvia's sixth great-grandfather Hezekiah Newcomb married Jerusha Bradford, great-granddaughter of Pilgrim Governor William Bradford.

  3. Sylvia's great-grandfather, Joseph Holdridge, (the man with the white round collar)  with (presumably) members of his family.  Joseph Holdridge (1835-1910) was married twice.  His first wife was Belinda Finch (1839-1866) and his second was Sylvia's great-grandmother Mary L. Newcomb (1846-1926).  Mary is possibly one of the older women in the carriage. 

  4. William and Jennie Newcomb Holdridge and
    their five children, Harold, William Romaine, Lillian, Mary Frances and Minnie.

  5. The Holdridge children: Harold, William Romaine, Lillian, Mary Frances and Minnie.

  6. Harold Holdridge (b. abt 1905, d. abt 1970 in Catskill) and William Romaine Holdridge (b. abt 1906 and d. abt 1975), sons of William and Jennie Holdridge. Harold married Ada Schermerhorn and had five children: Roger, Evelyn, Helen, Ronald and Laurel. William never married.

  7. Sylvia's grandmother, Jennie E. West Holdridge (1878-1955) , in the center, her mother, Sarah Ann Lord West (1839-1910), in the dark skirt, and an unknown companion on the left. Jennie had 3 girls (Lillian, who married Clifford A. Story, Mary Frances, who married Edward Jones and Minnie who married Seymour Hand) and 2 boys, Harold and William Romaine.

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Rebekkah Lodge photographs; Sylvia's mother, Lillian Holdridge was very active in the Rebekkahs, which were the ladies' wing of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

Picture on left: 
Catskill Valley Rebekah Lodge Members; Installing staff Emma Lane, Deputy President.

L to R ;  Lillian Story, Ann Hock, Jennie O'Bryon, Goldie Ward, Freda Post, Florence Rockefeller, Hilda Mower, Emma Lane, Marian Rightmyer, Charm Potts, Anna Roberts, Virginia Post, Sadie Hill, Goldie Egan, Jennie Dingee

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  1. May Gaylord Story, b. 1866, d. 1946 in Catskill, wife of Arthur LeRoy Story and grandmother of Sylvia Magin.

  2. Arthur LeRoy Story, Sylvia's grandfather was born 1868 and died Christmas Eve in Catskill, 1934.  He was employed by the Catskill Evening Line (the night boats) for many years.

  3. Arthur in his uniform.

  4. Autograph book of Arthur Leroy Story penning a note to his future betrothed in 1886.

  5. Marriage certificate Arthur Leroy Story and May Edith Gaylord April  14, 1892

  6. May Gaylord's autograph book in which she wrote to Arthur in 1886 when they were just friends.

  7. Arthur and May Story later in life.

  8. Rev. Adelbert Gaylord, father of May Gaylord, d. September 3, 1882 at Leeds, NY, aged 44y6m

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Mystery Photo on the left: The clothing on the couple in front of the barn appears to be Civil War era, 1860s perhaps, and the people look to us to be in their eighties, if not nineties.  He's wearing tails or a frock coat and a tie that looks like the 1860s to us.  Although their expressions are severe, if not downright grim, they seem to be dressed up for an occasion.

Photo in the middle: The house was the boyhood home of the Lords, and the man and woman in the picture are Chauncey Lord, (brother of my great-grandmother Sarah Lord West) and his second wife, Mary Butts.  The house had been standing vacant and deteriorating for years and was about to be torn down when Chauncey and Mary posed in front of it one last time. Possibly could be Gaylord or Lord family members.

Mystery baby photo - could be from the Holdridge, Newcomb, Gaylord, Lord, Story or West  family!  Anyone know??


The date on this picture is July 4, 1939, and it's all of Sylvia's family who were alive at the time. 
 
It was taken by her father (Clifford A. Story) with a circuit camera on a tripod, which is how he was able to start the camera's slow rotation at the left side of the group and dash around to the right side to appear in the picture.  He's the man standing at the far right. 

Left to right: William Romaine Holdridge, Edward H. Jones, holding son Gerald, Iva  Hand, who would marry 1) Kenneth Bramble, 2) Richard  Dougherty and would change her name to Sarah, Mary Frances Jones, Evelyn Holdridge, who would marry Fred Rom, Lillian Holdridge Story, holding Sylvia Story, who would marry Fred Magin, Harold S. Story, May Edith Gaylord Story, Richard Hand, William Newcomb Holdridge, Virginia Hand, who would marry Eugene Engvall, Jennie Elizabeth West Holdridge, Malcolm Jones, Seymour Hand, Minnie Holdridge Hand, Roger Holdridge, Ronald Holdridge, in front of Roger, Ada Schermerhorn Holdridge, Clifford A. Story, Harold Holdridge

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A. Leroy Story retires from Catskill Evening Line after Long Record of Service (May 23rd 1933) Notice in the June 6th, 1933 Catskill Newspaper
After 40 years of service with the Catskill Evening Line, Inc. A. Leroy Story, the company's agent has resigned. John Cummings of Catskill succeeds Mr. Story. With the exception of Edward H. Snyder, Mr. Story was the ranking employee or official of the line in point of service. Only Capt. William H. Burlingham of New Baltimore, closely approaches the long service record of Mr. Story. Mr. Story was for many years freight clerk on the Catskill & New York boats and later was placed in charge of the office in this village. Mr. Story is one of the best known steamboat men along the Hudson River and during his many years of faithful service he made a host of friends, not only in Catskill and Greene County, but elsewhere, by his unfailing courtesy and his efforts to give the patrons of the line the best service available.

A postcard of the steel steamer "Catskill" one of the ships in the Catskill Evening Line.

An ad in the Catskill newspaper, 1930, A. Leroy Story, agent for the Catskill Evening Line.

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  1. May Gaylord Story holding her son, Clifford, dated 1901.

  2. Clifford A. Story and Lillian M. Holdridge, both of Catskill were married in Catskill December 25, 1926, in a double wedding ceremony with  her sister Minnie Holdridge and Seymour Hand. After the celebration Minnie and Seymour returned to his home in Albany and Sylvia's parents crossed the Hudson River over the ice in a horse-drawn sleigh to catch a train to New York City for their wedding trip. They were Sylvia Story Magin's parents.

  3. Clifford and Lillian's marriage certificate.

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  1. Photo taken likely between 1920 and 1925, showing Sylvia's mother, Lillian Holdridge Story, her aunt Mary Frances Holdridge Jones, and her aunt Minnie Holdridge Hand in their ice skating costumes on the frozen Hudson.

  2. David West in later years.

  3. Clifford Story in his Civil Air Patrol uniform.

  4. An early photo of Clifford A. Story on his motorcycle, circa 1925.

  5. A group of Civil Air Patrol personnel circa 1948-1950.  Colonel Saffer of Albany is at the far left, Sylvia's father, Clifford Arthur Story, second from the right holding the papers.

       

    Photos courtesy of Ted Hilscher

    Located on the corner of upper Main St. Catskill, where the road takes a sharp left as you go west. Conine's Meat Market, run by Joseph Conine and his son William T. Conine.  is on the right and Clifford Story's Studio on the left.  The picture was taken in the early 1930's. 

    A close up of the Story Studio is on the right. Clifford Story moved his Studio further down Main St. on the east side at a later date.

 

While developing his photography business, Clifford was part owner of the business Holdridge and Story, carpenters and builders.


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