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 Simmering in Upstate New York
I spent 12 days with Don and Debbie at their house in Syracuse, visiting with them and their lovable dog, Cappy, seeing my friends nearby and getting caught up with my website and e-mail. Then, on a hot and steamy Thursday morning, I said goodbye, hopped in my truck and continued heading west.
If nothing else, I hoped to find some cooler weather. During the time that I was in Syracuse, the high temperature each day hovered between 91 and 102 degrees, and it was as sticky as my mother's cinnamon buns. In fact, after my experience in soupy Tennessee a month earlier, I started refering to Syracuse as "Chattanooga North."
My first stop after leaving steamy Syracuse was in steamy Lyons, New York, a small town in the rolling hills south of Rochester. Lyons is one of the oldest towns in upstate New York and, as I had learned a few months earlier, was where my great-great-great-grandfather Solomon Myers (obviously, he was really great) was born in the late 1700s. If you've been following my website, you know that I retraced the steps of my great-great-grandfather Ransom Myers in July throughout Mississippi and Tennessee. Ransom fought with the Union Army during the Civil War and lost his arm in 1863, but he re-enlisted with the army and served out the war as a one-armed courier.
Solomon Myers was Ransom's father and, as a private in the American Army, he fought against the British during the War of 1812 in the area around Niagara Falls. Shortly after the war ended, when he was 20, Solomon married a 13-year-old girl (not uncommon back then) named Charlotte. Solomon and Charlotte farmed in Lyons for 16 years, then in 1830, they moved west to Michigan, which was where I was heading later that day to retrace their steps there. I'd never been to Lyons, so I wanted to see it and hopefully dig up some information about Solomon – which I did, thanks to a local historian named Deborah.
I didn't find any photos of Solomon so I don't know what he looked like, but I did locate his record of service during the War of 1812. I also found his signature, which is the only tangible and personal item of his that I've ever been able to find. That alone was well worth my hour-long stop in Lyons.
I also learned that Solomon had been deeded 160 acres of land from his service during the War of 1812. That apparently was why he decided to move to Michigan, to redeem it and start a farm there. The U.S. government often deeded land to veterans of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 in lieu of salary to compensate them for their service to the country, because the government had a lot more land than money back then. Those land deeds to veterans, along with the Homestead Act of 1862, is how much of this country was settled.
As I left Lyons and continued my westerly drive across simmering upstate New York, I thought about how difficult Solomon and Charlotte's journey to Michigan must have been in 1830, especially compared to how easy my trip was. That's one reason why families didn't move around too much back in those days, I suppose. That and no Happy Meals.
An hour later, as the thermometer topped 100 degrees, I stopped in Palmyra, New York, which had been the home of Mormon founder, Joseph Smith, back in the early 1800s. I'm not Mormon but I am interested in American history so I wanted to see the site. I was expecting to find throngs of visitors here, but the empty parking lot made it clear that the Mormons are as unpopular in New York now as when Smith and his polygamist band were kicked out back in 1830. Ironically, that was the same year that Solomon and Charlotte Myers left this area bound for Michigan, but to my knowledge, there aren't any polygamists in my family. Nope – just old guys who marry 13-year-old girls.
Above left: My first stop after leaving Syracuse was in Lyons, New York, about an hour away. This is the original Erie Canal, finished in 1825. The Erie Canal extended across upstate New York, linking the Great Lakes with the Hudson River and New York City. It made traveling and shipping between the Midwest and the East Coast much easier. Not surprisingly, New York City's population exploded after the canal was completed. Above right: My great-great-great-grandfather, Solomon Myers, was born in Lyons in the 1790s. In fact, his family was among the first settlers of upstate New York (think "Last of the Mohicans" and you'll get the idea). I stopped in the Lyons Courthouse and discovered some old records about Solomon. Many thanks to Deborah, a local historian.
Above left: Later that afternoon, I stopped at a place called Hill Cumorah in Palmyra, New York. According to the Mormons, this is where Mormon founder Joseph Smith received the Golden Tablets from the Angel Moroni, the son of the Prophet Mormon. Smith later translated the Golden Tablets into the Book of Mormon. However, when Smith started practicing polygamy, locals gave him the boot. Above center: Mormonism apparently still isn't very popular in upstate New York. I was expecting to see lots of people at this historic site, but not so. Above right: After a while, some other folks showed up (probably Mormons, I figured, judging from the size of their family). This is supposedly where Joseph Smith received the Golden Tablets. Frankly, I was starting to look for the Golden Arches. For more of my opinions on Mormonism and to find out if they still practice polygamy, see my page on The Mormons.
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