Hello Friends of the Road,

Hopefully none of you are traveling here in the Northeast today. It is late in the season, but I’m excited to see the snow fall. I’m glad it is a day off so I can enjoy it and clean it up at my convenience. The kids are deprived of a snow day, but they also have been deprived of playing in the snow much this season, so they should be happy anyway. And for those kids who don’t like to play in the snow, they have their game consoles and history books!

I have received the beloved magnet calendars for 2024. As soon as we finalize the rest of the content for the mailing, the elves will begin their work. The year’s schedule has good diversity in it and everyone should find something of interest I hope. If any of you do not receive the annual mailing and want to be included, provide me with your mailing address. We only mail to those who have paid for a membership recently, so if you have not, we do ask that you have intensions to contribute to our organization this year. Memberships start at only $5 per year. I can’t remember who it was, but one member said we should raise our dues as they aren’t even enough to buy a good beer. 

I’d like to enlist you all for a mission. It won’t involve any bloodshed, I hope. The President of the Clarendon Historical Society, Bob Underhill, is looking for information about a possible settlement in the vicinity of Clarendon, in 1760 or 1761. Attached is a great historical document about Daniel Walker (1706 – ), who stayed over the winter in 1760 or 1761 on his way back from Canada.  It sounds like the company was following the Crown Point Road and that he couldn’t complete the journey until the spring.  He did come back to what is now Clarendon in 1768 just like the story says, and his son Daniel Jr. (1736 – 1795) was one of our Tories who fled to Canada and had his property confiscated. The article was written by a Dr. H.C. Burleigh for the Lennox & Addington Historical Society (Ontario) which regretfully closed last autumn. Their archives would have been passed on to other organizations but it might take a bit to find where this article went. Bob is totally unaware of any settlement prior to 1768, and he knows Clarendon history really well! So your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to offer information or theories about where Daniel Walker may have stayed that winter on his return from Canada. 

I have info about an historical gathering you might be interested in. The CPRA is not involved with this, but am certainly interested in it as there’s a possible connection to the CPR in Pittsford. Phil Mandalere, who is deeply involved with the Clarendon Historical Society and a few of you may remember the CPRA outing he led recently at the former Dean Farm in Brandon, will be presenting information about the Stevens cellar hole and the White’s Crossing area. It will be a presentation as part of a meeting of the Pittsford Historical Society. The meeting will be downstairs at the Pittsford Congregational Church on April 7th. Potluck meal at 5:30 followed by a brief PHS meeting, then Phil’s presentation. I hope to see a few of you there. 

That is all I have for you at the moment. Writing this newsletter has given me a break from shoveling and with daylight running low, I better get back to my work.