Most of you know that John Ralph Austinor Grandpa Austin, was born in upstate New York in a small town called Lowville. It is in Lewis County near Watertown, New York and is 49 miles away from Utica at the base of the western Adirondack Mountains.

In going through The Box, I came across a great find: a booklet entitled Souvenir of Lowville, NY It is an 18 page booklet printed in 1895 by Kip & Stone from Canton, NY This booklet contains great photos of residences, businesses and churches in the town of 4,000 which was the population in 1895. I was able to scan the photos and transcribe the text (see below).

Besides posting the information here, I've also added it to the Lewis County page of the NYGENWEB at http://www.rootsweb.com/~nylewis/.

Enjoy!


Cover:
Souvenir of Lowville, N.Y.
Copyright 1895, By
Kip & Stone, Canton, N.Y.
Printed by The F. Gutekunst Co.
Philadelphia
Page 2:
Text: “This volume contains view of the Public Buildings, Factories, Residences, etc., within the Village of Lowville, Lewis County, New York.
Lowville is a beautiful village in the Black River Valley, situated one and one-half miles west of Black River, on what was formerly known as the Utica and Black River Railroad, now called the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburgh Railroad, which is part of the New York Central system. The town of Lowville was settled in 1797, and the village was incorporated in 1847. It is the county seat of Lewis County; distance 59 miles from Utica and about the same distance from the St. Lawrence River, and has a population of about 4,000.
It is situated in the midst of a splendid farming and dairy region, its butter and cheese being famous throughout the country.
Lowville has the finest system of water works in the State of New York; the water is pure, cold and soft; brought from springs at the foot of the Adirondacks, nine miles away. The springs are 300 feet higher than Lowville and the pressure is 125 pounds to the inch. The village is lighted by electricity and the streets are macadamized. Here are views of the Court House, County Clerk’s Office, Casket Factory, Furniture Factory, Planing Mills, Lowville Academy, State Street School, Lyons Falls, the Churches, Soldiers Monument, view of State Street, views of Mill Creek, Iron Works, Business Blocks, Hotels, Residences, etc. There are three Printing Offices in the village, the Journal and Republican block is among the business blocks given in this book. Two National Banks, five Churches, six Hotels, all in a prosperous condition.
The streets are well shaded by Elms and Maples, the homes are neat and well kept; prosperity abounds and the residents are all proud of their lovely village.
List of Locations (in order):
Methodist Church
St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church
Presbyterian Church
J.E. Haberer’s Furniture Plant
Lowville Iron Works
Asbestos Burial Casket Co.
Residence of C.R. Blodgett
Residence of James G. Campbell
The Doig Residence
Residence of H.H. Ryel
Residence of Hon. Henry E. Turner
Residence of Hon. Eliada S. Merrell
Residence of Hon. Henry A. Phillips
Residence of E.H. Bush
Residence of Amasa S. Stoddard
Residence of G.A. Blackmon
Residence of John E. Haberer
Residence of Hon. Frederick C. Schraub
Residence of V. Lansing Waters
Residence of Almander H. Crosby, M.D.
Residence of Charles E. Douglass, M.D.
The Brahmer Residence
Residence of Eugene Arthur
Residence of O.P. Hedden
Residence of Dr. A.R. Gebbie
Residence of F.L. Tedmon
Residence of C.D. Manville
Lowville Academy
Residence of Horace Bush
Residence of Frederick S. Easton
Residence of Geo. W. Fowler
Baptist Church
Trinity Church
Lyons Falls
Soldiers Monument
Court House
Clerks Office
Lewis County Court House & Clerks Office
Alms House
Jail
Lewis County Alms House & Jail
Kellogg House
Journal and Republican Office
State Street School

Today is recovery day for me (not yesterday, believe it or not): George and I hosted a New Years Day open house for about 15 people. Most of them were George's family members and then a few friends stopped by.

I was able to spend a few minutes with George's father to fill in some gaps as to George's relatives - last names being Arvanites and Metropoulos. Louis provided me with birth dates and birthplaces for his sisters and also his wife Maria's parents' names. But with a house filled with guests and kids running around, it really wasn't the best time for me to job Louis' memory. I think we'll seek out a more quiet time to do this.

I also heard back from my cousin Tracy, Aunt Ginny and Uncle Alan's daughter. She organized the last Austin family reunion in 2005 and she has some info on her siblings that I need for the database. It looks like my email blast to long lost relatives is starting to pay off.

You really didn't want to cheat did you? Did you know that children who behave badly during the year receive a piece of coal in their stockings?

A list of posts is available each day by 7:00 am. Sure you could go and scour all the different genea-blogs but clicking on the calendar is much easier, isn't it?

Try that again and, like Charlie Brown, you'll be saying, "I got a rock!"