Joseph B. Slote

Cooperstown From the Northwest

THE STORY OF COOPERSTOWN

BY

RALPH BIRDSALL

Rector of Christ Church

With Sixty-eight Illustrations from Photographs

NEW YORK,
CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS,
1925

Copyright, 1917, by
Ralph Birdsall

First printing, July, 1917
Second printing, December, 1917
Third printing, August, 1920
Fourth printing, August, 1925

Printed in the United States of America

[Pg vii]

FOREWORD

The ensuing narrative is a faithful record of life in Cooperstown fromthe earliest times, except that the persons and events to be describedhave been selected for their story-interest, to the exclusion of muchthat a history is expected to contain. The dull thread of villagehistory has been followed only in such directions as served forstringing upon it and holding to the light the more shining gems ofincident and personality to which it led. Trivial happenings have beenincluded for the sake of some quaint, picturesque, or romantic quality.Much of importance has been omitted that declined to yield to suchtreatment as the writer had in view. The effort has been made to excludeeverything that seemed unlikely to be of interest to the general reader.Those who seek family records, or the mention of all names worthy to berecorded in the history of the village, will find the book wanting.

The local history has been already three times recorded, first in 1838by Fenimore Cooper, whose work was brought down to date by S. T.Livermore in 1863, and by Samuel M. Shaw in 1886. While now out of printmany copies of these books are still accessible.

[Pg ix]

CONTENTS