1908 was filled with snow, talk of gas prices and new wells and a little politicing.
In early May, yes, I said May, of 1908, 2 to 6 inches of snow fell in town with drifts of 4 to 6 feet on the roads up on the hills. Roads were impassible. Travelers to the farms had to go into the fields to get around the drifts.
This picture is not from 1908; but from 1940 which proves nothing changed for over 30 years around Greenwood when it came to snow and drifts. This is up on what is now called Dryden Road near Murray Hill. The man, my great grandfather, John Murray. The dog, one of his Skippys.
John Murray, well Jackie to my grandparents here. You can tell it's Grandpa by those tall black rubber boots and always a suit jacket, no matter how hot or cold the weather.
Back to 1908.
Gas prices went up from $.25 per 1000 cubic feet to $.30. "Most consumers will probably have to go back to burning coal at this price."
And at the same time, a good gas well was drilled on the Ames Rogers farm. It was owned by Bradley Gas Company of Wellsville and the drilling was done by Rogers and Harder with Lee Trowbridge and Oscar Monroe as drillers. Fourteen more to be drilled over the summer.
Gas well drilling started in Greenwood back in the early 1900s but they were still using those wells all over the area into the 30s and 40s. Family's would use the gas directly from their wells and contract to sell the rest to companies for distribution. If your family had it's own gas well or you know of any who did, please add information in the Facebook Comments.
While not directly in Greenwood, but supported by some of its citizens, the Anna C Etz organization raised funds which they donated to the state's Department of Education to get a free library in the county. And, William Kellogg spoke at their meeting on May 6. To find out more about Ms Etz, see http://www.herhatwasinthering.org/biography.php?id=6829 and to find out more about the Hornell Equality League of Self Supporting Women, see https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbcmil.scrp5017202/. Yes, you guessed it; they were Suffragettes. Women of Greenwood can thank Anna and the NYS Woman Sufferage Association, see https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/ana-cadogan-etz/, for your right to vote. If your ancestors were involved or you have pictures of local Suffragettes of Steuben County, please add them to this post.
"Mrs William Rogers severely shocked by lightening, standing near the telephone when it hit the line, came through the instrument with sufficient force to stun her."
On a sad note; but, included in the Greenwood News of May 6 was the following "Daniel Pease adjudged insane and taken to Willard State Hospital. He had been inmated several years before." Those judged insane during this period in history, see https://www.jhsph.edu/departments/mental-health/about-us/origins-of-mental-health.html, were not always what they seemed. Just think about all the advancements in treatments for depression, anxiety, etc. If many in later decades had lived back then, would they have been adjudged and inmated too?