Tomorrow, Friday, February 22, 2019- Episode 254-Sandy Maceyka, vice president of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Women’s Consortium (ECSWC), explains a fund raising campaign to build a statue of the women’s rights leader in Stanton’s home town of Johnstown, N.Y. https://www.ecswc.org/
https://www.facebook.com/sandy.maceyka
Elizabeth Cady Stanton Hometown Association co-chairwoman Bonnie Valachovic, right, and treasurer Barbara Taylor, left, present this year’s Equality Award to Sandra Maceyka of Johnstown. (Photo submitted)
JOHNSTOWN — Sandra Maceyka of Johnstown was awarded the Equality Award by the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Hometown Association during the association’s celebration of Women’s Equality Day garden party on August 27, 2018
Leader Herald http://www.leaderherald.com/news/in-brief/2018/09/sandra-maceyka-awarded-equality-award-by-ecsha/
Thursday, February 21, 2019-Celebrating Black History Month-From the Archives of Focus on History from the Daily Gazette-The joyous and troubled life of Anthony “Dixie” Veal.
An African-American slave who joined up with New York State troops marching through Georgia in the Civil War was eulogized when he died for having become one of the best-known citizens of Amsterdam.
When General William Tecumseh Sherman’s Union army was in Georgia, young Anthony “Dixie” Veal fled the plantation where his family lived at Spring Mountain near Atlanta and joined the 134th New York Volunteers. Veal’s last name was that of the owners of the plantation where he was born. Veal became a servant for Captain Perry McMaster of Middleburgh.
When the war ended, Veal went to Middleburgh with McMaster. Veal started working in Central Bridge and for nine years was a porter, handling baggage at a Central Bridge hotel. He then moved to the Hotel Augustan in Cobleskill owned by Morgan D. Lewis and worked as a porter at that hotel for nine years.
When the Warner Hotel was built at East Main and Walnut Streets in Amsterdam in 1881, Lewis became the proprietor and Veal began a 20-year career as porter there. In later years the hotel became the smaller Amsterdam Hotel and also included Lurie’s Department Store.
In 1882 Veal married Lavina Hunter of Central Bridge. They had one daughter and lived near the Warner Hotel at 15 Walnut Street.
A formidable man, Veal once was reported to have convinced the owners of the city’s Opera House housed in the Warner not to go on stage with an insulting black face impersonation of Veal as a porter.
When Veal died, the Recorder wrote, “Few people- in Amsterdam were better known than he, and for years he had been considered the leader of his race in this section, being prominent in the affairs of St. Paul's A. M. E. Zion church, a liberal contributor to its welfare and people, and a leader in all colored social events.”
His mental and physical health began to decline in the spring of 1903. November 3 of that year he was forced to give up his job because of his apparent mental illness. On January 23, 1904 he was sent away to the state mental hospital in Utica, where he died that April 6. He was buried in Central Bridge.
MONEY MYSTERY
The Recorder reported that Veal was presumed to have laid away a great deal of money during his many years at the Warner. He sometimes earned as much as $10 per day and lived modestly. When Veal died, his wife did not know what had become of her husband’s savings or money realized from the sale of farm land Veal owned then sold in Central Bridge.
The Recorder wrote, “Now It seems as if "Dixie's" mystery of a secret hiding place has died with
him.”
LETTER FROM GEORGIA
Veal had showed the newspaper a letter received in 1903 from the current proprietor of the former plantation where he was born. The letter had an update on Veal’s brothers and sisters and said descendants of the original plantation owner were involved in several pursuits including a granite quarry. Veal reportedly wanted to go back to Georgia for a visit and “grasp the hands of the family members whose name he bore” and inform them of the prosperous life he was living in Amsterdam.
The Recorder wrote, “Throughout the state no hotel attaché was better known, and even now inquiries are daily made at the Warner and the (New York) Central passenger station as to the welfare of the veteran porter who so long and so carefully looked after the baggage of the Warner's patrons until he seemingly became as much a fixture as any department of the hotel.”
The Mid-Morning Program with Jason Subik at 9
WCSS Radio Amsterdam 106.9FM and 1490AM
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
Live Facebook Feed https://www.facebook.com/jason.subik
Later Posted as a video Podcast Hear on The Historians
To invite Bob to speak to your organization, please email bobcudmore@yahoo.com
Saturday, February 23, 2019-Focus on History in the Daily Gazette-Amsterdam, N.Y., is the 1880s.
To order a signed copy of one of Bob’s books, please send a check for $20 made out to Bob Cudmore at 125 Horstman Drive, Scotia, N.Y. 12302. The price includes postage, handling and sales tax if applicable. Bob’s books are Lost Mohawk Valley, Hidden History and Stories from the Mohawk Valley.
Bob’s books are sold at The Book Hound, 16 East Main St., Amsterdam; Mysteries on Main, 144 West Main St. in Johnstown; Open Door Bookstore, 128 Jay St. in Schenectady; Barnes & Noble, Colonie Center; The Fly Shack, 28 East Fulton St., Gloversville and on Amazon.com
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