|
|
|
|
|
HISTORIAN’S CORNER
|
PHELPS HISTORY
CHARLES W. LADU
(By Fred Gifford)
From the CS Press of 1905
"On Wednesday evening, January 4th, 1905, C. W. LaDu, one of our oldest residents, died at the home of George McClernan and his wife on Kendall Street, where he had made his home during the past five years. The deceased was born in Poughkeepsie, NY and if he had lived until the 8th of March next he would have been ninety-two years old. Nearly seventy-five years of his life were spent in this village and vicinity. (As this article was written in 1905 you can deduct these 75 years and arrive at a date of his arrival here sometime around 1830.) When he first arrived, he lived on what was later known as the H. H. Seigwald farm on the road to Phelps. He built the house, which now stands on that farm. From there he moved to the village. He also built the house and lived in the same for many years, which is now owned and occupied by the Rev. S. B. Sherrill. His wife died on the 31st day of December 1893. One daughter survives him, Mrs. Florence LaDu Pardee.
During the greater part of his residence here, the deceased was a very active and influential citizen. He was one of the first members of the M. E. Church and was always an active church worker. For a long term of years he was one of the class headers. At the time of the building of the Methodist Church he was a member of the building committee and gave liberally toward the building. He also took a lively interest in our school. His wife taught the first school in this village. (This first school was located in the center of the village, just to the rear of our present Village Hall.) In politics he was a Republican and did good work for the party as long as his health would permit. He was postmaster here for twelve years, from 1872 until 1885 He established the first coal and lumberyard in the village and sold the first coal-burning stove ever used here. For a time he was engaged in the hardware business and later was a fire insurance agent. During the last five or six years he had been in poor health and his mind was seriously affected for the past year.
The funeral services were held at the home of Mr. & Mrs. McClernan who had tenderly cared for him during his declining years, on Friday afternoon, the services being conducted by the Rev. L. S. Boyd, assisted by the Rev. C. E. Hermans. The interment was made in our village cemetery on Pearl Street."
Charles LaDu was president (mayor today) of the village during the year 1890 and as it was only for one year it seems as if he might have been in a temporary position between the usual appointments. Some further research in the village records will certainly tell us more about his time as head of the Village Board.
According to the Ontario County Atlas of 1874, C. W. LaDu (listed as Ladue on the map) owned the house on the corner of Crane Street and Hibbard Avenue. That piece of property stretched from Hibbard to North Street (present day Ladue Avenue). The house there today is of brick and it would be of interest to see if this is in fact the same residence in which Mr. LaDu lived.
I have not discovered just when our present Ladue Avenue was named but it was early and in all likelihood named after Charles LaDu. Somewhere along the way the "e" was added. It is well that the village fathers of the time saw fit to name their streets and avenues after many of the early families who were dedicated to the village. In researching the year 1905 (100 years ago in present day 2005) it was good to be able to reach back for this valuable information regarding one of our prominent citizens of that era. How we wish we had such newspaper articles over our entire history!
|
|
Click On Banner For More Information
|
