HUNTING FOR DUTTONS

It was November 19, 2013.  Bobby's job was coming to an end, and I suddenly realized we would be leaving Pennsylvania, and going back to Texas.  I decided I had better do some sight seeing and do it quickly.  What to do, what to do.  I had thought several times about going to New York, and see where the Dutton family had lived, so I did it.  Oswego, New York is about 100 miles from New Milford, PA, and it is mostly interstate (New York roads are smooth, and easy to travel).

New Milford is just about 10 miles from the New York border, but the country changes to wider valleys or more wide open valleys with somewhat fewer trees.

The visitor information center was open, so I stopped to get a road map, so I could start planning my trip!

I got to Fulton and wandered around just trying to decided what to do.  Some nice folks directed me to Mama Gina's restaurant. 

 I ordered the calzone--good choice.

After this treat I wasn't hungry all day.   I didn't know where to begin, so I went to Oswego (the county seat).  I wandered around for a while just trying to figure out where to begin.  You can tell that this trip was totally off the wall, with no planning.  Since I love buildings, especially old ones, I took some pictures.  I don't know what this old house is, but it is going to ruin, and I hate that.  Just look at those stones.  I would like to know what this was back in the old days.

Look how deep the walls are.  I can already think of so many uses for it.

I finally went to a second hand bookstore, and the lady was so helpful.  She told me where to start looking for family records.  If you are in Oswego, be sure to stop in at Time and Again Books and Tea, and look at all the books, plus learn some local history  from the owner, Deborah E.  I started here at city hall, a beautiful old building, built in 1870.  Horatio N. White was the architect, and it is made of Onandoga limestone.

Inside Oswego City Hall is charming, antique tile, and transoms over the doors.  All the woodwork is hardwood.

Stairs leading to the second floor of Oswego City Hall. 

Here is a view of the businesses along W. 1st Street, which is along the canal.

Port City Café and Bakery is one of the favorites on W. 1st Street near the City Hall.

It was cold that day (11-19-13) and I just had to go in to check out the food and coffee.

There is plenty of good parking behind the businesses on W. 1st St. along the canal. 

Below is the Oswego County Courthouse, built in 1859 to 1860.  I didn't go in because of time; I needed to find where my ancestors' graves were and find the graves before sundown.  Thank goodness for cell phones.  I call Mom and asked her where Grove Dutton was buried.  All my family records were back in Texas.  She told me that Mt. Adnah Cemetery in Fulton was mentioned in the book about Grove Dutton.

The Oswego Library is where I found the cemetery catalog for Mt. Adnah Cemetery in Fulton.  I couldn't believe it.  I copied the pages with names and dates and a map of Mt. Adnah.

The library was built in 1855.  My great granddad may have gone to this library.

After I got the cemetery records, I shot some more pictures and left.  Oswego YMCA has an interesting building.

It looks like a castle and there was no time to check it out!

Church near the Oswego County Courthouse. 

This is part of the Erie Canal--looks like a spillway to me.

Lock number 6 on the Erie Canal.

I think this is a gate to a lock.  There was no one handy to explain all this to me.
It was a cloudy cold day and the sun was getting low when I got back to Fulton and found Mt. Adnah Cemetery.

This is at  the entry way to the cemetery.

The cemetery is divided into areas, and the map was easy to follow.   I found the area where my Duttons were buried, and started walking.  It wasn't long before I saw a tall headstone with Dutton on it; Orson Dutton--he has to be related, because one of my dad's brothers was Orson, but Grove was not there, so I started walking, and walking.

Turns out that Orson H. Dutton is Grove's dad.  I found that information in a will.

Pretty soon I was back at Orson Dutton's tombstone, and there I found Grove H. Dutton on one side of Orson's stone.  It is very badly weathered.  Bobby says it is acid rain that ate it up.

Grove's wife, Bettie, is buried there with him.

There is another stone close by with GHD on it, and the Grand Army of the Republic Veteran marker is beside it.  I really like the way they mark their veterans' grave in Pennsylvania, and someday I will do a blog about these markers.

I still had some daylight, so I went to search for more Duttons.

 There they were in another section of the cemetery, and a squirrel was having supper at the base of the tombstone.  These were really old graves and weathered terribly.  I didn't have time to write all this down, and here I am up in Montana trying to piece it all together.

 This is Mother and Father.  Calvin Dutton and wife, Polly Edgerton  Calvin was born December 20, 1776.  Polly was born November 7, 1770, and died May 21, 1860.  These two are Grove Dutton's grandparents.

 
 I am not sure how these people tie in--Grove H. and Sarah.  They are on the other side of the  stone and it says Nephew and Sister.  Grove died October 28, 1816.

 Polly Edgerton Dutton.

Calvin and Polly's side of the stone.

 There were two J.E. Duttons on this stone.  On one  side of the stone is J.E. Dutton born Dec. 30, 1798.

Then there is  J.E. Dutton born March 17,  1798 and died June 9, 1839.

 Paulina is the wife of J.E. Dutton.  She was born on March 17, 1798, and died May 11, 1839.

 Then J.E. Dutton married Lucinda H. who was born March 19, 1798 and died January 25, 1885.

 
 This is the full length view of the JE Dutton, born December 30, 1798.

 John Dutton and his son Thomas came to the "New World" in 1630.  He sailed on a ship named "Comet" which was part of Governor John Winthrop's fleet.  His wife, Mary, came the next year with the rest of the boys--Josiah, Robert and Samuel.

Grove H. Dutton lied about his age to get in to the Grand Army of the Republic, was wounded in the battle of Gettysburg, and lived the rest of his life around Fulton, NY.  His son, Bruce Dutton, is my granddad.  He and his wife, Margaret, settled in Garfield County, Montana to ranch.  They had seven children.
I wish that the sun wasn't setting so fast that day so that I could have written down everything that was on the old tombstone.  Maybe we will go back to Pennsylvania and I can visit Mt. Adnah cemetery again.  I have to confess that I dreaded doing this blog because of the poor quality of writing on the stones.  Here it is for better or worse.  If you have corrections, please post them in the comments.  I need all the help I can get.