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Zonta International is a great example of how the world is getting smaller, and of the benefits of social net- working for keeping in touch with friends, wherever they are in the world. We all were con- cerned about family and friends in late August as Hurricane Irene ravaged the east coast of the United States. As a Zonta governor from 2004 through 2006, I became close friends with other Zonta governors around the world and we are able to keep in touch. Zonta con- sists of 32 districts around the world, with clubs in 68 countries. Four of those districts were in the path of Hurricane Irene. District 11 covers the southeast and Caribbean, District 3 cov- ers Long Island to Wash- ington, D.C. and Virginia, and District 1 covers New England. Our own District 2 covers central and eastern New York, and parts of Canada that were also affected. Messages came through via social net- working and email wishing us safety and enquiring as to our status from Zontians around the world. In the past, we’ve been concerned about our Zonta friends during the earth- quakes in Japan and New Zealand, the shootings in Norway and other tragedies around the world. It was so nice to have those around the world show their concern for us in this difficult time. Our Zonta District 2 covers 20 clubs in New York and Canada. We have clubs in New York, from Oswego and Canton, south to Binghamton and Auburn, and west to the Vermont border. In Canada, we have clubs in Ottawa and Mon- treal. We have clubs all along the New York State Thruway: Syracuse, Onei- da, Rome, Herkimer, Utica, Amsterdam, Schenectady, Albany and the Upper Hud- son Valley. Many of those areas have been devastated by the flooding. Also hit by flooding were our clubs in the southern tier in Bing- hamton, Elmira, Cortland and Watkins Glen/Mon- tour Falls. It was great to be able to check with our Zonta friends to make sure they are OK. We got eye- witness reports from those affected. We heard from Zontians along the East Coast in Florida, Virginia, New Jersey and New York City while the storm was hitting them. One post could let Zontians know what was happening in real time all along the East Coast. On a more pleasant note, the Zonta Club of Auburn is busy getting ready to welcome more than 100 Zontians and guests to Auburn for our biennial district conference in mid-October, “All the World is Our Stage.” We have members coming from around our district and even as far as Califor- nia, New Jersey and Vir- ginia. We look forward to showcasing our wonderful community and local busi- nesses. If your business would like to offer coupons, dis- counts or samples to the women attending who will be in Auburn from Thurs- day through Sunday, please contact us at auburn@zon- tadistrict2.org. We will also be raffling off baskets and gift certificates to raise money for our organization — a great way to showcase what your business has to offer. Zonta will hold events that weekend at the Auburn Public Theater, The Center for Living, The Holiday Inn and the his- toric Willard Memorial Chapel. We also will encourage our visitors to visit our museums, restau- rants, retail businesses and wineries. Our action- packed weekend will include a champagne reception for our interna- tional president, a pamper- ing at the spa at the Center for Living, a museum walk, a red carpet arrival at the Auburn Public Theater, a keynote speech by the Zonta International Unit- ed Nations chairman, a wine reception, a net- working breakfast, an awards luncheon to honor district award winners of Zonta scholastic awards, and a “Masks of Life” per- formance followed by a mask-making workshop culminating in a black- and-white masked ball. Sunday morning, a memorial service will be held at Willard Chapel honoring Zontians who have passed away during the past two years. We will have three business ses- sions where we elect offi- cers for 2012 through 2014, hear the accom- plishments of our district clubs and committees, vote on budgets and rules of procedure, and hear from our Zonta Interna- tional President about our Zonta work around the world. The weekend will end with an invitation to our Biennial Zonta Inter- national Convention in Torino, Italy in July 2012, and announcement of win- ners of our district awards to Zonta Clubs. We look forward to han- dling the business of the district, catching up with old friends and making new ones, and having a great time in the Finger Lakes during fall foliage season. If you're interested in learning more about Zonta membership, please contact us at auburn@zon- tadistrict2.org. Gloria Stootman Wristen has been a CPA in Auburn since 1982 and a member of Zonta since 1989 C6 Sunday, September 4, 2011 Lake Life. The Citizen. Auburn, New York • PORT BYRON • GAR posts spawned fellowship Editor’s note: Anthony Gero, fellow of the Company of Military Historians and board member of the NAACP, co-wrote this month’s article. Recently, as a result of a proj- ect to dedicate a new headstone for Capt. John William Lock- wood of Com- pany F, 111th New York Vol- unteer Infantry, at Mount Pleas- ant Cemetery on July 30, primary research data was uncovered which shows that the Grand Army of the Republic Post 175 of Port Byron and the Seward-Crocker Post 45 of Auburn were integrated circa 1880-1934. Such occurrences, in those segregated days of Ameri- can history, are quite remarkable and need to be documented as the 150th anniversary of the Civil War now takes place. Let us begin with a recap of the history of the GAR. It was formed at Decatur, Ill., in 1866. Membership was limited to hon- orably discharged veterans of the Union Army, Navy, Marine Corps or the the Revenue Cutter Service, which was the equiva- lent to today’s U.S. Coast Guard. In Cayuga County, of the many posts formed as early as 1867, two stand out for the purpose of our present article. The first is the Lockwood Post 175, named for Lockwood, who died as a POW at Salisbury, N.C. The sec- ond is the consolidation of Posts 45 and 37, which was completed about 1904. This new, consoli- dated post took the name Seward-Crocker Post 45 of Auburn. During the tragedy of our Civil War, as thousands upon thousands of white men volun- teered to save the Union and later to end the stain of slavery, more than 100,000 blacks also served as soldiers in the United States Colored Troops and Massachusetts Volunteers. More than 4,000 of these volunteers came from New York state and served in the 20th and 26th U.S.C.T. Some were also soldiers in the famous 54th Massachu- setts Volunteer Infantry, upon which the movie “Glory” was based. Previously to our present article on the local GAR, it had been documented that Cayuga County men like William Wise served in the 54th Massachusetts and Nathan Prue in the the 26th U.S.C.T. Yet, one of the areas of Civil War research which has been overlooked by many historians and the general public is whether or not GAR posts were segregat- ed or integrated from 1866 to about 1934. A former episode of “History Detectives” on PBS helped document an integrated GAR post in Cazenovia, but did other such GAR posts exist else- where in the United States and in New York state in particular? As a result of the Lockwood dedication effort in July, evi- dence has been recently redis- covered that two Cayuga County black brothers and Civil War veterans, Thomas McChesney and Sylvester McChesney, served in the 26th U.S.C.T. Each of these veterans were longtime residents of Port Byron after the war and appear to have been members of the Lockwood Post 175 as well. Unlike the Cazenovia photograph seen in the “History Detective” episode, no photo- graphs have as yet been uncov- ered that depict the white and black veterans of the Port Byron post, but perhaps, somewhere, in some dusty place, such an image may hide, waiting to be redis- covered — we hope. In the case of the Seward- Crocker Post, an original 1908 roster of that post put online by the Cayuga County NYGenWeb project by Steve Mckay shows five blacks enrolled in that post. They are: Harry Douglas, Ambrose Dunbar, Issac Jackson and Edward Watkins, all listed as having been in U.S.C.T. units, and Charles A. Smith, having served in Company C, 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Again, we have discov- ered no photograph yet of these men in this GAR post, but there is no doubt that the consolidated Post 45 was an integrated post here in Cayuga County, at least, in 1908. There is even the possi- bility that perhaps among early posts of the late 19th century in Cayuga County, they too could have been integrated. What is also interesting is a Civil War veterans section of Soule Cemetery, just outside of Auburn. In that site are the bur- ial markers of white and black Civil War veterans, buried side by side, in non-segregated hal- lowed ground. Likewise, at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Port Byron, there is no separa- tion of burials for soldiers of the Civil War by race either, as seen by the burial markers there. Although the record of the United States of America from 1876 to 1954 was spotty on inte- gration and civil rights for blacks, in the case of Cayuga County, and in particular in Port Byron and Auburn, such was not the case. The evidence on the Lockwood Post and the Seward- Crocker Post confirms that. If it can be said that war forges sol- diers into a “band of brothers,” the Civil War veterans of the GAR in Cayuga County, white and black, formed such bonds in the post-Civil War years. In our present celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, we should take note of that bond in these veterans’ service and of their shared brotherhood. It is a legacy we all should be proud to bear witness to. (We would like to thank Susanne Greenhagen, a member of Julia Hibbard Tent No. 71, Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, and fellow histori- an for the village of Morrisville and co-historian for the town of Eaton in Madison County, for her assistance on the history of the GAR and the Lockwood post, along with Cayuga County His- torian Sheila Tucker for her valuable aid on this research into Cayuga County Civil War veter- ans.) Dawn Roe is Port Byron and Mentz historian. She can be reached at 776-8446 or [email protected]. Visit her Web site at www.portbyronhistorian.com Dawn Roe Photos from Footnote.com Thomas and Sylvester McChesney served in the 26th U.S. Colored Troops in the Civil War. Sons of Thomas and Jane McChesney, the family moved from Little Falls, Herkimer County, and resided in Mentz by 1860, just before the outbreak of the war. Sylvester enlisted on Dec. 24, 1863, and Thomas enlisted Jan. 18, 1864. Both brothers were discharged at Hilton Head, S.C. on Aug. 28, 1865, and are currently buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Port Byron. • ZONTA CLUB • District conference to meet in Auburn Gloria Stootman Wristen Garden tour pleasant addition to summer The Auburn Beautification Com- mission hosted a very successful Summer Garden Tour on Sunday, July 17, which included 10 properties in several neighborhoods in Auburn. More than 170 garden enthusiasts toured the showcased intimate home garden, secret backyard retreat, commercial landscape, evolving perennial estate, heirloom vegetable plot; private B & B and the home of a famous Auburnian. The garden owners outdid them- selves and put on a great show for guests. Many thanks go to Ben and Sue Ahner; Sally Price; Logan Park Lofts and the Bartolotta family; The Seward House and staff; 10 Fitch B&B and, innkeepers, Cheryl and Rodney Barber; Kathleen Dilger; Bob and Althea Piorun; Mr. and Mrs. Rizzo plus Hoopes Park and the city of Auburn, the perfect setting for the ending reception of the self- guided tour. The event raised more than $1,300 for future beautification projects. Special thanks go to the Auburn Downtown Partnership/BID and Downtown Books & Coffee for serv- ing as our pre-sale spots; and to Garden Tour committee members: Sally Price, Sue Talbot, Nicole Hulik, and Laurie Turo; and the rest of the commission members. If you are looking for a colorful commemorative T-shirt from the day, stop by the BID office. The ABC is currently looking for participants for the 2012 Summer Garden Tour. If you would like to nominate a garden or want to be included your- self, please contact Susan Marteney at 252-7141. SUSAN MARTENEY Auburn Marteney is Garden Tour chair for the Auburn Beatification Commission Thank you. Book Lovers Giveaway! “Roses” by Leila Meacham “Satori” by Don Winslow and “Mommy Deadliest” by Michael Benson Deadline to enter is Monday, September 5, 2011 Mail in the form below or enter online at auburnpub.com/contests One entry per person. The winner will be notified by phone and announced in The Citizen. Some restrictions may apply. Name: ___________________________________________________________ Address: _________________________________________________________ City: _____________________________ State: ______ Zip: _______________ Phone: _____________________ Email: _______________________________ ❏ YES! Sign me up for breaking news email alerts from The Citizen. Mail this form to: The Citizen, Book Lover’s Giveaway 25 Dill St., Auburn, NY 13021 Employees of The Citizen and their immediate families are ineligible. ENTER TO WIN The Citizen. The Citizen. auburnpub.com auburnpub.com
