Fentonville Poem
Author Unknown
For The Genessee Herald

The emigrant that travels west,
(May locate where he will,)
Before he buys had better look
At thriving Fentonville.

Ten years ago nought could be seen,
on plains or on the hill,
But savage tracks and native woods,
Where now stands Fentonville.

But what a change in that short time!
How different now - but still,
There's room for more to live and thrive,
At busy Fentonville.

Some selling goods extremely low,
Some choose the soil to till;
Mechanics work of every kind,
Performed at Fentonville.

The temperance cause is there sustained,
They sell not by the gill;
The frequent lectures from the great
Converted Fentonville.

They have a church, three Blacksmith's
A furnace and a mill,
Whose toll dish is exactly right,
At honest Fentonville.

There's men of science in this place,
Whose diligence and skill,
In most of cases cures the sick,
At healthy Fentonville.

In short it is a growing place,
Which good men ought to fill,
For industry and genius dwell,
At pleasant Fentonville.

Long Lake 27th, May, 1847

While I sit here idly dreaming
Of the days of long ago,
In the little town of Fenton
With friends t'was good to know.
I recall those sturdy business -
No matter how things went
You could always chat awhile with them
And feel your time well spent.

I recall a jolly editor -
We called him Beach, for short.
He always had a nod and smile
And sure was one good sport,
He put out a right good paper
And how well I 'member now
If I went home without it,
There was sure to be a row.

And then, there was Mr. Holstead -
We always called him Paul.
He, too put out a nifty sheet
And tried to please them all.
So Fenton had its papers
And was known far and wide;
In fact this was a matter
To occassion local pride.

I remember Mr. Hitchcock -
Tall and dignified, you know,
Like the hero in the stories
We read so long ago.
And Charlie Rolland - say he looked
Just like a college kid;
And always so particular
In everything he did.

At the elevator, John McAlister
Knew his "Stuff" as all men should
He could talk it too, from A to Z
And beat him no man could.
And there was Mr. Worthington (you know me Al.)
He was always full of fun:
If you got stuck and was out of luck
Sure, Al. could make 'em run.

John Rhubottom and Will Davis -
You know just what it takes!
But they would always lend a hand
To cover up mistakes.
C.A. Damon, too, was there -
The man that traveled 'round;
And there was always something doing
When "Charlie" was in town.

Grant Whitman kept a general store
And his stock was clean and nice;
You could always make a deal with him,
For Grant would make a price.
The Cole's had the racket store -
Something like a five and ten;
There could be found most everything
From whiffle-tree to safety pin.

And there was Mr. Parker,
He always had a grin
For every human being,
Whether young, old, fat or thin.
And Mr. Jones, his helper,
Always said he was so young;
But I felt down in my heart
He was long past twenty-one.

Jesse Moyer was a farmer
And you could always hear him howl,
If you chanced to ask him 'bout the night
He went out to shoot the owl.
The fellows had to have their fun
To keep from going stale;
But they were all good fellows
And were never found in jail.

(Continued next week)

-SIB.

(Continued from last week)

Hayes Harris was a barber then,
And he could bob, by heck!
I can sometimes feel the edged steel
As it is pressed upon my neck.
Tom McLeod was a business man
And he was a Scotchman, too;
He could market a trade and never fade
Till he'd put the matter through.

Allan Gunning was an active man -
He did business on the square;
He had the largest office and,
You could always find him there.
And there was the patriarch, harvey Phipps -
Who never did any man harm;
In cold or heat he was on the street,
With a basket on his arm.

Charlie Scott could pull things down,
If they were in his reach;
But he never could express himself -
He'd a stoppage in his speech.
While there was Leo Garvey (old thing)
Who stuttered when quite young;
But he became a famous orator
And was known as the "Silver Tongue."

Burt Osman was a grocerman then
And he was full of chat;
But how he cried and almost died,
When he lost his big Tom Cat.
Herb Agans had a market place,
And dealt in beef and bone;
How he would grin when a "she" came in
And smile till the cows came home.

Floyd Poppy was a blacksmith,
And so was Arthur French;
These mechanics could make anything -
To a left-hand monkey-wrench.
S.R. O'Brien then was there -
Mr. Cimmer was his pard,
They had a cozy office too,
Hard-by their lumber yard.

Frank Granger had a hardware store
Along with Don McGuire;
Till one day something happened
And the fat was in the fire.
You know such things may come about,
And men may disagree;
And then instead of one big store
There may be two or three.

R.B. Renwick was at the Commercial
And I hope he is there still;
He gave strict heed to every feed,
And always got his fill.
Wm. Becker and Mel. Patterson
Would do just what they ought to;
And if you wanted a "little game,"
They were a pair to "draw to."

When C.J. Campbell made a move
Some fellows would seek cover;
"Charlie" knew the game and had sure aim,
And always put things over.
John A. Cox was an industrious man
And always on the go;
He mixed things on the kneading-board,
Because he needed "dough."

Clarence Tinker practiced Law
And so did Judge Frackelton;
They kept the town in legal form
And made the rummers run.
There was one man about that time -
You know some birds are funny!
He sold too much and got in "dutch,"
And had a run for his money.

Oh, yes, there was another man!
Of Mr. Chapin now I'm thinkin';
You know I always thought he looked
Just like Abraham Lincoln.
Not that he was so homely -
He just looked good and kind,
And I believe a better man
Would have been hard to find.

Dr. McGarry dispensed his pills
And made quite a reputation;
Then he found a great hospital -
Now known throughout the nation.
And there was Dr. M.G. Smith -
A gentleman, fine to meet;
To sit and spin a yarn with him
Was something of a treat.

Now we come to the village school -
A productive source of pride;
The "Duke" kept school with an even rule,
With the "Dutchess" by his side.
The teachers were all up to grade,
No laggards, I'll insist;
All things must walk right up to chalk -
It was on the accredited list.

And there were the ladies (God bless 'em
And I'll give you now a hunch -
That you might travel round the world
And not find a more handsome bunch.
I 'member back in twenty-four
How they went out on parade;
They mixed it up in politics
And were called the Light brigade.

--SIB.

(To be continued)

Our little accident last week
Caused us to break the chain;
But now, with your indulgence,
We will take it up again.

Of course, they've got delivery now
To every part of town;
The men in grey go twice a day
To carry the mail aroun'
And there's the fine new building, too,
In keeping with the station;
The "Colonel" went to Washington,
And got an appropriation.

There was A. Frank Plumb, on the corner,
With a store so spic-and-span;
He had pellets, pills and vermifuge -
All good for beast or man.
And if, perchance, his store was closed
You'd no need to travel far;
Two doors away, whether night or day,
You could find the "Morningstar."

(stand by till the next)

---SIB.
Elysian Island, S.P., 4-24-44