My article on "The Gathering" on Historic Huguenot Street has been published in the March-April issue of Reunions Magazine!
If you've been to New Paltz, NY, or are a descendant of the original families: Elting, DuBois, Hasbrouck, DuBois, Crispell, Bevier, Freer, Deyo, Terwilliger and others, you know that every bit of publicity that we can obtain for the stone house museums, the archives and the collections is important to saving these important treasures of our nation's history. So I'm very thankful that the story of our "family reunion" last August was published.
The issue is now available on the magazine's website:
http://www.reunionsmag.com/
Showing posts with label Huguenot Historical Society of New Paltz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Huguenot Historical Society of New Paltz. Show all posts
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Saturday, March 13, 2010
The Other Book by Victor Elting
It took while, but I've finally located the article I wrote about John Elting and that I promised to post...way back in January!
The Other Book by Victor Elting
(As published in the March 2002 issue of The Historian, official newsletter of the Bevier-Elting Family Association of New Paltz, NY.
Mention the name Victor Elting and most members of our large, extended family will think of his book, "Recollections of a Grandfather." But Victor wrote another, lesser known book---one of sadness, yet a book whose every page exudes the love of a father for a lost son.
The book, simply titled, "John Elting 1911-1941" was privately printed in 1942 as a tribute to Victor and Marie Winston Elting's son, who died when he fell down an elevator shaft in Bombay, India on November 8, 1941. He was only 30 years old.
Some months ago, while surfing on Internet auction sites for anything related to our family's history, I saw a book by Victor Elting advertised. Thinking it was Recollections,I quickly clicked on the description and found it was, instead, this book about John. Fortunately, I was able to "rescue" the book, and when it arrived, I read this explanation in the foreword, "...(this book) is offered as a printed word which in the hands and on the shelves of John's family and friends may serve to keep alive his memory, and by suggestion and reminder renew the joy which they have had in his company. It will be given only to a few, whom he would have wanted to possess it."
It's truly a mystery how such a book ended up on an Internet auction site, but let's consider it a blessing, for it brings information to those of us who never had the opportunity to know this fascinating young adventurer, dreamer, writer---another of our Elting "cousins."
Victor recounted in the book how he and his wife thought to name the baby boy born on June 18, 1911 in Winnetka, IL, "Roelif" for three generations of ancestors of that name, but finally thought better of the plan, afraid of heaping a lifetime of spelling and pronunciation errors on the child. Instead, they chose "John" to honor an old friend, and to honor "the first American Elting, Jan."
This is the branch of the Elting family that has it's own Lake Huron wilderness cabin near a place called "Elting Point" in Michigan. The book is filled with tales from the family's wonderful adventures at the camp. I believe the cabin remains in the possession of Victor's descendants to this day.
Victor Elting was the patriarch of the family branch known in those years as "The Chicago Eltings" and his family lived a life that can only be described as "privileged"---an elegant home in one of the most prestigious of Chicago's suburbs, fine Eastern schools (John attended Hotchkiss, and then Princeton). But it's evident from the book that they were a loving, active and adventuresome family, hit too often by tragedy.
Marie died unexpectedly while on a trip to Paris with John to visit his brother, Winston, who was studying architecture in Paris. She is buried in the Elting Burying Ground in New Paltz. Those who have visited there will recognize the rock that Victor mentions thusly in his little book:
"...In one part (Of the Elting Burying Ground) is a great boulder, on the side of which is a bronze tablet inscribed, 'Family of Victor Elting.' A simple headstone, flush with the sod, records John's mother. "Marie Winston Elting. 1871-1932. Beside it is another. 'John Elting. 1911-1941.' The big rock was found by John and me on the mountain side one day soon after his mother's death and laboriously transported by modern equipment to be set up as the physical expression in the years to come of the unity of our family and of our love of the countryside."
After graduating from Princeton, John worked for the League of Nations in Washington; tried to pursue a career in the Foreign Service, but "forgot" to master French when his father sent him to Paris to be immersed in the language. According to Victor's writing, John "fell in love with an old schoolmate and his very attractive sister, and although they lived in Dijon and made some effort to carry out the program, John was not altogether true to the trust; and they had fun, mostly in English..."
Eventually John landed a job as an Associate Editor at Forbes Magazine in New York City. Anyone with access to old issues of Forbes might want to watch for John's articles. After that job, he worked for The National Association of Manufacturers.
In May 1939, John married Sally Waters Richardson. The next month he accepted a position at General Motors as special clerk in Institutional Relations, then moved up to special clerk on the general manager's staff. "On September sixteenth, 1940, John was called in by the head of the Over-Seas Division and told that they wished to rebuild the magazine known as 'The General Motors' World' and he was asked to undertake the editorship" Soon, there was an offer to transfer to Bombay, India for two or three years, which John eagerly accepted.
On their way to India, John and Sally had a couple of days before the S.S President Monroe was to sail, "so Katherine Hepburn, in her generous and spirited way, turned over to them her brand new roadster, and they drove up to Santa Barbara to see the Howard Eltings. There the last picture of John was taken by 'Uncle Howard'."
Their fairy tale journey of six weeks took them "from California to Honolulu, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Manila, Singapore..." Just a few weeks after their arrival in Bombay, returning home from a dinner party, they found their building in a blackout, and "since the lift was not on the ground floor, John ran up the stairs in search of it and on the second floor found the door open, or at least was able to open it, which indicated the presence of the lift. He stepped through and fell two stories to the bottom of the shaft."
John was buried in his beloved New Paltz, near the large marking stone he had helped his father transport to the Elting Burying Ground.
The stone house in New Paltz was the scene of family gatherings and Victor describes it: "On Huguenot Street in the small town stands the old Bevier-Elting homestead, built in 1698 by a direct ancestor of ours on my mother's side and a few years later sold by him to a direct Elting ancestor. The title has never been out of the family. The charm of the old house and its history caught John's imagination. Afterward (Marie's funeral day) he and I worked out a plan under which we organized a trust under the New York law to take over the house as an historic site. He became chairman of the Board of Trustees, and as his interest developed worked hard with Jess DuBois and Jacob Elting raising funds for the preservation of the house. Before and after his marriage he loved to go there and the village was a real interest in his life. For several years old fashioned Thanksgiving dinners (for) all our relatives enlivened the old homestead, and it was John who gave them much of their spirit..."
The "Finis" of this book is worth recalling in this troubled time:
"There is no end to the story. It is all in the epic of the years. The men of Athens lived and died, some young in battle, some old in wisdom; but all sworn that the State of Athens should be better for their having lived. There was something of the Athenian youth in John, and the world is better for his having lived.
"Who can say what lies in store for the future? It is the spirit that lives on and gives the hope. To this spirit the dead and the living make equal contribution. John has made his gift."
Yes, indeed. He made his gift in so many ways, but for our Bevier-Elting Family Association, perhaps his greatest legacy is the work that he did to preserve the old stone house. We tend to think of those who came before us as "older." Here is proof that it was a very young man who recognized the importance of saving our beloved stone house and joined with other relatives to make sure it happened.
I like to think that Victor would be pleased that his tribute book was "rescued" so that new generations could "know" John. I think that both he and John would be ecstatic to know that new generations of an extended family love and care for their beloved old stone house on Huguenot Street.
3/13/10 note to readers: In later years, this branch of the Elting family donated the stone house to the Huguenot Historical Society for continued preservation.
The Other Book by Victor Elting
(As published in the March 2002 issue of The Historian, official newsletter of the Bevier-Elting Family Association of New Paltz, NY.
Mention the name Victor Elting and most members of our large, extended family will think of his book, "Recollections of a Grandfather." But Victor wrote another, lesser known book---one of sadness, yet a book whose every page exudes the love of a father for a lost son.
The book, simply titled, "John Elting 1911-1941" was privately printed in 1942 as a tribute to Victor and Marie Winston Elting's son, who died when he fell down an elevator shaft in Bombay, India on November 8, 1941. He was only 30 years old.
Some months ago, while surfing on Internet auction sites for anything related to our family's history, I saw a book by Victor Elting advertised. Thinking it was Recollections,I quickly clicked on the description and found it was, instead, this book about John. Fortunately, I was able to "rescue" the book, and when it arrived, I read this explanation in the foreword, "...(this book) is offered as a printed word which in the hands and on the shelves of John's family and friends may serve to keep alive his memory, and by suggestion and reminder renew the joy which they have had in his company. It will be given only to a few, whom he would have wanted to possess it."
It's truly a mystery how such a book ended up on an Internet auction site, but let's consider it a blessing, for it brings information to those of us who never had the opportunity to know this fascinating young adventurer, dreamer, writer---another of our Elting "cousins."
Victor recounted in the book how he and his wife thought to name the baby boy born on June 18, 1911 in Winnetka, IL, "Roelif" for three generations of ancestors of that name, but finally thought better of the plan, afraid of heaping a lifetime of spelling and pronunciation errors on the child. Instead, they chose "John" to honor an old friend, and to honor "the first American Elting, Jan."
This is the branch of the Elting family that has it's own Lake Huron wilderness cabin near a place called "Elting Point" in Michigan. The book is filled with tales from the family's wonderful adventures at the camp. I believe the cabin remains in the possession of Victor's descendants to this day.
Victor Elting was the patriarch of the family branch known in those years as "The Chicago Eltings" and his family lived a life that can only be described as "privileged"---an elegant home in one of the most prestigious of Chicago's suburbs, fine Eastern schools (John attended Hotchkiss, and then Princeton). But it's evident from the book that they were a loving, active and adventuresome family, hit too often by tragedy.
Marie died unexpectedly while on a trip to Paris with John to visit his brother, Winston, who was studying architecture in Paris. She is buried in the Elting Burying Ground in New Paltz. Those who have visited there will recognize the rock that Victor mentions thusly in his little book:
"...In one part (Of the Elting Burying Ground) is a great boulder, on the side of which is a bronze tablet inscribed, 'Family of Victor Elting.' A simple headstone, flush with the sod, records John's mother. "Marie Winston Elting. 1871-1932. Beside it is another. 'John Elting. 1911-1941.' The big rock was found by John and me on the mountain side one day soon after his mother's death and laboriously transported by modern equipment to be set up as the physical expression in the years to come of the unity of our family and of our love of the countryside."
After graduating from Princeton, John worked for the League of Nations in Washington; tried to pursue a career in the Foreign Service, but "forgot" to master French when his father sent him to Paris to be immersed in the language. According to Victor's writing, John "fell in love with an old schoolmate and his very attractive sister, and although they lived in Dijon and made some effort to carry out the program, John was not altogether true to the trust; and they had fun, mostly in English..."
Eventually John landed a job as an Associate Editor at Forbes Magazine in New York City. Anyone with access to old issues of Forbes might want to watch for John's articles. After that job, he worked for The National Association of Manufacturers.
In May 1939, John married Sally Waters Richardson. The next month he accepted a position at General Motors as special clerk in Institutional Relations, then moved up to special clerk on the general manager's staff. "On September sixteenth, 1940, John was called in by the head of the Over-Seas Division and told that they wished to rebuild the magazine known as 'The General Motors' World' and he was asked to undertake the editorship" Soon, there was an offer to transfer to Bombay, India for two or three years, which John eagerly accepted.
On their way to India, John and Sally had a couple of days before the S.S President Monroe was to sail, "so Katherine Hepburn, in her generous and spirited way, turned over to them her brand new roadster, and they drove up to Santa Barbara to see the Howard Eltings. There the last picture of John was taken by 'Uncle Howard'."
Their fairy tale journey of six weeks took them "from California to Honolulu, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Manila, Singapore..." Just a few weeks after their arrival in Bombay, returning home from a dinner party, they found their building in a blackout, and "since the lift was not on the ground floor, John ran up the stairs in search of it and on the second floor found the door open, or at least was able to open it, which indicated the presence of the lift. He stepped through and fell two stories to the bottom of the shaft."
John was buried in his beloved New Paltz, near the large marking stone he had helped his father transport to the Elting Burying Ground.
The stone house in New Paltz was the scene of family gatherings and Victor describes it: "On Huguenot Street in the small town stands the old Bevier-Elting homestead, built in 1698 by a direct ancestor of ours on my mother's side and a few years later sold by him to a direct Elting ancestor. The title has never been out of the family. The charm of the old house and its history caught John's imagination. Afterward (Marie's funeral day) he and I worked out a plan under which we organized a trust under the New York law to take over the house as an historic site. He became chairman of the Board of Trustees, and as his interest developed worked hard with Jess DuBois and Jacob Elting raising funds for the preservation of the house. Before and after his marriage he loved to go there and the village was a real interest in his life. For several years old fashioned Thanksgiving dinners (for) all our relatives enlivened the old homestead, and it was John who gave them much of their spirit..."
The "Finis" of this book is worth recalling in this troubled time:
"There is no end to the story. It is all in the epic of the years. The men of Athens lived and died, some young in battle, some old in wisdom; but all sworn that the State of Athens should be better for their having lived. There was something of the Athenian youth in John, and the world is better for his having lived.
"Who can say what lies in store for the future? It is the spirit that lives on and gives the hope. To this spirit the dead and the living make equal contribution. John has made his gift."
Yes, indeed. He made his gift in so many ways, but for our Bevier-Elting Family Association, perhaps his greatest legacy is the work that he did to preserve the old stone house. We tend to think of those who came before us as "older." Here is proof that it was a very young man who recognized the importance of saving our beloved stone house and joined with other relatives to make sure it happened.
I like to think that Victor would be pleased that his tribute book was "rescued" so that new generations could "know" John. I think that both he and John would be ecstatic to know that new generations of an extended family love and care for their beloved old stone house on Huguenot Street.
3/13/10 note to readers: In later years, this branch of the Elting family donated the stone house to the Huguenot Historical Society for continued preservation.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Family Treasure on E-Bay
A few years ago I discovered a copy of the limited edition book, JOHN ELTING, for sale on e-Bay. I purchased it for a few dollars, probably less than ten. Yesterday, I found another copy of the book listed on e-Bay for sale at $204.00!
Written in 1942 by Victor Elting to honor his 30 year old son who fell down an elevator shaft in Bombay,India during a black-out, the privately-published book was meant to keep alive the memory of a young man with so much promise. Here are Victor's introductory words:
"In the Village of New Paltz, New York, is a little burying ground. It is off the dirt highroad, and is reached by a lane through an apple orchard. The land slopes toward the West, with a beautiful view of the valley of the Wallkill. It is known as "The Elting Burying Ground," and there are buried the bodies and ashes of Eltings of several generations. In one part is a great boulder, on the side of which is a bronze tablet inscribed "Family of Victor Elting." A simple headstone, flush with the sod, records John's mother, "Marie Winston Elting. 1871-1932." Beside it is another, "John Elting, 1911-1941." The big rock was found by John and me on the mountainside one day soon after his mother's death and laboriously transported by modern equipment to be set up as the physical expression in the years to come of the unity of our family and of our love of the countryside.
"This little book is not made of granite, but is offered as a printed word which in the hands of and on the shelves of John's family and friends may serve to keep alive his memory, and by suggestion and reminder renew the joy which they have had in his company. It will be given only to a few, whom he would have wanted to possess it."
When I received the little book from e-Bay several years ago, I wrote an article for "The Historian," official newsletter of the Bevier-Elting Family Association of New Paltz, NY, to share John's involvement in preserving the "Elting Homestead" (now known as the Bevier-Elting House) on Historic Huguenot Street. His dedication to preserving the little stone house and our family's history is a story worth repeating for each generation.
In a future posting, I'll include the article I wrote about John.
Written in 1942 by Victor Elting to honor his 30 year old son who fell down an elevator shaft in Bombay,India during a black-out, the privately-published book was meant to keep alive the memory of a young man with so much promise. Here are Victor's introductory words:
"In the Village of New Paltz, New York, is a little burying ground. It is off the dirt highroad, and is reached by a lane through an apple orchard. The land slopes toward the West, with a beautiful view of the valley of the Wallkill. It is known as "The Elting Burying Ground," and there are buried the bodies and ashes of Eltings of several generations. In one part is a great boulder, on the side of which is a bronze tablet inscribed "Family of Victor Elting." A simple headstone, flush with the sod, records John's mother, "Marie Winston Elting. 1871-1932." Beside it is another, "John Elting, 1911-1941." The big rock was found by John and me on the mountainside one day soon after his mother's death and laboriously transported by modern equipment to be set up as the physical expression in the years to come of the unity of our family and of our love of the countryside.
"This little book is not made of granite, but is offered as a printed word which in the hands of and on the shelves of John's family and friends may serve to keep alive his memory, and by suggestion and reminder renew the joy which they have had in his company. It will be given only to a few, whom he would have wanted to possess it."
When I received the little book from e-Bay several years ago, I wrote an article for "The Historian," official newsletter of the Bevier-Elting Family Association of New Paltz, NY, to share John's involvement in preserving the "Elting Homestead" (now known as the Bevier-Elting House) on Historic Huguenot Street. His dedication to preserving the little stone house and our family's history is a story worth repeating for each generation.
In a future posting, I'll include the article I wrote about John.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
"The Recipe"
I'm still cleaning my office...and finding amazing piles of paper that there is no reason to keep! But a few treasures are appearing that will be added to this blog in the coming days. The following was published in "On Huguenot Street," the official newsletter of the Huguenot Historical Society of New Paltz, NY, in February 2000. I thought you might enjoy reading about an adventure I had with two of my grandsons.
A Whole Gallon of Yuck
By Grace Elting Castle
Eric Roth's newly-discovered recipe for non-alcoholic beer seemed just the right project for two young Oregon men about to make their first trip to New Paltz and their ancestral stone houses. The ingredients were carefully collected, the recipe decreased to a more manageable one gallon, and the project was begun.
Kyle Utterback, the 12-year-old in charge of most of the cooking during this special three week visit to Grandma's Illinois home, measured and stirred and wondered if this was really the way it was supposed to be done. His 14-year-old cousin, Ty Cary, observed the preparations and was certain that nothing good could come of anything that smelled so badly!
The plan was to save a special bottle of the 'brew' to take to Eric so that he could sample it during Stone House Day and perhaps have his photo taken with the cook and his helper (critic). But, on the morning the trip was to begin, 'the recipe' as it had been dubbed, was smelling so obnoxious that Kyle refused to taste it, and Ty announced that he would not be riding in the same car as the special bottle!
It was left to Grandma Grace to be the official taster---and she has yet to recover! This recipe turned into the most horrible, foul-tasting and smelling concoction imaginable. No, actually, it was unimaginable and indescribable. Such spitting and sputtering you have never seen. Nor are you likely to have ever witnessed such hilarity and carrying on as was displayed by the boys as they watched their Grandmother try to recuperate from 'the recipe.'
Needless to say, the brew was promptly poured down the sink, followed with a little prayer that it wouldn't eat the drainpipe, and our faithful archivist escaped having to pretend to like his special bottle of brew. We suspect it was the yeast that created the stench and bad taste---but we're not brave enough to try it again to be certain!
Note: The editor's note that appeared with my article stated that food historian Ms. Peter G. Rose, confirmed that the foul taste was probably due to the increased potency of modern yeast as opposed to the weaker consistencies commonly used in the 19th century. Alterations to the original recipe were also published.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
FaceBook Site for Historic Huguenot Street
I've just discovered the Historic Huguenot Street site on FaceBook. Really interesting information and lots more to come, I'm sure. Let's get an Elting presence on the fan group. Nearly 500 people have joined in so far, but I didn't see a lot of Elting names. Of course some of us are kind of "incognito" not having our maiden names included. Check it out and add some comments.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Revolutionary War Era to be background theme for "The Gathering"
Don't forget to calendar the August 13-15, 2010 "Gathering" in New Paltz, NY! It's going to be a great celebration of the history of the original families of New Paltz, with a background theme focusing on the the Revolutionary War period.
Registration and activity information will be posted here as it is developed, but it's never too early to make your room reservations in New Paltz or nearby villages. Availability is always limited in the summer and fall in the mid-Hudson River Valley.
The event, with Saturday as the main activity day, is hosted by the Family Collaboration Committee of the Huguenot Historical Society of New Paltz, NY. Most activities will take place on Historic Huguenot Street or nearby venues.
For further information: gecastle@cluesonline.com
Registration and activity information will be posted here as it is developed, but it's never too early to make your room reservations in New Paltz or nearby villages. Availability is always limited in the summer and fall in the mid-Hudson River Valley.
The event, with Saturday as the main activity day, is hosted by the Family Collaboration Committee of the Huguenot Historical Society of New Paltz, NY. Most activities will take place on Historic Huguenot Street or nearby venues.
For further information: gecastle@cluesonline.com
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