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A Deadly Family Outing in the Adirondacks

On Sunday, February 9, 1936 five Broadhurst family members from the Utica area boarded the Snow Train for a day’s outing in Old Forge region. Nine year old Robert T. Broadhurst, his mother, Elizabeth and his 22 year-old cousin Eva Broadhurst are the only known members of this outing. The Snow Trains brought many winter sports enthusiasts to the Central Adirondacks from 1936-1941.

After an active day and looking to return to the Thendara train station, two men were sitting on the back bumper of a car and offered Eva a tow on her toboggan back to the station. Eva told him to tell the driver and after a few minutes away he returned and attached the sled. Robert with his cousin Eva along with Betty Fitzgerald, Jessie Talarico and Mary Montemurro would ride the toboggan behind Mr. Leon Eldridge’s car. Mr. Eldridge’s passengers were Robert’s mother, Elizabeth along with Catherine Mitchell and Frannie Goldstein. They got underway to the station. It was snowing and the toboggan was swerving back and forth along the Old Forge highway. Seeing the swerving sled, an oncoming car stopped to avoid hitting the toboggan and when it did the car behind it, operated by John Foley, skidded and plowed into a snow bank. As Mr. Eldridge passed the Foley car, the toboggan swung wildly. Robert was hurled off and into the stopped car. Mr. Eldridge continued on to the station. John Foley rushed the injured boy to a local doctor.

Mr. Eldridge dropped his passengers off at the station and then when hailed by witnesses, went to the doctor’s office. Apparently, Dr. Lindsey held little hope for Robert’s recovery as the child had badly fractured his skull. The Snow Train’s return was delayed as it waited for Robert to be brought aboard to be taken to Utica’s Faxton Hospital. Robert, on an emergency cot, was placed across the seat backs. Both Mr. Eldridge and Dr. Lindsey accompanied him back to Utica. Dr. Douglas attended Robert at the hospital but it was to no avail as Robert died within three hours of the accident.

The following Wednesday Robert’s funeral was held at the home of his uncle, John Richard “Jack” Broadhurst on Court Street in Utica. The rector of St. Paul’s Chapel, Reverend Robert Moore, officiated. The bearers were brothers Arthur (25 years old) and William Adams (21) and cousins Lawrence (13) and Kenneth Broadhurst (14); all cousins of Robert.

A few days later an inquiry was held by the Herkimer County Coroner and he ruled  Robert’s death accidental. Mr. Eldridge consistently testified that he did not know the toboggan was tied to his car or that he was aware of accident until later. He testified  that his passengers, to include Robert’s mother, did say something about a mishap behind them. Directly contradicting him was cousin Eva who rode with Robert. She testified that Mr. Eldridge was aware of the attached toboggan. Which, given that Robert’s mother was in the car, seems most likely indeed.

In May, the fourth grade pupils of Kernan School presented Robert’s parents, Peter and Elizabeth, with a large red rose bush to be planted on his Forest Hill Cemetery grave as a tribute to their classmate’s memory.

Robert T. was my father’s young brother; Ernest Broadhurst later named his first son, my brother, Robert Thomas in his honor.

~~~

I wrote this posting based on newspaper articles written at the time of the accident. The articles were found using the http://www.fultonhistory.com/ web site.

~~~

Thendara Train Station - date unknown

Adams Green Top Cabins

Who remembers this place?

We have Karen Locke Fehr to thank for this photo. Her father, Norman Locke, was a photographer and took this picture of Adams Green Top Cabins in Alexandria Bay, New York.

It seems many of you visited as children. The cabins were owned by Arthur and Gertrude Broadhurst Adams, click on their names to read more about the family. The obituaries for both Arthur and Gertrude are posted on the “Obits” page.

I don’t remember visiting the cabins as a child but suspect my mother and father might have as they often vacationed early in their marriage in the 1000 Island region.  I’d love to hear from any of you who stayed here. Does anyone know what has become of the property?

Go ahead, leave a comment below!

Old Fulton Post Cards

Just a reminder to the group … this is a great newspaper archive website for the various Broadhurst and related familes that had settled around Utica and other parts of New York

http://www.fultonhistory.com/

It has a good search tool and the database contains many of the newspapers that covered the parts of the state our relatives lived (and live) in.  I’ve found numerous obituaries (check out my “obit” section) and wedding announcements among other newsworthy stories of our families. Check it out if you haven’t already.

A gaggle of Broadhursts

Karen Locke provided this great picture of various Broadhurst families taken in the 1950’s. Karen is the child in the forefront of the photo. Thank you, Karen!

Click on the picture to see a larger version of the photo and a key to who’s who. Remember, all photos are welcome and I’ll post them on the site for all of us to enjoy!

Welcome!

Thanks for stopping by.

Broadhurst Families is a new website and blog dedicated to–and finding–the many families around the world related to John BROADHURST and Frances ADSHEAD. John and Frances, married in St. Mary’s Parish church in Stockport, Cheshire in 1839 had five children; Elisha, William, Sarah, Peter and my Great Grandfather, Richard.

Our names are now; ADAMS, ASPIN, BAILEY, BAKER BONE, BRADBURY, BRADSHAW, BROADHURST, COLLINS, CROSSLEY, DAVIS, HOWARTH, HOWORTH, HUXLEY, JONES, LEVINE, PABST, PHILLIPS, RINFRET, SCHLETTER and WOODWARD among others.

The goal of this blog is to post genealogical findings, but perhaps more importantly, share stories of our families and perhaps reunite our “lost” cousins around the world.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Aloha for now,

Richard Broadhurst

rmbfll@aol.com 

Harold Broadhurst Obituary

click on image to enlarge

Together at Niagara Mohawk Power

These family men all worked at the  predecessor companies that became Niagara Mohawk Power ….

Percy BROADHURST

1930 US Census. Six years later the family rented 328 North Genesee St, Utica, NY for $25 a month. Percy was a “Supervisor Heat” for the Utica Gas and Electric Company. He worked for Niagara Mohawk Power Company for 36 years and was a superintendent at the time he left the company.

Peter Ernest BROADHURST

A career with the power company. In about 1926 Peter Ernest began a 25 year career with the Utica power company that ended with his death in 1951 when he was a superintendent at the Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation’s coke plant. 1930 US Census. The family has now moved to 1411 Burrstone Road, Utica, NY. They rented the residence for $30 a month. Peter Ernest was now a “producer man” for the gas and electric company. Elizabeth was a “cutter” at a velvet mill, Amy was a “spinner” and Ernest was a “band-boy” in a cotton mill. New to the household was Elizabeth’s last son, Robert T. BROADHURST, born in 1925, fourteen years after Ernest.

William Arthur BROADHURST

1930 US Census. At the time of the census, 15 April, William Arthur (32), his wife Emily (30) and their son Lawrence BROADHURST (6) lived with William’s older sister’s family;  William and Violet (his sister) and their daughter Evelyn DAVIS at 462 Main Street, Whitestown, NY. William Broadhurst at this time is listed as a laborer at the gas and electric company. Eventually, William retired as a supervisor for the Niagara – Mohawk Power Company.

William DAVIS

1930 US Census. By now, Violet (36) is Mrs. William DAVIS (he is 42) living in Whitestown, Oneida County, NY. They rented their place at 462 Main Street for $26 a month. Along with 12 year old daughter Evelyn Davis, Violet’s younger brother and his family live with them. William BROADHURST (32), his wife Emily BROADHURST (30) and their son Lawrence BROADHURST (6) share the household. Both Williams work at the gas and electric company, Davis as a machinist and Broadhurst as a laborer. Violet is a “finisher” in a cotton mill. It appears that William DAVIS had been married before as it’s reported that he was 25 years old at his first marriage. Violet is reported at 24 at her first marriage.

William Thomas HOWARTH

On to New York Mills – 1923. The family moved to New York Mills, NY in 1923 and William Thomas began a 28 year career in the gas department of the predecessors of the Niagara – Mohawk Power Company. 1930 US Census. 431 Aiken Street in Utica was home to Nellie (39), William (40) and May HOWORTH (16). The home was rented for $25 a month. Nellie was a cleaner in a cotton mill and William worked for the gas and electric company.

A capsule company description from Yahoo Finance …

Niagara Mohawk Power (which does business as National Grid) distributes electricity to approximately 1.5 million customers and natural gas to 571,000 customers in upstate New York. The company owns and operates 53,000 pole miles of power transmission and distribution lines; wholesale activities on its transmission grid are managed by the New York ISO. Niagara Mohawk Power is a provider of last resort for customers who do not choose an alternative supplier in New York’s deregulated power market. The utility’s gas distribution system consists of 8,100 miles of lines and mains. Niagara Mohawk Power is a subsidiary of National Grid USA, a unit of UK-based National Grid.

Lancashire to Oneida

These families;

ADAMS, ASPIN, BAILEY, BRADBURY, BRADSHAW, BROADHURST, COLLINS, CROSSLEY, DAVIS, HOWARTH (alt HOWORTH) and WOODWARD were a close knit group.

Each is related to one of the eleven children of Richard BROADHURST and Sarah Ann JONES.

Their families worked in the cotton mills in and around Manchester together; they emigrated from England to the US with one another’s help, then worked the mills of Dover, NH, Lowell, MA and New York Mills, NY together. Later they even worked together at Niagara – Mohawk Power Company together.

Check out their histories from the “Families” page.

The descendants of Richard BROADHURST and Sarah Ann JONES

From a farm in Cheshire to the Cotton Mills of Manchester across the Atlantic to the Mills of Dover, Lowell and Utica, and then even on to the Niagara – Mohawk Power Company, many in this eleven-sibling  family group really stuck together. They are the children of Richard BROADHURST and Sarah Ann JONES.

Take a look at their family tree…

click image to view tree