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Two weeks later I went back to the
Wolcott/Elmore/Morristown area and found the old "AM Woodbury" site,
lost in thick brush at the edge of some new development. There’s nothing
left now but the foundation of what must have been a large house and a
barn foundation a short distance away.
Finding the site was a trick, as it was not evident,
even from the new gravel road that passes nearby. The discovery happened
with the help of Arlo Sterner, Wolcott surveyor and Town Lister, and
Larry Demar, whose family once owned the old farmstead. The site was
indeed as shown on the old maps - some distance off the road. As a
student of old maps, I was pleased to learn how accurate these maps
turned out to be. But it was not the maps that led us to the Woodbury
cellarhole, it was our guide Larry. |
 Dave
Allen standing in the old cellar hole with a copy of the 1859 map
showing the owner "A.M. Woodbury" |
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The brush was so thick, even with the leaves off, that Larry actually
walked right past the foundation. At one point I looked off to the
left and saw a slight opening in the growth with a few larger trees.
Sure enough, it was the old house site. The area is overgrown, but by
young growth - not a forest. It looks like the area had been grazed or
cultivated in recent decades. It is on a gentle slope leading down to
the east. The old house must have been fairly large, as the foundation
is a big one - about 25’ x 30’. |
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Albert was 46 years old at the time of the map. While
it looks like he and his family lived here at this time, I note that
three of Urban’s siblings were born in nearby Morristown, so the
family may have moved a few times. Albert had moved on by 1878, as
the Beers map shows someone else at this site.
After this success, we moved on to look for the
sawmill site which was co-owned by Urban Woodbury This next site was
a short distance away in the Town of Elmore. It is shown on
the 1859 map at the end of a short road leading north from Lake
Elmore. |
