LE ROY PENNYSAVER & NEWS - SEPTEMBER 18, 2022 by Lynne Belluscio In 1996 -1997, Peter Eisenstadt discussed the possibility of gathering information for an Encyclopedia of New York State that would be published by Syracuse University Press. In the spring of 1998 funding was secured from the Legislature through the efforts of Senator John DeFrancisco. A conference was held in May 1999 to make plans for what was to become a huge volume.” Ultimately, a book with nearly 2000 pages was published. It included nearly 4600 entries from the first entry: A&P – Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company to the last entry – Zoroastrians. A copy of the book was distributed free to 780 public libraries in the state and a discount was offered to school libraries. I just recently bought a copy for $38 and am enjoying reading through it. Several local people contributed to the Encyclopedia. I wrote an entry for Genesee Country. Dr. Richard Wing contributed the entry on Ingham University. Sue Conklin, former Genesee County Historian, wrote the entry on LeRoy and Genesee County. Editors combed through entries to separate fact from fiction. I used Carolyn Wyman’s book, “Jell-O: A Biography” to write a history of Jell-O. James Harvey Young, author of “The Toadstool Millionaires: A Social History of Patent Medicines in America before Federal Regulation” was the source of information that was submitted by Margaret Kruesi about patent medicines. In that entry, “The Town of LeRoy (Genesee Co) was considered by many, to be the patent medicine capital of the world. The firms here (LeRoy) once included the Oatka Medicine Co, the Langdon Medicine Co. the O.F. Woodward Medicine Co, the Shiloh Medicine Co, the Genesee Pure Food Co – all founded in the 19th century - - and Pearle B. Wait and Co, which invented Jell-O in 1897... “Sue Conklin’s entry for LeRoy mentions that the population of the Town was 7,790 and the village was 4,462. Settlement occurred in 1797 and the town formed from Caledonia (Livingston Co) in 1812 as Bellona; the name was changed the following year. The village incorporated in 1834 and has had many industrial enterprises, including patent medicines, brooms, crushed stone, salt (1883-1928). Lapp Insulator (1919 -), Union Steel Chest (193273) LeRoy Female Seminary, which moved to the Village in 1837, was chartered as Ingham University (1857- 1891), the first university for women in the United States. A documentedrouteof theUnderground Railroad can be explored by a 17 mi (27 km) tour. In 1897, Pearle B. Wait developed Jell-O. Lacking funds, he sold his formula [*Actually he sold the trademark not the formula.] to Orator Woodward, who successfully marketed it to make it “American’s Most Famous Dessert.” - The annual Oatka Festival is held in July. The Thruway and I490 (1964) facilitate commuting to Rochester and Batavia. “I found it curious that mention of the Triangle Tract is included in the history of Monroe County, with no mention of LeRoy. Ingham University’s art professor Lemuel Wiles is included in an entry about art in the Rochester area. Thumbing through the 1921 pages, I came across an entry about bridges. “In 1841, Squire Whipple patented the first scientifically designed iron-truss bridge and six years later wrote the first authoritative American treatise on bridge design. Many bridges of Whipple design were built over the Erie Canal...“If you read a recent Pennysaver article about the 1853 iron bridge over the Oatka Creek on Main Street in LeRoy, you know that the LeRoy bridge was probably one of Whipple’s first bridges. Under “frozen food” is the story of Clarence Birdseye who organized the General Seafoods Corp in Gloucester, Massachusetts -“In 1929 the Postum Co (now Kraft General Foods) paid $22 million for controlling interest in his company, adopted the name General Foods and established “Birds Eye” as a trademark - so Jell-O and Birdseye were part of the same company. Orator Woodward, who owned Jell-O, is mentioned twice in the Encyclopedia and Pearle Wait, who introduced Jell-O in 1897, is mentioned three times. Emily and Marietta Ingham are mentioned once. Daniel Webster is mentioned three times, but never is it mentioned that he was married to Jacob LeRoy’s sister Caroline. There is no mention of the Donald WoodwardAirport and the story of Amelia Earhart and the airplane Friendship. Unfortunately, the story of Black pilot, Dorothy Layne is not included in the Encyclopedia. I thought of writing this article about 9/11, but I discovered this under acknowledgments: “And the greatest loss New York State suffered during the preparation of the book was of course the almost 2,750 persons who perished in the destruction of the World Trade Center on 11 Sept., 2001. To all the victims of that horrible day, and to all New Yorkers, past, present and future, the Encyclopedia is dedicated. April 2004. The Encyclopedia of New York State
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