My 3rd Great-Grandfather's Tragic - yet Quirky - Life

Please note:  this blog is a sequential narrative.  To start at the beginning, click on "Blog Archive" on the right and select the entry at the very bottom "Jennie Louise Van Buren...or was she?" or click here.

Port Byron, NY www.googlemaps.com

When I discovered that Benjamin Sly, my 3rd great-grandfather, was not buried in the poorhouse cemetery in Sennett, NY, but rather in Port Byron, where he had lived most of his life, I felt comforted and energized. I was relieved that he was buried at home.

A deep dive into his life was now called for. First, I needed a good timeline of his life. Census records to the rescue!

In 1870, Benjamin was living in Port Byron / Mentz, New York, by himself. His occupation was as a chair bottomer.

Year: 1870; Census Place: Port Byron, Cayuga, New York; Roll: M593_911; Page: 475A; Family History Library Film: 552410

The 1875 New York State Census was, at first glance, equally unremarkable:

Ancestry.com. New York, State Census, 1875 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013

But closer inspection revealed that a few other Slys were living in the same house. They were listed as a separate family.

Ancestry.com. New York, State Census, 1875 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013

Who were Adeline Sly (57 yrs.) and Sarah Sly (22 yrs.)? In the "Relation to Head" column, the enumerator had started to write "Broth" for Benjamin, but then crossed it out, presumably because Benjamin was head of his own household. Was Adeline a family member? Was this the first hint of  Benjamin's siblings and parents?

I did a quick search for "Adeline Sly, born 1817, with a residence in Mentz, Cayuga, New York," and there she was, 25 years earlier, in the 1850 US Federal Census, living in Mentz with Luman Sly and 2 children.

Year: 1850; Census Place: Mentz, Cayuga, New York; Roll: M432_481; Page: 95A; Image: 194

Was Luman Benjamin's brother? Or cousin? The scratched-out "Broth" in the 1875 New York State Census made me lean towards brother-in-law to Adeline, which would mean brother to Luman. Luman was a butcher and was only four years older than Benjamin. Sarah Sly from the 1875 census (born in Ohio) would not have been born yet in 1850, but there were 2 older children listed: John and Caroline. I was excited, but decided not to go down this particular rabbit hole for now. Since Sarah Sly was born in Ohio, I thought it was possible that this branch of Slys has moved out West and then had come back. Luman was not in the 1875 census. Was is possible that he had died, and then Adeline came back to New York? I was very curious about these Slys, but knew I needed to focus on Benjamin for now. The 1880 US Federal Census was next:

Year: 1880; Census Place: Port Byron, Cayuga, New York; Roll: 814; Page: 164B; Enumeration District: 028

In 1880, Benjamin had a wife named Addie. Was this the same Adeline from 1875? At first glance, it seemed likely, but the closer I looked, the more the details didn't add up:

Year: 1880; Census Place: Port Byron, Cayuga, New York; Roll: 814; Page: 164B; Enumeration District: 028

Adeline Sly, the possible sister-in-law in the 1875 census, was born around 1818 in Cayuga County New York. Addie Sly, the wife in the 1880 census, was born around 1830 in Canada. This seemed like a rather large discrepancy, even as census mistakes go. I thought the easiest way to check on this would be to search the 1880 US Federal Census for Adeline Sly, and sure enough, she was right there in Port Byron, living with daughter Caroline (Corrie), and was still a chair bottomer. Her birthday was in 1818 in Cayuga County NY. So it really did look like Benjamin had married a different Addie or Adeline than his possible sister-in-law - some time between 1875 and 1880.

Before moving on to the 1892 New York State Census, I wanted to check the "1880 Schedule for Defective, Dependent and Delinquent Classes" to see if there was any more information for Benjamin. I love the title of that census addition.

New York State Education Department, Office of Cultural Education; Albany, New York; U.S. Federal Census Schedules of Defective, Dependent, and Delinquent Classes, New York, 1880; Year: 1880

As you can see, it's difficult to read, but I did learn from it that Benjamin went blind in 1843 from "Erysipelas of the Eye," 85 years before penicillin was discovered. I immediately thought of my mother who had a severe case of erysipelas in the 1980s, and my daughter who had a mild case of orbital cellulitis, today's more common term for erysipelas of the eye, when she was 3. Is there such a thing as predisposition to getting erysipelas? That is not the kind of thing I would enjoy researching, but it did strike me as odd.

I thought back to Benjamin's admissions card at the Cayuga County poorhouse. His status as a widower could not refer to Mary L Avery, my 3rd great-grandmother, since Benjamin later married Addie. Digging into Benjamin's life, at least so far, wasn't telling me anything new about Mary.

The next stop was the 1892 New York State Census, which was enumerated four years before Benjamin was admitted to the poorhouse. This particular census collected little data, but considering the demise of the 1890 US Federal Census, it is a godsend.

Ancestry.com. New York, State Census, 1892 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.

Addie Sly is not listed with Benjamin. The 1892 New York State Census does not list marital status, so I had little information, and Addie did not appear in a search of the rest of this census. Had she passed away? I would have to look elsewhere for the answer.

The final stop in this census tour de force was the 1900 US Federal Census, which showed Benjamin as an inmate in the Sennett, NY poorhouse:

Year: 1900; Census Place: Sennett, Cayuga, New York; Page: 8; Enumeration District: 0041; FHL microfilm: 1241013

The only new thing I learned from this hard-to-read census was that Benjamin's birthdate was August 21, 1821. Everything else was information I already had.

I now had a reasonable timeline of Benjamin's life, and had learned how he went blind, but I wanted to flesh out the details and learn more about him, if possible. I was still interested in Luman Sly as a possible brother, and wanted to find out more about Addie, Benjamin's second wife. But Benjamin was still the priority. Many questions remained about his relationships with his first wife, Mary L. Avery, and his daughter, Jennie. 

I thought historic newspapers might be a good place to start. The first article I found that mentioned my 3rd great-grandfather was this one:

Port Byron, NY Chronicle, published April 3, 1940

Although this article was published 38 years after Benjamin died, his name still found its way into the paper. In the article, the author interviewed an elderly Port Byron resident, Mrs. Treat, about how the town got its name. After reporting on what she had said regarding the town name, the author then added the following story:

Port Byron, NY Chronicle, published April 3, 1940

Old Ben Sly - something of a character? Do tell! Maybe Jennie inherited her feistiness from her dad! Ben Sly was well-known in the community, it seemed.

The next article I found answered the question about what had happened to Addie Sly, Benjamin's second wife:

Auburn Argus, January 15, 1892

Addie died about six weeks before the 1892 New York State Census was taken. Benjamin was a recent widower when the census enumerator came knocking. The mystery as to what had happened to Addie was solved.

The next series of articles still make me tear up to this day. I now know why Benjamin ended up in a poorhouse. Notorious character in the community or not, when fire struck, he was just a defenseless old blind man.

Cayuga County Independent published March 20, 1896

In the early hours of March 15, 1896, a fire broke out in the small dwelling Benjamin used to provide lodging for tramps. He was 74 years old. Even though this was a tragic story, the name "Hotel de Sly" made me laugh out loud and still does to this day, especially considering the kind of "hotel" it was.

This headline is quite graphic:

Auburn Weekly Bulletin published March 19, 1896

A FIRE AT PORT BYRON.

The Notorious Hotel de Sly Burned - The

Blind Proprietor Scorched

Scorched? Really? Surely there are better words than scorched?

And finally, the grizzly details:

Star Gazette, published March 17, 1896

5 months before my 3rd great-grandfather was admitted to the Cayuga poorhouse at the age of 74, his hair, feet and other parts of his body were badly burned as he tried to escape the flames resulting from a live coal falling from the stove which he, a blind man, had been raking. 

And now, think back to the conditions described (in the previous post) in the 1857 poorhouse report: the inmates sleeping on the floor covered with wretched blankets, 10 to a room, with no ventilation and little heat, and imagine old Ben Sly, still recovering from his severe burns, on the floor, cold, dirty and blind. Think of him, living more like beast than man. And weep for him.

I come back to these questions once more: Did his daughter, Jennie, know about the fire? Did she know about his injuries? Did she know he was in a poorhouse?

The end of Benjamin's life was reported in the Syracuse Journal:

Syracuse Journal, published July 28, 1902

Benjamin and Addie Sly are buried in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Port Byron. Neither of them has a stone to mark the burial location.

The Port Byron Chronicle published this death notice:

Port Byron Chronicle, published July 26, 1902

Benjamin Sly, a decrepit old gen-

tleman of advanced age, who, during recent

years has been a resident at the 

alms house in Sennett, died there

Thursday night. Previous he was an

old-time resident at this place and was

known by nearly everyone. He was

unfortunate, being totally blind. The

remains were brought to this place Sat-

urday and services held at the resi-

dence of his sister, Mrs. John Shane

at 10:30 o'clock in the morning. The

interment was in Mt. Pleasant ceme-

tery. A great many knew Mr. Sly

and sympathized with him in his affl-

iction, yet they will rejoice that he

has passed from all earthly cares and 

 pains.                                               

This death notice is so hard to read, I almost didn't catch the most valuable line in it:

"sister Mrs. John Shane" 

Here, finally, after years of searching and going down fruitless rabbit holes, I had firm evidence of a sister.

For now, the time has come to close Benjamin Sly's story. We will come back to him soon, as he is always on my mind. Next, however, we must turn our attention back to the Avery side and that family's propensity for scandal. It is a tale that needs to be told.

I would, however, be remiss if I did not share this one last delicious tidbit about Benjamin.

Port Byron, NY has a very active historical society called the Lock 52 Historical Society which is named after the local Erie Canal Lock that once operated in Port Byron. In a blog post on April 13, 2013, the society published a transcription of a letter written in 1955 by the Rev. Harry King to his brother, Richard T. King, who was the publisher of the Port Byron Chronicle. The letter looked back at the Village of Port Byron during the Erie Canal days. In it, The Rev. King mentions my 3rd great-grandfather, and his wife, in an unexpected and hilarious almost-afterthought:

http://lock52hs.blogspot.com/2013/04/harry-kings-port-byron-memories-1955.html

I am extremely grateful to the Lock 52 Historical Society and the Rev. Harry King for giving me this most perfect insight into Benjamin's life. Slimy bride, indeed. At least she is not my ancestor.