My Grandfather, Raymond Valentine Seaman, came to Gilbertsville with his new bride Gertrude (Wells) in the fall of 1924. He had secured the position of Principal of the Gilbertsville Union School at age 27, having graduated from Syracuse University and taught in Chester, NY. He and Gertrude rented the house attached to the Academy building and promptly had two sons, David and Theodore. My grandfather taught math and science as well as his principal's duties. One favorite family story is that one afternoon my grandmother Gertrude looked out to see her two boys, naked as jaybirds, cavorting on the Academy grounds as students laughed at them from the school windows. She was horrified. My grandfather remained principal as the transition was made to the "new" school. He and his family moved to the house at 1 Sylvan St and expanded to include Philip and Margaret.
I have many photos of the Seaman family at the Academy and of my grandfather posing proudly in front of the new, beautiful, modern school. I also have a copy of very old photo (looks Civil War era to me) of the Academy when it had 3 floors! It appeared that there was some kind of celebration, as the men all have top hats and suits on. Perhaps its 50th anniversary? I will send you these photos at your substack.com address. They did something really odd when they removed the third floor: the windows were extended somehow. I can't figure out what exactly they did.
I believe my grandfather remained principal at the new school until World War 2, when he went into the service. He returned to the Gilbertsville school after the war, and resumed teaching, and may have been principal again at some time after that (not sure.) He was a quiet man, but had a temper. One student in the 1950s recalled that he was called into Mr. Seaman's office after he said something "fresh" to a teacher. Mr. Seaman asked him to repeat what he said, as he threw a piece of chalk up in the air and caught it. The boy repeated his fresh words, fascinated by how high Mr. Seaman was throwing the chalk. As he glanced up toward the ceiling at the chalk, Mr. Seaman suddenly smacked him really hard across the cheek, leaving a red welt. He went back to class with his badge of shame, and 60+ years later recalled it. "Yup, I deserved it." Times were different then.
This was great! I have always wondered about the history of that building!
When I win the lottery, I will give you the Academy to fix up and I will fix up the old art deco school.
For the Academy building I found the following information and this person is also listed as owning the house next door. Click on the yellow area to see more details
Thank you for this informative article, Suzanne. It mentions my great uncle, William Woodlands. I look forward to reading the article you mentioned in the New Berlin Gazette. I did not grow up here and have some catching up to do in terms of family history.
Great photo! Best one yet of the building that includes a clear view of the cupola. Thanks for letting me know. My Facebook algorithm doesn't always bring the page up.
It always seems strange to read about people making their building smaller, doesn't it? I suppose heating costs are the concern, but I don't really know.
That's great Janhcy, I especially love when I inadvertantly help people connect with ancestors or find out something they didn't know about. It's one of the great perks of the job. Thanks!
My Grandfather, Raymond Valentine Seaman, came to Gilbertsville with his new bride Gertrude (Wells) in the fall of 1924. He had secured the position of Principal of the Gilbertsville Union School at age 27, having graduated from Syracuse University and taught in Chester, NY. He and Gertrude rented the house attached to the Academy building and promptly had two sons, David and Theodore. My grandfather taught math and science as well as his principal's duties. One favorite family story is that one afternoon my grandmother Gertrude looked out to see her two boys, naked as jaybirds, cavorting on the Academy grounds as students laughed at them from the school windows. She was horrified. My grandfather remained principal as the transition was made to the "new" school. He and his family moved to the house at 1 Sylvan St and expanded to include Philip and Margaret.
I have many photos of the Seaman family at the Academy and of my grandfather posing proudly in front of the new, beautiful, modern school. I also have a copy of very old photo (looks Civil War era to me) of the Academy when it had 3 floors! It appeared that there was some kind of celebration, as the men all have top hats and suits on. Perhaps its 50th anniversary? I will send you these photos at your substack.com address. They did something really odd when they removed the third floor: the windows were extended somehow. I can't figure out what exactly they did.
I believe my grandfather remained principal at the new school until World War 2, when he went into the service. He returned to the Gilbertsville school after the war, and resumed teaching, and may have been principal again at some time after that (not sure.) He was a quiet man, but had a temper. One student in the 1950s recalled that he was called into Mr. Seaman's office after he said something "fresh" to a teacher. Mr. Seaman asked him to repeat what he said, as he threw a piece of chalk up in the air and caught it. The boy repeated his fresh words, fascinated by how high Mr. Seaman was throwing the chalk. As he glanced up toward the ceiling at the chalk, Mr. Seaman suddenly smacked him really hard across the cheek, leaving a red welt. He went back to class with his badge of shame, and 60+ years later recalled it. "Yup, I deserved it." Times were different then.
This was great! I have always wondered about the history of that building!
When I win the lottery, I will give you the Academy to fix up and I will fix up the old art deco school.
Great stories, thanks so much!
Great article! Anytime you want details on Otsego County real estate holdings you can go to this link:
https://otsegocountygis.mapxpress.net/
For the Academy building I found the following information and this person is also listed as owning the house next door. Click on the yellow area to see more details
https://otsegocountygis.mapxpress.net/ags_map/default.asp?MBL=282.05-1-5.00
Dr. White was most likely born in Stamford, CT, not Stanford which is in CA.
All the best,
Bob Thomas
Thanks!! Great info!
I knew that, but didn't proofread well enough, thanks.
Thank you for this informative article, Suzanne. It mentions my great uncle, William Woodlands. I look forward to reading the article you mentioned in the New Berlin Gazette. I did not grow up here and have some catching up to do in terms of family history.
An image you may have never seen.
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10210564785834005&set=gm.1881024865628862
from --
Tim Main updated the group cover photo in Ghosts Of Gilbertsville , New York.
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This photo has never been posted here before . It didn't come cheap but it's a beauty .
Great photo! Best one yet of the building that includes a clear view of the cupola. Thanks for letting me know. My Facebook algorithm doesn't always bring the page up.
It always seems strange to read about people making their building smaller, doesn't it? I suppose heating costs are the concern, but I don't really know.
That's great Janhcy, I especially love when I inadvertantly help people connect with ancestors or find out something they didn't know about. It's one of the great perks of the job. Thanks!