In Search of Terwilligers

In the beginning, I, like several other family members, had no idea how, where or when we  would find any information regarding Eunice Elizabeth Terwilliger, our biological mother.  Seemed like every time there was a possible lead, it was just a dead-end.  Finally, a friend said yes to traveling to upstate New York with me and that's what it took to finally find some answers.

1. Around 10:00 in the morning, we drove from Livingston Manor, New York (where I lived at the time) to Chateaugay, NY (my birthplace).  This trip (339 miles) took us a little more than 6 hours. We stopped for lunch at a quaint little diner with excellent food.  Upon our arrival in Chateaugay, the first stop was the town clerk's office.  I was told all the records had been placed on microfilm / microfiche and were in archives in Malone, NY (birthplace of Deb and Joseph - my older brother and sister).  Arriving in Malone, we went straight to the town clerk's office where I searched for information on Eunice and Leroy Richardson.  I did find a newspaper birth announcement:  "Malone Evening Telegram, Malone, NY," dated July 18, 1946 -  under Malone Briefs - Mr. and Mrs. LeRoy H. Richardson, Chateaugay, are parents of a girl born Wednesday at the Alice Hyde Hospital (this is Deborah Marie - my sister).

And, finally, I found something that gave me information I was looking for -  Register of Births in the Town of Chateaugay, NY  for Martha Louise - this lists where Eunice was born:  Waterloo, NY- I was allowed to print it. After years of searching, I finally found a resource I could use to continue my research!  Was I excited!

We were also directed to a nearby business run by an elderly woman, who might be able to shed some light on the Terwilliger family as she had lived there most of her life. We discovered the shop, right around the corner.  It was called "Hug Bugs Gallery Gift Shop run by "Ruth Alden Jones Ryan ".  She was a petite little white-haired lady in at least her late 80's.  She claimed she knew our mother (Eunice) and that Eunice's father was a preacher.

Next morning, my friend suggested we take an alternate route home so we traversed Route 11 from Malone , NY to Route 81 S into Syracuse and west into Waterloo.  We stopped the car on the main street.  Excitedly, I raced across the street into the town hall and approached the desk.  I explained I had traveled some distance and was trying to locate information about my mother who was born in Waterloo in the early 1900's.  The gentleman at the desk, turned around and lifted a large book from a shelf and placed it on the counter in front of me,  it's title read   "Village of Waterloo Register of Births - 1900 to 1950". He handed it to me and, carefully, I turned the pages and here the exact wording from the register:  (I asked if I could have a copy of the page, however, clerk stated the book was not in great condition and because of its' age, they could not make a copy)

                 May 7, 1908, Eunice Elizabeth  - F Waterloo
                 Mother - Mary E Crisler (n) Age 40 B.P. New York (S)
                 Father -  Melville Terwilliger, Minister  Age 33 - B.P. NY
                 Medical Attendant - E.R. Zimmerman - Registered 6/6/1908

Waterloo is a charming village, great place to visit.  They have walking tours with maps, and an interesting fact:  Waterloo was the birthplace of Memorial Day and where the women's rights movement was conceived.

Coincidence or synchonicity or whatever you want to call it, I find this important enough to include here:

1. My brother Joseph (Joe) had moved to Rochester, NY several years previous when he married Sue, who was from there.  My family moved to NY from Connecticut because my husband had been recruited by a head hunter for a position with a company there.  Little did Joe or I know that we would be living in the same areas where our ancestors had been born, lived, gone to school, worked, and died.  Rochester is  56 miles from Waterloo and Sullivan County, NY where I was living and working (Livingston Manor, Greenfield Park, Woodridge and Monticello) is 161 miles from Waterloo.  Terwilliger ancestors and current family lived in and around New Paltz, NY which is 54 miles from Livingston Manor (where I lived prior to moving to Washington State) by way of Route 52.  Our grandfather, Melville Terwilliger was a Methodist/Episcopal Minister in the Northern New York Conference.