Mr. Francis W. Squires was an important early historian, teacher, justice of the peace, postmaster (& more) of our area.
Pierce & Eunice Squires, residents of Columbia Co, NY, made their way westward through the state, settling in Madison County where our Francis was born (1815-1839). The family eventually moved on to Lewis County (1840-1846), before finally settling here in New Haven by 1846.
In 1851 Francis married Sarah R Rice. The couple moved to North Volney where they had 3 children; Clarence (died young), Clara Adele (mar. Clarence Gowdy), & Harriet Hattie (mar. Reuben Coe). In March 1860 Sarah passed away, leaving Francis with 3 young children.
While living in Volney, Francis became the postmaster (1861-1883). Then, in August 1864 (as a widower with young children), he enlisted into Co A, 184th NY Infantry from Volney, serving the Union during the Civil War until mustering out in June 1865.
In 1876 Francis again married a Fulton resident, Maria Louise Vanderbilt. She was the widow of John Coe. The couple lived in Fulton until returning to New Haven (Demster), NY by 1883. He lived out the remainder of his life, dying on 05 Jun 1897 in New Haven, NY.
Since 1843, Francis kept a diary about local families, farms, social life, politics, genealogy, & more. He also visited every town in the county to collect historical data. His journals became an important study in the topic of our region, in a time when little was written on the topics.
Sources:
Landmarks of Oswego County by Smith & Child (1895)
New York Civil War Muster Roll Abstracts, 1861-1900
Appointments of US Postmasters, 1832-1971
NYS Death Index, 1852-1956
Various Census Reports
