Lummis Family and Lummisville

The following article, by Huron Historian Rosa Fox, was written for the Summer 2015 issue of the Sodus Bay Historical Society magazine Flash.

Who put the Lummis in Lummisville?

Travelling northwest over County Road 155, crossing diagonally through the town of Huron from Wolcott to Sodus Bay, one wonders just what might be found at the end of this bumpy, hilly, rollercoaster of a highway. County Road 155, presently known as Lummisville Road, leads to the small hamlet of Lummisville. People travelling over this road now days may wonder where Lummisville is or was, and who was the Lummis this unmarked hamlet was named after.

The answer to the question “Where was Lummisville?” is quite a puzzle. Early county maps dating back to the 1820’s depict the hamlet to be located on the eastern shore of Sodus Bay at the end of Lummisville Road. (Fig. 1.) Later maps from the 1850’s show Lummis property holdings along the bay from the Bonnicastle area extending north to LeRoy Island. A 1904 Wayne County Atlas Gazette map places Lummisville at the intersection of East Bay Road and Lummisville Road, just two miles east of the bay shore. (Fig. 2) Why Lummisville was moved from the bay to a point inland is a mystery local historians continue to research.

Figure 1. Wayne County Map circa 1825. Huron was part of the Town of Wolcott until 1826 when it divided off to become the Town of Port Bay. The name was changed to Huron in 1834. Sodus Point was known as Troupville. Lummisville was on the bay shore.

Figure 2. 1904 Wayne County Atlas showing Lummisville two miles from bayshore.

The roots of Lummisville in the town of Huron, New York begins in Woodbury, New Jersey, with the birth of William Nixon Lummis to Ebenezer and Susannah Lummis on April 15, 1775. William attended college in Philadelphia where he studied to become a physician. One of his teachers and a life-long respected friend was Dr. Benjamin Rush, a prominent citizen of Philadelphia, who was active in politics and social reform, and one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Dr. William Nixon Lummis married Elizabeth Fries on March 14, 1799. Not long after their marriage, Dr. Lummis suffered a bout of yellow fever, leading to his declining health. Seeking a healthier living environment than the city, the Lummis family left Philadelphia to explore the Genesee Country. Their journey led them to Troupville (Sodus Point) around 1801 where the family settled when much of the area was still an untamed wilderness. Dr. Lummis was a prominent member of the community and an important person in the development of the Sodus Point area. He was a member of the defense unit during the Battle of Sodus Point in 1813.

William and Elizabeth had three children – Jacob Fries, Sara Ann, and Benjamin Rush. Benjamin was named after Dr. Lummis’ revered teacher and friend from Philadelphia. Sara Ann, sadly, died at about 14 months of age. Mother, Elizabeth died on May 4, 1806 – when Benjamin was only 20 months old. On June 1, 1808, William married Sarah Maxwell, daughter of Revolutionary War Captain John Maxwell (Maxwell Creek). Sarah and Dr. Lummis had six children. [See side bar]

Dr. Lummis purchased over 1000 acres on the east side of Sodus Bay that included the three islands and much of the east shore from the lake to nearly Resort. It was during the early 1800’s that Lummisville was established as a community. An advertisement appearing in the July 16, 1817 Geneva Gazette states that the packet boat “Swallow” will “sail from Lummisville every Thursday evening . . . from Troupville on Friday morning . . . .” Dr. Lummis established and ran the Lummisville post office. (Figure 3.) Dr. William Nixon Lummis died April 16, 1833 at Sodus Point – the day after his 58^th birthday. Lummisville was named for Dr. Lummis.

Figure 3. Envelope with Lummisville cancellation stamp – 1881.

As adults, all the Lummis children moved away from the Sodus Bay area except for Benjamin and his sister, Anna Maria. Benjamin’s half-brother, William Maxwell, maintained property on Sodus shores, but his career in New York City as a real estate broker only allowed him to make occasional visits to his homeland. Elizabeth also had a strong connection to the bay, however her marriage, at the age of 17, to Dr. William Henry Ellet led her to South Carolina where Dr. Ellet was a professor of Chemistry at South Carolina College. Elizabeth moved to New York City in 1845, leaving Dr. Ellet in South Carolina. Elizabeth’s new life in New York City allowed her to pursue her writing career and make occasional visits to Sodus Bay.

Of the six Lummis children who survived to adulthood, Benjamin Rush Lummis was most connected to the bay. Benjamin particularly loved the eastern shore of Sodus Bay and the islands. He and his family spent much of their time at Lummisville. Benjamin, like his father, married twice – first to Anna Maria Willig, on October 20, 1829 in Philadelphia. Anna Maria and Benjamin had one daughter, Georgette, who was born at Sodus Point on September 4, 1830 – wonderful birthday gift to Benjamin, whose birthday was September 6th. Wife, Anna died in 1831. Benjamin married Anna’s younger sister Georgiana Willig shortly thereafter. Georgiana and Benjamin had five children. [See side bar] Of Benjamin’s six children, one son and two daughters survived to adulthood.

For a little more than a decade, Benjamin traveled between Sodus Bay and New York City where he had a dry goods business. He retired from that business in 1842, at the age of 38, to spend his time on the Sodus Bay that he dearly loved. Benjamin was considered one of the largest landowners on the bay – having over 1000 acres on the east side of Sodus Bay alone, not to mention his properties at Sodus Point. Benjamin and Georgiana were valued community members of Sodus Point. They were involved in assorted church, business, and social activities. Census records list their place of residence and Sodus Point, even though the family spent considerable time at Lummisville on Huron’s shores of Sodus Bay.

By the 1860’s a sizable community was established at Lummisville on the bay. A diary written by Hattie (Harriet) Thomas Veley, a local town of Huron girl reveals some of the activities of the time at Lummis(ville). Hattie kept the diary between 1868 and 1870, when she was between 17 and 19 years of age. Many of Hattie’s entries are specific to Lummis family activities, and in particular to Mr. Lummis and Max Lummis. It is sometimes unclear what Lummis family member Hattie refers to in many of her entries, but it is likely “Mr. Lummis” was Benjamin. One entry written on July 25, 1868 said, “ Mr. and Mrs. Georgia Lummis stopped at the house.” A week later, Georgia and Hattie’s little sister Lydia, “fished on the dock.” Georgia was likely Georgiana, Benjamin’s wife. Benjamin would have been in his 60’s at the time of the writing of this diary.

“Max” may be William Maxwell Lummis. William “Max” was in the dry goods business like Benjamin, but had deteriorating health and retired to Sodus Bay also. He ran the sawmill business with his brother until his passing in 1869. (Figure 4.) There is another, more likely, scenario that plays out here. Mr. Lummis could have been William Maxwell Lummis, and “Max” – William’s son, John Maxwell Lummis, who would have been in his mid-twenties at the time of Hattie’s diary. Being younger, he would more likely have been referred to by his nickname, “Max”.

Figure 4. Fence Posts Advertisement Newark Union Newspaper, May 3, 1873.

Hattie’s Pa was a dedicated worker for the Lummis family. Logging, farming, barn building, putting ice in the ice house, trips to Clyde and Lyons to get supplies for the farm or sell lumber, and many trips across the bay to Sodus Point by water or by ice were just a few of the undertakings that kept the people of Lummisville busy the year round. Mr. Lummis and Max (Maxwell) Lummis attended events at the Catholic Church in Clyde. Max was involved in singing at some of these events in Clyde and Rochester. It is reported in John Maxwell’s obituary that he “was a fine musician, singer, and man of rare accomplishments.” Hattie’s family and others in the community frequently seemed to be making or doing something for the Lummis family. It is very apparent from Hattie’s diary that the locals had a tremendous amount of love and respect for the Lummis family.

Records say that Georgiana Lummis died in 1868. There is no mention of this in Hattie’s diary, however Georgiana is not mentioned after August 1868. Hattie does mention Benjamin and Georgiana’s son Willig. Willig’s Point is named after him. Willig passed away about four years prior to his father. Willig was a resident of Huron. Benjamin Rush Lummis died at Sodus Point June 10, 1882 at the age of 78. Benjamin’s daughters Rose and Georgette survived him. The Lummis sisters have interesting stories of their own, as they pursued lives in service to the Catholic and Episcopal churches, respectively. Both were extremely charitable women, giving their lives and possessions to others.

William Maxwell Lummis died in 1869, predeceasing his brother Benjamin by 13 years. Property markings on a 1904 map [Fig. 2] note the William Lummis/ Sara O’Brien Estate located on the bay, as well as at the later location of Lummisville inland.

William Maxwell’s youngest son Benjamin Rush Lummis, named after his uncle, was in the real estate business in New York City, and was involved in a number of service and philanthropic organizations there. He did make several trips home to the Huron and Sodus Point communities to visit and entertain city friends and associates, but he was not as dedicated to Sodus shores as his father or uncle were. By 1927 all the Lummis landholdings, from the islands to Resort, were sold off by Benjamin and the other remaining grandchildren of Dr. William Nixon Lummis.

The east shore of Sodus Bay began to grow in seasonal population and development to what it is today. Resort communities, summer cottages, year-round homes, apple farms, marinas, and restaurants – all sit on land that was owned by one family who loved the woods, waters, and shores of this great bay.

Next time you find yourself driving along Lummisville Road, or riding in your boat past Bonnicastle, Willig’s Point, Sunset, Owen Drive, and the islands, give some thought to the two generations of Lummis family folk who, throughout most of the 19^th century, settled, tamed, fished, sailed, picnicked, and cherished this area of Huron and Sodus Bay.

References:

The Essex Institute Historical Collection Volume LIII-1917/6, Salem, Massachusetts, Essex Institute, 1917.
Diary of Harriet Thomas (Hattie Veley) 1868-1870. Historian’s Office of Wayne County.
Various news articles and obituaries found online.

Online references:

http://wayne.nygenweb.net/cemeteries/roseceml.html ( Rose Cemetery Surname Listing as recorded by Elmer Dean, former town of Galen historian)
https://archive.org/details/genealogicalfami01reyn ( Genealogical and family History of Southern New York and the Hudson River Valley. William Richard Cutter, Lewis Historical Publishing Company. 1913.