Most gratifying to a columnist is engaging in a discussion about a submission - the photo in my last article has elicited more comments than any other to date. We have surmised that the photo was taken sometime in the very late 1950s. Sharp-eyed readers, helped by a magnifying glass, gave us some clues.

John Saeli, the youngest of the Saeli children, remembers that the fence, clearly visible in front of their home, was taken down when the road was widened.

An Auburn Citizen account has the county authorizing spending the funds to widen the road and compensating the landowners in December of 1958. Roswell Saeli was paid $2,000 for the land.

Several readers mentioned the debris across the road, and asked if I could verify the barn fire dates, evidently it burned twice.

John also shared some pictures of his mom and dad, tractors and a combination photo of their home and one of his father's Case tractors.

There was not much new construction in the ‘30s.

The large brick house, built by Roswell Saeli for his bride, was well documented in the local papers:

Roswell Saeli has the ground broken and the cellar nearly finished for a new home next to the store. (August 1937 - Cato Chief)

In February 1944, the Port Byron Chronicle's Springlake column announced:

“Mr. Roswell Saeli has remodeled the interior of his store into a very convenient, modern, attractive business place. It has been redecorated in black and white and all contents rearranged. Springlake is very proud to have such a complete general store in the community.”

Every hiring also was reported. The store was a vital part of this community and everyone who worked there affected the well-being and stability of this hamlet.

John's recollections reinforced the feelings that I had heard from Springlake residents. The eulogy he wrote for his mother''s funeral related these tales: “More than once Dad would put a roast of beef in someone's grocery box and tell them to be sure to enjoy it. Mom never said, ‘Roz, you shouldn't have done it.' My mom noticed that a new young bride only purchased TV dinners and pot pies - ‘that poor girl doesn't know how to cook,' Evelyn surmised and soon a friendly cooking lesson or two took place.

“When a local family was stranded in a blizzard without kerosene for their heat - my dad hooked up our tractor and with me bundled up and holding on to the 10-gallon can, we delivered it to their door to get them through the storm.”

John took exception to the “entertaining” comment in the last article. There was no time for “partying,” he says. “We worked all the time!”

I looked back at my notes and most of the dinner, bridge and luncheon invitations were in the late ‘30s and early ‘40s - long before he was born. People were very social then, and the local columnist (who was paid by the inch) would report every trip to Port Byron, Auburn and Syracuse, every sniffle and every cup of shared coffee.

I am proud to document this chapter in our history about a family who ran a business and cared deeply about their community.

Joni Lincoln is the town of Conquest historian