As historian of Scipio, Sandie Stoker Gilliland stitches together the stories from the town's past into one blanketing narrative. The object that inspired her interest in Scipio's history is a product of similar labor: a cream and navy blue Jacquard Coverlet spun in the 1830s with “Scipio 1830” woven into its corner.
Sam Tenney / The Citizen
Town of Scipio historian Sandie Stoke Gilliland recently achieved registered historian status with the state of New York.
Town of Scipio historian Sandie Stoke Gilliland recently achieved registered historian status with the state of New York.
Gilliland had recently watched her children finish college in 2003. Looking for an activity to occupy her time, she spotted an ad in the town newsletter seeking donations to install a display case for the coverlet in the town office.
“I went over with $20 and found out they were also looking for a historian,” Gilliland said.
Gilliland learned that the quilt, which was originally owned by a Scipio resident named Chapman, had journeyed to San Jose, Calif. before its recent return. Its weaver is still unknown, though Gilliland's research has led her to suspect it was manufactured by a man in Groton named Jonathan Conger.
This type of investigation and discovery drew Gilliland's interest in Scipio's history.
“I'm a problem solver; I'm a crossword puzzle person. The research part of putting two and two together and coming up with four - I like that a lot,” she said. “And I enjoy taking a rumor or a story and verifying it or disproving it.”
On a few occasions, Gilliland's research has taken her to the New York State Archives in Albany, where she has researched Scipio's one-room schoolhouses and churches, as well as Grand Army of the Republic records of Civil War veterans. A Daughter of the American Revolution and member of its Owasco chapter, Gilliland also spotted the name of her veteran ancestor in a book chronicling the creation of patents and the dividing of land after the war.
One of Gilliland's favorite finds in the archives is a town meeting book titled, “Town of Scipio, County of Onondaga,” on which the last word was crossed out and replaced with “Cayuga.” This edited phrase places the book's origin in the time between 1796, when the town was founded, and 1799, when it became a part of Cayuga County.
Gilliland was given access to the state archives - and a paid hotel room in Albany - after writing a grant describing her attempt to amass the names of all of Scipio's one-room schoolhouse teachers.
Another extensive, but less pleasant project currently on Gilliland's plate is a list of slaveowners among Scipio's residents that she's compiling.
Though Scipio's size may suggest otherwise, there is no shortage of town history for Gilliland to sort through. Facts like the town's involvement in the underground railroad and the high quality of its soil remain unknown to many, she said.
“I'm still finding out things every day,” Gilliland said. “Someone will call or e-mail me to say they're researching to join the DAR or for some great-great-great grandfather, I'll look into that and find a small reference. Then that person shares some family history and I'll recognize another name and family line.”
From her work space in the Scipio Town Office, which she occupies about once a month, Gilliland shares the history she uncovers through the building's History Corner.
Currently on display is a donated autograph book given to a Scipio girl named Maggie on her 16th birthday in the mid-1800s. Gilliland cross-referenced the names of the signers with nearby residents to piece together a small story about Maggie.
“It's a nice little slice of the types of things that young girls wrote to each other, like we sign our yearbooks today,” Gilliland said. “The very human part about living and growing up in Scipio is interesting.”
After five years of volunteering her services as Scipio's historian, Gilliland was recently registered by the Association of Public Historians of New York State.
Because only 32 percent of applicants were given this status in its first year of 2002, Gilliland said, she interpreted it as a sign that history was a wise choice of hobby for her.
“It affirms that what I'm doing is right,” she said. “It confirmed that what I'm doing for the town of Scipio is a good way to do it.”
On the Net
Visit Sandie Stoker Gilliland's Scipio history blog at http://scipiocenterny.blogspot.com
“I went over with $20 and found out they were also looking for a historian,” Gilliland said.
Gilliland learned that the quilt, which was originally owned by a Scipio resident named Chapman, had journeyed to San Jose, Calif. before its recent return. Its weaver is still unknown, though Gilliland's research has led her to suspect it was manufactured by a man in Groton named Jonathan Conger.
This type of investigation and discovery drew Gilliland's interest in Scipio's history.
“I'm a problem solver; I'm a crossword puzzle person. The research part of putting two and two together and coming up with four - I like that a lot,” she said. “And I enjoy taking a rumor or a story and verifying it or disproving it.”
On a few occasions, Gilliland's research has taken her to the New York State Archives in Albany, where she has researched Scipio's one-room schoolhouses and churches, as well as Grand Army of the Republic records of Civil War veterans. A Daughter of the American Revolution and member of its Owasco chapter, Gilliland also spotted the name of her veteran ancestor in a book chronicling the creation of patents and the dividing of land after the war.
One of Gilliland's favorite finds in the archives is a town meeting book titled, “Town of Scipio, County of Onondaga,” on which the last word was crossed out and replaced with “Cayuga.” This edited phrase places the book's origin in the time between 1796, when the town was founded, and 1799, when it became a part of Cayuga County.
Gilliland was given access to the state archives - and a paid hotel room in Albany - after writing a grant describing her attempt to amass the names of all of Scipio's one-room schoolhouse teachers.
Another extensive, but less pleasant project currently on Gilliland's plate is a list of slaveowners among Scipio's residents that she's compiling.
Though Scipio's size may suggest otherwise, there is no shortage of town history for Gilliland to sort through. Facts like the town's involvement in the underground railroad and the high quality of its soil remain unknown to many, she said.
“I'm still finding out things every day,” Gilliland said. “Someone will call or e-mail me to say they're researching to join the DAR or for some great-great-great grandfather, I'll look into that and find a small reference. Then that person shares some family history and I'll recognize another name and family line.”
From her work space in the Scipio Town Office, which she occupies about once a month, Gilliland shares the history she uncovers through the building's History Corner.
Currently on display is a donated autograph book given to a Scipio girl named Maggie on her 16th birthday in the mid-1800s. Gilliland cross-referenced the names of the signers with nearby residents to piece together a small story about Maggie.
“It's a nice little slice of the types of things that young girls wrote to each other, like we sign our yearbooks today,” Gilliland said. “The very human part about living and growing up in Scipio is interesting.”
After five years of volunteering her services as Scipio's historian, Gilliland was recently registered by the Association of Public Historians of New York State.
Because only 32 percent of applicants were given this status in its first year of 2002, Gilliland said, she interpreted it as a sign that history was a wise choice of hobby for her.
“It affirms that what I'm doing is right,” she said. “It confirmed that what I'm doing for the town of Scipio is a good way to do it.”
On the Net
Visit Sandie Stoker Gilliland's Scipio history blog at http://scipiocenterny.blogspot.com
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