Yes, I Know: It's Been Awhile....

  Yep--it's been some time since I've written in this blog.   I could use all kinds of reasons/excuses/rationalizations: I was too lazy, or it was too hot outside, or whatever.   Enough's enough.   Let's try and describe my trip to New York City, for the opening of Churchill: The Power of Words, at The Morgan Library & Museum  

The Museum's entrance is the photo above left.

This journey all started back in November 2010, during my three-week visit to the UK and Europe.   I spent a wonderful day in Cambridge, at the Churchill Archives Centre at Churchill College, where I met Mr Allen Packwood, the Centre's Director.   I'd emailed him about my initial research into Winston Churchill's American maternal ancestors, the Jeromes--after discovering that Churchill's maternal grandfather, Leonard Jerome, was born in the village of Pompey Hill, New York: a short drive from where I live outside Syracuse.   Allen was in the planning stages for this New York City exhibition about Churchill and his 'way with words', and he asked if I would like to be involved in some way.   And I said, 'Certainly--in whatever way I can help'--or words to that effect.

In the event, I did some research in the Syracuse area, and found a family tree tracing back to the first Jerome to settle in the Pompey Hill area: one Timothy Jerome, who came from the Isle of Wight.   I traced down through the male line, all the way to Leonard Jerome and his middle daughter Jennie, who married Lord Randolph Churchill, the second son of the 7th Duke of Marlborough.  (That's Jennie's portrait on the left.)  Their firstborn son was Winston Churchill.   I email the information to Allen, and his team created a really great graphic design, for people to see.    I subsequently received an invitation to attend the reception to open the exhibition on 7 June 2012.

I decided to stay in New York for two days, which was all I could afford.   I found a hotel on Park Avenue online, and bought rail tickets from Syracuse to Penn Station in New York (I did NOT want to drive in Manhattan).    The trip took about 5 1/2 hours, and made several stops along the way.   The best part of the journey was the view of the Hudson River; I made sure to get a seat on the right side of the train!   The Hudson was magnificent: I was able to view sites like the US Military Academy at West Point (on the west side of the river), and the wide expanse of the river as we headed south.    There was a lot of wildlife to be found--including a Bald Eagle, perched in a riverside tree.

I arrived at Penn Station just after 1 pm, on Wednesday, 6 June.   The station is situated underneath Madison Square Garden--aka The World's Most Famous Arena, and home to the NHL's  New York Rangers and the NBA's New York Knicks.    I joined the heaving throng out of the station, and into the taxi queue--which was quite orderly for New York.   The driver deftly dodged his way through the midtown Manhattan traffic, and I arrived at my hotel: the 70 Park Avenue.   My room faced the Empire State Building, which was pretty darned cool!

That first day was more of a 'recon' time than anything: I wanted to get my bearings as to where things were.   I hadn't visited New York in many years, and I'd brought along a few Google maps to places I wanted to visit.   And I did a LOT of walking that first day, north along both Madison and Fifth Avenues.   Those 'sidewalks of New York' are VERY VERY long, and always full of people; I felt like a minnow trying to swim upstream!!    And I especially wanted to find my way to The Morgan Library & Museum, and figure out the shortest way to go from the hotel.

My one lingering visit that day was to 'Chartwell Booksellers', at 55 East 52nd Street--and not far from Fifth Avenue (photo right).    Their slogan is The World's Only Winston Churchill Bookshop--and it's as good as its word.   Here, one can find almost any book about Winston Churchill: his political thought, his family--even his 'sartorial style'.   One can also find First Editions of Churchill's own books plus several hardcover editions of the Official Churchill biography by Randolph Churchill (WSC's son) and Sir Martin Gilbert.    One of these hardcover Official biographies was for sale for....$8000!!!   After I gulped at the price, I thought: 'Sure--I've got some loose change in my pocket!"   

Alongside the Churchill books, there were volumes about Britain in the Second World War; general British history; general Second World War history, and books on Architecture and Gardening.    I found a number of books by Sir Martin that were not Churchill-related (I have several of them in my home library).   And it was tempting to buy something at Chartwell Booksellers.   But I managed to resist..although I did take some photos of the shop's window displays; mostly having to do with Churchill Style: a new book about Churchill's clothes and his sartorial style!


I took some time off my feet nearby, before braving the crowds again along Fifth Avenue.   I passed many upscale shops as I headed south, back towards the hotel: Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord and Taylor, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Tiffany & Co.: well, you get the idea.   One could do a whole day's worth of 'window shopping', gazing at high fashion for women or expensive jewelry and leather goods. 

I made a brief stop at St Patrick's Cathedral, which was covered in exterior scaffolding for a major restoration project.   Inside, it was a bit of a madhouse: tourists snapping photos and lighting candles at various shrines flanking the nave, along with a high school graduation ceremony in full swing at the foot of the High Altar.   I don't know how anyone managed to pray in the cathedral, with all the chaos going on; a few people were making a valiant effort to do just that.   And I nearly got run over by a mother pushing her toddler in a stroller!

This day, at least, St Patrick's was more of a tourist attraction, than a 'house of prayer'.   YIKES....!    And I admit it: I acted like a tourist myself, by snapping photos of some of the stained-glass windows.... (photo right). 

 Later on, I couldn't stop thinking about the 'houses of Mammon' that lined Fifth Avenue, in contrast to St Patrick's.

Upon leaving St Patrick's, I noticed a really imposing building on the opposite side of the street: the New York Public Library, with its imposing lion sculptures flanking its entrance (photo left).   The story goes that the sculptures were originally named "Leo Astor' and "Leo Lenox" after the Library's founders John Jacob Astor and James Lenox.   But in the 1930s, during the Great Depression, New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia nicknamed them 'Patience' (on the left as the viewer looks) and 'Fortitude' (on the right); LaGuardia believed those were two attributes that would give New Yorkers the strength and courage to get through those dark days.

There is a little plaza of sorts out front with tables, where one can sit, eat and drink, and just watch the people go by.   And there were a lot of people hanging about, on a very lovely late-spring day.   I took several photos of the Library, and the lion sculptures.

By this time, it was after 3 pm, and I thought I would go look for The Morgan, and see how to get inside for the next evening's reception.   I left Fifth Avenue at 40th Street, turned onto Madison Avenue and there it was.   The Morgan is one of New York's small treasures: part of the Museum comprises the former home of financier J. Pierpont Morgan: one of the richest men in the world.   It is also a world-class art museum, with changing exhibits of paintings, drawings and sculpture.   One of their current exhibitions was one on Renaissance drawing.

As I entered the Museum's modern lobby, I spotted a familiar face: my friend Allen Packwood from Cambridge, who was in a small group of people.   I thought he glanced my way, before disappearing into an exhibit hall on the right with his small group.   While standing around looking lost, I was approached by a museum staffer, who asked what I was doing; I replied it was my first visit to The Morgan, and that I would be attending the next evening's Churchill exhibition reception.   The staffer then allowed me to wander around the 'free' area off the lobby--normally, one would pay $15 to visit the main exhibit areas. 

And that's what I did: I wandered about, and looked at some medieval and Renaissance-era sculptures, religious implements, reliquaries and such, that were part of The Morgan's permanent collection.   There was also a plaster sculpture in a display case of the original 1902 entrance to J. Pierpont Morgan's home, which is on 37th Street.

I was sweating profusely from all the outdoors walking, and hoped I didn't look like a total wet rag.   Soon, Allen emerged from the nearby exhibit hall and came over to me, and greeted me warmly.   We had a few moments to chat, and he told me some writers from The New York Times were in the Churchill exhibition, to write an advanced review.   Allen told me he left them alone because the Times staffers wished to work in peace.   I thought, that makes sense.

During our conversation, Allen told me there would be just over three hundred people in attendance at the reception.   And there would be several 'special guests' invited: London Mayor Boris Johnson, Churchill's granddaughters Edwina and Celia Sandys (daughters of Churchill's eldest child Diana)--and Caroline Kennedy and her husband Edwin Schlossberg.   At that point, Allen wasn't certain Ms. Kennedy would be attending...but at the same time, my mouth literally flew open.   And I thought, what in the WORLD was 'little old me' doing at this reception with so many 'real' V.I.P.'s?!?

Poor Allen: he'd been dashing about New York City ever since his arrival the previous Sunday, making sure everything (and everyone) was in place for this event.   Not just the reception: the whole exhibition, which runs through 23 September 2012.   I don't know how he managed to keep his head together, with all the details and things to take care of.   If it were me, I'd probably be tearing my hair out.....!    So I decided to let him go back to see what the Times people were doing; I bid him 'Good Evening', and said I'd see him at the reception.   I left The Morgan, and headed back to my hotel

By now, it was close to 4:30 or so, and I was VERY hungry.   While planning my trip, I discovered there were several stores of my favorite UK restaurant chain--Pret A Manger--in close proximity to the hotel.   This restaurant makes freshly-prepared food all day: sandwiches, salads, soups, and desserts.  It's all local food and/or organic; and I found 'Pret' by accident in London in November 2010.   I bought an awesome chicken Caesar salad with raspberry vinaigrette dressing; an organic fruit drink; some crunchy red grapes and a chocolate and granola bar, and took it all back to my room.

 As I crashed for the night--with somewhat sore feet--I savored my supper, and reflected on where I'd been, and what I'd seen so far.    And I also tried to get some decent sleep--all the while trying not to get nervous about the upcoming reception at The Morgan.....

Where Did 'From Pompey Hill" Go To?

I've made a decision today, to delete my second blog From Pompey Hill to Wall Street, about the life and times of Leonard Jerome, Winston Churchill's maternal grandfather.   The blog format wasn't working well for the concept.

Instead, I will tell his story in Web site form.   It'll be easier to describe the various periods of Leonard's life in a Web site, page by page--such as what I've done in my site about Civil War General Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.   And I'll be able to add special-interest pages alongside the basic biography, such as Leonard's interest in thoroughbred horse-racing, and being a co-founder of the American Jockey Club.

When I get the Jerome site going, I'll post the URL.   Keep watching this space.  

Thanks.

A Gift to the Citizens of Pompey Hill--From Winston Churchill

This past Saturday, I paid a visit to the Onondaga Historical Association in Syracuse, New York.   It was for the purpose of research, to discover more about Sir Winston Churchill's maternal grandfather, Leonard Jerome, and Churchill's family ties to Upstate New York.

When I arrived at the OHA's Research Center, I found two small boxes, and one large box, of Jerome family archives waiting for me.   In the first small box, I found typewritten genealogical records of the Jerome family dating back to the first Jerome to settle in Central New York: Timothy Jerome.   He was born c. 1688, on the Isle of Wight, off the coast of southern England.   He died in Wallingford, CT on February 3, 1749/50 (why there are two different years I'm not sure).   This explained why there was only a memorial stone to Timothy, in Pompey Hill Cemetery.

Timothy's son, Samuel Jerome, was born in Saratoga County, but moved to Genesee County in western New York, in 1789.  In 1791, Samuel visited the salt springs near present-day Syracuse, along Onondaga Lake.   His descendants say he died in Canada.

Samuel's son, Aaron, was born in Wallingford, CT, on December 4, 1764, and died in Pompey, NY, on August 14, 1802, at the age of only 37.   He is buried in the Sweet Cemetery, near Pompey.   That will be one of my next stops: to find Aaron's grave, and get a photo of it.

Aaron's son Isaac, was born in Charlton, Saratoga County, NY, on October 26, 1786.   He died in Syracuse, NY, on July 20, 1866.   He married Aurora Murray (born in Chatham, NY, on January 18, 1785) in New York City, on April 6, 1867.   They are both buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Syracuse.   During the War of 1812, Isaac was a Lieutenant of Grenadiers, 98th Regiment, Onondaga County Militia (1815).   He was made Captain in 1816.

Leonard is one of Isaac Jerome's children.

With that family background in mind, here is 'the rest of the story':

In 1946, the citizens of Pompey Hill lost a big part of their history, when the Pompey Presbyterian Church burnt down.   It was quite likely that this was the Jerome family's home church.   One of Churchill's cousins, Miss Lillian Jerome, wrote a letter to him in 1946, inquiring whether Churchill would be interested in sending a donation, to aid in the rebuilding effort.   Here is what Churchill wrote in reply:

"Chartwell,
Westerham,
Kent
April 10, 1947


"My dear Miss Lillian Jerome:


"I had hoped to be able to write to you long ago and to send you a subscription to the restoration fund of the Church at Pompey.   But alas, the matter did not prove so simple as I had thought.   As I felt some publicity might be given to this matter, I deemed it wise to obtain permission from the Treasury before sending my donation, and now, after some months of correspondence on the subject, my application has been refused.


"It has however occurred to me that you might like to have twelve signed photographs of myself that would-be subscribers might care to purchase as souvenirs and as a contribution to the admirable work of rebuilding Pompey Church.  Pray let me know if you think this is a good idea.


"I wish you all success in your campaign for the restoration fund.


Yours sincerely,
Winston S. Churchill"

And Churchill did just that, with this photo (left).   I can only imagine the excitement Miss Jerome must have felt, when she received these photographs.   I do wonder why the British Government at the time would not let Churchill send a donation--particularly since he was not Prime Minister at the time?

The resulting sale of these twelve signed photos netted a total of $400 towards the church's rebuilding.   I even found a list of those lucky people who won the raffle!

Wouldn't it be a great thing, if any of those photos are still in the hands of the families who won them?   I am sure they would be worth a lot of money, just for Churchill's signature alone.

And here is Churchill's signature, which appeared at the bottom of the photograph (photo left).

During my OHA visit, I also discovered this bit of news: Churchill was invited several times during his life, to visit his Jerome relatives in Pompey Hill, while visiting the United States.   One early visit was preempted by his serious run-in with a New York City taxi in the 1930s; during the 1940s, his wartime meetings with President Roosevelt made such personal visits impossible.

In July 1955, however, Churchill's daughter Sarah did pay a visit to Pompey Hill, while appearing in a summer stock play in nearby Fayetteville, New York: No Time For Comedy, which co-starred one Butterfly McQueen, of Gone With the Wind fame!

From the newspaper reports I found, Sarah enjoyed her visit with her Jerome cousins very much--particularly the cool hilltop breezes, in the heat of summer!   She visited the site of her great-grandfather Leonard's home, and even pumped some spring water for a drink!

This won't be my only visit to the Onondaga Historical Association.   There will be more in the near future.   Can't wait to go back.

In Search of Leonard Jerome

This past Tuesday, I made a research visit to the Pompey Historical Society, at Pompey Center, New York.  This small, but very active, group of local history enthusiasts have quite a collection of documents, photos, and artifacts, that tell the story of the town of Pompey and other surrounding small rural communities.

I was there to do research on the family of Leonard Jerome, father of Jennie, Lady Randolph Churchill--and Winston Churchill's maternal grandfather.   He was born in Pompey Hill, New York,  in November 1817, the son of Isaac and Aurora Murray Jerome.   Several branches of the larger Jerome family have also made their homes in the Pompey Hill area over the last 200-odd years: brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins and the like.   I found many of their grave sites in the Pompey Hill Cemetery, just outside the Pompey Hill limits.   They're located in three separate family plots.

The purpose for my visit to the Society was to find articles, photos and such, to assist Mr. Allen Packwood, the Chief Archivist of the Winston Churchill Archives at Churchill College, at the University of Cambridge in the UK, in putting together an upcoming exhibition on Winston Churchill's American ancestors.   This will be held at the Morgan Library in New York City, beginning in June 2012.   I met Mr. Packwood during my November 2010 visit to the UK, and was able to see some of the original Churchill letters and other documents in the Archives.   During my visit, Mr. Packwood asked if I could assist him in some way, in gathering information from local sources about Leonard Jerome's life in Upstate New York.   I said I would be happy to do what I could.

When I first arrived at the Society, I was met by a wonderful lady named Sandy Berlinguer, who lives in one of the former Jerome family homes (on Jerome Road!) in Pompey.   She made arrangements for me to go into the Society's Museum, which is only open for a few hours each day.   With the assistance of Ruth, the Director, I was able to go through their file folders and find all kinds of fascinating stuff!

First of all, Ruth showed me a display case, which had some beautiful 19th-century clothing: a small bonnet, and two black capes.   I discovered these were given to one Jennie Jerome of Pompey--by none other than Jennie Jerome, Lady Churchill! (Photo left).   The photograph on the cape in the photo is of Lady Churchill's namesake, Jennie Jerome.

It's a lovely black cloth cape, with what looks like a feathery collar.   The display case is usually kept covered, to keep these priceless artifacts from fading in sunlight, or artificial light.

The articles which I found consisted of a 1976 interview with an Irish relative of Jennie's, the author Anita Leslie.   She is the granddaughter of Jennie's sister, Leonie Jerome Leslie, and she's written several books on Leonard (The Fabulous Mr. Jerome) and Jennie Jerome, Lady Churchill.   It included photos of the Syracuse, New York, home of Jennie's paternal grandparents, Isaac and Aurora Murray Jerome, and of their gravesite in Syracuse's Oakwood Cemetery (Photo right).

It was fascinating to see the home that Isaac and Aurora lived in, on Syracuse's James Street (Photo right): this street was the site of many lovely mansions built for Syracuse's elite.   Here, Isaac and Aurora shared the house with one of their daughters.  Sadly this particular house was demolished in 1955.

I also found, and made copies of, several lengthy obituaries of Leonard Jerome himself.   He passed away in Brighton, England, in March 1891.   One of the obituaries called Leonard "A Typical New Yorker", and described his varied and colorful life and career: as a Gilded Age stockbroker, horse racing enthusiast, and music-lover.   I'll have to look at these in greater detail at leisure....

One of the really wonderful surprises I found were photographs of Leonard's parents, Isaac and Aurora (Photo right).  I should have tried to find out if the Society had copies of them, and how to obtain them!   They will make excellent additions to the exhibition.  They look like a prosperous and respectable 19th-century middle-class couple.

I hope there are photos in existence of Isaac's father Aaron Jerome--whom, I discovered, is buried in another Pompey cemetery, Sweet Hill.   Another goal to set: go there and find his grave, and get a photo or two.

One article from the Syracuse Post-Standard, dated October 26, 1941, has photos of several Jerome cousins of Winston Churchill: two elderly women and one elderly man, in their home in Pompey.   One of the ladies is Lady Churchill's namesake, one Miss Jennie A. Jerome.   The article told the story of the Jerome family's history in Pompey--and there is even a photo of the supposed birthplace of Leonard Jerome (Photo left)!   It was at one time a henhouse, if you can believe that!

The thing is: no one--not even the Pompey Center historians--knows for sure where Leonard was born.  It appears family records do not say very much.   And there are at least three locations in the town of Pompey, that claim to be the site of Leonard Jerome's birthplace.   This 'henhouse' is one of them.

Contrast that, with the huge mansion Leonard and his family called home, in Madison Square in New York City (Photo right).   It contained an opera house that seated 500, and one whole floor devoted to Leonard's beloved horses.    While not on the massive scale of, say, the Vanderbilt or Astor family 'castles' of the time, it's still a decent-sized house.

One could say that Leonard had really come a long way, from that small birthplace in rural Upstate New York.   How he managed to hold onto this house--when he made and lost at least three fortunes,

On a more human scale, I found two very charming photos of Jennie as a child: a group portrait of her with her sisters Clara and Leonie (Photo left), and one of Jennie and her mother, Clarissa Hall Jerome.   I'd love to discover where the originals of these are located.   They are ones I've never seen before.   I've got a couple of ideas where they could be....

Jennie is definitely the real beauty of the three girls, even at such a young age.   Beautiful dark eyes, and an intense face.   No wonder she charmed so many men as a grown woman!

The photo of Jennie and her mother is very interesting, too.   Once again, Jennie looks straight at the photographer, while her mother appears to be thinking of something else.   Maybe she is dreaming of the time spent in Italy, when Leonard was American consul in Trieste?

Clarissa considered herself to be more "European" than American.   She preferred living outside the US, where she felt her daughters could be 'launched into society', and meet prominent and/or important people.   It is odd, for someone who was born in Upstate New York.

All in all, it was a very fruitful time spent in Pompey Center.    I will definitely be back, to do more research, and see if I can find where the original photographs can be found.

An Amazing Opportunity

I see where I've not written a new post in a long time.   I've been busy with editing the posts about my UK/Europe adventure of November 2010, tweaking here and there for possible self-publication.   It's taken longer than I thought it would have!

But now, I want to write and share about a wonderful upcoming opportunity.   During my UK visit, I met with a gentleman named Allen Packwood, who is the Chief Archivist of the Winston Churchill Archives Centre at Churchill College--which is part of the University of Cambridge, in England.   He showed me some of the treasures in the Churchill Archives: letters, family photos, and copies of some of Churchill's own speeches.   It was a rare chance to see some well-known photos of young Winston, his brother John, and his parents Lord and Lady Randolph Churchill.

During the chat Allen and I had in his office, he shared with me about an upcoming exhibition that the Churchill Archives is involved in.   It is about Churchill and his American ancestors; Churchill's mother, the former Jennie Jerome (photo right), was the daughter of a Wall Street financier named Leonard Jerome, who was born in the hamlet of Pompey Hill, New York, in the country south of Syracuse.

Leonard's wife, Clarissa Hall, was born in the Western New York village of Palmyra.  Palmyra is also where Leonard met and married Clarissa, and where they lived briefly after their marriage--before their social ambitions and Leonard's work took them to New York City.

This exhibition will be held at the Morgan Library (photo left) in New York City, in June 2012.   And Allen has asked for my assistance, in finding any photos, documents, etc., that are related to Leonard and Clarissa Jerome, for inclusion in the exhibition.   And Allen has also asked if I can assist in the actual design for the exhibition!   He already has a principal designer--a staff member at the Morgan Library, I would imagine.   But he is also asking for my input, as the planning goes on.

Of course, I am more than happy to search for any of the documents and such.   There are historical societies in Pompey and Palmyra, that are well within driving distance to do research.   But to actually assist in the exhibition's design?!?   This is mind-boggling to me: I am just an ordinary person, with no university education or experience in such things!   It's very humbling to assist in this way.

Allen told me in a recent conversation that he will be making more visits to the US, as the exhibition draws closer.   And I invited him to come visit the Pompey Hill area, if possible.   I'd be more than happy to act as tour guide, and show the beautiful area where Leonard Jerome (photo left) was born.

I hope I am up to the design task.    I can definitely research.   But I am fighting self-doubts about the design part.   Time will tell how it all pans out.

Fun In the Snow with David, Leenie and Gromit

Yes--winter is here to stay in Upstate New York!   And one way to cope with it is to have as much fun as one possibly can, as demonstrated by the YouTube video below:

Just before Thanksgiving, my sister Joanne and her husband, David, and their two dogs, "Leenie" and "Gromit" (who, BTW, are my 'canine editorial helpers'), moved out to the hill country south of Syracuse.   They live in a lovely home overlooking a spectacular valley near the village of Tully--which means they'll be getting a whole bunch of snow!

As an historical footnote: their home is also located not far from Pompey Hill -- the birthplace of Winston Churchill's maternal grandfather, Leonard Jerome.   Leonard's family owned land just east of David and Joanne's property, and there are a couple of still-existing homes that were in the Jerome family.   During a recent visit, Joanne mentioned there was an old cemetery very close to them, which just might contain graves of Leonard Jerome's ancestors.   I will check that out in the near future!

The other day, Joanne sent me this YouTube video that David made with his iPhone, while he was chasing and playing with the dogs.   Obviously, both Leenie and Gromit LOVE romping about in the snow--and David appears to be enjoying filming their antics as well.

Don't know what it is about dogs and snow--but they sure love bouncing around and eating it!   David has entitled this video "Who Let the Dogs Out?", after that reggae song from a few years ago.   Thank you, David and Joanne, for sharing this with me!