Stained Glass Series: Mr. & Mrs. Ambrose Dano

This is the seventh article in a series about the historic Grindstone Island Church. Over the coming months, we will highlight families who are honored with stained-glass windows. Their history continues, and we hope that the descendants of these families and the people who love the region will help rebuild the church for future generations.

Mr. & Mrs. Ambrose Dano

Ambrose and Ordelia Graham Dano were dairy farmers on Grindstone Island for many years. They were both honored with a memorial stained-glass window in the church for their service and dedication to the church and the community.

Ambrose was one of nine children born to Canadian parents James B. and Jane (Shirtliff) DeNaut (name was changed to Dano). He was born in Mannsville, NY, in 1861. It is believed that the family were tenant farming at the time Ambrose was born, which accounts for him being born in New York instead of Canada.

Ordelia Eleanor Graham was born in 1869 to John and Sarah Jane (Voodre) Graham in Gouveneur, NY. Her father worked for the railroad where they lived in Escott, ON.

Ambrose and Ordelia were married on December 28, 1887, in Landsdowne, ON They settled down on Grindstone Island on a farm that was located half-way down the Lower Town Landing Road and is now part of the Howard-Smith property.

Several of the surnames that are well-known to many on the island today have family ties to the Dano family: Brooks; Rusho; Dower; Graham; Couch; and Cummings. The Dano family had a large family of twelve children that included eight daughters: Florence (Russell); Myrtle (Mix); Lillian (Kittle); Jessie (Brooks); Mildred (Cummings); Caroline (Archambault); Marjorie (Rusho); and Hazel (who died at age 6 in 1901).

They had four sons: Harold; Melzer; Leon; and Rawdon. Mildred married Aaron Cummings and Marjorie married Leon Rusho, both of whom were successful farmers on Grindstone. Melzer, Rawdon, and Leon lived on the island for many years with their families, too. Several members of the Dano family maintained summer residences and longstanding associations with Grindstone Island, a tradition that continues today among many of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Another family member worth mentioning is Ordelia’s brother, Billy Graham. He lived on Grindstone Island near the Cheese Factory, and was a productive farmer. The produce he grew from his extensive vegetable garden in the 1920’s, 30’s, and 40’s was peddled and sold by boat to the hotels and wealthy summer residents around the various islands.

The Dano children attended the Lower Schoolhouse, and they were active in the Grindstone Island Church. Ambrose managed a successful dairy farm and was known for exceptional, high-producing dairy products. He died in 1938 at the age of 77 and was buried on Grindstone. Ordelia then moved to a small cottage on the farm, with her son Leon inheriting the main house and the farm. She died in 1956 at age 87 and was also buried on Grindstone Island. My late father, Manley Rusho, fondly remembered his grandmother for making beer, baking delicious cookies, and smoking eels that he caught in the river. He wrote about her for Thousand Islands Life Magazine in June 2023: https://thousandislandslife.com/memories-of-my-grandmother-dano-2/.

The Dano family played a significant role in the Grindstone Island community and the church. Their deep affection for Grindstone Island and the roots that their many families established have created a legacy that continues to this day across generations.

By Cindy Rusho Hagemann

Cindy Rusho Hagemann was born in Alexandria Bay, NY, to Manley and Mary Lou Rusho – she is the third of their four daughters. In 1969 the family moved to Sanford, FL, where she grew up, but she was lucky enough to spend her summers on Grindstone Island with her grandparents. Cindy has been married to USN Commander (Ret) Jon Hagemann for 38 years and they have four grown children and three grandchildren. They live in the mountains of Tennessee on a hobby farm with alpacas, goats, pigs, dogs, and chickens. Cindy is a marketing professional and serves on the board of the Grindstone Island Church and is a committee member of the Grindstone Island Heritage Museum. Cindy helped her father, Manley Rusho, a long-time resident of Grindstone Island, write his many stories of growing up on Grindstone Island. We’re grateful to Cindy for encouraging her Dad to write these stories, to help him edit them, and send them to us to publish.

Important Notice: Cindy has been writing these vignettes in support of the Grindstone Island capital campaign called Save our Sanctuary Campaign. Please consider a sending a donation to: https://www.giumc.org/donate/ or by mail: P.O. Box 411, Clayton, NY 13624. Together we can help repair this historic and community worship center for the next generation of islanders.