Stained Glass Window Series: Slate and Garnsey Families

This article is a continuation of the Emmet Dodge story from last month. Emmet’s stained-glass window also included honoring the Slate and Garnsey Families. The Slate and Garnsey families are two longstanding families of Grindstone Island. The Slate family originally arrived on the island to establish a shipyard, while the Garnsey family settled there to pursue farming.

Slate Family

Historical records indicate that the Slate family first arrived on Grindstone Island in 1849, when Sylvester Slate purchased land from Dr. William E. Potter to establish the Slate Shipyard. Situated on the island's north shore, the shipyard was owned and run by Sylvester and his son, Savannah “Van” Slate. The site gained an outstanding reputation for constructing and repairing boats throughout the region; notable vessels such as the steam barges Arctic and Niagara were among those built there.

Sylvester was born in 1825 in Pamelia, NY, to Solomon Slate (1775-1832) and Sylvia Dean Slate (1786-1868). He married Charlotte Cronk (1824-1893), and together they had eight children. Their son Van worked alongside Sylvester at the family shipyard and later married Elizabeth Carnegie. Van and Elizabeth had nine children, one of whom was Frank Slate, a multi-talented man who served as the island blacksmith and also owned and raced horses. Frank’s granddaughter, Erma Slate, is now 90 years old and still resides year-round on Grindstone Island. Erma recalls that her great-grandmother Elizabeth always kept a pipe in her apron pocket, which she would smoke whenever she felt nervous or jittery.

From the 1930s through the 1950s, harness racing was both a popular and competitive sport on Grindstone Island and in the region, including during winter months. During colder periods, races were held on the frozen St. Lawrence River, while in warmer months the training and racing took place on a dedicated harness track located at the head of the island.

The Slate family earned recognition for their contributions to harness racing, especially Harry Slate, Frank’s son and Erma’s father. Harry was well-known in the horse-racing community for raising, training, and racing the best horses. Erma Slate recalls her father frequently achieving success with his esteemed horse, Lulabelle. She fondly remembers watching the races while standing on the frozen River along with hundreds of other spectators.

Garnsey Family

The earliest documented presence of the Garnsey (Guernsey) family on Grindstone Island is attributed to John Garnsey. Historical records indicate that he served in the War of 1812 in Sackets Harbor, NY. Originally from Lowville, NY, he returned there after the war, then purchased land on Grindstone Island around 1830 and established a farm. John Garnsey was born on November 8, 1786, in Brattleboro, VT, was the son of Samuel Garnsey and Jerusha Darling Garnsey. In 1809, he wed Sarah “Sally” Coffeen (1784–1878) in Lowville, NY. Together, John and Sally had at least seven children that they raised on the farm on Grindstone.

Audrey Lashomb's book, “Going Home, Grindstone Island,” also notes that Hubbard Garnsey, a relative of John Garnsey, was an early settler on the island. Hubbard acquired a farm in 1836, referred to as Homestead Bay, located in the Thurso region of Grindstone Island.

Through the years, many of the Garnsey families have been full-time farmers and residents on the island. The legacy of the Garnsey family endures, as numerous descendants maintain ownership of property and summer residences on Grindstone Island and continue to participate actively in the island community.

Slate and Garnsey Families

The Slate and Garnsey families have been valued members of the Grindstone Island community for almost 200 years. Many of them raised large families who have close ties with each other through marriages. Their children attended the island schools, and the families have remained active in Grindstone Island Church and Dodge Memorial Hall since these institutions were established.

Currently, the Slate and Garnsey surnames remain prominent on the island, with descendants living either year-round or seasonally. Both families demonstrate resilience, and their legacies endure within the community.

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.