Stained Glass Windows Series: David Black

This is the fourth of a series of historical articles about the church on Grindstone Island. Over the next few months, we will introduce those families who are commemorated in beautiful stained-glass windows. Their history will live on, and hopefully many islanders will assist to ensure the Church will be rebuilt for future generations.

In 1852, Captain David Black was born to a prominent family in Scotland. It was thought that he was a nephew of the Scottish writer Robert Forsyth. He immigrated to Canada with his parents in 1870 and then became a naturalized United States citizen around 1884.

Mr. Black, on several occasions, met with members of the British monarchy. It was reported that when he was a wee lad in Scotland, his father, a prominent physician, was on a committee to greet Queen Victoria when she was visiting the country. During the visit, young Davy became fussy, so Queen Victoria lifted him onto her lap where he remained throughout the ceremony. He also met King Edward VII on two separate visits to Canada, as well as King George V when he visited Canada.

David Black married Katie Kelly (born 1857/died 1899) of Grindstone Island. She was the daughter of James A. Kelly and Mary Horton. Katie became the first postmistress of Grindstone, and their home in Thurso was the first post office on the island.

Throughout his lifetime, Mr. Black held many jobs, including boat captain, salesman for the Forsyth Quarry, caretaker of the land owned by the Forsyth Estate of Montreal, and paymaster of the quarry on Grindstone Island.

At one time, Mr. Black was known for his heavy drinking and sharp tongue, but around 1912, he inherited money from a family member in Scotland and cleaned up his life. His wife Katie was now deceased and with the new money, he obtained a new home on the island. Another drastic change in his life, he became very active in the Grindstone Island United Methodist Church. He was known to sit in the front row of the church every Sunday, was an active volunteer and became a trustee in the church.

Mr. Black died in 1932 and was buried in the Grindstone Island Upper Cemetery next to his wife. The beautiful stained-glass window in the church that is in his honor states: “In loving memory of David Black by his friends.”
David Black’s story is a true journey of redemption.

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. The family moved to Sanford, Florida, in 1969, where she grew up, but she was still lucky to spend her summers on Grindstone Island with her grandparents. Cindy has been married to USN Commander (Ret) Jon Hagemann for 39 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, 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 then to 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.