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Stanley Smith Based on interviews conducted September 8, 2011 and later Written by Fair Haven Historian Susan Parsons In 1926, a baby boy, Stanley Lyle Smith was delivered at home on Humphrey Road, Sterling, by Dr. Leon Griggs to parents, Lyle and Maybelle Garner Smith. Stanley grew up, married Arlene LaDue in 1947 and had three children, Kathy (1948), Ron (1952) and Peter (1955). Maternal heritage: Maybelle Garner (1906-1974), Stanley’s mother, was probably born in Fair Haven. Some may remember her brother, Leroy, “Old Rink” Garner. Maybelle’s father, Oscar Garner, born in Wolcott, NY, was once Constable of Fair Haven. Around mid-March, 1928, after a citizen complaint was filed, Oscar tried to stop a speeding driver, Howard Duncan, from racing up and down Main Street, Fair Haven, when the car hit Oscar, striking him in the head. The accident occurred in front of Griggs Grocery, which was located on the corner of Fancher Avenue and Main Street, now at the western portion of Bay View Grocery’s parking lot. Oscar never fully recovered from the accident, spending most of the next 40 years as a patient at Willard State Hospital. Stan Smith, Oscar’s grandson, can remember going to visit his grandfather at Christmas time, when the family took a year’s supply of clothing and tobacco to the hospital to keep him supplied. Oscar died at Willard in 1977. Maybelle’s mother, Carrie Beshures Garner, was born in Wolcott, NY. She married Oscar Garner on November 5, 1902 in Fair Haven. The marriage certificate was signed by ”Arthur W. Rice, Minister of the Gospel.” Stan can remember as a boy spending Saturday nights at his Grandmother Garner’s home which stands at the intersection of Wilcox and Parsonage. Carrie died in 1955. ---PAGE BREAK--- Stanley Smith’s mother, Maybelle Garner, as a child ---PAGE BREAK--- Carrie Beshures Garner’s brother, Stanley’s Great Uncle Burton Beshures, once had a coal business. His coal shed was at Sterling Junction. Stan can remember that each time he delivered a truckload of coal to area residents he would hand out an orange cardboard disk advertising his coal. Burton Beshures lived on Lake Street, Fair Haven, where Bonnie LaFrance now lives. He was possibly a county legislator and was a “strict Democrat.” Paternal Ancestors: Stanley’s father, Lyle Smith, (1903-1984) was born in the brick house on Sterling Station Road in Sterling, where the Morriseau family lived at a later time. It was known then as the Corey residence. Lyle’s parents were also from the Sterling area. His parents, Arthur Jay, from Victory, and Hulda Parsons Smith, from Martville, were married in 1894. They had two sons, Earl and Lyle. Lyle’s grandfather, David Smith, and grandmother, Josephine Rodie, both from Victory, were married in 1870. David once lived on Coleman Road, demonstrating that the family had long-term roots in the area. Stanley can trace his mother’s roots back to about 1618, ten generations, with the birth of Cornet Joseph Parsons in England. Parsons came to America in 1635. He was one of the founders of Springfield and Northampton, Mass. He was a fur trader and merchant. Stanley’s father was a farmer on Humphrey Road and a substitute mail carrier for Sterling. Mail was delivered by horse on the 32 mile trip. An extra horse was needed in bad weather. Mail carriers used their own horses. Eventually Stanley’s parents moved next to the fire hall where they had a small farm. After full retirement, they moved to the South side of Main Street, next to what is now the hair salon Hair Haven. Lyle Smith, Stan’s father, was an accomplished trumpet player, playing in several bands including the Fair Haven Citizens Band, Legion Band, and Oswego Band as well as in band competitions at the State Fair Grounds. ---PAGE BREAK--- (From left) Stanley’s Father, Lyle Smith, and Lyle’s brother, Earl Smith ---PAGE BREAK--- Stanley’s Mother and Father, Maybelle and Lyle Smith ---PAGE BREAK--- Stanley Smith as a Child Childhood: ---PAGE BREAK--- Stan lived with his mother and father on a farm on the north end of Humphrey Road from 1926 to 1944 until he was drafted into the Army. At home the family operated a dairy farm, along with growing feed for the cows. They also had horses, young stock, chickens and pigs. Beginning in first grade, Stanley attended the country school at the corner of Humphrey and Sterling Station Roads. His first teacher was Minnie Humphrey. Later he had Miss Hendricks and Thomas Cosgrove. (This school was later moved to Lake Street, Fair Haven, and became the home of Dorothea and Clifford Field.) When he reached fifth grade he went to Fair Haven School where Ida May Hill was one of his teachers. His best friend was Don Sweeting who lived on Short Cut Road. Stanley is third from the right, front row, at the Country School One day while Stan was attending Fair Haven School he had a terrible toothache. His father, never being one to allow Stanley to skip school, said he would go to see the dentist to find out if the tooth could be pulled at lunch time, when Stan could just walk over to the office. The dentist, Dr. Turner, had an office where Big Bo’s ice cream stand is now located. Stan walked to that office at lunch time and noticed that Gloria Fineout was in the waiting room along with her father, Harry Fineout. Stan got to go into the examination room first. He did get Novocain but the tooth was pulled so soon that the medicine was not yet working. Stan screamed and yelled very loudly from the excruciating pain. When he went back ---PAGE BREAK--- through the waiting room, the Fineouts were gone! By the time he had returned to the school grounds his mouth was feeling fine. Stanley attended Fair Haven Presbyterian Church where he listened to the preaching of Reverend Austin. When he was younger his parents would bring him to his Grandmother Garner’s house on Saturday nights so he could be sure to attend church on Sundays. Later he rode his bicycle and later yet drove his car. Often the family had Sunday dinner with Grandma before returning home. During the summers he would often attend band concerts on Saturday nights. His father played trumpet in those concerts, first in the Fair Haven Citizens band and later in the Legion Band. Stanley’s father, Lyle, was one of the founders of the Legion Band, along with Allen Parsons and Nelson Foster. As far back as he can remember there was always a July 4th celebration. The parade was much smaller than today’s; perhaps one fire truck from Red Creek was represented along with some local groups marching. A concert was held as well. After the Civilian Conservation Corps had built the State Park, some of the workers came to Stan’s father’s farm to get locust trees to use as guard rails around the park pond. Originally chestnut trees had been cut from the park for the same purpose but because of all the water exposure the chestnut wood did not last. Stan went to the State Fair as a child where he remembers seeing dairy cattle, draft horses, Indian Village ceremonies, a small midway and a silo with swirling around inside. ---PAGE BREAK--- Fair Haven Citizens Band, 1922, (first Director, George Rich) Red Creek Legion Band, 1951 Once per year or so, Stanley’s father would rent a wooden boat from Bay View Hotel and they would row out into the bay to go fishing. Stan still loves to fish. On some Saturday nights his dad would string up a long antenna to a battery radio in order to hear southern “cowboy” radio stations. In about 1940 the house was wired for electricity. It was a big deal. Now and then his parents would take him to the movie show in Wolcott at the Palace Theater. He might see a musical or a western starring Gene Autry or The Three Stooges. At about 16, Stan acquired his first car—a dark blue or black 1936 Pontiac flathead six. That car just would not start in the winter said Stan. He was now able to drive to Wolcott to the movies himself when his car would cooperate. He did not venture beyond the local area of Sterling and Red Creek otherwise. At age 16, Stan quit school and worked on his father’s farm as well as for other local farmers. One day he got a letter in the mail. Surprise! It was a draft notice. His father tried to get him out on a hardship case because of the farm but government officials said the farm was small enough that one person could run it. In the spring or summer of 1944 Stan reported to Armory Square in Syracuse for a physical. He went to Fort Dix for orientation and then to Camp Blanding, FL (near Jacksonville) for about 90 days for foot-soldier training. He came back home for two weeks and went back to Fort Dix. He shipped out of New York Harbor for LeHavre, France. It took 21 days to cross the Atlantic because the ship had to use a zigzag course to avoid German U Boats. He got sea sick just once on that trip. ---PAGE BREAK--- Soon after he arrived he celebrated his First Thanksgiving overseas, being greeted with rain, freezing rain, mud, a temporary mess hall and a rush back to his pup tent with the feast on his plate only to arrive with the plate full of water. Stan served in the military as a rifleman and a military policeman in Europe from Nov. 27th, 1944 to August 19, 1946. His Company of about 200 moved into “taken” territory, relieving allied troops who had been stationed there for a long time. His company marched from France into Germany and all around that nation, except in the city of Berlin. Stan noted that it took almost a month for a batch of cookies from his mom to reach him. ---PAGE BREAK--- ---PAGE BREAK--- Stanley as a soldier in Europe in the European Theater One day Stanley got something in his left eye; perhaps it was gun powder. The soldiers were practicing using 81 millimeter mortar fire. His job was to drop the shell into the tube. He theorizes that perhaps he did not get his head out of the way soon enough resulting in the eye injury. He ended up in a military hospital in Germany for 30 days; he was bored. He was sent to rehabilitation in Berne, Switzerland by train and bus. He was able to tour much of Switzerland, even going up into the Alps by cable car. After two weeks he returned to his Company and then to Nuremburg. After World War 11 was over in Europe, Stan was called to duty at the Palace of Justice and Nuremburg Prison at Nuremburg, Germany. He was a guard to three high-profile prisoners: Hermann Goering, Rudolf Hess and Joachim von Ribbentrop. As a guard he would watch one prisoner at a time, working two hours and have four off for one full day and then have a day off and begin again—24 hours on, 24 hours off. The guards were trained for one week. They were not allowed to carry weapons; the only one available to the guards was a blackjack hanging in the hall, though one armed guard stood on the catwalk between floors with his rifle drawn. Security was tight in the three-floor prison. Guards had to stand while on watch. They would spend their time looking through a barred square hole into the cell. A light would shine into the cell all night so that the guard could constantly watch the prisoner. At meal time the guard would have to go through the food with the utensils that would be passed to the prisoners, since the meals had been cooked by civilians. After the meal the guard would have to make certain the utensils were returned by the prisoner. Prisoners were searched often; they had to give up ties, belts, and shoelaces after each trial appearance. Stan would have to accompany the prisoner from the prison through a tunnel to the courtroom at the Palace of Justice, though he never was allowed into the courtroom. Besides the various Nazi officers, other prisoners including civilians were housed at the compound. Some 200 of them were witnesses that the allies wanted to make certain would not run off, since they were needed to testify in the “crimes against humanity” cases. Criminals were jailed there, as well. Before the trials were over, Stan received notice that his service was completed—as of August 19, 1946. When he returned home he found that the trial was a big deal in the States. ---PAGE BREAK--- Stanley’s Christmas dinner, 1945 ---PAGE BREAK--- Prison guards at Nuremburg Prison (courtesy iconicphotos/wordpress.com) Stan returned home by ship into New York Harbor, through clearance in the City, and then by rail to Auburn. He hired a taxi to bring him home. Now it was time to begin dating. He knew his future wife, Arlene LaDue, from when he began attending school in Fair Haven. He just showed up at her house one day to begin seeing her. Less than a year later they were married. Jobs were scarce with so many men returning from the military. He drew unemployment insurance for five to six months. Then he went to work for Bob Hill cutting ice. He also worked part-time in the winter for the Turner Coal ---PAGE BREAK--- (Left to right) “Tadlock” and Stanley at the “Army Hotel” in Europe Company delivering coal. He worked for Dietel Hardware fixing broken windows, doing plumbing, threading pipe, making stove pipe. As stated, Stan married Arlene LaDue at the Red Creek Methodist Church by Rev. Richard Wentz with Don Sweeting and Madeline Mann standing up for the couple. The newlyweds lived near the north end of Richmond Avenue, Fair Haven, in the little roadway camp that still stands. He and Arlene bought their present property on Avery Street on a quitclaim deed because the owner had moved away and had not paid taxes. Stan could not get a title for three to five years. They had to save every single receipt for purchases to improve the property, in case the owner returned. They purchased a small camper to live in on the property while they were developing it. A house had stood on the land at one time. Stan built quite a bit of his new home on the old foundation. Stan finished building the house at about the same time Kathy was born, in 1948. Stanley and his father had a carpentry business but Stan had other jobs as well. Stan cooked apples and beans in the fall at Sterling Cooperative. He built sidewalks and did cement work at the State Park; he was working there when Kathy was born. At about this time he was offered a job as custodian of Fair ---PAGE BREAK--- Haven School. He worked there for five years. Then he went to work for Cato Show Print for 15-16 years, until about 1968 or 70. Then he did work for cottagers, opening and closing cottages and doing repairs. He also cleaned the Fair Haven Bank. Stan has been a member of the American Legion, George I. Ingersoll Post 658 for 62 years. For years he kept up correspondence with a fellow military member, Robert Slocum, from Franklinville, NY. He is a life member of the Fair Haven Fire Department. He once used the Fire Department ambulance to take Doctor Cooley for his last ride. Doc. had been the vet for his father on the farm. When asked about his memories, Stan said “I try to look forward.”