From the Viola Elizabeth Bettinger (1899-1983) photo album. Viola Bettinger was a teacher at the old Granville Village School during the early 1920's. Her photo album was donated to the Granville Library Historical Room. All photos in the album have been scanned and added to Granville History Digital Collection. The collection can be viewed in its entirety by searching on Viola Bettinger.]]>
A grainy newspaper item from 1966 when Mr. Austin Taylor Phelon celebrated his 100th birthday with family. Mr. Phelon was born in Granville on November 29, 1866, not long after the Civil War ended in 1865. He died just short of his 101st birthday on October 27, 1967 and is buried at Pine Hill Cemetery in Westfield.

This item was posted on the Granville-Tolland Facebook community page on May 19, 2023 and brought the following comments:

CPG: "Wonderful to see this photo of my great-great uncle Austin on his 100th birthday! My great-great grandmother Jennie, also born in Granville, lived to within weeks of her 100th (she was born in 1859 before the Civil War). When we were kids, my brother Bill Phelon, who restored the 1741 red gambrel Daniel Rose House (W. Granville) and I used to visit her across the brook from my grandfather’s farm (after the reservoir was built in Granville), where, as a child, I remember 'Austin' [my grandfather’s older brother named after their uncle (in the photo) or his son Austin W.] and Phelon cousins stopped by in the 1960s and talked about Granville, Westfield and their family’s farms."

LK: "What wonderful memories of visiting this family/farm!"

MKC: "I remember Walter - always so friendly. Met Russell on several occasions too but … a stern man."

KG: "I see my mom and younger brother on the right! Great."

JWA: "And notice that back in that day she wasn't Jenny Maceyka, she was Mrs. Emil Maceyka. Thank goodness times have changed!"

PJ: "Curious if the picture was taken at the old farm, kinda looks like it?"

DK: "Yes, behind them is the kitchen sink."

Ya gotta love crowd-sourcing Granville-style!


]]>

Kathleen Clifford Ivory shared this remembrance of Sue Phelon:

SUE PHELON & Aldrich Family

Sue Phelon played an almost larger than life role in our family's history because it was honestly believed she had been the one to save my Aunt May's life.
 
When my Aunt May was around nine years old she became very ill.  It was cold weather and she had come down with a very bad cough and was very sick.  She was being cared for by the family in the downstairs living room where she could be kept warm by the big wood burning stove. 

Evey precaution was taken to keep the room warm with windows closed tight and curtains drawn to prevent drafts.  May worsened.  Her cough did not improve and her breathing became more difficult.

Her parents, Ruth and George Aldrich, began to truly fear for her life and decided to call in Sue Phelan as a nurse.  When Sue arrived she watched May struggling to breath and decided that the problem was probably pneumonia. 

To the surprise of the family, her first course of action was to pull the curtains aside, and throw open the window by the bed. The fresh, although cold, air rushed in and from that point on May began to improve. Little by little her struggle to breathe lessened and her sickness disappeared. 

As the story was told all believed it was the increased supply of oxygen that Sue had provided which made her well. 

May grew up, became a teacher, married, had children and lived to a ripe old age. She and Sue Phelan became very good friends.

Also see school photos:
1892: CLICK HERE
1895:CLICK HERE
Unknown Date (probably after 1895):CLICK HERE]]>
2. Portrait from Ancestry.com
3. Portrait: Granville Library Historical Room (donated to the Historical Room 2021by Robert Hague)]]>
Kathleen Clifford Ivory recalls her aunt, May Aldrich Hague, having been very sick with an extremely high fever. Susan Phelon, a nurse, came to the Nelson/Aldrich home and took charge of the situation. She is remembered as quite possibly saving May's life.]]>