Pictured with the artifacts are, from left: Nicholas Ensell, Senior SUNY videographer and editor of the video; Jacob Fox, intern, Barker Museum; Max Walters, Curator, Barker Museum, Gail Pugh Dash, researcher/presenter; David Rowley, direct descendent of the Ellis-Rowley line, and who was raised in the home; Jim Lash, volunteer at Barker Museum and assigned to catalog the collection. Wayne Leamer, Trustee, researcher and news-letter editor for the Chautauqua County Genealogical Society. Leamer did the scanning of documents from the collection.

In October, 2023, Gail Pugh Dash, vice president of Chautauqua County Genealogical Society, gave a presentation for the Chautauqua County History Series at the 1891 Opera House. She presented a program on her research of items she “gleaned” from the Ellis-Rowley Home in Laona prior to its demolition. Todd Langworthy, Historian for the Town of Pomfret and Village of Fredonia, assisted in the presentation and format. Items pictured were recently donated by the Genealogical Society on behalf of the family.

Four students from the Department of Communication set up two video cameras to record the power point and podium shots of the program at the Opera House. The students came recommended by Roslin Smith, Associate Professor, Chair of the Department of Communication at SUNY Fredonia.

Debbie Kotar, Treasurer of the Genealogical Society, indexed ledgers in the collection. SUNY Senior videographers, Ethan Goodness, Brian Austin and Justin Chadima. Thank-you to Kevin and Sandy Budniewski, neighbors of the Ellis-Rowley family and friend to Dave Rowley, for helping with the collection. Thank-you also to Victor Richardson, friend of the family, for his fine banjo playing at the 1891 Opera House presentation.

This team effort has helped preserve a goldmine of local family treasures and local history from the mid 1800s to the present time, for generations to come. Contact your local Historical Societies, local Historians, Genealogical Societies, if you have items of local historical or genealogical that you are willing to share.