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On June 9, 1893, while riding
in a buggy along the towpath in Pittsford, 36-year-old George Bell and
his 7-year-old daughter, Jennie, were thrown into the Erie Canal when their
horse
became frightened of the steam issuing from Vought’s mill, causing it to back
into the canal.
The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle newspaper reported, “Mr. Bell held the child up and cried for help,
and soon two men came and threw him a rope. But he failed to catch it and could
not swim,
and neither of the would-be rescuers could swim.” Both father and child, along with the horse,
drowned.
Vought’s mill building* is still in existence. Today it is known as the Pittsford
Flour Mill, located at 15 Schoen Place. The building was constructed just 11
years before George and Jennie lost
their lives there.
George was born to John and Helen Bell in Tompkins County, New York. The Bell family grew
to include at least eight children. By age 16, George’s mother had died and he was working as
a hired hand on a farm.
In the late 1870s, George met and married Rachel Elizabeth (Sloughter). Their
first child, Chester, was born in 1880. Four other children would
follow: Viola, Cora, Jennie and Leo.
George supported his family as a farm laborer, working on several farms in Tompkins
County
before moving to Greece, New York, a year or two before he died.
At the time of the accident, newspapers reported that George had been employed as manager
of the Walter Marsh farm on Marsh Road, which was located on the west side of Marsh Road
just south of today’s Golf Avenue. The Marsh family homestead still stands at 325 Marsh Road.
The Monroe County Mail dated June 15,
1893 details the tragedy, stating that the bodies were soon recovered and an
inquest held. His wife and four children were left to mourn their losses.
“As these were dependent on the father’s labor done, their case is indeed afflictive
all the
more so from its terrible suddenness.”
George’s widow, Rachel, and surviving children moved back to Tompkins County following the
tragic events of June 9, 1893, leaving George and Jennie to rest eternally at Pittsford
Cemetery.
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