The Making of “Pioneer Families of the Town of Greece: Volume 1”

This video discusses the process that was used by co-authors Marie Villone Poinan and JoAnn Ward Snyder to research, create, and produce this two-volume publication, which highlights contributions to the town of families who settled in the area before 1872 with vignettes, photos, and input from current family members. 

Pioneer Families of the Town of Greece – Vol. 1 is available from Amazon or from our online museum gift shop, or by visiting our gift shop in the museum during our regular office hours.

Pioneer Families of the Town of Greece – Vol. 2 is expected to be ready to order Late 2023 or Early 2024.

Marie Poinan is an active member of the Greece Historical Society and the Charlotte Genesee Lighthouse. She has written several booklets on local history and regularly conducts history programs at the Charlotte branch library.

Life within the Boundaries of our Airport (Oct. 2021)

“Stranger Than Fiction”

Life within the Boundaries of Our Airport (Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport) with Rick Iekel.

A community’s airport is a somewhat curious combination of feel-good moments and trying times. It’s the beginning of a long trip or the first “Hello” to an arriving visitor. While the experienced business person can zip through without needing anyone’s support, to the occasional traveler, the experience can be confusing and even threatening. Often, when the traveling is done, the experience generates family stories for years to come.

Join Rick Iekel as he tells the fascinating story of life within its boundaries, from an insider’s point of view.

Rick Iekel spent 28 years working at Rochester’s airport. He started his career in 1965 as a customer service agent for United Airlines, was hired by Monroe County as the Assistant Airport Manager in 1973, and took over the reins as Airport Manager from Sam Cooper when Sam retired in 1989. Before leaving the airport in 1993, Rick was named Director of Aviation.

Researching Your Town of Greece Family (June 2021)

A presentation about researching your family in anticipation of the town’s Bicentennial in 2022. With Barb Koehler, JoAnn Ward Snyder, and Marie Poinan.

JoAnn Ward Snyder, and Marie Poinan followed up with a program in November with a look at who was in volume I and three family members that were featured in the book joined us for the talk called A Visit with Pioneer Family Descendants and it featured a visit by the descendants of the Volkmar and Cole/Kenyon families.

Here is the Next Chapter in the Process after this program was recorded.

After the Making of Book 1 Program, the presenters brought in three members of the Pioneer Families and let them talk about them to the members.

Volume 1 of The Pioneer Families of the Town Of Greece is out now,

Volume 2 of The Pioneer Families of the Town of Greece will be released mid to late 2023 depending on final revisions and last-minute touches on the book. Stay tuned to our Facebook page for updates on when the book will go live for sale.

An update on Volume 2 status has been recorded and here is the link to the updates on where the book stands as of November 14, 2023, currently they are waiting on final sign-offs from families to print the stories in this volume.

Rochester Goes to Washington – Supreme Court Cases (Apr. 2021)

In this Zoom presentation, join James Valenti as he discusses the Rochester court case, Nebbia v. New York, which made its way to the Supreme Court of the United States in 1934. It dealt with the suit of Leo Nebbia, the owner of a grocery store, against a piece of NYS’s version of New Deal legislation. He will also touch on two other local Supreme Court cases, Valenti v. Rockefeller and Town of Greece v. Galloway.

James Valenti, JD, LLM, Esq, is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at SUNY- FLCC in Canandaigua.

Carousels of Monroe County

Linda Bartash-Dawley unveiled her work, “Carousels of Monroe County,” in a recent presentation. The narrative represents a comprehensive exploration of the historical carousels in Monroe County, appealing universally to carousel enthusiasts, historians, and anyone curious about local culture and heritage.

Architecture of James H. Johnson (May 2019)

Presented by Katie Eggers Comeau and Christopher Branch at the Greece Public Library on May 14, 2019. Introduction by Gina DiBella. This is post review of James H. Johnson architectural work after his passing in 2016.

Also, we have a 2012 recording done at St. Johns with James H. Johnson.

“The Architecture of James H. Johnson” is presently out of stock. We anticipate printing more in the next few months. If you are interested in getting on a waiting list, please email us at: greecehistoricalsociety@yahoo.com

The Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) Influence on Women’s Rights

The Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) Influence on Women’s Rights was presented by, Dr. Sally Roesch Wagner Executive Director of Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation. An Introduction to The Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) Influence on Women’s Rights was done by Deborah Hughes Executive Director, Susan B. Anthony House This Program was recorded on January 13, 2009, at the Greece Town Hall and was recorded by Educable Communications for broadcast on Channel 12 West a Pubilc Access Channel. The Executive Producer and Videographer for this program was Lori Miller. This event was made possible through the support of the New York State Council for the Humanities “Speakers in the Humanities” Program.