1 CMNT Delia Was Living With Them In 1870 In Canton
Obituary from Watertown Daily Times of Saturday, 13 Jan. 1934: Hayes H. Comins, 56, died this afternoon at 12:45 at the Jefferson County sanatorium. Mr. Comins was a retired farmer of Clayton. He had been in ill health for one year and had
been a patient at the sanatorium for the past six months.He was born in the town of Clayton, May 2, 1877, a son of the late George F. and Celia Bass Comins. He always had resided in the town of Clayton where he conducted a dairy for many years.
His marriage to Miss Alice Burnham took place in 1900. He was a member of the Clayton lodge, I.O.O.F.
Surviving are his wife; one daughter, Miss Ethel Comins of Richmond Hill, NY; two brothers, Grant and Ivan Comins of Clayton and one sister, Mrs. Hattie Flacksland of Hamilton, NY.
Funeral services will be held Tuesday at 2 p.m. from the St. Lawrence Methodist Episcopal church.
Obituary from Watertown Daily Times of Wednesday, 19 Feb. 1969: The funeral for Mrs. Alice Burnham Comins, 86, of 1154 Boyd street, former resident of Clayton and widow of Hayes H. Comins of that village, will be at the Cummmings Funeral Home
here Friday afternoon at 1. Rev. W. Russell Clark, pastor of he Asbury Methodist church, will officiate. Burial wil be in the St. Lawrence Cemetery in the spring.Friends may call at the funeral home Thursday from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m.
Mrs. Comins died at 11:20 Tuesday morning in the Cedars nursing home, Ogdensburg, where she had been a patient since May 19.
Mrs. Comins was born in the town of Cape Vincent, a daughter of Ira and Delia Dodge Burnham. She was married to Hayes J. Comins of Clayton, R. D. 2, at St. Lawrence July 25, 1900.
The couple lived in the vicinity of Clayton and St. Lawrence until Mr. Comins' death, Jan 13, 1934.
After his death, Mrs. Comins moved to Hollis, Queens, to reside with her only child, Miss Ethel M. Comins, a teacher in the New York City school system. Summers were spent at Steele's Point, Clayton.
When Miss Ethel Comins retired in 1961, they moved to the Boyd street residence and spent winters there since that time.
Mrs. Comins was the last member of a large family which included two younger brothers who predeceased her--Eugene Burnham, Watertown, who died in May, 1954, at the age of 65, and Truman Burnham, North Syracuse, who died in February, 1962,
at the age of 71.Besides her daughter, she is survived by several nephews and nieces, four of whom live in this section--Mrs.
Erma Settle, Ellisburg; Mrs. Ford Phillips, Ives street road; Mrs. Harry Gillette, jr., State street road and Mrs. Joseph Doldo, North Rutland street.
1 CMNT Lived In Hollis, Queens
Obituary from Watertown Daily Times of Friday, 27 April 1990: CLATON--Ethel M. Comins, 88, Steele's Point, Clayton, author of several romance novels for young adults, an accomplished artist and retired teacher, ws found dead Thursday morning
in the St. Lawrence River, an apparent suicide.Miss Comins founded the Black River Writers Club in 1982. She was also a ceramist and artist, and her artwork in several media has been displayed throughout Northern New York, at several Long Island galleries, at the 8th Street Gallery,
and the Pen and Brush, both in New York City, and in Florida.Many of her 12 novels were set in Northern New York.
Jefferson County Sheriff's detectives said Miss Comins's body was found Thursday morning near a dock off Steele's Point. The sheriff's department was notified at 8:24 a.m.
The body was removed to Mercy Hospital, Watertown, for autopsy by Dr. Vilgilio A. Alon, Jefferson County medical examiner. He ruled the death a suicide.
Detectives said she was last seen alive Wednesday afternoon.
Graveside committal services will be held at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Lawrence Cemetery, Town of Cape Vincent, with the Rev. John S. Joslyn, pastor, Clayton United Methodist Church, officiating.
There will be no calling hours. Arrangements are with the Cummings Funeral Home. Donations may be made to the Clayton Volunteer Fire Department.
Surviving are two cousins, Miss Nina M. Comins, Cape Vincent, and Mrs. Horace (Ella) Donaldson, Clayton.
Born in Clayton Center May 16, 1901, the daughter of Hayes and Alice Burnham Comins, she was graduated from Clayton High School and Plattsburgh Normal School. She was graduated cum laude from Syracuse University in 1930 and received a
master's degree from New York University, New York City.Miss Comins was a commercial teacher at John Adams High School, Queens, from 1930 until her retirement in 1961, when she returned to Northern New York. She was also a guidance worker for the New York City school system and a member of the
Queens College staff prior to her retirement.She moved to Watertown in 1962 and then to Steele's Point around 1970.
While living in New York City, she attended classes in ceramics and painting at the Queensborough Art Society, Jamaica, and the 8th Street Art School in Manhattan.
She was featured in several one-woman exhibits in the region, and her paintings won prizes at shows, including the Jefferson County Fair. She worked in acrylic, oil, and pen and ink.
Miss Comins was listed in "Who's Who in American Women," "The World Who's Who of Women Authors," and the "Two Thousand Women of Achievement," published in London.
Her first novel, "The Magic Schoolhouse," was published in 1964, and was followed by "Cloth of Dreams"; "Island Castle"; which was later serialized in Grit magazine; "Beyond the Night"; "Her Father's Daughter"; "The Black Jade Filly";
"Under a Dancing Star"; "Mystery Island"; "Moon Goddess"; Love's Tangled Web"; "Love's Impossible Dream"; and "Caroline, Oxbow's American Bonaparte."She had conducted workshops on creative writing and was a popular speaker on creative writing in north country schools.
She was a member of the board of directors and art director for the Thousand Island Museum, a member and past first vice president of the Watertown Artists' Guild, a member of the College Women's Club of Jefferson County, the North Country
Artists' Guild, and the Jefferson County Historical Society, past chairman of the county fair art exhibit and an honorary member of Delta Kappa Gamma.She was a member of the National League of American Pen Women, was president of the Queens branch of the league from 1956 to 1958 and editor of the branch newsletter, "The Owleteer," from 1954 to 1956. She was a member of the Central New
York branch of the league, a past president of the state league, and former national chairman of contests for the league.
Will of Jonathan Ingerson / Ingersol: I, Jonathan Ingerson, of Milton in the County of Saratoga and State of New York, yeoman, being at this time well in body and blessed by God of sound mind and memory, knowing it is appointed for all men
once to die; as for the settlement of my estate, make and ordain this my last will and testament in manner of form following, vis:I give and resign my spirit to God that gave it and my body to the earth to [be] buried in decent Christian burial at the discretion of my friends and as touching my worldly interest that I am blessed with in this life and for a settlement
thereof, to devise, give and bequeath as follows:My will is that my funeral charges and all of my debts be settled and paid by my executors herein after named out of my goods and chattels.
ITEM: I give and bequeth unto my beloved wife, Abigail (Clark) Ingerson, all and singular my household furniture for her use during her life. Also I give unto my wife the use of all my lands and tenements together with all my stock and
farming utensils during her natural life and then my wish is that my said Executors sell and dispose of all and singular my estate, and I hereby authorize and them empower to sell and convey the same. And the money arising therefrom to divide
between my beloved sons and daughters, namely Jonathan, Nathaniel, Isaac, Ezra and John and Phoebe Clark, and the division to be in such sort that sons shall have double that of daughters, that is each son shall have twice as much as said
[daughters] will as witnesses in the presence of the testator and of each other.And be it remembered that on the same day and year aforesaid also came before said Surrogate Nathaniel Ingerson, one of the Executors in said Will named and was duly sworn to be faithful executor and performance thereof.
And lastly I appoint my beloved sons, Jonathan and Nathaniel Ingerson the only executors to this, my last will and testament, and by these present, disallow, renounce, and make void all wills and testaments by me heretofore made, ratifying
and confirming this and this only to be my last will and testament this fifth day of February in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and ten.Signed, sealed and pronounced by the said Jonathan Ingerson to be his last Will and testament.
His Mark
In the presence of Price Wing, Elihu Wint, Clarissa Manchester, who in the presence of the testator and of each other have hereunto set their hands.