William H. Seymour Turns 100, July 15, 1902, Utica Herald Dispatch

The original builder of Seymour Point, Helen Seymour Sylvester, was the daughter of William H. Seymour, who apparently lived to be at least 100 years old as demonstrated by this article in the Utica Herald Dispatch dated July 15, 1902.  

WILLIAM H. SEYMOUR - 100 YEARS OLD

His Centennary Celebrated in Brockport

-- His Father Was a Brother of Horatio Seymour's Grandfather

The one hundredth birthday of William H. Seymour of Brockbort was fittingly celebrated in that village yesterday.  Early in the morning the church bells were rung loud and loudly, flags were displayed at the homes of those living near Mr. Seymour's residence and the municipality itself recognized the event by flinging out its flag from the pole of the village hall.

In the morning Mr. Seymour enjoyed an automobile ride in company with Wilson H. Moore and from 5 until 7 o'clock this evening a reception tendered to his friends and the public upon the lawn of his home.  The guests were received by Mrs. William B. Sylvester, Mr. Seymour's daughter, and refreshments were served by the ladies of the Presbyterian Church.  Heinrich's orchestra furnished music.

William H. Seymour was born July 15, 1802 in the village of Litchfield, Conn., and is the fifth in descent from Richard Seymour, whose name first appears upon the town records of Hartford in 1639.  The family is remarkable for the longevity of its members, the aggregate ages of the past five generations being 420 years.

Mr. Seymour is a "real son of the American revolution," Samuel Seymour, his father, and his uncle, Moses Seymour, having held commissions in the revolutionary army as capital and major respectively.  After the revolution, the brothers, Samuel and Moses, engaged together in the manufacture of hats in Litchfield.  Moses Seymour was the father of the Hon. Henry Seymour, canal commissioner of the State of New York during the construction of the Erie Canal, and whose son, Horatio Seymour, was once Governor of New York.

Henry William Seymour, Brother of Helen Seymour Sylvester

SEYMOUR, Henry William
(1834—1906)

SEYMOUR, Henry William, a Representative from Michigan; born in Brockport, Monroe County, N.Y., July 21, 1834; attended the public schools, Brockport Collegiate Institute, and Canandaigua Academy and was graduated from Williams College, Williamstown, Mass., in 1855; studied law in Albany, N.Y., taking lectures at Albany Law School; was admitted to the bar in May 1856, but never practiced; engaged in mercantile pursuits in Brockport; moved to Michigan in 1872 and settled in Sault Ste. Marie, where he engaged in the manufacture of reapers and subsequently in the manufacture of lumber and in agricultural pursuits; member of the State house of representatives 1880-1882; member of the State senate 1882-1884 and 1886-1888; elected as a Republican to the Fiftieth Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Seth C. Moffatt and served from February 14, 1888, to March 3, 1889; unsuccessful candidate for renomination in 1888; died, while on a visit, in Washington, D.C., April 7, 1906; interment in Lakeview Cemetery, Brockport, N.Y.

Helen Seymour Sylvester's Brockport, New York House

James Horatio Seymour, Brother of Helen Seymour Sylvester

James Horatio Seymour was the brother of the original builder of Seymour Point, later Penwood, Helen Seymour Sylvester, wife of William Bedell Sylvester, sister of Henry Seymour and daughter of William H. Seymour.

James moved from Brockport, New York to Sault Ste Marie, Michigan, where his brother Henry had a very successful reaper factory and later lumber and farming businesses.

When William H. Seymour died, he left the family home in Brockport to his daughter, Helen Seymour Sylvester. When Mrs. Sylvester died, the house was left to her brother James, who by that time lived in California most of the time. Mrs. Sylvester's Adirondack estate, Seymour Point, was also left to James Horatio Seymour, with a life estate reserved to Mrs. Sylvester's husband, William Bedell Sylvester.

In 1930, upon his death, the Brockport house was given to the village of Brockport along with a substantial endowment to run a library in the house. In 1936, books from the local community center were moved to Seymour House and the Seymour Library was opened to the public.

The Seymour Library survives to this day, but is now run in a larger and more modern facility. The Seymour House is used as the village offices in the village of Brockport.