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.

William H. Seymour Takes a Ride on His 100th Birthday

William H. Seymour, father of Helen Seymour Sylvester, takes a ride on the first "horseless carriage" in Brockport, New York, August 19, 1902. Mr. Sylvester was 100 years old on this day and was riding in the first automobile in town. Wilson H. Moore, driving, at left, was the owner of the car. Mr. Seymour would die the following year. His daughter would go on to build Seymour Point in Old Forge, which later became Penwood. Helen Seymour Sylvester inherited Mr. William H. Seymour's home in Brockport following her father's death. That home served as the Seymour Library for many years and now houses the Brockport Town Offices.

William H. Seymour, Father of Helen Seymour Sylvester

Seymour, William H., was born in Litchfield, Conn., July 15, 1802. But four generations intervene between him and his ancestor, Richard, whose name is inscribed on an old monument to the first settlers of Hartford in 1639. Richard came from Berry Pomeroy in Devonshire, according to an old bishop's Bible, still in the pos- session of the family, on which his name is written. William H. was the son of Samuel Seymour and Rebecca Osborn Seymour, and is the sole survivor of five children. Samuel, with his brother Moses, established a hat factory about 1760 in Litchfield. Moses Seymour was the grandfather of Gov. Horatio Seymour of New York State. James, son of Samuel, went to Pompey, where he was in the employ of Henry Seymour, father of Horatio Seymour, to Ovid, Seneca county, and soon after to Murray Four Corners, Genesee county, and engaged as partner with him in the general mercantile business. In 1818 William H. entered the employ of his brother, and in 1823 removed to Brockport which was then the head of navigation on the Erie canal, and continued the same business. James was appointed the first sheriff when the county was organized in 1820. Soon after he removed to Rochester, leaving the business to his brother, who continued it till 1844. About 1845 he engaged in the furnace business, manufacturing the first McCormick reaper used in the field, and after Mr. McCormick removed to Chicago, he invented the first self-raking reaper, known as the New Yorker, and other improvements.

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.

Helen Seymour Sylvester

Born in New York. Wife of W. B. Sylvester. Descendant of Sergt. Samuel Seymour, of Connecticut. Daughter of William H. Seymour and Narcissa Pixley, his wife. Granddaughter of Samuel Seymour and Rebecca Osborn, his wife. Samuel Seymour served several enlistments as private and sergeant during the Revolution. He was a pensioner when he died at Litchfield, 1837, aged eighty-three.

Source: The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution