Stories in Stones: Stories from Oneida County, NY Cemeteries

       George Noyes Rockwell was born Jan 14, 1855 in Utica to Henry W. and Margaret Noyes Rockwell. He attended Utica Public Schools. At the age of 14 one of the local churches hired him as their organist. Around the age of 21 he moved to Albany. After Albany he moved to Scranton, PA. Mr. Rockwell later moved to Chicago where he worked for the Williams Piano and Organ Co.     George Noyes Rockwell composed many pieces of music mainly sacred music. His most famous works are "We Are Soldiers of the Cross" and "The Lord is My Shepherd." A publishing company in Chicago published over 100 of his works. He wrote articles for the music magazine Etude (he was the only one at the time of his death to win the vocal and instrumental prizes given by the magazine). After his death an opera he wrote called "Sadie the Second" was produced.     George Noyes Rockwell was married twice. The first marriage ended in divorce. He and his first wife had three...

     David Richards was born in 1829 in North Wales. In 1847, he came to America. Mr. Richards first worked on a farm. Later he moved to Utica where he became a stone cutter. David Richards took a liking to sculpture and displayed a talent for it. He took a bust of his wife to New York City and received praise for his work and also the aid of Peter Cooper, the great philanthropist. David Richards labored and studied hard and went to Europe to gain more knowledge of sculpting. He came back to America in 1868 and operated studios in Chicago and Woodside, Long Island.      Some of David Richards works include "The Newsboy" in Great Barrington, Mass; "Soldier and Seaman" monument in Manchester, N.H.; "The Patriot" in Augusta, Maine; "Black Hawk" at Rock Island, Ill; "Confederate Solder" in Savannah GA; "Columbia Triumphant" in Lowell Mass; and the John Butterfield Monument in Forest Hill Cemetery in Utica.     David Richards passe...

       George Huntington Williams was born in Utica on Jan 28, 1856 to Robert Stanton Williams and Abby Ober Doolittle Williams. He graduated from Utica Free Academy. In 1878 George H. Williams graduated from Amherst College. After Amherst he went to Germany to attend the University of Heidelberg from where in 1882 he received a Ph. D cum summa laude. The following March George Huntington Williams became a fellow at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. Two years later he was made professor of inorganic geology and petrogrophy there.     In 1884, George Huntington Williams received an appointment to the United States Geological Society. He was one of the judges of award in the Department of Mineralogy at the Columbian Exposition. Mr. Williams was also a member of the International Congress of Geologists.     George Huntington Williams wrote many articles for scientific and educational publications both in America and Europe. He wrot...

      Robert Stanton Williams was born in Utica on Sept 10, 1828 to William and Sophia Wells Williams. In 1836 the family moved to Tonawanda, NY. When he was ten he was an apprentice to Henry Ivison (who was an apprentice to Robert's father) at his bookstore in Auburn, NY. In 1842, the strain of over many duties took a toll in his health he was compelled to seek the rest of country life at the farm of his uncle James Wells in New Hartford, NY. In 1844, he moved to Brooklyn and attended school for a term. In the winter he returned to Auburn where he remained until Sept 1846. He then entered Cortland Academy until March 1848.       In July 1849, Robert Stanton Williams received an appointment as a route agent in the railway mail service between Buffalo and Albany he resigned in 1852. That year he returned to Utica to take care of his brother during a fatal illness. He secured a place as a bookkeeper in the City Bank. In October 1854, he started...