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www.strever.org Strever Family History |
Amidon M. Strevell Amidon M. was born in the town of Berne in 1830. He is the son of Harvey, and the grandson of Mathias Strevell, who came from Dutchess County to Berne about 1800. Amidon married Sarah Bradley (b.1832) and they had one daughter: Olive B. (b. Jul 8, 1855) In 1857 Amidon went to Albany where he was in a store. Sarah died in 1867, when Olive was only 12 years old. Amidon married again, sometime before 1869. His second wife was Mariah Cessagrant. Mariah was a French Canadian and her father was a fur trapper. Together, they had four children: Cora Bell (Mar 18, 1869), who died at 6 months of age. Lotta (b. 1872) Amidon Moore (b. 1873) In 1873,
Amidon returned to Berne and engaged in the farming business until 1885
when he moved to New Scotland, and in 1889 came to Ravena,
NY (south of Albany) and opened a hardware store called Strevell
& DeFriest Hardware Stoves Co, which he carried on for quite some time, and eventually handed down to his son Amidon Moore Strevell.
The store also carried stoves and Amidon worked on heating and
plumbing. Since, at the time, the store was out in the country, he went
all over
the area to sell things. Jean Brocklebank
Jennings, Amidon's great-granddaughter, had pictures of the inside of the store where you can see the stoves.
Eileen Strevell-Boehne has a picture of Amidon’s daughter Lotta standing in
front of the store. He always took a keen interest in the affairs of his town, and for nine years served as highway commissioner, and was also a member of the State Constitutional Convention in 1874. Amidon is referred to in Harry Strevell's pictures as "Big Grandpa" Strevell. Mariah remembered when Lincoln died. His casket was put onto a
hearse train and the train traveled across the country. When the train came
through Albany, Mariah saw the casket in the train. Mariah died in 1929 and is
buried in the Albany Rural County Cemetery. On May 7, 1897, Amidon died at the age of 66, of Diabetes. He is buried in the Albany Rural County Cemetery along with both his wives, his daughter Cora Bell, who died as an infant, and Lotta Strevell and her husband Frank Betterton.
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