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Kevin Berner – Clifford Danforth of Jefferson, NY Part 1

Transcription

Kevin: I am Kevin Berner, a retired college professor from Suny Cobleskill and now the President of the Jefferson Historical Society. Five generations of my Danforth family line lived in Jefferson, as did four generations of my Berner family line. And speaking today about Clifford Grant Danforth, my great grandfather, Clifford Grant Danforth was born in 1874 to Sylvanus Danforth and Harriet Scoville Danforth. With the exception of a brief period early in his marriage, Clifford lived his entire life in the same house on Tuttle Road, just north of the hamlet of Jefferson. In 1896, Clifford married Mary Alice Stewart from Blenheim at the Methodist Episcopal Parsonage in Summit, New York. Together they had five children Mabel, Gertrude, Madeline, Harriet and Stuart. Clifford was an accomplished musician, proficient in several instruments and played in various bands throughout the Jefferson area. By 1895, he was a member of the Jefferson Cornet Band playing helicon, a brass instrument in the Tuba family. This band performed widely throughout the region, and at one point Clifford served as its musical director. In May 1900, the band decided to use $100 of its funds to build a bandstand on the town green. By June, they were holding concerts in the stand, which remains in the park today. Clifford’s signature, along with those of other band members, is still legible. Above the large window covers inside the bandstand. He occasionally played with the Stamford and Richmondville bands. Clifford, along with several other musicians Benona Hubbell, Fred Shrader, Norman Turpentine, Claude Morrison and Clinton Hubbard were reported to have traveled with a pony show under the management of Sol Darling. Providing music for the events as they traveled by rail. In 1896, Clifford served on a committee of music for a special event. Republican jubilation in Judd Park. A 1909 article in the Jefferson Courier mentioned the Jefferson Orchestra listing Clifford as a bass file player. In 1918, the Courier reported that a local orchestra, which included Clifford on drums, held regular rehearsals and was prepared to perform as needed.