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Jane E. Wilcox
Genealogy and Family History Papers, ca. 1948-2003

SC23301

Quantity: 3 boxes plus 1 metal storage case (ca. 1.50 cubic ft.)
Access: Open to research. White cotton gloves must be worn when handling photographs.
Acquisition: Gift of Jane Wilcox, July 27, 2010
Processed By: Kayleigh Paster, Student Assistant, University at Albany for Manuscripts and Special Collections, February 2015; revised July 2017

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Biographical Note:

The genealogical materials in this collection were compiled by Jane Elva Wilcox (1961- ) of Kingston, Ulster County, New York, and her maternal grandmother, Harriet Reed LaMack (1907-1983) of Racine, Racine County, Wisconsin, and focus primarily on the Lewis, Dixon, Rodman, and Reed families but also contains materials related to the various families that intermarried with them, including the Wilcox family.

Hattie Reed LaMack was born March 7, 1907, in Mount Pleasant Township, Racine County, Wisconsin, to Byron Charles Reed (1873-1936) and Hattie Lee Rodman (1874-1907). In 1926 she married Lester Joseph LaMack (1904-2009) in Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana, and had two children. LaMack devoted much of her time to genealogic research and history. In addition to her own research she served as chair of the genealogical records committee of the Daughters of the American Revolution and helped to establish a local history and genealogical library in Racine County. LaMack's granddaughter, Jane Elva Wilcox, was born May 2, 1961, in Chillicothe, Ross County, Ohio, to Janice Estelle LaMack (1929-2001) and Lloyd Hawkins Wilcox (1922-2001). Wilcox has worked as an educator, a wedding planner, and a professional genealogist. She hosts a genealogical talk radio show, the "Forget-Me-Not Hour: Your Ancestors Want Their Stories to Be Told."

Scope and Content Note: 

The materials in this collection pertain primarily to the Lewis, Dixon, Rodman, and Reed families, but do include a small number of records of various allied families such as the Wilcox family. Many of the materials appear to have been compiled by Harriet Reed LaMack between the 1948 and 1982. Materials attributed to her granddaughter, genealogist Jane Wilcox, date from 1996, but it appears that Wilcox had a part in the compilation of additional unattributed materials in the collection. The materials range in date from about 1846 to 2003 and consist primarily of photographs, copies of vital records, correspondence related to genealogical research, notes, lineage charts, excerpts from published and unpublished biographical and historical works, news clippings, and obituaries. Also included are a small number of postcards, wedding invitations, and cemetery maps and plot listings.

The photographic images date from ca. 1862 to 2002 and consist primarily of cartes de visite dating from the 1860s and 1870s and undated black-and-white reproductions of early photographs. Also included are color photographs, black-and-white photographs, photographic negatives, a cabinet card, and a tintype. The vital records are generally certified copies of death records. Some of the obituaries are original clippings from newspapers, but most are photocopy collages of originals. A number of the materials in the collection correspond to the geographical areas where the allied families resided, including locations in Ontario County, New York, and Moriches, Long Island, New York.

Also included are a calling card belonging to LaMack's mother, Hattie Rodman Reed (1874-1907), and a hand-woven linen bed sheet made by Wilcox's maternal ancestor, Emiline Flint (1811-1897). A note affixed to the sheet indicates that it was made prior to 1846 and eventually passed down to Wilcox's grandmother, Hattie Reed LaMack.

Provenance Note:

In January 2009 Jane Wilcox donated genealogical material compiled by Hattie Reed LaMack to the Connecticut State Library. The donation consisted of 4 cubic feet of correspondence and notes relating to the genealogy of the Reed and Wilcox families as well as numerous allied families. A finding aid for this collection is available on the Connecticut State Library's website.

Box and Folder List:

Box Folder Description
1 1 Lewis/Dixon; 25 items, contains some Rodman materials
  1. Family photographs
  2. Vital records
  3. Obituaries
1 2 Lewis; 35 items, contains Dixon and allied family materials
  1. Family photographs 
  2. Historical/biographical excerpts
  3. Correspondence
  4. Genealogical notes and charts
  5. Vital records
1 3 Jacob Rodman and Lanah Lewis – Hattie, Harold, Henry [Rodman]; 39 items
  1. Family photographs; includes members of allied families
  2. Correspondence
  3. Cemetery photographs
1 4 Hawkins Cemetery, Moriches, Long Island; 47 items, includes Wilcox, Hawkins, and allied family materials
  1. Photographs
  2. Published and unpublished historical sketches
  3. Cemetery plot maps and listings
  4. Correspondence
  5. Notes
1 5 Reeds Corners [Gorham, Ontario County, New York]; 26 items
  1. Family photographs and postcard; primarily photographs of residences
  2. News clippings
  3. Cemetery plot maps and listings
  4. Obituaries
1 6 Ontario County, New York; 7 items
  1. Unpublished historical sketch of Canandaigua, New York
  2. Burial listing for Pioneer Cemetery, Hopewell, New York
  3. Maps of locations in Ontario County
  4. Photocopied news clippings
  5. Town of Gorham, Ontario County, New York, scrapbook
1 7 Hattie Rodman [1 of 3]; 25 items, includes Rodman and allied family materials
  1. Family photographs
  2. Vital records
  3. News clippings, obituaries and announcements
  4. Unpublished genealogical excerpts
  5. Correspondence
  6. Calling card
1 8 Hattie Rodman [2 of 3]; 9 items, includes Rodman and allied family materials
  1. Family photographs
1 9 Hattie Rodman [3 of 3]; 22 items, includes Rodman family materials
  1. Family photographs
  2. Wedding invitations
  3. News clippings
  4. Negatives of grave photographs
1 10 Chart; 4 items
  1. Genealogy charts tracing lineage of Jane Elva Wilcox
1 11 Loose Photographs; 28 items
  1. Photographs of Reed, Rodman, and Lewis family graves at various cemeteries
  2. Photographs and negatives of Goss/Gors/Gorse family graves in Oakwood Cemetery, Penfield, Monroe, County, New York
2 Loose Sheet. Attached note reads: "linen sheet, hand woven before 1846 by Emiline Flint, owner Hattie Reed LaMack"
3  
  1. 1 small box containing 2 video-cassette tapes, 2 audio-cassette tapes, and 2 compact discs
  2. 1 small box containing a glass goblet
4   1 metal storage case containing 16 mm. films (7 reels) – content list enclosed.
Last Updated: March 9, 2022