By Samantha Hall-Saladino/For The Leader-Herald
In the museum’s military exhibit — in the section about the Civil War — is a headstone. It almost looks new, or at least good for its age, apart from a diagonal crack across the middle. It belonged to a Northampton man named Daniel Sweet who, until recently, was a bit of a mystery. The headstone itself reads:
DANIEL SWEET
Member of Co. D 4 Regt. N.Y.V.
DIED
July 13, 1865
Aged 25 years 4 mos. & 24 days
Here lies a soldier brave
Sleeping sweetly in the grave
Why was he such a mystery? There was no Daniel Sweet listed in the roster for the 4th New York Volunteer Regiment. There was a Daniel Sweet in the 24th NY, but the information didn’t match up. It wasn’t until I discovered “D Sweet” in the records for the 4th New York Heavy Artillery that things started coming together. The NY Report of the Adjutant-General from 1893-1906 showed his enlistment date as Aug. 23, 1862 at New York City and placed with Battery D. He mustered out on June 3, 1865 at Alexandria, VA.
It was originally thought that Sweet died in Alexandria after the war, before returning home; it was believed he was buried there and the government furnished a headstone that was sent back to his family in Northampton. However, recent research found Daniel listed on the 1865 New York state census, living in Northampton on his family’s farm. The date on the census was June 20, showing he did make it home from Virginia.
The headstone eventually made its way to the front yard of John A. Willard’s house on Bridge Street in Northville (today Inn at the Bridge), lending credence to the belief that Sweet died in Virginia and his grave here was empty. The headstone later ended up in the possession of former county historian Bill Loveday, who planned to repair it. Eventually, it found its way to the museum. So, how did Willard get the headstone?
Willard was a lover of history, especially Civil War history. He turned his summer home in Hope into a sort of museum, filled with artifacts he gathered in his travels. Photos of Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, Andrew Jackson, and Abraham Lincoln adorned the walls. As a child, Willard recalled watching “over 1,000 healthy young men march off to the colors, of which about one-third returned.” One of his most vivid memories of the war was going to the town post office and listening to the list of names of the war dead, read out by the postmaster. Developing a “non-partisan attitude,” Willard visited the Antietam National Cemetery to “lay wreaths on the graves of boys who fought on both sides.”
In 1932, Fulton County celebrated the bicentennial of George Washington’s birthday. There were a lot of ceremonies, events, and pomp and circumstance throughout the year. Willard, always active in his community and a history buff, discovered that the body of Daniel Sweet, a Civil War veteran from Northville, had been buried in an isolated spot five miles outside of the village. He organized the reinterment of the remains to the Soldiers Plot in Prospect Hill Cemetery in Northville. On July 30, a procession followed Sweet’s remains to the cemetery, where a ceremony was held before they were reburied and a new headstone placed. Willard then entertained those involved in the ceremony at the Avalon Hotel, which he owned. Sweet’s original gravestone ended up on Willard’s front lawn.
John A. Willard was born in a log cabin in Hope in 1851. He never received formal schooling, but began working in a lumber mill at age 16. His job was repairing horse harnesses, for which he was paid $1.50 a week. Willard later reported that he “learned by living.” It seems that the lumber business suited him. In 1875, he began a sawmill with his brother-in-law. The firm, Willard and Fuller, ended when his brother-in-law died. Willard tried again with another partner named Partridge. After that failed, he started with George Van Arnem. The third loss of fortune brought Willard to a decision: he was going to succeed in the lumber business, and he was going to do it on his own. The company was finally incorporated in 1925 and stayed in business until 1941, when it was voluntarily dissolved. Willard, still overseeing his business at 90 years old, was said to be one of the best-known and best-informed lumbermen in the area.
In 1903, Willard built the Queen Anne/Colonial Revival-style home on Northville’s Bridge Street. If you’ve visited the Inn at the Bridge, you’ve probably seen their wonderful collection of historic photos and information about the Willard family. Not to mention, you’ve walked right through their former living room! Willard also built homes in Northville for all his children. One of these was directly across the street from his. John doted on his grandchildren, too. On Feb. 24, 1930, the Morning Herald reported that Willard was building a playhouse for his granddaughter, Elizabeth Carpenter. When complete, the mini-house would include a chimney and stove and be decorated like the “big houses.” On the site of his birthplace, right next to that log cabin in Hope, he constructed his summer cottage, which he called Pine Crest. The log cabin was remodeled as well.
In addition to being a successful businessman and a family man, Willard, active in his community, was known as “Uncle John.” He served as county supervisor from the town of Northampton, president of the Fulton-Hamilton Agricultural Society, and vice president of the Northville Bank. He was also a member of the Freemasons and the Shriners. When the FJ&G Railroad was unable to harvest ice from the Sacandaga River for the homes in Sacandaga Park, Willard allowed them to cut the ice from his pond. The Feb. 4, 1942 issue of the Morning Herald reported that Willard, who spent the winters in St. Augustine, FL, sent crates of oranges to the Getman Memorial Home, the Day Nursery, and the editorial offices of the Morning Herald and Leader-Republican. In September 1930, when the new steel bridge at the southern end of Northville opened, Willard led the first line of 20 cars across it. He then entertained the engineers and other officials at a hotel in the village.
On June 16, 1942, Willard was admitted to Nathan Littauer Hospital for a heart condition. He died in the hospital on June 26 during a city-wide blackout drill (the country had entered World War II just six months before). He was 91 years old. Willard is buried in Prospect Hill Cemetery in Northville, just like Daniel.
I’m still looking for more information on Daniel Sweet. The clerk for the town of Northampton is kindly checking their records for a death certificate. Please check the museum blog at fultoncountyhistoricalsociety.org/blog, where any future updates on Daniel’s story will be posted. And please come visit the museum, where you can see Daniel’s original headstone.
