Rev. John Rippey, Entrepreneur?

From a Google search, a link to the 1884 report by the state geologist, which includes a report on the results of a well near Cuylverville, apparently testing the availability of a strata of rock salt. The geologist credits Rev. John as the President of the Cuylerville Salt and Mining Company as the source of the information.

I find this current news item on Livingston county salt mining:

American Rock Salt Co., which owns the largest salt mine in the country, will invest $4 million into its Livingston County facility to extend its current rail siding and relocate its ice melting packaging company,  [The company is shown on Google maps about 4 miles north (near Retsof) and south of Cuylerville.

And I find a wikipedia item on Retsof, NY, site of the largest salt mine in the US until a big collapse in 1994.  Retsof is 4.5 miles north of Cuylerville.

From the American Rock Salt website:

By the late 1800’s, many companies were drilling for salt throughout the world. Between 1878 and 1895, over 35 mining companies were formed in New York’s Wyoming and Livingston Counties alone. In 1884, the first shaft salt mine was constructed in Livingston County at a cost of $600,000. Previously, all other facilities in the area were wells that extracted brine, which was then evaporated to obtain the salt. The shaft salt mine increased production capacity and efficiency.
The extraction of salt in Western New York covers a vast geographic region. Mine shafts that were formerly operating in the hamlets of Retsof, Greigsville, and Cuylerville were eventually all connected underground, comprising an area even larger than the island of Manhattan. In 1994, due to a flooding of this network, the Retsof mine was closed and salt mining was no longer an industry in the region.
That changed in 1997, when the American Rock Salt Company was established with the vision of creating a new mine and tapping into the underground salt reserves that had been left undisturbed. After securing the required permits and purchasing 10,000 acres of mineral rights and 200 acres of surface property, American Rock Salt broke ground in 1998 for a new mine, ten miles away from all previous mining sites. Construction of the mine at Hampton Corners took more than three years. American Rock Salt built the mine using traditional techniques that have proven over time to be the best approach for safety and success.

Also through a Google search, in 1990 Rev. John is on the board of the Allegheny Theological Seminary.

Rev. John Rippey's Classmate

Was doing some searching and found a listing from Union College of the members of various classes. The 1851 class included Rev. John Rippey, Capt. John's grandson and my great grandfather.

He made Phi Beta Kappa.  I happened to notice the listing for a classmate who also made Phi Beta Kappa, Leonard G. Calkins.  What stood out was his "Residence at Entrance", which was China.  (Most of the class was from New York, though there were a couple of Southerners as well.)  So I googled him, and found a reference to "New York Central College" in McGraw, NY (just east of Cortland), which turns out to be a short-lived institution modeled on Oberlin, which was open to both sexes and to blacks.  Calkins isn't mentioned in this newspaper story but there is a former "Calkins hotel" in McGraw.

Calkins appears to have bounced around, being in real estate in Chicago when the Union centennial directory was published.

A FAmily Visit

From Rootsweb: 

I think this is from August 6, 1890, judging by the URL [corrected]
"CUYLERVILLE

Several cars of a north bound freight train were wrecked here Monday morning, caused by the breaking of an axle tearing up several rods of track and blockading the road all day Monday.

The Rev. Mr. HARSHA and family of New York and Mrs. Joseph RIPPEY of Nebraska are visiting with the family of Rev. John RIPPEY, Mrs. Joseph leaving for the west this morning.

Miss Stacia O'KEEFE returning Saturday after several months' sojourn in Rochester.

Quite a drought prevails in this neighborhood at present, especially in the hills, where pastures have dried up and beans and potatoes will not be much more than half a crop. The threshing of wheat is in progress, which will yield from fifteen to twenty-five bushels per acre, for which 90c is being paid."
*

Trip Day 10, B'ville [Revised]

Spent the day in Baldwinsville, NY, resting a bit and visiting with sister Jean, who last saw Marjorie in 1970 (or before). Lots of talk, reestablishing relationships over Monday evening and Tuesday. A sharing of trip results, prior researches, and heirlooms. Perhaps the most significant may be a big old photo album containing unknown people. We're guessing it might be from when Rev. John Rippey was pastor in Kortright, NY (mid 1850's), because some photos are from nearby towns. But the provenance is lost in the mists of the past, so we'll have to research it. But it might, repeat might, show Rippeys from about the time of the Civil War. Nothing much earlier, I'm afraid.

Much amusement over old photos of Marjorie and her sister, much analysis of photos of my baptism (the chauvinism of W.R. Harshaw is unmistakable), and a number of other artifacts and photographs. Will try to post separately on them as I'm trying to catch up on a number of fronts.

Trip, Day 8

Have about 2400 miles on the trip and both travelers are beat. But we end with a bang, traveling from Jamestown northeast (planning a surprise for one of Marjorie's sons but I'll let her tell him) and on to the grand finale of our genealogy--Seneca Presbyterian, or the Number 9 Church near Stanley, NY. Scads of John Rippeys (my father was John Rippey Harshaw) and other connections buried in the cemeteries, including the mother of us all, Mary Orson. Had a pleasant meeting with Bob Robson, a distant cousin descended from Isabella Rippey, and saw the church.

All in all, very good, though fatigue took the edge off for me.

Now we're in Geneva, NY for an early bedtime.

Obit of Rev; John Rippey, from General Assembly Minutes

Minutes of the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church of North America By United Presbyterian Church of North America General Assembly, General Assembly, United Presbyterian Church of North America:

"John Rippey DD age 67 Caledonia Presbytery son of Joseph and Eliza Smith Rippey was born Nov 24 1827 at Seneca NY and made a profession of faith in the AR congregation of Geneva NY about 1840 or 1847 was graduated from Union College in 1851 and studied theology at Newbnrg and Princeton was licensed Dec 14 1852 by Caledonia Presbytery and ordained Aug 6 1856 by the Presbytery of Saratoga pastor of West Kortright NY Aug 1856 Dec 1866 Cnylerville NY Dec 20 1800 until his death The degree DD was conferred by Westminster in 1884 He was married May 18 1853 to Elizabeth Black of Seneca NY who with one son and two daughters survives him He died at Cuylerville NY May 14 1894 of Bright's disease "