Germany Hill to be discussed at upcoming meeting

The Candor Historical Society will meet on Wednesday, May 30, at the Candor Town Hall at 7 p.m. After an update on Society activities, a program will be presented by Jean Hefft that focuses on the history of the settlement of the Germany Hill community, and the founding and continuing existence of the Germany Hill Church.

Early in the 19th century, land for farming in the Alsace-Loraine area in Europe was scarce. In America, the woodlands of upstate New York were opening up for settlement. This became an enticement for families to begin emigrating into the local area.

Jean Hefft has been a resident of the Straits Corners and Germany Hill area all of her life, and has a keen interest and great devotion to the area. Because of this, she spent countless hours researching and documenting the background of the early settlers and their descendants.

The founding of the Germany Hill Church became the focus center of the community and has continued to be so for over 170 years. Jean has also done extensive research on the history of the church from its founding to today.

Jean has taken all of this information and published it in a book entitled “Crossroads, Where Church and Community Meet“. This will be the basis of her presentation and copies will be available for purchase.

Not only is it interesting to learn how this rural area became settled, but also how many of the current residents are descendants of these early pioneers. 

This event is free and open to the public. For more information on this and other Candor Historical Society events, contact Milt Dougherty at (607) 659-7357, or by email to Milton.dougherty@gmail.com.