old-houses- 0485 - Old Houses of the North Country

Old Houses of the North Country
—No. 485
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DR. G. S. FARMER'S STUDENT HOME
A house that was once the home of a founder of St.
Lawrence university, later became the home of a student
who is now the university's oldest alumnus, and now is
the home of the head of the university's geology department, provides a figure in the historic tapestry of that
institution which is of unusual interest.
While modern in present appearance the house,
more than a century old, has changed little exteriorly in
several decades, and occupies land in Canton village that
once was part of the vast St. Lawrence holdings of Stephen Van Rensselaer, J. Ogden Hoffman and Richard
Harison, great historic land barons of 150 years ago.
The farm upon which this house was built was sold
July 21, 1836 by Catherine J. Harison to Roswell and
.lane K. Green. On Sept. 20, 1839 they conveyed it to
Barzillai and Sarah A Hodskin. F r o m them Theodore
and Harriet Caldwell acquired it Dec. 1, 1845.
Hodskin and Caldwell were among Canton's outstanding early citizens. Both become charter trustees of
St. Lawrence university. Either may have built the
house, and probably in the early 1840s. At least it was
there on April 14, 1866 when Francis Farmer, town of
Fowler farmer, native of Herkimer and father of Dr.
Grosvenor S. Farmer, bought the place from the Caldwells and began occupancy.
In the fall of 1867 Dr. Grosvenor Swan Farmer, then
17, entered St. Lawrence university and graduated in
1871. That was 80 years ago. His student days were
spent in this house. Today in his 102nd year he is the
university's oldest alumnus and New York state's oldest
physician.
Son of Francis and Louisa M. Homer Farmer, Dr.
Farmer was born in Fowler Jan. 6, 1850. In 1863-4 he
attended Gouverneur Wesleyan Academy. After S. L.
U. graduation he studied medicine with Dr. M. M. Gard- '
her in Utica and New York Homeopathic Medical college. On March 4, 1874 he got his M. D., was licensed to
practice, established in Gouverneur, married Miriam L.
Conkey of Canton Jan. 5, 1876, moved to Watertown in
1880 and Dec. 8, 1881 his wife died shortly after the birth
of their son, Dr. Harlow G. Farmer. On June 6, 1883
Dr. G. S. F a r m e r married Miss Flora Holden of this city
and to them was born Mrs. John A. (Rosalind) Remington and Francis H. Farmer. Mrs. Flora F a r m e r died
Dec. 18, 1938.
-Photo and Caption by David F. Lane
Baptized with water from the Jordan by St. Lawrence University President Dr. John Stebbins Lee, Dr.
Farmer was born during Millard Fillmore's administration and has lived through the terms of 20 presidents and
four major wars. He is the last of the first medical staff
of the House of the Good Samaritan, was health officer of
the town of Watertown 1892-1934, is Black River Valley
Club charter member, president of the former Farrington Medical association, of the Jefferson County Homeopathic Medical society and of the Watertown Savings,
Loan & Building association, member of the New York
State Medical society, and.the American Medical association. His first wife was a sister of Mrs. Charles C. Caldwell. Mi-. Caldwell, former St. Lawrence county sheriff,
was son of Theodore Caldwell.
On July 8, 1901 this house, now 10 Farmer street,
Canton, was bought by John and Mary Fields, prominent
farmers, who sold it to Rollin E. Cleaveland, Canton commission merchant, March 22, 1905. His widow, Jennie H.
Cleaveland disposed of it to Walter M. and Irene Maude
Wilmshurst April 11, 1940. Mr. W 7 ilmshurst, son of the
late Rev. Walter G. Wilmshurst, of this city, is an officer of the St. Lawrence County National bank and recently was elected vice president of the St. Lawrence
County Bankers' association.
On June 4, 1948 the Wilmshursts sold to Edward D.
Frick, who conveyed the place the following August 30
to Dr. Ralph O. Bloomer, the present owner. Dr. Bloomer,
University of Virginia B. S. '37, M. S. '38 and Universitv
of North Carolina Ph.D. '41 author of technological
books, came to St. Lawrence university's geology department in September, 1944 from the University o f Virginia
and now heads this S. L. U. department.