The Skiff Families

The Skiff Families

The Skiff brothers purchased the 214-acre B. A. Avery farm in 1882. Most of the farm was located in the southwest corner of Lot 18, but extended to the west into Lot 17 and a bit to the south into Lot 27.

This large green house at the southwest corner of Brookfield and Brewerton Roads has long been referred to as the Skiff house. It was originally part of the old William F. Gere farm and can be seen on the 1874 map to the left. The Skiff brothers purchased the Gere farm in March 1900 and at that time came into possession of this house. The Charles and George Skiff families had been living together in the brick house they had built on the former Avery farm. They lived there together for 20 years after their double marriage to Nicholson sisters in 1889. [1934-03-04] Therefore, the Charles Skiff family didn't occupy this house until at least 1909. The 1900 census records showed that the families were still living together and in 1910 the census showed that the families were living in different residences. The 1925 census showed that the Charles Skiff family was at that time living in the city, in the 1st Ward. Charles Skiff could have lived in the green house until at least 1924. That was the year that the house's next owner, Edward C. Bixby moved in. Bixby lived in the green house for 53 years until his death in 1977. Therefore, based on length of residency this should be known as the Bixby House. [1977-03-15]

Connection to Mattydale

George and Charles Skiff purchased the B. A. Avery farm from his widow in 1882. This original property was mostly in the southwest corner of Lot 18, bounded on the north by a line extended from where Boulevard St is now and bounded on the East by Lemoyne Ave. It also extended west out to Bear Trap Creek in Lot 17 and south into Lot 27 along the railroad tracks. They raised their families and operated their farm until the early 1920s when they sold to developers and moved into the city and went into the apple business.

Family History

Where did they originally come from

The Skiff family were early settlers of the town of Cicero. The brothers' paternal grandmother was Artemissa Stevens, who was born in Canaan, Litchfield Co, CT, on April 15, 1781. Her family settled in the Brewerton area, near old Fort Brewerton. She was married twice and had four children by her first husband and three by her second, Gibbs Skiff. This means that Seymour Skiff has two siblings that have yet to be identified. Artemissa Stevens Skiff died on May 6, 1873. At present it isn't known where her husband, Gibbs Skiff, was born.

Where did they initially settle

Gibbs Skiff, the brothers' grandfather, first shows up in the Onondaga County Deed records in 1831 when he purchased some land on Cicero Lot 54 from Bartholomew Andrews. When he died in 1847 he left the land to his son Seymour Skiff.

Family connections

On the maternal side of the family the Skiff brothers are descended from the Stevens and Merriams from the Cicero area. Charles and George Skiff married Nicholson girls as did one of their Loomis cousins.

Property History

Latham Y. Avery => Denison Avery, Jr. => B. Austin Avery => Skiff brothers. The detail in this chain of ownership can be found in the Avery Land Records.

The brick farm house that stood in front of the barn with the double silos was where the two Skiff families lived together for 20 years. The Thruway came through just south of this old house. If it were still standing today it would be in the southeast corner of the Strike 'N' Spare parking lot. After the Skiff brothers bought the farm they worked hard to make a success of it and built the house at some time prior to their double wedding in 1889 to two Nicholson sisters from Cicero. Charles married Anna Nicholson and George married her sister Helen Nicholson. At the time of the 1900 census the families were still living in the same house but by 1910 they were in separate by nearby houses. The 20 years in the brick house would but the year of separation at about 1909. They bought the old Gere farm that adjoined their property on the north in March 1900. The house that came with the Gere property was the large green house that is still on the southeast corner of the intersection of Brookfield Rd and Brewerton Road. This was known as the Skiff house but it wasn't the original Skiff house nor was it the one that they lived in the longest. In 1923 Charles and his wife sold the Gere farm to a developer and the Gere property became Richfield Farms and the Garden City Tract.

By the time of the 1925 census both Skiff brothers had left the town of Salina and were living in the city of Syracuse. Charles was in the 1st Ward and George was in the 3rd Ward.

The next person to occupy the big green house was Edward C. Bixby, a local contractor, and he lived there with his family from 1924 until his death in 1977. Based on that uninterrupted run of 53 years that house needs to be known as the Bixby House.

In 1919 George Skiff had sold the old Avery farm to B. G. Harrington - part of it became Harrington Farms in the triangle between Brewerton Road and Lemoyne Ave. Most of the property Harrington purchased was never developed, with the exception of the Thruway that cut through and the bowling alley that was built in the 1950s.

In 1911 both brothers went in with Hitchings and Beak to incorporate the Hitchings Apple Corporation. George Skiff's descendants are still involved with the Beak & Skiff Apple Co in Route 20 in Lafayette, NY  

This picture is from the Post Standard, Syracuse, NY, November 11, 1919 [1919-11-09]. The brick house where the Charles and George Skiff families lived together for 20 years is shown on the left side of the picture. On the right is the large barn and the twin silos.

Notable Facts or Events

The Skiff brothers were injured in a runaway incident on the plank road. [1902-05-12]

A cow that Charles Skiff had sold to a man named Rubinowitz got away and took a wild trip to the big city and a law suit followed. [1903-03-20]; [1904-01-27a]; [1904-01-27b]

The first Central New York air flights in 1910, took place on the Skiff farm.

The Skiffs were prominent farmers in the area. A large farm equipment demonstration was held on their farm in 1916. [1916-09-20]

In 1918 it appeared that the Skiff farm was becoming the de-facto local airport of that day.[1918-10-03] 

NOTES:

[1902-05-12] - "Thrown Against A Tree," The Syracuse Journal, Syracuse, NY, Monday, May 12, 1902.

[1903-03-20] - "Only a Cow Sans Calf,"  The Evening Herald, Syracuse, NY, March 20, 1903

[1904-01-27a] - "Cow Tossed Woman High," The Telegram, Syracuse, NY, January 27, 1904.

[1904-01-27b] - "The Cow That Ran Wild," The Evening Herald, Syracuse, NY, Wednesday, January 27, 1904.

[1916-09-20] - "Great Tractor Demonstration," The Syracuse Herald, Syracuse, NY, Wednesday, September 20, 1916.

[1918-10-03] - "Airmen Leave Machine Here and Return to Rochester," The Post Standard, Syracuse, NY, Thursday, October 3, 1918.

[1919-11-09] - "George F. Skiff Farm Is Sold," The Post Standard, Syracuse, NY, November 11, 1919.

[1934-03-04] - "Skiffs Have Celebration," The Syracuse American, Syracuse, NY, Sunday, March 4, 1934.

[1977-03-15] - "Edward Bixby, Builder, Dies," The Post Standard, Syracuse, NY, Tuesday, March 15, 1977.