MUST SEE!
61 GLENN HAVEN, SPENCERPORT Sought after Hickory Hollow neighborhood! Rare 3 bedroom backing to woods/canal!
Open House Saturday 3/12 and Sunday 3/13 11am-1pm
Daniel A. Covert
Licensed Associate RE Broker
85 S. Union Street, Spencerport, NY 14559
March 13, 2022
585-576-8012
EAST EDITION
Westside News Established 1953
Serving Suburban News North and South edition areas
Serving the communities of Spencerport-Ogden, Churchville-Riga, North Chili, Hilton-Parma
March 13, 2022
Vendor and Craft Show at WEMOCO on March 26 A Vendor and Craft Show will be held at WEMOCO Career and Technical Education Center, 3589 Big Ridge Road, Spencerport, on Saturday, March 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission is free. The show features over 75 crafters and vendor representatives of national brands, more than 15 career and technical education student programs offering goods and services, and free child care. The event is WEMOCO’s biggest fundraiser for SkillsUSA, allowing students to attend state and national competitions. There will be food available from culinary classes. This is a school event so masks are required. WEMOCO alumni are invited to a “meet and greet” from 11 a.m. to noon in the school’s main conference room. Provided information
Aurora House seeks recipes for cookbook Special get-togethers around the table cause us to reach for traditional family recipes. Along with familiar flavors come the memories of past gatherings with friends and family. From that famous green bean casserole to Grandma’s special carrot cake, we all have those go-to dishes that are a must. Aurora House is asking the community, especially those touched by comfort care, to share from their recipe boxes for a cookbook fundraiser. Any type of recipe is welcomed for the Aurora House Family Cookbook - entrees, side dishes, desserts, sauces, snacks, or anything else you might want to share. Even those quick, last-minute “shortcut” recipes have a place in a special chapter of the book. A previous Aurora House Recipe Book was instrumental in helping to raise funds when the organization was just getting started, so they are continuing their own “family tradition” by creating a second version. They hope to have a collection of up to 200 recipes for a book that will be made available in 2022. Submissions can be emailed to ahclerical@aurorahousewmc.com, mailed to Aurora House, 2495 South Union Street, Spencerport, NY 14559, or dropped off at Aurora House in person. Provided information
Issue No. 11
westsidenewsny.com
Ancestral Pot of Gold keeps giving by Joanne Michielsen It has been one year since Westside News first shared the story of John Joseph “Exile” McBride, who arrived in Brockport as a teenager in 1864 after fleeing Ireland. He became a world-famous Irish Freedom Fighter and human rights crusader. Exile’s great nephew, Mike McBride, of Rochester, has been on a journey of discovery in the time since then. He’s been learning all he can about the great uncle he never knew existed until he began researching his ancestry for something to do during the pandemic. Mike said new information seems to come in waves, with an out-of-the-blue phone call or email setting off a flurry of discoveries. One such call came recently while Mike was out shopping. The caller was a man from Buffalo who had read about Exile McBride on social media and later discovered one of Exile’s 1891 newspaper publications in an old footlocker. The paper was fragile but still in excellent condition considering its age. The caller did not want to part with the original, but had an enlarged copy printed on a durable stock for Mike. The publication was a special election issue, its pages filled with photos of political candidates who were supportive of Home Rule for Ireland. It also included anecdotes written by Exile and copies of letters he had received, one from the mayor of Albany, praising him for his efforts on behalf of Ireland. Mike also recently obtained a copy of the Official 1875 St. Patrick’s Day Parade Program from Buffalo. Exile McBride was listed as a participant, and while Exile marched he sold St. Patrick badges for 15 cents. Mike quipped, “What a deal!” When Exile arrived in Brockport he became involved in early photography. “With his acquired skills of taking photos
and developing images, he was able to make a substantial income in this exciting new field. He was soon very successful in selling portraits of prominent people, but especially political campaign badges, as far back as 1868,” Mike said. Exile sold thousands of badges over the years and became known as the “U. S. A. Badge Man.” A 1911 article in The Buffalo Times stated, “The exile has to his credit the distinction of selling more political badges than any other man in America.” Mike recently found an original Theodore Roosevelt campaign badge from 1904 that was for sale in an online auction and he placed the winning bid. Exile and Roosevelt had especially close ties and the badge was manufactured by F.F. Pulver Co. in Rochester. “I was told that since Exile McBride dominated the political badge market the same time as when the Pulver Company existed in Rochester, and since he lived in the same location, that the Roosevelt badge which I purchased was one of his. However, I don’t have any type of authenticated certificate proving this.” There is at least a very strong possibility that the badge was once sold by his great uncle. Mike plans to consult with a political badge specialist to see if he can learn more. The income Exile earned with photography and badges enabled him to publish his pro-Ireland newspapers and travel extensively throughout the country for over 40 years - paying for all his own expenses - as he promoted Irish independence. On his travels, Exile would circulate petitions and gather massive numbers of signatures. On three occasions, Exile sailed to England to meet personally with Prime Minister William Gladstone, delivering petitions signed by tens of thousands of America’s most prominent and powerful citizens pleading with him to remove his tyrannical British rule from Ireland. While searching online, Mike just found
There is a strong possibility that this 1904 Theodore Roosevelt political badge that was made in Rochester is one of the thousands sold by Exile McBride. Provided photos.
Mike McBride displays a copy of the newspaper his great uncle, John Joseph “Exile” McBride, published in 1891. Provided photo. an English history book written in 1898, entitled William Ewart Gladstone Life and Public Service, that contains a brief section discussing Exile’s visit with the Prime Minister. The book has been reprinted and Mike was able to obtain a copy. Exile received a thank you letter from Gladstone, a copy of which is included in the book. When it comes to “Uncle Exile,” Mike says, “The fun never stops!” He is currently working on writing a book about both Exile’s life and his own journey of discovery. Mike asks anyone with information about Exile McBride or any of the McBrides who lived in the Brockport area, to please contact him at rocksham1@ yahoo.com.