The Fonda Blog

Story of Masonic Apron – Found at the Battle of Gettysburg on Culp’s Hill – Harrisburg Lodge Thirty-Six Years Later Discovers Owner and Returns Apron

Gettysburg Compiler, Wednesday, May 5, 1909

Battle of Little Round Top – the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union left flank on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg.

Lost by one Federal soldier in the sudden shifting of an army corps at Chancellorsville, Va.: found two months later by another at Gettysburg, Pa.: presented to Perseverance Lodge of Masons, Harrisburg, and finally after a lapse of almost forty-six years returned to the original owner. That is the history of a Masonic apron belonging to E. L. Fonda, of Averill Park, New York, which has recently come to light.  

The history of the apron unfolds a leaf from the past and brings back again stirring memories of the Civil War. The story of the apron, as far as Perseverance Lodge is concerned, opened at Gettysburg, on July 3, 1863.  It was found lying among the rocks on Culp’s Hill, at the conclusion of the second day’s struggle oy John Kunkle of Harrisburg. Mr. Kunkle presented it to Perseverance Lodge on October 12, 1863.

For some years the apron was hung on the lodge room walls, but finally it was taken down and stored with many other relics in a drawer in a cabinet. In March, 1908, Dr. John M.  J. Raunick, at that time worshipful master of Perseverance Lodge, in rummaging through the cabinet, came across the old apron. He examined it closely and discovered on the back the stenciled name, E. L. Fonda, and also the name of the Massachusetts manufacturer of such emblems.

Hoping to find the original owner, if he yet lived, Dr. Raunick wrote to Boston, asking if a man of that name lived there or whether any record of the sale of the apron had ever been kept. He received a negative answer.  This occurred in March of last year.  His next move was to write to the adjutant general of the war department. There also nothing could be learned.

Two letters were next written to the secretary of the war department.  In answer to the second he received word that a man answering to that name of E. L. Fonda had enlisted on August 11, 1862, in the 14th New York Infantry, which was a part of the Army of the Potomac.

Then Dr. Raunick wrote to the adjutant general of New York and the Grand Lodge of Masons in that State.  They could impart no further information. A third letter to the war department brought an answer referring him to the pension department.

It was at this point that the doctor received the most encouragement.  From the pension department he learned that E. L. Fonda lived in Waterbleit, New York. Four letters Dr. Raunick dispatched to Waterbleit. Not one was returned and no answer was received.  The fifth letter the doctor made very strong and insisted upon a reply.

A short time afterwards, namely, March 17, 1909, a letter was received from Averill Park, N. Y. It was written by Edward L. Fonda himself.  He said that he had received a package of several letters, written by Dr.  Raunick and was now answering the first. He also stated that he intended looking at once into the cause of delay.

The Craftsman believes that a Masonic Apron is the most essential physical representation of a man’s commitment to the Craft.

“I moved from Waterbleit to Aver hill Park a short time ago,” wrote Mr.  Fonda. “I was born in West Troy, now Waterbleit, Albany county, New York, on March 11, 1831. I bought the apron in 1853, after I had joined the Pawtucket Lodge, Lowell, Massachusetts, and remember distinctly wearing it for the first time at Bunker Hill, when the statue was unveiled there to General Joseph Warren.

“I enlisted in the 14th New York Infantry in 1862 and we were assigned to the Army of the Potomac. The apron I had with me, stored in my knapsack. On May 1 our regiment was transferred across the Rappahannock river to join the rest of the army.  This was the opening day of battle of Chancellorsville, and in the hurry of forming I lost my knapsack. I did not miss it until in the midst of the fighting, hours later, and I never expected to recover it.

“I took part in the battle of Gettysburg, where you say it was found. Our regiment was stationed at Little Round Top. My full name is Edward Learned Fonda, and I now reside on a farm a few miles from Averill Park.”

Through this letter and several sub sequent ones Dr. Raunick had no trouble in identifying the owner and finally the matter was placed before Perseverance Lodge. It voted unanimously to present the apron to the original owner. The apron was sent to Mr.  Fonda on April 15, 1909, and two days later a letter of fervent thanks was received from the happy veteran.

“The apron,” he wrote, “is nearly as good as new and I must thank Perseverance Lodge for taking such excel lent care of it.  My wife had pressed it and fixed the frayed ends and we have it hanging in the parlor.

In his letter Mr. Fonda enclosed a photograph of himself and this was hung with a photograph of the apron in Perseverance Lodge room, nicely framed.

It is the hope of Dr. Raunick that even after the lapse of years he can find somebody who can bridge the gap between May 1, 1863 and July 3, 1863.  Was it a Confederate or a Federal soldier who dropped the apron at Gettysburg? Will the answer ever be given?

The apron is of white satin with an area of about 24 inches by 18 inches.  It is embroidered with blue and upon it is painted a square and compass, the symbol of Masonry.

written by admin \\ tags: Albany Co., Civil War, Miltary

Mike Fonda: A life fighting sexual violence

January 28, 2015 by The Hudsonian Student Newspaper – Andrea Currie, News Editor

Mike Fonda, a retired Cohoes Police officer who specialized in sexual assault crimes, now does counseling at Hudson Valley once a week.

“This is a perfect retirement job for a guy like me,” said Mike Fonda, a retired Detective Sergeant from the Cohoes Police Department, who works as a Prevention Educator for the Sexual Assault and Crime Victims Assistance Program (SACVAP) at Samaritan Hospital in Troy.  Fonda’s work takes him all over the Capital Region: he teaches personal safety and self-esteem at K-12 schools; he conducts the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program at seven YMCAs; he offers the MVP program to sports teams at local colleges; he conducts the MVP program with inmates at Rensselaer County Jail; and on Wednesday afternoons from 12 – 4 p.m., he offers in-person counseling at the Hudson Valley Health Services office in room 146 of Fitzgibbons Hall.

When Fonda started working at the Cohoes Police Department, he was assigned the traditional role for incoming officers: juvenile officer. “You deal with everything from stolen bikes to the sex crimes,” he said. When a new person joined the department, Fonda asked to keep the job, and when he was promoted to sergeant, he requested to keep working on sex crimes.  He said that he thought he had the right demeanor for the job. “I had other police officers come up to me and say, ‘you know, you’re relaxed, you’re fun, people feel safe with you, … they trust you. So I just stayed with it.’”

In 2007, Fonda was hired by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services to track down the records of sex offenders who moved in from out of state. There is no central repository for these files, so he had to speak with other police officers, agencies across the country, and, often, call sex offenders and interview them about their convictions.  Fonda said that offenders often lied to him during these interviews. “I let them blame the victim. But in that victim-blaming is the truth,” he said, “I’ve learned to give people enough rope to hang themselves.”

Fonda briefly worked with SACVAP before joining the state and had stayed in contact with them. In early 2011, they told him they had a prevention educator position open. He jumped at the chance.  “Sometimes money isn’t—you know. It’s okay, but I feel like I need to be doing something,” Fonda said. His state job was a good job and paid well. “But you’re basically in an office working with a fax machine, a telephone, and your computer.”  He said the prevention educator position was a perfect fit for him, since he has a master’s degree in Community Psychology, has taken many counseling courses, and with his law enforcement background, can talk about the subject from experience.  “I know there’s a lot of people out there wondering, did I do something wrong? Who’ll believe me? … Well, I would, ’cause I know. I’ve seen that, the cases with the state police and the Cub Scout leaders and the Kiwanis clubs,” said Fonda.

He said that his favorite part of his job is going out into schools and providing information. He said that he focuses on victim-blaming and why people shouldn’t blame themselves for being assaulted. “I’m hoping to see some lights go on with people saying, Okay, so it wasn’t just me,” said Fonda.  Fonda said that the MVP program gives him an opportunity to address men. “These issues, they seem like they’re women’s issues, because you might say, women get raped,” he said, “But it’s men who rape women. And it’s not every guy who rapes a woman.” He says that the MVP program challenges men to speak out and condemn sexual assault. He speaks about men who’ve been sexually assaulted as well and reassures them that they did nothing wrong.

Fonda said that over the time he’s been doing this work, he has observed a change in public attitudes towards sexual assault and rape. “To me, it feels like it’s finally getting the attention it deserves,” he said, “It feels like we’re on a bubble, that all this stuff is about to burst and people are going to know about it, they’re going to understand it, and they’re not going to look at it the same way as … saying, I’m broken, or, it’s the victim’s fault, or … how can you accuse these celebrities of doing that?”  Fonda said that sexual assault is never about sex: “It’s about the power. It’s about having that power to do what they want.”

Fonda said that he is proud of SACVAP. “It’s just phenomenal work. It’s not sexy, it’s not glamorous, people don’t want to talk about it, but every day, we’re there, 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” he said, referring to the agency’s sexual assault hotline.  SACVAP offers in-person services at Samaritan Hospital at 2215 Burdett Ave. in Troy, including short-term counseling; therapy free of charge; and legal advocates for survivors.

The agency also has opportunities for volunteers. Winter 2015 Volunteer Training starts Feb. 3. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old and be willing to sign up for at least three hotline shifts monthly, commit to at least six months with the agency, attend monthly in-service meetings, and complete at least 10 hours of community education.

Interested parties should contact Jamie Seastrand by phone at 518-271-3140 or via email at jamie.seastrand@sphp.com.

written by admin \\ tags: Albany Co., Law Enforcement, Municipal

The gravestone of E. Raymond Fonda at Albany Rural Cemetery, who gave his life in battle during the Civil War, has been restored.
The work was performed by Grave Stone Matters on August 24, 2010. (click on images to enlarge)

The work scope was more extensive than planned because of the discovery of marble side rails in addition to the three-piece headstone and the footstone. Great care and expertise was taken by Joe Ferrannini of GSM, assisted by Civil War Historian Mark Bodnar (credits for photos).  Thanks also to Colonie Historian Kevin Franklin for his interest and coordination efforts.

E. Raymond Fonda Sgt-Maj, Co.H, 115th NY Infantry Regiment

Eldert Raymond Fonda; b. 1837 in Watertown, MA; 1850 & 1860 Census, Edinburgh, Saratoga Co., NY; 1860 Census, Vergennes, Addison, VT; d. 7/22/1864 in New York City from wounds sustained in battle; bur. John Fonda Lot, Albany Rural Cemetery, Menands, Albany Co., NY; DAR Library, GRC National Index: Fonda, E Raymond, State IL, Series/Vol s1 v10, Page 175

Civil War Service: 1). E Raymond Fonda; Vergennes, Vermont; enlisted as a Private on 02-May-1861; enlisted in Co.G, 1st Infantry Regiment Vermont on 09-May-1861; mustered out Co.G, 1st Infantry Regiment Vermont on 15-Aug-1861 in Bradtleboro, VT; 2). E Raymond Fonda; enlisted as a Private on 21-Jul-1862 at the age of 24; enlisted in Co.H, 115th Infantry Regiment New York on 01-Aug-1862; POW on 15-Sep-1862 at Harper’s Ferry, VA; paroled on 16-Sep-1862 at Harper’s Ferry, VA; promoted to Full Sergeant MAJ on 16-Oct-1862; wounded on 07-May-1864 at Chester Station, VA; died of wounds Co.H, 115th Infantry Regiment New York on 22-Jul-1864 in New York, NY

Battle of Chesterfield Heights, Virginia - May 1864

Sgt.-Maj. Civil War; mortally wounded at Chesterfield Heights, VA on May 7th, 1864; born in Watertown, Mass., but resided in Cohoes, Albany county, when he enlisted in Co. H. He was a mechanic by trade, and twenty-four years of age. Besides the hard service seen in the 115th NY Infantry, he served his country three months in the 1st VT Infantry, early in the war. His father had been in the employ of the government for nearly forty years; a younger brother held the position of sergeant in the regular army, and Raymond himself had been familiar with military operations from his youth up, so that he was a finished and well drilled soldier. Possessed of a brave and resolute will, he was a good soldier. Blest with a kind and loving heart, he won many friends. Pleasant and amiable to both officers and men, he was highly respected. His military career was without a single blot, and he died a true patriot and esteemed by all who knew him.

The battle of Chesterfield Heights, Va., was his last battle with the rebels. The regiment was lying behind a bank of earth, firing at the rebels, and Raymond refused to lie down with the rest, but kept walking along the lines while the bloody conflict was progressing, making his person a mark for the enemy’s bullets. Suddenly he sang out to the commanding officer, “Major, we are flanked right and left!” And sure enough we were flanked, and many brave men shed their blood before we cut our way out. Among the first to fall was E. Raymond Fonda, and two frightful wounds sent out streams of blood. The soldiers carried his bleeding form from the field, and in due time he reached the city of NY. After many weeks of suffering he died in the arms of his friends.

...was treated in a field hospital until the 10th, when he was admitted into Hampton Hospital, Fort Monroe; thence transferred to New York, and admitted to Ladies' Home Hospital on the 23d of May.

I did some more searching and found this (rather gruesome) account of Sgt-Major Fonda’s hospital treatment:
http://www.braceface.com/medical/Medical_Authors_Faculty/Mott_Alexander_B.htm
CASE 973 –Sergeant-Major E. Raymond Fonda, 45th New York, aged 28 years, was wounded at Drury’s Bluff. May 7, 1864, by a minié ball, which entered one inch to the right of the coccyx, passed upward and out to within half an inch of the surface, just above the trochanter major of the right side. The ball was cut down upon and removed on the same day; it did not injure the bone. The wounded man was treated in a field hospital until the 10th, when he was admitted into Hampton Hospital, Fort Monroe; thence transferred to New York, and admitted to Ladies’ Home Hospital on the 23d of May. Surgeon A. B. Mott, U. S. V., reported: “When admitted, the patient was very much emaciated; the wound healed unhealthy and inflamed, the discharges thin and offensive, and there was a disposition to slough. The sloughing increased on the 26th; the discharge was sanious and thin, the patient weak and restless. On the 28th, the wounds were still unhealthy in condition and showing evidence of gangrene. June 1st: The discharge was slightly increased and the wound painful. Five ounces of sherry wine daily, with extra diet. was ordered. On the 8th, the wounds were still painful, and the discharge continued to look unhealthy. Hemorrhage occurred on the 13th, coming probably from the sciatic artery; persulphate of iron was applied and the wound plugged. On the 14th. there was a very profuse hemorrhage, which was arrested by persulphate of iron with pressure. Hemorrhage recurred on the 15th, and was checked by the application of Lambert’s tourniquet with compresses. The patient was much reduced in strength; pulse 130. Beef-tea and five ounces of sherry wine were given and frequently repeated during the day. There was no hemorrhage the next day; beef-tea and wine continued. The patient was much better on the 17th; his pulse 160. After consultation, it was decided that the only chance for the patient’s recovery would be to ligate the right internal iliac artery. He was put under the influence of a mixture of chloroform and ether, and the operation was performed by Surgeon A. B. Mott, U. S. V.

... and the brave young soldier who saved the regiment was E. Raymond Fonda...

And more on the battle where he was wounded:
http://dmna.state.ny.us/historic/reghist/civil/infantry/115thInf/115thInfCWN.htm
Sergeant-Major E. Raymond Fonda, of Cohoes, who, during the fight, bravely and almost recklessly exposed himself to the storm of bullets, but escaped unhurt, until we were falling back, after the accomplishment of our object, when he was struck in the leg and arm. Our flag-staff was cut in two, the same ball glancing and severely wounding the bearer, Serg’t Keck.
E. RAYMOND FONDA, Sergeant-Major of the 115th regiment, died at the Ladies Home U. S. Hospital, in New York, July 22d, of wounds received in one of the actions near Petersburg. The 115th regiment has returned from Florida, and was at Gloucester Point, opposite Yorktown, on the York river, at last advices. Other troops came on at the same time.

History of Cohoes:
http://www.archive.org/stream/historyofcohoesn00mast/historyofcohoesn00mast_djvu.txt
July 22, Sergeant Major E. Raymond Fonda, aged 27. Was a member of the 115th Reg’t N. Y. Vols. He was severely wounded May 7th, in one of the battles near Petersburg, Va., from the effects of which he died in the Lady’s Home Hospital, New York.

History of Saratoga County:
http://saratoganygenweb.com/Sylvester/chap36.html
E. Raymond Fonda, enl. July 21, 1862, 115th Regt., Co. H; pro. to sergt.-major; mortally wounded at Chesterfield Heights, Va., May 7, 1864; died in hospital, New York city.

True Stories of the War For the Union – Personal Experiences and Observations of Union Soldiers in the Several Campaigns:
http://libsysdigi.library.uiuc.edu/oca/Books2008-05/truestoriesofwar00gris/truestoriesofwar00gris_djvu.txt
All at once the men in gray started down the hill ; then the men in blue gave a wild cheer and charged down the other hillside, reaching the railroad trick first, when they instantly dropped behind an embankment and poured a withering fire into the hosts in gray, stopping their advance. In the mist he dimly saw a fight which chilled his blood – a large body of men in gray stealing around the flank of a regiment in blue, which seemed to be his own brothers, and he felt that they were lost, when suddenly a, fine-looking young soldier from the midst of the regiment in blue rose up from the ground, and at a glance saw their peril, and in the face of a thousand bullets, gave the alarm: the men in blue cut their way through the hosts of gray and escaped, but many scores had fallen in the conflict, among the number being the fine-looking young soldier, who had saved his brothers. This proved to be a description of the battle of Chesterfield Heights and of our regiment, and the brave young soldier who saved the regiment was E. Raymond Fonda, of our company.

written by admin \\ tags: Albany Co., Cemeteries, Civil War, Gravestones, Miltary

There are numerous ties between the Fonda and Lansing families… having followed very similar paths from Holland to Albany and beyond.   There is a new book published about the Lansing family entitled, “The Lansing Family Journey” which “begins with Henry Hudson’s journey to New Netherland and tracks the Dutch Lansing family as it spread out from Albany, New York. There are over 6,000 individuals referenced and 1,000 families tracked. It is a five-volume set of books including an index for easy searching.” The book was written by Bill Lansing and can be obtained from www.xlibris.com/bookstore. According to my records, there are no less than 18 marriages between Fonda’s and Lansing’s between 1700 and today (listed below).  Many of these marriages are documented in the “The Dutch Settlers Society of Albany Yearbook: The Fonda Family“, McConville, Howard A.; Albany, NY; 48:17-20 (1981), 49:28-36 (1984) which can be downloaded here.  Several of these individuals are also buried in the recently restored Fonda-Lansing Cemetery located on Rt. 9 in Colonie, which has been highlighted previously on this blog.

Most of these weddings were done in the Dutch Reformed Churches in Albany County.

Dutch First Reformed Church of Albany

written by admin \\ tags: Albany Co., Allied Families, Marriages

New sign to be installed in the spring:

Colonie Historic Resource Marker constructed by the Catskill Casting Company of N.Y.

Update after restoration completed:

Fonda Cemetery after restoration - Graves from 1814 to 1863

Franklin, Kevin wrote: (Oct 25, 2009)
Latham Scout Troop 279 has finished (with exception of seeding) the restoration of the Fonda-Lansing Cemetery on Rt. 9 in Colonie.  This was an extensive project taking up every weekend with the exception of one beginning in the last week of August and finishing up on October 18th.   The information I received is that this cemetery was originally located a short distance north of this spot in what is now the curb lane of Rt. 9 north across from Crescent Terrace Road.  When the State of New York widened Rt. 9 back in the 1930’s (probably as a W.P.A. project) the cemetery was moved to its present location and was originally surrounded by triangular shaped concrete posts reinforced with steel rod, commonly seen along the nation’s highways prior to 1950 when they were gradually replaced with wire, and later steel guiderails.
At some point in time during the early 1980’s a wooden ranch type fence replaced the deteriorated concrete posts.  This old wooden fence, along with several unwanted trees and brush were removed and a high spot consisting of plowed stones and dirt from snow removal of an adjacent property was cut down by the State D.O.T.   Some of the largest and oldest gravestones from this site were found to be broken into three pieces when excavated from the ground with the total gravestone measuring in excess of six feet long.  These were repaired to the best of our ability and re-set into their original positions as found.

Fonda Cemetery in Colonie - Rt. 9 at Crescent Terrace Rd

We located pieces of two gravestones broken into many pieces with still many more missing (possibly from the first cemetery move of the 1930’s) and we were not able to put these together.
The new fence is constructed of pressure treated lumber and stained white.   A large piece of blue stone found on the property was used as a threshold at the entrance to the cemetery itself.  I am in the process of ordering a historic marker sign for this site.  The Town of Colonie Historical Society, and Colonie Youth Court will do what we can with our limited finances and time to keep this site presentable.  I appreciate your interest and placing the photos on the Fonda family blog site.  I’ll send you additional photos in another e-mail minus text.
Kindest Regards, Kevin Franklin – Historian, Town of Colonie

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Kevin, Thanks very much for the update.  From the latest photos and from what I saw a couple months ago, the cemetery restoration looks wonderful.  The Latham Scout Troup is to be commended for a great job on this restoration project.  I also appreciate your personal involvement in organizing and communicating on the project execution.
On behalf of the extended Fonda Family, the effort is truly appreciated and I’m sure the souls of those interred at the site are eternally grateful.  I also commend The Town of Colonie Historical Society and Colonie Youth Court for organizing an on-going upkeep effort.  The historical marker will be a nice finishing touch.
I will also keep track of the site from my standpoint as the Fonda Family historian and genealogist.  I’ll update the posting on the Fonda Blog which will include the latest photos and these notes.
Let me know if any further information comes to light regarding the inscriptions.  You mentioned some of the stones were broken into too many pieces to be repaired… I assume these were placed within the graveyard somewhere?  Best Regards, Mark

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Mark: Yes, the broken stones will not be discarded, but placed in a corner of the cemetery.  Thanks for putting the photos and info on the Fonda Family Blog.  I intend to do a newsletter in the near future covering the Fonda family history here in Colonie and the restoration of the cemetery site.  Please look me up the next time you visit from the west coast.
Thanks, Kevin Franklin Cc: Paula Mahan, Supervisor, Town Board, Bebe Morehead, President Colonie Historical Soceity, Violet Colydas, Colonie Youth Court, Brian Burkhard, Latham Scout Troop 279

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Kevin – I was back east last month and actually had a chance to stop by this cemetery.  There was much work still to be done, but I was pleased with the progress.  Maybe by now, work is nearly complete?
In the meantime, I have tried to assemble a list of the gravestones and match them to the genealogy information I have.  I put up a listing on Find-A-Grave.com for the cemetery here.  I show 11 interments, although I know there are a few more which haven’t yet been identified.  I attached the headstone and footstone images which appear to match to each memorial listing… you may want to cross-check with your records.
This is a list of the names and links, matched up to the numbering provided on the listing by R. Arthur Johnson:

The VSV initials are probably for Van Santvoord, whom several of the Fonda’s married in the later generations.  More research is needed to sort out who CEB and IFVSV are.  I will look into my sources as time permits.

Mark

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Early stages of restoration project by the Historical Society of Colonie.  Cemetery Plot in outskirts of Colonie (near Albany). View Map

[Show as slideshow]

Dear Mark: Thanks for the information. The Fonda family spirits must be watching us, or prompted you to contact me. I will be restoring the old Fonda Family Cemetery located here in Colonie on Rt. 9 beginning in early August. This cemetery site was documented back in 1977 by the late R. Arthur Johnson, whose photos of some of the oldest gravestones in this cemetery I’ve attached here for you. They were probably made and crudely chiseled using local stones. The site was cleared of brush and restored by local boy scouts many years ago, but it’s in need of another refurbishment.
Do you live near the Colonie area? Have you seen this cemetery site? I would be happy to send you other information that Mr. Johnson gathered about early Fonda life here in Colonie. I have several other photos of the site taken in the 1970’s plus research from Johnson you could post on your web page. Currently; the site has an old split rail fence that kids from Colonie Youth Court (Nationally recognized program, see link) paint and they pull weeds, etc. from the site. But the fence is all rotted and in need of replacement and the area has become overgrown and the stones tilted and some broken.
It is my goal to repair gravestones, replace the fence, do landscaping, including removal of unwanted trees & brush, and to place a historic marker sign at this site which is highly visible along Rt. 9. This will be a collaborative effort between State D.O.T., a local neighbor, the Historical Society of Colonie, this office, and the Latham Boy Scout troop as an Eagle Scout project for one of their Scouts. It will look nice when finished.
Would you be interested in making some kind of a small donation toward restoration of this cemetery? Every dollar would help. If you can’t, that’s understandable too.
Kevin Franklin, Historian – Town of Colonie, N.Y. – 518-782-2593

written by admin \\ tags: Albany Co., Cemeteries, Fonda Family, Landmarks