343. BRADFORD9 ALMY (Bradford Lakisley8, Bradford7, John6, Samuel5, Job4, William3, Christopher2, William1) b. Enfield, NY, 10 Feb 1845; d. Enfield, 4 Jul 1910.
He m. 20 July 1876, FRANCES E. VANT, dau of John and Mary (Reynolds) Vant of Ithaca, NY. John Vant came to America from England when six years old and during most of his life conducted mercantile business in Albany, NY. His wife, Mary Reynolds, was from Burlington, VT.
Child, b. Ithaca, NY:
| i | MABLE CLARA10, b. 20 Jul 1877; d. Ithaca, 26 Jun 1965; m. ELIAS R. B. WILLIS. |
Bradford Almy was educated primarily in the common schools and at the Ithaca Academy. After leaving school he taught for a short time in Ithaca village and later was the principal at the largest school in Auburn, NY. While there he studied under private tutors at the Theological Seminary in Auburn, obtaining nearly the equivalent of a college education. He began the study of law while in Auburn and was admitted to the bar in Elmira, NY, on 10 May 1872. The next year he began his law practice in Ithaca. He continued to practice law until he was elected in November 1891 to the office of Judge and Surrogate of Tomkins County. He served a total of twelve years.
In 1907, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, accepted a gift of fifteen acres for the development of natural preserves on the shore of Cayuga Lake from George Baker, Bradford Almy, and Henry St. John. The site included part of the area now known as Stewart Park.
Judge Almy's death was due to an accidental drowning while fishing in Enfield Creek about five and a half miles from Ithaca. He apparently slipped from a ledge while crossing the stream below a small dam. He apparently fell against sharp rocks in the water and was knocked unconscious. He had left his horse at a nearby farm and had said he would return for his horse at six pm. After he failed to return as scheduled, a search party was formed to look for him. His body was found in the stream about midnight that night.
REFERENCES: FAMILY RECORDS