Born: August 21, 1858, in Franklin county, a son of James Ling (born in England ~ 1835 and Caroline Nye
Died: April 9, 1938, buried in Brookside Cemetery, Bloomingdale
Married: Flora Green ( February 23, 1859 - February 10, 1943) in 1880
Children: Arthur Ling, Elmer Ling, Sadie M. Ling (1887 - 1942) Mandy M. Ling (b. ~ 1892) and Roosevelt B. Ling (Aug. 29, 1901 - June 16, 1923
Chiefly known for:
Plattsburgh Daily Republican, March 3, 1930
BLOOMINGDALE COUPLE FETED ON 50TH YEAR
Mr. and Mrs. Ling's Golden Anniversary
OLD TIMES RECALLED
More Than 50 Guests Help People to Celebrate Event
BLOOMINGDALE, March. 2. — Tuesday night marked the 50th year of wedded life for Mr. and Mrs. Baron Ling here, a hale and hearty couple of 71 years to whom the marriage vows made half century age still carry their significance.
Divorce, companionate marriage and similar views of matrimony are just silly ideas to them, and their golden wedding anniversary just as happy a day as the day of their wedding in 1880. It was on February 31 of that year that Baron Ling and Flora Green became man and wife, two days after Miss Green passed her 21st birthday.
Old Days Recalled
The celebration of the golden anniversary at the Ling home on Tuesday night was somewhat reminiscent of the wedding party that must have followed the marriage ceremony 50 years ago. Many friends and relatives gathered there to shower the couple with gifts and tokens of their esteem and good wishes.
Although the many guests drove into the yard of the Ling home in high powered automobiles instead of the horse drawn buggies that brought the guests on the wedding day, the settings within the house are of the old days.
Photographs of Mr. and Mrs. Ling's relatives garbed in the country dress of half a century ago looked down from the walls. The old family album, bound in heavy red plush, lay on the table beside the family Bible, and a handsome oil lamp with painted floral designs gave forth its cheery, old homelike illumination.
House Organ Used
There were no station announcements of radio announcers between songs and music. It was an old fashioned house organ that Baron Ling bought for his bride shortly after the wedding, that furnished the music, and it was the daughter of Baron and Mrs. Ling, Miss Sadie Ling, who played the old songs familiar to country folks.
The other sons and daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Baron Ling were present along with many other relatives and friends. There were Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Ling, Franklin Falls; Elmer, Keeseville, and Mandy, Lake Placid. Mrs. Abbie Fortune, sister of Mrs. Baron Ling, and many others familiar to the older residents of Bloomingdale, Saranac Lake and the surrounding country.
Brings Up Past
There were reminiscences of the time when Mr. and Mrs. Ling were married, when Bloomingdale was the hub of the Adirondacks, and the old stage coaches drawn by six horses carried visitors to and from the town.
Bloomingdale is one town that remains much the same as it was 50 years ago, although there have been a number of changes since Charles J. Stickney, now of Saranac Lake, was clerk in the old general store at Bloomingdale, owned by Isaac Chelsey. Charles Stickney, as he is familiarly called, swept out the store and opened it up for business before 7 o'clock in the morning. He sold everything from patent medicines to hardware, and all for the salary of $150 a year.
Early Rough Roads
There was no such thing as an eight-hour working day at that time. It was seldom earlier than 10 o'clock at night when the last farmer reluctantly started his way homeward after electing presidents, fighting the civil war over again, and comparing those modern times with the good old days. Some of the old timers could even recall the time, less than 50 years before, when a man could go over to Hopkinton and buy a gallon of good whiskey for 45 cents.
Men came from Loon Lake, Raquette Lake, Tupper Lake and all of the surrounding country to reside[?] in Bloomingdale in those days, and they came either by stage or in their own carriage over rough roads. The plank road from Ausable Forks to Franklin Forks was the best road in this part of the state.
The blacksmith shop at Bloomingdale was one of the busiest places in town. Charles Towne was the smithy, and it was many years before the garage slowed up his trade.
Bloomingdale Stays Same.
Saranac Lake, now the metropolis of the Adirondacks, had not begun its remarkable growth at that time, and Bloomingdale was a thriving town and the old St. Armand hotel and the Crystal Springs hotel, both of which later burned, were well known hostelries along the stage coach line.
Mr. and Mrs. Ling have seen all the old glory of Bloomingdale pass, but like the town itself they are still much the same as on their wedding day.
There were more than 50 guests present some of whom recalled the old order of Bloomingdale, and most of the others were sons and daughters of native, of the surrounding country who remember the last days of Bloomingdale's fame, or who had heard of it from their fathers and mothers. Even in the number of guests, the celebration of the Ling's anniversary was reminiscent of the marriage party.
Others present were Mrs. William Fortune, Mr. Patterson, Mr. and. Mrs. Nathaniel Dodge, Mrs. D. Dodge, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Towne, Mrs. Carrie Allen, Mr. and Mrs. Willis Currier, Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Ling, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Ling, Mr. and Mrs. James Thompson, Herman Nye, Rev. Lloyd Olsen, pastor of the Methodist church.
Mr. and Mrs. Eli Arnold, Mr. and Mrs. James Fortune, Mrs. Roy Lobdell, Ralph and Abbott Lobdell, Gordon and Donald La Hart, Mrs. Matthew Ling, Mrs. Mae Brown, Mrs. James Pmber [sic], Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Norman, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Smith, Andrew Fortune, Mrs. Joseph Queoir, Virginia Ling, Mr. and Mrs. James Brown, Miss Blanche Brown, Mr. and Mrs. Fred La Hart, Mr. and Mrs. Leon Knapp, Olga Knapp and Mr. and Mrs. William Knapp.
On page 745 in the St. Armand section of biographies of History of Essex County appears the following:
"Ling, Baron D., p. o. Franklin Falls, was born in Franklin county in 1859; is a farmer. Was married to Flora Green in 1880. They have two children: Arthur and Elmer Ling.
Comments
2011-09-27 13:14:10 Baron Ling appears to be Andrew Fortune, Sr.'s great-uncle, not his grandfather. —MaryHotaling
2012-04-19 15:23:51 A. Fortune Jr. b1862 married Abigail Ling b1870 (To James Ling and Caroline (Nye) Ling). They had a daughter Carrie M. Fortune b1889 added by William Ling —97.103.227.134
2012-04-19 15:29:10 Abigail (Ling) Fortune was Baron Ling's sister, not sister-in-law. -William Ling —97.103.227.134
