Owner: early 1860s to 1864 

Following the departure of Asa Perry to Michigan, this property was purchased by Jonathan Jenner Elmore. Jonathan and his wife, Mabel E. Smith, were pioneers in western New York when this area was known as the “Genesee country.” Jonathan’s father was a homeopathic physician, one of the first in the nation to practice smallpox vaccination, for which he was personally trained by Dr. Edward Jenner himself. Jonathan’s middle name was a tribute to his father’s famous mentor. 

Jonathan was a successful and highly esteemed farmer and resident, first in Bergen and then in LeRoy, Genesee County, New York. Why purchase this home in Brockport? The answer lies in the home’s abstract, which notes the sale was made in consideration of $1900 and his “love and affection” for the new owner. 

Owner: 1864 to 1868 

Adeline Elmore was the daughter-in-law of Jonathan Elmore and the daughter of William and Sarah Matoon. William was a blacksmith in Bergen, Genesee County, when his daughter married Henry S. Elmore. 

The Elmore’s began married life in Bergen, where Henry established a “commission business,” according to the 1850 Federal Census. Described years later in his obituary as genial, reliable and prompt , he owned, at that time, real estate worth $3,000 and personal property worth $1,000; an impressive achievement for a man still in his twenties.

Henry and Adeline had two children; Eva and Carlos Henry Elmore. Eva married Edward Chapin and moved to Michigan. Carlos worked in partnership with his father and eventually moved to Nebraska, where he established a massive “incubator process” poultry farm. 

While in Brockport, Henry built on his business experience as a grain commission merchant with the formation of the partnership of Harrison, King & Elmore. This business occupied the stone warehouse still standing next to the Park Avenue Bridge. Produce speculation was apparently a lucrative occupation but Henry was remembered for other accomplishments, as well. Newspapers noted his large home, “top shelf” lifestyle and impressively swift horse. He was also described as a great lover of music and a fine singer in the Presbyterian Church choir. Brockport, however, was a mere stepping stone for the ambitious Mr. Elmore. He moved on to Albany and the formation of Elmore & Leonard, with a stated goal to expand the produce business to “eastern markets.” Not that long after the move to Albany, Henry and his son Carlos formed a business partnership and established residency in New York City. Henry had wealth, fame and social success --- but not Adeline. 

It seems that Henry checked into a posh Buffalo hotel with a lovely companion who was definitely not Mrs. Elmore. Adeline promptly sued for divorce. The scandal which ensued was reported in great detail statewide. Henry was publicly cast out of his New York City church as he sat in the sanctuary. Once free of the first Mrs. Elmore, however, Henry and his “lady” immediately traveled to Canada and married. Alas, the second Mrs. Elmore was soon judged insane and sent to a Massachusetts asylum. Upon her return to New York, she committed suicide by drinking poison. A third, very young Mrs. Elmore -- if she was indeed ever legally Mrs. Elmore -- was rejected by her husband and cast out onto the street without a cent. Although Henry was very wealthy, he was also a notorious tightwad. 

With his social standing in New York City likely destroyed by unrelenting public scandal, Henry and his son moved to Kansas and then Nebraska, where they invested in grain elevators and he returned to his first occupation as a grain merchant. He never forgot his Brockport connections, however, and visited his former home for the last time just two years before his death, which was extensively and sympathetically reported in local papers. 

Carlos Elmore accompanied his father’s body to Bergen, where Henry was laid to rest in the family plot. Scandal followed Henry’s remains to Bergen, however. Was his death caused by apoplexy (stroke) or was it a suicide by drug overdose? Carlos, in his grief, was left to denounce the investigation of his father’s death and vehemently deny that Henry had ever used drugs.

And what of Adeline? She lived for a time with her daughter and son-in-law in Michigan but her final resting place is unknown. In contrast to her more memorable former husband, Adeline spent the remainder of her life in quiet anonymity. 

Edgar and Mary Elizabeth Staples Benedict 

Owner(s): 1885 to 1903 

Contrary to the notation on the 1902 village map, it was Louise Groves, not Henry “Grooes” who next purchased this property. Louise Groves’ parentage is unknown. Her husband, Henry, was just a toddler when Merrick and Louisa Fletcher Groves moved to Hamlin from Brimfield, Massachusetts in 1851. 

Henry took up farming with his father, then retired from that occupation to become a “dealer in machines” while residing in Brockport. While here, Henry became a charter member of the Brockport Free & Accepted Masons. He was an election inspector in 1892 and ran for assessor in 1896. The Groves had one son, Herbert Merrick, who became a pharmacist. 

It was noted in contemporary newspaper accounts that this home suffered a second fire during the time the Groves lived here. It can be seen from village maps that the home was enlarged and substantially reconfigured from the addition added during the Benedict ownership. It was around this time, too, that two interconnected barns were erected on the property.