"RED ROCK is the name applied to an extended settlement along the creek, in the southwestern part of the town. The locality was formerly known as Pilfershire, but in 1825 a huge rock along the roadside was painted red, and crowned with a wooden column, to commemorate the change of name. In 1860 a marble shaft was placed on the rock by the inhabitants and former citizens of the place, and dedicated with imposing ceremonies. It bears the time of erection, and the date of 1750, as the time of the settlement of the place."
"The place contains several mills and churches, and numbers about one hundred inhabitants. ...
Transcribed from History of Columbia County New York, pg. 325, by Captain Franklin Ellis, 1878
Red Rock Memorabilia
Ancestors on both my Mom's Goodrich side and Dad's Howes side participated in the early settlement of the Red Rock area.
I have some old family photos, papers, and other memorabilia my folks kept over the years, some of it going back almost 200 years, relating to both family's histories in the Red Rock area.
This is a long-term project; you might want to check back now and again for updates.John Howes Coxon
Red Rock Related Memorabilia
Researching my family's histories has turned up some interesting stories about the Red Rock community where they lived and thrived. I've collected some of those stories here.
- Judge Cadman on the Naming of Red Rock
- Woman Suffrage Debate Held in 1849
- The Grocery Oracle
- Red Rock Celebrates its 150th Anniversary
- Red Rock and Mt. Pleasant Tel. Co.
- The Christian Church Centennial Celebration
- The Red Rock Road Problem Solved
- Red Rock School Mentions in Newspapers
Family Related Memorabilia
My ancestors farmed lands "bookending" the Red Rock area: great-grandpa John Howes at Mount Pleasant to the east and great-grandpa Frederick C. Goodrich at Piersonville to the west, on lands that had been in their respective families for generations.
The Home Farm
The Home Farm is the farm where I grew up, at the intersection of Clark Road and Columbia County Rt. 9, in the Town of Chatham, Columbia County NY. This farm was known to previous generations as The Stewart Farm, and later as The Goodrich Place (or Homestead).
- The Stewart Farm
- History Of The Home Farm
- 1 ~ Early History of the Farm
- 2 ~ 1837 - Jesse Goodrich Jr.
- 3 ~ 1837 - William D. & Betsey Stewart
- 4 ~ 1894 - Frederick C. Goodrich
- 5 ~ 1928 - Jesse C. Goodrich
- 6 ~ 1932 - Lucy Lamoree
- 7 ~ 1945 - John E. & Ethel M. Coxon
- Appendices
The Coxon Family
I have almost no history of the Coxon side of my family. Grampa Jim Coxon married Iva Howes, daughter of John Howes, a prominent resident of Mt. Pleasant. John Howes owned the former Barrett farm at the intersection of what is now Columbia Co Rt. 5 and Fog Hill Road, now part of the Beebe Hill State Forest). Dad spent much of his childhood on this farm.
- The Letter
- Uncle George and the Cigar Box Fiddle
- The Coxon Family at Red Rock Memorabilia
The Goodrich Family
Dad married Ethel M. Goodrich, daughter of Frederick L. Goodrich of Piersonville. Mom kept her family photos and genealogical information which has been useful to me in piecing together her side of my family history and the farm where I grew up; long a Goodrich family farm. Some of that I present here.
- A Goodrich Family Outing
- Goodrich Family Gathering with Guests
- Ida Goodrich’s Diary
- Grampa's Rat-rod
- The Poem
- The Goodrich Family at Red Rock Memorabilia
Appendix
Research material...
About
This Red Rock Memorabilia website serves as a place to gather and preserve my thoughts and research, and the associated family photos etc., on my ancestor's lives in the Red Rock area of Columbia County NY. ... more ...
— page revised 2026-09-26 - jhc