Greetings from Sheldon, New York

A beautiful day near Sheldon, Wyoming County, New York.

 

The second in a series about discoveries made during my trip to western New York and Ontario, where I researched my Becker/Baker, Cassidy, Sheridan, Cailteux, and Schiltz families. 

July 14, 2025

Dear Family, 

The scenery in Wyoming County in western New York reminds me much of my native Northern Ohio, especially inland from the shore of Lake Erie. This part of New York is all rolling hills, thick with trees. On my early morning drive, the bluish haze hung like a curtain in the valleys. Gambrel-roofed barns and tall, silver-topped silos periodically dotted the landscape. Queen Anne's lace, pale blue-purple chicory, purple loosestrife, and white sweetclover hugged the roadside.

I try to imagine what this land must have looked like to our ancestors some 180 years ago—well before modern roads, stop signs, and traffic circles. I note that the crops are planted right up to the edge of the surrounding forest as it might have been back then. I notice that corn is a major crop in this part of Wyoming County. The adage "knee high by the 4th of July" came to mind and by that standard this year's crop is looking good. 

I wonder how long it took each settler to clear enough trees from the land to plant even the smallest plot to support his own family. A local historian told me that in those days a single tree might be so large that four men linking hands could not get their arms around it. Imagine trying to chop down even one such tree. Imagine chopping down the many trees necessary to clear your plot of land. Daunting.

I am surprised by how many signs for maple goods popped up along my route; this is a great place to tap maple syrup as well. My new friend from the Wyoming County Historian's Office told me about how her father used to harvest maple syrup just for fun—while our ancestors did it out of necessity for their sugar needs.

A first lesson I learned on my trip to Wyoming County, the home of my Joseph Becker, Peter Schiltz, and Anne Marie Cailteux families, was to correct my assumptions. Or rather, correct the picture I had created in my mind while researching these families. 

I always pictured Sheldon as being small town with a few buildings and a central square, typical of what I find in Texas. In reality, Sheldon is one of many small towns in the region. It does not have a town center per se, but seems anchored today on its main feature, St. Cecilia Catholic Church. The church is surrounded by rich farmland, no doubt a feature which drew our ancestors to this place all those years ago.

St. Cecilia Catholic Church, built in 1889. It is the third building since the church's founding.

St. Cecilia's first iteration was a wooden church built in 1839 and located down the road a short way from the current church, near to where the St. Cecilia Cemetery South is nestled behind large pine trees. A second, wood frame church preceded the current St. Cecilia Church built of stone in 1889—long after most of my Becker, Schiltz, and Cailteux family members had moved on to St. Catharines, Ontario. Still, it was good to step inside the church where later generations and collateral families in these lines worshiped.

One feature of the church I wanted to see was the table that St. John Neumann reportedly said Mass on during the church's earliest days. Neumann was instrumental in bringing the Catholic church to Sheldon, visiting as a missionary priest. For all its historical connection, the humble table occupies an unassuming back corner of the church; a simple white cloth covers the table and a sculpture of the Last Supper rests there. Could it be that my family received communion from the hand of this saint from this very table?

St. John Neumann table in St. Cecilia Church, Sheldon, New York.

As always, I scanned for family connections as I looked around the church. While I did not find any family names on the stained glass windows or the plaque of the founding families of the church, I did recognize one priest whose photograph was included in the display of St. Cecilia's pastors. Rev. Chrysostom Wagner served the parish between 1862-1865. He had the sad duty to bury my second great-grandfather Peter Joseph Becker's siblings: twins Joannes and Jacob Becker, and their sister Elisabeth Becker, who all died in 1863. 

I also spent time roaming the cemetery behind the church looking for the few burials that occurred before our families moved to Ontario. Though headstones existed there at one time for Joannes, Jacob, and Elisabeth Becker, they are no longer to be found; online images from 2010 showed their headstones lying on the ground and broken. No doubt they have completely disappeared by now, victims of time and weather. I had better luck finding the grave of Lucy Trauscht, a 2nd cousin, 4x removed, who died in 1953. Though her parents, Mathias Trauscht and Mary Schung Trauscht (niece of fourth great-great-grandmother Anne Marie Cailteux) are also buried there, I could not locate their graves on a very sunny, sultry afternoon.

Headstones in this part of the cemetery are mostly illegible. This is the rough area where Mathias and Maria Schung Traust are buried. Maria is a first cousin, 5 times removed.

Headstone of Lucy B. Trauscht, a second cousin, four times removed.

 

Since the other church cemetery was just down the road, I drove there and turned into a lane darkened by towering trees. Emerging into a clearing I could see rows of stones, some old and some more recent. It was a peaceful setting, filled with birdsong and breezes. In my mind I could see families of the deceased coming to spend a quiet moment with their loved ones before returning home to their farms and chores, so many years ago.

Entrance to St. Cecilia Cemetery South.

St. Cecilia Cemetery South.

I also tried to locate the land our Schiltz/Cailteux family farmed. Comparing historical maps which show the farm location to a present-day Google map, the Wyoming County Historian's office staff directed me to a location north of St. Cecilia's a little way. This area, being cleared and farmed for generations, was flatter than the terrain outside of town. Bountiful fields of corn stretched as far as the eye could see.

A bountiful corn crop north of St. Cecilia's Church.

As I left Sheldon behind and drove back to Buffalo, I reflected on the many changes that would astound our ancestors. What would they make of the towering wind turbines that now dot some fields? Or the electric lines that crisscross the landscape? How has the view changed since they plowed these fields or walked to St. Cecilia to attend Mass?

While so much has changed in the decades since they set foot here, the things that last...faith, fields, endless blue sky, and towering trees...evoke a time long past yet still comfortingly present. The memory of my family that remains here will always connect me to this place.

More later,

Nancy

Until next time...

© Nancy Gilbride Casey, 2025. All rights reserved. 

BONUS: More photos of St. Cecilia's and a special cousin!

I had the pleasure of meeting my third cousin, twice removed, Mary Ann Schiltz Metzger during my time in Sheldon. I had become acquainted with her through Wyoming County and Sheldon Historical Society genealogy pages on Facebook. Then we discovered we were DNA cousins as well. She and I both descend from Peter Schiltz and Anne Marie Cailteux; Mary Ann descends from their son Michael, while I descend through their daughter Barbara Schiltz who married into the Becker line. Mary Ann generously shared many notes and photos from her extensive research. We are currently collaborating on finding out what became of another son of the couple, John Schiltz. Mary Ann has lived in the area all her life and it was a treat to meet someone who knew the area history so well. Thanks for sharing your time with me Mary Ann!

I love looking around historical churches and snapping photos of interesting architectural details. Here are some of my favorites from St. Cecilia.

St. John Neumann statue.

Medallions on the ceiling.

View from organ and choir loft.

Baptismal font.

Special thanks to Jeanne Mest of the Sheldon Historical Society for arranging my visit on an off day; Stacey Huber and Kevin Proper of the Wyoming County Historian's Office for all the documents and historical tidbits; Carol Zittel, Sheldon town clerk, for finding two death records I needed; Barb Logel of the Sheldon Historical Society for showing me around St. Cecilia's; and PJ Almeter for digging out books to show me. You made my trip very worthwhile! P.S. Stacey, you're right. Yummie's ice cream was delicious!