Our Benefactors

Two of our Owego Residents, Minnie B. Wade and her sister, Ida Wade Leonard, who were born at Speedsville, spent their winters for more than twenty years in New York City and their summers in Owego, in their home on the bank of the Susquehanna.  Their brother Louis Wade, was a member of the brokerage firm of James J. Marshall & Company in New York City until his death on March 23, 1931 and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery, Owego.

These three members of the Wade family were children of Benjamin Clifford Wade and Lovicea Foster Gaskill Wade.  Their father was a Captain in the Union Army during nearly four years of the Civil War.

Both Miss Wade and Mrs. Leonard were deeply interested in our Nation’s History and were members of many of the national and New York State Historical Societies.

Prior to the death of Louis Wade, these three persons had agreed that the substantial part of the estate of each would pass to the survivor or survivors and that the last to die should create a trust for the life of Floyd Shryver, upon his death the trust would become the absolute property of some Historical Society of Tioga County as a memorial to the Wade-Gaskill Family.

In the summer of 1940, Miss Wade and Mrs. Leonard attended the annual meeting of the New York State Historical Society in Cooperstown.  Dr. Fox, head of Union College, was then President of the State Historical Society.  Prior to this meeting, they had arranged a conference with Dr. Fox for the purpose of trying to induce the State Society to open a branch in Owego, provided funds were made available for the erection of a museum in Owego.  He did encourage them in leaving funds to our local Society for the erection of a museum.

Mrs. Leonard died on July 19, 1948, Miss Wade died on April 2, 1952.  Both were buried in Evergreen Cemetery.  Floyd Shryver, the life beneficiary under the will of Miss Wade, died in 1955.  Under the will of Miss Wade, her home on Front Street became at once the property of the Tioga County Historical Society, and the Museum at once moved to this location.  Upon final settlement of the estate of Miss Wade, the Tioga County Historical Society received in cash and securities, $486,525.00.

Miss Wade in her will, suggested the erection of a museum to be known as the Wade-Gaskill Memorial, but did not make the carrying out of such desire obligatory.  The directors of this Society decided after careful considerations that the erection of a museum would best carry out the desire of Miss Wade and her brother, Louis Wade, and he sister, Ida Wade Leonard.  This site was purchased in 1958 and in the spring of 1959, building operations were started.  Plans for the museum were prepared by Robert Bickford, of Elmira.

In as much as a large part of the funds received by the Society originally came to Miss Wade from the Estates of her brother and sister, it was deemed proper that they be recognized on the plaque place at the entrance to the building.