LEROYPENNYSAVER&NEWS -APRIL 17, 2016
FamilyFiles andPhotographs
byLynneBelluscio
Aweek ago I received a phone
call from a woman in Toronto.
She had come across a bag of
papers and photographs in an
antique shop in Toronto. As she
went through the papers, she
discovered that the family was
originally from LeRoy, so she
called tosee ifwewere interested.
Iguessshe foundourphonenum-
beron theInternet. I toldher toput
thepapersandphotos in themail,
and thatwewouldbeglad topay
the postage. Today the package
arrived and I have to commend
her for taking the time and effort
tofindahome for thesehistorical
records.Most peoplewouldhave
just thrown them away. No one
knows how the stuff came to the
antique shop in Toronto, but we
are certainlyglad tohave it.
Fromwhat I can figure out, it
is connected to Jerome (Romey)
E. Lachnicht who died in New
Jersey in2015.Hiswife, Pat died
a fewmonths later. Romeygrad-
uated from LeRoy High School
in1954andwasaquarterback for
the football team.He alsoplayed
baseball. Thereareseveralnews-
paper clippings about his high
schoolsportscareeraswellasone
of his rivals from Batavia, Don
Bosseler, who was considered
the “greatest football player this
area has ever produced.” Romey
continuedhis interest insportsand
wasabaseballumpire insouthern
New Jersey. Romey attended
SaintJoseph’sCollege inIndiana.
Included in thepapers isacopyof
“TheCyclicalFluctuationsof the
AmericanEconomy1948–1958”
whichRomeywrote inhis senior
year. There are also his grade
reports and a letter from theUni-
versityofMichiganofferinghim
apositionasaGraduateAssistant.
The envelope of family papers
also included themarriagecertif-
icateofRomey’sparents, Jerome
(Jerry)A.LachnichtandVeronica
MooneywhoweremarriedMay
27, 1930 at Saint Peter’sChurch.
Also in the papers are the 1907
birth certificate and certificate
of baptism for VeronicaMooney
and a copy of the 1966 Red and
Black Reunion program from
her 1926graduation fromLeRoy
Central School. There are many
photographs. Most are not iden-
tified. And I found it interesting
that there is a short note written
in 2002, fromRoxy Ferrara that
must have accompanied one of
the newspaper clippings: “Hi
Romey –Saw this in theBatavia
Dailyand thought itwould(bring)
backmemories.Hopeyou are all
fine.Hi toPat. –Roxy.”
So the question is - what hap-
pens to this collection of family
papers. First, copiesof thenews-
paper clippings will be made on
acid freecopypaper. The family
clippings will be placed in the
clipping files under Lachnicht
and Mooney. The sports relat-
ed copies will be placed in the
sports history files. The original
papers will be sorted and placed
inacid-free folders.An inventory
will bemade andplacedwith the
papers and clippings and placed
with the papers, and then they
will be placed in an archival box
in the archives on the second
floor of the Academic Building.
The photographswill be put in a
separatefileandeachphotograph
–even if itcan’tbe identified,will
be marked “Lachnicht family”
and placed in an acid-free file
folder in the family photograph
filesunder “L.” TheMooneyfile
willsay“SeeLachnicht”.Anyone
who isdoinggenealogyor sports
historywillbeable toaccess these
records. Luckily, the recordsand
photographs were saved and the
woman in Toronto took the time
to contact us and tomail thefiles
to theHistorical Society.
Sometimes we receive family
files and photographs that have
been organized and sorted and
all ready to put in the files, like
the recent notebook of Tutchell
- Root Families
-
familymateri-
als, that have been complied by
Dorothy Rooney. The notebook
is trulywonderful. But thenwe
receive “orphaned” files like the
Lachnicht files. Either way - -
theywill haveahomehereat the
Historical Society.
Jerry (Jerome)Lachnicht -Romey’s father.
“Jerry& Jerome - June 9, 1936. Jerome 5mos old”.
RomeyLachnicht
