Elusive Raymond Hose benefactor tracked down at last

It has been a matter of some consternation over the years that the namesake of Raymond Hose Company, Thomas A. Raymond, was a figure veiled in mystery. That he was an officer of the Fabric Fire Hose Company and facilitated the donation of space and hose to the new fire company was documented- but who exactly this man was and where he went after the factory moved to Connecticut in 1901 was unknown. He was not a local man and there are a lot of people with this name in the U.S. Census. No photos of him were known to exist, either. As often happens, however, while I was looking for something else in the newspapers on microfilm at the Albert Wisner Public Library suddenly the obituary of Mr. Raymond appeared in the Warwick Advertiser for Feb. 1, 1906. He died in Binghamton and had been born in Corning. He was college-educated, served in many positions in the fire protection industry and was president of the New York Fireman’s Association. The article also provided clues to where to find an engraving of his likeness, which appeared in an Elmira newspaper. Luckily this paper had been microfilmed and a copy was provided by the New York State Library. Engravings like this often appeared in newspapers of the time, before reproduction of photographs was feasible. Anyone wishing a copy of the full information on Mr. Raymond can contact me at sgardner@rcls.org or call the library reference desk. Sue Gardner Local History Librarian Town of Warwick Deputy Historian Albert Wisner Public Library