There were three Major brothers who emigrated from Ireland in the 1800s. We have little on John Major, who settled in Buffalo, NY, but we do have quite a bit on the descendants of Charles Major and William Major, who settled in Skaneateles, NY. There also are trees for the family of Buster Major's mother, the McLaughlins, who also settled in Skaneateles after arriving from Ireland.

As yet our Smolinski family tree is struggling to take root.

Buster Major, quite an athlete in his youth, is best remembered as mayor of Solvay, NY (1949-61). His wife, Helen Smolinski Major, was his Jiminy Crickett, offering sound advice.

The family's published author is Sister Mary Antonia, a Skaneateles legend who wrote of her adventures as a nun in Belgium during World War I.

Buster's parents were John Major and Rose McLaughlin (left), who left Skaneateles to live in Solvay.

Our Portraits section includes brief looks at several family members. Check out the Portraits index. If you're a member of the family, please send photos and information to help us expand the website.

Our collection of family wedding photos includes 16-year-old Helen Kalinowska marrying Boleslaw Smolinski in Poland in the 1890s (left). Others incllude:

Margaret 'Maggie Major' and Ray Nicholson

Kathleen Nicholson - Bob Mullally

Edward Smolinski and Sally Eldridge

More

My universe was New York's Onondaga County. And the center of that universe was a deadend street called Russet Lane, located in the village of Solvay.

Anticipation of Santa's visit wasn't the only reason I couldn't sleep during The Longest Night of the Year.

You can take a Central New Yorker out of Central New York, but you can't take Central New York out of a Central New Yorker. So it goes wtih Coneys and salt potatoes.

More.

For the Majors and Smolinskis, there was only one vacation destination. Sandy Pond was merely 40 miles north of our hometown, but it could have been a desert island in the middle of the South Pacific. To us it was Paradise found.

Thanks to this website, I've discovered many lucky folks who still enjoy a love affair with this special place known to all of us simply as The Pond.

From our collection of old family photos, here are some of our favorites. Family members are encouraged to send us photos you 'd like to add to this section.

State Fair (1913) Majors man an ice cream stand.

Otisco Follies (1920) Or, "Buster in the Middle."

Rock Pile Nothing said Solvay like a heap of limestone.

Tiger Basketball When two NBA greats dropped by.

Snapshot index

An oddball outfielder (left) with an unforgettable name nearly won the National League batting title as a rookie in 1926. He's one of many colorful members of my Baseball Names Hall of Fame.

A former major league named Ethan Allen, not to be confused with a Revolutionary War hero or a famous furniture company, accomplished much during his very interesting life. But his best-remembered contribution is a board game that turned many of us into fanatics that even Allen considered "kooks." Meet the original spin doctor.