My Great, Great, Great Copake Grandfather, John Pells built in the 1840s

Bob:

Our farm was established sometime in the 1840's. My Great, Great, Great Grandfather, John Pells built the barn and farmhouse of Pelholm Farm. Our family owned from the bottom of Center Hill (County Rt. 7A), coming from Craryville to the other side of the hill to where the Transfer Station is now.

John Pells passed the farm down to his son, Peter Pells. Peter Pells passed it down to his son, Frank Pells, Frank Pells passed it down to his son, Cortez Pells. My Grandfather sold it to my father, Franklin Pells. My Dad, my Mom, Marjorie, my sister, Rhonda Lee, my three brothers, Dave, Dean, and Dale, and I (Renea), worked the farm until we sold it in 1970. My father's brother and his wife owned 66 acres of the farm for many years until the last of the Pells family sold it last year after my uncle died.

The barn was torn down by someone who bought it for the boards to build their home elsewhere. The existing pond was dug by my Grandfather, Cortez, when I was 7 years old. Grandpa filled the pond with large mouth bass. He taught me to fish, and I caught my first bass there! Behind that pond is a smaller swimming pond where every year my Grandparents would host a family reunion.

The little house at the top of Center Hill (coming from Craryville) on the left was built by my parents, Franklin and Marjorie when they married in 1952.