Rollin Keith De Larm

Rollin Keith De Larm's Family

Compiled by Bruce De Larm
Date Last Updated: 12/22/2016

Rollin Keith De Larm March 5, 1899 - September 28, 1991 (Obit.) (William Wilder De Larm + Hannah Jenkins)
Ethel Sophia Fitzgerald April 22, 1897 - April 22, 1985 (Obit.) (James Henry Fitzgerald + Lilly M Fish)

Rollin first went to work with his brother Kenny at Gear Shaper in Springfield, VT. He grew tired of indoor work and went back to Hague, NY where he bought the dairy farm from his father, William, in 1921.

The De Larm farm in Hague, NY (Circa April 27,1957)
Shortly after assuming responsibility for the dairy business, Rollin resumed the family tradition of making maple syrup. He wrote this article about the annual spring-time process: Maple Syrup.
At age 17, Rollin was shot while hunting according to a 1916 newspaper article in the collection of family papers held by James B De Larm. The article does not discuss all of the details:
Rollin was bent over checking one of his traps and was struck by a shot that deflected off his hatchet case. Almost immediately another shot went through his shoulder just missing the collar bone, major organs, and any major arteries (a splinter of the collar bone did come out years later). The second shot appeared to be an armor piercing bullet, as it went completely through his shoulder without making a huge exit wound and the bullet came out lower on his back than where it went in (from being bent over). Rollin stuck his finger in the front hole to slow the bleeding, he then walked from where he was shot (in the area of the "Big Notch") up the the store at Graphite where a doctor was called. They transported him to the family farm where the doctor had gone to upon receiving the call. The doctor ran a big needle with a rag soaked in alcohol through the wound several times, without an anesthetic. About a month later Rollin was working in the fields and the wound "opened and drained", another month later the wound was completely healed.
Farm life was always difficult and often dangerous. Rollin had this to say about about another bush with death:   "I died 25 years ago".
Rollin and Ethel were married February 16, 1921 in Hague (Warren County, NY). They had 2 sons:

William Keith De Larm         June 19, 1922 - January 1979
       Nancy Jean Perry               December 30, 1929 - November 25, 2013 (Francis Perry, Jr. + Georgia Burdett (Daley))
Following a Fitzgerald family tradition, William always went by the name Keith. He bought the family's dairy farm from his father and operated "DeLarm's Dairy" from the farm before moving the dairy processing to the village of Hague.

He converted some of the 500 acre farm to a campground surrounding the pond that became known as Wintergreen Lake. The campground was always filled with hundreds of families during the peak of the camping season from the mid 1970's to the mid 1980's. His father, Rollin K. De Larm, made most of the picnic tables from pine trees cut and de-barked in the area.
Keith was town supervisor for several decades and he was well respected by the folks in the area. This article from the Plattsburg Press-Republican says it all: Hague says thanks to DeLarm with a 'day'.

Keith and Nancy were married on October 16, 1948 at the St. Mary's Rectory in Springfield, VT.
Keith and Nancy had 4 children.

James De Larm                         December 7, 1931, December 3, 2016 (Obit)
       Patricia Ann Waite            April 13, 1936 - February 5, 2011 (Obit.)     (Derward Franklin Waite + Bessie Elizabeth Leach)

Pat and Jim De Larm

James and Patricia were married on Oct. 4, 1953 at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament in Hague, NY. Pat was born at the De Larm farm and spent several weeks each summer at the farm (Jim and Pat's mothers were best friends who grew up together in the Village of Hague). Later in life Pat shared with Jim she had a premonition, at about the age of 10 or 11, that she would get married in the Church of the Blessed Sacrament and come to Hague to live. The premonition was not clear who her partner would be, but she knew she would be "walking up the aisle of that church". A few photos from their wedding day:

Pat and Jim have many fond memories of life on the farm:
Pat was very comfortable prowling the corn fields near the "back gate" location on the De Larm Farm:

After their marriage, Jim taught Pat how to shoot a rifle. Pat became a very good shooter and would raise money for "Friday night's outings" by shooting hedgehogs and turning in their tails for a bounty.

James obtained a US Patent on a wood burning furnace that he invented. The stove was inspected by Arthur Morrasy who held federal credentials. The 11 page patent includes 12 claims and 6 Drawing Figures. James drafted all of the figures (including cut-away sections) submitted to the US Patent Office.

Patent Number: 4,516,563

Pat and Jim enjoyed traveling. Here is a photo from The Latin Quarter (NYC):

Jim began working for the International Paper Company in 1956. After his retirement, he and Pat enjoyed taking cruises. Here is a photo taken on the Horizon (Celebrity Cruises):

James and Patricia had 4 children.