Historic Cherry Hill

In 1872, sole title to Cherry Hill passed to Solomon's eleventh daughter, Harriet Maria (1815-1891) and her husband, Dr. Peter Edmund Elmendorf (1815-1881). They were married in 1838 and settled in at Cherry Hill. Dr. Elmendorf was a practicing physician and had his office at Cherry Hill. He was also an apothecary and druggist in Albany from 1844 to 1847.

The Elmendorfs had two children: a son Jacob, who died in infancy and a daughter, Harriet or "Hattie" (1844-1921). They were also legal guardians for Catherine Bogart Putnam or "Kittie" (1857-1948). She came to live at Cherry Hill in 1860, after the death of her mother, Harriet Maria Putnam. She was apparently estranged from her father, Dr. Alonzo Putnam. The Elmendorfs treated "Kittie" as a daughter.

Other family relatives also lived at Cherry Hill during the period from 1855-1884. This included Harriet's sisters, Adeline (1797-1858) and Margaretta (1816-1880). Both resided there until their deaths. Another sister, Catherine Bonney, widow of Samuel Bonney, stayed at Cherry Hill with her adopted daughter, Emma (1860-1938) during 1871 and 1872. Although they moved to Chestnut Street the following year, they remained in close contact with the family at Cherry Hill.

Also at Cherry Hill, between 1855 and 1884, were a variety of hired men, female domestics and nursemaids, both live-in and day workers. Family correspondence and Hatti's diaries (1879-1882) reveal that an unusually close relationship existed between the family and several of these servants. Minnie Knapp, was a black servant and cook, who came to Cherry Hill as a child in 1855 and remained there until 1884. Her brother, James Knapp lived at Cherry Hill in 1881, while he worked in Albany. Mary Bird, a white servant girl at Cherry Hill in the 1870's and early 1880's ran errands, did marketing, as well as some laundry and cleaning chores.

Harriet married John W. Gould in 1878. He was a lineal descendant of such notables as, Philip Livingston, Rev. Eilardus Westerlo, and Judge John Woodworth. This brought a number of documents of these people into the possession of the Cherry Hill Papers. John and Harriet had one child, who lived beyond infancy, Edmund Westerlo Gould. The Goulds resided at Cherry Hill while John completed his studies toward a medical degree at Albany Medical College. After Dr. Elmendor's death in 1881, he took over his father-in-law's medical office at Cherry Hill.

After a six-year courtship, Kittie Putnam married Edward W. Rankin, an Albany lawyer, on June 3, 1884. The wedding took place at Cherry Hill. At that time, Mrs. Elmendorf was experiencing financial difficulties. The frightening possibility that Cherry Hill would be lost through mortgage foreclosures, nearly became a reality. The Goulds moved to New Jersey during the Spring of 1884, with Minnie Knapp accompanying them. Mrs. Elmendorf went to live with them in the Fall of 1884. The Rankins remained at Cherry Hill and were successful in saving the house and land from being sold.