Frank C. Larock

Frank Charles (Xavier) LaRock Frank LaRock was born in Ogdensburg, NY in 1879; the 6th child of John Noel and Matilda Farrand LaRock. I have limited information of his early life. However, deducing from birthdates, I know the first 3 of his 11 children were born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I have a photo-postcard of Frank driving a horse drawn hack(taxi) in that city. Anecdotal lore says that in 1910 he was living in Ogdensburg, NY. For an unspecified period of time he worked with/for his brothers, James and Joseph, both of whom each operated a grocery store in Ogdensburg. In 1915 he became the owner/renter of the building, on Main Street in Morristown, NY. where the current Post Office is housed. I’m unsure of ownership because the family resided in a number of homes in the village; Uncle Tom was born in 1916 in the home on Morris St. across the street from Howard Warren’s. My dad, Robert, was born in 1920 in the double apartments on Water St. I have a portrait of the family sitting on the veranda of that home. From 1915 ‘til 1923-24 Frank operated a general store in the building on Main Street. In 1923, Franks wife, Mary Story LaRock died at age 43 of Bright’s disease (nephritis.) At that time the family was living in the apartment over the store. Henry Dake took over the store circa 1924. In 1927, Frank’s oldest brother, Joseph LaRock, operated the store as a dish-ware store until his death in 1937. Gloria Johnson welcomed me and my family to Morristown in 1975 and presented me with a pair of porcelain cups and saucers from a child’s set, that was given to her when she was a child, living across from the store by Joseph’s wife, Nell Dickinson LaRock, as a Christmas gift. ————— ———- ————. ———— ————- ———— ———- ———- ———— ——- Frank went to work as a traveling salesman for the Miller Paper Company. (Chuck Kelly’s Dad, John, told me he worked with my grandfather, Frank, at that time.) Frank remarried a spinster and Village librarian, Ethel Ackerman, they resided in a home across Gouveneur Street from Howard Scott’s. That house has, since, been torn down. Frank died in 1933 at age 54 of stomach cancer under the care of Ogdensburg surgeon, Dr. J. E. Free. Jimmy Smithers (Jane Smither’s dad) told me about the day Joseph LaRock died; at the time Joe and Nell resided in the apartments over the store. Joe scummed to a heart attack. Apparently Joe was a large man of 300 lbs or so. The Morristown fireman had quite a time getting Joe’s body down those narrow stairs on the outside of the store leading up to the apartment. Joesph, it’s said, cheated his siblings out of their inheritance when his parents died. And his wife, Nell, said to have been a prostitute from Oswego when he married her, ran off with all his money with her boyfriend. Joesph is buried in Oswego.