From the Bryant Local History Collection: Road Tripping with the William Donaldson family of Roslyn from 1912 to the 1920s
The Bryant Library has posted historical photos and road trip reminiscences from Roslyn's Stewart Donaldson.
Stewart's father was William Donaldson, Clarence Mackay's chauffeur and drove the family from their New York City mansion and their Harbor Hill country home in Roslyn, Stewart's detailed description of his father’s first Ford Model T car in 1914 and memories of family road trips from Roslyn to Monticello, NY to visit his grandparents are among his many memories of growing up in Roslyn preserved in the Bryant Library Local History Collection.
Enjoy,
Howard Kroplick
Above photo: Stewart Donaldson with his father William, circa 1913.
All photos courtesy of the Bryant Library Local History Collection
Roslyn, circa 1908. Photo by William Pickering.
1916. Photo courtesy of William Pickering.
Long Island Road Map circa 1912. Note the Long Island Motor Parkway.
1915. Photo by William Pickering.
In front of the Ellen E. Ward Memorial Clock Tower in the heart of Roslyn
Bar Beach 1917.
One of Mr. Mackay's cars at the Polo stable about 1918.
Comments
It was a journey to make those trips at that time….
The first picture of the truck is 1912 or earlier White.
Howard, Check the right rear wheel in the 1908 Pickering photo.
Interesting set of photos, with a large variety! The cars on the photos are the following:
On the lead photo we see a White that is similar to the 1917 White 0,75 ton truck, possibly made suitable for touring by adding some benches.
The car on the Roslyn photo is a 1910 Lozier Briarcliff touring car with several interesting accessoires like the shock absorbers at the front and the windshield, which was not standard. The chauffeurs seat at the side seems to have been a standard item, and must have been a challenge to sit in at high speeds!. The right rear wheel clearly has been removed, the axle being supported by a kind of Adams jack.
The Ford carries a jitney body, an aftermarket item supplied by e.g. The Champion Wagon Co. In Owego, NY.
The 1915 photo by Pickering shows a ca 1908 Jackson touring car with the right front tire supplied by Lee, recognizable by its profile.
The car in the heart of Roslyn must be mirrored and then shows clearly F D on its radiator, standing for Fire Department. The vehicle is an American LaFrance fire engine still on solid tires.
The Bar Beach 1917 photo again shows the Jackson, almost 10 years old by now and still going strong apparently!
The McKay car on the last photo is not easy to identify, but the hand grip on the bonnet indicates that it is probably a Delaunay-Belleville, in that case a ca 1911 landaulette and very likely supplied by Brewster, the famous coachbuilder in New York, and agent for Delaunay-Belleville.