Mr. W. Orville Langlois 
1877-1975
Orville Langlois was W. Langlois’s great-grandfather. When he was growing up, Orville came to stay with his family, and built a large garage for the family. At that time Orville would have been in his early 80’s. He was a small vigorous man. Soon after, Mr. Langlois and Mr. McGowan began interviewing Orville, it became clear that Orville’s memory for detail was amazing and thus they did more tapes with Orville then any other interviewee.
Orville’s interviews provides a detailed look at the life in Westville in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. He describes life and work in minute detail as well as providing a personal perspective on the dramatic changes in life that he witnessed in his 92 years spanning two centuries.
Mr. Langlois used to take his books from college and give them to Orville to read. He loved reading and seemed to read at least one book per day. One of the enduring memories that Mr. Langlois has is his visits to Orville and his daugher Violet, (Mr. Langlois’s Great Aunt and a great cook) with whom he lived, that around dinner Orville and Violet always watched Jeaprody on televison. Mr. Langlois, being the typical college student, was constantly embarrased that his Great Aunt and Great Grandfather, could answer correctly more questions on Jeaprody than he could, every time they watched it together.
Orville, Clayeon, MiltonSr. & Milton Jr 1958
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Orville Langlois & Violet French
CD: Orville Langlois #1
Family background, in Flat Rock area of Westville, NY; growing up in Westville, NY; family religious beliefs; schooling; details of education in school; learning to be a blacksmith in Malone, NY and details of the other blacksmiths shops in Malone, NY; details of blacksmithing; description of apprentice training and work.
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CD: Orville Langlois #2
Social life in Westville, NY in late 19th Century; Farming; using oxen and raising sheep in Westville later 19th; lifestyle in the late 19th Century at home and on the farm; religious beliefs of Catholics; Chateaugay, NY and Chateaugay Iron Ore Co; Marriage; more on childhood and of childhood playing; more description of growing up; and food & diet; Herbs, home remedies and tonics
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CD: Orville Langlois #3
Farming in Westville, NY; religion, death and laying out people; midwifery; life as a blacksmith apprentice in Malone, NY; more on farming in Westville, NY; growing hops in Westville, NY; details of growing and harvesting hops in the late 19th Century in Westville, NY; hop kilns; more on blacksmith shops in Malone, NY; more on being an apprentice blacksmith
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CD: Orville Langlois #4
Herbs and home remedies in some detail; taxes and roadwork, Westville, NY; weaving and dying wool
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CD: Orville Langlois #5
More on schooling; description of school and teaches in Westville, NY; School District 1 Westville, NY; Life in Westville, NY in the late 19th Century: Attending the Catholic church; religious holidays, Easter, Christmas; clothing; recreations; boyhood days; log houses; description of family farm
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CD: Orville Langlois #6
Description of Building barns in late 19th Century; description of early forests in Westville, NY; and large tree stumps that remained; early sawmills in Westville, NY on the Salmon River; house building; more on blacksmith and connections to Reynoldston, NY; building sleighs; Grandmother MacDonald was Capture by Indians and lived with them near Cornwall, Ontario, Canada as a young girl
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CD: Orville Langlois #7
Life at home in Westville, NY in late 19th Century; controversy about Roman Catholic religious beliefs then and now; relationships with Protestants in Westville, NY; home furnishings; more on growing up in Westville, NY; Trip to Peace River Alberta in search of homesteading- 1917, Edmonton, Alberta, working in the Peace River; description of life in the Peace River around 191
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CD: Orville Langlois #8
Democrats vs. Republicans “Copperhead”; Military service; more about blacksmith shop in Malone, NY; description; role of apprentices etc.; hard work of blacksmithing; More about Roman Catholic religions and religious beliefs; More details of blacksmith and welding etc
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CD: Orville Langlois #9
Religious philosophy; Road construction work in Westville NY, building route 37; Details of Orville’s own blacksmith shop in Burke, NY: Tools and work and equipment in a blacksmith shop
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CD: Orville Langlois #10
More on blacksmith shop; shoeing horses “farrier”; details of working as a blacksmith; making a living from blacksmithing; at the turn of the twentieth century; Opening a blacksmith shop in Westville, NY
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CD: Orville Langlois #11
More on growing up in Westville, NY; family life and details of everyday living; Description of businesses and mills at Westville Centre; Joseph Langlois’ farm and land holdings in Westville, NY; Married life and raising children in Westville, NY; work an life in 1907-1910 and economic hardships: Buying lumber in Reynoldston to build his own house 1914; Orville’s farm
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CD: Orville Langlois #12
Birth of his children; family life in Westville, NY in the early 20th century on a farm; food and diet;grocery carts; making maple sugar in Westville, NY; more on home remedies
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CD: Orville Langlois #14
Raising a family and work; the Depression; County road work; blacktopping around the Franklin County; selling farm; Carpentry; on being a Republican; Various jobs; More on his children and family life; selling vegetables from horse drawn cart in Malone, NY
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CD: Orville Langlois #15
Visiting his children; Building house and barns for family members; list of Orville’s great grandchildren and great, great, grand children
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CD: Orville Langlois #1B series
Spanish American War and other American Wars up to Vietnam; Reflections of politics and communications; Making maple sugar in the late 19th Century and equipment; early history of farming in Westville, NY in the mid-to late 19th Century;
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CD: Orville Langlois #2B series
Stories from his childhood; Kitchen dances and parties; Details of Joseph Langlois’ service in the Civil War and stories; “more about the Copperheads”; life and food in Westville, NY for his parents mid-19th Century; Town of Westville, NY highway commissioner ca. 1914-1919
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CD: Orville Langlois #3B series
Home remedies; family life; Prohibition in Northern New York
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Audio
[audio:http://www.reynoldstonnewyork.org/wp-content/01 Track 1.mp3]Click on Audio link to listen to interview:
CD: Orville Langlois #4B series
Description of Westville NY, people and places ca. 1890; Jewettville “potashery” and making potash “blacksalts”; Detailed description of sawmills and gristmills in Westville, NY and how they operated; blooming mill “iron foundry” in Westville, NY that made pig iron and products from it
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