- 1950 Fort Covington, Franklin, NY:  Harold Peets 42 manager/restaurant & grill, wife Lillian 41 cook & waitress in restaurant, William 15, Shirley 14, Geraldine 7.

WWII Records:  Harold Alford Peets, res. Franklin, NY; b. 7 Sep 1907 Massena, NY; contact wife Mrs. Lillian Gertrude Peets; 5' 7", 160 lbs., brown eyes & brown hair, light brown complexion; 16 Oct 1940 Westville, NY.

Misc.:  Massena Observer, (NY), Thursday, 20 December 1928:  Borrows Wrong Car Discharged.  Ignition Keys have same number - Was Told to Take Third Car From End of Parking Line But Did Not State Which End.  Drives Wrong Car Away - Two minds that run in the same channel may be quite commendable providing of course that the two people are husband and wife, but two automobiles that run by the same ignition key are not quite so commendable.  At least three Massena men have found it so.  Guy Sutton, R. P. D. No. 1, an employee of the Aluminum Company of America, quit work at 4:00 o'clock Wednesday afternoon.  His friend Harold Peets, R. F. D. No. 3, who was going on the next shift and would not use his car until 12:00 o' clock, met him.  Sutton asked to borrow Peets' car until that time.  Peets gave his permission and handed over the keys, told Sutton that his car was the third from the end of the parking line.  Parking lines have two ends.  In Peets' description of the place where his car was parked he failed to state which end.  Sutton went to one end of the row, got in the third car from the end, inserted the key which fitted perfectly and drove away.  At 5:30 o'clock, when Edward Dumas, 162 East Orvis street, quit work, he found that his car was gone and immediately notified police that it had been stolen.  He saw his car being driven into Leo Tyo's service station on Main street, where it was filled with gas and oil, and he called Officer Stanton Hutchins who arrested Sutton.  The news spread rapidly that a car had been stolen and the thief had been caught and when Police Justice Giles A. Chase appeared a large crowd of people were eagerly waiting to hear what sentence would be imposed.  Sutton told the police justice the story, Peets was called and the story verified, and Sutton was discharged.  Both cars had the same number on the ignition keys which explained how easy it was for a stranger to mistake the cars.

Obituary:  Fort Covington Sun (NY), 23 November 1972:  Funeral services for Harold Peets, 65, of Fort Covington who died at Massena Memorial Hospital Friday morning at 6:30 o'clock, were held Monday at 11 o'clock in St. Mary's church here, the Rev. Fr. Eugene Beaudet, pastor, officiating.  Burial was in the parish cemetery.  Prior to the rites the body was in repose at the Cappiello and McKenzie Funeral Home where members of the K. of C. and Rosary Society met for prayers.  Mr. Peets had been in ill health for several years and had been a patient in local and Montreal hospitals at intermittent periods.  At the time of his final illness he had been a patient in the Massena hospital for 14 days.  He retired a few years ago after selling the Peets Restaurant which he owned and operated.  For a period of 12 years, too, he was superintendent of highways of Fort Covington.  A native of Massena, he was born on Sept. 18, 1907, a son of William and Clara Mitchell Peets.  He was a member of the local Father James McGowan Council of the Knights of Columbus and a 4th Degree Knight.  Besides his wife, the former Lillian Brockway, whom he married on September 30, 1933, at St. Francis Church Constable, he is survived by, one son, William and one daughter, Mrs. Donald (Shirley) Avery, both of Fort Covington; three brothers, Floyd, Harvey and Donald Peets, all of Massena; two sisters, Mrs. Lillian Sutton of Massena and Mrs. William (Veronica) Fregoe of Mattydale; and nine grandchildren.  A daughter, Geraldine, predeceased him several years ago.

Tombstone Inscription, St. Mary's Cemetery, Ft. Covington, Franklin, NY:  PEETS / Geraldine A. / 1943 - 1962 / Harold A. / 1907 - 1972 / Lillian Brockway / his wife / 1908 - 1992

Notes for Lillian Gertrude Brockway:

Obituary:  Plattsburgh Press Republican (NY), Monday, 4 May 1992:  Fort Covington - Lillian G. Peets, 83, of Coville Bay Apartments died Saturday, May 2, 1992, at Alice Hyde Hospital, Malone, where she had been a patient since April 24.  She was born in Westville, July 25, 1908, the daughter of Marshall and Hattie (Fisher) Brockway.  Mrs. Peets attended local schools and was married to Harold A. Peets Sept. 30 1933, in St. Francis of Assisi Church in Constable by the Rev. Compeau.  Her husband died in 1972.  She and her husband owned and operated Peets Restaurant in Fort Covington for 23 years before their retirement in 1968.  She was a member of St. Mary's Church, Fort Covington, and the Altar Rosary Society.  Survivors include one son, William J. Peets of Fort Covington; one daughter, Mrs. Donald (Shirley) Avery of Fort Covington; nine grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.  One daughter, Geraldine Peets, died in 1962.  Five sisters, Sadie Mercier, Beulah LaSalle, Medie Drouin, Hazel Blanchard, and Stella Gervais, also died earlier.  Calling hours will be today from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at Cappiello-McKenzie and Cosgrove Funeral Home in Fort Covington.  A Mass of Christian burial will be held Tuesday at 10 a.m. at St. Mary's Church, with the Rev. Roland Menard, former pastor, officiating.  Burial will be in the parish cemetery. 

Obituaries for the children:

William J. Peets:  The Malone Telegram (NY), Saturday, 3 May 2014:  William J. Peets, 79, of Fort Covington, New York, passed away early Friday morning, at the Franklin County Nursing Home in Malone, New York.  He had been a resident there since Oct. 15, 2009.  Born in Westville, New York, Sept. 12, 1934, he was the son of the late Harold and Lillian Brockway Peets.  He graduated from Fort Covington High School.  He served in the United States Army Reserves from May of 1957 until May of 1961.  On Oct. 25, 1958, he was united in marriage to the former Arlene M. La Vassaur at St. Alphonse's Church in Tupper Lake, New York.  She predeceased him on July 30, 2012.  Many years ago, Bill worked for Alcoa in Massena and later on the St. Lawrence Seaway Project.  He then worked for General Motors in Massena as a tool and die maker for more than 30 years.  After his retirement from General Motors, he was employed by the Fort Covington Public Department.  He retired in 1980.  He was a communicant of St. Mary's Church in Fort Covington.  He enjoyed fishing, camping and restoring and collecting antique cars and trucks.  Survivors include one son and daughter-in-law, Mark and Lourdes Peets of Fort Covington; three daughters and two sons-in-law, Mary and Randall Dexter of Grand Junction, Colorado, Marsha Meilleur of Cornwall, Ontario, and Monica and Randy Williams of Malone; one brother-in-law, Donald Avery of Fort Covington; three grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.  Along with his parents and his wife, he was predeceased by two sisters, Shirley Avery and Geraldine Peets.  Calling hours will be Monday from 9 until 10:45 a.m. at the Cappiello-McKenzie and Cosgrove Funeral Home in Fort Covington.  A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Monday at St. Mary's Church in Fort Covington, with the Rev. Martin Cline officiating.  Burial will be in the new St. Mary's Cemetery in Fort Covington.  Donations may be made in his memory to the Fort Covington Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department.  Arrangements are through the Cappiello-McKenzie and Cosgrove Funeral Home in Fort Covington.

Shirley Mary Peets:  Massena Daily Courier Observer (NY), Tuesday, 22 May 2007:  Brushton - Funeral services for Shirley M. Avery, 71, of 160 Quain Road, Brushton, formerly of Fort Covington, will be held Thursday at 10 a.m. at St. Mary's Church, Fort Covington, with the Rev. Stephen Rocker officiating.  Burial will be in St. Augustine's Cemetery in North Bangor.  Calling hours will be held Wednesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Cappiello-McKenzie and Cosgrove Funeral Home in Fort Covington.  Mrs. Avery died Saturday (May 19, 2007) at her home while under the care of her family and Hospice of the North Country.  She is survived by her husband, Donald; two sons, Todd and Karen Avery of Brushton, and Dale and Penny Avery of Fort Covington; three daughters, Dawn and Loren Mainville of Fort Covington, Geri and Stuart Carter of Moores Forks, Shelley and Terry Philips of Fort Covington; 11 grandchildren, Joel Manville, Aimee LaShomb, Brandi Suprenant, Cheryl, Megan, Shane, Brittany and Shawn Avery, Shelby and Matthew Carter, Ashley Paige; three great-grandchildren, Camryn Johnson, Madalyn LaShomb, Grace Suprenant; and several nieces, nephews and cousins.  She was predeceased by a sister, Geraldine Peets.  She was born Sept. 7, 1935 in Westville the daughter of Harold and Lillian Brockway Peets.  She graduated from Fort Covington High School in 1954.  She married Donald F. Avery on Jan. 15, 1955 at St. Mary's Church in Fort Covington.  She was a homemaker.  She was a communicant of St. Mary's Church in Fort Covington, where she was a member of the Altar and Rosary Society.  She enjoyed home crafts, flower gardening, fishing and spending summer at their camp at Frasier's Point, Que. and winters at their home in Zephyrills, Fla.  She enjoyed her time with her family and friends.  Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of the North Country or to the Fort Covington Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department.

Tombstone Inscription, St. Augustine's Cemetery, Bangor, NY:  AVERY / Jan. 15, 1955 / Donald F. / Aug. 11, 1935 - (blank) / Shirley M. / Peets / Sept. 7, 1935 / May 19, 2007

Geraldine Peets:  Massena Observer (NY), Tuesday, 13 November 1962:  2 Malone Girls With Relatives In Massena Killed in Car Crashes -  Two 19-year old girls, killed in separate car accidents over the weekend, had relatives living in Massena.  Miss Geraldine Peets, 19, Fort Covington, who was employed by Spear's Insurance Agency, Glenn St., has three uncles and three aunts living in Massena and area.  Miss Peets, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Peets, Fort Covington, died at 8:58 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, 1962, in the Malone Alice Hyde Hospital from injuries received in a two car accident several hours earlier.  The accident occurred at 1:50 a.m., Sunday, on Route 37, two miles west of Fort Covington.  She was a passenger in a car operated by her fiance, Stephen Leo Fullum, 20, Bombay, which collided with a vehicle operated by Guilford D. White, Hogansburg.  Fullum, who sustained abdominal and back injuries and is in fair condition in the Malone hospital, said he swerved his car to avoid hitting a dog.  The car went out of control and into the oncoming lane of traffic and struck the car driven by Mr. White.  Miss Peets is the niece of Floyd Peets, 79 E.Orvis St., Harvey Peets, Grantville Rd., Donald Peets, Racket River, Mrs. Percy (Myrtle) Raymo, Syracuse, Mrs. Guy (Lillian) Sutton, Stoughton St. and Mrs. William (Veronica) Fregoe, Madrid.  She began working in the office of the Spear's Insurance Agency for John Story last July.  She had worked at her job Friday but requested Saturday off to go to Montreal for a fitting of contact lenses.  Miss Peets was born Jan. 21, 1943, in Westville, the daughter of Harold and Lillian Brockway Peets.  She was graduated from Salmon River Central School and the Ogdensburg Business School last June.  Her engagement to Stephen Fullum was announced last Fall.  Surviving are her parents, one brother, William, Fort Covington, one sister, Mrs. Donald (Shirley) Avery, Westville.  Services will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Mary's Church with burial in the parish cemetery.
 

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Items in RED have been verified against parish register entries. 

- New York birth/marriage/death items in RED have come from newspaper obituaries, some marriage announcements, and occasional birth announcements. 

Last updated:  6 June 2022.