Asa Douglas LADD

  General Notes:

SSN: 067-42-3752
ZIP of last Res: 13036

Oneida Lake environs have reared a lot of rugged outdoors person, sometimes called an "Oneida Laker" in the area's vernacular. For these people, the lake provided a major source of their lives' sustenance and activity. Fish pirates such as Jack Rogers and Jake Kyser fit neatly into the "Laker" category as did Asa Ladd, son of Douglas and Jane Ladd, pioneer settlers of Ladd Point, near Lower South Bay. Born in a logging camp near Brewerton in 1872, Ladd lived by Oneida for all of his 94 years and immersed himself, and his family, in every aspect of the lake's outdoor life. Asa Ladd's son, Marv, has vivid memories of his father, recollections that he shares with a fishing tale zeal that reveals much of the older man's character. The following saga describes one of Asa's memorable ice-fishing adventures.

"In January of 1958, my father had ten tip-up's set off the west end of Frenchman's Island. It was early in the month and the ice was but six inches thick. Rain fell during the previous day and, during the night things froze up and it snowed. One half an inch of snow covered the rain-weakened ice. Whenever possible, dad skated to his fishing spot. That morning, after pulling five walleyes from eight tip-ups, he skated to the next hole, which the rain had enlarged to three feet in width. Down went my father, but he didn't panic; using the line and the metal tip-up, he managed to pull himself onto the ice and roll away from the dangerous hole. He skated home to Muskrat Bay and, when asked what happened-, answered 'Nothing exciting -- I'll skate back to fish again tomorrow.' He was then eighty-six years old."

In another outdoor tale, Marv narrated details of a carp netting venture that he, his dad, and his brother, Ernest were involved with in the late 40's.

"We were issued a state license to use a carp seine in Oneida Lake, under supervision of game warden Bob Landgraff of Cleveland. One year we took over 88,000 pounds and shipped the fish to New York City, NY. We only received three cents per pound and that barely covered transportation and icing costs. We threatened to stop the netting, but the state, wanting Oneida's carp population to be thinned out a bit, decided to pay us the same price just to net the fish and load them an truck. They used the carp to fertilize corn fields in state game management areas. Bob's job was to estimate the weight of our catches. One hot summer day the warden viewed our haul and said he'd credit us with four tons of fish. We asked him to help load carp on the trucks and he agreed. After finishing, Bob sat down, exhausted, his back as sore as heck. He then upgraded his estimate to five tons!

Asa Ladd was also an avid duck hunter: Waterfowl pursuit on the lake in the first half af this century was extremely popular, with duck "blinds" dotting the area's numerous points and islands during autumn. On January 23, 1949, a Syracuse newspaper highlighted Ladd's lifetime of outdoor experiences, with particular emphasis on his duck hunting experiences. The article included these excerpts:

"'Never touched a bit of tobacco in my life,' Ladd says in explanation of his present energy. 'That's why I don't get short-winded like these smoking fellers do.' 'I don't drink either,' Ladd continues, 'even when the wind is nippin' cold in the duck blind.' Of exciting experiences, Ladd says he has had none. 'I was shot two to three timer on hunting trips and I've fallen through the ice heaven knows how many times, but those tales aren't worth setting dawn,' the rugged outdoor man goes on. When he was shot through the foot on a duck hunting trip he and his companion went on to bring in a wounded duck in a chase by boat before he went for medical aid. 'On the way in I stopped by my father's place to get warm,' Ladd recalled. 'I can remember sitting by the fire and pushing sock lint out of the hole in my foot with a knitting needle, but 1 wasn't really hurt.' On other occasions shots grazed Ladd's chin and forehead, but again the incidents are barely worth mentioning, according to the victim's own account. Ladd has fallen in the lake during ice fishing seasons, and then continued fishing with his clothes frozen on him. But the only time he ever caught cold, he says, was sitting in the house by the fire when the room was too hot. Today, Ladd will reminisce about some of these 'unexciting' experiences when his children, 16 grand- children and four great-grandchildren gather around far a surprise party. He'll share the spotlight with Mrs. Ladd, who found pansies in bloom in the back yard a few days ago, proving the mildness of the winter."

Today we view Asa Ladd's life as being far from his "unexciting" label, but as Asa that word was appropriate. His experiences were those of an old-time Oneida Laker, a person in harmony with water in all seasons, a person seldom found by today's lake of high-speed powerboats and snowmobiles and, above all, a person whose wealth exceeded our wildest dreams.

July-August 1957: "Asa Ladd, 83 years young, his son Marv Ladd and Chuck Rogers, all of Brewerton, recently while netting carp in Oneida Lake ran in to a big one. It was checked at the Brewerton Bait Shop where it tipped the scales at 39 1/2 pounds. Even more amazing, the big fish contained 10 1/2 pounds of eggs. The boys took a lot of future carp out of the lake when they caught that one."

1910, Census, MI, Chippewa Co, Bay Mills Twp, Pg 25
Asa, Head, M, W, 38, M, 15, -, -, NY, NY, NY, -, -, English, Fisherman, Lakes, W, N, 0, Y, Y, -, R, -, H
Minnie, Wife, F, W, 31, M, 15, 4, 4, NY, NY, Germany, -, -, English, None, -, -, -, -, Y, Y,
Ernest, Son, M, W, 13, S, -, -, -, NY, NY, NY, -, -, English, None, -, -, -, -, Y, Y, Y
Bernice, Daughter, F, W, 11, S, -, -, -, NY, NY, NY, -, -, English, None, -, -, -, -, Y, Y, Y
Bertha, Daughter, F, W, 9, S, -, -, -, NY, NY, NY,-, -, -, None, -, -, -, -, -, -, Y
Edna, Daughter, F, W, 5, S, -, -, -, NY, NY, NY,-, -, -, None, -, -, -, -, -, -, Y

1920 Census, New York, Onondaga Co, Cicero Town,
Ladd, Asa D, Head, 0, F, M, W, 48, M,,,,Y, Y, NY, NY, NY,, Yes, Farmer, General Farm
Minnie,Wife,,, F, W, 41, M, NY, Germany, NY
Bernice, Dau,,, F, W, 20, S, NY, NY, NY
Edna, Dau,,, F, W, 15, S, NY, NY, NY
Carlton, Son,,, M, W, 5, S, NY, NY, NY
Marvin, Son,,, M, W, 3, S, NY, NY, NY

1930, Census, NY, Onondaga Co, Cicero, District 129
Asa, Head, O, 3000, -, Yes, M, W, 58, M, 23, No, Yes, NY, NY, NY, -, 56,-, -, -, -, Yes, Farmer, General Farm,
Minnie, Wife, -, -, -, X, F, W, 51, M, 16, No, Yes, NY, Germany, NY, -, 56, ?, ?, -, -, Yes, None
Carlton, Son, -, -, -, X, M, W, 16, S, -, Yes, Yes, NY, NY, NY, -, 56,-, -, -, -, Yes, None
Marvin, Son, -, -, -, X, M, W, 13, S, -, Yes, Yes, NY, NY, NY, -, 56,-, -, -, -, Yes, None

  Burial Notes:

Pine Plains Cemetery, Clay, Onondaga Co, NY

  Noted events in his life were:

• Occupation: Great Lakes Fisherman, 1910, Bay Mills, Chippewa Co, MI.

• Occupation: Farmwr, 1920, Cicero, Onondaga Co, NY.

• Occupation: Farmer, 1930, Cicero, Onondaga Co, NY.

Asa married Minnie LEPINSKE, daughter of Charles LEPINSKE and Margaret SAHM, on 13 Mar 1895. (Minnie LEPINSKE was born on 4 Oct 1879 in Clay, Onondaga Co, NY, died on 9 Jun 1946 and was buried in Clay, Onondaga Co, NY.)

Asa next married Margaret WATKINS.