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CAPTURING THE HISTORY OF A TOWN:
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF ELEANOR CRANE KALSBECK

Eleanor and Arthur KalsbeckEleanor Crane was born in Rochester, New York in 1908.  Her father passed away when she was seven years old, which caused Eleanor to be relied upon in her young adulthood to provide for her widowed mother and younger sister.  At age 16, Eleanor worked for an advertising agency and subsequently for an insurance broker.  Although she had to leave school to sustain the family, she continued on her own to develop her education.  This thirst for knowledge led her to write poetry, and have her poems published in two editions of “The Gleam”, a publication of the Rochester Poetry Society.  Additionally, Eleanor wrote articles over a number of years which appeared in the Honeoye Falls Times and the Henrietta Post. 

letter of appointment
click to enlarge
At age 21, Eleanor found romance with Arthur M. Kalsbeck, who had immigrated to the United States from Holland in 1922.  Eleanor and Arthur eloped in October, 1929, and lived with relatives immediately after marriage.  In spring 1930, Eleanor and Arthur moved to Henrietta where Arthur established a milk business.  In 1934, they built a home at 3849 East Henrietta Road, and several years later, they welcomed daughter Joan C. Kalsbeck. 

Eleanor was appointed Town Historian for the Town of Henrietta in 1958 after many years of involvement in her community.  She was dynamic in this position, giving historic lectures, speaking before civic groups and giving talks to school-age youth.  Eleanor was encouraged to write a book on Henrietta from individuals who read her articles in the local newspapers.  So by the mid-1960s, Eleanor started the book that would be the first published edition of a comprehensive history of Henrietta. 

However, there were stumbling blocks along the way.  The book was finished in time for the Town’s Sesquicentennial in 1968, but when it was presented to the Henrietta Town Board, members stated that the town did not have adequate funds for its publication.  Eleanor redirected her energy to write a short history of Henrietta for the town to be utilized for the events and guided the Sesquicentennial Committee in their historical research and programs.  The Sesquicentennial was a significant occasion for the town, and Eleanor did much to make it a success, hiding her own feelings about the book. 

Eleanor continued to edit the book, and in a rescue effort, her family decided that they would print it.  In 1977, Eleanor’s work came to fruition and Henrietta Heritage was published.  In it, Eleanor wrote with insight and understanding of Henrietta from its beginning as a sleepy agricultural community to the boom town development in the 1950s and beyond.  To date, several hundreds of copies of Henrietta Heritage have been sold and copies are archived at the Henrietta Public Library.  In this way, Eleanor has helped thousands of people become educated in the history of the local community.  She played an integral role in weaving Henrietta’s local history into our national history. 

Eleanor was given the title of Historian Emeritus when she retired from service, and died just one year later on July 31, 1979.  She will always be regarded as the person who made the town of Henrietta’s history come to life. 

Sources: Joan C. Kalsbeck
            Select Henrietta Post and Times Union (Rochester, NY) articles
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