The 1930 census showed him and his wife, Pearl, in Ballston Spa, with his occupation given as “retail merchant, milk and cream.” Stewart had married Pearl Jones at her parents’ home in Rock City Falls. Donald earnestly pursued the business of selling dairy products. The Stewarts, in Ballston Spa, mostly seem to have lived in the Ballston Avenue/McMaster Street neighborhood.

In March 1920, his firm, the Milk Depot, had a telephone installed at the store on Bath Street.Ībout this time, Thomas sold his farm, and moved into the village. The 1920 census listed the occupation of Thomas as “farmer,” and Donald, living in his father’s Town of Ballston household, was a “milk dealer.” He had been at this for a while, because a 1919 article about increased milk prices mentioned several dairies, including D. Probably his son gave up his tea and coffee route and went to help with the farm. Ill health had induced him to seek an outdoor occupation. A notice in the Troy Times of Octosaid that he’d moved from Ballston Spa to a farm west of the village. Thomas had left the grocery business by this time.

Stewart, covering Galway, Milton and Greenfield.” Another ad, placed by Stewart, offered for sale a “kind and gentle” horse-perhaps the steed that had hauled him around. The 1915 state census gave his occupation as “Salesman, Tea and Coffee Wagon.” Details of this business can be gleaned from an ad in the Saratogian in September, 1915: “Wanted: Man to take the tea and coffee business of D. The father of Donald’s mother, Lizzie, was from Minnesota, so Lizzie likely went there to be with her parents during her pregnancy.ĭonald, at age 18, was already working as a retailer. So, the Stewarts' had been in Saratoga County for a while. Stewart was a farmer in the Town of Ballston, per the 1880 census. However, he lived most of his life in the Ballston Spa area, where his father, Thomas F.

He was born in Austin, Minnesota on May 26, 1897. Stewart was not a Saratoga County native. This summer Brookside opened an exhibit: “Century of Ice Cream! The Dake Family and Stewart’s.” One might wonder why this successful business, with almost 350 convenience stores is named “Stewarts” and not “Dake’s” Actually, the original founder of Stewarts had a strong reputation for high-quality dairy products, long before the Dake family purchased the business.

The Klub 17