By Anita Messina

To most people Inez Shotz was the lady on the phone. Helen Lauckarn said they were next door neighbors on Main Street but they didn’t know her well, except she frequently called. Barbara Jean Van Ditto remembers Inez Shotz only as the woman who called once a week hoping to learn that the Van Ditto family had visited somewhere or been visited by someone. Josephine Falsey remembers Inez Shotz, a communicant at St. John’s, as the woman who wore the most beautiful hats. Josephine said. “We called her Hedda Hopper.”

Hedda Hopper was a woman also known for her collection of exquisite millinery. In the early ‘30s Hedda Hopper, along with Louella Parsons, were famous for creating the gossip column, a popular newspaper feature. In the ‘50s Inez Shotz brought similar fame to the Port Byron Chronicle with her tidbit news of who was doing what where and when.

Inez, a telephone operator at the Port Byron Telephone Company, was herself working the lines in her spare time. She noted in as few words as possible the comings and goings and states of health of any who answered her phone calls.

She wrote about her neighbors. “Mr. and Mrs. Paul Lauckarn and children Melloney (sic), Sharon and Nancy spent Sunday with Mr. and Mrs. Edward Clark of Rochester.”

She wrote about herself. “Inez Shotz, a gardener, went to Jackson and Perkins in Newark to pick up roses, Before coming home to toil in the garden she had lunch at the Home Dairy.”

August 1951—“Ben White of the Cayuga Foundry Co., W. Dock st. has his new machine shop nearly completed.”

Too much time wasn’t wasted on proofreading. But nobody cared. The fun was in the reading.

When a kind hostess invited friends over for a ham loaf supper, the occasion was duly noted in Inez’s column, and judging from Inez’s entries, ham loaf was a popular dish in the ‘50s.

But wait just a minute! Was history wrong (as it so often is)? It seems Louella, Hedda and Inez were not the originators of this odd style column that everyone loved to read. The Chronicle may have started the gossip column long before Hopper, Parsons or Shotz were out of their little knickers. In fact the gossipy feature may have made its debut in the late 18th century, when ads began to appear for a large store right here on Main Street. The advertisements were in column form, and the copy was chatty. As in the copy styles of the ‘50s, advertisements alternated with personal news. The old saying might be true that “nobody reads ads,” but it’s likely that everybody read these.

1914–“Bert C. Shotz has the swellest line of men’s and boy’s caps that you have ever seen. 25 cents to $1.00.”

“Ex-Supervisor O. B, Tanner made a business trip to New York (City) last Saturday. He expected to make a contract to build a canal boat during the winter.”

“For sale, cheap for cash, Maxwell touring car, five passenger, four-door, 10 horsepower, two new tires, good condition. Postoffice (sic) Box 144.”

George Brown, Dr. E. Stone and H. C. Gutchess spent Sunday at the latter’s summer home at North Fair Haven.

1910—“Miss Inez Shotz attended a ball at the Armory in Auburn.”

“Mrs. Shotz has discovered a new method for catching mice but it is doubtful if she applies for a patent on the devise. Recently, Mrs. Shotz procured a sheet of fly paper, which she placed on the dining room table where it remained overnight. In the morning she discovered that a mouse had attempted to talk across the sticky surface of the sheet and had been caught.”

Some items give cause for wonder:

1909—“Dr. H. E. Burdick of Montezuma has purchased new team. He has a wide practice which requires the use of four horses.”

“’Presto’ the Military collar for storms, Regular collar for sunshine both on the same coat. Come and see them at Lowe Bros.”

1904–“$1 Ingersoll watches. They are guaranteed for one year.”

And every once in a while, a nugget of historical significance was embedded:

“Samuel Gompers will address a mass meeting in Syracuse, January 19th, upon the recent court decision declaring the eight hour law unconstitutional.” Ed. Note: Gompers was a labor leader, first president of the AFL and in favor of the 8-hour work day.

“Mrs. W. S. Wethey made a trip to New York. She was a passenger on the Twentieth Century Limited, the New York Central’s famous flier.”

…..

A side note on the emporium owned by Inez’s father, Bert C. Shotz: In 1888 Shotz bought a furniture and jewelry store on Main Street from Levi Jacobsky. It’s said that Shotz subequently purchased the entire Main Street block to expand his store to include clothing, furniture, jewelry, leather goods, and a variety of women’s, men’s and children’s shoes. His brother-in-law, William Maroney, was the watch-maker at the store.