Charles A. Cheney was born in Jamaica, VT in 1835. He came to Hoosick Falls in 1857 as a bookkeeper for Thayer, Hawks & Wilcox, a general merchandise store. With the outbreak of the Civil War, Charles went to Washington, DC as a clerk for Chandler Ball in the Paymaster's office. He married Ball's daughter in 1862. They had two sons Robert, who died at the age of one year, and Albert, who died when he was twenty.

When the war was over, Cheney returned to Hoosick Falls as a bookkeeper for the Walter A. Wood Co. He was instrumental in the organization of both First National Bank and Peoples National Bank. Charles was killed in 1912, when an automobile knocked him down as he was crossing the street during a rainstorm.

He left a bequest of $50,000 for a library and historical rooms, as well as many of his books and pictures. In his will, Cheney stipulated that $25,000 was to be used to purchase a site, erect a building, furnish and equip it. The other $25,000 was to be invested and the income used for support of the library. The estimated cost for a building exceeded the funds, so it was invested. After a ten year period, the cornerstone was laid October 28, 1922 with parades and music. The library opened on November 23, 1923 with 4,000 books and 400 patrons. Today, there are 15,490 books and 1,460 patrons.

Source of historic text: Information from Cheney Library files.