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V HISTORY

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY

NEW YORK

AND ITS PEOPLE

JOHN P. DOWNS

Editor-in-Charge

and

FENWICK Y. HEDLEY

Editor-in-Chief

Assisted by a large corps of Sub-editors and
Advisory Board

VOLUME I 3

American Historical Society, Inc.

BOSTON NEW YORK CHICAGO

1921

FlZ7

JUH30'2I

)Ci.A6i7640 -

A,'\ O /

FOREWORD

N PRESENTING this "History of Chautauqua County, New York, and Its
People," the publishers desire to express their grateful appreciation of the
labor and other assistance of a large and highly capable corps of editors
and advisors. It is primarily founded upon the life work of the late
lamented Obed Edson, without a peer as a local historian, and who gave
to it his hearty encouragement and assistance, and whose very last contri-
bution to the annals of the region he loved so well is contained in the Political Chapter.

The work is particularly rich in historical contributions specially written for it by mas-
ters of their subjects. Among these writers are such capable authorities as Mr. Albert S.
Price. Dr. Rovillus R. Rogers, Lieutenant-Commander \V. H. Faust, U. S. N., Messrs. Fred-
erick P. Hall, Edward L. Allen, Theodore A. Case, Gilden R. Broadberry, Clare A. Pickard.
Richard H. Heppell, Arthur E. Bestor, Frederick R. Darling. William B. Blaisdell, Mayor
Samuel A. Carlson, Messrs. Benjamin S. Dean, T. Henry Black, Jay T. Badgley. C. W. Her-
rick. Dr. William E. Goucher, Messrs. Marvin L. Clapp, Lathrop L. Hanchett. C. W. Herrick,
John W. Spencer, Dr. C. E. Welch, Messrs. Charles A. Okerlind, Ernest Cawcroft, W. H.
Proudfit, W. A. Bradshaw, John B. Shaw, John C. Mason, Patrick S. Guinnane; Mesdames
Lucy Norton Shankland, Lona D. Brown, Olive E. R. Schendler and Clara Watson, Misses
Lucia TifTany Henderson, Carlina M. ^lonchow, Jane C. Banks.

To all the above-named the publishers make grateful acknowledgments, as well as to
a goodlv array of authorities who afforded to Mr. John P. Downs, our staff writer in charge,
valuable data and information. Among these are Major Edgar P. Putnam and Norman
R. Thompson on Early Wars and the Civil War; Mr. V. A. Hatch on the Spanish War:
Dr. William M. Bemus on Medical History : Mr. Arthur W. Swan on the Knights of Pythias :
Mr B R. Barton on Steamboating; Miss Anna Crissey on the Y. W. C. A.; Mr. Francis
B. Brewer on the Westf^eld Y. M C. A.; Mrs. J. W. Mason and other ladies on Women's
Clubs; Mrs. Margaret Prather on the Political Equality Movement; Mr. A. A. Van Vleck
on the' Patrons of Husbandry; Dr. John J. Mahoney on the Roman Catholic Church; Miss
Marv M Woods, on Daughters of Isabella; Young Men's Christian Association. H. E. \ .
Porter; Revolutionarv Soldiers. Mrs. Lucy N. Shankland; Sons of Veterans. Mr. Mar-
vin L. Clapp; Tudge Arthur B. Ottaway and Mr. Frank H. Mott on the Bench and Bar;
Mr. Frank H. Mott on Public Utilities; and Mr. F. W. Bullock on Electric Service.

The Publishers.

CONTENTS

Page

I Chapter I— Geography, Topography, Geology, Climatology ^

Chapter II— The Mound Builders ; Ancient Remains ^^

Chapter III— Origin of the Name Chautauqua j^

Chapter IV— The Destruction of the Enes ' jg

Chapter V— Brodhead's Expedition ,•■,;,•••:•■ 2^

Chanter VI— Later Indian Wars, Occupation and Treaties ; "A' ' ' ' : 26

Chapter VII-The Frontier Period, 180J-1805 ; Early Settlers ; Foundation of Towns 2&

rhnnter VI I I-TIie Pioneer Period ; War with Great Britain ; Customs of the People ■ • • • ■ 34

Chapter ^ lii- ' 'le j^ o'leer reriou ^^^^.-iS^^; Development of the County; Industries; Amusements .. 42

CK f-7U:i^ly Fa™! ?"& %%X\ the H^olland Company; Under the New Constitution; ^^

a,apte^'^;^l^'^Uu:;iPeriod;-i§5i-i86;;Eariy-Raiiroads;-SpH^^^^ ^^

o,,of»°r xi\ ' Thp 'Agricultural Period ' '18151-1875 ; Development of Grape Culture • ■ • • ■ ■ 65

ffier ¥1 r Close oSury 18^5-1902; Firsl Use of Natural Gas; Jamestown Incorporated as a City ;

1^ S^ve^^nt }: ^>^h - l^^^flhlS^t-^; S ^'^Xna^^^ ^^

ChaptJ^^i55n:nrof'^^mL*\Sy ;• the- County' Redistricted ;' 'New ' Court 'Hou.:; Miliiary ^^

ChapterTv-Openi'ng 'of "ihe '^weniieth' 'c^nuiry,' 'con'tinued';' 'the' County 'redi'sidcted ; Death of Obed Edson 105

Sapter XVI-Towns : Arkwright. Busti, Carroll, Charlotte, Chautauqua, Cherry Creek, Clymer n5

Chapter XVII— The City of Dunkirk 15^

Chapter XVIII— Towns : Ellery, Ellicott ,52

Chapter XIX— The Citv of Jamestown ■■ •• ■■ ,70

Chapter XX-Towns ; 'Ellington. French Creek Gerry Hanover, Harmony ■ ■ ■ J^^

Chapter XXI— Towns : Kiantone, Mina, Poland, Pomf re , Portland V.V :, V V.' 225

Chapter XXII-Towns : Ripley, Sheridan, Sherman, Stockton, ViUenova, Westfield ^^=

Chapter XXIII— Chautauqua County To-day ; Statistics

MISCELLANEOUS

Pace
The History of the Holland Land Purchase, Lieut.-

Comdr. W. H. Faust, U. S. N 252

The Press of Chautauqua County, Frederick P.

Hall and Edward L. Allen 271

Books, Libraries and Authors, Lucy Tiffany Hen-
derson i_; ' ■ ■ "

Chautauqua County Libraries, Lucia Tiffany Hen-
derson and Carlina M. Monchow 285

Some Men and Women Writers of Chautauqua

County, Mrs. Olive R. Schlender 290

Conservation of Fish and Game, Richard H. Hep-
pell - • • • •

The United States Food Administration in Chau-
tauqua County, Clare A. Pickard 299

The Public Schools of Chautauqua County 310

Schools of Jamestown, Rovillus R. Rogers 3i5

Dunkirk Public Schools, Frederick R. Darling ... 319

Public Schools of Fredonia, William B. Blaisdell. 3-22

Chautauqua Institution, Arthur E. Bestor 324

The Jamestown Board of Commerce 335

Dunkirk Chamber of Commerce, Jay T. Badgley . . 330

Manufacturing 33°

The Medical Profession 33°

Religion and Religious 34i

The Woman's Christian Temperance Union 349

The Political Equality Movement 351

The Young Women's Christian Association, Jane

C. Banks 357

The American Red Cross 35°

Women's Clubs 303

Patrons of Husbandry 304

Chautauqua County Banks, C. W. Herrick 307

Steamboats of Chautauqua Lake, T. Henry Black. 37i

Political Chautauqua, Benjamin S. Dean 374

Page

Municipal Activities, Mayor Samuel A. Carlson . . 382
Dental Surgery and Dentists, William E. Goucher,

D_ D. S -^ ■*

Patriotic Societies ; Mrs. Lucy Norton Shankland,
Marvin L. Clapp, Mrs. Lona D. Brown,

Lathrop L. Hanchett 38o

Young Men's Christian Association 39-

Retrospect of Music in and around Jamestown,

Gilden R. Broadberry • 395

Development of Agriculture, John W. Spencer... 39»

Chautauqua Farm Bureau ; 400

Chautauqua County Agricultural Corporation .... 401

The Grape Industry, Dr. C. E. Welch 40^

The Swedish People, Charles A. Okerlind 403

Donald MacKenzie, King of the Northwest, Ernest

Cawcroft • 4*

"The Indian War," Theodore A. Case 4og

The Underground Railroad, Albert S. Price 412

Old Inns and Taverns ■•■;■• ••,••!;•■••• -jV,- •■ ' 'til

Merchants of the Olden Time, W. H. Proudfit ... 417

Centennial Celebration ■ ■ • ■ •••■•■• 4I9

Lily Dale Spiritualist Assembly, Mrs, Clara Wat- ^^

son ^

Bench and Bar • •. ■ ■ • • • ' ■ '*^='

Chautauqua Lake and its Surroundings, W. A.

Bradshaw ^"^

Iron and Steel ''•f

Jamestown Business College y'

Public Utilities •• ^3^

Population of Chautauqua County ••••■■••■• ''■''*

Fraternal Orders, John B. Shaw, John C. Mason,

Patrick S. Guinnane 435

Military History ■ • ■ ■• • • • • ■ ■ '♦•*'^

(Also see reverse of this page).

DUNKIRK MEN WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN SERVICE

Adamowicz, Peter
Boorady, Nahim M.
Davis, Wollis Edwin
Dobrynski. John F.
Durrell, Lester H.
Grace, Theodore
Gustavson, Egnar
Herd, Frederick Thomas
Kaltenbach, Winford George
Kay, George
Kleinc, Albert
Kuebrick, John Michael
Liigen, Nicholas Peter
Mahonsky, Joseph P.

Murray, John T.

McAllister, Clarence W.

Newell, Loren E.

Pilorski, Martin

Przespolwski, Alexander

Rahn, C. W. (Claude Herman)

Resso, Alexander

Surhan, Joseph D.

Warren, Cassimer

Weglinski, Walter

Will, Fred D.

Yetto, Charles W.

Young, John A.

Ziemenski, Joseph

Note — The above reached the publishers too late for proper place
in Military History.

XPINO OV PK CEI.ORON AT BARCELONA

CHAPTER I.

Geography — Topography — Geology — Climatology.

Still, as I view each wellknown scene,
Think what is now, and what hath been,
Seems as to me, of all bereft,
Sole friends thy woods and streams are left.

Besides its honorable history, Chautauqua

I has much in other respects to endear it to its

people. Its physical characteristics, the beaut}-

of its scenery, its size and its situation are such

as to justify the pride of its citizens.

It is the extreme western county of New
jYork. It is bounded on the south by Pennsyl-
vania, on the forty-second parallel of latitude ;
east by Cattaraugus, on the line between the
ninth and tenth ranges of townships ; north-
; 'east by Erie county at the Cattaraugus creek,
I and a line extending northwest from its mouth
to a point in Lake Erie in the boundary line
between the United States and the British
Dominions ; northerly by that line which ex-
itends along the middle of Lake Erie ; west by
Pennsylvania, on a meridian drawn through
the western extremity of Lake Ontario south
jto a monument erected by the States of Ne\^'
[York and Pennsylvania in the forty-second
jparallel of north latitude. The western bound-
lary extends on this meridian about 22 miles
*in Lake Erie, and 18 miles, 3493 feet south
thereof ; its southern boundary extends 36
miles, 473 feet; its eastern, 373/2 miles; its
northeastern boundary along Cattaraugus creek
*four miles ; its shore line upon the lake extends
labout forty miles.

j The area of the county, exclusive of Lake
Erie, is about iioo square miles, of which
about twenty square miles are included in
Chautauqua Lake, six hundred acres in the
Cassadaga Lakes, three hundred in Bear Lake,
five hundred in Findley Lake, and one thou-
-sand acres in the smaller lakes, ponds and
streams. This county is larger than the State
of Rhode Island, and greater in extent than
many of the most famous of the ancient States
of Greece, and the smaller of the German
States. Although it forms a part of an eastern
' State, the northern portion lies in the basin of
the Great Lakes, and the southern in the valley
iOf the Mississippi. It borders on Lake Erie,
snot far from the great Falls of Niagara. Politi-
cally it belongs to the East, but lying partly in
the basin of the Great Lakes and partly in the
il valley of the Mississippi, it partakes of the
'Spirit of the West. Aside from those that have

great cities within their borders, it is the fore-
most county of the Empire State. With the
products of the dairy and the fruits of the vine,
and a near market in a great metropolis, its
future is assured. Since its organization as a
county its boundaries have never been changed.

A wide belt of grass-covered hills extends
from its eastern boundary southwesterly to
Pennsylvania, forming the watershed which
divides its waters that flow north into Lake
Erie from those that flow south into the Mis-
sissippi. The steepest side of this watershed
is presented to the north towards Lake Erie,
where the hills fall away in a rapid but not
precipitous descent to the lower lands that
border it. This side of the watershed extends
in an irregular line northeasterly and south-
westerly, from two to five miles from the shore.
From the foot of these hills northward is an un-
dulating region gradually descending towards
the lake, where it terminates in a blufif of the
average height of twenty feet above it.

Lake Erie is five hundred seventy-three feet
above the sea level. No part of the county is
less than that height, while the hills of the
watershed rise generally from one thousand to
fifteen hundred feet above the lake, sometimes
over two thousand feet above the ocean. From
these hills a fine and extended view is afforded.
To the north lie the rich and cultivated lands
that border the lake, and broad and well-trained
vineyards form the principal feature of the
landscape. In some parts these vineyards ex-
tend from the shore southward across the lower
lands, and nearly up the northern slope of the
hills. Beyond this, is spread the wide expanse
of Lake Erie, so distant that its waves fade
from sight and it appears as smooth and blue
as if painted on canvas. As seen from the hills
in summer nothing relieves the monotonous
blue of the lake but the long black lines of
smoke from the steamers and the snow-white
sails of the lake craft that thickly speck its sur-
face. Beyond the lake, forty miles away, the
Canadian dominions are dimly visible from
Long Point to the historic ruins of Fort Erie.
The north face of the watershed, which ex-
tends southwesterly through the northern part

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

of the county, parallel to Lake Erie, is deeply
furrowed into a series of narrow gulfs which
conduct the water from the high lands to Lake
Erie. Corresponding depressions extend south-
ward from the summit of the watershed
through which the waters flow on that side to
the Allegheny. Between these depressions on
the south side of the watershed the land rises
into elevations which the waters have seamed
and scored transversely into chains of hills.
These hills generally slightly decrease in alti-
tude as they extend southward. The depres-
sions or troughs in the south side of the water-
shed are often deep and long; they widen into
valleys and form important features in the
landscape in Southern Chautauqua. These
valleys are all about the same level and gen-
erally about seven hundred feet above Lake
Erie. They slightly descend as they extend
towards the southeastern part of the county.
There they merge together and form the broad
valley of the Conewango. At the northern
Termination of each are one or more lakes and
ponds. The principal streams of the county
that flow southward to the Mississippi have
their origin in these lakes. The lakes all lie
very near the north face of the Ridge, and but
little labor would be required to turn their
waters northward into Lake Erie. The land
that sejKirates the waters that flow south into
Chautauqua Lake from those that flow north
into Lake Erie is but twelve feet higher than
the surface of the former lake. The land be-
tween the Cassadaga Lake and the head waters
of the Canadaway has so little elevation that
many years ago a few men in a short time cut
a channel from the head of the lake a few rods
long and sufficiently deep to permit its waters
to flow into a tributary of the Canadaway.
Had not these men been immediately restrained
by an injunction, the waters of the Cassadaga
would have been diverted from their course
and what was intended for the Mississippi
would have been given to the St. Lawrence.

The evidence afforded by the science of
geology proves that long before that era of
time known as the Glacial Period, the streams
that traversed these valleys, instead of dis-
charging southward into the Allegheny, flowed
northward into Lake Erie ; that an extensive
area (comprising 4000 square miles), including
most of Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and a part
of Allegany counties in New York, and the
greater portions of Warren, McKean and Pot-
ter counties in Pennsylvania, known to geolo-
gists as the Chautauqua Basin, was drained
into Lake Erie through what were once deep
chasms or gorges, some of which are now

occupied by the valleys of the Conewango,
Cassadaga, and Chautauqua Lake. When came i
the Ice Period, a great glacier spread over the ;
eastern part of North America. It put forth
immense tongues which increased in magni-
tude and moved southward as the cold in-
creased. During long eras of time, the cold
grew more and more intense until its maxi-
mum was reached, and then the glacier invaded
legions further and still further south. No
longer confined to river channels and moun-
tain gorges, it scaled hills and ridges. A grand
mcr de glace filled Lake Erie and pushed
against the base of the ridge bounding the
basin of that lake on the south ; it forced its
way into the gorges at the mouths of the
streams of Western New York and Pennsyl-
vania and Northern Ohio, that discharged
their waters northward into Lake Erie. As it
ascended the chasms of the Cattaraugus, Sil-
ver and Walnut creeks, and of the Cassadaga
and Chautauqua lakes, it carried away their
rough sides, deeply filling their channels with
an earthy mass. It scaled the dividing ridge
and climbed to the tops of the highest hills of
the county, paring away their summits, spread-
ing deeply over highland and lowland an un- -
broken sheet of loose material called drift, .
moulding the surface of the county into its •
present shapes. Before the glaciers came to
widen and partly fill the valleys, to carve the }
hills into their present graceful forms, the '
county had a bold and savage appearance, the
hills were higher and more rugged, the valleys
were deep chasms walled by steep and rocky
sides.

During the Glacial Period there had been a
continuous upward movement of the crust of
this part of the earth, which contributed to
produce the intense cold of the Ice Period. A
period of depression now began which is called
the Champlain Period. This movement of the
earth's crust was accompanied by a raising of
the temperature until the climate became far
milder than it is now, and caused the great
glacier that covered our county to disappear.

By reason of the melting of the glacier, and
the falling of great rains and the lowering of
the sources of the streams and rivers, retard-
ing their flow, great lakes and crooked streams
were formed in all parts of North America dur-
ing the era that followed the Glacial Period,
which geologists call the Champlain Period.
The portals of the chasms through which the
waters of Chautauqua County Basin were dis-
charged northward through the Ridge towards
Lake Erie, point where the highlands began
their njost precipitous northward descent, were

GEOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, CLIMATOLOGY

I. h' iked with drift and clay l>rought by the
glaciers, to a depth of hundreds of feet. The
, valleys that had been formed during the Ice
. Period were slightly tilted southward and their
; water currents reversed and caused to flow
towards the Mississippi. The terminal moraine
i that fringed the border of the great glacier
" near the Pennsylvania line dammed the waters
i that had been turned southward, causing an
i extensive and irregular lake for a while to ex-
j tend like the fingers of a hand up the valleys
I of the Conewango, Cassadaga, Bear creek, and
I other valleys in Chautauqua county, the evi-
I dence of which exists in the fine assorted
j material, fresh water deposits and beds of marl
that are found there. During this period the
climate of Chautauqua county was far warmer
I than it is now. Tropical animals then existed
j here, but of species differing from those now
j living. The mastodon and the North Ameri-
I can elephant frequented the shores of the lakes
i that covered the larger valleys of our county
I and its bordering marshes. Their teeth have
been found in the valley of the Cassadaga and
in other principal valleys of the county. In
August, 1871, portions of a gigantic mastodon
! were found one mile north of Jamestown,
I which have been preserved in the Museum of
i the Jamestown High School. During the
I Chautauqua County Centennial in 1902, the
i bones of many of these animals were exhumed
! in the village of Westfield.
' During the Champlain Period, the county
' was fitted for the growth of the cypress, and
semi-tropical vegetation also, relics of which
i still linger to some extent between the Ridge
i and Lake Erie, the peculiar conditions there,
' and its milder climate, favoring their perpetu-
i ation. These southern species are represented
' by magnolias, the cucumber, the white wood
■ or tulip tree, and also by the honey locust
1 and wild grape vine, and other growths natural
; to warmer climes. The trees that then formed
' the forests of our county were little like those
! that the first settlers found here. The twigs iti
the stomach of the Jamestown mastodon were
I found to belong to a species of spruce which.
! then, undoubtedly, grew here plentifully, but is
i now not known to exist.

I Since then, there has been a succession of
i trees. The first settlers found a dense forest
I of evergreen, pine and hemlock in the whole
i of the four southeastern townships. The hem-
i locks also extended over the rocky ridges and
j along the stony sides of the ravines of the
smaller streams. The hills and higher lands
I were heavily timbered with deciduous trees,
: principally beech, maple, chestnut and oak.

The early settlers found relics of an ancient
and majestic pine forest that once had densely
covered the hills, at last had yielded the ground
to the maple and beech, and was now strug-
gling with the hemlock and black ash in the
>alleys below.

In the era following the Champlain Period,
this part of the continent became more ele-
vated, which caused a more rapid flow of the
waters. Slowly the outlet of the irregular
lake that extended over the southern part of
our cotmty was worn away, the waters low-
ered, and the basin covered with miry swamps
and shallow ponds. At length it was fully
drained, save a few little lakes that lay at 'its
furthermost borders.

The processes of nature have gracefully
lounded the hills of our county, smoothed and
shaped its valleys and clothed them with a
forest of beautiful foliage. Now it would seem
that the work of creation is complete, and oui
county finished and ready for man. But the
work of creation is never complete ; we see
species of animal and vegetable life succeeding
each other in a regular system of progress from
the lower to the higher, commencing with the
coral and simplest sea plants, rising until now
we have man and the highest ranks of vegeta-
ble life. The work of creation is ever going on.
It is, however, the present landscape of Chau-
tauqua county that interests us now. In the
wide valley that extends along the eastern bor-
ders of the county, flows the Conewango. the
principal stream of Chautauqua. The Indian
whose trails once threaded its valley, pro-
nounced it "Ga-no-wun-go," meaning "in the
rapids." It empties into the Allegheny, and
has its source in two lakes that lie close to the
northern verge of the Ridge, called Mud and
East Mud lakes. In the deep wide valley of
the central part of the county flows the Cassa-
daga, called by the Senecas Gus-da-go. This
stream has its source in a cluster of little lakes
that also sparkle near the northern declivity
of the highlands. Upon their shores is situated
Lily Dale, "City of Light," the famous sum-
mer resort of the Spiritualists. Bear creek
flows through another valley into the Cassa-
daga. Its source is a pleasant sheet of water
called Bear Lake, which also lies very near the
northern verge of the Ridge.

In the valley next west of Bear and Cassa-
daga valleys, and extending in the same direc-
tion from the northern face of the Ridge, is
that depression in which lies Chautauqua Lake,
the largest body of water within the limits of
the county, and one of the most beautiful in
the State. In this notch, cut so deeply across

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

the hills, gleam its bright waters — a paradox
among lakes. Poised in the crest of the high-
land, where the sky is only reflected in its crys-
tal depths, it is so near Lake Erie that we ex-
pect to see its waters pour down the steep de-
clivit}' to join it, and finally meet the sea upon
the cold and barren coast of Labrador. In-
stead of this, we find them running southward,
and, after a long and sinuous journey of over
twenty-five hundred miles, flowing consecu-
tively through the Chadakoin, Cassadaga,
Conewango, Allegheny, Ohio and Mississippi,
to mingle at last with the waters of the Gulf
of Mexico. The Mississippi river seems to
stretch forth an arm far beyond its own great
valley to receive the pure water of this high-
land lake.

The hills that rise to the westward of the
valley in which lies Chautauqua Lake divide
the waters flowing into this lake from those
that flow into the Brokenstraw and French
creeks. These are important tributaries of the
Allegheny. Findley Lake, the second in size
in the county, lies farther from the northern
face of the ridge, and at a higher altitude than
the others, and discharges its waters into a
tributary of French creek. Two islands adorn
this lake and like the others it is filled with
pure water and surrounded by pleasant shores.
It is also, like Chautauqua and Cassadaga
Lakes, the seat of a popular summer resort.

The streams in the northern part of the
county are generally shorter and have less
volume than those in the southern part.
Among them are the Twenty Mile, Chautauqua
and Canadaway creeks ; Walnut creek, and
Silver creek, called by the Indians Ga-a-nun-
da-ta (a mountain leveled down), have their
sources in opposite sides of the Conewango
Valley and unite at the village of Silver creek.
Cattaraugus, formerly pronounced Ga-da-ges-
ga-go and also Ga-hun-da, from which word
Gowanda is evidently derived (meaning fetid
banks, or stinking waters), flows along the
border of the county. It is much the largest
stream that here empties into Lake Erie. It is
also the longest water course of the county,
being over fifty miles in length. No other
stream in the county flows into Lake Erie from
beyond the highlands that form the watershed.
The Cattaraugus rises in Cattaraugus county,
follows a deep depression among the hills, and
passes beyond the Ridge into Lake Erie. At
Gowanda, thirteen miles from Lake Erie, it is
but four miles east of the headwaters of the
Conewango, and yet according to the railroad
survey, its surface is six hundred feet below

them, and but two hundred feet above Lake
Erie.

Beneath the sand, gravel and loose material
brought by the glacier, called drift, which
everywhere covers the whole surface of Chau-
tauqua county, lie the ancient rocks that form
its foundation. These formations belong to
the Devonian Age, or Age of Fishes. They
contain within themselves a faithful record of
the earth's history during millions of years, a
record which, when rightly understood, is
found never false. The history that we read
from these rocks tells us of the progress of life,
the great cataclysms and the wonderful changes
that have occurred in the ages of time during
which they were formed.

The rocks that immediately underlie the
drift in Chautauqua county belong to the
Chemung Period of the Devonian Age. The
character of the shells and fossil seaweeds
found in them relate the circumstances of their
creation. They inform us that the county,
during the Chemung Period, was usually cov-
ered by a shallow sea of muddy waters spread
over great sand flats and salt meadows, swept
by waves and tidal currents. The Chemung
Period is made up of two epochs, the Portage
and the Chemung. The rocks of the Portage
are the oldest, and lie beneath those of the
Chemung. As all the strata that underlie
Chautauqua county incline to the south, the
rocks of the Portage Group come to the sur-
face and form the bed rock in the northern
part of the county. Their exposure extends
high up the northern face of the ridge. They
are best observed along Lake Erie, where they
form the high perpendicular bluffs that frown
along its shores. Along the beds and sides of
the channel worn by the Canadaway creek
through the hills of Arkwright and along its
west branch, these rocks may be seen to ad-
^ antage. Along the banks and beds of Silver
and Walnut creeks and along the Cattaraugus,
Chautauqua, Little Chautauqua and Twenty
Mile creeks, and at various places in the north-
ern part of the county where smaller streams
have removed the drift from the surface and
exposed the underlying rocks, they are well
displayed.

Above the Portage, formations coming to
the surface in the southern part of the county
lie the rocks of the Chemung Epoch. They are
exposed to view along the streams and in the
ravines of the southern part of the county, and
are best seen along the upper waters of Chau-
tauqua and Little Chautauqua creeks, the out-
let of Chautauqua Lake at Dexterville, a part

GEOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, CLIMATOLOGY

of Twenty Mile creek, and at points along the
Cassadaga and Conewango creeks, and along
the banks of their tributaries. There are many
fossil shells and seaweeds in the rocks of the
Chemung Epoch. Of the multitude of species
peopling the waters in the Portage and
Chemung Periods, they are all of ancient forms
of life, and none has survived to the present
time.

The streams that flow northward from the
highlands have worn deep channels in these
foundation rocks, which along the northern
face of the Ridge are known as the Portage
Shales. The east branch of the Canadaway
near the western boundary of Arkwright flows
through a deep, wide chasm, where its waters
have cut in the rocks a still deeper but narrow
channel. Here the bed of the stream is more
than three hundred feet lower than the banks
on either side. Concealed beneath the dense
foliage of the trees are several fine cascades.
But few, even of those living, have visited this
beautiful glen, and some who have lived long
in its populated vicinity do not even know
that such wild waterfalls exist so near them.
Hemlocks grow in profusion in and along the
liasin of this stream and along its upper waters.
From this fact the stream derives its Indian
name "Ga-na-da-wa-ow," "running through the
hemlocks." The waterfalls, deep gorges and
wild scenery of the east, and also of the west
branch of the Canadaway are characteristic of
all the streams that flow through the soft
shales of the Portage formation. Chautauqua
and Twenty Mile creeks are especially interest-
ing in this respect. From the side of the can-
yon in which flows the Chautauqua, and not
far from the main highway between Mayville
and Westfield, a spur of shaly rock projects at
right angles for many rods into the gorge and
slopes gradually from a great height at the
brink of the canyon to the level of the stream.
The sides of this ridge are very steep and the
top is very narrow, not wider than a footpath,
and is used as such to descend into the gorge.
A similar ridge occurs near one of the princi-
pal falls of the Canadaway and a number of
others known as "hog's backs" occur near sev-
eral other streams flowing through the Portage
Rocks.

At Panama and on the tops of the highest
liills remain fragments of conglomerate rocks,
formed in the last part of the Chemung or early
in the succeeding or Catskill Period, but which
are partly torn away by the action of glaciers,
And mingled with the drift, they here having
partly formed the surface rock during the Ice
Period. This formation and the underlying

sandstone is called the Salamanca and Panama
Conglomerate. It constitutes the last strati-
fied formation in the county. It is a shore
formation made as the rocks of the Devonian
Age began to appear above the surface of an
ancient ocean that spread its waters there. A
mass of pebbles, fine gravel and sand had
gathered on the northerly shore of this vast
Paleozoic Sea that once extended indefinitely
southward and for time inconceivable had
heaved its billows there. The gravel and peb-
bles were brought into this ocean by rivers
and streams, and then were washed shoreward
by the surf and tide, and again seaward by the
refluent waves, smoothing and rounding' peb-
bles of quartz and producing the collection and
arrangement of material that make up the
Panama Conglomerate. It here probably con-
stituted the last contribution made by the sea
to the continent of North America before it
became dry land. Time cemented the pebbles,
gravel and sand, into a hard and solid mass.
The great openings that now appear in these
rocks, dividing them into blocks as at Panama
in Chautauqua county and Rock City in Catta-
ragus county, are not the result of upheavals,
but probably the quiet work of frost and ice,
aided by the weight of the rocks — a silent
process, imperceptibly going on, during that
almost immeasurable period that has lapsed
since the Devonian Age, slowly opening and
widening these fissures into passages so that
they have come to resemble the streets and
avenues of a city.

The time that elapsed after the formation of
these conglomerates is not represented by any
stratified rocks in Chautauqua, for the reason
that the county continued dry land after the
Devonian Rocks arose above the sea, and left
no record of events in the amazing period that
followed. Of what vegetable growths and liv-
ing creatures existed upon the surface during
the millions of years included in the vast era
of time from this event down to the Quater-
narv, or Age of Man, the formations of the
county afford no evidence. The rocks in other
parts of the continent that during all that
stretch of time were forming beneath the sea,
continue the story of the earth's history down
to that very recent era — the Ice Period. In
the mantle of drift that was spread over the
county in that period, is written a most inter-
esting geological history; one that he who
visits the banks of its streams, the excavations
made for its railroads and trolley lines, or
casually rides over the hills of the county, may
read.

The coming of the glaciers swept away the

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

greater part of the Panama and Salamanca
Conglomerate that so long had lain over the
greater part of the county, before the basin of
Lake Erie was chiselled out by the ice. Its
thinnest edge was worn away by the action of
glaciers. Great blocks of these rocks, however,
btill lay scattered over the hills of the southern
towns, and smaller fragments in the drift and
in the bed of the streams that flow southward.
The southern limits of this great glacier are
well defined by a terminal morain which con-
sists of immense accumulations of boulders,
gravel, and loose material. North of this
l)lainly marked line lie unbroken fields of drift,
while south of it they disappear altogether.
This terminal morain has been traced from the
Atlantic ocean to a long distance west of the
Mississippi river. It forms the backbone of
Long Island. It enters New Jersey south of
New York City, thence it extends westerly
across that State and northwesterly through
Pennsylvania and New York to a point near
Salamanca, where it changes its direction so
abruptly as to make an acute angle. It then
proceeds southwesterly into Pennsylvania,
crossing the Conewango between Warren and
the New York line. Chautauqua county dur-
ing the Glacial Period lay close to the "line of
battle between the frosts of the north and the
tropical winds of the south." At length the
great glacier began to yield to the increasing
warmth. It slowly withdrew its icy wall
towards the northern borders of our county,
exposing and leaving everywhere, over the
southern portion, confused and unfertile heaps
of loose earth, gravel and stones. Huge
boulders, as we now see, were scattered at
intervals entirely above the drift and more or
less over the whole surface of the county. As
the receding glacier withdrew, it paused for a
while at the Ridge, as if stopped by some era
of cold, turned back, and again pushed its glit-
tering front a little way southward. The
record of this movement appears in an exten-
sive moraine that extends to a width of two or
three miles along the south side of the crest
nf the Uidge, easily distinguished by the con-
fused heaps of sand, gravel and boulders, by
kames and kettle holes. This moraine enters
the county from the east at the northeast
corner of Villenova, and extends westerly
along the borders of the town by East Mud
Lake. Curving to the south, it passes out of
Villenova at West Mud Lake, extends west to
Arkwright Center, and southwest to the upper
Cassadaga Lake in Pomfret, westerly by Bear
Lake to Portland ; then it curves south. About
a mile north of Hartfield it turns northward.

crosses Westfield in an east and west direction,
enters Ripley north of where the principal
branch of Twenty Mile creek crosses the east
line of that town. It then extends westerly
along and north of that stream. Finally it
crosses into Pennsylvania.

At last, yielding to the heat of a warmer
era, the great glacier withdrew northward be-
yond Lake Erie, leaving the record of its de-
parture in the granite boulders thickly scat-
tered along the northern slope of the Ridge.
Four or five beach lines, one above the other,
each at a fixed elevation above the lake, ex-
tend in parallel lines along the lower lands that
border Lake Erie. These beach lines mark
the halts in the process of lowering the great
sea or lake that extended northward from the
county, while obstructions to its drainage were
being removed. The great glacier gradually
succumbed to the milder climate that intro-
duced the Champlain Period and at last en-
tirely disappeared, leaving the lake nearly at
its present level. The process of lowering its
waters is still going on. Niagara Falls has '
worn away seven miles of the twenty-two
miles of rock that intervenes before Lake Erie
will be reached and drained to its bottom, re-
minding us again that the process of creation
is to continue, with all its kaleidoscopic
changes, until time shall end.

The topography of the county has much to
do with its climate, and in connection with the
varied character of its soils, with the varied
character of its agricultural products also. It
has given to different parts of the county dif-
ferent weather conditions. The first of these
distinct climates is found in a narrow strip of
territory, in width from three to five miles,
along the shore of the towns that border on
Lake Erie. This part has the lowest elevation
of any land in the county. Lake Erie is 573
feet above tide-water. This belt of land, from
a level of about twenty feet above Lake Erie,
gradually rises to the southward until at the
foot of the hills it is about 250 feet above the
lake. Although this portion of the county is
subject to rigorous winters common to its lati-
tude, its climate is much milder than that of
other parts. Its lower altitude, and its proxi-
mity to the waters of the lake, postpone the
cold of winter : its humid atmosphere protects
against the frost of spring. It is, however, sub-
ject to more severe droughts than the other
portions of the county. The influx of the
lake extends not only over this narrow border
of land, but over the northern slope of the hills.
All this part of the county is well adapted to

GEOGRAPHY, GEOLOGY, CLIMATOLOGY

. the production of cereals and fruit, especially
• "■■ grape.

n the soils, and even in the products of the

'. may thus be read the striking and inter-

ng story of the glacier. Extending in

rly a straight line from Pennsylvania to the

Cattaraugus creek is a very narrow strip of

*' coarse gravel called the "Dunkirk Gravel." It

' passes through the villages of Ripley, West-

' field, Brocton, Fredonia and Sheridan. Here

'■ the grape industry was first begun. This

'<■ gravel is the best adapted to the production of

' the early grape, and also for the peach and

s- plum. This narrow line of gravel marks one

•: of the old beaches, and points out the lake's

1 level at some time far back in the past. The

1! [dry soil and regular character of this natural

If .'formation has ever recommended its use to

; both the white and the red man. For centuries

. I the great trail of the Indians leading from

■ Buffalo to the West traversed it. The pioneers
[. : built the Main or Erie road upon it. Extend-

■ ing the whole distance and parallel to this arii
I other narrow lines of gravel, marking other
I I ancient beaches of the lake. Between and on
■, I either side of these lines of gravel are strips of
, soil called "Dunkirk Gravel Loam," a soil
. adapted to the production of grapes and gar-
• I den products. In the territory between these
. 1 lines of old beaches and Lake Erie, the land is

divided between what is denominated "Dui\-
, ; kirk Sandy Loam" and "Dunkirk Clay." The
former is said to produce the largest yield of
grapes, and the latter a superior quality. Im-
i mediately south of these old beaches of gravel
and gravel loam, and extending over nearly
the whole northern face of the highlands, are
wide areas of territory called "Dunkirk Shale
Loam." The soil here is not made of miscel-
laneous debris deposited by the ice sheet, as in
most parts of the county, but is composed of
the weathered products of the foundation
rocks of the Chemung Period, left bare by the
glaciers. This soil is barren and unfit for agri-
' cultural purposes other than the raising of
grapes, but here the grapes, though small in
quantity, are of the best quality, the favorite
of the consumer, and much esteemed in the
manufacture of wine.

There is another and severer climate in the
! deep and wide valleys that extend through the
highlands in the southern part of the county,
from the Pennsylvania line to the northern
face of the ridge or escarpment through which
flows all the larger streams of the county.
Cassadaga Lake, according to the survey of
the Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley & Pittsburgh
railroad, and also the State topographical sur-

vey of the "Westfield Area," is seven hundred
thirty-two feet above Lake Erie, and thirteen
hundred five feet above the ocean. Chautauqua
Lake, according to the survey, is but three
feet higher than Cassadaga Lake. Bear Lake
is substantially of the same elevation. These
lakes all lie at the head of valleys which ex-
tend with but little descent to the Pennsyl-
vania line. These upland valleys converge and
become one in the southeastern part of the
county, where at Fentonville, the lowest point,
it is but fifty to sixty feet below the Cassadaga
Lake, so that all of these wide upland valleys,
which include the Conewango, Cassadaga,
Bear and Goose creeks, Chautauqua Lake.
Stillwater, Brokenstraw, French creek and
other lesser vales, have elevations of but little
variation, and all exceeding twelve hundred
thirty feet, and less than fourteen hundred
thirty above the ocean. In consequence of the
greater elevations of these valleys and other
circumstances, a severer climate prevails there
than along Lake Erie ; the spring is longer
delayed, winter comes earlier and the snow
lies deeper; these circumstances and a different
soil make the agricultural products of these
upland valleys quite different from the coun-
try along Lake Erie. The soil of these valleys
in some places is designated as "Meadow" and
in other places as "Cassadaga Sand." These
soils are adapted to the raising of grapes when
drained. Fruit, with the exception of the apple,
and grain, are not so profitably raised. Stock
raising and dairying chiefly occupy the atten-
tion of the farmer.

A third and still more rigorous climate pre-
vails among the hills that border these valleys
and which occupy the principal area of the
county. These hills often rise to the height of
sixteen or seventeen hundred feet above the
ocean, and three or four hundred feet above the
neighboring valleys. In Cherry Creek, Char-
lotte and Gerry the summits of some of these
hills are two thousand feet above the ocean,
and in Arkwright nearly as high. Two places
near the boundary line between the towns of
Charlotte and Cherry Creek, being points on
lots 6o and 62 of the latter town, reach the
elevation of 2,100 feet above the ocean, accord-
ing to the late topographical survey by the
State; an elevation of over 1.500 feet above
Lake Erie, and over 800 feet above the neigh-
boring valley of the Conewango. In, the south-
eastern part of the county, not yet surveyed,
where the hills are prophetic of the moun-
tains beyond, it is believed are located its high-
est land's. The following villages and hamlets
among the highlands are fifteen hundred feet

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

or more above the ocean level: Ellery, 1,758
above the sea; Summerdale, 1,639; Arkwright,
1,632; Mina, 1,600; North Clymer, 1,562; Vo-
lusia, 1,560; Panama, 1,551; Stedman, 1,550;
Sherman, 1,549; Charlotte Center, 1,530; and
Centralia, 1,500.

The soil that covers the elevated parts of the
county, according to the State soil survey, are
"Volusia Loam" and "Volusia Sand Loam,"
principally the latter, which is adapted to the
raising of grass, oats, potatoes and apples.
Here among the uplands the snow comes earli-
est in autumn, falls deepest in winter, and lies
latest in spring. Sometimes in the spring,
when the grass is green and fruit trees are
blossoming along the shore of Lake Erie, the
hills of Arkwright and Charlotte are white
with snow. But what cares the tenant of those
snowy hills? There he has passed his early
years and breasted the storms of many a win-
ter ! He would not change his bleak highland
farm for the pleasantest fields along the lake.
Love of home is strong indeed ! It can make
the hills more beautiful and the fields more
green. It can magnify beauties and remove
blemishes. It can even make the rigorous sea-
sons bear pleasant memories. Who reverts to
the Chautauqua winters of his early years,
inclement as they were, without a pleasing
remembrance? In winter the drifts lie deeply
around the farm houses, and bury the fields
and fences from view. Travel is blocked upon
the highway and the farmer for a while is im-
prisoned by the storm.

Propitiously as the spring season opens, it
is subject to chilly relapses. In Chautauqua
county, winter lingers long in the lap of spring.
The ice which gathers in Lake Erie during the
colder months, loosened by the warmth of the
advancing season, drifts to the foot of the lake,
and sometimes remains unmelted until almost
June, bringing raw and inclement weather to
the adjacent shores. Nipping frosts often
visit the farmer during the last days of May,
and even in the month of June, cutting his
corn and destroying his fruit.

In the summer time the trees are mantled
with a mass of foliage. Abundant springs and
heavy dews keep the meadows and pastures

green. In the northern part of the county the
sultry air is tempered by refreshing breezes
from Lake Erie bearing health and strength
upon their healing wings. Cool nights and
pleasing rural scenery invite thousands annu-
ally to pass the heated term upon the shores
of the lakes. Nowhere is the climate and scen-
ery more pleasing than in our county in the
summer time. An Italian sunset can scarcely
excel the scene that may be witnessed from the
hills of Chautauqua on a summer afternoon,
when the broad red disk of the sun, slowly de-
scending into the blue waves of Lake Erie,
closes the day in fiery splendor.

The glory of the American forest in autumn
has been often told, but nowhere does the
woodland appear in greater splendor than
among our Chautauqua hills. There nature
seems to have spilled her choicest pigments
upon the woods. At length, frosts and falling
leaves point to the return of winter, yet among
the hills of Chautauqua the season lingers for
awhile ; the year ripens into mildness and In-
dian summer comes. The sharp contrasts of
light and shade in the clear air of spring dis-
appear in autumn. In the hazy atmosphere
the line between sky and earth is dimly drawn,
only the filmy outline of the hills is seen. The
shades of the valley deepen in the murky light.
In the distant vales they fade almost into dark-
ness. While yet the air is soft and the heavens
serene, wild geese begin their southward flight
in long converging lines, as if moving runic
characters were written in the sky foretelling
the approach of storms and snows. Distant
sounds seem near in the hollow air. From far
in the upper sky comes the strange warning
voice of their leader, startling and clear, guid-
ing his brood in their wedge-like flight from
the icy fields of Canada, high above the waters
of Lake Erie and Chautauqua, in unerring
course to the tepid lakes and rushy streams of
warmer climes. Responsive to these warning
signs, winter comes with all his blustering
crew of chills and snows, freezing winds and
pinching frosts, and at last the keen blasts of
December howl him a fierce welcome to his
ancient and favorite domain among the whiten-
ing hills of Old Chautauqua.

CHAPTER II.
The Mound Builders.

The pioneer of Chautauqua county found it
an unbroken wilderness ; yet often when ex-
ploring its silent depths, where forest shadows
hung deepest, they were startled at the dis-

covery of unmistakable evidences of its hav-
ing been anciently inhabited by a numerous
people. Crowning the brows of hills that were
flanked by deep ravines, along the shores of its

I.NL'IA.X .MOr.XDrf IN CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY

THE MOUND BUILDERS

lakes and streams, in its valleys at numerous
])oints, were the plain traces of their indus-
try — earthworks or fortifications, mostly circu-
lar; pits bearing marks of use by fire; ancient
highways and mounds in which lay buried
mouldering skeletons; and later, where forests
had given place to cultivated fields, the spade
and plow in the springtime made strange reve-
lations of rude implements of war and peace,
r.nd oftentimes of the crumbling relics of an
ancient burial place. At first these monuments
were believed to be of European origin ; and
patient research was made among early rec-
ords for an account of events happening upon
the Eastern continent, a little prior to and
about the time of the discovery of America,
that would afford an explanation of their exist-
ence. But the great age of the forest trees
growing above them, and other marks of an-
liquity, demonstrated this belief to be un-
founded. A solution of the mystery was then
sought among the traditions of the aborigines,
but careful investigation has proved these
ruins to be so old that tradition can throw no
light upon them; and that they cannot be the
work of the ancestors of the Indian found here.

Commencing near the centre of the State,
they extend westwardly. Over Chautauqua
county they were thickly strewn ; farther to
the west and south, in the valleys of the Ohio
and Mississippi, these ancient remains were
still more numerously found in larger dimen-
sions, and, it is evident, of much greater an-
tiquity. There for a long period of time must
have dwelt a large and industrious people.
The geometric precision with which their
works were constructed ; the fine workman-
ship of their pottery; their ornaments and im-
plements of copper, silver and porphyry ; the
lemarkable skill and the long period of time
during which they must have worked the cop-
per mines of Lake Superior — proved them to
liave possessed a considerable degree of civili-
zation.

In the town of Sheridan, not far from where
the Erie railway crosses the highway between
I'redonia and Forestville, at an early day was
plainly to be seen an ancient fortification, circu-
lar in form, enclosing many acres. The evi-
dence then existed that the land in that vicin-
ity had once been cleared, but had since come
up to timber of at least three hundred years'
growth. Pestles, mortars and other stone im-
plements were found, and numerous pits occur-
ring at regular intervals were formerly ob-
served there. These in every instance were
found two together or in pairs. In this vicin-
ity, from time to time many human bones have

also been lirought to light. In the summer of
1870, a large grave was opened from which a
great number of skeletons were exhumed.
These were the bones of individuals of both
sexes, and all ages from infancy to old age.
They were indiscriminately mingled together,
clearly indicating an unceremonious and pro-
miscuous burial. Near the eastern boundary of
the village of Fredonia, not far from the Cana-
daway, extending from bank to bank a distance
of about two hundred feet across the level sum-
mit of an eminence, still known as "Fort Hill,"
was once an ancient intrenchment, in front of
which was once the traces of a large pit. In
the vicinity of these remains, human bones
and the usual Indian relics have occasionally
been found. In the town of Westfield were
extensive remains of earthworks, and in the
town of Portland, besides a circular earthwork
and other evidences of ancient occupation,
there were also several ancient roadways — ex-
cavations have shown that one of them was
underlaid by a bed of large stone deeply cov-
ered with earth and gravel.

Around the beautiful lakes and village of
Cassadaga occur perhaps the most extensive
remains of any in the county. At the ex-
tremity of the cape which extends from
the southwestern side far into the lower of
these lakes, is a curious and conspicuous
mound. Its longest diameter is about seven
reds, its shortest five. Its summit is about
twelve feet above the level of the lake, and is
about eight feet above the low neck of land in
its rear that connects it with the higher and
wider part of the cape. Whether it is an arti-
ficial structure or the work of nature, is open
to conjecture ; it seems, however, to have been
rncientlv occupied, for the usual relics have
been found there in great abundance. Stretch-
ing across this cape for a distance of perhaps
tvventy rods along the brink of the plateau that
rises about twelve rods in the rear of this
tumulus, was an earthenware breastwork. Still
further to the rear, extending nearly from shore
to shore, was another breastwork. Thus were
several acres enclosed by these earthen works
and the two shores of the lake. In the vicinity,
large quantities of pottery and stone utensils
have been found. Near the northern shore of
the lake was a large mound ; although frequent
plowing had reduced the dimensions, it is still
four or'five feet high and three or four rods in
diameter. It is said to have been twelve feet
high when first seen, with forest trees of cen-
turies growth standing upon it. About 1822,
this mound was excavated and a large number
CI human skeletons exhumed. Extending.'

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

from an extensive fire bed in the neighborhood
of the mound, in a northwesterly direction a
distance of sixty rods or more, on the east side
of the lake, was an elevated strip of land of the
width of the track of an ordinary turnpike,
bearing the appearance of having been once a
graded way. The traces of this ancient road
are still plainly visible. At various other places
around Cassadaga and along the shore of the
lake, were numerous caches and extensive fire
beds or hearths with an abundance of coal and
ashes buried deep in the ground. Skeletons
have been exhumed in many places, and
arrows, pottery and stone implements in great
profusion.

Extensive remains were also found at Sin-
clairville and in its vicinity. A distance of
about one mile south of that village, in the
town of Gerry, was a circular intrenchment in-
closing several acres, within which numerous
skeletons and rude implements of stone have
been discovered. Northeast of this intrench-
ment a distance of about one hundred and
thirty rods, was an ancient cemetery in which
the remains of many people seem to have been
regularly interred. This old Indian burying
ground was well known from the first settle-
ment of the county, and was a subject of much
speculation among the early inhabitants. Fifty
years ago or more, as many as fifty skeletons
were disinterred on one occasion. Some of
them are said to have been of unusual size ; and
within the last twenty years (written in 1875)
Iwenty-five skeletons were disinterred on an-
other occasion (the author being present).
The bodies were regularly buried in a sitting
position, in rows, alternating and facing each
other. In the woods in Gerry, two miles south-
east of Sinclairville, is still visible one of these
circular fortifications with large forest trees
growing from its ditch and wall. Close by Sin-
clairville, upon the high bluff to the west that
rises precipitously from Mill creek, was once
an earthwork, circular in form, within which
was a deep excavation. The excavation and
intrenchment have long since disappeared, and

now from this commanding eminence so in-
closed, a beautiful prospect may be had of the
village and the surrounding hills.

Extending along the northern and southern
boundary of the plateau, on which a principal
part of the village is situated, were two earthen
breastworks. Between these two embank-
ments the main fortifications seem to have
been situated. It was an extensive circular
earthwork, having a trench without, and a
gateway opening to a small stream that passed
along its southern side. This work inclosed
six or seven acres of what is now a central por-
tion of the village. A part of the main street,
portions of other streets and the village green,
all were included within this old inclosure.

At other points within the town of Gerry
and in the town of Stockton, were remains of
similar earth works and other evidences of an
early occupation. In the town of Ellington, at
different places along the terrace of low hills
that borders either side of the valley of Clear
creek, there existed at the first settlement of
the county the remains of many of these circu-
lar inclosures, in the vicinity of which stone
implements and other relics have been plenti-
fully discovered. Along the shore and outlet
of Chautauqua Lake were numerous mounds
and other vestiges. Two of these and the
traces of an old roadway are still visible near
the eastern shore of Chautauqua Lake at Grif-
fith's Point, in the town of Ellery. The descrip-
tion given of the aboriginal monuments found
in these localities will suffice for a further
account of those that were found numerously
distributed in other parts of the county, for
they all bear the same general resemblance.
They prove this region to have once been a
favorite resort of an early race. Whence they
came, how long they remained, and what for-
tunes attended their existence, we have no
record of. There can be little doubt, however,
that here were once rudely cultivated fields
and perhaps populous villages, inhabited by
strange and primitive people.

CHAPTER III.

Origin of the Name Chautauqua.

The Indian names by which we know many
of the places in Chautauqua county were words
in the Seneca tongue. Chautauqua Lake in
1749 was known to the French as Tchadakoin,
which, pronounced according to the rules of
French orthoepy, is not unlike our word Chau-

tauqua. For over fifty years the name under-
went in French and English, various spellings,
receiving but a slightly different pronuncia-
tion, until we find it spelled upon the maps of
the Holland Company, made in 1804, Chau-
taughque. After the settlement of the county

PREHISTORIC BONES

ORIGIN OF NAME CHAUTAUOUA

it was spelled Chautauque until 185(3, when by
a resolution by the board of supervisors, it was
changed to Chautauqua. The pronunciation of
the word by the Senecas was as if it was
spelled Jahdahgwah, the first two vowels long
and the last short.

Chautauqua creek was pronounced the same
as the lake, and was spelled Chau-taugh-que
on the map of the Holland Company made in
1804. It is marked on Celoron's map as the
river "Aux Pommes" (Apple river). The
Chautauqua Outlet, now called the Chadakoin,
and the Conewango creek were pronounced
Ga-no-wun-go, meaning "in the rapids," prob-
ably in allusion to the rapids above Warren,
Pennsylvania, and at and below Jamestown.
Cassadaga creek and lake were called Gus-
da-go, and also Ze-car-ne-o-di, meaning, it is
said, "under the rocks." Cattaraugus creek
was called Ga-da-ges-ga-go and also Ga-nun-da
from which evidently Govi'anda is derived, and
means "fetid" or "stinking banks." The Indian
name for the Canadaway was Ga-na-da-wa-o,
meaning "running through the hemlocks."
Silver creek was called Ga-a-nun-da-ta, mean-
ing "a mountain leveled down." On Harden-
burgh's map made in 1787, the Indian town on
Kiantone creek is spelled Kyenthono. Still-
water creek is written Gaw-on-age-dock. and
the Little Brokenstraw of Harmony, Cosh-not-
e-a-go.

The name Ohio or La Belle Rievere was
applied by the French to that portion of the
Allegheny extending up from Pittsburgh as far
at least as Franklin, as well as to the Ohio
proper. It is probable that the Conewango,
Chautauqua Lake and outlet, and perhaps that
part of the Allegheny below the mouth of the
Conewango to Franklin, were called by the
French the "Tchadakoin," as inscribed upon the
leaden plate they buried at important points,
and that in process of time this appellation was
retained only by the lake. The word under-
Avent various changes in orthography until it
came to be spelled Chautauqua. On a manu-
script map of 1749, made by a Jesuit in the
Department de la Marne in Paris, it is spelled
Tjadakoin, and the Chautauqua creek that
empties into Lake Erie in the town of West-
field is called the Riviere Aux Pommes, or
Apple river. In the translation of the letters
of Du Quesne, governor-general of Canada in
1753, it is spelled "Chataconit." In Stephen
Coffin's affidavit sworn to before Sir William
Johnson in 1754, "Chadakoin." In Pouchot
history and map accompanying it, "Shatacoin."

On Pownell's map of 1776 and Evans' map of
1755' it is written "Judaxque." General Wil-
liam Irvine, who visited Chautauqua prior to
1788, writes it "Jadaqua."

The name in the Seneca traditions was said
to mean "the place where one was lost," or
"the place of easy death." Cornplanter, in his
famous speech against the title of the Phelps
and Gorham tracts, alluding to his tradition,
said : "In this case one chief has said he would
ask you to put him out of pain ; another who
will not think of dying by the hand of his
father or his brother, has said he will retire to
Chauddauk-wa, eat of the fatal root, and sleep
with his fathers in peace."

Dr. Peter Wilson, an educated Cayuga chief,
communicated this interesting Seneca tradi-
tion : "A party of Senecas returning from the
Ohio in the spring of the year ascended the
outlet of Chautauqua Lake, passed into the
lake, and while crossing caught a fish of a kind
with which they were not familiar, but threw
into the canoe. Reaching the head of the lake,
they made a portage across to Chautauqua
creek, then swollen with the spring freshets.
Descending the creek into Lake Erie, they
found to their astonishment the fish still alive.
They threw it into the lake and it disappeared.
Tn process of time the same fish appeared abun-
dantly in the lake, having never been caught in
it before. They concluded they all sprang
from the Chautauqua Lake progenitor, hence
they named that lake Ga-ja-dah-gwah, com-
pounded of the two Seneca words, Ga-jah,
'fish,' and ga-dah-gwah, 'taken out.' In course
of time the word was contracted into 'Jah-dah-
gwah'."

Other meanings have been assigned the
word. Chautauqua has been said to mean
"foggy place," in allusion to the mist arising
from" the lake ; also to mean "high up," re-
ferring to the elevated situation of the lake ;
while it is said that early Indian interpreters,
well versed in the Seneca tongue, gave ^ its
meaning to be "a pack tied in the middle," or
"two moccasins fastened together," from the
resemblance of the lake to those objects.

A beautiful Seneca tradition lends an addi-
tional charm to Chautauqua Lake. "A young
squaw is said to have eaten of a root growing
on its bank, which created tormenting thirst.
To stake it, she stooped down to drink of its
clear waters, and disappeared forever, hence
vhe name of the lake, Ja-Da-Qua, or the place
of easy death, where one disappears and is seen
no more."

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

CHAPTER IV.
The Destruction of the Eries.

This brief review of early history and con-
quest reveals the fact that the French far out-
stripped the English in exploring and settling
this continent.

In 1615, before the landing of the Pilgrims,
the French, led by Champlain, had penetrated
hundreds of miles into the wilderness and
reached the distant shores of Lake Huron,
There he learned that the countr)' southeast
of Lake Erie, where lies Chautauqua county,
was the home of the Je-go-sa-sa — as the Sene-
cas called them — the Eries, or the nation of the
Cat. The same year and before Miles Standish
smote the heathen with his sword of Damas-
cus, Ettiene Brule. Champlain's interpreter,
guided by twelve Hurons, had traversed the
wilderness of Western New York and visited
the country of the Eries and Carantouan, their
principal village.

In 1656, in a fierce war with the Iroquois,
the Eries were destroyed and ceased to exist
as a nation. Their warriors were mostly slain,
their women and children, driven from their
villages, perished in great numbers in the wil-
derness. Their towns, of which we find such
numerous remains in our county, were de-
stroyed, or went to decay, and their rudely cul-
tivated fields were covered with a forest
growth again.

La Salle, the most remarkable explorer that
ever visited this continent, on his voyage west-
ward in the "Grififin," the first vessel to spread
its sails to the breezes of Lake Erie, in 1679,
passed in plain sight of the forest covered hills
of Chautauqua. Two or three years later he
journeyed westward from the Onondaga coun-
try in New York to the headwaters of the Ohio.
"After fifteen days' travel," says his ancient
biographer, "he came to a little lake six or
seven miles south of Lake Erie, the mouth of
which opened southeastward." There is little
doubt that this was Chautauqua Lake, and that
La Salle and his companions were its first
European visitors. At that time there must
have remained many evidences of the great
calamity that had then so recently befallen the
Eries — abandoned cornfields grown up to
briars and saplings, fallen palisades — the sites
of their longhouses — overrun by nettles and
fireweed, and now and then the bones of a mur-
dered Erie. Now, nearly two and one-halt
centuries after the fires of the Eries have been
put out, there remains in Chautauqua county
abundant evidence of their ancient occupation.
More than thirty entrenchments enclosing

from one-fourth of an acre to ten acres, are
known to have existed within the limits of the
county : At least ten along the country border-
ing the Cassadaga creek; as many more along
the valley of Clear Creek in Ellington; a half
a dozen or more in the towns along Lake Erie ;
.<=everal around Chautauqua Lake and its out-
let, and in other parts of the county. Six or
seven of these earthworks are now in perfect
preservation, and a few more but partly oblit-
erated.

Sometimes the plow reveals the moulder-
ing relics of an ancient burial place. Besides
low mounds in which many were buried in
confused masses, separate graves of many
others have from time to time been discovered.
About one mile south of Sinclairville, not far
from an old intrenchment, there seems to have
been an extensive cemetery. In a single
mound, opened May 25, 1887, when the writer
was present, were revealed more than fifty
skeletons. Not many rods away, other mounds
and graves had previously been opened, dis-
closing the bones of many of their dead.
Hearths of their longhouses, and ash heaps,
some of them extensive, numerously exist in
all parts of the county ; also caches for preserv-
ing their corn. In and around these old in-
trenchments and ash heaps, arrowheads, stone
axes, ornaments of stone, pipes of clay and
other implements, are still abundantly found,
while flint arrowheads lost by the Indians in
their hunting excursions are found on almost
every farm.

Prior to and at the time of the destruction of •
the Eries, there dwelt around Lakes Erie and
Ontario several nations of Indians who were
of the same race, spoke a language much alike,
practiced the same customs, and undoubtedly
were once one people. The valley of the Mo-
hawk and the country westward in the State
of New York to the Genesee river, was the
territory of the Iroquois or Six Nations. In
Canada between Lake Simcoe and the Georgian
Bay, were the homes of the Hurons. Along j
the northern shore of Lake Erie and extend-
ing east of the Niagara river toward the Iro-
quois, was the covmtry of the Neutral nation.
The Eries lived in Chautauqua county, and
their territories extended a little eastward
towards the Iroquois, and westward along the
southern shore of Lake Erie.

North of the Eries and between Lake Erie
and the dominions of the Iroquois, and not far
from the borders of our own county, the pre-

cCe Z a.
Kou^/ello. r^a^c»J>-f^'^»- ««• Coif* ^e * iff

Per r*«» B^riitt X^ou.i ---'-

j«,„./tai-

-MAP SHOWIXc; Riir:'!'!-: (iP I^A S.M,I.F/S KXPUJl: AT li iNS

DESTRUCTION OF THE ERIES

cise location of which is not certainly known,
once dwelt a kindred people called the Wen-
rohronons, or Ahouenrochrhonons, a small
tribe allied to the Neutrals, and once the asso-
ciate nation of that people. For some cause,
enmit}^ arose between them. The domain of
rhe Iroquois, their common foe, and the fiercest
and most warlike of these nations, extended
near them. The Wenrohronons being weak in
numbers, feared that they might be extermi-
nated by one or the other of their enemies, so
they sent a deputation of the most intelligent
of their people to the Hurons, and asked to be
taken into that nation. The Hurons, in their
councils and assemblies, fully considered the
matter, and decided to receive them, where-
upon the Wenrohronons abandoned their old
homes in Western New York and traveled
through the wilderness to the land of the
Hurons on Lake Simcoe. The Hurons sent 1
delegation to escort them through the terri-
tories of their enemies, and to assist them in
carrying their household goods and little chil-
dren. There were over six hundred of the
Wenrohronons, a majority of whom were
women and children. So great was their
fatigue that many of them died on their way,
and nearly all were sick at the end of their
journey. When news of their approach was
received at the nearest Huron village, all of its
mhabitants went out to meet them and re-
ceived them with the greatest kindness. No
civilized people could have displayed more
sympathy and humanity than the Hurons.
They gave these strangers, who in their ex-
tremity had sought refuge among them, the
best places in their cabins, they opened their
granaries of corn, which the Wenrohronons
were given the liberty to use as their own.
Father Jerome Lalemant, the Jesuit, was pres-
ent among the Hurons at the time, and wit-
nessed these occurrences. This hegira of the
Wenrohronons took place in 1639.

The Hurons and the Iroquois were implaca-
ble foes. In 1642 they engaged in a fierce war
which resulted in the annihilation of the
Hurons, and the massacre of the French Jesuits
living among them. In 1651, in another sav-
age war, the Iroquois entirely wiped out the
Neutrals. In 1656, between 1,000 and 2,000
warriors of the Iroquois entered the territory
of the Eries, and with savage fury assaulted
one of their towns, which was resolutely de-
fended by the Eries, who fought with poisoned
arrows. It was finally carried by the Iroquois
with a slaughter so terrible as to wholly de-
stroy that people. The Senecas, a nation of
the Iroquois, have a tradition that on the night

after the battle, the forest was lighted up by a
thousand fires, at each of which an Erie was
burning at the stake. Chautauqua county was
the scene of much of this savage strife, but
where the final encounter occurred is not at
this time precisely known.

Among the many evidences that the earth-
v.'orks in Chautauqua county are the remains
of the conquered Eries, is that furnished by the
ancient French map of Frankuelin, dated 1684,
less than thirty years after the overthrow of
that people, upon which Lake Erie and the
Allegheny river are represented. On the upper
waters of that river, and towards Lake Erie, at
a location corresponding with that of Chau-
tauqua Lake, is noted in words of French "two
villages destroyed," and east of this locality is
noted "nineteen villages destroyed." This last
reference is probably to the villages repre-
sented by the numerous remains of the earth-
works found in Eastern Chautauqua and Cat-
taraugus counties. The people living south of
Lake Erie are called Kentaientonga. Upon
several old maps made by the French, Chau-
tauqua Lake is called Oniasont or Oniassont,
and the people who inhabit the region, Onta-
rononas, and on one map Oniassontkcronons.
A village is represented as having been located
at Bemus Point. Oniasont is the first record we
find of a name for Chautauqua Lake. The
word is said to mean a lake with a narrow con-
necting strait: Oniasa, a neck or throat.

From the destruction of the Eries until its
settlement by the pioneers of the Holland Pur-
chase, Chautauqua county continued the
domain of the Senecas, the most western of the
Iroquois nations. Sixty years after the death
of La Salle, we find France and England en-
gaged in an earnest contention respecting the
boundary between their possessions in Amer-
ica. France, in order more distinctly to assert
her rights to the disputed territory, in 1749
sent Capt. Bienville De Celoron, a chevalier of
the Order of St. Louis, from La Chine in
Canada, with a force of two hundred fourteen
soldiers and Canadians, and fifty-five Iroquois
and Abenakies. in order to take a more formal
possession. He coasted along the southern
shore of Lake Erie, and arrived at the mouth
of the Chautauqua creek (now Barcelona) on
the i6th of July of that year, where he landed
his motley "retinue of French soldiers. Cana-
dian frontiersmen, half-naked Indians, and here
and there a priest, and some undoubtedly of
those remarkable rangers, the Coureurs-de-
bois, or Canadian voyagers. He then pushed
over the difficult portage to the head of Chau-
tauqua Lake, where he arrived on the 22d.

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

On his arrival, he and his companions must
have been impressed with the lovely and
tranquil scene as it appeared on that summer
day. He saw before him a placid and seques-
tered lake, stretching away southeast into the
primeval forest, its beauty enhanced by the
dark and silent wilderness that surrounded it.
Not long did he tarry there. The next day he
embarked. His fleet of bark canoes manned
by the French and their dusky allies, passed
the maple groves of the Assembly ground at
Fair Point — shades then unvisited save by the
wild deer that strayed in from the forest
depths to sniff the cool breezes of the lake.
Watched from the shore by strange Indians, he
passed Long and Bemus Points, into the broad
expanse of the lower lake, and encamped for
the night upon the shore three miles above the
outlet. On the 24th he passed through the
shadows of its narrow and winding channel,
and encamped at night, it is believed, within
the limits of what is now the city of James-
town. The next day he proceeded on his voy-
age down the Chadakoin, Cassadaga, Cone-
wango, Allegheny and Ohio rivers, burying
leaden plates on his way, as tokens of French
dominion. When he reached the mouth of the
Great Miami, he directed his course up that
river and returned again to Canada. A leaden
plate prepared for burial at Chautauqua was
obtained lay some artifice of the Senecas accom-
panying Celoron, and sent to Sir William John-
son at Jamestown on the Mohawk. Upon the
leaden plate, with other French words, was
engraved the word Tchadakoin — the name of
the place of its intended burial. This is the
earliest record that we have of the Indian word
from which our name Chautauqua is derived.

A few years later the French asserted their
claim to these regions in a still more decisive
manner, and our county, although a deep soli-
tude, far from the outmost line of settlement,
became the scene of warlike demonstrations.

In April, 1753, while the Marquis du Quesne
was governor-general of Canada, an advanced
force of two hundred fifty Frenchmen under
Barbeer arrived at the mouth of the Chau-
tauqua creek and commenced the building of a
log fort. A little later Sieur Marin, the chief
commander of the expedition, arrived with five
hundred more, and put a stop to the building.
The French then advanced further to the west,
and built a fort at Erie, Pennsylvania, then
known as Presque Isle, and another at La
Boeuf (now Waterford, Pa.), on French creek,
and still another at Venango, at the mouth of
French creek (now Franklin, Pa.).

October 30th, the French assembled twelve :
hundred men at or near Barcelona, where they
remained encamped four days, while two hun-
dred of their number under Hughs Pean, after-
wards a knight of St. Louis, cut a wagon road
from the mouth of Chautauqua creek to the
head of Chautauqua Lake. All the French
then returned to Canada.

Samuel Shattuck, afterwards a resident of
Chautauqua county, when a mere lad, accom-
panied an officer and five men detailed by
Lieut. Hitchen Holland, the commanding offi-
cer of the English post at Oswego, in the
month of April, 1753, to watch the French
while they were engaged in these expeditions.
Shattuck and his party traversed the wilder-
ness from Oswego to a point on Lake Erie, a
few miles from the mouth of the Cattaraugus
creek, and soon after had the good fortune to
witness the French flotilla bearing the forces
of Barbeer on their way westward. Lake Erie
was then a sailless waste of waters, bordered
on every side by primeval forests. The scene
as witnessed from within the depths of this
great western solitude, on that fine April after-
noon, is described as beautiful, and animated,
as the fleet of barges and canoes rowed rapidly
up the lake.

This scouting party continued to watch the
French from the recesses of the woods. They
encamped on the banks of a stream that Shat-
tuck aftervi'ards knew to be the Canadaway, and
the place of encampment to have been a few
miles west of Dunkirk. The next day, after
some narrow escapes from the Indian allies of
the French who were scattered through the
woods, Shattuck and his party reached the
Chautauqua creek, where they discovered the
French had landed and were felling trees on
its west side. Soon they saw a larger force of
French arrive, undoubtedly the same that was
commanded by Marin, who put a stop to the
work, and emJaarked the whole force in boats
and moved westward. The English party
moved westward also, and for four months
hovered near the French, cautiously watching
them while they were building forts at Erie
and on French creek. The English party was
all of this time obliged to conduct operations
with the utmost caution, on account of the red-
skins skulking about in the woods. Their
escape from discovery and capture was due to
the experience of their leader, an old leather
stocking and Indian fighter from Onondaga.
They made use of the dark coverts of the for-
est for concealment, while not watching the
foe, and at no time used their firearms, but de-

EARTHWORKS OFTHLCRIK
SINCLAIRV/LLC

KAU'l'ilW OKKS (IF THK KKIES — SIXOI.AIIIVI LI.i;

DESTRUCTION OF THE ERIES

pended upon bows and arrows, traps and
snares, to secure game for food.

In September they returned to Oswego and
made a report of their operations. They were
sent back in October to further watch the pro-
ceedings of the French. This time their course
while in Chautauqua county led along the crest
of the ridge of highlands south of Lake Erie,
where they could keep the lake in sight, and be
free from danger from Indian scouting parties ;
when the}' arrived at Chautauqua creek, near
the south border of the village of Westfield,
they suddenly came upon the French, engaged
in rolling logs into the bottom of a deep gulf,
and digging into the steep sides of this ravine
lor a road. The scouting party watched the
completion of the road, which extended from
Lake Erie to Chautauqua Lake ; they wit-
nessed also the embarkation of the French on
Lake Erie on their return to Canada. The
English scouting party then returned to
Oswego. Shattuck afterward served as a sol-
dier of the Revolution. In 1823, when he was
an old man, he came to reside with his kins-
men in Portland, in Chautauqua county, once
the scene of his experiences in Indian warfare.
He lived there until he died in 1827.

In the year in which these events occurred.
Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia sent Wash-
ington, then a youth but twenty-two years of
age, to learn the purpose of the French. Wash-
ington spent five days negotiating with the
French commandant. St. Pierre, at La Boeuf,
now Waterford, Pennsylvania, which is situ-
ated but fourteen miles from the town of
French Creek.

The operations of the French led to most
important results. They were the immediate
cause of the Old French War, which being be-
gun, finally extended into Europe, where it was
waged on a grand scale. There it was known
as the "Seven Years War." It involved nearly
all the great powers of Europe. One of its
later results was the creation of the German
Empire. It even extended to Asia. There the
French and English contended for empire in
India. The discovery of Chautauqua Lake by
La Salle ; the voyage of De Celoron over its
waters in 1749 ; the arrival of the French forces
under Barbeer and Marin at the mouth of the
Chautauqua creek, and the building of the
Portage road, all of which we have related,
and all of which transpired within the borders
of our county, if they cannot be strictly said
to have been the cause, stand at the very be-
ginning of a series of events among the most

momentous that have occurred in modern
times. During this time, Chautauqua county
was the scene of other military movements and
warlike expeditions. In one of these excursions
the French left a four-pounder upon the shore
of Chautauqua Lake, which was seen by the
early explorers of this region. The gallantry
of the French won them victories early in the
contest, but the English prevailed in the end.
Notwithstanding the close of the Old French
and Indian War, Chautauqua county continued
to be the scene of military operations. Major
Rogers, long celebrated for his skill in border
war, at the head of two hundred rangers
coasted along the shore of the county on his
way west to take possession of Detroit. A
little later the Indians formed a conspiracy to
dispossess the English of all their forts and
posts in the west. Their leading spirit was
Pontiac, an Ottawa chief whose lofty character
and great abilities fitted him for a nobler des-
tiny than the leader of savages. Pontiac's War
again brought the scene of savage warfare
close to the borders of our county. The In-
dians made a desperate assault on the English
garrison at Presque Isle (now Erie), compelled
them to surrender, and carried them into cap-
tivity. They attacked the blockhouses at Le
Boeuf, but the few soldiers there managed to
escape into the forest. At Venango (now
i>'ranklin) the Indians gained admittance into
the fort, burned it to the ground, and murdered
the garrison, leaving none to tell the story of
its fall. In August, 1764, Gen. Bradstreet, with
ihree thousand men in small boats, coasted
along the shore of our county on his way west
to raise the siege of Detroit, commenced by
Pontiac. Bradstreet raised the siege, and in
October set out on his return ; his boats were
wrecked, and about 150 of his men made their
way on foot along the southern shore of Lake
Eri'e. through the forests of Chautauqua
county, to Fort Niagara. They suffered great
hardships, and many perished in the woods.
Among the Indian chiefs who took an active
part in the contest was Guyasutha, a Seneca.
Like Pontiac. he was a leader among his peo-
ple, and endowed with the stern virtues of his
race. Guyasutha, and afterwards Cornplanter,
also a Seneca chief, were lords of the forest
along the Allegheny. They were familiar
with the region, including our county, and
often visited our beautiful lake. They be-
longed to these regions, as Robin Hood to
Sherwood Forest.

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

CHAPTER V.

Brodhead's Expedition.

Among important events of the War of the
Revolution which occurred along the then
western border, was the expedition of Col.
Brodhead sent up from Fort Pitt against the
Indians of the Upper Allegheny, in 1779. Obed
Edson, of blessed memory, wrote the following
history of that expedition as never before
written, and in it gives an account of Chau-
tauqua's history from the destruction of the
Eries to the close of the Revolutionary War.

A century had elapsed since the council fire
of the Six Nations was extinguished, and their
longhouse destroyed. The firmness and tact
of this little confederacy, enabled it for more
than an hundred years to maintain its ancient
seats along the rivers and lakes of Central New
York against powerful neighbors. With the
French close on one side, and the English upon
the other, a less vigorous people would have
been crushed as between two millstones. Al-
'hough these Indians were of a barbarous race
and few in numbers, their story will not be
soon forgotten. Their military enterprise and
conquests justly gained for them the title of
"Romans of the West," and their practical
wisdom enabled them to frame a perfect repre-
sentative Federal Republic, which a trial during
a period longer than the existence of our own
Republic has proved to have been as efificient in
practice as it was perfect in theory ; an achieve-
ment that had long baffled the skill of enlight-
ened statesmen, and which is alone sufficient
to render the name of the Iroquois illustrious.

At the commencement of the Revolution, the
Six Nations held friendly relations with all
their white neighbors, whether adherents to
Congress or the Crown. But the wanton mas-
sacre of Logan's family, and other enormities
committed by the whites during Cresap's war,
had weakened their friendship for the colonies.
The authority that Col. Guy and Sir John
Johnson, and Col. Daniel Claus, who succeeded
to the power that Sir \\'illiam Johnson pos-
sessed with the Indians, and the influence of
Col. John Butler and his son Walter, were
exerted to attach the Confederacy to the King.
Joseph Brant and his sister Molly strived also
to embitter the Mohawks against the colonies.
On the other hand, the patriots of Tryon
county, the Rev. Samuel Kirkland and the
Oneida chief Shennandoah, endeavored to per-
suade the Indians to pursue a neutral policy.
The Indians hesitated. Councils were held
with them by patriots and by loyalists, with
the result that the Oneidas, a' large portion of

the Tuscaroras, a portion of the Onondagas,
and a few of the Mohawks, favored the Ameri-
cans. But the greater number, of whom the
Senecas and Mohawks were foremost, under
the lead of Brant and the Seneca chiefs, be-
came their bitter and active foes.

The first hostilities were committed in May,
1776, by Brant and the Mohawks, at the battle
of the Cedars, about forty miles above Mon-
treal, on the River St. Lawrence. The hostile
Indians next joined the forces of St. Leger,
participated in the siege of Fort Stanwix, and
in the battle of Oriskany. Then followed the
massacre of Wyoming, and raids into the Mo-
hawk Valley ; and finally, November, 1778, the
burning and massacre of Cherry Valley. The
barbarities committed in these bloody forays
have been in some instances exaggerated. Too
much perhaps has been charged upon the In-
dians, and too little upon the Tories and refu-
gees who accompanied them. The inhabitants
on the border, however, suffered greatly from
these incursions, and Congress on February
25, 1779, directed Washington to take effective
measures to protect the settlers and chastise
the Indians. Accordingly he planned two ex-
peditions; one to proceed from the east, pene-
trate into the Seneca country, and devastate
the fields of the Indians, destroy their villages,
and drive their inhabitants into the woods ; the
other to advance up the Allegheny river, de-
stroy the Indian towns and fields there, and
join the expedition from the east in a com-
bined attack upon Fort Niagara.

The expedition from the east moved in two
divisions. One under Gen. Sullivan left Wyo-
ming, ascended the Susquehanna, and arrived
at Tioga, August nth, 1779. The other, under
Gen. James Clinton, marched from Canajo-
harie on the Mohawk, passed over Otsego
Lake, descended the Susquehanna, and joined
Gen. Sullivan. August 22d. A part of Clinton's
torce, under Col. Van Schaick had previously
destroyed the fields and towns of the Onon-
dagas. The two divisions, five thousand men,
under the command of Sullivan, moved from
Tioga up the Chemung river. They defeated
the British and Indians at Elmira on August
29. in the battle of Newton, advanced to the
head of Seneca Lake and thence along its
shores, destroying the Indian towns on the
way, including the large Indian village of
Kanadaseagea at its outlet. They then pro-
ceeded to the Genesee river and destroyed the
large villages and extensive cornfields there.

BH!Jl)IIi:Atl-S RljUTJi;

BRODHEAD'S EXPEDITION

The original design of advancing on Fort
Niagara having been abandoned, Sullivan com-
menced his return march. On his vifay he
caused the towns and fields of the Cayugas,
-.vhich were situated on the eastern and south-
western shores of Cayuga Lake, to be de-
stroyed. He arrived at Tioga on September
30. and at Easton, Pennsylvania, on October
15, having destroyed forty Indian towns and
;one hundred sixty thousand bushels of Indian
icorn, besides a large amount of other prop-
Serty.

As a less full history has been written of the
expedition moving from the south, it is the
design of this article to supply some account
of it. When the Iroquois first became known
to Europeans, their villages and hunting
:grounds were confined to Central New York.
The fierce wars which they subsequently
waged, and by which kindred nations were
successively vanquished, secured to them an
extensive territory to the west and south, in-
cluding the mountainous region of New York
and Pennsylvania which was traversed by the
.Allegheny river. Their enterprise soon led
them to new hunting grounds and finally to
establish villages in this conquered territory.
The Senecas, in the western limits of the Con-
federacy, were its most numerous and warlike
nation. The greater number of their villages
were situated along the Genesee. They ulti-
mately became the chief colonizers of the Con-
federacy. They did not extend their settle-
ments directly westward or along the shore of
Lake Erie until near the close of the Revo-
lution, excepting only in the immediate vicinity
Df Fort Niagara. They extended their towns
.:p the Genesee to Caneadea. A broad Indian
trail joined this settlement with the Upper
Allegheny at Olean, in New York. They then
Dlanted their villages along the Allegheny and
ts tributaries to its mouth, and thence down
he Ohio. The Seneca villages were the most
"umerous along the LTpper Allegheny. As
^arly as 1724 the Munsey or Wolf tribe of the
pelawares, who had previously dwelt in
Northeastern Pennsylvania, but had been
rrowded out by the whites, were allowed by
,he Six Nations to settle along the Lower Alle-
."heny : and between 1724 and 1728, the Shaw-
lees, a restless and warlike people, located
ilong the Lower Allegheny and Upper Ohio.
These different tribes were strangely mingled,
iving peaceably together in one village, at the
:ame time observing different customs and
)beying different laws.

The first accurate knowledge acquired by
Europeans concerning the Indian settlements

along the Allegheny was obtained during the
expedition under Capt. Bienville de Celoron,
which was sent in the summer of 1749 by the
governor of Canada, to take formal possession
in the name of France, of the territory lying
west of the Allegheny mountains. From the
records kept by the expedition we learn that it
ascended the St. Lawrence, coasted along the
shores of Lakes Ontario and Erie, and arrived
at "Chatakouin" portage the i6th of June, 1749.
It passed over the portage to the head of
Chautauqua, traversed this lake, descended its
outlet and the Conewango creek in canoes, and
entered the Allegheny ten miles south of the
boundary line between the States of New York
and Pennsylvania, just above the village of
Warren. On the south bank of the Allegheny,
opposite the mouth of the Conewango, Celoron
buried a leaden plate inscribed with the date
and place of deposit, as a token of his posses-
sion of the country in the name of the King of
France. On the right bank of the Allegheny,
occupying the site of the present village of
Warren, there was an Indian village called
"Kanaougon," inhabited by Senecas and Loups,
or Munseys. This village was called Cona-
wago by Col. Brodhead when he visited the
place thirty years later. Celoron descended
the river and on its right bank, about six miles
below this town, on a beautiful prairie, and
just below the mouth of the Broken Straw
creek, he found a Seneca village which he
called Paille Coupee, or Cut Straw. Its Seneca
name was De-ga-syo-ush-dy-ah-goh. meaning
"broken straw," referring, it is said by Alden,
to the accumulation of straw and driftwood in
the creek : but more likely, as we are informed
by Gen. Callender Irvine (who preempted the
land at the confluence of the Broken Straw and
the Allegheny in 1795 and was familiar with
the Indians and early traditions of that region),
to the broken straws and drooping plumes of
the tall wild grass that stood thickly on the
meadows there after the storms of autumn
had swept over them. This Indian village was
called Buckaloons by Col. Brodhead. Four
French leagues below this town the expedition
came to a village of ten houses on the left bank
of the river, inhabited by Delawares and Ren-
ards. Four or five leagues further down they
passed a village of six houses on the right
bank of the river. This may have been near
the present site of Hickory Town, in Venango
county, and identical with the Indian village
familiar to the Moravians as Lawanakana,
meaning middle branch or stream, or where
the waters meet. They next passed a village
of ten houses, probably the same that was

CHAUTAUQUA COUXTY AXD ITS PEOPLE

cftem-ards known to the Mora\-ians as Gosh-
gosh-unk. or Place of Hogs. The expedition
then came to an Indian village of ten houses,
subsequently called Venango by the English,
a corruption of the Indian word In-nun-gah,
aMuding to a rude and indecent figure that the
Senecas found carved upon a tree when they
first came to this region. This town was situ-
ated near the site of the present enterprising
town of Franklin, at the mouth of the Ri\-iere
Aux Boeufs, now called French creek. Nine
miles below Franklin there long remained,
close to the water's edge, on the eastern side
of the river, a large rock covered with curious
Indian cartings, called the "Indian God," and
near it Celoron buried his second leaden plate.
Passing a river having on its upper waters
some villages of Loups and Iroquois, the ex-
pedition came to Attique. a village of tvvent\--
two houses, on or near the Kiskiminitas river.
Below this, they passed an old Shawneese \-il-
lage upon the right bank of the river, and came
finally to a ^-illage of Delawares, the finest
seen, and which is supposed to have been situ-
ated at or near the present site of Pittsburgh.
From this place, the expedition proceeded
down the Ohio. There had undoubtedly
occurred some changes in the situation and
population of the Indian towns along this river
during the thirt>- years that elapsed between
Celeron's and Brodhead's expeditions.

\\ hen Washington in November. 1753, on
his journey to French creek, arrived at the
junction of the Allegheny with the Mononga-
hela, where Pittsburgh is situated, no white
man was living there. During the succeeding
February the English commenced to lay the
foundation of a fort there, which was taken
from them by the French the April following.
The French held Pittsburgh, then called Du
Ouesne. until 1758. when it was retaken by the
English under Gen. Forbes. It remained in
their possession until the Revolution, when a
partv- of ^ irginians under Capt. Neville took
possession and held it until they were super-
seded by the Continentals under Brig.-Gen.
Hand. Hand was in turn succeeded bv Brig.-
Gens. Lochlan and Mcintosh, and he by Col.
Daniel Brodhead. whom we find in command
early in 1779. It was during this year, while
Brodhead was in command of the Western De-
partment, with his headquarters at Fort Pitt,
that the campaign was planned and prosecuted
against the Indians of the Upper Allegheny.
Gen. Washington, as it has been stated, de-
sired that the expedition sent north from Pitts-
burgh should cooperate with the expedition
from the east under Sullivan. With this object

in view, he directed Col. Rawlings to march
■with three companies from Fort Frederick in
Marv'land to Pittsburgh. He also directed
Col. Brodhead, upon his arrival there, to in-
crease Rawlings' force to one hundred men and
send them up the river to Kittanning, and there
throw up a stockade fort for the security- of
convoys ; and when completed, to leave a small
garrison, proceed still further up the river *:?
Venango, and there establish another post :' -
the same purpose, and to direct Col. Gibson. :
the Seventh \'irginia Regiment, who was sta-
tioned at Tuscarawas, to hold himself in readi-
ness to join the forces at Pittsburgh. Also, t:
prepare water craft and engage good gui '. -
"who know the way from the head of nav
tion of the Allegheny to the nearest Ini
towns, and to Niagara." Also, to report
express "^vhen he would be ready to begin
movement: when he would be at Kittann
\'enango, and the head of navigation, and h(
far it would be to the nearest Indian to
and to Niagara :" and to keep all a profou
secret until the proper time should arrive. T- -
also gave Co!. Brodhead careful directions h
in the meantime to pacif>- the Western Indiana
so that they would not interfere with his ^H
cess. ^

Notwithstanding these careful plans, furt'- ?:
consideration induced Washington a mo; :V
later to relinquish the idea of concert of actioD
between the two expeditions. He howevei
directed Col. Brodhead to make preparations
and as soon as it was in his power, to chastise;
the Indians by an expedition into their coun-
tr\- : also to make inquiries with a view to ar
attempt against Detroit. An enterprise agains
that post, whence marauding parties of Britisl
and Indians had proceeded against the extremd
western settlements, had been a favorite sche
^^^th Col. Brodhead's predecessor. Col. M
tosh, as it afterwards became with Brodh
himself.

The government had been able to place a
the disposal of Col. Brodhead only a disperse*;
and feeble force by which to protect the wid
borders of Pennsylvania against the crueltie
of the Indians. C3n the 15th of April his regi
ment, the Eighth Pennsylvania, was muc
scattered. Besides a portion at Fort Pitt, ther
were one hundred men at Fort Laurens on th
Tuscarawa. twent\--five at Wheeling. Virgini: '
twent\--five at Holliday's Cove, some at F
Mcintosh in Beaver county, some employed
artificers, and some as boatmen and wagonen
Col. Brodhead was energetic, active and
bitious to serve his country-, but he found
duties arduous and disagreeable. The pop

BRODHEAD'S EXPEDITION

tion of this thinly settled frontier from which
he was to draw recruits and obtain supplies,
' harrassed by incursions of the Indians and
, wearied by the long continuance of the war,
I was in a destitute condition ; and it was with
j the greatest difficulty that he could keep his
soldiers clad and fed. Yet during the summer
' of 1779 he made vigorous preparations to strike
! a blow that would prove a diversion in favor of
I Gen. Sullivan. Profiting by the suggestions of
! Washington, made when cooperation between
' the two expeditions was contemplated, he com-
menced constructing canoes and batteaux at
Fort Pitt and at other posts. He had as many
as one hundred fifty boatbuilders employed at
one time. On the 31st of July he had about
sixty boats nearly finished. Some of the canoes
I made of poplar would carry two tons. About
'the middle of June, Lieut. -Col. Bayard, by his
; icommand, commenced the construction of a
■fort at Kittanning. w^hich was completed dur-
; ling the last of July, and called Fort Armstrong,

- 'in commemoration of the exploit of Col. John

■ 'Armstrong in September. 1756, when he sur-
.prised and burned the old Indian town of Cat-

\ itauyan, which then stood there, killing thirty

■ !or forty of its Indian defenders, including their
, resolute chief. Captain Jacobs. Hugh Mercer,
;; afterwards a distinguished American general.
" who fell at the battle of Princeton, accompanied
;; Armstrong on this expedition. Col. Brodhead

■ lexerted himself also to secure the friendship of
\ the Delawares. and to excite them to war
' kgainst the Six Nations. He secured the ad-
' nesian of Killbuck and other warriors, and also
' that of the young Delaware Chief Nanoland.
; iVVhile making preparations early in the sum-
I hier, he received private intelligence that But-

- 'er and two hundred rangers and a number of
;: mdians designed making an attack upon the

- .rentier west of Laurel Hills, and during all

- he spring and summer prowling parties of In-
Hans committed murders in Western Penn-

'' [.ylvania. These dangers required constant
''■ »-igilance upon the part of Col. Brodhead, and
' 'bliged him to keep parties of rangers travers-
'■■■'_ |ng the wilderness to protect the inhabitants
'■' n June, Lieut. Hardian. a brave partisan ofifi-
'' 'er, was sent with eleven men towards the
'■''■_ Seneca country. Lieut. Peterson and Ensigns
fi- Morrison and Wood led other parties towards
?? pe Indian towns. In June, three men who had
■■• ieen sent to reconnoitre in the Seneca coun-
'•■' ry, returning from Venango were pursued by
'^''^ . part\- of Indian warriors some distance be-
' /j pw Kittanning, and narrowly escaped. These
'■'■' iTidians proceeded to the Sewickley settlement,
■?^ n their way killed a soldier, and upon their

arrival there, a woman and four children, and
took two other captives. Captain Brady, who
with twenty men and the young Delaware
chief, Nanoland, was on his way towards the
Seneca country, fell in with seven of these In-
dians about fifteen miles above Kittanning, at
a point on the river now well known as Brady's
Bend. Brady attacked them at break of day,
killed their captain, and mortally wounded the
most of them, but the Indians staunched their
wounds so that they could not be traced, and
the greater number succeeded in escaping. In
the language of Col. Brodhead in a letter to
Washington, "Brady retook six horses, two
prisoners, the scalps, and all the plunder, which
was considerable : and took six guns and every-
thing else the Indians had, except their breech-
clouts." The young Delaware chief, Nano-
land, greatly distinguished' himself on this
occasion.

Brodhead fixed the early part of August as
the time for his movement against the Indians.
The movement he intended as a diversion in
favor of Sullivan, and also to cause as great
destruction of Indian towns and fields as possi-
ble. On July 17 he addressed a letter to Cols.
Lochry, Shepherd, Stephenson and Evans,
lieutenants of the counties of Westmoreland,
Ohio. Yoghagania and RIonongahela. to en-
gage as many volunteers as possible for two or
three weeks' service. In this letter he fixed the
5th day of August as the time to rendezvous
at headquarters for the excursion. He directed
Lieut. -Col. Bayard, who was in command at
Fort Armstrong, and the commandants in
other localities to forward troops to headquar-
ters. Being nearly ready for his march, he on
the 6th of August dispatched two soldiers with
a letter to General Sullivan. They reached
their destination, and delivered the letter to
Gen. Sullivan ; and he from Catherinestown. at
the head of Seneca Lake, wrote a reply which
these adventurous men bore back through the
wilderness and delivered to Col. Brodhead in
September at Pittsburgh a few days after his
return from the expedition. On August 11, at
the head of six hundred five men. militia and
volunteers, and with one month's provisions,
Brodhead set out from Pittsburgh. The ex-
pedition proceeded up the river, passed the
Kiskeminitas and Crooked creek, and forty-
five miles above Pittsburgh, Fort Armstrong,
where now stands, in the midst of an iron and
coal country, the thriving town of Kittanning.
Here a garrison had been retained, but Col.
Brodhead moved fifteen miles farther to the
Mahoning, a tributary of the Allegheny from
the east, at the mouth of which was situated

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

an Indian village. After a detention of four days
by excessive rains and the straying of some
cattle, the stores were loaded upon pack-horses,
and the expedition proceeded wholly by land.
For miles above the Mahoning, the Allegheny
is circuitous and crooked; to avoid following
its winding course, and to shorten his march,
Col. Brodhead chose a blind and rugged path
that led more directly to the Indian country of
the Upper Allegheny, by the way of the Indian
town called Goshgoshunk, upon the river, near
the mouth of its tributary, the Tionesta.

His march through the forests of Clarion and
A^enango counties was beset with many diffi-
culties. Thorns, thick underwood and fallen
timber obstructed his way. The obscure wil-
derness path that he followed led up steep
ascents and over ranges of lofty hills. Again
the path would descend into some gloomy val-
ley where the sunlight scarcely penetrated and
was traversed by the Red Bank, the Clarion, or
some dark rolling tributary. At Goshgoshunk
the path crossed the .Allegheny. Here had been
three Munsey villages, where Rev. David Zeis-
berger, a Moravian missionary, commenced in
1767 to teach the Indians. He and his coadju-
tor, Dr. Gotlob Senseman, daily preached the
Gospel to their red hearers. The missionaries
brought with them several Moravian families,
built a blockhouse, and established a regular
mission there. Among the Indians, the magi-
cians and old women violently opposed the
Moravians. "They asserted that the corn was
blasted ; the deer and game began to retire from
the woods ; no chestnuts and bilberries would
grow — because the missionaries preached a
-Strange doctrine, and the Indians were chang-
ing in their way of life :" and Zeisberger was
compelled to remove fifteen miles farther up
the river to Lawanakana, near Hickory Town,
where he gathered around him a little settle-
ment, built a chapel and placed in it a bell, the
first ever heard in Venango county ; and he
here for two years prosecuted his holy pur-
pose.

The expedition of Brodhead crossed the
river at Goshgoshunk and pursued its march
along the western shore. Beetling cliflfs
pressed close to the river's side, leaving a pas-
sage much of the way no wider than an Indian
trail. It was in one of these defiles that his
advanced guard, consisting of fifteen white
men and eight Delaware Indians, under Lieut.
Hardian, saw thirty or forty Indian warriors
descending the river in seven canoes. The In-
dians at the same time discovered the troops
and immediately landed. Lieut. Hardian dis-
posed his men in a semi-circular form, and

they, with tomahawk in hand, began the attack
with such courage and vigor that the Indians
soon gave way and fled. Of the Indians, six or
seven were killed, their bodies left upon the
field ; several also were wounded. Their canoe.s
and their contents, which included clothing
and guns, fell into the hands of Col. Brodhead.
Of his force, three men only were slightly
wounded, one of whom was the Delaware In-
dian, Nanoland. The celebrated scout, Jona-
than Zane, was also one of the wounded. This
encounter probably occurred near Thompson's
Island in Warren county, five miles below the
mouth of the Broken Straw.

Col. Thomas Proctor in 1791 journeyed from
Philadelphia upon a mission to the Western
Indians to persuade them to peace. On his waj
he visited the Allegheny river, and was thert
joined by Cornplanter with a fleet of thirt}
canoes. On April 1 1 they arrived at an ok
Indian settlement called Hogstown (undoubt
edly Goshgoshunk), and afterwards proceedec
up the river to Hickory Town, (Lawanakana)
On April 13 they set out from Hickory Towi
and ascended the Allegheny ten miles to Loi i
Trap creek. Col. Proctor states in his journa
that he the next day, the 14th, "Proceeded u-
the river to-day, took up our encampment nea
the mouth of Casyoudang creek, it being th
place where Col. Brodhead in 1779 had fougb
against the savages, and in which action Josep
Nicholson, his interpreter, was wounded."

The day after this affair, Brodhead resume
his march and arrived in the morning at th
Indian town of Buckaloons, just below th
mouth of the Broken Straw. The Indians wet
driven from the village, and retreated to th
hills in its rear. A breastwork of felled timb(
and fascines was thrown up. The remains ( ■
this stockade were plainly to be seen a fe
years ago. It was situated about one-half mi
above the mouth of the Broken Straw, on tl
west side of the road from Irvineton to Wa
ren, upon a high blufT by the Allegheny, ar
commanded an extensive view up and dow
the river. A captain and garrison of forty mi
were left to guard the baggage and stores, ai
the troops marched to Conawago, the Sene'
town that stood where the thriving village
Warren is now situated. Conawago thi
found had been deserted for about eighte'
months. Brodhead, it is said, sent a force se
eral miles up the Conewago, and found d
serted villages there.

The country around the headwaters of t
Allegheny, and much of Western New Yoi
was then a region unexplored by white m(
Col. Brodhead, however, ordered the force

BRODHEAD'S EXPEDITION

proceed upon an Indian path that appeared to
have been for some time used. The expedi-
tion advanced by this route up the right or
west bank of the river. After a march of
twenty miles without di.'^covering other Indian
signs than a few tracks of their scouts, upon
^arriving at the crest of a high hill, they saw
the Allegheny, and the cornfields of the In-
jdians. On descending the hill, they came in
sight of their towns, which had just been de-
serted. These Indian villages and fields were
isituated above the modern village of Kinzua
along the Allegheny for a distance of about
eight miles, their northern limit being not far
from the boundary line between the States of
New York and Pennsylvania. Col. Brodhead
jestimated that there were in these Indian vil-
lages as many as one hundred thirty unusually
large houses, some of them sufficient to accom-
modate three or four Indian families. Here
was seen the natural superiority of the Six
Nations over the other Indian races in the ad-
vance in civilization that they had made in this
isolated region, far away from civilizing influ-
pnces. Their houses were substantial, some of
them constructed of logs, a part of round and
pthers of square timber, while others were
. frame buildings. Around them were exten-
'. sive and highly cultivated fields of grain and
] .vegetables. Col. Brodhead inferred that the
whole of the Seneca and Munsey nations con-
. iemplated settling here. At the approach of
■ fhe advanced guard to the first of these vil-
lages, the Indians fled. Upon the arrival of
^ pe main body of troops, the work of destruc-
don was commenced, and continued for three
I ^lays without the least interruption from the
. Indians, they having retreated to the woods.
; pight towns, deserted by their inhabitants,
ivere first set in flames ; the corn was next cut
. (!own and piled into heaps ; over five hundred
I icres, at the least estimate, were destroyed
■Three thousand dollars' worth of plunder was
jj jaken, which Col. Brodhead ordered sold for
'' |he benefit of the troops. At the Upper Seneca
[ |Own was found a painted war-post or pagod,
''^ jlothed in dog-skin, which was committed to
'I ihe river. This place was called Youghroon-
> |Vago.

' '. Col. Brodhead makes no mention of having
; advanced beyond these Indian towns. Mrs.
'/ Hilary Jemmison,who is usually accurate, states
*■ hat he ascended to Olean Point, destroying all
. .he Indian villages on the Allegheny river. In
^'. ,rattaraugus county there was at this time, at
jhe mouth of Cold Spring creek, the village of
' jrhe-na-shun-ga-tan ; at the mouth of Little
'" /alley creek, the village of Bucktooth ; at the

mouth of Great Valley creek, Killbuck'.s-town ;
and in the town of Carrollton, Tu-ne-nu-gwan
— all of which were destroyed, if any detach-
ment of Col. Brodhead's command reached
Olean Point. The latter place is situated upon
the Allegheny river, in the southeast part of
Cattaraugus county, and is distant less than
thirty miles from Caneadea, an Indian town on
the Genesee river, and less than sixty miles
from the larger Indian towns destroyed by
Gen. Sullivan.

Brodhead's expedition was in advance of
that of Sullivan. About the time the former
was completing the destruction of the Seneca
towns on the Allegheny, the latter, having been
joined by the troops of Gen. Clinton, was more
than one hundred miles to the east, contesting
the battle of Newton with the forces of Brant
and Butler at Elmira ; and it was not until two
weeks later that Sullivan had reached the heart
of the Seneca country on the Genesee river
and entered upon the destruction of the Indian
towns and the corn and orchards. This early
movement upon the part of Brodhead undoubt-
edly served to divert the attention and distract
the efforts of the Indians, and to aid Sullivan
in his campaign. Brodhead could, it is proba-
ble, have easily united his forces or a larger
body of men to those of Gen. Sullivan, by pur-
suing the Indian trail along the .Allegheny to
Olean, and thence to Caneadea and along the
Genesee, to join with him in a movement upon
Fort Niagara. Indeed, Brodhead wrote to
Gen. Sullivan, October lo, 1779, that he should
have marched to Genesee, if he had not been
disappointed in getting a sufficient number 01
shoes for his men.

Having completed the work of destruction
at the upper Indian towns, the Americans be-
gan their return. On their way they consigned
to the flames Conawago and Buckaloons. The
route chosen for their return march was the
Venango road. According to a jirivate letter
they crossed Oil creek several times. Their
attention was there attracted to the inflamma-
ble oil issuing from the bottom and sides of its
channels and from the adjacent springs, which
they thought resembled British oil. The "Mas-
sachusetts Magazine," published in the _ suc-
ceeding year, 1780, referring to this expedition,
states that in the northern part of Pennsyl-
vania "there is a creek called Oil creek, which
empties into the Allegheny river. It issues
from a spring, on the top of which floats an oil
similar to that called Barbadoes tar, and from
which one may gather several gallons a day.
The troops sent to guard the western posts
halted at this spring, collected some of this oil,

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

and bathed their joints with it. This gave
them great relief from the rheumatism with
which they were afflicted. The water, of which
the troops drank freely, operated as a gentle
purge."

Leaving Oil creek, they arrived at French
creek, formerly known as Riviere Aux Boeufs.
The French first built a fort below its mouth,
which they named Machault, after the French
Minister of Marine. There Washington, when
on his journey to Le Boeuf in December, 1753,
had an interview with the celebrated Captain
Jancaire. The English afterwards built a fort
a little higher up, which was called Fort
Venango. About eight years after Brodhead's
expedition, a fort was built by the United
States upon the south bank of the creek, about
one-half mile from its mouth, which was called
Franklin, and from which the present town de-
rives its name. Leaving Venango, Brodhead
ascended French creek. The Indian path ex-
tended up its eastern side to the site of Mead-
ville, where it crossed the stream. Gen. Wash-
ington had followed it twenty-six years before,
when on his journey to Le Boeuf. About
twenty miles from Venango, as estimated by
Brodhead, he came to the Indian village of
Maghinquechahocking, which was composed
of thirty-five large houses ; this town he
burned. The distance from Venango indicated
by Brodhead would fix its site not far from
the mouth of Conneaut creek, the outlet ot
Conneaut Lake, and about seven miles below
Meadville. Substantial evidences of the precise
location of this village have long since dis-
appeared. Yet when the canal, where it leaves
the aqueduct over French creek, near Mead-
ville, was being constructed, there was found
an Indian burial ground, and various Indian
implements. In the graves were also found
corroded copper ornaments, and it may be,
that at or near where these relics were found,
this ill-starred Indian village stood. With the
destruction of Maghinquechahocking, the ob-
jects of this expedition were accomplished, and
Brodhead resumed his return march through
the wilderness. It is related, that on this
march, a young man named John Ward, was
badly injured in Butler county, by a horse fall-
ing upon a rock in a creek ; hence the name.
Slippery Rock, in that county. Col. Brodhead
arrived at Fort Pitt on the 14th of September.

The campaign thus terminated was success-
ful throughout. In thirty-three days over
three hundred miles were traversed, many In-
dian towns destroyed, and fields devastated,
without the loss of a single man or beast ; one
hundred sixty-five cabins were destroyed, one

hundred thirty of which were deserted upon
the approach of the troops ; the most of them
were sufficiently large to accommodate three
or four Indian families.

The enterprise and resolution of Col. Brod-
head, and the enthusiasm, perseverance and
endurance of his offices and men, enabled him
to overcome all obstacles. Considering the
small force engaged and its considerable re-
sults, it was more beneficial than the costl)
expedition that proceeded from the east under
Sullivan. The conduct of all engaged in Col.
Brodhead's campaign was evidently regarded
as most creditable. The thanks of Congress
were voted to him, and Gen. Washington, as
appears by the following extract from General
Orders, issued from his headquarters at More's
House, to his army at West Point, said : "The
activity, perseverance and firmness, which
marked the conduct of Col. Brodhead, and
that of all the officers and men of every de-
scription in this expedition, do them greai
honor, and their services entitle them to thanks
and to this testimonial of the General's
acknowledgment."

Brodhead believed that the destruction of
the towns and fields of the Indians would fill
them with consternation, and promote the
safety of the frontier. It had that eflfect, to
some extent, for on his return to Pittsburgh,
he found distant tribes ready to form friendly
treaties with him. The chiefs of the Delawares
were there; the principal chiefs of the Hurons
and Wyandots also ; and soon after came the
king of the Maquichee branch of the Shaw-
neese. On the 17th of September a council
was held. Doonyoutat, the Wyandot chief,
delivered a speech, presenting many belts ot
wampum. He professed friendship towards
the United States, and promised to deliver up
his prisoners, and that his people would assist
the English no more. The Delawares (with
the exception of the Munceys) were at peace
with the United States and several of their
warriors who had accompanied Col. Brodhead
in his expedition pleaded the cause of the
Maquichee clan of the Shawneese, whom they
called their grandchildren. Keheleman, Kill-
buck, and another Delaware chief, were the
speakers. Col. Brodhead replied according to
the Indian form, but expressed himself with
great independence. He plainly told them
that fair promises would not do; that they
must give a practical exhibition of their friend-
ship ; that they must deliver up their prisoners ;,
kill, scalp, and take as many English, or their
Indian allies, as they had before Americans ;
and on all occasions join the latter against their

BRODHEAD'S EXPEDITION

enemies. Peace was made on this basis. Host-
ages were, however, required from the \\ yan-
dots to insure the faithful performance of its
terms.

As the Indians had freely shed their blood
during the war, and had suffered almost anni-
hilation for their adherence to the cause of the
King, the British authorities could not without
gross ingratitude omit to provide for their re-
lief. Large numbers had gathered around the
fort and along the River Niagara, and during
the winter fed from the British stores. To re-
lieve themselves of this burden, the British
government encouraged the Indians to estab-
lish themselves at convenient places and obtain
support by cultivating land. In May or June,
1780, they first permanently established them-
selves upon Buft'alo creek, near Buft'alo, and
i in 1780 and 1781, a portion made the first set-
I tlement upon the Tonawanda and Cattaraugus
! creeks, while others settled along the Genesee
I and Allegheny rivers.

I The British officers also incited the Indian
I warriors, who, exasperated and smarting under
i the chastisement administered by Sullivan and
Brodhead, were assembled at Niagara in great
numbers, to make warlike excursions along the
borders. Seldom less than five hundred war-
riors were on service at one time. Guy John-
son wrote to Lord Germain from Niagara.
' July 26th, 1780, that "the Oneidas have joined
> the British, and that the remainder of the In-
dians with the Rebels will soon join the Brit-
ish, and thereby lay open the Rebel frontier
i near the Mohawk River." "The number of
I killed and prisoners (Americans) amounted
early in June to 156, and is now enlarged."

"The number of men of the Six Nations (ex-
clusive of their people southward) is about
1600; above 1200 are warriors, and of the latter
835 are now on the service on the frontier. '
Accompanied by British officers, these war-
riors committed cruelties along the frontier
until the close of the war. They destroyed
the towns of the friendly Oneidas ; they in-
vaded and overran the valley of the Mohawk,
and made frequent descents upon the settle-
ments along the borders of New York and
Pennsylvania.

The English government, in the Treaty of
Peace that closed the Revolution, required no
stipulation in favor of the Indians, to the great
indignation and disappointment of these allies.
Yet a portion of them, including Brant and
Red Jacket, subservient to British interests,
favored confederating with the North Western
Indians in the war against the United States
that afterwards followed. Cornplanter and
other influential chiefs, saw, however, the folly
of contending against the growing States, and
gave wiser counsels in favor of peace. In a
treaty held at Fort Stanwix, in October, 1784,
peace was made with the United States. About
this time the British government granted to
the Mohawks a tract of beautiful land along
the Ouise or Grand river, in Upper Canada.
The other nations of the Confederacy after-
wards resided upon lands set apart for them
in the State of New York, portions of which,
at different times, they subsequently ceded to
that State, until there only remained to them
the present diminished reservation.

With the Independence of the States, the
prestige of the Six Nations departed.

CHAPTER VI.

Later Indian Wars, Occupation and Treaties.

At the close of the Revolution, but twentv
years before the first settler let the sunlight
into the forests of the county, the extreme
western boundary of settlement of New York
was east of the center of the State, among the
hills and headwaters of the Delaware and Mo-
hawk. Otsego Lake and Oswego river were
bordered by forests, but lately the scene of the
fancied exploits of Uncas and Leather Stock-
i ig. forest heroes of the Indian romances of J.
Fenimore Cooper. At this time all of the west-
ern part of the State was a wilderness held by
I the hated Mingoes.

Such was the strength of the Indian tribes in
the west that they were a constant menace. At
length they assumed so threatening a tone that

Congress was compelled to wage war upori
them, at first with unfortunate results. Th»
disasters that attended the celebrated expedi-
tion of Gen. Harmer against the Indians in
1790 encouraged their warriors to renewed acts
of hostility, and in the spring of 1791 the settle-
ments along the Allegheny were repeatedly
visited bv them, and women and children often
massacred or carried into captivity. Even
Northwestern Pennsylvania suft'ered from their
excursions. The defeat of St. Clair by the In-
dians in November. 1791, rendered them still
more bold and ferocious, and for a year there-
rfter great alarm extended along the frontiers.
Their hostile expeditions extended even to the
borders of our county. James McMahan, after-

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

wards its first pioneer, in 1794 was surveying
in Northwestern Pennsylvania. One of his
chain bearers was shot and scalped by the
Indians, as he and his men were returning to
their camp near the mouth of the Broken
Straw.

August 20th, 1794, Gen. Wayne defeated the
Indians in a battle on the Maumee river. This
victory put an end to their power for harm
along the border. By a treaty made at Green-
ville with the different tribes of western In-
dians, July 30, 1795, the greater part of Ohio
was ceded to the United States, and a long
period of border war ended, and peace for the
first time established in these western wilds^
which had never before known any other con-
dition than that of continued and savage strife.

Preparatory to the occupation of the soil by
white men in the west, and quickly following
the treaty of Greenville, sales of land in Ohio,
New York and Pennsylvania were made on a
large scale. We may trace the title to these
tracts, as extensive as some of the kingdoms of
Europe, through private companies, sometimes
through individuals, until the sub-divided lands
reached the actual settler.

It is interesting to know the history of the
tenure by which the people of the county own
the soil. France, by virtue of discoveries and
explorations of La Salle, originally claimed the
superior right to the soil of Chautauqua county.
By the Treaty of Paris signed in 1763, she
ceded all her rights to their territory to Eng-
land. In 1691 the Province of Massachusetts
Bay was incorporated by the English govern-
ment. It included all of the territory of New
England as far south as the northern boundary
of Connecticut and Rhode Island. Previous to
that year, King Charles had granted a charter
to the colony of Connecticut, which included all
the lands westward of Narragansett Bay to the
Pacific ocean, and lying between the 41st
parallel of north latitude and the northern
boundary of Connecticut. As the northern
boundary of Connecticut is in latitude 42° 2'
north, and the greater part of the southern
boundary of the State of New York, including
that of Chautauqua county, is the 42nd parallel
of latitude, a narrow strip of land two minute^
wide, extending along and including about two
miles of the southern border of the county, was
claimed by the State of Connecticut. That
State sold its right to this strip of land to cer-
tain parties who erected one of the beautiful
capital buildings of the State of Connecticut,
as part consideration for the purchase price,
and this unrelinquished but unprosecuted right
to the southern border of our county is still

held by their heirs. The portion of the county
north of this strip was claimed by the State of
Massachusetts. The title of the territory of
the county was also claimed by the State of
New York under the grant from Holland to
the Dutch West India Company, and by the
grant of Charles the Second of England to the
Duke of York and Albany, and also under the
acknowledgment of title by the Six Nations.
Pennsylvania also claimed the title to the terri-
tory including Chautauqua county, under the
original charter of William Penn, in 1681. So
that between the claims of their pious Puritan
and Quaker neighbors, our staid and honest
Knickerbocker ancestors were once threatened
with and came near losing a principal part of
the State, including our county. It was nearly
a century after the charter before Pennsylvania
abandoned her claim. Connecticut never aban-
doned hers. The claim of the State of Massa-
chusetts was settled in 1786, by a grant of mil-
lions of acres of land in Western New York,
including Chautauqua county.

The boundary line between New York and
Pennsylvania having been surveyed in 17S7, it
was found that the 42nd parallel of latitude ex-
tended south of the valuable harbor of Presque
Isle (now Erie) and that harbor was entirely
within the boundary of the State of New York,
leaving Pennsylvania but two or three miles of
shore line on Lake Erie. The territory known
as the "Erie Triangle," which bounds Chau-
tauqua county on the west, was afterwards
purchased by Pennsylvania to give her a lake
port.

On May nth, 1791, Massachusetts conveyed
to Robert Morris all of her lands in the State
west of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. By
deeds executed between that year and the year
1799, Morris conveyed these lands in trust for
certain persons in Holland, subsequently be-
came known as the Holland Land Company.
These lands were bounded on the east by a line
passing from the Pennsylvania line through
the county of Allegany, a little west of its cen-
ter, to Lake Ontario. Chautauqua county was
included in this purchase, as were nearly all
lands west of this line in the State of New
York. This territory has since been known
as the Holland Purchase.

There was still another claimant whose
rights remained to be disposed of. The Indians
of New York possessed a substantial claim to
the soil, measured by the legal rules and prin-
ciples of equity recognized by English courts. '
Towards the close of the eighteenth century,
in Western New York and Pennsylvania there!
were many Indian towns. In Chautauqua

LATER INDIAN WARS AND TREATIES

county, in the town of Kiantone, upon the left
bank of the Kiantone creek, near its mouth,
there was the Indian village of Kyenthono. As
h.te as 1795, when James McMahan came uy
the Conewango on his way to the north part
of the county, at this place he found fields of
corn, and wigwams occupied by the Indians.
The surveyors of the boundary line between
the States of New York and Pennsylvania fixed
their observatory a short distance above this
town, on the same side of the creek, and re-
mained there fifteen days in the months of
August and September, 1787, making astro-
nomical observations and computations to de-
termine the latitude and longitude of the local-
ity and in preparing the eighth latitude bound-
ary stone. Upon Abraham Hardenburgh's
Tnap of this survey, Kyenthono was designated
as '"a small Indian town." When the first set-
tlers came to Kiantone, the forms of cornhills
were visible upon lands which since had grown
up to small shrubbery of thorns and red plums.
At Bemus Point, when William Bemus first
; came there in 1806, the unmistakable evidences
I remained that an Indian settlement had re-
j ctntly existed there. More than fifty acres
, along the creek embracing the site of the pres-
ent cemetery, and the woods adjoining, showed
plain marks of previous cultivation. The more
j elevated parts appeared to have been aban -
• doned and grown up to brush, with here and
I there a large tree. Where the cemetery is situ-
I ated were decayed remains and traces of In-
i dian dwellings. On Bemus creek were two
■ fields, each about ten acres in extent. The
i lower one was at the point, and mostly east of
; the lake road ; the other was half a mile up the
creek. Where these improvements had been
made, wild plum trees grew ; and there were
n'mains of brush enclosures which William
Semus repaired. Cornhills were visible, and
potatoes of the lady finger variety, that had
been perpetuated from year to year, were
growing, some of which were gathered and
planted by William Bemus. The site of this
Indian village and field, it is not unlikely, may
liave been more anciently occupied by the
I ries.
Below Bemus at Griffiths Point were similar
Ijsigns of Indian occupation. About four acres
had been cleared, but grown up to a thick
growth of oak, chestnut, soft maple and hick-
ory, none more than six inches in diameter.
' Cornhills were visible over the entire tract.
! The remains of what appeared to have been a
' wigwam were found upon a mound ; another
field of about one acre existed at the foot of
Bear Lake in Stockton.

Between the Indian villages of Western New
^'ork and from them to their favorite hunting
grounds and fishing places, were well trodden
j)athways. Of these in Chautauqua county, a
l)road and well worn Indian trail led from Cat-
taraugus creek through the lake towns to the
Pennsylvania line. Another commenced near
the mouth of Cattaraugus creek and passed
over the ridge in Arkwright and Charlotte at
its lowest point, thence through Charlotte Cen-
ter and Sinclairville, southerly in the direction
of the Indian towns on the Allegheny river.
This trail had the appearance of much use ; the
roots of the trees along its margin were marred
and calloused, and at certain points it was
worn deeply into the ground. It was used by
the early settlers as a highway or bridle path
in going to and from the central to the north-
eastern parts of the county, and by the Indians
subsequent to the settlement of the county.
Another important Indian path commenced at
the Indian settlement near the mouth of the
Cattaraugus creek, and passed down the Con-
ewango valley through the eastern parts of
Hanover, Villenova, Cherry Creek, and Elling-
ton.

This path was used by the white men during
the settlement of these towns, and by the In-
dians afterwards. In Carroll there was a well
worn path that led from the Conewango east-
erly up Case run, and through Covey Gap, and
Bone run to the Allegheny river, near Onoville
in Cattaraugus county. An Indian path led
along the east shore of Chautauqua Lake, and
from the head of the lake by way of the Chau-
tauqua creek to Lake Erie, another from Cana-
daway by the way of Bear Lake to Bemus
Point. There were still other trails leading
through the county.

The Indian settlements in Chautauqua
county were probably made in the eighteenth
century by the Senecas, who were under the
control of Cornplanter, sometimes called Abeei.
In a map published by Reading Howell, 1792,
the country of the upper waters of the Con-
ewango and Chautauqua Lake is designated as
O'Beel's Cayentona.

At length more permanent settlement was
made by the Indians within the limits of the
countv and along the Cattaraugus creek. Large
numbers of those who fled before the march of
Sullivan in 1779, gathered around Fort Niagara
and fed from the British stores. To relieve
themselves from this burden, the British gov-
ernment encouraged the Indians to establish
themselves at convenient places and obtam
support by cultivating the land. In May or

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

June, 1780, they first permanently settled upon
Buffalo creek, near Buffalo, under the leader-
ship of an aged but influential chief called "Old
King," the head sachem of the Senecas. In the
spring of the same year, 1780, while the Revo-
lution was still in progress, they made the first
settlement upon Cattaraugus creek.

By a treaty at Big Tree, on the Genesee river,
Sept. 15, 1797, between Robert Morris and Red
Jacket, Cornplanter, Governor Blacksnake and
forty chiefs and sachems, the Senecas for the
sum of $100,000 sold all their interest in the
Robert Morris Purchase, reserving only 337
square miles of land contained in eleven In-
dian Reservations, one of which lies partly in
the county of Chautauqua, consisting of about
one square mile of land in the town of Han-
over ui)on which six Indian families resided in

1S94, and which had thirty-one inhabitants,
according to the census of 1890.

By a treaty made with Ogden Land Com-
pany, August 31, 1826, the Indians sold to
them a preemption right in these reservations,
by which the Ogden Company claimed the fee
to the land, when the tribal relations of the In-
dians should cease. The Senecas, however,
claimed that the Ogden Company had only the
first right to purchase when the Indians should
choose to sell. The claim of the Ogden Com-
pany was at that time a source of great uneasi-
ness to the Indians.

The Indian title having been extinguished,
the Holland Land Company commenced to sur-
vey the lands, and to offer them for sale and
settlement, the history of which is contained in
a special chapter.

CHAPTER VII.
The Frontier Period — 1 802-1 805.

The first white man to sojourn within the
limits of Chautauqua county, Amos Sawtel,
usually called Settle, has been regarded by
some as its first actual settler. He was born
in Vermont. In early life he removed to
Chenango county. New York. There he be
came disappointed in love, left friends and
home, and traveled on foot to New Amster-
dam, now Buffalo, where he may have lived for
a while with the Indians. In the fall of 1796,
when about twenty-three years of age, he went
with a herd of cattle for some person in
New Amsterdam to the Cattaraugus Bottoms,
where they were sent to winter. Settle built
a small cabin of poles upon land later laid out
by the Holland Land Company as lot 61 of the
Cattaraugus village, on the west side of the
creek, about one and one-half miles from its
mouth. There he lived for a while, "with a
very dark squaw or negress, whom he had in-
duced to share his lot." Whether he intended
to remain and become a permanent settler is
not known.

When the surveying parties were organized
by the Holland Land Company, for the survey
of the range lines in 1798, Sottle enlisted as
axman, and continued in the employ of the
company during 1798-99. In the fall of the
latter year he went to the Western Reserve,
and remained out of the county at least during
the year 1800. He returned (it has been
claimed in 1801, of which there is doubt) and
went into possession of the improvements that
he had made, and resided there until his death
in 1849. His relatives are said to have moved

in respectable circles, and he, notwithstand-
ing his somewhat dissolute and intemperate
habits and vagrant life among Indians and
bordermen, was a man of considerable natural
ability and information, and in early life not
without native dignity and politeness.

The survey and commencement of the sale
of land upon the "Western" or "Connecticut
Reserve." in Northwestern Ohio, was another
event that foreshadowed and hastened the set-
tlement of the county. On the 4th of July,
1796. a party of surveyors and others, consist-
ing of fifty-two persons, among them the dis-
tinguished surveyors Augustus Porter, Seth
Pease, Wareham Shepard, who afterwards en-
gaged in the early surveys of Chautauqua
county, and one Amos Sawtel, and also Moses
Cleveland, who gave his name to the city of
Cleveland, landed from Lake Erie at Conneaut,
in Ashtabula county, Ohio, afterwards called
the Plymouth of the Western Reserve. These
persons constituted the advanced guard of
more than a million of people, that subse-
quently found homes in the State of Ohio. And
now emigrants on their way from Connecticut,
to reach the Western or Connecticut Reserve,
began to journey on foot through the wilder-
ness of Chautauqua county, following the In-
dian path that traversed the lake towns.

Rufus S. Reed, of Presque Isle, in 1798 was
engaged in transporting goods and provisions
through the county along its shore, on bat-
teaux, or over the Indian trail, from New Ams-
terdam to Presque Isle. Eleazer Flagg, after- 1

THE FRONTIER PERIOD

'wards a citizen of Stockton, was in his employ
in the former enterprise.

About 1800, one Skinner came with his fam-
ily from Susquehanna county. Pennsylvania,
and opened a "house of entertainment," for
jemigrants and other travelers on the Catta-
il augus creek, near which vi'as afterwards built
;the tavern of John Mack. He was living there
lin 1801. Joseph Badger, an early missionary,
irecorded in his journal that October 29th of
:that year, while on his way to the east, he put
up with Skinner, who was living there a little
,;.bove the Indian habits. Skinner probably re-
'mained there three or four years in all, enter-
itaining travelers. Skinner had no title to the
soil that he occupied, yet his right to be re-
garded as a bona fide settler is at least as valid
as that of Sottle. The recognition of either as
.b real settler would establish the first settle-
iment of the county to have been as far back as
(in the last years of the eighteenth century.
1 As a preparation for the tide of emigration,
a rude road was opened between the Cattarau-
gus and Chautauqua creeks by Gen. Edward
'Paine, founder of Painesville, Ohio, to enable
emigrants to reach the Western Reserve. He
cut away the fallen trees and underbrush, and
marked the route over the firmest ground, and
pt the best places to cross the streams, but
"built no bridges. He probably followed sub-
stantially the line of the Indian trail, where the
(Erie or main road is now much of the way
located. His work was commenced in 1801,
and completed in 1802 to Westfield. It was
the only road used by the settlers from the
East for two or three years, and was known as
Paine's road.

In 1801 beginning of settlement was also
made at Westfield. Andrew Straub from
Pennsylvania, under the auspices of Col. James
. McMahan, selected land east of the site of the
village, upon what was known as Straub's
:reek, and although he had no title, he built a
log house and occupied it in 1801. He lived
[there alone, for he had no family. A few years
■ater he received a deed of his land, and lived
there many years.

:! To James McMahan the credit is due of
?eing the first real permanent settler, he being
:he first to hold title to the soil which he occu-
Died and cultivated. He was born in North-
jmberland county, Pennsylvania, in March,
(768. Prior to 1795, he surveyed two seasons
ii Western Pennsylvania, and for six months
■ it a time saw no white persons except his as-
sistants. On July 3, 1795, he married Mary Mc-
Cord, and about the same year and before
5ottle had built his pole cabin at the mouth of

the Cattaraugus creek, he explored Chautauqua
county, with a view to a residence there. He
however lived for a while at Harbor Creek,
Pennsylvania. In 1801 he again visited Chau-
tauqua county and made a contract for his
brother, John McMahan, to jjurchase township
four, range fourteen, consisting of 22,012 acres
of unsurveyed land in the towns of Westfield
and Chautauqua. He also purchased for him-
self 4,074 acres of unsurveyed land in the town
of Ripley. The price to be paid was $2.50 per
acre. James McMahan selected for himself,
out of his brother's purchase, lot 13, which ex-
tended east to the "Old Cross Road," so called
from its being the point where the rude road,
or trail between Buffalo and Erie was crossed
by the French or Portage road. Early in the
spring of 1802, Col. James McMahan cleared
and planted to corn ten acres of this last men-
tioned land in Westfield, and built upon it a
log house, in which he installed his family in
the fall. This was the first land cleared and
cultivated by a white man having the right to
the soil within the limits of Chautauqua
county.

Edward McHenry, also of Northumberland
county, Pennsylvania, at the solicitation of
James McMahan came in the spring of 1802 to
the Cross Roads, a little later than McMahan,
and built a log house upon lands adjoining
McMahan, and moved his family into it before
McMahan's family arrived at the Cross Roads.
Although Sottle, Skinner, Straub and Mc-
Henry were the first persons domiciled within
the county. Col. James McMahan was the first
to fully consummate a settlement by acquir-
ing an ownership to the soil and making real,
substantial and permanent improvements.

However, settlement once commenced in this
western solitude continued rapidly. Charles
Avery settled in the town of Hanover, on lot
3, near the mouth of the Cattaraugus creek, in
1S03. possibly in 1802. and a little later became
a small trader in Indian goods. William H.
Sydnor, a person of some education, although
his life had been spent on the borders, came
and purchased lots i and 2, where the creek
empties into the lake. At the June court held
in Batavia in 1804. he was licensed to keep a
ferry at the mouth of the creek. His daughter
Caroline was the first white child born at Cat-
t;iraugus Village, and William Sydnor was the
first person to die there. Ezekiel Lane early
built a shantv on lot 48 near the Cattaraugus
creek. He and his father-in-law. Marstin Mid-
daugh. had been among the earliest settlers of
Bufifalo.

John McMahan, brother of James McMahan,

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

in 1803 set out from Chelisquaque, Pennsyl-
vania, with his family, and settled near the
mouth of Chautauqua creek, upon its west side,
near Barcelona. He built there the first saw
and grist mill in the county. Other families,
influenced by the McMahans, came from Penn-
sylvania, and settled at the Cross Roads the
same year: Arthur Bell, Christopher Dull,
James Montgomery, William Culbertson,
George and John Degeer and Jeremiah George.
The log house built by McHenry was made
a house of entertainment, this tavern was
famous in its day. Here the first town meet-
i;igs, militia trainings, and early public gather-
ings, were held. In this log house August
i8th, 1802, was born John McHenry, the first
white child native of the county of whom we
have any account. Here also for the first time
Christian rites were observed within the
county, in the burial of the dead. Edward Mc-
Henry with two companions embarked on
Lake Erie, in a small boat with a pole for a
raast, and a blanket for a sail, to obtain sup-
plies. A flaw of wind capsized the boat, and
McHenry was drowned. His was the first death
of a white person residing in the county. Sep-
tember 2, 1803, Rev. Joseph Badger, the mis-
sionary, ]3reached his funeral sermon from the
text: "Man knoweth not his time." At the
Cross Roads in 1805, the first marriage was
celebrated in the county, that of James Mont-
gomery to Sarah Taylor. The names of early
settlers of Westfield are inscribed upon the
stone monument erected at the Cross Roads in
1866.

The year 1804 saw many new comers. David
Dickenson, Abel Cleveland and John E. How-
ard from Berkshire county, Massachusetts,
built log houses and settled at Silver Creek
with their families. Howard's log dwelling-
was on the south bank of the creek near where
Howard street crosses it. Dickenson and
Cleveland's dwelling was farther down near
Newberry street. Dickenson and Cleveland
soon erected a saw mill, and also constructed
a mortar, by cutting a cavity in the end of a
maple log, into which grists of corn brough:
to their mill were placed, and converted into
meal by the action of a heavy pestle, worked
up and down by the wheel of the saw mill.

During this year settlement was also made
in the town of Sheridan by Francis Webber,
from Massachusetts. He settled upon the Erie
road, southwest of Silver Creek, on lot 17,
about one mile west of the east line of Sheri-
dan. Hazadiah Stebbins also settled upon the
same lot the same year. Orsamus Holmes, a
soldier of the Revolution, and his family with

other families, settled in the town the next ■
year.

William and Gerard Griswold, Abner ami
Alanson Holmes, Joel Lee, John Walker, John
Holister, Thomas Stebbins. Jonathan, John
and Haven Brigham, and Jonathan Griswold
were early settlers of Sheridan. Isaac Bald-
win early located in the southwest part of the
town. Deacon Bethel Willoughby was the
first to settle back on the hills in the south
part.

In 1804, settlement was commenced at Fre-
donia, at first called Canadaway, from the
stream upon which it was situated. Thi,s
stream on the maps of the early surveyors was
written "Cascade." The Canadaway has its
source among the hills of Arkwright and Char-
lotte, and flows at first over waterfalls, and in
rapids through wild gorges, and at last, less
roughly to Lake Erie. The Indians gave it the
beautiful name Ga-na-da-wa-o, meaning "run-
ning through the hemlocks," in allusion to the
evergreens, which grew so thickly upon its
banks.

At Ganadawao, or Canadaway, as the white
man pronounced it, the settlement of Pomfret
was commenced by Thomas McClintock, David
Eason and Low Minegar, all from Eastern and
Central Pennsylvania. The first house was
built in the summer of 1803, by David Eason,
on the bank of the Canadaway, near where
Gen. Risley afterwards resided. It was of
logs, not a nail used in its construction. In
the spring of 1805, Eason married Margaret
Woodside, in .Northumberland county, Penn-
sylvania. In April he set out with his bride,
accompanied by Low Minegar and others, and
their families ; they journeyed through the
wilderness of Pennsylvania to Olean, on the
Allegheny river. They were six weeks on the
way. At Olean they found the advanced
guard of pioneers that first settled Cattarau-
gus county. There they built canoes, de-
scended the Allegheny to Warren, ascended
the Conewango, passed over Chautauqua Lake,
and reached Canadaway by the way of the
Cross Roads. When he arrived there, Eason
had ten dollars in his pocket, with which he i
paid for a barrel of flour.

About the same time that Eason reached >
Canadaway, Zattu Gushing brought to an end 1
a remarkable journey. In February, 1805, he
started from Eastern New York, conveying his
family and goods by means of two yoke of
oxen drawing a sled. They were three weeks
in making the journey, and drove four cows.
They brought one-half bushel of apple seeds,
from which the first orchard of the county was

THE FRONTIER PERIOD

Igrown. On Mr. Cushing's arrival at Canacla-
|way, the snow was deeij and the weather was
cold. They moved into the partly completed
■log cabin of Low Minegar. It had no doors,
no chinking between the logs, and no floor.
JThey covered the ground with hemlock
'boughs, and remained until Mr. Eason got an
'article for his land, and built a log house.
'' The rough frontier experience of Eason and
! Cashing was similar to that of all the early
jsettlers. Eason and Gushing were leading
icitizens of the county. Eason was chosen the
i first sheriff, and afterwards State Senator.
I Gushing was appointed the first judge of the
county, and held that position for thirteen
iyears. He was the grandfather of the intrepid
'Alonzo H. Gushing, who fell at Gettysburg,
• and of William B. Gushing, the hero of many
'exploits, chief of which was the destruction of
'the "Albemarle."

! Hezekiah Baker came to Ganadaway in
'1806. He gave the land that forms the beauti-
'ful village park in Fredonia. Elijah Risley
'came in 1807. His son, Elijah, Jr., opened the
'first store in the county. Dr. Squire White
came in 1808 or 1809, and was the first edu-
cated and licensed physician of the county. He
iwas also its first surrogate. Among other early
[settlers of Pomfret may be named Benjamin

Barrett, Samuel Geer, Benjamin Barnes, Eli-
'phalet Burnham. Philo Orton, Leverett Barker
land Richard Williams.

' In 1804 settlement was commenced at Rip-
iley. Alexander Gochran, from the North of
jlreland, settled about one mile west of the vil-
lage formerly known as Quincy. He bought
•his land of the Holland Land Gompany, and
■paid for it in gold. He was the first person in
'the county to receive a deed for his farm.
'Josiah Farnsworth, from Eastern New York,
fettled at Quincy the same year. Perry G.
'Ellsworth, from Otsego county, settled one
Imile west of Quincy. and in 1804-05 kept a
kavern in the town. Thomas Prendergast, of
Ithe well-known Prendergast family, settled in
'1805. Among other early settlers were Wil-
liam Alexander, William Grossgrove, Basil
Burgess, Asa, William and Andrew Spear, Na-
than Wisner, Gharles Forsythe, Samuel Trues-
:dell and Jonathan Parsons.

In 1804 settlement was also made at May-
lie. Dr. Alexander Mclntyre built there a

og dwelling near the steamboat landing,
ground which he erected a stockade of tall
palisades. His fort was called by the old
jokers of those days Fort Deborah or Debby,
in illusion to his wife by adoption. In early
life Mclntyre was captured by the Indians,

who cut ofif the veins of his ears. He resided
with them many years. He claimed to have
c-!C(iuired their knowledge of the medical prop-
erties of roots and herbs, and in the estima-
tion of many people was profoundly skilled in
the healing art. In 1805 Jonathan Smith, a
man of rare eccentricities, settled on the west
side of Ghautauqua Lake, and the same year
Peter Barnhart, a soldier of the Revolution,
on the east side. In 1806 William Prender-
gast, Sr., and his well-known sons and daugh-
ters, settled on the west side of the lake.
Among other early settlers of the town were
John Scott, Filer Sackett, Darius Scofield, Na-
than and David Gheney, Darius Dexter, Arte-
mus Herrick, Dr. John E. Marshall and Zacheus
Hanchett.

In the year 1805 settlement was commenced
in Portland, by Gapt. James Dun, a soldier of
the Revolution. He bought 1150 acres of land
in that town. He came there from Meadville,
Pennsylvania, with a team of four horses, set-
tled at first upon lot 31, built a shanty of poles
near a large spring, and moved his family into
it, but finally he removed to the north part of
lot 30. The following are other early settlers :
Nathan Fay, Elisha Fay, Peter Kane, John
Price, Benjamin Hutchins, David Eaton, Na-
thaniel Fay, James Parker, Joseph Gorrell, Na-
than Grosby and Erastus Taylor.

The town of Dunkirk was first settled this
vear by Seth Gole, of Paris, Oneida county, at
the mouth of the Ganadaway creek.

In 1805 settlements had been made in every
one of the northern towns, eight in all, each
of which bordered on Lake Erie, excepting the
town of Ghautauqua. Between one and two
hundred inhabitants resided within the borders
of the county, but as yet no white man had
taken up his abode south of the Ridge, unless
Dr. Mclntyre, Peter Barnhart and Jonathan
Smith, who had settled around the head of
Ghautauqua Lake, are to be considered excep-
tions. The greater part of the county re-
mained unvisited save by the surveyors or ex-
plorers voyaging along the water courses or
traveling over the Indian trails to reach the
settlements in the northern part of the county.

This primeval quiet was at length broken in
the southern part of the county by Dr. Thomas
R. Kennedy and Edward Work. They made
the first assault upon the pine forests at Ken-
nedy in the town of Poland, in 1805. Dr. Ken-
nedy had married a daughter of Andrew Elli-
cott' the niece of Joseph Ellicott, agent of the
Holland Land Gompany. He and Mr. Work,
until they had commenced the first settlement
of the southern part of the county at Kennedy,

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

had resided at Meadville, Pennsylvania. That
year Dr. Kennedy purchased three thousand
acres of unsurveyed land in Poland and com-
menced erecting mills at Kennedy. Much of
the material, and the provisions for the hands
employed, were brought in keelboats and came
up the Allegheny and Conewango rivers.

Edward Shillito was the first resident of
Poland. He resided at Kennedy in 1805 with
his family, and boarded the workmen upon the
mills. The attack thus began upon the pines
in Poland, continued at other points in south-
western Chautauqua for three quarters of a
century until the magnificent evergreens that
covered two hundred square miles entirely dis-
appeared. Lumbering during the greater part
of this period constituted the most important
mdustry.

Following the building of the mills, settlers
began to come. Among the earliest settlers of
Poland were Aaron Forbes, Sumner Allen
Samuel Hitchcock, Joshua Woodard, Dr. Sam-
uel Foote, the first physician ; Col. Nathaniel
Fenton, Amasa Ives, Nicholas Dollofif, Elias
Tracy. Amos Fuller, Ebenezer Chenev, Joseph
Clark, Daniel Walters. Obediah Jenk's, Albert
Russell, Franklin Leet, Lewis Holbrook, Abiel
Elkins, Daniel Griswold, Luther Lydell, Nor-
ton B. Bill, Eliakim Crosby, John ]Montgom-
ery, Chester Lillie and Henry Connell.

No other settlement or important improve-
ment was made in the south part of the county
in 1805, except the opening of the woods road
by Robert Miles and others from near Sugar
Grove. Pennsylvania, through the forest to
Miles Landing on Chautauqua Lake, near
where Lakewood is situated. It terminated in
Busti, at the mouth of a little creek east of and
near Lakewood. It was used for many years
b}- the people of Pennsylvania in going to
Chautauqua Lake, and by the early settlers in
their trips to Pennsylvania to purchase seed
potatoes, oats and wheat, and also in driving
hogs and cows. The termination of the road
was called Miles Landing. "This road was the
great highway of that wilderness : a guide to
the bewildered pioneer ; if he could strike this
road, he was safe."

In t8o6 Ellicott was first settled by William
\Mlson from Pennsylvania. He first lived in
a shanty, but in June moved into a house he
built on the west side of the Chadakoin, below
Falconer, upon land which had not then been
surveyed. James Culbertson, from Meadville,
the same year settled on the west side of the
Chadakoin, at its confluence with the Cassa-
daga. George W. Fenton, also from Pennsyl-
vania, father of Governor R. E. Fenton, settled

on the south side of the Chadakoin near Lev- •»
ant in 1807. In 1809 Fenton removed to Car-
roll. Jonas Simmons, John and Jacob Strunk
and Samuel Whittemore were early settlers at
and near Fluvanna ; Benjamin Ross at Ross •]
Mills ; Jehiel Tififany at Tiffanyville ; Phineas ■■
Palmiter, Elias Tracy and Oliver Sherman,
near Celoron ; Thomas and Joseph Walkup, , j
Augustus Moore and Amos Blanchard in other ■
parts of the town.

In 1806 William Prendergast settled not far
from the present Chautauqua Assembly
Grounds. He and his sons and daughters and
grandsons became the owners of a contiguous
tract of land containing 3337 acres. His thir-
teen sons and daughters nearly all became
residents of the county. His sons were princi-
pal personages in its early history, holding
prominent official positions and places of trust.
William Prendergast, born in Waterford, Ire-
land, February' 2, 1727, came to America and
settled at Pawling, Dutchess county, on the
Hudson river. He married Mehitabel Wing,
cf Beekman, New York. He died in Chau-
tauqua, February 14th, 181 1. Their children
were: Matthew, Thomas, Mary (Mrs. Wil-
liam Bemus, of Ellery), Elizabeth, James
Jediah, Martin, John Jeffery (who was never a
resident here), Susanna (Airs. Oliver ^^'hite-
side), Eleanor, Martha, William; and Minerva,
who married Elisha Marvin, of North East,
Pennsylvania.

The long leases by which the lands were
generally held along the Hudson, the restraints
and forfeitures incident to them, and the op-
pressive method of collecting rents, produced
a turbulent spirit, often manifested in violent
and lawless conduct by the tenants. These
disorders began long before the Revolution.
In June, 1766, some soldiers sent to suppress .
riotous proceedings in Dutchess county, were j
fired upon and one of them wounded so that '
be died. William Prendergast was appre-
hended for participating in this affair as prin-
cipal, and taken under guard to a sloop for 1
safekeeping. He and others were indicted for I
high treason. The public mind was consider- 1
ably excited over the case of Prendergast, and
"Holt's Gazette" of New York City, a leading
paper of the time, in several articles, showed
apparent sympathy for Prendergast and the
tenants.

At a court of Oyer and Terminer, which com-
menced July 29. 1766, at Poughkeepsie, and
was held by Chief Justice Horsemanden, in
which Samuel Jones, a most eminent lawyer
of the times, appeared as counsel for the King, 1
Mr. Prendergast was found guilty of high )

THE FRONTIER PERIOD

jtreason and sentenced to be executed on Sep-
tember 26th. Other rioters were tried and
found guilty. Some were fined, two were im-
prisoned, and two stood in the pillory. The
|Sentiments of the people were such respecting
(William Prendergast's offence, that William
jLivingstone, the sheriff, was obliged to offer
;a good reward to any person who would assist
JDt the execution, he to be disguised, so as to
he secure from insult. In "Holt's Gazette" of
jSeptember 4, 1766, is given an account of the
jtrial, by which it appears that the conduct of
IMehitabel, the wife of Mr. Prendcrgast, was
jvery remarkable. She greatly aided her hus-
band in his defence by wise suggestions and
iremarks in open court, without the least im-
ipertinence or indecorum. Her womanly con-
jduct and tender solicitude for her husband
jcreated such sj-mpathy in his behalf that the
(Counsel for the King asked to have her re-
jmoved from the court room, which was denied,
jhe being answered that she neither disturbed
the court nor spoke unreasonably. The jury
brought in the prisoner guilty ; the court and
liury, however, recommended the prisoner to
^he King's merc}^. Mrs. Prendergast imme-
jdiately set out for New York to solicit a re-
i.'rieve, and though over seventy miles distant
she returned in three days with hopes of suc-
cess. The Governor, Sir Henry Moore, sent a
Reprieve to the sheriff of Dutchess county until
;His Majesty's pleasure should be known. Lord
phelburn having laid before the King a letter
pf Sir Henry Moore, recommending the pardon
|:^f Prendergast. A little later he wrote Gov-
ernor Moore that, "His Majest}' has been
graciously pleased to grant him his pardon,
("dying that this instance of his Royal clem-
hicy vi'ill have a better effect in recalling these
mistaken people to their duty, than the most
figorous punishment." W'as it unreasonable
^hat gratitude to King George for his Royal
clemency, under the circumstances, led Wil-
,iam Prendergast, who was not a native of the
country, to espouse the cause of the King dur-
ing the Revolution, ten years later?
.Mthough seventy-five years of age, William
idergast left his home in Pittstown, in Van
11-selaer county, with his family in 1S05,
yith the intention of locating in Tennessee.
^Villiam Prendergast, his wife, four sons and
ive daughters, his son-in-law and grandchil-
Iren, and his slave Tom, in all twenty-nine
Persons, in four canvas covered wagons (some
Irawn by four horses) and a two-horse
■arouche for the older ladies, traveled through
Pennsylvania as far as Pittsburgh or Wheel-
ing. Then they purchased a flat boat and em-

barked with all their effects, and descended
the ri\er to the falls of the Ohio, now Louis-
ville, Kentucky. They traveled thence to a
point near Nashville, but were dissatisfied with
the country and people, and came back to Erie,
Pennsylvania, where they arrived about the
last of September, 1805. The family finally
decided to settle in Chautauqua, but all, with
the exception of ^^'illiam Bemus, a son-in-law,
and Thomas Prendergast, journeyed to Canada,
where they passed the winter.

Thomas Prendergast settled in Ripley the
same fall. Bemus lived during the winter of
1805-06 in a log house near the Cross Roads.
Lands having been purchased in the town of
Chautauqua, on the west side of Chautauqua
Lake, and a log house built, William and his
family returned from Canada in June, 1806,
and became settlers of Chautauqua county.

William Bemus, al.iove named, son-in-law of
William Prendergast, in the spring of 1806
made the first settlement of Ellery at Bemus
Point, near the old Indian fields. Jeremiah
Griffith, of Madison county, a little later the
same year settled in Ellery at the Old Indian
fields at Griffith's Point. These pioneers left
many descendants. Among other early and
leading settlers of Ellery were : Hanson JMeed,
Tiler Sackett, Azariah Bennett, John and Jo-
seph Sillsby, William Barrows, John Demott,
John Love, Joseph Loucks, Henry Strunk.
Thomas Parker, Peter Pickard, Samuel Young,
Elisha Tower, Elhanan Winchester and John
Pickard. grandfather of Alonzo C. Pickard, the
well-known lawyer of Jamestown.

In 1806 Thomas Bemus, son of William
Bemus, and grandson of William Prendergast,
Sr., made the first settlement in the town of
Harmony, on lot 54, township 2, range 12,
opposite Bemus Point. The next year Jona-
than Cheney settled on lot 52, about two miles
below the '"Narrows." Before the close of
1806, upwards of twenty families had settled
around Chautauqua Lake.

In 1807 Dr. Thomas Kennedy and Edward
Work purchased 1260 acres of land on both
sides of the Chadakoin below Dexterville, in-
cluding the mill site at Tiftanyville, and
Worksburg, now Falconer, including also land
east of the Cassadaga creek. In the fall of
1807 Mr. Work erected a hewed log house on
the north side of the Chadakoin at Falconer;
this was the first settlement of Falconer : for
more than three-quarters of a century the
place was known as Worksburg. Mr. Work
was a public-spirited, energetic man, of much
abilitv. In 1808 he erected there sawmills and
soon 'after a grist mill. He and Mr. Kennedy

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

opened a road between Kennedy and Works-
burg, and built the first bridge over Cassa-
daga creek. They made the first substantial
improvements in southern Chautauqua.

Kiantone derives its name from the Indian
village of Kyenthono, on Kiantone creek,
which was occupied by the Indians as late as
1795, when Col. James McMahan passed
through the county. It was settled in 1807 by
Joseph Aikin from Rensselaer county. New
York. He settled on the Stillwater, near the
west line of the town. He laid out the land
there into lots and attempted to found the vil-
lage of Aikinville. Robert Russell soon after
settled in the town and built a sawmill on
Kiantone creek, above the Indian village. He
afterwards removed to Russell, Pennsylvania,
and gave his name to that place. He was a
man of much energy, and a leading citizen of
Northwestern Pennsylvania.

Arkwright was also settled in 1807, by
Abiram Orton on lot 64, not far from Fre-
donia. The same year Benjamin Perry set-
tled on the same lot, and Augustus Burnham
on lot 60 near Shumla.

Although every town bordering on Lake
Erie had been settled for several years, the
site of the city of Dunkirk remained covered
by a dense and unbroken forest. Undoubtedly
the French and English in the preceding cen-
tury, while coasting along the southern shore
of Lake Erie, had many times visited the bay.
Yet, notwithstanding that conspicuous head-
land. Point Gratiot, named from Gen. Charles
Gratiot, marked the existence and bounded
the western limits of a safe harbor, lake craft
seldom visited its lonesome waters, and deer
and wolves continued to inhabit the gloomy
woods around it until 1808, when Timothy
Goulding, its first settler, built his house a
mile west of the harbor, and probably within
the limits of the city. A portion of Point
Gratiot was included in his purchase. The
next year his brother-in-law, Solomon Chad-
wick, from Madison county, settled at Dun-
kirk Harbor, in what is now the Second Ward
of the city. He was the first settler on the
bay. Dunkirk Harbor for eight or nine years
after was known as Chadwick Bay, and for a
short time afterwards as Garnseys Bay, and
finally Dunkirk, after a seaport of that name
in France. Luther Goulding, brother of Timo-
thy, the same year settled upon the bay west
of Chadwick. John Brigham, from Madison
county. New York, settled within the limits of
the city in 1808; John Brigham, Jr., and his
family settled in 1810; and James Brigham,

who married Fanny, the sister of Gen. Elijah
Risley, in 181 1.

Forestville was settled by Capt. Jehiel
Moore, from Eastern New York, in 1809. Char
lotte was settled in April of the same year b>
John and Daniel Pickett and Arva O. Austin
in the northwest part, for many years knowr
as Pickett Neighborhood. Robert W. Seavei
and Barna Edson a little later the same yeat
settled Charlotte Center. In 1810 SinclairvilU
was settled by William Berry and Maj. Samue
Sinclear, a soldier of the Revolution and ;
nephew of Col. Joseph Cilley, a distinguishec
officer of that war. Mr. Sinclear was a neai
kinsman of Joseph Cilley, United States Sena
tor from New Hampshire, and Jonathan Cilley
who was killed in the duel with Graves,
Kentucky. October 22, 1810, the family
Maj. Sinclear, including his stepsons Obed Ed
son and John M. Edson, first arrived at th<
site of the village of Sinclairville. John an(
Samuel Cleland, Joel Burnell, the father o
Madison Burnell, were early settlers of th
town.

About this time settlement was commence-
in Carroll. It became a town of sawmills ; a
many as twenty-five were in operation at on
time. Lumbering in Carroll was long its lead
ing industry.

John Russell, of Mahanoy, Pennsylvania, ey
plored the country along the lower Conewang
in 1800. He returned to his home with a goo
report of the country. The same year he an
his family, accompanied by a considerabl
party of emigrants, among whom were Hug
Frew and hrs family, set out for the Con(
wango. Russell built a boat in which th
goods of the party were carried up the Sinn(
mahoning. Russell and Frew had a yoke (
cattle and some cows. These were drive
through the woods. At the portage betwee
the Sinnemahoning and the Allegheny, tl
boats were taken apart and transported upc
wagon wheels to a canoe place on the All
gheny river, where the boats were put togethi
again. They then descended the Allegher t
to the Conewango, which they ascended to I
point a little above Russellburg. They th(
journeyed to Beechwood, now called Sug
Grove, in Pennsylvania, close to the sou
boundary of Chautauqua, where they settle
They found John Marsh, Robert Miles at
John and Stephen Ross had preceded thei
At this time there was no building at W^arr(
except the Holland Company's storehouse, ^
which a family in charge resided. No whi
settler was living in Chautauqua county at th
time. These settlers endured great hardshi

-^%-

WESXriELDd-mPtl^Y

JAS.MCMAHAN BASIL BURG F.SJ,

edw d. mchenry wm.mcbkiuv
jko.-mcmahaa: hugii wrvtkiuli

THOSMCCLINTOCK ARTRUU BtLI.
GEO.WHiTEHlLl David EASON
THO'S.PaSDERGAST DAVID EATON
I I lU'S. B.CAMPBELL HOB'T. DIXUN
W M.ALEX.\NI)ER JAS. DUJJN
ALEX.COCimAJM LOW MIXIUER -
WM.CROSGROVE PETER KA.\'f:
BURBANBROCKWAY DAVID KIN'CADI.
JNp.B.DINSMORE OBADIAH JOY
VY M.MVRRAY ASA SPEAR
CHAS. FORSYTH HUGH RIDDLE
JACUB GEORGE CALVIN BARAS
P£RKYG.ELSVy;oRTH DAVID ROYCE
ALEX. L(»VRY GEO. DULL

AIEX.C. MARTIN W M.BELL
Dt. L.RICHMOND MOSES ADAMS
LAUGHllN M'^NEIL JONATHAN CAiiS
JA'S. MONTGOMERY ASA HALL
SAM'L WIIKINSON NATHL.BIRD ?

->»4 SAME HARRISON WM. RLDDLE
JOSIAH EARNS WORTH N^ItHO.CEURGL
STEPH. PRENDEKGAST JNO ACRES
JEREMIAH CLUMP T^ATHAN FAY
JONATHATS ADAMS ELISHA FA1
ABR'M. FREDERICK JNO. TAYLOR
GIDEON GOODRICH JNO. HENRY
JAS. BRANNAN W.M.CROSCROVE

-•V] OLIVER STETSON ROBT. DICKSON ,

MONUMENT TO E.VP.LT SETTLERS

THE FRONTIER PERIOD

during the first years of their residence in
Warren county.

John Frew, a native of Killyleale, Ireland,
a son of Hugh Frew abovenamed, and Robert
Russell, both young men, having explored the
land along the Conewango in Carroll and Kian-
tone, in the spring of 1809, set out from War-
ren county, each with a pack on his back, and
traveled on foot over the Indian trail to Ken-
nedy's mill, and over the high lands to the
falls of the Cattaraugus, thence to the oak
openings east of Buffalo ; from this place they
: journeyed to Batavia. They camped out
nights, and subsisted on jerked meat, dry bread
and young leeks. At Batavia they entered
their lands. Robert Russell bought on the
I Kiantone creek in Kiantone : Frank H. IMott,
I of Jamestown, was one of his descendants.
John Frew entered lands for himself and
j Thomas Russell at the mouth of Frew Run, in
Carroll. They soon built a log house, and later
they completed a sawmill. The village that
grew up near the mill was called Frewsburg,
after John Frew. Thereafter this place became
\ a leading point for the manufacture of lumber,
I and for many years great quantities were run
1 from there down the river to Pittsburgh and
to points below. George \V. Fenton, father
I of Governor Reuben E. Fenton, removed from
I EUicott and settled in Carroll the same year.
I In 1810 Busti was settled by John L. Frank
on lot 61, and Uriah Bently on lot 16. Among
' other early settlers of Busti were Palmer Phil-
lips, Arba Blodget, Daniel Sherman and Joseph
Garfield.

: In 1810 Gerry was first settled by Stephen
' Jones and Amos Atkins, who built houses near
i each other, a short distance south of Sinclair-
' ville. The southern, central and eastern parts
of the town were settled later by Vermonters.
' William Alverson, Hezekiah Myers, Hezekiah
Catlin and Porter Phelps were the first Ver-
monters to take up their residence in the town.
They were followed by many from that State.
I The first actual settlement of the town of
Stockton was made in 1809 by Abel Beebe,
Joel Fisher and Othelow Church at and near
Cassadaga. Church afterwards removed to
Allegany county, and was there murdered bv
one, Howe. Jonathan Alverson, from W^ind-
ham county, Vermont, entered lands and was
present there in 1809. Shadrick Scofield.
David Waterbury and Henry Walker settled
in the southwest part in 1810. The same year
John West, Bela Todd and Joseph Green set-
tled near them. John West came over the
"Old Portage Road" to Ellery. He and Dex-
ter Barnes and Peter Barnhart in 181 1 con-

structed the old Chautauqua road from near
Sinclairville east beyond the Cattaraugus line.
In 181 1 Benjamin Miller .settled three-fourths
of a mile north of Delanti, and was the first
settler of Bear Creek Valley; Linus W. Miller
and Phineas M. Miller were his descendants.
Abel Thompson came in June, 1812, and
was the first settler of Delanti. Samuel Cris-
sey came in 1815. Among his descendants
were many well-known citizens, among them
his son Harlow, and his grandsons, Newton,
Elverton B. and Seward M. Nathaniel Cris-
sey, a brother of Samuel, was an early settler.
Among his descendants was Forrest Crissey,
the author of the "Centennial Poem," read on
the occasion of the celebration of the one hun-
dredth anniversary of the settlement of Chau-
tauqua county, at Westfield. Calvin Warren
came in 1816 and settled one and one-half miles
north of Delanti. He was in early days a
prominent citizen of the town, and was chosen
its first supervisor. He left well-known and
prominent descendants, among them Chauncey
Warren, his son, and his grandsons, Amos K.
Warren and Lucien C. Warren. Aaron Lyon
early settled on the west side of Cassadaga
Lake. He was the brother of Mary Lyon, the
founder of Holyoke Female Seminary, in Mas-
sachusetts, and the father of Lucy and Free-
love, well-known missionaries at Ningpo,
China. Ichabod Fisher settled at Cassadaga
Lake in 1813. Sawyer Phillips came in 181 5.
He left manv prominent descendants, among
them Philip Phillips, the well-known singer of
sacred music. Andrew Putnam came in 1817.
He left many sons, among them Worthy Put-
nam, a distinguished educator. The county
owes more to him for the development of the
common schools than to any other. Jonathan
Bugbee, father of Judge L. Bugbee, and Abel
Brunson, were both early settlers. Abner Put-
nam came in 1818, and left many descendants.
Ebenezer Smith, Jr., and his son Aaron, Re-
solved W. Fenner, W'ashington Winsor, Josiah
W'hite, x^lonzo and Eleazer Flagg were all
earlv settlers of Stockton.

Villenova was also settled in 1810, by Dan-
iel Whipple, from Herkimer county, in the
southeast part of the town on lot 3. John Kent,
from \'ermont. settled near Whipple on lot 3.
and John and Eli Arnold, from RIassachusetts,
on lot 19, near Hamlet.

Jamestown, although now a city, the most
populous and wealthy in the county, was nearly
the last place settled'during the frontier period.
In 1810 its site was covered by a gloomy morass
and a number of drift hills, densely covered
with sombre pines. James Prendergast, son of

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

William, who had examined the locality in 1806,
was pleased with the advantages it offered for
mill sites, and resolved to found a settlement
there. He purchased one thousand acres of
land upon which John Blowers, who was in
his employ, built a log house in the fall of 1810.
Blowers and his family moved into it before
Christmas of that year, and became the first
inhabitants of Jamestown. The place was at
first called the "Rapids," and finally James-
town, in honor of James Prendergast, its
founder.

The earliest settlers who came first to the
Cross Roads and first settled in several of the
northern towns, emigrated from the central
and eastern counties of Pennsylvania and were
many of them of German descent. The same is
true of some of the earliest settlers in the
southern towns. It was not long, however,
before the irrepressible New Englander ap-
peared, but in greater numbers came hardy
young men skilled in woodcraft from the back-
woods of Eastern New York, bringing with
them their wives and children. In early years,
C'apt. John Mack owned the tavern and kept
the ferry near the mouth of Cattaraugus creek.
This ferry may be said to have been the east-
ern gateway of the county, and Capt. Mack its
gatekeeper, for a majority of the early comers
were here ferried across this little river and
entertained at his tavern.

Poor as the people were during the frontier
period and scant as were their opportunities,
they entertained bright hopes for the future,
when the forests should be swept away, and in
their place should be green and cultivated
fields, and the fruits of their labor enjoyed by
their descendants. Although unlearned in
books, they highly valued the advantages that
an education would give their children. New
provisions had been made by the State for
schools in the larger settlements and the peo-
ple voluntarily built schoolhouses. The small
sums due the teachers were often paid in corn
and other produce.

The Gospel was preached in every settle-
ment. Scarcely had the first log cabin been
reared in each town before it was visited by
some early missionary sent by the missionary
societies of New England and the East. The

first church organized in the county was
founded by the Presbyterian settlers at the
Cross Roads in 1808, and was called the Chau-
tauqua church. The same year the first Bap-
tist church was organized at Canadaway, and
was called the first Baptist Church in Pomfret.
In 1808 was also formed the first Methodist
Episcopal Church, and the first Methodist ser-
mon preached. About the same time the Con-
gregationalists were also represented here, in
the person and by the work of Father John
Spencer. No missionary labored so long and
effectively in early years as Father Spencer.
Dressed in the antique style of Revolutionary
days, wearing short stockings and knee
buckles, and boots quite up to his knees, he
preached from house to house. Many churches
were founded as the result of his work. Of
all the early missionaries who labored in Chau-
tauqua county. Father Spencer filled the most
prominent place.

The first postoffice was established in Chau-
tauqua county in 1806, at the Cross Roads on
the route between Buffalo and Presque Isle.

At the beginning of the last century, what is
now Chautauqua county was a part of the town
of Northampton, in the county of Ontario.
March 30, 1802. the county of Genesee was
erected from Ontario. The boundaries of
Genesee county were identical with the town
of Northampton, and included all of the Hol-
land Purchase, and also the Phelps and Gor-
ham Purchase, east of it. What is now Chau-
tauqua county became a part of the town of ,
Batavia. April 15, 1805, by an act of the Leg-- I
islature, the town of Chautauqua was created. |
It included all of the present county except the '
ttnth range of townships, which was made a
part of the town of Erie. The organization of
the town of Chautauqua was hailed with pleas-
ure by its settlers, as it gave them authority to
regulate their local affairs. Prior to April,
1807, John McMahan had three times been
chosen its supervisor, at town meetings held
at the Cross Roads, and had met with the
board of supervisors of Genesee county, at Ba-
tavia. He had been chosen without reference
to his political opinions. In April of this year,
the first election was held in the county.

CHAPTER VIII.
The Pioneer Period.

The circumstances attending the organiza-
tion of the county were auspicious. The year
before, the Holland Land Company had built

a land office of logs at Mayville, and placed it
in charge of William Peacock. The consum-
mation of the organization of the countv. to-

A i.iii; i.\i;i.\. t<.\j-; i ii-' i-ni-; i'iK,--'r i.\ I'lixfi

THE PIONEER PERIOD

ether with the genial spring of 1811, made
jch a favorable impression upon people visit-
ig there, that many were induced to enter
ind at the land office.

Zattu Gushing was appointed first judge of
le county ; Matthew Prendergast, Philo Or-
m, Jonathan Thompson and William Alex-
nder, associate judges. Of these men, Mat-
■:iew Prendergast was the eldest son of Wil-
am Prendergast; when his father was par-
oned by the king, as has been related, he was
bout ten years of age. This circumstance
ccurring so early in his life, undoubtedly
iiade a strong impression upon his youthful
hind, and naturally excited his sympathy in
avor of King George, who had favored his
ather in so momentous an affair. When the
ontrovers}- between the King and the Ameri-
an people had come to an issue, he was so
|trongly inclined towards the Royal cause that
;i 1779 he joined Abraham Guyler's celebrated
egiment of Royal Refugees. The next year,
'/hile a lieutenant in command of a small party
rom his regiment, he captured on the Long
'sland shore Major Bush, Gapt. Cornelius
lonkling, ancestor of Roscoe Gonkling, Capt.
cogers and Lieut. Farley, Americans who had
jome over fiom the Gonnecticut shore on a
pcret mission in the interest of the American
lause. Two Americans were killed in the
'ffair. William Leggett, father of William
(.eggett, the editor of the "New York Evening
[*ost," escaped capture. We have every rea-
iDn to believe that William Prendergast served
.'ith credit to himself in the cause he espoused
•uring the remainder of the war.

After the Revolution, Mr. Prendergast for
iDme years resided in Nova Scotia, where he
wned a tract of land. In 1808, after he came
5 Chautauqua county, he was appointed a
jstice of the peace, and served as supervisor
1 1810-1 1. He also served as associate judge in
hautauqua county many years. As such he
jerified the petitions of many Revolutionary
pldiers for pension, and curiously enough, we
;e him presiding at a Republican meeting
eld at John Scott's tavern in 1812, expressly
ailed to sustain the war against England,
■hile other citizens of the county, who had
een gallant soldiers of the Revolution, were
t the same time participating in meetings
eld in opposition to the war. Through his
fe, he retained his Revolutionary costume,
nd wore long hair, tied in a queue with a
sather string.

The first session of the Court of Common
"leas was held at Mayville, June 25, 181 1, in
cott's Tavern, on the east side of Main street.

Anselm Potter, Dennis Brackett and Jacob
tloughton were the first lawyers. The first
meeting of the board of supervisors, in which
Philo Orton represented the town of Pomfret,
and Matthew Prendergast the town of Chau-
tauqua, was also held in Scott's Tavern, on the
third Tuesday of October. In pursuance of a
vote then taken, a courthouse of wood, and
later a jail, were built, at the expense of $1,500.
They were built where a "large hemlock post"
was placed in 1808 to mark the spot, just in
front of the present courthouse.

In 1812 the town of Ellicott, with James
Prendergast, the founder of Jamestown, as its
supervisor, the town of Gerry, with Samuel
Sinclair, the founder of Sinclairville, as its
supervisor, and the town of Hanover, with
Nedebiah Angell, the founder of the "Angell
Settlement," as its supervisor, were erected as
new towns.

Notwithstanding the propitious beginning
of the new county's existence, the settlers were
doomed to disappointment. The winter of
1811-12 was very inclement. A deep snowfall
which remained until the last of March inter-
rupted the explorations of landlookers. Yet
the Holland Land Company continued to make
efforts to open the county to settlement. They
contracted with John Kent to build a road
from his place in Villenova to Kennedy's Mills,
to be laid out near the Indian path. They ex-
pended considerable labor in constructing a
road from Mayville to Angelica in Allegany
county. This road had been so far opened as
to be traveled in the winter, as far east as "Sin-
clear Mills," now Sinclairville.

June 18, 1812, war was declared against Eng-
land. This event created consternation upon
the Holland Purchase. Chautauqua was thinly
settled. It was situated upon the frontier, not
far from the scene of conflict. Close along its
borders and partly within its boundaries was
the home of a principal remnant of the Six
Nations or Iroquois, who had been the fiercest
foes of the Americans in the Revolution. These
circumstances greatly interrupted immigra-
tion. Many actual settlers, yielding to the
fears of their wives and families, were per-
suaded to return to the east while others went
on to the lines as soldiers or camp followers.
In less than three weeks after war was declared
and less than ten days after it was known in
Chautauqua, although the county contained
less than three thousand inhabitants, it had a
full company of 113 able-bodied men on the
march. The' county never has since responded
to a call for troops with more alacrity or rela-
tively with a larger quota.

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

To allay the fear that the war at first cre-
ated, forty-five men under Capt. James Mc-
IMahan were posted at Barcelona, where a
slight defense was built. About the same num-
ber of men were stationed at the Widow Cole's
house at the mouth of the Canadaway, under
Captain Tubbs. Here it is believed the first
affair of the war in which there was blood shed
occurred. A boat loaded with salt, on its way
to Erie, had put in at the mouth of the Canada-
way in the night. In the morning a large
armed schooner, probably the "Lady Provost,"
appeared of? the mouth of the creek and sent
a dozen or so of armed men in a small boat to
attack the salt boat. Captain Tubbs and his
men opened fire from the shore, wounding
three of the British. The small boat imme-
diately put back to the vessel. The Widow
Cole by her assistance in the affair became
the heroine of the occasion.

The Chautauqua Company that so promptly
responded to the call for men at the beginning
of the war, fully maintained the honor of the
county on the field of battle, under its resolute
commander, Capt. Jehiel Moore, the founder of
Forestville. It was among the few New York
militia to cross the Niagara and support the
legulars at the battle of Queenstown, and
among the few to stand upon the heights when
they were stormed. The Chautauqua troops
fought bravely, but were compelled to sur-
render, with the rest of the American force,
to superior numbers. Three of their number
were killed in the battle, and five wounded, one
mortally.

During the summer of 1813, British vessels
were committing depredations along the Amer-
ican shore. The "Queen Charlotte" was the
most aggressive of these, making frequent de-
scents to plunder the inhabitants. Capt. Har-
mon was driven with his boat into the mouth
of the Cattaraugus creek by the "Queen Char-
lotte" and the "Hunter." They sent a boat,
armed with a howitzer, up the creek in pursuit
of Capt. Harmon's transport, firing upon him
until the Indians from Cattaraugus Reserva-
tion nearby came to his assistance, demon-
strating in a practical manner their friendship
to the United States. The British boat finally
withdrew.

During the same summer the "Queen Char-
lotte" came ofif the mouth of the Canadaway
and sent ashore a boat manned by thirteen
men, commanded by a lieutenant, with a flag
of truce, under the pretense of returning goods
that thev had plundered from Lay's Tavern
near the lake shore in Erie county. Judge
Cushing happened to be there with his ox team

for a load of salt. He immediately notified the
inhabitants, who rallied and fired upon the
British, and wounded one of the sailors. The
British all deserted but the lieutenant and the
wounded sailor.

With a view to getting control of the lake,
the government dispatched Capt. Oliver H.
Perry in the winter of 1813 to build a fleet.
On his way he stopped at John Mack's tavern
at the mouth of the Cattaraugus, and was car-
ried by him to Erie in a sleigh. Having dur-
ing the spring and summer of 1813 built and
completed his fleet, hearing that Lieut. Elliott
was at Cattaraugus with about ninety soldiers,
he dispatched a vessel there, and having re-
ceived the reinforcement he set sail to olter
battle. September loth he gained a decisive
and famous victory over the British fleet,
Vi'hich gave the Americans absolute control of
the lake. Chautauqua county had responded
lo Perry's request for help, and some of its citi-
zens participated in the battle. Abner Wil-
liams, of Fredonia, son of Richard Williams,
vv^as a volunteer on board of the "Lawrence."
He was killed, and his body was thrown into
the lake. James Bird distinguished himself
during the battle, was wounded, and was com-
plimented by Commodore Perry, who was a
witness of his gallantry.

During the war of 1812, the soldiers enlisted
upon the frontier had little knowledge of mili-
tary law, were tenacious of their rights as citi-
zens, and often insubordinate. In the west-
ern army whole companies and regiments that
had done good service in the war would put
their own construction upon the terms of en-
listment, and when they considered their time
out would march home, contrary to the order
of their superior officers, sometimes at a criti-i
cal period in a campaign. This had the eiifect
to cause the military crime of desertion to be
held lightly by the rank and file. After Perry's
victory the fleet returned to Erie. James Bird
("previously mentioned) and others applied for
discharge upon the ground that they had en-
listed only for the battle, which was denied.
Bird chose to follow his own view of rights,
and started for home. At the time prepara-
tions were being made for the invasion of
Canada under General Harrison, and it was
desired to hold all the forces possible for that
movement. Capt. Elliott, who was in com-
mand, determined to make such an example as
would tend to prevent further desertion, and
to enforce better discipline. Application was
made to stay the execution of Bird until the
proceedings of the court-martial could be re-
viewed by Perry, but Elliott denied the appli-

THE PIONEER PERIOD

ration, and Bird was shot. Capt. Elliott was
■jefore unpopular, because of his failure to
oring the "Niagara" into action in the battle as
promptly as it was thought he should have
■lone. Public feeling against him was now
iitensified by reason of the execution of Bird.
According to one account, gathered from the

■ descendants of persons familiar with the cir-

■ fcumstances, Bird was absent on a furlough to
i'isit his sweetheart, Alary Blain, who was very

• ill ; he overstayed his time, was arrested on his

- ivay back to command, taken to Erie, tried
'■ ivith undue haste, and sentenced to be shot ;

Capt. Dobbins, who was in the immediate
tomniand at Erie, it is said, refused to sign hi^
_■ peath warrant, and another officer signed it.

• Part of the force captured by Captain Perry

■ JN-as sent under guard from Erie to Buffalo.
■' fhey passed the night at Richard Williams's

■ iog tavern in Fredonia, and dined the next day

- it Capt. Mack's tavern at Cattaraugus. Word
" j^-as sent in advance to Capt. Mack, that the
''• \merican officers and their prisoners would
I"' line at his tavern on their march eastward.
'•• jreat preparations were made to receive them.
'J The dining room was trimmed with pine and
>'■ Ivergreen boughs, the tables were loaded.
M tapt. Mack carved the meat at the head of
i! jhe long table, and the principal American offi-

jer was seated at the opposite end. The other
iii kmerican and British officers were seated
1- Iround it. Among the maidens assisting on
cr. his occasion was Sophronia Gates, who lived
'& pone with her father in a little log house upon
B ne shore of the lake near the mouth of the
':■ Mg-sister creek, a few miles from Angola. A
3 bw months before, an officer and boat's crew
K i two men from the "Queen Charlotte," landed
rft tear the old man's house, and as a poor re-
:" ■enge for some disrespectful and bitter lan-
K juage used by her when they were ransacking
o; "le cabin, carried the old man to the boat, not-
rf) withstanding a spirited resistance on her part.
Bi' the old gentleman was taken on board of the
d:: iQueen Charlotte" and was put ashore at
it- "hadwick's Bay (Dunkirk). The next day at
"- 'Lisk he arrived at Mack's tavern, ragged,
. eary and footsore, where he found Sophro-

■ • :a, who had sought an asylum there.

111. [While the dinner was in progress at Capt.
\ii lack's tavern, the prisoners as merry as their
•': "iptors, the sharp eyes of Sophronia discov-
, ' red the British officer who had abducted her
k: Jther. Her hour of triumph had come. "So
, ai lie tables are turned, Mr. Officer," she said in
iiiichigh and penetrating tone, pointing her fin-
i: i ^r scornfully at him. The talking ceased, and
leifsie proceeded to relate, in caustic and contemp-

tuous language, the story of the abduction of
her father. She praised the officer for his brav-
ery in kidnapping a feeble old man, and mock-
ingly called him "a hero," and told him "a
petticoat would become him better than brass
buttons and gold braid." The officer made a
feeble attempt to be amused at her sally, but it
was a failure, but the jokes of his American
entertainers and the merriment of his British
friends were too much for him, and he "tip-
toed" out amidst shouts of laughter from his
brother officers and Yankee captors.

The chief and nearly the last event of the
war in which the people of Chautauqua par-
ticipated was the burning and battle of Buf-
falo. In response to the call of Governor
Tompkins, four hundred men from Chautauqua
county, consisting of the 162nd Regiment
under Col. John McMahan, comprising the
greater portion of the able-bodied men ot the
county, marched to Buffalo, to oppose the
British and Indians that were desolating the
county east of the Niagara river. They par-
ticipated in the attempt to stay the advance
of the British at Black Rock, and in the disas
trous retreat that followed, some fled disgrace-
fully, while others behaved with bravery. Col.
McMahan conducted himself with courage,
and did all in his power to rally his men. but
without success. In the affair the regiment
lost James Brackett, of Mayville, an early
member of the bar of Chautauqua county,
killed and scalped by the Indians; Joseph
Frank, of Busti, shot through the head and
scalped ; Mr. Pease and Mr. Lewis, from
Pomfret; Aaron Nash, Mr. Bover and Mr.
Hubbard, from Hanover, with several others,
shared the same fate. Major Prendergast had
several balls through his hat and clothes, and
narrowly escaped with his life. Capt. Silsby
was severely wounded, and Lieut. Forbes had
one man killed and five wounded of the twenty-
one men under his command. Of the Ameri-
can force engaged, of the killed, the bodies of
those found were buried in a common grave
near the road leading from Buffalo to Black
Rock, into which eighty-nine were promiscu-
ously thrown.

Unsoldierlike as was the conduct of the
Chautauqua troops, they behaved fully as well
as the militia from other parts of the Holland
Purchase, and deserve no more censure than
they. To the personal cowardice of the militia
gathered from the Holland Purchase, cannor
be ascribed the disastrous results of the en-
gagement at Buffalo. The character of the
men forbids such a supposition. They were,
as a whole, resolute men accustomed to the

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

perils of frontier life, and their conduct, forti-
tude and courage compared favorably with
other people of pioneer communities. Their
lives had been spent in peaceful pursuits. They
had been without military instruction, except
such as they had received at backwoods mus-
ters. They had never been subject to military
discipline, were imperfectly organized and
armed, and sufifering from cold and hunger.
They were hurried into battle almost as; soon
as they reached the scene of action, against a
well drilled and well officered enemy. Their
officers were without military knowledge or
experience. Conscious of this fact, the men
had no faith in their ability to lead them, or
in themselves to successfully resist the enemy.
They marched without blankets, knapsacks,
tents, rations, or camp equipage, and suffered
much from hunger and cold.

Whatever discredit attaches to the militia
for their failure at the battle of Bufifalo, the
conduct of the Chautauqua troops during the
remainder of the war went far to redeem them.
A company under Capt. John Silsby served
with credit in the memorable battles of Chip-
pewa and Lundy's Lane, under Gen. Brown,
as a part of the brigade of Gen. Peter B. Potter.
In the summer of 1814, two full companies of
the 164th Regiment under Col. John Mc-
Mahan, were stationed a few miles below Black
Rock, where they suffered much sickness. The
385 prisoners taken at Fort Erie were placed
in their charge, and marched to the vicinity of
Albany. This was about the last event in
which the troops participated.

At the close of the war, the county was in a
most deplorable condition. Its people were
absolutely poor. To add to their misfortunes,
another serious calamity befell them. The
summer of 1816, known as the "Cold Season,"
was long remembered ; cold and blustering
winds swept the hills ; snow fell ; ice formed
in every month of the year. July was accom-
panied by frost and ice ; the "Fourth" was cold
and raw ; blustering winds swept the entire
Atlantic coast. On the 5th, ice was formed
as thick as window glass in New York City
and Pennsylvania. In August, ice half an inch
thick was frequently seen. Flowers froze,
corn was killed, and all attempts to raise other
crops were abandoned.

As a result, the first six months of 1817
might be termed the "Starving Season." Flour
was $18 a barrel ; potatoes $1.50 a bushel ; and
other articles in proportion, and difficult to ob-
tain at those prices ; while the price of labor
was but sixty or seventy cents a day. Those
skilled in the use of the rifle could to some ex-

tent provide their families with venison an;
other wild meat, but many until the harvest c
1817 subsisted wholly upon fish, milk, greer
and leeks.

Long years of financial depression and poi
erty followed the war of 1812, and the life 1
the settler in the backwoods of Chautauqi
county was one of extreme hardship, and ye
stimulated by the prospect of the building <
the Erie canal to Buffalo, the population 1
the county rapidly increased. For many yea-
the covered wagons of the emigrants wei
constantly moving from Eastern New Yoi
toward the Holland Purchase. A bridge mo
than a mile in length across the lower end 1
Cayuga Lake was called the Cayuga bridg
and until the Erie canal was built was reco:
nized as the dividing point between the Ea
and the "Far West." For years a continuoi
procession of wagons passed over it, each wi
a water-pail and tar-bucket dangling from tl
axle-tree, and perhaps an infant's cradle •
basket swinging from the ash hoops over whi(
was stretched its cover, displaying upon tl
canvas the legend. "For the Holland Pu
chase," or "For the Connecticut Reserve
They bore the family of the emigrant, his coo
ing utensils, sleeping furniture, and sometim
all of his family effects. They were often fi
lowed by freight wagons, drawn sometimes 1
three, frequently by five horses. The settl
who journeyed to Chautauqua county usual
came in a less pretentious way, generally wi
a yoke of oxen, an oxcart, or a wooden-sh^
sled, and a few household goods. On 1
arrival the settler would go first to the la
office at Mayville and get a contract for usua
about one hundred acres of land, to be paid f
at two dollars and fifty cents per acre, ten di
lars or fifteen dollars down, being all t
money that he could raise ; the balance
annual installments with interest. He th(
with the assistance of his neighbors, woi
put up a log house, after which he would ma
an arrangement with the merchant at t
reighboring settlement for credit to the amov
of twenty dollars to fifty dollars to buy a {
or a cow, or some necessary articles at 1
store, to be paid for in black salts of lye, ma
from the ashes, when he should burn his fi
fallow.

From the ashes of the burned timber t
settler obtained the first return for his lab
From the manufacture and sale of black sa
of lye made from the ashes, he received t
cash to pay for his land. The settlemt
of the county would have been postpori
many years had it not been for this cO;- |

l?=!!«5--^v -.i.- ■ --W

Ll^

j'A^^.a

KMIGRAXTS EN KliL'TlO T' ) CHArTAfijrA I ■i.ir.\"J-~i

THE PIONEER PERIOD

modity. It was the chief staple of the hill
towns during the first twenty-five years of
their history. It was the only product that
could be sold for cash, and received in ex-
change for goods and groceries. It was made
from the ashes of the oak, maple, beech and
other hard woods. The ashes were gathered
in boxes in the fallows or slashings where the
timber was burned, and carried by hand to
rough leaches, usually made of bark, erected
at places convenient to water. The lye ob-
tained was boiled in a kettle until it became a
semi-solid which was called black salts. Each
merchant owned an "ashery" where he received
of his customers black salts and ashes which
he paid for in money and in goods at the rate
cf $2.50 or $3 per hundred. At the asheries,
the black salts were converted into potash by
burning them in ovens. Later the potash was
refined into pearl ash or saleratus. These com-
modities were used to make soap, glass, for
culinary purposes, and in many of the arts and
in medicine. About the only articles that the
settlers could market abroad were black salts
and ashes, which after being manufactured
into potash were sold in Pittsburgh or in Mon-
treal to be sent to England. The only other
article that would bring money was pine lum-
ber which was sold in Pittsburgh and towns
along the Ohio river.

The abundance of wild animals and the
necessities of the pioneer made the rifle next
in importance to the ax. The long, heavy,
small-bored, muzzle-loading flint-lock rifle of
pioneer times was not merely an instrument of
diversion, but a weapon of practical utility, for
it sometimes saved the pioneer from starva-
tion. Its grooved barrel was three and one-
half or four feet long, of good material and
good workmanship, mounted on a plain stock,
which extended a long way up the barrel. The
rifle was an accurate and formidable weapon
at short range, and only a short range was re-
quired in the thick forest of the frontier. But
it was the backwoodsman behind the gun that
made it the deadly weapon that it was. The
demands of the daily life of the settler required
great skill in its use. He accurately measured
liis powder. The balls, run in his own bullet
molds, were carefully put down by a hickory
lod, in a greased patch, and his gun was often
wiped with a wisp of tow, to ensure accuracy.
He knew the runways of the deer and the
habits of all the game. The American rifle,
and the American hunter, of which Leather
Stocking was the ideal, and Daniel Boone the
real representative, conquered the great wil-
dernesses of America. In pioneer days Chau-

tauqua county had many skilled hunters
familiar with the woods and accustomed to
the use of the rifle. In fact, every neighbor-
hood had its Leather Stocking. Oliver Pier, of
Harmony, killed 1322 deer with the same rifle.
During its use it required three new stocks and
hammers. He paid for his farm with the boun-
ties upon the wolves that he killed. Peter Ja-
quins, of Clymer, captured nearly a hundred
wolves previous to 1832, for which he received
an average bounty of $12 per head. Zacheus H.
Norton, an old trapper and hunter who lived in
Gerry on the Cassadaga creek, was very suc-
cessful in hunting the otter, the pelts of which
were valuable. The otter practically disap-
peared in 1825. Mr. Norton killed one hundred
deer in a single season.

But it was not safe to wander aimlessly
along the delightful rivulets and in the
sequestered recesses of the woods, for they
were full of danger. To leave the beaten path,
or Indian trail, while travelling through the
unbroken forest, in order to find a shorter or
better route, or even for a little distance for
any cause, was sure to be disastrous to one not
thoroughly experienced in traveling in the
woods. It would often hap])en that, under
such circumstances, the wanderer would go
miles from home and become lost. On these
occasions the settlers would rally from far and
near, skillfully organize themselves into par-
ties, choose leaders and scour the woods until
the lost one was found.

In early years Miss Baluma Shurtleft, after-
wards the wife of Nathan Lee, was lost in the
v^oods near Sinclairville. There was a gather-
ing, and a general search. For three days she
subsisted on berries. She was finally found
near the east line of the town of Charlotte.
Mrs. Underbill, of the town of Charlotte, while
]>icking blackberries, wandered to the edge of
the Cassadaga Swamp and lost her way. She
remained in the woods three nights before she
was found.

In April, 1826, two boys of Samuel French,
of the town of French Creek, one aged five
years and the other but three, strayed from
their path and were lost in the woods. For
two days and two nights a search was made
without success. On the third day, two hun-
dred men assembled, chose leaders, and formed
a line, with the understanding that not a word
should be spoken or a gun fired until the chil-
dren were found. A systematic search was
made. For a long while they .scoured the
v^oods without success. At last the man posted
at the extreme west end of the line stooped to
tie his shoe ; he glanced backward under his

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

arm, and saw the head of the oldest boy. Guns
were fired and a shout went along the line.
Two of the fleetest young men ran to carry the
news to the anxious mother. The foremost
runner fell exhausted at the door crying,
"Found them both alive." The lost boys both
lived to be men.

Early in the spring of i8i2, Mrs. Larry Sco-
field, who lived a short distance southeast from
where is now the county asylum, and about
half a mile from the site of Dewittville, was
in need of some thread. Knowing that her
neighbor, Mrs. Southworth, half a mile" away,
just west of the present site of the asylum,
had a wheel, she threw a shawl over her shoul-
ders, took her baby, which was then but a few
months old, on her arm, and a hank of flax in
her hand, and started through the woods for
Mrs. Southworth's. She wandered from her
course and traveled all day long, with her
infant in her arms, trying to find her way, with-
out success. Tired and hungry, she passed
the night with no other protection from the
cold than her thin shawl, and a blanket for her
child. She had no knowledge of woodcraft,
and did not know how to direct her course by
the moss on the trees, or by the sun, which
seemed to her always in the wrong direction.
Weary, discouraged, and faint from hunger,
subsisting upon such scant food as the woods
at that time of year afforded, carrying her in-
fant, she wandered several days in the dense
woods which then spread over the towns of
Chautauqua, Ellery, Gerry and Ellicott. She
must have stray,ed northeasterly far into the
town of Ellery, for she finally struck a small
stream which she followed until it discharged
its waters into a larger stream, which proved
to be the Cassadaga. She then pursued her
journey down the creek until she came to a
jym of driftwood, where she crossed to the
other side of the stream. Her progress was
interrupted by tributary streams and wet and
swampy lands. She finally became completely
exhausted and sank to the earth with her in-
fant and gave herself up to perish. In the
meantime the few settlers around Dewittville
instituted a search and she was finally found
at the spot where she had at last resigned her-
self to death, by persons who knew nothing of
her wanderings. The place where she was
found was a short distance above Levant, on
'he east side of the Cassadaga, sixteen miles
in a direct line from her home. She and her
baby were carried to Edward Works, (now
Falconer) and when she had rested sufficiently,
they were taken up the outlet (the Chadakoin)
and the lake to her home. She had been at

least four, perhaps six days, wandering in the
woods. Mrs. Scofield afterwards moved from ',
the county, and died at De Kalb, in Illinois.
Her babe grew to womanhood, married Chris-
topher Love, and died in 1879, in Illinois,
where her descendants are living.

In the many instances of this kind, women
and children were usually the subjects. The
searchers were not always so fortunate as to I
find the lost one alive. It was even less dis- |
tressing to find him dead than not to know his
tate, for then long years of fruitless search
would sometimes follow. Stories of a wild
person seen in some distant wilderness, or a
captive among the Indians, would revive the
hopes of friends only to find the cruel rumor
false. A pitiful story is told of two children
of James Roe, who resided in Hanover, lost
while rambling in the forest. One was found
in a mill pond, and the clothes of the other
in the woods. In the town of Cherry Creek, in
April, 1822, on a clear Sabbath morning, a
little daughter of Joshua Bentley, then in her
fourth year, strayed into the woods and was
never afterward seen.

During the pioneer period the progress of
settlement rapidly continued. The sunlight
had been let into every town as now organ-
ized in the county before the Erie canal was
opened. An unbroken wilderness, for ten
years after John McMahan had built his house
in Westfield, covered the four southwestern
towns. In that part of the county, in a tract
of more than one hundred fifty square miles,
not a log cabin had been reared nor a clearing
made. In 1812 settlement was first commenced
in this region, in French Creek, the extreme
southwestern town, by Andy Noble, from
Oswego county, on lot 44, John and Gardner
Cleveland, Roswell Coe, Nathaniel Thompson, ,1
Anion Beebe, Gardner Case, Silas Terry, Ne--I
hemiah Royce and A. S. Park. •

For more than ten years after the first set-
tlement of the county, its eastern portion con-
tinued exclusively in possession of the wolf
and catamount. A wilderness of pine, hemlock
and black ash, for a distance of five miles, ex- 1
tended on both sides of the Conewango, inij
Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties, be- I
tween the Kent Settlement in Villenova and
Kennedy's Mills in Poland. In 1813 Joshua
Bentley, Jr., from Rensselaer county, undis- I
mayed by dangers from the Indians, assisted .11
by his wife, erected a rude log cabin in the 1
heart of the wilderness on lot 7, just west of
the village of Conewango Valley, in Ellington,
close to the eastern borders of the county. His
father, Joshua Bentley, Sr., three years later

A nciXEEi 1 \r.\i 111)1 ^i

THE PIONEER PERIOD

settled near him in 1816, in a log house that he
had built, and kept the first tavern in the town.
In April, 181 5, Wyman Bugbee settled on lot
29, near the present village of Ellington.
Among the earliest settlers of Ellington were
James Bates, Samuel McConnell, Simeon Law-
rence, Benjamin FoUett, Ward King, Abner
Bates, Reuben Penhollow and Ebenezer Green.
The first settlement at Cherry Creek was made
in 1815, by Joseph M. Kent. He reared his
bark-covered log house in the spring of that
I year, on lot 9, near the southwest corner of
I the town. He returned to his family in Ville-
nova, and sent his wife on horseback eight
miles through the woods, with one child in her
[arms and another behind her, with nothing but
! marked trees to guide her to her new house.
i She arrived safely, and with flint and punk
started a fire and passed the first night un-
: disturbed except by the howling of the wolves
I in the Conewango Swamp. Among other
early and prominent settlers were Joshua Bent-
ley, Jr., Isaac and Stephen Curtis, James
Marks, Barber Babcock, Ely D. Pendleton,
:Elam Edson, Daniel and Alvah Hadley, Rob-
iert James, Arthur Hines, John Luce, Reuben
'a. Bullock, Horatio Hill, George H. Frost,
Wanton King and James Carr. In 181 5 Alex-
lander Findley, a native of Ireland, commenced
I a sawmill on lot 52 at the foot of Findley Lake
in the town of Mina, and in 1816 made his per-
I manent home there. He soon after built a
'gristmill. He was the first settler of the town,
and gave his name to the lake and the village.
George Haskin, Aaron Whitney, George Col-
lier, Hial Rowley, Elisha Morse, Peter R. Mon-
tague, Horace Brockway, Joseph Palmer, Rob-
ert Corbett, Gideon Barlow, James Skellie
were all early settlers. Peter R. Montague,
one of the best known pioneers of the town,
died in 1896, at the advanced age of eighty-
seven. The east side of Mina was settled by
people from county Kent, England, James
Ottaway, ancestor of A. B. Ottaway, the well-
. known lawyer of Westfield, and former dis-
trict attorney, being the pioneer, he having
settled there in 1823.

In 1820 the first settlement of Clymer was
made. That year John Cleveland settled upon
lot 58. In 1821 William Rice, the father
!|of Victor M. Rice, who was for many years
'State superintendent of Public Instruction,
(Settled on lot 59. Through th$ influence of
Hon. G. W. Patterson many Hollanders were
influenced to settle in the town. About 1846
the beginning of their immigration commenced.
Over twenty years elapsed after McMahan

made his first clearing at the Cross Roads, be-
fore the town of Sherman was settled. It was
first settled by Dearing Dorman, from near
Batavia, Genesee county. In 1823 he erected
a shanty on lot 32, and introduced his youthful
wife. Henry W. Gofif came later the same
year. Alanson Weed came from Ellery in the
spring of 1824. Sherman was the last town
settled in the county, but its settlement was
accomplished before the close of the pioneer
period.

On the I2th of June, 1812, Congress passed
an act declaring war with England. At 7\1-
bany, at the same time, the Legislature was
passing an act of far greater and more lasting
importance. By this act, common schools were
established, and the State for the first time
divided into school districts. The common
school law went into effect in 1814. It was ad-
ministered, and the school money apportioned
and paid out in the county by the supervisors,
the commissioners and inspectors of the town,
and the trustees of the districts. Nearly all of
the schoolhouses of the frontier and pioneer
periods were built of logs. In 1821, according
to Phineas M. Miller, there were 117 log school-
houses in the 128 school districts of the county.
Gathered from a wilderness region around
about, almost equal to a township in extent,
the pupils would daily wend their way along
forest paths to one of these primitive school-
houses. At first little more was taught than
leading, writing, and arithmetic. Although
wanting in the scientific methods of teaching
of modern times, thorough instruction was
given by strong-minded old teachers, in these
simple branches, and what was more, a genu-
ir.e love of learning inspired, resulting in after
years in many self-educated, even accom-
plished, men and women.

In 1824, during the pioneer period, two years
before the Erie Canal was built, while the
stumps were still standing on the village green,
and the fires still burning in sight in the fal-
lows, the Old Fredonia Academy was incor-
porated. It was opened in 1826, with Austin
Smith as its first principal. He afterwards
was a leading citizen, and a distinguished law-
yer of the county, and is a remarkable fact
that he lived to the age of nearly ninety-nine
years, an honored and respected citizen of the
village of Westfield: his life nearly spanned
the hundred vears of our county's history. He
married Sarah A., the daughter of John Mc-
Mahan, the pioneer settler of the county, and
was an actor in many of the early events that
we have aireadv recorded.

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

CHAPTER IX.

The Early Farming Period — 1825 to 1835.

The people who settled in the county prior
to the completion of the canal, were mostly
frontiersmen from the western borders of set-
tlements in New York and Pennsylvania.

The people who emigrated to Chautauqua
after the building of the canal differed in cer-
tain respects from those who came before them.
They were not so poor. The prospect for a
market for the surplus products of the soil,
and other signs of coming prosperity invited
people from New England and from communi-
ties in other settled localities, who brought
with them more means, and the habits of econ-
omy and thrift that prevailed in the East.
These new-comers were better skilled in hus-
bandry, and consequently better fitted for the
changed condition of the country, which had
now advanced from a backwoods state, and be-
come a "farming country," although there were
several towns almost entirely covered by for-
ests.

The period in the history of the county that
followed the completion of the Erie canal may
be called the "Early Farming Period." It con-
tinued a little over twenty-five years, and lasted
until the first railroad was built into Dunkirk.
During this period the county was being
rapidly cleared of its forests, and increased in
its population. By the State census of 1825,
the population of the fifteen towns of the
county was 20,639, an increase of 5.371, or
more than thirty-three per cent, in the five
years. We shall see hereafter what was the
rate of increase during the five succeeding
years. Jamestown in January, 1827, had 393
inhabitants, and was that year incorporated the
first village.

The opening of communication between the
East and this distant western country now be-
gan to stimulate the enterprise of the county.
In 1825 Capt. Gilbert Ballard was running a
stage wagon three times a week upon the mail
route between Jamestown and Mayville. The
only other route in the county upon which
stage wagons were run was that between Buf-
falo and Erie. Twice a week over this route,
Col. Nathaniel Bird was carrying passengers
and the mail. The road for miles east of th^;
Cattaraugus creek for many years was ex-
tremely bad and sometimes impassable. The
Four-Mile woods, Cattaraugus creek and
Cash's tavern in the present town of Brant,
were the dread of all travellers. Roads and
the facilities for transportation were at this
time the great need of the inhabitants of the

southern and western counties of the State.
While the canal was being built from the
Hudson at Albany to Lake Erie at Bufifalo,
the inhabitants of the southern tier of counties,
by persistent efifort, secured the passage of -i
bill by the legislature for a survey of a State
load from the lower Hudson to Lake Erie.
This may be said to be the beginning of a
movement that resulted twenty-five years later
in the building of the New York & Erie rail-
road. The surveyors of the State road arrived
at Dunkirk, December 24, 1825, and completed
their survey to the foot of the wharf. Dunkirk
had then only about fifty inhabitants.

In 1826 Walter Smith, a young merchant of
Fredonia, scarcely twenty-five years of age,
who through his enterprise and business capac-
ity had been able in this backwoods region to
accomplish the sale of $75,000 worth of goods
in a single year of trade in Fredonia, and had
furnished supplies for all the United States
forts and garrisons of the Great Lakes, almost
f-ntirely from the farming products of Chau-
tauqua, as the result of his sales, was attracted
to Dunkirk, by its fine harbor, which opened
to navigation two weeks earlier than Buffalo,
and the prospect that it would be the western
termination of the State road. In 1825 he
bought the undivided half of the Dunkirk prop-
erty for $10,000, and turned his energ\- and
business ability to building up the place. The
few steamboats he induced to stop at Dun-
kirk. The "Pioneer" carried passengers and
made daily trips between Buffalo and Dun-
kirk. A line of stages was established be-
tween Dunkirk and Erie by way of Fredonia
and Westfield, connecting with the "Pio-
neer," thus avoiding the bad roads between
Buffalo and Cattaraugus. At Erie, this line
connected with stages for Pittsburgh and
Cleveland. By these routes nearly all the
travel passed between these points. In 1825,
Obed Edson and Reuben Scott established a
semi-weekly line of stages between Fredonia
and Jamestown. A little later, Mr. Smith in-
duced Mr. Edson and Walter Eaton to extend
the route in a daily line from Dunkirk to War-
ren. Pennsylvania.

Also, through Mr. Smith's influence and
active efforts. Daniel Garnsey was elected to
Congress that he might advance the interests
of Dunkirk. Garnsey was the first member of
Congress ever elected from Chautauqua
county. Garnsey procured an appropriation
from Congress, and work was commenced on

EARLY FARMING PERIOD— 1825-1835

:. lighthouse at Dunkirk in 1827. This was the
tirst expenditure made in Chautauqua for im-
proving the navigation of Lake Erie. In 1828,
through the efforts of Garnsey, a beacon light
was constructed at Silver Creek, and about the
same time Barcelona was made a port of entry,
and a lighthouse erected there which was
lighted by natural gas carried in wooden pump
logs from a spring not far away. Cattaraugus,
Mayville and Barcelona were early surveyed
into village lots by the Holland Land Com-
pany. No places in the county were regarded
at first, of so much importance as these, and
Barcelona was for some years a place of con-
siderable trade. Gervis Foot was energetic
and effective in promoting its fortunes. In
1831 the steamboat "William Peacock" was
built by citizens of Westfield, to ply between
Erie, Barcelona and Buffalo. A brick hotel
v/as erected, and five stores were doing a brisk
trade about that time.

Among other enterprises Walter Smith con-
ceived the plan of opening the Cassadaga and
Conewango to keel-boats. Men were hired to
clear out the obstructions for the navigation of
these streams, and a trip or two was made by
a keel-boat twenty-five feet long loaded with
merchandise between W'arren and Cassadaga.
The Cassadaga was so small when the obstruc-
tions were removed and the stream so crooked,
that navigation was found impracticable.

In 1828, the Holland Land Company sold
60,000 acres of land in the eastern and south-
eastern towns of the county to Levi Beards-
ley, James O. Morse and Alvan Stewart. They
were known as the Cherry Valley Company.

In 1828, Chautauqua Lake was first navi-
gated by steam. It was then the highest body
of water so navigated in the world. Before
the settlement of the county it had been made
a means of communication between the Great
Lakes and the Ohio, and immediately after the
settlement was much used as a means of
transit. A large canoe, made from a pine tree
over five feet in diameter, was launched at
Miles Landing in 1806. For many years it was
the largest craft on the lake, and was consider-
ably used for carrying purposes. Large quan-
tities of salt from the salt springs of New York
were transported southward from Mayville
over the lake to Jamestown in a large scow or
flatboat built by Judge Prendergast, thence in
keel and Durham boats down the river. In
1824 Elisha Allen built a boat propelled by
horses, which was called a horse-boat. It occa-
sionally navigated the lake during the period
of a year, but finally proved a failure. In 1827
Alvin Plumb formed a company and built the

first steamboat that navigated the lake, an ex-
cellent boat, named the "Chautau(|ua." She
was launched at Jamestown amidst the firing
of cannon. She made her first trip to Mayville,
the Fourth of July, 1828.

In 1829 the village of Fredonia was incor-
porated. This year also marks the beginning
of the temperance reform in Chautauqua
county. In 1829 the Chautauqua County
Temperance Society, as auxiliary to the State
Society, was organized at Mayville ; Judge E.
T. Foote was chosen president. The use of
intoxicating liquors previous to that time was
universal in the harvest field, at house raisings,
logging bees, on training and election days, and
en all occasions where there was an assembly-
ing of the people.

In 1829 stage wagons had been supplanted,
and post coaches were running regularly and
carrying the daily mail over the entire route
between Buffalo and Erie, by Rufus S. Reed,
cf Erie, Thomas G. Abell, of Fredonia, and
Bela D. Coe, of Buffalo. Ballards' stages were
carrying the daily mail from Jamestown to
Mayville, alternating on the east and west side
of the lake. The next year Mayville was incor-
porated as a village.

Five years had now elapsed since the Erie
canal was completed, and never before or since
has the county made such progress, or in-
creased so rapidly in population as during those
five years. By the United States census taken
in 1S30, the population was 34,671, an increase
of 14.032, since the enumeration in 1825, or 68
per cent, in five years. The population of
Jamestown had more than doubled during the
preceding years, and was in June of that year
884. Dunkirk had increased six fold : its popu-
lation was 300. The population of Erie county,
including Buffalo, which had then 8.668 in-
habitants, was by the same census found to be
35,719, or about the same as that of Chau-
tauqua. More than 30,000 inhabitants resided
outside of its villages. The country popula-
tion of this county was considerably greater in
1S30 than the country population of Erie
county at that time. Much the larger propor-
tion of the inhabitants now reside in the cities
of Jamestown and Dunkirk, and the many vil-
lages of the county, and yet the cleared lands
in"i830 were far less in extent than the area of
itnproved land at the present time.

In 1831 great quantities of pot and pearl
ashes were manufactured among the hills. The
exports from the northern and middle portions
of the county consisted of large amounts of pot
and pearl ashes, in which Walter Smith was a

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

principal dealer. Many horses and cattle were
also exported from the county.

Lumbering was the leading industry in the
south-eastern part of the county. Thickly
scattered over the hills and more abundantly
gathered along the streams and lowlands, grew
that majestic and useful forest tree, the white
or Weymouth pine. These trees grew tall and
straight, eighty or one hundred feet without a
limb, then sending out a few branches, they
formed a tufted top ; they towered far above
the surrounding forest. At maturity they were
three to five feet in diameter, often more. They
grew to the height of one hundred and fifty
and even two hundred feet. The lumber manu-
factured from the white pine was most beauti-
ful in appearance and excellent in quality.
1 hese pine trees grew in all the towns south
of the Ridge, but more abundantly in the south-
eastern ones. A dense pine forest twelve miles
square, covered Carroll, Poland, EUicott and
Kiantone, the site of Jamestown, and part of
Busti. These monarchs of the woods have
now nearly disappeared.

There were many saw mills in operation in
Carroll, Poland, Ellicott and in other towns in
which pine trees grew. The principal ones
were those of Judge Prendergast at James-
town, the mills at Kennedy, at Worksburg and
Frewsburg. The Kennedy mills sawed three
or four millions of feet annually, as did also
the Jamestown mills. All except that used for
home consumption, for years went down the
Allegheny to supply the southern market.
Often it sold there for no more than it cost to
manufacture and transport it. An important
part of lumbering was the transportation of
the boards and shingles to market. They were
rafted down the Allegheny and sold at Pitts-
burgh, Cincinnati, Louisville, and other points
along the Ohio. Sometimes they were shipped
down the Mississippi and sold in New Orleans.
The lumber that was gathered along the Cone-
wango, Cassadaga, Goose creek, Chautauqua
lake and outlet and the Stillwater, was first
rafted to Warren. The rafts were all con-
structed in sections. A tier of sixteen feet
boards were laid down, and another course
rrossways upon that and so on until the re-
quired number of tiers were obtained. This
was called a "platform," and was firmly fast-
ened together by means of "grubs." For a
June, or "light fresh," or flood, a platform of
twelve courses was laid. For a spring or "deep
fresh," twenty-six courses were laid. Five of
these platforms in line, hitched together by
"coupling planks," usually constituted a suffi-
cient raft for the Cassadaga and the Cone-

wango above Kennedy Mills. Below Ken-
nedy's, two of these rafts were usually coupled
together, one behind the other. Manned by
two men, they would run down to Warren. At
Warren, six of these Conewango rafts, contain-
ing about sixty platforms, would be united by
"coupling planks" and made to form one solid
raft which was called an "Allegheny fleet." An
"Allegheny fleet" was usually manned by a
pilot, ten men and a cook. When the raft
arrived at Pittsburgh, two and sometimes as
many as five of those large Allegheny fleets
would be coupled together to form an Ohio
fleet.

To guide a raft, strong athletic men were
needed for a crew — those who could pull
quickly at the heavy oars when required. Much
skill and a thorough knowledge of the river
was necessary for the "pilot," or person in
charge of the raft. The want of these quali-
fications often resulted in shipwreck, and the
loss of lumber to the owners. Pilots were
jiicked men who made it the business of their
lives to run the river during the rafting season.
They all knew its windings, its channels, and
its shallows. The Indians of the Allegany
reservation were good raftsmen, and often
made good pilots. Among the many good
pilots whose services were in constant requisi-
tion, were James Young, Freedom Morey, John
Sheldon, John Fenton, Luther Clerk, "Joe"
Jennison, "Hank" Johnson and Jesse Dean.
Harrison Persons, familiarly known as "The
Old General," a fine typical specimen of a
river pilot, lived to a great age in the town
of Ellery, which was his home for over sev-
enty years. His first voyage down the Alle-
gheny upon a raft was made in 1827. For fifty
years he followed this vocation without a
single year's omission. In one year he went
down the river as many as nine times. After
the third year he went in charge of the rafts as
pilot, receiving from one hundred to two hun-
dred dollars for his services each trip. His
last voyage was made in 1876, when he was
sixty-eight years of age. He made in all two
hundred forty-seven trips down the Allegheny
and Ohio. Before the period of railroads and
stage coaches, raftsmen were accustomed to
walk to their homes at the headwaters of the
Allegheny after their trips. On his return
journey, Mr. Persons walked from Beaver, be-
low Pittsburgh, to Chautauqua county, one
hundred forty-three dififerent times. In 1840
he walked from Wellsville, Ohio, to his home
in Ellery, in three days, averaging sixty miles
a day. When in his prime he was a powerful

DI'XKIIIK HAR!:ci|; ].

EARLY FARMING PERIOD— 1825-1835

and resolute man, six feet six inches in height,
straight and well proportioned.

The business of lumbering in its various
branches, from cutting the trees in the forest
until it was marketed down the river, was a
school in which a host of energetic business
men were educated. The prosperity of James-
town and all the southeastern part of the
: county is due to the active enterprise of these
men. ' Commencing with Dr. Thomas R. Ken-
nedy, Edward Work, James Prendergast, John
land James Frew, a long list of names follows,
I which stand for business talent and energy:
The Fentons, Garfields, Silas and Jehiel Tif-
fany, the Budlongs, the Halls, Alvin Plumb,
and Myerses, the Dexters, Joseph Clark, Dol-
:lofT, Aiken, and many others. The reputation
iof these enterprising men of the county who
ireceived their business training in the lumber
Itrade, often extended beyond the limits of the
county. Many of them were known in West-
ern New York, in Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.
Some acquired a State and even a national
reputation in other fields. Reuben E. Fenton,
povernor of New York, and United States
Senator, gained his first success as a lumber-
man. Philetus Sawyer, United States Senator
from Wisconsin, in early life worked as a hand
In the sawmills at Kennedy and at Jamestown.
The business of the county in 183 1 had
?TOwn so great, especially in the lumber sec-
tion, that the people began to feel the need of
; bank to facilitate commercial transactions,
amestown had then nearly one thousand in-
iabitants, eleven stores, one woolen factory,
?ne grist mill with three runs of stone, one
rang sawmill, three common sawmills, two
irinting offices, and a number of mechanical
stablishments. It was the commercial centei
,f a tract of country as large as Chautauqua
ounty, which included a part of Cattaraugus
nd Pennsylvania, that was exporting annually
0,000,000 feet of boards, plank and sawed
imber, $50,000 worth of lath, shingles, sash
nd other merchandise to southern markets.
: was estimated that about $250,000 worth of
Merchandise was annually imported into it.
! The United States Branch Bank at BuiTalo
.id a State Bank at Lockport were the near-
';t banking institutions. There was no bank
ji the southern tier between Orange on the
]udson and Lake Erie. Lumbermen were
oliged to send to Buffalo, Canandaigua, and
iimetimes even to Catskill, to procure cash to
]iy their hands, and other expenses of ship-
^ng their lumber. Judge E. T. Foote was at
tis time a member of Assembly for Chautauqua
ounty. Through his energetic efforts, assisted

by those of J. E. and Benjamin Budlong, Sam-
uel Barrett, Alvin Plumb, Henry Baker, Guy
C. Irvine, Silas Tiffany, Samuel A. Brown and
others, the first bank was established at James-
town.

It was called the Chautauqua County Bank,
and was incorporated by an act of the Legisla-
ture passed in 1831. It was organized under
the safety fund act, with a capital of $100,000,
with the privilege of issuing bills to twice the
amount of its capital. Elial T. Foote was the
first president, and Arad Joy the cashier. This
bank is the oldest in the county.

The Legislature in April, 1831, passed an
act abolishing imprisonment for debt. This
change in the law produced a most favorable
effect upon the business conditions of the
county.

The defeat of the State road by the Legisla-
ture was the beginning of the agitation of the
construction of a railroad. Long years of
doubt and despondency were destined to pass,
however, before the consummation of this
great enterprise. Nearly twenty years later
the road was completed and another era of
prosperity commenced, like that when the Erie
canal opened to commerce. Walter Smith was
one of the first projectors of the New York &
Erie railroad, and the leading and most efficient
man in the State to promote it. He spent the
greater part of the winter of 1831-32 in Albany,
bringing the importance of the road to the
attention of the Legislature, and it was largely
through his efforts that the railroad was char-
tered, April 24, 1832. By his influence a clause
was incorporated in the charter requiring the
running of a certain number of trains into Dun-
kirk daily, thus securing to it permanently and
beyond contingency the benefit of the road.
Tlie wisdom of this provision is now apparent.
Hon. Richard P. Marvin was also one of the
first citizens of the county to appreciate the
importance of a railroad and one of the first
to make efforts to secure it. He addressed a
meeting held at Jamestown as early as Sep-
tember 20, 1831, of which Judge Elial T.
Foote was chairman, at which it was resolved
that application should be made to the Legis-
lature for a charter. This was the first pub-
be movement made in reference to the New
York & Erie railroad. It was through his
efforts that the important provision was incor-
porated in its charter, that the termination of
the road at Lake Erie should be at some point
between Cattaraugus creek and the Pennsyl-
vania State line. The preliminary survey was
made in 1832, by DeWitt Clinton, Jr. At that

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

time there were but five thousand miles of rail-
road in the world.

In 1832 the county poorhouse was erected.
A farm had been purchased near Dewittville
and near the east shore of Chautauqua Lake
for $900. A substantial brick countyhouse
ninety-four feet long and thirty-five feet wide
v/as erected upon it at the expense of $3,500.
December 21, 1832, it was opened to paupers.
Its first boarder was Jacob Lockwood, a luna-
tic, who remained there a permanent boarder
for over thirty years. The first keeper of the
poorhouse was William Gifford. He was suc-
ceeded by William M. Wagoner, of Gerry.
John G. Palmiter, Nicholas Kessler, A. M. P.
Maynard and Willard Wood were early keep-
ers of the poorhouse. Abiram Orton, William
Prendergast, Solomon Jones, Thomas B.
Campbell and Jonathan Hedges were appoint-
ed the first superintendents of poor — all men of
worth and prominence.

The prison rooms in the old court house
were too contracted, had become dilapidated
and insufficient for the detention of prisoners,
so that by an act of the Legislature passed
March 22, 1832, the board of supervisors was
required to raise the sum of $3,500 for the pur-
pose of building a jail; and $1,500 was subse-
quently added to this amount, and a building
erected in Mayville of brick, sixty feet in
length, thirty-five in width and two stories
high. It was well constructed and was then
believed to be "impervious alike to assaults
from without and pentup knavery within."

Twenty years had now elapsed since the
court house was erected, and many of the citi-
zens felt the need of a larger and better struc-
ture. Upon their suggestion an act was passed
directing the building of a new court house.
By this act Thomas B. Campbell, William
Peacock and Martin Prendergast were ap-
pointed commissioners to contract for and
superintend its erection, and the board of
supervisors was required to assess and collect
$5,000 for the purpose. The commissioners
contracted with Benjamin Rathburn, of Buf-
falo for erecting the exterior of the building.
This work was done the same summer, and
was accepted by the commissioners. The
board of supervisors at its adjourned meeting
in December, 1834, by a resolution, "disap-
proved of the act of the commissioners in ex-
pending the whole sum of $15,000 upon the
exterior of the building," and asked the Leg-
islature to "remove William Peacock and Mar-
tm Prendergast from the commission, and ap-
point Elial T. Foote and Leverett Barker in
their stead." The Legislature thereupon

passed an act requiring the raising of an addi-
tional sum of $4,000 to complete the building,
and instead of removing the two commission-
ers, appointed Mr. Foote and Mr. Barker as
additional commissioners. With this appro-
priation the court house was completed.

One of the last trials held in the old court
house was the most celebrated that ever took
place in the county. On April 24th, 1834,
North Damon came into Fredonia in great
haste and requested Doctors Walworth and
Crosby to go immediately to the residence of
his brother Joseph, about three miles from that
village, not far from where now is Norton's
station, on the D. A. V. & P. R. R. Upon en-
tering the house they saw the dying wife of
Joseph Damon lying upon a bed in the corner
cf the room, her hair, face, and the pillow upon
which her head was laid clotted with blood,
while Damon stood by, red-stained with the
evidence of his guilt. A fire-poker which stood
ly the fireplace bore unmistakable signs that
it had been made the instrument of the bloody
deed. The bystanders, by the direction of Dr.
Walworth, who was a judge of the county
court, immediately took Damon in custody.
He was indicted, and at the September term in
1834 was arraigned for trial for murder. By
the evidence given, it appeared that Joseph
Damon and his brothers followed the business
of quarrying and cutting stone at a place still
known as Damon's quarry ; that he was a
lough, drinking man, and there was some evi-
dence that he at times cruelly treated his wife.
Late in the afternoon on the day of the murder,
Joseph went to the house of his brother Mar-
tin, who lived with their father and mother a
few rods away, and upbraided them for mak-
ing disturbance in his family and upholding his
wife. He soon went out, and a few minutes
later called to Martin and said, "For God's sake
come in, I am afraid I have killed my wife."
Martin immediately went into the house, and
found Mrs. Damon lying upon the floor, bleed-
ing profusely from wounds on her head.
This was substantially all that was known
about the murder. The two children of Damon,
one a little girl aged eleven and the other a
boy somewhat younger, were just outside the
house, or near by, but were not sworn on the
trial.

No tragedy that ever occurred in the county
made so deep and lasting an impression. Over
thirty years had passed since the first settle-
ment, and no great crime had been committed
by any citizen. The people were simple-
minded and uncorrupted. Their moral sense
was greatly shocked by Damon's crime. The

EARLY FARMING PERIOD— 1825-1835

eloquent plea of James Mullett in defense of
Damon contributed to render the case memora-
ble, and the public execution that followed the
jury's verdict, and which was witnessed by a
great crowd of people, deeply branded it upon
their memories. Addison Gardner, circuit
judge of the Eighth Circuit, presided at the
trial. Philo Orton, Thomas B. Campbell, Ben-
jamin Walworth and Artemus Hearic, county
judges, were associated with him. The jury-
men were Solomon Jones, Thomas Quigley,
Aretus Smith, Walter Woodward, Don S.
Downer, Anson R. Willis, Daniel S. Rich-
mond, Thomas R. Treat, Samuel S. Forbush,
Isaac Cornell, Harvey Eggleston and Nathan
A. Alexander. Samuel A. Brown, the district
attorney, opened the case to the jury. Shel-
don Smith, also of Jamestown, made the clos-
ing plea in behalf of the people. Ten years
before, in the city of Bulifalo, was witnessed
the remarkable spectacle of the public execu-
tion at the same time of three brothers. Nel-
son, Israel and Isaac Thayer, for the mur-
der of John Love, a tragedy that has been cele-
l)rated in prose and doggerel verse, and is as
memorable in the annals of Erie county as is
:he hanging of Damon in Chautauqua. Shel-
don Smith, then a talented young lawyer of
Buffalo, had assisted in the successful prose-
:ution of the Thayers, and was now the prin-
:ipal counsel in the prosecution of Damon,
facob Houghton opened the case for the pris-
oner, and James Mullett closed the case in his
jehalf. Air. Mullett's address to the jury is
)robably the most eloquent and powerful one
hat has ever been delivered at the bar of
'hautauqua county, and will compare favor-
bly, even in grace of style, with the best
fforts of forensic oratory.
The lucid charge of the judge, the able argu-
aent of the counsel for the people, and the
» ommon sense of the jury, rendered the power-
ul effort of Judge Mullett to save the life of a
uman being unavailing. Damon was con-
icted of murder. The exceptions taken to
ome of the rulings of the court on the trial
'ere reviewed by the Supreme Court, without
favorable result to the prisoner. Sentence
f death was pronounced at the Oyer and Ter-
nner held in March, 1835, and the 15th day of
lay following was appointed for his execu-
on.

At the time fixed, a great crowd of people,

•-timated at from eight thousand to fifteen

; lousand, assembled at Mayville ; one-fourth

the population of the county, including

^ any women, were present. The execution

ok place in the open field at Mayville, on the

west declivity of the hill, not far from the
Lnion School building, and on the easterly side
of the street extending westerly from near the
court house. The sheriff, William Saxton,
called out the 207th Regiment of militia, com-
manded by William D. Bond, to serve as guard
en the occasion. Elder Sawyer, at the request
of Damon, preached the funeral sermon. He
preached at the gallows from Proverbs xiiig:
"So he that pursueth evil, pursueth it to his
own death." At the gallows, Damon had con-
siderable to say ; among other things he claimed
he was unconscious at the time he committed
the crime. When the drop fell, the fastenings
of the rope gave way, and Damon fell to the
ground. He appealed to the sheriff to suspend
his punishment, but the rope was readjusted,
and the hanging completed.

It was a subject of so much discussion at the
time and since, that a few more facts concern-
ing Damon and his relatives may be of some
interest. Joseph Damon was born at Worces-
ter, Mass., March 18, 1800, the son of Stephen
and Hannah Damon. He came with his par-
ents and his three brothers, Stephen, Martin
and North, to Chautauqua county in 1816.
They all lived upon a farm in Pomfret, near
the residence of Elisha Norton. Little is known
sbout Stephen; he was a half-brother of the
others. Martin was a stone cutter, and fash-
ioned many of the gravestones in the early
burial places of the county, particularly in the
old cemetery at Fredonia. These gravestones
are recognized by the style of the work as well
as the material out of which they are made.
They are usually in a good state of preserva-
tion, and are valuable as fine specimens of
early skill.

The cholera for the first time visited Chau-
tauqua county in 1832, and three persons died
from the disease. It appears from the proceed-
ings of the board of supervisors in 1834 that
two certificates had been granted by justices
for killing wolves, evidence that wild beasts
had not ceased to contest the rights of occupa-
tion with man. In 1834 Elijah Risley & Com-
pany commenced raising garden seeds in Fre-
donia. At first they used but six acres of land,
putting up but seven hundred boxes of seeds.
Their business increased so that for many
years it was a leading industry of the county,
and they became extensively known through
the country as leading seed men.

In other chapters we noted the beginnings of
the Presbyterian, Baptist and Methodist
churches, and also the early work of the Con-
gregationalists. During the frontier and pio-
neer periods these denominations carried the

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

Gospel to the remotest settlements, by mis-
sionaries and ministers especially fitted for the
work. It is true that these itinerant preachers
were seldom learned men, but they had vigor-
ous, practical minds, and were usually well
versed in the Scripture. They were accus-
tomed to a life in the backwoods and familiar
with the ways of the pioneers. They labored
unceasingly and unselfishly.

The traveling Methodist minister from 1800
to 1816 was entitled to receive but eighty dol-
lars a year and his traveling expenses. His
wife was allowed eighty dollars a year. An
allowance was made to him of sixteen dollars
annually for each child under seven years of
age, and twenty-four dollars for each child be-
tween seven and fourteen years of age. It is
said, in fact, that he received not more than
two-thirds of that amount, and yet for this pit-
tance these men labored summer and winter
with unremitting zeal.

Many of the early settlers were from New
England or were of Puritan descent, and thor-
oughly imbued with the old and established
Calvinistic doctrines of that people. Between
them and the Methodists, who were of a later
and more liberal faith, there existed a strong
antagonism, and a polemic warfare was waged
for many years. The zealous and aggressive
spirit of Methodism prevailed against all oppo-
sition ; they made converts everywhere. For
3'ears the itinerant Methodist minister, mount-
ed on horseback, with Bible, hymn book and
saddle bags, followed forest trails, guided by
marked trees, forded bridgeless streams, often
camping in the woods at night, tired and hun-
gry, enduring all the hardships and privations
of the backwoods, to carry the Gospel to the
pioneers. The remarkable scenes at their re-
vivals and camp meetings, the great crowd of
people who came to listen, the burning words
of the preacher, awakening them to their lose
condition, were long remembered and are
prominent among the early events.

Not until the Early Farming Period, were
there religious denominations other than those
we have mentioned, established in the county.
The first Episcopal (Trinity) Church was
organized August i, 1822. at Fredonia. Rev.
David Brown (he who delivered the excellent
address on the occasion of Lafayette's visit to
the county), was its first pastor. The historic
and interesting little church edifice of this de-
nomination at Fredonia, the first in the county,
was completed and consecrated in 1835. St.
Paul's Church at Mayville was organized by
the Rev. David Brown in April, 1823. St.
Peter's Church of Westfield was organized

January 20, 1830; Rev. Rufus Murray was its
first rector. St. Luke's Church of Jamestowr
was organized by the Rev. Rufus Murray or
the 5th of May, 1834; and St. John's Episcopa
society was organized in Dunkirk in 1850, b)
Rev. Charles Avery. Two years later a churcl
building was erected.

In 185 1, prior to the completion of the New
York & Erie railroad, a small frame buildinj
v/as purchased by the Catholics in Dunkirk
The Rt. Rev. John Timon, Bishop of Buftalo
had at times before that visited the few scat
tered Catholic families in the county. Th<
arrival of many Catholics during its buildins
and before the completion of the road madi .
greater church accommodations necessar '
The cornerstone of a spacious brick church _
Gothic architecture (St. Mary's) was laid i^
Dunkirk by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Timon
July, 1852, which was dedicated in Novembed
"1854, by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Young, under thfl
invocation of the Seven Dolors of Mary. Itj
first pastor was the Rev. Peter Colgan. Latdj
a German Catholic and a Polish Cathofij
church were erected in Dunkirk. Catholil
churches have since the completion of the Eri|
railroad been erected in Westfield, Jamestov
Silver Creek and in other villages in the county

In the Early Farming Period, Free Wi|
Baptist, Universalist and Christian Societie
were organized. Elders Bailey, Barr and Ha|
liday were among the early popular mimster
of the latter denomination. Rev. S. R. Smit
was perhaps the earliest promulgator of th
Universalist faith in Chautauqua county. Rt\
Lewis C. Todd was a preacher of that denom
nation, the editor of the "Genius of Liberty,
a Universalist paper published in Jamestowi
and also the author of several books on Un
versalism.

Religious organizations of the many othe
existing denominations have been formed sine
tlie Early Farming Period. First Church c
Christ, Scientist, was erected by the Christia
Scientists in Jamestown upon a site donate
by Mrs. A. M. Kent about the year 1894.

During the early periods, churches and mee
ings were as well attended and the sober dutie
of" life as fully performed as at the preser
time, yet the people were not Puritanical.
the other hand, they were social and fond t
indulging in the few simple amusements th;
the times afiforded. An old paper advertise
that "a living African lion will be exhibited :
the tavern of Jediah Tracy in Mayville, Octi
ber II, 1819; the only one of its kind in Ame
ica. No apprehension of danger need be ente
tained as he is secured in his substantial ire

EARLY FARMING PERIOD— 1825-1835

cage. Admittance 25 cents, children half
price." Sometimes a single elephant was ex-
hibited. It would be driven to the place of ex-
hibition in the night, covered with a canvas so
as not to be seen by the people on the way.
These unpretentious shows excited much inter-
est; they were the forerunners of the caravan,
a little later of the circus and finally the mam-
moth hippodrome. Now and then a puppet
show, a performance of sleight of hand tricks,
and occasionally a public lecturer on some
popular subject, would visit the little settle-
ments. These entertainments were enjoyed
with greater zest than the more pretentious
amusements of the present day.

Dancing assemblages, or balls of the young
people, were common and were simple and
hearty affairs. Contra dances, as the monie-
musk, Virginia and opera reels, and French
four were the usual dancing figures performed.
Square dances were uncommon, and round
dances unknown. Roger De Coverly, Monie-
Musk, McDonald's reel, the Arkansas Trav-
eler, Rosin the Bow, and other ancient and
lively tunes, played upon a single violin by a
, local fiddler, constituted the music.

The young men were an athletic, scuffling,
wrestling race who delighted in nothing more
than those ancient sports by which the backs
and limbs of all stout-hearted youth have been
tested since the days of Hercules. Wrestling
was the popular outdoor amusement, practiced
at every house and barn raising, town meeting
and public gathering. During school days, a
high school in athletics was always established
outside the schoolhouse, where morning, noon
and night, the boys quite as diligently plied
and studied the wrestling art, as their books
within its doors. Graduates from these old
physical culture schools would come out on
election and town meeting days to contest in
the ring for honors of the town. Every school
district had its champion, and no puny cham-
pion was he. When General Training Day
would come at Westfield. Sinclairville and James-
town, strong and active young men would
gather from far and near. Where the crowd
was the thickest, some athletic young man of
spirit accomplished in the art, would mount
a peddler's cart and announce by way of chal-
lenge that "of all the men he could see, there
was not one that he could not lay on his back ;
that he would be at the Boat Landing at one
o'clock." Promptly on time the crowd would
be there, and as promptly the dauntless young
man himself, and boldly walk into the ring. No
sinecure it was to hold one's own against all
I comers there, for ready for the fray were the

I Chau— 4

sons of the backwoods from the hills of Ellery
and Gerry, whose limbs had been toughened
by swinging the ax in slashings, and stalking
through the woods for deer, with bodies invig-
orated by feasting on cornbread and venison.
There were also rough rafting descendants of
Anak from Carroll, Poland and Kiantone,
whose muscles had been hardened by hewing
down pine trees, and hauling them to saw-
mills, pulling at oars, and roughing it on Alle-
gheny fleets. There, too, were tough, grog-
drinking boatmen from down the river, equally
ready for a wrestle or a fight, though seldom
a fight occurred. Indeed it was not merely
strength and skill, but also nerve and brain
that was required to hold the championship
against all comers in those old wrestling days.

But few holidays were recognized. Thanks-
giving Day was observed by only a few, and
those settlers from the New England States.
Christmas was honored but little more. The
young people often celebrated New Year's with
balls and sleighrides ; Washington's Birthday
was passed by ; the Fourth of July was dul}^
remembered. No day of the year, however,
not excepting Independence Day, was so gen-
erally observed as General Training Day, often
in other places called General Muster Day.
1 he rough life of the backwoods man, the
familiarity of the people with the use of fire-
arms, and the recent war in which the country
had been engaged, were calculated to cultivate
a martial taste, and the military spirit ran high
for many years. On General Training days,
which were observed in Jamestown, Fredonia,
Sinclairville, Mayville, and other principal
places in the county, the whole male popula-
tion of the neighboring towns would turn out
to witness the sham fight, military parade, and
take a part in the festivities of the day. None
of that day lived long enough to efface from
memory the fun and enjoyment of General
Training Day. The apple carts and peddlers'
wagons dispensing their stock of apples, sweet
cider, ginger-bread and honey, and before all,
the stirring music of the drum and fife were
not soon forgotten.

These general trainings were held in Sep-
tember of each year. Nearly all the young
men and the greater part of the able bodied
men served in the ranks. When this military
system was first instituted, the men and offi-
cers took pride in the performance of their
duties, and for some years the soldiers were
quite well disciplined ; after a little the mili-
tary spirit began to wane, and discipline to re-
lax. The officers were selected with less care,

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

f.iid the men began to regard the performance
of military duty as a burden. The law re-
quired them to furnish their own arms and
equipments and the consequence was that they
were dressed "in all kinds of hats, all styles
of coats, from the surtout to the sailor jacket ;

they carried all kinds of arms from the shot-
gun to the stake from the fence," bearing a
strong resemblance to Falstaff's soldiers, caus-
ing much merriment to the wags of the time.
The military musters after a while degenerated
into a farce, and were discontinued.

CHAPTER X.
The Early Farming Period — 1835-1851.

By the State census the population of the
county in 1835 was 44,869, an increase of 10,212
in five years, showing the effect that the Erie
canal had upon the prosperity of the county,
and also showing in what high esteem the
county was held abroad. Yet the inhabitants
were still poor, their lands in most instances
unpaid for, and all that they had was repre-
sented by the labor that they had expended in
clearing and improving their lands.

In 1835 the Holland Company contracted
their unsold lands and lands of which there
were outstanding and unexpired contracts, to
Trumbell Carey and George W. Lay. It was
understood that such of the settlers as could
not pay for their farms would be compelled to
renew their contracts, and pay a certain sum
per acre in addition to the original price, and
such interest as had accumulated thereon. This
proposed exaction was called the "Genessee
Tariff." As soon as this became known, it
produced great excitement. A large public
meeting was held in Jamestown at which ^
committee was appointed consisting of Elial
T. Foote, Oliver Lee, Samuel Barrett, Leverett
Barker and George T. Camp to confer with the
proprietors at Batavia, and ascertain their in-
tentions towards the settlers. The committee
so appointed were unable, however, to obtain
satisfactory information. A second public
meeting was held at Mayville, January 8th,
1836. The people were now greatly aroused,
and this was more numerously attended than
the former one. Leverett Barker was chosen
president, and John M. Edson, secretary.
James Mullett addressed the people in an im-
pressive speech. Speeches were also made by
Judge Foote and others ; a committee was ap-
pointed, to which was added the chairman and
secretary, to confer with William Peacock, the
agent of the company for Chautauqua county.
Mr. Peacock received the committee coldly.
and the little information that he gave them
was very unsatisfactory. The result of this
conference produced great excitement, and the
excesses which followed the proposed exac-
tions were such as might have been expected.

"The early settlers had braved a wilderness
and wrought for themselves homes such as ex-
treme toil, privation and hardship could accom-
plish. They had rallied at the call of danger,
shed their blood and perilled their lives in
defense of the soil. The owners had grown
wealthy by the industry of the settlers, and
their agents rolled in fatness ; to impose such
terms at a time and under such circumstances
as, in a majority of instances, would deprive
the settlers of their farms and compel them to
abandon their possessions, while a course of
fuir dealing and equitable requirements on the
part of the owners would enable them, after a
few more 3'ears of toil, to call the soil on which
the fire and vigor of their manhood had been
expended, their own, was more than they
would submit to or endure."

There were small gatherings of the people
in Gerry, EUicott and Ellery, in which the sub-
ject was discussed. The more it was talked
over, the more were the people incensed and
inclined to resort to harsh measures. As the
result of these gatherings, a meeting was called
at Hartfield, which was not well attended.
This was adjourned to the 6th of February,
and it was understood, without a formal decla-
ration to that efifect, that the purpose would
be tearing down the land office. On the 6th
of February, from three hundred to five hun-
dred people assembled at Barnhart's Inn at
Hartfield, principally from Gerry, Ellery, Char-
lotte, Stockton, Poland, Ellicott, Busti and
Harmony. Roland Cobb, of Gerry, was chosen
chairman. Gen. George T. Camp was solicited
to become leader in the contemplated enter-
prise, but he declined, and in an earnest speech
endeavored to induce them to abandon their
violent intentions. The chairman also said
that the Land Company might yet be willing
to make terms, should another conference be
had with them. Nathan Cheney, an intelligent
and resolute old settler, abruptly and effec-
tively addressed the meeting in these words,
"Those who are going to Mayville with me,
fall into line." The whole assemblage at once
obeyed, chose Cheney their leader, George

FAII; POINT

THE FIRST POSTOFFICE AT FAIRPOINT

EARLY FARMING PERIOD— 1835-1851

\'aii Pelt from Charlotte for lieutenant, formed
into line, and marched a short distance west of
Barnes' store in Hartfield and halted. Cheney
then called for twenty-five of the strongest
men to do the work of demolishing the Land
Office. The number called for promptly
stepped forward. Among them were Harri-
son Persons, the Allegheny pilot before men-
tioned, "Zeke'' Powers (noted for his strength,
afterwards a soldier of the Mexican war where
he lost his life), "Coon" and Jim Decker, "Bill"
Pickard, Peter Strong and John Coe (from
Pickard Street in Ellery), and other strong and
resolute people. The people then resumed
their march for Mayville, the sappers and
miners with Persons and Powers as leaders, in
advance. The only arms they carried were
axes and crowbars and some hoop-poles taken
from a cooper's shop on their march. Two
kegs of powder were taken along, although no
vse was made of them. When the party
arrived at the Land Office (which was about
.S o'clock in the evening) Cheney posted the
sappers and miners upon three of its sides and
paraded the rest of the party around these
workmen to guard them from outside interfer-
ence. As a light was burning in the building
when they arrived, admittance was first de-
manded, to which no response was given.
Cheney in a strong voice then gave the order
to strike, which was obeyed, and all the win-
cows came out with a crash. The door was
broken down, and an entrance to the building
effected. A costly clock was disposed of by
ihe blow of an ax. A valuable map of the
county, upon which every farm was delineated,
was destroyed. The axmen made light work
of the furniture and woodwork. They cut the
posts and canted the building over. They found
some difficulty in opening the vault that con-
tained the safe, which was made of solid
mason-work of cut stone. Van Pelt pried out
the keystone with an iron bar ; others took
one of the pillars of the building and used it
as a battering ram, and strong arms soon bat-
tered down the door of the vault. The iron
safe was pried open, and half a cord of books
and papers of the company were taken out,
placed on a sleigh, and carried to Hartfield.
where a bonfire was made, and they were
burned. Some of them, however, were carried
away by the people and have been preserved.
The party dispersed and went to their homes
about midnight.

The most of those engaged in this affair held
contracts for the purchase of land, and in many
instances would have suffered ruinous conse-
quences from the company's exactions. The

proceedings were conducted in an orderly
manner, and those engaged were generally
sober men. No liquor was used, except while
the work of demolishing the building and
opening the vault was going on. While the
people were on the way from Hartfield to May-
ville, Peacock was notified of their coming and
left his office and took refuge at the house of
Donald McKenzie, and after remaining a short
time in Mayville he went to Erie. No further
communication was had between the Holland
Land Company or their agents and the settlers
until 1838, when a sale was made of the com-
pany's land to Duer, Robinson and Seward
(Gov. William H. Seward), who opened an
office in Westfield, where the business was
conducted without disturbance or dissatisfac-
tion.

During the war waged by Texas for its inde-
pendence, Chautauqua county was represented
by at least two soldiers. John Harding, a
native of Chautauqua county, served with
credit, and Mr. Pickett, of Charlotte, a young
man in Fanning's command, was massacred
by the Mexicans.

The winter of 1836-37 was long, and so
severe that the "Western Trader," a schooner
loaded with corn and oats, bound down from
Detroit in the fall of 1836, was frozen in the
ice, drifted down, and lay for six weeks in a
mass of ice off Dunkirk. She and her crew
were not loosened from their fetters until
nearly June, 1837. An increased interest in
agriculture had now been manifested for sev-
eral years. A society formed in 1820 went
down in a few years for the want of patronage
by the State. It was now revived. Some citi-
zens met at Mayville in October. 1837, to
organize an agricultural society. Jediah Tracy
was chosen president and William Prender-
gast (2d) secretary. The meeting was ad-
journed to the 4th of January, 1838, when the
Chautauqua County Agricultural Society was
organized. William Prendergast was chosen
president; Henry Baker, Timothy Judson,
Thomas B. Campbell and Elias Clark, vice-
[■residents ; E. P. Upham, secretary ; and Jediah
1 racy, treasurer.

The county during the years immediately
previous had been in a state of unexampled
prosperity, in which Dunkirk fully shared.
Lands both uncultivated and improved began
to rise in value, which was first observed in
^833. People of all classes embarked in wild
speculations, particularly in real estate. There
was a great demand for corner lots, and favor-
able sites. Cities were laid out along the lake
wherever there was a harbor; almost everv

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

village was affected. As Dunkirk was to be
the termination of the Erie railroad, it was an
unusually promising field for speculation. The
crisis came in the spring of 1837. The mercan-
tile failure in New York in March and April
amounted to over $100,000,000; in New Or-
leans to the amount of $27,000,000 took place
in two days. All the banks in the county sus-
pended specie payment.

The winter 1837-38 was one of the mildest
ever known. Vessels navigated Lake Erie dur-
ing the winter, including January. In this win-
ter occurred the "Patriot War." Many of the
people of Canada were discontented with the
British government, particularly the French
inhabitants of Lower Canada. An armed re-
bellion broke out there, which was finally sup-
pressed with some loss of life. Uprisings of a
less serious character occurred in Upper Can-
ada. The little steamboat "Caroline," owned
by a citizen of Buffalo, was captured by the
British at Schlosser, on the Niagara river, set
on fire, and sent over the Falls. One person
was killed and several wounded. This affair
caused much excitement in Chautauqua county.
A meeting was held in January at Mayville, of
which William Peacock was chairman, and
George W. Tew, secretary. A committee was
appointed to draft resolutions with reference
to the outrage at Schlosser. Strong resolu-
tions were passed condemning the act, and in
favor of military preparations to protect the
borders of the county against further out-
rages. Gen. T. J. Sutherland, a patriot leader,
visited the county. Some enlistments were
obtained. Secret lodges of "Hunters" were
formed along the frontier of Canada, to collect
munitions, and aid the "patriots." Some two
hundred stand of arms had been gathered, and
were stored for the use of the "patriots" at
Fredonia. A body of United States troops
tinder Gen. Worth was sent to suppress these
unlawful proceedings. They stopped at Dun-
kirk and marched to Fredonia to break up the
"Hunters' Lodge" there. Several wagon-loads
of arms and army supplies were captured.
Among those who ventured into Canada and
took up arms in the patriot cause, was Linus
W. Miller, who resided in Stockton. He was
taken, tried, condemned, and punished by
transportation to Van Dieman's Land. After
an absence of nearly eight years, he returned
to this county. The interesting story of his
captivity he told in the "Notes of an Exile."

On June 14th, 1838, the steamboat "Wash-
ington," on her downward trip to Buffalo, when
about twelve miles below Dunkirk, was dis-
covered to be on fire. She immediately steered

for Silver Creek, the nearest harbor, but the
flames spread so rapidly that she soon became
crippled and was sinking, when the steamboat
"North America" hove in sight, took her in
tow, and succeeded in getting her within two
miles of the shore, where she sank. Twelve
of the seventy persons on board were lost.

At the meeting of the board of supervisors
ir 1839, certificates were given for wolves
killed in Busti and Clymer. The year closed
with the heaviest fall of snow in the record of
the county. About Christmas, in a short time
the snow fell to the depth of five feet. The
v/ind heaped it into drifts, rendering the roads
entirely impassable. All communication was
cut off even between the nearest neighbors.
Flocks were buried in the drifts, and physi-
cians were interrupted in their duties, result-
ing in some instances in the death of their
patients.

By the census of 1840 the population of the
county was 47,975, an increase in five years of
but 3,106.

In 1841 a very large wolf was killed in Ville-
nova. It was the last destroyed in the county.
It was so successful in avoiding its pursuers
that it was not killed until it had been hunted
thirty-one days. Its skin was stuffed, and ex-
hibited in different towns. The records of the
board of supervisors show that a bounty of
"ten dollars was allowed Sewall Spaulding for
killing a full grown wolf, in the town of Ville-
nova."

The same portion of Lake Erie where three
years before the steamboat "Washington" was
lost, was the scene of the most terrible catas-
trophe that ever occurred on the waters of
Lake Erie. August 9th, 1841, the steamboat
"Erie," Capt. Titus, left Buffalo at 3 o'clock
p. m. for Chicago with over two hundred fifty
persons on board. When off Silver Creek
about 3 o'clock, a carboy of copal varnish on
the upper deck near the smoke stack, became
heated and burst. The boat had been painted
and varnished, and in a few moments the whole
cf the upper part of the vessel was enveloped
in flames. The passengers leaped into the lake
without life preservers, or the slightest article
of buoyancy to sustain them, save one, who it
is said laid himself out to die on the working
beam of the engine. Over two hundred per-
ished, of whom one hundred fifty were .Swiss
emigrants. The "DeWitt Clinton," which had
put into Dunkirk a short time before, the little
steamboat "Sylph," which was also lying there,
and other small boats, hastened to the relief of
the burning boat. They only saved about
thirty-five persons, who were found clinging to

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EARLY FARMING PERIOD— 1835-1851

the burning wreck, or floating on pieces of
boxes, furniture and timber. The burning ves-
sel appeared to be at Battery Point, while in
fact it was several miles out. George and
Sampson Alton and Andrew Wood put out in a
little boat with a mere rag of a sail and saved
voung Lamberton, of Erie, who had swam two
miles from the wreck. Others did what they
could, but there was little to do more than to
rescue from the waves the bodies of the lost.
The corpses of the drowned continued to float
ashore for two weeks or more. The greater
mimber were interred in Dunkirk, many in
Silver Creek, seven in Sheridan, some in Irving
and a few at Van Buren. But four of the lost
had been residents of the county.

It is a curious and now almost forgotten
fact, that among the industries that have been
cultivated in this county was included at one
time the raising of silk. As early as 1827 a
small number of black mulberry trees, moms
nigra, now cultivated for ornament and shade,
were grown, and a small quantity of silkworms
laised. A smaller tree, the white mulberry,
morn alba, was brought into the county about
the same time. About 1834 the Chinese mul-
berry, moms muticaulis, the leaves of which
were best suited for food for silkworms, was
introduced. In 1841 an act was passed provid-
ing for the payment of a bounty of fifteen cents
for every pound of cocoons raised, and fifty
cents for every pound of reeled silk made from
cocoons raised in the county. The effect of
this law was to stimulate for a short time the
growing of silk. Mulberry groves were com-
mon and silkworms for a while grown in con-
siderable numbers. It is interesting to know
that one hundred pounds of silk were actually
laised in the county in 1842. The business
proved to be a losing speculation.

In President Harrison's administration, while
Daniel Webster was Secretary of State, the
question respecting the northwestern bound-
ary of the United States was under consid-
eration. Webster at this time visited the
county to interview Donald McKenzie at May-
ville. McKenzie was born in Scotland, of dis-
tinguished lineage, and came to Canada early
in the last century : for eight years he was
engaged in the fur business. In 1809 he be-
came one of the partners of John Jacob Astor
in the fur trade, and was established at the
mouth of the Columbia river, where he re-
mained until 1812. In 1821 he joined the Hud-
son Bay Company and was one of the council
and chief factors, with his headquarters at
Fort Garry, and was afterwards governor of
the company. In 1832 he removed to May-

ville and resided there until his death in 1851.
His life was full of adventures and peril. When
Webster visited McKenzie, he came from Buf-
falo to Barcelona and thence to Mayville in a
covered carriage. His purpose was to ascer-
tain such facts bearing upon the northwestern
boundary controversy between the United
States and England as were in the possession
of McKenzie. His visit was a government
secret and known at the time by but few.
Judge William Peacock was among the num-
ber. Webster remained one day and two
nights at the residence of McKenzie.

In the spring of 1843, Capt. Nathan Brown,
of Jamestown, sent down the river the first of
his store boats. Until the building of the rail-
road to Jamestown, these boats furnished the
principal means for the transportation to mar-
ket of the articles manufactured there. From
7843 to 1880, Mr. Brown built one hundred
fifty-four of these boats, loaded them with
worked building materials and other wood-
work, and sent them down the river, selling his
cargo at points along the Ohio and other rivers,
rnd finally selling his boat. The enterprise of
Mr. Brown made him and his boats familiarly
known along the Allegheny, Ohio and Mis-
sissippi rivers for many years. On November
4, 1844, late in the evening, Nathaniel Lowry,
the leading merchant of Jamestown, while re-
turning to his dwelling in Jamestown, was
stabbed by a person evidently having the pur-
pose of killing him. For a long time his life
was despaired of. He finally recovered. Jere-
miah C. Newman, of Pine Grove (nov^^ Rus-
sell) Warren county, Pennsylvania, was sus-
pected of the offense, arrested, indicted and
tried at the Chautauqua county oyer and termi-
ner at Mayville, in January, 1846. The trial
was one of the most celebrated in the history
of the county. Richard P. and Dudley Mar-
vin, James Mullett and Madison Burnell, the
ablest lawyers of the county, were engaged
either in the prosecution or defense. Newman
v/as convicted and sentenced to State prison
for five years and three months.

The same year Alvan Cornell was tried at
Mayville before Justice Dayton for the murder
of his wife, by cutting her throat with a razor,
in Jamestown. He attempted suicide but
failed. The prosecution was conducted by
David Mann, the district attorney. He was
defended by Samuel A. Brown, was found
guilty, and sentenced to be hung. He was be-
lieved to have been insane, and his sentence
was commuted to imprisonment for life.

By the State census taken in 1843, the popu
lation of the county was 46,548, a falling off ir.

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

live years of 1,427. This had not happened
before since the settlement of the county. Dur-
ing the ten years that followed the building of
the Erie canal, and that had preceded the year
1835, 24,244 inhabitants were added to its popu-
lation, an increase of one hundred twenty per
cent., the most rapid growth the county had
ever known. During the ten succeeding years
it had added only 1,679 to its population, an in-
crease of but four per cent, and at the close of
that period it was actually decreasing in popu-
lation. This remarkable falling off in the in-
crease of population from 1835 to 1845 is be-
lieved to have been due to the fact that there
was during that period a large emigration
from Chautauqua county to the west, caused
by the hard times that followed the great finan-
cial crash in 1837, and the discouraging dela}'
in building the Erie railroad.

In June, 1846, the convention to frame a new
constitution for the State commenced its ses-
sion in Albany. George W. Patterson and
Richard P. Marvin represented Chautauqua
county in the convention. The changes made
by the new constitution were followed by a
statute passed in 1848 known as the "Code of
Procedure," which entirely revolutionized the
practice in civil procedure. It abolished the
distinction between suits at law and suits in
equity ; the whole system of pleading was re-
formed, and many other changes were made of
a radical and important character, respecting
the procedure in civil actions. The changes
made by the Code in practice and pleading
much affected the legal profession. Lawyers
who had mastered the settled principles that
had governed the practiced were now obliged
to devote much study to the perplexing ques-
tions that arose under the new system. At-
torneys then past their prime of life were
naturally disinclined to renew their studies,
and many of the older lawyers ceased to take
;is active a part in the profession as before, and
some entirely retired from it.

When the Code went into effect, it marked
the close of an era in the history of the Chau-
tauqua county bar. The first period of its his-
tory (the pioneer period) commenced with the
organization of the county and continued ten
years until the constitution of 1821, during
which time the old Court of Common Pleas
was the principal legal tribunal. Four years
of this time this court was held in John Scott's
log tavern, and afterwards in the old court
house. Zattu Cushing was the first judge, and
presided in the Common Pleas during all this
period. Judge Cushing, although he had no
superior advantages of education or legal train-

ing, possessed the other qualities of an excel-
lent judge. He was possessed of a superior
tnind, personal dignity, firmness and force of
character, and was benevolent and pure in his
life. In every respect he honored the position.
It is fortunate that through the thoughtfulness
of Judge Walworth the portrait of the estima-
ble pioneer Judge now adorns the courtroom
of the county. Had we a transcript of the
strong faces of all the old lawyers who prac-
ticed in his court, it would be an invaluable
possession for future generations — of Anselm
P'otter, Jacob Houghton, James H. Price,
James Mullett, Dudley Marvin, Sheldon Smith,
Abner Hazeltine, Samuel A. Brown, Ernest
iNlullett, John Crane, Abram Dixon, David
Mann and others. Although the field of their
labors was close to the borders of the wilder-
ness, they were men skilled in their profession.
Several of them were college graduates, some
v/ere men of unusual natural capacity ; all were
well read in legal principles and skilled in the
]iractice of the law. For knowledge of the
fundamental principles of the law they would
not suffer by a comparison with their brethren
of the profession in succeeding years. In 1820
there were thirteen of these pioneer lawyers in
the county.

The Court of Common Pleas continued after
the constitution of 1821, and until that of 1846.
For nearly twenty of the twenty-five years of
this period. Dr. E. T. Foote was its first judge.
Like Judge Cushing, he was nol a lawver by
profession, but was a man of ability, and well
fitted to preside in this popular court. He took
great interest in the early settlers, and during
his active years, a leading part in every enter-
prise designed to promote the prosperity of the
county not only as regarded its business inter-
ests, l3Ut for the moral and religious advance-
ment of the people also.

Thomas A. Osborne succeeded Judge Foote
as first judge of the Common Pleas, but held
that position during 1843-44 only. He was a
good lawyer, and was best qualified by reason
of his legal attainments to fill the position of
any who have filled the office. Mr. Osborne
Vv'as an accomplished writer, particularly upon
political subjects. He was a Democrat, and
his clear and finely written articles maintain-
ing the principles of his party often appeared
in the "Mayville Sentinel" and other papers of
the county.

Thomas B. Campbell, also a Democrat, suc-
ceeded Judge Osborne as first judge, and held
the position for two years and until the Court
of Common Pleas ceased to exist. The court
suffered no deterioration with Judge Camp-

EARLY FARMING PERIOD— 1835-1851

bell as its presiding office. Although he was
not a lawyer, he was a strongminded, able and
upright man, who, like his predecessors, had
an aptitude for the law. By his strong and
practical good sense, he commanded the re-
spect not only of the suitors at law, but of the
members of the bar who practiced in his court.

The old Common Pleas in 1847 ceased to
exist as a court. When it expired it was com-
posed of Thomas B. Campbell, first judge ;
John M. Edson, Caleb O. Daughaday, Nirain
Sackett and Franklin H. Wait, judges. This
had been the court most familiar to the people
from its organization. Court week to the old
settler was a period of creation best suited to
his peculiar taste. His constant struggle for
existence with the forest and with unpropi-
tious seasons had trained him to take his great-
est pleasure in the trials of strength, of skill
?nd of brain. He took delight in witnessing
the sharp encounters and trials of wit that a
lawsuit brought forth. This old court was also
a school of instruction. There he obtained his
first ideas of the law, and learned the principles
of our government. The judges were to him
the best examples of dignity, justice and wis-
dom, the closing plea of his favorite lawyer his
highest ideal of eloquence, and he was not
without reason for this opinion. Judge Mul-
lett, Dudley Marvin and Madison Burnell, as
forensic orators were without superiors in
Western New York. The remarkable genius
of Judge Mullett, his rare wit, and his power-
tul and impressive eloquence, never failed to
carry away and control his audience. The
logic, the eloquence, the will of Burnell, domi-
iiated the court, and wrenched verdicts from
juries.

Great progress was made in education and
schools during the Early Farming Period.
Phin M. Miller in his exhaustive history of the
schools of the county has aptly denominated
this as the "Red School House Period," while
the time preceding it he calls the "Log School
House Period." The Fredonia Academy, al-
though incorporated during the Pioneer
Period, was not opened to pupils until 1826.
Mayville Academy was incorporated in 1834;
Jamestown Academy in 1836; Dunkirk Acad-
emy in 1837; Westfield Academy in 1839: and
Ellington Academy in 1851. In 1836 provi-
sions were made establishing school district
libraries. The common school system, how-
ever, remained substantially unchanged until
" 1843, when town commissioners and inspectors
v/ere abolished, the office of town superintend-
ent of schools created, and the board of super-
visors authorized to appoint a county superin-

tendent of schools. Under the provisions of
the law. Worthy Putnam was elected county
su.perintendent of schools in 1843. Mr. Put-
nam immediately endeavored to arouse an in-
terest in schools and education. He appealed
directly to the citizens of the county to aid
him. He personally visited its schools, and
stimulated both teachers and scholars to eflrort.
'ihrough his personal influence many new
school houses were built in the covmty. But
it was with the teachers and scholars that he
had the most success. The first Teachers' In-
stitute was held at Mayville in 1846, under his
superintendence. Both teachers and scholars
long remembered with gratitude the interest
he awakened in them, in teaching and learn-
ing. The term he served as county superin-
tendent of schools is the most memorable in
the annals of school teaching in our county's
history.

During the Mexican War, which came to a
close in 1848, several soldiers served who had
been residents of Chautauqua county, among
them Nathan Randall, a resident of Mayville,
and also of Sinclairville, served under Capt.
Robert Anderson, of Fort Sumter fame in
Worth's division. He was in the battles of
Cerro Gordo, Cherubusco, Molino del Rey, and
Chapultepec, where he was wounded. He was
a captain in the Civil War. Zeke Powers, of
Ellery, served in the war and died in the serv-
ice.

In June, 1848, gold was discovered in Cali-
fornia. To reach California that year from the
Eastern States was an vmdertaking greater
than it would be now to go to the remotest
part of the earth. People who had the hardi-
hood and enterprise to find the mines of Cali-
fornia that year were called "Forty-niners,"
and gained a distinction that was denied to
those that came afterwards. Chautauqua con-
tributed its full share of those early adven-
turers. Among the "forty-niners" was George
Stoneman, a native of the county, a lieutenant
in the regular army, afterwards a distinguished
general in the Civil War. That year he took
some part in framing the constitution of that
State, of which many years after he became the
governor.

About the first Chautauquan to arrive in
California after the discovery of gold was Col.
Pieman Winchester, a well-known citizen of
the town of Ellery. He went by the way of
Vera Cruz, the City of Mexico and Mazatlan,
and was on his way one hundred eight days.
He arrived at San Francisco early in June,
1849, where he found a quiet and orderly peo-
ple, with no civil government except what was

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

self-imposed. The charge of a blacksmith for
shoeing a horse was twenty-four dollars, car-
penters' wages were from ten dollars to thirty
dollars a day, and found. Before he entered
the mines Mr. Winchester received five hun-
dred dollars for moving thirty cords of dirt a
distance of six rods.

Among those from Chautauqua county who
journeyed across the continent that year were:
Alonzo Winsor, Lyman Rexford and D. M.
Bemus from Ellicott; and Russell Wilson.
Aretus J. Blackmer arrived in California in
August, 1849, after a journey of ninety-nine
days. The first four days after his arrival he
v.'orked on the bar near Sutter's mill, and
gathered in that time seventy dollars' worth
ol gold. John Clark, from Busti, was four
months on the way. Of those who journeyed
ever the plains was a party from Westfield,
attached to Col. Gratiot's company from Buf-
falo, among whom was Rossiter P. Johnson.
J. Hutchins, from Mayville, made the journey
around Cape Horn. Some crossed the Isth-
mus. Among others from Chautauqua county
in 1849 were David Sabius, Arba Briggs, and
Seneca Hoag. The greater number of these
early miners from Chautauqua county had fair
success and some returned with a competence.

In 1849 not a mile of railroad had been built
in the county except that portion of the New
York & Erie railroad leading easterly from
Dunkirk, that had been abandoned. The im-
ports of the county were mostly brought in,
and the exports taken out, at the ports of Dun-
kirk, Barcelona, Silver Creek and Cattaraugus
and over the main road that passed through
Westfield, Fredonia, and over the Cattaraugus
creek. In the south part of the county, Chau-
tauqua Lake and the Conewango were to some
extent means of communication. To reach
these routes from the interior of the county
many miles of dirt road, the most of it poor and
muddy during the wet season, had to be trav-
eled. This year important improvements were
commenced in the roadways. Plank roads now
began to be made. Lines leading from the
Main road in the north part of the county
above mentioned were surveyed and their con-

struction commenced. These were built along
old highways when it was practicable, but
v/hen the grade was an objection they would
be secured over new routes.

The first built was the Westfield and Chau-
tauqua plank road. Its northern termination
was at Westfield, its southern Hartfield, where
it was designed to intercept the travel on the
east side of the lake. About two miles north
oi the south termination there was a branch
route extending to the steamboat landing at
Mayville. This branch was built to intercept
travel on the west side of the lake. This road
and its branches were nine miles in length.

The Westfield and Clymer plank road was
organized this year. It commenced at West-
field and extended southerly through the towns
of Westfield, Sherman and Clymer to the Penn-
sylvania line, one and one-half miles south of
Clymer village, in all a distance of twenty-five
miles. It was expected at the time that this
line would eventually extend north to Barce-
lona, and south through the valley of the
Broken Straw to the Allegheny river. The
abundance of the hemlock trees along the line
of this road enabled its builders to obtain hem-j
lock lumber for three or four dollars per thou-j
sand.

About this time a plank road was built fromj
Smith's Mills in Chautauqua county north-j
easterly to Versailles in Cattaraugus county,}
and thence to Whites Corner in Erie county J
and beyond.

In 1850 the population of the county was]
50,493. Hanover was the most populous town,]
having 5,144 inhabitants. Pomfret. which in-
cluded the present town and city of Dunkirk, I
had 4,483 : Ellicott, which included Jamestown,.]
had but 3,523; and French Creek, the least]
jiopulous town, but 725. The increase of 3,9451
in the population of the county in five yearal
was chiefly due to the prospect of an imme4|
diate completion of a great highway of travel]
from the ocean to Lake Erie, which DunkirkI
and all the county had so long and so anxiously]
awaited. This story has full narration in thej
chapter, "Town and City of Dunkirk."

CHAPTER XI.
The Agricviltural Period — 1851-1861.

The period that commenced with the com-
pletion of the Erie railroad in 185 1 may appro-
priately be called the Agricultural Period, be-
cause of the great advance and improvement
made in the farming industry. Agriculture for

twenty-five years afterwards was the chiefl!
occupation of the people of the county.

In May, 1851, soon after the great celebra-j.
tion. the New York and Erie railroad com-j:
menced permanent operations, running fiver

AGRICULTURAL PERIOD— 1851-1861

passenger trains from Dunkirk to New York
daily ; three were first-class, and two second-
class trains. The fare from New York upon
the former was eight dollars ; upon the latter
five dollars. The fine steamers "Niagara,"'
"Queen City" and "Key Stone State" com-
menced to navigate Lake Erie from Dunkirk
in connection with these lines to Cleveland,
Toledo and Detroit ; the fare for the passage
to the latter place was four dollars. The gauge
of the Erie road was originally six feet, which
was supposed at the time to give great advan-
tage over a narrow gauge in the shipment of
freight. Particular attention was given by the
road to the transportation of cattle and live
.stock.

The year 1852 commenced in Chautauqua
with an event scarcely less in importance to its
people and to Dunkirk than the completion of
the New York & Erie railroad. On the first of
January of that year the Buffalo & State Line
railroad was opened from the State Line of
Pennsylvania to Dunkirk, and on February
22d to Bufifalo. The Buffalo & State Line
lailroad was in a great measure originated by
the people of Fredonia, and a large portion of
its stock stibscribed by them, and was at first
located through that village and considerable
grading was done on that route, but in April
uf this year it was decided by the directors to
build the road by the way of Dunkirk. By
subsequent consolidations of the various roads
between Buffalo and Chicago, it became a part
of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Rail-
way. From the first, the business of this road
was extraordinary. It soon outstripped the
Erie road in importance to Chautauqua county,
and it is now, with the Erie road, among the
leading roads of America.

A principal route for stages, travel and trans-
portation of freight from Buffalo, Dunkirk and
Fredonia to Jamestown, Warren, and the
southeastern part of the county, prior to the
building of the Erie road, had been by the high-
way, one branch leading through the villages
of Cassadaga and Sinclairville, and the other
through Stockton and Delanti, to Jamestown.
The ascent of the ridge by the Sinclairville
branch from the north with heavily loaded
teams had always been a laborious task. Near
Shumla was Scott's Hill, at the west border of
the town of Arkwright. At the foot of this
hill a 3'oke of oxen was in readiness to assist
heavily loaded teams up the ascent. At "Walk-
up Tavern," later known as the "Kimball
Stand," the passengers dismounted, that the
stage might the easier ascend another steep

incline a few miles north of Jamestown, which
bore the significant name of "Walkup Hill."

Through the enterprise of the people of
Stockton, the Central plank road was built
from Dunkirk through Fredonia, Stockton and
Delanti to the Kimball Stand in the town of
EUicott, near its north line, where it met an-
other plank road which extended partly around
"Walkup Hill" to Jamestown. The Central
plank road was twenty-two miles long. An-
other plank road was built from Jamestown to
Frewsburg. In 1852 the Fredonia and Sin-
clairville plank road was built from Fredonia
through Cassadaga and Sinclairville to the
Kimball Stand. It was twenty-two miles in
length. North of Cassadaga it extended for
three miles through an unbroken forest. A
plank road was organized with Rodney B.
Smith as president, to be constructed from
Smith Mills south to Jamestown. It was built
through Hanover, Villenova and Cherry Creek,
by way of Balcoms and the village of Cherry
Creek, to the north line of the town of Elling-
ton, and was completed to that point in 1852.
The hemlock plank for this road was manu-
factured and delivered along the line of the
road for five dollars a thousand. There were
now over one hundred miles of plank road in
the county. These were excellent roads at
first, smooth and firm. Heavy loads could be
carried over them very rapidly. Such increased
facilities for transportation and travel greatly
promoted the prosperity of the county.

January 2, 1852, a fire occurred in James-
town, sweeping away almost every building
on the east side of Main street between Sec-
ond and Third streets, including the old Allen
House tavern. In 1S37 a destructive fire had
swept the same locality, the work of an incen-
diary. Mansfield and William W. Compton,
who occupied as a fancy dry goods store the
liuilding whence the fire in 1852 originated,
were suspected of setting this fire for the insur-
ance money. Augustus F. and Dascum Allen,
his brother, the principal suft'erers in the fire,
vigorously prosecuted the Comptons. They
were tried at the May term the following year.
The trial lasted eight days and excited greai
interest. Madison Burnell assisted Daniel
Sherman, the district attorney, with great abil-
ity. Joshua A. Spencer, of Utica, one of the
ablest lawyers in the State, Abner Hazeltine
and John F. Smith, attended to the defense.
The Comptons gave evidence to prove that
they were six miles away at Frewsburg, at-
tending a dance, during the fire. Although the
evidence was circumstantial, Mansfield Comp-

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

ton was found guilty of arson in the third de-
gree and sentenced to State prison for eight
years. William W. Compton was found not
guilty. Mansfield was pardoned by Governor
Seymour upon the ground that the evidence
was too weak to establish his guilt. This cir-
cumstance afterwards gave the case a political
importance.

A distressing catastrophe occurred on Cassa-
daga Lake, September 2 of this year. A party
of forty young men and women set out from
Delanti for a picnic upon the "Island," as it
was called. To reach it they had to cross the
lake. Warren Wilcox took four into his boat,
which proved leaky and sunk, leaving all of
his party in the lake, but Mr. Wilcox by his
courage and self-possession saved them all.
When this accident occurred, those in a larger
boat managed by Jarvis Wilcox, having twenty
young people aboard, being but a little distance
away, witnessed the accident. The young peo-
ple on this boat sprang to their feet in alarm ;
this action tipped the scow, which precipitated
all on board into the lake. J. W. Warren and
Delevan G. Morgan, who were of this party,
rendered efficient service in saving the lives
of several. Seven young ladies, daughters of
prominent citizens, were drowned, all between
the ages of thirteen and twenty-seven ; their
names were: Lucy Lazell, Celia Lazell, Alice
J. Wilkins ; Mary A. Harrison, daughter of Dr.
G. S. Harrison ; Charlotte Moore, Elizabeth M.
Goodrich, and Philena Saddler. Jarvis Wilcox,
the boatman, after saving several of the pas-
sengers, was also drowned, while attempting to
save others. Philip Phillips, afterwards widely
known and celebrated as the "Pilgrim Singer,"
was among the saved. A great concourse of
people assembled at the funeral. Eight bodies
of the drowned were present, each with its
circle of relatives and near friends. Six were
buried in one grave, over which was erected a
monument with an appropriate inscription.

More than half a century had elapsed since
a new town had been added to the list. Sher-
man was the last. Poland was formed from
Ellicott, April 9, 1832, and eight days later the
town of Sherman was formed from Mina.
Kiantone was now (November 16, 1853)
formed from the town of Carroll. Kiantone
perpetuates the name of the little Indian vil-
lage that stood on the banks of the Kiantone
creek, within the limits of the town. Kiantone
is associated with several names of aboriginal
derivation. The Conewango creek, which
forms the greater part of its eastern boundary,
bears an Indian name ; Stillwater, the principal
stream in the north part of the town, was once

known as the Ga-won-ge-dock, while the large
Etream in the south part bears the Indian name
given to the town.

Kiantone was one of the earliest seats of
Spiritualism. The year that it was organized
as a town, and but four years after the "Roches-
ter knockings" were developed, a famous
spring was revealed, it is said, to Oliver G.
Chase and Mr. Brittingham, two early Spiritu-
alists, not far from the site of this ancient In-
dian village. This spring was about one and
one-half miles above the residence of A. T.
Prendergast, on the right bank of the Kiantone
creek, at the foot of a high bluff and at the
edge of the forest. It seemed to have two
sources forty feet beneath the surface and but
eight inches apart. One of the fountains dis-
charged turbid, and the other transparent
\*'aters ; one was charged with sulphuric acid
and iron, and the other with magnesia, soda
and iodine. Modern Spiritualism was then at
its very beginning. The dedication of this
spring was one of its early demonstrations.
At this meeting, April 15, 1853, many Spiritual-
ists were in attendance. A marvelous history
was attributed to the spring. It was said that
it was known to Celts one thousand years be-
fore, and that a knowledge of its existence had
been for a long time lost. It was resolved that
now a city should be built around it, to be
called Harmonia ; that its houses should be cir-
cular, lighted by the sun and painted blue. The
doings at the spring, particularly the receiving
01 communications from the spirits of deceased
persons, were long a subject of criticism and
ridicule. Twenty-five years later, when Spir-
itualism was better understood, it was estab-
lished under more favorable auspices at Lily
Dale, on Cassadaga Lake, which thereafter and
during many years was one of the most impor-
tant assemblage grounds of Spiritualism in the
United States.

Chautauqua county has contributed its full
share to the idiosyncrasies of the times and
seems to have been a point whence many
unique and independent movements, good, bad
and indififerent, have had a start. Many of
the early converts to Mormonism were from
Chautauqua county, and several of its most
famous leaders were familiar to its people in
the early years of the Latter Day Saints.
Among them was Sidney Rigdon. He was
born in Allegany county, and in early life was
a Baptist minister. He is believed to have
surreptitiously obtained at the printing office
at Pittsburgh the manuscript written by Solo-
mon Spaulding, called the "Book of Mormon,"
which Spaulding is said to have intended to

AGRICULTURAL PERIOD— i85i-i8()i

publish merely as an historical romance pur-
porting to account for' the peopling of America
by the Indians. This manuscript, after it had
been fu'rnished to him by Rigdon, Joseph
Smith claimed to have read through a pair of
magic spectacles behind a screen or blanket
to his amanuensis, Oliver Cowdery, in the pres-
ence of David Whitman and Martin Harris
("the three witnesses"), pretending it to be a
translation of the hieroglyphics engraved upon
the plates that Smith claimed were dug out of
a hill in Ontario county, New York. There-
after Rigdon preached the Mormon faith, was
closely connected with Smith in his enter-
prises, and suffered with him in the persecu-
tions growing out of their championing Mor-
monism. Jamestown was a gathering place for
Mormans for a while in 1833. Rigdon was
there, a chief among them. It is estimated
that at one time from one hundred to three
hundred Mormons were there. They occupied
houses on Third street, west of Jefferson, and
held frequent meetings, usually in the street
near their dwellings. In 1834 they left James-
town, having made but few converts there.
Brigham Young having superceded Rigdon,
the latter was contumacious and refused to
submit to Young's authority. Finally Rigdon
returned to the place of his birth in Allegany,
New York, where he died, declaring himself
to be firm in the belief of the doctrines and
truthfulness of the "Book of Mormon."

During the early years of Mormonism, in
many towns of the county were gathered con-
verts to the faith who eventually journeyed
westward and joined Joseph Smith at Nauvoo.
Oscar Johnson relates that :

In 1834 there were in Laona and vicinity about thirty
Mormons. Dr. Thomas D. Mann was practicing there
as a physician. A Mormon elder was sick unto death,
and the doctor took his three students with him on one
of his visits. The elder said that he should die, but
should arise from the grave the third day. One of the
students whispered to the other, "We will see that he
does." Unfortunately some of the Mormons overheard
this, and on the third night they assembled in force to
watch, and when the boys had the body partly removed
from the grave they rushed upon them and succeeded
in capturing one of the number. This year the Mor-
mons removed, almost in a body, to Ohio, but they left
one of their number as a witness to convict the young
student. The one left had the habit of drinking, and,
by a concerted effort and free whiskey, was in a pro-
found slumber when the case was called for trial. No
one appearing, the case was dismissed. It is to be
doubted whether the prisoner could have been convicted
for his efforts to verify the predictions of a dying saint.
The accused was Dr. George S. Harrison, who for more
than fifty years was one of the most influential citizens
and ablest physicians in Chautauqua county. It is be-
lieved that the same trio of medical students prepared
themselves for their duties by a close observation of
the bones and muscles of Joseph Damon, the murderer.

Orson Pratt, one of the twelve Mormon
apostles, distinguished also for his knowledge
of mathematics and for his scientific ability,
was once identified with the county. James D.
Strang was another famous Mormon. He re-
sided in Ellington, was admitted to the bar of
Chautauqua county in October, 1836; prac-
ticed law in Ellington, where he was postmas-
ter for a time. He joined the Mormons, and
became a leader ainong them. When the Mor-
mons were driven from Nauvoo in 1845, they
were divided into three factions — the "Twelv-
ites," who emigrated to Utah ; the "Rigdon-
ices," who followed Sidney Rigdon, and the
'Strangites," who followed James D. Strang.
When Joe Smith was killed, Strang claimed to
have a revelation from God appointing hiin his
successor. Strang and his followers made Bea-
ver Island in Lake Michigan their headquar-
ters. After a while a force of fishermen and
others attacked them and the Mormons were
driven from the island. Strang received
wounds from which he died soon after at the
Mormon village of Voree, in Wisconsin.

The scene of Button's Inn, written by Judge
Albion W. Tourgee, is located in Chautauqua
county, near the brow of the hills south of
Westfield, on the main road to Mayville. The
story is partly based upon the existence of
Mormonism in our county and the fact that
some of the Mormon leaders went out from it.

By the State census of 1855, the population
of the county was 50,506, a gain of but thirteen
in five years. The population of the villages
was as follows : Dunkirk, 4,754 ; Jamestown.
2,625; Fredonia, 2,076; Westfield, i,-t33: Sil-
ver Creek, 652; Forestville, 540; Mayville, 501 ;
Panama, 500; Ellington, 487; Sinclairville, 450;
Laona, 406; Sherman, 401; Frewsburg, 400;
Quincy, 289; Dexterville, 270; Salem, 258;
Ashville, 247; Centerville, 233; Busti Corners,
201; Delanti, 180; Barcelona, i6g; Cordova,
154; Dewittville, 133; Cassadaga, 131; Block-
ville, 118; Clymer, no, and Fentonville, 100 —
twenty-seven .villages, large and small. Al-
though the boundaries of most of them were
not established by corporate lines, the census
figures given fairly represent their population
within their reasonable limits. Some since
then have nearly gone out of existence, while
the villages of Falconer, Lakewood, Celoron.
Cherry Creek, Brocton, Chautauqua, Point
Chautauqua and Bemus Point are not in the
list, the greater number of them then having
no existence. It is also interesting to know
that nearly 18,000 of the inhabitants of the
county in 1855 lived in these twenty-seven vil-
lages,' while the population of the county out-

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

side of their limits remained nearly the same
as it was twenty-five years before, the villages
having increased nearly four fold.

It is interesting and may be hereafter use-
ful to mark not only the changes in the popula-
tion, but also the conditions of our climate as
it has been from time to time. The winter o£
i^55"56 was of great severity. Commencing
about Christmas, the cold continued for one
hundred days with scarcely a thaw ; snow fell
more or less each day. The railroads were
often blocked with snow, and the trains at
times ceased to run. The mail route between
Jamestown and Dunkirk was filled with drifts,
and for a week, as late as in March, no New
York or Buffalo mails were received at James-
town. When the blockade was broken, fifteen
mail bags were received within forty-eight
hours at the village post office. The following
are the thermometer records from the diary of
an old resident of the county. The figures
given all mean below zero: January 7, 1856,
2 below; 8th, 8; 9th, 22; 26th, 23; February
3rd, 24; 6th, 14; I2th, 17; 13th, 22; 14th, 28;
19th, 25; March 7th, 2; 9th, 14; loth, 24; 12th,
6; 13th, 5; 30th, 4; April ist, zero. Apple,
peach and plumb trees were so injured by the
cold that many died.

The county of Chautauqua was always one
of the largest producers of maple sugar among
sections of a like area in the United States.
Maple trees were abundant in every town of
the county. According to the census of 1850,
767,653 pounds of maple sugar were made.
Harmony produced the most, 87,422. Char-
lotte was by far the greatest producer accord-
ing to its area; that year it produced 69,195
pounds. Busti came next with 60,350, Stock-
ton 55,685, Villenova, 49,216. Sheridan pro-
duced the least, 2,400. In 1857 the maple sugar
production in the county was greater than in
any previous year. Over a million pounds
were made.

Early in the morning of May 22, 1859, Cor-
nelius Lynch, a farm hand in the employ of
James Battles, a substantial farmer of the town
of Charlotte, was found in the barn of Mr.
Battles, bleeding and insensible, and so badlv
injured by wounds upon his face and head thai
he died during the day without recovering con-
sciousness. Martin, son of James Battles, was
arrested for the killing of Lynch, and was tried
at the June court the next year. He was abl}^
defended by Madison Burnell, Austin Smith
and James A. Allen. John F. Smith, the dis-
trict attorney, represented the people. He made
a very able plea that occupied eight hours in
the delivery. The plea of Mr. Burnell in de-

fense of the prisoner was a powerful effort, and
was the last important case that Mr. Burnell
tried. The jury brought in a verdict of guilty.
The sentence of Judge Richard P. Marvin, the
judge who presided, was that the prisoner
should be confined in prison for one year, and
then executed on the warrant of the governor.
This was in accordance with the statutes as
they then existed. The defendant, by his attor-
ney, James A. Allen, appealed the case to the
general term, and the verdict was set aside
upon the ground that the law was unconstitu-
tional.

The year 1859 is memorable for the great
June frost. A more flattering and propitious
spring had seldom been known. June 3rd the
air became cold and chilly, rain prevailed,
which changed to snow the next morning.
During night the thermometer fell to the freez-
ing point. The ice froze from one-half to one
inch thick. The ground was frozen to a cor-
responding depth. Just a week later, June
nth, occurred a frost even more severe than
that of June 4th. All of the grass, fruit, corn,
winter grain and other crops were killed. The
leaves upon the maple, the ash, and all the nut-
bearing trees, were killed, and in a few days
later all the foliage was yellow ; the trees ap-
peared as if scorched by fire. Nature presented
a most desolate appearance which continued
through much of the summer ; even the shrub-
bery and young saplings were killed. The ter-
ritory that suffered by this calamity extended
0S far west as the middle of Ohio, north into
Canada, south to Pittsburgh, and nearly to
Cincinnati.

Up to the meeting of the board of super-
visors in the fall of 1859, the name of the
county had been spelled Chautauque. This
spelling it was believed was not in accordance
with its pronunciation by the aborigines. Upon
the petition of Hon. E. T. Foote and others, a
lesolution was adopted by the board on Octo-
ber nth, 1859, directing its clerk in all records
and correspondence to spell the name of the
county Chautauqua. The resolution directed
the county clerk to change the seal accord-
ingly.

August 26th, 1859, Col. E. L. Drake sunk the
fi.rst oil well at Titusville, Pennsylvania, and
at a depth of seventy-one feet struck oil. His
success produced startling results. Great ex-
citement followed throughout the country.
Chautauqua county was contiguous to the oil
region, consequently the excitement there be-
came intense. The county by a direct line was
not more than twenty miles from either the
Tidioute oil belt, or the great Bradford field;

itiili
jit

AGRICULTURAL PERIOD— 1851-1861

so near it was, that Chautauquans were con-
stantly reminded of the great mines of mineral
wealth so little distance from their boundaries,
by the light of the burning wells of gas and
oil nightly reflected upon the sky. They often
came in communication with operators and
speculators whose minds were filled with
bright visions of wealth to be made in oil, and
many of our county people became in a meas-
ure infected with a mania for speculation.
Some made fortunes, others lost all they had.

Among those connected with our county and
successful in oil operations, were some who by
their ability and enterprise assisted greatly to
develop the industry. Dr. Francis B. Brewer
became interested in petroleum years before
Col. Drake put down the first oil well, and was
among the first to direct attention to its vir-
tues, and to move in an enterprise to develop
its production. Dr. Brewer afterwards became
a distinguished citizen of the county, represent-
ing it and Cattaraugus county in Congress.
Cyrus D. Angell, a native of Hanover, in Chau-
tauqua county, in 1867 became interested in
and had charge of the Belle Island Petroleum
Company, of which William C. Fargo of Buf-
falo was president. Four years later, Mr.
Angell became the owner of its stock. This
company was among the most successful in the
oil country. Among the citizens of Chautau-
qua county in one way or another largely in-
terested in or connected with this company or
with Mr. Angell in the oil business, were C. R.
Lockwood, W. T. Botsford, Amos K. War-
ren, John R. Robertson, Sherman Williams.
William Leet, C. G. Maples, T. S. Moss and
Dr. Cory.

Mr. Angell, by his intelligent observation
and study of the subject, and by practical tests
and surveys, established the truth of the theory
that petroleum deposits were to be found ex-
tending in courses, in a fixed direction through
the oil country ; a knowledge that has proved
of recognized and practical value to oil men.
One of the principal oil producing belts bears
his name. Among the citizens of Chautauqua
county to be named who have acted a promi-
nent part in the development of the oil indus-
try and have been more or less successful in
mining operations, may be mentioned Haskell
L. Taylor, who was born in Stockton. He and
others organized the well known oil firm of
H. L. Taylor & Co., which became at one time
the largest producer in the oil country. This
company reorganized as the Union Oil Com-
pany, with Mr. Taylor as its president, finally

sold out to the Standard Oil Company for
$3,000,000.

Charles E. Hequembourg, who was born in
Dunkirk and was once its mayor, with Dr. J.
T. Williams, Mr. Avery and others of Dun-
kirk, organized the Bradford Oil and Gas Com-
pany. This company developed a large oil and
gas interest in McKean county, Pennsylvania,
and also in Allegany county. New York, and
for a while supplied the city of Bradford with
gas for fuel and illuminating purposes. Frank
M. Johnson, who was born at Westfield. be-
came a resident of Bradford and was largely
interested in oil in that city, in McKean county,
and in the Ohio and Indiana oil fields. J. W.
and F. A. Griffith, both born in Kiantone, were
oil men, as were E. M. Cobb, born in Gerry,
and Frank A. Wilbur, born in Fluvanna.

LTntil pipe lines afl:"orded better means for
the conveyance of crude oil to the refineries,
long trains of petroleum cars, upon each of
which were mounted great upright wooden
cisterns, and later huge cylindrical metal oil
tanks topped with low cupolas, were constantly
passing over the New York, Pennsylvania &
Ohio railroad, the BuiTalo & Oil Creek Cross-
cut railroad connecting Corry with Brocton,
and the Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley & Pitts-
burgh railroad. The last two named, when
built, were intended for oil roads, and both
communicated directly with the oil region,
passing through Chautauqua county on their
way to the refineries. Sometimes it would
happen that a long train would take fire. If
this happened in the night-time, the country
for miles around would be illuminated by the
flames. Such an occurrence once happened on
the Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley & Pittsburgh
railroad as a train was passing northward
through Wheelers Gulf, in the town of Pom-
fret.

In i860, occurred an event of more sub-
stantial and permanent value to Chautauqua
county than the discovery and development of
oil in Northwestern Pennsylvania. That year
the Atlantic & Great Western railroad was
completed through the southern towns. For
nine years the lake towns of the county had
enjoyed railroad facilities, while the southern
towns were wholly without them. Jamestown
was much the largest village south of the
ridge. It possessed better facilities for manu-
facturing, and was so situated as to command
a larger trade than any other village in the
county, consequently, prior to the completion
of the Erie road to Dunkirk, it had realized a

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

more rapid growth than any other village in
the county. But during the ten years that had
just expired, the growth of Dunkirk had been
greater. The latter village had now nearly
double the population of Jamestown. Even
Fredonia had not much less than Jamestown,
and Westfield more than half its number of
inhabitants. At this time, aside from such
goods and commodities as were transported to
and from Jamestown over Chautauqua Lake
and down the Allegheny river, they were all
carried in wagons and sleighs. The principal
part of the merchandise brought into James-
town was conveyed over the plank roads be-
tween Jamestov,-n and Dunkirk, a distance of
thirty miles, and sometimes from Little Valley
in Cattaraugus county. The gas wells of Penn-
sylvania had not then been developed, nor was
gas there manufactured for the uses of the
village ; it was then lighted by oil and kerosene
used in lamps. The transportation of coal to
Jamestown was too expensive. The village
was chiefly heated by wood fires. That fuel
was used in the manufactories, consequently
Jamestown for many years was an excellent
wood market for the country around. Farm-
ers also of the southern part of the county
were not in the enjoyment of the advantages
that the railroads gave their fellow farmers in
the northern part of the county. This was evi-
denced by the superior improvements and con-
ditions of the farms in the northern towns ;
there the dwellings were of more modern
architecture and the lands better cultivated.
The southern portion of the county remained
a retired rural district until i860.

For energy and business enterprise, the citi-
zens of Jamestown had never been surpassed
by those of any other locality in the county.
They entertained projects for securing rail-
road facilities before the Erie railroad was
completed to Dunkirk. September 24, 1850, a
meeting was held at Jamestown, of which
Joseph Wait was chairman, at which a com-
mittee was appointed to confer with the peo-
ple of Erie, Pennsylvania, and the New York
& Erie Railroad Company, with reference to
the building of a railroad from Little Vialley
to Erie, through Jamestown, Randolph, Ash-
ville and Panama. In the fall of that year, a
favorable route was found by the way of Find-
ley Lake.

The Erie & New York City railroad was
organized in 1852, and during the summer of
that year a line beginning at the New York
& Erie railroad in Cattaraugus county was
surveyed through Jamestown, Ashville and

Sherman to intersect the Erie & North-East
railroad, two miles beyond the State line be-
tween New York and Pennsylvania. Breaking
ground took place in Randolph, Cattaraugus
county. May 19, 1853. Speeches were made by
the president of the company, Benjamin Cham-
berlain, Richard P. Marvin, Madison Burnell
and William Metcalf of Erie, Pennsylvania.
Work was commenced upon the railroad the
same day where now is the village of .Sala-
manca, and in August at Jamestown. A little
later work was commenced in the town of
Harmony, and in December in Sherman.

In December, 1858, the Atlantic & Great
Western Railroad Company of New York was i
organized at Jamestown. Henry Baker, Wil-j
Ham Hall, Augustus F. Allen, Bradford Bur-
lin, Sumner Allen, Robert Newland, W. D.
Shaw of Jamestown and Daniel Williams of
Ashville were the Chautauqua county directors.
This road commenced in Cattaraugus county,
where now is the village of Salamanca. The
first thirty-eight miles of the Erie & New
York City railroad, extending from Salamanca
to five miles west of Jamestown, was adopted,
thence it extended to a point near the south-
west corner of the town of Harmony. It was,
intended that this road should, be further con-
tinued until the valley of the Mississippi andl
ultimately the Pacific coast should be united'
by it with New York City and the Atlantic
Ocean.

April 26, i860, the engineers placed their
instruments upon the new line. On the 3rd
of July the iron was laid to Randolph, and Au-
gust 24, i860, cars first arrived at Main street,
in Jamestown, witnessed by a multitude of
people, the band on the train playing the air,
"Ain't I glad to get out of the wilderness?" A
complimentary dinner was given at the James-
town House to Thomas W. Kennard, the Eng-
lish engineer. J. W. Hill, the associate Ameri-
can engineer ; Sig. T. Deosdados, agent for Don
Jose de Salamanca : Sig. Navarro, agent for the
Duke de Rienzares, and other representatives
of Spanish interests in this country ; John God-
dard, of London, and Robert Thallon, of New
York, who came on the train, and many other
invited guests, were present. Col. Augustus
F. Allen presided. Toasts were given and
speeches made by William H. Lowry, Col. A.
F. Allen. Selden Marvin and C. D. Sackett.

The building of the road was promoted by
Spanish capital, advanced by intelligent bank-
ers. It was the first time in the history of
American railroads that they had been given
substantial support in Spain. In honor of Don

AGRICULTURAL PERIOD— 1851-1861

Jose de Salamanca, one of the Spanish gentle-
men who had contributed liberally to the pro-
motion of the enterprise, the eastern terminus
of the road was called Salamanca, a name full
of romantic memories to those familiar with
Spanish literature. The road was completed
to Corry in May, 1861 ; to Meadville, Pennsyl-
vania, in October, and to Akron, Ohio, Janu-
ary 19, 1862. To the energy and business abil-
ity of Col. A. F. Allen, of Jamestown, more
than to any other, were the people of Chau-
tauqua indebted for the successful result of
this effort. As soon as the road was com-
pleted, the people of Southern Chautauqua
began to realize great benefit from it, and
Jamestown again took the lead of all the vil-
lages of the county in growth and business
enterprise, which it has ever since maintained.
The railroads began to benefit all pursuits.
They gave a market value to products which
before had none. Before the railroads were
built, sheep had been slaughtered in great
numbers for their pelts and hams (the latter
were worth one cent a pound) and for their
tallow, which was manufactured into candles.
The carcasses were thrown away. Herman
and Abner Camp, brothers, commenced the
manufacture of candles about the year 1846 at
Sinclairville. Twenty tons of tallow was
manufactured into candles in 1847, and fifty
tons in 1848. The Camps then removed their
factory to Dunkirk, where on a more perfect
and extensive scale they continued to manu-
facture candles from mutton tallow. They
had invented and patented a process by which
newly made candles were withdrawn from the
mold. A candle when withdrawn would draw
after it into the mold the wick for another
candle. Their invention greatly shortened and
cheapened the labor of manufacturing.

An interesting circumstance occurred while
they were in business at Dunkirk which should
be related. The Italian patriot. Garibaldi,
after many battles and adventures in the wars
of South America and in the contest with the
French and x^ustrians. was banished from
Italy. In the summer of 1850 he came to New
York, where a public reception was tendered
him, which he declined. In order to earn a liv-
ing during his banishment, he made soap and
candles for a while on Staten Island. After-
wards he made voyages at sea from New York.
Ultimately he returned to Italy, and became
famous for the distinguished part that he took
in the wars and politics of Europe. While in
the candle business on Staten Island, he made
a trip to Dunkirk to visit the candle factory of
jthe Camp Brothers. He was entertained over

night at the residence of Herman Camp in
Dunkirk, meantime negotiating with the
Camps for the purchase of the patent for the
manufacture of candles. No agreement was
completed, however.

After the Erie railroad was completed, many
old-time vocations were nearly abandoned.
Other exports and imports, except such as were
shipped on Lake Erie or upon the Conewango
and Allegheny rivers, were carried over the
roads leading into the county in wagons, and
teaming was a common employment. Over
the main road extending east and west through
the north towns of the county, and over the
highways leading south from Dunkirk and
Fredonia through Sinclairville and Delanti to
Jamestown and Warren, Pennsylvania, and
from Westfield to Mayville, and the south-
western towns of the county, much freight was
transported and many persons were engaged
during much of their lives in this emplo^•ment.
Alfred Austin, an old teamster of Sinclairville,
in the twenty-three years that he was on the
road, made three thousand four hundred fifty
trips between Fredonia and Sinclairville witli
a loaded team, traveling a distance equal to
107,000 miles, or more than four times around
the earth at the equator. With the construc-
tion of railroads, this business practically
ceased, and the old teamsters, their team horses
and wagons, became things of the past.

Staging was formerly an important occupa-
tion. All travel west of Buffalo, after the close
of navigation each year, passed through the
northern towns of the county in stages. Some-
times in the spring the ice would drift down
Lake Erie and obstruct entrance into Buffalo.
Boats coming down the lake at such times
would land their passengers at Silver Creek to
be taken to Buffalo in stages or post coaches,
assembled there for that purpose. Thirty and
more stage coaches have been known to be in
waiting at one time. Even during the summer
months, much travel passed through Chau-
tauqua. In some years, steamboats from Buf-
falo connected with stages for the west at
Dunkirk, thus avoiding the bad roads east of
the Cattaraugus creek. Besides passengers,
the stages carried the local mail, and, in the
winter time the through mails to the west,
sometimes two tons in weight, requiring -i
coach exclusively devoted to that purpose.
Adams Express matter was first carried
through the county in stages over this route.
These old coaches were owned and run by the
Ohio Stage Company. They were drawn by
four horses, and were large enough to carry
twelve persons within, the driver and several

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

persons outside. They were well constructed,
graceful in form, and comfortable for passen-
gers. The oval body of the coach rested on
strong leathern straps called thorough-braces,
which gave an easy, rocking motion when
moving. The driver's seat was well up in
front. There was a leather-covered boot for
baggage behind.

When the Lake Shore railroad was com-
pleted, the old stage route was abandoned, and
the stage coaches and their drivers were trans-
ferred to the Far West and beyond the Missis-
sippi. The writer remembers in 1855 to have
seen many of the old stage coaches of the Ohio
Stage Company in use on the stage route be-
tween Dubuque and Cedar Falls, in Iowa.

The stage route next in importance was that
from Dunkirk and Fredonia, through Sinclair-
ville and Jamestown to Warren in Pennsyl-
vania. This route was a principal outlet for
travel from Jamestown and Warren, and these
old-fashioned post or stage coaches were in
use over it. Stage coaches were also run from
Westfield to Mayville, and thence alternately
along the east and west shores of Chautauqua
Lake to Jamestown. These four-horse coaches
were also used on the stage route from Fre-
donia through Forestville to Gowanda in Cat-
taraugus county. With the building of later
railroads in Chautauqua county these leading
stage routes, one by one, were discontinued
and the stages were run only between unim-
portant points in vehicles less pretentious.

The old-fashioned inn disappeared also.
Taverns where liquors were sold during the
first half century of the history of the county
were very numerous. Even on the less im-
portant roads there were many taverns.
Thickly sprinkled along unimportant country
roads in many parts of the county, at this day
may be seen old farm houses, usually more
pretentious than their neighbors, that were
once taverns, where there is now no need for
an inn whatever. On the main or stage road
from Buffalo to Erie, in the northern part of
the county, they were still more frequent.
Judge L. Bugbee says that on the completion
of the Erie road the emigrant wagons all dis-
appeared with the country taverns. The stage
routes running east and west were abandoned
about the same time.

After the completion of the Erie road, cattle,
hogs and other live stock were taken to market
exclusively by rail. Particular attention was
given by that company to the transportation
of livestock from the time it began operations.
Before it was completed they went on foot

hundreds of miles over the long roads leading
to Troy, Albany, New York and Philadelphia.
The latter city formed the principal market for
the cattle of Chautauqua county. There they
stood highest in the list for quality, which was
due to the measures early taken by Judge Pea-
cock to improve its breeds. Droves of cattle
during the summer months followed each
other in quick succession over the long hoof-
beaten roads leading to Philadelphia. One
hundred twenty droves, averaging one hun-
dred twenty-five head of cattle each, passed
the Love Stand in Gerry on the old Chau-
tauqua road (that being then the direct road
to the East for livestock) in a single season.
Thousands of cattle were at the same time
passing over other routes through the county.
They were usually sold to stock dealers and
farmers of Eastern Pennsylvania, to be fat-
tened and fitted for market upon the rich
farms lying in the vicinity of Philadelphia.

In 1851 lumbering was still an important in-
dustry. In the southeastern portion of the
county it led all the rest. By far the greater
part of the lumber and shingles exported from
the county went down the Conewango and
Allegheny rivers in rafts. The great amount
of lumber so transported involved the employ-
ment of many strong men in rafting it down
the rivers. The service of these men was
almost wholly dispensed with when railroads
reached the lumber country.

Railroads also brought to the county new
employments and new vocations with which
the reader is more familiar. The changes we
have cited will sufficiently show the great revo-
lution that railroads made in the conditions
before existing and the improvements in the
fortunes of its people. Indeed, the ten years
that last preceded the Civil War, was a period
of prosperity. Railroads brought with them a
great reduction in the price of all articles im-
ported into the county, and also a material
increase in the price of farming products, and
consequently a rise in farm rents and in the
value of real estate. Labor was in demand,
and consequently wages increased. The build-
ing of plank roads extended the advantage en-
joyed along the chief highways of travel to
interior and remote parts of the county.
Money was reasonably plenty. In the smaller,
as well as the larger villages, new buildings
were erected, and improvements made. Their
years of privation being ended, the people were
satisfied with their present prosperity. The
feverish desire to accumulate great wealth had
not taken possession of them. At no time was

fe'^

.TAJIES MONTGOMERY
First TOH-n Clerk of Chautauqua Crninty

■.EXKRAT. (;h:ol:(;K STi^XEMAN

COLONEL JAMES M. BROWN

JUDGE AVILLLAM PEACOCK

AGRICULTURAL PERIOD— 1851-1861

such genuine and universal happiness enjoyed
by the people of the county, as in the decade
that ended with the year i860.

But during this period one grave subject lay
heavily upon the public mind, and was seri-

ously disturbing its peace. Its close marks the
beginning of a most momentous period in the
history of our country — the beginning of the
Civil War, the events of which have left their
impression as deeply here as elsewhere.

CHAPTER XIL

The Agricultural Period — 1861-1875.

During the Civil War, few events of conse-
quence occurred in Chautauqua county that
were not in some way connected with it. The
minds of the people were too much occupied
with its serious phases and its exciting inci-
dents, to engage in many enterprises of impor-
tance. Besides, the greater part of the young
and enterprising men were away with the
army. Had it not been for new and improved
farming utensils, particularly the mowing ma-
chine, which was introduced into use about
that time, it is difficult to see how, owing to
the scarcity of laboring men, the hay and other
crops raised by the farmer could have been
secured. Yet for the time being, farming and
other industries seemed to be in a prosperous
condition. This was in a great measure due
to the inflated currency. One dollar in gold
was at one time worth $2.98 in greenbacks, but-
ter reached over fifty-five cents per pound, and
■and more than doubled in value. We will
aow note in succession the events of more
than ordinary importance that occurred within
the county during the war and in the years
following it. On the night of January 31, 1861,
1 fire in Jamestown destroyed the entire block
Dn the west side of Main street from Second
;o Third street, and also the Allen block then
occupying the east side of Main street from
Third street down to William H. Lowry's
juilding. The fire also destroyed the Allen
Souse barn and the livery stable, as well as
he Shaw Hotel block which then occupied the
vest side of Main street and the north side of
Third street, where now stands the Prender-
!;ast block, and as far north as Samuel A.
Brown's house. In February of that year, fire
imits were established in that village, and the
amestown Gas Light Compan}' was organ-
zed. October 8th of the same year, another
ire occurred in Jamestown, in which twenty
luildings were burned, including a church and

hotel. Jamestown had no sufficient water
upph', and many of its houses were built of
v'ood. consequently it was afflicted with a re-
narkable number of destructive conflagrations.

In March, 1864, a soldier enlisted from a
3wn in Cattaraugus county, named McDon-

Chau— 5

aid, went into McBride's saloon in Dunkirk,
where he met William Battles. They with
others engaged in a game of cards, in the
course of which a dispute arose between Mc-
Donald and Battles regarding $10 which had
been staked. Battles grasped the money and
threatened to burn it. McDonald forbade the
burning, whereupon Battles placed a pistol at
McDonald's head and discharged it. The ball
entered the brain, producing death. Battles
was tried in Mayville at the September court.
Hon. George Barker, the district attorney, ap-
peared for the people, and Hon. F. S. Edwar-ls
and William M. Newton for the prisoner.
Battles was convicted of murder in the first
degree, and hung in Mayville jail. He was the
second person executed in the county for crime.

A remarkable rain storm passed over a por-
tion of the counties of Chautauqua and Catta-
raugus in September, 1865. The rain began to
fall in Ellington at 10 o'clock in the forenoon
and continued without intermission until 2 p.
m. Mill dams above the village upon Twenty
Eight creek which passes through the town,
gave way. Suddenly, and without warning to
the inhabitants, a great flood reached the vil-
lage, carrying away houses and barns. The
Baptist church was lifted by the water and car-
ried against the hotel, which was swept from
its foundations. Its landlord, Mr. Torrey,
barelv escaped drowning ; stores and other
buildings were crushed or carried away. Not
a bridge was left in the vicinity. Gardens were
devastated, and heaps of floodwood piled along
the valley. The most deplorable occurrence
was the drowning of the four small children of
William A. Mattocks. His house was isolated
by the water before the danger was realized
and before assistance could be rendered.

In 1865 the Buffalo & Oil Creek Cross Cut
railroad was chartered. Its name was subse-
quently changed to the Buffalo, Corry & Pitts-
burgh railroad. It connects Corry in Pennsyl-
vania with Brocton in this county, where it
joins the Lake Shore & ]\Iichigan Southern
road. Its length is 43.20 miles ; the portion
lying in this State is 37.20 miles in length, and
terminates at the State line, which there forms

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

the south line of Clymer. The two were con-
solidated April 24th, 1867.

August 7th, 1867, occurred an important
event in the interest of education, in the laying
of the cornerstone of the State Normal School
at Fredonia by the Masons.

November 3rd, 1868, in the course of an
altercation, Henry Koch killed Daniel Calla-
han, in a saloon on Third street in Dunkirk.
On the trial, District Attorney B. F. Skinner,
assisted by Hon. Lorenzo Morris and W. W.
Holt, appeared for the people, Hon. F. S. Ed-
wards, N. H. Hill and A. J. Cook for the pris-
oner. The trial resulted in a verdict of man-
slaughter in the third degree.

In November, 1869, the Brooks Locomotive
Works of Dunkirk was organized with H. G.
Brooks, president, and Marshall L. Hinman,
secretary and treasurer, and a capital stock of
$350,000. These extensive works have grown
into a great industry, one of the first of the
kind in the world and the most important of
any in the county. In 1901 its employes num-
bered 2600 men and it made 382 locomotives
that year. It has added greatly to the busi-
ness importance and reputation of Chautauqua
county. Horatio G. Brooks, who established
these locomotive works, and to whose business
ability their success has been chiefly due, was
born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He was
in early life a locomotive engineer. In 1850 he
brought the first locomotive to Dunkirk for
the New York and Erie railroad. He blew the
first locomotive whistle ever heard in Chau-
tauqua county. In 1862 he became superin-
tendent of the Western Division of the Erie
railroad, and in 1865 superintendent of motive
power of the entire Erie railroad. Upon his
death in 1887, he was succeeded as president
of the company by Edward Nichols, who died
January 7th, 1892, and was succeeded by Mar-
shall L. Hinman.

February 4th, 1870. the Sinclairville Library
Association was founded. It is the oldest cir-
culating library in the county. December 12th,
1894, it was chartered a Free Library by the
name of the Sinclairville Free Library. It is
the Second Free Library established in the
county, being only preceded by the Prender-
gast Library of Jamestown. Monday, August
14th, 1871, occurred the most fearful disaster
that ever happened on Chautauqua Lake. The
steamer "Chautauqua," with thirty people on
board, on its afternoon trip up the lake, turned
into Whitney's Bay, on the west side about
midwav between Bemus Point and Mayville,
to wood up. As she lay at the dock her boiler
exploded. Such was the force of the explosion

that the boiler was torn to fragments and it
front part blown a distance of ten rods, cut
ting a tree a foot in diameter half through
The water and land for twenty rods each wa^
were strewn with wreckage, with here an-
there a mangled and bleeding body. The nois:
of the explosion was heard for many mile^
In half an hour physicians were there fron
Mayville. Mrs. Perry Aiken was instantb
killed ; her body was found fastened betweei
the stumps of two trees that had stood upoi
the shore. Mrs. Jerusha Hopkins lay dea(
upon the beach, crushed and mangled. Henr
Cook, a colored boy. was killed instantly. Mis
Julia S. Hopkins, Miss Eunice Hopkins. Mis
Elizabeth Witt Ells and Samuel Bartholomev
died from their injuries soon after the catastrc:
phe. The body of Mrs. J. C. Cochran, of Buf
falo, was found the next day fifteen rods fror
the wreck and ten rods from the shore, at th
bottom of the lake. Eight in all were killed o
died. Fifteen others were seriously woundec
among them Capt. James M. Murray, his thig
being broken ; also Alvin Plumb and Majo
W infield S. Cameron, prominent citizens of th
county.

June 22nd, 1871, the first passenger trai
passed over the IDunkirk, Allegheny Valley i
Pittsburgh railroad. No event more favorah
to Dunkirk had occurred since the completio
of the Erie road. The road runs southerl
from Dunkirk, along the picturesque ground
of the Spiritualists at Cassadaga Lake, througn
good agricultural lands in this county, term
nating at Titusville in the State of Pennsyl
vania. It is ninety miles long. It gave Duii
kirk access to the coal, oil and lumber regioni

One of the earliest projects ever entertainc
for the building of a railroad west of the All
gheny river was conceived by the people <
W^arren, Pennsylvania. In 1832 or 1833
charter was granted by the Legislature
Pennsylvania for a railroad to follow the valle
of the Conewango north from Warren. ]
1853 this project was revived by the peop
of Warren, and seventeen hundred shares <
stock were obtained to build a road under tl
name of the Warren Pine Grove railroad. Tt
project was never consummated until the buih
ing of the Dunkirk, Warren & Pittsburgh ra:
road in 1871. The first public moveme:
toward building the latter road was made at
meeting held in 1866 by the citizens of Sii
clairville, at which Hon. C. J. Allen preside'
The next winter the company was organize
as the Dunkirk. Warren & Pittsburgh Railroa
Company. Timothy D. Copp was chosei
president, Hon. George Barker vice-presidenii

AGRICULTURAL PERIOD— 1861-1875

and S. AI. Newton engineer. By an act of the
Legislature, towns were authorized to sub-
scribe to its capital stock and $238,000 was sub-
scribed by towns along the route of the road,
which constituted substantially the capital
upon which the road was built. Many diffi-
culties rendered the completion of the road a
matter of much doubt for a time. To the abil-
ity and vigilance of Stephen M. Newton, of
Dunkirk, the chief engineer and a director, was
the completion of the road chiefly due.

August 20th, 1871, Myron Eddy, a deputy
sheriff of Jamestown, received a dispatch from
the Police Department of Dunkirk directing
him to arrest Charles Marlow, of Jamestown,
a German, for the crime of murder. When this
order was received it was supposed that some
mistake had been made, as Marlow was known
in Jamestown as an industrious, well-behaved
citizen. It was soon discovered that a most
foul crime had been committed. The murder
was perpetrated in the cellar of the old brew-
ery in the suburbs of the village, just under the
brink of the hill on the west side of Main street,
opposite its point of intersection with Kent
street. The old brewery has long since gone
and its place is occupied by dwellings. A
church now stands hard by the spot.

Valentine Benkowski, a poor Russian Pole,
had the month before landed in New York,
and stopped two days in Dunkirk among his
countrymen. In less than a week he was em-
ployed by Marlow, who understood his lan-
guage, as a common laborer. About three
weeks later William Bachman, an itinerant
German, came to Marlow's and was enter-
tained by him over night. In the morning
Marlow told Benkowski that Bachman claimed
to have $6,000 in money. Marlow's manner
when he made this remark, and other sus-
picious conduct, led Benkowski to believe that
some crime was meditated, so later in the day
when Marlow went down into the cellar with
Bachman, Benkowski listened. Soon he heard
a pistol shot. It was not until the next day
that Benkowski found an opportunity to go
into the cellar. He then discovered that the
cellar stairs had been recently washed, and
saw traces of blood as if a body had been
dragged along the cellar floor to the furnace,
where there was evidence that a hot fire had
been burning. These and other circumstances
made him sure that a murder had been com-
mitted. He could communicate his suspicions
to no one, for he understood no English. With-
out giving a reason for his abrupt departure,
he set out for Dunkirk, where there were many

of his countrymen. Benkowski went on foot
to Sinclairville and stopped over night. The
next day he went by rail to Dunkirk. On his
arrival he told his countrymen, and they in-
formed the police. Benkowski, Orsino E.
Jones, a leading citizen of Jamestown who
happened to be in Dunkirk, and also a mem-
ber of the police force of Dunkirk, went to
Jamestown and made a diligent search of the
brewery premises. In the ashes of the furnace
they found the bones and teeth of a man, and
also ivory bosom studs like those worn by
Bachman.

Marlow was indicted and tried at Mayville.
District Attorney B. F. Skinner and Hon.
Lorenzo Morris appeared for the people ; Hon.
Porter Sheldon and C. R. Lockwood, Esq., ap-
peared for Marlow. On the trial, which lasted
nearly two weeks, Mrs. Julia Ortman, the aged
mother-in-law of Alarlow, testified that she
killed Bachman with a hammer in the cellar of
the brewery in defence of her daughter, Mrs.
Marlow, and afterwards she and her daughtCi'
without the assistance of Marlow burned the
body in the furnace. The jury failed to agree.
A second trial was held in January, 1872, be-
fore Justice George D. Lament. E. R. Bootev,
then district attorney, and Lorenzo Morris,
conducted the trial for the people, and C. R.
Lockwood and Porter Sheldon for Marlow.
The jury this time rendered a verdict of guilty.
Marlow was hung in Mayville jail. This was
the third execution of a human being for a
crime within the limits of Chautauqua county.

Train No. 6, consisting of an engine, tender,
baggage and passenger cars, going north on
the Buffalo, Corry & Pittsburgh railroad, Fay
Flanders conductor, left Mayville at 3:15 p. m.,
December 24, 1872. A trestle work three hun-
dred twenty feet long spanned a deep gulch
about five miles north of Mayville and ten rods
north of Prospect Station. The engine of the
train passed over the trestle at a low rate of
speed, as it approached Prospect Station. A
broken flange on a wheel of the tender threw
its rear truck off the track, which caused the
baggage and passenger cars to topple, turn
over, and fall bottom up on the hard snow be-
neath. It was a cold day, and the cars were
heated by stoves, from which the coals were
scattered by the crash and set fire to the cars.
There were forty-five persons on the train, of
whom thirtj'-eight were passengers, many re-
turning home or going to visit friends and cele-
brate Christmas the next day. The weight c f
the passenger car crushed some of the inmates
and held others wedged in so tightly that thev

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

could not escape. The people quickly gathered
to check the flames and rescue the passengers.
In the absence of water, snow was heaped upon
the flames. Holes were cut into the car where
the flames would admit it, in an ineffectual
attempt to release those imprisoned. Chains
and ropes were employed in efl:orts to pull over
the cars, and oxen were used with a like pur-
pose, without avail. When the fire had burned
low, a terrible and ghastly scene was wit-
nessed. Eighteen dead bodies, bruised and
burned, were taken out. Of the forty-five per-
sons on the train, but five escaped with slight
injuries, thirty-two were killed, burned to
death, or died from their injuries. Mark
Haight, of the firm of Moss, Haight & Dun-
ham, bankers, of Brocton, was firmly held by
the timbers of the car. Jack screws were ob-
tained and the timbers lifted so that he could
be taken out, but he was so fearfully burned
that he expired two hours later. His partner,
Mr. Dunham, who was sitting beside him, was
rescued with slight injury. Of the twin broth-
ers, Edwin H. and Edward Bell, one was in-
stantly killed and the other escaped. Of two
Ryan brothers, one was killed the other
escaped. Wilbur T. Rice and his bride, who
had been married a few weeks before, were
both killed. Catherine Riley, of Titusville, on
her way to visit her mother at Dunkirk, Frank
Green and his wife, all met their death. Fay
Flanders, the conductor, while wedged into tht.
wreck by timbers, but with his body and arms
at liberty and suffering pain, even aided the
rescue of a little girl who was a passenger on
the train. Flanders exhibited great coolness
and resolution in his dire extremity. At hi.i
suggestion a chain was put round his body,
and by the effort of many strong men he was
drawn out. His ribs were broken and his limbs
torn and bvtrned, and yet he survived a few
days and died. Frank Taylor stayed by his
brake, although he could have escaped, and
lost his life.

The Prospect railroad accident was the most
terrible tragedy that ever occurred within the
limits of Chautauqua county, excepting the
burning of the steamboat "Erie" in 1841. In
few accidents of this kind that ever happened
was the percentage of loss of life so great.

Jamestown, from the time of its settlement,
was the leading manufacturing town of the
county. It long had been celebrated for its
implements, furniture, wood, cloth and textile
manufactures. But in 1873 the most impor-
tant manufacturing industry of the city was
established. Before, no attempt had been

made to manufacture worsted goods west of
Philadelphia. That year William Hall, W'il-
liam Broadhead and Joseph Tanner established
the Jamestown Worsted Mills, at first called
the Alpaca Mills. The machinery was made
in England, and many of its skilled operatives
came from that country. It quickly grew to
large proportions, and its business is now con-
ducted on an extensive scale, its products
known from Boston to San Francisco. Even-
tually William Broadhead retired, and the
name of the firm finally became Hall & Com-
panv. W. C. J. Hall, Chapin Hall, Erie L.
Hall, Elliot C. Hall, Mrs. Rose E. Kent, Alfred
E. Hall and Samuel Briggs all have been mem-
bers of this firm. This industry has contrib-
uted greatly to the prosperity of Jamestown.

William Broadhead and his sons, S. B. and
A. N. Broadhead, under the firm name of
Broadhead & Sons, not long afterwards estab
lished other very extensive textile manufac-
tories in Jamestown which are giving thou-
sands of people employment or daily support.
Jamestown owes much of its growth and pres-
ent prosperity to the energy and bvisiness abil-
ity of the Broadhead family.

Chautauqua county had now come to the
front as one of the first agricultural counties
in the State. Its farmers used improved and
scientific methods of dairying. Chautauqua
county butter and cheese bore a reputation for
excellence. The county had become famous
for its horses and cattle and apples, all of which
were exported in great abundance. Judge
Zattu Cushing, when he came to the county
in 1805, brought with him a half bushel of
apple seeds from which a nursery was started
on what is known as the Marsh farm at Fre-
donia. This was probably the oldest orchard
in the county. Many other early settlers plant-
ed their first orchard with scions and with
apple seeds brought with them into the county,
selected from favorite varieties that were
raised at their old homes in the East. Among
them were Spitzenburghs, Seek-no-furthers,
Roxbury Russets, Rhode Island Greenings and
other excellent and now forgotten kinds. There
were also many worthless kinds, useful only
for cider, which have been supplanted by the
standard varieties of later years. The apples
of the hills in the central part of the county
were better in quality than those raised in the
northern towns, but the early frosts rendered
the former a more uncertain crop. Pears,
plums, cherries and berries of all kinds were
successfully grown in nearly all parts of the
county, but the northern towns and the coun-

AGRICULTURAL PERIOD— 1861-1875

try bordering on Chautauqua Lake were de-
cidedly best adapted to most kinds of fruits.
Peaches of an excellent quality were raised
north of the Ridge in abundance, while among
the hills they were poor in quality.

In the northern towns of the county in 1874,
the grape had become the principal staple, and
the manufacture of wine an important indus-
try. In 1824 Deacon Elijah Fay planted a few
Isabella and Catawba grape roots on his farm
in the town of Portland. In 1830 he made five
or six gallons of wine, and from year to year in-
creased the manufacture until 1S60, the year of
his death, when he had two thousand gallons
in his cellar. In 1859 Joseph B. Fay, Garrett
E. Ryckman, a grandson of Deacon Elijah
Fay, and Rufus Haywood, built the first wine
house in the county at Brocton. Twenty acres
of grapes supplied it. In 1879 Mr. Ryckman
became the sole owner of this wine house. He
improved and added to the plant until it be-
came one of the most perfect and extensive
establishments of its kind in the county and
in the State. In 1865 the Lake Shore Wine
Company was formed. The year following
there v/ere six hundred acres of vines in Port-
land. The Portland Center Wine House and
other wine companies followed.

In 1867 Thomas Lake Harris, a native of
England, who had acquired a literary celebrity,
and also a reputation as a successful and popu-
lar minister of the Universalist church, organ-
ized a society known as the Brotherhood of the
New Life. The society purchased nearly two
thousand acres of land in Portland, extending
two miles along the shore of Lake Erie, and,
besides other industries, commenced to culti-
vate the grape, built a large wine house and
cellar near Brocton, engaged in the manufac-
ture and sale of pure native wine, more espe-
cialh' for medicinal purposes. They laid out a
village, intended as their industrial center, to
be called Salem-on-Erie. They were com-
monly knov/n as the Harris Community. They
manufactured thousands of gallons of wine an-
nually. The association finally fell to pieces
and their lands were sold in parcels. While
they continued, their property was not held in
common, but individuals were permitted to
hold real estate and cultivate it on their own
account. The authority of the Scripture and
the marriage relations were held sacred. They
had no written form for their government.
Their system combined the doctrines of Plato
in philosophy, Swedenborg in their religion,
and Fourier in their social relations. Although
exclusively devoted to their association, they

lived in accordance with their professions and
were excellent, intelligent citizens. The asso-
ciation numbered more than two thousand
members. Lady Oliphant and her celebrated
son, Lawrence Oliphant, who gave up his seat
in the English Parliament, several Japanese
high officials, and two Indian princes, were
residents of the community. Mr. Harris finally
sold the lands to Mr. Oliphant, and now
scarcely a member of the association remains.

Portland from the beginning has been the
leading town in the culture of the grape and
other fruit, and the Fays were the first and
leading family in the enterprise.

From its small beginnings in 1824, during
the fifty years that followed, the culture of the
grape in Chautauqua county had been grow-
ing so that in the Lake Shore towns of the
county it had become a leading industry.
About 1874 it had ceased to depend upon a lim-
ited home market and had found without the
county, first in the oil regions of Pennsylvania,
an extensive and increasing demand. A new
era in the agricultural prosperity of the county
had now begun. Vineyards were spreading
over the lowlands from the- foot of the hills
along the southern shore of Lake Erie and
soon began to climb the hillsides along the
northern face of the Ridge, and now the grape
belt extends for a distance of about fifty-five
miles along the southern shore of Lake Erie
from Harbor Creek in Erie county, Pennsyl-
vania, to Erie county, New York. The aver-
age width of this territory is about three and
one-half miles. While it includes a consider-
able tract in Erie, Pennsylvania, and a small
portion in Cattaraugus county, the principal
portion of the grape belt is in Chautauqua
county. It includes the most of the area of the
lake towns and a portion of some of the adjii
cent towns. The entire territory of the grape
belt now cultivated contains about 120,000
acres of which 100,000 acres are in Chautauqua
county. The Isabellas and Catawbas were the
first varieties extensively raised. The Concord
was finally introduced by Lincoln Fay. The
severe winter of 1872-73 proved it to be the
most hardy grape and best adapted to the soil
and climate of Chautauqua. This variety soon
became the leading kind raised throughout the
county.

An event at this time contributed more to
promote the welfare of the county and to ex-
tend its fame than any event before. This was
the organization of the Chautauqua .A.ssembly,
now known as the Chautauqua Institution,
which is treated in a special article in this work.

7°

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

CHAPTER XIII.

Close of the Century — 1875-1902

About the first event that occurred of im-
portance in this closing period was the com-
pletion of the Buffalo & Jamestown, now the
Buffalo & Southwestern railroad to the city of
Jamestown, in the fall of 1875. This road was
finished from Buffalo to Gowanda as early as
1874. It has proved of great value not only to
the city of Jamestown, but also to the eastern
towns of the county. Ellington, Cherry Creek
and Villenova were entirely without railroad
facilities until it was constructed. The town
of Ellicott was bonded in the sum of $200,000
to aid in its building. A litigation grew out of
it, resulting in a decision of the Supreme Court
of the United States holding that the bonds
were invalid ; they were never paid. The town
of Cherry Creek had also bonded itself in a
large sum to aid the road. A similar litigation
arose respecting the validity of the Cherry
Creek bonds, resulting in a settlement by which
they were paid in part by that town. In 1876
the Prendergast Block in the village of James-
town was erected.

We must regret to have to record a phenome-
nal number of crimes and tragedies. During
the first forty years of settlement, but few
desperate crimes were perpetrated. But one
felonious homicide was committed during that
forty years, and that was the crime of Damon
in killing his wife. During the succeeding
thirty-three years ending with 1875, but five or
six criminal homicides were committed. In
marked contrast with these two periods were
the later years. During a period that would
naturally be supposed to be the most law
abiding and humane, there were as many as
seventeen felonious homicides and murders
perpetrated in the county. The commission
of so many serious oiTences is not to be attrib-
uted to an unusual state of depravity, but to
fortuitous circumstances and to the existence

'at

of railroads, large towns, and the less quiet
life of the people. Crime came as an incident
of these changed conditions.

On January 20, 1877, Clarence S. Hale, as the
result of an altercation, killed Gerard B. Ham-
ilton with a moulder's ladle in Clark's foundry
in Jamestown. Hale was tried at the following
September court, held by Charles Daniels, jus-
tice of the Supreme Court, and acquitted. E.
R. Bootey, district attorney, assisted by H. C.
Kingsbury appeared for the people ; Orsell
Cook and Lorenzo Morris defended.

In the summer of 1877 occurred the great
railroad strike. The Baltimore & Ohio Rail-

road Company made a reduction of ten per
cent, in the wages of its employees. A strik
followed by the Brotherhood of Engineers.
The sympathy of the public in favor of the
employees was general. Strikes soon followed,
on many other railroads. At one time, six
thousand miles of railroad were tied up.

In July the strike assumed such formidable
proportions in Buffalo that the militia were
called out. The Seward Guards of Westfield.
or Third Separate Company, under Capt. J. H.
Towle, were summoned to Buffalo. They left
for that city on the Lake Shore road on Tues-
day, July 27, 1877, upon a wildcat passenger
train, consisting of a mail and baggage car and
two coaches carrying forty passengers, and the
Third Seward Guards. On arriving at the
railroad bridge over Buffalo creek, the train
was stopped by the strikers. The engine and
mail car were detached by the mob and allowed
to proceed, and the other cars were run on to
a "Y." The strikers then began to stone the
car, and tried to board it. The Seward Guards
responded with a volley of musketry which
had ugly effect, but were compelled to leave
the car in possession of the rioters. Three or
more of the rioters were wounded, some fatally.

April 16, 1878, the first subordinate Grange in
the world was organized at Fredonia. A. S.
Moss, H. Stiles, W. H. Stevens, U. E. Dodge,
L. McKinstry, A. P. Pond, D. Fairbanks, W.
McKinstry, William Risley, M. S. Woodford
were present at its first meeting. U. E. Dodge
was its first master.

A boat race had long been advertised to take
place on Chautauqua Lake on October 16,
1879, between Edward Hanlan, of Toronto,
and Charles E. Courtney, the two most
famous oarsmen on the continent. On the ^^
day appointed, people from all parts of the ''■''
country appeared at Mayville, where the race ™

was to take place. Besides the representa-
tives of leading newspapers, there came a
swarm of pickpockets and riffraff from abroad,
and with them wheels of fortune, sweat boards,
roulette tables, old army games, and every
swindle and thimble-rigging device by which
innocent humanity could be fleeced. Trains
and boats continued to arrive until over fifteen
thousand people had come. And yet it all re-
sulted in a fiasco. Courtney claimed that his
two boats had been cut in two without his
knowledge, and that he was unable to row the
race. The water of the lake was unruffled.
Hanlan appeared at the appointed time and

CLOSE OF THE CENTURY— 1875-1902

rowed the race alone. He made the five miles
in thirty-three minutes fifty-six and one quar-
ter seconds, and received the $6,000 stake
money.

James Crosby, aged thirty-two, in 1879 was
residing upon a farm in Ellington, situated
upon a high hill three miles west of Cone-
vvango station and one and a half miles from
Ellington village. On the afternoon of July
23 of that year he went to the village, and
returned home about ten o'clock in the eve-
ning. He alleged that on his return he heard
a whistle from a clump of trees near his dwell-
ing house, but thought that it was Wheeler,
his brother-in-law, who lived across the road ;
that he continued on his way and entered hi,;
house, Where he was attacked by some onj
with whom he had a life struggle. That he
clung to his assailant, who rushed out of the
house, but was shot with a pistol and struck
upon the head and left stunned upon the
ground. W'heeler was aroused and a physi-
i cian summoned. His wife Emily was found
'. strangled to death in bed, with the marks of
, the hand that did it on her neck. Her little
I boy aged seven years was found asleep in his
! trundle bed near his dead mother. Strenuous
! efforts were made to find the perpetrator with
. no trace. At last suspicion was avs'akened that
Crosby had killed his wife, and then inflicted
, wounds upon himself. He was arrested and
'tried at the January court in 1880. Abner
Hazeltine, the district attorney, assisted by E.
' R. Bootey and A. C. Wade, conducted the
; prosecution. Walter L. Sessions, John Baker
■ ind E. L. Bailey appeared for the defense. The
jury after being out five hours found a verdict
.[of not guilty.

J February 15, 1880, Charles L. Stratton, a na-
J tive of Mississippi and a resident of Poland, in
J in altercation with Elmer Frank, near Ken-
1 aedy, killed Frank by stabbing him to the
■': heart. Stratton was tried for the crime. Ab-
I'j ner Hazeltine, the district attorney, appeared

!'cor the people. C. D. Murray defended Strat-
ton, who was found guilty of murder in the
;' second degree and sentenced to imprisonment
'". for life. It is a singular fact that the father
I )f Frank had some years before been mur-
; lered and that the wife of Stratton, who was
• present at the killing of Frank, was the sister
' )f Mrs. Emily Crosby, alleged to have been
' nurdered by her husband a few months before
* IS above related^

'': In 1880 the grounds of the Cassadaga Lake
'■ P'ree Association at Lily Dale, then recently
f ourchased, were dedicated. Its history is
' jiven on other pages of this work.

In 1880 many fine structures were erected in
Jamestown, among them the Sherman House,
at a cost of $125,000; the Jamestown Cotton
mills and the Gokey block ; over $325,000 were
expended during the year in buildings in
Jamestown.

February 19, 1880, Dunkirk was incor-
])orated, the first city in the county. John
Beggs was then president of the village, and
held his office until March of that year, when
Horatio G. Brooks was elected its first mayor.

In 1882 the New York, Chicago & St. Louis,
and the Western New York & Pennsylvania
railroads were built through Dunkirk, and the
station erected near Central avenue on the
south side of the city.

The first use of natural gas for illuminating
purposes in the United States was made in
Chautauqua county. From the shales of the
Portage group of rocks along the beds of sev-
eral streams, and at various places in Lake
Erie, carburetted hydrogen issued in great
quantities. This gas burned with a white
flame tinged with yellow above, and blue where
it escaped from the burner. In 1821 it was in-
troduced into a few of the public places in Fre-
donia, among them the hotel which it finely
illuminated, when LaFayette visited the place
in 1825. The gas was obtained from a spring
on the north bank of the Canadaway, at the
bridge crossing that stream on Main street.
The light house erected at Barcelona about
1828 was lighted by this gas brought from a
gas spring in its vicinity, mentioned in an
early survey. After the light house was dis-
continued. Westfield was supplied from the
same spring. In 1848 the Fredonia Gas Light
Company was organized. In 1858 Preston
Barmore sunk a well and procured a much
greater supply. Alvah Colburn afterwards
sunk another well. The gas from this and the
Barmore well proved sufficient, and for many
years lighted the village. At length manu-
factured gas was used for illuminating pur-
poses, first in Jamestown in 1861, and in Dun-
kirk in November, 1867. In February, 1885,
the electric light system was put in operation
in the city of Jamestown, and was for the first
time used in the county. In September of the
same year natural gas from the wells in Penn-
sylvania was first employed to light the city
of Jamestown. September 27th, 1888. electric
lights were first used in the city of Dunkirk.

In the afternoon of August 25th, 1885, ex-
Governor Fenton died suddenly while sitting
in the directors' room of the First National
Bank of Jamestown, attending to his business
duties. Business was suspended, Jamestown

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

draped in mourning, and his funeral univer-
sally attended by the citizens. Besides the Fen-
ton Guards who acted as a guard of honor, the
members of the Grand Army post, the public
officials of Jamestown, many citizens from
abroad were present, among them Hon. Ga-
lusha A. Grow, of Pennsylvania, a most inti-
mate friend of Governor Fenton, also David B.
Hill, then governor of the State of New Yoik
and his staff. Mr. Fenton was buried in Lake
View Cemetery, Jamestown. At the time of
his decease he was little over sixty-six year.;.
of age. He is mentioned at greater length in
the chapter on Political History.

In January, 1886, the Swedish Orphanage
was dedicated. January 29th, John A. Hall
died in Jamestown. He was editor of the
"Jamestown Journal." That paper was not
only the leading but, next to the "Fredonia
Censor," the oldest in the count}-. It was
established in 1826 by Adolphus Fletcher.
During the more than three quarters of a
century which has elapsed since then, it has
been the greater part of the time the most
influential newspaper in the county. It has
been edited by some of the most accom-
plished political newspaper writers in Western
New York. Its editors have been Adolphus
Fletcher, Abner Hazeltine, J. Warren Fletcher;
Frank W. Palmer, who afterwards held high
official and editorial positions during President
Harrison's term, among them national public
printer; C. D. Sackett ; Coleman E. Bishop, a
well-known and trenchant political writer ;
Davis H. Wait, afterward governor of Colo-
rado ; and John A. Hall, who bought the paper
in 1876. Mr. Hall built new buildings, im-
proved the paper, enlarged its business, and
absorbed other competing papers. Mr. Hall
ably edited the paper until his death. He was
succeeded by his son, Frederick P. Hall. After
the death of John A. Hall, the Journal Print-
ing Company was formed, and the "Jamestown
Journal" is now the largest newspaper estab-
lishment in the county.

March 31, 1886, Jamestown was incor-
porated the second city of the county, and
Oscar F. Price elected its first mayor. On
May 22 the Jamestown Bar Association was
organized. In October the Jamestown Busi-
ness College, the first and only institution of
the kind in the county was organized by E. J.
Coburn. H. E. V. Porter, later its principal,
took charge of the practical department, and
Miss K. A. Lambert was engaged for the
theory department. Shorthand was taught
under the direction of Charles M. Brown.

August 31, 1886, a slight shock of an earth-

quake was felt throughout the county, causing
doors to slam, chandeliers to vibrate, billian
balls to move on the table, and in one or mort
instances the bells in the steeples to slightly
ring.

Eighteen hundred and ninety-one was ths
first year in which electricity was used as
motive power in Chautauqua county. June 19
1884, the road of the Jamestown Street Rail
way Company was so far completed that th(
first car, a horse-car, was run from the Sher
man House to the boat landing. August 25 ol
the year before, the company had been organ-
ized with John T. Wilson (who had been activi
in its organization, and afterwards effective ii
promoting it) as president, and C. R. Lock
wood secretary and attorney. New articles o:
incorporation were filed October 13, 1883. Th<
motive power having been changed to elec
tricity, the first electric car run in the counti
passed over its road on Third street. Througl *">■

the energy of Almet N. Broadhead, who fdi
many years was president, has its success ai
an electric road been due.

Long before horse-cars were in operation ii
Jamestown they had been in use between Fre
donia and Dunkirk. As early as September
1866, the Dunkirk & Fredonia railroad ha(
been organized, and horse-cars run over its lin(
a distance of about three miles. Thomas L
Higgins, of Fredonia, was its first president
During a period of nearly eighteen years before
street cars were introduced into Jamestowni
they had been extensively in use for passengei
travel between Dunkirk and Fredonia. Iii
1878 Milton M. Fenner obtained a controlling
interest in the road and became president. li
18S0 he took the position of secretary, treas-
urer and manager. It afterward acquired ar
electric light and power plant, a steam heating
plant, and the Fredonia Natural Gas Lighl
Company. In 1891 electricity was substitutec
as a motive power; the first electric cars wen
run over it October 29, not four months aftei
electric cars were first used in Jamestown

December ist of this year the Prendergasi
Free Library building was completed, and the
first purchase of books placed on its shelves'
This association was incorporated by a specia
act of the Legislature passed January 29, i88oi

Besides the many homicides committed iri
the county during the last period of its history
there also occurred an unusual number of paini
ful casualties. On September 15th, 1886, an'
excursion train from Erie to Niagara Falls
over the Nickel Plate railroad collided with s
way freight in the deep cut north of the trestle
that spanned the creek at the village of Silve:

ateri

la!

CLOSE OF THE CENTURY— 1875-1902

Creek, the baggage cars of the passenger train
telescoping with the smoking car. Fourteen
people were killed or died from injuries. Wil-
liam H. Harrison, in charge of the excursior:
train, and Louis Brewer, in charge of its loco-
motive, were tried for manslaughter at the
court held at Mayville the succeeding May.
L. F. Stearns, the district attorney, repre-
sented the people, and Jerome B. Fisher the
prisoner. The defendants were acquitted.
.\ugust 19, 1887, a burglar while engaged in
entering the house of A. R. Catlin, in James
town, was shot and instantly killed.

In November, 1S87, the first Political Equal-
ity Club was formed, at Mrs. Daniel Gris-
wold's, in Jamestown. Mrs. D. H. Grandin was
elected president, Mrs. N. R. Thompson secre-
tary, and Mrs. C. W. Scofield treasurer. The
first county convention of Political Equality
ever held in New York State convened at the
Opera House in Jamestown, October 31, 18S8.
Airs. Martha T. Henderson was chosen its firsi
]iresident ; Mrs. Kate S. Thompson and Mrs.
Annie C. Shaw secretaries ; and Mrs. Lois M.
Lett treasurer.

In Jamestown, on July 4, 1888, LeRoy Bo-
gardus was murdered in broad daylight, in an
alley on the Brooklyn side of the Chadakoin,
and but a few steps from Main street and
Brooklyn Square, while the streets and square
were filled with more than the usual number
of people. His head was crushed by the blows
of some hard instrument. Bogardus had repre-
sented that he was in possession of a large sum
of money. During the greater part of the day
he was in company with George W. Foster,
who was seen to have in his pocket a car
coupling pin. Foster was also seen escaping
from the alley soon after the murder was com-
mitted. He was indicted and tried before
Judge Loren Lewis, at Mayville. Lester F.
Stearns, district attorney, and Arthur C. Wade,
appeared for the people, Vernon E. Peckham
and E. L. Bootey for the prisoner. The jury
after being out twenty-seven hours announced
a verdict of guilty of murder in the second de-
gree. The prisoner was sentenced to imprison-
ment for life. Judge Lewis when sentencing
him, said he owed his life to the ability of the
attorneys who defended him.

In 1888 the Chautauqua Lake railroad was
completed along the Eastern shore of Chau-
tauqua Lake from Jamestown to Mayville. It
is 21.17 miles in length, and cost $1,080,000
In 1890 the Gratiot of Dunkirk, afterwards on-i
of the leading hotels of the county, was com-
pleted.

Now business throughout the county and
country was dull. The value of farming
products had for many years been falling, and
farming had ceased to be as profitable as i:
once had been. As one of the results, there
were many abandoned f^rms that had before
produced good incomes. In Charlotte alone
there were fifteen deserted farms, each of
which had once kept from eight to twenty-five
dairy cows, and that town sufTered no more
in this respect than other towns in the county.
In March, 1890, at Fredonia, Kosolina Bos-
cellere killed his father-in-law Salvator La-
tona. Both were Italians. Boscellere was
discharged on the grounds that the killing was
in self-defence. In August, 1892, Patrick
Dowd, a post office robber, resident of Dun-
kirk, in a fit of jealousy and anger over some
woman whom he had been dining, shot and
instantly killed George Haas, of Jamestown, at
the Hotel Sherwin, in Fluvanna, and imme-
diately afterwards shot four bullets into his
own body, dying instantly.

August 19, 1892, at midnight, the Fenton
Guards were ordered to Buffalo on account of
the strike by the switchmen of the Erie, Lehigh
Valley & BufTalo Creek raih-oads. A long
blast from the whistles of the Broadhead &
Fenton Metallic Works, was the signal for their
assembling. Two hours later they were on the
march for the Erie depot, with Capt. Fred W.
Hyde, Lieut. Daniel H. Post and Frank A.
Johnson in command. At 5 40 a. m. they
arrived at BuiTalo. Over eighty men finally
reported there for duty. The strike having
come to an end without violence, the guards
returned to Jamestown after an absence of
twelve days.

October 12, 1892, the Fenton Metallic works
burned. August 2, Allen's Opera House in
Jamestown was destroyed by fire. December
"15, 1893, a frightful railroad disaster occurred
on the W. N. Y. & P. R. R. at Herrick's creek,
two miles east of Dunkirk. The rain and melt-
ing snow had raised the water in the creek st)
that it undermined the base of the railroad
track over it, and the supporting bank on the
Dunkirk side of the creek, so that when the
westbound Mayville accommodation reached
the bridge, it gave way. The baggage car,
smoker and day coach were precipitated into a
gorge twentj^-five feet below. Five persons
were killed and six more or less injured. Of
the killed, four were residents of Chautauqua
county — Jesse Hodge, the conductor, of Broc-
ton ; Oscar Porter and his mother, Mrs. J. N.
Porter, both of Brocton ; and George Wyman.
of Fredonia.

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

Early on October 15, 1893, the propeller
"Dean Richmond," Capt. G. W. Stoddard, of
Toledo, foundered off Van Buren in a terrific
gale on Lake Erie. No one of those on board
survived to tell the story of the catastrophe.
No assistance could be given. The next morn-
ing the beach between Van Buren and Dun-
kirk was strewn with the wreck and cargo of
flour. The dead bodies were found as far down
as Silver Creek, and were taken to the morgue
at Dunkirk. Eighteen lives were lost. Where
the boat is supposed to have been wrecked was
a dangerous reef. At this bit of Chautauqua
coast as many tales of disaster can be told as
on any like strip of dangerous coast along the
ocean shore. There it was that the "Passaic"
met her fate two years before. There the
"Golden Fleece" was firmly bedded in the
rocks, and there the passenger steamer "Os-
wego" went fast, and the lives of those who
attempted to go ashore were lost.

The year 1893 is memorable in Chautauqua
county history for the financial distress of all
classes of people. During this year, besides
banks and bankers, occurred many other
failures in the county among business men.
Seven per cent, of those doing business be-
came insolvent.

A special meeting of the board of supervisors
was held on the 6th of June of this year at
Mayville, for the purpose of considering the
question of an increase in the appropriation
for the enlargement of the county clerk's office.
A motion was there made to appropriate $2,000
in addition to the $3,000 that had before been
appropriated. But upon the suggestion that
the city of Jamestown would make proposi-
tions for erecting county buildings providing
the county seat was changed to that city, an-
other motion was made to defer expending the
$3,000 already appropriated, and that a special
meeting of the board be called for August 8,
1893, to vote upon the question of the county
seat. Attempts to change the county seat, and
projects to divide the county, commenced with
its organization, and were continued at inter-
vals to the time of this special meeting. As
this was the last effort of the kind, it will bt
proper here to give an account of the various
attempts that have before been made.

The act of the Legislature organizing the
county in 1808, provided for the appointment
of three commissioners to locate the sites of its
county buildings. The people of Canadaway
(now Fredonia) cleared a half-acre of land at
the east end of the common, on the west side
of the creek, intending it as the site of the
county buildings. To their great disgust the

commissioners when on their way to locate the
county seat did not even stop to look at the
place, but passed on and established the county
seat in the woods where now is Mayville, and
erected there "a large hemlock post" to mark
the spot. To this act of the commissioners
there came a protest, which was renewed from
time to time with more or less emphasis.

The first meeting of the board of supervisors
was held at John Scott's log tavern in May-
ville in 181 1. The board consisted of two
members : William Prendergast, of Chau-
tauqua ; and Philo Orton, of Pomfret. The
first business after the organization of the
board, and the election of certain officers, was
to raise money to build a court house and jail.
Supervisor Orton, representing his Pomfret
constituents, who were not favorable to raising
money to erect public buildings on a rival site,
remembering also the brusque treatment of the
commissioners when they went to locate the
county seat at Mayville, voted "no." Repeated
efforts on the part of Supervisor Prendergast
failed to secure a majority in favor of this
essential measure. Finally, when Mr. Orton
moved to raise money for expenditures that
had been made for the benefit of the town of
Pomfret, Mr. Prendergast refused to concur.
The wheels of the infant government now-
ceased to revolve, and everything came to a
dead standstill. After deliberating on the seri-
ous aspect that affairs were taking, the board
unanimously came to an agreement to raise
money for the court house and jail, and also to
pay the town taxes, and the clouds that had
for a time darkened the prospects of our rising
young county drifted away.

In 1812 three new towns — Ellicott, Hanover
and Gerry — were erected out of the town of
Pomfret, through the influence of Zattu Gush-
ing and other citizens of Canadaway, it was
said, in order to secure sufficient strength in
the board of supervisors to remove the county
seat to that place.

Efforts were made as early as 183 1 to accom-
plish a division of the county. In 1843 a more
serious attempt was begun by citizens living
in the north-eastern towns of Chautauqua,
joined with citizens of Erie and Cattaraugus,
to form a new county to be called Schuyler.
Delegate conventions were held in each of the
counties, and the legislature appealed to. Oli-
ver Lee, then a very influential citizen of West-
ern New York, the "Buffalo Courier," and
Democrats in Buffalo, favored it with a viev/
it is said of forming the Democratic county.
A county convention was held in opposition,
and the scheme terminated without success.

CLOSE OF THE CENTURY— 1875-1902

; In 1844, so strong was the agitation for a
division, that January 25 of that year a mass
meeting was held in opposition, with Judge J.
M. Edson. of Sinclairville, president, and many
vice-presidents. A memorial to the Legislature
was drafted and a vigilance committee ap-
pointed to thwart it in every town. The
project again failed. In 1846 the attempt was
renewed; February 11, a meeting was held to
remonstrate against all projects for a dismem-
berment of the county ; Gen. Leverett Barker,
Fredonia, chairman. Nearly all the towns of
the county v,'ere represented. This movement
to effect a division terminated like the others,
without success.

In 1852 the New York & Erie railroad was

: completed, the Lake Shore was in process of
construction, and the Atlantic & Great West-
ern in contemplation. The consummation of
these enterprises would secure railroad com-
munication with all the principal parts of the
county excepting Maj-ville. The difficulty of
access to the county seat soon led to manv
schemes for a division. One project was to
erect a new county from Chautauqua, Catta-
ragus and Erie, with the county seat at Forest-
ville; another, a Ridge division, provided for a
county seat at Westfield ; while a fourth plan
was proposed to divide the county by assem-
bly districts as they then existed, with county
seats at Mayville and Sinclairville. A meet-
ing was held at Westfield with Judge Thomas
B. Campbell as chairman, in opposition to all
divisions.

In the fall of 1852, dissatisfaction with the

^location of the county buildings took expres-
sion in the board of supervisors. A resolution
to remove them to Delanti in the town of
Stockton was lost for the want of a two-thirds
vote, required by law. A final and strong
effort was made the succeeding year to divide
the county. A bill passed to its third reading
in the legislature of 1853. to organize the towns
of Brandt, Collins, and Evans of Erie county ;
the towns of Dayton, Leon, Perrysburgh and
Persia of Cattaraugus county, and the towns of
Arkwright, Charlotte, Cherry Creek, Hanover,
Pomfret, Sheridan, and Villenova of Chau-
tauqua county, into a new county to be called
Marshall. During the winter, Ebenezer A.
Lester, Augustus F. Allen and John M. Edson
and other leading citizens went to Albany
with a largely signed remonstrance in opposi-
tion to the bill, which was lost on its third
reading by a large majority. This was the last
serious effort made to divide the county. The
building of the Cross Cut railroad twelve years
later gave better facilities for reaching May-

ville, which have been still further improved.
At the special meeting of the board of super-
visors on August 8th, 1893, a petition was pre-
sented asking the removal of the county build-
ings to Jamestown, to be located within one-
half a mile from the intersection of Main and
Third streets. A petition was also presented
asking the removal of the county buildings to
Dunkirk, to be located on Central avenue, on
a plot of five acres of land on the west side of
that street, opposite the dwelling built by
James Gerrans, then owned by Andrew Dotter-
weich. A proposition was also submitted for
new county buildings in Mayville, including
the offer of from two to five acres near the lake.
The board finally passed a resolution to re-
move the county seat from Mayville to James-
town, and that the question of such a removal
be submitted to the electors of the county at
the next ensuing general election. The vote
upon the subject of changing the site of the
county buildings to Jamestown was lost at the
election by a majority of 425 against it, 6,645
votes having been cast in favor, and 7,070 in
opposition.

A committee appointed by the board of
supervisors in the fall of 1883 to examine the
accounts of Orren Sperry, county treasurer,
found that he had received in 1883, the sum of
$159,191.33, and had expended the sum of
$154,821.86, leaving in his hands $4,370.07.
Nothing appeared in this report to indicate
but what his accounts were correct and in a
normal state. But early in 1884 rumors were
in circulation that he had lost in the oil coun-
try by speculations, and had drawn out and
loaned to others large sums of money belong-
ing to the county, and in May of that year the
community were startled to learn that Sperrj-
had fled to parts unknown. Nothing so seri-
ous affecting its finances had ever before hap-
pened to the county. It was ultimately found
that Sperry was a defaulter in the sum of
$89,506.47, of which $26,093.85 were trust
funds and $63,412.62 were cash arising from
taxes. No sensation lasted so long, or so uni-
versally disturbed the equanimity of the people
of this county. In the counsels and conven-
tions of the Republican party, of which Sperry
was a member, his malfeasance was a disturij-
ing element for many years. After his de-
parture a special meeting of the board of super-
visors was called, and at an adjourned special
meeting a committee was appointed, who in-
vestigated the books and accounts. Charges
were then made and proceedings were insti-
tuted against him for his malversations in
office, resulting in his removal by Governor

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

Cleveland. A reward of $2,000 was offered foi
the arrest and conviction of Sperry. Hon.
Porter Sheldon and Charles D. Murray were
employed as counsel for the county. At a
meeting of the board of supervisors in the fall
of 1884, measures were taken for a settlement
or prosecution of suits against the bondsmen of
Sperry, and other parties indebted to the
county growing out of his defalcation. Six
indictments were found against him at the
September court of 1884, but the authorities
were unable to find him, and he went without
arrest. At a special meeting of the board of
supervisors in May, 1885, a settlement was
effected and the large claims of the county
against the bondsmen of Sperry were compro-
mised by accepting the sum of $35,000, and
discharging the bondsmen from further liabili-
ties. After leaving the United States, Sperry
made his appearance in Mexico. Measures
were taken to arrest him, but he found it out
and disappeared from that country. He was
next heard of in Canada, from where he opened
correspondence with some of his friends at
home, and some of them visited him there.
While he was in Canada, an action was com
menced by W. L. Sessions and C. D. Murray
by the direction of the board of supervisors
against Wilson, an oil broker of Oil City, to
recover the amount of a certificate of deposit of
$6,000, which had been assigned to him bv
Sperry. The certificate was payable to Sperry
as treasurer of Chautauqua county. This it
was claimed was notice to Wilson that Sperry
was using public funds. The attorneys of
Sperry recommended the dismissal of the in-
dictment against him, that he might feel sate
to return to Chautauqua county and give his
testimony as a witness in the action. The
board of supervisors, with a few dissenting
voices, endorsed the recommendation, but
when the matter came before Justice Green, of
the Supreme Court, he declined to dismiss the
indictment, stating that in his judgment such
a course would be opposed to good public
morals. As there was a question as to the re-
sponsibility of Wilson, the action was settled
by the payment of $3,000 by Wilson's wife.

June 1st, 1893, Orren Sperry, nine years a
fugitive from justice, suddenly appeared in
Chautauqua county, and voluntarily surren-
dered himself. At the May court" in 1894,
Sperry having pleaded guilty 'to the indictment
against him, was sentenced by Judge Lambert
to two years' imprisonment at Auburn. When
he delivered himself up to the authorities, he
was an old man about sixty-eight years of age,
and his case now became again a matter of dis-

cussion throughout the county, and a feeling
of pity took the place of censure among manv
of the people. A petition was circulated anc
was very numerously signed, for his pardon
This greatly influenced Governor Flower, wh,.
pardoned him in June, 1894. Many believec
Sperry had not been sufficiently punished, thai
his crime had been too lightly regarded. The
"Jamestown Journal" pronounced his pardon
to be a travest)' upon justice. The pardon wa:^
also severely condemned by the "Fredonia
Censor," and the "Buft'alo Express."

In December, 1894, a terrible tragedy oc
curred. Myron Sherman was a well-known
farmer and resident of Busti. He was a ;
of Daniel Sherman, former sheriff, and
brother of Daniel Sherman, a prominent law-
yer and citizen, then serving the last month erf
his term as its surrogate. On Friday, Decem-
ber 7, MjTon Sherman, with Mrs. Myron Sher-
man and their little grandson, while driving
across the railroad track between Ashville and
Lakewood, were struck by the fast mail traiii
and all were fatally injured. The grandchild
was killed instantly; he was buried the nexi
Monday. Mr. Sherman died the following
Wednesday ; Mrs. Sherman died the Friday
after. Their burial was appointed for Satu^
day afternoon, December 15. The unusu;
circumstances of their death attracted hun-
dreds of people to their funerals.

Winslow Sherman, a farmer residing in
Busti, a few miles from his kinsman, Myron
Sherman, his wife, Mrs. Winslow Sherman,
his daughter, Mrs. Clinton Davis, and his son,
Byron Sherman, were at their dwelling hous(
in the forenoon of the day of the funeral,
Winslow and Byron left the house about two
o'clock in the afternoon to attend the funeral,
About two hours later Byron returned. On
his way he stopped at his neighbor's for his
nephew, a boy of thirteen, the son of Mri'
Davis, who rode home with him. On theii
arrival at Winslow Sherman's dwelling house
while Byron was putting up the horse thi
boy went to the house, and there beheld
fearful and ghastly sight ; upon the kitche:
floor, amidst pools of blood, he saw the deai
body of his mother. On the bloodsoakedj
carpet of the sitting room his grandmother!
lay dead. It was found that both victim;
were killed with an ax or some instrumen
with a sharp edge. Mrs. Davis had many!
cuts upon her face, but a blow upon the back!
of her head evidently caused her death. A|
heavy blow upon the forehead caused the death
of Mrs. Sherman. There were many cuts, how-
ever, upon her face. Every room in the house

:i^

B i\

15k

CLOSE OF THE CENTURY— 1S75-1902

seemed to have been ransacked. The bureau
(drawers were pulled out and their contents
scattered upon the floor. There was two hun-
dred fifty dollars in money hidden in a bureau

■ drawer on the second floor, but it was not dis-
covered by the robber. Footprints freshly
made were found indicating that the murderer

■i had entered the house through the woodshed,

■ and departed the same way, no other clue or
trace of the murderer was there found. Be-

■ tween daylight and dark of Sunday, the day
following, three thousand people visited the
little brown house where the two gray-haired

■ women lay dead. Although this murder was
"■ committed in the daytime, in a dwelling house
• in plain view of other inhabited houses, but a

■ few miles from Jamestown, with a police force
and public authorities very accessible, the per-
petrator was not found and the Sherman mur-

'■ 'der remains a mystery to this day.
' , In 1895 Lakeside Assembly was established
-on the west shore of Findley's Lake, the sec-
'- Dnd in size of the many beautiful sheets of

- water scattered over the county. The Assem-
bly was founded by the Rev. C. G. Langdon,

~, of the United Brethren church. A plot of
■iwround was secured of Mr. J. A. Hill on th'_
^'1 west side of the lake, and Mr. Langdon with

- lis own hands began to cut the underbrush and
:lear away the logs from the first acre used.

- !ie in connection with Dr. F. E. Lilly, who
j ived upon the Lake, laid out the plot into lots,
iind procured a large tent for the meetings, the
' ] 'irst of which was held in 1895. During that
A icason several small buildings were erected,
■j ind about forty lots were sold. The society
-( vas incorporated, and meetings held during
■4 -everal succeeding years with much success.
j The moneys received were appropriated for
'4 'he improvement of the grounds. The Lake-

'j 'ide Assembly is modeled after the Chautauqua

-' 'nstitution, and has been conducted with suc-

> ess and with benefit to those who have en-

v^lOyed its privileges. Dr. F. E. Lilly was its

:<* irst president ; after his removal to California

1' was succeeded by Ebenezer Skellie : upon

!s decease, J. A. Hill was chosen.

Chautauqua county in 1896 was remarkable

T its mild and pleasant weather, and great

ruitfulness. Scarcely a frost occurred aftei

he first day of April. By the first of June,

- eld strawberries were in the market, roses in
::: ull bloom, the grass in the meadows thick and

- all, the corn rank and vigorous. The summer
;; i^as as beautiful as the spring. Thunderstorms

■ Tevailed, purifying the air, and causing a
ense growth of vegetation. August was a de-

lightful month, the woods, pastures and
meadows were as green as in June, but of a
deeper shade. Autumn fulfilled the promise
of spring and summer. Never was there such
a crop of apples. The orchards were so loaded
with fruit that the limbs often broke and many
apples were spoiled. Notwithstanding the
apples were unusually large and perfect, they
brought little or nothing in the market. Sev-
entj'-five cents a barrel was the average price
for the best apples, the seller to furnish the
barrels. Cider mills were overstocked while
running at full blast. There was an unusual
production of grapes. By reason of the over
production the crop was unprofitable to the
producer. In 1897, during eight days in July,
the thermometer earh- in the day rose above
ninety degrees and there remained until late
in the afternoon. Many times it reached one
hundred degrees. Seldom in the experience of
a lifetime was the weather so continuously hot.
The people were forced to cease business on
account of the heat of the day.

The year 1897 seems to have been a year of
tragedies. A foul murder was committed in
Sinclairville at an early hour of the morning
of May 26. Axel Lawson, of Swedish birth,
resided with Grant Edson, a farmer who lived
on the Ellington road about two and one-hall
miles east of Sinclairville. For some time he
had bought farmers' produce around Sinclair-
ville, marketing it at Jamestown. On May 25
he made his usual trip to Jamestown, sold his
produce, and about ten o'clock in the evening-
set out from Jamestown to return. This was
the last seen of him b)^ his friends alive. Aboui
five o'clock in the morning of the 26th, Edson
discovered Lawson's horse coming toward his
barn without a driver. Examining the wagon,
he found blood splashes on the dashboard and
crossbar. Fearing some accident, Edson
started in search of Lawson. At a secluded
spot just beyond the outskirts of the village of
Sinclairville, but within its corporate limits,
where the road that leads around the north side
of Cobb Hill, curves along the margin of a
little ravine, and is there partly hidden by the
foliage of scattered bushes and trees, he found
the dead body of Lawson. Coroner Blood,
District Attorney Green and Sheriff Gelni
were notified and quickly came. Royal E.
Sheldon, president of the village, called the
trustees together and a reward was offered
for the arrest and conviction of the mur-
derer. For many days the search was con-
tinued from where the body was found, south
across the meadowland to the road lead-

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

ing over Cobb Hill. One footprint remained
there in the dust as if the person who had
made it was about to cross the road, but ae
this track neither continued across or up or
down, it is believed that the person who made
it, at this point stepped into some carriage
awaiting him. Man}' citizens of the village liv-
ing along the highway west of this place, about
two o'clock in the morning heard a buggy
come down Cobb Hill at a headlong speed,
pass through the village, and with much noise
cross the bridge on Railroad avenue and the
railroad track at the station, and go on with
undiminished speed along the road toward
Cassadaga creek. Two parties saw the buggy
with two occupants from their bedroom win-
dows as it rapidly passed by. Notwithstand-
ing the search was long continued, but like the
Sherman murder of a few years before, the
crime remained a deep mystery.

Another tragic event occurred on Saturday,
November 27 of this year, at Jamestown. Be-
tween three and four o'clock in the morning,
fire was discovered in the Atlantic block annex
at the corner of First street and Mechanics'
alley. The fire department responded promptlv
and the flames were soon extinguished, but not
until three persons sleeping in the buildinjr
were smothered with smoke or burned to death
in the flames.

In the afternoon of November 30th, a homi-
cide occurred in a dingy saloon on North Port-
age street, in Westfield, as the result of a quar-
rel between Judson E. Root, the proprietor,
and William Drake, who was under the influ-
ence of liquor. After some rough scuffling be-
tween the parties, Drake sat down in a chair.
Root then went out of the room, returned with
a gun and shot Drake as he sat in his chair,
killing him instantly.

Nearly one-half a million of dollars was ap-
propriated by Congress for the improvement
of Dunkirk Harbor through the influence of
Hon. Warren B. Hooker, of Fredonia, Mem-
ber of Congress, from the Chautauqua and
Cattaraugus congressional district, and chair-
man of the Committee on Rivers and Harbors.

In the spring an important improvement
was also commenced in the eastern part of the
county by which it was expected that twenty-
five thousands of acres of practically worth-
less land in the Conewango Swamp would be
drained and made valuable by cutting a wide
and deep ditch from the Kent road in the town
of Cherry Creek, a distance of thirteen miles,
to Waterloo, in the town of Poland.

The City Hall in Jamestown was completed

and first occupied in 1897. On June 27th of
that year the short railroad connecting th°
Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley & Pittsburgh rail-
road, near Falconer, with the Chautauqua Lake
railroad, near Fluvanna, having been com-
pleted, the cars were first regularly run upon it.

The grape crop of the county was this year
unusually large and valuable ; 4,388 carloads of
grapes, over 12,600,000 baskets, were shipped
by the Grape Union in the space of six weeks,
A very large quantity was shipped outside of
the Union. Over one thousand carloads were
shipped in the town of Portland alone.

Over thirty years had now passed in peace
ful pursuits since any citizen had been called
upon to take up arms in the cause of his coua
try. Chautauqua county had been represented
in nearly every, if not all the wars, in whichi
the country had been engaged. In the early
years of its history there were several of the
soldiers of the old French and Indian wars liv-
ing in the county, among them Samuel Shat
tuck, of Portland. His history has a special!
interest to us. He was not only a soldier oj
that old war, but a very romantic and exciting
portion of his service rendered in it was
actually performed in Chautauqua county,
about fifty years before it was settled by white!
men. At one time during this old war he was
one of Putnam's celebrated rangers, and served
in the vicinity of Lake George, afterwards in
the War of the Revolution and fought at
Bunker Hill. Bennington and Yorktown, and
other battles. His service in both wars
amounted to twelve years. He came to Port-
land, Chautauqua county, in November, 1823
to live, and died in that town September i,
1827, and was buried in Evergreen Cemetery

John Owens, of Carroll, grandfather of Gov:
ernor R. E. Fenton, was a remarkable pioneer
of the county. He was with the English undef
Wolfe at the capture of Quebec, and with
Ethan Allen in the Revolution at the capture
of Ticonderoga. He died at Carroll, Februatf
6th. 1843, 3.t the remarkable age of 107 years
proI)ably the oldest citizen that has ever livec
in the county, older than Mrs. Deborah Doty
who died at Frewsburg, March 5th, 1902, at th(
advanced age of 106 years. Stephen Marthei
was a soldier of the old French War and had
a very remarkable career.

The experience of the Frank family, oi
the town of Busti, in the French and Indiar
Wars, is worth relating. Eva Frank, th«^
wife of John Frank, Sr., of another Fran!^
family, when she (Eva) was a small child, het
sister Mary, who became the wife of Myersi

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CLOSE OF THE CENTURY— 1875-1902

the father of John Myers who was an early
settler of Carroll, their mother, her little
brother, Lawrence Frank, a maiden sister, and
John Frank, Sr., of the otlier Frank family,
were all captured in the Mohawk Valley by the
Indians and taken to a place near Montreal and
kept there among them three years before they
were ransomed. Mary was detained four
years, as she had the smallpox when her sister
was exchanged. The mother had to carry the
son, who was but eighteen months old, on the
march to Montreal, and keep up with the party
in order to keep him from being tomahawked.
The maiden sister on her return from captivity
had forgotten her mother tongue, and was
taken from the Indians against her will, having
been kept apart from her relatives, and had for-
gotten them. All of these Franks became early
settlers of the town of Busti. John Frank was
again taken prisoner during the War of the
Revolution. He escaped from his captors a:
Oneida Lake the first night after his capture,
through the aid of friendly Oneida Indian^,
and safely reached his house at German Flats.
Joseph Frank, of Busti, son of Lawrence above-
mentioned, was with the Chautauqua regiment
in the battle of Buffalo and was shot, killed
and scalped by the Indians.

Orsamus Holmes was one of the earliest and
most prominent settlers of the town of Sheri-
dan. His father had been an officer in the old
French War. He was himself a soldier under
Ethan Allen, in the War of the Revolution.
He was with Montgomery in the expedition
against Quebec. He was afterwards captured
by the British and taken to Canada and placed
on board of a prison ship, but he and three
others escaped in the night time, crossed thi>
St. Lawrence, wandered seventeen days in the
\\ilderness, suffering great hardships, and was
finally captured with his companions by the
Indians, taken back to Montreal and confined
in prison. After a month's confinement he and
two others overpowered the guard and escaped.
They scaled the city wall, crossed the St. Law-
rence, plunged into the forest, pursued by the
Indians, and after encountering great dangers,
at the end of fourteen days they reached the
frontier settlements of Vermont.

Samuel Sinclear, the founder of Sinclairville.
and many years the supervisor of the old town
of Gerry, enlisted in his Uncle Joseph Cilley's
regiment (the First New Hampshire, Stark's
regiment) when he was but fifteen years of
age, and served three years. He was at Val-
ley Forge, in the battles of Saratoga and Mon-
mouth, and in Sullivan's expedition against

the Indians. His father, Richard Sinclear, was
a soldier of the French War, and a major of the
Revolution. His three brothers, one an officer,
also served in the Revolution. Mr. Sinclea'
had distinguished relatives, among them Gen
Benjamin F. Butler, whose mother was his
cousin. He was uncle to Lieut. -Gov. John G.
Sinclear, of New Hampshire.

Arthur Bell was one of the earliest settlers
at Westfield. He was the second supervisor of
the town of Chautauqua. He served with the
Niagara board of supervisors at Buffalo in
1808. He served in the American army of the
Revolution three years. Elijah Risley, Sr.,
one of the leading citizens and founders of Fre-
donia, was a soldier of the Revolution.

Col. Nathaniel Fenton was the first super-
visor of Poland, and afterward represented the
county in the Assembly. Before he was
eighteen years of age he was a brave and trusty
colonial scout in the War of the Revolution.
James Dunn, the pioneer settler of Portland,
was also a soldier in the same war. Robert
Seaver, a fovmder of the settlement at Char-
lotte Center, and all his brothers were Revolu-
tionary soldiers.

Col. Nathaniel Bird, one of the most benevo-
lent of the early citizens of the county, was
also one of the most enterprising. He was the
first to run mail stages over the route between
Buffalo and Erie. In 1826 he ran the first daily
stages and post coaches over this line. He
enlisted in the army of the Revolution at the
age of sixteen, and was honorably discharged
at the close of the war, and came home ragged
and barefoot.

Henry Elliott, of Chautauqua, was a soldier
of the Revolution. He was badly wounded in
the campaign of Burgoyne, afterward served as
coxswain on the ship "Putnam," which in its
cruise off the coast of England captured nine
prizes. William Martin, of the same town,
was in the battle of Bunker Hill; and under
Arnold and Montgomer}- in the expedition
against Quebec, where he was wounded by a
cannon ball. In 1780 he was captured by the
Indians in a skirmish at Little Falls, and taken
to Quebec. After several months' detention
he made his escape.

The foregoing are some of the names of the
soldiers who once resided in Chautauqua
county. More than one hundred and fifty have
at some time had their homes here. Many of
the earliest pioneers were Revolutionary sol-
diers. It is interesting to know that so many
of the continental soldiers at some time resided
in Chautauqua county. There is scarcely ^

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

pioneer burying ground but contains the re-
mains of one or more.*

The Jamestown Chapter of Daughters of the
American Revolution, was organized in Octo-
ber, 1900, its first regent, Miss Stella Florine
Broadhead. Among its members was formerly
Mrs. Maria Cheney Hall, daughter of Eben-
ezer Cheney, a Revolutionary soldier. He en-
listed in the American army at the age of seven-
teen, and served in the Revolutionary War as
a private. Airs. Hall died January 17th, 1903,
at the age of 97 years. Interesting meetings to
promote the objects of the society are often
held. The graves of six Revolutionary soldiers
buried in Lake View cemetery and two in the
Ashville cemetery are annually decorated by
the chapter.

A chapter of Sons of the Revolution, having
similar purposes with those of the Daughters
of the American Revolution has been organ-
ized at Jamestown. Lewis Hall was its first
regent ; Daniel H. Post, its secretary and treas-
urer. Mr. Hall, its regent, was much devoted
to its objects until his decease. He was suc-
ceeded by Rev. Albert L. Smalley.

Nearly the whole of the population of Chau-
tauqua county able to bear arms was called to
the front during the War of 1812. The county
was represented in the war with Mexico, and
even in the struggle of Texas for Independ-
ence. It furnished several thousand gallant
soldiers and many distinguished officers in the
Civil War, and had paid out in that contest
for bounties and war purposes $1,078,144 and
now was to do its share in the war with Spain.

Eighteen hundred and ninety-eight was a
year of brilliant events in the history of the
country. That year covers the whole period
of the Spanish War. The revolt of the Cubans
from Spanish rule in February, 1895, had early
excited the sympathies of the people of the
United States, but not until the vigorous policy
promised by General Weiler took the form of

*John M. Edson, when a young man, had the honor
of sitting at the table with Lafayette when he was enter-
tained at Fredonia on his journey through the county
in 1825. Mr. Edson says that with others, his step-
father. Major Samuel Sinclear, and thirty other Revo-
lutionary soldiers, sat at the same table, twelve of whom
were from Yorktown. Mr. Edson described Lafayette
to be a man less than six feet high, somewhat corpu-
lent. He wore a wig of dark hair, was of a dark com-
plexion and had full cheeks. He talked English well,
and freely upon the subject of the war, with the sold ers,
in which they together had participated. He was affable
and courteous to all. Mr. Edson said that in the con-
fusion made by the crowd of people assembled that day,
a woman was thrown from a wagon and injured.
Lafayette made many inquiries respecting the accident
and expressed great concern for the injured woman.

fire, slaughter and starvation to non-combat-
ants, did the United States make emphatic pro-
test. The story of Chautauqua county's part
in it is told elsewhere in this work.

Of the other important events that occurred
in the county in 1898 may be mentioned the
completion of the new Erie depot at James-
town, on the site of the old one.

The American Library Association met at
Celoron in July, 1898, over four hundred pro-
fessional librarians present. The annual meet-
ing of the Photographers' Association of Amer-
ica was also held at the same place this year
In June of this year, Fredonia was quaran-
tined against the smallpox. There were no
deaths, and the cases were of a mild type. Five
thousand seven hundred twenty-eight cars of
grapes were this year shipped from the grape
district between Angola and Erie. The value
of the crop was estimated at $1,170,000.

In the afternoon of March 25th, Oscar E.
Rice killed his wife in the town of Westfield.
They had separated, and she at the time was
serving as a nurse for Mrs. Hattie Dascomb.
He killed her with a jackknife, in the presence
of Mrs. Dascomb, who was at the time sick ni
bed. He then tried to kill himself, but was
arrested before he accomplished it. He was
tried in Mayville at a court held by Jtistice
Childs. District Attorney Eleazer Green,
assisted by H. C. Kingsbury, prosecuted in be-
half of the people. A. B. Ottaway and S. W.
Mason defended. The defense was insanity.
A verdict of murder in the first degree was
found by the jury. The finding of the jury was
affirmed on appeal, and the prisoner was elec-
trocuted — the first criminal from Chautauqua
county that suffered electrocution.

At the October county court, Joseph Patti,
an Italian laborer, was tried before Judge
Jerome B. Fisher for the killing of Grisaulti.
a companion laborer. They were members of
a gang of men working on the railroad track
in the town of Ripley in June of the same year.
An altercation resulted in the stabbing of Gri-
saulti by Patti, who died a few days after. Dis-
trict Attorney Eleazer Green conducted the
trial for the people ; Patti was defended by
Thomas Larkin and Archibald D. Falconer,
The prisoner was convicted of murder in the
second degree, and was sentenced to imprison-
ment for life.

The year 1899 opened with a winter colder
than had been known in Chautauqua county
for twenty-five years. On the night of Feb-
ruary loth the thermometer fell to ten degrees
and more below zero, with a high and cutting
wind that forced the cold into the best con-

CLOSE OF THE CENTURY— 1875-1902

tructed dwellings. For nearly a week the
\ cather continued bitter cold ; a portion of
;ach day for three days it fell to more than

t .wenty degrees below zero. At some places in
he county it was reported as falling below
hirty degrees.
In July of 1899 a party of English from

i Jamestown were camped at Driftwood on the

I :;ast shore of Chautauqua Lake. On the 5th of
;hat month, Squire Tankard, an Englishman,
I weaver by occupation, about noon suddenly
ippeared in the camp, and without warning
ihot and instantly killed Mrs. Beaumont, his
vife's sister, and then shot and severely in-
ured Mr. William Beaumont, her husband, in

: :he arm. He then turned the pistol upon him-
self, inflicting a serious but not fatal wound,
md ran for the lake, and waded into its shal-
ow waters. He then returned to the shore and
ittempted to escape across the county, but was
lext day captured in a barn near the village of
jerry. The defendant was indicted and tried
n November, 1899, before Justice Frank C.
^aughlin. District Attorney E. Green appeared

) 'or the people ; A. C. and R. F. Pickard ap-

I ;)eared for the defendant. The defence offered
vas insanity, and some evidence was given to

i iustain it. The prisoner was ably defended ;
he jury, however, rendered a verdict of guilty
)f murder in the first degree. The attorneys
or Tankard afterward petitioned to Governor
voosevelt to appoint a commission of physi-
ians to examine the defendant as to his insan-
ty, resulting in a stay of punishment.

On Sunday, August 20th, a street fight
jccurred in Jamestown in which a number
vere engaged, and Axel Johnson was killed bv
-ome one whose identity could not be ascer-
ained.

A family feud of long standing came to an
:nd September 23, in the town of Arkwright.
The quarrel arose about a land controversy
)etween Lavern and Cassius Wilson ; a lawsuit
•esulted in favor of Cassius. Lavern in the
ifternoon of that day left Fredonia for the farm
)f Cassius, where he found him at work in his
:orn field with his hired man. Lavern leaped
)ver the fence and ran toward his brother,
hreatening to kill him. Cassius, who was a
nuch weaker man physically, drew a revolver
rem his pocket and shot his enraged brother,
:illing him instantly. Cassius was arrested,
)ut soon discharged, as the circumstances
hewed that the killing was done in self-de-
ence.

The most shocking crime of all was commit-
ed on the same day, a few hours after the.
lomicide mentioned, at Falconer, at about

Chau-6

eight o'clock in the evening. Some young men
heard the continuous screams of a woman pro-
ceeding from a retired spot upon which a street
crossed the Chadakoin. They ran to her res-
cue. The screams continued until they reached
the bridge, when they called out to her and she
feebly answered. They found her still alive,
but unable to speak. Before a physician could
be called she died. Her face and throat had
been cut. The ground about showed the evi-
dence of the terrible struggle that had occurred
before the helpless girl gave up her life. Hei
name was Emily Adolphson, a young Swede
girl. Frank Wennerholm, who had been a
suitor of Emily Adolphson and resided in
Jamestown, was suspected. The handle of a
razor was foimd near the body, which was
proved to have been his. The authorities
found him in bed ; the clothing he wore was
wet and muddy, and in places stained with
blood. There were other circumstances to
show his guilt. A post mortem examination
disclosed the fact that the murdered girl would
have been a mother in a few months, which
was a strong circumstance throwing light upon
the motive for the crime. Wennerholm was
tried in June, 1900, at Mayville, Justice White
presiding. A. C. Pickard and Frank Wheeler
appeared for the defendant; E. Green, district
attorney, for the people. After a short absence
the jury returned into court with a verdict of
guilty. Wennerholm's attorneys carried the
case to the Court of Appeals. The verdict of
the jury was, however, sustained, and Wenner-
holm was electrocuted.

This year Willard McKinstry, of Fredonia
died. He was the oldest and one of the best
known editors in the State. In 1842 he became
the editor of the "Fredonia Censor," which he
published for over fifty-seven years. Upon his
retirement he was succeeded by his son, Louis
McKinstry. For years "The Censor" was the
leading Whig and afterwards a Republican
newspaper. It was the most influential and
substantial newspaper in Northern Chau-
tauqua, and is now the oldest in the county,
having been established in 1S21 by H. C. Fris-
bee. This year Albert Hilton also died. For
more than twenty years he was the well known
and popular editor of the "Fredonia Adver-
tiser and Union," the leading Democratic news-
paper of the county.

July loth, 1900, the first term of a Federal
Court ever held in Chautauqua county was
held in Jamestown, by Hon. John R. Hazel.
F. E. Shaw, of Charlotte, was appointed fore-
man of the grand jury. At this term. Max La

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

Sar was indicted for diamond smuggling, was
arraigned, and held in $25,000 bail.

The most disastrous fire that Fredonia had
ever before experienced occurred on Wain and
Center streets, January 25th, 1900. It was dis-
covered about I :2o o'clock a. m. Twelve build-
ings were burned, including the Pan-American
Hotel, Miner's Bank, and the Dunkirk & Fre-
donia Street Railway power house. Miss Alice
Huntington, and Warren Leopold Bretzckgi, a
Swiss house painter, lost their lives. Fourteen
horses were burned in their stables. The loss
of property was estimated at $200,000. In
March the Taber felt factory, one of the larg-
est manufacturing establishments in the vil-
lage, was burned.

A far more terrible fire than all occurred on
the morning of December 14, of the same year,
when the Fredonia Normal School buildings
were burned. The fire broke out shortly be-
fore six o'clock in the morning, in the base-
ment, in the room occupied by the janitor. The
cause of it is not known. No fuel was used in
the building, it being heated by steam supplied
by the street railway company. Five minutes
after the fire was discovered, the alarm was
sounded, but in that short time the office, re-
ception room and front way were a mass of
flames. The elevator shaft and the two spiral
staircases afforded a powerful draft, sucking
the roaring flames upward to the third story,
where were the rooms of the lady students.
Miss Julia D. Sherman, one of the two teachers
living in the building, by her presence of mind,
enabled all the young ladies in the south wing
of the building to escape but one, Miss Cora
Storms, who perished probably in her room.
The young ladies in the north wing ran to the
fire escape in that part of the building, but the
netted screen of the window was fastened so
tightl}' that they were unable to remove it.
Some then went into adjoining rooms and
stepped out at the window and made their
perilous way along the ice covered window
ledge to the fire escape. The weather was in-
tensely cold, and they suffered greatly in the
dangerous exploit. Five young ladies were
less fortunate ; their charred remains were
found the Sunday following, close together,
near the base of the fire escape, indicating that
they were unable to tear away the screen at
the window, and overcome by the heat and
smoke, they had perished together. Miss
Maude Fizzell, one of those who had crawled
out of the window and walked along the ledge
of the Mansard roof and was safe, exclaimed
that she must go back to the room and get her
diamond ring. She turned back and was seen

i^iia

no more. The janitor, Mr. Morris, although h
could have saved his life, perished in a fruitlea ,«»
effort to stay the fire. Miss McLaury, tb:
other teacher living in the building, was ove:
come by the heat, but was aided to escape bl
Miss Sherman. The lives of nineteen person Zh
in the building were saved. The following is ^^
list of those who perished in the fire : Phinea
J. Morris, of Fredonia, the janitor ; Rutl
Thomas, of Pike, New York ; Cora Storm,
Eden Center, New York ; Inez Jones, of Bust:
New York ; May Williams, Cannonsville, Nev
York; Bessie Hathaway, Lake Coma, Pennsyl
vania ; Maude Fizzell, Bradford, Pennsylvania rjji
seven in all. They were all interred in on Mg
grave. The loss of the buildings and otheH
property by the fire was over $200,000.

The burned Normal School building was th
successor of the Fredonia Academ)^ A ne
Normal School building more extensive an
costly was now built upon the site of th
burned building, and was formally dedicated i:
the presence of a great number of people, Jun
29, 1903.

Nineteen hundred and two closes the histor
of the first century of our county. That yea
no serious crime was committed or tragedy oc
curred. Its events were generally of an agree
able character, calculated to bring up an
strongly impress a pleasing recollection of th
past history of the county. The Historica
Societ}-, which was organized in 1883, wit
Prof. Samuel G. Love as president and Dr. AAi
W. Henderson secretary, several years before
had resolved to celebrate in 1902 the setth
ment of the county. In due time the board cj
supervisors and the Hon. S. Frederick Nixor
its chairman, gave their influence and tool
practical measures to further the movement
Patriotic citizens contributed liberally to aii
it, and when the time arrived the citizens c
Westfield and in all parts of the county active!;
and enthusiastically by their efforts complete
the success of the celebration, which occurrei
June 24-25, 1902.

An interesting event occurred but a few day
before, which will aid in preserving in th
future an agreeable remembrance of the eel
bration. This was the opening of the extett
sion of the Jamestown. Chautauqua & Lak
Erie railroad, which occurred on Saturday
June 2ist. 1902. This little piece of road liei
wholly within Chautauqua county, and extend
through its most picturesque scenery. De)
scending at the rate of one hundred feet t
the mile, it passes through deep cuts, over higl
but substantial trestle works, winding amonj
the hills and along dark chasms and wild sce»T

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CLOSE OF THE CENTURY— 1875-1902

ery, until the blue waters of Lake Erie appear
in view, terminating in Westfield, close by the
precipitous bank of Chautauqua creek. On
the second day of the Centennial, a long train
passed over this road, loaded with passengers
from Jamestown, Falconer and Southern Chau-
tauqua county, to participate in the ceremonies
of the day.

The people of the county during the year
I 1902 seemed to be filled with a desire to ex-
' press their pleasant remembrance of former
days. Reunions were held in several towns,
where old acquaintances after years of separa-
tion gathered from all parts, often from other
States. The must notable of these town pic-
nics was held at Parkhurst's Grove, in Stock-
ton, on the 26th of August. E. L. AlcCullough
presided. S. Fred Nixon was the principal
speaker. Five thousand people were in attenrl-
ance. The year before, the fourth annual town
picnic had been held in the same grove, when
three thousand people were present. Many
articles of interest, relics of early days in
Chautauqua county, were displayed in a large
tent. Successful town picnics of a like char-
acter were held in Cherry Creek and Villenova
(luring the year 1902.

The affection of a Chautauquan for his
county seemed everywhere this year kindled
anew. The Chautauqua Society of New York
City was formed and held its first annual re-
union and dinner at the Hoffman House in
that city, the guests, nearly one hundred in
number. Washington \\'indsor was president,
and Justice John W'oodward toastmaster.

Principal among the citizens who have taken
|j,'irt in these commemorative gatherings and
ha\e in recent years rendered valuable service
to the people of the county in preserving its
historv, the stories and faces of its old pio-
neers, is Charles J. Shults. In 1900 he edited
and published a fine collection of illustrated
historical matter relating to the town of Cherry
Creek. Afterwards he edited and published a
like valuable collection relating to the town of
Dayton, in Cattaraugus county. As that town
adjoins Chautauqua, his publication is of much
interest to our county.

Mr. Shults was born in Ellicottville, Catta-
ragus county, February 23, 1868. He was
educated in the Union schools of that place.
He learned the printer's trade of Robert H.
Shankland, one of the best known editors of
Western New York. He also pursued the
study of law and medicine. He published
various newspapers in Cattaraugus and Chau-
tauqua counties, among them the "Cherry
Creek News," and has been for many years

closely connected with Chautauqua county and
well versed in its recent history.

In the year 1902 the weather was so unfa-
vorable that the attendance at the Chautauqua
Assembly was not so great as the year before^
Nineteen hundred and one was the Pan-Ameri-
can year. Fifty thousand people then visited
Chautauqua, from every State and Territory in
the Union, including Hawaii, and also from
Canada, New Zealand, India, China, Peru, Ger-
many, England, Cuba, Congo, South Africa,
Sweden, Mexico, Argentine Republic and Bra-
zil. In 1902, although the total attendance was
less, the duration of those in attendance was
longer than ever before. The final exercises
of the Chautauqua Assembly for that year and
the last in the closing year in the first centur}'
of the settlement of the county were held Au-
gust 28th, in the Hall of Philosophy.

The Hall of Philosophy was regarded as a
classic spot in the grove. So many notable
men had so often discoursed upon learned and
interesting subjects beneath the roof of this
old Parthenon, that it had become very dear to
Old Chautauquans. This was the last exercise
held within its colonades, for now it was to be
torn down and replaced with an edifice of
stone.

On the opposite shore of the lake at Point
Chautauqua, later in the season another struc-
ture was destroyed, this time by fire — the
Grand Hotel, a noble edifice which then occu-
pied the most sightly place on the lake. It
was 300 feet long by 163 feet wide, the main
structure five stories high and the wings four
stories. It was built in 1877-78 by the Baptist
Association, which had control of the point at
the time. They had hopes of making it a great
resort equal to the Chautauqua Assembly
across the lake.

Chautauqua county had at the close of 1902
reached a degree of prosperity that its citizens
of early years had never anticipated. The
county had all the attractions of soil and scen-
ery, market facilities, early educational and
social opportunities, possessed by the most
favorable of rural communities. To these were
added in the last quarter of a century the well-
known important advantages, which had caused
it to lead all other counties of the Empire State
not having large cities within its borders — the
growth of the grape industry, which estab-
lished its material prosperity ; and the rise of
the Chautauqua .Assembly, which in a still
greater degree promoted its material advance-
ment. The beauty of the lake and its many
attractions would have been sufficient to draw
manv to its shores. It was, however, the

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

annual meetings of the Assembly that attracted
the great mass of people to visit it, and that
gave it its worldwide fame. During its twenty-
nine seasons of meetings it had been visited
by Presidents, the Governor-General of Can-
ada, Statesmen, Governors and Generals, its
audiences had been addressed by some of the
most eminent men of the land, and of the day,
audiences that were immense, that Joseph Jef-
ferson said were so large as to appall him. Be-
sides those who actually attended Chautauqua,
more than ten thousand Chautauqua Home
Reading Circles were formed and nearly a mil-
lion people availed themselves of their benefits.
To nearly everj^ country in the world has the
Chautauqua idea been carried. People every-
where have been made familiar with the name
of our lake. It has been adopted not only as
the name for other assemblies, offsprings of our
own, but as the name for other descriptions of
places besides.

We cannot better conclude the annals of the
first century of our county than with some
account of the general racial character of its
inhabitants and of their distribution through
the county. The first colonists have a strong
influence in fixing the characteristics of their
descendants for generations. The leading pio-
neer himself leaves a deep impression upon his
community. His ideas and methods are gen-
erally long followed. James and John Mc-
Mahan furnish instances of this kind. It was
through their influence that the first settlers
emigrated from Pennsylvania and established
themselves around Westfield. These early set-
tlers came from Northumberland and the coun-
ties along the Susquehanna river, near the cen-
ter and in the eastern part of Pennsylvania ;
some were of German, but they were generally
descendants from the Protestant-Irish families
that had emigrated from County Down, Ire-
land. The McMahans were of Irish parentage.
These Pennsylvanians were an industrious,
reliable and religious people, and their charac-
teristics are still to be seen in many of their
descendants, not only in Westfield, but in other
of the earliest settled parts of the county. The
first who came were emigrants from the east-
ern part of Pennsylvania, among them David
Eason, Low Minegar and Thomas McClintock.
These were the earliest settlers at Fredonia.
The same is true of Captain James Dun, who
first settled at Portland.

In the south part of the county, John Frew
and Thomas Russell, in Carroll, and Robert
Russell, of Kiantone, all came from Pennsyl-
vania, and all of Irish parentage from the
County Down.

The earliest settlements in the south part o-
the county were made at Kenned)', in the towr
of Poland, and at Worksburg (now Falconer;
in the town of EUicott, by Pennsylvanians
Dr. Thomas R. Kennedy, although he nevei
became a resident of the county, may be sair
to have been the founder of Kennedyville
Edwin Work was the founder of Worksburg
A friendship and certain business relationshij:
existed between these men. They both came
from Meadville. Work was born in Franklin
Pennsylvania. He studied law and was admit'
ted to the bar and subsequently was the prose-
cuting attorney there. He married Mrs. Jane
Cameron, the widow of Joseph Cameron. H<
was a man of enterprise and ability and integ-
rity. He caused mills to be built at Worksburg
and roads and bridges to be constructed three
j'ears before any settlement was made a1
Jamestown. When almost the only travel was
made by Indian trails, keelboats and canoes on
Chautauqua Lake and the larger streams in the
southeastern part of the county, he constructed
keelboats at his mill for the transportation of
salt from Mayville to Pittsburgh and for othei
purposes. Work ran lumber from his mills tc
New Orleans, as he had done before from the
Kennedy mills. He shipped cotton when he
arrived at Natchez, and sold his boats at New
Orleans for lumber for more than their cost.
He may be said to be the pioneer of the south-
ern part of the county, as McMahan had been
of the northern towns. Worksburg was for
several years the most important settlement in
the southern part of the county, as the Cross
Roads had been in its northern part. The first
settlers of Poland and ElHcott, through the in-
fluence of Kennedy and Work, like those of the
Cross Roads, came from Pennsylvania ; not
from the Susquehanna region in the east part
of the State, but from Meadville and vicinity,
in Western Pennsylvania. Among these pio-
neers were Wilson, Culbertson, George W.
Fenton, the father of Governor Fenton, Ross,
and other well-known pioneers. Many of the
settlers from Western Pennsylvania or their
immediate ancestors originally had their homes
in Northumberland and other counties on the
Susquehanna, and most often had a Protestant-
Irish parentage.

But it was only for a few of the first years
that settlement was chiefly from Pennsylvania.
The migrations of men have been generally
from the East towards the West, with a strongp
tendency to follow lines of latitude, and thisil
law was substantially observed in the subse-|^
quent settlement of our county. For nearlyfl
fifty years after the first beginning of settle-|

LIGHTllOlISI': AXlJ F1iSHIKiU.se — SlLVEIl CHEEK

■>>'

>, << .?^t ^

BAUCEEei.X.V llAUBOR

CLOSE OF THE CENTURY— 1875-1902

ment, immigrants came here almost entirely
from the middle and eastern counties of New
York and from the New England States. The
pioneers of the middle and a portion of the
eastern counties of New York, in accordance
with the law of migration, had come from the
county immediately to the eastward. So it is
that the settlers of Chautauqua county for a
period of fifty of its earliest years were mainly
of New England extraction. Of our own
earliest pioneers many also were from the Brit-
ish Isles — Irishmen, Scotchmen and English-
men. Alexander Cochran, a Protestant or
Scotch-Irishman from the North of Ireland,
was the first settler of Ripley ; Alexander Find-
ley, an Irishman, from Pennsylvania, was the
first settler of Mina.

When the frontier period had come to a close
by the organization of Chautauqua as a sepa-
rate county in the year 181 1, the places that
have now proved to be the most important
points in the county had all been selected anti
settled, including Westfield, Fredonia and
Jamestown. The population, influence and
wealth of these three towns indicate the fore
sight and good judgment of their founders —
Col. James McAIahan, Judge Zattu Cushing
and Judge James Prendergast. •

Judge James Prendergast, Colonel James
McMahan and Judge Zattu Cushing, three
leading pioneers of these different and distinct
parts of the county, besides having broader
and more comprehensive views as to the direc-
tion in which the development of the county
would tend, were possessed of more means
than most of the early settlers, and could there-
fore proceed with more deliberation and care in
choosing the spot at which to stake their for-
tunes. Colonel McMahan was a surveyor.
quite familiar with the western wilderness. He
had traversed the county from its southern
limits to Lake Erie as early as 1795 with a
view to location, and finall}^ chose the beauti-
ful farming land adjacent to Westfield as pre-
senting the most favorable prospect. Judge
Cushing also passed through the county in
1798 or 1799 on his way to Presque Isle to
superintend the building of the ship "Good In-
tent." and again on his return east. He select-
ed his home on the Canadaway, in the fine
lands around Fredonia, as offering the great-
est promise to one who would choose a home
on the frontier. Fle was no doubt influenced in
his choice by similar considerations to those
that governed Colonel McMahan. Judge
Prendergast, who as early as 1794 or 1795
traveled extensively in the Southwest, having
visited the Spanish country of Northern Louisi-

ana, and in 1S05 journeyed through Pennsyl-
vania to Tennessee with a view to settlement
in that State, had at last explored the region
around Chautauqua Lake and along the Cone-
wango, saw in the magnificent forests of
Southern Chautauqua a source of wealth. He
saw also a prospect of its immediate realiza-
tion in the Allegheny and its tributaries, which
ofl'ered the facilities for the transportation of
the lumber manufactured at their sources to
the great market which he perceived was des-
tined to grow up in the valley of the Missis-
sippi.

As lumbering and clearing the land was the
chief vocation, lakes and water courses, large
and small, were the principal circumstances
determining what points were longest to con-
tinue business centers. Not until fifty years
after the first settlement of the county did rail-
roads come to revolutionize transportation and
travel, changing business centers. The Hol-
land Land Company deemed Alayville, at the
head of Chautauqua Lake and at the head of
the navigation of river courses to the Missis-
sippi Valley and also at the termination of the
Short Portage to Lake Erie, to be the place
of importance in the county, as it did the har-
bor at Barcelona at the opposite termination
of the portage, and the small harbor at Catta-
raugus creek. These three places were re-
garded as the principal points of consequence.
So much so that they were the only places in
the county that the company saw fit to survey
into village lots. Silver Creek was undoubt-
edly selected for its harbor and water power.
For the latter reason Forestville, Worksburg.
Kennedy and Frewsburg, were chosen for set-
tlement, as was Sinclairville by its pioneer,
Samuel Sinclear. He thought also that its
proximity to what he believed would some time
be an important highway extending eastward
and westward between the count)- seats of the
southern tier of counties of the State to be
intersected at or near Sinclairville by another
important highway extending between Buffalo
and Pittsburgh, would make it a place of some
note. For similar reasons the crossing at the
Portage road had much influence in establish-
ing the location of the first settlement of the
county at Westfield.

The county organized and settlement made
at all of its principal points, emigration was
continued from Eastern New York and the
New England States with great vigor. It con-
tinued almost exclusively from that portion of
the country for quite forty years and until the
county had gained three-fifths of its present
population. At the end of that time it was

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

inhabited by people almost entirely of New
England and English extraction. During that
period the immigrants came in independently
of each other, and in single families. Some-
times it would happen that the inhabitants of
a neighborhood came from a single locality in
the East.

Several small colonies of English early set-
tled in the county. The literature and the lan-
guage, the laws and the traditions of Eng-
land, are so like those of America, that the
few distinctive characteristics of these superior
people disappear more quickly than those of
any other country. A large portion of the set-
tlers of the northeast part of the town of Mina
and the northwest part of the town of Sher-
man were Englishmen, many of them from
County Kent. They began to settle in the
county about the year 1823. Among those
English pioneers were James Ottaway, the an-
cestor of A. B. Ottawa}', one of the ablest and
best known lawyers in the covinty ; William
Relf, Edward Chambers, Edward Harden,
Thomas Coveney, William Mayborn, Benja-
min Boorman, John Thorp and Richard Bass.

In Charlotte there were many English fam-
ilies. The street leading from Sinclairville to
Cherry Creek was first settled by families prin-
cipally from the South of England. Samuel
Hurley was the pioneer, he came as early as
1817. Abraham Reynolds next came in 1819,
direct from London ; twice he walked from
Charlotte to New York. Robert LeGreys
came in 1819; John Thorn in 1834; and in 1836
John Reed from Devonshire; Richard Brock,
Thomas D. Spiking and Thomas Thompson
came later. The street leading north from the
Center to Arkwright was also largely settled
by Englishmen wholly from Yorkshire, in the
North of England, among them Thomas Pear-
son, ancestor of Arthur C. Wade, the well-
known lawyer of Jamestown. William Wright
and Thomas Dickinson came together in a
ship from Hull, and settled on this street ; Wil-
liam Hilton in 1830; hisson John, who has been
a director on the Erie railway. The descend-
ants of these Englishmen and many others
who came later, constitute a large and sub-
stantial portion of the population of the town.
Englishmen early settled in other parts of the
county.

About twenty years after the selection of
Jamestown for settlement by James Prender-
gast, there came from the Midland counties of
England the Wilson and Bootey families and
settled at Jamestown, on the southeast side of
the Chadakoin, and cleared the land on what
is now known as English Hill, within the

bounds of the city of Jamestown. John T.
Wilson, of the Wilson family, long one of the
most enterprising and respected citizens of
Jamestown, and the late Edward R. Bootey,
of the Bootey family, one of the most able and
esteemed lawyers of Chautauqua county, were
both born in Jamestown. Later on and prior
to 1840, there came from England, William
and Charles Mace, John Spring, John Armi-
tage and others. In 1843 William Broadhead,
who has contributed more to the prosperity
and advancement of Jamestown than anyone
now living, came direct from Yorkshire in Eng-
land : he was followed the next year by his
father and Thomas Sunderland, who selected
Busti for their homes ; and soon after, the
Northrups, Lords and Jabez Whitley, who also
settled in Busti. Further additions of Eng-
lishmen were made in the fifties and sixties.
These were mostly from Lancashire and they
largely settled in Sugar Grove and Youngsville,
Pennsylvania. Soon after the Civil War, the
manufacturing industries of Jamestown called
Englishmen from the manufacturing districts
of England. Early in the seventies many more
Englishmen came to take a principal part in
establishing the great textile industries of that
city. Among them were the families of Joseph
Turner, Edward Appleyard, Joseph Apple-
yard, Edward Pickles, Edward Cawley, Samuel
Briggs, William Briggs, David Hilton, Joseph
Rushworth, T. H. Smith, Joseph Metcalf, R.
E. Toothill and the Sedgwick brothers.

A few Frenchmen early came to Chautauqua
county. Quite a number of French families
settled in the northern part of the town of
Charlotte, and a few in other parts of the
county, but at no time have the French ex-
ceeded one hundred in number. Of those who
settled in Charlotte, John Cardot came in 1828
or 1829. In 1833 Mr. Tackley, Peter Belandret,
Mr. Landers, Joseph Gillett and families, Lewis
and John Simmons and afterwards John and
August Boquin and Nestor Lamblin and fami-
lies came. They were all substantial and re-
liable citizens.

Irishmen were among the earliest pioneers.
At first they came independent of each other,
and were scattered among the different settle-
ments of the county. About the year 1836 they
came in large numbers and more in a body, to
work upon the New York & Erie railroad, then
in process of construction. About fourteen
miles of the road was built by them from Dun-
kirk into the town of Arkwright, when the
work was suspended and this portion of the
road abandoned. Theirs was the first work
performed in building a railroad in Chautauqua

CLOSE OF THE CENTURY— 1875-1902

county. The result of their labor is still to be
seen in the old and partly obliterated "cuts and
fills" and stone culverts that were constructed
along the line of this piece of abandoned road.
Many of these Irishmen afterward became citi-
zens of Vlllenova, Arkwright and Charlotte.

By the census of 1845, the population of the
county was 46,548, nearly all of American
birth, and almost entirely of British descent,
much the greater number having been born in
New York or in the New England States. Per-
haps 2,500 of the inhabitants of the county were
of foreign birth, and of these almost all were
from the British Isles. There were a few Ger-
mans and Frenchmen, and scarcely one from
any other country of Europe. Never have the
people of the county been so purely of British
extraction since then. In 1845 it was seldom
that a person could be found who had come
from Continental Europe, or could speak any
other than the English language. When it hap-
pened it was regarded as a notable circum-
stance.

Soon after the year 1845, there began to sec
in from European countries to the county a
great tide of immigration which has continued
without interruption until the present time.
The first to come were Hollanders. They came
to the town of Clymer. About the year 1844
was the beginning of their settlement in that
town, and now a large percentage of its popu-
lation are of Holland stock. These citizens re-
tain in a marked degree the characteristics,
manners and customs of the parent country.
The impress of original nationality is likely to
remain longer with their descendants than
with the descendants of any other people in
the county.

No people have occasion to take more pride
in their ancestry than those who can trace
their lineage directly or indirectly back to Hol-
land. New York is the only State in the Union
that was principally settled by the people of
that country. There is much of the State
that has pleasing remembrances of this in-
teresting country. In New York City, along
the Hudson, at Albany, and in the Mohawk
Valley, live the descendants of this people.
Holland sympathized with America in her
struggle for Independence. Soon after the
Revolution, when it was known as the Repub-
lic Batavia, eleven staid merchants of the citj'
of Amsterdam had such faith in our republi-
can form of government which at that time
was regarded by most of the civilized world as
but a visionary experiment, as to invest a large
sum of money in the wild lands of the western
part of this State. They constituted what is

known as the Holland Land Company. There-
after for many years the interests of this com-
pany were most intimately blended with the
history of our count}'. Theophilus Cazenove,
Paul Busti, and John J. Vanderkemp, natives
or citizens of Holland were the earliest agents
for the disposition of its lands.

With the building of the Erie railroad, be-
ginning about 1849, began a still greater irrup-
tion of foreigners into the county. Dunkirk
was the objective point. The Irish were the
first on the ground, but were closely followed
by the Germans. The immigrants from both
of these countries were mostly poor. The
greater part became permanent residents. Ex-
cepting the English, no foreigners have be-
come so quickly and thoroughly Americanized
as the Irish and Germans. They readily adopt
American customs, quickly comprehend the
free principles of government and learn to con-
servatively apply them.

After the Irish and Germans came the
Swedes. Jamestown was then the objective
point. Three young women from Sweden
came to Jamestown in 1849. One became the
wife of Frank Peterson, one Mrs. Otto Peter-
son, and the third went farther to the west.
These were the first Swedes to settle in the
county, the forerunners of the thousands that
came afterwards. It is said that Samuel John-
son and Andrew Peterson and some others
came the same year. The first child of Swed-
ish parents born in the county was a daughter
of Andrew Peterson ; it died in infancy. Theo-
dore, son of Samuel Johnson, born December
29, 1851, was the first male child born of Swed-
ish parentage in the county. Since 1849 the
immigration from Sweden to this county has
been very great. Jamestown is the principal
place of Swedish settlement, as Dunkirk in the
north part of the county is now the principal
home of the Irish, the Germans and the Poles,
and Fredonia, Westfield and Silver Creek of
the Italians. More than one-third of the popu-
lation of Jamestown are Swedes or of Swedish
parentage. A large percentage of the inhabi-
tants of the southern towns of Ellicott, Car-
roll, Kiantone. Busti, Ellery, Chautauqua,
Harmony and Ellington, and of the town of
Pomfret are natives of Sweden.

The people of this nationality at length be-
came so numerous that in 1874 a Swedish
newspaper, the "Folkets Rost" (People's
Voice), was established in Jamestown bj' Olof
A. Olson and others. It has been published in
the Swedish language under different names
until the present time. The Swedes have estab-
lished many religious organizations, and have

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

built many churches. The first was the Swed-
ish M. E. church; it was organized in 1852,
and a church built. They have established
libraries and many societies for educational
improvement and for charitable purposes. The
Gustavus Adolphus Orphanage, or home for
orphan children, was organized and incor-
porated in 1884. The Home owns 87 acres of
land in East Jamestown, and a brick four-story
building, which with outbuildings is worth
$40,000. August J. Lindblad, who has been a
director and its secretary for many years, has
been one of the most zealous and faithful work-
ers for the Home. By the census of 1855 there-
were 453 persons born in Sweden ; in igoo the
natives of Sweden in the county had increased
in number to 7,151.

By the census of 1855, there were but five
Danes in the county. The first to arrive iu
Chautauqua county was M. P. Jacobson, of
Jamestown, in 1854; he came from Bornholm,
an island of the Baltic ; he was a carriage-
maker and blacksmith by trade. He was fol-
lowed by L. H. Tideman, a carriage and sign
painter, and later by A. C. Holmes. John and
Nicholas Romer were prominent among the
early Danes. They came in the early sixties
to Jamestown and entered into the employ of
Charles Jefifords in the manufacture of axes.
Nicholas was foreman of the factory. They
afterwards established an extensive model ax
factory in Dunkirk. C. C. Beck came to James-
town in 1864 and established the first ice in-
dustry of that city. He also engaged in the
building of steam and other boats on Chau-
tauqua Lake. For several years nearly all the
boats upon the lake were built by him.

The Danes of Jamestown with but few ex-
ceptions came from the island of Bornholm, in
the Baltic. But few Danes outside of James-
town reside in Chautauqua county. They have
organized various social and religious societies,
and are intelligent, industrious and law-abiding
citizens. According to the census of 1900, 316
residents of the county are natives of Den-
mark.

In 1855' there were no Norwegians in the
county ; by the census of 1900 there were only
twenty. John A. Hale, of Jamestown, is said
to have been the first who came from that
country. Oscar O. Olson was born in Stor-
hammer, Norway, in 1849, came to the United
States in 1872, and is prominent among them.

The Swedes, the Danes and the Norwegians,
constituting the ScJindanavian branch of the
Teutonic races, are so nearly related to the
Anglo-Saxons that it makes it easy for them

to assimilate with and to become in everytjW ■
sense of the word American citizens.

Next after the Swedes came the Polanders,
They settled in Dunkirk. The first to come
were Abrose Johnson, Anthony Pogorzelski,:
Joseph Fleming, and John Winkler and theiii
families. In 1855 there were 21 Polanders in
Chautauqua county. Later they began to come
in greater numbers; and in 1875 there were
eighty-five Polish families in Dunkirk, and that
year St. Hyacinth's Roman Catholic Church
was erected at a cost of $10,000. The Poles
principally reside in Dunkirk and the country
roundabout. They are educating their chil-
dren and making rapid progress. They are
among" the best farmers in the county ; througl
their energy and industry they are securinj
good homes. In 1900 there were 1,027 nativei
of Poland residing in Chautauqua county, ani
many more descendants.

The Italians were the last of our foreig:
born residents to come to Chautauqua count
With the exception of a very few who reside
in Dunkirk, Westfield, and perhaps at somi
other places, there were none of that national-!
ity residing in the county previous to 1890,
These few were not common laborers, but men!
skilled in some trade or vocation. They were]
usually intelligent, and sometimes educated
men. Mr. Martignoni, now of Dunkirk, and
Frank Potalio, of Westfield, are among thej
early Italians. By the census of 1S55 there'
was not a single Italian residing in the county,
and yet fifty years ago and before that date.
Garibaldi, the most eminent of Italians, camei
to this far western country and visited Dun-
kirk. Joseph Serrone was the first Italian to
establish a permanent residence in Dunkirk.
He came in March, 1888, and established a
fruit store there. His daughter Lucy was the
first child born of Italian parents in Dunkirk.

The Italian population first began to appear
along the line of the Lake Shore railroad, and
settle about the same time in several of the,,
northern towns of the county. In the early part
of the year 1891, Toney Dolce and Alex Gen-
tile came to Westfield. Since then there has'
been a constant influx of this people to that;
village. In 1892, while the street railway was
being constructed between Dunkirk and Fre-
donia, some Italian laborers from Buffalo were
engaged in work upon it, among them Peter
Lauza. He brought his family from Buffalo
and took up his residence in Fredonia, and w3S
the first to reside in Pomfret. In 1893 relatives
of the Lauzas and other families, about ten
families in all, came from Buffalo, with a few

CLOSE OF THE CENTURY— 1875-1902

others from Italy, to Fredonia. From that
year to the present time they have been in-
creasing rapidly in the vicinity of Fredonia,
coming usually upon the invitation of their
relatives who preceded them. In 1894 Peter
Lauza was the first to open the new industry
of wine making to the Italian settlers in West-
ern New York. This wine industry is largely
carried on by Italians residing in the county,
but American firms have also been started.
This wine is made of the pure grape juice and
allowed to ferment itself. This industry has
been so greatly developed within recent years
that grape lands have greatly increased in
value. Antonio La Grasso is now at the head
of a large wine industry in Fredonia. Pietro
Elardo and Antonio La Duca are large manu-
facturers. One hundred thousand dollars are
probably invested in the wine business at and
near Fredonia. There are many successful
Italian farmers cultivating lands in the Ameri-
can way, among them the Russo brothers.
Frank La Grasso has an extensive macaroni
factory.

The first to settle at or near Brocton was
Peter Rumfolo and his family and brother-.
Rumfolo came about 1892 or 1893. He was
followed by other families until now there are
about one hundred Italian residents in that
town, among them the two brothers Faso, who
own an extensive wine cellar. These Italians
are from the island of Sicily and are all small
in stature but one, who is taller and larger than
the others, whose name is Paolicckia, and who
came from Italy proper. His family conform to
the customs of America, and he manages one of
the largest grape farms in the vicinity and is
successful in the wine business. Many Italians
have settled in Dunkirk and still more near
Silver Creek, where they are engaged in rais-
ing grapes and making wine. In considerable
numbers they are beginning to appear in other
towns in the county. The Italians now resid-
ing in Chautauqua county are an industrious,
law-abiding and ]ieaceful people. They sho\>'
an interest in educating their children. Their
children attend the juiblic schools, are eager to
learn and make rapid advancement in their
studies.

It is a singular fact that the majority of the
Italians residing in Chautauqua county came
from the single town of Valledolmo, in Central
Sicily. This is true also of many of the Italians
residing in Buffalo and other parts of the State.
The Italians are the last of our foreign popula-
tion that have immigrated to Chautauqua
county in considerable numbers.

By the United States census taken in 1850,

the rapid increase of the foreign population and
the great change that was soon to take place
in the racial character of the people of the
county first began to appear. By this census
residents of foreign birth had increased to
3,622, about seven per cent, of the whole popu-
lation. These foreigners were more than two-
thirds Irish, English and Canadians, the re-
mainder were principally Germans from the
continent of Europe.

By the census taken in 1855, ^ still greater
change appears to have taken place in these
respects. By this census fourteen per cent, of
the whole population were foreign born. Of
these, 2,483 were born in Ireland ; 1.455 ''^ Eng-
land ; 1,207 '■'' Germany ; 453 in Sweden ; 334 in
Canada; 289 in Holland; 128 in Scotland; 93
in France ; 45 in Switzerland ; 27 in Wales ; 25
in Prussia ; 21 in Poland ; 5 in Denmark ; 2 in
Asia ; i in Russia, and none from Norway,
Italy, Spain or Portugal. Of these 3,223 were
born in Continental Eurojje against 4.345 born
in the British Dominions.

By the census of 1875, taken at the beginning
of the last period in the history of the county,
it appears that 1,138 were born in Canada;
2,143 in England; 3,987 in Ireland; 341 in
Scotland. In all, 7,609 were born in the Brit-
ish Dominions, while 3,946 were born in Ger-
many, and 6,156 in other countries, principally
in Sweden, a total of 10,102, who were a ma-
jority all born in Continental Europe. The
whole population of the county aside from a
few Indians, at the beginning of the last period
of its history was 64,781, of which 17,711,
being 27 per cent., were born in foreign coun-
tries.

According to the census of the county taken
in 1900, almost at the close of the first cen-
tury of our history, the whole population of
the county had increased to the number of
88,314 inhabitants, of which 70,765 were native-
born citizens, and 17,549 foreign-born. Of the
foreigners, the Swedes were far the most nu-
merous, as the Irish had been during the early
vears of the immigration. Seventy-one hun-
dred fifty one were born in Sweden ; 2,859 '"
Germany; 2,085 ''"^ England; 1,244 in Ireland;
1,127 in Poland; 977 in Canada; 761 in Italy;
437 in Holland; 316 in Denmark; 186 in Scot-
land; 106 in Switzerland; 76 in France; 41 ir
Russia; 21 in Austria; 20 in Norway, 19 in
Wales; 12 in China; 12 in Finland; 9 in Asia;
I in Hungary; i in Turkey; i in Belgium; i
in Cuba, and 44 in other countries.

In 1875 over 27 per cent, of the whole popu-
lation of the county were foreign-born, while
in 1900 but 20 per cent, were of foreign birth.

CHAL^AUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

Yet it is probable that in 1900 as many citizens
were of foreign blood, largely of Continental
Europe, as at any time in its history. By the
census of 1900, 47,721 were native-born citizens
having native-born parents, while 40,403 of its
inhabitants were either of foreign birth or both
parents were of foreign birth, 40 per cent, of
the whole population. About sixty years be-
fore, about 20 per cent, only were of this char-
acter, and this small number were not tinc-
tured with the blood of Continental Europe.

We have yet to mention two other classes
of people residing in the county who may be
said to be to the manner born. The colored
people of African descent have been settlers to
some extent ever since the county was first
settled, and still remain distinct from all other
classes by reason of a far wider racial differ-
ence. Joseph Hodge, or Black Joe, was sell-
ing goods to the Indians on the Cattaraugus
creek as early as 1792. In 1806, when William
Prendergast, Sr., his sons, daughters and
grandchildren, came in a body together, they
brought with them from Pittstown, New York,
their favorite slave Tom. Other slaves and
free negroes drifted into the county while it
was in process of settling. As many as eight
slaves resided in the county with their masters
in 1817. According to the census reports there
were five slaves in the county in 1814, three in
1820, and one as late as 1830. In 1850 there
were 140 colored people of African descent in
Chautauqua county, 70 males and 70 females.
Some of them were runaway slaves and others
were free-born. All were natives of the United
States and many of Chautauqua county. Of
these, Mrs. Katherine Harris was the oldest.
She was born in Pennsylvania, is 94 years of
age, and resided in Chautauqua county 75 years
(1900). Her grandfather on her father's side
was a negro rescued from a slaveship on its way
from Africa. Her other grandparents were
white. The colored population in 1900 was 148,
mostly residing in Jamestown, and of these 78
were males and 70 were females.

According to the census of 1900, 31 Indians
were residing upon the part of Indian reserva-
tion that lies in Chautauqua county in the
town of Hanover.

Of the 88.314 inhabitants in the county
according to the United States census taken in
1900, the town of Arkwright has 918; Busti,
2,192; Carroll, 1,684; Charlotte, 1,406; Chau-
tauqua, 3,590; Cherry Creek, 1,745; Clymer,
1,229; Dunkirk City, 11,616; Dunkirk town, 454 ;
Ellery, 1,628; Ellicott, 3,118; Ellington, 1,330;
French Creek, 1,014; Gerry, 1,198; Hanover,
4,778; Harmony, 2,998; Jamestown city, 22,-

892; Kiantone, 491 ; Mina, 1,038; Poland, 1,613;
Pomfret, 6,313; Portland, 2,690; Ripley, 2,256;
Sheridan, 1,633; Sherman, 1,560; Stockton,
1,852; Villenova, 1,206; Westfield, 3,882.

The population of the cities and villages of
the county was: Jamestown, 22,892; Dunkirk,
11,616; Fredonia, 4,127; Westfield, 2,430; Sil-
ver Creek, 1,944; Falconer, 1,136; Mayville,
943 ; Brocton, 900 ; Sherman, 760 ; Cherry
Creek, 701 ; Forestville, 623; Sinclairville, 577;
Lakewood, 574; Celoron, 506; Panama, 359; in
all, 50,088 people. In the fifteen or more
smaller villages and hamlets, there were at
least 4,000 more inhabitants, making in all
54.000 residents of cities and villages, leaving
about 34,000 living in the country districts.
Although Chautauqua is called a rural county,
five-eighths of its inhabitants were in cities
and villages. In the last 50 years the village :
and city population had increased threefold,
while the population of the country part of the
county remained about the same that it was
fifty years ago, and but little more than it was
seventy years ago.

Although there may be little to distinguish
the early annals of the county from those of
other parts of Western New York, no century
in the history of Chautauqua that will come
after the present will be of equal interest. The
tale of the pioneer, his free and simple life, his
great expectations, the hardships he endured,
the sacrifices he made and his final success will
always interest. The novelty- of a life in the
backwoods, and the rapid progress that settle-
ment made in this first hundred years, will in
the future bear a romantic interest. If the
early pioneer were here now, he would marv.jl
at the changes that have been wrought, the
railroads that have been constructed, the towns
and cities that have been built, the green fields
that spread everywhere among the hills. When
the sound of his ax was first heard along the
shore of Chautauqua Lake the Indian had not
taken leave of Fair Point, the deer browsed in
its groves, and the wolf nightly serenaded
there. Now all is changed ; in the same groves
thousands gather from all parts of the land to
listen to the discourse of orators and philoso-
phers from all parts of the world upon scien-
tific and advanced topics of the day. All this
change has occurred in the span of a single life.
Austin Smith was born in March, 1804, mar-
ried the daughter of the first pioneer in the
county, became an able lawyer, the contempo-
rary of Jacob Houghton, James Mullett and
Dudley Marvin, and other almost forgotten
lawyers, distinguished in the very earliest
annals of the county. He in his prime took a

CLOSE OF THE CENTURY— 1875-1902

prominent part in the affairs of the county, and
was one of the best known of its early citizens
and in 1903, at the advanced age of ninety-
nine years, Mr. Smith was still living in the
village of Westfield.

A few other facts will serve to show in a
striking way how great has been the change,
and how rapid has been the progress of the
county in the first hundred years of its his-
tory.

In iSoi the county was an uninhabited wil-
derness. By the census taken in iSio, nine
years later, it had a population of 2,381. In
181 1 it was an organized county. That year
$1,500 was voted by its supervisors to build
a court house and jail, and $988 for all other
town and count}- purposes. In 1821, ten years
later and but a short time before the Erie canal
was built, while the count\' was vet emerging

from its pioneer condition, the equalized value
of the real estate of the county was $1,849,248.
The town. State and county taxes had increased
to $8,292. In 1850, the year before the Erie
railroad was completed, the equalized value of
its real estate was $5,301,368, and the taxes,
town, county and State, were $39,145, and now
a half-century later, in 1902, the equalized
value of real estate is $37,403,184, and the total
town, county and State tax is $221,945.

In 1S50, about the middle of the first cen-
tury of its history, when the county was on
the eve of entering on its greatest era of prog-
ress, not a mile of railroad of any kind was in
operation in the county; in 1902 there were two
hundred fifty miles of steam railroad and
twenty-four miles of electric road built, and
more than fifty miles more of electric road sooii
to be constructed.

CHAPTER XIV.
Opening of the Twentieth Century.

The year 1903 was ushered in by a disastrous
fire in Jamestown, the Hall Estate Block at the
corner of Main and Third streets being badly
damaged, while the tenants all sustained severe
losses. For five hours the firemen under Chief
Wilson fought the flames and saved the blocic
from total destruction. This disaster was the
beginning of a series of fires, drownings and
accidental injuries that ma*rked the beginning
year of Chautauqua's second century.

At the opening of the 1903 session of the
New York House of Representatives, S. Fred-
erick "Nixon was placed in nomination by As-
semblyman J. Samuel Fowler, of Chautauqua,
and for the fifth time was elected speaker of
the house, an honor gracefully acknowledged
by Speaker Nixon.

On March 5, Mrs. Betsey Hudson, of Beulah
Place, Jamestown, celebrated the beginning of
her looth year, her guests finding their hostess
in good health, and except for infirmities of
sight and hearing, in possession of all her
faculties.

At the same time Mrs. Sarah Andres, of Sil-
ver Springs, was entering upon her loist year
in wonderful health, reading without glasses
and rising at six each morning.

On the night of January 8-9, fire broke out
at No. 10 South Main street. Jamestown, which
caused a loss of $40,000 before it was brought
under control.

On January 17, 1903, Maria Cheney Hall,
daughter of Seth Cheney, a Revolutionarv
soldier, and widow of James Hall, a Civil War

veteran, died at her home in Jamestown, in her
ninety-seventh year. Her early life was spent
in Kiantone, but her later years in Jamestown.
She was a member of the local chapter of the
Daughters of the American Revolution, the
only "true daughter" belonging to that body.
She was deeply revered by her sisters of the
chapter, who officially paid suitable tribute to
her memory.

At five o'clock a. m., January 20, a fatal fire
occurred at Dunkirk, in which Fred Teadt, a
man of 70, was burned to death.

The opening of the fishing season of 1903
on Lake Chautauqua was marked by a sad acci-
dent on the morning of February 2. David
Pederson, a stalwart Dane in the prime of life,
driving a fish coop on the lake for a day's fish-
ing, lost his bearings in the thick fog and drove
directly into an open body of water. Heavily
weighted with clothing, he quickly sank, and
did not rise again. He left a wife and five chil-
dren.

Funeral serA'ices were held in the Methodist
Episcopal church of Cherry Creek, Sunday,
February 8. 1903, in memory of Vernon E.
Skiff, who died in the Philippines. He was one
of the teachers first sent out by the govern-
ment to the islands, and was in charge of a
school of one hundred Filipino children, none
of whom could speak English, nor could he
speak their language. Mr. Skiff was a gradu-
ate of Fredonia State Normal School, class of
1901, and a resident of Cherry Creek, that vil-

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

lage also the home of his parents, his brother
and sister.

On February 26, 1903, the cornerstone of the
Federal building at Jamestown was laid.

The plant of the Jamestown Dining Table
Company was almost totally destroyed by fire,
March 5, 1903, Night Watchman Walter Ru-
land losing his life, and Fire Chief Wilson sus-
taining severe injuries.

On June 29, 1903, the new State Normal
School building at Fredonia was dedicated.
The handsome and adequate building replaced
the one destroyed by fire, December 14, 1900,
with the loss of seven lives. The new building,
one of the costliest and handsomest school
buildings owned by the State of New York,
and a worthy monument to the cause of edu-
cation, was duly dedicated to its intended pur-
pose, with impressive services held in the
chapel. State Superintendent of Public In-
struction Charles R. Skinner delivered an ad-
dress, as did S. Frederick Nixon, speaker of the
New York House of Representatives, and
others. Louis McKinstry, editor of the "Fre-
donia Censor," and for many years secretary of
the local board, prepared and read an historical
sketch of the school.

The Republican county convention met at
Dunkirk. July i, 1903, and renominated J. D.
Gallup for county clerk, Charles Kenney for
coroner, and S. Frederick Nixon for Assem.-
bly (Second District). John C. Jones, a new-
comer in the official life of the county, was
nominated for sheriff after a sharp contest. He
had been a member of the county committee
from Westfield for several years, and a mem-
ber of the executive committee. Arthur C.
Wade, of Jamestown, a well-known attorney,
was nominated for Assembly from the First
District.

At the meeting of the County Board of Su-
pervisors, S. Frederick Nixon was unanimously
elected chairman. O. D. Hinckley, who had
been an officer of the board for thirt3'-three
years and clerk for about twenty years, having
declined to again serve, Frederick W. Hyde,
of Jamestown, was elected clerk ; Theodore A.
Case, of Ellington, was elected chairman pro
tern.

On October 5, 1903, the first trolley car to
make its appearance in Westfield ran over the
line from Northeast, stopping at the Main
street bridge.

John J. Aldrich, former county clerk and
supervisor, died in Jamestown, October 18,
1903. He was a lifelong resident of Chau-
tauqua county, a merchant of Ellery and
Jamestown, and very popular. He was elected

county clerk in 1876, and was reelected to suc-
ceed himself, the only instance of the reelec-i
tion of a county clerk in Chautauqua during
the forty years preceding his own. In 1888 he
was elected supervisor from Jamestown, was
chairman in 1890-91, and a member of th
board continuously until 1896.

The proposition to bond the State for $ioi,- WO'
000,000 to improve the Erie canal met with d^
feat in Chautauqua county, where the vot
stood 3,441 for, 10,626 against. The full Re-
publican county ticket was elected by about
the usual majorities in an "off" year. John C
Jones, the candidate for sheriff, was the onlj
new official elected. County Clerk Gallup ano
Coroner Kenney being reelections. Speake:
Nixon was again elected Assemblyman fronj
the Second District, Arthur C. Wade from thi
First District.

At a meeting of the commissioners of thi
Niagara Reservations, held at Niagara Fallsj
December 22, 1903, Charles M. Dow, of Chaui uit
tauqua county was elected president of the BUi
commission, the third to fill that office since
the creation of the commission two decades
earlier. Mr. Dow had been a member of the
commission for about five years and had taken
a deep interest iti preserving the natural beaU' M.
ties and grandeur of the reservation and i
providing facilities and accommodations for|^,
visitors.

An important event in Masonic circles
marked the beginning of the year 1904. On Bti'i
January 4 two bodies of the Ancient Accepteql
Scottish Rite were instituted in Jamestown:!
Jamestown Lodge of Perfection, with Sheldeni
B. Brodhead, thrice potent grand master;
Jamestown Council, Princes of Jerusalem, with-
Samuel Briggs as grand master. The officers
of Palmoni Lodge of Perfection and of Pal
moni Council, Princes of Jerusalem, and other
notables in Masonry, were present, performed ^
the rites of institution, and conferred the de-
grees upon a large class of candidates.

Bitter cold marked the opening week of the
new year, the United States government ther^
mometer at No. 5 Garfield street, Jamestown,
registering 31 degrees below zero at 8 p. m.,
January 4. This was the lowest reading of the 11
thermometer since government weather rec-
ords had been preserved in the city. Reports
from all parts of the county were of abnormal
cold, and Obed Edson, of Sinclairville, an au-
thority on county affairs, asserted that "this
morning was the coldest of any within my
recollection."

At the opening of the New York Legislature, ^ «,;
January 6, S. Frederick Nixon, of Chautauqua. I \

hit

Ktt

OPENING OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

liwas elected sjieaker of the house. On the
speaker's desk was a beautiful floral design, a
tribute from W'estficld friends ; fourteen links
in yellow immortelles were emblematic of the
, :fourteen terms Mr. Nixon had served as As-
jisemblyman, while the six gavels in white im-
mortelles surmounting the design were in

■ token of his sixth election as speaker. At the

■ same session of the house, Arthur C. Wade, of
'Jamestown, took his seat as a newh-elected
member.

i\ The Chautauqua County Society of New
jiYork City, composed of one hundred members,
men and women, who formerly lived in Chau-
, tauqua county, held their second annual din-
ner at the Hoffman House, January 26, 1904,
; Justice John Woodward, of Jamestown, presid-
ing as toastmaster. Louis McKinstry, of Fre-
i donia, was the first speaker, and was followed
i by Dr. John T. Williams, of Dunkirk.
I The proprietor of the hotel, John F. Cadda-
I gan, a former resident of Dunkirk, opened the
, rarely used banquet hall for the occasion, and

■ :threw open his own private parlors to the

I society.

I I Ira Lucas, the newly-elected supervisor from
; Clymer, and a prosperous farmer, committed
: suicide by hanging, January 28, 1904, the body

ibeing found hanging from a beam in his own
barn. Temporary aberration was the only
cause that could be assigned for his deed. The
severe weather of the winter had made the
county roads impassable, and this preyed upon
his mind, he thinking that as supervisor he
would be blamed for their condition in Clymer.

A pleasing feature of county official life was
the marriage of James D. Gallup, for seven
years clerk of the county, on February 8, 1904,
the bride, Mrs. Mary Waite Pope, a daughter
of Frank M. Waite, copy clerk in the county
clerk's office.

The breaking up of the severe winter of
1903-04 brought with it severe floods, which
were particularly destructive in Kiantone, the
'Stillwater overflowing and covering acres upon
acres with ice cakes.

At the final adjournment of the State Legis-
lature, April 15, 1903, Speaker Nixon was pre-
sented by vote of the Assembly with an order
for an oil portrait of himself, to be hung in the
'speaker's room at the capitol. This was an
unusual honor, as but two previous speakers
have their portraits hanging in that room.
' April 29, 1903, marked the closing hours of
the life of George W. Patterson, of Westfiekl,
a man of culture and public prominence, son of
Governor George W. Patterson.

A fatal factory fire occurred in Jamestown,

Friday afternoon, May 6, 1903, in which An-
drew Nord, a man of sterling worth, lost his.
life. The fire destroyed the large four-story
furniture factory of A. C. Nordquist & Com-
pany, with its entire equipment and a large
cjuantity of valuable lumber. Three houses
were also destroyed, and several others badly
damaged. Mr. Nord, a partner in the com-
pany, was in the office of the factory, and it is
thought that in seeking to warn employes of
their danger, he was overcome by smoke. He
was born in Sweden and had reached the age
of fifty. His body was recovered.

The discovery of the body of Frank Lane,
near Driftwood, closed the last chapter of a
tragedy which occurred on the afternoon of
November 6, 1903, when Rell Jackson and
Frank Lane hired a boat and started out to
hunt ducks on Lake Chautauqua. That was
the last time they were seen alive. The follow-
ing day the boat was found on the beach of
Shearman's bay, but all attempts to find the
bodies failed and in December the lake closed
with its secret untold. On April 14, 1904, the
body of Mr. Jackson was found floating not far
from shore between Greenfiurst and Fluvanna,
but not until June 8 was the other body dis-
covered. On the afternoon of that day, Mor-
ris O'Connell, engineer of the Chautauqua
Lake train, due in Jamestown at 6:35, while
running at high speed on that portion of the
road near the lake at Driftwood, caught a
glimpse of a floating body, stopped his train,
ran back to the place, and there found the long
sought for body of Frank Lane.

On Monday. July 4, 1904, cars of the Chau-
tauqua Traction Company began making regu-
lar trips between Jamestown and Chautauqua.
One of the passengers on the first car. which
left the Sherman House at six o'clock, was
Bishop John H. Vincent, one of the founders
of the great Chautauqua Institution.

The Chautauqua County Republican Con-
vention met in Jamestown. July 5, 1904.
Arthur C. Wade, of Jamestown, and S. Fred-
erick Nixon, of Westfield, were renominated
for the Assembly ; Frank K. Patterson, of Dun-
kirk, for district attorney ; Frank S. Wheeler
for special county judge; and Edward B. Os-
good, of Portland, for coroner.

At 6:30 p. m., July 7, the hardware store at
Chaiitauqua was discovered in flames, which
were not subdued until the entire business
square of the Assembly grounds were in ashes.
Men and apparatus were sent from Mayville
and Jamestown, and with their help the local
firemen were able to save the Children's
Temple, Kellogg Memorial building, the meat

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

and milk depots, all of which were in grave
danger. The fire interfered little with the
regular routine of Chautauqua life, and soon
after it was found to be under control the usual
evening audience gathered in the amphitheatre.

The centennial anniversary of the settlement
of the town of Sheridan held August 25, 1904,
was a most creditable celebration of an histori-
cal event. A monument was unveiled at the
James Collins farm, two miles east of the vil-
lage of Sheridan, on the site of the log house
built by Francis Webber in August, 1804.
After the unveiling, the people gathered in Pat-
terson's grove in the village, where speeches
were made by J. G. Gould, of Sheridan, whose
father was the first white child born in the
town of Pomfret; Obed Edson, of Sinclair-
ville; S. Frederick Nixon, of Westfield ; Man-
ley J. Toole, and A. B. Sheldon, of Sherman,
whose grandfather. Winsor Sheldon, bought
land from the Holland Land Company in 1807,
and with his brother Haven, in 1810, built the
first sawmill in that section. U. J. Doty, whose
grandfather settled in Sheridan in 1820, read
a carefully prepared and valuable historical
paper.

September 13 was the opening day of the
nineteenth annual meeting of the national en-
campment of the Union Veteran Legion of the
United -States in Jamestown. Veterans of th".
Civil War from many parts of the country were
in attendance, and the city most royally enter-
tained them.

A killing frost swept over Southern and Cen-
tral Chautauqua on the night of September 21,
doing vast damage. The northern part of the
county escaped without great loss through the
protection the heavy vegetation afforded the
grapes. On the lowlands of the Cassadaga
Valley in the town of Carroll, the mercury
dropped to twenty degrees above zero.

The County Board of Supervisors met in
annual session in Mayville, September 26, 1904.
New members were E. J. Daugherty, Thomas
Hutson, C. A. Mount, H. N. Crosby, L. E.
Button, Michael C. Donovan and Charles J.
Anderson. The member elected for Clymer
having died, his place was filled by the appoint-
ment of the former supervisor from the town,
Lorenzo P. McCray, Jr. The vacancy caused
by the resignation of John W. Willard, of
Jamestown, was filled by the appointment of
Charles J. Anderson, a former member of the
board. All the old officers of the board were
reelected. Fred W. Hyde was again appointed
clerk; Louis McKinstry, assistant clerk;
Charles J. Shults, journal clerk, and Arthur B.
Ottaway, attorney.

Austin Smith, of Westfield, died October
25, 1904, aged 100 years, 7 months, 9 days—
Chautauqua's oldest inhabitant. Said Phin M
Miller of him in the "Centennial History of
Chautauqua County" (1902) :

Any attempt even to outline our educational history
omitting to mention the name of Hon. Austin Smith
would mark the effort a failure. During an active, use-
ful and long life he has been closely identified with the
cpuse of education. He was the first principal of the
first academy in the county, beginning his work in 1826.
In 1830 he settled in Westfield. He was a member of
the first board of trustees of Westfield Academy, organ-
ized in 1837, and ever its warm and earnest friend. In
1868, when the high school succeeded the academy, he
was elected president of the Board of Education. For
more than si.xty years he was an active, intelligent edu-
cational force doing good work for the cause in which
ht had a peculiar interest. His name has always beeni
the synonym for all that is pure and true.

Btrc

.taid

ii-i8(

Onu

Austin Smith was admitted to the bar in
February, 1830, and began practice in West-
field the same year, having Abram Dixon aSi
his partner until Mr. Smith was appointed by
Governor Seward surrogate of Chautauqua
county in 1840, an office he held four years',
He was a member of the Legislature of 1850
51, and in 1853, on the recommendation oi
Secretary Chase, was appointed examinin!
agent of the United States Treasury Deparfi
ment for South Carolina and Florida. Latel siary
he filled the office of tax commissioner. On
l\LTrch 16, 1904, he celebrated his centennial
anniversary, being at the time in good health,
able to receive the friends who called to con-
gratulate him, and to have his photograph
taken. In 1828 Austin Smith married Sarah,
H., daughter of the pioneer settler. Col. James
McMahan.

At 5 130 a. m., November 26, an alarm called,
out Dunkirk's fire department to extinguish
flames in a boxcar near the Erie depot. On
returning from the fire a combination hose and
chemical wagon was struck by the Southwest-
ern Limited Express train on the Lake Shore
railroad, Frank Miller, the driver of the wagon,
being killed, the other fireman receiving severe
shocks, but no severe injuries.

At I a. m., December 7, the freight house of
the Lake Shore, at Westfield, was discovered
in flames, and owing to the high wind the build-
ing, book records of the office and several
freight cars were destroyed before the firemen
had the fire under control. The nearby Lake
Shore Hotel was saved.

Warren Dalrymple, a veteran of the Civil
War, serving in the 112th New York State In-
fantry, who had been living alone on the'
Eggleston farm since the death of his wife

OPENING OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

April 8, 1904, was found dead in his chair, late
in the afternoon of December 12.

At the opening session of the 1905 Legisla-
ture. S. Frederick Nixon, of Chautauqua
county, was for the seventh time elected
speaker of the House of Assembly. This ex-
ceeded all previous records for length of serv-
ice as speaker, six terms having been the limit.
Immediately after the passing of the old
year in Mayville, John K. Patterson assumed
the duties of district attorney of Chautauqn;i
county, his oath of office having lieen recorded
with County Clerk Gallup, and his bond with
County Treasurer Swift earlier in the day. He
succeeded Eleazer Green, of Jamestown, and
had during the previous four years been Mi
Green's assistant.

On January 9, 1905, Chautauqua, among
other counties of the State, was awarded by
the State Court of Claims money paid into the
State Treasury under the law of icSGg, which
could have been retained to apply to the sink-
ing fvmd for the redemption of fionds issued
to aid in railroad construction half a century
earlier. The amount returned to Cliautauqiia
county was $44,014.19.

Amid profoundly impressive scenes, a memri-
rial tablet was unveiled in the high school
building, Jamestown, during the afternoon of
January 13, to the memory of Samuel Gurley
i '. e, born 1821, died 1893, organizer of Jamcs-
.! public schools, and their superintendent,
3-1S90. Frank W. Stevens, a former mem-
Ik" .if the Board of Education, made the memo-
rial and dedicatory address.

One of the largest security company bonds
I executed in Chautauqua county up to that
time was issued January 14 by Arthur B.
Hitchcock for $120,000. The bond was issued
I on behalf of Theodore A. Case, of Ellington,
I as committee of the person and property of
' Henry Allen, of the town of Conewango, who
had been adjudged incompetent.

Unusual distinction attended the 74th annual

, meeting of the Chautauqua County Trust Com-

! pany, held in Jamestown, January 18, 1904.

This arose from the fact that it was presided

;over by the nonagenarian A. G. Dow, of Ran-

jdolph, then in his 97th year, and father of

Charles M. Dow, president of the company.

The veteran director and presiding officer was

] quite vigorous ]5hysically, and his mental facul-

jties seemed unimpaired, despite his great age.

' Early in the morning of February 16, fire

destroyed the interior of the main business

block of Brocton, causing a loss of $50,000.

Help came from Dunkirk, which combined

with the efforts of the local firemen kept the

fire within the limits of the block in which it
started.

A storm swept over Chautauqua county on
the night of February 17, which was the worst
in many years. With a few noteworthy ex-
ceptions, every train in the county was held in
the snow, and much inconvenience as well as
suffering resulted. Rural mail carriers were
in man}' cases unable to cover their routes, and
dairymen were badly interferred with in mak-
ing deliveries.

Charles S. Abbott, vice-president of the
Eastman Kodak Company, and one of James-
town's best known business men, died at (Jak
Lodge, near Enfield, South Carolina, March i,
1905. The body was brought to Jamestown
for burial.

Dr. Julien T. Williams died at his home in
Dunkirk, April 10, 1905. He was a son of Dr.
Ezra and Sarah King (Clark) Williams, who
were among the pioneer settlers of the county,
moving from Oneida county to Dunkirk in
1820. Dr. Williams was born in Dunkirk, No-
vember 15, 1828. He was a graduate of Fre-
donia Academy, class of 1849, 'i"'^ i" Novem-
ber, 185 1, received his M. D. from Castleton
Medical College. He practiced medicine and
conducted a drug store in Dunkirk until 1882,
then purchased the plant of the Dunkirk Print-
ing Company and became editor of the ''Dun-
kirk Observer." Later he was editor of "The
Grape Belt." He was a member of the Dunkirk
Board of Education continuously from 1853
until his death ; member of the Assembly in
1864, and again in 1885 ; and county supervisor,
1887-1891. On the day of his funeral, busi-
ness was practically suspended in Dunkirk,
and many organizations attended the services
in a body. Dr. Williams married Julia King
Thompson, of Dunkirk, and they were the par-
ents of a large family.

The shops of the Silver Creek Upholstery
Company were damaged by fire during the
night of June 10, to the extent of $20,000. The
firemen could do little to save the inflammable
interior, but did wonderful work in saving the
two three-story buildings which comprised the
plant.

The justices of the Supreme Court in con-
vention assembled at Albany, June 19, 1905,
elected Jerome B. Fisher, of Chautauqua
county, to be Supreme Court reporter for a
term of five years, at a salary of $5,000, Judge
Fisher receiving thirteen out of twenty-one
votes cast.

On June 20, 1905, the Fredonia National
Bank was closed by order of the Comptroller
of the Currency. The bank was founded ''".

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

1865 by Chauncey Abby, who was its president
until his death in 1894. This failure caused a
great deal of distress, and legal complication
resulted. The finances of the town were some-
what involved, and Fred R. Green, cashier of
the bank, was arrested on June 23, on serious
charges. He was later tried on thirty-five
counts and plead guilty to four, involving the
charge of falsifying the bank's records. He
was sentenced to six years in the State peni-
tentiary.

On application of Attorney General Mayer,
Justice Hasbrouck, on June 29, appointed
Frank L. Smith, of Silver Creek, receiver for
the State Bank of Forestville, that institution
having been reported insolvent by State Super-
intendent of Banks Kilburn.

The building owned by Reade & Smith, pro-
prietors of the "Cherry Creek News," in which
their editorial rooms and printing plant wer-;
located, burned to the ground on the morning
of July 5. The "Jamestown Journal" courte-
ously extended the temporary use of their
facilities to "The News." The Jamestown
Panel and Veneer Company suffered the com-
plete loss of their plant in Jamestown, together
with machinery, material, lumber and finished
product, by fire, in the early morning hours of
July 4. the loss totalling $30,000. Early in the
morning of July 27, fire destroyed practically
$30,000 worth of property on the principal busi-
ness street of Panama.

On July 27 the State Assembly finally dis-
posed of the long drawn out "Hooker Case"
by its refusal to remove Judge Hooker from
the State bench. The case originated in Chau-
tauqua county in charges against the political
integrity of Judge Hooker by the County Bar
Associates. The matter came before the Leg-
islature finally upon Judge Hooker's demand
for an investigation, and after a full hearing
the vote for removal stood : 41 Republicans
and 35 Democrats. Against removal : 58 Re-
publicans and 9 Democrats. Under the Con-
stitution, one hundred votes were necessary to
remove. This was a celebrated case in the
State, and in Chautauqua county it had entered
deeply into its politics. Judge Hooker served
out his full term as Supreme Court Justice,
and until his death, fifteen years later, con-
tinued his residence in Fredonia.

Justice George Barker, one of Chautauqua's
most distinguished sons, a man of rare aliility
and for half a century prominent in the politi-
cal life of the county, died in Fredonia, July 20,
1905, aged 82. He was twice county district
attorney, and for twenty years a Justice of the
Supreme Court of New York. In his early

political life he was a firm friend and political
ally of Governor Fenton, whose name he pre-
sented to the convention which nominated Mr.
Fenton for Governor. Justice Barker married,
in 1857, Achsah Gleason, who preceded him to
the grave, leaving an only child, Mary Eliza,
who married John Woodward, of Jamestown,
also a Justice of the Supreme Court of New
York.

The certificate of incorporation of the Chau-
tauqua Worsted Mills was filed in the court
house at Mayville, August 5. The capital
stock of the company was $200,000 ; the princi-
pal office of the company. Falconer ; the pur-
pose, the manufacture of worsted yarns,'
worsted goods and textile fabrics.

On August II, 1905, President Roosevelt
was the guest of honor of the Chautauqua In-
stitution. This was the second time the insti-
tution had entertained a President. General
Grant having been a guest while chief execu-
tive of the Nation. After an informal break-
fast in Higgins' Hall, President Roosevelt was
introduced to a large audience in the amphi-
theatre by Bishop John H. Vincent, the silent
but impressive Chautauqua salute welcoming
the distingviished guest. The President spoke
for an hour on Popular Education and Democ-
racy, though he protested his address had no
specific or definite title. After singing "Amer-
ica," the audience was dismissed and the presi-
dential party left the grounds.

The first car over the Warren & Jamestown
railway. No. 54, reached the Humphrey House
in Jamestown, September 2, 1905, making the
connection between Jamestown and Warren,
Pennsylvania, an accomplished fact after many
months of weary waiting.

The Board of Supervisors in annual meeting,
October i, 1905, organized by the election o?
S. Frederick Nixon, chairman; J. A. McGuin-
ness, clerk; Louis McKinstry, assistant clerk;
J. A. Clary, journal clerk ; A. B. Ottaway,
attorney. A resolution of regret at the resig-
nation of Capt. Frederick W. Hyde, aftei|
twenty-two years of service as journal clerkf'
was passed. -•:

Samuel Frederick Nixon, speaker of the New;,
York State Assembly and chairman of the
Chautauqua Countv Board of Supervisors^
died at his home in Westfield, October 10, 1905.
He was a man of strong personality, lovable in
nature, earnest and aggressive in what he
deemed to be right, and a born leader of men.
He was identified with many business enter-
prises, but was best known for the prominent
part he bore in the public life of the county
and State. He was always interested in poli-

OPENING OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

tics, and almost as soon as through college he
was elected supervisor. For twenty consecu-
tive terms he held that office, and but the Sat-
urday before his death his townsmen nomi-
nated him for the twenty-first time. Fourteen
of those years of service were as chairman of
the board, as well as its actual and unques-
tioned leader.

He was elected member of the Assembly
from Chautauqua, Second District, in 1887,
when twenty-six years of age, and with the
exception of the years 1890-91-92 held that
office continuously. For many years he had
had no opposition in his own party for the
Assembh' nomination, and for the seven years
preceding his death he had been elected
speaker of the house by the unanimous vote
of the Republican members. No other man
ever equalled his record of seven consecutive
terms as speaker. A few weeks prior to his
death he was nominated for the Assembly for
the sixteenth time.

He was born in Westfield, December 3, i860,
youngest of the two sons of Samuel and Mary
E. (Johnston) Nixon, and grandson of a
wealthy family of County Down, Ireland. He
was survived by his wife, two sons and a
daughter. Speaker Nixon was buried in the
village cemetery at Westfield, October 13. A
most remarkable gathering of distinguished
men,, including Governor Higgins, ex-Gov-
ernor Odell, State Senators, Assemblymen and
Supreme Court Judges, were present to pay
the last tributes of respect to their friend and
long-time associate in the State government.

The November elections resulted in the
usual Republican majorities for the county
office, with the exception of the First Assem-
bly District, where William R. Rawson, the
candidate of the Independent Republicans and
regular Democrats reduced Arthur C. Wade's
plurality to 178. Henry K. Williams was
elected Assemblyman from the Second Dis-
trict, he being substituted after the death of
Speaker Nixon, the nominee of the convention.

The Board of County Supervisors with every
member present, elected Theodore A. Case, of
Ellington, chairman to succeed S. Frederick
Nixon, deceased. Harley N. Crosby, of Ellicott,
was chosen chairman pro tcm. Supervisor
Thompson, appointed by the town board to
succeed Mr. Nixon, announced the latter's
death and moved that the board adjourn out of
respect to the memory of their former chair-
man.

The Fredonia village board of trustees voted
that a sum of about $4,000, which the town
treasurer had on deposit in the Fredonia Na-

Chau— 7

tional Bank, should be made good to the town.
A dividend of twenty-five per cent, had been
paid depositors, which with a similar amount
ready to be paid, left the treasurer with abour
half the original amount to pay.

The State Assembly, with the Senate, the
Governor, and other State officers and repre-
sentatives of the Court of Appeals, and other
courts, in the presence of an audience com-
pletely filling the great Assembly chamber and
representing all parts of the State, on the eve-
ning of March 27, 1906, formally honored the
memory of Samuel Frederick Nixon, who for
fifteen years represented in the Legislature,
from the Second Assembly District of Chau-
tauqua county, and for seven consecutive years
served as speaker of the House of Assembly.
After the audience had gathered, the members,
present and former, of the Assembly ; the Sena-
tors, the elective and appointive State officers,
the members of the judiciary and finally Gov-
ernor Higgins and his secretary, marched into
the Assembly chamber and were seated. Prayer
was offered by Rev. George L. McClellan, D.
D., Speaker Nixon's family pastor, and musi-
cal selections were rendered by a local quar-
tette. James W. Wadsworth, Jr., who suc-
ceeded Mr. Nixon as speaker, presided and
made a brief address. Lewis L. Carr made the
memorial address, which was a masterly and
sympathetic eulogy of the great speaker. Mrs.
Nixon, her children and other members of the
family were present and occupied the speaker's
room beside the rostrum.

The Chautauqua County Board of Super-
visors met in special session for the purpose of
redistricting the county under a law requiring
that in all counties having two or more Assem-
bly districts the supervisors should meet on
May 22 for that purpose. It was found un-
necessary to make any change in the boundary
line of the Assembly districts in Chautauqua
county, and a resolution was passed by the
board to that effect. The calling of the board
together at the time necessitated its reorgani-
zation for the ensuing year, which was done
with little change from the organization of the
previous year, the only one being the election
of W. L. Nuttall, of Mina, as chairman pro
tcm. to succeed H. N. Crosby, of Jamestown.

The Republican county convention in ses-
sion at Dunkirk, July 26, nominated for county
judge, Arthur B. Ottaway, of Westfield ; for
surrogate, Harley N. Crosby, of Falconer; for
county clerk, Emerson J. McConnell, of May-
ville ; for sheriff, Leon E. Button, of Harmony.
The convention endorsed Theodore A. Case, of

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

Ellington, for State Senator from the Fiftieth
District.

The Chautauqua County Traction Company
opened its line from RIayville to Westtield,
September 15, 1906.

Rovillus R. Rogers, of Jamestown, wns
chosen president of the Council of School Su-
perintendents of New York State at the con-
vention held in Jamestown, October 20, 1906.

The vote for Governor in Chautauqua county
in 1906 was: Charles E. Hughes, R., 11,786;
William R. Hearst, Independent League and
D., 5,360. The vote for State officers and Con-
gressmen did not vary greatly from the fore-
going figures, although Mr. Hughes was the
only State officer elected on the Republican
ticket. In the county the Republican nominees
for the county offices were elected by about the
usual figures.

The Board of Supervisors met in annual ses-
sion September 24. Augustus F. Allen hav-
ing resigned when nominated for the Assem-
bly, the credentials of Leon L. Fancher were
received, which showed his appointment to suc-
ceed Mr. Allen as supervisor from Wards t
and 2 of the city of Jamestown. A resolution
to move the county seat to Jamestown was
voted down. The increased assessed valuation
of real estate in the county over 1905 was
shown to be $1,387,348.

Justice of the Peace Piatt M. Parker, of Fre-
donia, one of the best known men of the vil-
lage, died November 17, 1906, aged 62. He
was born in Fredonia, March 9, 1844, and spent
his entire life in the village. He was educated
in Fredonia public school and academy, be-
came a civil engineer and surveyor, and dealt
extensively in real estate. He was justice of
the peace for twenty years, village engineer
fourteen years, deputy sherifif several years,
and for one term under-sheriff of Chautauqua
county, serving under Sherifif Jenner. 'Squire
Parker was a member of the Baptist church,
and Forest Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons.
He was a man in whom the community placed
the most implicit confidence. Forest Lodge
by his request was in charge of the funeral
services.

Among the appointments announced in De-
cember by the Attorney General-elect, William
F. Jackson, was that of Frank H. Mott, one of
the leading Democrats of Western New York,
to be Deputy State Attorney General.

Orsino E. Jones died at his home in James-
town, January 25, 1907. He was a native son
of Jamestown, and no man in the city had a
wider experience or more varied life. He was
a man of strong physique, regular, temperate

habits, and a tireless worker. He was chief of
Jamestown's fire department for a number of
years, and he did much for the material ad-
vancement of Jamestown and gave liberally
towards the public institutions and charities.
He left no immediate family.

At the age of 86, Lorenzo Martin, one of the
best known farmers of his section of the
county, died at his farm one mile east of Busti,
Sunday, February 17, 1907. He was born in
Busti, and when he was eight years of age his
parents bought the farm upon which their son
spent seventy-eight years of his life. Of the
one hundred persons present at his marriage
to Mercy Jenkins in 1S42, Mrs. Martin alone
was living when Mr. Martin died after a mar-
ried life of sixty-five years. Three children
survived their father — Mrs. Edwin Knapp, of
Tecumseh, Nebraska ; Mrs. Alice M. Spencer,
of Jamestown ; and Rev. D. L. Martin, who
gave up ministerial work in Michigan in 1905
to return to the homestead and care for his
aged parents.

Edward C. Brown, of Jamestown, a highly
regarded business man, was found dead in his
room in the Manhattan Hotel, New York City.
He was a son of Col. James M. and Charlotte
Brown, his father a Civil War veteran, captain
of Company B, 72nd New York Regiment,
volunteers, and colonel of the looth Regiment,
killed in battle. His remains were brought to
Jamestown, where his widow continued to re-
side.

In his ninety-fourth year, James M. Hodges,
of Lakewood, passed away, March 23, 1907.
He was born in Vermont, but when in his
fourth year his parents moved to Erie county,
New York, where Mr. Hodges resided until
thirty-two years of age, when he came to Chau-
tauqua county. He spent fifty-five consecutive
3-ears of his life on a farm in the town of Har-
mony, but the last seven years were spent with
his son Alpheus, in Lakewood. He was a man
of splendid health, and until his last illness of
ten days' duration, which resulted in his death,
he was never sick enough to spend even one
entire day in bed.

Edwin A. Bradshaw, vice-president of the
Journal Printing Company and chief editorial
writer on "The Journal," 1889-1907, died at his
home in Jamestown, April 4, 1907. He was a
man of most engaging personality, and as a
writer was graceful in literary style, but at his
best as a paragrapher, having the ability to
say much in a few lines. Under the heading,
"Noted in Passing," he gave to readers of "The
Journal" thousands of paragraphs of rare
humor and philosophy. He married, in 1897,

OPENING OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

Belle E. Smith, and left a son, Robert Cook
Bradshaw.

Marshall Littlefield Hinman, a former presi-
dent of the Brooks Locomotive Works, and
one of the founders of the plant, died at his
home in Dunkirk, May 3, 1907. Mr. Hinman
was born in Cattaraugus county, December 12,
1841, and in 1S61 first came to Dunkirk, where
he had a leading part in organizing The
Brooks Locomotive Company in 1869. He was
the first secretary-treasurer of the company,
and finally its president. He was president of
the Lake Shore National Bank of Dunkirk,
1891-96; president of the Board of Education,
1886-92; mayor of Dunkirk two terms, 1S85
until resigning in 1887; president of the board
of water commissioners, 1889-1892. On Christ-
mas Day, 1901, he joined with the Brooks
heirs in making an endowment of $100,000 to
Brooks Memorial Library, Dunkirk.

F. W. Stevens, of Jamestown, was appointed
chairman of the Up-State Public Utilities Com-
mission, to take effect July i, 1907.

The cornerstone of the new county court
house at Mayville was laid with impressive
ceremony, July 24, 1907. The exercises were
conducted by the Grand Lodge of New York,
Free and Accepted Masons, the following Ma-
5onic lodges of the county participating in the
Darade and other exercises of the day : James-
;own and Dunkirk Commandaries, Knights
Templar; lodges from Jamestown, Forestville,
Fredonia, Dunkirk, Sinclairville, Cherry Creek,
Sherman, Westfield, Silver Creek, Brocton and
Vlayville.

The village was gay with flags and bunting,
;very business house and public building in the
■antral part of the village being elaborately
lecorated with the national colors. Bands
vere playing long before the formal exercises
legan, and the village was filled with repre-
entatives from all parts of the county, with
aany from elsewhere in the State. The new
'uilding is on the site of the old one, which
:ir three-quarters of a century had served the
cople of Chautauqua as a court house.
The oration was delivered b}' Rev. George
- MacClelland, D. D., of Westfield, and was
n eloquent impressive review of the history
f the county. The usual articles were con-
lined in a small compact copper box, which
, ^as fitted into a corner of the stone. Upon its
over was engraved this inscription. "Made
nd presented by Thomas Hutson, chairman of
It building committee, July 24, 1907, May-
ille, N. Y." All members of the County
jloard of Supervisors were present.

At a special meeting of the Board of Super-
visors the work of dividing the county into
two Assembly districts was completed as fol-
lows : First District, population 49,001; Ark-
wright, Busti, Carroll, Charlotte, Cherry Creek,
Ellery, Ellicott, Ellington, Gerry, Harmony,
Jamestown, Kiantone, Poland, Stockton and
Villenova. Second District, population 47,825 ;
Chautauqua, Clymer, Dunkirk (town and city),
French Creek, Hanover, Mina, Pomfret, Port-
land, Ripley, Sheridan, Sherman and Westfield.

Fire at an early hour of the morning of Sep-
tember I, 1907, devastated a thickly settled
square in the village of Lakewood.

The county returned the usual Republican
majorities in the November elections of 1907,
the county officials all being reelected. In
Ellington, Charles J. Main, Prohibitionist, was
elected supervisor over William Anderson, the
Republican nominee. The uncalled-for criti-
cism of Theodore A. Case, chairman of the
Board of Supervisors and his consequent re-
fusal to accept the nomination again, contribut-
ing largely to that result. Augustus F. Allen
and Charles R. Hamilton were reelected as-
semblymen from the First and Second Dis-
tricts.

Crawford Stearns, a pioneer resident of the
county, born in Arkwright in 1830, son of Ben-
jamin Stearns, and father of former State Tax
Commissioner Lester F. Stearns, died in For-
estville, November 28, 1907. Benjamin Stearns
moved from Vermont to Chautauqua county
during the first decade of its existence and
settled on land now within the limits Dunkirk.

Orin Braley, of Kiantone, an octogenarian
and a lifelong resident of the same section,
dropped suddenly dead in his barn, April 20,
1908. His father, Elisha Braley, came to that
section of the county from Vermont in 181 1.

Portage Inn, Westfield's new hotel, built by
former Sheriff John C. Jones, was formally
opened April 28, igo8, with a banquet given
by the Business Men's Association in recogni-
tion of the enterprise shown by Mr. Jones in
giving Westfield a new and modern hotel.

The Chautauqua County Board of Super-
visors met September 28 and organized. Wil-
liam S. Stearns, of Pomfret, was elected chair-
man ; A. B. Sheldon, chairman pro tcm. ; J. A.
McGinnies, clerk; Louis McKinstry, assistant
clerk ; J. A. Clary, journal clerk. The increased
assessed value of land in the county increased
over 1907, $1,699,198.

James S. Sherman, Republican candidate for
Vice-President, spoke in Jamestown on the
evening of October 15, and was given an en-

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

thusiastic welcome. Governor Hughes, a can-
didate for reelection, spoke in the same city,
October 30, on his second visit to Chautauqua
county during the campaign. Judge Alton B.
Parker spoke for the Democracy, October 31,
1908. William H. Taft, the Republican candi-
date for President, spoke at Dunkirk from the
rear platform of his car, November 2.

The entire Republican ticket was elected in
Chautauqua county : Edward B. Vreeland,
Congressman ; Charles M. Hamilton, State
Senator; Emmons J. Swift, county treasurer;
Charles E. Dodge, superintendent of the poor;
Albert E. Nugent, special surrogate ; Charles
Blood, Bergen F. Illiston and Ellis W. Storms,
coroners ; Augustus F. Allen and John Leo
Sullivan, assemblymen ; Charles W. Hurlburt,
Charles W. Whitney and Judson S. Wright,
school commissioners. Charles E. Hughes was
reelected Governor by an increased plurality,
his vote in Chautauqua county 15,060; Lewis
E. Chanler, his Democratic opponent, receiv-
ing 7,039, the highest vote cast for any Demo-
crat in the county. William H. Taft, for Presi-
dent, received 15,617; William J. Bryan, 6,174.

In this election, Chautauqua lost her prestige
as the banner Republican county. Kings, Onon-
daga, Monroe and Westchester all giving
greater pluralities for Taft and Sherman than
was given in Chautauqua. Charles \V. Hamil-
ton, candidate for State Senator, received the
largest vote cast for any candidate on the Re-
publican ticket, either local or State.

Benjamin Franklin Matthews, one of the
oldest residents of the town of Gerry, died at
the home of his daughter, Mrs. Emory M.
Kinne, three miles northeast of the village of
Gerry, Sunday, December 6, 1908, in his 87th
year. He was one of the twelve children born
to Caleb and Margaret (Van Salisbury) Mat-
thews, pioneer settlers of Chautauqua county.
At the time of his death he was the oldest man
born in the town. He served during the Civil
War in Company E, 112th Regiment, New
York Volunteer Infantry, and was a farmer
of Gerry until the infirmities of age incapaci-
tated him.

Carl Frederick Abrahamson, senior member
of the dry goods Abrahamson-Bigelow Com-
pany, died December 21, 1908, suddenly
stricken with apoplexy. He was born in
Sweden, May 24, 1858, and in 1871 was brought
by his parents to Chautauqua county. He be-
came one of Jamestown's most prominent mer-
chants, and was a pillar of strength to the First
Lutheran Church and to Gustavus Adolphus
Orphanage. He served as member of the
Board of Supervisors from Jamestown, and in

that body made his influence felt for good. He
married, in 1S97, Christine Anderson, who
survived him with an infant daughter.

Governor Hughes on January 6, 1909, sent
to the Senate the name of Egburt E. Wood-
bury, of Chautauqua county, to succeed him-
self as State Tax Commissioner. Mr. Wood-
bury was born in Cherry Creek, Chautauqua
county, and after attending Albany Law
School, was admitted to the bar in 1884. In
that year he began the practice of law in
Jamestown; was chairman of the Republican
committee, 1888-89 1 member of Assembly,
1890-93; and for several years surrogate ol
Chautauqua county.

Edmond H. Pease, the oldest volunteer fire-^
man in Jamestown and a veteran of the Civilj
War, died January 29, 1909, aged 63. He eii
listed in Company G, 122nd Regiment, Ne'^
York Volunteer Infantry, at Jordan, Augus
8, 1862, and was mustered out at Washington^
June 23, 1865. He was engaged at Gettysbur|
and was then wounded ; captured by Confei
erate troops. May 6, 1864, and from that dal
until December 9 was confined in Anderson
ville prison. After the war he located in James
town, where on January 6, 1870, he joinea
Deluge Engine Company, and was on thq
active list until his death.

Robert N. Marvin, son of Judge Richard
and Isabella Newland Marvin, died in Jamesil
town, February 6, 1909. Early in life he en|
tered actively into business life and assumed
the management of his father's estate. Amonf
the many responsible positions which he filled
was that of executor of the Prendergast estatJ
and in that capacity he was in charge of conJ
struction of the beautiful church and librarf
that perpetuate the name of that old James
town family. For four years he representeJ
Ellicott on the Board of Supervisors and witll
generous unselfish public spirit served his cor
munity. He married Mary Elizabeth Warnei
who survived him.

Westfield was visited by a destructive fir
early on February 25, 1909, and it was no
until help had arrived from Fredonia and Broc
ton that the fire was brought under control
While there were no casualities, five firemei
from Brocton had a narrow escape when thi
heavy cornice and part of the brick wall of thi
Wells block fell.

Ransom B. Lydell, supervisor of the towi
of Ellicott and president of the First Nations
Bank of Falconer, died at his home on Wor!
street, Falconer, April 19, 1909. He was a so;
of Lucius and grandson of Luther Lydell, wb
came to Chautauqua county and settled i;

OPENING OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

Poland in 1828. His maternal grandfather,
Judge Joel Burnell, came to the county in
iSio and settled in Charlotte. Ransom Lydell,
at the age of twenty-one, was elected justice
of the peace in Poland. In 18S4 he moved to
Falconer, where he became prominent in busi-
ness and in public life. He married Rlina J.

: Covey, and they were the parents of eight
children.

Jav Mann, a farmer near Findley Lake, was
killed in an explosion of dynamite while blow-
ing out stumps on his farm, about one mile

' south of the village of Sherman, May 21, 1909.
He had been removing stumps by means of
dynamite during the afternoon, and about four
o'clock arranged two charges in two different

■ stumps, a fuse being attached to each. He
lighted one of the fuses, and hurried away to
what he considered a safe distance. He did
not, however, place sufficient distance between
himself and the stump in which the other
charge had been placed, and that omission
proved fatal, although he did not apprehend
danger from that source. The concussion pro-
duced by the first explosion caused the charge
in the other stump to explode, the force of the

. blast carrying Mr. Mann thirty feet through
the air and frightfully mangling him. He died
about three hours later, retaining conscious-
ness throughout the entire period.

Marcus H. Ahlstrom, one of the founders of

•.the Ahlstrom Piano Company, its vice-presi-
dent and traveling representative, died in
Jamestown, June 14, 1909. He was born in
Gothland, Sweden, and was the first member

.of his family to come to the United States. He

• was a resident of Jamestown from 1868 until
,his death, and a man most highly esteemed.
sHe left a widow. Mrs. Elizabeth Lyon Ahl-
I Strom, and a daughter Gladys.

; Nathan Dwight Belden, for nearly sixty
lyears a resident of Chautauqua county, died at

his home in Mayville, June 15, 1909, aged 73.
;He was born in Connecticut, but was brought

to Chautauqua county by his parents. He
;married Sarah Aldrich, February 2, 1859, and
'during their more than fifty years of married

life resided in the towns of Ellery, Stockton
!and Chautauqua. For twenty-seven years
;Mayville was their home, their residence on

Erie street. Mr. Belden was town overseer of
ithe poor for about fifteen years ; was an Odd

• Fellow ; and an official member of the Metho-
dist Episcopal church. Mrs. Belden survived
her husband, with two daughters — Alice, wife
of Lewis B. Bixby ; and Emily, wife of Frank
Lane, of Florence, Massachusetts.

At a singularly harmonious convention of
Chautauqua's Republican hosts, held in Dun-
kirk, June 22, John P. Hall, of Sherman, was
nominated for sherifi: ; Luther S. Lakin, Jr., of
Jamestown, for county clerk ; and Dr. Bergen
F. Illston, of Jamestown, for coroner. Later,
Augustus F. Allen and John Leo Sullivan were
renominated for the Assembly from the First
and Second Chautauqua county districts, and
Judson S. Wright for school commission,
Third District, an office he had filled for seven
previous years.

On Sunday, July 4, 1909, the First Metho-
dist Episcopal Church of Jamestown cele-
brated with special services the centennial of
Methodism in Chautauqua county, the ninety-
fifth anniversary of the founding of the James-
town church ; the twenty-fifth anniversary of
the laying of the cornerstone of the present
church ; and the twenty-third anniversary of
its dedication. Bishop John H. Vincent
preached in the morning, the choir rendering
special music of a high order. Bishop Vincent
preached the dedicatory sermon twenty-three
years earlier, and there were in the audience
117 persons who heard him on that occasion.

Boomerton and South Dayton sufifered heav}'
financial and business loss on the night of July
17 by fire, which destroyed the mill of the
Jamestown Panel and Veneer Company at
Boomerton, and a great portion of the business
section of South Dayton. The loss at the mill
was $25,000 ; to the village, $45,000.

Walter GifTord, former member of the As-
sembly from Chautauqua county, past mas-
ter of the New York State Grange, a promi-
nent farmer, and one of the oldest native-born
residents of the county, died at his home on
Fulton street, Jamestown. August 9, 1909. He
was born in Busti, May 8, 1829, and there re-
sided upon his farm until a few years prior to
his death. He became interested in the Patrons
of Husbandry in its early days, and was influ-
ential in that organization, serving as master
of the State Grange four years. He repre-
sented Chautauqua county in the State Assem-
bly in 1891-92. He married Eliza C. Robert-
son, who survived him, with two daughters —
Mrs. H. B. Jenkins, of Dumont, New Jersey,
and Mrs. Orren B. Hayward, of Jamestown.

The Board of Supervisors met in the new
court house at Mayville, Tuesday, August 17,
1909, and formally accepted the new building
from the contractor. The building was com-
pleted within the amount appropriated, $135.-
000. Bonds were issued to the amount of
$130,000, the $3,000 owing above that amount
being paid from other funds.

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

Mrs. Eliza Bullock Albro, the oldest resident
of Busti, died January 17, 1910, in her ninety-
second year. She was born in Busti, Novem-
ber 26, i8i8, daughter of Rev. William Bullock,
and was the widow of David Albro, to whom
she was married at the age of twenty-five. She
left a son, Frank Albro.

On February 12, 1910, Governor Hughes ap-
pointed Robert J. Cooper to be special surro-
gate for Chautauqua county, to fill a vacancy
caused by the resignation of Albert E. Nugent.

A special meeting of the Board of Super-
visors was held March 10, 1910, to consider the
report of a committee appointed by the board
concerning a county tuberculosis hospital.

A fire which caused Jamestown the loss of
a valuable life — Capt. Jonathan Hanson, com-
mander of fire police — and a half million dol-
lars in property, began in the Gokey factory,
Saturday night, March 12, 1910. On Sunday
night, or soon after midnight, the ruins of the
factory blazed up and started a conflagration
which eventually consumed the Gokey busi-
ness block and the Sherman House, wrecked
the Briggs block and spread alarm to the entire
business section. Captain Hanson was in-
stantly killed by falling debris. Joel Oberg,
second lieutenant of fire police, was seriously
injured, as was Alfred F. Shoestring, first as-
sistant foreman of Deluge Engine Company.
The entire city department, with that of the
village of Falconer, was used in fighting this
Jamestown's most serious fire.

The funeral service of Captain Jonathan
Hanson, the gallant captain of Jamestown fire
police, who fell in assisting to quell the great
fire of March 12-13-14, was held March 15,
from the State Armory, preceded by a brief
service at the home. The large armory was
inadequate to accommodate the throngs who
wished to honor the dead officer by their pres-
ence, and after the drill shed and galleries had
been filled to overflowing, many were turned
away. The funeral services, under the direc-
tion of Rev. Horace G. Ogden. D. D., were of
a very impressive character. Captain Hanson
was buried with military honors, and after the
brief service at the grave in Lakeview Ceme-
tery, a squad from Company E, fired three vol-
leys and the bugler sounded "Taps."

On the morning of March 15, Alfred E. Shoe-
string, assistant foreman of Deluge Engine
Company, who was injured at the same fire in
which Captain Hanson lost his life, died at the
Woman's Christian Hospital in Jamestown.
Again, vast crowds assembled to honor the
memory of a brave man, and the large audi-
torium of the First Methodist Episcopal

Church of Jamestown was filled long before
the hour for the services to begin. Business
was generally suspended by request of the
mayor, and it seemed as though the entire city
turned out to pay a tribute of respect to the
young volunteer who, leading the way into the
burning building, gave up his life as nobly as
ever did a soldier on the field of battle. Rev.
Horace G. Ogden conducted the funeral serv-
ices, and at the head of the fireman marched
Chief Wilson, leading his "boys" with reverent
mien and heavy heart. He was buried in Lake-
view Cemetery.

On March 18, 1910, a bronze memorial tablec
was unveiled to the memory of Miss Calista
Selina Jones, who taught in the public schools
of Chautauqua county for nearly sixty years.
The tablet was presented to the public schools
of Jamestown by Mrs. Elvira Stearns, a sister
of Miss Jones, and was placed in the main
corridor of the high school building.

Henry Le Fevre Brown, a distinguished vet-
eran of the Civil War, died in Jamestown, April
29, 1910, aged 67. He was at the time of his
death one of the three men residing in James-
town who were awarded medals of honor by
Congress for gallant deeds. Mr. Brown's deed
was thus described in his citation : "Volun-
tarily and under a heavy fire from the enemy,
he three times crossed the field of battle with
a load of ammunition in a blanket on his back,
thus supplying the Federal forces whose am-
munition had nearly all been expended, and
enabling them to hold their position until rein-
forcement arrived." For nearly thirty years
he was identified with the railway mail service
and held responsible position. He compiled a
history of the 72nd Regiment, New York Vol-
unteer Infantry, and possessed the most com-
plete data of Chautauqua county men in the
military service. He left a widow, and a son,
Harold LeFevre Brown, of Jamestown.

William Broadhead, Jamestown's foremost
manufacturer, died May 21, 191c, in his ninety-
second year. He was of English birth and
parentage, but from the year 1843 he was a
resident of Chautauqua county. He became
a large manufacturer of textiles in Jamestown,
and to him the worsted interests of the city
owe their origin. He retained his interest in
Jamestown until the end of his life, and on the
occasion of his eighty-first birthday said, in
response to felicitations, "When I came to
America I came to be an American, and while
of course I believe that England is the place
in which to be born, I most firmly believe that
America, and particularly Jamestown, is the
place to live." He was survived by four chil-

OPENING OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY 103

dren, his sons succeeding their father in the gathering on the campus of Jamestown High

management of the Broadhead business inter- School. He was given an enthusiastic wel-

^sts. come, and in his speech displayed at its best

On Monday, August i, 1910, the annual con- the wonderful force as a public speaker His

vention of the International Bible Students' last prevnous visit was on November 7 1808

Association began in the large amphitheatre vVhile the State went Democratic by a large

at Celoron on the shores of Lake Chautauqua majority, Chautauqua county swung true to

adjacent to Jamestown. Forty-five hundred u„^ ^^i,-„„, ^„< *i r> 1 i- ..■ 1

Bible students were in attendance. The con- V^'^ "moorings and gave the Republican ticket

vention was one of the largest" gatherings of ?^", ,"^"^1 majorities, although the vote was

its kind ever held in this country. Representa- ll§^''^- ^^^ """J,^ °'JL Governor stood Stimson,

tives from every town in the county attended ^''P" '0'547: -L>ix. Dem., 4,906. In the county

during the week it was in session.' The con- ^^"^ successful candidates were: Charles M.

vention was remarkable for the number in at- Hamilton, State Senator ; Rev. Julius Lincoln,

tendance and for its splendid organization for Assembly, First District ; John Leo Sullivan,

the management of the formal meetings and Assembly, Second District: Edward J. Green,

entertainrnent of visitors. " district attorney; Frank S. Wheeler, special

Dr. James Brooks, for sixty years a practic- county judge; Robert J. Cooper, special surro-

ing physician of Ellington, died August 5, 1910. gate: Edward B. Osgood, coroner.

William H. Sprague, who for fifty-six years John S. Nevins, of Westfield, was appointed

was engaged in the hardware business prior to sealer of weights and measures by the Board

his retirement, died by his own hand, August of Supervisors, a new office created under a

15, 1910. He was a grandson of Captain" Jo- State law.

seph Sprague, of Rhode Island, an officer of the Among the new public officials who assumed
Revolution, and a son of Nicholas Sprague, office with the new year (191 1 ) was Rev. Julius
who came to Western New York about 1^828 Lincoln, pastor of the First Lutheran Church,
and established a paper mill at Laona. Wil- of Jamestown, who had been elected Assembly-
Ham H. Sprague at the time of his death was man on the Republican ticket from the First
seventy-eight years of age, and afflicted with Chautauqua District. He did not give up his
chronic stomach trouble. This affected his pastoral relation, but returned to Jamestown
mind to such an extent that, unable to bear from Albany each week-end to fill his pulpit,
the pain, he ended it. Edward L. Green succeeded John K. Patterson

The one hundredth anniversary of the first as district attorney, and Robert J. Cooper

settlement of Jamestown was observed at the assumed the duties of special surrogate. The

afternoon session of the Chautauqua County other officials of the county succeeded them-

Society of History and Natural Science, Obe'd selves. On January 2, 191 1, John Alden Di;-:

Edson, president of the society, presiding, was inaugurated Governor of New York, and

The guest of honor was Mrs. Lucy Akin, of for the first time in eighteen years the Demo-

Ellery, a daughter of John Bowers, who built cratic party was in power in the State,

the first house in Jamestown, in 1810. Obed A factory fire destroyed property valued at

Edson read a paper on "The First Settlement $50,000, belonging to the Peerless Furniture

in Jamestown ;" Mrs. Mary Hall Tuckerman, Company, of Jamestown, early in the morning

on "The Women of the Earl}^ Day;" Abner of January 4, 191 1.

Hazeltine. on "The Beginnings of Jamestown The figures of the census of igio for the

D. A. R. ;" Nichols, of Westfield. on "Historv minor civil divisions of Chautauqua county

of the Triangle :" and Mrs. Kate Cheney, on were made public b}' the Director of the Cen-

"Reminisences of the Prendergasts." sus on January 24. The figures for the various

The Board of Supervisors met in annual ses- villages showed an increase in practically all of

sion at Mayville, September 26. 1910. and or- them over the population of 1900, and many of

ganized by the reelection of the officers of the rural towns showed an increase. The com-

1909, A. Morell Cheney, of Ellery, chairman plete figures follow :

pro tcm.. the only new official elected. The re- a i , vi S

port pf the clerk of the board, Joseph A. Mc- Bus7rindud"ing Lakewood 'viliage' ! ! ! .' ! .' .' .' ! .' ! .' 2,136

Ginnies, showed an increase in assessed value Lakewood village 564

of land in the county over 1009 to be $2,188,193. Carroll 1,564

On the afternoon of October 14. 1910, Theo- ^''^si'nclairvni'e'''"^ ^^'^ °^ Sinclairville 1,258

dore Roosevelt, the then only living ex-Presi- Chauta"uqur 'including' 'Mavv-ilie ' .' .' .' .' .' .' .' .' .' .' '. '. '. '. S-IU

dent of the United States, addressed a political Mayville 1,122

I04

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

Cherry Creek town and village 1,380

Cherry Creek village 606

Clymer 1,164

Dunkirk, Ward i S.SSP

Ward 2 3,399

Ward 3 3,852

Ward 4 4,401

Dunkirk town 429

Ellery 1,695

tllicott, including Celoron and Falconer 4,371

Celoron 619

Falconer 2,141

Ellington 1,235

French Creek 882

Gerry with part of Sinclairville 1,155

Hanover, including Cattaraugus Indian Reser-
vations, part of Forestville and Silver

Creek village 5,670

Forestville 721

Silver Creek 2,512

Harmony, including Panama 2,847

Panama 337

Jamestown, Ward i 4,438

Ward 2 4,577

Ward 3 4,695

Ward 4 5,511

Ward 5 6,039

Ward 6 5,636

Kiantone ' 520

Mina 1,033

Poland 1,447

Pomfret, including Fredonia 7.3og

Portland, including Brocton 3,058

Brocton village 1, 181

Sherman, including Sherman village 1,568

Sherman village 836

Ripley 2,230

Sheridan 1,888

Stockton 1,781

Westfield, including Westfield village 4,481

Westfield village 2,985

Total population of county 105,126

Total population of county in 1900 88,314

Henry Rappole, a veteran of the Civil War,
former county superintendent of the poor and
treasurer of Jamestown, died at his home in
Jamestown, January 25, 191 1, in his seventy-
eighth year. He lost an arm in the battle of
the Wilderness, May 5, 1864, and to quote a
comrade, "No braver soldier ever stood in line."
He was born in the town of Ellery, October
27, 1833, son of Adam and Elizabeth (Rice)
Rappole.

Levant L. Mason, who for sixty years was
engaged in business in Jamestown, died Febru-
ary 13, 191 1, in his eighty-fifth year. Devoted
to the art of free-hand engraving, he could not
give up the work he had followed so capably
for so many 3'ears, and until a few weeks prior
to his death he would frequently take up his
engraving tools and at the age of eighty-four
was able to carve upon gold or silver as daintily
and perfectly in script or old English as ever.
In 1850 he brought his bride to Jamestown and
established a home at No. 204 Lafayette street,

and there they celebrated their golden wedding
and lived for sixty years until death. He was
a prominent member of the Masonic order, one
of the founders of the Chautauqua County Soci-
ety of History and Natural Science, and long
an official member of St. Luke's Protestant
Episcopal Church. He left a son, John C. Ma-
son, and daughter, Mrs. Frederick P. Hall.

At midnight, February 28, 191 1, the James-
town Volunteer Fire Department gave way to
a paid department of thirty-five full-pay men
and twenty-five call men.

Captain Joseph S. Arnold, one of the oldest
veterans of the Civil War, died in Jainestown,
March 15, 191 1, in his eighty-ninth year, the
last survivor of his immediate family. He en-
listed in the Seventh Company of Sharpshoot-
ers, was mustered in as captain, September 12,
1862, and although nearly forty years of age
at that time, he outlived every company com-
mander of the ii2th Regiment, New York
Volunteer Infantry, to which the company was
attached. He was discharged on account of
disability, April 29, 1864. His only son, George i
C. Arnold, a member of his father's company,
died in the service. Captain Arnold's wife,
Mary Phillips, died in 1902, both natives of
Chautauqua county, born in the town of
Ellery.

The State Capitol at Albany was partially
destroyed by fire during the morning hours of
March 29, 191 1. The fire destro>-ed the entire
west wing of the building and did incalculable
damage before being brought under control.
The injury to the building was immense, while
the loss in books and priceless documents can-
not be computed. The State Library suffered
heavily. The famous collection of Indian
relics from Chautauqua county was preserved
intact. A. C. Parker, State Archaeologist, and
his assistant, carrjang the entire exhibit in
their cases to a place of safety. This valuable
collection was made by Mr. Parker himself,
from Irving, Ripley and Sinclairville princi-
pally. An interesting fact in connection with
the rescue is that, though made of tinderlike
hair or the dryest of wood, not a single object
connected with the Indian religious and mys-
tery rites was destroyed. Even the hair of the kt]
famous medicine masks was unsinged, much ^gB%
to the surprise of museum officials.

Alanson Ostrander, one of the few remaining
pioneers of the town of Gerry, died at his home
on the Ellington road, April 16, 191 1, in his
eighty-seventh year. He was born in Tomp-
kins county. New York, but when four years
of age was brought to Chautauqua county by
his parents, David and Mary (Cooper) Ostran-

«iep

OPENING OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

105

der. For fifty years the farm upon which he
died was his home and there he was survived
by his aged wife AbigaiL He also left a son,
Frank Ostrander, of Gerry Hill, and two
daughters — Mrs. Joseph Trusler, and Mrs.
Walter Crawford.

Important action was taken by the County
Board of Supervisors April 18, 191 1, in voting
a new State road to be built along the east or
Bemus Point side of Lake Chautauqua. Three
other highway propositions were voted : The
Jamestown-Frewsburg road, a distance of four
and a quarter miles ; a brick highway from the
State line to French Creek, through French
Creek towards Findley Lake, a distance of six
and two-thirds miles, and five and a half miles
leading from Fredonia toward the village of
Cassadaga and the Stockton town line. The
county's share of the expense of these high-
ways to be borne from a bond issue of $120,000.

The survivors of the Ninth Regiment, New
York Cavalry, met in fiftieth anniversary at
Jamestown, August 29, 191 1. The regimeni.
was recruited largely in Chautauqua county,
and left Camp Seward at Westfield, Novem-
ber 9, 1861. Among the visitors was General
Daniel Sickles, General George S. Nichols, and
other military men of note. The old veterans
were royally entertained, and found that the
hearts of their entertainers went with their
welcome.

The forty-ninth anniversary of the departure

of the ii2th Regiment, New York Volunteer
Infantry, for the front, was celebrated at Fre-
donia, September 13, 191 1. Survivors to the
number of 106 were lavishly entertained by
the residents of the village, and voted to return
for their fiftieth anniversary celebration in
191 2. Thirty-two survivors of the 49th Regi-
ment gathered in Jamestown, September 16,
191 1, for their annual reunion and fiftieth anni-
versary of the departure from Buffalo for the
front in 1861. Four companies of the regiment
were recruited in Chautauqua county.

Isaac N. Button, a merchant of Panama, was
instantly killed by the collapse of a scafTold at
a concrete dam under construction just west of
the village of Panama. At the same time,
Charles Blanchard, of Panama, was so badly
injured that he died the next day. Both men
were sightseers at the dam and were standing
on the scaffold, which gave way. Mr. Blanch-
ard, seventy-one years of age, had spent his
life in Panama, and had held many village and
town offices. Mr. Button was proprietor of the
mill and feed store at the Corners.

The November elections of 191 1 were en-
tirely in favor of the Republicans. The county
officials elected were: Treasurer, Emmons J.
Swift; superintendent of the poor, Charles E.
Dodge ; coroners, Charles Blood, Ellis W.
Storms; Assemblymen. First District, Rev.
Julius Lincoln ; Second District. John Leo Sul-
livan.

CHAPTER XV.

Opening of the Twentieth Century (continued).

Charles H. Corbett died at his home in Sher-
man, January 19, 1912. in his sixty-seventh
year. He was born in Mina, October 5, 1845,
son of Newell and Persis Corbett. The Cor-
bett and Newell families came from New Eng-
land to Chautauqua county about 1825. Rob-
ert Corbett built and operated a flour mill at
Findley Lake, and Jesse Newell was one of
the early farmers in the neighborhood of Pres-
byterian Hill in the town of Sherman. Charles
H. Corbett, grandson of Robert Corbett and
Jesse Newell, was a successful merchant of
Sherman, and gave much time to the public.
He served three terms as town clerk, was treas-
urer of school board, chief of fire depart-
ment, and supervisor, 1882-83; Assemblyman,
1884; chairman of the Democratic County
Committee, member of Democratic State Com-
mittee, one of the organizers and every year
but one, vice-president of the State Bank of
Sherman. In 1891 he was grand master of the

Ancient Order of United Workmen of the
State of New York ; was a thirty-second degree
Mason, a Knight Templar and a Noble of the
Mystic Shrine. He married Narcissa Dutton,
of Sherman, and left a son, Frank D. Corbett.
Almon Augustus Van Dusen, a former judge
of Chautauqua county, died February 10, 1912,
in his seventieth year. He practiced law in
Mayville, and several times was the Demo-
cratic candidate for county judge. While he
always reduced the usual Republican majority,
he never overcame it until 1890, when, after
serving a brief period by appointment of Gov-
ernor Hill, he again made the campaign as the
Democratic candidate, to succeed Judge Lam-
bert, appointed Supreme Court Justice. _ Mr.
Van Dusen carried the county by a majority
of 899 votes, receiving a Republican majority
of from 4.000 to 6,000. He served six years
as county judge and in 1895 was nominated for
the Supreme bench. The Chautauqua county

io6

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

bar paid Judge Van Dusen fitting tribute in
memorial resolutions.

Captain Albert Gilbert died in Santa Bar-
bara, California, April 28, 1912, in his sixty-
first year. He received his commission during
the Spanish-American War, serving with Com-
pany E, Sixty-fifth Regiment, United States
Volunteers. He was, with Reuben Earle Fen-
ton, instrumental in bringing the Fenton Me-
tallic Manufacturing Company to Jamestown
in 1887. When that company was consolidated
with the Art Metal Construction Company, he
retained his connection with the business, in
which he was a recognized pioneer — the manu-
facture of metal furniture and office fixtures.
Captain Gilbert married Jeannette, daughter of
Governor Reuben E. Fenton, who survived
him, with a son, Earle Fenton Gilbert.

On May 11, 1912, Jamestown Chapter, Sons
of the American Revolution, dedicated a bronze
tablet at the boat landing to commemorate the
construction of a dam there in 1782 by the
King's Eighth Regiment, thus raising the
water that they might float their boats and
proceed on their way to attack Fort Pitt. The
principal speaker of the occasion was Frank H.
Mott, secretary of the chapter.

On Thursday, September 12, 1912, the fiftieth
anniversary of the departure of the 112th Regi-
ment, New York Volunteer Infantry (Chau-
tauqua Regiment) for the front, was celebrated
by a reunion of the veterans of the regiment at
Jamestown. One of the veterans present was
N. John Swanson, who at the same time was
celebrating his ninetieth birthday, he march-
ing away to the war on his fortieth birthday.
The occasion was one of deepest interest and
every particular of the celebration was worthy
of the event commemorated.

Arthur B. Ottaway, county judge, and Mrs.
Myrtle Redfield Nixon, were married in St.
Peter's Episcopal Church, Westfield, October
2, 1912. This wedding was of especial inter-
est to Chautauquans from the fact that Judge
Ottaway had for six years served as district
attorney and for eight years as county judge,
and was at the time a candidate for reelection.
Further interest attached to the marriage, for
the bride was a daughter of George Redfield,
and widow of S. Frederick Nixon, so long in
public life in the county and State.

Job E. Hedges, Republican candidate for
Governor, visited Chautauqua, October 25,
1912, and in the evening addressed a large au-
dience in the Opera House at Jamestown.
President Taft passed through Jamestown dur-
ing the morning of October 26, and delivered

a ten-minute speech from the rear platform of
his private car.

William Northrop, who came from England
a lad of fifteen and made his home in Busti,
died there October 26, 1912, aged eighty. He
served Busti as justice of the peace several
years, was supervisor 1890-98, and was always
deeply interested in public affairs.

Although in 1912 there were regular and pro-
gressive Republican tickets in the field in addi-
tion to the Democratic ticket, Chautauqua
county withstood the attacks from foes within
and foes without, and elected every Repub-
lican on the county ticket save one, Cheney,
Republican, being beaten in the First Assem-
bly District by Jude, a Progressive. The
Democratic national and State tickets carried
Dunkirk, Arkwright, Cherry Creek and Char-
lotte. Charles M. Hamilton, Republican, of
Chautauqua, was elected Congressman ; Judge
Ottaway was reelected county judge; Luther
S. Lakin, Jr., reelected county clerk ; Frank V.
Godfrey elected State Senator ; John L. Sulli-
van was chosen Assemblyman from the Sec-
ond District ; Harley N. Crosby was reelected
surrogate ; Gust. A. Anderson elected sheriff,
and Bergen F. Illston was reelected coroner.
The vote for President in the county was:
Taft, 7,881; Roosevelt. 6,480; Wilson, 4,814.
Chautauqua county furnished two candidates
for State Treasurer — Ernest Cawcroft, Pro-
gressive, and Arthur A. Amidon, Prohibition.
Cawcroft received in the county, 6,254 votes;
Amidon. 1,053; Archer, Republican, 7,821;
Wyrell, Democrat, 4,575. For Governor: Sul-
zer, Democrat, had 4,731 ; Hedges, Republican,
8,269; Straus, Progressive, 6,272. Sulzer car-
ried the State.

Gardner Dunham dropped dead at the home
of his daughter, Mrs. Alvah Shelters, four
miles from Sinclairville, December 10, 1912.
Mr. Dunham was in his ninetj'-sixth year, and
had spent nearly his whole life in that section
of the county, his father settling there in 1819.

Daniel Griswold, of Jamestown, died sud-
denly in the Erie railroad station at Kennedy,
January 31, 1913. He was one of the last links
connecting the pioneer period of Chautauqua
county with the present. He came to the
county when a lad, and grew up a sturdy
specimen of American manhood. He drove
the river half a century prior to his death and
from that drifted into the life of a lumberman,
a business which claimed his interest till the
last, he being president of the Union Lumber
Company. He was a supervisor from the town
of Poland, 1865-69; from Ellicott, 1884-85; and

OPENING OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

107

from Jamestown, in 18S6. In 1871 he moved
from Poland to Salamanca, and in 1873 began
his residence in Jamestown. In 1881 he was
elected a director of the Chautauqua County
Bank, and May 8, 1890, was elected the presi-
dent, serving several years. He married, No-
vember iS. 1868, Martha Townsend, of Carroll.
Two children survived him — Miss Martha
Townsend Griswold, and Daniel Griswold.

Mrs. Mary Moore Merrell, recognized as
Jamestown's oldest woman resident, died at
the home of her granddaughter on West Third
street, April 21. 1913, aged ninety-eight years,
two months and twenty days. She was born at
Sheldon, Genesee county, New York, January
31, 191 5, youngest daughter of Elijah and
Mary (Beardsley) Norton. In 1839 she mar-
ried Robert Johnson Merrell, and in 1855 came
to Chautauqua county. She survived all her
six children.

During the street car strike in Jamestown,
there was a strong mob spirit manifested and
open rioting resulted. Mayor Carlson issued
a proclamation of warning, and under a call
from Frank W. Stevens the citizens met and
from the gathering about three hundred men
volunteered for special police service duty,
without pay. This number was soon increased
to nearly five hundred, to whom the oath of
office was administered. They were assigned
to various posts in the city and most efifectively
policed the city. There was no further rioting,
and through the efforts of a Citizens' Concilia-
tion Committee, of which Frank W. Stevens
was the capable head, an agreement was
reached between company and employes — the
strike, however, lasting nearly two months.

Frank H. Mott, of Chautauqua county,
Democratic candidate for Secretary of State
in 1902, and Deputy Attorney General of the
State in 1907, was appointed Secretary of the
Up-State Public Service Commission, June 11,
1913, by Governor Sulzer.

On September 29 the Board of Supervisors
met in annual session at the court house in
Mayville. William S. Stearns was elected
chairman ; A. Morelle Cheney, chairman pro
tern. ; Joseph A. McGinnies, clerk ; Louis Mc-
Kinstry, of Fredonia, was elected assistant
clerk ; James A. Clary, journal clerk, and Ed-
mund Dearing, of Mayville, page. These men
were the veterans of the board, Mr. McKinstry
then serving his twenty-fifth, Mr. Clary his
eighteenth and Mr. Dearing his thirty-third
year with the board. Mr. McGinnies had been
a member of the board seventeen, L. P. Mc-
Cray sixteen, and W. L. Nutall eleven years.
The statistical table presented by the clerk of

the board showed the assessed value of real
estate in the county had increased $2,643,671
over 1912. The increase in personal property
valuation was $52,755.

At the November elections of 1913, William
S. Stearns, chairman of the Board of Super-
visors, was elected district attorney for Chau-
tauqua county. His opponent, Glen W. Woodin,
Democrat and Progressive, made an exception-
ally strong canvass and cast a large vote —
8,349 against 8,620 for Mr. Stearns. Frank S.
Wheeler was elected county judge ; Robert J.
Cooper, special surrogate ; Edward B. Osgood,
coroner ; A. Morelle Cheney and John Leo Sul-
livan, Assemblymen. Several supervisors who
were candidates for reelection were defeated,
new members succeeding in Arkwright, Char-
lotte, Chautauqua, Cherry Creek, Dunkirk,
Hanover, Poland and Sherman. A new mem-
ber was appointed in the place of Supervisor
Webber, of French Creek, at the next meeting
of the board. The only Progressive on the
board, Jesse A. Foster, of Busti, was defeated
by the Republican opponent, Fred P. Sim-
mons. In Arkwright, Eder A. Tarbox was
beaten by Ransom A. Matthewson, Democrat,
by a margin of two votes. The candidate in
French Creek died during the campaign, but
enough votes had the name of Lucas Gleason
written in to elect him.

Edward Beardsley shot and badly wounded
John G. W. Putnam, overseer of the poor for
the town of Chautauqua, January 14, 1914.
Mr. Putnam was in the Beardsley home on the
Sherman road, three miles from Mayville, to
take the nine children to some institution where
they would have proper care. He was accom-
panied by Gust. A. Anderson, sheriff of the
county, and by Gerry W. Colegrove, under-
sheriff. Two shots were fired by Beardsley,
both taking effect. The sheriff and under-
sheriff drove hastily away to Mayville to place
Putnam under medical care, leaving Beardsley
in possession. He barricaded the doors and
windows and withstood a siege of exactly one
week, although the house was completely sur-
rounded and numerous shots were exchanged.
Finally, Special Deputy Charles Backus was
admitted to the house, and getting possession
of Beardsley's gun brought him to Mayville
without resistance. Beardsley claimed he was
defending his home against invasion. Mr.
Putnam recovered from his injury. Beardsley
was later convicted of "assault in the first de-
gree" and sentenced to the maximum penalty,
which is "not more than nine years and six
months." He was delivered to the prison offi-
cials at Auburn, March 13, 1914.

io8

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

Fire at three o'clock Sunday morning, Janu-
ary 25, 1914, destroyed the Mayville House, a
landmark of more than county-wide reputa-
tion and the principal hotel of Mayville.

Since so long ago as the first volume of
"Four Girls at Chautauqua," by "Pansy," the
Mayville House was a widely known hostelry,
and in that book is described. It had been
headquarters for judges, lawyers, witnesses
and jurors for Chautauqua county's lawsuits
since it was built, and for more than a quar-
ter of a century had stood about as it was when
the fire swept it away.

The First Baptist Church of Jamestown was
destroyed by fire, February 14, 1914, although
the walls of the edifice were left standing.

Ernest Cawcroft, the Progressive leader of
Chautauqua county, was appointed Deputy
State Treasurer, the announcement being made
March 9, 1914.

At the special election held April 7, 1914, to
vote upon the calling of a Constitutional
Convention, Chautauqua county voted : For,
1,807; against, 3,284. In the State the proposi-
tion carried.

Charles H. GiflFord, manufacturer and
banker, died at his home in Jamestown, April
29, 1914.

Newton Crissey, farmer and banker, born in
the town of Stockton, and a resident of Fre-
donia until his removal to Jamestown, died
May I, 1914, having just passed his 86th birth-
day. He was president of the Farmers' and
Mechanics' Bank for a number of years, but
was best known in the county as a farmer and
cattle dealer, a business he followed many
years. He was a devoted Baptist, and the Cal-
vary Baptist Church, which he founded, re-
mains a monument to his zeal and interest.

At the centennial celebration of the First
Methodist Episcopal Church of Jamestown,
the following facts were established as his-
torically correct :

Methodism beg-an its career in Chautauqua county in
the winter of l8o8-og, with the forminR of a class of
four members at Fredonia. In 1810 another class of
ten members was orRanized at Villenova, and in 1814
Rev. Burrows Westlake. preacher in charge of the
Chautauqua circuit, formed another class of ten members
at Worksburg, now Falconer. The last-named class,
under the care of Edward Work, was recognized as a
regular preaching station by the minister in charge of
the circuit, with preaching every four weeks. This
class, according to Griggs' "History of Methodism," was
subsequently removed to Jamestown, as in 182,^ it re-
ceived a grant of twenty-five acres from the Holland
Land Company and a great revival having occurred,
many of the converts living in Jamestown.

On the afternoon of June 5, 1914, the new
Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument in the village

park at Sherman was unveiled. Rev. Horace
G. Ogden, D. D., of Jamestown, the orator of
the occasion.

Frost was reported from several valleys in
the county during the week of June 13-20,
1914, and considerable damage was done to
corn and other crops, particularly beans, in the
Frewsburg district.

For the first time as a special event, Chau-
tauqua County Day was observed in the Chau-
tauqua Assembly program, July 11, 1914. The
morning speakers were Myron T. Dana, prin-
cipal of the State Normal School at Fredonia;
Frank H. Mott, secretary of the Up-State Pub-
lic Service Commission, and Samuel A. Carl-
son, mayor of Jamestown. In the afternoon.
Judge William L. Ransom, of New York City,
a former Chautauqua county man, was the
speaker, and in the evening the first of the sea-
son's dramatic entertainments was given by
the "Chautauqua Players." Director Arthur E.
Bestor expressed the desire of the Chautauqua
Institution for a closer relation with the county
communities, and hoped that an annual Chau-
tauqua County Day would attain that result.

Arthur C. Wade, lawyer, business man,
politician and farmer, died in Jamestown, Au-
gust 21, 1914. He was a man of large busi-
ness interests, and as a lawyer very successful.
He was much in the public eye, but never held
political office save two terms as Assembly-
man from the First Chautauqua District. He
was a native son of Chautauqua, born in the
town of Charlotte, son of George L. and Jane
E. (Parsons) Wade.

Rev. Father Richard Coyle, rector of SS.
Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church,
Jamestown, for forty years, died August 25,
1914. He was the beloved priest, a good citizen,
a man of high ideals, possessing the courage to
do battle for them if necessary, and with the
most intense appreciation of the responsibili-
ties he was under as a priest of God. He was
buried with most imposing ceremony, August
31, in Holy Cross Cemetery, business being
generally suspended in Jamestown, as re-
quested by Mayor Carlson.

The Board of Supervisors met in annual ses-
sion at Mayville, September 29, 1914. Her-
mes L. Ames was elected chairman ; Dr. L. P.
McCray, chairman pro tcm. ; Joseph A. Mc-
Ginnies, clerk; L. McKinstry, assistant clerk;
James A. Clary, journal clerk ; Edmund Dear-
ing, page. The clerk presented a communica-
tion from the executors of the will of Mrs.
Elizabeth M. Newton announcing the gift of
$150,000 for a tuberculosis hospital building
and grounds.

OPENING OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

109

Chautauqua county reaffirmed her loyalty to
the Republican party at the November elec-
tions, 1914, by large majorities. The head of
the ticket, Charles S. Whitman receiving a
plurality of 7,791. His total vote in the county
was 10,502. Egburt E. Woodbury, of James-
town, for Attorney-General, received 10,81 r,
the highest vote given any man on the State
ticket. Charles M. Hamilton was elected Con-
gressman ; George E. Spring, State Senator ;
Charles M. Dow, James Spencer Whipple and
Herman J. Westwood, district delegates to the
Constitutional Convention ; Emmons J. Swift,
county treasurer; Charles E. Dodge, overseer
of the poor; Charles Blood and James E. Mar-
tin, coroners; A. Morelle Cheney, Assembly-
man, First District ; John Leo Sullivan, Assem-
blyman, Second District.

On January i, 191 5, Chautauqua county was
honored by the induction into office of Egburt
E. Woodbury as State's Attorney-General, a
position of power and responsibility. Mr.
Woodbury was the first Chautauquan elected
to a State office since Reuben E. Fenton was
inaugurated Governor just fifty years earlier.
Attorney-General Woodbury appointed as one
of his chief deputies, Frank Jenks, of James-
town.

Judge Abner Hazeltine, son of Abner and
Matilda (Hayward) Hazeltine, one of Chau-
tauqua's eminent citizens, died May 3, 1915-
A man of striking personality, with a kindly
heart and active brain he was prominent in
the affairs of his community, a pillar of
strength to the church, the personification of
kindness and hospitality in his home and most
charitable.

He was a man of high intellectual attain-
ment, a student and a thinker, a ready writer
upon local topics and an authority on the his-
tory of the county in which his eighty years
of life were spent. He married Olivia A.
Brown, daughter of Samuel and Clarissa
Brown, of Ashville, and left a son, Ray Thomas
Hazeltine, of Jamestown, and a daughter. Miss
Mary Emogene Hazeltine, who at the time of
her father's death was officially connected with
the library school of the University of Wis-
consin. She was formerly librarian of the
James Prendergast Library of Jamestown, the
predecessor of Miss Lucia T. Henderson, the
present librarian.

William T. Falconer, son of Patrick Fal-
coner, who laid out the village which bears his
name, and born at the Falconer mansion in
Falconer, died in Jamestown, May 6, 1915- He
was a man of large affairs, prominent in pub-
lic life, and a citizen of high repute.

Augustus F. Allen, Assemblyman and ex-
postmaster of Jamestown, was appointed first
deputy superintendent of elections, June 23,

1915-

On Monday, July 19, 191 5, the first term of
Surrogate's Court, with a jury, ever held in
Chautauqua county, was convened at the court
house in Mayville with Surrogate Harley N.
Crosby presiding, the court convening under a
new State law. Under its provisions all con-
tested will cases can be tried in Surrogate's
Court instead of Supreme Court.

Captain William Fitzhugh Endress, only
son of Col. William F. Endress, died on ship-
board, September 7, 1915, enroute to his sta-
tion in the Panama Canal Zone. Capt. En-
dress was a graduate of West Point, and for
twelve years had been in active military serv-
ice. For two years he had been on duty in the
Canal Zone, and when the canal was opened
was superintendent of the Gatun Lock.

Capt. Fred H. Wilson, chief of the James-
town Fire Department, was killed in an auto-
mobile accident three miles from Butler, Penn-
sylvania, September 26, 1915, while on his way
home from Pittsburgh, where he had taken his
daughter to school. Capt. Wilson had been a
member of the fire department since 1888, and
from 1898 had been chief. He was a member
of the Fenton Guards (13th Separate Com-
pany) for twenty-seven years, was elected cap-
tain' in 1903, and'on October 3, 1914, was placed
on the retired list. He served in the Spanish-
American War, and was the veteran leader of
his firemen at scores of fires. He was greatly
beloved by his men, and held a place deep in
the hearts of the people of his city. A gallant
soldier and fireman, yet it was his sterling char-
acter as a man, his integrity of purpose and
honesty that endeared him to those who knew
him best. The flags of the city floated at half-
mast in his honor, and the day of his funeral
the city offices and many business houses were
closed. He was buried" with the full military
honors befitting his rank.

At the November election in 191 5, William
H. Marvin, Republican, was elected sheriff
over J. William Sanbury, Democrat ; Luther S.
Lakin, Jr., Republican, was elected county
clerk for the third time ; Bergen F. lUston was
reelected coroner; Leon L. Fancher was
elected member of Assembly from the First
District, and Joseph A. McGinnies from the
Second District. There were many changes in
the Board of Supervisors, the new board stand-
ing twentv-three Republicans, six Democrats,
one Prohibitionist. The new constitution was
defeated both in county and State, the county

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

voting 7,709 for, 8,792 against. The vote on
woman suffrage was 9,763 for, 7,002 against.
The vote for sheriff was: Marvin, 11,250;
Sandbury, 4,224.

The Board of Supervisors met in annual ses-
sion, November 8, 191 5. The officials of the
board, elective and appointive, were continued
in office for another year. The assessed value
of real estate in the county increased over
1914, $2,053,339. .

Charles S. Whitman, Governor of New York
State, was the guest of the county, November
17-18, spending the night in Dunkirk, thence
to Jamestown the following morning. The
visit was without political significance.

Capt. Newel Cheney, son of Nelson E.
Cheney, a pioneer of the county, died at his
home in Poland Center, December 8, 1915, in
his eightieth year. Captain Cheney was a
veteran of the Ninth Regiment, New York
Cavalry, enlisting September 10, 1861, in
Jamestown, and serving three years. He was
commissioned first lieutenant of Company C,
September 10, 1862; captain of Company F,
February 12, 1864; and was mustered out,
October 25, 1864, with the brevet rank of
major. He was prominent in Grand Army
circles and in the Grange ; was supervisor and
Assemblyman ; and a man both admired and
respected.

Luman W. Pierce, president of the Empire
State Degree of Honor, a district deputy of
the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and a
leading Democrat of the town of Stockton,
dropped dead in his home at Stockton, January
3, 1916. He was a prosperous dairy farmer
near the village of Stockton, and a man of the
highest standing in the community. He was
buried in Greenwood Cemetery, the funeral in
charge of his brethren of the Independent
Order of Odd Fellows.

S. Winsor Baker, general manager and treas-
urer of the Gurney Ball Bearing Company,
died at his home in Jamestown, January 4,
1916. He aided greatly in the phenomenal
growth of the company with which he was
connected for about three years prior to his
death. He was buried in Lake View Ceme-
tery. Resolutions of highest appreciation and
respect were passed by the directors of the
Gurney Ball Bearing Company.

John D. Johnson, president of the Swedish-
American National Bank, died in Jamestown,
January 20, 1916, aged seventy. He was born
in Sweden, but was brought to Chautauqua
county when seven years of age, and by his
own efforts rose to high rank as business man
and citizen.

The New York State Grange, Patrons of
Husbandry, met in forty-third annual session
in Jamestown the week of January 31, 1916. The
Grange is one of the largest fraternal orders
and the annual session one of the largest dele-
gate bodies in the State. During the session,
Sherman J. Lowell, of Fredonia, was elected
master of the order in New York State.

At a meeting of the Board of Supervisors,
May 23, 1916, the county was redistricted in
order to balance the population in the two
Assembly districts. The First District was
shorn of the towns of Arkwright, Stockton and
Villenova, leaving a population of 53,608, those
towns when added to the Second District in-
creasing the population to 53,253. The dis-
tricts as divided were thus constituted : First
District— Jamestown, Busti, Carroll, Charlotte,
Cherry Creek, Ellery, Ellicott, Ellington,
Gerry, Harmony, Kiantone, Poland. Second
District — Dunkirk, Arkwright, Chautauqua,
Clymer, French Creek, Hanover, Mina, Pom-
fret, Portland, Ripley, Sheridan, Sherman,
Stockton, Villenova, Westfield.

Charles Baker, a lifelong resident of Ripley,
died at his home in the village. May 23, 1916.
In 1914 Mr. Baker's vineyards, which he per-
sonally tended, yielded more grapes by weight
to the acre than any other farm in Chautauqua
county. He was seventy-five years of age, and
left a widow, Mrs. Margaret Hardinger Baker;
a son, Frank J. Baker; and a daughter, Mrs.
Clarence H. Holden.

On June i, 1916, about fifty assessors repre-
senting practically every town in the county
and the cities of Jamestown and Dunkirk, met
at Mayville and formed an organization of the
assessors of Chautauqua county. This was
done under the authority of the Board of Su-
pervisors, who acted upon the recommenda-
tion of the State Board of Tax Commissioners.
John I. Venness, of Lakewood, was elected
president; I. A. Wilcox, of Portland, vice-
president ; Judd A. Woodward, of Stockton,
secretary.

The Fenton Guards (Company E, 65th Regi-
ment, New York National Guard) were called
out under the order mobilizing the National
Guard of the State, and began assembling at
their armory June 19, 1916. They were later
transferred to the 74th Regiment on July I,
1916, sworn into the United States service, and
on Tuesday, July 4, left for Buffalo to join the
74th Regiment under orders to entrain for
Mission, Texas. Capt. Charles A. Sandburg
was in command of Company E ; A. Bartholdi
Peterson, first lieutenant ; Donald S. Brown,
second lieutenant.

OPENING OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

This was the first of a series of military
demonstrations that Chautauqua county wit-
nessed during the four years of warfare cul-
minating in the destruction of German power.
The 74th was sent to the Mexican border as a
part of the policy of dealing with Mexico.

Mrs. Sarah L. (Jones) Hall, widow of Sam-
uel J. Hall, who for more than half a century
was a teacher in the public schools, died in
Jamestown, July 11, 1916. She was born in
Jamestown in 1832, and while still in her teens
began teaching. A few years later she mar-
ried, and after her husband's death resumed
work in the school room, only giving up teach-
ing at the age of seventy-five.

Charles E. Hughes, Republican candidate
"or President, visited Chautauqua county, Sat-
jrday, September 30, stops being made at
iVestfield, Fredonia, Jamestown, Dunkirk and
Silver Creek. Mr. Hughes was enthusias-
ically received and his remarks were listened
o with marked attention. Ernest Cawcroft, of
Zhautauqua, and his former law partner, Wil-
iam L. Ransom (not for years, however, a
esident of the county) were announced as can-
lidates for presidential electors by the Repub-
ican State Committee.

Judge Samuel Seabury, in his campaign for
jovernor of the State, visited the county and
elivered an address in Jamestown, Saturday
ight, October 29, at the Samuel's Opera
louse. Governor Charles S. Whitman also
isited the county during the closing days of
he campaign.
Chautauqua county gave Hughes a total vote
f 14,717; Wilson, 7,137; Whitman, 14,182;
eabury, 5,697 ; Charles M. Hamilton, Repub-
can, was elected Congressman ; George H.
pring. State Senator ; Leon L. Fancher and
oseph A. McGinnies, Assemblymen; William
'.. Stearns, district attorney ; Frank S. Wheel-
r, special county judge ; Robert J. Cooper,
fecial surrogate ; Edward Osgood, coroner,
gburt E. Woodbury, a Chautauqua county
lan, carried the county for attorney-general
ly a plurality of 9,456.

The Board of Supervisors met in annual ses-
on November 13, and organized by the elec-
iOn of A. Morelle Cheney, of Ellery, chair-
,an ; Dr. L. P. McCray, of Clymer, chairman
.'0 tern. ; Joseph A. McGinnies, clerk ; Louis
i'cKinstry, assistant clerk ; J. A. Clary, jour-
iil clerk ; Edmund Dearing, page. The clerk's
iport showed that the assessed value of real
itate in the county was $66,363,491, an in-
lease over 1915 of $3,124,968.
Two heavy steel cars, moving rapidly, col-
lled on a curve just northeast of Westfield

station on the Jamestown, Westfield and
Northwestern railway. They met with such
force that they telescoped, crushing the life
out of both motormen, and injuring about
every passenger. Frank Wood and Herman
Swanson, both of Jamestown, were the killed
men, and Martin Colby, of Westfield, was so
severely injured that he died the following
morning, January 2, 1917.

Judge Vernon E. Peckham, for several years
special county judge of Chautauqua county
and for more than a decade referee in bank-
ruptcy for Chautauqua and Cattaraugus coun-
ties, died in Jamestown, February i, 1917.

After seven months on the border in the
United States service, the 74th Regiment re-
turned to Buffalo, February 20, 1917, Com-
pany E, which left Jamestown in July, 1916,
with two ofTicers and 135 men, reaching James-
town on February 24 following, their roster
showing three officers and 1 1 1 men. They
were given a hearty demonstrative welcome.
There had been no deaths in the company dur-
ing their long period of border service.

The county heard with regret of the death of
Phin M. Miller, a native of the town of Stock-
ton, and one of Chautauqua's ablest sons, in
Buffalo, Sunday, March 25, 1917. He was in-
terested in county journalism for some years,
but later accepted prominent position with the
Lake Shore «S: Michigan Southern railway, con-
tinuing with it until reaching the age limit,
when he was retired on a pension. He was a
county school commissioner, and the author of
the chapter on the schools of Chautauqua
count}^ published in "Centennial History of
Chautauqua County, 1902." He was president
of the Chautauqua Historical Society several
years, and as head of that organization did
much to stimulate interest in historical re-
search and the preservatioin of family records.

Captain Charles A. Sandburg, commanding
Company E, 74th Regiment, received orders
on March 29 to immediately report with his
company at Buffalo for muster into the United
States service. The order was rescinded later,
and the company was mustered in at James-
town and placed as guards at railroad bridges
and important points in the county. While
engaged in guarding the Nickel Plate railroad
bridge at Silver Creek on the night of May 6,
or early morning of May 7, 1917, Private Sand-
berg was instantly killed by a passing freight
train, which struck his rifle barrel with such
force that it was bent almost double around
the young man's neck, killing him instantly.
Private Sandberg joined the company in June,
1916, and was the first and only man of Com-

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

pany E, to give up his life for his country dur-
ing his connection with the company.

Rev. Elliot Chapin Hall, youngest child of
William and Julia (Jones) Hall, died in James-
town, April 27, 1917, just two days before his
seventy-ninth birthday. After fourteen years
in the ministry of the Congregational church,
he was called home by the illness of his father,
and thereafter resided at the homestead in
Jamestown. He was identified with important
interests and became prominent in the business
life of his city. He married Tirzah Snell,
daughter of Professor E. S. Snell, of Amherst,
and they were the parents of Martha S., E.
Snell and Tirzah H. Hall.

At a special meeting of the Board of Super-
visors, William J. Knauer was reelected county
superintendent of highways, and Luke H. Fay,
of Portland, was chosen commissioner of elec-
tions.

The enrollment of men between the ages of
twenty-one and thirty-one ordered by the
United States Government, reached a total in
Chautauqua of practically 10,000 names.

Emmons J. Swift, for nineteen years treas-
urer of Chautauqua county, made public on
June 20, his determination not to again accept
the office.

James L. Weeks, an eminent member of the
Chautauqua bar and a former mayor of James-
town, died at his summer home on Chautauqua
Lake, September 2, 1917.

Charles E. Dodge, county superintendent of
the poor, died at the administration building,
Dewittville, October 3, 1917. He was in his
sixty-third year, and for fifteen years had held
the office above mentioned.

On October .27, 1917, Charles M. Dow was
named Federal fuel administrator for Chau-
tauqua county.

At the November elections, 1917, William J.
Doty was elected county treasurer; Gerry W.
Colgrove, county superintendent of the poor;
Charles Blood, reelected coroner, an office he
had held for forty years ; James Martin, coro-
ner ; J. Samuel Fowler, State Senator from the
Fifty-first District ; Hermes L. Ames and
Joseph A. McGinnies, Assemblymen from the
First and Second Chautauqua districts.

On November 12, 1917, the Board of Super-
visors met in annual session in Mayville. The
chairman, chairman pro tern, and clerk were
continued in office. Louis McKinstry was
elected assistant clerk ; James A. Cleary, jour-
nal clerk ; Edmund Dearing, page. The clerk's
report showed as one item that the assessed
valuation of real estate in the county was $75,-
624,209, an increase over 1916 of $9,260,864.

A native son of Chautauqua, and in his sev-
entieth year, Clement B. Jones, for a quarter ofi
a century city clerk of Jamestown, died withi
the opening of the new year. Dr. Robert New-'
land Blanchard, a leading physician of James-i
town, where he had been in practice forty
years, died January 18, 1918, in his sixtieth!
year. He was Jamestown's first health officer.i

The main building of the Strong Veneer
Company plant at Gerry, the pioneer veneer
factory in the county, was burned to the
ground on February 16, 1918. John Strong;
father of B. E. Strong, president of the com-i
pany, made the first veneer by machinery
driven by horsepower, the son, B. E. Strong^
driving the horse which furnished the power;

George T. Armstrong, a lawyer of Jamei
town at one time, associated with Benjami:
S. Dean and Frank W. Mott in practice, died
March 7, 19 17. He was a leader of the DemcK
cratic party in the city, and for six years a
civil service commissioner. Mrs. Hannah G'.
Leslie ("Grandma"), probably the oldest resi
dent of Chautauqua county, died at the home
of her daughter, Mrs. Elliot A. Fenton, ii
Jamestown, April 8, 1918, aged 100 years, thn
months, eight days.

The "Jamestown Journal," under date oi
March 7, 1918, announced editorially that no^ mr
only had Chautauqua county gone "over thij
top" in the matter of the Third Liberty Loani
but every city and town in the county ha«|
done its share, reached its allotment, and goiu
beyond it.

Marion N. Fisher, son of Judge Jerome B|
Fisher, was appointed assistant district atton
ney for Chautauqua county by District Atton
ney William S. Stearns, vice Warner S. Rexi
ford, resigned.

On May 12, Governor Whitman signed thi femi
bill establishing a county children's court fo:
Chautauqua county.

The will was drafted by the State Probatioi
Commission, and embodied several new fea
tures. The new court was created as a sepa
rate part of the county court to be presidd
over by the county judge or special counfi
judge.

A special meeting of the Board of Supes
visors was held May 15, 1918. The regula
annual meeting of the board elected in Novem
ber, 1917, was not until the following Novem
ber, and the term of A. Morelle Cheney, chain
man of the 1917-18 board having expired tht
preceding January ist. Dr. L. P. McCray, C
Clymer, was elected temporary chairman t
serve until the annual meeting. Every meir
ber of the board responded to his name excep

OPENING OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

Frank O. Olson, who had been away from the
county for a year, but still held the office of
supervisor from Jamestown.

Emmet C. Nixon, granite and marble dealer
of Westfield, was killed, and Dr. Stephen A.
Brown shot through the jaw, on May 21, igi8,
it \\'estfield, by Joseph J. Johnson. Gerald
J. Gibbs, a l.awyer of \\'estfield, who disarmed
fohnson, would have lost his life had John-
son's revolver not missed fire as Gibbs was
idvancing upon him.

Alfred"?. Hall died at Long Beach. Cali-

I'ornia, July 15, 1917. He was identified with

■nanufacturing in Jamestown from boyhood,

md with the development of three of the im-

; iortant industries of the city — The James-

;: !Own Worsted Mills, the Art Metal Construc-

- lion Company, and the Gurney Ball Bearing
Company. He served his city in public posi-

: :ion, and was deeply interested in church work.

■ , James T. Fowler, aged eighty, died in James-
own, October 21, 1918, having been a resi-

: lent of that city for over half a century. He

■- vas a prominent member of the Chautauqua
•ar, a lover of books, and extremely fond of

:■ ihildren. Jarvis K. Wilson, aged eighty-two,
ied at his home in Gerry, October 23, 1918.
le was a lifelong resident of Gerry, and for a
umber of years was superintendent of the
ierry Home and Orphanage.
Chautauqua maintained her prestige among

t olid Republican counties by the usual plurali-
es for the county ticket. Judge Arthur B.
•ttaway was reelected county judge, and Har-
•y N. Crosby, surrogate, without opposition,

,r. ach of them receiving over 18,000 votes.

1": imes S. McCallum was elected sheriff by a

:.: ote of 15.058, and Miss Ellen P. Yates, county
erk, by practically 12,000 votes over her near-

c: *;t opponent.

'. ' Daniel A. Reed, of Dunkirk, was elected to
ongress from the Thirteenth District ; J. Sam-
-! Fowler, State Senator from the Fifty-first
istrict; Hermes L. Ames and Joseph A. Mc-
innies were reelected to the Assembly from

:•: \e First and Second Chautauqua districts ;

:;; iid David Lincoln was elected coroner to suc-
•;ed Dr. B. F. Illston. For Governor, the

;r '')unty went 17,659 for Whitman, 5,864 for

: .Ifred A. Smith, the Democratic candidate,
'ho was elected.

The Board of Supervisors met in annual ses-

: n in Mayville, November 11, 1918, there

1 ing eleven new members to answer roll call.

L. P. McCray was elected chairman ;

ph A. McGinnies, clerk; William L. Nut-

- tii, chairman pro tcm. Louis McKinstry was

S 1 Chau—

elected assi-stant clerk ; Joseph A. Clary, jour-
nal clerk ; Edmund Dearing, page. During
the first session of the board, F. J. McCarthy,
of Hanover, was stricken and quickly passed
away.

With other newly-elected county officials,
Miss Ellen P. Yates entered upon the duties of
clerk of Chautauqua county, January i, 1919,
one of the first women in the State to assume
the responsibilities of an important county
office.

Louis McKinstry, for many years owner and
editor of the "Fredonia Censor," died at his
home in Fredonia, March 5, 1919. Although
not continuous, he gave fifty years of service
to the county in clerical positions, and year
after year was unanimously elected assistant
clerk of the Board of Supervisors. He attended
the session of the board late in December, 1918,
but owing to infirmities could not climb the
stairs to the board room. He did attend the
annual banquet of the board, and made a char-
acteristic address which he regarded as his
farewell. He went to eternal rest and reward
with the love and respect of the people of
Chautauqua county.

On April i, 1919, more than one hundred
veteran members of Company E and other
units of the 108th Regiment, 27th Division,
United States Army, returned from overseas,
arrived in Jamestown and were warmly re-
ceived.

The death of Miss Minnie E. Fletcher, which
occurred during the week of April 7, 1919, re-
moved the last of a family prominent in Chau-
tauqua county journalism for sixty years, Miss
Fletcher being the last to retire from news-
paper work. Her father, Adolphus Fletcher,
established the Jamestown "Journal" in 1826,
and until 1892, when the Chautauqua "Demo-
crat" ceased to exist. Miss Fletcher, better
known as "Minnie" Fletcher, was city editor of
that paper. She then became a teacher in the
Jamestown public schools, age and failing
health compelling her resignation in 1916.
"None knew her but to love her, none named
her but to praise."

Judge Jerome B. Fisher, for ten years judge
of Chautauqua county and for fourteen years
reporter of New York State Supreme Court,
died June 18, 1919. He was eminent in the law,
prominent in the fraternal orders and in the
politics of the county and a most graceful elo-
quent public speaker.

William N. Gokey, who for forty years had
been identified with Jamestown's business
interests, died in Jamestown, October 6, 1919.

114

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

Ernest F. Rowley, at one time an extensive
manufacturer of butter and cheese, with a
chain of factories in Cattaraugus and Chau-
tauqua counties, died in Kennedy, Chau-
tauqua county, October 13, 1919. He served
as supervisor from Ellington in 1889 and 1890,
and was a factor in county affairs for a score of
years.

The usual Republican majories prevailed at
the November election in 1919. William S.
Stearns was reelected district attorney ; Frank
S. Wheeler, special county judge ; Robert R.
Cooper, special surrogate ; Edward B. Osgood,
coroner; Hermes L. Ames, Assemblyman from
the First Chautauqua District ; Joseph A. Mc-
Ginnies, Assemblyman from the Second Dis-
trict. Five supervisors were elected from Dun-
kirk instead of two, six from Jamestown in-
stead of three, and two from Harmony, owing
to a change in the law and to a division of the
town of Harmony, the new town being known
as North Harmony.

The annual meeting of the Board of Super-
visors elected in 1918 was called to order No-
vember 10, 1919, the roll-call disclosing every
member present. Supervisor Pettit spoke feel-
ingly of the departed Louis McKinstry, who for
thirty-two years had been assistant clerk of the
board, and asked the members to rise in re-
spect to his memory. Dr. L. P. McCray was
reelected chairman, W. L. Nuttall, chairman
pro tent., and J. A. McGinnies, clerk. Gerald
E. Frey was elected assistant clerk; James A.
Clary, journal clerk ; Edmund Dearing, page.
On Tuesday, November 11, 1919, a great
crowd witnessed an Armistice Day parade of
service men of Chautauqua county, who were
escorted through the streets with great pomp
and pageantry. The first division of the parade,
led by Colonel William F. Endress, was en-
tirely military. Major Charles A. Sandburg in
command of Company E, 74th Regiment, New
York National Guard ; Major A. Bartholdi
Peterson in command of service men ; and staflf
of Ira Lou Spring Post, American Legion ;
service men of Jamestown, Dunkirk, Fredonia,
Westfield, Silver Creek, Ripley, Brocton, May-
ville, Sherman, Bemus Point, Falconer, Ken-
nedy, Ellington, Frewsburg, and other places ;
and allied service men, under the lead of Cap-
tain George W. Cottis. Next came the serv-
ice flags, overseas' workers. Red Cross work-
ers under the direction of Mrs. Harry P. Shel-
don : Spanish War veterans and veterans of
foreign wars ; Jamestown Battalion, State
Cadets. The second division was historical ;
the third, industrial ; the fourth, automobile.

The entire city caught the spirit of enthusiasn:
and the national colors were seen everywhere
On Third street was an imposing arch of flag;
and banners which was illuminated at nigh"
by powerful electric lights. Thousands of vis-
itors were in the city, and enthusiasm per
vaded the crowds which lined the route ove;
which the parade passed. About two thousanc
service men of the county marched in the pr&
cession, all parts being well represented. The
outstanding feature of the parade, aside fron
its length and the excellence of the floats, wa;
the enthusiasm with which the service mei
were received all along the line.

George E. McLaury, a former supervisor o
the town of Sheridan, 1897-1905, died Novem
ber 12, 1919, aged eighty-one. Henry M
Keith, supervisor of the town of Sherman, re
cently elected for a seventh term, died Novem
ber 17, 1919. The vacancy caused by his deatl
was temporarily filled by the appointment
I. O. Ottaway, president of the State Bank
Sherman.

At the annual meeting of the Nations
Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, held at Gram
Rapids, Michigan, week of November 16, Sher
man J. Lowell, of Fredonia, was elected maste
of the National Grange.

During the night of Friday, November 21
1919, Obed Edson, "the grand old man" o^
Chautauqua county, died at the home of bi-
son, Walter N. Edson, in Falconer, agei
eighty-seven years, nine months, four days. I
detailed account of his wonderful life and worl
is given elsewhere in this work, but his spiri;
lives in every page of this history, one in whicl
he took the deepest interest, and to whose earlj
encouragement and loyal support it is largeh
due. Several chapters are entirely from hir
pen, and had not death intervened he would
have carried out plans he had made for othei
chapters. Well trained in the law, an able ad
vocate, an honest man — he stood high amonji
his professional brethren of the Chautauqur
bar, and held the confidence of his clientele an''
of opposing counsel. He was the best informet
man of his day concerning early ChautauqU)'
county history and of the region long befon
the. white man came. His historical research
early recollections and wonderful memoryi
made him a veritable encyclopedia of local inl
formation, and he took perhaps greater interest
in historical research than he did in his profesi
sion. Living a life of activity and good works!
quietly pursuing the path that lay before him
shirking no responsibility, nor seeking honor
which did not belong to him, he lived am

ARKWRIGHT FALL

ASA BURNHAII'S CHEESE FACTORY AT ARKWIUCHT— FIRST IX THE COUNTY

OPENING OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

labored long beyond man's allotted years and

carried with him to the grave the love and
respect of ever)- Chautauquan who knew him
or of his work.

The population of Chautauqua county, its
towns, villages and cities, has just been an-
nounced by the Federal Census Bureau, Sep-
tember I, 1920. The figures for the census of
1920, as compared with those of 1910 and 1900
follow :

Incorporated place 1920 1910 1900

Chautauqua county HS,348 105,126 88,314

Arkwright town 757 843 918

Busti town, including Lake-
wood village 1,995 2,136 2,192

Carroll town l,"6l 1,564 1,684

Charlotte town, including part

of Sinclairville village 1,173 1,258 1,406

Chautauqua town, including

Mayville village 3,533 3,515 3,590

Cherry Creek town, including

Cherry Creek village 1,204 1,380 i,74S

Clymer town 1,205 1,164 1,229

Dunkirk city 19,336 17,221 11,616

Dunkirk town 512 429 454

Ellery town, including Bemus

Point village 1,496 1,695 1,628

EUicott town, including Cel-

oron and Falconer villages. . 5,463 4,371 3,118

Ellington town 1,061 1,235 i,330

French Creek town 806 882 1,014

Gerry town, including part of

Sinclairville village 993 I,I55 1,198

Hanover town, including For-
estville and Silver Creek vil-
lages and part of Cattarau-
gus Indian Reservation .... 6,016 5,670 4,778

Harmony town, including Pan-
ama village 1,443 2,847 2,988

Jamestown city 38,917 31,297 22,892

Kiantone town 123 520 491

Mina town 903 1,033 1,038

North Harmony town* 1.235

Poland town 1,308 1,447 1,613

•Included in Harmonj' until 1920.

Pomfret town, including Fre-

donia village 7,973 7,309

Portland town, including Broc-

ton village 3,140 3,058

Ripley town 2,1 16 2,239

Sheridan town 1,887 1,888

Sherman town, including Sher-
man village 1,467 1,568

Stockton town 1,674 1,781

Villenova town 961 1,140

Westfield town, including West-
field village 4.390 4,481

Incorporated places: 1920 1 910

Bemus Point village 227

Brocton village 1.383 1,181

Celoron village 757 619

Cherry Creek village 527 606

Dunkirk city 19.336 17,221

Falconer village 2,742 2,141

Forestville village 620 721

Fredonia village* 6,051 5,285

Jamestown city** 38,917 31,297

Lakewood village 714 564

Mayville village i,442 1,122

Panama village 298 337

Sherman village 847 836

Silver Creek village 3,260 2,512

Sinclairville village 514 542

Westfield village 3,413 2.985

Dunkirk and Jamestown cities by Wards :

1920

Dunkirk city 19,336

Ward 1 6,047

Ward 2 4,005

Ward 3 4,178

Ward 4 5,106

Jamestown city 38,917

Ward 1 4,825

Ward 2 5,606

Ward 3 5,633

Ward 4 fi,909

Ward 5 8,604

Ward 6 7,340

6,313

3,690
2,256
1,633

1,560
1,852
1,208

3,882

900

506

701

11,616

1,136

623

4,127

22,892

574

943

359

760

1.944

577

2,430

1915

37,780
4,662
4,536
5,446
8.034
7,942
7,160

*No wards.
'•Previously announced as 38,!

CHAPTER XVI.
Towns : Arkwright — Busti — Carroll — Charlotte — Chautauqua — Cherry Creek — Clymer.

Arkwright — The town of Arkwright, in the
northern part of the county, surrounded north,
east, south and west by Sheridan, Villenova,
Charlotte and Pomfret, was formed from Pom-
fret and Villenova, April 13, 1829. The high-
est points in the town range from eleven hun-
Ired to twelve hundred feet above Lake Erie.
Sheridan separates Arkwright from Lake Erie
md Villenova from Cattaraugus county. While
he original forests have all been felled and
j^iven way to the fields, and the soil is well
idapted to the raising of crops, agriculture is
lot the leading industry of the town, the hilly

nature of the town making it more profitable
for grazing. The chief source of wealth is the
dairy product, which compares favorably with
the other towns of Chautauqua county.

Arkwright has the distinction of having ab-
solutely no aliens among its inhabitants, the
entire population in 191 5 — 843 — being all citi-
zens, according to the New York State census.

There are many points of comparison in
which the town is surpassed by its neighbors,
yet there is no scenery in the county so pic-
turesque and beautiful as that at and near Ark-
wright Falls. There banks of shale rise pre-

ii6

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

cipitately from one hundred to one hundred
and fifty feet, their tops covered with shrub-
bery and delicious wintergreen to tempt the
skill of the visitor in climbing. The student
of geology, go where he may, will find much
to interest him, as nature's work is plainly
demonstrated.

Original Purchases:

1807 — November, Zattu Gushing, 63 (articled to
Uriah L. Johnson).

1809 — June, Benj. Sprague, 56; August, Aug. Burn-
ham, 60; Ed. McGregor, 62; September, Oliver Taylor,
SS; October, Aaron Wilcox, 56; November, Nathan
Eaton, 64; Benj. Perry, 64.

1810 — January, Horace Clough, 42; May, Aug. Burn-
ham, 56.

1812 — March, Robt. Cowden, 54.

1814 — October, Moses Tucker, 62; November, Dan-
iel Harris, 53.

181 5 — October, Robt. W. Seaver, 37.

1816 — February, Abiram Orton, 55; Decem.ber, Tha-
dius Barnard, 16.

1817 — March, Robt. Cowden, 531 April, Jabez Har-
rington, 39.

1818 — March, Silas Matteson, 8.

1821 — July, Isaiah Martin, 3; October, Bela Kings-
ley, 13; Hiram Kingsley. 13.

1822 — March, Simeon Smith, Jr., 39; Caleb Weaver,
Jr., 39: April, David Weaver, 31; John Weaver, 32;
Bethnel Harvey, 12; October Ashbel Scott, 10; No-
vemlber, Asahel Burnham, 26, 27; Moses and Aaron
Luce, 18.

1823 — July, Sylvester Gould, 42; August, Stephen
Chase, 2; November, Orestes Thatcher, 18.

1824 — September. Simeon Clinton, 21; October,
Benj. White, 28; Arna Wood, 51.

1825 — September, Stephen Chase (2d), 9; October,
Ellsworth Griswold, 25.

1826 — January, Andrus M. Huyck, 16; July, Wm. F.
Peebles, Jr., 23't October, Zephania Briggs, 42; Abijah
Mason, 8.

l828^January, Benj. Perry, 47.

Among the early settlers were : Byron T.
Orton, Benjamin Perry and Augustus Burn-
ham, who settled in the northwestern part of
the town in 1807; Aaron Wilcox, 1809; Na-
than Eaton, 1810; Uriah Johnson and John
Sprague, 181 1 : A. Z. Wilson and Robert Cow-
den, 1812. On May 11, 181 1, the first white
child, Horatio Nelson Johnson, was born in
the town ; the first death was that of Augustus
Burnham, in 1813; the first marriage, (3haun-
cey Andrews to Louisa Wilson, was solemn-
ized in 1814. Isaiah Martin built the first
frame house in 1814, and kept the first tavern.
Lucy Dewey taught the first school in 1813.
Benjamin Orton built the first saw mill in 1818.
The first religious services were held in the
house of Aaron Wilcox in 1810 by Rev. John
Spencer, and in 1820 Elder Thomas Grennel
organized the first Baptist church. William
Wilcox was elected the first supervisor of the
town in 1830.

One of the oldest and most influential citi-
zens was Simeon Clinton, born in Ballston,
Saratoga county, February 13, 1779. In early
life he moved to Fly Creek, Otsego county,
where he remained about fifteen years. In
1813 he journeyed to Buffalo and thence along
the shores of Lake Erie until he nearly reached
the present site of Dunkirk, then leaving the •
lake he arrived at the present township of
Gerry, near Canadaway or Mill Creek, where
he sold his horse and invested the proceeds in
a farm. He then returned home, sold all of his
possessions except some cooking utensils and
furniture, loading these into his wagon to-
gether with his wife and three children, the
youngest, one year old, and started with his
ox-team for his newly purchased home. When
he arrived at Buffalo he found it had been
burned by the British, and only a single house
standing. While passing from Buffalo to Dun-
kirk he and his family had a narrow escape i
from being thrown from a rocky cliff into the I tee
lake. After many hardships they arrived ati [Ilie
their Gerry home. He remained here only a
short time, for the creek overflowed and came
near carrying away his dwelling. Selling his
place, he purchased a new farm at the center
of the present site of Arkwright, 1813, on
which he resided to the time of his death, April
29, 1858. Mr. Clinton, an honest and educated
man, took great interest in public affairs and
was instrumental in forming the township of fc
Arkwright. He was the first postmaster, and:
held his ofiice for twenty years. The first town 1 iranl
meeting was held at his house, May 2, 1830.1 mk
At different times he held the office of justice ( p^j
of the peace, superintendent of schools, town
clerk and commissioner of deeds. He made
the first survey of the plot of Dunkirk. He
also surveyed the present site of Sinclairville,
and with the help of Mr. Peacock laid out the
Chautauqua road. He understood weaving
plain cloth and flowered and figured flannel.
A short time before his death he was talking
to a neighbor, when a fly lit on his hand, which
he killed with the other. "There," said he,:
"when I pass from time to eternity, I wish to
go just as quick as that." It seems that his
request was granted, for while he was stand-
ing in his barn door he was struck by lightning
and instantly killed. %..

Arkwright was the first town in the State to }^'

itferi

iovet
Bitib
lir.i
fees ;
ktMg
hnh
Idee

fer

*iBa
h.

establish extensively the cooperative system in
the manufacture of cheese. Asahel Burnham
was the first to institute that industry on a
large scale. He was the grandson of the pio-
neer of that name, the first settler of Ark-

lU;

TOWNS

117

wright. He was born in Arkwright, about
1826. He had poor opportunities for educa-
tion and no business experience ; he had, how-
ever, energy and natural business ability. In
early years he was a farmer. Prior to 1861,
each farmer manufactured his own butter and
cheese ; that year Mr. Burnham built in Ark-
wright the first cheese factory in the county
upon the cooperative plan, at Burnham's Hol-
low on Canadaway creek, and was called the
Canadaway Cheese Factory. While still owner
of this factory, in 1865 he built the second of
the kind in the county at Sinclairville, which it
is believed was at that time the largest in the
State. That year in this factory he manufac-
tured into cheese 4,349,364 pounds of milk from
, . 1,450 cows, belonging to 120 patrons and made
. 7,200 cheese, each weighing 60 pounds, a por-
tion of the time 60 cheese a day. He also built
and owned factories in adjacent towns. He
was called the "Cheese King,'' because he
bought and handled a large portion of the
cheese made in Western New York.

The cooperative system in the manufacture
of cheese thus established by Burnham grew
into a great industry. In Arkwright in its three
cheese factories were made 263.403 pounds of
full-cream cheese in 1902. In the county the
same year in thirty-five cheese factories 3,307,-
938 pounds were made. Of the fifty-four but-
ter and cheese counties in the State, Chau-
tauqua county ranked eleventh. In 1902 in its
thirty-four butter factories 3,243,940 pounds of
; butter were made, and the county stood fourth
- in rank in the State in quantity. The four
; counties that exceeded it were each much
:: igreater in extent, and Chautauqua ranked
above them according to its territory in the
;: :quantity of butter made.

• ; Mr. Burnham was noted all over the United
t States as the owner of a famous stable of
: .thoroughbreds, his most noted racer being
r; i"Brambaletta." He had for an emblem a pine-
•; apple cheese, which he emblazoned on his
jockev's colors.

Supervisors— 1830-36, Wm. Wilcox; 1837-40,

; Levi Baldwin: 1841, Lewis E. Danforth; 1842,

i- Levi Baldwin ; 1843, Lewis E. Danforth ; 1844-

;; 52, Wm. Wilcox; 1853-4. Levi Baldwin ; 1855-6,

::; Chauncey Abbey ; 1857, Levi Baldwin ; 1858-9,

:; Chauncey Abbey; 1860-1, John C. Griswold ;

1862-5, Chauncey Abbey; 1866, John C. Gris-

iti iwold : 1867, Delos J. Rider ; 1868, John C. Gris-

=- wold; 1869, Oscar H. Houck; 1870. Levi C.

';■: iBaldwin; 1871-2, Leander S. Phelps; 1873-5,

Geo. W. Briggs; 1876, John C. Griswold;

1877-8, Edson I. Wilcox; 1879-80, Ezra Scott;

1881-2, Richmond Putnam ; 1883, Eaton Burn-
ham ; 1884, John C. Griswold ; 1S85, Ezra Scott ;
18S6-7, Cassius M. Griswold; 1888, Richmond
Putnam; 1S89-91, Chas. E. Cole; 1892-5, Mar-
vin Cardot; 1896-9, Frank W. Horton ; 1900-1,
Marvin Cardot ; 1902-5, Marvin Horton ; 1906-9,
Edes A. Tarbox ; 1910-13, Chas. C. Cole; 1914-
17, Rawson A. Matthewson ; 1918-19, John A.
Griswold ; 1920, Edgar M. Towns.

There are 22,083 acres included within Ark-
wright limits, of which the equalized assessed
value in 1918 was $354,414; full value, $451,731.
The villages of the town are Arkwright and
Griswold. The schools are excellent, and sev-
eral religious denominations are represented
by congregations and church edifices. Ark-
wright's farmers and public men have always
been of a high class and influential in county
afTairs.

Busti — Extending from Chautauqua Lake
south to the Pennsylvania line and from the
town of Kiantone on the east to the town of
Harmony on the west, Busti contains an area
of 29,152 acres, or about forty-five and one-
half square miles.

The town was organized from Ellicott and
Harmony, April 16, 1823, and named for Paul
Busti, general agent of the Holland Land Com-
pany.

Original Purchases;

1810 — April, Sam!. Griffith, 4; May, Thco. Bemus,
12; December, Jonas Lamphear, 48.

1811 — March, Wm. Matteson, Jr.. 40 (Ellicott); May,
Jedediah Chapin, 4; Palmer Phillips, 11; October,
Nath. Fenner, 15.

iSii — February, Jos. Phillips, 11; March, Anthony
Fenner, 6; Thos, Fenner, Jr., 15; April, Theron Plumb,
7; August, Barnabas Wellman, Jr., 38; Reuben Lan-
don, 7.

1814 — May, Arba Blodgett, 25; Elisha Devereau.x, i;
July, Asa Smith, 2; October, Wm. Bullock, 17.

1815 — April, Peter Frank, 5, 6; June, Josiah Thomp-
son, 28; Cyrenus Blodgett, 33; Ford Wellman, 47; No-
vember, Josiah Palmeter. 15.

1816— April, Harris Terry, 63; October, Harris
Terry, 47.

1817 — September, Nicholas Sherman, 16; Lyman
Crane, 8.

1818 — September, Wm. Gifford; October, Samuel
Hart, 8.

1822 — September, Ransom Curtis, 39; November,
Peleg Trask, 17: Jared Farnam, Jr., 34.

1823 — June, Jos. Taylor, 39; October, Ethan Allen,
45; Silas C. Carpenter, Isaac Foster, 54.

1824 — February, John Badgley. 43; March, Ford
Wellman, 54 (Harmony"); July, Elijah B. Burt, 37;
October, Barnabas Wellman, 31; November, John
Kent, 30; December, Saml. Darling, 35.

1825— January, John Buck, Jr., 20; February, Xavier
Abbott, 10; March, Jarius Buck. 19; June. David
Hatch, 7; August, Wm. Nichols, 38; Geo. Martin, 13.

1826 — November. Benj. A. Slayton, 43.

1827 — September, Alex. Young, 24.

ii8

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

A tannery was built by John Frank in i8i2.
The first vats were made of logs. It was
burned, and rebuilt, and continued until about
1865. No other tannery, it is believed, was
ever in this town. The last factory established
by Mr. Frank, was destroyed by fire and not
rebuilt. A trip hammer built by Giles Chip-
man and Lyman Fargo continued for several
years. Uriah Hawks later built a chair and
spinning wheel factory, which was discon-
tinued on account of the difficulty of maintain-
ing dams on the streams.

The first blacksmith shop is said to have
been Patrick Camel's, at the tannery. Next,
Chipman and Fargo commenced business near
Camel's, and removed sixty rods south and
added the manufacture of edged tools with a
trip hammer. The first store was kept by Van
Velzer, about 1830. Stephen J. Brown was
probably the first physician. He came about
1837, and practiced about twenty years. Be-
fore his death. Dr. Bennett came and practiced
a few years.

The first saw mill at Busti Corners was built
by Heman Bush. A clock factory was built
in 1830, by Samuel Chappel and James Sart-
well, and continued several years. After its
discontinuance, a grist mill was built on the
same site by Heman Bush and another after-
wards by Francis Soule.

Busti's lake front is now almost a continu-
ous village of summer resorts from one end to
the other, beginning with Lakewood, with its
large hotels, parks, drives, promenades, golf
links, and many attractive homes. Lakewood
is connected with Jamestown by a modern
electric railway, and has an excellent steam-
boat service. Above Lakewood are Cliflford,
Lowe and Sherman parks, which are each year
presenting added attractions for summer vis-
itors. Below Lakewood's Shady Side, a most
beautiful spot, and still farther east at Clement
Park and Squier's Park, are many costly sum-
mer homes. In the western part of the town
is the village of Boomertown, on the Erie rail-
road ; and in the southern central part is the
village of Busti, a quiet rural community made
up largely of descendants of the early families
of the town ; Stoddard, Broadhead, Gallup,
Hazeltine, Jones, Martin, Curtis, Northrop,
Matteson, Frank, Andrews and Babcock are
all familiar names in Busti's past and present.
Busti is without railroad connection, but is
a thriving and prosperous village, with three
churches, a union school, grist and saw mills,
and modern stores.

According to the State census of 191 5 the
town of Busti had a population of 2,279 'citi-

zens and 52 aliens. The assessed value of real
estate in the town in 1918 was $1,894,651 ; full
value, $2,460,585. The town is strictly a farm-
ing, grazing and residence district, there being
no factories of importance.

Palmer Phillips came to Busti in 181 1. He
became well known as a maker of the best
grain cradles and hand rakes. Rev. John
Broadhead, another well-known pioneer, was
a Methodist minister, and in 1835 came to
Busti from Green county, New York, the first
Broadhead to settle in Chautauqua county.
The Blodgett family left a deep impress upon
the history of Busti. The founder, Arba
Blodgett, a soldier of the War of 1812, settled
in the town near the State line in the south-
western part soon after his military service
ended. In that day town meetings were held
in private houses and the owner of the house
was expected to and did furnish liquor for the
voters. This rule was first broken in Busti by
Arba Blodgett, who in the face of ridicule and
criticism refused to furnish the customary
bottle of whiskey. He was a strong Abolition-
ist, and tradition says his home was a station
on the Underground Railroad. Loren Blodgett,
son of Arba, "was known throughout the
United States as a statistician, economist and
journalist ; and his works connected with the
Smithsonian Institution and Treasury Depart-
ment won for him a reputation as one of the
world's greatest statistical compilers." He
was in charge of the Department of Physical
Research at the Smithsonian Institution,
Washington City, and assisted in supervising
the survey for the Union Pacific railroad. He
was later placed in charge of the financial and
statistical reports of the United States Treas-
ury Department ; was general appraiser of cus-
toms, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ; chief of the
customs division of the United States Treas-
ury Department, and appraiser of customs,
New York City. He died in Busti in 1837,
meeting an accidental death.

Near the Blodgetts lived the family of Wil-
liam Storum, colored, whose daughter married
Lewis Clark, a fugitive slave from whose life
Harriet Beecher Stowe drew the character of
George Harris for "Uncle Tom's Cabin." A
granddaughter of William Storum married a
son of Frederick Douglass. This Storum home
was the scene of a cruel incident in 185 1, when
a runaway slave from the South was taken
from there and returned to his old masters.

The Gallup family came in 1828 from Otsego
county, bringing their efTects drawn by an ox-
team. The Gallup farm, on the mail route be-
tween Busti and Sugargrove, which long held

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LONG POINT

TOWNS

the reputation of being tilled and most produc-
tive in the town, was converted into a poultry
farm, and under its owner, Miss Flora Gallup,
a former high school teacher of Jamestown,
gained enviable reputation.

The first hotel in Busti was built by Heman
Bush, and the first town meeting was held in
"the long room" of this hotel, March 2, 1824.
Daniel Sherman, father of Daniel Sherman, of
Forestville, was the first supervisor.

Rev. Ira Stoddard came to Busti in 1825, and
was pastor of the Baptist church many years.
His descendants ranked among the influential
and respected citizens of the town. Oren Stod-
dard (a relative), a well-known citizen from
1840 until his death, was a man of considerable
inventive genius. He erected a steam saw mill
and a basket factory and much of the machin-
ery was his own invention. In 1878 he built a
large brick house, the second brick house in the
town.

George Stoneman, of Chenango county, was
a neighbor of Daniel Sherman, the first super-
visor. He was somewhat eccentric. He built
a saw mill west of the residence of the late
Abram Sherman, on a little bank within a few
rods of the lake shore, with no visible water
power. The question was often asked, where
is the water to come from to run the thing
when he gets it built? An old farmer asked
Mr. Stoneman where he was going to get
Abater, to which he replied, "You see, don't you,
:hat I have built close to the lake, where is
ilways plenty of water." "Yes, I see ; but how
ire you going to get the water above the mill ?"
'Bring it in corn baskets," was the prompt
eply. But soon a force of men and teams was
tonstructing a race and for many years the
'corn basket, or dry saw mill" was operated
vith more or less profit to the owner and as a
freat convenience to farmers and lumbermen.
Later, when there were no steamers on Chau-
auqua Lake, Mr. Stoneman constructed a
lorse-boat, built upon two huge dug-out
anoes. These canoes were placed several feet
part and decked over from one to the other,
atamaran style. An immense horizontal
I'heel extended across the deck, upon which
he horses traveled. The under surface of this
/heel was geared to the shaft of a paddle
/heel in the center of the boat — the motive
ower, a horse on each side of the boat. Upon
ssuming command of this quaint craft, his
"iends dubbed him Commodore Stoneman.
'he commodore's boat could make the round
rip in from three to four days, and in those
asy-going times this means of transportation
■as quite liberally patronized. George Stone-

man was father of Gen. George Stoneman, of
the United States army, who was elected Gov-
ernor of California after the close of the war
John Stoneman, another son, became a lawyer,
went West, and became a State Senator. One
of the four daughters, Kate Stoneman, of Al-
bany Normal School, was the first woman law-
yer in the State of New York.

Uriah Bentley settled in what is now the
town of Busti in 1810. He was a brave and
sturdy pioneer, a practical cooper and black-
smith. He built in 1837 a large brick hou.se,
the first of its kind in Southern Chautauqua
county. This house was the later summer resi-
dence of Fred A. Bentley, then president of the
Bank of Jamestown.

Daniel Sherman, the first supervisor, and his
two brothers, Isaac and Nicholas, were among
the early settlers. They took up large tracts
of land, and were men of thrift and influence.
The Wellmans settled in the southwestern part
of the town, and in 1812 Mr. Wellman was
called to the defense of Buffalo. The Garfields
settled in the southeastern part of the town,
and for many years were famous as farmers
and county fair exhibitors.

Elias H. Jenner was a well-known school
teacher, and for more than twenty years was
clerk of the board of county supervisors.

Gideon Gifford came from Cambridge,
Washington county, in the spring of 1828,
moving his family and household goods with
a young span of horses and a covered wagon.
He purchased over three hundred acres of land
bordering on Chautauqua Lake, the southern
portion of which he selected for the site of his
future home, known as the Gifford homestead
and later owned and occupied by one of the
sons, Walter C. Gifford. The first house was a
post and beam house, shingled outside with
pine shaved shingles, some ten to twelve inches
in width. The nails were cut by hand, even
the shingle nails. The door trimmings and
nails were brought with the family from Wash-
ington county. In the early years he traveled
on foot over a large section of the county in
the employ of Mr. Peacock, agent of the Hol-
land Land Company. For a long period and
until his eyesight failed, he spent much time
in surveying, especially in laying out roads
and establishing disputed boundaries. The
original farm is nearly all owned by his de-
scendants.

The Baptist church of Busti was organized
August 30. 1819. by a council consisting of
Elders Ebenezer Smith, Paul Davis and Jona-
than Wilson. Members uniting at that time
were: Daniel Startwell, Enoch Alden, Ebenezer

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

Davis, Benjamin Covel, and, it is believed,
Henry L., John L. and John Frank, Jr., and
Elijah Devereux were also first members. A
few days later William Frank and Anna Shep-
pard were admitted. The first church edifice
was erected in 1836, the present one in 1853.
Rev. Paul Jones was the first pastor. The
Methodist Episcopal church of Busti Corners
was organized in 1819, by Rev. Alvin Burgess,
with sixty members, and a church edifice was
erected the same year.

The value of real estate in the town of Busti
in igi8 was $2,460,585; equalized assessed
value, $1,930,504.

Daniel Sherman, the first supervisor of the
town, served in 1824-28, 1833; Emri Davis, Sr.,
1829-32-34-35-40-47-61-62; Pardon Hazeltine,
1836-39; Henry C. Sherman, 1841-45; Stephen
J. Brown, 1843 '< Lorenzo Matthews, 1843-48-
50-53; Theron Palmeter, 1851-52-54; John B.
Babcock, 1855; Emri Davis, Jr., 1856-58; John
A. Hall, 1859-60-71 ; William B. Martin, 1866-
67; Harmon G. Mitchell, 1869-70; Alonzo C.
Pickard. 1873-75 ; Jerome Babcock, 1876-78-88-
89; Barber Babcock, 1879-80; Jacob B. Foster,
1881-82; Fred A. Bentley, 1883-85; Warren
Frank, 1867-68; William Northrop, 1890-97;
Dr. A. J. Bennett, 1898-1901 ; Fred A. Bentley,
1902-03; Ellsworth J. Dougherty, 1904-07; J.
William Sandbury, 1908-10 ; John I. Veness,
191 1 ; Jesse A. Foster, 1912-13; Fred A. Sim-
mons, 1914-17; Axel Levin, 1918-20.

Carroll — The town of Carroll, in the extreme
southeastern part of the county, was erected
in 1825 from the town of Ellicott, and named
in honor of Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, the
immortal Signer, who in affixing his name to
the Declaration of Independence added his
residence, that there might be no doubt of his
identity if misfortune overtook the cause for
which he was risking his life and fortune.

The town, broken and hilly in the northeast
and east parts and rolling in the south and
southwest, originally included the present
town of Kiantone, which was set off from Car-
roll in 1853. Conewango creek forms the
greater part of the boundary line between the
two towns, entering Carroll from the north and
continuing to the Pennsylvania line. The town
contains 20,658 acres, the highest summits, be-
ing 1,400 feet above tidewater. Frewsburg, on
the Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley & Pittsburgh
railroad, is a thriving village with important
industrial establishments — The Carroll Furni-
ture Company, the Frewsburg Canning Com-
pany, and the Merrell-Soule Company, dairy
products. There are in Frewsburg four small
factories.

Other villages of the town are Fentonville,,
in the south. Dodge in the east, and Ivory in
the north. The population of Carroll, accord-
ing to the State census of that year, was 1,714,
of whom seven only were aliens.

Original Purchases:

1S08 — July, Joel Tyler, 51; Geo. Sloan, 59 (now(
Kiantone).

1S09 — March, Samuel Anderson, 57 (now Kiantone);
June, Charles Boyles, 42; Isaac Walton, 41.

1810 — March, Geo. W. Fenton, 52.

1811 — October, Matt. Turner, 53; November, Eben-
ezer Cheney, 54; Matt. Turner, 54.

1812 — January, John Frew, 61.

1S13 — ^September, Robt. Russell, 57 (lot now in Kian-
tone) ; December, Amasa Littlefield, 36.

1814 — ^March, Ebenezer Cheney, 36; May, Ebenezer
Cheney, 46, 47, 54, 55; Ebenezer Davis, 37; Benj. Jones,
23, 28; Levi Jones, 24, 28; Elijah Braley, 43; Horatio
Dix, 28; July, James Hall, 54; September, Aaron
Forbes, 64; November, Robt. Russell, 57 (now in Kian-i
tone).

1815 — March, Josiah H. Wheeler, 46; Wheeler and
Hall, 32, 40; Wm. Sears, 31.

181 6— May, Jona. Covell, 43; Eli Eames, 38.

1817 — May, Benj. Russell, 30.

1S18 — May, Aaron Forbes, 64; November, Levi
Jones, 23.

1819 — January, Josiah H. Wheeler, 39.

1820 — June, John Frew, 62.

1821 — November, John Myers (lot not given).

1822 — September, Isaac Eames, 39.

1823 — October, James Hall, 15.

1S24 — January, John and James Frew, 20; February,;
John Myers, 20: April, John Frew, 27: September,
Daniel Wheeler, 27; October, Truman Comstock, 31,

1826 — May, Hiram Covey, 14; James Covey, I4;i
Jonah R. Covey, 14; June, Taylor Aldrich, 28.

1S27 — June, Wm. Haines, 26; John F. Bragg,
October, Robt. Russell, 49.

The first settlers were John Frew on lot 61,
and Thomas Russell on west half of lot 53 a1
the mouth of Frew Run. In the spring of 1809:
John Frew paid $2.25 an acre, built a log cabin,!
and put in crops in 1810. A few months later,:
George W. Fenton sold his farm on Chadakoini
river and located on lot 52, south of and adjoin-
ing the lands of Frew and Russell. Frew andl
Russell built a saw mill in 1810, and conn
menced sawing the next spring. They ran the
sawed boards to Pittsburgh. James Frew was j(pj
connected with them in building the mill, and ijj
purchased Russell's interest in 1814. In 1817,'
with their father, Hugh Frew, they built ai
"overshot" gristmill, using the gearing an
stones of their father's old mill in Pennsyli '^
vania. George W. Fenton developed a largq
farm, and opened the first store in Frews-/
burg. John Tyler was on lot 51 by June,
1808; his son Hamilton, born 1810, was thel
first white child born in the present town,
Isaac Walton was on lot 41 and (!;harles BoyleSj
on lot 42 in the summer of 1809.

fin

TOWNS

The first marriage of the town was William
Boyles to Jerusha Walton in 1811. Young
, says that Benjamin Covell, born in Harwich,
Mass., in 1761, was at the taking of Burgoyne,
at Sullivan's defeat, and the battle of Mon-
mouth. He married Sybil Durkee, and re-
moved in 1810 to Carroll, where he died, No-
' vember 27, 1822. At that time all of his sons
and daughters, his brother Seth and nephew
Simeon, were living near him, and the settle-
ment was called "Covelltown." They "were
active in getting the first bridge built across
the Conewango at Covelltown." Benjamin
Covell took up in December, iSio, lot 2, town
6! I, range 11, in Kiantone. They went in canoes
1 to \\'arren to trade and to Work's mill with
"grists." Lumbering commenced early, and a
transient population came to work in the
woods, in the mills and in rafting, sometimes
bringing a family. John Myers opened a tavern
in 1814 on the Conewango about a mile from
Frewsburg, and the same year William Sears
established one on lot 11 (Kiantone). In 1816
John Owen began a tavern at Fentonville, also
a ferry. In the rafting season these taverns
were centers of great mirth and enjoyment ;
■ the raftsmen more than filled the houses and
would quarrel for the privilege of lying on the
bar-room floor in order to hear Owen tell his
stories.

Perhaps no other township in the county has
had so many saw mills at the same time as Car-
roll. John Frew assisted Edward Work to
build his saw mill at Work's Mills in 1808, and
the first lumber cut by Frew was plank for
I • eight flatboats which he built and took to May-
; .' ville for salt which he ran to Pittsburgh. "The
;' same John Frew brought on his back from
Dunkirk a bushel-and-a-half bag of salt for the
settlers, who were in perishing need of it. It
; iwas also John Frew who in 1813 killed the
'last deer killed at the great deer lick in the
four corners of Main and Third streets of
Jamestown." He was supervisor, 1816-22, and
; iwas selected for higher offices, but would not
: except. He had sound judgment, strict integ-
: ;rity, and was the active man of the commu-
[ jnity. He died in 1865, aged 76. His brother
; sjames was a quiet, unostentatious man of
; igreat worth, a good marksman, hunter and
< mechanic. In 1812 he served on Harrison's
ir ilndian campaign. He married Rebecca, daugh-
j; (ter of Josiah H. Wheeler, and was accidentally
y Ikilled August 24, 1834, at the age of forty-
• ; jthree, at a "raising." His sons were: John H.,
;ii iMiles, Josiah, Jefferson ; and David, who lived
]( jto a good old age and had the respect of all.
'John and James Frew were sons of Hugh and

Mary (Russell) Frew, of County Down, Ire-
land. Hugh was a miller and came to Frews-
burg in 1817 to operate the new gristmill. He
died in 1831, aged j;^.

George W. Fenton, son of Roswell Fenton,
was born in Hanover, N. H., December 20,
1783. In 1804 he went to Philadelphia, Pitts-
burgh and Louisville. Returning to Pitts-
burgh, Mr. Fenton made canoe trips for sev-
eral years with goods and provisions up the
Allegheny river and to French creek. In the
winter of 1805-06 he taught the first school at
Warren, became acquainted with John Owen
and family, and married Elsie Owen. The next
spring they settled near Levant, one of the first
three families of EUicott. Joseph Ellicott, who
came in 1807 to survey the township into lots,
engaged Mr. Fenton to help him survey Car-
roll. W'hile earning good wages he gained
thorough knowledge of the tov/n. Selling his
Levant home to John Arthur, he purchased
627 acres, made a permanent residence in 1809,
and died March 3, i860. His children were:
Roswell O., born September 6, 1807, the first
white child born in Chautauqua south of the
ridge; George W., William H. H., John F.,
Reuben E., Governor of New York and United
States Senator.

John Owen was a native of Windsor, Conn.,
and a soldier of the old French War and the
Revolution. He came from the Susquehanna
Valley to Warren in 1806, and. in 1808 located
on lot 57, town 2, range 10, in Poland. In 1816
he sold his farm and located in Carroll on lot
41, where he resided twenty-seven years. He
kept a tavern on the road that crossed the
Conewango at the State line, also a ferry.
Many a man has laughed at the old man's
stories and jokes till his sides were sore. He
claimed that in his early days he never found
but one man that got the better of him in a
fair "stand-up" fight. Owen served with the
English in the attack on Quebec in the old
French War, and was under Ethan Allen, May
ID, 1775, at Ticonderoga. He died in Carroll,
February 6, 1843, aged 107 years, ten months,
eight days. Ira Owen came with his father
John to the Conewango and settled east of
him. He was with the Chautauqua militia at
the battle of Buffalo, and was a brave soldier
and excellent marksman. While in line, sev-
eral of his company had been shot by some foe
in their rear ; presently the third man to his
right was shot. Owen discovered an Indian
lowering his rifle from the head of a flour bar-
rel eighty yards distant. Drawing his rifle to
his face, when the Indian's head appeared in
view the dusky intruder fell back to trouble

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

them no more. On the retreat from Black
Rock he killed a pursuing Indian. Seeing him
fall, Owen ran to rescue his rifle, belt and pow-
der horn, but the bullets whistled so close that
he only succeeded in getting the rifle. Reuben
Owen, second son of John, lived on the old
homestead until his death ; he married Han-
nah Clark. Alvin, youngest son of John, lived
at Fentonville, married Miss Haley, had three
children, and was drowned in the Conewango
by the upsetting of his skiff.

John Myers and his thirteen children became
closely connected with Carroll. Six of his
sons, John, Jacob, Robert, Lyman, William and
James, and two of his daughters, became per-
manent citizens. He enjoyed life, while hav-
ing a shrewd eye to business, and transmitted
his cheery temperament to his children. Hiram
Dickinson, son of Gideon Dickinson, a soldier
of the Revolution, was born in 1800, in Wil-
liamstown, Vermont. In 1818 he married Sally
Pierce, of Hoosick, Rensselaer county. In
February, 1819, they started for Chautauqua
county, arriving here after traveling just one
month with an ox-team over almost impassa-
ble roads, there being only a sled track most of
the way. They came with a wagon as far as
Nunda, where they found the snow so deep
they were forced to load their goods on a sled.
Their load of three thousand pounds consisted
mostly of household goods and farming uten-
sils, also a box containing two very fine pigs,
of a superior kind, and at that time sought
after far and near ; they were known as the
"Dickinson breed" for many years. When the
family arrived at Jamestown, they stayed all
night in one of the first hotels of the place —
a shell of rough boards, with loose partitions
and floors. From there they started for their
new home. There were but few families for
miles around, and no store nearer than the
"Prendergast store" at Jamestown. On arriv-
ing at their destination, the place later owned
and occupied by A. Hiller, in Carroll, they
commenced housekeeping in the usual manner
of those days.

"About 1825 James Cowan settled on Case
Run. He was a noted hunter and while in
search of game he penetrated the dense wilder-
ness of South Valley, in Cattaraugus county."
There was then a well-worn Indian trail lead-
ing from the Conewango along Case Run,
through Covey Gap and down Bone Run to the
Allegheny river near Onoville. On the north
side of this trail, near the boundary line of Car-
roll and South Valley, a fence had been made
by the Indians, woven of brush and small poles,
which ran northerly for a mile and a half over

a high ridge to the north branch of Bone Run.
It was sufficiently high to intercept the pas-
sage of deer and elk. This fence was to be seen
as late as 1840.

Rev. Paul Davis, a Baptist, came from Ver-
mont in 1816; his labors bore good fruit until
his death ten years later. His son, Simeon C,
locally prominent for years, came in 1814; he
has many descendants. Consider Benson, a
soldier of 1812, came from Vermont in 1S16,
and died in Falconer in 1855, aged 89, Hiram
Thayer, from Massachusetts, came in 1S16 and
to Carroll in 1820. He bought part of lot 39, and
lived here sixty years until his death ; he was
an esteemed citizen, acquired wealth, and left
numerous descendants. In 1816 Joseph Waite,
father of Hon. Davis H. Waite, at one time
Governor of Colorado, came from Vermont
and engaged in lumbering until 1821, when he
removed to Jamestown. Josiah H. Wheeler,
from Vermont, brought a large family and pur-
chased the Matthew Turner saw mill on Frew
Run, lot 53 ; his sons worked harmoniously
with him and they acquired wealth. Otis
Moore settled early on lot 45, and owned and
operated the saw mill one mile east of Frews-
burg. Luther Howard, a native of Wards-
borough, Vermont, came about 1830 and set-
tled on the farm he bought of Charles Wolcott,
who had made a small clearing, and where his
son Jediah lived after his father's death.

Case Run took its name from the first set-
tler, James Case, who did not remain long.
Moses Taft, from Vermont, was an early set-
tler and part owner of a saw mill on Case Run.
Dutee Harrington settled on lot 32, and was
a mill owner for years. Orsino Comstock
lived on lot 31 ; Richard Hiller on lot 30; Good-
win Staples on lot 8. John Townsend bought
the Thayer mill, which he and his sons owned
and operated many years. Christopher Eaton
came about 1823 from Vermont, and lived a
long life in Carroll. Edmund White was early
on lot 27. Pliny Cass was a resident here from
about 1820. Luther Forbush came from New-
ton, Mass., in 1829 and resided many years on
lot 34 ; he had a large family. His brother-in-
law, Jacob Adams, and Leonard Adams, came
from Newton about 1847. Cyrus Adams, son
of Jacob, died a soldier in the Civil War. In
1827 Rufus Green, from Vermont, came, set-
tling first in Kiantone and in 1830 on lot 51;
he was a justice for many years. H. N. Thorn-
ton came from Ripley in 1828, and subse-
quently lived in Kiantone and Carroll. Otis
Alvord was an early settler at Fentonville.
Dorastus Johnson, about 1845, settled on lot
45 ; Ira and Calvin, two of his six sons, lost ■

TOWNS

t-23

their lives in the Civil War. George W.
Brown came in 1828; he was a farmer and mill
owner. His sons, George W., Amos and
Lewis, were Union soldiers in the Civil War.
Adam Vandewark in 1834, Albert Fox in 1835,
J. D. Bain in 1838, Reuben Niles in 1839, were
other settlers.

The first town meeting was held at the house
of William Sears, March 6, 1826, and these
officers were elected: Supervisor, James Hall;
town clerk, John Frew ; assessors, James
Parker, Levi Davis, James Frew ; commission-
ers of highways, E. Kidder, George W. Fenton,
Simeon C. Davis; overseers of poor, E. Kidder,
George W. Jones ; collector, Asa Moore ; con-
stables, Asa Moore, Hiram Dickinson ; com-
missioners of schools, William Sears, Simeon
Covell, Levi Davis ; poundkeepers, George W.
Fenton, William Sears.

For a small town, Carroll has done much
manufacturing. Its saw mills have been numer-
ous and active, steam supplanting water as a
motive power as water failed. Jefferson Frew's
mill cut from half to three-quarters of a million
feet annually during many years. Edward
Hayward, Edwin Moore, the Myerses, Edwin
Eaton, E. W. Scowden, Wood & White, Moore,
5pink & Company, and others, produced mil-
ions of staves ; butter tubs, paint kegs, etc.,
aths, hand-sleds, baskets, soap and seed boxes,
lave been some of the products. The town
•eceived a valuable accession in the immigra-
.;ion of a large number of Swedes, who are in-
,lustrious, frugal and law-abiding people.
i The Frewsburg Baptist church was formed
fanuary i, 1838, of sixty members of the First
Baptist Church, of Carroll, now extinct; it took
ts present name Sept. 20. 1842. March 10,
838, John G. Curtis and Phineas Annis were
:hosen deacons. Until 1842 the church had no
egular pastor. It was received into the Har-
nony Baptist Association in 1838; and in 1842
lev. M. Colby was its first pastor. The first
•hurch clerk was Abida Dean. The Baptist
Society was formed January 14, 1850. The
irst trustees were Phineas Annis, Elias How-
.rd, George W. Fenton, John Myers, Jr., and
lacob Persell. George W. Fenton and John
ilyers, Jr., defrayed the most of the expense of
iuilding the present church edifice. The Con-
fregational church was organized with seven-
een members. Rev. R. Rouse was the first
■lastor. In 1863 they erected their house of
J/orship. The Methodist Episcopal church
'/as organized January 21, 1843, with Rev.
loses Hill, pastor. Alexander Ross, George
'Sartlit and A. J. Fuller were chosen trustees,
'he original members were Edmund White,

Alexander Ross, A. J. Fuller and wives, George
Bartlit, Mrs. Sibil French and Mrs. Elsie
(Owen) Fenton, who retained membership
until her death. George Bartlit was class
leader many years. In 1844 a church was
erected on a lot presented by James Hall. A
Swedish mission church was organized at Oak
Hill about 1889. The Lutheran church of
Frewsburg was organized in 1878. The Swed-
ish mission church was established at Frews-
burg in 1878 with A. G. Nelson, pastor.

Lumber is such an important factor in
Carroll's progress and development that the
following article on "Carroll — Early Lumber-
ing," from the pen of Mrs. Effie W. Parker, in
"The Centennial History of Chautauqua
County," published in 1904, is largely drawn
upon :

It has been stated by historians that "no more mag-
nificent forest existed in the United States than that
which cast its mighty sliadows over primitive Carroll"
— a forest not only vast in extent, but the trees were
larger than ever before known, Conewango pineries
were the wonders of their day, and their fame had
extended to other countries. Nature was provident in
the streams that were to furnish power for the reduc-
tion of this forest, which in time gave place to the now
productive farms.

In 1810 John Frew built a saw mill on lot 53. At a
later date he with his brother James and Thomas Rus-
sell built a mill at the mouth of Frew Run on the cast
side of the Conewango, on lot 61. Thomas Russell
sold his interests in 1815. In 1817 the Frew brothers,
with their father, Hugh Frew, built a gristmill, using
the same power and flume for both mills. The saw
mill passed into the hands of Jefferson Frew, who in
1872 put in steam and operated it for a number of
years.

Matthew Turner is supposed to have built on lot 53
the second mill in town; it was bought by Josiah H.
Wheeler in 1816. James Wheeler, his son, built a mill
on the same lot farther east, using one power and
flume for both mills. On lot 45 Mr. Taylor built a
mill; this was later owned by G. W. Fenton; the prop-
erty passed into the hands of Otis Moore and on to his
son, O. H. Moore. The plant was unusual in operating
ability, the streams at this point being fed by numerous
springs so that sawing could be done almost any day
in the year. On the same lot east. Job Toby built a
mill between 1816 and 1820. On lot 36 Amasa Little-
field built a mill that was purchased and rebuilt by
John Myers. Reuben and John Thayer built a mill on
the same lot east, that was purchased by John Town-
send in 1841 and operated by himself to the time of his
death in i860, and by his son Samuel to 1&88. Cyrus
Clough was another saw mill builder on lot 28. This
mill was conducted later by Jacob Persell. John Bain,
Sherman Jones, John Townsend, Jr., Henry Bennett
and Stephen Bennett, successively. By this time John
Frew built a third mill on lot 27. His son. James R.
Frew, carried on the business in later years; was later
a resident of Cleveland, Ohio, and in 1902 was the old-
est person living who was born in the town of Carroll.

Jediah Budlong as early as 1832 built a mill on lot
19 with an overshot wheel, and had a usual annual
product of 500,000 feet of lumber. In 1848 _ Emrich
Evans, with Mr. Budlong, rebuilt the mill, and it passed

124

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

into the hands of L. L. Rawson, purchased later by
John Hiller and burned in 1872. At the head of Frew-
Run, John Myers put in a mill that Samuel Cowen
purchased later.

All these mills were on Frew Run, a stream not ex-
ceeding five miles in length, and all were operated
three or four months in the year. In early times, water
was held back by the density of forest, so that even in
a dry time, after a thunder shower, quite a stroke of
business could be accomplished. None of these mills
but sawed one hundred thousand feet of lumber a
year- — more sawed three or four times that. With two
e.xceptions, all these mills were running up to i860.
Steam superseded the water power on this stream, and
one mill is in operation at the present time (1902), that
of Lewis Brothers on lot 45.

In the southwest portion of the town were five mills
on the same stream for a distance not exceeding a mile,
the first of which was built in 1833. The mills were
built by Daniel Wheeler, Luther Forbush, Joseph
Hook, Benjamin Price. The Wheeler mill passed into
the hands of H. H. Fenton and son. Hook mill sold to
J. Brokaw, and at a later date, Mr. Brokaw built far-
ther up the stream. George Wiltsie purchased the
Price mill, introduced steam, and operated as late as
1885 with an annual product of 100,000 feet. In 1883
Mr. Wiltsie cut fourteen thousand pine shingles from
a single tree. On lot 32, on Case Run, the three Pope
brothers, Jediah, Gersham, and Chester, who were
known as the old company, built and operated a mill;
they afterwards sold to Asa Comstock. These brothers
later built two mills on lot 14. The Covey mill was
bought by G. W. Fenton, Jr., on lot 23, in 1834. James
Cowen between 1838 and 1840 built a mill on the same
lot. Mr. Comstock sold his mill to D. Harrington and
built another on lot 24, and which was operated later
by Holiday & Ames. Another mill owned by Pliny
Cass was the lowest on Case Run, and passed into the
hands of his son, J. Smith Cass.

In 1848 G. W. Fenton, Jr., built a mill just below the
one he purchased in 1834, and in 1851 still another,
using the same power and flume for both. These mills
had unusual capacity, the usual annual product being
500,000 feet of lumber. In 1859 the product reached
1,100,000 feet. Both these mills were operated for
twenty years, when the lower mill was arranged for
shingle sawing. The other mill is still (1902') in opera-
tion by the Fenton brothers, who are using the original
water power with a turbine wheel. The Harrington
mill is also in operation with the original water power.
Amasa Burt purchased one of the Pope mills on lot 14.

In early times shingles were rived and shaved from
the best pine timber, but as first-class pine diminished,
shingle machines were introduced and timber that
would not admit splitting and shaving was sawed into
shingles. Twenty-five thousand pine shingles cut from
a single tree was not an uncommon product in those
times. The product of these several mills was hauled
to the nearest point on the banks of the Conewango,
usually during the winter season, as wagons were un-
known in the earlier days. The boards were rafted
and loaded with shingles ready to float out on the first
spring freshet. Vast fleets of lumber were sent yearly
down the Conewango to the Allegheny river to Pitts-
burgh and farther south. For several years the best
pine was worth only $2.50 per thousand feet. This was
traded for supplies, as flour, pork, tea, coffee, sugar,
cotton cloth, etc., flour at times being twenty dollars
and pork forty dollars a barrel. A canoe was taken
on the raft, and into this were loaded the supplies, then
pushed back at the end of a setting pole against a
strong current to the starting point.

When the first bridge was built across the Allegheny
river at Pittsburgh, the contractor came to the Cone-
wango country. He found the timber wanted near the
Pennsylvania line. Upon inquiring the price, the owner
told him he could have all he wanted for nothing as
the ground upon which the timber stood was worth
more for agricultural purposes than the timber itself.
Thousands of pine logs cut from the timber from this
valley measured more than five feet at the stump and
made from three to five thousand feet of lumber, while
there were occasional logs that measured seven feet
across. None of these majestic sentinels now remain.
In 1878 A. M. Woodcock cut from lot 45 two trees
measuring four and a half feet at the stump that netted
him $185. While these did not compare with many of
their predecessors in size, their commercial value was
considerably greater.

The last tract of land of any considerable size with I
a growth of primeval pine upon it was the Prendergast
estate in Kiantone, formerly a part of Carroll. It was
purchased in 1887 by William Townsend and Daniel
Griswold, who erected a mill and manufactured it into
lumber. The estate comprised more than eight hun-
dred acres, of which six hundred were timbered. Many
of them were magnificent trees fit for the mast of a
stately ship. There v/ere several millions of lumber
cut from this tract.

Supervisors — James Hall, 1826-33-39; James
Parker, 1834-37-56-57; Esbai Kidder, 1S38;
Phineas Spencer, 1840; Jediah E. Budlong,
1841 ; Gordon Swift, 1842-44; John Frew, 1845;
Reuben E. Fenton, 1846-52 ; Edwin Eaton,
1853-73; William H. H. Fenton, 1854-65-71;
Charles L. Norton, 1855-58-64; Lucius M.
Robertson, 1872; William Sheldon, 1874; Al-
bert Fox, 1875; Temple A. Parker, 1876-77;'!
Edward L. Hall, 1S78; Lucius M. Robertson,!
1879; George G. Davis, 1880; Silas W. Parker,!
1881-87; Marcus T. Howard, 1888-90; John:
Venman, 189 1-93-98- 1903 ; Charles E. Dodge,
1894-97; Dana J. Hunt, 1904-07; Herbert R.
Bennett, 1908-19; Loye T. Durrand, 1920.

The full value of Busti real estate in 1918
was $1,022,784; equalized, $802,446.

Charlotte — ^For the centennial history of
Chautauqua county published in 1904, Obed
Edson, Chautauqua's foremost historian, now
passed to eternal rest, prepared a history of
Charlotte, his own "home town," the scene of
the activities of his father, Judge John M. Ed-
son, and of his father's step-father. Major Sam-
uel Sinclear. That history is herein consider-
ably drawn upon, as is a companion article
from the pen of Mrs. Robert C. Seaver, entitled :
"The Founder of Sinclairville and Charlotte |
Center — 1762-1827."

The first settlement of the town of Charlotte |
was made in the northwestern part, known as|
the Pickett neighborhood. John Pickett, ApriU
I, 1809, then unmarried, settled on lot 62, and J
built on the Pickett brook a log house, the first
in the town. He was born in Spencertown,

r. SINCLAIRTILI.E

TOWNS

125

Columbia cou^t3^ June 20, 1789. He after-
wards removed to Chenango county, and Feb-
ruary 23, 1809, came to Chautauqua county.
His brother, Daniel Pickett, and his family
settled upon lot 63, built a cabin and moved
into it in the fall. His brother-in-law, Arva O.
Austin and wife, the same year moved into a
log house that he built upon lot 63. Abel Prior
and Taylor Gregg took up land in the south
part of lot 62, but did not remain during the
winter. January 25, 1810, was borii Phoebe,
daughter of Arva O. Austin, the first white
:hild, she married Adin Wait. John Cleland,
Jr., in March, 1810, took up land on lot 54. In
September, Mrs. Joseph Arnold, then residing
n the Pickett settlement, died, the next day
ler sister, Jerusha Barris, died ; they were
juried in one grave on the farm once owned by
3hauncey Pierpont on lot 62. These were the
irst deaths in the town. In March, 181 1, Na-
han and Oliver Cleland, brothers of John
Zleland, Jr., and in the fall Samuel, another
)rother, with their father, John Cleland, set-
led on lot 54. In 181 1 Moses Cleland was mar-
ied to Sally Anderson by Rev. John Spencer ;
his was the first marriage. Joel Burnell in
811 settled upon lot 46, where he resided until
lis death. He was the father of Madison and
Ransom Burnell, eminent lawyers, both born
n Charlotte. Among other settlers who left
lescendants here were Freeman Ellis, Edward
Dalrymple, Eliakim Barnum, Jacob Hall, James
'ross, David Ames and Caleb Clark. Orton,
on of Caleb, was surrogate, 1848-52 inclusive.
ohn B. Cardot, from France, settled in this
iart of the town. He was followed by other
amilies from that country.

Charlotte Center was first settled by Rob-
rt W. Seaver, a soldier of the Revolution. His
on, Randolph W., and grandson, Corydon, be-
ame supervisors. In the spring of 1809, Mr.
eaver and Barna Edson selected ninety acres
f lot 2i7- The same spring William Devine
ettled upon the west part of lot 29, where he
, uilt the first building at the Center. Oliver
rilmour, Daniel Jackson and Aaron Seaver
'ere early settlers. Stephen Lyman, brother-
i-law of Major Sinclear, settled near the Cen-
'r. In 181 1 Barney Cole was buried at the
enter ; he was the first male person who died
1 the town. At an early day a shop was built
n Mill creek by Edward Landas, for wool
irding and cloth dressing, which was later
5ed as a pail and wood mill factory, and turn-
ig shop. About 1817 the first saw mill was
uilt there. In 1869 a steam saw mill was
ected by Addison Lake and Edwin Tuttle.
bout 1851 Joseph Landas built and opened

the first store at the Center, although others
had for brief periods sold limited amounts of
merchandise. In 1821 Nathan Lake and his
brother Calvin, from New England, settled
east of the Center. Their brothers, Daniel B.
and Luther Lake, in 1826 settled in what be-
came the "Lake Settlement." Freeman Lake
came later. The Lake brothers were men of
character and intelligence, and their descend-
ants have been leading and influential citizens.
Nathan Lake was the first supervisor, elected
in 1830. Allen A. Stephens, son-in-law of Na-
than Lake ; Edwin F. Lake, son, and Horace
E. Kimbel, son-in-law of Daniel B. Lake and
Henry C. Lake, son of Calvin, have all been
supervisors. Henry C. Lake during two terms
was a member of Assembly from Chautauqua
county, and his son, Clarence H. Lake, sheriff.
Hon. John Woodward, his nephew, a grand-
son of Calvin Lake, was born at Charlotte Cen-
ter, and became a Justice of the Supreme
Court. Arthur C. Wade, the distinguished
lawyer, and Charles L. Webster, the distin-
guished publisher (made a "Knight of the
Order of Pius VII" by the Pope) were both
born at Charlotte Center. Thomas J. Allen,
while residing at Charlotte Center, was elected
to the Assembly in 1837. Hugh Harper, of
County Donegal, Ireland, in 1838 settled about
a mile south of that place ; he died at the age
of 96, leaving many descendants. His brother
William came from Ireland a few years later
and settled in the town, where he has numer-
ous descendants. The population of Charlotte
Center in 1875 was 127.

Sinclairville (originally Sinclearville) was
next settled in June, 1809. John Pickett, of
the Pickett settlement, piloted a party of pio-
neers down Mill creek to Cassadaga ; here he
felled a tree to enable the party to cross the
stream. After pointing out the way that led
to the Smiley settlement in Ellery, he returned
to his home. No white man of whom we have
any account had visited the place now Sin-
clairville prior to Mr. Pickett, except the sur-
veyors of the Holland Company. Sinclairville
derives its name from Major Samuel Sinclear,
a soldier of the Revolution, and belonged to a
celebrated family of New Hampshire. Among
other distinguished relatives he had as a near
kinsman Joseph Cilley, United States Senator
from New Hampshire. He was also a kinsman
of Governor B. F. Butler, of Massachusetts,
and uncle of John G. Sinclear, a distinguished
orator and lieutenant-governor of New Hamp-
shire. Having purchased lot 41, embracing
the land where the village is situated, in No-
vember, 1809, he commenced settlement by

126

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

causing a log house to be built at the intersec-
tion of the roads now leading from Sinclair-
ville, the one to Charlotte Center, the other to
Cherry Creek. In March, 1810, he, his son
John and William Berry and family and
Chauncey Andrus arrived at this log house,
the snow then lying deep. They occupied for
two days and nights a wigwam made of poles
and hemlock boughs, until their log house was
completed. In the fall of 1810 Mr. Sinclear
cut a road from Fredonia to Sinclearville, the
first opened into the central part of the county.
October 22, 1810, his family, which included
his stepsons, Obed and John M. Edson, arrived.
In 1810 he erected a saw mill, and in the fall
a frame dwelling which was for many years the
village tavern. In 181 1 he built a grist mill.
Each of these buildings was the first of its kind
erected in the eastern and central part of the
county.

Nathaniel Johnson, a Revolutionary soldier,
came to Sinclairville from Madison county in
1814. His son Forbes, for many years a resi-
dent here, was a member of the Legislature in
1844. His daughter Hannah married Sylvanus
L. Henderson, who settled in Sinclairville, No-
vember 26, 1816. Dr. W. W. Henderson, born
in Sinclairville, and formerly collector of
United States revenue, was his son. Forbes
Johnson and John M. Edson constructed the
first tannery and built a grist mill at Sinclair-
ville early. John M. Edson was often super-
visor, and a judge of the Court of Common
Pleas. Dr. Henry Sargent was the earliest
postmaster. The mails were first carried
through Sinclairville by Sampson Crooker,
father of Hon. George A. S. Crooker ; he went
through once a week on foot. William Hepp-
ner settled in the village in 1853; he was the
first German to come, and was followed by
many of that nationality. Samuel Sinclear and
Jonathan Hedges were the first innkeepers ;
Elias Wheeler, John Love, Jarvis B. Rice, Levi
F. Harrison, Henry Sylvester and William H.
Rice were later ones. Stages were first run
from Fredonia to Jamestown by Obed Edson,
brother of John M. Edson, and Reuben Scott,
about 1827. Subsequently the line was extend-
ed to Warren, Pa., by Obed Edson. In 1832
a school house was built, schools having been
previously kept in the first log house built in
the village, and in a school house built in 1816
in Gerry but within the village corporation.
Early in 1849 Sinclairville was made a station
on the telegraph line between Fredonia and
Pittsburgh, nearly the first telegraph station
established in the county. In 1852 a plank road
was constructed from Fredonia through Sin-

r:;eh

iijpei

clairville to Ellicott ; it was built principally;
through the exertions of the people here. Perer
Dewey was its largest stockholder, and first;
president. Obed Edson surveyed the road.l

The first merchant was Abraham Winsor.i
He was born in Providence, Rhode Island, ini
1778, married Sophia Bigelow, sister of Fanny ,i
the wife of Major Samuel Sinclear. He came
from Madison county, and in 1813 built am
ashery not far from the town line on Railroad
avenue, where the old mill pond was after-
ward made, and in 181 5 built and opened a
store in nearly the same place. In early years
he transported down the Cassadaga in canoes
the pot ashes he received for his goods, and
thence down the Allegheny to Pittsburgh,
where he received in exchange, flour, tobacco,
nails, glass and other merchandise.

The settlement of the village and surround-
ing country was slow until the completion of
the Erie canal. There was but little sale for
goods until 1824, when Walter Smith and
George A. French, of Dunkirk, opened a store
at Sinclairville. This and the opening of the
Erie canal gave a new impetus to settlement.
Their store was built upon the corner of Mai»
and Park streets, on the site of the Grangei
buildings ; Joy Handy succeeded them. Levi
Risley and Judge John M. Barbour were clerks
in this store. In 1828 Walter Chester came| f".
Mr. Ten Eyck, of Cazenovia, his partner, fur "'"i'^
nished the capital. They occupied the build 'li™
ing that had been used by Smith and French, ^^
Mr. Chester in 1832 built a dwelling, then thj Mpy
finest in the town. This was owned by C. J (SiSi
Allen at his decease, and later by Obed Edson Bon]
Mr. Chester sold out and removed to Dunkirk! »'s ii
He was succeeded by Thomas J. Allen and he Wei
by Bela Tracy. In 1843 Caleb J. Allen went «»an
into possession. The old yellow store on the '"Hit
corner was now divided into parts and moved ^ L.|
to dififerent places in the village and a new sle.t
store built in its place by Mr. Allen. He con- fciva
tinued in trade until the fall of 1846, when he *lk
was succeeded by Alonzo Langworthy. Mr biTi
Langworthy was a leading citizen, active in ilrii;
promoting the building of the railroad, thd ftaij
school, public library and improvement of thd fcitlie
cemetery. He was long the president of tW 1.E,
respective boards of trustees of these publid lilns
institutions. He carried on an extensive and lictst
successful business until 1851, when Mr. Allen fm
resumed trade here and Mr. Langworthy pur-i %ii
chased the Methodist parsonage on the site oi jirsiit
the drug store of Jay Bargar and traded ten ^kti
years. In 1862 he purchased the store on thi iirtl;
old corner of Mr. Allen and resumed trade Jl[j
there. The following merchants conducted isle;

TOWNS

127

business there after Mr. Langworthy : Charles
Danforth, Thompson & Chafee, Thompson &
Lapham, Alonzo Putnam, Putnam & Cum-
mings and John H. Cummings.

The next store was erected by Perez Dewey,
at the corner of Main street and Edson's Lane.
Mr. Dewey was born in Westfield, Mass., De-
cember 18, 1792. He was early a peddler of
small notions, which he carried in a tin trunk.
When his business sufficiently improved he
carried his wares in two hand trunks, then he
procured a horse and wagon, and added dry
goods and tinware to his stock, and for many
years made an annual circuit of the county. At
length Mr. Dewey established a sort of head-
quarters with Mr. Beebe near Cassadaga,
where he shipped goods and replenished his
stock. About 1830 he and Joseph Sinclear com-
menced trade in a building on Main street.
.While thus engaged, he built a substantial
store which he first occupied in January, 1834.
Here he did an extensive business, selling
largely on credit. Mr. Dewey was a bachelor,
de\-oted to his own affairs and well known for
his peculiarities. In the spring of 1851, hav-
ing become the most wealthy man in the town,
he retired from active business. He was suc-
ceeded by his nephew, John Dewey.

In 1845 Mr. Brown erected at the corner of
Main and Lester streets a store, the first brick
building in Sinclairville ; Nelson Mitchell laid
the bricks and built the store. Near it later he
erected a brick dwelling. The first firm to
occupy the store was P. and J. Rathbone in
1845, succeeded by E. T. Brown & Co. (Hen-
derson); Nelson Mitchell purchased Hender-
son's interest. This firm was followed by
Mitchell, Brunson & Rathbone. John M. Brun-
son came next, then Nelson Mitchell, followed
by Mitchell, Sheldon (R. E.) and Danforth
(C. L.) Nelson Mitchell was next again in
trade, then the firm of Putnam & Thompson.
This was succeeded by Alonzo Putnam, and he
liy Edwin Williams, when for about six months
Fred Trusler and D. B. Dorsett were in trade
is Trusler «S: Company, after which Edwin
U'illiams resumed trade. Mr. W'illiams occu-
pied the store in all about thirteen years.

R. E. Sheldon was long the leading merchant
md business man of later years. He built the
irick store on Main street later occupied by
iiis son B. T. Sheldon. Among other well-
itnown traders of early days were Davis A.
Havens, Job Smith, A. Z. Madison, David
^orbes and A. G. Dow, dealers in tin and hard-
vare, later a senator representing Chautauqua
imd Cattaraugus counties. Of the hardware
|lealers. Reed & Reynolds were for many years

the leading firm. John T. and William Spear
were also hardware dealers. Emory O. Bargar
and Zardius Phillips were the first to estab-
lish drug stores in the village. Charles Smith
was the first shoemaker. Chester Wilson,
father of W. Thomas Wilson (long a justice of
the peace and lawyer of the village), was the
first saddler and harnessmaker. A hat store
was established in 1835 by S. and William
Griffith. The first school was taught by Wil-
liam Gilmour in the winter of 1811-12, in the
log house erected in 1809 by Mr. Sinclear.

Dr. Orange Y. Campbell and Henry Sargent
were the first physicians. Drs. William Copp,
Henry B. Hedges, J. E. Kimbell, Gilbert Rich-
mond and George S. Harrison of a later period
were for many years practicing physicians of
Sinclairville. Dr. George S. Harrison was born
in Madison county. New York, in 1810; came
to Chautauqua county in 1825, where for forty-
four years he practiced medicine. He was an
excellent and popular physician, a man of abil-
ity and force of character, a leading Democrat,
and for three years a supervisor. Benjamin L.
Harrison, his son, was a citizen of Dunkirk,
many years in the service of the Dunkirk, Alle-
gany Valley & Pittsburgh railroad, was for-
merly an alderman, and later a justice of the
peace of Dunkirk. He married Lucy, daugh-
ter of Abner Putnam, an early citizen. They
had one son, Louis P., assistant purchasing
agent of the American Locomotive Company.
George M., their eldest son, a physician, died
in 1887.

Drs. H. P. Hall and Allen A. Stevens were
prominent physicians of a still later period.
Drs. George F. Smith and Charles Cleland,
both educated at the Sinclairville Union School
were later well known physicians of the vil-
lage.

The first religious meeting in the town was
held October 22, 181 1. by Rev. John Spencer, in
the first log house built by Major Sinclear.
Rev. Asa Turner, a Baptist, was an early mis-
sionary here. The first religious society was
the Methodist Episcopal in 1812. For many
years commencing in 1820 meetings were regu-
larly held by the Christians or Unitarians.
Revs. Joseph Bailey and Oliver Barr are well
remembered preachers of that denomination.
June 2, 1826, the Baptist church was organized.
In 1834 its house of worship was erected, the
first church edifice built in the town. In 1845
the Congregationalists built a house of wor-
ship. In 1851 the Methodists built a church,
and the same year the Universalists also, which
was afterwards owned by the Catholics, and
finally by the Episcopalians.

128

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

Albert Richmond was the first lawyer of
Sinclairville. He was born in Brattleboro,
Vermont. He was admitted to the bar in the
same class with Horatio Seymour, came to Sin-
clairville in 1833, and was one term surrogate.
He died in 1878. E. B. Forbush commenced
the practice of law in Sinclairville about 1836.
He removed to Buffalo, when he became a suc-
cessful patent lawyer; he was killed in the rail-
road accident at Angola in 1867. S. Mervin
Smith and A. B. Fenner were early lawyers.
E. M. Peck was a man of ability, practiced law
in the village thirty years. E. H. Sears, after-
ward judge of the Supreme Court of Iowa, was
a lawyer of Sinclairville. Worthy Putnam, the
well-known author of a book on elocution, and
who as a county superintendent rendered
greater service to the schools of the county
than any other person previous to his day, read
law with Obed Edson and commenced practice
in Sinclairville. C. F. Chapman also read law
with Obed Edson, and was his partner in the
practice of law there. James A. Allen, of Buf-
falo, Samuel T. Allen, of Holden, Missouri,
Caleb J. Allen, Jr., of Iowa, and Stephen H.
Allen, of Topeka, Kansas, born in Sinclairville
and for six years a judge of the highest court
in Kansas, were all brothers and sons of Caleb
J. Allen, Sr., and all commenced the practice
or study of law in Sinclairville. W. Thomas
Wilson read law with Gen. Charles H. S. Wil-
liams, at Fredonia, came to Sinclairville in

1861, practiced law there for many years. He
was twenty-eight years a justice of the peace,
and five terms justice of sessions of the county
court. Charles M. Reed, born in Sinclairville,
educated at the Sinclairville Union School,
read law with C. F. Chapman, graduated at the
Albany Law University in 1885, for several
years special surrogate, and Fred H. Sylvester,
who was born in Sinclairville, educated at the
Union School, read law with Obed Edson, won
the Clinton scholarship and was graduated at
the Bufifalo Law School in May, 1890, were
later practicing lawyers of the village. Obed
Edson was for many years a practicing lawyer
at Sinclairville. Walter H. Edson, born in Sin-
clairville, and Harley N. Crosby, both of Fal-
coner, commenced the study of law with Obed
Edson and its practice at Sinclairville.

Evergreen Cemetery was organized June 21,

1862. Owing to its favorable situation, the
taste and good management of those having it
in charge, it far excells any other in the county,
and is now one of the most beautiful in West-
ern New York. Bernard W. Field was its first
president and first superintendent.

April 7, 1 868. occurred the severest fire that

ever visited Sinclairville — the Bennet block on
Main street. Three stores composing the block,
the Sinclairville House and one dwelling house,
a barn, the meat market and a shoeshop burned,
and a harness shop was torn down to prevent
the spread of the flames.

February 6, 1870, the Sinclairville Library
was founded by Rev. E. P. McElroy.

The people of Sinclairville were the first to ■
move the construction of the Dunkirk, Alle-
gany Valley & Pittsburgh railroad. The first
train was run over it June 22, 1871. Timothy •
D. Copp was the first president of the road.
Mr. Copp was often supervisor of the town.
In 1868 he was elected presidential elector.

November 5, 1874, the Sinclairville Fair ■
Ground Association was incorporated. In 1
1881 a Board of Trade was organized which 1
has continued with great benefit to the busi- ■
ness interests until the present time. William 1
H. Scott, its first president, and Richard Reed,
its secretary, were most efficient in its support.
Later the Sinclairville stock farm of Holstein
cattle and French coach and Percheron horses
was established by Bela B. Lord, a native of
the village, and the stock farms of Jersey cattle
by Frank E. Shaw, a nephew of "Josh Billings"
and also a native of the town, and have beenj '^^
a great benefit to the village and town and: '"*
have added to their reputation. A Grange has
long been established in Sinclairville. Its flour-
ishing condition is largely due to the efforts of
Mrs. Bela B. Lord. In 1880 a Union School
District was formed and a fine brick school-
house built which was opened in 1881. The vil-
lage was incorporated in 1887. Its first presi-
dent was William Reed. Waterworks were
constructed in 1892 upon the gravity system,
which were purchased by the village in 1899.

The southeast part of the town was first set
tied by Leman Cleveland, on lot 10. In 1814 «tt
Samuel T. Booth settled on lot 26; John How-
ard in 1817 on lot i ; Justus Torrey in 1819 set-
tled on lot 18. He chopped and cleared with ins
his own hands several hundred acres of land,
and during many years manufactured large
quantities of maple sugar. Widow Lemira W,
Camp settled upon lot 17, on two hundred
acres of land known as the Camp farm. She
was the mother of Milo, Merlin, John Wilson,'
Herman and Samuel Camp, and of Mrs. Han-
nah Waggoner and Mrs. Anna LaGrys. Among
other early citizens in this part of the town
were David Sheldon, John Luce and James
Parsons and Robert, Peter and Allen Robert-
son.

Kent street and adjacent territory was first
settled by families from England. Samuel

iierl

"flirt

mty,
Wen;

flysei
tnne

«lti

TOWNS— SINCLAIRVILLE

129

Hurley, the pioneer, came as early as 1817.

Abraham Reynolds came in 1818, direct from

London ; twice he walked from Charlotte to

New York. His son Henry was a well-known

citizen, three years its supervisor. Robert La-

Grys came in 1819. Upon his farm on Kent

street a pin or curled maple tree grew for which

T. D. Copp paid him a sovereign, manufactured

it into veneers, and took it to London to be

used to decorate Queen Victoria's yacht. After

it was completed, Mr. Copp, on invitation, vis-

. ited the yacht. He found it decorated with

i} seventeen different kinds of wood. John

,' Thorne came in 1834; he left three sons, John,

Dr. William, and Thomas, who spent much of

his time at sea. In 1836 from Devonshire came

John Reed. His son W^illiam was supervisor,

.1 and Richard long a well-known hardware

:i dealer of Sinclairville. His eldest son John

j'l emigrated to Australia. Richard Brock and

.!• Thomas D. Spiking came later.

The street leading north from the Center to
Arkwright was also largely settled by Eng-
_ lishmen from Yorkshire. Thomas Pearson,
William Weight and their families and Thomas
.; Dickenson came over together in a ship from
, Hull, and settled on this street in 1828. Wil-
1- Ham Hilton came in 1830; his son John was a
. director on the Erie railway. These English-
.; men, their descendants and others who came
in later years from that country, constitute a
very large and influential part of the popula-
tion.

Among the early settlers residing near Sin-
clairville and in the southwestern part of the
. town were : Ezra Richmond. Chauncey .'\ndrus,
Peter W^arren, father of Judge Emory F. W^ar-
- ren, and William Brown ; upon the Owlsbor-
, ough road: Asa Dunbar. Phillip Link, Henry
; Cipperly, William H. Gleason, and Bela Tracy,
once a member of Assembly from Chautauqua
county, and brother of John Tracy, former
Lieutenant-Governor of the State. James Wil-
; Hams was a well known resident of this part
of the town. Henry Sornberger was also an
■ early settler in this part, and Richard G. Bur-
lingame, a settler of a later date.
The northeast part of the town was the last
. settled. Alanson Straight, the first to begin
, improvement, settled about 1832 upon lot 24.
^;- In 1832 Nelson Chase located upon lot 16, and
. Nathan Penhollow on lot 15. Calvin Abbey,
Elijah Lewis, William W. Wood, Neri Cramp-
ton, Daniel Hoisington, Henry Smith, William
J- Luce. G. R. Matthewson, Peter Odell and Nel-
son Mansfield were early settlers there. John
^ Wilkes, who came in 1851. built the first saw

mill ill 1865 Upon his farm the last bear was
killed in the town. James Hopkins, Patrick
Doran and Garret Wheeler, from the west of
Ireland, came about 1840. Others from Ire-
land settled a little later.

The town was organized in April. 1829. The
first town meeting was held March 2, 1830, and
the following officers chosen : Supervisor, Na-
than Lake; town clerk, Walter Chester; jus-
tices of the peace, John M. Edson, Eldred
Lampson, James S. Parkhurst ; collector, Bar-
ziilai Ellis ; assessors, Peter Warren, Bela
Tracy, Spencer Clark; overseers of the poor.
Freeman Ellis, Abel Potter; commissioners of
highways, Bela B. Lord, R. W. Seaver, Charles
Goodrich ; commissioners of schools. Bela B.
Lord, Samuel T. Booth, Crocker Richardson;
constables, Amasa Dalrymple, Barzillai Ellis,
Benjamin Fisher; sealer of weights and meas-
ures, Oshea Webber.

Sinclairville and Charlotte Center — By Mrs.
R. C. Seaver. Sinclairville is an incorporated
village lying close to the southern boundary of
Charlotte and laying grasping fingers on that
part of Gerr>' between the township's border
and the Dunkirk, Allegany Valley & Pitts-
burgh railway station, and a corresponding
section of the highway leading to Jamestown.
It boasts four churches, a high school employ-
ing six teachers, a hotel, and the usual quota
of stores, public halls, mills, shops, factories
and homes. South it is bounded by the open
valley ; on the other three sides by hills, save
where on the north. Mill Creek hurries through
on its way to join the Cassadaga.

Major Samuel Sinclear had never looked on
this part of Chautauqua when in 1809 he
stepped into the land office in Batavia and
took articles for two lots in what was then the
town of Pomfret. Of these, lot 63 lay in the
town of Gerry as formed in 1812, and on lot
41 was built the house that proved to be the
nucleus of Sinclairville. It was from the scant
descriptions of the surveyors' lines that he
judged, and correctly, that here was a suitable
site for a mill. He formed a partnership with
William Berry, of Madison county, who came
to Chautauqua the same fall and with assist-
ance from four men from among those who
had formed the Pickett Settlement, put up the
body of a log house ; he then returned to Madi-
son county. In the following March, Major
Sinclear, his son John, two hired hands. Berry
and his wife, reached this rude beginning of a
home. Before it could be made habitable, they
passed two days and nights in a wigwam of

I30

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

poles, thatched and furnished with hemlock
boughs.

Major Sinclear's father, Colonel Richard,
was of Scotch descent, and Mary Cilley Sin-
clear's ancestors were from Austria-Hungary.
In the history of the Sinclear family, by Leon-
ard Allison Morrison, published in Boston in
1896, the Sinclear lineage is traced back to 890,
when Norsemen besieged and took the castle
of St. Clair in Normandy. Here the name had
its origin. That they were nearly related to,
and that at least nine of the name were with
William the Conqueror at Hastings, is asserted
on the authority of undisputed history. The
name has a different orthography among dif-
ferent branches and generations of the family.
St. Clair, Sinclear and Sinckler are among
them.

Samuel, born May 10, 1762, at Nottingham,
N. H., had four predecessors and four suc-
cessors in the family cradle. "Gen. Joseph Cil-
ley, conspicuous for his bravery as colonel of
the First New Hampshire Regiment at the
battles of Bemis Heights and Monmouth," was
his uncle, and that Cilley, Congressman from
Maine, who was killed in the historic duel near
Washington by Graves of Kentucky, was also
a near kinsman.

Samuel's childhood was of the briefest, for
at fourteen years he was in the army as attend-
ant to his uncle, Col. Cilley, and when barely
fifteen he enlisted in Captain Amos Morrill's
company of the same uncle's regiment and
served three years. He rendered distinguished
service in the first battle of Bemis Heights ; was
one of the twelve thousand, under Washing-
ton, who sent Clinton's defeated forces creep-
ing off in the darkness at Monmouth, and he
shared the privations and sufferings of those
darkest days of the great patriot's life at Val-
ley Forge. There were other battles in which
he took part while in Gen. Enoch Poor's
brigade ; and in 1779 he was with General Sulli-
van fighting the Indians on the frontiers of
New York and Pennsylvania. Two of his
brothers died in the service, and another was
discharged with him. His father was also a
Revolutionary officer. It was while a resident
of Eaton, Madison county, in 1776, that Gov-
ernor Jay bestowed on him his commission of
major of militia.

Honorably discharged at eighteen years of
age, having' served the full term of his enlist-
ment. Major Sinclear went to Maine and estab-
lished a ship-timber business on the Kennebec.
Eight years later he came to this State and
after a residence of the same length of time in
Utica and Cherry Valley, he joined those who

were making the first settlement at Eaton,
Madison county. At forty-eight he was again
battling with the "forest primeval," this time
in Chautauqua county. That lonely and lowly
home to which he came in 1810 soon received
such additions as partitions, a ladder to the
second floor, and a chimney of clay-plastered
sticks and stones. It stood where now (1902)
stands the home of Mrs. Mahala Dibble, at
the intersection of the Charlotte Center and
Cherry Creek roads, and served as church and
schoolhouse, and as a refuge to new-comers
until they could convert the living trees into
sheltering homes. In this labor they had ever
the benefit of Major Sinclear's advice, valuable
from his experience and judgment ; and many
times his financial aid also.

In the summer of 1810, in addition to clear-
ing land. Major Sinclear built the first saw mill
in the central or eastern part of the county.
The same fall, he employed help and worked
with them to construct a wagon road, the first
over the ridge, from Fredonia (then called
Canadaway) to his wilderness home. He had
previously brought his family to Canadaway,
and October 22nd he arrived with his children,
Samuel, David, Joseph, Nancy and Sally, his
second wife, Fanny, and her children, Obed,
John M. and Fanny Edson, and five wagon-
loads of goods. His first wife was Sally Perk-
ins, whom he married in 1785, in Vassalboro,
Maine, and whose death occurred at Eaton in
1804.

A few scattering families had located from
three-fourths of a mile to three miles distant,
but the nearest settlements were, that on the
Pickett Brook four miles northwest, and that
at Charlotte Center, three miles northeast. The
last named was begun by R. W. Seaver, Bar-
ney Edson and William Devine. They came
from Oneida county in the spring of 1809, De-
vine and wife at Seaver's request. Edson went
to Batavia in May and booked the land but
did not return. The initial building of Char-
lotte Center soon put up by those remaining
was sixteen by eighteen feet, with bark roof
and a single door and window. It stood on or
near the site of the present school house, their
first clearing having been a few rods to the
west. Here in the fall they stored the small
crop of corn they had raised, and went back
to Oneida county, returning the following
spring.

Robert W. Seaver was born in Worcester
county, Massachusetts, July 3, 1762, enlisted at
fourteen, and served six years and eight
months in the War of the Revolution. Among
the battles in which he took part was that of

Sill,
fear

''isili;

TOWNS— SINCLAIRVILLE

131

King's Bridge, near New York and Yorktown.
He was under Lafayette, and the face of the
revered Washington was also familiar to him.
During the War of 1812, when the "Queen
Charlotte" chased the American salt boats into
the Canadaway and was repulsed, Widow Cole
run the bullets and Mr. Seaver made the car-
tridges, no one in the hastily gathered forces
knowing how to do it but him.

On the farm south of Charlotte Center, Mr.
Seaver planted an orchard from seeds brought
from Oneida county. The farm has remained
in the possession of his descendants. Mr. Sea-
ver was a man of prominence and held several
positions of trust. Until 1816 his wife, Anna
Edson Seaver, was the only doctor in the vicin-
ity. The stone that marks his grave in Char-
lotte Center Cemetery bears the simple record :
"Robert W. Seaver for seven years a soldier
of the Revolution, died July 31, 1836, aged sev-
; enty-five years."

When in 1812 the town of Gerry was formed,
embracing the present towns of Gerry, Char-
lotte, Cherry Creek and Ellington, a meeting
was called at Cassadaga for the purpose of
selecting a name. It was decided to call it
Gerry, for the Vice-President elected that fall,
; but Sinclear was the choice of many. The first
".■. town meeting was held in his house in 1813. He
was chosen supervisor, an office which he filled
-ix terms. For several succeeding years, being
;he only freeholder in the town, he frequently
executed a deed of some small piece of land
gratuitously to such as, elected to office, were
■equired to own land in order to hold the posi-
:ion, even when as in the case of Judge Joel
- Burnell, the successful candidate, his own op-
: )onent.

Not alone in their struggle for a material
. ixistence was his help ready. His copy of the
'; 'Albany Gazette." for many years the only
lewspaper penetrating the wilderness as far as
"redonia. was regarded as community posses-
ion. On its arrival, all gathered to listen to its
ontents as read aloud, usually by J. M. Edson,
hen a boy, afterward Judge Edson, and the
ather of Hon. Obed Edson and Mrs. Ursula
'vlvester of Sinclairville.

^^'ith other soldiers of the Revolution, Major
iinclear was a conspicuous participant in ex-
ending greeting and honors to Lafayette at
"redonia in 1825.
It was not until the death of its founder that
inclairville assumed its present name, being
nown previously as "The Major's" or "Major
inclear's," and the post office awkwardly re-
lined the name Gerry post office till 1869.
On the well-preserved gray stone that marks

his restmg place are engraved many Masonic
emblems, and below, the lines typical rather of
the times than of the subject:

"How lov'd, how valu'd once avail thee not.
To whom related, or by whom begot;
.•\ heap of du.st alone remains of thee,
'Tis all thou art. and all the proud shall be."

Prior to the organization of any religious
society in Charlotte, it was visited by early
missionaries. The first meeting was held by
Rev. John Spencer, October 22, 181 1, in the
first log house built by Major Sinclear. He
and Elder Turner, a Baptist, often delivered a
regular sermon to a single family.

The Methodist Episcopal Church was the
first religious society in the town, its begin-
ning, a class organized at Charlotte Center,
composed of Judge Joel Burnell and seven
others. William Brown was the first minis-
ter. In 1851 a church edifice was built at Sin-
clairville, and the same year one at Charlotte
Center.

The First Baptist Church of Sinclairville was
organized June 2, 1826, Rev. Jonathan Wilson,
its first pastor, John McAlister and eleven
others the original members. In 1834 a church
edifice, the first in the town, was built at a cost
of $2,000.

The First Congregational church was formed
July 22. 183 1, by Rev. Isaac Jones, of Mayville,
Rev. Timothy Stillman, of Dunkirk, and Rev.
Obadiah C. Beardsley, of Charlotte, the society
at first consisting of twenty-three persons,
mostly Presbyterians. April 30. 1842, the
Presbyterian form was surrendered and a re-
organization effected as a Congregational
church, thirteen members subscribing to that
faith. On September 25. 1845, a house of wor-
ship was built and dedicated, Rev. Charles W.
Carpenter the first pastor. The First Uni-
versalist Society of Charlotte was organized
August 26, 1850, and a church edifice erected at
Charlotte Center in 1851, Rev. William W.
King the first pastor.

The First Universalist Society of Sinclair-
ville was organized February 13, 1859, and a
house of worship there erected, Rev. Isaac
George its first pastor.

St. Paul's Church of the Cross, Roman Cath-
olic, was organized in 1871, the parish purchas-
ing for a house of worship the Sinclairville
Universalist Church.

Sylvan Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons,
of Sinclairville, was chartered about the year
1824, Major Samuel Sinclear its first worship-
ful master. Its first charter was surrendered
during the anti-Masonic excitement, but a new

132

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

charter was granted June ii, 1853, John M.
Edson the first worshipful master under the
new charter.

The supervisors of the town have been : Na-
than Lake, 1830-35-37-42-45; Bela Tracy, 1831-
33-34; Samuel F. Forbush, 1832; John Chan-
dler, 1836; Orton Clark, 1838-41-43-44-59-60;
Randolph W. Seaver, 1846-48; Joseph E. Kim-
ball, 1849; Orsamus A. White, 1850-51; John
M. Edson. 1852-54; Daniel Arnold, 1855; Wil-
liam M. Waggoner, 1856; Allen A. Stevens,
1857-68; Henry C. Lake, 1858-61 ; Timothy D.
Copp, 1862-63; Henry Reynolds, 1864-66; Obed
Edson, 1867; George S. Harrison, 1869-71;
Horace E. Kimball, 1872-74; Albert Rich-
mond, 1875 ■' Edwin F. Lake, 1905-07 ; John G.
Rose, 1908-09; George E. Montague, 1910-11;
John G. Rose, 1912-13; Edwin H. Edson,
1914-20.

The value of real estate in the town of Char-
lotte in 1918 was $696,284; the equalized as-
sessed value, $546,283. There are 22,964 acres
in the town, and according to the State census
of 191 5, a population of 1,304 citizens and four
aliens. Sinclairville, an incorporated village,
returned a population of 582. The Gerry
Veneer and Lumber Company and eight small
factories were reported in the same year to be
in operation in the village. The schools are
excellent, and in keeping with the spirit of the
town.

Chautauqua — The town of Chautauqua ante-
dates the county, and may be called the
"Mother Town," as it originally included all of
now Chautauqua county except that part com-
prised within the limits of the eastern range of
townships. The town was set off from Batavia,
April II, 1804, and when the county was organ-
ized, March 11, 1808, the town was enlarged
by the addition of the eastern or tenth row of
townships. All the other towns of the county
have been formed from the original town, re-
ducing it to its present irregular dimensions on
both sides of the northern part of Chautauqua
Lake. Pomfret was taken ofT in 1808 ; Port-
land in 1813; Harmony in 1816; Clymer, EUery
and Stockton in 1821. Notwithstanding its
losses, Chautauqua is one of the largest towns
in the county, containing 41,318 acres. The
surface is hilly, and forms the watershed be-
tween Lake Erie and Chautauqua Lake. Chau-
tauqua creek forms part of the western bound-
ary, and other streams are within its borders.

Although the town is hilly and broken, and
by reason of its elevated situation is exposed
to deep snows and severe storms in winter, it
has fine and striking scenery. From the high
hill'' in its northern and western parts a mag-

nificent view is presented to the grape belt, and
the wide and blue expanse of Lake Erie bear-
ing upon its bosom the commerce of the west,
and, in the distance one may see the shores
and hills of Canada. The upper portion of
Chautauqua Lake extends into the eastern part
of the town, and from Mayville a fine view may
be had of the shores of the lake, with its beau-
tiful bays. Within the town limits is the vil-
lage of Mayville, the capital of the county, with
which is associated so much of historical inter-
est ; the far-famed Chautauqua Assembly
grounds ; picturesque Point Chautauqua ; the
villages of Hartfield, Summerdale and Dewitt-
ville, and the county alms house and asylum.
The first settlement was made by Dr. Alex-
ander Mclntyre, of Meadville, in 1804. He
built a log dwelling at Mayville near the steam-
boat landing. Around it he erected a stockade
"to protect it from the Indians," as he said.
He had been captured b)' and resided with In-
dians many years, acquiring their habits, and
claimed to have learned the healing art of
them. Dr. Mclntyre's stockade had been built
when in the fall of 1804 the Holland Land Com-
pany sent William Peacock to survey and map
out a town at the head of the lake. In the fall
of 1S04 Paul Busti, an agent of the company,
was with his family at what is now Mayville,
and at a meeting of Holland Land Company
representatives held there a name for the new
settlement was considered. William Peacock
thus related the story of the naming of the
village :

A great many names had been suggested, but none
upon which all could unite, when Mrs. Paul Busti, wife
01 one of the agents and attorney for the company,
came into the room where we were gathered with a
baby in her arms. One of the gentleman present asked
the name of the baby and she replied, "May." Then
some one suggested that we name the settlement after
the baby and call it Mayville, which was quickly agreed*
to and the new settlement was at once named in honor
of May Busti.

William Peacock completed his survey and.
mapped a territory two miles wide froin Chau-.
tauqua lake to the two Chautauqua creeks, andi
"the work was done with wonderful accuracy,",
as many subsequent surveys have fully proven, i

In 1807 Captain John Scott, who had located
at Canadaway in 1804 and had married Bril-^i
liant, daughter of Deacon Orsamus Holmes, ofi
Sheridan, came and opened on the present sitei
of Mayville a public inn, the first made of logs,
and upon the east side of Main street, between
the Episcopal church and the Mayville House.-
Mr. Scott was supervisor in 1813. He removed ;
from Mayville about 1826, and died in lUinoiSij

:'r< II 'KTi ix AT AX i:ai:lv I ' \^

'II 1 1-: I- \i:i<. I'lrAi'TA iiji A

TOWNS— CHAUTAUQUA

133

in 1845. In 1 80S George Lowry settled in May-
ville, and also opened a primitive inn. He was
one of the celebrated family of ten brothers
who with their mother Margaret emigrated
from Ireland. Their names were Samuel,
Hugh, John, Robert, James, Andrew, William,
George, Alexander and Morrow. Most of them
became early settlers of Erie county, Pennsyl-
vania. In George Lowry's old bar-room
occurred a desperate fight between some set-
tlers and Pennsylvania boatmen, which fur-
nished business for several of the earliest terms
of court. His son, James B. Lowry, was county
clerk in 1828.

In :8o8 the county of Chautauqua was organ-
ized, and that year Jonas Williams, Isaac Suth-
erland and Asa Ransom, commissioners ap-
pointed to decide upon the county seat, "erect-
ed a large hemlock post" at Mayville to desig-
nate the spot fixed by them. Darius Dexter
had come from Herkimer county that spring.
To him the contract was given by Joseph Elli-
cott to cut and clear a road commencing at the
head of Chautauqua Lake, extending one and
one-half miles toward Westfield. He cut this
road, now Main street, six rods wide, and
cleared it to the width of three rods. He also
cleared the land of the public square. Dr. John
E. Marshall, a well educated physician, now
moved into the woods that covered the site of
Mayville. He married Ruth, daughter of Dea-
con Orsamus Holmes, of Sheridan, in 1810.
In 1809, Artemas Hearick, a native of Massa-
chusetts, came from Chenango to Mayville.
He was early appointed one of the associate
judges.

The anticipation of a complete organization
of the county with Mayville as its county seat,
now influenced people to take up residence
there. As courts were soon to be held, attor-
neys were the first to be attracted. Anselm
Potter, the first, and Dennis Brackett, the sec-
ond lawyer of the county, both came in 1810,
and Casper Rouse a little later. Brackett built
an office, which was crushed soon after by a
falling tree. The same year the Holland Land
Company erected an office for the sale of its
lands, and William Peacock, its agent, took up
his residence here. Jonathan Thompson, one
of the first associate judges of the county, came
from Saratoga county to Mayville in 1810; four
years later he removed to Pennsylvania.

Waterman Tinkcom, from Saratoga county,
for many years an innkeeper in Mayville, be-
came a resident here that year. In 181 1, the
county having become fully organized. Captain
Scott enlarged his log tavern by a plank frame
addition for a court house. In it, the June be-

fore It was completed, the first court of record
was held, and in October the Board of Super-
VLSors here met. There were but two members
—Matthew Prendergast, of Chautauqua, and
Philo Orton, of Pomfret. This year Morrow
Lowry settled in Mayville. His son. Morrow
B., born in Mayville in 1813, afterwards was a
distinguished citizen of Western Pennsylvania.
Nathaniel A. Lowry, son of Alexander, settled
in Jamestown, and Hugh W. Lowry, a mer-
chant of Westfield. was the son of another of
the brothers. Jediah Prendergast came to
Mayville in 181 1; he was the first physician.
William Prendergast, his nephew, the second
physician, soon followed. William Prender-
gast, son of Martin and Phebe (Holmes) Pren-
dergast, grandson of William, the physician,
and great-grandson of Matthew, was born in
Chautauqua in 1854. He was educated at May-
ville Academy and was graduated from Jeffer-
■son Medical College at Philadelphia, Pennsyl-
vania, in 1883, and located at Mayville. In
181 1 the first store was established in Mayville
by Jediah and Martin Prendergast. William
Smith was one of the early settlers of Mayville.
He was born in Massachusetts in 1808, emi-
grated to Oneida county, and a few years later
to Mayville, where he opened a law office. He
was appointed surrogate in 1821, which office
he held for nineteen years ; was one of the
founders of the "Mayville Sentinel," and died
in i860.

Other parts of the town of Chautauqua were
also being settled. In 1805 Peter Barnhart, a
soldier of the Revolution, located a short dis-
tance north of Point Chautauqua. His sons,
Jonathan, Peter and Henry, also settled in the
town. Jonathan Smith the same year made
the first settlement on the west side, near the
grounds of the Chautauqua Assembly. The
Prendergasts in March, 1806, contracted for a
large tract of land near the Chautauqua Assem-
bly Grounds, and the same month James and
William Prendergast, Jr., erected a log house
there. In June the family arrived. Filer
Sackett in June, 1805, bought land at Dewitt-
ville, where John Mason early settled. He
married Maria, daughter of Captain Anson
Leet, Darius Scofield settled early at Dewitt-
ville. Nathan and Daniel Cheney early settled
a mile north of Dewittville. John Miles with
a large family settled on lot 9 near the east line
of the town. Dr. Lawton Richmond, the third
physician, settled near Dewittville in 181 1.

Philo Hopson, from Herkimer county, set-
tled a mile north of Hartfield upon land
bought in 1809. At an early day he and Wil-
liam Bateraan built a sawmill at Hartfield.

134

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

Zaccheus Hanchett settled on lot number 23.
Dexter Barns, a noted axe-maker, first settled
in Stockton, where he built its first blacksmith
shop. He removed to Hartfield, where he died.
Darius Dexter, after cutting out Main street
and clearing the public square in Mayville in
1808, returned east and came back the next
spring with his wife and purchased land on
lot 20, northeast of Hartfield. John, William,
Daniel. Winsor, Otis, Samuel, George and Ste-
phen, brothers of Darius, it is believed came
with him in 1809. His brother William and
John W. Winsor took up other parts of the lot.
Samuel in 1809 took land on lot number 17.
John was county clerk thirteen years. He and
Darius had a store and ashery at Dewittville.
In 1830 they removed to East Jamestown and
built mills, and the place took the name of Dex-
terville. Captain Anson Leet, of Connecticut,
who came to Stockton in 1810, and in 1814
purchased the land at Point Chautauqua, for-
merly known as Leet's Point, was the first to
settle at Point Chautauqua. He had eleven
children. The next year William Hunt settled
on lot 29, township 3, his land including the
Chautauqua Assembly Grounds. In the south-
eastern part of the town Samuel Porter, Jared
Irwin, Ichabod Wing, Ephraim Hammond
and Robert Lawson were early settlers. Rich-
ard Whitney settled upon lot 21, David Morris
upon lot 38. In the south part of the town
the early settlers were : Alfred Paddock, David
Adams, Robert Donaldson, Palta Sweatland,
Dennis Hart, Ava Hart. Samuel Hustis and
William Fowler. In the southwest Jacob Put-
nam and in the north Joseph Davis found
homes. William T. Howe settled a mile north-
east of Mayville in 1816. Samuel B. Porter
bought 200 acres four miles south of Mayville,
cleared one acre, built a log cabin, and brought
his second wife, Mary Justina Johnson, and his
two joungest children to their new home in
the wilderness. Mrs. Porter died in Novem-
ber. 1848. Mr. Porter in October, 1863.

Mayville, as the place for holding the courts,
the meeting of the Board of Supervisors, the
keeping of the public records and the transac-
tion of the general business of the county,
naturally attracted influential citizens to be-
come residents. Samuel S. Whallon, when a
boy, came with his parents to Mayville about
1812 and resided there until his death in 1858.
He was a prominent merchant, a member of
Assembly, and in 1856 was elected canal com-
missioner and held that office until he died.
About 1815 Jedidiah Tracy moved to Mayville
from Erie county, Pennsylvania, and kept for
many years one of the best inns in the county.

Robertson Whiteside settled in Chautauqua
about 1820: he was subsequently county treas-
urer and a member of Assembly. Jesse Brooks
came to Mayville and became a merchant : he
was postmaster for twenty years, succeeding
Jedidiah Tracy. William Green, long a well-
known lawyer, came to Mayville in 1824. His
brother, Richard O., once a county clerk, and
George A., surrogate, came later. In 1828 in-
creased communication with Jamestown was
given to Mayville by the sidewheel steamboat
"Chautauque ;" she made her first trip July
4, 1828. This year Omar Farwell came and
engaged in the tanning business and estab-
lished a store. John Birdsall about this time
became a resident and one of its most distin-
guished citizens. Daniel Tennant, from Scot-
land, about 1748 settled in Connecticut, where
his son Daniel was born about 1761 and when
eighteen entered the Revolutionary army, was
at West Point at the time of the treason of
Arnold, saw the American cannon spiked pre-
paratory to a surrender to the British and saw
Major Andre, after his capture. He married I
Miss Hale, of Irish birth, who had two brothers
in the American army. After the war he set-
tled at Waterville, Oneida count}'. Daniel
Tennant, his son, born in 1802, came to this i
county in 1827 and bought wild timber land I
about three miles northeast of Hartfield. He
married Hephzibah M. Leech, who was born 1
in Connecticut in 1807, moved to Buffalo with :i
her parents, whose home was burned by the«
British in 1812. Mrs. Tennant died in 1874;
Mr. Tennant died in 1890.

Between 1830 and 1835 many public im-
provements were made in the town and many
citizens of worth came to Mayville. In 1830
it was incorporated as a village. In 1831 Mat-
thew P. Bemus, son of Charles Bemus, came
to reside. He was born in Ellery, January 4,
1831. He was one of the most public-spirited
citizens, took an active part in the building of
the Cross Cut railroad, and held many impor-
tant public positions. In 1832 the county poor-
house was erected and the jail was built. An
act was passed that year to incorporate the
Mayville & Portland Railroad Company, capi-
tal $150,000. to construct a railroad from Port-t
land Harbor to Chautauqua Lake ; the design
was not carried into execution. In 1833 Don-
ald McKinzie came to Mayville. He was onei,
of the most distinguished citizens in the county.y
August 18, 1825, he married Adelgonda Hum-n
bert Droz, daughter of Alphonzo Humbert!
Droz. of Berne, Switzerland. He resided herer
until his death, January 20, 1851, after a life
of much adventure. He was a man of ability,!

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TOWNS— CHAUTAUQUA

135

of enterjirise and of lienor, and left a large re-
spected famil}-. In April, 1834, Mayville Acad-
emy was incorporated, and a substantial build-
ing of brick erected. In the fall the "Mayville
Sentinel" was established by William Kibbe.
About a year afterward, Beman Brockway be-
came proprietor and conducted it successfully
for ten years, when he removed to Oswego. It
was then conducted by John F. Phelps until
his decease in 1878.

In 1835 the new court house was built, and
the public execution of Damon occurred in
Alayville on the sidehill not far from the Acad-
emy. February 6, 1836, the land office was de-
stroyed by a mob, and was thereafter opened
and kept at Westfield.

William A. Mayborne came to Mayville to re-
side about 1836, and William GiiTord about 1841.
In 1854 Milton Smith was elected sheriff, and
became a lifelong resident of Mayville. Amos
K. Warren, afterwards sheriff', came in 1862.
One of the most important events favorably
aft'ecting the interests of Mayville was the
building of the Buffalo & Oil Creek Cross Cut
railroad, now the Western New York & Penn-
sylvania railroad, chartered in 1865.

A county farm of one hundred acres having
been purchased near Dewittville, a substantial
brick building was erected in 1832, which was
used until the present one was erected in 1870.
Buildings for the unfortunate have been suc-
cessively erected there in 1839, 1851, 1858,
1868, 1903 and 1904. The present main build-
ing is four stories high, with frontage of 104
feet and depth of 68 feet. From the rear there
is a center wing twenty-two feet wide, fifty-
seven feet six inches long, two stories high.
The cost of the building was $36,226, and its
turnishings $1,500. When it was built it was
the most beautiful building in the county, and
ivas declared by official visitors to be the finest
md best managed county house in the State.
The farm now has 338 5/10 acres, and the
vhole property is valued over $100,000.

As a result of the Chautauqua movement
)egun in 1873. Fair Point has been transformed
nto a permanent village of importance, while
he lands bordering the upper part of the lake
vithin the town have wonderfully increased in
alue. On September 30, 1875, Point Chau-
auqua Association was incorporated, that be-
ng the beginning of the improvement of Leet's
-•oint, many fine homes now adding to the
leauty of that most sightly point on the lake-
hore. These enterprises assured Mayville's
>ermanent prosperity, and water works, pav-
ng, electricity and railways followed in a tri-
ii^ohal march of modern progress. The Chau-

tauqua Institution will be made the subject of
a special cluqiter.

The First Ijajjtist Church of Mayville was
organized with thirty-eight members, by Elder
Jonathan Wilson, a pioneer missionary from
Vermont, February 7, 1820. Mr. Wilson was
the first pastor of the church. The church edi-
fice was built in 1834.

The Chautauqua Society of the Methodist
Episcopal church at Mayville was formed
about 1820. A house of worship was erected
in 1851.

St. Paul's Church of Mayville was organized
with about twenty members in April, 1823, by
Rev. David Brown, the first pastor. The first
church edifice was completed in January, 1828,
and consecrated by Bishop Habart, September
4, 1828. The present house was built in 1859,
and consecrated by Bishop Coxe, May 18, 1865.
Rev. G. W. Sinclair Ayres entered upon the
rectorship of this church, November i, 1893.

The First Methodist Episcopal Church of
Dewittville was formed with ten members in
1835- '^y William Gifford. This house of wor-
ship was purchased of the Baptists the same
year. The first pastor was Rev. Mr. Burgess.

The First Free-Will Baptist Church of Chau-
tauqua Hill, four miles north from Hartfield,
was organized with five members in 1840, by
Rev. T. V. Main, the first pastor, and a Mr.
Neeh-. A house of worship was built about
1842."

Summit Church, Methodist Episcopal, near
Summit Station, where a class had been
formed, built a house of worship through the
instrumentality, it is said, of John H. Flagler
in 1849. The first pastor after the completion
of the church building was Rev. John K. Hal-
lock.

The Christian Church at Dewittville was
organized December 25, 1852, by Rev. E. H.
Mosher, the first pastor, and E. H. Halladay.
Their church edifice was erected in 1856.

Mount Pleasant Church, United Brethren,
three and a half miles southeast from Mayville,
was organized with eight members in 1858 by
Rev. Z. Sullivan, the first pastor. A church
edifice was built in 1865.

The United Brethren in Christ, of Elm Flats,
was organized with eight members, February
I, 1863, by Rev. N. R. Luce, the first pastor.
A house of worship was erected in 1861 : the
present one in 1870.

St. Peter's Church, German United Evan-
gelical Protestant, at Mayville, was organized
with twenty members in 1871 by Rev. O. Schro-
der. Their church edifice was erected in 1871.
The first pastor was Rev. Jacob Weber.

136

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

The Swedish Lutherans organized a church
at Alayville in 1870, built in 1872. Church and
parsonage are worth $4,000.

Summit Lodge, No. 312, Free and Accepted
Masons, was instituted at Mayville, in 1818,
and derived its name from its location on the
summit of the watershed between the Missis-
sippi and the St. Lawrence river systems. The
first meeting was held in Asahel Lyon's rooms ;
the first officers were John Dexter, worthy
master; James M. Cochrane, senior warden;
Asahel Lyon, junior warden ; David Eason,
treasurer ; Calvin Macomber, secretary. The
lodge was discontinued in 1824, and was re-
vived on November 4, 1850, as No. 219. Its
last meeting at Mayville was held February 14,
185 1, and it was moved to Westfield.

Peacock Lodge, No. 696, Free and Accepted
Masons, held its first meeting U. D., February
28, 1869, and received its charter June 9, 1869.
The lodge perpetuates the name of a distin-
guished and worthy brother, William Peacock,
who was ever governed by true Masonic prin-
ciples. The first officers elected were N. G.
Luke, worshipful master; George Wood, senior
warden ; John F. Young, junior warden ; Amos
K. Warren, treasurer; O. E. Tiffany, secre-
tary ; William S. Gleason, senior deacon ; Peter
M. Pickard, junior deacon.

Supervisor.s — John McMahan, 1805-07; Ar-
thur Bell, 1808; Thos. Prendergast, 1809; Matt.
Prendergast, 1810-11; Samuel Ayres, 1812;
John Scott, 1813; John E. Marshall, 1814; Mar-
tin Prendergast, 1815-16-18, and 1819-33; John
Dexter, 1817; Jabez B. Burrows, 1834-36; Wm.
Prendergast, 1837-39; Alva Cottrell, i840-4i-_
46; Dexter Barnes, 1842; Cyrus Underwood,'
1843-44 : Wm. Green, 1845 ! Williard W. Crafts,
1847-48-53; Martin Prendergast, 1849-61-64;
Stephen W. Hunt, 1850-51 ; Hiram A. Pratt,
1852; David Woods, 1854-55; John Birdsall,
1856-57; Wm. Gifford, 1858-59; Milton G. Free-
man, i860; Daniel H. Hewes, 1865; Wm. P.
Whiteside, 1866: Matt. P. Bemus, 1867-72;
John Birdsall, 1873-74; Sidney R. Lawson,
1875-76; James M. Hunt, 1877; Lewis T. Har-
rington, 1878-79; Ezra J. Scofield, 1880-83;
Eldred Lott, 1884; J. Franklin Hunt, 1885-87;
Herman Sixbey, 1888-89; Geo. W. Hewes,
1890-93; Thos. Hutson, 1894-96; Willis H.
Tennant, 1897-99; August Anderson, 1900-03;
Thos. Hutson, 1904-07 ; Marion W. Scofield,
1908-13; Martin P. Whallon, 1914-20.

The population of Chautauqua, according to
the New York State census of 191 5 was: Citi-
zens, 3,854; aliens, 79; INIayville reporting
1,201.

The Chautauqua Print Shop at Chautauqua

and the Chautauqua Cabinet Company at May-
ville are the principal industries, although
Mayville has four small plants and Summer-
vale two. The assessed value of real estate in
the town in 1918 was $3,371,384; full value,
$4,297,105. Good schools abound in all parts
of the town.

Cherry Creek — The town of Cherry Creek,
situated in the northern and eastern part of the
county, was set off from the town of Ellington
on May 4, 1829. When Surveyor Joshua Bent-
ley, Jr., found the center of the new town to be
on an island in a stream, he cut down a small
cherry tree, made it into a sharpened stake,
drove it down, and named the stream Cherry
creek. The town took its name from the creek,
settlement was made, and a village started in
the locality once famous for its cherry trees, to
which was given the name Cherry Creek.

Original purchases in township 4, Range 10:

1815 — March. Josliua Bentley, 15; April, Joshua
Bentley, 9 (settled on by Joshua M. Kent) ; May, Gard-
ner Crandall.

i8i6 — May, Barber Babcoclc, 19; June, Ely D. Pen-
dleton, 20; October, Reuben Cheney, 18.

1817 — June, Elam Edson, 18; November, Rufus
Hitchcock, 49.

1818 — April, John Smith, 17; August, Hiram Hill, 49.

1S21— October, John P. Hadley, 41; Henry Bab-
cock, 20: .-Mvah Hadley. 41; Julius Gibbs, 41: Robert I
James. 36; Nathaniel Gibhs. Jr., 11 ; Eliphalet Wilcox, ,
17, Robert Page, 13.

182,; — March, James Carr, 14: December, Enos A.
Bronson, 56.

1S24 — February, Eason Matteson, 10; March, Ira :i
B. Tanner, 46: May, .'Kmos .Abbey, 64; Nathan Worden, 1
16; June, Jared Ingalls, 22; Ira Bassett, 25; July, Wardi'
King, 17: October, William G. Carr, 24; Dudley v
Waters, 48.

1825— April, John Luce, 58: William Lathrop, 24;,
May, Ira Bassett and Samuel W. Wilcox, Jr., 25; Sep-i,
tember, George Burdeck, 38 ; October, Aury Cronk-
hite, 21; Arahel H. Mallory, 21; Eddy Wetherly, 28;!
November, Robert James, Jr., 35. f

1826 — April, Putnam Farrington, 63: October, Lymaiiii
Town and Thomas King, 56; December, Henry Luce,
55.

1827 — .\pril, Ebenezer Still, Jr., 39; June, Stephen
Blaisdell, 18; September, Nehemiah Osborne, 31;
Israel Seeley, 31; Issachar Hammond, 30.

1829 — June. William \. Bowen, 13; July, Thomasi
King, 18; December, Sylvester Osborne, 14.

The statement is now unhesitatingly madel
that the first settlement in the town of Cherry
Creek was made by Joseph M. Kent, on lot 9,1
in the spring of 181 5. He was born in Royal-
ton, Vermont, and after having lived iti Herki-:
tner and Onondaga counties. New York, re-
inoved to Chautauqua county, settling in whal
is now Cherry Creek with his wife and seven;
children. Mr. Kent, his son George, Nancy,i
his eldest daughter, and John P. Kent, a
nephew, cleared the first land and raised theii

isito

BJon

TOWNS— CHERRY CREEK

137

tir.'-t crop of potatoes. The next sprins:, desti-
tute of provisions and money, he felled a pine
tree and made a canoe sixty feet in lens^th,
launched it in Conewango creek, put into it
fifteen hundred pounds of maple sugar and
some black salts, and ran it down to Pittsburgh.
He there exchanged his cargo for flour, pork,
salt, and with the help of hisson George pushed
his vessel with pikepoles back to Cherry Creek,
having been absent about three weeks.

Joshua Bentley, Jr., the second settler, set-
tled on lot 15, now known as the Decker farm,
September i, 1815. He had located in Ellery
about 1808, and was one of the surveyors that
ran the lines in this part of the county prior to
its settlement. Cherry Creek's first road was
cut out by John Kent, brother of Joseph M.,
one of the first purchasers of land in Villenova.
In the spring of 1810 he built his house on the
old Indian camping grounds at the headwaters
of the Conewango, also the first sawmill and
gristmill in the eastern part of the county.
\\'here the Indian trail from the Cattaraugus
Reservation to the Allegheny crossed the farm
later owned by Alfred H. Blaisdell, there were
two large springs where the Indians had a
camp with a stone fireplace. This camp was
almost constantly occupied by parties of In-
dians, who stopped to fish and hunt as they
passed either north or south.

John P. Kent, a son, and John Dighton, in
the summer of 1812, cut out the first road
through from Kent's Mill in Villenova, sixteen
miles through Cherry Creek to Kennedyville,
for which they received from the Holland Land
Company ten dollars per mile. This road fol-
lowed the line of the Conewango Valley on the
Indian trail running on the west side of the
village. Three years later they cut out another
road to Sinclairville, branching oflf from the old
road on lot 16 in Cherry Creek, taking a south-
westerly line, passing the homes of Gardiner
Crandall and Isaac Curtis on lot 23. At that
time they were the only residents in town on
this road. This has been known as the old
Kent road, and is now called Kent street. Gar-
diner Crandall and Isaac Curtis had each pur-
chased one hundred acres on lot 23. Mr. Cran-
dall built a log house twenty-six by twenty,
iand in the spring of 1816 both families moved
into it and lived there until Mr. Curtis could
build. Mr. Crandall lived many years in
Cherry Creek, and became the father of twenty-
two children by two wives. Stephen Curtis, a
brother of Isaac, settled on adjoining land, and
left two sons, Henry L. and John H. Curtis.
Tames Marks the next purchaser of land (his
peed calling for one hundred sixty acres in the

south part of lot 20, bearing date October 20,
181 5), built his log house, covered with bark
and without any floor, and moved in his furni-
ture, consisting of an ax, a gun and a "baking
kittle." This was the first house built in the
now incorporated village of Cherry Creek. His
house soon after became unoccupied and re-
mained so until about 1824 ; it was then fitted
up for a schoolhouse for the first school taught
in the village. Its teacher, Angeline Picker-
ing, became the wife of John Babcock and set-
tled in Busti. In May, 1816, Barber Babcock
on lot 19, Ely D. Pendleton on lot 20 and Reu-
ben Cheeney on lot iS, became settlers of
Cherry Creek, lived here many years, raised
families, cleared up farms and made homes.
In June, 1817, Elam Edson, William Weaver,
on lot 18, Rufus Hitchcock and Hiram Hill
on lot 49, John Smith, lot 17, Henry Bab-
cock, lot 20, Nathaniel Gibbs, Jr., lot 11, Eli-
phalet W. Wilcox, lot 17, Robert Page, lot
28, were settlers. Daniel Hadley from Ver-
mont came with his family, November 9, 1817.
Three of his sons settled in Cherry Creek. Niles
and Alvah on parts of lot 41, John P. on lot 27,
near the village. He married the daughter of
Robert James, also an early settler. He took
an active part in laying out and cutting out
early roads in Cherry Creek and in getting the
town set ofY from Ellington in 1829. He also
frequently served in town offices and was town
clerk at the time of his death. He held militia
offices from corporal to major.

In the southwest part of the town lived Al-
vah Hadley, whose son, Ozro A., was for a
time acting Governor of Arkansas, and Niles
Hadley, who lived and died on his early pur-
chased home. Also settled here Mr. Ward and
his sons, William, On and Ai ; Hudson Smith,
John Howard, Nathaniel Dunham, Arthur
Hines, Addison Phillips, John Luce, Reuben
A. Bullock, Myron Field, Horatio Hill. Joseph
Price on lot 42 had three sons : John, Lawrence
and David. Abraham T. Andrus settled where
the late John D. Mount lived. In the north-
west part were: John Bartlett, Ira B. Tan-
ner, Alvah Bannister. Elkanah Steward, Oliver
Carpenter. Anson Newton, Wilbur Burdick,
John Essex, J. Richardson, Eben Abbey, Put-
nam Farrington, a general of the War of 1812.
Ora Parks, who settled in 1824 on lot 37, three
miles in the woods from neighbors, cleared his
farm and raised a large family. Enos A. Bron-
son came from Connecticut and settled on lot
56, near the north line, in 1825, where he died
in 1838. His sons were William, Horace,
Allen L., and Monson M.

In a little settlement at Shattuck's school-

138

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

house was made the first attempt at a village in
the town in the spring of 1820, on lot 34. Here
settled Robert James, Montgomery Evans,
Norton Still, David Myers, Horatio Hill,
Demas Stone, Robert James, Jr., and Randall
Spencer, who held the first Methodist class
meetings in his house for a number of years.
A burying ground was soon laid out. Pliny
Shattuck opened a blacksmith shop here in
1831. The hopes of having a village at this
point were soon blasted.

George H. Frost, from Renssalaer county,
came in 1823. and built the second house in
what is now the village of Cherry Creek, on the
south part of lot 20, where C. D. Leonard's
cheese factory once stood (land taken up by
James Marks in 1815). Mr. Frost became the
first settler with a family in the village, kept
the first tavern, and was the first postmaster;
he afterward kept a store, later lived on a
farm, but returned to the village, where he died
in 1873. He had been for several years super-
visor.

William Green, Almeron Ely, Flam Edson,
Ira Bassett, John Bovee, Rollins Kilburn,
Harry James, Aaron Bartlett. John P. Hadley,
Thomas Berry, Cyrus Thatcher and Alfred
Goodrich were early settlers in the village. In
the vicinity were Michael Page, Eddy Weather-
ly, Jotham Godfrey, Stephen Blaisdell, Julius
Gibbs, Henry Babcock, William Kilbourn and
Thomas Carter, who established a tannery with
a shoe shop. In the central part, Robert James
settled in 1820, on lot 36, where he died. Of
his sons, Robert J. was supervisor in 1831-32;
Jonathan was a physician. Thomas Mount
brought his wife and fourteen children from
New Jersey. His sons were Ezekiel, John,
Hezekiah, Furman and Samuel. Anthony
Morian settled on lot 44 in 1835 and raised a
family of ten children.

In the southeast part. Wanton King settled
on lot 9 in 1S20; his sons were Thomas Ward
and Obediah. On lot 12, Josiah Crumb settled.
Eason Matteson located on lot 18 in 1820. In
the south part the early settlers were : Daniel
Waggoner, Isaac C. Brown, William S. Bul-
lock, Moses Ells, Clark Losee, George W.
Hitchcock. Job Eddy settled on lot 23, in the
northeast part in 1820. Thomas Wilcox, from
Hanover, was an early settler, first on lot 17,
in 1819, on lot 21 in 1824, and on lot 24 in 1829,
where he died. He was noted for his industry
and for clearing much land. His sons were
Daniel, Erastus, Alfred and Harlow. James
Carr settled in 1823 on lot 15, land bought of
Joshua Bentley, Jr., and afterwards kept store
in the village. He was supervisor of Elling-

ton in 1828-29 and the first supervisor of
Cherry Creek. He had one son, Andrew J.
William G. Carr came in October, 1829, with
wife and two children and settled on lot 15,
Jarius Nash from Stephentown, an early school
teacher, settled on lot 23. Jared Ingalls located
on all of lot 22 in 1825 and built a sawmill.
Daniel B. Parsons, from Madison county, set-
tled in 1850 on lot 23, where he died. Both he
and his son, Reuben W., were supervisors.
William Weaver, in 1817, settled on lot 18; a
few years after on lot 14, where he died. On
Powers Hill, George Sheffield settled on lot
29; his sons were Aaron, Hiram, Alanson and
Judson. Daniel Powers, a son-in-law, from
whom the hill takes its name, settled on the
same lot.

The first birth in town was that of Lydia,
daughter of Joseph M. and Patty Kent, in
1816; she married Charles B. Green, of Elling-
ton. The first marriage was James Battles to
Rachael, daughter of Daniel Hadley, June 6,
1819. The first death was that of Rufus Hitch-
cock in 1820; he fell from the roof of his house
just as he had completed it, and fractured his
skull. The first school was taught by Reuben
Cheeney, in the south part of the town. The
first merchant was Seth Grover, who started in
trade in 1831. He had in connection with his
store an ashery and a pearling oven. Later
Cyrus Thatcher and George H. Frost were in
trade. The first resident physician, Horace
Morgan, came in 1829. He was followed by
Oliver B. Main, Edwin G. Bly, T. G. Walker
and others. Among the early tailors were
Jonathan Greenman and Russell Bartlett. The
"first sawmill was built by William Kilburn in
1824 on Cherry Creek, near the village; he
attached, the next year, a shop for making
spinning wheels, chairs, etc., to his mill. The
second sawmill was built by Robert James and
William Green in 1833. The first grist mill
was built by Hull Nickerson in 1828, near the
site of Price's sawmill. It had one run of
stones and was used only for corn. It was
known for years as the old "pepper" mill. In
1848 Joseph Kent built a grist mill with all
modern appliances with three runs of stones.
This mill was burned in 1869 and rebuilt in
1870 by Silas Vinton. Immediately under the
grocery store of C. L. Frost a large spring bub-
bled up. In the early days of settlement this
was much larger than now and overflowed
quite an area of land. The deer found some
attractive quality in the water not present in
any other spring and resorted there often in
numbers. This gave it the name of "the deer
lick," by which it was long known.

Jlieri

iBtni
fell
"¥,

"StllS

TOWNS— CLYMER

139

The first town meeting in Cherry Creek after
its formation was at the hotel of George H.
Frost in March, 1830. At that meeting James
Carr was elected the first supervisor, Robert
James the first town clerk.

Supervisors — James Carr, 1S30-33-36-40-46-
52. Robt. James, Jr., 1831-32: Geo. H. Frost,
1834-35; Oliver Carpenter, 1837; Horace Bron-
son, 1838: W'm. G. Carr, 1839; Wm. Kilbourn,
1841-43 ; Arch. F. Robins, 1844 ; Oliver B. Main,
1845-49-50; Chas. A. Spencer, 1847-48; Jos.
Kent, 1851-56; Daniel B. Parsons, 1853-54;
Silas Vinton, 1855-59-60-68-71 ; tforatio Hill,
1857-58-64; R. W. Parsons, 1861-63-65; An-
thony Morian, 1862-67; Geo. N. Frost, 1866-69-
7^-7y7S-77 '• ^^- C. Carpenter, 1870; Harry Bil-
ings, 1874 ; Wm. S. Blaisdell, 1878-79 ; Jas.Rich-
ardson, 1880; S. A. Ferrin, 1881-92; W. F. Stet-
son, 1889; Wm. I. Phillips, 1890; R. A. Hall,
1893-95 ; C. L. Wheeler, 1896-1903 ; C. A. Mount,
1904-05; Edgar W. Curtis. 1906-10; Ellis W.
Storms. 191 1 ; Edgar W. Curtis, 1912-13 ; C.
Leroy Edwards, 1914-20.

The population of Cherry Creek in 191 5,
according to the State census, was 1630, of
whom 91 were aliens. Number of acres in the
town, 22,957. valued at $763,625 ; assessed
ralue (1918), $599,117.

Cherry Creek is an incorporated village,
)cautiful in location, with broad, smooth
streets adorned with good residences and busi-
less houses, and in addition to good stores in
.'very department of trade has a bank, news-
paper, canning factory, good hotels, churches,
ligh school, fire department, a very popular
brm of government. The village is a station
)n the Buffalo & Southwestern railroad, 48
niles from Bufifalo and 22 miles from James-
own.

The principal industries of the village are
he Cherry Creek Canning Company (canned
ruits), and the W. F. Stetson Company, but-
er firkins. There are also three small factories,
rherry Creek village was incorporated. May
;o, 1893, the present government being vested
n a president and two trustees, with clerk,
reasurer and collector. The first election was
leld June 17, 1893, C. A. Mount being chosen
he first president. The first trustees were I.
'\ Benton, W. E. Shepardson. H. Clinton
fount. The high school building was erected
1 1896, and is a modernly equipped school
>ith a competent corps of teachers. The post
ffice was established in 1832, George H. Frost,
ostmaster. Rural free delivery was estab-
shed September 15, 1902, with three routes,
"he Cherry Creek Fire Department was organ-
^ed July 15, 1890, Charles J. Shults being

elected the first chief, C. A. Mount, the first
president.

The Methodist Episcopal church was organ-
ized in 1857 with seven members. Rev. O. S.
Meade the first pastor. The present church
edifice was erected in 1881 at a cost of $5,000.

The First Baptist Church was organized
October 26, 1832, with twelve members, Elder
Bennet the first pastor. In 1896 the church
was rebuilt.

The Free Baptist Church was organized in
1826 fiy Rev. Thomas Grinnell, and was the
first religious organization in Cherry Creek.
A house of worship was built in 1846 at a cost
of $2,500.

A Christian Church was organized March
23, 1839. The church had no meeting house,
but maintained its organization up to about
1 861.

Cherry Creek Lodge, No. 384, Free and Ac-
cepted Masons, was instituted in 1853 with
nine charter members, and received the present
warrant in June. 1855. William S. Blaisdell
was the first master.

Cherry Creek Lodge, No. 463. Independent
Order of Odd Fellows, was instituted April 6,
1852. with six charter members, J. L. Clark
the first noble grand.

Bullock Post, No. 304, Grand Army Repub-
lic, was organized November 2. 1882, with
twenty charter members.

Cherry Creek Grange, No. 527. Patrons of
Husbandry, was organized August 18, 1887,
with twenty-eight charter members. M. A.
Phillips was its first master.

Cherry Creek Lodge, No. 42, Ancient Order
United Workmen, was organized November
15. 1876, with twenty charter members. S. V.
Q. Sherman was the first master workman.

Pocahontas Hive, No. 21, Ladies of the Mac-
caliees, was instituted in September, 1891, with
thirteen charter members. Mrs. A. Bronson
was the first lady commander.

Ensign Circle, No. 281, was instituted No-
vember 18. 1896, with si.xteen charter members.
Dr. Thomas E. Soules was the first president.

Pocahontas Tent, No. loi. Knights of the
Maccabees, was instituted in October, 1888,
with eighteen charter members.

The Woman's Christian Temperance Union
was organized July 3, 1888, with a membership
of twenty.

Golden Chapter, No. 252, Order of the East-
ern Star, was organized October 16, 1902. Mrs.
Charles J. Shults was the first worthy matron
and Isaac S. Benton, worthy patron.

Clymer — Among the new towns taken
directly from the "mother town," Chautauqua,

140

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

was Clymer, organized February 9, 1821, and
given the name of the patriotic Pennsylvanian,
George Clymer, a signer of the Declaration of
Independence. The town of Mina was set off
from Clymer in 1824; and French Creek in
1829, leaving Clymer an area of 21,985 acres,
bounded on the' north by Sherman, east by
Harmony, west by French Creek, south by
Pennsylvania. The surface is a hilly upland,
well adapted to grazing and dairying, being
well watered. The soil responds well to culti-
vation and the Western New York & Penn-
sylvania railroad traverses the town from north
to south, with stations in Clymer, North Cly-
mer, Clymer Center and Joquins. Clymer Hill
is in the western part of the town.

At Clymer, tanning leather was once an im-
portant business, and about i860 Leonard
Kooman established there one of the largest
tanneries in the county. The first tannery was
built on lot 35 by Ebenezer Brownell shortly
after 1830. Walter L. and Loren B. Sessions
conducted extensive tanning operations on the
Brownell site in later years.

Original Purchases:

1820— Ma V, Wm. Rice. 59: July, Gardner Cleveland,
Sr., 58. ^ ,

1821— October, Horace and Anson Starkweather,
43; Jos. Wing. 51; November, John Cleveland, 58.

1822— March, Thos. Russell, 50.

1823 — January, Leonard Amidon, 52; October, Wm.
Rice, 60. ^ „ ,,

1824— June. Eben. Brownell, 35: Harry E. Brownell,
28; Jos. Brownell, SO.

1825— May, Amon Beebe, Jr., 30; August, Elisha
Alvord, 21; October, Jos. W. Ross, 56, 55.

1826— April. Chas. Ross, 56; May, Mnses Randall,
21; July, David Phinney; October, Jere. Glidden, 3, 8.
^1827 — March, Darius and Walter Freeman, 47; Ralph
Petit 47; April, Jere. Doolittle, 37; May, David Glid-
den, 16; June. Samuel Bligh, 32; August, Andrew
Glidden, 16: September, Oscar F. and Daniel C. Glid-
den, 8: October, Francis F. Allen, 2.

1828 — May, Alvah Marsh, 40: Archaelaus Chadwick,
l: John Petit, 47; July, Benj. Sullivan, 63; Samuel

Ross, 27. r- t T

1829 — July, Lyman Brown, 26; September, Jere.
Chamberlain, 5?; October, Urbane Hitchcock, 15.

1830 — August, Harry E. Brownell, 28; September,
Jackson Johnson, 33; Thos. Russell, 50.

Settlement was commenced in 1820 by Gard-
ner and John Cleveland, who located on lot 58,
in the southwest corner. The next year Wil-
liam Rice settled on lot 59, and in 1822 came
Horace and Anson Starkweather and Joseph
Wing. Eighteen families had located in the
territory embracing the original town of Cly-
mer in 1822. Nathaniel and William Thomp-
son, Thomas Russell and Harry E. Brownell
came in 1823. The first town meeting was
held April 3, 1821, at the house of Gardner
Cleveland, where were elected : Ande Nobles,

supervisor ; William Rice, Roger Haskell, John 1
M. Fitch, assessors; David Waldo, clerk; Ros- -
well Coe, John Cleveland, Alexander Findley, ,
commissioners of highways; Ephraim Dean, ,
Ande Nobles, John Lynde, school inspectors; ;
John Heath, Roger Haskell, school commis- -
sioners ; Alexander Findley, Roswell Coe, poor :
masters ; Ande Nobles, Alexander Findley, ,
overseers of highways ; William Thompson, ,
Amon Beebe, Roger Haskell, fence viewers,
etc. ; Ande Nobles, sealer ; Eli Belknap, con-
stable and collector. Before 1830 quite a set- 1
tlement was made. Here had come and located
Leonard Amidon in 1824 ; Charles Ross in 1824,
on Clvmer Hill ; Ebenezer Brownell and Joseph
Brownell in 1824 on lots 35, 28, 50; Peter Ja-
quins in 1825; David Phinney in 1826; Silas
Freeman with thirteen children came to Cly-
mer Hill in 1828. His son, Leonard B., resided
in this and adjoining towns for many years.

Other early settlers were: Alexander Max-
well, Elisha Alvord, Joseph Ross. Samuel
Ross, Moses Randall, Jeremiah Glidden, Jere-
miah R. Doolittle, Dav"id and Andrew Glidden,
Samuel Blv, Oscar F. and Daniel C. Glidden,
Francis F' Allen, Alvah Marsh, Archelaus
Chadwick, Ralph and John Petitt, Benjamin
Sullivan, Lyman Brown, Jeremiah Chamber-
lain, Urbane Hitchcock, Samuel Wickwire,
Charles Brighton, John S. Sessions.

The Cleveland and Rice families had many
representatives. Gardner Cleveland, a Revo-
lutionary soldier, had three children and thirty-
four grandchildren. William Rice had twelve
children of whom three became prominent:
Victor M., born in Mayville in 1818, was edu-
cated at Allegheny College, Meadville, Pa.,
and from 1848 to 1854 was connected with the
city schools of Buffalo, and in 1854 city super-
intendent. From 1854 to 1867 he was State
Superintendent of PubHc Instruction ; William
S., for twenty-one years teacher in Buffalo
city schools, and several years city superin-
teiident of Buffalo schools: Emily A., long
principal of Yonkers Female Seminary ._ Wil-t|
liam Rice was many years a justice, and in i .
was one of the three representatives of the
county in the State Assembly.

Ira F. Gleason (whose father Ira settled early
in French Creek, coming from Connecticut),
came from Madison county in 183 1 to French
Creek, thence in 1837 to Clymer Village and
engaged in trade, which he conducted continu-
ously for twenty years. He held many impor-
tant offices — justice, supervisor, etc. Young
gives the early merchants thus: "The first
store is said to have been kept by John Stow
in 1823. John Heath and Joseph H. Williams

TOWNS— CLYAIER

141

succeeded him. Alviu Williams succeeded
them, and also kept an inn, the first in town in
1826. Later were Gardner Cleveland, Jr., and
Howard Blodgett ; Ira F. Gleason and John
; Williams; Gleason and Stephen W. Steward;
■ Stephen W. Steward; Ayers & Blood. In 1875
William B. Blodgett and Arthur Beach were
general merchants ; Ayers & Coffin, druggists ;
Willis D. Gallup & Son, hardware and stoves."
One of the early and industrious pioneers of
Clymer was Peter Jaquins, a soldier in the War
of 1812. He reomved from Guilford, Chenango
county, to Cattaraugus county in 1820, in 1824
bought lot 42 in Clymer. and in 1825 made his
home here and erected the first saw and grist
mills in the town. He was an excellent hunter,
and it is said "that he captured nearly one hun-
dred wolves previous to 1812, for which he re-
ceived an average bounty of twelve dollars per
head." His children were : Bruce, who located
near his father ; Edward, who went to Kansas ;
Wallace ; Art, a farmer and cattle dealer, who
married Frances Vrooman ; Elizabeth. The
lame of this enterprising pioneer is perpetu-
ited in the post office called Jaquins.
, James. John and David Petitt, brothers, emi-
a^rants, arrived at New York about 1789 to be-
come citizens of the New World. One of them
settled on Long Island, one located in New
fersey and James made his home on the west
shore of Lake Champlain. Here his son Ralph
vas born at Willsborough, Essex county,
tlalph when a young man went to Genesee
;ounty, where he married Julia Lj^ons, March
!5, 1827, and the next month the young couple
ame to Clymer and commenced housekeeping
n the primitive house erected on Mr. Petitt's
ocation on lot 47, on Clymer Hill. Mr. Petitt
vas thereafter a lifelong resident of the town
ind held numerous local offices. Ten of his
ihildren attained maturity.

: Lyman Brown, a native of Kingston, Pa.,
■orn May 30, 1801, subsequently was a resident
f Hamburg, Erie county. In 1820 he bought
and on lot 26 in Clymer, and in 1831 became
: settler of the town, where he resided until
'is death in 1873; his wife died the same year.
■Ir. Brown was extensively engaged in cattle
ealing, was supervisor in 1848, and held other
own offices. His sons were Jesse, Martin,
lomer. Jesse was born May 9, 1825, in Erie
ounty, married Louisa Bligh, of North Cly-
}ier in 1851 ; he followed the vocation of his
^ther, served as town superintendent, super-
lisor several years, inspector of elections many
ears, and loan commissioner several terms.
I In 1832 Gideon Brockway, with his wife and
bur children, removed from Southampton,

Mass., to Clymer, purchased a farm and resided
here until his death. His youngest son, Rich-
ard B., accompanied his father and made Cly-
mer his home. Beman, oldest son, came a year
later to visit his parents, and as he says, "in
the winter of 1833 I taught a district school in
Clymer, for which I was about as well qualified
as the average citizen is to edit a newspaper.
However, I made out to stand the occupation
three months, which were the longest ones I
remember to have passed in my whole life."
Mr. Brockway proved his ability to "edit a
newspaper" not many years after, by making
a success of the "Mayville Sentinel," which he
edited and published for ten years. He was on
the editorial stafT of the "New York Tribune"
with such men as Horace Greeley and Charles
A. Dana as companions. At the time of his
death, December, 1892, he was the oldest news-
paper editor and publisher of the State, and the
owner of the "Watertown Daily and Weekly
Times." In him all elements of a strong char-
acter were so imited as to cause one to say,
"He was a man."

Williard McKinstry writes in the "Fredonia
Censor" in 1885 this of the town :

The dwellings fifty years ago were mostly of logs.
Some noted characters have lived in this vicinity,
Horace Greeley's parents about two miles from the
village, and this was their post office address. J. G.
Cleveland, since connected with the New York "Tribune,"
spent his boyhood days here. William Rice, a member
of the Legislature in 1840, was the village blacksmith,
and his son, Hon. Victor M. Rice, has since occupied
a prominent position as State Superintendent of Public
Instruction and was the founder of the free school
system of this State. He struggled to get an educa-
tion. His first school books were bought by his going
to the woods and cutting wood for the ashery and
drawing it there with a pair of steers which he had
broken, made the exchange with my uncle who then
carried it on. Hon. Silas Terry, a most worthy citi-
zen, held a seat in the Legislature of 1840, and his son,
L. S. Terry, who has been Supervisor several times, is
one of the progressive farmers of the town. When
Senator Lorenzo Morris first commenced practicing
law he opened an office over Ira F. Gleason's store in
Clymer, and Stephen W. Steward did mercantile busi-
ness here before founding the First National Bank of
Corry. It is a prosperous agricultural town, and the
railroad and the building up of the City of Corry, eight
miles distant, have given it a good market and pros-
perity. It has an excellent soil and contains many
splendid farms. Hon. Walter L. and Loren B. Ses-
sions passed their youthful days with their father,
John S. Sessions, an early settler on a farm in this
town, and have always had a strong support here in
their political aspirations. Although a small to\vn
Clymer has exerted an important influence at times in
politics of the State through the men who have li\ed
here.

Garrett Slotboom, a Hollander, came to Cly-
mer in 1850, and died here in 1885. He had

142

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

served his time in the Dutch army, married a
daughter of John Nuytinck. His son, John A.,
was born in Holland, educated in the Clymer
schools, and assisted his father in farming. He
enlisted in August, 1862, in Company D, 112th
Regiment, New York Volunteers, and served
until the close of the war. He was wounded
at Cold Harbor, Virginia, June i, 1864. In
1866 he commenced merchandising at Clymer
Hill, continued twenty-five years, then located
at Clymer Village. He served as justice of the
peace and supervisor. He married Magde-
lene, a daughter of Peter Kooman (who settled
in Clymer about 1858. He was born near Ant-
werp, Holland, emigrated to Buffalo in 1847.
He died January 6, 1879). The Hollanders,
many of whom have made their homes in the
town, are useful and worthy citizens. Hon. G.
W. Patterson, the land agent, it is said, was so
impressed with the value of obtaining such
frugal, honest and industrious people as resi-
dents, that he made extra inducements to
secure their coming. About 1846 the first
nucleus was formed here and now a large per-
centage of the town's best citizens are of this
stock.

John Steward, Jr., settled in Harmony in
1821 and had a large family; his sons were,
John, Stephen W., Eliphalet, and Alfred W.
Stephen W. was for some years a merchant in
Clymer and was later one of the most promi-
nent in founding the First National Bank in
Corry, Pennsylvania. Alfred W., a farmer
and cattle dealer, resided in the village. Sar-
dius located in Harmony and was prominent.

Otis D. Hinckley was a resident of Clymer
since 1850 and one of the town's most active
and useful residents. He was for a time a
merchant, but long and extensively employed
as a surveyor. He was almost continually in
office as justice of the peace, was justice of
sessions of the county court, represented the
First Assembly District in the State Legisla-
ture of 1875 and served as clerk of the Board
of Supervisors for twenty years with marked
ability.

William Emery, son of Gilbert Emery, an
early settler of Harmony, born in Harmony,
April 19. 1840, was a farmer and lawyer, and
long held the office of justice of the peace and
other positions of trust. Byron King, son of
James King, another son of Clymer, was one
of its most substantial citizens. Maurice Smith,
son of Walker Smith, was also born in the
town, and a farmer. J. B. Johnson was also a
farmer and a lumberman. Other residents who
have been of local importance were Hon. Silas
Terry, Artemas Ross, Esq., James Wiltsie,

Daniel Hurlbut, John B. Knowlton, H. E.
Brownell, Jesse Brown, W. D. Gallup, Otis D.
Hinckley, Ira E., William B. and Charles S.
Gleason, Stephen W. Steward, Charles Bright-
man, Hartson S. Ayer, and John Bidwell, who
headed the national ticket of the Prohibition
Party, was a native of the town.

The religious denominations are : Metho-
dist Episcopal, Baptist, United Brethren and
Dutch Reformed. A good interest has been
manifested in education, and, besides the dis-
trict schools, a union school of three depart-
ments is conducted at Clymer Village.

Young carefully gathered facts concerning
the early mills. He says in 1875 :

The first sawmill was built by Peter Jaquins in 1825;
he added a gristmill the ne.xt year. Eight years after
both were burned. A new sawmill was built and eight
years thereafter that was burned and Mr. Jaquins
again built one, which he subsequently sold to Porter
Damon and John Williams, who also built a gristmill.
Williams sold his interest to Damon. The mill passed
to his sons, Loren and Andrew. The latter sold to
Hartson S. Ayer & Brother and the sawmill was sold
to Hall & Shepard. Hall sold to Welch and Shepard I
& Welch erected a large three-story planing and shin-
gle mill. William Rice built a gristmill below the vil-
lage on the west branch of the Broken-Straw and sold 1
it to Judson Hurlbut, who built a sawmill. Daniel
Hurlbut built a sawmill on Big Broken-Straw, on lot
50, a mile below the Shepard & Welch mill. John B.
Knowlton now owns the mill, with machinery for plan-'
ing, turning and the manufacture of agricultural im-
plements. Thomas Card built a sawmill on lot 20,
where he still owns a mill. James Upton built a saw-
mill on lot 45; the dam is built of stone from a large
quarry near the mill. B. Parker early built a mill on
lot 9. A stream sawmill was built by Shepard &
Havens at Clymer Station, and is now owned by Wil-
liam Havens. A stream mill has also been recently
built near the center of the town by Charles Maxwell
and Joshua Hatton.

Clymer Village and station are practically y
one place, which is a thriving place of trade

The first physician was Dr. Roswell F. Van t
Buren, who was in practice from 1826 to 1836,)
when he moved to Carroll. Dr. S. G. Peck!
settled early on lot 6, and practiced many years. >
Dr. Harvey A. Phinney succeeded to Dr. Vanr
Buren's practice and continued a physician 1
until his death in the fifties. Later were Drs. •
George R. Spratt, J. M. McWharf, Artemas
Ross, L. P. McCray and others.

Supervisors — 1821, Ande Nobles; 1822-23,1
John Heath ; 1824-27, Gardner Cleveland ; 1828,-
A. S. Underwood; 1829, Alex. Wilson, Jr.;
1830, John Heath; 1831-34, Wm. Rice; 1835,!
Harvey A. Phinney; 1836-39, Wm. Rice; 1840,
Ira F. Gleason; 1841-42, Wm. Rice; 1843-
44, Moses Randall; 1845, Wm. Rice; 1846-47,
Samuel Bly ; 1848, Lyman Brown; 1849-50.

TTV irATJ I'TTXKIRK

BKUUK-S MEiKHaAL HuSPlTAI. AXl' l.ll;l:Ai:Y I UII,! 'IXi 1. IiUXKIRK, X\ Y.

L^^ti

Jl ka
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TOWNS

143

3has. Brightman; 1851-55, Stephen W. Stew-
ird ; 1856, Jesse Brown; 1857, Stephen W.
itevvard ; 1858-59, Chas. Brightman; i860, Her-
iles Rice; 1861, L. S. Terry; 1862-63, Hartson
). Ayer; 1864-67, Joshua Hatton ; 1868-70,
lartson S. Ayer; 1871-72, Jesse Brown; 1873-
4, Otis J. Green; 1875, Jesse Brown; 1876-78,
). D. Hinckley; 1879-S2, Lawyer S. Terry;
883-89, John A. Slotboom ; 1890-96, James D.
iallup ; 1 897-03-04-05-06-07-08-09- 10- 1 1- 1 2-13-
4-15-16-17-18-19-20, Lorenzo P. McCray, who
1 1914-15-16-17, was chairman pro ton. of the

board and in 1918-19 was its capable chairman.
He is now serving his twenty-fourth term on
the board, only one other member Joseph A.
McGinnies having served a longer term.

Clymer reported to the State census bureau
in 1915 a population of 1,316 citizens and 25
aliens. The Mohawk Condensed Milk Company
of Clymer was reported as employing 31 hands,
and four small factories employing eleven
hands were operated within the town limits.
The full value of real estate in the town in 1918
was $970,726; assessed value, $761,603.

CHAPTER XVII.
The City of Dunkirk.

Town and City of Dunkirk — The first white
en whom it can be definitely stated came into
le corporate limits of the city of Dunkirk
ere a party of surveyors under Andrew E'li-
)tt. Surveyor-General of the United States,
ho in August, 1790, traversed the Lake Erie
!iore of Chautauqua county while engaged in
ttablishing the western boundary of New
'ork State. Seth Pease and his party of Hol-
Ind Land Company surveyors came in 1798
;id traversed the same shore, making a minute
5r\ey of the shore line of Dunkirk harbor.
'j Zattu Gushing, who became familiar with
te section in 1799, when building the "Good
Itent" at the mouth of Mill creek in Erie
cunt}-, Pennsylvania, is due the credit of caus-
i]^;' the first settlement to be made in both the
twn and city of Dunkirk. The first step taken
b Mr. Gushing was in 1804, by the purchase
f)m the Holland Land Company lot 29, which
inluded the west part of Point Gratiot, now
apublic park within the corporate limits of
Imkirk. He also in the same year bought
l(s 28 and 33, these including the lands on
bth sides of Canadaway creek and within the
p;sent city limits.

The first actual settler in the town of Dun-
kk was Seth Cole, who came from Paris,
Cneida county, with Zattu Gushing in Febru-
a;', 1805, bought land at the mouth of Ganada-
Miiy creek from Gushing the following June
ail settled thereon the same year. Zattu Gush-
ir- settled on his land in now the town of Pom-
frt, where descendants yet reside. The land,
fc which he paid three and a third dollars per
a(e, was cultivated by Seth Cole, who took
hi first crop to Buflfalo over the frozen waters
ol Lake Erie. In 1808 Timothy Goulding
bdght land one mile west of the harbor and
serled thereon, his purchase including a part
oi Point Gratiot. He built his house within

the now corporate limits, and has the distinc-
tion of being the first actual settler of the city,
as Seth Cole was of the town of Dunkirk. The
first settler at the Harbor was Solomon Chad-
wick, born at Warren, Mass., October 16, 1776.
In Madison county, New York, he married
Persis, sister of Timothy and Luther Goulding,
and in 1809 moved to Dunkirk with his family,
making the journey overland with sled and
oxen. By a contract dated February 21, 1810,
he bought seventy-three acres at the Harbor,
all lying within the present limits of Ward
Two of Dunkirk. His log cabin, the first at
the Harbor, was on the shore near the foot of
present Dove street, a little East of the water
works, where he lived five or six years, then
moved to the town of Sheridan, thence to
Perrysburg, in Cattaraugus county, where he
died, aged 87. From him Dunkirk derived the
name of "Ghadwick's Bay." A rivalry existed
for several years between Fredonians, who
spoke of "the lonely fishermen of Ghadwick's
Bay," the fishermen in turn talking of "picking
blackberries on the common at Pomfret Four
Corners."

Luther Goulding came from Madison county
in June, 1809, and settled west of Chadwick
and built a log house near the bay and east of
his brother Timothy. Luther Goulding built
a barn near Point Gratiot, the first frame build-
ing erected in the city. That barn was repre-
sented in a painting of Dunkirk made by Pro-
fessor D'.A.lmane in 1835, and was standing as
late as 1846.

But a little later than the Ghadwicks and
Gouldings came the Brighams, who were
longer and more closely identified with the for-
tunes of Dunkirk. John Brigham came in
1808, bought lot 23, within present city limits,
and there died in August, 1828. He laid out

144

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

Brigham road in Dunkirk, the second road
opened from Fredonia to the lake.

John Brigham, Jr., with his wife and child,
came with his father, and Walter E. Brigham
was the first white child born in Dunkirk.
Amon Gaylord. born in Connecticut, came
about iSii and built upon land on Lake street,
a little west of Central avenue, his son Ahiram
coming at the same time. Daniel Pier came
in January, 1814, and built at the corner of
now Second and Lake streets.

The first vessel of which there is record
came to Chadwick's Bay in 1810, commanded
by Samuel Perry, but Dunkirk Harbor and
the mouth of the Canadaway became better
known during the second war with Great
Britain.

June 18, 1812, war was declared against Eng-
land, of which official information reached Fort
Niagara on the 26th. The British learned of
this twelve hours earlier through a dispatch
sent to Queenstown by John Jacob Astor in the
interest of the Fur Company. They promptly
captured a small vessel loaded with salt which
had just set out from Black Rock to coast
along the shore of Chautauqua to Barcelona
or Erie. This was the first notice the citizens
of Buffalo had of the existence of war. It cre-
ated consternation upon the border, Chautau-
qua was thinly settled. Its people were poor and
illy prepared. Having forty miles of lake coast,
it was more exposed to invasion than most of
the other parts of the Holland Purchase. Until
Perry's victory in the fall of 1813, the British
had complete command of Lake Erie, and
could land forces at Dunkirk, Barcelona, Silver
Creek, and at the mouth of the Cattaraugus.
The poverty of the people undoubtedly shielded
the county from invasion. Soon after news of
war reached the county, a detachment of forty-
five men under Captain James McMahan was
posted at Barcelona, where he built a defensive
work to protect salt boats on their arrival at
the northern terminus of the Portage road. A
similar detachment was stationed at the mouth
of the Canadaway to guard those salt boats on
their way up the lake. Salt from the Onondaga
salt springs for Pittsburgh was at this time the
principal article of transportation along the
southeastern shore of the lake.

With the exception of an affair at the mouth
of the Cattaraugus, the town of Dunkirk has
the distinction of being the only town in the
county in which actual hostilities occurred be-
tween opposing forces in war, subsequent to
its settlement. It was an attempt by the
enemy to capture a salt boat on its way from
Buffalo to Erie. About forty men of Captain

Tubbs's company. Col. John McMahan's regi-
ment, had been posted at the Widow Cole's
house at the mouth of the Canadaway. The
salt boat had put into Eighteen Mile Creek to
escape a British cruiser. It stole out in the
darkness, and after a hard night's row ran up
on the west shore of Canadaway creek. As
morning broke and the fog cleared away, they
saw off the mouth of the creek, not a quarter
of a mile away, a large armed schooner, proba-
bly the "Lady Provost." A boat with a dozen
or more armed men set out from the vessel to
attack the salt boat, w^hich fired upon them
from a swivel. Captain Tubbs and his men lay
concealed behind the east bank of the creek;
when the British small boat arrived within
musket shot they opened fire. The boat imme-
diately put back to the vessel, with what, if
any. loss has not been certainly ascertained.
It is related that the crew of the "Lady Pro-
vost," afterwards captured by Perry, stated it
to have been three wounded and none killed

Mrs. Cole was the heroine of the occasion
when hostilities commenced she mounted hei
horse and rode to the Canadaway for reinforce-
ments ; after her return she was actively en-
gaged in carrying food and drink to the men
The war waged by the British upon salt boats
finally destroyed all commerce in salt, and it;
transportation over the Portage Road came t( 1^
an end.

During the summer of 181 3, British vessels
were cruising the lake, chasing and capturinfl
such small craft as ventured from port, occffl
sionally looking into Erie Harbor, where Perri
was building his fleet, and now and then comt
mitting depredations along the American shoKi
The "Queen Charlotte," mounting seventeett
guns, afterwards captured by Perry at tfcl
battle of Put-in Bay, was the most dreaded c
these vessels. She was a scourge to the iti
habitants all along the eastern border of tht
lake, often hovered off Dunkirk, and made frfl
quent descents to plunder the inhabitants, pan
ticnlarly at or near Eighteen Mile Creek i
Erie county.

After the war the commerce of the bay ir
creased a little. Haven Brigham, second son
Jonathan, before mentioned, settled in Sherc
dan in 1810. He and his younger brother Wii
sor built a sawmill and had it in operation i
181 1, but soon after Winsor sold out his intet
est to Haven and commenced the erection Q
the county court house at Mayville. Havei
about 1815, built a schooner of forty ton
burden, the "Kingbird." She was commands
by Capt. Zephaniah Perkins, who ran her b
tween Dunkirk and Buffalo, freighted wit-

FIRST FP.AME }3ARX EKKCTI':!) IN' SI I l:;i ;I I 'AN\

sA.\irsii.\ Ai.i''i.\.^ iiiiisK. i>r.\Kii;K

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WASHINGTON PA UK— ULWKiKK

THE CITY OF DUNKIRK

145

lumber from Haven's mill. She brought back
merchandise for the people of Dunkirk and
Fredonia.

In 1816 a stock of goods consigned to Ralph
md Joseph Plumb, merchants of Fredonia,
,vas landed at Chadwick's Bay. As this was
;he first cargo of such a nature, a temporary
,vharf was made by placing wooden horses in
he water upon which planks were laid until
he vessel was reached from the shore.

In 1817, with the passage of the act author-
zing the construction of the Erie canal, a new
nd hopeful era dawned for Dunkirk. The act
vas passed April 15, 181 7, and the same year
)eWitt Clinton was elected Governor of New
fork. Chadwick's Bay was then undoubtedly
he best harbor on Lake Erie within New York
itate limits, and was for a time a dangerous
ival of both Buffalo and Black Rock. Gov-
rnor Clinton thought most favorably of Chad-
rick's Bay, and invested in Dunkirk real estate.
)unkirk was spoken of as the most suitable
.'estern terminus for the Erie canal, and hopes
in high, likewise speculation.
Daniel Garnsey in 1816 or 1817 purchased
)r Elisha Jenkins, of Alljany, as trustee for a
Dmpany composed of Isaiah and John Town-
md, E)e\Vitt Clinton and Mr. Thorn, 1,008
:res of land, including the farms of Solomon
hadwick, Timothy and Luther Goulding,
•aniel Pier and others. Assignments were
iken of their contracts and deeds oI)tained of
le Holland Land Company. Chadwick re-
;ived $2,000 for his farm, for which he paid
ss than two hundred. Daniel Pier, who was
hatter when he came to Dunkirk two years
ifore, brought with him a box of wet and
imaged hats, which he repaired and sold for
:venty dollars. This sum was all that he
lid towards his land, which he now sold for
.',400. Such advances in real estate were
len without precedent in the county, and have
:arcely been paralleled since. Like vicissi-
ides of fortune have followed Dunkirk from
le beginning. Mr. Garnsey was probably a
iockholder in this Land Company, became its
:fent, and actively promoted its interests. For
iveral years he was the leading citizen of
unkirk, and the first member of Congress
lorn Chautauqua county. This was the begin-
mg of the Dunkirk Land Company, and as
i'On as their purchases were completed, the
■ullage site was surveyed and improvements
I'gun.

About the beginning of 181 7, the harbor was
(lied for a short time Garnsey's Bay. The
lime Dunkirk was given by Elisha Jenkins,

Chau— 10

the trustee of the Land Company, and one of
the proprietors of the village. Mr. Jenkins
was a citizen of Albany, and had been a ship-
ping merchant of Hudson, with his brothers
and father. They had also a business house
in New York, where some of the firm resided.
Elisha was for a time engaged for the firm at
Dunkirk, France. The bay at that place re-
sembled Chadwick's Bay on Lake Erie, hence
the name Dunkirk. Dunkirk in France is a
city in the department of Le Nord, situated on
the Straits of Dover, a place famous in French
history and the scene of many battles and
sieges.

In 1817 Sampson Alton erected a two-story
brick house on the south side of Front street,
near Buffalo street, which stood until torn
down in 1891. That was the first brick house
built in Chautauqua county, the brick being
made on Front street, the lime burned in
his own kiln and the bricks were laid by the
owner.

Adam Fink, postmaster of Dunkirk under
President Jackson, the first man to be married
in Dunkirk, was an expert axe-maker, and
made the first cast steel edged tool in the
county.

Daniel Garnsey, supported by the Albany
group of gentlemen known as the "Dunkirk
Association," then principal proprietors, was
diligent in his endeavors to build up Dunkirk
and invite commerce. A road was made to
Fredonia, a wharf and warehouse were built at
the foot of Center street, a hotel on Front and
Center streets, and other buildings at an ex-
pense of $20,000. The earliest and only num-
ber of the "Chautauqua Gazette" in existence,
which was published at Fredonia, bearing date
May 19, 1818, contains this "Marine News"
underneath the woodcut of a ship : "Garnsey's
Bay, Dunkirk, May 17th, 1818. — Cleared:
Sloop Independence for Sandusky, passengers,
lumber and potatoes. Arrived : Schooner
Firefly from Detroit, with passengers. Schooner
Blacksnake from Erie with passengers and fish.
Schooner Buffalo Packet with passengers and
furniture. Schooner Eliza of Sandusky with
passengers. Sloop Livona from Buffalo with
passengers. Cleared : Fireflv from Buffalo,
Blacksnake for Buffalo, Buffalo Packet for
Buffalo, President Monroe for Buft'alo, Livona
for the River Raisin with passengers."

Later in the same year the "Walk-in-the-
Water," the first steamboat to navigate the
lake, was added to the list of boats that regu-
larly entered the harbor of Dunkirk. She
was of two hundred forty tons burden. Job

146

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

Fish was her first captain. The following
notice of a trip of the "Walk-in-the-Water" to
Mackinaw to carry goods for the American
Fur Company, is given in a New York City
paper of May 20, 1819: "The swift steam-
boat, Walk-in-the-Water, is intended to make
a voyage early in the summer from Bufifalo on
Lake Erie, to Mackinaw on Lake Huron, for
the conveyance of a company. The ship has so
near a resemblance to the famous Argonautic
expedition in the heroic ages of Greece, that
expectation is quite alive on the subject. Many
of our most distinguished citizens are said to
have already engaged their passage for this
splendid adventure."

The "Walk-in-the-Water" made weekly trips
from Black Rock to Detroit and back, stopping
at Dunkirk and other principal towns on the
American shore. Her rates of fare from Black
Rock were $3.00 to Dunkirk. $6.00 to Erie,
$12 to Cleveland, $15 to Sandusky, $18 to De-
troit. Her speed was from eight to nine miles
an hour. She made seven trips to Detroit the
first season. The facilities for travel afforded
by this boat brought Chautauqua county a
little nearer the east, lessening the time and
increasing the comfort of passengers from and
to Buffalo. The "Walk-in-the-Water" was
ruined in a squall near Buffalo, in November,
1821. It was succeeded by the "Superior," the
second steamboat on the lake, in May, 1822.

The "Chautauqua Gazette" of May 19, 1818,
contains an advertisement dated February 17,
1818, in which under "New Store" N. N. Ca-
pron advertises that he has "groceries, dry
goods, hardware and crockery, also cotton and
woolen goods, cotton yarn and thread, glass,
mill irons, nail5, iron and steel, broad and nar-
row axes, long draft and trace chains and that
such goods will be exchanged for lumber and
gain or sold very low for cash." That he will
"pay cash for one thousand pounds of deer
hair." This early merchant, Newton N.
Capron, was the brother to Horace Capron,
once a Commissioner of Agriculture to Japan.
By the "Chautauqua Gazette" of August 10
of that year, it appears that the place had fully
assumed the name "Dunkirk," and that prac-
tical and substantial steps had been taken to
prepare the harbor for the entry of vessels.

John Beggs. of the merchandising firm of
Beggs & Lvnde. came from Scotland and set-
tled in Dunkirk in 1819, and was prominently
connected with its early history. He built
Central avenue dock and the Buffalo street
dock. He died in 1837. His brother Charles
came later and was a druggist and deputy post-
master

Dr. Ezra Williams settled in Dunkirk in 1
1820, and in his prime had a very large prac-;
tice. He was postmaster of Dunkirk under;
President John Quincy Adams, one of the
founders of Dunkirk Academy and father ofi
the eminent Dr. Julien T. Williams.

There were no good roads between Dun-i
kirk and Buffalo, no bridges across the streams.^
An artificial harbor had been completed ati
Buffalo in 1821 ; the western termination of
the Erie Canal had been decided in favor of
Buffalo in 1823; these things all tending to
hinder Dunkirk's expected prosperity. In 1825
the population had dwindled to fifty inhabit-
ants, and the dull years prior to 1818 had again
returned.

Fortunately for the future of Dunkirk, its

possibilities attracted the attention of Walten

Smith, a young merchant of Fredonia, remark-*

able for energy and business capacity. Besides

the superior advantages of Dunkirk as a lake

port, with its fine harbor open to navigatipi!

two weeks earlier than Buffalo, there still lini

gered a belief that it might be necessary t((

extend the Erie canal to this point to gain tht

benefits of its harbor. Moreover, a bill ha«(

been passed by the Legislature upon the pen

sonal application of the inhabitants of tW

southern tier of counties for the appointmem ^^

of three commissioners to explore and survex ^

a State road from the Hudson river to somi j.:

point upon Lake Erie, which it was nearly can

tain would be Dunkirk. In fact, the surveyor

employed by the State arrived at Dunkirk o

December 24, 1825, and stuck their last flag a

the foot of the wharf, completing their survey

This line was pronounced by them to be thl

best to the lake. These considerations UB -

doubtedly influenced Walter Smith to unite hi «

destiny with that of the village. In that ye^™

he bought the undivided half of the propertr

of the Dunkirk Company for the sum of $10,00 .

and immediately turned his energ>' and bus

ness abilitv to building up the place and dc _^

veloping the resources of the surroundini

country. Although he was scarcely twentn

five years of age, his business capacity an

judgment was that of one of mature years an

long experience. He had broad views of bus

ness and was fitted mentally for large undei

takings. He became at once the controUin

power in Dunkirk, and soon the most inAuef

tial and public-spirited business man in tit

county. . ,„ , CI

Walter Smith was born in Wethershek

Conn., March 21, 1800. When fifteen, he w^

clerk in the store of Jacob Ten Eyck, in Caa

novia New York. When nineteen, he madeli

seed

In I?
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THE CITY OF DUNKIRK

147

horseback tour through the western counties
of the State in search of a suitable place to
engage in business. He arrived at Fredonia
in March, 1819, and resolved to settle there.
He returned to Cazenovia, where, although
still a minor, he formed a partnership with Mr.
; Ten Eyck, as Walter Smith & Co. Mr. Ten
Eyck furnished the capital, and Mr. Smith re-
turned to Fredonia in May with a stock of
goods. Todd & Douglass engaged in business
in Fredonia that year. Joseph and Ralph
Plumb, then in business there, failed in June
of the same year, and Mr. Smith bought their
store and ashery. His first year's sale of goods
exceeded $20,000 and at the end of twelve
months he repaid Mr. Ten Eyck and owned the
V business. This increased so that in the sixth
year it amounted to $75,000. In the earlier
years of his business he furnished supplies for
all the forts and garrisons of the United States
on the Great Lakes under a contract with the
general government. Every article of produce
so furnished was raised in Chautauqua county
except white beans, which were bought in
Ohio.

In 1S26 Walter Smith moved to Dunkirk and
thereafter devoted his talent and energy to
building up that place. He "transferred to this
theater of action his capital, his prestige, his
remarkable talent for business and adventure.
Daily stages for passengers and a wagon line
for transportation were soon established be-
tween Dunkirk and Warren, Pennsylvania.
Communication with Bufifalo was opened by
means of the 'Pioneer.' The few steamboats
that then made infrequent voyages to west-
ern points, where great cities have since grown
up like exhalations, were induced to call at
Dunkirk for the convenience of those who were
ivestward bound, and a new impulse was given
, ;o the general trade, travel and improvement
if the country. Mr. Smith's life was a masterly
md persistent struggle, always against natural
obstacles, often under adverse fortunes, to
mild up a commercial town at Dunkirk which
vould vie in importance with neighboring
;ities on the lake." Such was his attention to
he public interest that his influence became
)Otential in the north part of the county, par-
icularly in his own village, so that it used to
ic facetiously said that Dunkirk had no other
'. jod than Walter Smith.

''"'ij In 1827 the expenditure of $4,000 appro-
.•|riated by Congress to improve navigation of
'*"'| Tie harbor and the building of a lighthouse
''. 'j.' jvas commenced. The stake for its site had
'"^'ijeen stuck on the loth of July the year before
f" >y Garnsey and Dox. The steamboat "Pio-

neer,"' Captain Miles, was now making daily
trips between Bufifalo and Dunkirk, carrying
passengers. It would leave Bufifalo at 9 o'clock
in the evening and arrive at Dunkirk the next
morning at 8 o'clock. Returning it would
leave Dunkirk at 9 o'clock a. m. and arrive at
Bufifalo at 2 o'clock p. m. A line of stages be-
tween Dunkirk and Erie, via Fredonia and
Westfield, connected with the "Pioneer." At
Erie, this line of stages connected with a line
to Pittsburgh and another to Cleveland. By
the "Pioneer" and these routes, passengers
from Bufifalo could reach Cleveland in two
days and Pittsburgh in three.

Walter Smith so stimulated the settlement
of Dunkirk that by 1830 its population is be-
lie\-ed to have increased from fifty to over three
iumdred people. The defeat of the State Road
by the Legislature of 1826 was the beginning
of the agitation of the subject of a railroad.
Mr. Smith was one of the first projectors of
the New York & Erie railroad, and in its in-
cipient stages the leading and most efficient
man in the State to promote it. He spent the
greater part of the winters of 1831-32 in Al-
bany, bringing the importance of the road to
the attention of the Legislature. It was largely
through his efiforts that the road was char-
tered, April 24, 1832. Through his influence a
clause was incorporated in the charter requir-
ing the running of a certain number of trains
into Dunkirk daily, thus securing to it perma-
nently and beyond contingency the benefit of
the road. The wisdom of this provision is now
apparent. There were then but five thousand
miles of railroad in the whole world, yet Mr.
Smith saw with a remarkable clearness of
vision the revolution in business that railroads
were to make. At a meeting of the projectors
he said that "the day would come when cattle
fattened in Indiana. Illinois and Ohio would
be brought to the New York Market." His
prediction was derided at the time as vision-
ary.

Judge Richard P. Marvin, of Jamestown,
was also one of the first citizens of the county
to appreciate the importance of a railroad. He
addressed a meeting at Jamestown, September
20. 1831, of which Judge Elial T. Foote was
chairman, at which it was resolved that appli-
cation should be made to the Legislature for
a charter. This was the first public movement
made in reference to the New York & Erie rail-
road. It was through his efTorts that the im-
portant provision was incorporated in its char-
ter that the termination of the road at Lake
Erie should be at some point between the Cat-
taraugus creek and the Pennsylvania line.

148

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

The preliminary survey was made in 1832 by
Dewitt Clinton, Jr. One million dollars of
stock was required to be subscribed before the
company could be organized. The subscrip-
tion of William G. Buckner completed the re-
quired amount, and the company was organ-
ized in July, 1833. Eleazer Lord of New York
was chosen the first president, and William G.
Buckner, treasurer. Benjamin Wright was
appointed to survey the route. He was assist-
ed by James Seymour and Charles EUet. The
survey was completed in 1834. In 1835 the
company was organized, and forty miles put
under contract.

By the census of 1835, Dunkirk had a popu-
lation of 628, an increase of nearly one hun-
dred per cent, since the census of 1830. This
increase resulted in the incorporation of the
village of Dunkirk in 1837.

The "Chautauqua Gazette" was the first
newspaper published in the county. In ^1826
it was united with the "People's Gazette." It
was moved bv Mr. Hull to Dunkirk in 1826
and was the first newspaper published there.
In a few months, however, it was removed to
Westfield. The "Chautauqua Whig" was the
first permanent newspaper published in Dun-
kirk. Its publication was commenced in Au-
gust, 1834, by Thompson & Carpenter. After-
wards its name was changed to the the "Dun-
kirk Beacon," the name probably suggested by
the beacon at the entrance of the harbor.

It was while Dunkirk was part of district
9 of town of Pomfret, that its first school house
was built. This building, which stood near
the rear of the later Lake Shore Bank, was in
after years filled up as a dwelling hou.se. A
brick school house was built about 1827. In
May, 1837, Dunkirk Academy was incor-
porated, the brick school house being used for
the Academy building. Twelve years later the
property was conveyed to the Union School
district, and the academy became the academic
department of the Union School.

On Mav 5, 1830, a Baptist church was organ-
ized, the' fiVst in the town. The Revs. Joy
Handy and Elisha Tucker were among its first
preachers. The society worshipped in the new
brick schoolhouse on Third street for many
years. Later, this church and others held serv-
ices over Parson's wagon shop. In 1856 it
built a brick church.

In 1830, ten persons, Congregationalists
and Presbyterians, petitioned the Buffalo Pres-
bytery to' organize them into a church, and
a church was formally constituted May 22,
1^30. About September ist that year, Rev
Timothv Stillman, a graduate of Yale and

de'^io-ned as a community house, and namedd Ke;F
Westminster Hall. This building, 80 by 40J:
feet, consists of four stories, has an auditonumt
provided with a stage equipped with sceneryj k
and electric light effects, making it possible tat imi
stage plays of any kind ; beautifully furnished* I
club rooms and parlors; a billiard room, withl
three tables ; dining room accommodations fon I.
250 guests, and is one of the most complete and( hi
elaborate in the State erected by any church! u,]
for community service. . ijf

Rev. Jay Trvon Badgley, born in Blenheimji ^t
N. Y., Decem'ber 30, 1863, removed in 187^ Bp_
with his parents to California, where he waa ksiai
educated in the public schools of San Jose untW - •
prepared for college. He entered Hamiltor.
College in 1884, graduating in 1889, servin^
principal of Madison Academy, 1889-91 ;h«i |
entered Auburn Theological Seminary in 1891)'
and graduated in 1894. The same year he wa:n
called to the pastorate of the First Presby•^
terian Church of Dunkirk, N. Y., contmuinfi
in this office for twenty-five years, resigning
in 1919, when he enlarged his field of activity by

Auburn Theological Seminary, began his
labor as pastor on a salary of four hundred
dollars a year. The congregation also wor-
shipped in the brick schoolhouse on Third
street. As a result of a revival in 1833, thirty
were added to the church and measures taken
to erect a meeting house on the corner of Cen-
ter and Third streets. It was a wooden struc-
ture, and was completed in 1835. Rev. Timo-
thy Stillman closed his labors as pastor in 1838.
He was one of Dunkirk's best known and most
respected citizens of old times. He had a
large influence in religious circles. He was .
small in stature, a strict theologian, and a firm 1
adherent to his denominational faith. It has 1
been said of him that it was seldom that so .
much Presbyterianism was enclosed in so small I
and compact a package. He married Mary
Ann, a daughter of Mosely W. Abell.

October 23rd, 1894, the Rev. J. T. Badgley
was called to the pastorate. He came direct •
from Auburn Theological Seminary, where he
had just graduated, and his pastorate con-- ,
tinned for just a quarter of a century, his resig- i |«ir,cli
nation having been presented October 23rd, ■"""
1920, upon his stated conviction that no pas-
torate with rare exception should extend over
a period of more than twenty-five years. Dur-J
ing this pastorate the church grew and pros
pered. A chime of ten bells ranging in weighU '
from half a ton to one hundred pounds eachlt 115, fo
were installed in the spire as the gift of Mr. R.l;
y. Gross. A very commodious and beautifulil _
iDuilding was erected adjacent to the churchll kkr,

'0.

iooll
More I
Ifijlit,
its. 1

ii. 1

ice hi

THE CITY OF DUNKIRK

149

accepting the position of executive manager
of the Chamber of Commerce of the city of
Dunkirk. Mr. Badgley was married, in 1889,
to Nellie Allen, of Clinton, N. Y. Children:
Ralph A. Badgley. New York City representa-
tive of Sherwin-Williams Company; Mrs. Ben-
I jamin L. Jenks, New York City ; Mrs. Clyde R.
I Elms, Philadelphia, Pa. ; Dr. Carl E. Badgley,
instructor in surgery and anatomy. Michigan
University, Ann Arbor, Mich. ; J. Willard
Badglev, with Atlas Crucible Steel Co., Dun-
kirk, N. Y.

A Methodist Episcopal class was formed
nliout 1833. The service was first held in the
>chool house, later, over Parson's wagonshop.
Before the Civil War the ministers were Revs.
Wright. Johnson, Osborne. Warren and Tib-
bitts. Under the latter a church was built in
1858. This was the forerunner of the present
First Methodist Episcopal Church, now located
at East Sixth and Washington streets.

Dunkirk now had reached the highest degree
of prosperity that it was to enjoy for many a
year, chiefly due to one able, self-reliant and
unassuming citizen who never held a public
office higher than pathmaster. Walter Smith
did more in his day to build up his town and
promote the prosperity of the county than any
other citizen. Of him it has been said that
''no man in the State was his superior in plan-
ning, forecasting and executing grand busi-
ness operations." He died September 21, 1874.
Jamestown at this time depended upon its
lumber and other manufactories for its impor-
tance ; Fredonia upon its trade and mercantile
advantages : while the expectations of Dunkirk
ivere based upon its harbor, the commerce it
ivas to bring, and the great railroad soon to
:erminate there.

In 1836 an act was passed authorizing a loan
o the Erie Railroad Company of $3,000,000.
The comptroller was directed to issue State
;tock to that amount. Judge R. P. Marvin, a
iiember of the Legislature, took an active part
n securing the assistance of the State. This
arge sum was expended, yet the road was not
ompleted and work had to be suspended,
ourteen miles were graded from Dunkirk
asterly, extending south of the present line
nto Arkwright. Relics of these wasted efforts
nay still be seen in the remains of cuts and
ills that mark the heavy grades of the old
'Hite up the ridge to reach the headwaters of
he Conewango. Walnut creek still flows
■ jhrough an old and substantial culvert at a
alace in Arkwright called the Abbey, built
learly seventy years ago. Six or eight miles
f rails wp.re actually laid on this track from

Dunkirk along Railroad avenue. Long before
the whistle of a locomotive was heard in the
county, this piece of road was made use of by
Dunkirk excursion parties. Flat-cars provided
with extemporized brakes, hauled up by horses
to its termination, would run back to Dunkirk
of their own weight. Two cars provided with
temporary seats were filled with Dunkirk peo-
ple on the Fourth of July, 1845, and the day
enjoyed in this unique way. The ties at length
went to decay and the track was abandoned.

The long delay in the completion of the Erie
road of itself would have most disastrously
affected the prosperity of Dunkirk, even had
not a still greater calamity befallen it. The
period immediately previous to 1837 had been
one of apparent prosperity, and business men
of the country had traded extensively upon
credit. People of all classes had embarked in
wild speculations, particularly in real estate.
There was a great demand for corner lots and
favorable sites. Cities were laid out along the
lake wherever there was a harbor. Almost
every village was affected. As Dunkirk was
to be the termination of the Erie railroad it be-
came an unusually promising field for specu-
lation. The crisis came in the spring of 1837.
All the banks in New York and in the whole
country suspended specie paj'ment. Upon
Dunkirk the calamity fell heaviest. The town
seemed prostrated beyond all hope of recov-
ery. The credit of almost every business man
was blasted. Walter Smith, upon whom the
fortunes of Dunkirk rested, was overwhelmed
in the common fate. Fifteen notices of mort-
gage foreclosures appeared in the "Fredonia
Censor" of November 8, 1S37, and twenty-nine
filled the columns of the "Dunkirk Beacon" of
March 30, 1841, evidences of the reckoning
that followed the speculations of 1836. From
this period forward until the Erie railroad ap-
proached completion, but little effort was made
in Dunkirk to recover its prestige. Its com-
merce nearly left it. Steamboats only stopped
there to wood up. The docks and warehouses
went out of repair, their planks and timbers
rotted. Dwelling houses became dilapidated ;
the doors and windows of the vacant ones
broken. For thirteen years the great unfin-
ished Loder House was the home of bats and
owls. Long piles of steamboat wood lined the
road and loaded the wharves of Walter .Smith
and John Beggs.

In 1844 such promise existed for the future
business of the town that the first bank was
opened, a bank of issue, established bv A. J.
Webb.

The land of the Dunkirk Association had

ISO

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

been divided into shares among its owners in
1838. Of the proceeds one-fourth was to be
given to the New York & Erie Railroad, pro-
vided the road should be built in six years.
The company failed in this, notwithstanding
the time had been twice extended. When it
became certain that the road would be com-
pleted, the proprietors of the land made a dona-
tion to the railroad company of forty or fifty
acres for a depot and other purposes. Mr.
Smith, after he bought out the Townsend Com-
pany, purchased for the association about six
hundred acres of additional land. After the
railroad was completed, the property was sold
and the proceeds divided among the pro-
prietors.

September 22, 1841, the Erie road was opened
from Piermont to Goshen, and June 7, 1843, to
Middletown. In 1845 the State released its
lien and authorized the original stockholders
to surrender two shares of old stock and re-
ceive one share of new. The road was opened
to Port Jervis, January 6, 1848, to Bingham-
ton, December 8, 1848, to Owego, June i, 1849,
to Elmira, October, 1849, and to Corning, Janu-
ary I, 1850, and now Horatio G. Brooks, upon
whom the destinies of Dunkirk had so often
rested, risen from the position of fireman to
the rank of engineer, brought his engine. No.
90, built in Boston by Hinckley & Drury. by
way of the Erie Canal and Lake Erie to Dun-
kirk, January 3, 1851. As if to announce his
coming to cheer the hearts and retrieve the for-
tunes of the people of Dunkirk, he blew the
first blast of a locomotive whistle ever heard
in the county of Chautauqua. May 14, of the
same year, the road was opened to Dunkirk,
and the New York & Erie railroad completed.
We continue the story as written many years
ago by Mr. Obed Edson :

The great enterprise which the people of Dunkirk
had so anxiously awaited through long years of doubt
and despondency was at last consummated, and a great
highway of travel opened from the ocean to Lake Erie.
It was the longest railroad in the world. The opening
of the Pacific railroad produced no greater sensation,
and was relatively an event of no greater importance
than the opening of the Erie road at that time. A
great celebration was held in Dunkirk to commemorate
the event. Considering the interest of the occasion,
the number of people assembled, the distinguished per-
sons present participating in the ceremonies, the inter-
esting character and the magnificence of the display, it
has never been equalled by anything of the kind held
in Chautauqua. President Fillmore and his cabinet
and many other distinguished citizens of the nation
were to be present.

The distinguished party arrived in New York from
Washington, May 13, 1851, and in the evening at-
tended a banquet at which Mr. Loder, the presi-
dent of the Erie road, presided. At eight o'clock
in the moijiing of May 14 a train consisting of twelve

passenger cars left New York City having on board,
besides the eminent party, a host of railroad officials.
It was divided into two sections, an hour apart. It
was the first long excursion train that had ever run on
a railroad in the world. The road was four hundred
forty-five and one-half miles long. It was the first
great trunk line in the United States, and the first to
join the Great Lakes with the ocean. Everything was
provided for the comfort and pleasure of the excur-
sion party possible at that day. An observation car
was made of a Hat car which Daniel Webster used as
a rostrum for the delivery of speeches at the stations
as they came to them, and from which he viewed the
scenery of the road while seated in a rocking chair
provided for his comfort. The excursion was a trium-
phal procession all the way. Crowds of people along
the line flocked to witness it. The train stopped at
Elmira over night and did not leave until ten o'clock
the next morning. It was in charge of Engineer
Charles H. Sherman, who at the time of his decease,
and for many years before was a resident of Dunkirk.
The time made for so long and so new a road is not
much exceeded by the speed of trains at the present
time. Between Port Jervis and Narrowsburg the re-
markable run of thirty-four miles was made in thirty-
five minutes. The two sections, just before they
reached Dunkirk, were made into one.

During the forenoon of May 15, ten large steamers
arrived loaded with passengers, .^mong them was the
United States warship "Michigan," the steamers
"Queen City," "Empire State," "Empire" and Key-
stone State." Cannon were fired on the arrival of
each. On the arrival of the "Michigan," one hundred ;l
guns were fired for the Union. The harbor was filled J
with shipping, and presented the appearance of an I
important maritime port. Dunkirk was filled with
people. Every arrangement that was possible in a
town of its size and circumstances had been made for 1
their comfort and entertainment. Private houses were
thrown open. The railroad depot, then a covered build-
ing extending over the present tracks of the Erie and
Lake Shore roads, which at that time was three hun-
dred feet in length, was devoted to the occasion, and 1
the Loder House, an unfinished hotel of large propor-
tions, was filled with tables loaded with eatables. Flags s
and streamers were strung across the streets, decorated d
the hotels and nearly all the private houses. L^pon the
depot above the flags of France and England floated i
the Stars and Stripes. There were archways of roses i
and evergreens — a grand archway spanned the rail-U
road track, through which the train was to pass. Gov-'
ernor Hunt, who had arrived from Buffalo on one ofi
the boats, held a reception at the American Hotel. Then
train from New York, which was expected at i p. m., „
was delayed. It consisted of twelve passenger cars, and 1
bore besides a host of railroad ofticials, Millard Fill- 1-
more, the President of the United States, Daniel Web-"'
ster, and other members of the Cabinet — the president i!
and directors of the Erie, and many distinguished in-i
vited guests. It was decorated with one hundred ban- 1
ners. each bearing an appropriate motto which hzdii
been presented by the towns and villages along the
line. The train had been preceded by the locomotive*
"Dunkirk" as pioneer half an hour in advance. Theyi
stopped long enough at Forestville for Stephen A.
Douglas and John J. Crittenden and others to makek-
some brief remarks to the people that had assembled":
there. As Daniel Webster rose to speak, the dazzlinffii
sun, blazing full in his face, seemed to suggest the
thought. He pointed to that orb, and in true Web-'
sterian phrase, commenced: "My friends, you have as i;
beautiful a country here as yon bright sun ever shone 1

ntlNKinK HIGH SCHOOL

AX OLti-TI.MK VIEW OF CKNTUAL AVEXUK, DUNKIRK

THE CITY OF DUNKIRK

151

upon." As the presiilcut and directors of the road
stepped from the cars, the ladies of Dunkirk presented
them with a l)anner. and Benjamin Loder made an ap-
propriate reply. A procession was then formed under
the direction of Noah D. Snow, marshal, led by Dods-
worth's New York Cornet Band, and marched to the
depot, where tables and provisions had been prepared
for the masses — two oxen, eight sheep, fifty pigs roasted
whole, four loaves of bread containing five barrels of
flour, twelve barrels of hot coffee, three hundred plates
of sandwiches, besides a large quantity of other provi-
sions were ready in the depot as a free lunch for the
thousands in waiting.

The procession soon returned to the Loder House,
where an excellent collation was served to the officers
jf the road; there the tables were beautifully decorated
and the viands most inviting. Flon. George W. Pat-
terson made a speech appropriate to the occasion, which
le concluded by introducing President Fillmore, who
:ongratulated his hearers upon the completion of the
■cad and said it was an undertaking greater in extent
ind of more importance than that which had been
iccomplished by any private corporation in the world.
rle gave as a toast in conclusion: "The New York and
irie Railroad — the greatest private enterprise of the
ige. All honor to the men whose enterprise has accom-
)lished this great work."

Benjamin Loder responded by giving a full history
if the road, and said it was the longest ever built under
ine charter in the world, f-fe was followed by other
peakers, among them Stephen A. Douglas in a very
loquent speech. Senator Daniel S. Dickinson of New
'ork. Governor f-Iunt and others. The last speaker
^s Dr. Peter Wilson, the educated and talented chief
f the Cayuga nation of Indians. He made one of the
lost eloquent speeches of the occasion, eliciting great
pplause. Dr. Wilson then presented Mr. Loder a
anner of the Cayuga tribes, upon which was inscribed
le pipe of peace, their national emblem.
In the meantime a meeting was held in the open air,
■here the multitude was addressed by speakers from
platform on the north side of the Loder House,
resident Fillmore was introduced by the Hon. G. W.
atterson, and briefly addressed the people. He was
illowed by Governor Washington Hunt, William A.
raham, the Secretary of the Navy, and John J. Crit-
nden of Kentucky, Attorney-General, who made a
!ry elof|uent speech. Joseph Hoxie, of New York,
idressed the people in a humorous way, and was fol-
wed by Senator William H. Seward. Soon after the
immencement of the speechmaking. calls were made
r Daniel Webster, which were persisted in until he
ipeared. Many other distinguished men were present
■sides those that have been named, among them Wil-
im L. Marcy. the Secretary of War in Polk's ad-
jnistration during the war with Mexico, Nathan L.
all, Postmaster-General, Senator Fish, and Christo-
:ier Morgan, Secretary of State of New York. The
■eakers, among whom were many from the South, in
le course of their remarks betrayed their concern for
le stability of the nation — they showed that they were
Ifnscious that grave questions were beginning to
Ireaten it. They often referred to the importance of
1« Union of States, and the value of the Erie road as a
llnd of union between the East and West. They ex-
ijessed the hope that other railroads would be built
lading the North to the South, and the whole LTnion
tgether in iron bonds. Tliere were there on that
<casion many representative men, both from the North
«jd the South, who a little later were leaders upon
t)e opposing sides in the great Civil W'ar that soon
^ierwards desolated the land. (This was on the 15th

of May, 1851; on the isth of April, 1861, Fort Sumter
fell, less than ten years later.)

The evening was occupied by the firing of cannon,
ringing of bells, bonfires and illuminations. A grand
display of fireworks such as had never before been be-
held in^ the county, and music by Do;lsworth's New
York Cornet Band, entertained the people to a late
hour. No accident or other occurrence marred the
good feeling, or interrupted the festivities of the occa-
sion. Different estimates Iiave been made of the num-
ber of people present on that day. None goes lower
than fifteen thousand, while many estimate the num-
ber as high as thirty thousand. The President and
most of tlie visitors left Dunkirk on Friday, the day
after the celebration. Mr. Webster, however, remained
until Saturday, when he left for Buffalo. Before his
departure he addressed the citizens of Dunkirk at some
length, mainly upon the subject of internal improve-
ments.

Before the month in which occurred the great rail-
road celebration was over, the New York & Erie rail-
road commenced running five passenger trains from
Dunkirk to New York daily; three were first class, and
two were second class trains. The fare to New York
by the former was eight dollars, by the latter five dol-
lars. The gauge of the road was originally six feet,
which was supposed at the time to give an advantage
over a narrow-gauge in the shipment of freight. Par-
ticular attention was given to the transportation of
stock. The fine steamers "Niagara," "Queen City"
and "Detroit" commenced to navigate Lake Erie in
connection with the railroad to Cleveland, Toledo and
Detroit. The fare for a passage to the latter place
was four dollars. The arrival and departure of these
large boats and of others of less importance gave the
harbor a maritime appearance that it has never since
equalled.

Within a year after the New York & Erie railroad
was completed to Dunkirk, another important railroad
was in operatirin which gave increased importance to
the place. The Buffalo & Erie Railroad Company was
organized as early as April 14, 18,^2. The route was
surveyed and located nearly all the way to the State
line, but as work was not commenced upon it within
four years as required by its charter the enterprise
failed. This attempt to build a road along the shore
of Lake Erie was followed by the incorporation of the
Buffalo & State Line Railroad Company, June 6, 1849.
The road was in a great measure originated by the
enterprise of the people of Fredonia, and a large por-
tion of its stock subscribed by them. It was at first
located through that village and considerable grading
was done on that route, but it was at last decided by
the directors to build the road by the way of Dunkirk.
On the 1st of January, 1852, this road was opened
from the State line of Pennsylvania to Dunkirk, and
on February 25th to Buffalo, with a gauge of four feet,
eight and one-half inches. The railroad that at this
time was being built from Ohio to meet this road was
being laid with a four-foot ten-inch gauge. This led
to a strife for the point where the gauge of the roads
should change. The people of Erie made a strong
effort to have the six-foot .gauge extended to Erie. .\s
it would involve a reshipment of freight it was thought
that the point where the gauge should change would be
of great business importance.

The struggle resulted in what was called the "Har-
bor Creek War," and the tearing up of five or six miles
of track in that town in Erie county. Pemisylvania, by
a mob. The war ended, however, without bloodshed.
The road being completed from Buffalo to Erie, no
longer was the traveler obliged to journey along the

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

152

sandy beech of the lake, or plod through the "Four
Mile Wood" or the "Cattaraugus Swamp" to reach
Chautauqua county from the east. By the subsequent
consolidations of the various roads between Bu»a °
and Chicago the Bufifalo & State Line radroad finally
became a part of the Lake Shore & Michigan South-
ern railway.

After other branches of the Erie railroad
were completed, the line of the road to Duri-
kirk became of minor importance, and the Erie
line of lake steamers was withdrawn, this
greatly reducing the importance of Dunkirk
as a lake port.

Dunkirk, which had been the smaller of the
leading villages of the county, began to take
hio-her position in business and in public affairs
affer the completion of the Erie railroad. One
of the earliest industries to settle there was
the making of candles, a business established
bv Wilson and Harmon Camp, who moved
from SinclairviUe about 1848 and built a much
larger factory and engaged extensively in the
manufacture of candles. In addition to new
industries, men of strong and enterprising
character came, mechanics and professional
man, founders of later well-known Dunkirk
families. In i8s8 the Armory, which later be-
came the City Hall, was built by the State^
and in i8sq the town of Dunkirk was set olt
from Pom^fret. Prior to this action there had
been no town meetings held in Dunkirk vil-
lage, although efforts had been made to that
end Seldom was a supervisor selected from
that part of the town of Pomfret, and the fric-
tion between the villages of Fredoma was in-
tense Finally, Dunkirk's annual demand for
the town meetings and the expense incurred in
some Dunkirk improvements, caused Fredoma
to assent to the creation of the new town.

Soon after the completion of the Erie rail-
road the population of Dunkirk greatly in-
creased, people of many nationalities becotning
permanent residents. The Irish came first
closely followed by the Germans, .and with
them came a new religion the OP^""^? f^f^J
railroad practically introducing the Catholic
faith into Chautauqua county Prior to 1851
there had been no resident Catholic priests
and no Catholic church in the county. When
their numbers were sufficiently increased, the
Bishop sent a missionary priest who would
ga^he? around him the Catholics in some farrn
house and hold religious ^^rvices^ In 1851
Rev. W. Lannon purchased a small frame
building for divine services, and in July, i85-^J
site was chosen for a church The church
opened for divine service March i7, i|54. and
in November it was dedicated by the Rt. Kev.

Bishop Young, of Erie, Pennsylvania. Its first
pastor was the Rev. Peter Colgan, who for nine
years ministered to the wants of the congre-
gation, identifying himself with it in all its
spiritual and temporal prosperity. In 1858 the
Sisters of St. Joseph were brought to Dunkirk
by Rev. Father Colgan to take charge of St.
Mary's School and Orphanage, and May 26,
1 861 the monastery was established.

Many German Catholics at first worshipped
with St. Mary's congregation. In 1857 they
organized a society and built St. George s, a
frame church. A separate parish was formed
in 1874, when Father Kolb took charge and the
church of the Sacred Heart was built at a cost
of $20,000. .

Not all, however, who came with the new
influx of population were Catholics. The Prot-
estant churches of the village received many
new members, and an Episcopal Society was
organized in 1850 by Rev. Charles Avery. Two(
yetrs later a church building was erected, and.
in 1867 a lot was purchased at the corner of.
Ea-le and Fourth streets, and a church erected,
at a cost of $12,000. St. John's German Evan-
gelical Church was organized in 1850 by Rev
Voio-ht of Buffalo, and a church edifice erected
in i8=;2 the first pastor Rev. Strauss.

The Zion Evangelical Association was or-,
ganized in 1865 and a church edifice erected
the same year, Rev. J. J. Bernhardt, pastor.

In 1861 came the Civil War. Dunkirk wa|

among the first localities in Chautauqua county

to be seriously admonished of jts coming. FeW

ruarv 16, 1861, the train which bore Abraham

Lincoln on his way to the capital for "^augura.

tion stopped at Dunkirk, and Lincoln froir

his car, which halted west of the Erie depoV

and just east of the center of Lion street, made

a short speech, in which he ^^V'^f'jfyH

ferred to the gatheriiig storm aboiit to burs

upon the country. Dunkirk may also be sal

to have been a witness to the last great tragedy

of he war when the body of Lincoln was bem|

bo ne to its final resting place after his assassin

nation. As the train paused f Dunkirk at imd

night of the 27th and 28th of April, 1865, for^

moment, to receive a solemn reception amidr

The firing of minute guns, dirges of music, tol

ng of bells, and in the light of funeral torche

a deep and lasting impression was tnade upo

the people there assembled These impress!.

incidents, the great railroad celebration and th

debarkation of Lafayette at the harbor of Dm

kirk in 1825, are the most important histor>

events in the annals of Dunkirk. .

Dunkirk was not only the first town in t\

THE CITY OF DUNKIRK

153

county to be awakened to the great danger
that threatened the country, but the first to
take action in support of the government.
Companies D and E of the 72nd New York
Regiment of the Excelsior Brigade, the first
organized in the county, were raised in Dun-
kirk, sent forward, and June 20, 1861, mus-
tered into service. Less than two months
later, Company B, Captain James M. Brown,
from Jamestown, was mustered in and joined
the same regiment. Captain Patrick Barrett,
of Company E, was the first man to enlist in
Dunkirk, and one of the first soldiers of the
county to fall in battle. He was mortally
wounded at Williamsburgh, Virginia. Wil-
liam O. Stevens, captain of Company D, after-
wards became colonel of this regiment, and
was killed at Chancellorsville. In the fall. Com-
pany H, also from Dunkirk, Captain Stephen
H. Doyle, was mustered in and joined the same
regiment : he was killed in battle before Rich-
mond. Many other gallant officers and men of
the three Dunkirk companies fell in the battles
of the war. In other regiments and in other
branches of the service were many of its citi-
zens found. The Irish and the Germans of
Dunkirk contributed quite their full share and
suffered their full share of its losses.

During all the four years of war, Dunkirk
was the center of military action in this con-
gressional district ; from there the troops took
their departure to the seat of war. Through
Dunkirk they were constantly passing to the
scene of strife or returning, perhaps wounded,
from the field of battle. Here were the head-
quarters of the provost-marshal, and here all
the drafts for the congressional district were
conducted. The State Arsenal and Armory
was the rallying point for the volunteers de-
parting for the front, and the place where some
of the dead heroes of the war lay.

The new order of things introduced into
Dunkirk by the completion of the Erie rail-
road may be said to have been consumated at
the close of the Civil War. Dunkirk has ex-
perienced many adversities, and survived them
all. A good harbor and superior railroad facili-
ties are assets not to be overlooked, and im-
portant manufacturing industries have located
there. The Brooks Locomotive Works, incor-
porated November 11, 1869, located in Dun-
kirk, obtained their real estate and buildings
from Horatio G. Brooks, who under the date of
October 29, 1869, leased for a term of ten years
from the Erie Railroad Company the above men-
tioned property, known as the Dunkirk Shops,
where the railway company had constructed a
few locomotives and freight cars, as well as

repairing same. At a subsequent meeting of
the trustees of the Brooks Locomotive Works
held in the City of New York, November 13,
1869, Mr. Brooks was elected president and
superintendent, and Marshall L. Hinman, sec-
retary and treasurer.

The initial order for locomotives was from
the Erie Railway Company, such order being
for twenty-five eight-wheel engines, six-foot
gauge, which was the standard gauge of the
Erie railway at that time, and the order to be
completed at the rate of two engines per month.
During the first month one locomotive was
com])leted, and also one during the month of
December. Twenty-seven locomotives were
completed during the first twelve months.

Mr. Brooks died at his home in Dunkirk,
April 20, 1887. From the time of his death to
the consolidation with the American Locomo-
tive Company, Marshall L. Hinman and Rob-
ert J. Gross were the leading spirits in the
management of the works, Mr. Hinman becom-
ing president of the company in 1892, Mr.
Gross vice-president. With the consolidation
of the works as part of the American Locomo-
tive Company, Mr. Gross, in June, 1901, was
elected second vice-president of the American
Locomotive Company and placed in charge of
the Brooks Works at Dunkirk, the latter be-
coming at once one of the most important
branches of that progressive organization.

The construction of the Dunkirk, Allegheny
Valley & Pittsburgh railroad bringing several
towns of the county in direct trade with Dun-
kirk, was an important event among the many
which have followed the coming of the first
railroads. Others were the extension of the
^^^estern New York and Pennsylvania, the
building of the Nickel Plate, the trolley lines
from Fredonia and P>ufl:'alo, and the double
tracking of the Lake Shore & Michigan South-
ern, making Dunkirk the most important rail-
road center of the county. Extensive improve-
ments made by the government through the
influence of Congressman Warren B. Hooker
gave to the harbor a depth of nineteen feet,
also effective permanent breakwaters.

Another highly important industry of
modern Dunkirk is the Atlas Crucible Steel
Company, manufacturers of high-speed tool
steel. This company was organized in 1907 by
Edward Burgess, C. P. Burgess and R. E.
Dickenson, as the Atlas Steel Company, and
reincorporated in 1912 as the Atlas Crucible
Steel Company. In 191 5 the Dunkirk Glass,
Essex Glass, Commercial Steel and Conti-
nental Heater Companies established plants in
Dunkirk, which is also the home of the United

154

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

States Radiator Corporation, the Romer Axe
Company, Lake Shore Seed Company, Niagara
Motor, and other prosperous, important cor-
porations. The industries of Dunkirk are to-
day turning out and sending to all parts of the
world, locomotives, seeds, glass bottles, radia-
tors, silks and silk garments, automobiles, auto-
mobile axles and parts, steel, marine engines,
boilers, engine mufflers, axes, carriages,
wagons, lamps, lithographs, macaroni, grape
juice, furniture, lumber, shirts, pennants,
cigars, gloves, hosiery, doors, artificial stone,
brick, steam valves, paper boxes, lenses and
scores of other articles.

The fishing industry is an important one,
the fine harbor affording safety and conven-
ience for shipping the tons of fish caught daily
in Lake Erie during the season. In the year
1913 Dunkirk shipped 3,673,760 pounds of fish.
A municipal wharf built at a cost of $100,000
is one of the modern improvements to the har-
bor, while municipal Dunkirk has a complete
system of sewers, electric light, power and
water plant, and well paved streets and elec-
trically lighted at the city's expense. Dunkirk
has a city hall, public library, efficient police
and fire departments, well housed and
equipped, and a large and splendidly equipped
hospital, the Brooks Memorial. Washington
Park is in the center of the city, a children's
play ground. Point Gratiot, a city park on
Lake Erie, contains 125 acres.

The city's educational advantages are of a
high order. The school system of ward
graded, grammar and high schools is under
control of the University of the State of New
York. In addition to the public schools there
are parochial, grammar and high schools, busi-
ness colleges and private institutions. The
graduates of the high school are accepted on
the certificate plan by all colleges which have
adopted this method of admitting students.
The commercial, manual training and domestic
science departments are perfectly equipped for
best results and are in charge of a most effi-
cient corps of instructors. The school build-
ings are all of modern construction with
hygenic and sanitary equipment. (See school
chapter.)

Seventeen houses of worship provide for

that moral and religious side of life upon
which so much of a city's stability depends.
These buildings range from modest sanctuaries
to the steepled edifices of Gothic architecture.
People of various nationalities have the oppor-
tunity of attending services conducted in the
tongue of their native land, as there are
churches where only German, Polish, Swedish
or Italian language is used.

There are two national banks in the city, the
Lake Shore and Merchants, and a trust com-
pany. The Dunkirk, established in the sum-
mer of 1920. (See banks.)

Fraternal, social and benevolent orders are
to be found in abundance, as are clubs, guilds,
church and charitable organizations in wom-
an's influence are supreme. The Dunkirk Club,
Willow Brook Country Club, the Woman's
Literary Club and Woman's Union are repre-
sentative of those organizations.

According to the State census of 191 5, the
city of Dunkirk had a population of 15,704 citi-
zens and 2,166 aliens; total, 17,870 residing in
its four wards. The same census credits the
sixty factories or mills of Dunkirk and the
Lake Shore repair shops with employing an
average monthly force of 4,350, of which 3,643
are men, 380 women, 29 children between the
ages of 14-16, and an office force numbering
298.

The first supervisor from the newly erected
town of Dunkirk was Geo. M. Abell, who
served in i860. John S. Beggs, 1861-1873;
Alex. Popple, 1874; Wm. Bookstaver, 1875-
83; David Russell, 1884; Wm. Bookstaver,
1885-86; Julien T. Williams, 1887-90: W. J.
Cronyn, 1891 ; Samuel D. GifTord, 1892; Ralph
Day, 1893; Samuel D. Gififord, 1894-95; James
C. Russell, 1896 ; Frank G. Gould, 1897 ; John
K. Patterson, Jr., and Henry Mayo, 1898-99;
John K. Patterson, Jr., and Thomas J. Cum-
mings, 1900-1905 ; Benjamin L. Harrison and
Thomas J. Cummings, 1906-1907; Rollin W.
Snow and Thomas J. Cummings, 1908; Rollin
W. Snow and John J. Walters, 1909-13 ; Peter
Gregoreske and Nelson J. Palmer, 1914-19;
Peter Gregoreske, Charles D. Loeb and Frank
Lewandeski, 1920.

In 1880 the village of Dunkirk was incor-
porated a city.

CHAPTER XVIIL

Towns : Ellery— Ellicott.

Ellery — For about twelve miles of its length,
the eastern shore of Chautauqua Lake forms the
southwestern boundary of the town of Ellery,

that town extending from the towns of Elling-
ton and Gerry on the east to the town of Chau-
tauqua on the west, and from the town of

TOWNS— ELLERY

155

Stockton on the north to the lake. Within

these borders are comprised 30,098 acres of

principally liilly land, well watered, and lying

at about the geographical center of the county.

The twelve miles of lake front comprise the

most valuable lands in the town, the entire dis-

:ance being well improved and largely devoted

:o residence and recreation purposes. Bemus

Point, Griffith's Point, Greenhurst, Long Point,

Maple Springs, and Midway are popular sum-

ner resorts, and Long and Bemus Points,

:apes, extending into the lake, enclose a beau-

iful bay sometimes caller Middle Lake. In

)ther parts of the town are the small villages —

Jllery Center, West Ellery, Towerville and

vlidway. The lake shore of Ellery is tra-

■ersed by the Jamestown, Westfield & North

Vestern railway, a modern electric line, con-

lecting Jamestown, the villages and resorts of

he eastern shore of the lake with Westfield

nd Dunkirk.

The population of Ellery in 191 5, according

3 the State census was 1,876, of whom 88 were

liens. There is no manufacturing in the town.

Ellery was set ofif from the "mother town,"

'hautauqua, February 29, 1821, but the first

ettlement was made by William Bemus in the

Dring of 1806. at Bemus Point: Jeremiah Grif-

th about two weeks after settled at Griffith's

oint. His children were John, Seth, Samuel,

oily, Jeremiah and Alexander. A little later

le same spring, Alanson Weed came with his

imily and settled in Ellery, about two miles

3uth of Dewittville. Abijah Bennett came

ith him, stayed during the summer, and the

ext winter brought his familj'.

William Bemus, son of Jotham, Sr., and Try-

hena (Moore) Bemus, was born at Bemus

'eights, Saratoga county. New York, February

5, 1762. About the beginning of the Revolu-

onary War he removed with his father to Pitts-

)wn, Rensselaer county. He married, Janu-

■y 27, 1782, Mary, daughter of William Pren-

;rgast, Sr. Mr. Bemus and his family were a

irt of the company of emigrants, composed

liefly of Prendergasts, who journeyed to Ten-

5ssee and returned and settled in Chautauqua.

e came to Ripley in the fall of 1805, and spent

le winter in Westfield, near Arthur Bell's.

he next spring he settled on the east side of

hautauqua Lake, on land bought in January,

?o6, at what has since been known as Bemus

:f3int, in Ellery, where he resided until his

iath, January 2, 1830, aged nearly sixty-eight

;pars. The wife of Mr. Bemus, born March

V 1760, died July 11, 1845, aged eighty-five

:"ars. They had a large family, all of whom

imoved to this county. Their children were :

Daniel, a physician, removed to Meadville, Pa.,
where he died ; Elizabeth, wife of Capt. John
Silsby, they removed to Iowa, where they
died; Tryphena, who married John Griffith,
son of Jeremiah Griffith; Thomas; Charles;
Mehitabel, wife of Daniel Hazeltine, of James-
town, she died September 22, 1887, aged nearly
ninety-five years ; James, married Tryphena
Boyd and resided at Bemus Point, where he
died. Charles Bemus, fifth child of William
and Mary (Prendergast) Bemus, was born in
Pittstown, August 31, 1791. He came to Chau-
tauqua with his parents in 1805. He married,
February 28, 181 1, Relepha Boyd, who was
born July 20. 1790, and lived at Bemus Point
on land originally bought by his father, until
his death, October 10, 1861. His wife died
January 2, 1843.

In October, 1809, the northeastern part of
the town was first settled by William Barrows,
a native of New Bedford, and a son-in-law of
Maj. Samuel Sinclear, of Sinclairville. He set-
tled on the bank of the Cassadaga creek, at
Red Bird. After clearing a tract of land he
removed to Ohio. The same year John De-
mott settled about one-half mile south of Bar-
rows.

In 1809 John and Joseph Silsby settled on
the lake, one or two miles southeast of Bemus
Point. John Silsby was captain of a Chau-
tauqua county company in the War of 1812,
and was wounded at the battle of Builfalo.
Enos Warner was an early settler in Ellery.
He bought land on lots 26 and 27. John R.
Russell settled on lot 30. Clark Parker in
1810 settled on lot 27. He was an ensign in
Captain Silsby's company. William Smiley in
1810 removed to Ellery, and died in 1825. His
sons, Joseph and William, served in the War
of 1812 and participated in the battle of Buf-
falo, in Captain Silsby's company, in which
William was killed. William, a grandson of
William, was killed in the battle of the wilder-
ness. Josiah Hovey built a cabin on lot 13,
in the northeast part, and in 181 1 sold to John
Love, who settled there. He died in Illinois
in 1859, at the residence of his son Frederick.
In 181 5 Joseph Loucks, from Madison county,
settled in the southeastern part. His sons,
John, Daniel and Hiram, came with him. The
sons, Joseph, Henry, Peter and David, came
later.

William Atherly, William G. Younker,
Henry Strunk, Henry Martin and Thomas
Arnold also early settled in that part of the
town. In 1816 Adam S. and James Pickard
settled on lot 3. In a short time they removed
to lot 22, in the northern part. Joseph W.

156

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

came later. Their descendants still reside
upon the highway, which is called Pickard
street. About this year Samuel Young settled
in this northern part upon lot 54. Ezra Young
early settled on lot 46, Harry Hale on lot 38,
Festus Jones, an early blacksmith, on lot 37.
His brother, Luther C, was a surveyor.

John Wicks, from Saratoga county, settled
in Ellery in 1818. His son, James H., born in
Saratoga county, August 2, 1817, came to
Ellery, subsequently removed to Gerry, where
he died March, 1891. He was justice of the
peace for sixteen years, and an active Metho-
dist. He married Sophia, daughter of Andrew
Ward, an early settler and lifelong resident of
Ellicott.

In 1824 Peter Pickard settled on lot 9, in the
eastern part. The same year James Heath set-
tled in the same part on lot 2. Seth Clark,
Clark Parker, James Hale, John Miller and
Jacob Johnson were all early settlers here. In
1824 John Thompkins settled in the northeast-
ern part.

The Hale family of Ellery dates back to the
early days of the Massachusetts colony. Har-
vey Hale, born November 11, 1797, in Otsego
county. New York, married Jerusha Babcock,
December 15, 1822; he died December 27,
1876; she died April 5, 1876. They settled in
Ellery in the spring of 1827 about two miles
north of Ellery Center.

Nathaniel C. Barger was born at Peekskill,
New York, June 24, 1808. In 1S28 he married
Catherine Tompkins, and started for the West
over the Erie canal and settled in 1828 in the
eastern part of the town of Ellery, where he
made his home until his decease. Mrs. Barger
died in 1837. Their children were John D.,
Nathaniel T. and Lowry D. Mr. Barger mar-
ried Tamor Tompkins, July 16, 1837.

In 1839 Orrin Hale settled in the central
part. Elhanan Winchester settled early near
the center. His brothers, Marcus, Jonadab,
Jotham, Francis, Ebenezer, Herman and Hart-
ford, all settled in the town. Ebenezer was
early associated with Horace Greeley in pub-
lishing the "New Yorker." The father of the
Winchesters came later and was twice mar-
ried. He had twenty-three children, it is said.
Lewis Warner early settled on lot 34, Morri-
son Weaver on lot 42, James Newbury on lot
18, and Amos Wood on lot 36. In the western
part the early settlers were Luther Barney,
James and Joseph Furlow, Ezra Horton and
Joseph Brownell. Barnabus C. Brownell set-
tled in the northwestern part.

Benjamin Parker, son of Thomas Parker,
was born in Rhode Island, in March, 1765. In

the Revolution he was for three years em-
ployed by the colonial government with an
ox-team and a cart as a transport. He mar-
ried Mary, daughter of Ebenezer Davis, of
Hartford, Connecticut ; she was born June 2,
1 761. Mr. Parker, after residing in Washing-
ton county, came with his family to Ellery ii
about 1816 and purchased one hundred twenty v
acres of land near Bemus Point, where he re-
sided until his death, November 7, 1842. His-
wife died January 26, 1847. Since Benjamin
Parker's death the old homestead has been sold
in proceedings in the Supreme Court in which!
there were ninety-two parties, his direct de-
scendants.

Elisha Tower, son of Isaiah and Sylvia 1
(Toby) Tower, was born in New Bedford,!
Mass., May 10, 1788. He early removed withi
his parents to Duanesburg. In the summer of
1810 he came to Chautauqua and after a while
took up 176 acres of land on lots 43 and 12 in
the northeastern part of Ellery and commenced
improvements. In 1813 he was drafted into
the United States service and participated in
the battle of Buffalo. He assisted his comrade,
Cornelius De Long, who had been wounded
in the head by a spent grapeshot. to escape''
from the enemy. June i, 1815, he married
Philenah, daughter of Simeon and Rhobe Mor-
gan. Mrs. Tower died December, i860, and
Mr. Tower January 17, 1866.

James Heath, born in Brattleboro, Vermont,
about 1785, married Zubia Austin, in Cara-i
bridge, Washington county, and moved to:
Wayne county, where he resided for several;
years. March 2, 1824, he moved to Ellery,)
took up land on lot 2, on the town line roadi
between Sinclairville and Fluvanna and re-<
sided there until his death, January 17, 1845,
Morgan L. Heath was born in Lyons, Waynei
county, April 20, 1812, moved with his father's
family to Ellery in 1824. December 25, 1843,;
he married Electa Purdy.

Odin Benedict, son of Dr. Isaac Benedict, 06
Connecticut, was born in Skaneateles, Onon-i:
daga county, August 20, 1805. Dr. Isaac Bene-i
diet moved to Marcellus about 1803. He was
a surgeon in the United States service ini
the War of 1812, and died in 1814. Dr. Odini
Benedict read medicine in his native town andi
graduated at Fairfield Medical College. Hel
was licensed by the Herkimer County Medical-
College in January, 1826, and the same year
cameto Ellery Center and commenced prac-i
tice. He was the first resident physician, and
for years was one of the best known in thel
county. He had an extensive practice whichi
continued until the year 1850, when he re^

BEMUS POINT

ARPING RAFT UP THE STREAM

TOWNS— ELLERY

157

moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, and started a
government stock bank. In September, 1S51,
he went to Dunkirk and engaged in banking
for a few years, after which he" had a broker's
office there for some years. He then resumed
the practice of medicine, which he continued
until his death in 1874. He was elected super-
visor of Ellery in 1833 and was supervisor of
that town fourteen years. He was member of
Assembly in 1840 and 1843, and was postmas-
ter in Ellery for about twenty years. In 1826
he married Sally Ann Capp. He died in 1874.
Samuel Weaver, son of Morrison Weaver,
was born in Pittstown. January 16, 1833, came
to Ellery from Washington county with his
parents in 1834, and was school teacher for
several years. He was elected supervisor for
Ellery in 1888, serving one term with marked
ability. He married Evaline M. Lazell, Janu-
ary 13, 1859. He died in 1893. He had one
brother, Simeon B.

Alfred Harvey came to Ellery and settled on
lot 30, March 2, 1847. He was born in Onon-
daga county, in 1819. He married Alsina,
daughter of Volney Patterson. (Mr. Patter-
son came to Gerry about 1855, and died in
[873). She was born in Onondaga county,
•\ugust 31, 1826.

Jacob R. Brownell. born in Dutchess county
fanuary 10, 1802; after death of his first wife
Mary in 1830, married. March 18, 1832, Han-
lah Harrington, of Hoosic. and moved to
Ellery the same year and settled on lot 43. He
lied January 20, 1871 : his wife died July 25.
:862. Their son, William O. Brownell. was
)orn May 18, 1834, married Armenia M.,
laughter of Thomas D. and Ann M. (Shears)
vVallis, who came to Ellery in 1836. Mr. Wal-
is died January 25, 1871, and his wife April
!0, 1873.

Charles G. Maples, who settled on a farm in
838, was many years justice of the peace,
Jnited States Assistant Assessor of Internal
Revenue several years, and surrogate of the
:ounty.

The first sawmill was built in 1808 and the
irst gristmill was built in 181 1, both by Wil-
■iam Bemus. Joseph and David Loucks built
I sawmill in the southeastern part of the town
n 1830, and in 1832 Thomas Wing built a
rristmill, but the most valuable grist and flour
nill was built the same year by Seth and Sam-
lel Griffith. A carding and cloth dressing
•stablishment was early erected by Tubal C.
3wens, on Bemus creek. William Bemus
leeded one acre of land at Bemus Point for
)urial purposes. Matthew P. Bemus after-
vards conveyed seven and one-half acres to

the Bemus Point Cemetery Association. A
fence, at an expense of $3,000, was erected
around it, and the cemetery was made one of
the most tasteful in the county. A large num-
ber of the dead from EUer}' and many from
Harmony are buried there.

A Baptist church at West Ellery was formed
in 1808 by Elder Jones, then a resident of
Ellery, at the house of John Putnam, for many
years a deacon. The Baptist church, Ellery
Center, was organized with nine members in
1814, by Elder Asa Turner, the first pastor.
The first house of worship was built in 1830;
in 1862 another one was built.

The First Universalist Church of Ellery was
organized with twenty-three members by Rev.
Isaac George, the first pastor, June 12, 1822.
A house was built in 1858 at Bemus Point.

The Methodist Episcopal church. West El-
lery, was organized with twelve members by
Messrs. Chandler and Barnes in 1831. Their
first church edifice was erected in 1836; a sec-
ond one in 1861. The first pastor was Rev.
William Chandler.

The Methodist Episcopal church, Pickard
Hill, was formed in 1830, Rev. J. C. Ayers,
pastor. In 1871 they united with the United
Brethren, and built a union church.

The United Brethren church, Pickard Hill,
was organized in 1869 with eight members by
Rev. Lansing Mclntyre, first pastor.

Supervisors — Almon Ives, 1821-24-27-32;
Peter Loucks, 1822: Abijah Clark, 1823: Jona-
dab Winchester, 1828-31 ; Robertson Whiteside,
1829; John Hammond, 1830; Odin Benedict,
1833-48: Minot Hovt. 1840; George P. Van-
dervort, 1843-48-50:" William S. Aldrich. 1851-
53: Ira Haskins, 1854: Elias Clark, 1855:
Lenian Pickett, 1856-57; William C. Benedict.
i858-63-65-66-72-84"-85 : James Hale, 1864: John
R. Russell, 1867; John S. Bemus, 1868-69:
Oscar Hale, 1870-71-75-76-86-87: George W.
Belden, 1873-74: Asa Cheney, 1877-83: Sam-
uel Weaver, 1888: Benjamin A. Pickard, 1889-
90: S. Dwight Thuni. 1891-97: Frank F. Pick-
ard, 1898-1905.: A. Morelle Cheney, 1906-13
(chairman pro tern., 1910-13 inclusive), 14-17
(chairman, 1916-17) ; O. C. Casselman, 1918-20.

The full value of real estate in the town of
Ellery in 1918 was $1,763,987: the equalized
assessed value, $1,383,973.

Bemus Point, the principal lake resort, is
widely known, and its summer colony is drawn
from widely separated points. Its permanent
population, according to the State census of
191 5 was 270. In government it is an incor-
porated village.

IS8

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

Ellicott— Ellicott, formed from Pomfret,
June I, 1812, received its name in compliment
to Joseph Ellicott, so long connected with the
Holland Land Company, comprised townships
one and two of ranges ten and eleven, and in-
cluded Poland, Carroll, Kiantone, and a part
of Busti, making the town twelve miles square.
April 16, 1823, the west half of township one,
range eleven, was taken off to form Busti, and
four of these lots were re-annexed to Ellicott
May 7, 1845. March 25, 1825, Carroll was
formed, and April 9, 1832, Poland was set off.
Four lots were added from Carroll in 1845.
Jamestown was carved out in 1886, leaving the
towns surrounding it on the north, east, south
and west sides, and containing 19,065 acres.
Chadakoin river, the outlet of Chautauqua
Lake, flowing northeast, unites with Cassa-
daga creek, flowing southwest, on the east line
of the town, about equal distance from its north
and south boundaries. Ellicott is surrounded
on the west by Busti and Ellery, north by
Gerry, east by Poland and Carroll, south by
Kiantone and Busti. The soil is of alluvial for-
mation along the streams, changing to clayey
and then sandy loam as it approaches the hills.
There are several artesian wells at Ross Mills,
and a greater number at Levant, from some of
which the water-works of Jamestown are sup-
plied. These are from seventy-five to one hun-
dred thirty feet in depth, and produce an abun-
dance of pure cold water of unvarying tempera-
ture. The water is invariably found in coarse
sand and gravel, under a layer of clay. The
supply is apparently unlimited, and various
theories concerning it have been advanced.
The water is raised in these wells by its own
force fully twenty-five feet above the surface
of the ground.

The first election was held April, 1813. at the
house of Joseph Akin. John Silsby, the near-
est justice, presided, assisted by Laban Case,
moderator. The officers elected were : Super-
visor, James Prendergast; town clerk. Eben-
ezer Davis ; assessors. Solomon Jones, Benja-
min Covell, William Deland ; commissioners
of highways, William Sears. Michael Frank.
Laban Case ; overseers of poor, Joseph Akin.
Stephen Frank ; constable and collector,
James Hall: constable, Laban Case: fence
viewers, Ebenezer Cheney, Aaron Martin. The
second town meeting met at the house of
Joseph Akin in 1814. and adjourned to the
tavern of Laban Case.

In 1813 the town voted $250 for bridges and
roads, and that the supervisor solicit bridge
money from the county. These roads were
laid out in 1813. "From Joseph Akin's and

ill

Laban Case's past the 'Vernam place' to James
Akin's ; Reuben Woodward's to Culbertson's
(afterward Colonel Fenton's) : from near Jones
Simmons's to near Edward Work's mill ; from
near Doctor Shaw's to near Simmons's. From
the south of Fairbank, past Sloan's to Russell's
mill at the public highway from the house of
Lawrence Frank to Stillwater: from Simmons
& Work's road at a sapling to James Prender-
gast's mills ; from a small beech tree on the
bank of the creek a few rods north of William
Sears's to Prendergast's mills." In October,
1814, roads were laid out from "Joel Tyler's
to Conewango to a black oak; from near Wil-
liam Sears' dwelling house, as formerly laid
out by courses and distances, across Esquire
Jones' bridge across Stillwater Creek to the'
bridge across the outlet of Chautauqua Lake,
near and below James Prendergast's mills.
(This was built by Reuben Landon); fromi
Work's mill to the bridge over Cassadaga,.
leading to Kennedy's mills : from Fish's to neari
Garfield's." The $100 bridge money received"
in i8i4from the county was thus appropriated:!
Bridge across the outlet at Esquire Prender-
gast's, $37.67 : bridge across Stillwater creek,l
near Joseph Akin's, $29: bridge across Kiam
tone creek at Robert Russell's mill, afterwards!
A. T. Prendergast's, $33.33. The remaindett
was raised by the inhabitants. The buildingi
of all the bridges in those days was mucfe Mvn
aided by subscriptions payable in labor anA i'rsf
materials. ?>' hi

The first settlers in Ellicott were Willianif a
Wilson. George W. Fenton and James Culbert- tdf
son. William Wilson located on the Chada-i m.
koin river, probably on lot 5, in a shanty int it [j
the spring of 1806: by June he had so far com-1 feel
pleted a log house as to make it his home^ ion
although as the land was not yet surveyed, hd (ere
could not buy until May, 1808, when he purt (sale
chased a portion of the west part of lot 5 and tim
of the east part of lot 12: the land was occu- idfn
pied by him until his death in 1830. The same iiela
spring George W. Fenton located near Levant; feue
put up a log cabin and made quite a clearing i[( |
which he sold to John Arthur on removing tc ^jj
Carroll. James Culbertson is said to have
located at the same time "north of the outlet,"! :ts(
probably west would be better. These three,,^[jv
"except perhaps Edward Shillitto," were thel
first three settlers in the old "twelve railed
square Town of Ellicott." Dr. Hazeltine ju,
graphically groups the early settlers of Ellicott mil(,(
thus: Wilson was living below Falconer in
1806. James Culbertson a mile below, Georgfi
W. Fenton. John Arthur and Robert Russellf
on the opposite side of the outlet a mile below

i»!i

Itisir

"liir

TOWNS— ELLICOTT

159

Work's in 1809. During the following year
Thomas Sloan was on the old Indian clearing
(the Prendergasts' farm) on the Kiantone ;
Solomon Jones, and the Akins and others on
I the Stillwater. Nathaniel Bird was at the foot
of the lake where the late Gideon Shearman
i lived, and William Deland on the Solomon
Butler farm. Previous to the settlement of
."The Rapids," the Frews, the Owens, the
, Myers, James Hall, Ebenezer Cheney, Eben-
jCzer Davis, W'illiam Sears, Jasper Warsh and
•others were settlers on the Conewango and the
Stillwater in that part now Carroll and Kian-
tone. The first settlement in southern Chau-
;tauqua was at Kennedy. Dr. Thomas Ken-
■nedy in 1804 built the first sawmill there on the
iConewango, and there were a number of set-
tlers, but their names are lost. The Strunks,
Zeliulon Peterson, Augustus Moon, Benjamin
Lee. Jonas Simmons, Amos Furguson, Thomas
Walkup, and other early settlers of the north
part came in shortly before or soon after the
settlement of "The Rapids" had commenced.

.\ugust I, 1807, Dr. Thomas R. Kennedy and

Edward Work, who were developing the mill

iii^ver at Kennedy, purchased a large tract on

loth sides of the outlet below Dexterville, in-

rluding the mill sites at Worksburg and Tif-

"any's, and valuable timberland east of the

Tassadaga river and Levant, along the Ken-

ledy road. In the fall of 1807, Work erected

I hewed log house north of the outlet. In

808 he built his sawmills and put them in

iperation. About this time Kennedy and

A'ork opened a road from Kennedy's mills to

A'ork's mill and built the first bridge across

he Cassadaga, about one-fourth of a mile

hdve Levant. In i8og Work built a gristmill

\ ith one run of stones, split out of large rock.

The erection of this mill was a condition of

■ !he sale of the land. This mill was a great

xcommodation to settlers and led to the open-

ng of roads to the settlements about the foot

>f the lake and to Stillwater creek and Frank's

iettlement. These mills were built three years

jefore the settlement at Jamestown, when

Imost all travel was in keelboats and canoes

r by Indian trails. Twelve of the boats used

1 the transportation of salt down the Alle-

rheny wexe built at Work's mill in 1808. The

liscovery of the salt springs on the Allegheny,

Canawha and Ohio rivers caused the discon-

inuance of the salt trade by this route. The

eelboats that came for salt brought loads of

•visions, whiskey, iron castings, nails, glass,

1(1 fruit and other articles. Edward Work

a.s a resident of Ellicott from 1807 till his

eath in 1857. From 1818 he was a prominent

member of the Methodist church, and his home
an hospitable "Methodist tavern." In 1840 he
sold most of his property and retired from busi-
ness.

Jonas Simmons came in i8og and made a
claim at Fluvanna, and in 1810 brought his
wife and thirteen of his fifteen children. John
Strunk, his wife's brother, and Benjamin Lee,
whose wife was a sister to Mrs. Simmons, and
John Strunk. came with him. Four of John
Strunk's children were in the company, so a
whole school district came in one company.
These were the first settlers in the west part
of Ellicott. Jacob Strunk, brother of John, set-
tled in 1816 on lot 53, township 2, range 11.
Augustus Moon, a soldier of 1812, located on
lot 37, township 2, in 1814. His brothers,
Gideon, Samuel and Jonathan, soon came.
Their settlement gave name to Moon's Creek.
In 1 81 5 Nathan Cass made a clearing and built
a sawmill at East Jamestown. A year later he
sold to John and Darius Dexter, residents of
Mayville from 1808. Darius was one of the
most prominent citizens of Ellicott. He re-
moved to Dexterville, as the mills were soon
called, in 1818, and did extensive business for
many years. He sold to Falconer, Jones &
Allen. "He is remembered as the first colonel
of the old 162nd Regiment, and a charitable
man of great popularity."

Benjamin Ross came from Cincinnati in
1815, and in 1816 bought on lot 30, tow-nship 2,
range 11, "Ross Mills." His nearest neighbor
was at Work's Mills, and Mr. Ross and Isaac
Young were twenty-one days in cutting a road
through the intervening three miles. He built
a log house and occupied it with his wife and
child in December, 1816. "For a month they
endured the cold without doors and windows,
substituting blankets for them.

In 181 7 Jacob Fenton came from Jamestown,
where he had a hotel and pottery from 1814,
and established a pottery at Fluvanna which
he conducted until 1822, when he died, and his
son, William H. Fenton, succeeded him. In
1826 Samuel Whittemore became a partner,
which continued nearly twenty years. Mr.
Whittemore came from Concord. New Hamp-
shire, in 1826, in 1827 was appointed postmas-
ter of Fluvanna, and continued in that office
until near his death in 1875. He was chiefly
instrumental in forming one of the earliest
local temperance societies. He kept a hotel
from very early date until his death, where no
liquors were sold, and was much frequented as
a summer resort — the first on the lake.

Nathan Meads settled on lot 35, township 2,
range 11, in 1812, and purchased over four hun-

i6o

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

dred acres the next year. He built two small
log houses near the outlet, and in 1815 com-
menced a large two-story house of square
hewed pine timber, which in 1816 he sold with
his land to Solomon Jones and Henry Bab-
cock. Thomas and Joseph Walkup in 1814
purchased lands on lot 48. Elias Tracy_ settled
on lot 49 very early. Phineas Palmiter in 181 3,
Cyrus Fish, his brother-in-law, in 1814, and
Stephen Wilcox in 1814, came with families.
Palmiter bought on lot 64, but passed most of
his life in Jamestown. Cyrus Fish had many
children, and his descendants are among the
best families of the county. Cyrus Fish, Jr.,
built a sawmill on Clove Run, where it^is said,
he operated the first "shingle machine" of the
county.

Jehial Tiffany, brother of Silas Tiffany, was
born in Randolph, Vermont, in 1798. He re-
moved with his parents in 1809 to Darien,
Genesee county. In 1816 he came to Ellicott
and tarried a while, and after a visit to Darien
returned to Jamestown in 1818, and was in
trade with his brother, and dealt in lumber.
In 1829 they built mills on the one thousand
acre tract they had purchased on the Chada-
koin river between Dexterville and Falconer,
long known as "Tiffanyville." Here Mr. Tif-
fany resided, gave up merchandising and man-
aged the mills^and real estate. He died in 1867.
Levant, at the junction of Chadakoin river
and the Cassadaga, early promised to be a
place of importance. From 1840, when five hun-
dred thousand bricks were made here annually,
until the present, brick-making has been con-
ducted. David Rider, a farmer near Levant,
was a son of Silas Rider, who resided in Elling-
ton from 1829 to his death in 1840. Stephen
Pratt and familv located in Gerry in 1819. He
died in 1838. Nehemiah Horton settled m
Gerry in 1818, and died August i, 1855. His
daughter, Mrs. Rufus Pratt, resided with her
son, Merrick B. Asa W. Horton, son of Nehe-
miah, lived in the south part. Amos Blanch-
ard settled in Ellicott in 1824. His son, Flint,
a large farmer and dairvman, was prominent in
Democratic politics, the largest body of pine
timber of the countv occupied the area of the
original town of Ellicott. E. A. Ross, m a
paper read before the Chautauqua Society of
Historv and Natural Science, gives the pioneer
lumbermen and mills of the Cassadaga, and
from it we make this summary :

Russell Run, the first stream above the '^outlet,"
empties into the Cassadaga two miles above, ihomas
Russell built the first sawmill on Russell Run one and
one-half miles above its mouth in 1816; he operated it
some years. It was later owned by E. W. Scowden,

who ran it as long as there was timber (Pine was
the onlv kind then called fit to cut.) Charles and James
McConnell built a mill half a mile above Russell s;
after some years they sold to Cyrus and Artemas Fish.
One mile above this Elisha Hall built a mill which he
soon sold. The fourth mill and the lowest on the
stream, was built by Gideon Gilson and later sold to ^
Elisba Hall. It was one mile from Cassadaga near |
the public highway and the residence of W.lliara-|
Clark, one of the earhest settlers The 'umber from
these hills was of fine quality and was hauled to Gil-
son's Landing at the mouth of the sf^^ni and there
rafted The next stream was Poison Run, which
empded into the Cassadaga, a short d'^tance below
Ross Mills. This had four mills. The lower, built by
EUjah Akin, was later owned by Cyrus and Artemas
Fi h and later bv Anson Chamberlain. The mill next
above his was built by Joel Tyler and changed ovvners
often John Cobb and Joseph Darling, the. latter being
°he last owner and having cut the last timber, were
among them. This was a double mill and cut the mos
fumber of any mill on the small streams. The next
mm was between the last two '"■j'^- ^^out a m.le^rom
each and probably was built by Nafhaji Cherry. Adol-
phus Hooker, who later owned it, bmlt another mill a
H tie a^^ove this, and ran both until the fmber wa
exhausted. These mills cut a large amount of timber
for mills situated on dry or "thunder shower creeks
The first mill on the Cassadaga above '^.'j^°"th wa.
built in 1817 by Benjamin Ross at Ross Mills It was
located in tL 'bed of the natural stream A dam was
later built on its site and a new mill built on a rate
dug from the pond. The mill irons for the first mill
w?e brought from Pittsburgh in a canoe, the trip
occupying two weeks. The mill irons included cast-
Tngs^or the gig and bull wheels, big crank and gucgeot.
fof the main water-wheel, beaver tad for the pitman,
he dogs and bars for the old-fashioned headblocks
bull-wheel chain and saw. These irons did service in p. •>
al the old style mills on this site. This second mi t .eo
was burned in Julv, 1832, after running only a short- ,„,(,
me ™ was a sad blow to the little commum^, jj ,
h^t had come to depend upon the mi for emP'oy;, j, ,^„
ment but the neighbors came from miles around to » l«
aJdin replacing it and in six days another mill framei ol H

was raised < ™^

This mill was operated until worn out and replaced. ^^ [^j
with modern improvements with '--o" o"- Pf ^" ,;^f 'w fcre t
wheel This was the fourth and last mill ownea ny
Ben imin Ros^ He sold it to M. J. Morton who sdc ve,
it to Joel Partridge; he rebuilt it and sold to Wesley ft J,
Ma?tin. Three miles above the Ross mill John Hine jj
and William Newton in ,819 bu.lt a sawm, on th ^
Cassadaga and in 1822 built the first gristm 11 of tha-i , >
sect on Joel and Thomas WalkuP owned them late^ «ie<:

buur/on which mills were built, ^-.Pf." mto * Jei;
Cassadaga half a mile above Walkup mills, and flow a,-,
through Bucklin's Corners, early called Vermont.pj.jj.
There was onlv one mill on this stream at any imti:.;,,
Samuel Sinclear was builder and owner of one °f 'h
first mills Tower Run, a small stream headmg }
El erv was the next stream utilized. Henry Shaw bni
its first mill in 1816. Elisha Tower and Jesse Dexte ,
uilt a mill in 1827 which was burned after runmn
eiehteen months and reported to have been i-ebui
and rtinning in six days. Holden Moon built a th.rl 41;
mill on this stream about 1840. W*!.

15 lll'i

Uteres

ior

t!»:

TOWNS— ELLICOTT

i6i

Falconer, the prosperous and rapidly grow-
ing manufacturing village of EUicott, is an in-
corporated village, joining the city of James-
town on the east. It is located on level ground,
with dry gravelly soil, surrounded by a fine
farming country, and has an intelligent, pro-
gressive population. It has most excellent
shipping facilities, two of the lines of the Erie
railway system forming a junction with the
Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley & Pittsburgh rail-
road, and the latter road having also a station
lorth of the Chadakoin connecting with the
. famestown Electric street railway. An abun-
dance of excellent water underlies the village
it a depth of from fifteen to twenty feet, and
s easily obtained through driven wells. Rob-
ert Falconer, the first of that family, was a
Scotchman who after a prosperous business
:areer in New York, located in Warren, Penn-
yh'ania, and was the first president of the ill-
ated Lumberman's Bank of Warren, Pennsyl-
•ania. He was at one time interested with
Daniel Hazeltine in his manufacturing in
amestown, and purchased real estate at Dex-
erville, Worksburg and at Kennedy. His
tons, Patrick and William, became possessed
:§f these valuable interests, and were exten-
five lumbermen and mill owners. Patrick
tudied law with Judge Hazeltine, for a time
,-as his partner, and in 1840 bought his father's
iterests at Dexterville and Worksburg. In
844. selling the Dexterville property, he be-
anie owner of Worksburg (which took his
ame). and resided there until his death in
887. William, although a minor, was by spe-
ial legislation made executor of his father's
ill. He built the building, now the hotel, at
alconer, and had other interests there. He
'as later a prominent resident of Kennedy,
'here he rebuilt the mills and conducted ex-
fcnsive lumbering and merchandising for years.
! W. T. Falconer and D. E. Merrill formed the
T. Falconer Alanufacturing Company in
3, to make apiarian supplies, washing ma-
Eiines, advertising novelties, etc. F. T. Mer-
am established an extensive business here in
>88 for making sash, doors and blinds. In
?92 the Lister Mills, for the manufacture of
■xtile fabrics, were located here and the com-
any organized with a capital of $300,000.
arge and substantial brick buildings were
•ected in 1892. Goodwill & .Ashworth erected
large brick building in 1892, for the manu-
cture of woolen warp. Various other manu-
tctories. with mercantile establishments,
lurches and a large and beautiful high school
adding, make up a thriving and active com-
lunity.

Chau— II

In 1891 the Swedes erected a Union church
of brick on a lot sixty by one hundred twenty
feet presented to them. The members then
consisted of thirty-five Lutherans, thirty
Methodists and twenty-five Mission Friends.
The Lutherans in 1892 formed an independent
society.

In the fall of 1892 Brooklyn Heights Chapel,
then a Sunday school mission of Jamestown
church, and Falconer "appointment," having
preaching "once a fortnight," on Sunday after-
noons, with fifty members, connected with
Frewsburg, were joined as the Second Metho-
dist Episcopal Church of Jamestown.

The manufacturing concerns of the village
as reported by the State census of 1915 are:
The American Manufacturing concern ; Chau-
tauqua Planing Mill Co. ; Chautauqua Worsted
Mills Co., wool yarn; Cleveland Worsted Mills
Co., wool yarn ; Falconer Mirror Co. ; Falconer
Towel Mills; Gerry Veneer and Lumber Co.;
C. W. Herrick Manufacturing Co. ; Jamestown
Mantel Co.; Lynndon Mirror Co.; Simpson,
Jones & Co., yarn ; Supreme Furniture Co., and
four small factories. These plants maintain an
average monthly force of 1,214 hands.

The village is well supplied with mercantile
houses of all kinds, wholesale and retail. The
First National Bank of Falconer meets all re-
quirements and demands of a financial nature,
and the public school system is most excellent,
including a high school.

The churches of the village are the First
Baptist, First Methodist Episcopal, Swedish
Methodist Episcopal, Swedish Evangelical Lu-
theran, Wesleyan Methodist, Roman Catholic,
Our Lady of Loretto.

Falconer Free Library is a well patronized
institution, and lodges of the fraternal, benevo-
lent and social orders are well represented.
The population of the village according to the
State census of 191 5 is 2.342.

Lakewood. another incorporated village of
the town of Ellicott, is situated upon the shores
of Lake Chautauqua, and according to the au-
thority above quoted had in 191 5 a population
of 702. Lakewood is a popular lake resort, and
three hotels accommodate visitors — The Lake-
wood Inn, The Sherman House and The Spen-
cer Hotel. The churches are the First Metho-
dist, Sacred Heart Roman Catholic, and the
United Brethren. The Chautauqua Traction
Company and lake steamers furnish frequent
service.

Celoron, also an incorporated village, had in
191 5 (State census) a population of 720. The
village is charmingly located on Lake Chau-
tauqua at its southern end, and there a beauti-

1 62

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

ful park is maintained by the Celoron Amuse-
ment Company. The village is within the one
fare trolley zone from Jamestown and the lake
steamers also make it a regular landing place.

The full value of real estate in the town of
Ellicott (supervisors' report) in 1918 was $3,-
866,117. The population of the town (State
census, 1915) was 4,862 citizens, 354 aliens;
total, 5,216.

The schools of these villages are of a high
grade, ranging from kindergarten to high. The
village form of government has proven ade-
quate and satisfactory. Fire departments and
all forms of sanitary methods are maintained.
The town is prosperous, farming profitable,
Jamestown and the lake resorts furnishing
nearby markets for farm and dairy products.
Life in Ellicott, whether on farm or in village,
is attended with the best advantages and both
contentment and prosperity abounds.

Supervisors of the town as follows: 1813-
15, James Prendergast ; 1816-22, John Frew;

1823-25, James Hall; 1826, Solomon Jones;
1827, Nathaniel Fenton ; 1828-29, Solomon'
Jones; 1830, Nathaniel Fenton; 1831-40, Sam-
uel Barrett; 1841-42, William Hall; 1843,
Horace Allen; 1844, Samuel Barrett; 1S45-46,
Henry Baker; 1847-48, Augustus F. Allen;
1849-50, Charles Butler; 1851, R. V. Cunning-
ham; 1852, Augustus F. Allen; 1853-54, Henry
Baker; 1855, Simeon W. Parks; 1856, Augus-
tus F. Allen; 1857, Francis W. Parmer; 1858-
59, Lewis Hall; 1860-68, Augustus F. Allen;.!
1869-70, Jerome Preston; 1871-72-73-74, Au-J
gustus F. Allen; 1875-76, Lewis Hall; i877,;|
Corydon Hitchcock; 1878-79, John T. Wilson;i|
1S81-82-83, Robert N. Marvin; 1884-85, Daniel'
Griswold; 1886-87-88, Gustavus A. Bentley
2nd; 1889-96, Alonzo Halliday ; 1897, Willis
G. Price ; 1898-1903, Merrick B. Pratt ; 1904-06,1 1
Harley N. Crosby ; 1907-08, Ransom B. Lydell;!j
1909, Conrad Anderson; 1910-20, Hermes L.
Ames, who in 1914-15 was chairman of the
board.

CHAPTER XIX.
The City of Jamestowm.

The first white man to seriously consider
the place now Jamestown as a possible site
for settlement was James Prendergast, and
it is from him that the city takes its name.
The members of the Prendergast family were
prominent in the early history of the county,
and had in 1806 bought 3,500 acres of land
in the vicinity of Mayville, and were rapidly
clearing away the forest. James Prender-
gast, the youngest of the family of eleven
children, was sent out to find a team of horses
which had strayed away, and before catching
up with them at what is now Rutledge, Catta-
raugus county, had traversed the great pine
tree region of the Conewango Valley, Kian-
tone, one of the granaries of the Six Nations,
and a great deal of the then unbroken wilder-
ness now Southern Chautauqua county.

To such a man as James Prendergast proved
to be, his view of the magnificent pine forests
must have impressed him with a conception of
their great future value, as with rare judgment
he chose the site for mills, home and future
city. Two years after his discovery of the
Outlet and rapids, he made his first purchase
of land, his brother, under the instructions of
James Prendergast, purchasing 1,000 acres, the
present boat landing being about the centre of
that tract, two dollars per acre the purchase
price.

In the early fall of 1809, James Prendergast
visited his purchase with a trusted employe,
John Blowers, to whom he confided his plans
for founding a settlement and engaging ir
the manufacture of lumber by utilizing the
water power of the outlet. Blowers evidentl}
thought well of the plan, for in 1810 he erected
a small log cabin on the banks of the outlet'
an event of historic importance, for it was thd
first building erected on the site of Jamestown;
Later, a story and a half log house was builti
on the banks of the outlet for the use of Jamei
Prendergast and family. Then followed a dam
for water power, a saw mill, a grist mill, ana
so Jamestown's foundations were laid.

But the "kicker" arrived soon afterward, ana
it is astounding to learn that in 1812 Jamen
Prendergast was indicted by the grand juni
for erecting this dam "to the great injury ami
common nuisance of the liege citizens of thi
State." He was found guilty, and fined fifteet
dollars and substantial costs. He removed tht
dam, rebuilding on a new site where it wa'
evidently not considered a "common nuisance
In December, 1812, Captain William Forbel
came, moving into the second log house buil
by James Prendergast, the location of thai
house on now Cherry street, between First ani
Second streets. The first frame house vfai
built by John Blowers, who built the first lo

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THE CITY OF JAMESTOWxX

163

house. Tliis building was finished in 1813, and
was also the first tavern in the town and
known as the Blowers House, in honor of its
first proprietor. The house was sold in 1814
to Dr. Laban Hazeltine, and occupied by him
as a residence for nearly forty years. No trace
now remains. Fire destroyed the Prendergast
early mills, but they were quickly rebuilt. The
second war with Great Britain also interferred
with the growth of the settlement, and a sec-
ond time the Prendergast buildings were de-
stroyed by fire, but James Prendergast clung
to his belief in the value of the location, never
lost his courage, and finally settlers began to
arrive, the outlet was bridged and other im-
provements followed.

In the spring of 1815 the first operations in
real estate began. A number of lots fifty by
one hundred twenty feet were surveyed and
placed on the market at $50 each, and we are
told that $50 was the ruling price for a lot for
a period of about ten years, beginning with
1815. Under existing conditions this was
enough, for there was little about the location
in and of itself to attract any but the adven-
turous pioneer. Indeed, Jamestown in 181 5
was little more than a crude lumber camp, as
will be readily seen from the perusal of a
sketch written by Judge Foote, who describes
the village as follows :

A one and one-half story gristmill building, with two
runs of stones, two single sawmills and one gang saw-
mill, all owned by James Prendergast. There was one
small store of goods owned by Jediah and Martin
Prendergast, of Mayville, managed by Tliomas Disbar,
; a clerk. Two small shanty blacksmith shops were
., occupied by Eleazer Daniels and Patrick Campbell,
■ and a small out of doors tannery owned by John Burge
ind James Rice. The chief business was cutting lum-
ber. In November, 1815, there were thirteen families
iving on Jamestown territory, occupying rude cabins,
ind some men without families. A few families lived
n adjacent territory; one in the extreme northwestern
rorner of the city limits, and two or three at Cass
Mills (East Jamestown).

Among the early settlers whose names must
ilways be included in any list of the "founders
3f Jamestown" are these : Abner Hazeltine,
Daniel Hazeltine, Sainuel Barrett. Samuel A.
Brown, Thos. W. Harvey, Royal Keyes, Rufus
Pier, Wm. Hall, Silas Tififany, Doctor Foote,
Horace Allen, Col. Augustus F. Allen, Dascum
\Ilen, Col. Henry Baker, Adolphus Fletcher,
?olomon and Ellick Jones, Chas. R. Harvey,
silas Shearman, Geo. W. Tew, Wm. H. Tew,
vVoodley W. Chandler, and John W. Winsor.

The settlement was locally known as "Pren-
lergast Mills" and "The Rapids," but in 1815
he name "Jamestown" was adopted, and a

year or so later a post office was established
and Jamestown was a fixture on the maps of
the county.

By 1827 the number of settlers had increased
to such an extent that the desirability of a vil-
lage government was manifest, and an act of
incorporation passed by the Legislature be-
came a law March 6, 1827. The first village
election was held at the home of Solomon Jones
and these officers were elected : Trustees,
Thomas W. Harvey, Jediah E. Budlong, Dan-
iel Hazeltine, Jr., Samuel Barrett, Alvin Plumb;
treasurer, Samuel A. Brown ; clerk, George W.
Tew ; collector, R. F. Fenton. After the elec-
tion, E. T. Foote, Horace Allen, S. A. Brown,
Abner Hazeltine and Joseph Waite were ap-
pointed to draft a constitution and by-laws,
and when their work was completed James-
town was ready to assume the duties and re-
sponsibilities of a village.

The act incorporating the village of James-
town was drawn with great care. In terse lan-
guage, the act defined the rights and prescribed
the duties of the inhabitants and officials, and
all in all was a very satisfactory scheme of
government, as may be inferred from the fact
that the principles that were then laid down
were in a large degree adhered to in the amend-
ments made from time to time to meet the de-
mands of a growing village.

To adequately protect the village from the
ravages of fire was one of the first duties of the
newly formed village government, and to pro-
vide fire protection a meeting was held July 5,
1827. At that meeting it was decided to raise
$300 by tax. Eventually it was raised, and
August 31, 1829, the first fire company was
organized — Fire Company No. i. This com-
pany had a little hand pump which was hauled
to the nearest reservoir at the outbreak of a
fire, and with a dozen inuscular young men on
the brakes did more or less effective work.
The first officers of this company were : Ellick
Jones, captain ; William H. Tew, captain's
mate ; Phineas Palmeter, Jr., engineer ; James
H. Culver, assistant engineer. All these offi-
cers were prominent citizens. Ellick Jones,
the captain, was the father of Orsino E. Jones.

It is evident from a perusal of the early vil-
lage records that the purchase of equipment
for the department, the management of the
same and the selection of officers, cut quite a
figure in the politics of the village, and the
minutes of a meeting held May 13, 1844, show
that the main topic for consideration was a
fire department controversy.

The first system of fire protection consisted

ib4

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

of a series of small storage reservoirs located
in various sections of the village. Crude hand
engines supplied water pressure for hose, and
thus the villagers were able to cope with an
ordinary blaze. With the growth of the vil-
lage came the demand for additional reservoirs
and engines and to meet this demand hose com-
panies and engine companies were organized
from time to time. The first engine company,
Engine Company No. i, was later known as
Deluge Engine Company, and claims the dis-
tinction of being the oldest in the volunteer
department. This claim was sharply disputed
by the Ellicott Hook and Ladder Companv,
and there are no records available which deci-
sively settle this dispute, although an impartial
investigation which was conducted in August,
1892, resulted in a decision that the Deluge
Company was entitled to claim the seniority.
The order in which the present companies
of the department were organized is as fol-
lows : Deluge Engine Company. Ellicott Hook
and Ladder Company, Rescue Hose Company,
Eagle Hose Company, Prendergast Hose Com-
pany, Jefifords Hose Company, Fire Police,
Martyn Hose Company.

The village grew so rapidly that in a few
years it was found impracticable to adequately
protect the buildings with the reservoir scheme,
and a private company constructed a simple
system of water works with mains running
through the business section of Main street.
Pressure was supplied by a large steam pump
and thus the business section of the village
was fairly well protected, residents of the out-
lying portions of the village still relying on
the reservoirs and hand engines.

In 1886, a general system of water works
was projected. This system covered the en-
tire town, and with powerful steam pumps
provided ample pressure for all localities. Then
the old hand engines were laid away forever,
and the voluntee'r firemen assumed the task of
protecting the property of the village under
more favorable auspices. In turn, the volun-
teer department gave way to the modern paid
department with motor equipment on engmes,
hose carts and hook and ladder trucks. There
are six fire stations with the most modern fire
alarm system, having boxes all over the city.
Fire headquarters are at No. i Spring street,
Howard S. Rodgers, chief (July, 1920.)

The documents prepared by the Chautauqua
Countv Bank in 1 831, in which they applied for
a charter from the Legislature, set forth these
reasons why a charter should be granted :

In 1816 there was no post office within twenty miles
of Jamestown, where it is proposed to locate this bank.

Population of Jamestown, January, 1827, 393.

Population of Jamestown, June, 1S30, 884.

It has now eleven stores, one woolen factory, one
sash factory, one gristmill with three run of stones,
one gang sawmill, three common sawmills, two printing
offices, and a great number of mechanic establishments.
A steamboat of eighty tons burden plies daily between
Jamestown and Mayville on the Chautauqua Lake.
One of the Lake Erie steamboats is solely employed in
doing the business of Chautauqua county.

Jamestown is ninety miles on the route usually trav-
eled, from the nearest banking institution in this State
(United States Branch Bank at BufTalo). The bank at
Lockport is the nearest State institution. There is no >
bank in the southern tier of counties from Orange to
Lake Erie.

The lumber included in this estimate is produced in
a territory about the size of Chautauqua which is partly
in this county, partly in the county of Cattaraugus, and
partly in the State of Pennsylvania, and of which 1
Jamestown is the commercial center.

The county of Chautauqua ranks among the first 1
in the State for size, commercial advantages, and fer-
tility of soil. It has no large swamps nor barren moun-
tains, and is probably capable of supporting as numer-
ous and dense a population as any in the State.

The charter for this bank was granted April '
18, 1831. The institution was organized under
the safety fund act, with a capital of $100,000,'
and the privilege of issuing bills to twice the'
amount of the capital. The first directors werei
Leverett Barker, John G. Saxton, William Pea-
cock, James Hall, Samuel Barrett, Jediah E.',
Budlong, Oliver Lee, Thomas Campbell, Dan-
iel .Shearman, Elial T. Foote, Alvin t'lumb.i
Abner Hazeltine, Richard P. Marvin. The first-
officers were Elial T. Foote, president, with an?
allowance of one cent for each bill signed by
him, and Arad Joy, cashier, with an annuali
salary of $550.

The prudent, conservative policies adoptedi
by the founders of this bank have always been:
strictly adhered to not only by their successors-
but also by the officials of the other excellent
banking institutions which in the course of
time followed, and it is a pleasure to record
the fact that there has never been a bank failure
in Jamestown, and that all the banks have at
all times maintained the most harmonious re-
lations with each other. The present banks of
the citv (1920) are the Chautauqua County
National Bank; First National Bank; Ameri-
can National Bank; Bank of Jamestown;^
Farmers' and Mechanics' Bank; Liberty Na-
tional Bank; Union Trust Company.

James Prendergast, with his rare foresight,
early realized the temporary character of thd
lumber manufacturing business, and did every-'
thing possible to induce manufacturers in othei
lines to settle in Jamestown. This policy has
always been adhered to, and new industries;
have been liberally dealt with, the result that]

FIHh^T RTKKKT (.WK IX .1 AM KSTOWN

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Ike

THE CITY OF JAMESTOWN

i6q

Jamestown is a manufacturing city, its growth
due to the development of industrial enter])rise.
The first manufacturing industry of which
there is any record was a small cabinet-making
shop started by Royal Keyes about 1815. The
same year the Chautauqua Manufacturing
Company was organized for the manufacture
of cloth, and each year has seen the number
increase until to-day (July 6, 1920) Jamestown
manufactures in city and suburbs, wood and
metal furniture, voting machines, washing ma-
chines, pianos, paving brick, wrenches, woolen
dress goods, suitings, towels, window screens,
blinds, tools, rubbing, carving and sanding ma-
chines, mirrors, automobile running gears com-
plete, veneer, and bee hives. The census
(State) of 191 5 gives the names of 96 principal
manufacturing firms and states that there are
73 smaller factories — in all employing 6,616
men, 1,785 women, 141 children and 561 office
workers. The largest employing concern was
the Art Metal Construction Companv, with
two plants and 1,130 hands: the William Brod-
head Mills second, with 809: and the Salisbury
Wheel and Manufacturing Company, 335.

The furniture factories employ by far the
greater numljer of hands, 70 factories and
about 5,000 people being engaged in that line
of manufacture, the city ranking second in the
manufacture of wood furniture. Twice a year
1 furniture market is held, himdreds of buyers
:oming to the city to select and place orders.
\ nine-story furniture exposition building has
3een erected, in which the goods are displaved
ind large additions are now planned. The
A'orsted and woolen of Jamestown and Fal-
:oner are known through their products all
>ver the land and have added greatly to the
vealth of the city. At this writing, five years
ifter the State census from which the fore-
;;oing figures are taken, there are 263 factories
n and around Jamestown, representing a great
•ariety of industries.

Jamestown has always possessed a high
frade of retail and wholesale merchants, and
ts stores of all kinds are modern examples of
nerchandising. The seven financial institu-
ions of the city have ably played their part in
he development of manufacturing and mer-
handising and the diversified industries of the
ity have attracted a very desirable class of
itizens, of whom a large percentage own their
wn homes.
The first railroad to reach the village of
amestown was the Atlantic & Great Western,
ow a part of the Erie system, which ran its
rst train into the city August 23, i860. James-
3wn is now on the main line of the Erie be-

tween Chicago and New York, and is the .south-
ern terminal of the Buffalo & Southwestern
branch of the Erie, and in close touch by street
cars with the Dunkirk, Allegheny Valley &
Pittsburgh railroad at Falconer, that road be-
ginning at Dunkirk and terminating at Titus-
ville, Pennsylvania. Jamestown is connected
with the New York Central system by the
Jamestown, Westfield & Northwestern rail-
wa}' and the Chautauqua Traction Com-
pany, the lines of these roads extending from
Jamestown to Westfield on both sides of Chau-
tauqua Lake. At Mayville, connection is made
with the Pennsylvania system. The James-
town Street Railway serves the cities, Celoron
and Falconer. The Warren & Jamestown
Street Railway Company connects Jamestown
with Warren, Pennsylvania, while excursion
steamers make frequent trips around the lake
touching at the various landings.

Jamestown took upon herself the dignity of
a city, April 19, 1886, after nearly a year spent
in the discussion of the details incident to the
preparation of a city charter. The committee
of ten appointed to draft a charter was: Rob-
ert N. Marvin, A. N. Broadhead, F. E. GiiTord,
Porter Sheldon, John T. \\'ilson, Orsino E.
Jones, John J. Whitney, James I. Fowler,
Jerome Preston and Oscar F. Price. The pro-
posed charter, perfected to the satisfaction of
all, was passed by the Legislature March 31,
1886, the act was signed by Governor David B.
Hill, and Jamestown became a city. By the
provisions of this charter the city was divided
into five wards. The legislative branch was
vested in a common council or board of alder-
men, with two representatives from each ward.
The executive authority was vested in the
mavor. The first election was held April 13,
1886, and resulted as follows: Mayor, Oscar
F. Price : city clerk, Fred R. Peterson ; Alder-
men, First Ward, Adam Ports, John G. Wicks;
Second Ward, W. T. Bradshaw, T. E. Gran-
din ; Third Ward, C. F. Hedman, J. S. Ellis;
Fourth Ward, Conrad A. Hult. E. F. Carpen-
ter: Fifth Ward, H. S. Hall, E. R. Bootey :
police justice. Henry J. Yates; justices of the
peace, Marshall P. Strunk, DeForest D. Wood-
ford. Egburt E. Woodbury, Herbert U. Bain ;
assessors, James C. Swanson, John W. John-
son, John M. Farnham. There was no contest
for the office of mayor. The total vote was
1.950, of which number Mr. Price received
1,780.

The change from a village to a city took
place on the evening of April 19, 1886, on which
occasion the old board of trustees met, can-
vassed the vote of the election and declared the

i66

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

result. In retiring. Major Hiram Smith, one
of the trustees, took occasion to review briefly
the past history of Jamestown and express his
confidence in the ability and integrity of the
newly elected officials.

In addition to the usual city officials, James-
town has a board of estimate and review, a
board of water and lighting commissioners, a
board of hospital commissioners, a board of
park and city planning commissioners, and a
civil service commission.

Jamestown was one of the pioneer cities of
New York in advocating municipal ownership
of public utilities. Just what has been accom-
plished is best set forth in an address of wel-
come delivered by Mayor Samuel A. Carlson
to the New York State Conference of Mayors
and Other City Officials in session in James-
town the week of July 4, 1920:

It is fitting that you should meet here because James-
town is one of the cities in whicli many successful ex-
periments in municipal democracy have been made.

We invite you to inspect our municipally owned
water works, which is self-sustaining and which, not-
withstanding our high hills and high cost of labor and
material has continued to supply our citizens with the
purest water on earth at the low cost of one cent per
barrel.

We invite you to examine our municipally owned
lighting system by the means of which we are able to
supply electric light at 4^c per K. W. And we call
your attention to the fact that notwithstanding this low
rate, the plant pays all expenses, all interest and prin-
cipal on bonds and makes proper allowance for depre-
ciation. The plant has never cost the taxpayers a
dollar, except the $48.00 per year charge for each
street light, and it has met the test and scrutiny of
every antagonistic expert investigator.

We invite you to look over our municipally owned
public market system and building which has paid for
itself without any ta.x assistance and which is patron-
ized by thousands of our people every week.

We invite you to inspect our municipally owned hos-
pital which is maintained at a cost to the city of less
than one cent per week per capita, and in which 15,000
persons have been treated since its establishment ten
years ago. We hold that it is just as much the func-
tion of city government to rescue a citizen's life from
the menace of disease as it is to rescue his property
from the menace of fire.

We invite you to inspect our municipally owned
sand and gravel pit and our municipally constructed
pavements, by which we have eliminated the profiteer-
ing element usually imposed by contractors.

We invite you to visit our beautiful parks, our insti-
tutions of worship and social uplift, our Chadakoin
Valley, filled with thriving industries, and our hillsides
covered with homes owned by those who toil in these
industries. Wherever you find home-owners you find
no Bolsheviki.

We call your attention to the annual publication of
our entire assessment roll, which enables our whole
taxpaying citizenship to constitute itself into a board
of review. Less than i per cent, of our total tax levy
remains imcollected in any year.

We call your attention to our sanitary method of
handling garbage by which each householder is re-

quired to wrap his garbage in paper bundles thereby
minimizing the task of its collection and rendering it
suitable for consumption by some 500 hogs, making
an inexpensive substitute for a disposal plant.

Our milk supply is subject to a bacteriological test at
a laboratory conducted by our Health Department.

.^nd all our health regulatiops are such that James-
town now enjoys, I believe, the lowest death rate of
any city in tliis State. We put the emphasis on a low
death rate rather than a low tax rate.

We call your attention to the fact that we have suc-
cessfully put into practice the referendum method of
determining important questions of public policy on
which citizens are divided in opinion.

And all commissioners in charge of our public utili-
ties are appointed without any reference whatsoever
to partisan politics.

Had this speech been delivered about six
weeks later. Mayor Carlson could have re-
ferred to the municipal milk plant which was
voted at a special election held in August, 1920.
These innovations did not come easily or
quickly, but through the public-spirited leaders
and the determination of the citizens. The mu-
nicipal lighting plant was won after a long
fight, and at a special election held September
26, 1890, three propositions were submitted to
the voters of Jamestown — one to issue bonds
for the construction of a sewer system, car-
ried ; another, to issue bonds for paving, lost;
another, to issue bonds for the equipinent of
an electric light plant. Bonds were issued and
sold at a premium, the contract for the con-
struction and equipment of the plant was let,
and on July 4, 1891, at 9 p. m., the machinery
was started and electric lights flashed up in all
parts of the city. During the evening a demon-
stration was arranged in honor of George M.
Martyn, one of the leaders in the fight, and
later a considerable sum was subscribed by his
friends, and a bronze drinking fountain was
erected at the corner of Main and Third streets.

The sewer system was begun at the corner
of Sprague and West Second streets on the
morning of April 11, 1893, and paving followed
naturally. A determined efTort was made in
1893 to secure the removal of the county seat
from Mayville to Jamestown, but on submis-
sion of the question to the voters of the county
the proposition was lost, there being 282 votes
cast "against" in Jamestown, which had they
been cast "for" would have brought the county
seat to Jamestown. The city quietly acquiesced
in the decision and at once began the erection
of a City Hall, costing $85,000, the cornerstone
being laid with Masonic ceremonies, Septem-
ber 28. 1895.

Public improvements followed fast, and
finally an abundant and unfailing water supply
became the great unsolved problem. The
Jamestown Water Supply Company had su<--

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THE CJTY OF JAMESTOWN

167

ceeded to the earlier rights and franchises
granted by village trustees and city aldermen,
and had a plant which gave the city satisfac-
tory pressure for fire protection, and there was
, Ino objection to the quality of the water or the
i service. But municipal water service was de-
manded and a committee was appointed to in-
vestigate the two plants which had been
jought — the purchase of the plant of the
famestown Water Supply Company and the
:rection of a new plant. The committee em-
. jloyed J. F. Witmer, a hydraulic engineer, who
I )egan his work January 21, 1901, reported in
September, 1901, and negotiations were opened
or the purchase of the plant of the water com-
lany. A proposition to purchase the plant for
!6oo,ooo was submitted to the voters, a bill was
nacted creating a water commission, bonds of
he city were sold, and on April i, 1903, the city
ook possession of its own water supply sys-
em.

The source of supply is at Levant, three or

Dur miles east of the city. Artesian wells tap

n unfailing supply of pure and cold water.

'his supply has been constant even during the

reatest drought and it is believed it will be

mple to supply the city for all time to come.

Oscar F. Price was mayor of Jamestown

■om its incorporation as a city until 1894,

'hen he retired, and Eleazer Green was elected

y practically a unanimous vote. Mr. Green

ad for some years been one of the leading

ttorneys of the city and an active and aggres-

ve Republican. In an appreciative and timely

iographical sketch, the "Journal" said: "His

omination was a recognition of his fitness,

regressive business spirit and sterling integ-

ty, and his overwhelming election was

irther proof of the trust reposed in him. No

lan could enter upon his official career with

reater evidence of esteem and confidence than

DCS Mr. Green. He was selected with the ex-

ectation that the city would be conducted in

business manner, and that there should be a

•ean, creditable administration."

Mayor Green took the oath of office in the

ommon Council chamber May 7, 1894. On

lat occasion Mayor Price presented to Mayor

reen the handsome silver tipped gavel which

i had received so many years ago, and said he

as glad to surrender this emblem of authority

) a man of honor and ability. "Since coming

) this council eleven years ago," said Mayor

rice, "the city has more than doubled its

ppulation. This has been due to the enter-

tise of her citizens and to the wisdom of those

ho have shaped its destiny during the early

lys of its cityhood."

In the fall of 1895 Mr. Green was elected dis-
trict attorney of Chautauqua county, assuming
the duties of the office January i, 1896. He
therefore retired from office upon the expira-
tion, and was succeeded as mayor by Oscar F.
Price, his predecessor, who two years later was
succeeded by Henry H. Cooper, who took the
oath of office April 11, 1898. In the spring of
1900, Mayor Cooper was succeeded by J. Emil
Johnson, during whose administration the mu-
nicipal water plant was acquired.

In 1908 Samuel A. Carlson was elected
mayor of Jamestown and in 1920 he began his
se\enth term as chief executive of the city.

The following table gives the population of
Jamestown from 1827 down to the last census:
1827, 393; 1830, 884; 1840, 1,212; 1845, 1,642;
1855, .2,625; i860, 3,155; 1870, 5,336; 1880,
9,357; 1890, 16,038; 1892, 18,627; 1900, 22,892;
1905, 26,160; 1910, 31,297; 1915, 37,780; 1920,
38,898, corrected, 38,917.

The schools of Jamestown are included in
the educational chapter. Dr. Rovillus R. Rogers,
editor. Jamestown is a city of churches, and
perhaps no city in the State has in proportion
to its population as large a religious element
or as many imposing church edifices. Rev.
Eliot C. Hall in 1900 prepared a brief sketch
of Jamestown's church history, which is here
quoted, as it contains all the essential facts
concerning the various church denominations :

The early settlers were, for the most part, interested
in religious matters, and favored the formation of
churches. Many meetings, however, were held before
any church was formed, and no minister of any denomi-
nation visited the place without being invited to preach.

The First Congregational Church was organized in
1816 by Rev. John Spencer, a missionary from Con-
necticut, and legally incorporated in 1821.

A Methodist class was formed at^ Worksburg in
1814, and a Congregational church in what is now
Kinntone, in 1815. (Both Worksburg and Kiantone
were then in the town of Ellicott, in which township
Jamestown was also located.) A building formerly
used for school purposes known as the Old Academy
served as a place of worship until the year 1828. when
a church building was erected on the southwest corner
of Main and Fifth streets.

A commodious brick church edifice was erected in
1S69 on East Third street, which has been enlarged
and remodeled and is now used by this church.

Rev. Isaac Eddy was the first pastor of the church.

The present First Methodist Episcopal Church grew
out of the class formed at Worksburg in 1814. This
class was duly organized into a church and moved to
Jamestown in i8j,^ Their first church edifice was
erected at the junction of Second and Chandler streets,
and completed in 183.?. They now occupy a fine brick
structure which has a seating capacity of about 1,500.
This church has had a remarkably vigorous growth,
and has the largest membership of any of the English-
speaking churches of the city.

The First Baptist Church was organized in 1832.
Their first church edifice was built in 1833. The present

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

i68

building, constructed of Warsaw blue stone, is one of the
finest in the city. It is situated at the corner of Fourth
and Church streets and is a monument to the zeal and
devotion of both pastor and people.

The First Presbyterian Church was organized in
1834 by Rev. E. J. Gillett, forty-one members of the
Congregational church having withdrawn to unite in
its formation. In 1837 a substantial church edifice was
built of wood, on the corner of West Third and Cherry
streets. This building was burned in 1877, but was
replaced by a large and commodious brick edifice, the
interior of which was destroyed by fire in 1890. The
building was immediately rebuilt with all modern con-
veniences and facilities for church work. The church
has a large and growing membership, and has been ably
served by its pastors.

St. Luke's Protestant Episcopal Church was organ-
ized in 1834, but was without a stated pastor until the
year 185s, when Rev. Levi W. Norton took charge of
this parish. The first church building of wood, erected
on the corner of Main and Fourth streets, was conse-
crated in 1856. This building was burned in 1862 and
replaced by a second building upon the same founda-
tion in 1865. The present beautiful church edifice was
the munificent gift of the late Mrs. Mary A. Prender-
gast, as a memorial to her daughter, Catherine. It is
constructed of Medina sandstone, is fire-proof and
complete in all its equipments. It has a clock tower
which contains the only chime of bells in the city.

The Free Methodist Church was incorporated in
1874, the outgrowth of a class formed in 1871. The
present church building was erected in 1884 on the
corner of Lincoln and East Seventh streets.

SS. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church occupies
a fine stone building on the corner of West Sixth and
Cherry streets. For a number of years Jamestown
was part of a large parish embracing several towns
served bv one church official. In 1874 a separate par-
ish was 'formed here under the care of Rev. Father
Richard Coyle, under whose wise administration the
church greatly prospered. .

The English Lutheran Church has a modest brick
house of worship on West Fourth street. The church
was organized by Rev. S. G. Weiskotten in 1877.

The First Unitarian Church was organized by Rev.
J. G. Townsend as an Independent Congregational
Church in 1&85. Its church property at the junction
of East Second and Chandler streets was purchased
from the First Methodist Episcopal Church and com-
pletely remodeled and refurnished.

The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church was
organized in 1882 as a Union Church, but subsequently
placed itself under the care of the African Methodist
Episcopal Conference. It has a new church building
on its lot on Spring street.

The Seventh Day Adventists have a church building
on Cherry street.

The First Church of Christ (Scientist) has a unique
church building on the corner of East Fourth street
and Prendergast avenue.

A Primitive Methodist Church has recently been
organized, and a house of worship erected on Allen
st''fft. ^ . , _, ,

The Brooklyn Heights Methodist Episcopal Church
has a neat house of worship on the corner of Sprague
and Palmer streets.

The Salvation Armv holds services in both the Eng-
lish and Swedish languages. There are also six chapels
where Sunday Schools and occasional preaching serv-
ices are held. , • c-

There is also a Spiritualistic and a Theosophic Soci-
ety which meet by appointment in different places.

Jamestown has a large Swedish population, and they
are largely a church-going people. A Swedish Metho-
dist Episcopal Church was formed here as early as
1852. This church now occupies a fine brick struc-
ture on the corner of Chandler street and Foote ave-^
nue. . *

The First Swedish Lutheran Church was organized
in 1857. Rev. Carl Otto Hultgren, D. D., became
pastor in 1864. A large and imposing Medina sand
stone church building is located on Chandler street.

The Swedish Mission Church was organized in 1879
and has recently erected a fine brick building on Chand-
ler street.

The Swedish Christian Zion Church was organized
by members who withdrew from the Mission Church
and have a fine brick house of worship on College
street. ^, , , ,

The Swedish Immanuel Lutheran Church was formed
from members who withdrew from the First Lutheran
Church in 1887. They have a commodious brick
church on East Second street.

A Danish service is held each Sunday in the Congre-
gational church on Institute street.

Since the above was written, the Pilgrim
Memorial Church has been located on McKin-
ley and Forest avenues. The Salvation Army
has a handsome citadel on the corner of Spring
and Third streets. The Calvary Baptist Church
is located at the corner of Ashville and Liv-
ingston avenues. The Swedish Baptist Church
is located on Chandler street. St. James'
Church, Roman Catholic, is situated on Vic-
toria avenue. Holy Trinity, English Lutheran,
is located on Fourth street, between North
Main and Cherry. BufTalo Street Methodist
Episcopal Church, at Buflfalo and Falconer
streets. Grace United Brethren Church at
North Main and Fourteenth streets.
The newspapers of the city are:
The Chautauqua Democrat (weekly). Pub-
lished by the Jamestown Evening News Com-
pany.

The Evening Journal. Published daily ex-
cept Sundav, at 12 West Second street by The
Journal Printing Company, Frederick P. Hall,
president and general manager; James A.
Clary, vice-president and managing editor;
Henri M. Hall, treasurer and business man-
ager. .
"The Jamestown Journal. Twice-a-week,
published at 12 West Second street, by The
Journal Printing Company (for officers see
above); established 1826.

The Morning Post. Published daily except
Sundav at ^11-313 Washington street, by The
Post Pttblishing Company, Ralph C. Sheldon,
president; Edward L. Allen, secretary and
managing editor : Robert K. Beach, treasurer
and business manager. Established in 1901.

The Evening News. Published daily except
Sundav, bv the Jamestown Evening News
Company, Inc. 307 Spring.

FEXTOX HOME

PRENDERGAST LIBRARY

THE CITY OF JAMESTOWN

169

The St. Clairsville Commercial. Published
every Thursday by The Jamestown Evening
News Company.

The Vart Land (Swedish). Published at
307 Spring street every Thursday by the Vart
Land Company, F. G. Curtis, president ; S. A.
Carlson, secretary.

Skandia (Swedish). Published every Thurs-
day by Liberty Printing Company, 14 West
Second : C. E. Lindstone, editor.

The Union Advocate. Published every
( Thursday by The Jamestown Evening News
'Company, 307 Spring.

The Furniture Index. Devoted to furniture
trade, and published once a month by the Fur-
niture Trade Publishing Company.

i'hc following are the philanthropic institu-
tion? of the city:

ri:e Woman's Christian Association Hospital, corner
i'. "te avenue and Allen street, one of the best in the
country, and supported largely by voluntary contribu-
tions.

Gustavus Adolphus Orphans' Home, 1,^81 East Sec-
ond street. This institution is controlled by the Lu-
tlieran .\ugustana Synod (Swedish).

During the year 191 1 the O. E. Jones Memorial Hos-
pit:il, erected on a tract of ground willed to the city
<y <). E. Jones, was opened to the public.

Jamestown has a number of handsome public build-
.ngs, viz.: Federal building, City Hall, James Prender-
?ast Library and Art Gallery; State Armory.
( The Young Men's Christian Association owns a
building and plant valued at $100,000, and the Young
-, Women's Christian Association a handsome building,
vhich with lot cost $65,000.

The .'\gnes Association owns a large brick residence
md grounds which is conducted as a boarding home
or working girls.

The Warner Home for the Aged, the latest of James-

own's benevolent institutions, had its beginning in

911 and received at the hands of Mrs. Mary H. War-

Ifiier the L. B. Warner homestead in Forest avenue as

t !i memorial to Mr. Warner, who died in 1905.

A comprehensive park system has been planned and
. park commission composed of public-spirited citizens
vho have given and are giving much time gratuitously

the work of developing these parks into beauty spots
hat will be a credit to the city. One of the largest of
hese parks is the Allen Park located on the south side,
. most picturesque and beautiful spot.

What is known as the "Hundred Acre Lot," a wood-
'and lying on the iborders of the city has been acquired,
hrough public subscription, for the particular benefit
if the pupils of the public schools.

There are two parks on the north side, one between
Vest Fourth and West Fifth streets, known as Baker
park, and the other between West Sixth and West
Seventh streets, known as Dow Park.

1 The Soldiers' Memorial Park, the purchase of which
vas authorized at a taxpayers' election in the spring of
919, has been turned over to the local American
-egion Post as a Memorial Home for Jamestown's
pldiers. This park was formerly the Governor Fen-
ian Homestead, is near the center of the city and with
he mansion and grounds is a very fitting memorial
b the soldier bovs.

The Jones Memorial Park is on the shores of Chau-
tauqua lake outlet. It is still in a rough state but in
time will lie made into a modern park.

The area of the city is approximately nine
and one-half square miles, or 6, 136 acres. There
are more than 23 miles of paving, mostly shale
brick, although some of the business streets
are paved with bitulithic and asphalt block.

The assessed valuation of the city in 1908
was $13,347,981 ; in 1909, $13,498,331 ; in 1910,
$14,133,149; in 1912, $16,046,366; in 1913, $16,-
981,395; in 1914, $16,455,020; in 1915, $17,713,-
396, and in 1918, $23,850,405.

On the settlement of the affairs of James
Prendergast, son of Alexander T. and grand-
son of James Prendergast, the founder of
Jamestown, whose funeral was held December
26, 1879, a brief memoranda was found which
requested that the business block at the corner
of Main and Third streets should be made
available as an endowment for a free public
library. On January 2, 1880, The James Pren-
dergast Library Association was incorporated,
and January 3, the association was duly organ-
ized and took title to the property. Mary
(Norton) Prendergast, mother of James and
wife of Alexander T. Prendergast, and the last
survivor of the family, died in Rochester, De-
cember 22, 1889. By will she devised the by
far greater part of her estate to public pur-
poses. The various Prendergast bequests are
as follows :

The James Prendergast Library (which has e.x-
tended notice in chapter on Libraries) was completed
at a cost of $60,000, and furnished with an art gallery
costing $45,000. The grounds upon which the building
is located cover an entire city square in one of the
best residence districts of the city. It was opened to
the public, December i, 1S91, and then contained 8,666
volumes, a number which has been constantly increased
during the twenty-nine years the Library has been in
existence.

A bronze drinking fountain erected near one of the
main entrances to Lake View Cemetery at a cost of
$2,000.

The magnificent St. Luke's Episcopal Church edifice,
erected at a cost of $125,000.

The sum of $2,000 set aside and the income derived
therefrom is divided annually into four prizes to be
paid to students in the Jamestown schools for superior
merit in scholarship, the same to be determined by
competitive examinations.

The sum of $500 set aside and the income derived
therefrom is expended in the purchase of books for
the librarv of the Mission Sunday School conducted
under the auspices of the Woman's Christian Associa-
tion.

The rental of the Prendergast building at the corner
of Main and Third streets provides an income suffi-
cient to defray the operating expenses of the library.
Thus it will be seen that the Prendergast family im-
posed no restrictions, for they not only built the library

170

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

but they equipped it, and provided an endowment suffi-
cient to support it for all time to come — a truly royal
gift.

The general welfare of the city of James-
town is promoted by a Chamber of Commerce,
a Manufacturers' Association and lesser busi-
ness organizations. The fraternal orders are
well represented, the Elks, Eagles, Odd Fel-
lows and Masonic orders all being well housed
in their own buildings. There are many liter-
ary, musical, art and social clubs.

The leading clubs are the Jamestown Nor-
den and Mozart, the list, however, being capa-
ble of great extension. There is a chapter of

the Sons of the Revolution located in the city
and a chapter of the Daughters of the Ameri-
can Revolution. Other patriotic orders are:
James Hall Camp, No. 11, Sons of Veterans;
James M. Brown Post, No. 285, G. A. R.;
Woman's Relief Corps, No. J2, ; Encampment
No. 95, Union Veteran Legion ; Auxiliary No.
24, Ladies of the Union Veteran Legion ; Ira
Lou Spring Post, American Legion.

There are lodges of the Scandinavian Fra-
ternal Association of America, Swedish Broth-
erhood, Swedish Sisterhood, Sons of St. George,
Daughters of St. George, and many others,
social, athletic, religious and fraternal.

CHAPTER XX.

Towns : Ellington — French Creek — Gerry — Hanover — Harmony.

Ellington* — He who attempts to write the
history of people who existed, and events that
transpired nearly a century ago, perpetuated
largely in the memory of the few who are liv-
ing and the sayings of the many who are dead,
must needs feel that there is danger often of
weaving into the story an occasional thread of
fiction ; but the writer has endeavored in this
instance to search for truth, reconcile conflict-
ing statements and wherever possible to sub-
stantiate the record by documentary proof.

To the few representatives of the "Old Fami-
lies" who are left to tell their stories and re-
count the doings and sa3'ings of their ances-
tors, the author of this brief history desires to
extend his grateful acknowledgments; know-
ing that the records of many persons who con-
tributed largely to the material development of
the town and the intellectual and moral prog-
ress of this community, must pass without
mention, owing to the lack of sufficient data
and sources of information. Families, promi-
nent in an early day, have become extinct, or
their descendants have moved away, and the
brief record of their lives exist only in the
memory of the living or some old structure or
landmark that reflects the work of their hands.

I, therefore, beg to invoke the charitable
criticism of any who may feel interested in this
necessarily brief review of the first centenary
of Ellington and its people.

The town of Ellington is bounded on the
north by the town of Cherry Creek, on the
west by the town of Gerry, south by the town
of Poland, and on the east by Cattaraugus
county. It is understood to have been named
after Ellington in Connecticut. Most of the

*This narrative is bv Mr. Theodore A. Case.

early settlers came from that State and Massa-
chusetts and Vermont.

On April i, 1824, it was set oflf from the
town of Gerry, and at that time included the
town of Cherry Creek ; the latter town being
set apart from Ellington, May 4, 1829. It is
township number three of the tenth range of
the Holland Land Company's survey, and em-
braces about 23.000 acres of land.

The major part of its surface is undulating
upland. The principal valleys are the valleys
of Clear creek and its tributaries. The sources
of Clear creek are in the neighboring towns of
Gerry and Charlotte. It enters the northwest
part of the town on lot 56, and running south-
easterly through the central portions of the
town empties into the Conewango east of the
village of Clear Creek in Cattaraugus county.
The northeast corner of the town takes in a
portion of the Conewango Valley, that stream
passing through the northeast corner of lot 7
and centrally through lot 8 and through the
northeast corner of lot 16.

The village of Ellington is located on lots
28 and 29. at about the center of the town, and
in the valley of Clear creek and Twenty-eight
creek, which streams unite just east of the vil-
lage. The present population of the village is
about 400, and of the town about 1,400. Two
and one-half miles east of the village and on
the county-line road between Chautauqua and
Cattaraugus, is the village of Clear Creek, and
one and one-fourth miles north of the latter
place on lot 7 is Conewango Valley, a station
on the Buffalo & Southwestern railroad. From
this place a bus runs twice a day, carrying mail
and passengers to and from Ellington via Clear
Creek. Four and one-half miles to the south
is Kennedv, in Poland ; a station on the Erie

BiRiisEyr-; vii:\v of jamestowx

b'JF. .

T*?^^",

if'^^j.

TOWNS— ELLINGTON

171

railroad wliich takes much of the travel and
traffic from Ellington.

Ellington is essentially a dairy town and has
long been famous for its fine butter and cheese.
Its diversified surface af?ords good grazing
md plent}' of water and the farmer who is
ittenti\'e to his calling seldom fails of an abun-
dant harvest.

In the town are two steam mills engaged in
he manufacture of lumber, by Charles J. Main
ind by Mason H. Terry. Among the citizens of
he village of Ellington who are actively en-
gaged in business pursuits are the following:
Dn the west side of the public park is the dry
^oods store and the general store of Luce
Brothers, and in the south half of the same
)lock the drug store of George G. Gilbert is
ocated, also the village post ofifice. On the
outh side is the grist mill and the flour and
eed business of Luce Brothers, the garage of
^iske & Dye, Odd Fellows Hall and Murray's
jrocery. On the east side is the general store
f Charles A. Seekins and the shop of A. D.
vellogg. barber and watch repairer. On the
orth side is Grange Hall, the brick hardware
tore of The George B. \\'aith Company, and
he blacksmith shop of Axel Tell. On west
Iain street is the law office of Theodore A.
"ase and the blacksmith shop of Willard Al-
rich. At Conewango V'alley on the Chau-
luqua side of the street, Mark Hopkins has a
eneral store ; Charles J. Mahon and D. A.
eager are also merchants of that village. The
lagg store and mill is on the Cattaraugus side
f the street.
The fact as to who was the first actual set-
er in the town of Ellington, as its boundaries
re at present constituted, seems to be a matter
f some little doubt, but the best authorities
gree that the first opening in the forest was
lade in the northeast part of the town on lot
and Joshua Bentley is credited as being the
rst actual settler. It is claimed, however, and
erhaps justly, that another party, whose
ame is unknown, made a clearing and erected
log cabin near the same place a year or two
1 advance of Bentley, but remained only a
lort time. Mr. Bentley came from Stephen-
)wn. Rensselaer county, this State, in 1814,
nd by the joint labors of himself and wife
Dnstructed a rude log cabin on the east part of
le lot above named, near the present site of
le dwelling now owned by Eldred Bentley. at
onewango Valley. The following year Mr.
entley purchased 300 acres on lot 16, and
bout the same time land on lots 9 and 15 of
le present town of Cherry Creek. Mr. Bent-
•y's son, Joshua, Jr., who it appears was for

a time engaged with a party of surveyors,
came about the same time as his father, and
in the spring of 1815 settled on lot 15 of the
Cherry Creek purchase. Later the records
show that Joshua Bentley, Jr., bought a part
of lot 5 in the town of Ellington and built a
frame dwelling, the same now owned by Lu-
man Mather, north of Clear creek.

Following Joshua Bentley, Sr., about three
years later came his brother, Eldred Bentley,
from the same place, and settled on lot 15,
about three-fourths of a mile to the west on
the line of the old Chautauqua road. From
these two brothers sprang the numerous fami-
lies of Bentleys that reside in that and other
portions of this town and Cherry Creek.

With the opening up of this portion of the
old Mayville and Ellicottville road in 1814,
settlers were attracted to lands lying along
its course. In the spring of 181 5, James Bates,
with his family, came from Onondaga county,
but originally from Massachusetts, and settled
on lot 48. In 1816 Benjamin Follet settled on
lot 40, building a log house on the same prem-
ises now owned by Frank Bentley. The same
}'ear Samuel McConnell, from Cayuga county,
N. Y., located on lot 47, west of FoUet's, where
the road crosses the Clear Creek Valley, later
known as the Boyd farm. In 1817 Abner
Bates, from Chesterfield, Mass.. came with his
family, consisting of his wife (Nancy) and five
children, Vinal, Joseph P., Maria, Alvah and
Corydon, and settled on lots 48 and 56. For
the first year Mr. Bates was obliged to bring
most of his family supplies from Fredonia on
his back. The same year Reuben Penhollow
arrived from Pittsfield, Mass., and settled on
lot 39. Dwight Bates settled on the same lot,
on the farm now owned by Joseph Luce. Ben-
jamin Rider settled on lot 48, later known as
the Kinsman place. In 1820 Benjamin Ells-
worth settled on lot 31, known as the Throop
farm, coming from Hartford county. Conn., on
foot, bringing all his worldly possessions in a
little bundle swung over his shoulder. He
built a log house the same year and later mar-
ried Calista Day, daughter of William Day, of
Cattaraugus county. These are a few of the
earlv settlers along the line of the old Chau-
tauqua road, while in other parts of the town.
outside of the present village limits, we note
the following: In 1816 Simon Lawrence drove
through from Rutland county, Vermont, with
an ox-team and located on lot 38 in the Clear
Creek Valley. After providing shelter for him-
self and family he proceeded to clear the side-
hill back of his log house and plant an
orchard, the first in town ; manv of the trees

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

172

are still standing. His son, Simon Lawrence,
Jr., who was born upon the premises soon after
his parents came, succeeded to the ownership
upon his father's death and spent his whole
life there. He died a few j-ears since and his
youngest son, Edgar P., now owns and occu-
pies the old homestead. The same year Ward
King, from Massachusetts, located in the
northeast part of the town on lot 16. In 1817
Charles Thacher, from Vermont, settled on
lot 64, and the following year Oliver Bugbee
on lot 23, Nathan Billings on lot 21, known
as the Nye farm, and his brother, Daniel Bill-
ings, on lot 13, later known as the Alverson
farm. In 1821 Rolli Rublee, from Pittsfield,
Mass., settled on lot 12, building a log house
on the south bank of Clear creek, near the
present iron bridge opposite the Day school
house, and later a slab house on the farm now
owned by Lorenzo Green. The same year
Hiram Putnam, a brother of the late Worthy
Putnam, settled on lot 4, east of Rublee's ; he
married a daughter of Simon Lawrence.

In 1822 the population was largely increased.
Among the new settlers were : Enos Bush, lot
I ; Samuel Newton and Gershum Newton, lot
46: Gardner Bentley and Benjamin Carr, lot
16; James Leach, lot 18; Amos Leach, lot 11 ;
John Leach, lot 10; Benjamin Livermore, lot
I ; Henry Abbey, lot 32 ; Hosea Saxton, lot 25 ;
David Gates, lot 11: Henry Day, lot 24 ; Sey-
mour Saxton, lot 18; Jeremiah West, lot 10;
Z. L. Bemus, lot i; Ira Gates, lot 19; Nathan
Bugbee (brother of Wyman) lot 20; John
Woodward, Jr., lot 2. Mr. Woodward was
seven years supervisor of the town, and in 1835
was elected member of Assembly. He was
grandfather of Hon. John Woodward, later
justice of the Supreme Court. He with his
brother David, who later settled on lot 9,
moved to the west.

In 1823 Daniel C. Green settled on lot 24
and Moses Wheeler on lot 43. In 1824 Orrin
Fairbanks, lot 3; Enos Preston, lot 60; Oran
Kingsley, Jr., (father of the late Calvin Kings-
ley, Bi'shop of the Methodist Episcopal
Church), lot 34; Otis Page, lot 34; Charles
Crowfoot, lot 49; Ransom Williams, lot 18;
Nathan Brown and David Ransom, lot 37;
Julius Dewev, lot 38. In 1825 Friend L. Fisk,
lot 44; Nathaniel Fuller, lot 54; Isaac Harmon,
lot 36 : Joseph B. Eddy, lot 52 ; Nathaniel Dun-
ham, lot 60 ; James Tracy, lot 35 ; Elijah Green,
lot 20; Veranus Page, lot 12; Isaac Holland,
lot 35. In 1826 Israel Carpenter, lot 46: Rich-
ard G. Farman and Jason Bumpus, lot 57. In
1827 George Anderson, lot 20; Abram Holland,
lot 25. 1828, Ira Day, lot 13. 1829, Dr. Wil-

liam Ware, lot 5. 1830, Jonathan Slater, lot
36, and Levi Warner, lot 32. 1832, Isaiah Nes-
sel and Joseph B. Nessel, his brother, lot 38;
Isaac Helmick, lot 51, and Lewis Rice, lot 21.
1833, John N. White, lot 27. 1834, Salmon T.
Case, and the following year his father Elipha-
let Case, lot 63, and Andrew P. White, lot 42.
1835, Allen Bagg and Franzier Luce, lot 28;
Henry Altenburg, lot 63. 1836, Chauncey Fox,
lot 54; Hiram Bagg, lot 27; John Shaw, lot 46,
and Henry Wheeler, lot 38.

The foregoing comprise a few of the names
of the early settlers, most of whom were origi- ,
nal purchasers from the Holland Land Com- ■
pany, but the list must necessarily be brief;
enough, however, has been given to show that
the forest-covered hills, in those early days,
presented to the settler, in pursuit of a home,
attractions equal to the more fertile valleys
and low lands. Possibly the rock-ribbed hills
of their former New England homes, as con-
trasted with the more moderately sloping hill-
sides of their new found possessions, made the
latter seem to them a pleasing heritage fraught
with greater possibilities. Certain it was that
the majestic pine and the oak that dotted in
such profusion the uplands, must have been to
them a convincing argument that their giantajjE'
forms indicated a soil of untold wealth andw|P
richness beneath their spreading branches.

Among the early industries established in
the town, outside the village, we note the fol-
lowing:

Simon Lawrence, in 1820, built the first saw-
mill, which was located on Clear Creek on lo'
29, on land bought by Frederick Love. Som(_
of the remains of the old mill can be seen td'
this dav, near the iron bridge crossing the lat-it
ter stream on the Clapp Hill road. Other saw-,'-
mills were built in town by different individuals
and about in the order named. John Stafford,
on Clear Creek, lot 20; Ira Day, on the same
stream about one-fourth of a mile east on lot
12; Silas Rider, on lot 29. northeast of William
Clapp's residence ; Jonathan Slater on Twenty-
eight Creek, on land now owned by Gust.W.
Engdahl ; Oliver Carpenter in the Rice neigh-
borhood ; the Avery Porter mill about three-
fourths of a mile west of Slater's ; the McCul-
lough mill on lot 62, west of Henry Harris's^
Henry Wheeler's mill adjoining his gristmill
near Simon Lawrence, and the Gardner Gil;
bert mill on the farm lately owned by Davic
White. All of these mills have either been de-
stroyed by flood, torn down, or burned up.

The first gristmill was built by Ward King
in 1820, in the northeast part of the town, or
lot 16. He fashioned the stones obtained froir

TOWNS— ELLINGTON

173

a neighboring quarry, using for the bolt
bleached cotton cloth, bringing the water to his
mill through hollow logs and using an overshot
wheel. Such mills were called in those days
'corn-crackers."

The first tannery in town was established by
Elijah and Elliot Mason, near Clear Creek, in
;[828. They sold the property to Philip M.
Smith, who continued the business for many
.•ears. About two years later Lockwood &
-iough started a wool-carding and cloth-dress-
ng establishment on Clear Creek, on land
)urchased by them of Simon Lawrence. In
.832, Isaiah and Joseph B. Nessel, two broth-
■rs from Onondaga county, N. Y., moved into
own and bought the farm adjoining Law-
ence's to the west, together with the property
nd business of Lockwood & Hough. They
ngaged in the enterprise until 1836, when they
old their building and water privilege to
lenry \\'heeler, from Madison county, New
^ork, who moved the building up near the
oad and converted it into a dwelling and built
.pon its former site a large flouring mill and
I awmill. Mr. Wheeler continued in the mill-
ig business at that place until 1S51, when he
lid out to William W. and Richard Gates,
ut three years later bought the property back
nd remained in business there until he pur-
hased and built over the Vaill mill in the vil-
Lge. After the Nessel brothers sold out to
Ir. ^^'heeler, Joseph formed a co-partnership
•ith Alvah Bates, and they moved their wool-
irding and cloth-dressing business to the vil-
.ge and built what is now known as the old
>obbin cabinet shop, and followed the busi-
ess for many years.

The first store in town was started at Olds'
orners by Camp, Colville & Holbrook : fol-
iwing them was Ruggles & Ingersoll, at Clear
reek.

James Bates, who in 1815, settled on lot 48,
1 what was later known as the George L.
>'ade place, kept at that point the first tavern
1 town. Later Alamanson Hadley and Henry
[cConnell kept tavern at the same place. Ben-
.min Follet kept another in a log house about

mile east from Bates' on the old Chautauqua
)ad, he was succeeded by Lucretia French in

-2, at the same place. A little later Joshua
itley erected a frame building and kept
■-•1 in it at Olds' Corners. About 1826 Ste-
11 Nichols kept tavern in a frame building
cted by him at Clear Creek.

The first post ofifice was established in the

Tth part of the town, in the house of Benja-
lin Follet, on the old Chautauqua road, about
-^t6 or 1817. It is generally understood that

Follet was the first postmaster, and that he
served in that capacity until about 1822 or
1823, when he sold his purchase from the Hol-
land Land Company to Lucretia French, a
widow, who is said to have come here from
Canada about that time and who succeeded to
the office of postmaster, which she held until
1829, when the office was moved to the Bates
Settlement and Vinal Bates was appointed in
her place. The Follet house was about the
third or fourth log house built in town, and
Mrs. French, like her predecessor, used it for
hotel jnirposes, and for several years it was the
place for the holding of all the public gather-
ings of the town. The mail route was from
Ellicottville to Mayville via Little Valley, and
Sampson Crooker and Robert Guy were the
first mail carriers ; the former was the father
of the late Hon. George A. S. Crooker, of Cone-
wango. It is said they carried it through on
foot, suspended from a pole resting on their
shoulders. Later Samuel McConnell carried
the mail through on horseback, once a week
each way. Deacon Otis Paige was also one of
the early mail carriers. The post office re-
mained at the Bates Settlement until 1832,
when it was removed to the village and Wil-
liam T. Norris was appointed postmaster. The
mail route was changed and extended from Sil-
ver Creek to Ellington, taking in intermediate
points, and for many years a stage carrying
mail and passengers ran back and forth on each
alternate day. After the building of the At-
lantic & Great Western railroad the route was
changed, running from Ellington to Kennedy,
and after the completion of the Buffalo &
Southwestern railroad from Ellington to Cone-
wango Valley.

The earliest transportation facilities were on
the backs of the settlers, and in that way flour
and family supplies had to be brought through
from Fredonia, where was then located the
nearest mill and market. The process was
tedious and attended with hardships, but the
earlv settlers readily adapted themselves to
existing conditions. Later as the roads were
cut through and made passable, the oxen and
the cart made the labor more tolerable ; and
until the advent of the railroad all goods, mer-
chandise and family supplies for this locality
had to be hauled from Fredonia, Barcelona.
Dunkirk or Silver Creek. The only articles of
exchange for family necessities, which the
early settler could transport on his outgoing
trip, was black salts, pearl ash, or pine shingles
— nature's product — the making of which pre-
pared the way for the open fields in the heart
of the forest.

174

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

It is related of James Bates, Jr., son of the
pioneer, James Bates, who settled on lot 48,
then a young man, while returning home from
Wyman Bugbee's through the woods in com-
pany with his little brother he met what he
supposed to be a large dog. He called to it
but without effect. He then tried to frighten
it away, but this he failed to do, and as it mani-
fested' no disposition to turn out for him he
procured a stout club and cautiously approach-
ing the animal dealt it a severe blow on the
head, and with a second blow apparently broke
its back. Alarmed at the supposition that he
had killed a neighbor's dog, he requested his
brother not to mention the circumstance, but
he himself related it to Mr. Bugbee, who
passed his father's house that night, and who
from the description given of the animal readily
recognized it to be a wolf. The lad Bates, in
company with his father and Mr. Bugbee re-
turned to the scene of the encounter, and the
suspicion of the nature of the animal was veri-
fied. The wolf was still alive, but was soon dis-
patched and skinned and the bounty, which
was forty dollars, was in due time obtained by
the young man.

Apropos to the foregoing is another little his-
torical incident in which Mr. Bugbee took quite
a prominent part, but with more serious results
than happened to young Bates. Mr. Bugbee's
home was a log house situated on the east bank
of one of the south branches of Clear creek
that runs through the northwest corner of lot
29 and empties into the latter stream about
forty rods to the north of his dwelling. The
streams in those days were full of beautiful
speckled trout, as were the forests of wild
game, and by means of the gun and the rod
the early settler never lacked for fish, fowl or
venisqn. About one-fourth of a mile west of
Bugbee's lived Simon Lawrence with his three
boys, Alva, Simon, Jr., and John, who were a
family of hunters.

Bugbee while hunting one day, in company
with two of his neighbors, his dog started a
bear about one-half mile north of Lawrence's
across Clear creek, at which he fired his last
shot. The bear, though hit, was not disabled,
and after running a few rods climbed a tree.
Bugbee called to his companions who came to
his assistance. Alva Lawrence shot the bear
in the head, but did not kill it and it began to
descend. The party (which now consisted, be-
sides the two already mentioned, of Simon
Lawrence, Z. Davenport, George McConnell
and Joseph Bates, the two former being armed
with axes which they had been grinding) sur-
rounded the tree and with axes and clubs

awaited the bear's descent. When about ten
feet from the ground it dropped and McCon-
nell dealt it several blows with his club, but
without apparent efifect. The bear started to
run, and Bugbee's dog followed in close pur-
suit. Being greatly annoyed by the dog the
bear turned upon it and gave it a terrible hug.
The cries of the dog brought Bugbee to its
assistance. He got behind the bear and tried
to force it to loosen its hold on the dog, but?
the animal sprang back and Bugbee fell to the
ground. The bear seized Bugbee by the leg,
when a terrible struggle ensued, during which
time the bear bit Bugbee several times. The
position of the combatants so frequently!
changed that Bugbee's companions found it
difficult to afford him any substantial assist-
ance without imperiling his life. Finally a
blow from the axe of Simon Lawrence caused
the bear to loose its hold on Bugbee's leg, and
turning upon Lawrence with a blow from his
paw sent the axe flying from his hands, where-
upon Lawrence, seizing Davenport's axe, re-
newed the battle and finally buried the blade of
the weapon in bruin's head, thus putting an
end to the combat. Bugbee was so exhausted,
and faint that his companions were obliged to
carry him home and his injuries confined him
to his house for about six months.

Ebenezer Green, Jr., who for many years
was called Captain Green, from the fact that he
held during the "General Training" period a
captain's commission in the 218th Regiment
of State Militia, was the first settler withm the
present bounds of the village. In the winter
of 1819 he made maple sugar on the site of the
present village park. In the following year th^
first public religious service ever held in the
valley was conducted by Rev. A. Williams, a
Methodist minister, at his house.

It is related of Mr. Green that one evenm;
while searching in the woods for some losi
stock, he was chased to his home by a pack of

wolves. • 1 ^1. •

The journeys of the early settlers with theire
families from the eastern states to the tree-coy-.!
ered hills of Chautauqua, presented to a certain"
extent a sameness. There was the customary
ox team and cart with its varying load, accord-
ing to the size of the family and the amount ot
household goods ; but sometimes a new feature
was introduced to meet the fancied needs of the
prospective home in the forest. This was the
case with Rolli Rublee, who journeyed through
from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in 1822. Be-
side the wife and children and the household
articles usually brought, he utilized his four-
legged table by nailing slats around it and

TOWNS— ELLINGTON

175

; fastening to the legs a temporary bottom, in
! which he placed a pig. To complete the outfit
he tied his only cow to the hind end of the cart,
the milk from which was shared by the family
with the pig, on the journey.
; [ Julius Dewey, who came from Massachu-
1 setts in 1824 and settled on the west side of lot
' 38, which he articled from the Holland Land
(Company, was a man who was proverbially
; 'prompt to pay his financial obligations ; indeed
the writer can remember when a boy of hear-
ing him often remark that 'twas "always con-
venient to have a little grease money," suppos-
ing, of course, that he meant that to have
I money to promptly pay one's debts made busi-
j ness matters run smooth. But in the early
[ days there came a time when the modest in-
i :ome from his pioneer farm failed to equal the
imount due at the Land Office on his purchase.
vVith a spirit commendable for its earnestness
le determined there should be no default, and
iccordingly one morning he gathered up into
I modest bundle a few articles of personal
lecessities and started on foot for his old home
mong the Berkshire Mountains to raise the
lecessary funds. He accomplished the jour-
ley and in due time returned on foot in time

make the payment when it fell due at the
^and Office.

The first white male child born in town was
iimon Lawrence, Jr., in 1817. The first white
emale child was born to Benjamin FoUet and
^■ife about a year earlier. The first marriage
>'as celebrated between Rufus Hitchcock and
'anah Hadley in 1817, and about six weeks
Iter the event Mr. Hitchcock met his death by
illing from a building which he was erecting

1 the neighboring town of Cherry Creek.

It is claimed the first public religious serv-
:es ever held in town was at the house of
ibner Bates in 1817, conducted by the Rev.
)aniel Hadley ; others claim, however, that the
rst sermon was preached by Rev. John Spen-
:r, a Presbyterian clergyman.

James Thacher, who by the way was the
rst supervisor of the town of Ellington, set-
ed on lot 64, December 9, 1S20. It was the
ractice in those days to turn the cattle out to
rowse and, indeed, it was their only means
f subsistence, with no cleared fields and little
iitive grass. On one occasion Mr. Thacher
lissed one of his cows, which remained absent

r a period of twenty-seven days, when he

ippened to be straying through a neighbor-
ig slashing and found the animal with its head
j) caught between a couple of trees that it was
nable to extricate itself. It was alive when
lund, having all that time been without food

or water; but it was still able to be driven
home, and by careful treatment its life was
saved.

There originally existed in this town, as evi-
dence of a pre-historic race, four circular
mounds. One on lot 47, on what is known as
the Boyd farm ; one in Clear Creek Valley on
lot 29, on the farm now occupied by Clarence
Baldwin ; one on lot 4, on the old Doctor Ware
farm, south of Clear Creek, and one on the
crest of the hill north of the village ; which has
always been known as "The Old Indian Fort."

There has been from time to time many
relics of much interest and historic value taken
from these mounds, particularly from the one
last named ; beside the latter has for many
years been the meeting place for pleasure par-
ties and curiosity seekers, and is still in a fair
state of preservation.

On September 8th, 1865, the village of Elling-
ton, and, indeed, the whole town, suffered from
an unprecedented flood, destroying most of the
bridges throughout the town, and in the vil-
lage several buildings. "Twenty-eight Creek,"
which runs through the southern part of the
village, and which in ordinary times is a small
rivulet suddenly became a raging torrent,
spreading out through Main street, covering
almost the entire village. The valley was
transformed into a river, bearing upon its
waters huge logs, trees and floating wreckage.
All the buildings on the south side of the park,
including dwellings, stores, the hotel and Bap-
tist church, were either undermined, destroyed,
wrecked or washed away.

The dwelling of Abel Mattocks, on the south
side of Main street, wherein were his wife and
family, was carried away and wrecked and four
of the children drowned. The mother was car-
ried a distance of several rods under water and
lodged on a pile of driftwood and rescued by
the citizens. The body of one of the children,
a four-year-old boy, was never found. Jere-
miah Torrey, an old resident of the village,
was carried by the water into the park, where
he caught on a tree, but the floating wreckage
swept him away and he was rescued by the
people on the east side of the park. The "Wal-
den Block," which occupied the same place of
the Frisbee and DeVoe Block, and in which
were stores and shops and living rooms above,
was completely destroyed, and but for the large
quantity of flood-wood and hay that had lodged
near it, upon which the occupants took refuge,
many more lives would have been lost. The
hotel, then kept by W. V. Welch, in which
were manv citizens and guests, became under-
mined and partly destroyed, the occupants

176

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

taking refuge in the upper story ; expecting
momentarily to be precipitated into the raging
flood. Many of the imprisoned inhabitants
within the doomed buildings became panic-
stricken and performed many foolish and amus-
ing acts in the face of the impending danger.
It was indeed an event long to be remembered
by some, and has ever since come to be spoken
of as "The Flood," and it was many years be-
fore the evidences of the destruction wrought
entirely disappeared. It was generally sup-
posed that the occasion of it was a partial
cloud-burst in the western part of the town,
which caused the breaking of some dams west
of the village, and the choking up of the nar-
row channel of the stream, thereby flooding
the valley with the great downpour of rain
from the hills.

The first town meeting for the election of
town officers, after Ellington and Cherry
Creek had been set ofif from the town of Gerry,
was held at the house of Lucretia French,
where the first post office had been established,
on March i, 1825, at which time the following
ticket was elected : Supervisor, James Thach-
er ; town clerk, Cornelius N. Nicholson ; asses-
sors, Robert James, Jr., John Leach and
Charles Thacher ; collector, Alamanson Hadley ;
overseers of the poor, Reuben Penhollow and
Ward King; highway commissioners, Robert
James, Ira Gates and Henry McConnel ; con-
stables, Alamanson Hadley, Benjamin Liver-
more and George H. Frost; commissioners of
common schools, David C. Spear, C. H. Nich-
olson and Parley Eaton ; school inspectors, C.
H. Nicholson, David C. Spear and Parley
Eaton ; sealer of weights and measures, John
P. Hadley ; poundkeepers, Benjamin Ellsworth,
MontgomerA' Evans and Nathan Brown ; fence-
viewers, Daniel C. Green, Nathan Brown and
Reuben Penhollow.

The following is a list of the supervisors of
the town who have been elected and served
from 1825 to the present time : James Thacher,
1825; Cornelius H. Nicholson, 1826-27; James
Carr, 1828-29; Gideon Evans, 1830; John
Woodward, Jr., 1831-34-38-40; Benj. Barnard,
1835-37; Geo. J. Phipany, 1841-43-47; Jarvis B.
Rice, 1844-46 : John F. Farman, 1848-53-60 ; Ma-
son D. Hatch, 1855; Charles B. Green, 1856-
57-61 ; John Farnham, 1862-63 ; Samuel Griffith,
1864-65-72-73; George Waith, 1866-67; Philip
M. Smith, 1868-69; Carev Briggs, 1870-71;
Theodore A. Case, 1874-75-84-86-87-88-95-96-
97-98-99-1900-01-02-03-04-05-06-07; Olivin Put-
nam, 1876-77-78-79-S0-81 ; Austin H. Stafford,
1882-83; Ernest F. Rowley, 1889-90; Sardius
Frisbee, 1891-92-93-94; Charles J. Main, 1908-

09-10-11; Charles H. White, 1912-13-14-15-16-
17; James B. Anderson, 1918-19-20.

John Woodward, Jr., was elected Assembly-
man for the Second Chautauqua Assembly rm
District in the year 1835; David H. Treadway '* '
in 1848; Dr. Jeremiah Ellsworth in 1852-53;
Charles B. Green in 1858, and Theodore A.
Case in 1876-77. Andrew P. White was elected
school commissioner in i860, Byron Ellsworth,
county treasurer in 1863, and Austin H. Staf-
ford, county clerk in 1885.

In the line of the medical profession. Dr.
Sands M. Crumb is said to have been the first
practitioner through this section, living near
Clear Creek, Cattaraugus county. The first
resident physician was Dr. William Ware, who
moved into a log house between Ellington and
Clear Creek, on lot 5, on the i8th day of June,
1829, coming from Hartford county, Connecti-
cut. He practiced his profession here until his
death. Dr. Benjamin Potwin settled in town
in 1832 on lot 37, west of the village on the
farm now occupied by his grandson, G. R.
Potwin. He died about 1853. Dr. Jeremiah
Ellsworth settled in town in 1846, coming from
Silver Creek. In 1854 he sold out to Dr.\v. B.
Schemerhorn and moved to Gerry. Dr. Schem-
erhorn practiced a few years in town and
moved to Kennedy. Doctors Elijah DeVoe
and his brother, Daniel DeVoe. were also resi-
dent physicians at this place for many years.
Both are now dead. Dr. Newton F. Marsh was.
a lifelong practitioner at this place, comin]
here a young man he enjoyed a large and lucra-
tive practice until his death, which occurr
in 1900. Dr. James Brooks practiced in Ellin]
ton from 1851 until his death and was sumI
ceeded by Dr. Osborne and he by the presenll
(1920) physician. Dr. Spencer A. Drake.

The village of Ellington is situate in tlwl
Clear Creek Valley upon parts of lots numbers (jtiv
20, 21, 28 and 29, and its main street runs easj Skije
and west on the dividing line between lots a !k{
and 21, 28 and 29. The purchasers of the lane ^
from the Holland Land Company on lot 29 itas
where the village was built, with the date o^Kth,
each purchase, as disclosed by the records, an
as follows: On July 15. 1829, James Briggijfcii
took title to 67 acres on the east side of tht ititjj
lot. In July, 1833, Benjamin Vaill purchase" iIuk
67 acres next west of and adjoining that Cfjiitj,
Briggs. On March 24, 1834. Vaill also pun
chased 75 acres west of and adjoining his othel
purchase. On July 15, 1816, Frederick Lovii
purchased 50 acres west of Vaill's 75 acre
and on May 15, 1815, Wyman Bugbee puii
chased the tract lying west of Love's and coi
prising the balance of the lot.

Sit

m\ ■

hit'ili

TOWNS— ELLINGTON

177

On the west side of lot 20, Ebenezer Green,
Jr., had settled and built a log house as early
as 1 819, where Albert Clapp now lives. About
three years later his father, Ebenezer Green,
arrived from Pittsfield, Mass., from which
place his son had preceded him, and purchased
the sou's interest, the latter moving over on
lot 21, where he bought land and built a log
'louse on the site of the dwelling lately owned
iy William L. Rhoades, where he resided for
Tiany years. The house first constructed by
Mr. Green was the first one built within the
present bounds of the village.

Jeremiah Baldwin, from Bethau}-, Genesee
:ounty, N. Y., in the year 1824, articled 99
teres lying on the east side of lot 28, taking
leed of same November 14, 1836. On May 3,
828, Horace Wells purchased 60 acres lying
lext west of Baldwin's. On November 27,
.835, Silas Wheeler purchased 80 acres lying
iiext west of Wells', and on May 29, 1835,
: jVheeler also purchased 116?^ acres lying west
«f his 80, which included the balance of the lot.
: "he two latter purchases by Mr. Wheeler em-
braced tracts articled by Jacob Vader and
leorge Altenburg, respectively, of the Holland
,and Company several years prior to Wheel-
r's deed. Vader and Altenburg, who were
rothers-in-law, came from Onondaga county,
I. Y., quite early, cleared up these tracts, set
ut fruit trees and built themselves log houses ;
ut finally disposed of their interests to Mr.
\'heeler and settled in other parts of the town.
1 most instances the date of actual settlement
nte-dates the deed by several years. Mr. Vaill
whose name has heretofore been erroneously
;. palled Vail) was accredited to Genesee county,
itt his home appears to have been in New
ork City and he is said to have been a man
i considerable wealth ; at all events, to him is
, -rgely due the success attending the early
.; ?ttlement of the village.

The first log house on lot 29 was built by

.'yman Bugbee near the west line of the lot as

irly as 1814. In 181 5 Frederick Love built

mself a log house on his fifty-acre purchase,

;st east of Bugbee's, on land occupied by Mrs.

•■ ijarence Baldwin. These houses were built

fefore any highway was laid out in the valley.

'n June 22, 1816, Simeon Clinton surveyed the

^lad commencing at Love's house and run-

mg westerly up the valley to the Angelica, or

'd Chautauqua road, near the dwelling of

imuel McConnell, and on June 30, 1819, he

. .. urveyed a continuation of the road from

■^.', Jove's house eastward down the valley until it

. iitersected the road leading west to Gerry,

•'ar the southeast corner of the village park.

Chau— 12

The Gerry road — which was called the center
road by reason of its running east and west
through the center of the town — had its east-
ern terminus at this point. Mr. Clinton, how-
ever, on the latter date, continued the survey of
the road east along the line of lots to the Day
school house and, from thence northeasterly
to the county line, the present site of the vil-
lage of Clear Creek. Prior to the opening of
these roads the few inhabitants of the valley
were content with footpaths through the
woods, with a log spanning Clear Creek below
the village for the use of pedestrians. The
road running from the southeast corner of the
park toward Kennedy was laid out on the west
line of Baldwin's purchase by C. H. Nicholson,
surveyor, June 19, 1827.

In 1824 Rlr. Baldwin built a double log house
on his purchase, which stood on a portion of
the lot now owned by Mrs. Joel Slater. In this
house Mr. Baldwin kept the first hotel in the
village. Soon after he built a frame addition
on the west end, wherein George Walbridge,
from Buffalo, kept a hardware store for four
or five years, the first in the village. Subse-
quently the frame portion was purchased by
Lewis Leet, who moved it upon the Larabee
lot, which Mr. Leet had purchased of Mr. Bald-
win and where he was then conducting a tan-
nery and shoe-shop, locating his vats across
the street on Spring Brook. The first frame
dwelling was built by Stephen Aldrich west of
the Baldwin hotel ; it was subsequently moved
across the street and is now owned and occu-
pied by Nelson McKee.

Opposite from Baldwin's log hotel, on lot
29, Elisha and Levi Beardsley, two brothers
from Genesee count}', who were representa-
tives and agents of Mr. Vaill, purchased of
James Briggs, July 28, 1830, two and three-
fourths acres of land upon which they erected
a frame building and opened up a general store.
To the east of the store they each built a frame
dwelling, the first of the kind, with the excep-
tion of the one above noted, erected in the vil-
lage : both of these houses are still standing
and owned and occupied by Whitcomb and
Wesley Mather. Back of the store on the
Whitcomb Mather lot they built an ashery the
following year. Briggs built a log house on
the west side of his purchase, but on the
28th day of October, 1833, ^^ ^o^"^ ^^^ remain-
ing 6454 acres to Silas Wheeler, whereon
Mr. Wheeler built the large dwelling now-
owned by T. W. Sprague. Mr. Wheeler came
from New Ipswich, New Hampshire, about
1830, following his brother, Moses Wheeler,
who settled on lot 43 in 1823. Silas was then

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

a young man of some means and possessed fine
business attainments, was a good surveyor and
a valuable man in the community. He invested
largely in real estate throughout the town,
built several dwellings, and was otherwise
actively engaged in business for many years.

In 1833 the Beardsleys built for Mr. Va'ill the
first gristmill in the village. It was located on
the latter's 67-acre purchase, and on the site
of the present flouring mill of M. H. Terry.
With the starting of these industries by Vaill
a nucleus was formed for a little settlement
and by his direction, that year Elisha Beards-
ley, who withal was an elder in the Christian
church, a merchant and practical surveyor,
surveyed and plotted out into lots, all that part
of lot 29 which Mr. Vaill then owned, whereon
the village now stands, reserving therefrom,
for a public park, a lot four chains and seventy-
five links by four chains and forty links. The
village plot was enlarged by the addition of his
75-acre purchase the following year. Among
the lots which appear to have been sold for
building purposes, was lot 5, deeded to Silas
Wheeler, just west of which was lot 8, sold to
John Herrick. The old Christian church lot
number 6 was eighty-three links wide and ex-
tended across the east side of the park. Lot i
at the northwest corner of the park had been
sold to William T. Norris, upon which he built
the old store and dwelling attached, owned by
the late Daniel Eigenbroadt. Next east was
lot 2, east of lot 2 was lot 3, purchased by
Albert Terhune. The Beardsley Brothers pur-
chased lot 4 and the following year erected
thereon the building now known as the
"Grange Hall." On the west side of the park
was lot 17, purchased by Merritt & Terhune.
Just north of this was lot 18, deeded to the
Congregational Church Society. Daniel Eigen-
broadt had purchased lot 19, across the street,
where he had the year before erected his house,
and Alvah Bates had purchased the lot directly
west of the church lot. Lot 30, later owned
by H. N. Jacobs, had been purchased by Sam-
uel Babcock, and Enoch Jenkins had con-
tracted for lot 31, lying directly across the
street.

These are a few of the first sales made by
Vaill. Several lots had been laid out on the
prospective street leading to Vaill's mill, but
no sales appear to have been made, as that
street was not formally opened until April 21,
1834. Many of Mr. Vaill's sales were made
on contract and in but few instances were
deeds executed at time of purchase, as but few
settlers were able to pay the money down for
their lots. The Beardsleys themselves, a year

or so later, purchased by contract of Mr. Vaill
many of his unsold lots, but unfortunately for
them they became thereby financially embar-
rassed and Ira Day, a prominent citizen of the
town, who in 1828 settled on lot 13, and who
had become personally liable on many of their
obligations, was obliged, in order to secure
himself, to take by assignment all the Vaill
and Beardsley contracts. In 1835 Mr. Vaill
died and in the course of the settlement of his
estate Mr. Day found it also necessary in order
to protect his interests and carry out existing
contracts, to purchase the balance of Mr.
Vaill's real estate in the town. In so doing he
incurred an indebtedness of $2,200, which in
those days was looked upon as a debt of alarm-
ing proportions, but which he nevertheless
successfully liquidated and thereby came into
possession of a large part of the real estate
whereon the village is now located.

No lots were included in the original village
plot on lot 28. Mr. Baldwin, however, who
owned the land from the Kennedy road to the
east line of that lot, sold off all the lots front-
ing the street up to the southeast corner of
the park, and in 1832 built his residence on the
Kennedy road, the same owned by the late
Samuel Griffith. He sold the first lot off the
east side of his purchase to Reuben Case, where
Matthew Frank now resides. The lot next
west where Mrs. Yaw now lives was sold to
Elder Morse. Samuel Case purchased the orig-
inal lot where Mr. Baldwin erected his log tav-
ern and built the dwelling now owned by Sam-
uel G. Baldwin. Mr. Case was a blacksmith
and for a time had a shop on the same lot.
Lewis Leet purchased what is now known as
the Larabee lot, as before noted, and Silas
Wheeler bought the balance of the street front
to the corner. Mr. Wheeler sold the corner
to Matthew Norris, who had a cabinet shop or
the Fox place on the west side of Mill street
and Mr. Norris moved his shop upon the cor-
ner and for several years continued the indus-
try at that place. Later John C. Cody boughi
it and converted it into a grocery and jewelr}
store. The later owner, Charles A. Clapp, foii
many years occupied it for a dwelling.

On October 28, 1S33, Harwood Boydeii
bought of Horace Wells his sixty acres lyin|_^
west of the Baldwin tract, and in 1835 Mr"
Boyden also purchased the 80-acre tract oj
Silas Wheeler lying next west, and the sann|
year sold the two to Allen Bagg and FrazieTJ
Luce, who that 3'ear moved into town fron|]
Pittsfield, Mass., the former moving into thij
house that Boyden had erected on the Wellj
tract, across the road from Baldwin's dwelling([j

TOWNS— ELLINGTON

1/9

In 1S41 Mr. Bagg sold out his interest to Mr.
Luce and purchased the 1 16J/2 acres owned by
Mr. Wheeler on the west side of lof 28, known
as the Altenburg tract. All the lots, there-
fore, on the south side of the park, with one or
two exceptions, were sold off by Mr. Luce
after he acquired full title to the land, and all
the lots on the south side of West Main street
from W. Aldrich's blacksmith shop west to the
foot of the hill were sold by Mr. Bagg.

In 1833 Sewell Merritt and Lewis Terhune
built a hotel on the lot which they purchased
of Vaill on the west side of the park. That
year Mr. Baldwin had closed up and sold his
log tavern and Merritt & Terhune succeeded
to the hotel business ; save perhaps for a year
or two, Lyman Little kept a public house in
the dwelling erected by Stephen Brown, where
Adelbert Andrus now lives. About 1837 Mer-
ritt & Terhune sold out to David Torrey, who
added considerably to the size and capacity of
the building. In addition to the lot, Mr. Tor-
rey owned several acres of land lying directly
west of his hotel which he sold for church,
school and private purposes, at different times.
In 1839 ^^^- Torrey traded his hotel property
to Jarvis B. Rice, for a farm west of the vil-
lage. Rice kept the hotel until 1842, when he
sold it back to Mr. Torrey, who, in connection
with his son Jeremiah, continued the business
until 1853, when it passed into the hands of
Joel Gates. Gates continued the business until
1856, when he disposed of it to Mrs. Ruth
Walkup, a widow, who by the help of her son
conducted the hotel until i860, when it was
purchased by A. M. P. Maynard. In January,
1861, while owned by Mr. Maynard, it caught
fire and was destroyed and was never rebuilt.
The dwelling of Lafayette Eigenbroadt now
jStands on the site of the old hotel.
( On the 15th day of January, 1850, David
jTorrey sold the southeast corner of his hotel
ilot to Jeremiah Baldwin, who erected thereon
[a building, and in company with his son-in-
|law, John M. Farnham, opened up a hardware
'Store. The co-partnership of Farnham & Bald-
win continued until i860, when Farnham pur-
chased Mr. Baldwin's interest and remained
lin trade until 1865, when he sold out to F. E.
land T. A. Case. The firm subsequently be-
jcame F. E. & J. H. Case ; F. E. Case sold out
(to E. E. DeVoe, and the firm became Case &
iDeVoe, until Case sold out to Hiram Terry,
iwho in company with DeVqe, engaged in trade
Until the building and contents were burned
Sn December, 1875. Adjoining this building to
jthe north, on the Torrey lot, was a store
erected by Henry Wait soon after Baldwin

built his hardware store. Wait started in the
book business, but after a year or two sold out
to Alvah Bates, who opened up a dry goods
store. Mr. Bates continued in trade until his
death, when the property passed into the hands
of J. F. Farman & Son, who about 1866 sold
the building and stock to Charles A. Clapp.
Mr. Clapp in March, 1869, sold out to Sardius
Frisbee and Darwin J. Maynard. Mr. May-
nard soon disposed of his interest to Mr. Fris-
bee, who continued in trade until 1875, when
the property was burned with the adjoining
store.

In 1876, upon the site of these two stores,
John H. Case and Mr. Frisbee erected the pres-
ent three-story block, the former engaged in
the drug busine.-^s in the .south half and the lat-
ter resumed his dry goods trade in the north
half, where he engaged in business until Feb-
ruary 26, 1903, the date of his death. Upon
Mr. Case's death the south half was purchased
by George G. Gilbert. William T. Norris
started in the grocery trade in the building
erected by him on lot i at the northwest cor-
ner of the park. He was the first postmaster
in the village, succeeding Vinal Bates in 1833,
when the office was removed from the Bates
neighborhood. Norris sold out his store and
business to Seth Grover, and Grover to Henry
McConnell. In 1852 the property was pur-
chased by Daniel Eigenbroadt, who for many
years dealt in groceries and hardware at that
point beside working at the blacksmith trade in
his shop on the adjoining lot west. Mr. Eigen-
broadt came from the Mohawk Valley and set-
tled in the village in 1832 and the following
year built his residence on village lot 19,
where he lived until the time of his death, July,
1899. Upon the site of the old store now stands
the brick hardware store and dwelling built by
his son, D. J. Eigenbroadt. On the adjoining
lot east, now owned by Caroline and Eliza
Smith, Seth Hussey and Elijah Edwards had
a shoe-shop. Hussey and Edwards were tan-
ners and soon after Vaill built his gristmill
they purchased a lot east of and adjoining his
mill and erected a tannery ; this was afterward
owned and operated successively by Lewis
Rice. Richard W. Gates, Lewis Leet and Har-
vey Nye, but was destroyed by fire during
Nye's ownership and was never rebuilt. Henry
Haman afterward purchased the lot and privi-
leges and erected a steam mill in its place.

Albert Terhune, who purchased lot 3 on
the north side of the park, sold it to George J.
Phipan}-, who came from Genesee county in
1836. He built the store and dwelling attached,
now on the lot, the property of Mrs. C. D.

i8o

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

Stockwell. Phipany started in the mercan-
tile business in company with Richard W.
Gates, but he soon purchased Gate's interest
and in July, 1839, formed a co-partnership with
John F. Farman, who came from Oneida
county with his brother in 1826. Farman had
previously been in trade a short time with Silas
Wheeler, presumably in the Beardsley store on
the adjoining lot. Farman & Phipany con-
tinued in partnership until 1841. About 1839
Farman purchased the Beardsley store of his
father-in-law. Ira Day, which he enlarged and
improved. From 1848-50 Mr. Farman was in
partnership with Alvah Bates at that place,
after which he conducted the business alone
until 1856. when he sold out to Erastus C.
Woodworth. Mr. Woodworth remained in
trade until i860, when he sold the property and
business to Gates & Wheeler, who the follow-
ing year sold to Daniel S. Bailey, who, with his
son, Edwin, continued in active trade for many
years. John F. Baxter was the last owner and
occupant of the property for mercantile pur-
poses.

On the east side of the park, Alvah Bates
about 1840 purchased of the Christian Church
Society the corner lot and built the store now
owned by Charles A. Seekins. Two years
later Mr. Bates sold out to Norman Guernsey,
who in 1843, in company with John F. Farman,
engaged in trade at that point until 1847, when
Mr. Guernsey bought out Mr. Farman, and
the following year formed a co-partnership
with Warren Palmer. About 1850 Mason D.
Hatch bought the property and continued the
mercantile business at that point until his
death, which occurred in 1857, since which
time the property has passed through several
hands. To the north of this Albro S. Brown
erected a dwelling and shop on land bought
by him of the Christian church. Mr. Brown
was a wagon-maker and followed that business
until 1866, when he sold his property to A. M.
P. Maynard, who converted the shop into a
drug store and three or four years later sold
the property and business to James Wheeler &
Company, who continued in that line of trade
at that point for many years.

F. E. Case, about 1879, purchased a lot on
the east side of the park and built the store,
where he was almost continuously in the hard-
ware trade until his death.

At the southeast corner of the park on lot 28,
William Jenkins, about 1832-33, built a small
building which he used for a tannery, and at
the same time erected a frame dwelling on the
south bank of Twenty-eight creek, now known
as the Dobbin house. Three or four years

later Mr. Jenkins sold the property to Abner
Porter, removing his tannery business upon
the south hill, on the farm later owned by
Henry Bagg.

Air. Porter built a blacksmith shop on the
corner where Jenkins had his tannery and also
a frame dwelling just west of his shop, the
same lately owned by C. M. Turney. Porter's
shop was afterward sold and fitted up for a
store. Clapp & Williams, for two or three
years occupied it for mercantile purposes ; later
Doctor Giles owned the property and used it
for a drug store, at the time of the flood it was
used for a shoe-shop, but becoming greatly
damaged by the water was finally moved over
on the east side of the park, between the
Wheeler drug store and Case's hardware store.
The dwelling, about the same time was moved
down on the corner. To the west of this,
George H. Chandler built a two-story building
which he used for a cabinet shop and dwell-
ing; later this became the property of John B.
Stone, who occupied it for like purposes. After
the Torrey hotel burned down the building was
refitted and used for a public house. At the
time of the flood it was owned by W. V. Welch
and was very much damaged, but repaired by
Mr. Welch and moved down on the north side
of East Main street and used for hotel pur-
poses. A. W. Clapp is the owner of the prop
erty and for several years acceptably followed
that business.

West of the Baptist church lot, Myron Wal-
den and David H. Gates in April, 1848, pur-
chased a lot of Frazier Luce and built upon it
a two-story double store building, for many
years known as the "Walden Block." In the
west half Alvah Bates opened a dry goods
store and Alonzo Palmer occupied the east
lower half for a harness shop. Dobbin &
Bartholomew had a cabinet shop overhead, and
later George Waith a shoe-shop. After a year
or two Bates sold out to Horatio N. Barnes,
from Gerry, who later formed a co-partner-
ship with Nathaniel Christy, also from Gerry.
Owing to failing health, Barnes sold out his
stock to Christy in 1854, the latter continuing
in trade until 1856, when he sold the business
to A. M. P. Maynard. Mr. Maynard at about 1;
the same time purchased the drug stock of t
Dr. Giles and moved it up to the Barnes store. 1,
He continued in trade at this place until the
fall of 1865, when his property was almost
wholly destroyed by the flood that occurred
that year. Afterward Mr. Maynard opened a
drug store on the east side of the park, as before j^
noted. The building occupied by Perry Fris-
bee, grocer, and Waith & Brown, live stock

TOWNS— ELLINGTON

dealers, was' built on the site of the old "Wal-
den Block" by Terry & DeVoe, soon after the
latter firm was burned out across the street.

Among others who have at different times
and places engaged in mercantile and other
business pursuits in the village, we note the
following: Rlilo Wilcox, quite early had a
small grocery store situate on the lot now
owned by Sylvester Ransom, west of the hotel.
He took ashes from the farmers in exchange
ii ir goods, and had an ashery northeast of his
store. Likewise Richard W. Gates, about the
same time, kept a small grocery in the house
now occupied by Andrus Seekins, sending out
teams to purchase ashes in exchange for goods.
His ashery was on the lot later owned by C. H.
Rice. Allen Bagg, as early as 1840, engaged
in another primitive industry, manufacturing
peppermint essence, and for that purpose had
a still located on the Luce farm back near the
foot of the hill.

In 1848 Lemuel Perrigo built an iron
foundry on the lot now occupied by the hotel
barn. He soon formed a co-partnership with
Daniel Smoke, and for several years did a suc-
cessful business. They sold out to John Clapp.
Mr. Clapp sold to Franklin Fuller, who con-
tinued the industry until 1861, when Warren
Arnold purchased the property. After engag-
ii!g in the business a number of years Mr.
.\rnold disposed of the building and contents,
wb.ich was moved over on the Chauncey Jack-
-Lin lot, but the business was soon after discon-
tinued. Ellery Bentley, as early as 1850, had a
grocery and tailor shop on the lot now owned
iiy Caroline and Eliza Smith. In 1859 Joseph
AVeslev purchased the lot with some adjoining
land, rebuilt the house and a few years later
erected a steam planing mill and cooper shop
in the rear. He sold the shop to Lawrence &

, Shepardson and in 1873 it was burned down.

vHomer Pratt in 1858 built a grocery store on
the lot now owned by Daniel Hadley ; after
engaging in trade for about two years he died,
and the store building was afterward purchased
1iy Maria Sears and moved over on West Main
street and converted into a dwelling, later a
part of the Congregational parsonage. In
1853 Benjamin R. Brown commenced business
in the old Phipany store, and for many years
was one of the leading merchants in town. He
sold out to Orrin Strong, of Gerry, who also
engaged in trade for several years at that place.
Following Henry McConnell in the old Nor-
Tis store, back in the forties, Winfield Leach
land David Knight, each for several years en-
gaged in the grocery trade until the property

passed into the hands of Mr. Eigenbroadt in
1852.

After the death of Mason D. Hatch his store
was occupied by Andrews & Preston, of
Jamestown, under the management of Andrew
C. Holmes ; they did a large and profitable
trade. Later Holmes took the business in his
own hands and for several years was one of
the leading dry goods merchants in town.

In 1872 John Benedict started in the mer-
cantile business on West Main street in a
building erected by him and continued in active
trade until 1889, the time of his death. He
was succeeded in business by his widow, Mary
W. Benedict, who was later burned out. She
subsequently rebuilt the store, but continued
the business only for a short time.

W^esley Milspaw, in 1872, purchased a build-
ing on the south side of the park and engaged
in the sale of agricultural implements, wagons
and sundry supplies, until his death, which
occurred in 1902, besides for many years he was
an extensive dealer in hides, furs, etc. In 1853
Joseph B. Nessel purchased the Jamestown
"Herald" of Dr. Asaph Rhodes and removed
the printing plant to Ellington and commenced
the publication of a paper called "The Elling-
ton Herald." He continued its publication
until 1856, when it was discontinued. Albro S.
Brown for a time had charge of its editorial
department. In those days Mr. Nessel was a
strong anti-slavery man and was closely identi-
fied with what was then called the "Under-
ground railroad." In addition to that he was
an earnest advocate of the Anti-Masonic move-
ment and was commonly known as a "man
with a hobby."

The Christian church was the first church
organized in the town of Ellington (then town
of Gerry).

Elder Freeman Walden, from Genesee
county. New York, came to the town in 1822,
and commenced holding religious services in a
log school house situate upon what is now
known as the Joseph Smith farm, about mid-
way between the present villages of Ellington
and Clear Creek ; also in barns and private
houses in other parts of the town. On July
13, 1823, the church was organized with seven
members, as follows: Elder Freeman Wal-
den, Malinda Walden, his wife ; Ira Gates and
Clarissa Gates, his wife; Polly Gates, Rolli
Rublee and Simon Lawrence. They took and
subscribed to the following pledge or covenant:
"We, the undersigned, agree to take the Scrip-
tures of the Old and New Testament for our
rule of faith and practice at all times." On

1 82

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

April 22, 1824, the society held a meeting to
perfect a legal organization under the statute
and to choose a board of trustees. Ira Gates,
Simon Lawrence and Joshua Bush were elected
the first trustees.

Elder Freeman Walden was duly installed
pastor and ministered to the spiritual wants
of the little flock. He and his wife settled on
a small farm about two miles southeast from
the village, where he supported his family
with what little aid he received from his hand-
ful of followers. He continued his pastorate
for a period of about twelve years. In 1835
his wife died, and the following year he moved
away. It was during his ministration that the
church edifice was erected.

It appears that on May 18, 1833, a subscrip-
tion paper was circulated to raise funds for the
erection of the building which, as expressed
in said paper, was "to be thirty by forty feet
and high enough for a gallery." The structure
was raised (a heavy timber frame) August 15,
1833, and completed at an outlay of about $500,
the members contributing in work, money and
material, and the following year it was dedi-
cated to public worship, upon which occasion
Elder Seth Marvin delivered the dedicatory
sermon. In 1828 Elder Elisha Beardsley, also
from Genesee county, moved into town and
assisted occasionally in church work. After
the departure of Elder Walden, services were
conducted with more or less regularity by
Elders Oliver Barr, Seth Waterman, Warren
Skeels and D. Willard. From 1838 to 1840
there seems to be no record of church service.
During the latter year and for two years fol-
lowing. Elder Jeremiah Knowls served as pas-
tor. From 1842 to 1845 Elders Halliday (from
Fluvanna, New York), Irwin Bullock and Tot-
man, by turns, officiated. Elder Havens, 1845-
47; Elder Nye, 1848. For ten years following
there is no record of other than occasional
services held by Elders Totman and one or two
others. In 1859 to 1861 Elder J. W. Snyder
served as pastor. In i860 the church building
was repaired and rededicated, on which occa-
sion a sermon was delivered by Rev. E. B.
Rowlins.

Elder Thomas Garbut succeeded Elder Sny-
der in 1861 and remained until 1864, and was
followed by Elder M. W. Tuck, who remained
about two years ; but he having in the mean-
time united with the Masons, the church dis-
pensed with his services. Elder A. S. Lang-
don served the church as pastor from 1866-68;
Elder J. R. Spencer from 1868-70; Elder O. P.
Alderman, 1870-72. From the latter date no
regular services were held in the church until

1875, when Rev. Alden Allen was engaged and
served as pastor until June, 1879; Rev. A. S.
Langdon followed for about one year and was
the last regularly employed pastor.

The membership becoming so reduced the
trustees finally sold the church property to the
Free Methodist Society, who entirely re-
modeled the building. Later ministers have
been Rev. Charles Thorber, Rev. Lewis Leon-
ard, Rev. R. A. Robertson, Rev. Leroy Bar-
more, Rev. Clarence Silvernail, Rev. Henry
Pool, Rev. Samuel Butcher, the present pastor.

The following is a transcript of the record
of the first meeting held for the organizing
of the Freewill Baptist Church of Ellington :

April 24, 1828.

Met at the house of Horace Harmon according to
previous arrangement to take into consideration the
subject of organizing a church. A sermon was de-
hvered by Elder Amos C. Andrus from Heb. ii chap-
ter, third verse. Then a general description of doc-
trine, faith and practice of the Freewill Baptist was
given by Elder A. C. Andrus. Then gave the right
hand of fellowship to five brethren and three sisters,
and acknowledged them to compose the First Freewill
Baptist Church in the Town of Ellington, after which
the church

Resolved, First, That Julius Dewey serve as Church
Clerk. Second, That Covenant meetings be held on
Saturday before the third Sabbath in every month.

The name of the eight members referred to
in the foregoing, as appears from the record
later on, were Joseph Seekins, Stephen Marsh,
Dolphos Howard, Sally Marsh, Chloe Howard,
Solmon Wheeler, Julius Dewey and Betsey
Seekins. The membership appears to have
grown quite rapidly, and covenant meetings
were held at stated intervals for several years
at school houses, private dwellings of the mem-
bers and often in barns. Winthrop Johnson
was elected the first deacon and Joseph Seekins
church steward.

Andrus, who organized the church, was a
traveling preacher. The first settled pastor
was Elder Francis B. Tanner, who for many
years administered to the spiritual wants of the
church and whose labors were supplemented
by Elders A. C. Andrus, Jeremiah Baldwin,
Joseph Parkyn and others. On April 16, 1842,
fifty-six of the members withdrew from the
society to organize a church in Cherry Creek.
No steps seem to have been taken looking
toward the erection of a church edifice until
January, 1844, when the society adopted a reso-
lution providing for the raising of the funds
by a tax upon its membership, and for that
purpose Isaac Holland, Winthrop Johnson and
J. R. Felt were appointed a committee to
"equalize the tax." The following year the

TOWNS— ELLINGTON

183

)uildin,e: was erected. Frazier Luce, of Pitts-
ield, Massachusetts, donated the lot upon
vhich it was built, and the first services held
herein October 26, 1845. During the erection
)f the building Rev. B. R. Cooley and Rev.
^ucius O. Jones had pastoral charge, but Elder
^. C. Andrus appears to have been in charge at
he time of its dedication and was succeeded
ly Elder James A. McKay, who remained until
848, when he withdrew with some thirty other
lembers to organize a church in the town of
ierry. From 1849-52 the pulpit was supplied
y Elders Tanner, Baldwin and O. H. Light-
all ; then followed Elders Plumb and Benja-
lin McKoon, the latter remaining until 1S54,
nd was succeeded by his brother, the Rev.
)aniel W. McKoon and Charles Putnam. In
357 the church secured the services of Rev.
. N. McConoughey, who remained until 1861,
len, following him, was the Rev. Charles
utnam, from 1862-64; Rev. D. W. McKoon,
^65-66; Rev. R. E. Cornwell, 1868-70; Rev.
J. Hoag, 1870-72; Rev. Nelson Young, 1872-
5; Rev. J. L. Higbee, 1873-74; Rev. A. P.
look, 1874-77; R^v. Jerome Short, 1879-80;
;ev. John Shannon, 1880-81 ; Rev. F. W.
.feeder, 1882-83; Rev. Z. A. Space, 1889-91;
^ev. George Southwick, 1891-93, since which
aite no regular service has been maintained in

; '1e chapel, owing to the constantly decreasing

. lembership.

The following is the record, in part, of the

.. ist meeting held for the organization of the

'; ibngregational Church in Ellington :

Ellington, N. Y., Feb. 4. 1828.

\ meeting previously appointed for the purpose was

Hd at the house of Mrs. Lucretia French for the pur-

, r;e of organizing a church. The Rev. William I.

Ailcox was present and chosen moderator. The fol-

' I'ving persons presented themselves as candidates for

(• proposed church, viz.: James Bates, Benjamin Ells-

- Virth, Israel Carpenter, Aaron Merrill. Josiah D.

Ites, Lucretia French, Calista Ellsworth, Harriet

•' Sear, Nancy Bates and Polly Landon.

■■ Uter much mutual conversation in relation to the

•; d:trines and precepts of the gospel, and prayer, the

..; flowing articles of faith and covenant were read to

'■■ ai adopted by the above named persons and they

'':' wre declared as regularly constituted by the name and

% tie of the First Congregational Church of Christ in

<: lington. (Here follows the thirteen articles of faith

u. ai the covenant.)

' tTie ordinance of baptism was adn..nistered to one
*'ailt and two children. The Rev. William I. Wilcox
■it ws chosen standing moderator of the church and Bcn-
ff jiiin Ellsworth clerk and delegate to represent the
; ,, c irch at the next stated meeting of the Buffalo Pres-
'°, b.ery, with a request to be received a constituted
t* njmber. Concluded with prayer.
nS Attest:

William I. Wilcox, Moderator.
ijamin Ellsworth, Clerk.

At the next meeting, on March 29, 1828,
Otis Page was admitted to membership and
chosen the first deacon. Later on Daniel Bush
was chosen deacon. They, together with Dr.
William Ware, were subsequently made elders
in the church. During that year' the following
named persons were added to the membership :
Elizabeth Altenburg, Elizabeth Vader, Timo-
thy Gross, Warren Mansfield, William Ware,
Sally Ware, Daniel Bush, Jane Bush and Mrs.
A. B. Farman. The church services for the
first five or six years seem to have been con-
ducted by the local membership assisted by
the Reverends W. I. Wilcox, Abel C. Ward
and D. G. Orton. The first communion set and
baptismal bowl were presented to the church
in October, 1834, by I. D. and Sherman Board-
man, of Hartford, Connecticut, through Dr.
William Ware, valued at nine dollars and fifty-
eight cents. The second set was presented to
the church in 1870 by Mrs. Frazier Luce, of
Pittsfield, Massachusetts, whose late husband
was a frequent attendant of that church.

In 1840 the Rev. William Waith was en-
gaged as pastor and remained until August 30,
1847. He was the first regular pastor of the
church, and during his pastorate, in the year
1842, the church edifice was erected. Dr. Wil-
liam Ware very generously donated the lot
upon which it was built.

In 1845 the church by resolution adopted the
Presbyterian form of government and was
thereafter styled "The First Presbyterian
Church of Ellington," and they united them-
selves with the Buffalo Presbytery, and under
the new organization, the following elders
were elected : Otis Page, Andrew P. White,
John N. White, Daniel L. Bush, Lewis Leet
and Jeremiah Hotchkiss. Subsequently, how-
ever, the society voted to change back to its
original form, purely Congregational.

Rev. S. W. Edson succeeded Wraith and re-
mained until 1849, after whom the following
named pastors served for the time and in the
order named: Rev. William Todd, 1849-50;
Rev. H. G. Blinn, 1851-52; Rev. Charles Keeler,
1853-54; Rev. David Powell, 1855-56; Rev. W
D. Henry. 1857-60; Rev. Ward' I. Hunt, 1861-
64; Rev.' Henry Benson, 1865-67; Rev. H. O.
Howland. 1868-69; Rev. Rufus King, 1870-71;
Rev. A. D. Olds, 1872-74; Rev. L. T. Mason,
1875-77; Rev. G. C. Jewell, 1878-80, after whom
were the following in the order named : Rev-
erends T. D. Jenkins, A. W. Taylor, Lincoln
Harlow, G. E. Henshaw, William McDougal,
William B. Marsh, J. M. Merrill, W. G. Marts,
F. A. Kimberly, George M. Reese, Levi Reese,

i84

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

J. M. Merrill, A. O. Stockbridge, H. A. Law-
rence.

To Carey Briggs, a lifelong member of the
Methodist Episcopal Church of Ellington, I
am indebted for the following:

Of the early history of Methodism in Ellington we
have no authentic record, for the reason that from
1836 to 1844, Ellington was included in the Gerry cir-
cuit, Jamestown District, Erie Conference. In July,
1836, the annual conference held at Erie, Pennsylvania,
appointed Josiah Flower and T. J. Jennings to the
Gerry circuit, which embraced the towns of Stockton,
Gerry, Charlotte. Cherry Creek, Ellington and Napoli
and east to the boundary of the Genesee Conference.

This was a four weeks circuit, as it took each
preacher (then called circuit riders) four weeks to go
the rounds and fill all his appointments. There were
then no church edifices in the circuit, but services were
held in school houses, private houses, barns, etc. The
first church on the circuit was built about 1839, in
Gerry, then called the Vermont Settlement. There the
Ellington branch attended service and there the rec-
ords were kept.

At the annual conference held at Erie, Pennsylvania,
in July, 1844, Ellington was constituted a separate
charge and Samuel A. Henderson was appointed pas-
tor. He found seven well organized classes, to wit:
One at the Center, Matthew Lane leader; one in Bates
District, Charles Thacher, leader; one at Clear Creek,
Harold Webster, leader; one at Waterboro, George
Clark, leader: one at Fuller Hill, Wesley Mils-
paw, leader; one on West Hill, David Fisk, leader;
one in Gerry with Archclaus Mosher, leader; com-
prising a membership in all of about one hundred
fifty, with no church edifice or parsonage. A par-
soriage was rented and the adjourned first Quarterly
Conference was held in it November 13, 1844. On De-
cember 28, 1844, the second Quarterly Conference was
held in the Presbyterian Church, just newly erected
in the village. The record of that Conference gives the
first full official list as follows: Presiding Elder,
Darius Smith; preacher in charge, S. A. Henderson;
local preachers, T. Thacher, E. Briggs; exhorters,
Zelotus Hitchcock. George Pierce; stewards, Hosea
Felt, Norman Guernsey, David Carl, H. N. Jacobs,
Lorenzo Mather, Carey Briggs and Elisha Baker.
These, with the above mentioned class leaders, consti-
tuted the Quarterly Conference, and through their
efforts, heartily supplemented by the efforts of the
membership, a church edifice was erected the follow-
ing year (1845). . , , •

The following are the names of the pastors with their
date of service: S. A. Henderson. 1844: S. Churchill,
1845; Ashbel Parcell. 1846; J. H. Tackett, 1847; T D.
Blinn, 1848: John Peate, 1849; Alvm Burgess, 1850-51;
Justin O. Rich, 1852-53; O. L. Mead. 1854-55; T. D.
Blinn, 1858-59; Joseph Allen and W. W. Case, 1860-61;
W .W. Warner, 1862-63; L- W. Day, 1864; S. N. War-
ner 1865; Joseph Leslie, 1865-66; H. H. Moore, 1867-
69; O. G. Mclntyre, 1869-71; G. W. Moore, 1871-72; P.
W. Scofield, 1872-75; G. W. Chesbro, 1875-77; Milton
Smith 1877-80; A. A. Horton, 1&S0-83; Victor Corn-
well, 1883-84; J. W. Barker, 1884-86; J. H. Prather,
1886-90: H. M. Burns, 1890-91: C. W. Miner, 1892-95;
A. M. Lockwood, 1895-98: R. M. Warren, 1899: L D.
Darling. 1900; R. L. Foulke, 1900-02; G. W. S. Phil-
lips, 1902-04; J. E. Imes, 1904-07; J. M. Crouch, 1907-
08; David Taylor. 1908-11; William C. Mealing, 1911-
14: William N. Snvder, 1914-16; R. H. Ellinghouse,
1916-18; Perry F. Haines, 1918 to date 1920.

Ellington Academy — For over half a century
this institution has been one of the first and'
foremost schools of Western New York, and
the multitude of men and women who have
received their early educational training within
its walls have left their impress in every de-
partment of intellectual activity all over this
broad land.

On January 12. 1850, about seventy-five of
the leading citizens of the town, fully recogniz-
ing the benefits to be derived by an institu-
tion of this character, pledged themselves by
an instrument in writing to furnish the neces-
sary funds to purchase a suitable site and erect
a building to be known as "The Ellington
Academy." The funds so subscribed were
divided into shares of $25 each and each owner
of a share was entitled to a voice and a vote in
the organization.

On March 30, 1851, the stockholders met and
by ballot decided upon the purchase of a site
and at the same time elected twelve trustee;
from their number, to wit: Jeremiah Baldwin
John F. Farman. Hosea Felt, Charles B. Green
Benjamin Barnard, Myron Walden, John M
Farnham. Seth W. Chandler, Mason D. Hatch
Carey Briggs, Jeremiah Ellsworth and An
drew P. White. The trustees immediately
effected an organization by the election of Jere
miah Baldwin, president ; John F. Farman
treasurer, and Andrew P. White, secretary. _

At a meeting of the trustees, April 25, 185'
plans were adopted and a contract made witi
Myron Walden, Nelson Brown, Benjamin
Pickard, and Andrew P. White, 2nd, for tht
erection of the building, which was to be sixtx
by forty feet and three stories in height.

The construction of the building was imma
diately undertaken by these gentlemen and b
fall of the following year, at an expense c
about $3,650, was made ready for occupanq
The first term of school opened in the fall c
1852, with Prof. William C. J. Hall as print'
pal ; Andrew P. White, male assistant ; Mir
Eineline Warren, as female assistant ; Mil
Delia McGlashan, primary teacher, and Prj'
fessor Backus, teacher of instrumental musii

On January 20, 1853. a formal applicatia
was made by a committee of the stockholdeil
to the Regents of the University of the Staf
for an academic charter, and the same w?
granted under date of February 11, 1853. Tl'
first Board of Education were the original ii
corporators of the institution, none of whol
are now living, save Carey Briggs, and out 1
the original seventy-five or more stockholdei
who were instrumental in the successful orgai

ELLINGTON ACADEMY

185

ization of the school barely a half dozen sur-
, vive ; but the good they accomplished lives
, , [ after them.

' ' In 1853, the second year of Professor Hall's
administration, a teachers' training class was
organized, and almost continuously since then
that has been one of the distinctive features of
the institution. The primary department, how-
ever, was discontinued in 1859. Following
■ } Professor Hall, in 1855, Professor Payne had
- i charge of the school for a brief period, after
'^^ ' whom the principals of the academy, with their
'■' i respective terms of service were as follows :
Warren B. Marsh, 1855-57; John C. Long,
1S57-60; Hiram L. Ward, 1860-64; A. C. Moon,
1S64-66; Miss Millie Smith completed the term
of A. C. Moon in 1S66-67; R. E. Post, 1867-68;
followed by W. E. Stevenson, who was the last
])rincipal under the old academic system.

In the winter of 1870-71 the taxpayers of
School District Number Two, comprising the
\illage of Ellington and vicinity, having by
vcite decided to establish a Union Free School,
with an academic department, applied through
their board of trustees to the trustees of the
academy for a transfer of the building and
])roperty to the new school district, which re-
sulted in the following action by the latter
body : At a meeting of the academy trustees
on March 23, 1871, the following resolution
was adopted :

Resolved, That we the Trustees of Ellington .Acad-
emy, in pursuance to section seventeen, chapter four
'.' ' hundred thirty-three of the Laws of 185,^, do hereby
I- ' vacate our offices in favor of the present Board of Edu-
r; I cation of Union School District Number Two. of the
fj j Town of Ellington, and to their successors in office, to
I, be used by them as the academical department of said
Union School upon condition that the said school dis-
trict shall maintain the said academical department by
teaching at least two academic terms per year; other-
wise the said building and appurtenances belonging
thereto shall be delivered back to the stockholders in
pursuance to the provisions of a bond this day executed
by the said board of education to certain stockholders
named therein.

This was signed by the following named
gentlemen, comprising the full board of trus-
tees at that time : J. F. Farman, John Shaw,
Galutia Beardsley, Allen Bagg, L. M. Day,
Lewis Leet, Edwin Anderson, L. D. Fairbanks
nd Theodore A. Case.

Thus the Union School became a reality on
.March 23, 1871. Having been chartered as an
Academy by the Regents of the University it
was non-chartered and became a junior Re-
gents school. In consequence of a large in-
crease in the library and the working apparatus
for the labratorv and the excellent educational

work of the institution, the school has been ad-
vanced through the grades of middle and senior
schools until October 3, i8y(j, when it was ad-
vanced to the grade of High School, the high-
est rating given by the University of the State
of New York.

The principals of the Union School from
1871 to the present time are as follows: P. F.
Burk, 1871-75; W. P. Spring. 1875-76; R. R.
Rogers, 1876-80; George J. McAndrews, 1880-
81 ; D. D. Van Allen, 1881-83 ; Frank W. Cross-
field, 1883-86; Fred C. Wilcox, 1886-87; I-
Howard Russell, 1887-88; Clvde C. Hill, 1888-
90; A. H. Hiller, 1890-91 ;' George Hanley,
1891-93; Ellis W. Storms, 1S93-97; Francis J.
Flagg, 1897-99; Edward C. Hawley, 1899-1900;
Ernest B. Luce, 1900-03; E. A. Reuther, 1903-
04; Daniel Brewer, 1905-08: H. C. Lege, 1909;
Robert Swan, 1910-13; George Luke, 1914;
Frank York, 191 5; Raymond Kuhrt, 1916-17;
Glen G. Row, 1918-19-20.

The population of Ellington, according to
the State census of 1915 was 1.317, of whom
25 were aliens. The value of the real estate in
the town, according to the supervisors' report,
was $569,857 in 1918 and its equalized assessed
value $447,092.

French Creek — French Creek was formed
from Clymer, April 23, 1829. It takes its name
from the stream watering the town, which was
early used by the French in their military ex-
peditions, and contains 21,832 acres. Its sur-
face is hilly, broken by the valleys of French
creek and its tributaries. The main stream
enters the town on the north line, on lot 24,
about two miles from the northeast corner and
running in a southwesterly direction, leaving
the town and State on lot 58, about one and
one-half miles north of the southwest corner.
This stream, in its zigzag course, is a great
annoyance to the inhabitants on account of the
height to which the water rises in times of
freshets. The town is cut by its valleys into
three ridges ; two running nearly east and west,
separated by the Beaver Meadow Valley ; the
other running north and south, and separated
from the former by the valley of French Creek.
These ridges rise in some places two hundred
fifty feet. Most of their sides are tillable and
well adapted to grazing, but some places are
steep. The soil varies from heavy clay to a
gravelly loam ; there are small deposits of muck
along the creek. The hill tops are generally
wet, being underlaid by stiff, hard clay, im-
pregnated with oxide of iron.

The French Creek flat varies in width from
a pass but little wider than the bed of the

i86

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

stream to about three-fourths of a mile, and is
about three miles long. The Beaver Meadow
flat is so called from the appearance of its hav-
ing been occupied by beavers. The meadow
was covered by alders. At one time there were
many pine and balsam or fir trees along the
edges, and on what were islands at the time it
was occupied by the beavers. In the south part
of the town is another beaver meadow, a small
one, on lot 9, the dam of which is quite perfect.
The water from this meadow flows into Hare
Creek, which takes a southerly course. There
was a third beaver meadow on the west
branch of the creek, on lot 47. This town is
adapted to dairying. Its cool nights and heavy
dews keep the grass in better condition than
the drier climate of the lake shore, though
many fruits can not be raised on account of
frost. Near the southwest corner is a circu-
lar cranberry bog, which was given the name
of "Possum." Indications of petroleum occur
on lot 21.

The first town meeting was held in March,
1830, at the house of William Hooper. These
officers were elected : Supervisor, Alexander
Wilson; town clerk, Isaiah Golding; assessors,
John Gotham, Nathaniel Thompson, Silas W.
Hatfield ; collector, William Thompson ; over-
seers of poor, Paul Colburn, Augustus Bolles ;
commissioners of highways, Parley Bloss, John
Gotham, Royal Herrick ; commissioners of
schools, William Hooker, S. O. Colburn, Eli
Belknap ; inspectors of schools, D. H. Peck, A.
Noble, Ephraim Dean; constables, William
Thompson, George Adams ; justice, Ephraim
Dean.

The first settlers came from Oswego, Essex
and Oneida counties during the War of 1812.
Andy Nobles is said by some to have been here
in 181 1. He located on lot 44. John Cleve-
land was on lot 31 in 1812, Roswell Coe on lot
39, Nathaniel Thompson on lot 9 in 1813;
Amon Beebe and Gardner Cleveland probably
settled the same year. Young says that the
first school was taught by Polly Forbes in 1817.
Child says it was taught by a Chitsey in 1818.
Child says "the first death was that of a son of
Nathaniel Thompson, drowned in French
Creek." Young gives the first death as that
of a child of J. Inglesby in 1818. "The first
tavern was kept by William Graves, who built
the first grist mill, both in 1822, and the first
store was kept in one end of the grist mill by
John Dodge." Parkley Bloss located on lot
46 in 181 5. He was the first highway commis-
sioner, and did surveying with a pocket com-
pass and used a rope as a surveyor's chain. He
had ten children ; his sons were Aden, Parley,

William, Reuben, Calvin, Richard, Benjamin.
He died in 1852, aged 75 years. His son Wil-
liam was a noted hunter ; one winter before
January 1st he had shot forty-nine deer with
his father's open-sight flint-lock rifle. Many
authenticated tales are told of his adventures
and exploits in cutting wood and other labors.
In 1870, when sixty years old, in one day he
walked a mile and cut down the trees for, and
cut into twenty-two inch lengths, three and
one-half cords of wood. This whole family
were energetic workers and did much to clear
up the lands of the town. Gardiner Case, a
soldier of 1812, some years after that war, came
to French Creek and was a permanent settler.
Henry R. Case is his son. Silas Terry settled,
probably in 1820, on lot 2, where he bought
land in 1821, coming from Harmony, where he
settled in 1816 and later married Polly Powers.
He resided in French Creek until 1855. He
was one of the most important men of the new
town, was justice for sixteen years and was
collector of Clymer in 1821, which then in-
cluded Sherman, French Creek and Mina. The
tax collected that year in this town was about
$Soo. He was also collector four years later.
He was supervisor of French Creek in 1844-45-
48, and in 1849 member of Assembly. Of his
nine children, Seward W. was captain of Com-
pany G, 49th New York Volunteers, in the
Civil War, and was killed at Spottsylvania;
Cassius M. became a Congregational clergy-
man ; Mary R. married Hon. Walter L. Ses-
sions ; Lawyer S., made his home in French
Creek. Nehemiah Royce settled on lot 19 in
1825. He was supervisor seven years. Al-
mond Stephen Park, son of Elijah Park, was
born December 22, 1814, in Granville, Wash-
ington county. In 1828 he came to this county.
April 27, 1834, he married Rhoda Ann Baker
and settled in French Creek in 1836. Mr. Park
represented his town on the board of super-
visors in the year 1863. Lewis H. Park was
born March 2, 1843. ^^ married Mary M.
Myers, November 14, 1869.

French Creek was included in 1816 in the
parochial charge of Rev. Karl Wilhelm
(Charles Williams) Colson, an early Lutheran
missionary to the scattered Germans in Ohio,
Northwestern Pennsylvania and adjacent local-
ities. The first services to form a church were
held in 1818, on lot 46, at the house of Alanson
Root by Elder Ashford, who in 1821 organ-
ized a Baptist church in a log school house on
lot 56. Among the first members were : Na-
thaniel and William Thompson, William
Adams, A. M. Higgins, the wives of all of
these ; Roswell Coe, Amon Beebe. This church

Wffi

,s ;

■^iLD PEOPLES HO>JE — GEIUtY, X. Y.

GENERAL SCUFIEE1J-.S JJl llTIli'LACE. GEKllV

TOWNS— GERRY

187

iid a brief existence, most of the members re-
foving from the town. Several subsequent
i)ortive attempts to keep up a Baptist church
lere made. A Methodist Episcopal church
^as organized in the northwest part in icS^o by
]ev. J. K. Hallock and Rev. J. Chandler. ' The
lembers were Isaiah and Betsey Golding, and
''^illiam and Amy Adams. Moses Olds and
\ife and Mrs. Bowles were early members,
'le society built a fine church costing $2,000
CI lot 46, in 1858, which was completed, painted
ad carpeted in 1867. This society received
fty acres of "gospel land" from the Holland
Iind Company. It was on lot 30, and was
sld by order of the county court and the
Dney used in building the church. A Chris-
tn church, in which the ceremony of washing
fi;t was literally carried out, was formed in
134, with a membership of twenty-four,
aiong them Benjamin and Calvin Bloss.

Supervisors — 1830-31-32, Alexander Wilson,
J; 1833, Nathaniel Thompson; 1834-35-36-37,
1 1 F. Gleason ; 1838, Daniel Hooker; 1839-40-
442, Philo S. Hawley; 1843, David L. Glea-
sn ; 1844-45. Silas Terry; 1846-47, Nehemiah
Eyce; 1848, Silas Terry; 1849, Nehemiah
Eyce ; 1850, Thomas D. Jones; 1851, Nehe-
irih Royce ; 1852, Philo S. Hawley ; 1853-54-
5, Nehemiah Royce; 1856, John Sliter ; 1857,
^irvin Hooker; 1858. Stephen W. Steward;
i<;9-6o, Hibbard W. Fenton ; 1861-62, Reuben
J.3each ; 1863, Almond S. Park; 1864-65, Law-
y S. Terry; 1866-67, Dana P. Horton; 1868-
6( James A. Merry; 1870, Dexter M. Hap-
god; 1871-72, Henry R. Case; 1873, John
Jues; 1874, H. R. Parsons; 1875, John Jones;
i{6-77, Reuben J. Beach; 1878, Orson Allis;
i}9, Nehemiah Royce; 1880-81-82, Henry R.
C5e; 1883, Orson Allis; 1884-85, Edward
Jjiuins; 1886-87-88, Henry R. Case; 1889,
J;nes Rhoades ; 1890-91, George I. Hapgood ;
1^2-93, Henry R. Jones; 1894-95-96-97-98-99-
KO-oi -02-03-04-05-06, Henry R. Case ; 1907-
0^09-10-11, Edward A. Austin; 1912-13, Sam-
u( A. Webber; 1914-15, Lucas C. Gleason;
U6-17, Frank A. Jones; 1918-19, Lucas C.
Gason ; 1920, Amos White.

\.ccording to the State census, 1915, French
C'ek has a population of 922 citizens, 19 aliens,
ail in 1918 the real estate of the town was
Vfued at $472,810, which was assessed at $370,
9;. There are three small villages in the
to;n : French Creek, Marvin and Cutting.

^he town has good schools.

Jerry* — Gerry was formed from Pomfret,
Jiie I, 1812. Ellington, including Cherry

Condensed from a narrative by Mr. John F. Phelps.

Creek, was taken ofif in 1824 and Charlotte in
1829. It was named from Elbridge Gerry, a
signer of the Declaration of Independence, and
a Vice-President. It lies southeast of the cen-
ter of the county, is bounded on the north by
Charlotte, east by Ellington, south by Ellicott,
west by Ellery and Stockton, and comprises
township three, range eleven, and contains
thirty-six square miles. The highest hills are
in the northeastern and southwestern sec-
tions, their summits being 400 feet above the
Cassadaga Valley and 1,700 feet above the
ocean. The wide and fertile Cassadaga Valley
extends from the northwest part southeasterly
to its southern boundary, and averages two
miles wide. Through it runs the Dunkirk,
Allegheny Valley & Pittsburgh railroad, built
in 1S71. Gerry Station is 722 feet and Sinclair-
ville Station 757 feet above Lake Erie. Cassa-
daga Creek, a large, slow, crooked stream,
flowing southerly through the valley is the
principal water course. The other streams are
Mill creek, which empties into the Cassadaga
in the northwestern part of the town. E. A.
Ross says : "Mill creek takes its source by
two branches, one from Arkwright and one
from Cherry Creek, and flows southwesterly
through Charlotte and part of Gerry. The
lower mill on this stream was located half way
between the Cassadaga and Sinclairville, and
was built by John McAllister on land later
owned by his son James." Hatch creek rises
in the northeastern part, flows southerly
through the village of Gerry and empties into
the Cassadaga. Folsom creek rises in the
northeastern part, flows nearly south into Elli-
cott and into the Cassadaga. The town is well
adapted to grazing and dairying, and the valley
is adapted to the raising of corn and other
grains. The soil of the uplands is clay loam,
that of the valleys sand loam.

The principal portion of the present town
of Gerry was an unbroken wilderness up to
181 5, although in the northern part contiguous
to Sinclairville a few settlements had been
made as early as 1810. In 1815 several fami-
lies, all from Vermont, including those of Wil-
liam Alverson, Porter Phelps, Dexter and Na-
than Hatch, and Reuben and Solomon Fessen-
den, plunged into the unbroken pine forest
bordering the Cassadaga Creek on the east and
commenced carving out the new settlement
called Vermont. These were soon followed by
manv others, nearly all from Guilford and Hali-
fax, Windham county. They came with ox-
teams and on foot. Among the family names
we note Bucklin, Cutting, Shepardson,
Mathews, Pratt, Salisbury, Starr, Cobb and

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

many others. These pioneers found them-
selves subject to laws unknown in the old Ver-
mont. In 1813 the first town meeting in Gerry
was held at the house of Samuel Sinclear, when
the following town law was enacted : "Ox-
sleds to be four feet in 'wedth.' Penalty for
being 'cetched' on the road with an ox sled less
than four feet wide, five dollars." The hog
was also placed under restrictions at that time,
not being allowed to run common without a
suitable yoke.

The work of home-making progressed
rapidly, log houses were built, clearings made,
a road was early cut through to Sinclair-
ville, a distance of five miles, and roads
opened in other directions. The first official
recognition of the name Vermont to this local-
ity we find in the town records of 1818: "A
survey of a road beginning at a pine stump
near James Bucklin's house, said stump stand-
ing in the highway now designated by the
name of Vermont." In 1820 James Bucklin
opened a hotel which caused the place to be
known as "Bucklin's Corners." In 1822 a post-
office was established called Vermont, with
Dexter Hatch as postmaster.

In 1822 Caleb Mathews commenced the
manufacture of pottery on his farm east of
Vermont Corners. This was carried on suc-
cessfully on a small scale for a few years.
About this time Solomon Fessenden estab-
lished a brickyard, and for many years sup-
plied brick of superior quality to the inhabi-
tants of the central portion of the county. In
1838-39 a craze for manufacturing developed
in the northern portion of Vermont, settlement
and three factories were built for the produc-
tion of wooden pails, wooden bowls and veneer-
ing respectively. This movement gained for
the neighborhood the title of New Pittsburg,
which it held locally for a number of years.
These enterprises met failure with the excep-
tion of the veneer business which has grown
from this small beginning to one of great im-
portance. Here in 1845 Ri'ey Greenleaf, who
was a genius in mechanics, invented and put
in successful operation the first machine for
cutting veneers in a continuous sheet from the
surface of a slowly revolving log. These ma-
chines are now universally used wherever this
business is carried on.

One of the largest factories in the United
States is located at Gerry Village, and is owned
and managed in part by John Strong, who used
the first machine made over half a century ago.

A general store was opened at Vermont by
Howard B. Blodgett in 1826. He was suc-
ceeded by Norman Gurnsey. Sidney E. Pal-

mer, his clerk, became the owner of the store
and goods in 1838. Mr. Palmer was afterwards
made postmaster, his commission bearing date '
August I, 1841. He held this position con-
tinuously until his death in 1896, a period of
fifty-five years, and was said to have been the
oldest postmaster in point of service in the
United States. A large portion of this time
Mr. Palmer was town clerk. He was also five
years on the board of supervisors from Gerry,
and in i860 represented the Second Assembly
District of Chautauqua in the Legislature.

The postoffice, which long held the name of
Vermont, was changed to Gerry about 1876,
and the station on the Dunkirk, Allegheny Val-
ley & Pittsburgh railroad was changed from
Vermont to Gerry as late as 1881. When these
changes were made, "Vermont in Gerry" was
no longer a fact, but a memory. The pioneers
are gone, but many of their descendants are
occupying their places. It was believed in
1902 that there are but two persons living who
came with the first settlers, Caroline Phelps
Eaton, daughter of Porter Phelps, and Albro
Fessenden, son of Reuben Fessenden. were
brought here by their parents in the fall of
181 5 and the spring of 1816, respectively, mak-
ing the journey from Vermont by ox-teams.

The Vermonters in Gerry have always fur-
nished their proportion of men of affairs in
town business. One of the most conspicuous
examples was Willard Bucklin, one of the pio-
neer settlers. He was eight years on the board
of supervisors, and for thirty years almost con-
tinuously held the office of justice of the peace
noted for the correctness and fairness of hi;
decisions and rulings. Other Vermonters 01
their descendants who have represented thf
town on the board of supervisors include th(
names of James Bucklin, Henry Starr, John F
Phelps, and the present incumbent, Orson N
Salisbury.

The first birth of*a white person occurred ii'
the Jones family. Atkins, same year, built ;
log house on the northeast part of lot 55, a fev
rods from Jones' log dwelling, upon the farn
now owned by B. F. Dennison. In 1815 hi:
wife Clarinda died, the first death in the town

During iSii the "old Chautauqua road'
from Mayville to Ellicottville, was cut througl
the northern part of the town by John Wesi
Peter Barnhart and Dexter Barnes, one roi
wide, and cleared it of small trees and falle:
ones for ten dollars per mile. They bega:, ,
July 4, 181 1, at the fourteenth mile stake eas|
of the court house, near the house of Amoft
Atkins (the Love stand) in Gerry. They werJ
about three months in cutting the twenty-on|

TOWNS— GERRY

liles to the Cattaraugus line. September i,
^14, the same parties and others began to
'■ork ujjon this road and continued until cold
eather. They resumed work September i,
-15. Bridges were built and the road other-
i~c improved. It became the route by which,
1 >-. ime extent, the settlers came in from the
ist, and communication was had with Genesee
Dunty.

The first town meeting in Gerry, as at pres-
iit constituted, was held at the house of Cal-
■n Cutting, May 2, 1830. The officers chosen
•ere : Supervisor, Hugh B. Patterson ; town
lerk, Howard B. Blodgett ; assessors, Wil-
hm Mellen, William M. Wagoner, Calvin
Inith ; commissioners of highways, William
Jellen, Jr., Willard Bucklin, Horace Strong ;
•cmmissioners of schools, Benjamin Tuttle, Jr.,
jnes Scofield, Nathan Hatch; inspectors of
::hii()ls, \\'illiam jMellen, Jr., James Bucklin,
^., Samuel J. Goodrich; overseers of poor,
'''illiam Gilmour, Gilbert Strong ; collector,
'''illiam Gilmour; justices, Leander Mellen,
]ugh B. Patterson ; sealer, Nehemiah Horton ;
pundmaster, David Cobb.
.Stages were first run through the town in
il27 by Obed Edson and Reuben Scott. In
152 the Fredonia and Sinclairville plank road
Alls built through the village of Gerry.
'Sinclairville station is in the village of Sin-
ciirville. A little more than one-third of the
crporate limits of the village and much the
sialler proportion of its population lies in
Crry.

Gerry Village is not incorporated, but is a
posperous little village containing about two
hndred fifty inhabitants. Its principal manu-
f.;turing establishment is the prominent one
omed by the Strong Veneer Company. Large
aiounts of timber adapted to the manufacture
o veneers once grew in localities in this county
nar Charlotte and Gerry, and at an early
priod many engaged in this manufacture —
Iiilip Edgerton, of Sinclairville, Greenleaf &
Gle, Leffingwell, Colton, Lewis and Jonah
Citting, and John Strong, of Gerry. T. D.
C>pp made voyages to London, as also did
\illiam S. Fish later, to sell veneers. John
Srong and his son Burdette commenced busi-
nss January i, 1893, in a new mill at Gerry,
viich had two cutting veneer mills with a
opacity of twenty thousand feet per day. Au-
g|St 28, 1893, this mill was destroyed by fire.
Te value of the property was $25,000, insured
f<i' $5,000. They immediately erected a new
iijn-clad mill at Gerry, forty by eighty feet,
tlfee stories high, w'ith cutting machine that
wighs eighteen tons and will cut an eight-

foot log. The timber comes from New York,
Michigan, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. Curly
walnut, birch, maple, ash, sycamore and ma-
h(>gany are used. A. J. Peterson's steam saw-
mill at Gerry Village has all modern improve-
ments, employs fifteen men and manufactures
twenty-five thousand feet of lumber per day.
William and Addison Murch owned the saw-
mill at the east side of the village. The
basket factory was formerly owned by George
Noble, who for several years extensively
manufactured grape-baskets. One season be-
sides his factory at Gerry he had others
at Brocton, Portland, and Ashville, at which
he manufactured one million grape baskets.
The Gerry creamery, and the Starr factory are
butter and cheese factories of Gerry.

The Methodist Episcopal church in Gerry,
the first religious association, was formed about
1819, by Elder Jonathan Wilson. It was subse-
quently legally organized, and December 12,
1828, a deed was executed by the Holland Land
Company of one hundred acres on lot 53 of
land appropriated to religious purposes to
James Scofield, William Alverson and Stod-
dard Cannon, Methodist members, as trustees.
In or soon after 1829, with the proceeds of the
sale of a portion of it, a meeting house was
built upon the west side of the highway, about
two miles south of Sinclairville. It was the
first church built in Gerry and in the Cassa-
daga Valley, and one of the first Methodist
meeting houses in the county. For years it
was the only church in Gerry. It was the
center of Methodism and was fondly regarded
by the early Methodists. Adjacent to it a pub-
lic burying place was set apart from this tract
of land. The old church has long since passed
away, as have the earnest and faithful fathers
of the little society that built it. Of the build-
ers of this church and early members of this
society whose influence was long felt in Gerry,
are buried, James R. Alverson ; his wife, Dama-
ris ; his brother William ; James Heath ; and
Gilbert Strong, aged 92. Here are buried other
pioneers of Gerry : John McCullough, James
Langworthy, Robert Lenox, David Strong,
David Cowden ; and Susannah Woods, died
June 15, 1873, aged 100 years, 8 months and 22
daj'S. The church was merged in the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church of Sinclairville, and later
the meeting house was accidentally destroyed
by fire.

The first Baptist church of Gerry was formed
bv Rev. Jonathan Wilson about 1820, chiefly
of members from the Stockton church. They
held meetings in Gerry Abbey's log house at
"The Huddle," a small cluster of log houses

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

190

near the old Cutting stand. This church organ-
ization has ceased to exist.

The first society of the Methodist Protestant
church was organized at the school house in
district No. 4 in Poland, in May, 1839, by Rev.
Tames Covell. The second was organized in
district No. 11 (Miller's settlement), in Poland
in 1840 by Rev. O. C. Payne. The third was
organized bv Rev. James Covell at Bucklin's
Corners. April 15, 1840. The fourth was organ-
ized by Rev. Joseph Parkyn in district No. 2
in Ger'rv, December 28, 1840, and included the
country around the early Methodist Episcopal
meeting house. The first regularly appointed
preacher was Rev. Joseph Parkyn, superm-
tendent, and Rev. E. A. Wheat, assistant.
Their successors have been : William Emmons,
Elisha Brownson, Alanson Kingsley, Ran-
dolph Pennell. Lewis Sweetland, O. C. Payne,
John W. Davis, William H. Farnham, Isaac
Fister. S. M. Short, A. O. Hutchinson, C. K.
Akley, H. L. Bowen, Charles Hundson, until
1882,' when the Free Methodist class was organ-
ized at Gerry bv withdrawing members. The
Kennedy class of Methodist Protestants was
about this time separated from Gerry, making
Gerrv a station to which Rev. F. N. Foster was
appo'inted and served six years, supplying Ken-
nedv also for three years. He was succeeded
by Rev. C. C. Reynolds, A. L. Stinard, S. E.
Mathews.

The Free Methodist Church of Gerry was
organized in 1880. In 1883 an excellent church
building was erected on a lot donated by N. J.
W^ilson, at Gerr>' Village. Among those who
contributed largelv were N. J. Wilson. John
Strong. L. R. Barmore. Walter A. Sellew, Jar-
vis K.^ Wilson, Joseph Trusler, H. N. Sealy and
others. Of the ministers who have served this
church are those who stand high in the coun-
cils of the church at large, among whom are :
J. H. Harmon, Walter A. Sellew, B. R. Jones,
editor of the denominational paper; Prof.D. S.
Warner, principal of Spring Arbor Seminary,
Michigan; J. S. McGean,-. a promment mem-
ber of the Genesee Conference, and others. An
excellent parsonage is connected with the
church. A fine toned bell from the McShane
bell foundry of Baltimore, a gift from N. J.
Wilson, hangs in the belfry.

To the Free Methodist Church and the pub-
lic spirit of the citizens of Gerry the county is
indebted for a valuable benevolent institution,
Gerrv Orphanage and Home. Its history is
given in the following contribution :

In the years from 1880 to 1885, several ministers and
laymen in Western New York were much exercised
about the necessity of having a suitable home for

orphans and homeless children. Among these wer«
Rev S K J. Chesbro, Rev. Henry Hornsby and Revit
Walter A. Sellew. In 1885 at the annual session erf
the Genesee Conference, a resolution was introduce*
bv Rev. Sellew authorizing the appointment of a conn
m'ittee to secure the legal incorporation of such _ai
institution. This committee was appointed, consistmp
of the ministers named above, and a charter was*
drafted which was made the basis of an incorporatioii
by act of the Legislature of New York State, May 6
1886. The followmg were named as trustees: Henrj
Hornsbv, S. K. J. Chesbro, Walter A. Sel ow, WilsonI
T Hogue. Wm. Manning, Newell J. Wilson .'\Iber "
McCoy, Alanson K. Bacon, Tristam Corliss, Peter D
Miller, Owen M. Owen, Geo. W. Gurley, John T
Michael Hiram Beardsley and \V m. Gould. Ihe tirs
meeting of this board was held at Gero'. .Vigust i;
1886, and officers were elected: Henry Hornsty, presi
dent- John T. Michael, vice-president; S. K. J. Ches
bro 'secretary; Walter A. Sellew, treasurer.

Nothing was done toward establishing the institutio
till" 188S, when Rev. Walter A. Sellew (later Bisho
Sellew) offered to donate the property in G"ry know-
as the "Seminary property," consisting of eight acres c
land and a building of two stories and basement, wit
barns and suitable outbuildings. The land, estimate
at $1 200, had been donated a few years beiore to M
Sellew by the citizens of Gerry to be used tor sem
nary purposes. The donation by Mr. Sellew made 1
the Orphanage and Home was estimated at aboi
S^ooo This donation from Mr. Sellew was accepte
In the spring of 1889 Rev. O. O. Bacon and wite we.
elected manager and matron, and entered upon the
duties. The first children, four in number, were r
ceived as inmates in June, i88g.

There had been a pressing demand for a Horn,
for aged persons, and the management decided to a
mit that class of dependent people also. The hrst agi
inmate was received June 3, 1889. At the annual mee
ing in September, 1890. there were ten children ai
seven aged persons as inmates.

In May 1890, the trustees purchased the proper
adjoining.' known as the "Starr Estate," ten acres
land with dwelling house. In October, 1903. they al
Durchased the Oscar Partridge farm also ad..oinir
consisting of no acres with the usual tarm buildini
The large increase in the number of inmates, both en
dren and old people, rendered it necessary that mc
room should be provided. The association of childr
and aged people in the same building was not pleasa
to either class, and this fact also made it imperat.
that a new building should be provided .\ccordmi
in 1900 this new building was constructed, three stor
and a full basement, with modem heating and sanit:
plumbing. To obtain a suitable location for this bui
ing the trustees purchased the John Strong homeste
on the main road running towards Smclairville, and
this location the new building now stands.

The first manager and matron. Rev. O. O. Bacon a
wife, remained till April. 1893- The Rev. George
Mien and wife succeeded them and remained till Uc
ber, 1898, when Rev. L. D. Perkins and wife beca
manager and matron. .... y,^.-.

The largest contributions to the institution be^.
Rev Walter A. Sellew. who gave the original prorr
andthose giving the original land for a location^
been as follows: William and Charlotte Philhp-
Newfane, New York, gave their farm which was -
for S4,oco cash; they also deeded the institution t
village property valued at $2,000, to be so d af er .
death. Mrs. Lavanche Essex of Franklinyille, ,
York, gave $2,550; L. Atwood, of Rome. New V

THE CHILDREN'S HO.ME— GKKR Y. X. Y.

;

TOWXS— HANOVER

191

Thankful Burrett, of North Chili, New York, and
Jarvis K. Wilson, of Gerr>-, New York, have each given
$1,000. Mrs. Burrett and Mr. Wilson made repeated
h"beral donations from time to time. Rev. Henry
Homsby has also given the institution something over
$1,000 and has deeded to them his farm in West Ken-
dall, New York, valued at about S7.000. and he and his
wife retamthe use of it during life. The larger part,
however, of all moneys received, both for propertv and
for current expenses, has been contributed in 'small
amounts by a large number of people from a wide
scope of territory. In 190.7 there were contributors
from twenty-six States and Territories, including Can-
ada, besides some from foreign countries.

While this institution receive? and cares for both
children and aged people, they have always made a
specialty of caring for homeless children, and obtain-
ing for such, good Christian homes. The Gerry
Orphanage believes that the best place for a child is in
a good family, but that an orphanage is a necessity in
order to gather and care for these homeless ones until
a proper home in a family can be secured. They have
conducted their institution so that it has been a medium
between a homeless child and a childless home, and
they take the children committed to them, keep them
a year or two. training, educating and developing them
meanwhile, and then place them in some Christian
family for adoption. This plan they have steadily pur-
sued so that they have since their opening placed out
a large number of such children in good homes.

The Orphanage building has lately undergone exten-
sive repairs. They have a nursery, with competent
nurses, and make a specialty of caring for infants and
small children. They have a fine day school for the
larger scholars with an attendance of about thirty-five.
The school is under the control and supervision of the
Public School Commissioner. They have never had a
serious case of sickness of a child over one year old,
ind_ no deaths except of young infants. According to
their reports, the total expenditures for medicine, medi-
cal supplies and attendance for ten years was only
:wenty dollars and ninety-five cents.

Supervisors — Samuel Sinclear, six years ;
\mos Atkins, 1S14: Selah Pickett, 1817: Joel
Burnell, two years: Hugh B. Patterson, eleven
/ears: Xathan Lake, 1829: Tames Scofield,
1831; Samuel Fargo. 18.^6: Willard Bucklin,
M|?ht years : William M. Waggoner, two vears ;
William Bliss, two years : William R. Wilson,
nvo years : Sidney E. Palmer, five years : Wil-
iam Mellen, 1836: James Bucklin. six years:
Lyman Eaton, 1853: Samuel Griffith, two
•ears: Robert Lenox, i860: Galusha Beardslev,
ix years : George A. Aldrich, two years : B. F.
Dennison, two years : William H. Scott, three
•ears: Jarvis K. Wilson, three years; John F.
'helps, 1879 • Charles A. Tracy, nine years :
•lenr^- Starr, six years: 1896-1901, John A.
Mmy: 1902-07, Orson X. Salisbury: 1908-11,
Dbed E. Ostrander; 1912-15, George N. Tomp-
:ins: 1916-20. Park L. Starr.

The population of Gerr\- in 1915 fState cen-
us) was 1. 175 citizens. 19 aliens. The full
•alue of real estate in the town in 1918 ("super-
•'=ors' report) was 8843,197: its equalized as-

sessed value, $661,547. Gerry schools are also
of high grade.

Hanover — The town of Hanover, the ex-
treme northeastern town of the county, was
formed from Pomfret, June i, 1812, lost the
area comprised in the town of Villenova in
1823 and a part of the town of Sheridan in
1827. It comprises township 6 of the tenth
range, and in addition to the territory usually
contained in a township six miles square, ex-
tends several miles north to Lake Erie and
Cattaraugus creek, which form its northern
boundary. Its 30,402 acres of well watered
gravelly loam lie within Chautauqua's grape
belt, these beautiful acres sloping from the
lake to a height perhaps 600 feet above lake
level in the south part of the town. So gradual
is the rise that from most of the farms a view
of Lake Erie is had. sometimes a broad view,
sometimes but a glimpse. This wonderful
tract is largely devoted to vineyards, their out-
put very large. Silver Creek, an incorporated
village with a population of 3,200 (New York
State census. 191 5), is the most important in
the town, other settlements being. Forestville.
also an incorporated village (population in
1913, 740). Irving, Abbey, Nashville and Smith
Falls.

Forestville is the seat of the Hasesot Can-
neries Co.. and of the fruit basket factory
owned and operated by W. F. Miller.

Silver Creek's industries are The Columbia
Postal Supply Co.. manufacturers of canceling
machines : Fredonia Preserving Co. ; The S.
Howes Company, grain cleaners ; Huntley
Manufacturing Company, grain cleaning and
canning factory machinery ; Invincible Grain
Cleaner Co. : H. J. Montgomery Manufactur-
ing Co.. furniture: Silver Creek Parlor Frame
Co. : Silver Creek Upholstery Co. : Stewart
Underwear Co. The population of the town,
according to the State census of 191 5, was
5.098 citizens. 467 aliens: total 6.465.

\\'hen the Holland Land Company made
their original survey of Hanover, it was an
almost unbroken wilderness. Great hemlocks,
black walnut, whitewood. elm, beech and other
timber making up these great forests. The
first purchaser of land in Hanover was Charles
Averv-, who bought lot 3 in Cattaraugus vil-
lage in 1804. He was in the town in 1803. but
it does not seem that he was the first settler,
that honor being generally accorded to Amos
Sottle. who in 1798 and 1799 assisted in sur-
veving that part of the Holland Purchase, be-
ing entered on the books of the surveying com-
pany as "Amos Sawtel axeman." He is said

192

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

to have had a shanty along the creek in which
he lived alone for a year or more before enter-
ing the company's employ. He was for a time
in Ohio with a surveying company, but in
1801 returned to Hanover, built a small log
house for the entertainment of travelers and
operated a ferry across the creek.

He married a colored woman at Buffalo, and
lived with her until her death about 1844. His
son John died at Cattaraugus and was buried
in the graveyard lake ; this was the first ceme-
tery in the town. Sottle, after he built on lot
61, Cattaraugus Village, about 1845, moved
John's remains to lot 61, near the house. Many
of the remains of the other early inhabitants
buried there were moved to Hanover Center
Cemetery, and the Railroad Company has since
carried away the sand bank, cemetery and all.
Chloe, Settle's wife, was a good neighbor and
kind-hearted. They had about the only
orchard in the vicinity in the early days, and
seldom a boy went to "Aunt Chloe" for apples
in time of apples, but what he got some.

Ezekiel Lane was son-in-law of Middaugh.
In 1800 Ezekiel Lane was one of the three who
paid taxes at Buffalo, then, in 1803, he took up
lands in Tonawanda, but lived on lot 48 in Cat-
taraugus Village, making his home in a small
house belonging to Sottle.

The Cattaraugus settlement was at or near
the mouth of the creek and was known as Cat-
taraugus, and the harbor made there by the
government was called Cattaraugus Harbor.
Yet the first postofifice there was called "Acas-
to." It must have kept this name until the
formation of the Irving Company in 1836. The
first map of what was afterward "Irving Vil-
lage plot" was called "the map of the Village
of Acasto." Dr. H. P. Wilcox's Albany papers
came as late as 1850 addressed "Acasto." Some
time about 1836 the name must have been
changed. The postoffice was located at the
lower village, Irving. The upper village, now
Irving, was then called La Grange. During
President Tyler's administration C. R. Leland
was appointed postmaster, and the office moved
to La Grange. The name of the office was not
changed, but La Grange Village gradually took
the postoffice name, Irving. Yet the place was
so generally known as Cattaraugus that letters
were frequently (especially by sailors) directed
to Cattaraugus.

After the survey was made, settlers began
to come in more rapidly. In 1804 Charles
Avery took lot 3, Cattaraugus Village. He
kept a store there and remained as late as 1816,
in which year he was pathmaster. Avery, the
first person who took up land in Hanover, was

on the land at the time of the survey, havmg ■
evidently located his land and bought as soon 1
as it was in the market. This same year Wil
Ham G. Sidney took up lots i and 2, Cattarau
gus Village, which he transferred to Captain i
John Mack. Sidney kept the Cattaraugus ■
House, which he sold to Mack. Sidney came c
to Cattaraugus in 1801 or 1802, and remained
until he died in 1807. Captain John Mack,
who bought of Sidney, came in 1806. and kept
the hotel and ferry there a long time. His
daughter Elizabeth married Judge Richard
Smith, at the Cattaraugus House, in January, ■
1807; this was the first marriage in Hanover.'
Judge Smith then lived in what is now Erie
county, but soon after moved to Hanover, near
Forestville and taught school there and at Sil-
ver Creek ; he was one of the earliest teachers. «^'
Rev. Chalon Burgess was one of his scholars
at Silver Creek. After Captain Mack's death,
his son John kept a tavern until 1840, when he
built the farm house near the railroad. Some
jears later he removed to South Bend, Indi-I "'
ana. Captain John Sydnor as early as 1803 on '^j
1804, came to Cattaraugus and was there a[ I
number of years. February 23, 1805, Abel^ -•
Cleveland and David Dickinson bought lot 74,.
township 6, range 10. The greater part of Sil-i' '^
ver Creek is on this lot, and the greater part,--
all but about thirty acres, was conveyed either*; '^'
by the land company or by Cleveland andi -;•''
Dickinson, to John E. Howard before 180SJ -'•
Cleveland and Dickinson built a sawmill on thd -=
thirty acres — the first in town; to this they -f-"'
attached a mortar and pestle for pounding cons ^-iii
into meal. This was the first gristmill in town** N
Those mills were sold to John E. Howard it ^ 1
1805 or 1806. In 1805 Jesse and John Skinnei| Em
took up lot 73. the southern part of Silver aiSi
Creek, and John Tyler took up lot 10, near Ashi E^jil
ville. Tyler apparently gave up his contract |n-
for in 1810 the land company sold this lot t(
Guv Webster. Turner in his history (pagt
461) says that "in 1806 Aaron Dolph, Willian »&!
Tuttle. Elijah Lane and Henry Johnson tool
up lands at Irving," but it is very doubtful i
thev settled there or perfected their titles, a
none of the early residents seem to have know;
them. In 1806, Abner Cooley bought lot 611
north of Forestville. In 1806 John E. How
ard was the only resident at Silver Creek ani^i*
owned lot 74, including the mills built b
Cleveland & Dickinson. Artemas Clothier am
Norman Spink came into Hanover this yea
and lived near Silver Creek. In 1806 also. So''
tie first bought in town. He bought lots 55 an
59, Cattaraugus Village. In 1807 John Smit
and David Scott articled lot 73 (afterwarc

TOWNS— HANOVER

193

sold to Artemas Clothier), part of the same lot
articled to Jesse and John Skinner in 1805 at
Silver Creek. In August, 1807. Samuel John-
son took up lot 68 on the lake adjoining Catta-
raugus Village. He sold lot 68 and in 1809
nought lot 51 near Forestville, moved there and
emained until his death. This lot was after-
vards bought by John Mack. Ezra Puffer
)0ught this same year (1807) lot 58, Catta-
augus Village ; he seems never to have located
here, but went to that part which became
/illenova. He held a number of town offices
n Hanover, was the first supervisor of Ville-
ova, and moved to Indiana in 1843. In 1808
iufus Washburn bought lot 57, near Forest-
ille, and Benjamin Kenyon bought lot 63, Cat-
araugus Milage, built a house and lived there
ntil his death about 1830. Walter Lull and
lartin B. Tubbs bought lot 50 in 1808, near
orestville and the same year Sylvanus Maybe
pok up lot 7. In 1808 Jehial Aloore settled at
. "orestville. He is said to have built the first
ouse in Forestville, and in 1809 he moved his
imily in and also built the first sawmill below
le Falls, and the first gristmill in 1810. In
ebruary, 1814, he moved to Ohio.
• In 1809 Amos Ingraham bought lot 5, Catta-
; iugus Village. Ingraham was drowned about
335 in Cattaraugus Creek. This gave the
. ame "The Ingraham Hole" to a deep place in
le creek, which it still retains. Daniel Hol-
-ook bought lot 58, Forestville, built and lived
lere. While Hanover included Villenova and
heridan, the town-meetings and elections
■jere held at Mr. Holbrook's. This year in
eptember, Guy Webster bought lot 3, Nash-
, 'lie. The little settlement in the southeast
. 'irt was called "Webster Settlement" until
;ter 1814. Artemas Clothier this year bought
irt of lot JT,, the south part of Silver Creek.
. . e was a farmer and surveyor, and lived near
^Iver Creek until his death in 1879. Joseph
Townnell in December, 1809, bought lot 11,
I'ar Nashville. He was, by the town records,
l.e first supervisor, and held other offices. The
; t,me year Asher Cooley bought lot 33, near
.. ItJrestville. In 1810 Ephraim Hall came from
, Jpwell, Mass., to LaGrange. He located on
, lit 44, Cattaraugus Village, where he built and
I.-ed a few years. He also bought lot 43,
liown as the "Island." While living on lot
"., there was an ice-jam in Cattaraugus creek,
, setting the water back over the fiats. Hall
)as awakened in the night by running water,
.^e jumped out of bed into about a foot of
, '^ter, got his family upstairs, where they lived
,, iiree days with no fire or light except one

Chau-13

candle. At length some men ran the bow of
a boat into the open door and the family were
relieved. By this jam Mr. Hall lost about
ninety head of young cattle. Hall was justice
of the peace of Pomfret and frequently held
court at Fredonia. After the experience with
high water, Mr. Hall bought part of lot 11,
Cattaraugus Village, and built on its high
grounds and lived there until about 1S32, when
he sold and bought part of lot 48, including the
sawmill on the creek. In the War of 1812 a
British war vessel chased an American schooner
into the creek. The schooner ran as far up as
it could, and the crew gathered the settlers and
Indians to protect the schooner. The British
fired a few shots and gave up the chase. Esquire
Hall was one of the whites, and Morris Half-
town one of the Indians in the company. Mr.
Hall did in 1859. Rev. William Hall and his
sisters were early teachers at Cattaraugus.

In 18 10 Thomas Chapman bought part of lot
13, north of Nashville, James Webb part of lot
10, Uriah Nash number 19 at Nashville, Daniel
Farnham lot 51, Joseph Lull lot 50, Thomas
White lot 57, James Bennett lot 59, Forest-
ville, and William Jones lot 33, and James
Knapp lot 18, both between Forestville and
Nashville. In 181 1 Job Knight bought lot 63,
Hezekiah Fish lot 53.

Dr. Jacob Burgess came into Hanover, set-
tled at Silver Creek in 181 1. He was the first
physician in town. In 1812 he bought lot 74,
south of Silver Creek. He lived at Silver Creek
until his death in 1855. He left one son. Rev.
Chalon Burgess, and two daughters.

Isaac Smith from Whately, Mass., came to
Sheridan in 1810 and to Hanover that year or
the next ; bought with Erastus Scott lots 45
and 53, west of Smith's Mills. He was in the
War of 1812 at Buffalo, contracted fever, and
died. Rodney B. Smith, the founder of Smith's
Mills, was his son. "When but fifteen, in 1812,
he took his brother's place in the army and was
in the battles of Chippewa, Black Rock and
Williamsville." His son. Major Hiram Smith,
of Jamestown, was quartermaster in the Civil
War. Major George R. Smith, son of Major
Hiram, was a graduate of West Point, and in
1882 was appointed paymaster in the United
States Army.

Reuben Edmonds came in 181 1, took lots 55
and yj. Lot 55 was near Hanover Center and
lot •// in Silver Creek. In 1812 Nedabiah An-
gell bought lot 47 at Angell's Settlement (Han-
over Center). It is thought that he was actmg
supervisor in 1813, yet there is no record of his
election. There seems to have been no lands

194

CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE

taken up in 1813. In 1814 Jonathan L. Bartoo
settled at Forestville, bought a farm and re-
sided there a number of years. In 1816 he sold
his farm and mill to Nathan Mixer, moved to
Erie county, and died in 1852. In 1814 Benja-
min Smith bought lot 45 and Otis Tower lot
69, near Angell's Settlement. Otis Tower re-
mained in town until his death. In 1816 David
Convis bought lot 54, south of Angell's Settle-
ment; Norman Spink lot 52, near Forestville;
he bought afterwards between the creeks, near
Silver Creek, and died in Silver Creek ; George
E. Kirkland, number 5, on the east side of the
town, and Walter Libbey, number 12, between
Smith's Mills and Nashville. In 1817 Thomas
Nevins bought lot 37, west of Smith's Mills;
William McManus, lot 32, south part of town ;
Samuel P. McKee, lot 35, east of Forestville.
In 1818 Solomon Gregory bought part of lot
59, Forestville; in 1822 James Beach bought
lot 33, between Nashville and Forestville ; in
1823 William Patterson bought lot 53, north
of Forestville, and Israel Patterson lot number
43, east of Forestville; in 1826 George Love
bought number 3, near Nashville ; in 1827 Wil-
liam Dinsmore bought lot 32, south line, and
Belinus Green bought lot 36, Cattaraugus Vil-
lage. He built on this lot and resided there
until his death in the seventies.

Albert G. Dow, a native of New Hampshire,
came here in 1827 and after a residence of nine-
teen years removed to Randolph.

After 1827, settlers began to come in rapidly.
Those who took up lands were not the only
residents. There were many who came and
remained who do not appear on the company's
books, either never bought, or bought of indi-
viduals. As early as 1818 Philo Newton, from
Massachusetts, came and remained until his
death. Nine sons came with him, who settled
at La Grange, and many of their descendants
live here. Henry J. Newton, of Silver Creek,
the last surviving son of Philo, died in the
spring of 1894. Rufus L. Bonney, a soldier of
1812, came in soon after the war. Bonney died
at Irving in 1886, aged 86. He married a
daughter of John Smith, who came about 1807.
Nathan Mixer came to Forestville in 1817. He
was supervisor ten years, three terms a mem-
ber of Assembly, and for a time associate judge
of the county. He died at Forestville in 1871.
George Love in 1820 settled for life near For-
estville. Forestville was early known as Wal-
nut Falls. The first postoffice there was called
Hanover, and it is said Mr. Love brought the
change of name to Forestville. Dr. Jeremiah
Ellsworth came in 1828, settled at Silver Creek,
practiced until 1846, moved to Ellington, and

from there to Corry, Pa. He was supervisor
of Hanover three terms. While at Ellington
he was twice elected member of Assembly. In
1873 he was elected mayor of Corry. Comfort
Birdsey came to Portland from Oneida in 1828
with his mother, a widow with three sons and
three daughters. They came to Hanover the
same year and settled between Hanover Cen-
ter and Silver Creek. Mr. Birdsey was a man
of good, safe judgment and much respected,
holding various offices. He died in 1893.

In 1812, when Hanover was formed, there
was a scattering population in various parts.
There were four centers, hardly villages : Sil-
ver Creek, then Fayette ; Irving, then Catta-
raugus ; Forestville, and Nashville (Webster
Settlement). At the first election for membei
of Assembly, April, 1813, in Hanover, which
comprised Sheridan and Villenova, the whole
number of votes cast was only 112. James
Williams received 67, and Jacob Houghton 45
There is no record showing any town electior
in 1812 or 1813. The first town meeting 0;
which there is record preserved is thus re-
corded : "Resolutions and proceedings of th(
annual town meeting held at the house o:
Daniel Holbrook for the year 1814, April
Bethel Willoughby chosen moderator. Re.(
solved, that Joseph Brownell be and is hereby
appointed Supervisor for the year ensuingj
Resolved, that Samuel J. Smith be and is here
by appointed Clerk for the year ensuing. Rd
solved, that Ezra Puffer, Nedabiah Angell am
Allies Webster are hereby appointed assessors,
The date 1813 given by Mr. Young and Judg
Foote as that when Daniel Russell was chosen
supervisor, is wrong. The record is soms^
pages later in the record book and says "1815,
The error arose from mistaking a five for
three.

In 1830 and after that the lands were take:
up more rapidly, and various branches of busii
ness began to spring up in different parts c
the town. In 1828 Oliver Lee bought of Jobl
E. Howard the mill property and other landi
on lot 74, at Silver Creek and opened a storoi
He soon built up a large trade with the Indian
and settlers reaching to the south line of tht
county. When Lee came there were but eigl
or ten houses in Silver Creek. Oliver Lee die
at Buiifalo in 1846. C. C. Swift came froii
Batavia as a clerk for O. Lee, sent by Ellico;-
in answer to Lee's request for a man whi
talked Seneca. He remained with Lee as clen
and partner until Lee closed business at Silvl
Creek. He married Lee's daughter. The earl
merchants at Silver Creek were Stephen Clarl
John E. Howard and Manning Case. Afb

'Jt,

TOWNS— HANOVER

195

ithese came John M. Cummings. The village
(was west of Walnut Creek before 1828. The
ipost office, then Fayette, was kept in a store on
that side when Oliver Lee came. In 1832 Wil-
liam Van Duzer was postmaster, and moved
the office to Lee's store, east side of Walnut
md between the two creeks. O. Lee and C. C.
Swift continued in mercantile business until
"- about 1846. Afterward there were engaged
■ n business there Ammi Merchant and Daniel
Rumsey in 1849; Foot & Rumsey ; Rumsey &
■' H. N. Farnham. The firm was H. N. Farn-
-' lam & Co. With Farnham, in the company at
lifferent times were Justin Clark and Joseph
A'ells. Farnham's business was sold to Mack
Montgomery and Charles Wells and continued
)y Charles Wells to 1872. E. R. Ballard and
-I. H. Hawkins traded in the O. Lee store.
Silas Gates, O. Lee Swift and Porter Smith
It vere also traders.

""■ ; At Cattaraugus, soon after 1830, the United
States government commenced building a har-
lor and expended much money in building
liers, etc., to protect and keep the channel
ipen. Thus a village grew up at the mouth of
•-■ he creek and was known as Cattaraugus.
f' Stores and storehouses were built there. Con-
' 'iderable freighting business was done, and
irge quantities of lumber shipped, as the har-
or gave an outlet to market for lumber, and
oon five or six lumber mills were built at La
jrange, a mile and a half above the harbor,
'he Irving Company was formed August 17,
836, and bought about twenty Cattaraugus
tillage lots at the mouth of the creek. The
itle to a large amount of land bought by the
ompany was owned b}- Rufus Reed, who con-
eyed it to Augustus C. Stevens in 1835. He
et; pnveyed lots i, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, Cattaraugus Vil-
ige. The Irving Village plot included the first
'■ A'enty-four Cattaraugus Village lots.

John I. Thorn and family and Hiram Sackett

■ nd family, from Dutchess county, came to

'ortland in 1829, and to Hanover in 1830 and

icated at La Grange. Thorn bought of Squire

hraim Hall lot 11, Cattaraugus Village, and

kett, lots 47, 48, Cattaraugus Village, of

Hand Land Company, and of C. A. H. Mc-

gor, a nephew, of Ellicott, lots 43, 49oi. 52,

54, 56, 57 and 58, Cattaraugus Village, and

59 of Sottle. Sackett afterward owned the

' sawmills on the creek, and carried on lum-

! ing and merchandising there along with his

ming. A large part of his lands he sold

iterwards to John J. and E. B. Guernsey. He

\\r. fas elected for several terms justice of the

• " eace, and was for a number of years a judge of

■ court of common pleas. He died at Irving

in 1869, aged 72. He was "affable and cour-
teous in his mann